Mexico Mission 2023

Sister Schlachter and I were asked to speak in our church services last Sunday. We were not given topics, only a time limit - 13 minutes each. It was Fathers Day in Mexico just as it was in Canada, so that was my topic. Somewhere in my life, I heard someone say that a boy doesn't become man until his father dies and for some reason this thought stuck with me until now. Doing a bit of digging, I found the thought is attributed to Sigmund Freud, the 'father' of talk therapy which now helps many people with mental illness. My dad died on March 4 of this year - according to Freud, does that now set me up to finally become a man?  Digging even deeper, I couldn't find the exact quote but what I did find was this, “A father’s death is the most important event, the more heartbreaking and poignant loss in a man’s life.” I spent a lot of time with my dad as we farmed together until 1992. Sister Schlachter observed that we didn't and didn't need to talk when we worked toge...

Sunday June 2 was election day in Mexico.  Unlike in Canada and in the United States, Mexicans directly elect their president who can serve only one six year term. The election campaign here has been one of the most violent in history. The following tally appeared in a national newspaper this past week "According to a count made by Grupo REFORMA, from January until the close of the campaigns last Wednesday, candidates, pre-candidates and aspirants to occupy a popularly elected position were murdered in at least 14 states. Of the total number of candidates murdered, 5 were seeking positions in Guerrero; 3, in Jalisco; 3, in Chiapas; 3, in Michoacán; 1, in Veracruz; 1, in Colima; 1, in Mexico City; 1, in Morelos; 1, in the State of Mexico; 1, in Puebla [another candidate was murdered in this state after publication of the article as he stepped onto the podium to close his campaign]; 1, in Tamaulipas; 1, in Guanajuato; 1, in Oaxaca, and 1, in Sinaloa. 8 were from Morena [the current ...