It was 2006, and that journey took me to “El Jardin” (the Garden) a Tsotsil community in the mountains of Chiapas to share Christmas with Pastor Antonio as a missionary working with International Ministries. Alongside our brothers and sisters, we sang to Jesus. Wrapped up by the unhurried and rhythmic Mayan accent we talked and shared tamales and black coffee. Under the zinc roof and dirt floor of Antonio’s wooden shack house with only a table, several chairs and a hammock for furniture; there were no shopping malls, no “ajoro,” (rush), no gifts, no lights, no Christmas tree. There was only the traditional woodstove to warm us and the light of the Milky Way shining in the sky. That Christmas night was a different one! One where I end up in a different place as a human being.
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The newly created Peace Fund-Fondos por la Paz will support six projects in 2019. This fund gives grants to empower small, grassroots groups doing the work of peacemaking on a local or regional level.
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The Mayan Intercultural Seminary (SIM) is a non-denominational theological school located in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. The Seminary contributes to the construction of peace from an intercultural perspective and promotes the values of equity, justice, inclusiveness, dialogue, human integrity, reciprocity, and a sense of vocation. SIM focuses on creating solidarity networks through initiatives in particular for women and youth, to build a more inclusive world.
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They are privileged to live in a country of privileges. I am privileged unfairly, in a country where opportunities do not exist for all. My brother and sister do not have the same opportunities I have. Why? Youth of my people must migrate for pursuing dreams and new opportunities. Why? Not all of them have the same fate of being successful and their dreams become nightmares.
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BPFNA Board President Amaury Tañón-Santos was recently in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico teaching a course called "Christian Ethics: A Latin American Perspective and Peace" to seminarians at the Mayan Intercultural Seminary (SIM). The course lasted from August 25-29, 2014. The following is a brief report from Amaury about his time at SIM.
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Lekil Kuxlejal. Abundant Life. When Dr. Amaury Tañón-Santos had the students at the Mayan Intercultural Seminary (SIM) in Chiapas, Mexico discuss different meanings of the word peace, this term emerged from the students and stood out from the rest.
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I was elated when I received the invitation from the academic coordinator of SIM, The Rev. Dr. Doris García, to teach a course about biblical peace as found in Pauline literature. The course was going to be taught in a land I’ve only read about – a land I knew at a distance. These teaching ministry partnerships were essential for this experience that, in the end, ended up teaching me more than what I expect was learned in the classroom.
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The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America exceeded its goal of $8,800 and raised $9,137.32 for Conflict Transformation trainings in Chiapas, Mexico.
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Last November, BPFNA was a companion to 15 young indigenous prophets from Chiapas on a remarkable pilgrimage to El Salvador, to La Tierra de los Martires, the Land of the Martyrs.
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