If the economic downturn, cartel wars, & rampant street crime were not enough, now the people of Mexico are also suffering from the effects of the Swine Flu epidemic. I recently received a vivid reminder of just how all of these problems converge & add to the helplessness & hopelessness Mexicans feel daily.
Last Friday morning as I turned onto a major thoroughfare here in Chihuahua City, four Police pickups roared by with sirens screaming. They were full of armored policemen with machine guns at the ready & blue surgical masks firmly in place. Headed downtown to the scene of yet another cartel killing, they were ready for any eventuality – whether it be a gun battle or a flu virus.
As I write this, a number of cases of Swine Flu are being reported here in Chihuahua. Even before this news, roughly 15-25% of the people here were already wearing surgical masks while out in public. Going to the grocery store feels more like you are walking the aisles of a hospital than a super market.
On April 26th, after 300 years in storage, the icon of the Christ of Health was placed on the altar of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City. It was announced that the icon would remain on the Altar of Forgiveness until the medical emergency is over.
Isaiah 44:17 describes a scene that parallels such events in Mexico today: “And the residue [of wood] thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.”
From the rough-and-tumble cities to the remote, rugged mountains, both city-dwelling Mexicans & indigenous tribal people alike are immersed in helplessness & hopelessness. Most are grasping at anything that gives them any relief or hope.
Sadly, instead of turning to the Truth to be found in God’s Word, many try to appease & manipulate their god into meeting their needs. All of them need to hear the Gospel and the message of hope it offers to those without hope.
We have Mexican friends & neighbors who are beginning to open up & share their problems with us. Please pray that we will be able to use the distressing events of the day to point them to the only answer for their helplessness & hopelessness: Jesus Christ.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.