News from Suz
Late February 2007
Greetings! Yes, I am alive and relatively well, tlascamati a
Totueyiteco (thanks to our great God).
My travels to Texas and Monterrey went smoothly. Lety, a woman
about my age from Frijolillo, accompanied me as far as Monterrey,
as she was returning to work after an extended vacation period.
I enjoyed seeing friends in Texas and friends from across the
border region at the annual meeting of the Presbyterian Border
Ministry Council. And I became rather accustomed to “life”
in the border region once more. But I missed the food of my new
home. I just seem to feel much better here overall. No doubt a
gift from God. The junket north was good, but it also forced me
to face the reality of my move. The border is no longer home,
Huastecas is, but my heart is still in transition.
I returned with my wheels spinning, arriving Saturday evening
and leaving for Huitzitzilingo on Monday morning to preach during
the opening night’s worship for the local church’s
“Youth Week.” Sister Magdalena, Pastor Abel’s
aunt, accompanied me for the trip, and I enjoyed getting to know
more about her life as a single woman who spent most of her years
in the city working to support her extended family in Frijolillo.
We stayed for Tuesday’s synod meeting and a brief meeting
I had with the leadership of our presbytery and the General Assembly.
Fortunately, our synod will remain in existence; with only one
Oaxaca presbytery bowing out to join another synod closer to them
geographically (presbyteries and therefore synods are not necessarily
geographic in Mexico).
And then I fell ill.
The Longest Night
I had a fever of 102, lots of body pain, chills. Eventually the
diarrhea led me to seek help with Pastor Abel and family at 1:00
a.m. last Thursday morning. I was dehydrating fairly quickly so
we decided to head for the hospital in Tamazunchale where they
pumped me full of IV solution, antibiotics, and pain medication.
I spent the day and following night at the Morales home in Tamazunchale,
my faithful sister Martha by my side the entire time. Tests revealed
that amoebas and proteus were responsible for all that ailed me.
The doc put me on some of the most powerful (and potentially dangerous)
meds, pills and injections! I was leery, but my desire to be healed
was greater than my fear of the needle or the terrible side-effects
my “Where there is no doctor” book warned me of. So,
here I am, six days later, not 100 percent well, but I am up and
moving around almost as usual. Do please keep praying for my health
though.
I have to admit that the adventure did shake me up a bit. I started
asking myself questions like: “Can I really live here?”
“Will my body really adapt?” My intestines are already
messed up enough with celiac disease. I found myself challenged
to trust God in deeper and deeper ways, releasing to Him my fears
for my long-term (as well as doubts about short-term) health,
recognizing Him for who He is and surrendering everything to Him
once again. He responded with Psalm 16: “I have set the
Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will
not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me
to the grave nor will you let your Holy One see decay” (8-10).
The experience also taught me much about the challenges our brothers
and sisters face all the time. There are no doctors nearby. They
do not have the money for blood and stool tests. They just take
what the doctor gives them because they do not know which medications
are for what, or their negative side effects. And too often they
do not have the money for the medications in the first place.
Of course, in many ways they are so much healthier for it, not
worrying about the “what ifs” of a powerful drug and
not taking the medications in the first place if the body is able
to fight the infection itself. But I had the money and therefore
received both the peace and the intranquility of mind—the
healing and the possible side effects. Which is better, I do not
know.
The INPM-PC(USA) partnership
The heart of this year’s annual meeting of the Presbyterian
Border Ministry Council was studying the National Presbyterian
Church of Mexico’s new four-year plan and asking God how
the PC(USA) might come alongside them in meeting the goals the
Lord has placed on their hearts. This was the challenge set before
each of the six border ministry sites as well as the three PC(USA)
missionaries working in Mexico under the International Joint Mission
Commission (comprised of General Assembly leadership from both
countries and churches). In short, the goals include planting
200 new churches, establishing educational institutions across
the country, creating a pension fund for pastors, and a variety
of projects to strengthen the ties between churches and the spiritual
walk of Presbyterians across the nation. Please pray for church
leadership as well as those of us serving in mission here, as
we move forward to meet the challenges the Lord has placed before
us. And be in prayer about how the INPM might be of support to
the PC(USA) as well!
Life in the Huastecas: harvest time
This week the men are taking advantage of the sunshine—four
days running now! It must be a miracle! Oranges are being harvested.
The going price is between 600 and 1,000 pesos (60 to 100 dollars)
per ton, depending on who picks the fruit and how far the truck
has to go to get it. It is a good year and by far beats the price
in 2005, which was as low as nine dollars per ton! Other folks
are also harvesting corn, though most of the corn is already in.
For corn harvest, one generally chooses a day to harvest, hires
others in the church or community to help, and then if it doesn’t
rain the guys walk out to the individual’s land and pick
the corn by hand from about 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The landowner’s
wife (with the help of others) will prepare both a mid-morning
snack as well as lunch for the crew, and they make their way home
by around 3: p.m. Sometimes the corn is hauled into town to the
landowner’s home on the backs of the same men in large sacks
(costales) or in the back of a truck. The men who help are generally
paid the equivalent of five dollars for their day’s labor.
Life in the Frijolillo church
This is “Youth Week” at the church, and we have nightly
worship services with messages about the youth of the Bible and
their example to youth today. Three classrooms are being built
next to my apartment on the second floor of the church annex.
Two professionals who are also church members are being paid for
their daily work, and the men of the church take turns volunteering
their time as helpers. On Sunday, we will celebrate the ordination
of two elders and two deacons.
In the coming weeks
This week I am in charge of a Bible trivia and verse memory contest
that is part of Youth Week. I will also preach here Friday and
in Taxicho Saturday (also for Youth Week).
Other things on my “to do” list are
- Learn Náhuatl.
- Teach Pastor Abel to use the church computer.
- Consider how to arrange a possible English class that several
people have asked for.
- Try to get out to do more visiting here in Frijolillo and
around the presbytery.
All this of course in addition to my occasional work as taxi
driver (yesterday I took an 8th grader from the school here to
the hospital in Tamazunchale—he broke both bones in his
left forearm!), domino-keeper, and community “attraction.”
There are days I feel I “do” very little, but I find
myself very occupied just “living” and being with
folks. Establishing a foundation for years to come.
In and by His grace,
Susie
How can you participate in the ministry in the Huastecas?
By praying
- For my Náhuatl acquisition and the health of my digestive
tract.
- For Timoteo, as it appears his suffering is related to childhood
trauma.
- That Frijolillo’s water project is approved by the city.
- For the Holy Spirit’s guidance as I prepare messages
and begin to take on a more active role in the life of each
of the congregations here.
By writing or calling
You can always write me by using the link to my email on my
home page.
By giving
Gifts to support my salary and benefits should be sent to: PC(USA),
Individual Remittance Processing, PO Box 643700, Pittsburgh PA
15264-3700. Make sure “Frerichs, ECO#074044” is written
on the memo line of the check. You can also send funds to PBM,
319 Camden, San Antonio, TX 78215 and designate them for the Huastecas.
They will be used to cover ministry expenses I have here in the
Huastecas.
Or click the button below to give online:
The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 66 |
