MANCHESTER - MEXICO CULTURAL EXCHANGE

http://www.mexicomanchester.co.uk/ is the new website created by a group of Manchester people - promoting a trip to Armonia in June. They are hoping to spend two weeks linking up with Armonia's "family and friends" mainly in Oaxaca to make music, paint, photograph and in all ways get colourful and creative.

If you want to hear about their project - then try to get to Manchester Cathedral on Tuesday March 2nd at 7pm.
There are also places for new people to join the team. More information from their website.

ARMONIA DIRECTORS IN UK for MARCH

March 1st-23rd Saul and Pilar Cruz will be visiting churches and groups -
if you can't meet them at any of the venues listed please Email us!
and we'll see if we can arrange a meeting.

Tuesday 2nd March

MANCHESTER

7.00 p.m. Manchester Cathedral, Launch Event
Mexico-Manchester 2010 Intercambio



Sunday 7th March

LEICESTER

Carley Evangelical Baptist Church
Wharf Street North
St. Matthews
Leicester
LE1 2AB

10.45am & 6pm church services


Wednesday 10th March

NEWCASTLE

Email mission@church.org.uk
If you wish to be included in their appointments


Saturday March 13th

LONDON


MEXICO PARTY – INFORMATION - MOTIVATION
2.30pm-6.30pm, St James The Less SW1

2.30pm
Introduction Conversation and interview
Refreshments – snacks and drinks

3pm-4.30pm
Saul and Pilar keynote address
including premiering new film
Reminiscences from volunteers

4.30-6.30pm
Food and fun, networking and conversations

The Upper Room
St James the Less
Thorndike Street
off Moreton Street
London
SW1V 2PS

Nearest Tube – Victoria / Pimlico


Sunday March 14th

CAMBRIDGE

Eden Baptist Church – Administrator Ruth Tricker
1 Fitzroy Street
Cambridge
CB1 1ER
Tel: 01223 361250
www.eden-cambridge.org

LUNCH 12.30pm-2.15pm at Eden

6pm – interviewed and preach at evening service


Thursday 18th March

KENT

8pm

St Peter’s hosted event

Stream Cottage,
Ditton
Aylesford
Kent
ME20 6AG


Sunday March 21st

OLDHAM, LANCS

10am Church Service

St. Mary's High Crompton
Rushcroft Rd,
Shaw, Oldham,
Lancashire OL2 7PP

SALE, MANCHESTER

St.Mary Magdalene
44 Moss Lane
Ashton on Mersey
Sale, M33 6GD
Junction of Harboro Road
& Moss Lane

7pm church service

Reflaction

Most of us are accustomed to reflection before action: education precedes employment, knowledge equips us to perform particular tasks, and learning leads to new forms of living. During our year as Armonía volunteers, however, we experienced a more dynamic way of relating reflection and action.

First, we experienced reflection on action. The Armonía directors frequently encouraged this by asking the pivotal question: “What did you learn today?” With the hard work of the day still fresh in our minds, and often the smell of sweat still on our skin, we debriefed, discussed and prayed together, learning more from these times of reflection on action than we could ever glean from books.

In addition to reflection on action, we also experienced reflection in action. This type of reflection occurs by asking: What are we learning right now? Some of our most memorable insights into the meaning of ministry and Christ-centred service arose in the midst of digging a ditch, teaching an English class or washing dirty dishes. By reflecting in and on action, we allow God’s Spirit to convict and convince without giving our minds time to distill what forms of action are the most manageable. Reflection in/on action is the method for cultivating kingdom lifestyles, propelling us beyond comfort and convenience.

It is difficult to communicate the dynamic interplay between reflection and action. Perhaps an illustration is helpful. Reflection and action are related like eating and exercise. Eating without exercising is like reflection without action: we get bloated with ideas and spiritually out of shape. But the opposite is also true: exercising without eating well is like acting without adequate reflection, since we will not have the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual nutrients to keep going, running the risk of burnout. To fully convey the inseparable relationship between reflection and action, we use a new, blended word: reflaction.

Volunteering with Armonía in Mexico was a unique way to experience and grow in our ability to reflact. The challenge for all of us is to practice reflaction as we seek to know and follow Jesus in unique situations and circumstances. How will you reflact today?

Wes and Steph Vanderlugt (centre) were long-term volunteers with Armonia, living and serving in Mexico between August 2008 and July 2009. Here they are teaching visitors and AIMS students alike to dance after visiting the Oaxaca Guelaguetza (annual dance festival). They now live, study and serve in St. Andrew's, Scotland.

Six Flags and Six Baskets

12 of the students from the residence in Oaxaca were rewarded for their high academic achievement just before Christmas with a week-long trip to Mexico City which included, amongst other things a trip to ‘ Six Flags’ - the Mexican equivalent of Alton Towers. They also had a cinema trip to see the film ‘Avatar’ (followed by a very interesting discussion lead by Saul Cruz on the links of the plot with the history of Mexico), saw some city sights and enjoyed the novel experience of using an escalator - some spent half an hour travelling up and down ....!
Their city trip gave also gave them the opportunity to work alongside locals and volunteers from the UK and US in giving out food for Christmas to poor families and organise games for children in some of the community centres. This type of experience is very important as it gives the students a window on other things going on in Armonia and enriches their cultural understanding. For most of the students this will have been their first trip outside Oaxaca!
The students who didn’t do quite so well in their studies (and therefore had to stay behind to do extra revision for their re-takes) were presented with a challenging forfeit – Saul got them to each fill six baskets full of harvest produce from the land cultivated around the residence in Etla. This was no mean feat as the baskets were pretty large! Produce included maize and root vegetables among other things. This exercise taught the students how to harvest maize and the result has been that they think they have enough maize to last the whole year! Food growing is just one of the skills that the students are learning as part of the AIMS programme.
Photographs to follow

All Souls Team at Dedication of Students Residence

The dedication ceremony of the Students residence was poignant. The beautiful Oaxacan mountains surrounded a large plane, the sun beat down and for the 200+ who gathered - neighbours, local dignitaries and children from the Summer Course and their parents - a feast was served. Saul and Pilar Cruz shared their vision for the Students residence, and the Community Centre to be built there.

The residence for young indigenous students had taken 2 years to complete, and we felt privileged to contribute in just the last two weeks. Our team of 23, in itself cross cultural with 9 nationalities represented, found ourselves forming strong relationships with the students through our common tasks together – running a Summer Course for about 50 children each afternoon – and painting the Students residence. Despite little language in common, we had become a wider family as we walked alongside Armonía and tried to understand the meaning of true community in Christ with others around the world.

We pray that the residence will continue to be a welcoming home for generations of students as they develop intellectually, socially and spiritually – building possibilities for their future and avoiding the need for illegal migration. We also pray for funds for a second residence.

Back in Mexico City, we were challenged by widespread urban poverty, and in the same way by our own preconceptions of poverty. We participated in another Summer Course, visited Armonia’s three Urban Transformation Centres and also spent time with the Hornos community, who were displaced because their fragile shacks had been built on the side of a steep, sandy cliff and had began to collapse. In re-housing the community, the government provided one small room for each of the families, with up to 8 people. Some in this community had much praise for God, though little material comforts. For us it is often the reverse.

We are deeply grateful for all the support given to us in order to make this trip possible. Each team member returns with their own story enriched in some way – friends made, thoughts about poverty alleviation challenged, holistic gospel emphasised, dependence on God reinforced, serving others tangibly modelled and a new sense of becoming a community and family in Christ. Our adventure isn’t over. The challenge now becomes applying what we’ve learnt in our own contexts.

We've finished the Residence!

The new AIMS Students’ Residence ‘Casa Margarita’ is now open in Oaxaca!
The new students’ residence was officially opened and dedicated in a celebration in October 2009. The ceremony was attended by Saul and Pilar Cruz, the International Board of Armonia, students, volunteers, local residents and other staff from Mexico City. The Wetfoot team of volunteers from All Souls Langham Place were also present, having helped put the finishing touches to the building (see previous story). Celebrations included a Feast, a Sermon, a blessing for the local community and local traditional dances performed by the students in their traditional dress. Saul says a huge THANK YOU to God and for the support from Armonia International and its world wide community.
The Residence provides a safe environment for the students aged between 14-18 in which to live and study. With the “Older Siblings” overseeing it during their pre-university year of service, it is a place where ‘Community’ and loving others are given a strong focus; a place where the Gospel is lived and preached, and the students are equipped with books and uniforms. They are given ongoing daily support in various forms: basic living skills including hygiene and communal living, Spanish lessons and bible studies to name but a few.
Selection is two fold: Students selected have to be among the best in the Mexican state School system (that is achieve 9’s and 10’s in their final exams) and they need to be committed to the ongoing activities of the AIMS community.
At present, the students love the new residence so much that Saul and Pilar have arranged for two groups of students to alternate between the residence in Oaxaca city centre and Casa Margarita (about a half hour outside town) so there is no favouritism. The new residence is proving to be very popular indeed.