Yolotepec

We began our journey one Friday morning before the sun came up. One might have thought we were riding a kind of crazy roller coaster by the way we were going up and down and around and around on the two-lane, pot-hole filled road through the mountains of Oaxaca. Along the way, we saw several donkeys and cows tied to the side of the road for grazing and some small landslides from the recent, heavy rains. After about three and a half hours of this (Dramamine!), we came around yet another corner and there before us stood the mountain town of Yolotepec, complete with a beautiful waterfall and houses that seemed to balance on the edges of the mountains.

Here in the town of Yolotepec, high up in the mountains, there is an extension training school for pastors. Once a month, missionaries come and teach the pastors who come from their villages. This time, I was invited to go along, so I could see the work and spend time with the children of the pastors who came. When we arrived, we were immediately invited to sit down and eat. They offered us soup and even provided spoons for us to use. (They usually eat the soup with their tortilla, so this was done especially for us.) After eating, the missionary ladies began to teach the classes while I went outside to have a quick look around, taking pictures and just watching the activities for a bit.

There were about ten-twelve kids present, so I pulled out the balloons I had brought and began to make balloon animals, etc. for them. This turned out to be a big hit (no matter that I only know how to make a few things) and the kids circled around me to watch. They all waited quietly and patiently for their turn and several of them continued to watch even after I had finished making their balloon.

We didn’t do a great deal of talking because for many of them (if not all), Spanish is a second language (they speak Chatino); but we did color a picture of Jesus with children and sing a song about the love of Jesus. Then, we talked about Jesus loving each one of them. It was a very simple message and I’m sure they’ve heard it before, but they were listening intently and colored the picture of Jesus in its entirety.

The quiet patience and attentiveness of the children surprised me. They were so sweet and would answer my questions with shyness and quiet voices. Their love for each other was evident in the way they helped the younger ones and played together. It was refreshing to see their innocence and I could not help but think that this is way it should be.

Later in the day, shortly before we said our goodbyes, two of the girls came up to me and literally draped themselves around me in a hug for several minutes. They melted my heart. And as we prepared to leave, the children gathered in a group and waved goodbye until after we had climbed in the car and were pulling away.

We crept back down through the winding mountains and then finished the last part of the journey on “regular” roads until arriving back in Oaxaca City after dark. It was the type of day that you almost think must have been a dream because it was so different from what I normally do; but I know it was real and I will never forget the experience. And who knows? Maybe I can take that twisty, curvy trip again someday!