Our Stories

The Beginning

Cuernavaca, Mexico

Late 1980’s

 

I had been a minister for about 20 years and at this time, I was the senior pastor at Gladwyne Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania. Betsy was a social worker, a mom, and my life partner. We stood together in our faith and believed that God’s grace belongs to all. It didn’t matter where one was born, the color of one’s skin, the religion practiced, or the gender. It didn’t matter. We were all blessed – but we realized that not everyone had the economic, political or physical freedom to realize their blessings.

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In 1987, Betsy and I flew to Cuernavaca to pick up our youngest son, Erik. He had been living in Cuernavaca and attending a language school. As everyone knows, this was a life-changing experience for Erik, but it was for us as well. Betsy had been given a phone number for a Benedictine Nun who was helping local women sell hand-made crafts to support their families. Strong women thriving in difficult situations was a group that Betsy wanted to know and support.

 

I set about trying to find this nun. As it turned out, the phone was not answered by a nun, but by Ray Plankey. Ray was the director of a retreat center called Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Development (CCIDD). The Center ran faith-based mission trips for socially active congregations and groups. Now, I had my connection! Ray took us to meet a group of squatter families, who lived around an abandoned train station known as La Estacion. He also took us to an alternative school for children who had been forced to drop out of school to help support their families. We never did find the Benedictine Nun, but the families living in the La Estacion community, and the children at the alternative school (Comunidad), along with the pre-school/kindergarten, became the spirit and blessing of Wellspring Karitas.

 

In 1989, I decided that I would spend my 3-month church sabbatical in Cuernavaca. I lived with a family and helped repair and build homes as part of CCIDD projects. This was meaningful work to me. I could physically see the contribution I was making. The community was warm and giving, supporting each other in every way. They had nothing by American standards but were some of the most generous people I had ever met. They were a visible example of love. As a minister and as a human being, it was a time I will never forget. Yet, it struck me that they had no voice in our work. Where was their seat at the table? We

worked side-by-side, but it was the CCIDD directors who decided whose home would be fixed and what repairs were needed. When I got home, Betsy and I talked about what appeared to be a critical missing link in the process. How would we design missions that would reflect and represent the people who we hoped to serve? How would church groups in the US learn what the communities in Mexico needed? Betsy and I strongly believed that for a program to be successful and sustainable it had to involve the people affected and it had to be rooted in their culture.

 

We started taking people from Gladwyne Presbyterian on mission trips to Cuernavaca. We would visit with people in the community and learn about their lives. In 2001, during one of these trips, we visited with a woman in her home. She had 3 children: 12, 10, and 3. She explained that the 12-year-old would wash car windows for money and the 10-year-old would sell gum (Chicklets). One person in the group just happened to ask why there was a rope tied around a leg of the bed. The woman hesitated but then said that sometimes she was able to get work ironing and cleaning. When this happened, she would put out food and water and tie the 3-year-old to the bed.

 

We were all overcome by this story. Our visits with other families had been emotional and had deeply touched us, but this life story made us cry. It was a time of reflection and for action. One member of our church came home and raised $12,000 from his tennis club. The community used this money to build a playground and bathrooms at the preschool/kindergarten in the squatters’ settlement. I believe this $12,000 was the first budget for Wellspring Karitas. We have come a long way – 20 years ago, most of the teachers at the kindergarten were nuns, but today, the only nun is the director. Wellspring Karitas pays the salaries of all the teachers. In 2004, after another mission trip, $10,000 was raised and the community decided to add 2 rooms onto the preschool/kindergarten. I am saying preschool/kindergarten because in Mexico, it is 3 years of school. In the US, we think of preschool and kindergarten as separate education experiences. In Mexico, it is not.

 

La Estacion is an area that was settled and grew as migrants got off the last stop – the last station - of a railroad line that was later abandoned. The Catholic Church owned a warehouse, more of a shed, that it too had abandoned. It was very run down and not safe, but it was here that the people of La Estacion gathered. My family decided we could help the community by renovating the building and adding a second floor. The community put a lovely plaque on the

wall to thank us, but we thank them. This is a true center for the community and for the children and it continues to evolve and add to the quality of life in the area. The people of La Estacion are a blessing to Betsy and me.

 

While Betsy and I were helping to rehab this building, four mothers started using it for a breakfast program. They wanted to give their children breakfast before going to school. The mothers organized. With food money from Wellspring Karitas, they went to the market very early every morning to buy the ingredients and prepare a big breakfast. The mother’s group has grown and now prepares breakfast for about 150 children. The leadership of these women has been an inspiration to us and their families for many years.

 

Now, there are all kinds of workshops held at La Estacion. How to classes for micro businesses and classes in CPR. The women have started a program to take care of seniors who have no family. The community grows, thrives, and is witness to its future. Opportunities and hope are alive.

 

We couldn’t be happier to see kids being fed, kids staying in school, kids graduating from high school, kids going to college. It is exciting to see the women acting with confidence and pushing forward in their lives. When they see a need, they do something about it. Amen!

 

Betsy and I send you peace and hope for a world where community matters.