Chai In The Mountains: Children Of Mexico
Laura owns a lovely tea shop in Mineral El Chico, a centuries-old English mining town. I met her years ago when her business was starting. She had a menu of a few dozen teas back then.
Now, her tea menu has more than doubled, and she also has artisan cheeses and beer and local honey. The cheese and beer are locally crafted, though not in her shop.
All the tea mixes are her own, and, in fact, many of the fruit and herbs in them grow in the forest surrounding the town. In the beginning, she would go out on her own to pick them.
Now, she employs a handful of local women. They help her gather the fruits, flowers, and herbs, which she dries, to mix into her wonderful drinks.
I taste something new every time I visit. This week, I choose the chai latte collection. I will taste four different ones: chai with mint, chai with honey, white chai with spices, and red chai with flowers. As I sip the frothy drink, with the cold drizzle beyond the yellow glow of the hanging lamps, I chat with Laura.
She asks us what we’re doing in El Chico National Park this time. We’re training rock climbing instructors for Young Life and Cumbre Expedition Ministries.
“So, you’re Christian?”
“Yes! We’re training leaders so they can train others and take groups out to rappel and rock climb.”
Laura’s dark eyes widen. She explains to us how she took a survey in the municipality to find out religious statistics. In a small cluster of towns, she found eleven sects and Christian denominations. Among them were evangelical Christians, Mormons, Catholics and Jehovah’s Witnesses. How could such a small community suffer so much division? How could the community come together to better their life quality?
Laura tells me she’s a medic and knows many of the town’s residents.
“It’s sad we can’t all work together,” she murmurs. “Our youth need help. Many fourteen-year-olds are getting pregnant. The kids here need education. I have a little girl myself, and I worry about when she’s older. For a maturing child, the environment here is toxic.”
Drug and alcohol abuse are common in many of Mexico’s small towns. With little to keep them occupied, the youth fall into the worst of it, as anywhere else.
But Laura is far from all talk and no action. She and her mountain biker husband are searching for what changes the town needs by befriending its citizens.
“It’s a shame that even in such a small town, there is so little interconnectedness,” she laments. “But, it’s exciting to see kids, like you guys, getting out and hanging out without drugs and alcohol, and training each other. Do you only take Christians with you? Or would you guys be open to letting people from here join you on your next trip?”
My friend Rebeca and I nod, grinning. “Absolutely! That’s what we want. We want to connect with people around us and encourage and help local communities.”
Seconds later, three from our group, John, Andrik, and Fernanda, who’d been out walking, return breathless. “We just talked to a lady in the shop down the street!” One of them pant. “Without prompting, she told us she had no faith, so we prayed for her!”
I notice Laura’s eyes fill with tears. “Doña Anita. I know her… she really let you pray for her?”
“Yeah! She says she feels like she can’t believe in God because little spirits haunt her.”
“She told you about that? For years, she’s complained of spirits and ghosts but refuses to let anyone who offers help near her. It’s amazing that she opened up to you!” Laura turns to me now. “That’s what this town needs! It needs someone to care and reach out to this town’s people. It needs an education in ethics, self-care, discipline, and training to enjoy and care for nature. It needs unity. It needs God’s love shared with them.”
I don’t know what will come of this encounter, but I’d love to go back soon to get some of their youth out climbing. And who knows what could come of those new friendships?
