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| Tom, Collette, & Santos |
First, a little history. More than
10 years ago we were living in San Marcos focusing on the ministry in Arrayanes
and Mojocuautla. They had just installed phone lines and for the first time we
could get internet service. I began searching the internet for any information
about the Cora Indians. I stumbled across a website of Tom and Collette
Beytien, a couple from Nebraska who were working with the Cora up in the
community of La Mesa del Nayar. They had been working at a school for Indian
kids from the Tepeuano, Huichol, Cora, and Mexicanero tribes. They worked
alongside the director, an elderly Franciscan monk who at that time had been in
the mountains for 35 plus years. I sent them an email expressing my desire to
work more with the Cora people and included an invitation to visit us anytime
they were passing through.
Since our first meeting God has
continued to allow us to work together in many different ways because of our
shared passion for seeing God revealed among the Cora people. Now, as we are
back in Mexico and gearing up to start a new work in the area around the Mesa,
Tom and Collette are back at the school. Now that the Franciscan has passed
away the school has been taken over by the Alumni group, directed by our friend
Santos. The school still has its roots in the Catholic tradition, but they are
open to our involvement. During our trip there last week, we were invited to
share during their devotional times a 6am and again at 6pm. During our trip we
were able to help out by painting in the dining hall, painting the exposed wood
on the exterior of one of the buildings, and building a number of shelf units
for the dormitories. Pastor Horacio, his son Alfredo and David Medina
accompanied me on the trip.
Right now there are more than 100
students at the school, some of them live there full time since they come from
as far away as Durango and Jalisco, and the rest return to their homes in La
Mesa. This school really needs help financially. To adequately house, feed, and
teach this many kids is not cheap, but if I understood Tom correctly, they are
doing it now for about $500 a month. They really need closer to $1500 a month.
If you would like to be a part of that work you can contact Tom and Collette at
familyrenewal@yahoo.com.
