Nestled in the mountains that surround Palenque, Mexico is a small village called Arroyo Palenque. In this city, a symphony of crowing roosters, squealing pigs and fighting dogs are the common 5 am alarm clock. Where your day starts by itching the mosquito and spider bites all over your feet and your breakfast is cooked over a wood burning stove. Where the only sentence we share as we pass the people in the village is, “Buenas dias!” The surroundings are quiet, with the exception of the blaring music coming out of the small houses. But the days are full. Where spirits feel opressed, but hopes are high and prayers are long. This is my home.
Two weeks ago, we were dropped in Arroyo Palenque, a city about an hour outside the main city of Palenque. We met the pastor who speaks both Spanish and Chol (the dialect of the village). We had our work cut out for us! With a couple of semi conversiational spanish speakers on our team, we knew right off communication would be a challenge. Not many people in our village even speak spanish. So in order to talk with people, we need a translator from English to Spanish and then from Spanish to Chol. Figuring out our place was first on our list of “to do’s.”
A few days into our time in Arroyo Palenque, we realized what we had gotten ourselves into. The city we are staying in is heavily opressed by demonic spirits. If you don’t belive me, follow me as our team enters the homes of the people of the village. Each house is plagued with sickness that has been present for years. Garlic hangs over the doors and peoples faces are filled with more despair than I have ever seen in my life. With the exception of the children, no one cracks a smile and joy has been sucked out of their lives. Several team members who visited us throughout the past week said they have felt a heaviness and a sleepiness that was not normal. It is without a doubt that satan has a hold on this town and the only way to break this bondage is through Christ Jesus.
In the midst of this dark city is a church. It is a small church, not much larger than your living room. But in it is a light that is seen throughout the whole city. In this small church is an even smaller man. Standing about 5 foot three inches and weighing about a total of 110 lbs is a man with a huge heart. His name is Marcos. Marcos is the pastor of the church we are working with. When we sit in the homes of the sick and the unsaved, he literally weeps and tears fall on the ground for this community. The burden is visible as he is the only man and the only pastor who is not asleep as he says. He has woken up in his faith. And although he is viewed as the black sheep in the community, he stands strong and interceeds for the 700 people in the village. His church is no more than three families. And our team alone doubles the population of his congregation. But they are faithful and they love the Lord so much it humbles me.
Marcos is a light in this community and I am confident that the Lord has not turned his back on this small and opressed village for the fact that he is there and doing Gods work in this community. I have been so moved that one of our biggest responsibilites in being where we are is to bring encouragment and support to Marcos and his family. I look at his children and I see the future leaders of this church. Man, these kids…you should see their faces. It intrigues me that they are the only ones that have not had the joy sucked out of them. Even the teenagers have lost their zeal. Our team regularly lifts up the children and Marcos as we believe they will be the ones to change this city and break these opressions.
Partner with our team and help us interceed. I am learning so much about the power of prayer. IT IS REAL. What we are going through is major spiritual warfare. Don’t think that your prayers are going to waste or that they are hitting the ceiling. Our team and this village of Arroyo Palenque need you. Pray for Marcos, pray for these sweet children as you see these pictures. It would mean so much to me!!
I have realized the nature of the World Race will kill me in that it will be so bittersweet all the time. We leave at the end of this week for Guatemala. I didn’t think I would fall in love with this village as much as I have and it will be certainly be hard to leave. But I am comitted to telling the stories of these unsung heros, like Marcos, as I travel this desperate world.
Florentina, Gedi, Adrienne, Carla Anette, Marcos
