During our country breifing we were given a map of the metro system. And on that map they had circled areas of interest. One of the circles had an X on it and said “Do Not Go Here!” So you can imagine our shock when we were told that on our first day we were going to Tepito(the metro stop we were told not to go to). We were told that Tepito was by far the worst area in Mexico City. Not only were there people living hungry and homeless but also living in spiritaul darkness and sin. After going through a long list of safety guide lines we agreed to fast that day, for our protection and for God to work in the lives of those people.
We arrived by metro and walked out together. As we walked out my chest tightened and I could feel the darkness around me. It looked like a third world country here. We walked together to the church we´d be working with. The pastor was once a corrupt cop who was into drugs. When he gave his life to Jesus and devoted his life to loving the community he started evagelising and eventually started that church. He was a great person to have connections with becuase not only is he well respected there for what he does for the community but has family ties in the mexican mafia so hes protected that way as well. Phillipe(the pastor) opened our eyes to the condition of Tepito. Prostitution and sex trafficking are wide spread and common, women from the ages of 10 to 60 would be put to work as prostitutes. Tepito is also home to a major drug cartel and is widely known to be a hot spot for media and movie pirating. But the most disturbing realization was how spiritually dark this place was. Most of latin america is catholic but this area has evolved to workshipping one saint, saint death. Kids meet at the “train station” to do drugs and have sex. We were planning on going throughout the market place handing out sandwhiches and tracks and talking to them about Christ. Oh yeah, today was October 1st, all of the St. Death followers will be out paying homage to him and worksipping him.
My group of six included 4 gringos who only spoke english, 2 mexicans who only spoke spanish and one girl who spoke both. So we just walked around the market where they were selling pirated movies and porn and gave out tracks. We spoke to a few people but it was amazing how I felt the darkness lift as we walked through there and prayed for these people and talked to them. Afterwards we walked down to where they were worshipping St. Death. This was the most painful to see. Vendors were selling idols of St. Death which were pretty much pictures of the grim reaper. Little kids and adults were walking around carrying there own idols and when we approached the house where everyone was worshipping you could see people bring flowers and lay them at the feet of the large statue of the grim reaper. They would then bown down and pay him homage. I had been fasting all day and was pretty hungry by this point in the afternoon, but seeing this disgusted me and made me lose my appetite. It was just so sad seeing this people worshipping a lie where there was no hope or power. And these kids were being taught by their parents so it was a vicous cycle. And after seeing everything and giving Phillipe credit for having his work cut out for him he informed us that we only saw the tip of the iceberg. Tonight that same street would become out of control and we never came face to face to the demonic presence Phillipe says he runs into everyday.
Leaving there I was thanking God for His protection over us and for showing us what the world is really like. I still can´t leave that street though, just being there surrounded by all the darkness and lies my heart ached for them. I think we all know that the world is a rough place but theres a difference in knowing it and living it, and I know I walked away with a full understanding of how much God is needed in this world. Please join me in praying for Phillipe and Tepito. He showed us how God is in that place and working. More to come tomorrow.
