News and Views

By Nan McCurdy

As missionaries with the General Board of Global Ministries, we’ve had covenant relationships with churches in the Baltimore- Washington Conference since the 1980’s. We’re excited about sharing news of our new missionary assignment in Mexico.

Beginning in July we will be serving with Give Ye Them to Eat (GYTTE), a Methodist development organization that works with the marginalized population of the state of Puebla. Puebla’s capital is also named Puebla. It is a beautiful, colonial city two hours from Mexico City in the heart of Mexico.

The purpose of Give Ye Them to Eat is “to strengthen the capabilities of marginalized people and communities to meet their basic needs, and to determine and sustain a just and integrated development process.” They provide training on different kinds of appropriate technologies, sustainable agriculture and health so that people can improve their lives.  GYTTE wants all people to have an abundant life, spiritually and materially.

Give Ye Them to Eat hosts Methodist groups from the US and from Mexico through their nine-day AWARE work-study experience. We hope that many of our Covenant churches will send groups to learn and work alongside Mexican friends.

This is a work/study week full of learning about the Mexican reality, working, faith-deepening and tourism. One of the learning experiences is to get to know Mexicans who have gone to work in the US and returned — why did they go? We hope and pray that many of our Covenant Churches will send groups in the future. 

GYTTE’s small farm and training center is near Tlancualpican which was at the center of the last earthquake. Many homes in the area were damaged or lost. The staff trains people to make straw-bale homes that are more earthquake resistant than homes built with blocks.

GYTTE supports “the spiritual growth of the Methodist congregations through training events and retreats.” To read more, their website is: www.gytte.org

We are excited about this new opportunity. Some of you will remember that Miguel is Nicaraguan, was raised with 10 siblings and farmed on an island from age five. “I didn’t get to start first grade until age 20,” he said. “But once I started I never stopped!” Miguel has a law degree, a master in Criminal Law and Christian Education from Wesley. 

On going to work with GYTTE Miguel said, “I’m like a fish out of water that is going back into the water.” He loves working with and encouraging people who are in situations like he was in his youth.

We worked the last three years as missionaries and Mission Advocates for the eight conferences of the Western Jurisdiction. We helped churches understand that part of their apportionments fund Global Ministries which also funds mission programs around the globe. And we encouraged churches to begin a Covenant relationship with a missionary. United Methodist missionaries now come from all over the world and serve all over the world. Through a relationship with a missionary, you support a better life for people someplace else.

We worked for many years in Nicaragua with women, youth and children in an impoverished area of the countryside. We saw cultural changes take place in human rights, education and health. Young people are delaying reproduction and focusing more on developing themselves. There is more respect for women and equality in relationships. The ministries we began are all facilitated by local women and youth.

In part of 1996 and 1997, while Miguel attended Wesley Seminary, I was serving as the Peace with Justice Educator for the Conference -- it was a missionary position. With others, we designed justice education seminars on many topics. And we developed a 22-hour seminar attended by more than a hundred pastors and laypersons on “How to Act Against Racism.” 

We welcome being in touch with you and hope to see you here in the future or in Mexico.

Nan McCurdy ADVANCE #10801Z, , Miguel Mairena ADVANCE #12887Z; 949-397-4729: phone numbers will change in July.