Seeking the peace of the city is the banner inspiring our ministry with the indigenous people of Mexico City.

Testimony Of Amando Ruiz Peláez Today, I want to tell you about a young man, and how our formation ministry has inspired in him a dream for his people.

Let me, first, tell you about the context from where he comes from:

Amando comes to the city from the mountains of Guerrero, one of the poorest States of Mexico. In his mountains, the corn crops do not provide enough for feeding the families. Therefore, some people are migrating to the cities of Mexico and of the USA, and others are beginning to grow amapola and marijuana to sell in the global market.

Amando´s mountains have been brave, and so has been his ethnic group. During the seventies many people from this area were despaired and tortured by what was called the Dirty War with direct participation of some presidents of Mexico and training of the army in the USA military bases.

Amando´s mother and father did not know any Spanish, and his heart tongue is Tlapanec. Native people in Mexico have suffered discrimination and humiliation because of their ethnic background.

Education to Amando was always a big importance. His family told him, if you study, you will have a better place in the society, and people will treat you with dignity and respect. You will not be for them an ignorant. They would not mistreat you or would not want to exterminate you. With many sacrifices, he went to school. In grammar school walking 2½ hours back and forth, and in high school, studying and working in construction. Amando became an outstanding bright and intelligent student. Yet, despite his intellectual capacities and his parent’s sacrifices for bettering their children’s lives at school, his teachers referred to his parents as ignorant and stupid.

Amando said: I saw education as a means to step upon others, and be myself. Nonetheless, when I found myself with Jesus Christ, when I entered in tone with the suffering of my people, I found a dream. Our urban ministry program in the Baptist Seminary of Mexico is not like a warehouse where you accumulate stuff. Instead, we are like a workshop in which, on the one hand, we reflect about global and national, as well as, city and countryside realities, and relate that knowledge to socio-anthropological, theological and ministerial disciplines. On the other hand, our students integrate all that they reflect in specific urban ministries. Instead of doing theology with pens, we do it with steps.

Amando´s dream is to serve his people from the church. He hopes to…

- Develop opportunities for his people to stop hunger and crops for drugs.

- Open the eyes of his people to see God’s image in them. Even when they suffer much from exclusion, extermination, and devaluation as human beings, they are God’s people.

- Amando´s passion is to proclaim Jesus Christ as savior and Lord to his people.

We will help Amando to bring this dream to reality. We are finding ways to be partners with him, and we invite you to come with us. Pray, and give yourselves and your gifts to the Lord. Come with us, and help to make possible this dream.