DECEMBER 2009 CHIAPAS TRIP plus RAVEN'S BREW COFFEE

San Cristobal de las Casas continues to enchant. I just got back last week after leading a group of seven very congenial people. Three (Ingrid Sorensen, Margaret Gardner and Pheryl Montroy were adult students of mine, and Mary Ann Kirkpatrick, Fred Tuttle, Donna Leavitt and Linda Crossland represented the Unitarian Church in Edmonds, one of our staunch supporters.)

We were fortunate to be in Chiapas during the festival of the Guadalupana...the Virgen of Guadalupe. Antorcha groups were running all directions but most were heading for the church of the Virgen in San Cristobal. Groups from parishes make pledges to honor their devotion to the Virgen by running in relay fashion to an appropriate church. The San Cristobal church is one of the most significant in Mexico and thus hundreds of Antorcha groups were running in. One of our scholarship girls, Petrona, was with the group that drove to Mexico City and then ran back. The person running carries a lit torch. The groups are transported and supported by pick-up trucks decorated with balloons, pictures of the Virgen, corn stalks, etc. Everyone participating wears tee-shirts or tunics with the Virgen's picture.

We attended the December meeting of the cooperative. One of the workshops this time dealt with motivation and was given by an intern from Puebla University. We also delivered a goodly supply of toothbrushes and toothpaste. Carmen promised that interesting proposals from communities would soon be coming our way.

The weather was glorious and we all found it difficult to come home.

Complete change of subject: Raven's Brew Coffee provided the coffee for our Dia de Muertos dinner this year and in addition donated a great "Deadman's Reach" teeshirt and pound of coffee for our auction. We received many positive comments about the coffee that evening. Raven's Brew is dedicated to " quality, sustainability and culture. We use shade-grown, organic and naturally-processed coffee beans in most of our blends, and support small family growers through our buying practices." It has become my personal favorite coffee. So I am letting you in on a terrific sale of coffee, mugs and teeshirts for $7 apiece if you go to their website (http://www.ravensbrew.com/) between December 25 , 2009 and January 4, 2010. Thank you all for your continuing support. Love and caring know no boundaries and your generosity is proof.

Feliz navidad y un próspero año nuevo.

Judith