Give Ye Them to Eat (GYTTE) In Tlancualpican/Puebla, Mexico
By Susan Harriss CalPac UMVIM Coordinator
I was recently privileged to join a composite mission team in a 10-day journey to Tlancualpican in the state of Puebla, Mexico. We participated in the AWARE program conducted by the Give Ye Them To Eat Mission project. The program is a cross-cultural experience through work and study designed for teens and adults. The AWARE program immerses you in the reality of life in rural Mexico as it relates to the issues of hunger, poverty, development, and global awareness. The program introduces you to the complexities and root causes of mass migration. We were able to reflect on and participate in tasks that are part of rural life. The Tree of Life Training Center run by the GYTTE Mission is where we lived and worked for 5 days with a team of twelve that ranged from 17 years to 86 years old. Our training included ecological construction techniques using local materials which we put to use at the training center. We were also fortunate enough to further our usefulness with these skills to help in the construction of a house for a local family.
The Tree of Life training center, in addition to providing a facility for community training, is also a working farm. There are chickens and turkeys to be fed and eggs to gather. The goats are always hungry and look expectantly as we pass by wondering if we are there to feed them. If you ask one of the farmhands, they will teach you how to milk a goat. Catching the goat should best be left to the farm workers.
Part of the experience is becoming more aware of the world that we live in. We visited historical sites, museums, and had the opportunity to explore the city of Puebla and gain an appreciation for Mexican culture and history. As a team we worshipped and enjoyed fellowship at the Methodist Church in Tlancualpican where we participated in worship with the local congregation.
The Give Ye Them To Eat mission project was founded in 1977 as a social outreach program of the Mexico Methodist church to combat hunger and poverty in rural areas. There are six programs that make up the GYTTE ministry that are focused on the limited-resource families of the rural sector of south-central Mexico. GYTTE offers development opportunities in the areas of:
Community and Family Health
Community Development and appropriate technology
Agricultural Development
Livestock Development
Church and Faith Development
AWARE Program – a cross-cultural experience through work and study
This is an exciting and fulfilling mission experience that is very worthwhile for adults and teens. It provides a window into rural Mexico that one would not get by being a tourist to the country.
