Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

[Note from the Chiapas team: "In this update our team had been concurrently operating and keeping log entries in three different communities, Colonia Puebla, Yaxgemel, and Sushtic. At times various team members were also operating in San Cristobal."]

Monday, September 10, 2001
Puebla: Charles Spring and Keith Young talked to two of the government primary school teachers of Puebla. The teachers said that they have about 300 primary students and 400 preschoolers. All the teachers speak Tzotzil as their first language, and reading and writing in Tzotzil are taught at the school.

Later that night Guynn, Frank Moore and Young attended a house blessing prayer service in the house of Nicolas Arias Cruz, one of the recently returned Abejas.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Puebla: Antonio Gomez Ariez, the Seventh-Day Adventist pastor in Puebla, told his version of Puebla's history to Young, Moore, and Guynn. He pointed to several small stores, relating that before the churches came in 1972, they sold liquor instead of sodas, and that the townspeople's favourite past-time was to get drunk and fight.

After the night's prayers, Guynn, Moore, and Young returned to their encampment, also the home of their hosts, Pedro Hernandez and Juana Lopez. There they were told that a man had been seen sneaking around the house, and ran away when pursued. Because of this incident a watch was planned for the next night

Soon after Guynn, Moore, and Young went to bed, a very drunk man came crashing into the yard, yelling for Pedro Hernandez. Guynn and Young stumbled out of their tent, and identified the man as Diego, a former paramilitary, according to local Abejas. Guynn managed to escort Diego on his way back to his home. Guynn and Young stood watch for a half hour before returning to bed.

Yaxgemel: In the evening, Charles Carol Spring heard the news of the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.

Wednesday, September 12, 2001
Puebla: Young departed in th morning to meet Stoltzfus in Acteal and to meet with the Mesa Directiva about the return of Los Chorros. Guynn encountered a drunk man acting slightly aggressive, later recognized as the pastor of one of the Pentecostal churches, who, after asking insistently why CPT is in Puebla, repeatedly insisted that he has done nothing wrong. Young returned to Puebla with the news of yesterday's attack on the highjackings and attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. In the evening Guynn and Young kept watch with two Abejas men, Macario and Nicolas, until 9:30 P.M.

Sushtic: Shirley Way brought the news of the suicide attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon to Sushtic.

Thursday, September 13, 2001
Puebla: Rusty Dinkins-Curling, and Charles Spring arrived from Sushtic and Yaxgemel to stay in Puebla. Dinkins-Curling and Spring visited with the Presbyterian pastor Augustine Cruz. Guynn, and Young departed Puebla for San Cristobal, and met Stoltzfus in Yapteclum. In Yapteclum they had talked with Lorenzo Gomez from Puebla. They were told not to talk to this man by an older Abejas man because he is paramilitary.

Yaxgemel: Way arrived from Sushtic. Priista families gathered at the school to receive small government supports of basic food necessities. Abejas families did not take part. Carol Spring was informed that the Mesa Directiva has written a letter to President George W. Bush asking him to seek peace.

San Cristobal: Young and Stoltzfus went to a meeting at FrayBa (a human rights center) about the next Abejas return to Los Chorros. In the evening, Stoltzfus, Young and Guynn had a time of prayer for the people who were killed in the attacks on the Twin Towers and for sanity in the U.S.A.

Friday, September 14, 2001
Puebla: Way came from Yaxgemel to stay in Puebla and walk between Puebla and Sushtic and back as part of CPT patrol. The grandmother of Francisco Arias Cruz, who had been sick, died. Moore and Way joined Pedro Hernandez to pay respects.

Saturday, September 15, 2001
San Cristobal: Guynn went to a seminar at SIPAZ about stress management techniques.

Tuesday, September 18, 2001
Moore, Dinkins-Curling, and Young went to Acteal to meet with the Mesa Directiva to share ideas about prayers related to the elections, and to ask where the Mesa would like the team. They also talked about the possibilities of the team visiting Los Chorros. The Mesa thought it would be a good idea.

Friday, September 21, 2001
Young departed for Acteal for the commemoration mass. During the mass, Young learned of six more planned returns to Los Chorros, Canholal, Quextic Centro, Poblado Queztic, Acteal Alto, and Tzajalhucum. After the mass Young went to stay in Puebla.

Monday, September 24, 2001
Young left for San Cristobal to bring the news of the six planned Abejas returns to the team members in San Cristobal, and to the Chicago office.

Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Young traveled to X'oyep to speak with representatives from the displaced communities of Los Chorros about the planned return. He spent several hours helping take apart houses, and rode back to Puebla with the materials.

Thursday, September 27, 2001
In Puebla, Young spoke with an older traditionalist, non-Abejas man at some length. According to the man, a lot of bullets had been sold in the municipality of Tenijapa. He also said there are a lot of bullets in Chenalho too. The man then related how a very long time ago whole villages got sick with fevers and fell into the "boiling pot" and died. In the afternoon, Young walked the "patrol" between Puebla, Yaxgemel, and Sushtic and back.