Bienvenidos a Mexico

*Note: I had an amazing 8 days in Mexico. Instead of trying to collapse all of my experiences into a single post, I'm going to take the next few months to slowly post stories and descriptions so that I can better share what happened on the trip. I won't detail everything that happened. I'd rather just share stories and impressions with you.

Mexico City, a city of many many hills like this one. This was on the outskirts of town.

Mexico City, also known as Mexico DF, known to the locals simply as Mexico. Flying over it for the first time provides an amazing sight that brings new meaning to the phrase "a city on a hill". At almost 8,000 feet above sea level, Mexico isn't simply built on one hill. It expands and crawls over several steep hills, creating what looks like a tight labyrinth from the skies.

My journey begins here, specifically at the OCA cathedral, the Cathedral of the Ascension.

Inside the Cathedral of the Ascension, Mexico City

Hospitality, kindness and friendship overflowed from the priests, parishioners, monks, and the archbishop. The building itself was absolutely gorgeous to me, as well.

The cathedral at night.

After every service, the troparion for St. Herman of Alaska (one of the first missionaries to America) was sung and everyone gathered to venerate his icon. You can read his story here.

At the cathedral, I also met my fellow team members for the first time. I'd spoken with a few of them on the phone, but nothing quite beats meeting someone face-to-face. Slowly, as flights arrived, we all united in the cathedral's kitchen and started making plans (and memories).

We did not have long to plan, and details were basically left to spontaneous creativity. Archbishop Alejo filled us in on what to expect at the mission, and Father Serafin, the priest-in-charge at the San Esteban mission, also talked with us about the parish and the plans to build a rectory so that he could serve in the village regularly instead of once every six months or so like it is now.

The thing that struck me most about the cathedral was not the planning, the talking, the meeting and greeting. It was how much it felt like home. Even though I was in a completely different country, I could walk into this church and worship just like I did at home. The culture of the church is the same everywhere.

Celebrating divine liturgy at the Cathedral of the Ascension.

There were some differences in how things were done. I had never attended a service with a bishop serving. And the women of the parish wore headscarves (a practice that I actually enjoyed while I was in Mexico. It left me with a new perspective of the tradition). But I could still follow along in services.

And when the time came in the divine liturgy to sing the Trisagion (Thrice Holy), it was so beautiful, I nearly cried. I can't explain why that prayer has always been one of my favorites in the service, but it has always had a special place in my heart. To hear it in another language using the same tune that I had sung in English was overwhelmingly beautiful to me. (As you can hear in the very shaky video I took, I even started singing along toward the end...sorry you have to hear that!)

Archbishop Alejo called us all up at the end of service, blessed our travels and mission and presented each of us with a wooden cross necklace. Yes...I almost cried then, too.

The missions team with Archbishop Alejo, Father Elias and a few other parishioners.

A small crowd of parishioners saw us off after service, and we began our journey to San Esteban, via the town of Pisaflores. I was sad to leave the cathedral but excited to see what the rest of the journey held!

Waiting at the bus station.