by Stan Ewing

Good Friday, March 21
Since the Good Friday service wasn’t scheduled until 3 p.m., our hosts had arranged for us to take an open-top bus tour of the city, which was enjoyed by all. We had the entire bus to ourselves, which added to the fun, being able to stop and go when and where we wanted. Again, it was another glorious, warm and sunny day for our enjoyment and it was good to see so much of the city. With all the monuments and historic buildings, it was obvious that Mexicans take a justified pride in their heritage.

The theme for the traditionally solemn Good Friday service was “The Seven Words From the Cross,” and several officers and soldiers from the area were involved in giving various Bible messages. Other speakers included Commissioners William and Marilyn Francis and the CSB’s executive officer, Major Ron Millar. In addition to her message, Commissioner Marilyn Francis sang The Old Rugged Cross in Spanish, accompanied on the piano by our own Major Ken Smith. The choreography and contemporary worship groups from the music institute also participated. For the band’s contribution, Bandmaster Burditt had chosen the beautiful selection For Our Transgressions by Morley Calvert. At the end of the meeting, following the appeal, a number of people went forward, some making a first-time commitment, others rededicating themselves to Christ.

To close the service, the band gave a repeat presentation of God So Loved the World. Then Bandmaster Burditt decided to pick up the pace and treat those present to a somewhat prolonged postlude of faster, more upbeat items. We played several marches including Dudley Bright’s Assignment and Erik Leidzen’s Manhattan. Then when we launched into Montreal Citadel, Commissioner Marilyn Francis was invited up to play the bass drum. This was all immensely enjoyed by the audience, most of whom had stayed behind for the impromptu mini-concert.

Saturday, March 22
On Saturday morning, our hosts took us to La Ciudadela craft market, with stops at the Olympic Stadium and Aztec Stadium along the way, both of which had seating for approximately 100,000. (Some of our members would return later in the evening to take in a soccer match-a once-in-a-lifetime experience in such a large venue.)

A wide variety of items was offered at the craft market, which afforded us the chance to pick up some souvenirs and gifts for the folks at home. Brian had given us distinct instructions as to how to barter with the merchants and we had good fun bargaining for gifts, in spite of the language barrier. Some of the shopkeepers kept a calculator to hand so we could understand the asking price.

After lunch (Kentucky Fried Chicken) at Corps No. 1, we participated in a large march of witness called the Marcha de Gloria. This was organized by the Evangelical Churches in the city, along the same lines as the March for Jesus we used to have here in Canada, and the band headed up the parade. Some of us were a bit concerned, as the starting time of the parade was 3 p.m. when the heat of the day was at it’s worst (or best, as you prefer). Throngs of Christians turned out for the seven-kilometre march through the downtown area, carrying banners and flags with Christian symbols and sayings such as Grandé es Dios (God is Great) and Cristo Vivo! (Christ is Alive!).

The enthusiasm of the marchers was something to see, and in some ways would put us self-effacing Canadians to shame. A lot of people marched along the sidewalk alongside the band, singing the choruses they recognized from two of the marches we played, He Lives (Noel Jones) and Up From the Grave He Arose from Dean Goffin’s Heralds of the Dawn. The Mexican Salvationists also provided a colour party and contingent of timbrellists who marched ahead of the band. The parade wasn’t as long as we anticipated and, with the help of some of the local Salvationists giving us water along the route, we survived. It was a great witness for The Salvation Army in Mexico City and the divisional staff were thrilled.

For the evening, the divisional staff had arranged for the band to go out for a meal at an authentic Mexican restaurant. Although this was at our own expense, we found that the cost of living in Mexico City was very reasonable, provided of course you were thinking in Canadian dollars. Allow me to relate an incident that happened with our bus driver to illustrate this, as well as the corruption that is rampant in that area.

On the way downtown earlier in the day, our driver was pulled over by a police officer on traffic duty at an intersection. (They seemed to be out in force at every intersection.) The officer claimed that the driver went through a red light. The driver argued that it had been yellow when he entered the intersection, but the officer asked him to step out of the bus. As he was getting out, I noticed him remove his wallet from his pocket. Perhaps to get his licence out for inspection, I thought. No more than a minute later, he got back in and drove off. Colonel Gruer engaged him in conversation as to what happened. To our disbelief and amazement, we found out that the driver had given the policeman 50 pesos to avoid being issued a ticket, which probably would have cost him his job! This is apparently standard procedure in Mexico. But, as the driver explained, he was now the one out of pocket, as the police officer would continue to get his regular salary, even though he would almost certainly have to give his supervisor a cut from his take at the end of the day. The driver informed us that the 50 pesos he had to give up meant five hours’ work he just lost in order to pay the police officer off. We all decided that we were not having it, and at the end of the weekend, we passed the proverbial hat and presented the driver with 1,400 pesos-about 3 week’s wages to him! All’s well that ends well. But it shows you the kind of rampant corruption Mexicans deal with every day-a far cry from the civil liberty we take for granted back at home.

As I said, any restaurant meals came out of our own pockets, so as not to put a burden on our host territory’s finances. But we didn’t mind, as the cost in Canadian dollars was very reasonable. It was early to bed as it was going to be a long day on Sunday, with a departure from the children’s home scheduled for 5 a.m.

Watch for the Conclusion, coming soon.