About Oaxaca

First of all, how do you pronounce Oaxaca?

Click here for the audio pronunciation.  If you are a visual learner instead of auditory, then think of it as wah-HAAH-kah (accent on the second syllable).  

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Oaxaca.  Click on the link for a full page of information about this fascinating state of Mexico.  

Why does Oaxaca need a Christian birth center?

Many thousands of people in Oaxaca remain isolated from medical care, and even those who have access to government-staffed clinics often receive inadequate care. Women giving birth within the government medical system are often subjected to trauma through complete isolation from friends and loved ones, racial prejudice, over-crowded conditions, and highly interventionist obstetric policies. 

For example: Could you imagine having a hearing impairment that left reading lips as your only method of communication?  Now imagine you are pregnant and having your health care in a government hospital because you haven´t enough money for a private care provider.  You know that when your labor begins you will be separated from your family (who know how to communicate with you effectively) and you will be placed in an environment where the "authorities" all have their mouths covered with face masks.  You will be completely alone, in pain, with people touching you and you are with no means of communication.  The young lady in the picture was faced with this situation and felt so excited to find Casa Compasiva and know that she could have her family member with her, she would be able to pay the birth fee, AND we don´t wear face masks!

There are 19,000 births still taking place annually in Oaxaca outside of health centers and hospitals. What is lacking is a Christian approach to pregnancy and childbirth.  Casa Compasiva will not just replace the medical approach of the local hospitals, but will honour God as the Creator and Sustainer of our bodies.  It will model the love of Christ in the context of loving and receiving little children.  It will demonstrate how the Good Shepherd ‘gently leads those that are with young.’  It will provide biblical education and resources not just for pregnancy and childbirth- but also for marriage and parenting.  The gospel will be presented both ‘overtly’ and ‘covertly’ – both in word and in deed.

  

Casa Compasiva works to provide a safe, natural birth environment that is respectful of the Oaxacan people while utilizing essential midwifery and medical knowledge to provide quality care and to save lives.

What language do the people speak in Oaxaca?

More than 130 different languages are spoken in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico.  Due to barriers of geography, language and illiteracy,  communication of the gospel message has been difficult.  Eleven of these groups have no evangelical church, while almost sixty others have few, if any believers.  All of them still are considered unreached.  They need our prayers and resources to bring them the gospel  and to help build a self-sustaining church.

Although the translated New Testament is available in many of the languages of Oaxaca, few people are able or willing to read it.  The good news is that the Lord is opening doors to allow the best news of all to be communicated through the Jesus movie, audio New Testament recordings, and the work of native pastors and missionaries.

And lastly, where exactly is Oaxaca, Mexico?

Oaxaca is 900 miles from the southern tip of Texas. Click on the + and - buttons to zoom in or span out.  Pretty cool map, eh?  The thumbtack marks the very road where the birth center is located.  If you keep pressing the minus key you can see Oaxaca in relationship to the United States.


View Larger Map