In the Seguidores de la Cruz Mission, which is a school for families, we run four series of courses per year, each one nine weeks in duration. Christmas and Easter have their rhythms which include time off for families to visit. These holidays have, for years, dictated school and work schedules, even for internationally owned factories. You can declare that a school or business will be in session, but no students, no employees will present themselves. They will have traveled south to visit family. Added to our calendar is an entire month off each July; no courses, no meetings. All team members can count on this July vacation and plan it according to their family and personal needs, before the calendar year begins. This leaves at least two weekends in between each nine-week session for inscriptions, planning and preparations. Twice per year we organize family days on two of these Sundays on which there are no active classes. Spring and Fall are designated because the weather permits outdoor activities in a mild climate. This year our Family Day fell in mid-April, with lotería (think “bingo”) as the main event.

Michel and Michel (left and center) are tocayas, that's what you call someone (tokayos for masculine) who has your same first name.  They were asked to show off the prizes, but got more excited about being photographed as tocayas. Genesis (pictured right) is always up for photos and adventures.

Customary prizes are household items for lotería. In order to have many prizes, prolonging the fun, more mundane but essential-for-survival prizes have become our tradition. The men try to outdo one another, voicing complaints about such prizes– an added dimension to the fun. “Why no car wax?” “My wife still has me using up all of the mops I won from you guys last year.” "We won so much Clorox last time we use it for coffee lightener.”

The prizes include pretty down-to-earth items: brooms, mops, bleach, detergents, buckets, rice, dry beans and large flats (5X5) of fresh eggs.

Susana is surrounded by her kids, (from the left) Javier, Paola and Fernando Jr. Fernando, husband and father was up getting some refreshments for everyone.

"Whooaa! Am I dreaming? The ice cream man is right here."

Jesús, (left to right) Max and Cesar Added live music for a sing along during a break in the lotería.

The food and beverages generated money which will go towards monthly maintenance and defraying office expenses.

Such family events brings to the fore a growing reality for many newer couples.
“We like being here… I like being here! We have been coming to the mission for only a year and a half (or for only nine months) but it feels like I have known many of these couples and some of these persons all my life. This culture of life and love, as it is expressed here in the mission, is where we thrive. And I don’t usually think about church that way. This is a new way I think about my relationship with the Lord.”