Sheila Keene-Lund, Jay Peregrine, Jésus San Pablo, Gaétan Charland, Mo Siegel, Mary Tere Ortega, Alfredo Esquivel.
Readers of The Urantia Book who live in Mexico City recently received a visit from the President of Urantia Foundation, Mo Siegel, the Executive Director, Jay Peregrine, the President of Urantia Association International (UAI), Gaétan Charland, his wife, Lynn St Pierre, and the Education Chair of UAI, Sheila Keene-Lund.
During their visit, they met with numerous readers of The Urantia Book. At a gathering, Mo explained what Urantia Foundation does, and he answered questions about the printing, translation, and distribution of The Urantia Book. Jay spoke about the Foundation's daily operations. Sheila facilitated a workshop on "Cultivating Intelligence."
We were pleased that Mo and Jay had the opportunity to experience our culture, enjoy the city, and taste the local cuisine. They walked about and visited special sights, such as the Zocalo, the main square of Mexico City, which is the second largest square in the world. They also visited the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a main pilgrimage center of Mexico since ancient times and, one might say, the spiritual heart of Mexico. Mo surprised us all when he bought tacos at the corner stand and shared them with us, just like a local from el barrio (the neighborhood) would do.
One day, while escorting Mo and Jay around, we visited a main bookstore close to the National University. As usual, El libro de Urantia was piled high right next to the entrance. El libro de Urantia is, in fact, a top ten best-seller in Mexico. A major role in the promotion of El libro de Urantia in Spanish-speaking countries has been played by Urantia Book inspired novels authored by J.J. Benitez.
The fact that El libro de Urantia sells so well in Mexico increases the need for more study groups where new readers may find support. The study groups must function well to attract more readers, who can, in turn, become leaders and hosts of new study groups.
Study groups must focus on the in-depth study of the book and its teachings. If they divert their focus to other interests and discussions, new readers may find this disorienting and stop attending.
Hosting a study group is a great service, and if we want to serve, we should give the best of ourselves at all times. The early generations of readers of The Urantia Book may be compared to the first Christians or the pioneers of any of the world's great religions. Our behavior has a significant impact on new readers and the course of the Urantia Revelation. And this is thrilling because it makes us grow, continuously, inward and upward.
In Mexico, we want to become acquainted with all the good things that are taking place in the Urantia community. We want to connect with our brothers and sisters from other parts of the world, especially from our neighboring countries. We want to learn from the experience of those who have walked the path longer, and we want to come in contact with the people whose love, creativity, and wisdom are transforming study groups, producing study aids, and putting the teachings into practice.
In this context we were extremely happy that Trustee Gard Jameson came to Mexico to facilitate a Centering Prayer Workshop on March 20-21.
These gatherings allow us all, not only to grow in experience, comprehension, and insight, but also to make fraternal relations, to learn more about The Urantia Book and Urantia Foundation, and to enjoy our Urantia spiritual family.