Mormon Colony Under Water

[Navidad]

I am sure that most of you know about the Mormon Colonies of Mexico. Some of you may also remember from previous posts of mine that we live in a small village within twenty minutes of Colonia Dublán and within ten minutes of Colonia Juárez. We have many friends in both colonies and count as precious our time spent with them.

The weekend just past was a time of terrible flooding in Colonia Juárez and the surrounding area. I live within thirty feet of the Rio Palanganas which is one of two rivers that form the Casas Grandes River. The other river, the Piedras Verdes flows through the mountain areas where other colonies were built that are largely abandoned by the Saints today. There are only two colonies left with a population of members of the Church, Juárez and Dublán. They are highly competitive. Both communities are minority Mormon, with perhaps no more than 500 Anglo Mormons still living in both. The Casas Grandes River, after its creation from the two rivers previously mentioned flows north through Dublán. The Piedras Verdes flows through Juárez before its juncture with the river Rio Palanganas about 7 miles north of where I am writing this. 

Colonia Juárez is in a narrow valley/canyon that opens up in the tiny community of Cuauhtémoc just south of Juárez. This past weekend both communities were terribly flooded by the usually narrow and sometimes dry river. Within six weeks we went from the worst drought, perhaps since 1931, to the worst floods in memory. Scores of homes were flooded and destroyed in both towns. Property damage was immense. Arroyos were filled and flooded, only making things worse from Janos to the famous pottery community of Mata Ortiz. 

The well-known academy buildings (perhaps the last LDS-owned K-12 left in the world) were spared damage because of their sitting on higher land. Most of the Mormon-owned homes were spared for the same reason. The non-Mormon and predominantly Catholic community in Juárez suffered terribly. I am writing this post to let you all know how very proud I was of the response of my LDS friends to the suffering of their non-member neighbors. LDS folks worked day and night to support those who had lost everything. The great LDS organizational skills came into play to provide food, clothing, places to sleep, and generally meet the needs of those with whom they have often been in cultural conflict over the hundred and forty years of co-existence here in Chihuahua. That is too long a story to tell here and is not the purpose of my post. 

I am hoping and praying that these thousands of acts of kindness will be able to bring about healing between the local Mexicans and the liminal (as they have been called by scholars) Anglo Mormons of our area. For hours, I was able to witness with my own eyes the labor involved in helping those who had lost so much. When registering for help, no one was asked their membership status. I can testify to that too. I am proud of my many local LDS friends for their sincere and hard work in helping those who lost so much.

I saw one Mormon mom glare at her teenage daughter, as I thought only a Mennonite mom could do . . . the daughter was hard at work but also eyeing the cinnamon rolls that had just been brought for a breakfast for the victims. With a certainty in her voice that scared even me (I was eyeing the rolls too), she told her daughter in clear terms, "Those are not for you. You have a home. Those are for people who have no home." Wow! Now, that is the gospel in just a few words! 

[rpn]

Just wondering whether things are improving for your area.   Thinking of you and the area challenges.

[Tacenda]

On 9/8/2025 at 12:57 PM, Navidad said:

I am sure that most of you know about the Mormon Colonies of Mexico. Some of you may also remember from previous posts of mine that we live in a small village within twenty minutes of Colonia Dublán and within ten minutes of Colonia Juárez. We have many friends in both colonies and count as precious our time spent with them.

The weekend just past was a time of terrible flooding in Colonia Juárez and the surrounding area. I live within thirty feet of the Rio Palanganas which is one of two rivers that form the Casas Grandes River. The other river, the Piedras Verdes flows through the mountain areas where other colonies were built that are largely abandoned by the Saints today. There are only two colonies left with a population of members of the Church, Juárez and Dublán. They are highly competitive. Both communities are minority Mormon, with perhaps no more than 500 Anglo Mormons still living in both. The Casas Grandes River, after its creation from the two rivers previously mentioned flows north through Dublán. The Piedras Verdes flows through Juárez before its juncture with the river Rio Palanganas about 7 miles north of where I am writing this. 

Colonia Juárez is in a narrow valley/canyon that opens up in the tiny community of Cuauhtémoc just south of Juárez. This past weekend both communities were terribly flooded by the usually narrow and sometimes dry river. Within six weeks we went from the worst drought, perhaps since 1931, to the worst floods in memory. Scores of homes were flooded and destroyed in both towns. Property damage was immense. Arroyos were filled and flooded, only making things worse from Janos to the famous pottery community of Mata Ortiz. 

The well-known academy buildings (perhaps the last LDS-owned K-12 left in the world) were spared damage because of their sitting on higher land. Most of the Mormon-owned homes were spared for the same reason. The non-Mormon and predominantly Catholic community in Juárez suffered terribly. I am writing this post to let you all know how very proud I was of the response of my LDS friends to the suffering of their non-member neighbors. LDS folks worked day and night to support those who had lost everything. The great LDS organizational skills came into play to provide food, clothing, places to sleep, and generally meet the needs of those with whom they have often been in cultural conflict over the hundred and forty years of co-existence here in Chihuahua. That is too long a story to tell here and is not the purpose of my post. 

I am hoping and praying that these thousands of acts of kindness will be able to bring about healing between the local Mexicans and the liminal (as they have been called by scholars) Anglo Mormons of our area. For hours, I was able to witness with my own eyes the labor involved in helping those who had lost so much. When registering for help, no one was asked their membership status. I can testify to that too. I am proud of my many local LDS friends for their sincere and hard work in helping those who lost so much.

I saw one Mormon mom glare at her teenage daughter, as I thought only a Mennonite mom could do . . . the daughter was hard at work but also eyeing the cinnamon rolls that had just been brought for a breakfast for the victims. With a certainty in her voice that scared even me (I was eyeing the rolls too), she told her daughter in clear terms, "Those are not for you. You have a home. Those are for people who have no home." Wow! Now, that is the gospel in just a few words! 

That's one of many things I like about the church, it's organization to help serve others.