Mexico #2: Bringing peace to broken hearts and minds

Bringing peace to broken hearts and minds

By Doug Nielson
Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Marietta, GA

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. And like a lot of Hebrew words, it means far more than meets the eye. More than just including a cessation of hostilities; in the Bible, shalom encompasses universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight in our relationship with God.

This concept of holistic peace is the goal of Centro Shalom (Peace Center), a rehabilitation center run by the Presbytery of the Coast in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. Centro Shalom focuses on providing residential rehabilitation services for immigrants with drug and alcohol addiction. As the center is based less than 15 miles from the Guatemalan border, the majority of the 16 men in the program are from Central American countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.

Men at the center receive treatment and counseling to help them recover from their addiction as well as spiritual mentoring. Centro Shalom’s campus is situated on several acres of farmland outside of the Mexican city of Tapachula; residents work the land growing plantains and tropical fruit as well as raise pigs and chickens to help defray the cost of the center. During our visit, we were blessed to talk with the men receiving care and especially enjoyed meeting Alejandro, who overcame drug addiction and is now the on-site supervisor of Centro Shalom.

Centro Shalom truly is a place where men with addiction can find the holistic meaning of shalom. May God continue to bless this ministry.

Board Trustee Doug Nielson and Alejandro, on-site supervisor at Centro Shalom

Centro Shalom

With some of the residents at Centro Shalom

Some of the poultry raised at Centro Shalom2