The World cup in football, the Americans call it soccer, is now going on in Mexico, USA and Canada.
Makes it hard for us here in Europe to watch some games but that's life.
My wife and I spent two weeks recently in the USA, one week in Houston, attending a christian conference, and one week in LA visiting our son there.
Lovely time and then we could watch some games on TV. We saw USA vs Paraguay on a christian base in LA and that was an experience. Painted faces, popcorn, screaming and jumping. FUN!
But football is not everything of course. I do not support political statements from players or fans. People take advantage of the huge media coverage in order to spread propaganda, but one thing caught my attention and I was so glad and excited about that and that happened in Mexico.
Sweden was playing their first game there against Tunisia and outside the stadium were some Mexican mothers.
A large group of Swedish fans stopped their traditional pre-game parade to join in a heartfelt embrace with the searching mothers of Nuevo León. This powerful gesture was an instant wake-up call for local authorities.
I saw this on TV but I did not really understand what it was about but later on I saw it on the news. Not the big media places, OH no, sad to say but still on media.
I read this:
When the Swedish fans came upon this moving scene, they made a historic choice: they put down their drums, silenced their trumpets, and approached the group of women with absolute respect. Language barriers? Who cares! The Swedes took their time, studying every face on the banners, listening intently to stories told through gestures and tears. The usual tourist detachment melted away, replaced by a deeply human connection that made it clear: when a mother’s pain cries out for justice, soccer takes a back seat.
Several Swedish fans stepped forward to give long, genuine hugs to the mothers, who broke down in tears. The foreign fans offered words of encouragement in English and raised their fists in solidarity with the messages posted outside the stadium’s ticket booths. This unexpected alliance showed that the wounds of Mexican society did not go unnoticed by visitors who came to give a masterclass in civility.
All this without any media coverage, no cameras etc, just people who care.
My headline says: A heartwarming lesson for Mexico, but the truth is its for all of us!
WOW. This is big, this is what it means to be a human, this is true solidarity and respect, this is what Jesus taught us... AMEN
