July 31, 2007
with photo
A 60-hour dash for the latest
Die Mennonitische Post
by Gladys Terichow
MANITOBA COLONY, Mexico -- Twice a month Jacobo Zacharias embarks on a 30-hour trip to Manitoba. He drives a 1990 full-size Chevrolet van—the fifth van that he has bought in four years.
He always stops to visit three children and seven grandchildren living in southern Manitoba but his destination is
Die Mennonitische Post
in Steinbach.
When he has loaded about 2,000 issues of the German language newspaper into his van, along with other publications and books to be distributed in Mexico, he begins the 30-hour return trip to Mexico.
“We have been to Manitoba 107 times the past four years,” said Zacharias, explaining he usually drives alone but sometimes his 22-year old son, Larry, or his wife Margaret accompany him and help with driving.
In Mexico, his arrival at the MCC resource centre near the city of Cuauhtémoc marks the beginning of a flurry of activity. The boxes of newspapers are unpacked and sorted for distribution in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Campeche and Zacatecas and the country of Belize.
A green flag at the driveway leading to the MCC resource centre near Cuauhtémoc lets passing motorists know that the newspapers have arrived and ready for distribution. Volunteers from numerous small villages pick up the papers for distribution to subscribers or sale as single copies in stores. Radio announcements also let people know the new issue has arrived in Mexico.
Papers for Nuevo Casas Grandes and the other states are shipped by mail or bus from the MCC resource centre near Cuauhtémoc.
“This is the way we have been doing it for 30 years—it’s not the most efficient way but it is the cheapest way,” said editor of
Die Mennonitische Post
, Kennert Giesbrecht, explaining Zacharias’s commitment to picking up the papers in Steinbach reduces the need to find volunteers who can take the paper to Mexico twice a month.
Sending it with travelers usually helps to get the paper there sooner than through the big shipping companies, he adds. This way the
Die Mennonitische Post
will arrive at its destination within 3 – 4 days whereas the shipping companies will not commit themselves to deliver it within a week.
The newspaper publishes 7,600 issues. About 4,700 issues are printed at Derksen Printers in Steinbach for distribution in Canada, United States, Mexico and Belize.
Derksen Printers also sends an electronic copy to Paraguay where 1,700 issues are printed and to Bolivia where 1,200 issues are printed.
Zacharias, a former long distance truck driver, said he enjoys driving and is glad that he can use his interest and skills to strengthen connections among Low German Mennonite communities.
“We don’t transport
Die Mennonitische Post
to earn money—we do this to help unite Mennonite people,” he explained. “Many German colonies are very isolated. The world stands still for people living in these colonies.”
Die Mennonitische Post
, a 28-page newspaper published by MCC Canada and distributed in seven countries, is filled with letters written by readers, photographs and news stories.
This newspaper, along with
Das Blatt fuer Kinder und Jugend
, a 32-page magazine for children and youth published monthly by
Die Post
, provides
a window to a bigger world, said Zacharias.
He can tell from the number of boxes that he picks up in Steinbach that the number of pages in these publications and number of subscribers is increasing. “It shows that people are interested in knowing more,” he said.
In addition to providing courier services for
Die Post
, he provides courier services for the Kleine Gemeinde publishing company in Mexico that publishes a German school curriculum and other books used by Mennonite churches and schools in Canada.
“Sometimes the van is just as full going to Manitoba as coming back,” he said, explaining he mainly transports printed materials when he drives to Manitoba, but he also provides transportation services for people.
He also provides transportation services to Campeche and Belize and takes Canadians who visit the Low German communities in Chihuahua to the Copper Canyon.
-30-
MCC PHOTO BY GLADYS TERICHOW
Jacobo Zacharias unloads boxes of
Die Post
and
Das Blatt
at the MCC resource centre in the Manitoba colony. Zacharias drives to Steinbach, Manitoba twice a month to pick up the newspapers.
MCC PHOTO BY GLADYS TERICHOW
MCC staff, Mary Enns and Lena Peters sort
Die Post
and
Das Blatt
for distribution in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Campeche and Zacatecas and the country of Belize.
-30-
© 2003 Mennonite Central Committee MCC, 21 South 12th Street, PO Box 500 Akron, PA 17501 tel: +1 (717) 859-1151 or toll free (888) 563-4676 MCC Canada, 134 Plaza Drive, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 5K9 tel: +1 (204) 261-6381 or toll free (888) 622-6337 Contact
mailbox@mcc.org
regarding the content of this page Contact a href=" mailto:"webmaster@mcc.org ">webmaster@mcc.org regarding technical difficulties with this page.