Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico--Business for Wilbert Nadal Hernandez isn't brisk along the Paseo Montejo, the main drag here in Merida, this bustling metropolis in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.

But it's only 7:30 in the morning. Later, as the sun climbs higher into the tropical sky and the sweltering heat drives thirsty customers his way for a cup of shaved ice in an assortment of flavors or slices of chilled mango and papaya, he'll hopefully cover his costs for the day.

"It's a side business," he tells me in a blasé manner, while sitting on a bench in the shade under a tree near his stand. While it's OK for the locals to indulge in one of Hernandez's frozen confections, for a Gringo like me it's almost a sure bet I'd develop a case of Montezuma's Revenge.

Hernandez's push-cart business stands in stark contrast to the extravagant wealth on display across the street, where a blinding white colonial-style mansion sits elegantly behind a black wrought iron fence, the lawn and gardens meticulously manicured and neatly edged tightly up against the long, cobblestone driveway.

Such are the contrasts in the Yucatan peninsula. A millenium ago, beginning in the 9th century, the Mayans ruled this part of the world from their capital city, Chichen Itza, where today acres of well-preserved archeological ruins draw millions of tourists annually.

References to Mayan culture are ubiquitous, often intermingling with the culture brought over from Spain when a party of shipwrecked sailors landed in 1511. Something as simple as a drive along Highway 180 where the large green overhead signs pointing the way to places with names like Xmozon, Hecelchakan, and Poc-Boc serve as reminders that it wasn't just the Spanish that laid claims to this area.

And now, almost 500 years later, another kingdom is quietly laying claims to the Yucatan peninsula.

Roy Seals knows the Yucatan like the back of his hand. He grew up here as a kid when his parents moved to the peninsula as missionaries about 40 years ago. They first settled in Cuernavaca, a 45-minute drive outside of Mexico City. But Seal's father, Odis, was a country boy at heart, and the family finally settled in Merida.

Odis loves children - the family has adopted four Mexican girls - and he first reached out to them by teaching Bible stories on a flannel board he set up in an abandoned lot around the corner from the Seals' rented house.

Children and adults alike responded to his evangelistic efforts and La Iglesia Bautista El Calvario de Merida was born.

After establishing national leadership in the church, Odis moved out to the countryside with his family to a small town called Tecoh. There, from out of the rain forest, he carved a house, a church, and a Bible institute. For the children of Tecoh, he made a huge playground that even includes an electrically powered merry-go-round.

His son, Roy, pastored Calvary Baptist Church for a number of years until finally turning the work over to the church's current pastor, a national named Manuel Verde, who became a Christian when a Gospel of John was slipped under his door.

Roy continues to stay in close contact with Manuel and the work in Merida. Together they started "Project Yucatan for Christ" and Seals brings groups of young people with him several times a year to distribute Gospels of John door to door in the towns and villages throughout the Yucatan peninsula. "You never know if there's another Manual Verde out there," he says.

During our week-long stay we embarked on Gospel distributions in a few areas in Merida, in Campeche where we assisted another church, and in Chuburna Puerta. We gave out over 11,000 Gospels of John, hardly putting a dent in the 300,000 Roy shipped down last February. And he's planning to ship another 250,000 next month.

"The Peninsula of Yucatan has been under the influence of the impressive Mayan Civilzation and the Spanish Conquistadores," Seals says. "Ours is the privilege of introducing the Yucatecan people to the greatest of all kingdoms, God's Kingdom!"

"Real Answers™" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; [email protected]. Visit our website at www.amyfound.org.