Escape the Heat

Our kids are Stateside visiting the grandparents until August 4th. We are missing them desperately! Tomorrow we begin our journey to our organization's national convention in the south/center of Mexico. We are first going to visit Guanajuato, a picturesque colonial town with cobblestone streets. Greg went there years ago and has always wanted to take me there. We will be driving through it, stay a couple of days, and then go on to Oaxtepec. I'm looking forward to much cooler temperatures and enjoying time exploring with my husband. We've never been alone together for this long, and it's really weird, but I'm enjoying it and adjusting to not having to be aware of where my three sons are at every moment.

Absence & Busyness

Sorry for my month-long absence! I've been traveling and busy ending up the school year. Friday was FINALLY our last day of school. The swine flu made us miss two weeks, and the Mexican government made us add some days. It's tough being in school until July 3rd!

I went to Nicaragua, where I once lived for three years, to a Pastor's Wives retreat. I brought my Mexican pastor's wife and we ministered, spoke, and got to know a group of wonderful ladies. One neat thing was that the team was KEY to doing several of these events in Mexico. Pastor's Wives are so in need of a place to socialize, receive, and take off their masks. They can just be themselves and enjoy friendship and trust.

In coming home, I have a women's event this next weekend, based on the retreat we did in Nicaragua. Now at the end of August I have been invited to be the worship leader at a Pastor's Wives event in Matamoros and another one in March in Guanajuato.

The Lord told me that this year I will seeing fruit and branching out in my ministry. I'm thrilled and nervous with anticipation!

Homemade Guacamole

During the influenza outbreak we were stuck around home for about two weeks. I asked our neighbors to teach me some traditional Mexican cooking. This is a nice easy way to make guacamole for your family. You can use it with chips and salsa, slathered on grilled beef with tortillas and onions, or however else you would like.

Quince - 15!

This grinning little boy is my middle son, who today turns 15 years old. I can't believe how quickly time passes. It seems like just yesterday I was holding this newborn and marveling at God's handiwork.
The 15th birthday is a huge deal in Mexico for girls. They throw a party that is as big as a wedding, complete with "damas" and "chambelanes", or a court of girls and guys dressed in tuxedos and fancy dresses. It's a sort of "coming of age" party where the parents often present the girl with a doll as her very last toy she will ever receive, then they present with her jewelry or something more grown up. In Christian families, the pastor will come and preach a little sermon and pray a blessing over the girl. It's really sweet. Usually the worship band will play some music and there will be a time of worship.
For the boys, the 15th birthday is no big deal. Everyone jokes about buying him a pink dress and being in his court, though. He has asked for a trip to Starbucks for coffee and cake, and that's about it. I'm asking God for creativity today in celebrating him, so he can feel loved and appreciated like he is!

Discernment, Critical Thinking, Suspicions

In the past few days I have heard so many different things about this flu in Mexico. Here are some samplings from my friends and neighbors:

*The virus coincided with President Obama's visit to Mexico. Some think he actually brought it here with his contingency as part of the plan to take over the world or at least affect Mexico.
* The virus is a complete farce, there is no epidemic in Mexico. It was all a lie by the President because the Senate legalized drugs during this scare, but no one paid any attention because they were so scared. It's true they legalized cocaine, heroine, and marijuana!!! I'm not sure if they just took advantage of the diverted attention or what.
* The illuminati have created this virus to kill off 4/5 of the world's population.
* The university students are planning an uprising in order to oust Pres. Calderon from his seat because he made this whole thing up.

So, I'm sitting with my mouth closed, observing many cultural differences at this time. I just pray for wisdom and discernment, something we all need in these last days.

Flexibility is Rule #1

They always tell people on short-term missions trips that the golden rule of missions if "flexibility, flexibility, flexibility". Nothing has been more true for us this past week. Our plans have all been changed and changed again due to the national quarantine...

This weekend was supposed to be a four day weekend due to Labor Day and Cinco de Mayo. We were supposed to go camping on the beach with people from our church and have baptisms on Friday. Then we were supposed to host my in-laws from Monday until next Saturday. They are flying into Texas later today, but we don't feel comfortable taking them across the border into a place where we all have to stay at home as much as possible.

School is supposed to start again on Wednesday, though I have heard and read rumors they may extend that until the 11th of May. The cases of the flu have dropped somewhat, so maybe the no school thing has helped.

A bummer for me is that the govt. also canceled all religious gatherings. They don't want gatherings of more than 20 people. I'm sad because I want to worship with my church family today! I think how difficult it is for these churches, some not having two services in a row. That means no offerings, and their bills still exist. Pray for miraculous provision for all the Mexican churches. They barely make it by to begin with, & they are struggling!

Swine Flu

Until last night I was basically unaffected by this whole Swine Flu thing. Last night, though, they canceled classes in our state until May 6th, and announced that a lady from a nearby town died yesterday. Ten people are confirmed with it in our state, seven hospitalized. So now, we are affected. We aren't going out to public gatherings, the kids are scared, and people are panicked.

As a result, the peso is falling like crazy and the economy continues in a major downturn for Mexico.

Please pray for this nation that I love so much. It's difficult to be in the middle of it all, but I know that God is allowing it for revival purposes. The people are all thinking about mortality, and they are turning to the Lord in droves. This weekend we saw almost 100 people give their lives to Christ at our church!