Musings from Mexico

Naked Plants

2009-08-18T08:33:00.002-05:00

I have several plants on my front porch that I have tenderly cared for all year. Since we haven't had rain, we have watered them every day and tried to keep them healthy. Imagine my surprise one day to arrive home from the grocery store and see them all stripped of their leaves! A line of leaf cutter ants from my plants to the hole in the ground showed me the culprits.

I was reminded of the promise of God for me this year, that I would see fruit in my ministry... I have seen lots of results this year of prayers, time investments, etc. The thing is, I have also seen people stripped away of everything they had believed. They are still alive spiritually, but barely. Like my plants, they now need extra care as they try to rebuild their lives.

I can't say that leaf cutter ants are from the devil, God made them. So are the trials in our lives that strip us naked of our leaves. We will recover, it will be difficult, but it's God's pruning to allow us to grow even more.

Sharing our Faith

2009-08-15T09:33:00.004-05:00

We have been asked to help our church develop a missions program here in Mexico, helping them get out of the four walls of the church and be missional in all aspects. This week we met with over 20 youth to plan an outreach in a few weeks. We talked with them about how to share a brief testimony. Even if people don't believe the Bible, they cannot deny what God has done in our lives personally. The crux is that you must think of a moment that marked your life, maybe when you gave your life to Christ. Think of the before and the after, and share it in under two minutes. Several of the young people cannot really share their testimony, which is baffling to me and something we need to help them get down so they can share from personal experience what Christ has done for them.

Living by the watch

2009-08-10T07:45:00.001-05:00

Most people who know anything about Latin American culture know that being on time is not a really important thing here. In the US, we would be about five - ten minutes early for church so we could get our kids checked in to kid's church and get ourselves all settled in for the 11:00 beginning of church. We moved to Nicaragua and would get there a few minutes early and be the only people there. The pastor himself wouldn't show up for at least thirty minutes (usually about an hour late).

Imagine how difficult it is for students at our Bible school, who have to be on time for everything or they face "consequence time". They receive one hour of work detail for every minute of tardiness. Last year we had a guy who had about a month of work details, he could just never get it right. It's counter-cultural, but it's a good thing! (The important thing to note is that this school is MEXICAN, not a bunch of Americans trying to impose this on them.)

We're starting a new week at the Bible School, with 35 new students. Time and the watch are usually their biggest struggle in the new year, so pray for them!

Sneaky!

2009-07-30T10:18:00.003-05:00

Last April, when Mexico was in the midst of it's Swine Flu epidemic and all shut up in their houses, the Mexican Senate decided to pass a bill legalizing drugs. People can now have a certain amount of marijuana, cocaine, and heroine in their possession and they will not be prosecuted. Many people were upset that the Senate used the Swine Flu distraction to pass something so controversial.

We are beginning to see people smoke marijuana freely on the streets. I have read that the President is considering striking down the bill before it becomes law, which will happen in September if he doesn't do anything. To me it seems illogical that the government has cracked down so hard on the drug cartels, yet they are allowing the citizens to have their own personal stashes.

Heat!

2009-07-29T15:30:00.002-05:00

You can be praying for Northern Mexico, as we have not had any rain this year. Usually by March or April we need to cut our small patch of grass, but it hasn't rained and our grass is brown, dry, and definitely not growing. We haven't had to cut it all year. The heat has been tremendous, more than 40C or 104F.

How do we deal with the heat? We don't usually go out after one in the afternoon until around 7 or 8. If we do go anywhere, it's to swim! At night, we take cool showers before bed to cool our bodies down. We drink lots and lots of water. I cook in the morning or early part of the day and we eat cold food, salads, or something for dinner.

Last weekend we were in Piedras Negras, on the border, where it gets even hotter than here. All the houses and churches had a/c though. Our schools and churches do not have that luxury here. We depend on fans to move the air about. When it's this hot the air actually burns you, and hurts!

Mexican Hospitality

2009-07-28T10:31:00.002-05:00

Two posts in one day, can you handle it?

I wanted to talk about hospitality in Mexico... one common phrase here is "Mi casa es su casa" which means "My house is your house". When we Americans say that we mean you can help yourselves to whatever is in our kitchen and feel at home. Mexicans would be horrified at that, though, because they want to serve you the whole time you are at their home. It's a relaxed type of serving you, but it's attending to you nonetheless.

Recently we stayed in different homes around the Republic. The shocker was when we stayed in an American home and realized how different we really are! I didn't mind settling in and serving myself or hubby food from the fridge, but it made me realize how different that phrase "Mi Casa es su Casa" applies in the different cultures.

Coffee Talk

2009-07-28T10:23:00.002-05:00

My kids were invited Stateside to visit their grandparents for a month, so my husband and I took advantage of the time to do some traveling around Mexico and visit friends. It's so hot up in the north where we are, it was great to escape to cooler weather.

We went to Guanajuato (posted below), and it did NOT disappoint. Cool weather, beautiful architecture, and great history. Afterwards we went to the Centros de Fe national convention in Oaxtepec. That was a nice place, but not really touristy. I did try rose petal ice cream, though. Delicious!

From Oaxtepec we went to Taxco, the silver capital of Mexico. Beautiful town and wonderful people! We stayed with a guy we had connected with over the internet. I was a little nervous about that, but it turned out to be a wonderful experience. Efrain and his family and friends gave us the royal treatment. I have not enjoyed times like that in a really long time.

From Taxco we went and visited one of our former students who is now a pastor in Queretaro. We arrived about 9:30 in the evening and the town plaza was full of people ballroom dancing! Apparently, that's a Sunday night tradition. It was beautiful!

From Queretaro we went to San Luis Potosi on our way home. It was also a nice city with colonial buildings, but didn't quite stand up to the beauty of the other places. I think we were ready to get home as well!

It was fun exploring these places with my husband and discovering new things about this country in which we live. I was burdened by the needs here, but fell even more in love with Mexico.

Escape the Heat

2009-07-11T09:41:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-05T09:09:00.002-05:00

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

2009-06-02T17:10:00.001-05:00

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!

2009-05-14T08:46:00.003-05:00

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

2009-05-05T10:34:00.004-05:00

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

2009-05-03T07:58:00.002-05:00

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

2009-04-27T09:18:00.002-05:00

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!

Burdened

2009-04-22T07:41:00.002-05:00

Remember this story about the young girl and her dying mother?

I haven't updated you in a while. The mother got out of the hospital and after searching for a shelter for them we were connected with a shelter in Mexico City that would accept them. We put the mom, the daughter, her baby, & her 13 year old brother on a bus for the 10 hour ride to their new home.

Two days ago we received a call that the mother has pancreatic cancer and is back in the hospital, with only days to live. They were upset with us for not telling them she had cancer, but we didn't know. We were told it was pancreatitis.

Yesterday we received another call that the young girl is pregnant. This is very discouraging and troubling to me because I know that she doesn't have a boyfriend and even though I asked her if her uncle abused her, and she denied it, I believe her pregnancy is most likely the result of some type of abuse or "trade-off" for the food and shelter he was providing her, the baby, & her brother. Her baby is only 7 months old and she is at least three months pregnant.

In addition, her youngest brother has been caught fondling three little girls in the shelter. The girl also claims that he was fondling her baby. He's only 13!

So, they want to kick them out. They have no where to go. The mom is dying. There aren't shelters for 15 year old pregnant girls with babies. Please pray for us to find a solution. It's tough and we are burdened for her.

New Mexico Video!

2009-04-20T11:04:00.000-05:00

Mustard Seed God

2009-04-15T00:12:00.001-05:00

From one of my favorite blogs:

We serve a mustard seed God.

We serve a God that whispered to Elijah.

We serve a God that changed humanity with a baby.

We serve a big God that delights in doing small things we don’t understand.

We serve an exponential God.

I love this! Sometimes we get caught up in wanting to do "big things" for God and we must remember that our God delights in the small things, the still, small voice... I need to remember this because sometimes as a missionary I expect big things from myself, winning the multitudes for Christ, etc. Being a missionary, though, is like watching grass grow sometimes. It takes forever to see the fruit! So, if you are struggling with patience or feeling insignificant today, I pray you can take this to heart as well.

Spring Break

2009-04-06T09:05:00.002-05:00

We're out of school for two weeks and two of my family members are on missions trips. Our oldest is off with YWAM in the mountains of our state, and my husband is off in another state with a group of our Bible School students.
That leaves me here with my middle and youngest sons and no one around! Our neighbors have all vacated town to go and visit families (I mean, two weeks off, how can you resist?), and I'm feeling so lonesome already! When my neighbors/pastors/friends pulled out of the house yesterday I got a little misty-eyed!
So now it's up to me to have some adventures this week. I really don't want to do the boring go to the movies and pizza thing more than once. We'll see what ideas I can come up with!

My God is so BIG, so strong, and so MIGHTY

2009-03-30T12:17:00.002-05:00

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I told about the Santa Muerte, showing a video of some roadside chapels and the offerings left to the Death Saint? Well, last week we had a team from NC here (that's why I haven't been blogging), and we took them by those chapels to show them the extent of the idolatry here. The team prayed that God would destroy the chapels and their false gods.
Five days later, we got news that the Mexican army went in with a bulldozer and completely destroyed the chapels! We passed them this weekend when taking the group back to the US, and we were all so happy and amazed at the answered prayers. Not even one brick was left standing, it's all dust.
The army's reasoning was two-fold. First, the chapels were built on public property, so they had the right to tear them down. Secondly, they wanted to send a message to the drug traffickers that even their gods are in danger. A type of psychological warfare, if you may.

I was disappointed...

2009-03-21T00:35:00.002-05:00

Last month, I auditioned for a part in a Passion Play in the city. My friend and I heard this church needed soloists, and since we love to sing we went and auditioned. They accepted us right away and told us we were an answer to their prayers. I got really excited and practiced quite a bit for the song we were going to be performing.
As so often happens in Mexico, though, the communication has been less than ideal with the people running the show. We missed one rehearsal because of prior commitments, and another one because we weren't told until the last minute, and the place is over an hour away.
Tonight I received an email from her saying, "Thanks, but no thanks" There are still three weeks until the performance, and we were all set to make rehearsals without missing at all, but they don't want us. I feel really bummed, and frustrated with the culture that would send me an email like that instead of calling me and telling me her needs and finding out where I stand.
So, pray for me. I want/need to have a good attitude and not let this discourage me from trying again in the future. It's difficult when you have talents and you want to use them for the Lord and then humans mess it all up (including our own stinky attitudes at times!)

Clowning Around

2009-03-19T09:30:00.003-05:00

Mexicans, for the most part, LOVE clowns! You can find clowns wherever you go. Birthday parties, grocery store promotions, street corners, anywhere! I think my favorite ones are some on a television program that take popular American 80's songs and rewrite the lyrics in Spanish, making them silly. They are dressed as a rock band with crazy colored hair and silly clothing. I also like the guys who juggle in traffic at the stoplights for money. Sometimes they do gymnastics and juggle firesticks. I don't mind giving them a peso or two for their efforts. At least you aren't bored while you wait for the light to change.

Evangelicalism & Social Work

2009-03-14T11:48:00.002-05:00

The typical evangelical church in Mexico is not involved in social work, they have been too poor and needy themselves to do much for the community. When we took Mexican pastors to India, however, their eyes were opened to the many things they CAN do with limited resources. The Indian church inspired my pastor, at least, to make a difference in our little community. We are about to open a middle school this August, and a day care is in the works.
The situation I mentioned below, about the sick woman with the children and grandchildren is another case that is showing us the need here and opening our eyes to many more opportunities for the Gospel to make a difference. We know it is time to act, not just pray and send them on their way. Pray for us as we strategize about what to do and how to do it!
Update on the lady, Blanca. We went to see her yesterday in the hospital and she was coherent and smiling. She is glad to be out of pain and happy to be in a clean bed. We still don't know the prognosis of her pancreatitis, but that is what she has, we believe from the little information we got. The daughter stayed in a safe place last night with running water and power, and took a hot bath for the first time in weeks. She also bathed the baby, and we dressed them in clean clothes - they looked like new girls!

Ignorance is Bliss

2009-03-12T12:55:00.001-05:00

The other day we went with some friends to the neighborhood where they are starting a church. They wanted us and our pastors to go over and see the conditions of the people and to help them think of creative ways to reach out to the community. The neighborhood was started by squatters, and eventually the government ended up granting the land to the squatters, so now it is an official part of the town.

The house we went to is about 3m x 3m, made of cinder block, no door, no windows, no power, no water. I wasn't shocked by the poverty, but I was surprised to find the lady of the house lying on the floor on a blanket, weighing no more than 29 kilos, moaning and begging to die. Our friends didn't realize that she was so sick, they knew she was weak, but not dying. The daughter told us that the hospital sent her home and told her never to return, there was nothing they could do.

The home belongs to the woman's brother, and he is not a Christian. The only believer in the house is the 15-year-old girl (mother of a five month old already). On every wall is a poster of the Santa Muerte. There is an altar with candles set up in the corner and three statues of the Santa Muerte. I literally felt the Grim Reaper mocking this woman as she cried out in pain. We prayed, we comforted, we sang, we prayed with her to receive Christ as her Saviour.

The thing is, we felt so impotent. If God doesn't do a miracle, I believe she will be dead by next week. The daughter has such a heavy load at such a young age. The uncle is an abusive alcoholic and the teenager needs to get out of that house, so does the mother.

Please pray for us as we seek God for strategies to help this family and the many others like it in the "Mission" neighborhood. We know the Lord brought us there at that time to see such a thing. We are thinking of starting a micro-loan foundation and teaching the women how to have little businesses. That's a long-term strategy. We need an emergency strategy as well. He is able!

Weather Girls

2009-03-09T09:52:00.003-05:00

The morning weather shot shows the way this society thinks about women. The weather girl wears revealing outfits, the camera angles are wide enough to show her full body, and she doesn't know much about the weather. Compare the shots and you can definitely see the difference!

A Clarification...

2009-03-09T09:43:00.003-05:00

Last night I got a comment on my youtube channel about my videos. The person is a young Mexican who was offended, saying I'm negative and critical of Mexico. I just want to clarify to you who have seen my videos that my intent is never to criticize Mexico, just to show the cultural difference. Perhaps his English isn't good enough to understand everything I say, but I just thought I would state here that I love Mexico, and if I didn't I would not be here. The point of this blog is to show what it is to live in another culture and to point out the good, the bad, the struggles, etc.

That said, please keep praying for this wonderful country. I feel like we are on the edge of chaos AND revival!

Santa Muerte w/ new video

2009-03-03T23:06:00.002-06:00

Once again, I ask you to pray for Mexico. This is the kind of spiritual environment in which we live. (My latest video follows!)

From wikipedia:

Saint Death (also known as La Santísima Muerte (Holy Death), and Doña Sebastiana (Lady Sebastianne), is a religious figure who receives petitions for love, luck, and protection. Saint Death is often depicted as a female figure. In some Mexican traditions, most notably among the descendants of Austrian immigrants, Saint Death is believed to be the wife of Krampus. She is sometimes referred to as Virgin Mary's twisted sister

Although the Catholic Church has attacked the worship of Saint Death as a pagan tradition contrary to the Christian belief of Christ defeating death, many people insist on praying to this figure for miracles. Saint Death is venerated by a wide variety of people from many different backgrounds. Often, those who pray to this figure are seeking the recovery of health, stolen items, or kidnapped family members.

Reading the Bible

2009-02-26T07:56:00.002-06:00

I've been having a good time this year reading my One Year Bible. I will be honest and say that I have never read through the whole entire Bible, though I've probably read 90% of it in my 25 years of being a Christian. Last year I started in June, but that got me in at 2 Kings and Romans, so I was still lacking in a lot! I enjoy reading it with this program because it leaves me with some cliffhangers and I can't wait to get to it the next day and see what happened (especially in the Old Testament!).
The only thing I notice with myself is that I tend to have lots of questions and I'm not really sure where to find the answers. My questions may even be irrelevant, I just get to thinking about the things that happen and imagining the scene which makes me go even farther into it.
For example, the scapegoat in Leviticus... the priest was to take two goats to the Temple, cast "sacred lots" (What did they look like? How are they different than dice or flipping a coin?), and kill one of the goats. He was to lay his hands on the other goat and transfer the sins of the people onto it, and then run it out into the desert to take away the sins from the community. What happened to the goat? How did they keep him from coming back?
I actually keep myself entertained with these questions, but I don't learn the answers!

Missionaries Going "Native"

2009-02-25T08:01:00.002-06:00

My boys and I have been studying "History of God's Kingdom" this year in their homeschool curriculum. We read a lot about how the kingdom has advanced in different countries, which means we read a lot about missionaries and heroes of the faith. One common thread we read is how much in conflict the missionaries were with each other. This is a sad thing to see! Mainly, the missionaries judge each other about the methods they use, and they end up dividing into two camps. The first one is composed of the missionaries who live on compounds all together and only leave to go out and preach, returning to their safety zone afterwards. The other camp is composed of the missionaries who don't live amongst their fellow countrymen and who go out and live, work, and explore with the "natives".

The most "successful" missionaries seem to have always been part of the second camp! David Livingstone & Hudson Taylor come to mind. My son pointed this out to me yesterday and then told me that when he's a missionary to Japan he definitely wants to be like them. There's a huge cost to it, though, so he needs to be prepared. I imagine the rejection hurts, the mockery stings, and the loneliness is prevalent in their lives.

We used to live in Nicaragua and we were the only Americans living in our town (besides Peace Corps volunteers coming in to learn Spanish). The other missionaries, who are Mexicans, lived two blocks away. I was always amazed to speak with the American missionaries we met in other cities, and they didn't know Spanish, they hadn't even been on a public bus and didn't know many of the national cuisines! They all lived in a gated neighborhood, and their kids all went to an American Christian school.

Here in our little town in Mexico, we have one other American missionary, and she lives two doors down from us on the ministry campus. I guess we are more sheltered here, but we also have Mexicans living on either side of us.

I hope that I am leaving a footprint here in Mexico by my willingness to live and work among the people I love so much. I DO love speaking with the few Americans I run into around here, but that is so rare that I don't feel like it distracts me from my calling to be Christ here.

Visiting with Friends

2009-02-22T08:50:00.003-06:00

When we first went on the mission field, we were living in Nicaragua and helping teach and develop a school that was founded by Victor & Angela Benitez (Angela is on the left in the picture). Victor & Angela are from Mexico and have been missionaries to Nicaragua now for 15 years. Now we are living in Mexico and working with the denomination started by Angela's grandfather, who was an American missionary to Mexico over 50 years ago.
We had a really nice visit yesterday with Angela and her family. Her sister, Becky (on the right), accompanied us to lunch and we had a time of laughter and tears, remembering our time together and all that the Lord has done.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-02-21T09:28:00.003-06:00

This weekend will be the Academy Awards, and my favorite movie is up for "Best Picture". I think Slumdog Millionaire has a shot at winning, and I think it deserves it. I can't really express what it is about the film that captured my heart. I think it may be the hope, the humor, and the goodness of the main character despite terrible circumstances? The story is creative and entertaining, something I'm glad to see in a movie instead of pushing some political agenda. The Bollywood dance at the end was the icing on the cake. If you haven't seen the movie, please do! You won't regret it.

Chaos and Fear

2009-02-21T09:10:00.002-06:00

If you watch CNN or Fox, you may have seen the news about what is happening here in Mexico. We are on the brink of a civil war between the drug cartels, the federal police, and the army. Protestors are blocking main arteries in our city and in cities along the border, paid by the drug cartels to protest the presence of the 45,000 troops the President has sent out to fight the cartels. In 2008, 5,612 people were killed in the drug war (during the last two months, drug-related executions averaged one per hour), and this year the numbers are climbing daily. Whole police forces are resigning and fleeing across the border in fear. I'll be honest - it's scary. Up until this week, I had basically been unaffected by the whole thing, except for random road side checks by soldiers or police. Things are heating up, though, and Mexico is in need of prayer. We need peace. We need the Prince of Peace to reign over Mexico.

New Video: Pets in Mexico

2009-02-16T11:37:00.001-06:00

Happy Day!

2009-02-14T17:12:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
Here in Mexico it's called the day of Friendship and Love.
I'm thankful for my friends, my family, and especially
my God - who loves me with an everlasting love.

Valentine's Day Concert

2009-02-13T08:28:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow we are chaperoning the youth from our church to a concert of my three favorite Spanish Christian artists: Alex Campos, Marcela Gandara, and Lilly Goodman. The kids are excited, but I think I might be even more excited about it! I thought I would post this video of Alex Campos (he's from Colombia) singing a traditional Mexican praise song with a mariachi band. If you want to know the flavor and heart of Mexico, here it is! I will post the lyrics below.

I come to tell you, I come to tell you
Oh my Saviour
That I love you, that I love you
With my heart
I come to tell you, I come to tell you
All the truth
That I love you Lord
I worship you Lord
With my heart

I want to sing, I want to sing
With joy and peace
I want to cry, I want to cry
With happiness

I come to tell you, I come to tell you
All the truth
That I love you, Lord
I worship you, Lord
With my heart

Encouraging Words

2009-02-12T19:25:00.002-06:00

For two years I was the Dean of Women at the Bible School where my husband works. My days and nights were busy with counseling girls, discipling girls, forming and teaching them. When they finish two years living at the school they move to a church and do a year of internship. When they finish their year, they come back to graduate.

Today I found out that one of my girls who is in her internship year is getting married this weekend, and I believe she is pregnant. I cried as I thought about all the plans she made and the progress she saw in her two years here. I just felt so discouraged and sad that she didn't listen to the counsel that I had given her about this guy.

As I was despairing about this, a different person came to me and wanted to encourage me (not knowing I was upset about this girl). He told me how I have impacted his life and helped him to be a better pastor by my attitude about things and how I have handled situations in the past.

Isn't it wonderful how God will send people to encourage us when we need it? I was looking to Him for strength and peace and He sent someone to lift my spirits.

Guest Blogger - my handsome hubby

2009-02-10T12:32:00.001-06:00

We filmed this the other day, just another glimpse into our lives here.

Planning Ahead

2009-02-09T20:09:00.003-06:00

We have a big event here at our Bible School this week, called "Hermano Mayor". It's basically a homecoming event, where all former students are welcome to come back and attend services, classes, and special events. I always enjoy the week, but there are several things that can frustrate me as a foreigner with a different way of thinking:

*RSVP - every year we send out the announcement and ask the people to register beforehand to give us a ballpark figure for meals and rooming. Every year, we only get about 25 responses, yet have about 200-250 people show up. It's okay NOT to RSVP, both with the hosts as well as the guests.
*Registration - the announcement says that registration will begin on Weds. at 2. Now, those of you who know Mexicans will expect me to say that they arrive late (as is the norm in this culture), but they actually arrive EARLY! We will have people starting to file in tomorrow (Tuesday), expecting their room assignments and food. It can be frustrating for the cooks and the hospitality coordinators.
*Finances - the cost of the conference is FREE. This is difficult for me, as I know first-hand how the Bible School is suffering financially. Last year the staff all sacrificed two weeks pay in order to pay for the event. I still don't understand why they won't even ask for $5 per person or something to help cover the costs of their food. It leaves me scratching my head, but since I'm not the boss, I can only suggest and then leave it at that.

Last year I was in charge of hospitality, having the rooms ready and assigning them to the people as they arrived. I had no idea how many rooms to prepare, how many beds to make up, how many bathrooms to clean, etc. etc. etc. It was a lesson for me to just relax and smile and enjoy things as the Mexicans do - not to get all tied up in the details and to go with the flow, so to speak.

Cleanliness Issues

2009-02-06T13:40:00.000-06:00

Greetings and formalities

2009-02-05T21:47:00.003-06:00

One really important custom we had to get used to when we moved to Latin America was the custom of greetings. In our culture in the US, we can enter a room and give a general greeting of ,"Hi, y'all" or just wave. Since moving south of the border, we had to learn to take time to greet everyone in the room when we entered. For people we don't know well, we just shake their hands and say hello. For the people we know, we are to shake their hand lightly and as we finish the handshake kiss them on the right cheek, then finish with the handshake. The kissing thing takes a while to get used to, and some Mexicans know that we don't do that in our culture, so there is sometimes and awkward moment of "Do we kiss or NOT?". The most important thing to remember, though, is that we must acknowledge everyone in the room or we are certainly to offend some people.

Even when we enter a small store or a doctor's office, we should at least greet everyone with a formal "Good day". This is considered good manners and something that we must remember often.

The other formality that has taken a while to get used to is the formal form of the word "YOU" (usted). In English, we only have one way of saying YOU, but in Spanish there is a familiar form and a formal form, one that you would use with acquaintances, superiors, and people you should respect. My children often make the mistake of calling their teachers TU (informal) instead of USTED (formal). We have to conjugate our verbs according to the YOU tense, so this can be complicated.

Cake in a Mug

2009-02-03T15:30:00.002-06:00

Have you heard of making a cake in a mug in your microwave? I'm going to try it this afternoon and let you know how it turns out. I have NEVER heard of this idea!

Monday Markets

2009-02-03T08:33:00.002-06:00

I enjoy going to the town square on Monday mornings and replenishing my fruits and vegetables as well as getting a fruit cup. There's one guy who sells clothes from "the other side", as they call the US. They are usually really good brands at excellent prices. Sometimes his clothes are gently used, but normally they are brand new with the tags still on them.

Ice Age

2009-02-01T08:57:00.003-06:00

I have found that we Americans are rare in our liking of ice. I like to fill my cup up to the top with ice before I put my beverage in it, but that's not the norm in the countries I have visited. Here in Mexico, I usually have to ask for an extra glass of ice, as they usually only put one or two cubes in my glass. The Mexicans think it is unsavory to have your soda watered down by the melting ice. I'm just used to that, I guess.

Culture Lesson

2009-02-01T08:46:00.002-06:00

Today is a pretty fun day in the US, culturally. It's the Super Bowl, the American football championship game. All over the country people will gather in homes, churches, and restaurants to watch the big game and enjoy the silly commercials that are written to debut during the big game. It may sound completely trivial, but even churches cancel their normal Sunday evening services because they know that the pews would be empty. The opt, instead, to host parties in their fellowship halls with lots of snacks, no alcohol, and usually several big-screen televisions. Growing up, the youth group from church would usually meet at the youth leader's house to watch the game after selling our "Super Bowl Subs" to make money for our youth group. For a month ahead of time we would take orders for our foot-long sub sandwiches on freshly baked bread, work all afternoon putting them together and delivering them to the buyers, and have mustard and mayonnaise fights.

Last year we invited several Bible school students over to watch the big game at our house. All the commentaries are in Spanish and we don't get any of the fun commercials, but it was fun to watch the game with them and explain the rules. Something was lacking, though... maybe I should make some sub sandwiches this year?

Video from a Ghost Town in the desert

2009-01-31T22:15:00.001-06:00

I have filmed quite a few more videos, I'm just struggling with a fast enough internet connection to upload them. This is one I made this week with my friend who was visiting from the US. If you aren't sure who Pancho Villa was, you should read up on this Mexican Revolutionary General from the late 1800's.

Ruth and Naomi

2009-01-23T10:47:00.003-06:00

Last night I was invited to speak at a nearby church to their women's group. It was an honor to be invited, as that's not something I normally do outside of the Bible School where we work. The Lord led me to share about Adversity and our needs during this time.

1) When we are having difficulties our tendency is to hide and push people away, like Naomi wanted to do with her daughter-in-laws.
2) We also tend to get angry with God and point our fingers at Him. Naomi was filled with bitterness and blamed God for all her troubles. Ruth stuck by her, even when I'm sure she wasn't a real pleasure to be with.
3) We need to allow God to heal us and use our trials and adversities for His glory.

If Naomi's husband and sons hadn't died, Ruth would never have met Boaz and married him, and they were King David's grandparents! Imagine! God used all these things to birth the King after His Own Heart. From the lineage of King David we have Jesus. So, we need to remember that our trials and suffering will be used to bring glory to God in the long run, even though we don't understand it at the moment. If you are a friend of someone suffering, don't allow them to push you away - just quietly tend to their needs and stick by them even when it gets rough. You will see them through to the other side!

God Bless America

2009-01-20T21:34:00.004-06:00

I am proud to be an American when I see freedoms expressed like ones expressed during inaugural ceremonies. Rick Warren asking blessings from God, JESUS, & an older reverend asking for guidance for our leader. Even if we desired McCain, how can we be ashamed of a place where we have freedoms to express our beliefs, freedom of choice, and freedom to invoke the NAME above all NAMES while speaking to crowds of two million people! God ordained Pres. Obama, he's been sworn in, and now we need to intercede for him to have wisdom & courage for all ahead of us as Americans.

Dropping In

2009-01-18T08:41:00.002-06:00

When we lived in the US, it was a rare thing that people would come over to our house. If they did, they came because they were selling something or we had an appointment. That's just how we roll in the US, we aren't drop-in type of people. That was one of the biggest challenges for me when we moved out of the country, was getting used to my lack of personal space - and having to keep my house picked up better!

One reason they do this is because cell phone calls are expensive and most people don't have a home phone (including us). It's just easier to walk over to our house if they need something or want to chat. I don't mind anymore. Now if someone doesn't come by I think the day is too quiet!

Last week we actually went out visiting some friends, just dropping in. They were shocked when we drove up! It was nice to sit outside on their porch w/ no agenda and just enjoy conversation for a while. I'm looking forward to doing that more!

Cactus, anyone?

2009-01-15T19:45:00.001-06:00

Here I explain about a surprising delicacy... (it has been cold the past few days, I'll post about weather one day soon.)

Central Square

2009-01-14T21:50:00.000-06:00

I don't really have to write about this one, just watch the video.

Living in a war zone

2009-01-14T14:52:00.003-06:00

Most people do not think of war when they think of Mexico. They think of beaches, tequila, large cities, and tacos. When you live here, though, you are quickly brought to the reality that there is a war here between the drug cartels, the police, and the army. Just yesterday I watched an army helicopter flying low, full of armed, masked soldiers, looking for something in the town. Some days we see the army caravans drive through town, stopping and checking out different places. We get stopped occasionally on the highway and asked for our identification and checked out.

We personally do not have to worry about getting in trouble with the law, but it does drive us to prayer for this country. The USA just released 99 million dollars to help Mexico in the drug war. I hope it doesn't end up in corrupt politician's hands.

Door to door donuts

2009-01-13T08:38:00.001-06:00

Visitors!

2009-01-13T08:29:00.002-06:00

We have lived here for 2.5 years and only my parents have come to visit us, once, in October of 2006. I attribute this to the fact that we are now a lot closer to North Carolina (two days drive instead of a week's drive), so we head up there more than we did when we were in Nicaragua. Our most frequent visitor to Nicaragua was our good friend Connie Jo, from our college days and the church we attended back then. She came a total of six times, bringing friends, family, sometimes staying for a month or two.

Another reason we don't have many visitors is our town in Mexico just isn't as sexy as our life in Nicaragua - we aren't near the beach, we don't live near volcanoes and rain forests, we don't have a five star resort nearby. We live in a sleepy little pueblo with not much to do and extreme weather conditions.

I am excited, though, because finally Connie Jo is coming to see me!!! In a few weeks she will come and we will go explore the touristy things of the Monterrey area. I will make sure to take lots of pictures of our adventures. With Connie, life is always an adventure!

Beauty Salon

2009-01-11T19:58:00.003-06:00

Here's a look at the place we get our hair cut. She has it attached to her house and it's a place to go and hang out if you are wanting to visit with someone. She usually has a few people in there talking or watching people the walk by. It's not quite Floyd the Barber, but at times I feel like I live in Mayberry!

Kitchen Essentials

2009-01-09T15:37:00.001-06:00

One thing I forgot to mention is that most of my Mexican friends do not use their ovens, except as space to store their pots and pans. They think the fact I can bake cookies is amazing. If only they knew how super easy it is!

Janny on the block...

2009-01-07T19:21:00.001-06:00

Continuing with my video blogging. Here's my barrio.

Back to Normal...

2009-01-07T08:06:00.002-06:00

... but what exactly IS normal? I've been living overseas for over five years now, and I can guarantee that my normal isn't the same as yours. The problem is that I have kind of forgotten that my life may be interesting to others. In Nicaragua, we used to have visitors all the time who constantly reminded me of how different my life was with all of their questions and wide-eyed observations. We don't get too many visitors around these parts, so I think I've comfortably adapted to my normalcy.

That is why I'm trying my hand at video blogging. I could write a three paragraph explanation or I can try a 30 second blip showing you what I'm talking about. I hope you enjoy the clips, I've got lots of ideas of things to do, so bear with me as I inundate you guys with El Carmen, Mexico!

Video blogging

2009-01-05T21:39:00.002-06:00

Ive been inspired w/ Real Life's video blogging. If I can surpass feelings of insecure I'll improve for sure!

In need of a friend...

2008-12-30T21:29:00.002-06:00

Ever since I was a teenager in the US, I have been blessed with several close girl friends. You know, the friends you can call up and go out for coffee and chat about life, go shopping with, or just talk on the phone for a few moments. When we moved to Nicaragua I was blessed with another really good girl friend. We spoke every day, went shopping together (even grocery shopping), and ministered together. I wasn't prepared for the absolute loneliness that sometimes engulfs me here in Mexico. I may be surrounded by people, but they don't really KNOW me and I don't know them.

During this holiday time I have definitely fought against drowning in the sea of loneliness. My birthday brought over 60 "Happy Birthday" wishes on facebook, but in person it was a different story, no one to take me out to lunch, bring me a cake, sing me a song. I have always celebrated my birthday with at least one friend doing something or other. I see my acquaintances around here, and they all have family around, constant activity in their homes. Maybe they would say they don't have friends either, but the laughter and community they have in their homes says something different to me.

This Sunday we need to write some of our dreams for 2009 and release them to God. I am going to ask Him to give me a friend. I'll keep you updated. Pray for me to be content in the waiting.

I saw this over on Ragamuffin Soul...

2008-12-20T14:14:00.003-06:00

Really impacted me. I needed a good kick in the hind end today.

Hospitals

2008-11-04T08:14:00.002-06:00

I imagine that my mother-in-law, who hasn't ever been here, was panicking when she heard that I was in the hospital. She probably was thinking of my lying in a bed, surrounded by tons of sick people, with random chickens and pigs walking by eating off of the dirt floor. Thank the Lord, here in Monterrey, a very metropolitan city, we have choices!
The public hospitals are like and big city ER. The difference is that there aren't too many nurses, so a family member has to stay by the patient's side to bathe them, feed them, empty their bedpan, etc. We don't have too many options for people to stay at my side, so we opted for a private hospital. There is one nurse for every three rooms. The rooms are all private, with air conditioning, cable tv, private baths, and pullout couches for optional visitors. I had a menu to order from every day, full of delicious cuisine to try and tempt me into eating. I ordered a la carte things like chicken soup or jello and yogurt.
I'm thankful that I wrote about God's provision several entries down, because that reminded me that my God continues to be faithful in my life in the area of finances. This hospital stay cost us $3800, and I desperately need to see God open the heavens for us. Please pray with me that He will provide and that we won't have to carry this debt on our credit card for years and years.

Blogging while sick

2008-11-02T09:17:00.003-06:00

... I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but I've been pretty dang sick! Basically, since that last post, I have been in bed. I was knocked down for a week thinking it was dengue or something because of a high fever and chills, but then vomiting started and I got dehydrated. I ended up in the hospital for three days with a conclusive diagnosis of Hepatitis A. This type of hep is transmitted by food, someone who was infected went to the bathroom, didn't wash their hand, and prepared my food. I have no idea where I would have contracted it, and I'll probably never know, but the thought is so icky!
I'm getting better, though. Last night I left my house and went out for tacos. It made me really tired to converse with people, and I was definitely ready to get to bed once I got home, but it did feel good to get out.
Just wanted to let bloggerland know that I haven't forgotten my blog! I'll write about the Mexican hospital experience in the next few days.

Police Differences

2008-10-15T08:35:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I took a trip with some of my friends up to Laredo, Texas. While we were driving the two hours up there we had some interesting talks. One of the most interesting to me was the talk about police. There's a fundamental difference in the way we are taught about our police. In the USA, when we are small, we are taught that if we are ever in danger or trouble, look for a police officer. If we are stopped by the police, we are taught to respect them and to do what they say.

In Mexico, they are taught since they are small that the police are NOT their friends. They don't trust officers and they look upon them with contempt. The police officers have a lot of power here, but are puppets on a string, with thousands of people affecting the puppet master through bribes, corruption, and threats.

I told my friends that we Americans hear about these things and are suspicious when traveling through Latin America. They laughed, but at the same time felt embarrassed that we feel that way when in their country. If THEY feel that way, however, how would they expect us to feel any differently?

The dollar is still strong here...

2008-10-12T16:16:00.002-05:00

We crossed the border in August after a six week vacation, and the first thing to greet us was the peso/dollar exchange sign, saying that we could only get 9.5 pesos per dollar. This was a huge bummer to us, coming back with dollars to exchange and having never seen such low rates. Since then, though, we have seen the dollar creeping back into more manageable exchanges for us. Yesterday, however, it closed at 12.70. This is huge, and really good for us!

SO, if you are looking into traveling to Mexico right now is a good time. Things are better for us, worse for the Mexicans. At last, some good news for our economy!

Provision and Dental Stuff

2008-09-24T20:17:00.002-05:00

We are in the midst of a dental smackdown in our home. Hubby had four teeth extracted and is getting three bridges done. Littlest son has six cavities, but fortunately on baby teeth. Oldest son got braces. I had my teeth cleaned and a filling done this morning. Dental care is much cheaper in Mexico, but it still costs quite a bit. Hubby is getting a bridge done at a time, and the first one will be about $200. I think the total for all his dental work will come in under just under $1000.

I have been a little worried, to be honest, about this whole thing. We just do NOT have any extra money in our budget right now. We went to the States this summer and it left us in debt, which stretched our tight budget even tighter. I'm at home now, which means more groceries because we aren't eating at the Bible School.

So, this past Sunday our pastor asked us if we wanted to sow some money into someone in the church. He actually asked everyone who wanted to stand up and go to someone and give them $50 pesos, which is $5. We didn't really have the extra money to spare, but we wanted to do it, we like giving money away! So, we went to an older woman in the church and gave her the money and prayed that God would multiply it for her. I know she needs it!

Today we received a refund check from the IRS from 2004 for $97. That made me happy, then we opened our email and found that someone deposited $500 into our bank account today so we could "have some fun"! I wouldn't say that dental work is fun, but it will definitely take a load off our minds. I was rejoicing that while we sowed just a little bit, we are reaping a great reward.

(NO, I'm not all prosperity gospel, but I do believe that God loves a cheerful giver, and HE loves to bless His children, just like we love to bless ours!)

Things we can't buy in our area...

2008-09-22T15:59:00.002-05:00

* pudding mix
* JIF creamy peanut butter
* Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
* scented candles
* on-the-go packs for water
* nalgene water bottles
* high-thread count sheets
* Sundrop and Cheerwine (sodas, for those outside of NC)
* apple butter
* shoes that fit our oldest son
* books in English!!!
* magazines in English!!!
* music in English!!!

Out of all those things, I think I miss the books the most. It's sad to not have a good book to curl up with in the evenings. *sigh*

Open Source

2008-09-20T12:51:00.002-05:00

I am all about a good bargain, especially free. For those people who are dealing with computer issues, especially writing programs, I would highly recommend Open Office. It 's a completely free download that includes word processor, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. We actually prefer it to Microsoft Office, and it's nice that there's competition for the Microsoft powerhouse. Just thought I'd share!

Mrs. Degree

2008-09-18T08:02:00.002-05:00

A lot of times, there is talk that girls go to Bible College in the US to obtain their MRS. degree - or to get married to a pastor. Life here in Mexico is no different. I can think of at least one of the girls who obviously came for that. Her dad is a pastor and I even think they might have sent her here for that reason! When she first came, she didn't know how to pray, had never read her Bible, and had very little knowledge about her faith. It made me frustrated to think that she wasn't here because she's called, but because she was sent.

So, last year she did fall in love, and he with her. They are forbidden lovers, though, which makes everyone more sympathetic to them. Next January, according to the rules, they can begin a relationship. She has to wait - something she has never had to do in her life.

You know what, though? She's learning to pray. She's acquiring self-discipline. She's paying the price. Maybe she'll be a good pastor's wife after all...

Man on Fire

2008-09-11T15:29:00.003-05:00

There's been a lot of talk in the media lately about the kidnappings that are occurring at an alarming rate in Mexico. The official number of kidnappings last year was 751, but many more go undocumented because of lack of trust in the police force, since they are often involved in the sequestering. Some agencies report that there may have been as many as 7,000 kidnappings last year! Yes, that's 10 times the reported amount.

We saw a movie last week, Man on Fire, starring Denzel Washington and made in 2004. It is incredibly violent, but it shows the reality of life for many people living in Mexico City. I'm thankful to live in a tranquil pueblo, but the thought does cross my mind when my kids leave the house to walk to church or the corner store. It's just one of those things that I have to put in God's hands and trust Him with. It's not always easy, but it is putting the rubber to the road with my faith. I make sure I trust Him, walk in wisdom, and not be beaten by the terrorists who are roaming the streets of Mexico looking for whom they may devour.

Undecided Voter

2008-09-04T09:05:00.002-05:00

I was undecided and indifferent about the presidential election until last week. McCain has hit a home run, though, with his VP choice. I can't get over this Sarah Palin lady. I remember years ago hearing (Dobson, I believe) a comment that if a mom could get into the White House she would run the country so much better. Why would that be? Getting rid of big government, wasteful spending, and the like. I know Palin wouldn't be in the White House, but maybe she could influence the powers that be to stop their junk and focus on the people, not the programs.

Lo Mejor Esta Por Venir/The Best is Yet to Come

2008-09-02T11:01:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I had a visit from an elderly Mexican gentleman who lived in the US for many years (looks just like this picture!). He needed help filling out some paperwork for a lost Social Security check from 2004. This wasn't my first visit from him, but he doesn't remember that I have helped him with this issue before. Every time he comes by I hear about the good old days, how he was the best fighter and gambler in town, how things were better back then.

This got me thinking about our church's theme for the past year or so, "The Best is Yet to Come." Why is it that we always look back on the past and think those were our glory days? What hope is there for our future when we look behind us and think that we've already passed through our best years? I'm heading towards forty, and I would hate to think that the rest of my life is a downslide. I want to believe that my future holds good things, surprises from God that will leave me astounded, and that my best years can even be into my eighties and nineties, God willing. I'm thankful to believe that my future doesn't end there, even. For an eternity I will be living my best times ever.

To Market, To Market

2008-08-28T08:19:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had a yard sale and noticed that you get a lot of Mexican customers? Maybe you thought it was because they wanted cheap clothes or good deals, and that's partly true, but the main reason they love yard sales is because they remind them of home!

Every Monday we have a market in town where people set up food, produce, clothing, electronic, etc booths and the whole town turns out. It's the place to see and be seen! You can get just about anything there! Tacos, fried chicken, fruit cocktails, fresh produce, cheeses, LL Bean pants, Victoria's Secret bras, bookshelves, furniture, and much more!

I head over to the market every week to buy fresh produce in the middle of my grocery shopping cycle. It's usually cheaper for me and I just like the hubbub of it all.

What NOT to do before bed...

2008-08-27T19:58:00.002-05:00

* Don't read a story in Reader's Digest about serial killers.
* Don't watch a National Geographic show about alligators.
* Don't have an argument with your 14 year old about washing the dishes and have him get all worked up and wake up his 10 year old brother.
AND
* Don't watch videos online about kidnappings in Mexico.

None of these will help you have a peaceful nights' sleep, as we have learned this week. I'm wishing I had a bathtub so I could take a candle-lit bubble bath tonight with classical music. I will have to settle for a hot shower and reading a fluff book.

Watching the Olympics in Mexico

2008-08-16T10:39:00.003-05:00

It's interesting to watch the Olympics on Mexican television. It's definitely not centered around the USA, but also not too centered on Mexico (there are only 23 Mexicans athletes in Beijing). For example, watching the track & field yesterday, the commentators were conversing about black athletes and how much faster they typically run. I laughed out loud, imagining the uproar if an American commentator would dare make such a comment!

When a Mexican IS involved in a competition, they definitely cover it, but I have seen much more of the Olympics than I have ever seen. The networks (there are two majors covering Beijing) have hours of time to fill, and just a little coverage their countrymen, so they show us all sorts of other games.

One more week to go!

Counting Calories, etc...

2008-08-16T10:35:00.002-05:00

The older I get, the more confident I am in the kitchen. I'm not so tied to the cookbook, and am a little more adventurous to add things or subtract things from a recipe. The problem with doing this is you don't always know the nutritional information to what you are cooking. If you are trying to count calories or do Weight Watchers, you have to know this information!

I found this great free recipe calculator today. If you are into such things, you may want to try it out. I was surprised to see how many calories and fat grams are in my favorite homemade ginger snaps! We won't be having those as often for sure!

China and Christianity

2008-08-14T07:34:00.002-05:00

Just the other day I finished reading the book The Heavenly Man. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. We need to know what is happening in China to our Christian brothers and sisters. They are suffering for the gospel TODAY. There are people in jail as I write, just because they profess Jesus Christ as their saviour and refuse to bow down to the Three-Self Church of China.

I can't help but feel compassion for the athletes in China as I watch them in the Olympics. The press even tells tales of people like Yao Ming, who has been watched since birth because of his incredible genetics, and the government planned that he would be a basketball player. What if he doesn't like basketball? What if he would rather have been a doctor or a teacher? His fate was decided for him.

Here are some articles of interest about Christians in China:
* Chinese Christians Silenced as Games Begin
* Chinese Christians Need Prayer as Olympics Begin
* Authorities Banish Pastor from Beijing Prior to Olympic Games
* House Churches Barred from holding services during Olympic Period
* Three Christians arrested again, detained

As you watch the Olympics, please take a moment to remember our brothers and sisters in China. We see the strength of China's athletes, but we need to see their hearts, created by a loving God who is longing for relationship with them.

Crying while watching the Olympics

2008-08-12T08:53:00.002-05:00

Does anyone else cry? I mean, Mexico just won the bronze in synchronized diving, and I cried when the girls' parents came and embraced them and all bawled together. When the American guy swimmers won yesterday I got all teary-eyed. I guess I think about all the years of hard work and how they finally paid off. Or maybe it's the national pride. I don't know! How about you? Do you tear up?

Ama de Casa (Housewife)

2008-08-11T10:44:00.002-05:00

I love that translation! It means the one who loves the house. I think that's honoring of all housewives everywhere. We love our homes - or at least most of us do!

Now on day four of being a stay-at-home mom, and after so long of being a working mom, I have to say that I am actually staying at home! I remember when my kids were little we were always on the go, but this past week I have left the house three times. Once to bring the kids to youth group, once to the grocery story, and once to go to the market. I AM enjoying being at home. I feel so relaxed and non-stressed.

My time with the Lord has been good too. I am able to have devotions and really concentrate on what I'm reading instead of thinking about what all I have to do. Please keep me in prayer that I will not fill up my days with busy work. I want to rest in Him and do only what He tells me to do!

Back in Mexico

2008-08-09T17:09:00.002-05:00

We arrived home safely on Thursday evening and started our life back here South of the Border. The fun thing for me is that I am basically going to be a stay-at-home mom now! I haven't done that in 8 years! There is this incredible lack of pressure and I feel liberated! I will be homeschooling the boys, running the missions groups that come through, and coordinating the language school we have for future missionaries. (This year we have one definite student and maybe two more.)

The Bible school will have 28 first year students and 24 second years. I think they are going to have a great year despite many changes to the staff. There will be some uncertainties as the leadership has changed, but I know God will pull them through as long as they keep their eyes on Him!

Please watch this!

2008-07-24T21:52:00.000-05:00

Saw this in church last week. It's an amusing commentary of what we see so many people living like.

VBS & Missions

2008-07-21T21:11:00.003-05:00

Tonight we joined with our church to help out at their VBS. It was definitely a bit of culture shock to see the animated kids jumping around singing their songs and going to their different stations. Our youngest told me it was "weird" for him, but he ended up having a good time. His group made up care packages for the homeless in Charlotte, someone is going to deliver them this week. They will also be going to the children's hospital to visit sick kids and bring them coloring books and crayons. I think it's great that the kids are doing service projects and getting out of the four walls even for VBS!

Bass Pro

2008-07-15T08:40:00.003-05:00

We're going to North Carolina's most popular tourist attraction today - Concord Mills. We're meeting my parents at Bass Pro, a place I love because it has cool animal tracks in the cement in the floor and live fishing demonstrations. Greg likes to look at the guns. So, we're off to be tourists... I just like to see how much things have changed in the last five years and check out the sales.

These United States

2008-07-11T09:01:00.002-05:00

We have visited all of the family and had fun spending time with grandparents, now we are in our hometown of Concord, NC. This sweet, wonderful family has generously opened up their bottom floor apartment (not really a basement because it has windows all along it and with glass doors too!), and we are enjoying peace and rest.

This is the first time we have been home in five years where we have had our own place to crash, to cook, to clean, etc. It definitely makes a difference in relaxing, let me tell you! Usually we go from place to place, eating at restaurants and peoples' homes, and we go back to the mission field exhausted! I truly think this time we are getting the rest we need.

Things I am enjoying:
* Clothes shopping - you can get some really nice stuff for excellent prices! So fun! I noticed yesterday that everything I bought has a black/brown/turquoise color scheme, so I need to change that up for future purchases.
* Machinery - I forgot how wonderful dishwashers and vacuum cleaners are!
* Cleanliness - No desert dust entering the house every time you open the door. No shoe-destroying gravel to walk through on a regular basis.
* English - Yep, it's great to worship God in English, to have deep & meaningful conversations in English, etc... it's been a while since we have been so surrounded by our native tongue.
* Books - Another rare thing to find in Mexico, English books. So, I'm basically devouring books and magazines as much as possible.

Walking vs. Driving

2008-06-29T08:45:00.002-05:00

Man, these gas prices are killing us for sure. I'm trying not to worry about it, but it will make our budget a LOT tighter this summer. In Mexico, we don't drive every day. I walk to work, I can walk to Jackson's school, to church, the corner store, etc. We lived five months without a car and survived quite well with walking and the public transport system. The cities of America aren't really set up for pedestrians. I am not sure where we will be staying in Concord, but I think it's about 10 miles from our church, 2 miles from the grocery store, and 15 miles from the majority of our friends.

I wonder if gas prices continue to stay this way, will that change the way cities and neighborhoods are designed?

Loneliness

2008-06-29T08:37:00.002-05:00

We are staying in Virginia in this cute little suburb. We have been here for three whole days now. Yesterday I saw the next door neighbor mowing her grass, and last evening I saw five kids riding bikes for about half an hour. The rest of the time? It has been like a ghost town. No one is outside. They don't sit on their beautiful front porches in their cozy rocking chairs. I don't know where they are or what they do, but it's awfully lonely around here.

Sometimes in Mexico (and in Nicaragua), I just want a day without someone coming to the door. I realize now that I must enjoy it, one is never alone there. It makes me think about the elderly and the shut-ins here in America. They must get so so lonely. I, at least, can go out for a walk or run to the store. It's not the same, though, as someone coming by to chat or boys coming over to play.

I wonder, do you living-in-America people notice the loneliness? Or do you treasure your house/refuge and the protection it brings you from being bothered by people? I'm really curious about this one!

Getting more tech savvy

2008-06-28T09:24:00.002-05:00

Last Christmas, a wonderful friend gave me money to buy myself an iPod, which thrilled me beyond belief. I'm a gadget person, and I have always wanted an iPod, but we usually don't have extra money lying around for such things. So, I bought an iPod classic, with 80g of memory. The problem I realized when I started loading music on it, was that you have to maintain your itunes library on your laptop. My laptop is an older dell, and only has 60g of memory. This could create a problem for using my iPod to its maximum potential!

Then some guy at Best Buy actually knew what he was talking about! I was so happy, because he introduced me to the joys of external hard drives! Here's a picture of a "passport" which holds 120g of memory. I transferred all my music and photos over to the external drive, making my laptop run much quicker and I have can upload music to my heart's content.

Stateside for Six Semanas

2008-06-24T20:44:00.002-05:00

This morning we woke up, packed up our suitcases, said goodbye to our neighbors, and headed up to Laredo, Texas. Tomorrow we fly out to Charlotte (pricelined tickets were cheaper than driving - YAY!).

When our friends dropped us off at the hotel I felt SO relieved! These past few months have been so busy, and I can't really think of a complete day off since April. This afternoon we went swimming, I came into the room and put my pajamas on, and I haven't moved since!

I'm thankful for a super-comfy bed, air conditioning, cable TV, and a reliable internet connection. That is my list for today... In a few days I'm sure I will be writing my list of things I'm thankful for in Mexico, but for today you get my "comfort list".

RSVP'ing...a cultural thing?!

2008-06-20T11:13:00.002-05:00

This past February we had an event called "Hermano Mayor", it's really homecoming for the school. We invite all ex-students to come back for a three day retreat/event and it's a lot of fun. The thing is, no one RSVP's! The morning the event starts, we have no idea if we will have 500 or 50 guests. That makes food planning, room arrangements, and even seating arrangements a bit difficult.

Tonight we have our graduation. Just now, fifteen minutes ago, the students told me how many rooms they will need for their families. The problem is that we don't have enough. I don't know what I am going to do, but I'll figure something out.

This is one thing of this culture that we don't understand. I think we could send out reservation cards and all of that, but they wouldn't turn them back in. They wouldn't understand if we didn't have a place for them, or food for them. It's totally crazy.

Great Article

2008-06-18T10:47:00.000-05:00

Go read this...

I hope it will challenge you, like it did me.

Summer Reading Club

2008-06-13T12:43:00.002-05:00

In solidarity with other bloggers who read Mark Lee's blog (Third Day guitarist), I thought I would join in and share about what I'm reading, etc. I have plans to read a lot since I will be in the land-of-English-language-books for the summer! I can't wait!

This week I finished The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. It is a book about Anne Boleyn's sister, Mary. It is historical fiction, and incredibly interesting, if you like reading about royalty, snobbery, manipulation, etc. It definitely was a page-turner. I wouldn't recommend it if you are easily offended, as there are definite insinuations of sexual situations.

Another series of books I just finished were Karen Kingsbury's Firstborn Series. These were good, fun, easy readers. I read them each in about a day and a half. I would recommend them to women who are looking for a soap-opera type of book. Not usually my cup of tea, but I enjoyed them nonetheless.

Stay tuned for next week... I am reading an Oscar Wylde book and also a Joel Rosenberg book about Israel. More intellectual stuff for this next week.

Escaping the routine

2008-06-13T12:35:00.001-05:00

I just cannot wait to get to North Carolina for the summer. These last few months have been incredibly busy, but also very routine at the same time. Sometimes you just need to get out of your comfort zone in order to be refreshed and rejuvenated. We will see old friends, spend time with parents and grandparents, and hopefully sleep a lot!

Intimacy with God

2008-06-06T15:04:00.002-05:00

The other night we had a visiting preacher from California come and talk to us about church growth. He was telling us about New Hope Christian Fellowship in Hawaii, one of the fastest growing churches out there. He says that the success of this church is mostly attributed to the fact that the pastor and his congregation spend one hour daily in a journaling process. 20 minutes of reading three chapters of the New Testament, 20 minutes of journaling about the nugget or big idea they got from their reading that day, and 20 minutes of writing a prayer.

I don't care too much for formulas, and I'm glad that the man didn't share this as the only way to grow your church - but what I do like is that the people are seeking God for themselves. They are reading the Scriptures with a searching heart. That's refreshing.

We as a staff are trying this out for the next few weeks, getting together once a week to see how it impacts us, and we are thinking about organizing school-wide devotions this way for next year. More than anything, we want our students to develop an intimacy with their Maker, to understand that the must be fed in order to feed others, and they must develop their personal relationship with God in order to help others develop theirs.

Disciplining students

2008-06-03T11:15:00.002-05:00

One of my least favorite things to do is discipline my students for things they do or don't do. Right now I have a girl who is disciplined for a month, she has to clean the bathrooms every morning and evening because of a blatant disobedience in talking to a guy. Two other girls have to get up every morning at 5 and sweep the streets outside the school and clean up the curbs because they decided to get up one night and turn the a/c on in a classroom and go online instead of sleeping like they should have been. I have in my possession one cell phone of a girl who was talking in her room on her phone after lights out.

I say these things to show examples of what we have to do, but I have to say that the fruit is overwhelmingly beautiful. I'm getting ready to send out the three girls I have disciplined the most. They are so different from when they came here. God has matured them, formed them, and prepared them for a life in ministry. I'm privileged to be a part of this process, even though it hurts all involved at times!

"Keep your first-world mindset"

2008-06-01T08:39:00.002-05:00

Those were the words in an email I received yesterday. I THINK the person meant well, but it was deeply disturbing to me, as that person had actually lived in Mexico for a while. My response is that I don't WANT to keep a first-world mindset, I want a heavenly world mindset.

What bothers me is that most people think this way. In our sin nature, we believe that the way WE think is the best way, and we have nothing to learn from other cultures of mindsets. I see it here as well, when Christians would not want to sit down with Catholics and learn from them and actually see for themselves what they believe.

How can a middle-class suburbanite get out his or her bubble and learn from other mindsets? It's a healthy thing to visit other cultures, other homes, know people who are different. When we go into unfamiliar territory, we must remember that we are all the same in our basic necessities, in our search for God, in our yearning to be loved.

American Values - Independent Spirit

2008-05-27T10:23:00.004-05:00

Recently, we were interviewed by a Mexican student who is studying to be a translator. Her class is doing a project about Americans in order to understand more of our culture as they work in the field. One interesting thing they had to look at were our core values. We had to comment on them as she videotaped us to show her class.

The one I want to comment on today is the one of self-reliance and independence. We as Americans are taught to be ruggedly independent. I see it when teams come here, they don't want to be a burden to anyone. They don't like to need a translator, a guide, or a protector while they are here. The problem is, they DO. Sometimes they can get themselves into trouble because of their independence! It's great to be self-reliant when on your own soil, but it just doesn't work when you go somewhere else!

Last year, as the director of the language school, I had to ask my students to notify me whenever they left town to go to the grocery store or wherever in Monterrey. My reasoning wasn't to control them, it was to know where they were going in case they came up missing. They failed to report to me so many times! I know it was because of their independence, and probably because they didn't want to bother me, but it can be dangerous.

So, if any of you are planning on visiting a foreign land in the next little while, please remember that your independence can get you into a lot of trouble very quickly. You don't understand the cultural cues, the warning signs, the language... you need to RELY on people. It's not a bad thing. We are here to help, and it's not an imposition.

Shotguns, punch buggies, rocks, paper, and scissors...

2008-05-22T09:09:00.003-05:00

We as a family have an intricate set of rules for "punch buggy", the game where you call it wen you see a VW beetle, and the person who calls it gets to punch someone in the car who is playing along. If the person calls it and it turns out NOT to be a bug, then we have "false call" and we all get to punch him/her. If it is a convertible and the top is down they get a "double punch". I'm telling you, we could win a tournament for the game. We rock.

Today I found a website of "shotgun rules". Believe me, we WILL be applying these rules to our car rides with our boys. Usually this isn't too much of a problem, since we only have one car and usually travel as a family, thus I get the "mom chair" up front.

If there's a shotgun dispute, you can settle it with this simulation of rock, paper, scissors.

Arguments in other cultures

2008-05-21T10:09:00.002-05:00

One thing that I really detest at times is when I have a misunderstanding with someone. I know how to handle that type of misunderstanding in my own culture, but I haven't quite grasped it here in Mexico. The people here are much more sensitive and many times more childish than in the U.S. Example, I have a classroom for the language school that has an air conditioner in it. It is attached to an office where some ladies in another part of the ministry work. Today they locked me out of my classroom because they don't like that we close their door when we are running the air conditioner.

In our culture, I THINK that the ladies would have just come to me and said, "Hey, we really need to cool our office down. Is it okay if you don't close the door?" But here, they just got mad and locked the door... that made me mad. I went to them and said, "I'm sorry, is this your air conditioner?" That made her even madder and about to call the superiors in the ministry. SO, I calmed down and apologized for my harsh words (?) and just asked her not to lock the door again. Did she apologize? NO. Will she talk to the superiors? Probably. It's an awfully dumb thing to fight about.

My husband has had several misunderstandings and arguments over the years. It seems that we Americans are much quicker to apologize and let it go. Mexicans, in their Latin passions, hold on to things for a lot longer and run with it a lot more than necessary.

Obviously, today got off to a bad start. I'm fine, but frustrated with this aspect of the culture in which I live.

Culture Clashes

2008-05-20T21:54:00.003-05:00

Today some new workers came into the ministry, two girls from Nicaragua, where we used to live. One of them is my husband's former assistant, and the other is our son's former teacher. It's strange to hear their accents, and to think we learned Spanish from them!

We were talking to them and my husband and I sat in amazement that they actually made it here, to Mexico, to work. It's a miracle that they even were able to leave their country, considering the average wage there is $50 per month. I know the teacher made that, and the assistant made less than that. She even is a lawyer, but never found a job to make better money.

It will be fun and interesting to watch the different culture shocks they pass through as they learn the way of life here. Some would think that two Spanish speaking nations wouldn't be that different, but believe me, they are!

Growing Up

2008-05-19T11:24:00.004-05:00

In less than a week, our oldest will be leaving us for the summer. It is strange to think of him out there in the world of summer camp, working as a junior camp counselor. I was never able to go to camp, so I'm not totally sure what it all involves, but I did see lots of movies growing up. To me, summer camp involves serial killers (Jason) , pranks around the campfire (Meatballs), or summer romances (um, Dirty Dancing?). I've tried to prepare him for the summer romance possibility - since he's never fallen "in love" and hasn't even met anyone worthy of that yet. Greg has taken care of the pranks and the self-defense... but I'm still not satisfied that he is ready to confront this whole girl thing! It should be an interesting summer, to say the least, and I'm sure he will have lots to talk about on our weekly phone calls.

How to get the ladies...

2008-05-11T21:08:00.002-05:00

Advice from my nine-year-old nephew:

1) Don't show up to weddings drunk.
2) Don't pee on their doll houses.
3) Don't cuss.
4) Don't French kiss.
5) Men should not be seen naked.
6) Don't trample on people at weddings.
7) Compliment them.

He came up with this list yesterday afternoon as he hung out with my dad and uncles at Cowpens battlefield. We are trying to get more advice from him, so I'll post it if he puts out.