La Nueva Casa

Adentro la casa tiene los mismos colores

Gracias por sus oraciones por una casa en Huejotzingo.  El jueves pasado, cuando Abraham fue allá, preguntó a varias personas en la calle si sabían de una casa para rentar.  Algunas personas sabian de una casa y le dijieron a Abraham dónde vivían los dueños.  Es una casa bastante grande, con cinco cuartos y un baño. Dos de los cuartos están aparte y tienen una entrada separada que da directamente a la calle. Estos podemos usarlos para el club de niños que tenemos los domingos.  Ahorita Dios es Amor paga la renta de los dos cuartos y una área abierta, en la casa de una família de Huejotzingo, pero en mayo vamos a cambiar el club a nuestra casa.

El baño parece más o menos un pasillo, largo y angosto, y separa dos de los cuartos de la casa. No hay nada que nos diga que uso tiene cada cuarto, así que, vamos a decidir, dónde va a estar la cocina, el comedor, la sala y nuestra recámara. El patio va a darnos muy buen espacio para nuestras plantas y también para tener algunos juegos con los niños. Dios en verdad proveyó el lugar ideal. Seguimos orando por los fondos para comprar un terreno para que podamos construir nuestra propia casa y así no tener que pagar renta. Los dueños de la casa a donde nos mudaremos acordaron cobrarnos una renta más baja de lo que originalmente querían, pero solamente por seis meses. Después de ese tiempo van a evaluar la situación y tal vez mantengan la misma renta o la suban. 

Aunque cambiarse durante el año escolar es difícil, nos ha dado la oportunidad de ver al pueblo de Dios trabajar junto. Antes de que encontraramos una casa para rentar, varias personas nos ofrecieron sus cuartos en sus casas o nos hicieron saber de lugares en renta en Puebla. Una vez que encontramos la casa la semana pasada, las personas empezaron a ofrecernos su ayuda para empacar y mudarnos. Uno de mis estudiantes sabiendo que Abraham y yo necesitabamos cajas, se aseguró de juntar varias cuando su familia fue de compras a Costco. Otras personas nos han mandado dinero para muebles, pues tenemos muy pocos.

Ha sido de ánimo ver al grupo de estudio bíblico de PCS de chicas de séptimo, octavo y noveno grado, trabajar duro para juntar dinero para Don Jorge y Doña Marta. Las chavas me preguntaron acerca de las necesidades, y cuando les dije que Don Jorge necesita lentes, decidieron organizar una venta de postres horneados con la meta de recaudar mil pesos. Vendieron el lunes y el martes y juntaron cerca de setecientos pesos. También hemos empezado a recibir más y más plástico y metal reciclables cada semana, los cuales se los damos a Marta, quien los vende para ayudarse a cubrir gastos. Por favor sigan orando por Marta y Jorge y las chicas de PCS quienes están tendiendo sus manos a personas que ni siquiera han conocido.

Our New House

The inside of the house is just as brightly painted
in these same colors.  

Thanks for your prayers for us to find a house in Huejotzingo.  Last Thursday when Abraham went to do the Bible studies there, he asked passersby if they knew of any houses for rent.  Some people did know of a house and directed him to the renters.  It's a fairly large house, with three rooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.  The lay-out allows us to have two rooms - the ones with separate entrance to the street - for the kids' club that we have on Sunday afternoons.  At present Dios es Amor pays the rent for two rooms and an open area in the house of a Huejotzingo family, but in May we will move the supplies and the club to our house.

The bathroom looks sort of like a hallway, long and narrow, and it separates the two rooms from the rest of the house.  There is nothing to distinguish any of the rooms for any particular use, so we will decide where to locate our kitchen/dining room, the living room, and our room.  The patio outside will provide ample space for our potted plants and also for some games with the kids.  God truly provided the ideal place.  We continue to pray for the funds to buy land so that we can build our own house and no longer have to pay rent.  The owners of the place where we will be moving agreed to rent to us at a lower price than their original quote, but only for six months.  After that time, they will evaluate the situation and maybe keep the same rent rate or maybe raise it.

While moving during the school year is difficult, it has given us the chance to see God's people working together.  Before we found a house to rent, several people offered rooms in their houses to us or let us know of possible places to rent in Puebla.  Once we found the house last week, people began to offer to help us pack and move.  One of my students, hearing that Abraham and I needed boxes, made sure to collect several when his family went shopping at Costco.  Other people have sent money for furniture, since we have very little.

It has been encouraging to see the 7th, 8th, and 9th grade girls' Bible study at Puebla Christian School working hard to raise money for Don Jorge and Doña Marta.  The girls asked me about their needs, and when I told them that Don Jorge needs glasses, they decided to put on a bake sale with the goal to raise 1,000 pesos.  They sold sweets on Monday and Tuesday and raised about 700 pesos.  We have also begun receiving more and more recyclable plastic and metal each week which we give to Marta who sells them to help meet expenses.  Please continue to pray for Marta and Jorge and for the girls at PCS who are reaching out to help people they have never even met.

The "Real" Olympics

Tuesday the fifth and sixth grade went out at 10 for an extra time of PE, but this time it was for the "real" Olympics that they had practiced for last week.  The kids had chosen countries to represent and made flags to carry in the opening ceremony.  Because my classroom has an even number of boys and girls, the teams were made up of a boy and a girl.  I was pleased to see how well they worked together, choosing their country, designing their flags, and even deciding on the color to wear for the games.

Abraham and I added some events to the ones the students had practiced last week.  They had not had time to practice "discus", but they tried it anyway (although frisbees are hard to throw discus style).  We also added a wet shirt relay at the end of the games.  Since Tuesday was a scorcher, the kids didn't mind the soaking shirts.  When the hockey, tug of war, discus, shot put, and relays ended, Spain emerged as a winner, with the other countries following not far behind.  Everyone received chocolate coins as prizes, and we returned to the school for the regular classes.

The end of the school year, our last with PCS, is coming close to an end.  We just began fourth quarter, and we'll end May 31.  Abraham and I, however, have to move this weekend or the next one, if the seminary gives us the chance to wait a few extra days.  This is an unwanted adventure, since we do not have a place to move.  Many people have kindly offered space in their homes, and we may have storage space at the office of one of the missionary families.  Still, neither Abraham nor I are excited about having to move while still working at PCS and while Abraham still has classes at the seminary.  We have known about the move since December, but time sneaked up on us, and we have not packed or prepared anything yet, nor do we even have boxes to pack in.  Please continue to pray that we find a place to live, preferably a house to rent in Huejotzingo.  We are also praying for the funds to buy land and build our own home, but that will be after we have to move.

Olimpiadas

Los alumnos de quinto y sexto acabaron de leer su capítulo de historia sobre los griegos de antigüedad.  Abraham y yo organizamos algunos eventos olimpiadas martes, su día normal de educación física.  Hoy también tenían su examen del educación física, y por eso extendemos su tiempo para incluir practica en los eventos olimpiadas.  En ausencia de materiales oficiales, usamos palos de escobes en lugar de javelinas, bats de béisbol y pelotas whiffle en lugar de palos de hockey y pucks to hockey, globos llenos de agua en lugar de un shot put, y frisbees en lugar del disco.  Tuvimos las raquetas y birdies para jugar bádminton, pero fue divertido ver cómo los estudiantes tuvieron que perseguir los birdies alrededor de toda la cancha, debido al hecho de que los alumnos nunca había jugado antes.

En ocho días van a pasar las olimpiadas para quinto y sexto.  Los dividimos en equipos de dos, y van a escoger un país para representar.  También van a escoger cual colores que van a llevar y van a hacer sus banderas.  ¿Tal vez van a ganar premios de aceite de olivo?  Eso fue el premio que ganaron los griegos de antigüedad.

Varias personas en Huejotzingo y en Dios es Amor nos están ayudando a buscar una casa en Huejotzingo.  Solamente tenemos dos semanas más antes de que debamos salir del departamento para que el seminario los pueda vender.  Por favor siguen orando para un lugar para nosotros.

Una vecina de Lupe y Marta recientemente empezó de asistir el estudio bíblico que Abraham encabeza los jueves.  Fatima no es cristiana, pero tiene muchas preguntas y ha asistido con ánimo las dos semanas pasadas.  Hay tiempos cuando ella o Lupe no pueden asistir, pero las mujeres decidieron hacer su propio estudio una vez a la semana.  ¡Que animo nos da ver su interés en crecer más!

Los alumnos de PCS y sus familiares siguen llevando latas y plásticos reciclables para Marta.  Hemos llevado una bolsa enorme llena a ella cada semana, a veces más.  Con el dinero que gana vendiendo las cosas, puede pagar parte de su renta mensual.  Las chavas de la clase de Biblia en PCS han estado planeando como pueden recaudar dinero para comprar lentes para Don Jorge. 

Olympics

The fifth and sixth graders just finished their social studies chapter about ancient Greece.  Abraham and I put together some Olympic events for them on Tuesday, their normal PE day.  Today they also had third quarter's PE test, so we chose to extend the PE period to include practice in the Olympics.  Lacking official materials, we used broom sticks instead of javelins, baseball bats and whiffle balls instead of hockey sticks and pucks, water balloons instead of shot puts, and frisbees instead of discus.  We did have proper badminton equipment, but it was quite entertaining to see the students pursue the birdies all over the field, because most of the students had never played before.

Next week will be the actual Olympics for fifth and sixth.  We divided them into teams of two, and they will choose what country to represent.  They will also choose what colors to wear and make their flags.  Perhaps they will win olive oil?  That was the prize the ancient Greeks won.

Several people in Huejotzingo and in Dios es Amor are helping us to look for a house in Huejotzingo.  We now only have two weeks left before we are supposed to move out of the apartment so the seminary can sell them.  Please keep praying for a place for us.

A neighbor of Lupe and Marta's recently joined the Bible study that Abraham leads on Thursdays.  Fatima is not a Christian, but she has many questions and has eagerly attended the study the past two weeks.  There are times when she or Lupe cannot attend, but the ladies decided to hold their own Bible study once a week. How encouraging to see their interesting in growing more!

The students of PCS and their families continue to bring in recyclable cans and plastics for Marta.  We have been taking one enormous trash bag full to her each week, sometimes more.  With the money she earns by selling the items, she can pay part of her monthly rent.  The PCS girls' Bible study has been discussing ways to raise money for glasses for Don Jorge.

Reportes terminados

Mis alumnos de quinto y sexto escribieron reportes sobre unos líderes de África y también prepararon discursos y carteles.  Todos se alegraron cuando terminaron el trabajo.  Fue difícil para los alumnos aprender como escribir reportes (con bibliografías), pero también me costó trabajo como maestra.  Necesitamos usar el Internet porque, aunque PCS tiene una biblioteca, es pequeña, y de casi ninguna de los líderes que escogieron los niños la biblioteca tenía información.   Puebla Christian School también tiene internet, pero a veces no sirve, y nunca en mi salón.  Para buscar información, ocupamos las seis laptops de la escuela y también uno de los niños usó mi laptop (que no sirve cuando no esta enchufada), y dos de los niños tenían computadores de sus casas, y otro niño usó la computadora de la biblioteca.  Bajamos al salón de maestros, y empezaron a trabajar los estudiantes.  Igual, empezaron las preguntas como,   "Mrs. Lechuga, no encontré la fecha de nacimiento de  _______ en éste sitio.  ¿Qué hago?"  Las preguntas eran constantes y también los problemas con la tecnología.  Una de las computadoras no se conectaba al Internet.  Otra se conectaba pero siempre perdió la señal inmediatamente después.

A pesar de todo, los estudiantes finalmente terminaron sus reportes y escribieron sus discursos. Hicieron carteles en casa y el tres y cuatro de marzo presentaron la información al grupo. Todos hicieron un excelente trabajo. Por un tiempo no vamos a hacer reportes otra vez.

Terminamos el capítulo de la Grecia Antiguo y Abraham y yo vamos a organizar unos “Juegos Olímpicos” para ellos el martes en su tiempo normal de Educación Física. También van a traer un ingrediente para preparar pizza, puesto que los griegos fueron los que inventaron la pizza, sin jitomate pues éste fue un cultivo del Nuevo Mundo.
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Esta semana los estudiantes de PCS están, en el campamento de énfasis espiritual, junto con otras dos escuelas y de escuelas en casas. Los estudiantes de primaria estuvieron desde el sábado hasta hoy, y los estudiantes de secundaria y de preparatoria empezaron hoy en la tarde y van a estar hasta el viernes en la mañana.   Abraham y yo íbamos a ayudar con el registro, pero terminamos yendo a “Dios es Amor” para una conferencia que empezó el viernes. Hay un grupo pequeño de Pennsylvania en la iglesia y el pastor del equipo dio una conferencia acerca de, Una vida de servicio. Abraham tradujo el viernes y asistimos el sábado y el domingo en la mañana.

El domingo, estuvimos hasta muy tarde en Huejotzingo. Después de haber estado con los niños en la tarde y de haber empezado con ellos “Caminata Bíblica del Nuevo Testamento” fuimos a visitar a Marta y Don Jorge como normalmente lo hacemos. También fuimos a visitar a una pareja y nos quedamos con ellos por mucho tiempo, porque estaban pasando por una crisis en su relación. Six y yo hablamos con la mujer mientras que Abraham habló con el hombre. Por favor oren por ellos. Humanamente hablando su relación no tiene esperanza de salir adelante, pero Dios puede cambiarlos y unirlos otra vez.

Seguimos buscando una casa para vivir en Huejotzingo. Tenemos que salir de los departamentos antes de que termine este mes, pues el seminario va a venderlos. Por favor oren para que encontremos una casa pronto.

Finished reports

My fifth and sixth grade students wrote reports and speeches and made posters about African leaders for social studies.  We are all glad when the reports were finished.  As difficult as it is for the students to learn how to research and write reports (including bibliographies), it is just as much of a challenge for me as their teacher.  We have to rely on the internet, because, although PCS has a library, it is a small one, and almost none of the leaders that the children chose to research have information in the library.  Puebla Christian School also has internet, but only sometimes, and never in my classroom.  To do research, we would check out the school's six laptops and then also one of the children would use my computer (which does not work unless plugged in), and two of the kids brought computers from home, and one of the children used the library's desktop.  We trooped down to the teachers' lounge, and the students began.  And so did the questions, "Mrs. Lechuga, I have not found _______-'s date of birth on this website.  What do I do?"  The questions were constant, and so were the technology problems.  One computer would not connect.  Another one would, but then it always dropped the signal.

Yet, after all that, the students finally did put their reports together and wrote their speeches.  They worked on posters at home, and on March 3rd and 4th, they presented their information to the class.  They all did an excellent job.  We will not be doing reports again for awhile.

Now we have finished a chapter on ancient Greece, and Abraham and I will be organizing some "Olympic Games" for them on Tuesday, their normal PE day.  They will also be bringing in ingredients to make pizza, since the Greeks first invented pizza - without tomatoes which were a New World crop.

This week the PCS students are at Spiritual Emphasis Camp, along with students from two other schools and from home school.  The elementary students attended from Saturday to Tuesday, and the high schoolers began Tuesday afternoon and attend until Friday morning.  Abraham and I were going to help with registration, but ended up going to Dios es Amor instead to attend a conference begun on Friday.  There is a small team from Pennsylvania at the church, and the pastor on the team gave a conference on servanthood.  Abraham translated on Friday, and we attended on Saturday and Sunday morning. 

On Sunday, we stayed very late in Huejotzingo.  After being with the children in the afternoon and starting Walk Through the Bible New Testament with them, we went to visit Marta and Jorge as we normally do.  We also went to visit a couple and ended up staying with them a long time, because they are going through a relationship crisis.  Six and I talked with the woman while Abraham talked with the man.  Please be praying for them.  Humanly speaking, their marriage does not have hope of survival, but God can change them and bring union again.

We continue to look for a place to live in Huejotzingo.  We have to move out of the seminary apartments before the end of this month, since the seminary is selling the apartments.  Please pray we find a place soon.

some steps back

Very soon we will probably be moving out to Huejotzingo.  The apartment where we have lived since shortly after marrying is owned by the seminary, and they will be selling the apartments at the end of March.  Abraham and I have asked around to see if there is a place closer to both our schools where we could stay for the final two months of the school year, but so far we have found nothing.  Therefore, on Sunday we asked a Huejotzingo man to keep his eyes open for a place where we could move there.  Huejotzingo is not close to either Puebla Christian School or the seminary, but since we intend to move there to work full time after the school year ends, it seems logical to move as soon as the seminary apartments are not available.  This will mean very early mornings for us both, since the bus takes at least an hour and a half between Huejotzingo and the schools.  Please pray that we find a place to live and that we can move out there without any difficulties.

There is no doubt that the people of Huejotzingo need to hear about God's love for them.  Last September, Abraham began spending several hours every Thursday in Huejotzingo with several different families.  He continues with a Bible study with Lupe, Marta, and Jorge.  The two women accepted Jesus into their lives during a study with Abraham several months ago.  After hearing that Marta collects recyclable cans and plastics to stretch her meager income, one of the girls' Bible study classes at Puebla Christian School began campaigning for students to bring in recyclables and also asked for prayer for Marta and Jorge.

While it is encouraging to see the P.C.S. students take an interest in these two, there are times of difficulty as well.  One of the men that Abraham had been talking with on Thursdays suffers from health problems brought about by intestinal inflammation.  Two weeks ago when Abraham visited him, the man was in extreme pain, thinking he would die.  Abraham spent some time with him and prayed with him.  Last week, the man was feeling much better, but had a hostile attitude toward Abraham.  He said Abraham had tricked him about the Bible, that the Bible did not teach the truth.  He cited the parables of Jesus as an example of untruth, because the stories didn't actually happen.  He also implied that Abraham makes him waste his time by stopping to talk with him.  It was discouraging for Abraham to hear him speak in such a way after the man had been friendly before.  Please pray that the man would be open again to hearing the gospel and that he would give his heart with all its burdens to God.

Another problem that has arisen is with three of the children that had been coming regularly on Sunday afternoons.  The mother of one of the girls reopened her small store, and then she told the children that they had to be in charge of the store rather than go with us.  Two of the children are niece and nephew of the store owner, but they live at the house with her and two of her children.  The children are around the ages of 8, 10, and 11, and the two younger ones are responsible for the store.  Please pray that they will be allowed to leave the store on Sunday afternoons.