Two VBS´s

We´re on the other side of two VBS´s, one at Dios es Amor and one at our house in Huejotzingo.  To see all the pictures from both VBS´s and some other pictures from summer, go here.  The Dios es Amor VBS was the last week of July.  In total, 450 kids attended, although not all at once on any give day.  Abraham and I were in charge of games, and we spent time brain-storming to create games that would coordinate with the year´s theme of Moses.  Some of the games went very well and some had to be modified on the spot.  As is true of every VBS in Dios es Amor, everyone had to be willing to move to wherever there was a vacancy at any time.  When we weren´t leading games, Abraham helped with the Powerpoints for the Bible stories and set up the pictures for each day.  I pitched in with the kitchen crew in spare moments.  Everyone participated in clean-up every day after the children had gone.

Two weeks later a very different VBS began in Huejotzingo.  Monday was the most attended day with 20 kids.  Each day the number dropped, until Friday when the number went up again to 15.  At first glance the numbers are discouraging.  Why so few when there are so many children in the neighborhood?  We pray to have more children come, but also the low numbers do not tell the whole story.  About half of the children who did come were new children who had not attended the Sunday afternoon Bible club or VBS before.  They were able to hear the stories of Moses and also hear of how Jesus is our only provision.  Each day that Abraham taught the Bible class, he emphasized that salvation is only through Jesus.  He told the children that they could talk with any one of the adults about how to receive Jesus into their lives.

Although no child talked with any of us, the seed has been planted.  Please pray that it grows in their hearts.  Pray that they will join us on Sunday afternoons to hear more of the Gospel.  Currently we are teaching out of Matthew.  Pray that through the children, their parents can also hear.  Although the invitation to attend Bible club on Sunday afternoons is open to everyone, only once in awhile do one or two adults visit.

Please pray also for the classes that we are teaching.  We hope to use them as a community outreach, but attendance is very low.  I have only three English students who attend regularly, even though others have visited, and one student for the drawing class.  Abraham had students only one time for tutoring, and Six has one sewing student.  We would love to have more students, but we also do not want to become fixated on  numbers.  Our hope is to serve well the students we have even as God brings more if it is his will.

Summer in Huejotzingo

For a month and a half we've virtually been without internet.  Today we finally have everything properly installed and can make contact with the rest of the world.

Since school ended, we've had our share of adventures.  First, the weekend after PCS ended, Abraham graduated from the seminary.  He still has to take a semester of Greek and two 4-day classes, but other than those, he is finished.

The following Saturday night, Abraham suffered a sudden intense attack of pain.  We still didn't know any of our neighbors, and we didn't know how to get to the hospital.  Fortunately, Abraham felt a little relief walking, so we set out in the misty night to walk to the Red Cross station seven blocks from our house.  In the ambulance, the attendant asked if we had a doctor and where we wanted to go.  He warned us that there probably was no doctor in the Huejotzingo hospital, because it was a Saturday night.  I asked to go where there was a doctor.

Long story short, the ambulance took us to a small privately owned hospital.  The doctor diagnosed appendicitis, but said the surgeon couldn’t come until the next morning.  The nurse hooked Abraham up to an I.V. with strong antibiotics, and the wait began.  On Sunday morning, the doctor said that surgery was necessary, so at 11 a.m. Abraham went in for his first surgery ever.  Again at the doctor’s insistence, we stayed at the hospital until Thursday, although Abraham recuperated quickly.  Through friends and family, God provided the money to pay the bill, since in Mexico the bill must be paid in full on leaving the hospital.

A few weeks later a team from the mission Uncharted Waters came for a three-day sports and evangelism camp in Huejotzingo.  Unfortunately, their coming coincided with terrible weather and almost non-stop rain for the whole time.  We had a very different camp from what they normally provide.  Instead of crowds of young children, the only people in attendance were junior high or older.  Most of the time we played soccer and invited the on-lookers to play, but after some intervals we stopped the games and the team taught Bible stories and other related stories.  Abraham took turns with two other translators.

Once school ended for the Huejotzingo kids, we began classes in our house.  Abraham is tutoring general subjects for the kids who are struggling in school, I teach English and drawing, Six teaches sewing, and Ken offers drawing, guitar, and piano.  We hope to use the classes as outreach and to get to know more people in our neighborhood.

Next week Abraham and I are in charge of games for the VBS at Dios es Amor.  The second week of August will be the VBS in Huejotzingo.

Please pray for us as we continue to work here.  Pray that we stay healthy, pray as we present the gospel in an area hostile to change, and pray that we have wisdom.  Thank you for your support.

The absolute LAST day

Last day water games for elementary kids

My classroom, forlorn

As far as Abraham and I know, today was our last day teaching at Puebla Christian School.  I have been teaching full time for four years, two years each in 1st and 2nd grade and then in 5th and 6th.  Abraham taught PE for two years, working the students hard (even assigning homework as 50% of their grade), and we saw with satisfaction how the kids became stronger, healthier, and more energetic.

But now we have another call.  We moved to Huejotzingo April 2, and have been commuting the hour+ on the bus every day coming and going.  We have been so busy it was hard to even find time to buy groceries or do laundry.  Now, suddenly it's over, and the whole summer yawns before us, almost empty of plans.  It's rather a dizzying feeling.  What will we do with the summer?  Most missionary families are heading for the States, but we will not be travelling anywhere, as far as we know.  There is great need in Huejotzingo, but we are not sure where to go from the one Bible study, one weekly home visit, and Sunday afternoon kids' club that we already have.

Please pray for us as we look for God's guidance on what to do.  Pray that we can use our time wisely.  Please pray also for some difficult situations with Marta and with the Alameda family.

Graduation

May 18th was the graduation for my sixth graders and for the eighth graders.  Time always flies, and this school year was no exception.  With only 10 days left in the school year, we are wrapping up, thinking about summer, and preparing for cleaning up and packing away.  The sixth graders wrote speeches for their graduation, and I assigned the fifth graders to write speeches as well.  It was amusing to read the best memories that the students recorded in their speeches.  All of them recalled the time when I laughed uncontrollably at something a student said, although that happened near the beginning of the year.  Isn't that how memories are?  As teachers, we present history, science, math, art, music, grammar, and other subjects, but the kids remember a moment of outrageous laughter above all.

There are many things I will miss about teaching at Puebla Christian School, since this is our last year as teachers there.  However, I will not miss having to catch the bus at 6:55 a.m. and the almost one hour ride into Puebla and then back in the late afternoon.  I will not miss being so busy that we do not even have time to shop for groceries in the market.  I will not miss being tired almost all the time.

We will be able to invest much more time in Huejotzingo once the school year ends May 31.  We plan to start classes, some teaching English and then a variety of other classes for children and adults.  We are not entirely certain what the schedule will be or how we will conduct the classes at this point.  We will also plan to start more Bible studies in homes.

Lately we have felt challenged by the work necessary in Huejotzingo.  There is one teen in particular who has been coming to Sunday afternoon Bible study for a long time.  She has professed faith in Jesus, and eagerly listens and participates in the classes.  We are saddened, however, to see that she still regularly attends mass and goes to processions honoring La Virgen de Guadalupe.  A few nights ago, Abraham saw her and a few of her siblings out walking.  He greeted them and asked where they were going, but they did not want to tell him.  They were going to either a procession or to mass.  The traditions of the Catholic church have a deep hold on the lives of the people.  Please pray for their eyes to be opened and for wisdom as we teach and live out our faith there.

Nuevos Niños

El sábado 30 de abril fue el día del niño en México.  Hay una familia misionera con conexiones con Puebla Christian School y ellos tienen varios juegos hechos en casa y una resbaladilla inflable.  Ofrecieron el uso de los juegos en Huejotzingo y también donaron dulces para premios.  Abraham y yo pasamos la mañana en diferentes trabajos.  Abraham fue para ver si una familia de Huejo nos podría ayudar a cambiar las cosas de donde habíamos estado rentando para las clases del domingo a nuestra casa, y yo fui a comprar algunas cosas, sacar copias de las invitaciones para la kermés, y distribuirlas.  Tan pronto como regresamos a casa, la familia misionera llegó, y empezamos a arreglar los juegos.

 

Todos nos sorprendidos por la cantidad de gente que llegó a la kermés.  Esperábamos alrededor de 20, pero más del doble llegaron.  Nuestro patio se llenó de niños esperando sus turnos para cada juego.  Varias mamás de Huejo y jóvenes ofrecieron su ayuda con los juegos lo que hizo posible que el evento saliera bien puesto que no planeabamos tener tantos participantes.  Por las siguientes tres horas, nos mantuvimos ocupados, tanto que ni siquiera pude sacar la cámara.  Afortunadamente una de las jovencitas sacó fotos.

Invitamos a los participantes para regresar a la clase del domingo a las 3.  La mayoría de los que normalmente van con nosotros llegaron y cinco niños nuevos.  Las cosas que Abraham cambió del otro lugar estuvieron (y todavía están) apiladas en una mesa, pero de todos modos tuvimos un tiempo de juegos, lectura, esgrima, y una historia de la Biblia.

El domingo siguiente preparamos una manualidad  para que los niños hicieran para sus mamás.  Tres adultos de Dios es Amor vinieron a ayudarnos, lo que fue una gran bendición porque hubo más niños nuevos, y en total tuvimos 22.  Pasaron casi toda la tarde haciendo sus manualidades para el día de la madre.

Los niños de Huejo que han estado asistiendo por más tiempo hicieron bufandas para dárselas a mis alumnos de PCS, y mis alumnos hicieron campanas de bambú y adornaron y llenaron frascos para intercambiarlos para el día del niño.  El domingo dimos los regalos de los niños de PCS a los de Huejo, y el lunes llevamos las bufandas a los niños de PCS.  Los dos grupos respondieron con placer y entusiasmo.  Ambos grupos apreciaron el trabajo y los resultados del otro.  Me hubiera gustado si los dos grupos se hubieran podido conocer pero ésta vez no fue posible.

Por favor sigan orando por Abraham y por mí mientras estamos invirtiendo más tiempo en Huejotzingo.  Viviendo allí ya se han presentado retos, pero también hemos empezado a construir relaciones nuevas, más que nada con los niños que viven cerca de nosotros.

New kids

Saturday, April 30th was el dia del niño in Mexico.  There is a missionary family connected with Puebla Christian School that owns several large home-made games and an inflatable water slide.  The family offered to take the games out to Huejotzingo and also to donate candy as prizes.  Abraham and I busily spent the morning in different tasks; he went to find out if a Huejo family could help us move our supplies from the place where we had been renting for the Sunday afternoon classes to our house, and I went to buy a few supplies, make copies of invitations to the games, and distribute them in the neighborhood.  Shortly after we both returned home, the missionary family arrived, and we began setting up.

We were all surprised by the amount of people who arrived for the fair.  We had expected about 20, and more than double that number showed up.  Our patio was soon filled with children waiting their turns for each game.  Several Huejo moms and teens volunteered to help run the games which made the event possible, since we had not planned for so many participants. For the next three hours, we all stayed occupied, so much so, that I didn't even take out the camera.  Fortunately one of the teens took photos.

We invited the participants to return at 3 on Sunday for the class.  Most of the regular attenders came and also five new children.  The items that Abraham had transfered from the other location were (and still are) piled on one table, but we still managed to have a time of games and reading, Bible sword drill, and the Bible story.

The following Sunday we prepared a craft for the kids to make for their mothers.  Three adults had come from Dios es Amor to help which was a blessing, because even more new children came, so that we had a total of 22 children.  They spent almost the entire afternoon making their Mother's Day gifts.

The Huejo kids who are have been attending for longer had been working on scarves to give to my PCS students, and my students had made bamboo windchimes and decorated and filled jars to exchange for el dia del niño.  On Sunday, we distributed the gifts from the PCS kids to the Huejo kids, and then on Monday we took the scarves to give to the PCS kids.  From both groups the response was enthusiastic pleasure.  They both appreciated the work and results of the other set of children.  I would have liked for the two groups of children to have met in person, but this time around it didn´t work out.

Please continue to pray for Abraham and I as we invest more time in Huejotzingo.  Living there has already presented many challenges, but we have also already begun to build new relationships, especially with the neighborhood children.

Easter

We were late on Thursday to show the Jesus film to the children in Huejotzingo.  We didn't have a copy of the movie, so Abraham tried to find it online, but he wasn't able to.  The good thing is, the Puebla Christian School library had a copy of the Jesus film for children.  We had told the children the film would be at 5, and we didn't even arrive in Huejotzingo until 5:30.  However, soon we rounded up the children who had arrived but had given up and left.  We have an air popper, and the children were entertained taking turns dumping the kernels into the machine and watching the popcorn explode out.  Once we had a huge tub of popcorn ready, we set up the television and started the movie.  Although all the children immediately informed us that the movie had just been on the television, they still watched with interest.

Abraham leading the Seder Supper

The following day, Abraham, Six, and I set up a Seder meal for the children. This was the first time we had tried presenting the meal, and there were plenty of distractions what with flies, some children fussing loudly over the taste of the bitter herbs (radish), and one participant protesting that she couldn't eat lamb because it is red meat and Lent hadn't ended yet.  Still, overall the supper went well, and Abraham spoke of how each food symbolized not only events of the past but also our present human condition.

On Saturday Abraham and I went to the market to buy ingredients to make gorditas and salsa for our Easter morning breakfast.  During the afternoon Six and Abraham worked on making the gorditas and salsa while I almost finished unpacking.  Ken arrived in the evening, and we practiced a few songs.

Sunday was an early morning, since we planned to have the service at 7.  Accustomed either to late rising or to early rising and immediate work, no one showed up on time.  The children of family that lives upstairs in the house where we rent the downstairs arrived, sleepy and tousle-headed, along with their mother.  The children left with Abraham to see if anyone else was awake and to help wake the sleepers.

At 8:15 we actually started the service.  We sang several Easter songs and took turns reading portions of Scripture related to Jesus' resurrection.  Abraham explained the passages briefly and told the children that if they hadn't received Jesus into their hearts, they could take the opportunity to do it that day.  I was seated next to a girl who normally attends but who openly declares that she believes there is no God.  Usually during singing, she sits slouched, staring off into space.  On Sunday she actually sang along with "God Will Make a Way", a song we introduced for the first time.  Slight progress perhaps, but encouraging all the same.

After the brief service, we served the gorditas with salsa and also atole, a thick warming milk drink.  When everyone had eaten their fill, the majority of the children began a game of soccer and then kick ball with Abraham and Ken.  Six and I worked on some of the children's scarves that they are making to exchange with my students at P.C.S. shortly after Children's Day.  Some of them have already finished their scarves, but a few are a bit behind.  As the day grew hotter, the children, Ken, and Abraham continued playing until finally it was too hot, and everyone was too tired.

In the afternoon, Six and Ken went to visit family, and Abraham and I took the bus to Puebla to eat potluck lunch with some P.C.S. teachers.  We enjoyed a pleasant time with them and returned home at night.

This Saturday is Dia del Niño, and we will be having a small fair in Huejotzingo.  A family connected with P.C.S. has games, including an inflatable water slide that they will be bringing, and we hope to have icees as well, since we found out that there is a man in the neighborhood who knows how to make them.  We pray that other neighborhood children will see the games and join in and that they will also be interested in joining us on Sunday afternoons.

Residentes de Huejotzingo

Desde el 2 de abril, Abraham y yo estamos viviendo en Huejotzingo.  Porque los dos todavía estamos trabajando y/o estudiando en Puebla, hemos estado viajando, la mayoria del tiempo por autobús, cada día escolar.  Tenemos que llegar a la parada antes de las 7 para no llegar tarde a Puebla.  Normalmente regresamos a la casa alrededor de las 6.  Como resultado de estar mucho tiempo fuera de casa, no hemos terminado de desempacar, pero hemos avanzado suficiente para poder vivir cómodamente.  Durante las vacaciones de la próxima semana es probable que vamos a poder terminar de desempacar y acomodar todo.  De hecho tenemos que terminar para poder preparar los dos cuartos separados (dónde ahorita tenemos cajas medias llenas) para cambiar el grupo de los niños allá a finales de éste mes.

La semana pasada, el martes, adoptamos un cachorro de la calle y le dimos por nombre Canelito.  No lo tuvimos mucho tiempo.  Desafortunadamente, ya estaba infectado con parvo virus antes de llegar a nuestra casa, y murió el sábado en la mañana.  Fue un final triste para un intento de rescate.  Ahora, aunque hemos tallado el patio con cloro, es difícil saber si hemos matado todo el parvo que trajo con él.  Parece difícil  adoptar otro cachorro sin vacunas.  El veterinario nos dijo que la vacuna no hace nada para un cachorro ya infectado y que el virus puede sobrevivir hasta dos años si no muere por el cloro.

El sábado en la tarde después de salir de la veterinaria, fuimos a visitar a algunos de los niños y pasamos un rato con ellos.  Después, fuimos a visitar una familia y en fin de cuentas pasamos un tiempo bastante largo con ellos.  La mama, Doña Benita, me va a enseñar como hacer tortillas este lunes, y luego voy a enseñarle a ella y algunos de sus hijos mayores como hacer algunas galletas y pasteles.

Dos veces hemos invitado a nuestra casa a los niños del grupo que normalmente esta con nosotros los domingos en la tarde.  No fueron, pero esperamos que ellos y sus papás estén más a gusto con la idea de que son bienvenidos.  Ésta semana, en el lugar dónde normalmente nos reunimos, vamos a tener actividades relacionadas con la Semana Santa El jueves, vamos a poner por lo menos parte de la película que se llama Jesús.  En la tarde del viernes, vamos a presentar una comida de pascua – no una comida completa, pero con porciones pequeños de los elementos principales – y explicando que representa cada comida en el Antiguo Testamento y que representa para los seguidores de Cristo hoy en día.  Domingo en la mañana vamos a tener un servicio de más o menos amanecer a las 7.  Por favor oren para que los niños asistan y que aprendan o tengan confirmado lo que saben del sacrificio de Jesús.  Estaríamos agradecidos si asisten los papas, pero normalmente no lo hacen.

Que tengan un domingo de resurrección muy bendecido.  Acuérdense, ¡Jesús resucitó!

Huejotzingo residents

As of April 2, Abraham and I began living in Huejotzingo.  Because both of us are still working and/or attending school in Puebla, we have been commuting, primarily by bus, every school day.  We have to be at the bus stop by 7, or we will be late arriving in Puebla.  Usually we return home by about 6.  As a result of being away from home so much, we haven’t finished unpacking yet, but we have made enough progress to make the house livable.  During Easter break we will probably be able to finish unpacking and settling everything.  In fact, we need to finish so that we can prepare the two separated rooms (where we currently have half-unpacked boxes) for moving the children's group there by the end of this month.

Last week we adopted a street puppy on Tuesday night and named him Canelito.  We didn't have him for very long though.  Unfortunately, he had already contracted parvovirus before we took him home, and on Saturday morning, he died.  It was a sad ending to the attempted rescue.  Now, although we have scrubbed the patio with bleach, it is hard to know whether we have killed all the parvo that he brought with him, so it looks difficult to adopt another, unvaccinated puppy.  The vet told us that the vaccine does no good for puppies who are already infected and that the virus can live up to two years if missed by the bleach.

On Saturday afternoon after leaving the vet's office, we visited some of the children and spent a short time with them.  When we left them, we visited one family and ended up passing quite awhile with them.  The mother, Doña Benita, is going to teach me how to make tortillas this coming Monday, and I will teach her and some of her older children how to make some cakes and cookies later on.

We have twice invited to our house the children of the group that usually joins us on Sunday afternoons.  They did not come, but we hope that they and their parents will become more comfortable with the idea that they are welcome.  This week we will be having Easter activities at the location where we normally meet.  On Thursday afternoon, we will be showing at least part of the Jesus film.  On Friday afternoon we will present a Passover meal - not a complete one, but one with small portions of the main elements - and explaining what each food represented in the Old Testament and what it represents to Christ-followers now.   Sunday morning, we will have a semi-sunrise service at 7 o'clock.  Please pray that all the children attend and that they will learn or will have confirmed what they know of Jesus' sacrifice.  We would also be glad to have parents attend, but they usually don't.

Have a blessed Easter.  Remember, He is Risen!