weddings and things

I am finding out, like all brides before me, just how many details go into planning a wedding. And this is a simple wedding! - and many people have offered to help as well. Still, there are details, and soon there will be more, since my certified birth certificates have arrived today. That means Abraham and I can start on all the paperwork to required by the Mexican government. That's a good thing, I suppose.

One of the details that I don't think many American brides have to think about is how to decorate the tortilla cloths. I wouldn't have thought about that, but my future mother-in-law Six asked me what I thought we should decorate them with. Would it be easier to paint them or embroider? Definitely paint. So, since yesterday was a holiday in Mexico, I went to their house for the whole day, and we painted tortilla cloths. They look very nice, by the way.

On Saturday my roommate and I went to her favorite downtown market. I hadn't been there before, so we first stopped in to the fish section to browse first. I simply couldn't resist buying a few octopus tentacles. They are so slimy and unappealing looking, that I just had to try them out. I've eaten squid and octopus before but hadn't had the fun of cooking it myself before Saturday.



A week ago Sunday, Abraham told the story of Jonah to the kids at Huejotzingo. I have the Jonah and the Big Fish dvd from Veggie Tales, so this last Sunday we took Abraham's computer, the church's projector, my speakers, and lots of popcorn and a popper, fruit, and soda so the kids could watch the movie. We told them to try to notice the differences between the Bible story and the movie (for one thing, Jonah wasn't an asparagus), and next week, if they write down five differences, they can get a prize. Thirteen kids showed up and mowed through two kilos of popcorn, sliced oranges, two large sodas, and water melon. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy the movie as well. Please continue to pray for these kids and their families.

Save the Date and green eggs

Abraham and I have to wait until the certified copy of my birth certificate, complete with apostil (or something like that?) comes to Mexico before we can start on the paperwork to allow us to get married. Therefore the only preparation I've done so far is to make and send out save the date cards. Many of you received them, but due to printer errors and other technology bloopers, I didn't have quite enough to send to everyone. Consider yourself 'save the date-ed' now with this picture. It's the one I made and sent out, except the color is supposed to be blue. It appears blue everywhere except here:
Last week in school I immersed the kids in Dr. Seuss. The kids are at Spiritual Emphasis Camp this week, so we would have missed Read Across America. Can't have that! Therefore we read many of Dr. Seuss' books, made silhouettes to go with The Shape of Me and Other Stuff and recorded on cat-in-the-hat shapes plot, characters, setting, and the title of favorite stories. And no Dr. Seuss unit would be complete without green eggs! On Thursday the kids went to my house to whip up their green eggs. Only one of the kids didn't like them; the others agreed green eggs are scrumptious.

On Sunday we went to Huejotzingo with a group of five young ladies visiting from Ohio. Throughout most of the afternoon, only four of the kids came, but just as Abraham finished the Bible story and songs and the four began reviewing, a group of several boys came. Since there were plenty of adults to help the four girls with their review, I started retelling the Bible story to the boys. It was a good workout for my Spanish, and the boys listened attentively - something they don't always do.

Please keep my students and the Huejotzingo kids in your prayers. They are two very different groups of kids, but both groups need to know the personal love of God in their lives.

Huejotzingo

On Sunday, Feb. 15th, we went to Huejotzingo as we normally do. Abraham and I walked around the neighborhood knocking on doors and inviting all the families in the area to come to a little party to celebrate el dia de amor y amistad. In Mexico, Valentine's Day focuses much more on the love of family and friends than on romantic love. When the kids and a few of the parents arrived, we first sang some songs and then read a few Bible passages. After that, we moved chairs outside in order to have enough room to play musical chairs.

When we'd played two rounds, amid much laughter, we returned indoors to eat from the small mountain of taquitos that Six had prepared. The day before, I had spent several hours preparing 250 heart-shaped gingerbread cookies - 200 for snack at church and 50 for the kids at Huejotzingo to decorate. At least in Puebla (I don't know about all of Mexico), people don't make cookies. In fact, hardly anyone uses the oven for anything except storing extra towels or dishes. For most of the kids in Huejotzingo, it was probably the first time they'd decorated cookies, and they really dove into the experience.

Throughout the afternoon, I took close-up pictures of each child. We will take the pictures to Dios es Amor and give them to families in the church in order that they can specifically pray for the children. Many of the children live with their grandparents, since their parents are working in the States. The majority of them can't read very well, if at all. With prayers of believers, we hope to see these children come to know God's love and care in the midst of challenging circumstances.

100 days and wonderful news

On Wednesday we celebrated the 100th day of school in my classroom. Like last year, I put aside the regular math and language arts curriculum, and instead we filled the day with activities like making necklaces from 100 fruit loops, measuring a row of 100 objects, and drawing pictures of "what I will look like when I am 100."

Just before lunch, they worked in teams to put together 100 piece puzzles, and I thought back to the previous year when I had done the same activity. Last year's class had a great time assembling the puzzles and working together. This year - well, it didn't go so well. Two of the three teams almost gave up after trying for only a few minutes. To keep them going, I cheered on every success and nudged pieces toward the correct place. The third team worked harmoniously and completed their puzzle before the others had finished half. I assigned the two from that team to help with the other two, and the activity went a little better after that. Each class has its own personality.

A few times in this blog I have mentioned my most difficult student. He is the one who is farthest behind in all the subjects and who is very easy to distract. God has answered prayer for him in part by supplying a man who comes in for an hour, sometimes more, almost every day. He works one-on-one with this student, helping him to learn letters and sounds and also helping him to focus better. The rest of the day remains a challenge, but it is a great blessing having an hour of help so often.

I have also mentioned my boyfriend Abraham in previous posts. He is not my boyfriend anymore...He is now my fiancé. On Tuesday last week he asked me (on bended knee ;-) to be his wife, and I accepted. We are planning to have the church ceremony on June 20th of this year. There remains significant paperwork that we have to complete in order to have the civil ceremony which is required in Mexico for marriages to be legal. We have not set a date for the civil ceremony, since it depends on when we can file the variety of papers necessary.

The first full week of school

The past week was a difficult one with the kids. It was gloomy and cold outside, even raining twice, which is unusual for this time of year in Puebla. Maybe the weather stirred them up, or maybe they're just getting antsy, but I felt really thin in my patience level by the end of each day. Although we had a half day with the kids today - we have staff inservice until 5 this afternoon - I still felt worn out by the time the bell rang. Please pray! I'm not sure what to do to pull through the rest of the year with sanity. It boggles the mind how teachers can manage classes of 45 kids - I used to do it!

On Saturday after lesson planning I enjoyed an afternoon and evening with Abraham. We went downtown to the Barrio del Artista to see some drawings and paintings, then we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around a weekend market, the beautiful convention center, and the garden in the convention center. It's a lovely place, and we had a good time moseying around. I tried some of Abraham's passion fruit icy with chili since it was getting too spicy for him to eat all of it. Interesting...

In the evening, we returned home in time to join most of the rest of the staff back downtown for Jenna's surprise birthday party at a pizza place. It wasn't precisely a surprise for Jenna, because she saw us gathering outside the school. She said, "I decided not to ask Joe too many questions."

Sunday I arrived just a tiny bit late for church, because I got to the bus stop just as the bus I needed passed. That's the way it is; depending on the buses, I can arrive early or late to church even though I always leave my house at 10:30. In the afternoon at Huejotzingo, more kids came then usual, so we had a group of 22. Fortunately, there were also extra adults that day, so we did fine.

Second semester

The two weeks in California ended Jan. 5th, and I flew back to Puebla. Gracias a Dios, it was an uneventful day of driving, flying, driving and driving again. Twelve hours after leaving Huntington Beach in an airporter, I arrived at the door of my house in Puebla.

All Tuesday I unpacked, cleaned house, and prepared lessons for the half-week in school. Wednesday morning, the students all arrived, and second semester began. How amazing that we've already finished half the year!

Friday night the PCS staff celebrated our return and successful half-week. Jenna and Joe hosted a game night at their house, and just about all the staff and some of their kids showed up to play Dutch Blitz, spoons, crazy uno, and more. All the noisy, happy rowdiness was still going strong when Abraham and I left at 10:30pm.

After lesson planning Saturday morning, I went with Abraham to San Martin where several of his relatives live. It's more than an hour from here by bus, and we arrived late afternoon. We cross-crossed parts of San Martin, walking from house to house. That only gave us time to see his grandma, a nephew, and one cousin. Many of the relatives weren't at home.

Today we began our first full week of the second semester. Back in the saddle again! Please continue your prayers for my six students and I. We're learning together, and there is never a dull moment. Also continue to pray for finances. During this time of economic difficulties in the United States, I and the other staff members and missionary families in Puebla are feeling the effects of income loss.

Merry Christmas!

I am in the United States to spend Christmas with my family. I'll be here until Jan.5th and then will fly back to Puebla. The second semester of school begins Jan.7th. We're half-way through!

I've done some shopping the last few days. None of the shopping was for Christmas presents since I already had those, but I have gone out and about to buy things that are hard or impossible to get in Puebla. Although the last-minute shoppers are out in abundance, people have been polite and patient.

My dad, sisters, and I went out two nights to see the Christmas lights. One neighborhood near here has the tradition of lavishly decorating the houses with lights, automated figures, and musical trees. It's quite the show! Fashion Island, a ritzy mall about 1/2 hour from here, boasts the biggest Christmas tree in the world. It's quite a sight, and we go every year to see it.

Have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful new year. Enjoy the time with friends and family, and remember the Reason for the Season. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And the government shall be on his shoulders, and he shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

all over the place

This has been an insane last few weeks. I neglected to write here last week, but then I've also neglected writing emails to friends and family. For the last few weeks, I have hardly been home.

Speaking of home, the location changed last weekend. Another American missionary named Florina had been looking for a place to move when her lease expired in December. She and Bethany explored the surrounding neighborhood and found a house for rent two doors down from our apartment. The house has three bedrooms (more or less...) and lots of space (but almost none of it is storage space). It was unfurnished, but friends of Florina loaned her some furniture, and other missionary families contributed some more. We still lack a stove and oven but hopefully will be able to buy one in January.

The house has its quirks, the most 'interesting' being the stairs. The are triangular shaped. If you go up or down, you must lead with your right foot or you will end up trying to balance on the point. You also have to be careful to duck when you reach the bottom, or you will smack your head on the doorway.


After spending all last Saturday moving, I went to church Sunday morning at Dios es Amor and then went out with the usual group to Huejotzingo. We are teaching the kids three different Christmas carols - I'm learning them in Spanish right along with them. After the song practice, we showed the kids how to make paper beads, and they set to work starting the necklaces for their mothers. This afternoon they will string the beads to finish the gifts.

On Friday three other PCS teachers divided up time in my classroom so that I could go with Abraham and his mother Six to the Sierras to deliver the offering that the children at Huejotzingo had collected for Luciano, a missionary that Dios es Amor supports. It was a long day. I left home at 6:30 to take the city bus to another bus station where I met Abraham and Six. We took the 7:30 bus to the Sierras. Arriving three hours later, we then waited another hour (in the sun, trying to thaw - it's cold there) at the station for Luciano to arrive, and then we piled into a combi for the 1 1/2 hour drive on the widing roads to his house.

Almost as soon as we arrived, Luciano's wife served us chicken stew and fresh tortillas - the best I've ever tasted. We took some time to explore the area near Luciano's house, climbing first uphill to see their view of the valley and then clambering downhill to see the spring where the villagers gather water and do their laundry. On returning to the house, Abraham gave Luciano the offering which Luciano had not known we were bringing. After the brief stay, it was time for us to catch the return combi and then again the bus to Puebla and the city bus home.

Saturday afternoon, Abraham graduated from a one-year course he had been taking in counseling, so I attended the ceremony, and then we left from there to go to the quinceaños of a young lady Abraham knows in Huejotzingo. The family is Christian, so the ceremony began in their church and then everyone gathered at their house for feasting. And what feasting it was! The plates were so heaped with meat, rice, and tortillas that I couldn't imagine finishing everything. Not to worry - we weren't expected to eat it all. In fact, after everyone had eaten their fill, the servers brought heaped plates for people to take home.

No taxis or combis passed by after we left the party, although it was still evening. Happily, a family stopped and took us and another group of party-goers into the open back of their truck. We crouched in the back, trying to avoid the cold wind, and soon arrived in the Huejotzingo zocalo where we could take the bus home.

Thanksgiving

I have so many things to be thankful for. First of all, I'm thankful for my wonderful boyfriend. We started out as friends last year, and over time spent together talking, serving at church, and just hanging out, we grew closer. At the beginning of this year, Abraham asked me to be his girlfriend, and for awhile now we've been talking about our wedding, honeymoon, and marriage (all this though we're not exactly engaged).














God has blessed me with a first and second grade class at Puebla Christian School. This year is challenging, and I am thankful for the one-week vacation we have for Thanksgiving, but I am still grateful for the chance I have to teach these kids. It's a privilege to be here.

I am thankful for the supportive staff family at PCS. Not only do we work together to teach the missionary kids, pastors' kids, children of business people, and children of Mexican nationals, we also spend time together relaxing and having plain old fun! My roommate Bethany and I celebrated Thanksgiving Day (our third Thanksgiving meal) at our apartment with one of the staff families, plus her boyfriend and mine. We fit eleven people in our place, and everyone had a wonderful time together. Now I'm enjoying the many left-overs.

My thankful list could go on and on: returning health after two weeks of a fierce cold, the opportunity to move with Bethany and another PCS teacher to a bigger house where the rent is cheaper, my friends here and in the US, my two churches - Dios es Amor and Newport Mesa Christian Center, my "family" here and my family in the US, the chance to go back to the States over Christmas, the unraveled tangles involved with renewing my credential, and much, much more. I'm thankful for the prayer and financial support that many of you provide. Without you, I could not be here. May God bless you!

Jesus is dead

The last two weeks were very busy. My friend Jessica visited from the States for a few days, and we went to many of the must-see spots. I enjoyed seeing two places I had never been to before, but a few of the places we went brought home to me just how necessary missions work is here. I had been to the cathedral before and had shuddered at the very dead Jesus in the entry way. This time around, after visiting an extremely dark ex-convent, I really noticed the cathedral's mutilated Jesus. What hopelessness is represented here. The Jesus of these cathedrals, convents, and chapels is dead, horribly dead. Why pray to him? Mary and the saints, on the other hand, are alive and well. No wonder people chose to light candles to them - to pray to them.

The cathedral in Huejotzingo is one of the oldest monuments in Mexico. On the outside it looks like a castle. The stone and wood on the doors and archways is beautifully carved. Entering the cathedral is another story entirely. It was almost completely dark, and even beyond the physical dimness was a suffocating spiritual darkness. The requisite dead Jesus hung suffering on a cross surrounded by bouquets of flowers left by the congregates. In a more prominent place, the archangel Michael brandished a sword and appeared far more capable of answering prayers than Jesus. As we walked in the semi-darkness, a man began to pull a long rope that dangled near the back of the room, over the stones marking the interred remains of dead priests. The sound of the bell peeled out, calling worshipers to enter for mass.

Another day, Jessica and I visited both the ex-convent Santa Ana and the ex-convent Santa Monica. Santa Ana is the place where mole was supposed to have been invented. The kitchen is covered in beautiful talavera tiles, making the place look lovely. Living there as a nun however was anything but lovely. The nuns slept on beds of wood and wore crowns of thorns to bed to prevent dreaming. They ate one meal a day of vegetables or fruit. They were never allowed outside, nor were they allowed to see anyone outside of the convent. Many of them did not enter the convent voluntarily, but were left there by family members.

In Santa Monica, we saw many religious articles and paintings. No explanation was offered for the articles and paintings, but the significance of several, such as this one, was obvious.

There are many missionaries working here to bring the true Gospel to this nation, teaching that Jesus not only died for our sins, but he also rose on the third day and intercedes on our behalf in heaven. I am part of the missionary team as I teach the children of Puebla Christian School. Thank you for your support and prayers that make this ministry possible.