The Girls...

From L-R: Me, Favi, Mili, Sandy, Lupe

Soooooo...I am long overdue for an update on here! Well, the Pijamada (Pajama Party) went well last weekend! I picked up Sandy, Mili, and Lupe on Friday night and brought them back to my appartment here at the base/church. We had all kinds of fun doing girly things and having girly talk. We started off with doing our nails--always a must at a girly party! We watched movies and had dinner and watched more movies and talked about boys and dreams and all that female bonding kind of stuff. Oh, and we played truth or dare--a game I never enjoyed as a kid. Now, I know why! HAH! I had to eat a huge spoonful of chile sauce and one of mustard. Then I had to chug a full glass of coke without taking a breath, and finally I had to eat a heaping spoonful of peanut butter. The last was a favor for me really because I like peanut butter and have no problem just eating it. Mexicans however, have a REALLY hard time eating it because of the texture and stickiness. Peanut butter to them is like eating that chile sauce for me! So, be assured I retaliated with large spoonfuls of PB! I had a stomach ache for two days, but it was worth it. We had a good time! We went to sleep REALLY late, even for me--3 am--and we got up really late--11 am! Lots of fun! I took them back home to Arrayanes around 3 pm on Saturday. Sandy sat in the cab of the truck with me while the other two sat in the back with all the stuff. On our drive back to Arrayanes, Sandy told me that she now has a best friend--ME! She has told me several times before, as have the other girls, that people here just aren't the kind of friend that they seem to have found in me--someone they can trust completely and who is faithful and honest and real with them. But Sandy has also told me before that she has NEVER had a real friend outside her sister and cousins and certainly never a best friend. So, when she told me that she now had a best friend and that it was me, I felt this rush of humility and honor and blessing and responsibility all at the same time. All of them are truly precious, and I'm so blessed and honored to know them and to be brought into their inner circle the way I have been, and so immediately too!

My mind and heart have been reeling ever since that conversation with Sandy. There is such an incredible void here when it comes to women's ministry. There are resources for kids (regular sunday school classes, STM outreaches, etc), for families (family groups), for the church as a whole (navigator's 2:7 class for adults and for youth, but it's co-ed, sunday school, etc.), for the youth in general (youth group, STM outreaches, 2:7 class, etc), and for the men specifically (discipleship, men's ministry, etc.), but there is nothing just for the young women around here. There is no ministry or discipleship outreach actively seeking out these young girls. There isn't even a formal friendship outreach with them....Until I showed up....And I can't seem to get enough of them. This week I have gone to Arrayanes 3 days in a row (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), and they will all be spending the night here on Saturday again--including Favi this time too! I have had a chance to spend some time just with Sandy this week, digging in to some of the stuff she's dealing with right now and getting to know her much better, and I'm hoping to do the same with each of them.

Please keep these girls in your fervent prayers, and me as well. I need wisdom as it's coming up on decision time about whether or not to return, and how to proceed depending on what's decided. I need wisdom in how to navigate these relationships, how to make sure that each one of them knows that I am here for them individually and equally and not just for one or two or just for the group. When you're that hungry for that kind of relationship, it's so easy to get jealous, and I've already started to see a little of that. Please pray that the Lord would protect against that kind of attack, and that I would have the wisdom to know how to proceed with each one and with them all as a group. Please pray for these girls that they would know that the Lord hears their cries--each of them individually--that he hears them and answers in tangible ways, not JUST abstract ways. They are all Christians, so pray for hope and growth and maturity and a deepened love between them and their Heavenly Husband. And please pray for their families, especially the dad of Mili and Sandy--His name is Benito, and he is not a Christian (their mother is). Please pray!

And now for some pictures from another nail painting experience this week:

The girls had a good time doing my nails--a french manicure where 9 of the tips are the Mexican flag and one is the American flag. This was Sandy's idea after she had Lupe do hers with 9 American flags and 1 Mexican.

The result. You can barely see the American flag, but it's on my thumb, and underneat it says "MEX".

Mili and her nails painted by Lupe on Monday--little flowers with a couple of stripes. Lupe is really quite an artist!

New church update..

So, folks have asked if I will post updates every now and then on how the construction progresses on the new central church facility we are building. I posted one a few weeks ago with some pics, but there has been progress worthy of mention. The team that was here two weeks ago from Washington finished pouring the foundation for the wall around the property. Also, we have begun building what will be the power/storage room! So, I walked out to the property yesterday to take some pics, and I'm posting them here. Bye the way, they are taken from the opposite side from the pictures posted in a former update.

One other little note of interest. Before the team left, the pastor and some of the men from family groups here in Cofradia walked out the property and spent some time writing verses or prayers on large rocks tha were incorporated into that foundation they poured. Here is what Pastor Gollo wrote about this in an update to our home office:

"The pastor went with some of the brothers to the property of the new church to write inscriptions, thoughts, scriptures, or prayers on rocks. These rocks will become part of the foundation. Some of them read, “That this place would be where my children would grow spiritually, and that my brothers would draw close to God and worship Him here.” As well we went as a family group to have a time of prayer over the church. We asked that this church would be a permanent place of restoration for the surrounding towns."

This central church facility is going to be big, but it's size is not the most significant characteristic! It seemed strange to me that we would be building a central facility to house corporate sunday services for the churches in Cofradia, Santa Fe, AND Arrayanes, because Arrayanes already has a church facility, and the group of believers in Santa Fe is so small that they simply join in Cofradia. I didn't understand why they wouldn't just build a facility for the Cofradia/Santa Fe church. But it's been explained to me that because these little towns are far enough away that it's too far to walk, for the most part they feel isolated from each other as believers, and having sunday services in their separate villages doesn't help decrease that isolation feeling. So, the vision for this central building is not only to be big enough to have facilities for different ministries and needs but also to UNIFY the body of Christ in this area, to create a place where they come together as ONE body, learning together, fellowshiping together, edifying one another, and loving each other.

It's such a simple concept, and yet it is SO profound to me. In the states we don't have issues with getting together with other believers whenever we want. We are so mobile and for the most part there are believers all around us! Not only that, but rarely have I experienced a church body making strides to UNITE with another church body on purpose. Normally, we multiply--not necessarily out of strife, but also for various other legitimate reasons. So, for me there is something truly enchanting and captivating and incredible about the desire of these churches to unite, to do whatever it takes to maintain ONE body in our ONE Lord and to be the best body it can be for this area. Wow! I never ceased to be amazed here....NEVER!

Well, enjoy the pics, and please keep this project and these churches in your prayers...

This is the last part of the foundation finished by the Southside team from Washington

This is the storage/power room

A view of the foundation

The last wall foundation completed--a view of its length

A view up another side--big facility!

So, last week was hard. It was so quiet after the team left, and I missed having so many people readily accesible. I found myself struggling pretty badly with missing the mental comforts of home like being able to communicate easily or knowing what's expected when I have company or knowing all the words to the praise songs so I can close my eyes during worship. However, since Sunday, the Lord has really been doing some attitude checking in my heart. I have spent some time in Haggai 1, 2 Corinthians 4-5, and Romans 12 the last few days, and it has come down to this:

Am I living a life of offering?

No, I still don't know whether or not the Lord will bring me back to Mexico, but the bigger question is whether or not I'm willing to hear and obey joyfully either way! I don't think I was aware of this until now, but I'm not sure that I have been willing thus far. Now, however, He's got my attention, so we shall see what happens. I have needed this attitude check quite badly, and it's amazing to be able to sense the difference deep down inside. Thank the Lord! So, even though I had a hard time remembering that it was Easter time this past week, the Lord has been continuing to work renewing and resurrecting work in me, and it is all the more profound in light of what we have just celebrated!

Oh, Lord, settle your purposes so deeply into the core of my being that all I can do is trust and obey with joy and with love for the house you are building in and around me!

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!!!

Photos...

Ok, so I've added another link over there on the right! It's for my Yahoo Photos album storage...I've uploaded my pics to albums in My Yahoo Photos, so if you want to see even more pics, feel free to browse through those albums. The Christmas album is not complete yet, but the rest of them are...so ENJOY!

cultural education

So, the cultural educating never ends around here! I'm constantly learning something new here that forces me to unlearn something I thought was just "the way it's done" in my American life!

I was told last night that for Mexicans, to say someone is fat is not an insult in the least. They use it all the time--it's just something they say, and often it's a compliment more than an insult, which is very backwards for us! But for them to associate any of their characteristics with an animal is HIGHLY offensive because it's like you could think them an animal. They do not value pets like we do in the states--your dog is just a dog, and it's got a job to do and that's really the only reason you have it. It's nowhere close to being man's best friend and is certainly not a member of the family! So, never compare a Mexican to an animal of any kind! And if they happen to tell you you're fat, don't worry, they are not insulting you!

girls night "out"

Ok, so last night I headed over to Arrayanes, BY MYSELF!!! I had to drive one of the trucks there and it was not only my first time driving around here (which believe me is no picnic), but also my first time really finding my way around AT ALL in Arrayanes (a town about 3 miles away). I went over there to hang out with Sandy (19) and her sister Mili (16) and their cousins Faviola (Favi for short--20) and Lupita (23). What wonderful girls! I'm having such a good time getting to know them. They are totally girly and yet not superficially so all at the same time! What an amazing evening it was. I took my computer so I could show them pics of family and friends back home, and we also had a good time looking at pics from teams that have been here since I arrived. Then we had dinner..they made pancakes FROM SCRATCH! I was amazed because when this was decided, they sent Sandy to the store to get all the ingredients, and they just knew off the top of their heads what ingredients they needed AND how much of each!!! WOW!!! That's just crazy talk!

So, one of the things we talked about was really quite fun! I had been tagged on MySpace to do this little blog quiz where you write 6 weird charcteristics or habbits you have and then tag 6 other people to do the same. Well I had needed help cuz I couldn't think of any, so I'd asked my sister, Heather to help. One of these (#6 below) came up last night while I was hanging out with the girls, and when I explained the background behind it, they had fun going around and saying weird things about each of them as well as helping me come up with some (after the fact of course, so I have TWO blogs about this--one has the 6 that my sister and I thought up, and the other is the Mexican version..hehe). Anyway, here's what they came up with:

1. My eyes change color (they've been seeing that for themselves lately and they think it's so weird and so cool all at the same time!)

2. balbljablablakbalbalbhablalbhalbh --this is what I say to them when they are talking to me too quickly for me to understand them because that gibberish is exactly what I hear...I told them the really weird part of this is not that I say it but that they understand exactly what it means ("I'm trying to understand what you're trying to say to me, but I can't because you are speaking far too quickly for my gringa mind to process the words! Slow down!"--this is what ablablhbalhablhalbhalbha means, but I say that so fast that it sounds like blabhlabhlabhalhbalhbalhblahb).

3. I can't cook, not for real cooking anyway...If it comes with directions I'll probably be ok, but if there is anything like "season to taste" or anything else fairly subjective, them I'm toast! Last night we had pancakes for dinner, and when that was decided upon, they sent Sandy to the store with a list of what was needed to make them...FROM SCRATCH....I was amazed at how they didn't need to consult a recipe card or buy a box...they just KNEW off the top of their heads what ingredients and exactly how much were needed to make HOMEMADE pancakes!!!! Um....WOW!

4. My hair--it can be curly and poofy/big or straight and flat--they think this is so strange...and honestly it probably is, but I like it! Options, my friends..it's all about having options!

5. Apparantly, when I get embarrased and blush, my ears blush...but they were telling me that it's only ONE ear that blushes and gets really hot....this I did not know, so I cannot really validate its truth...but if it is true, then it is obviously weird and therefore must be incorporated!

6. I am "muy amigable", which literrally means very friendly, but it's significance is greater than that. This one they aggreed to after I told them what my sister said. My sister had told me that wherever I go I make sisters, not just friends, and she made her point by saying, "I bet you already have a group of really close girlfriends there, right?" To which I had to reply in the affirmative. I shared this with the girls last night when we were hanging out after they shared that they don't have friends here (all of them are related in one way or another) outside of their family and that they have never had a friend like me (a real friend that they can trust and be honest and real with) and that I'm an answer to their literal prayers....And the resulting weird thing was that I am "muy amigable". Talk about HUMBLING!

These girls are such a blessing and an answer to prayer! They have basically incorporated me into their inner group of friends, which is extremely honoring and humbling and joyous and sad all simultaneously! Now I think I have a glimpse into what it must have been like for my exchange student friends in high school....I came home last night completely joyous and ready to do a little dance for how thankful I was to have real friends here, but at the same time I just wanted to cry because every minute I spend with them is another minute that I love them more, and yet it's another minute closer to the day when I have to tell them goodbye...and at least for right now I have no idea if that goodbye will be permanent or only temporary. I just wish that my heart didn't have to be broken one way or the other--come back or stay home--either way part of my heart is going to stay very far away from me, and that is just way hard when it's a distance not easily traversed when the missing gets too hard.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next week or so...we've made plans already for three days coming up which include me accompanying their home group on their regular weekly outreach to Mojocuautla, a Cora Indian village in the mountains nearby; making a kind of Mexican cookie a week from today; and a pijama party next Friday during which we will EAT those cookies and do lots of girly things while we stay up all night having fun in my appartment (assuming that's approved by Dave)!

God is just so good!

oysters and all that jazz..

So, I just realized something the other day...when I return to the states in June, I can go anywhere and do anything I want (assuming the Lord doesn't in fact tell me to return to Mexico right away)!!! Granted, I want to walk in the Lord's will and plans for my life, but for the first time in my life, that will and plan could litterally be ANYTHING and could take me ANYWHERE!! I have no words to describe how joyous it is to have that kind of FREEDOM facing me! When I graduated from high school, college was next, and I was limited to in state. Thankfully the Lord had me at Mary Wash, and I'm so thankful for that. After graduating college, I needed to find a job AND FAST to pay for bills and loans, etc, and ever since it's been that rat race where you can never quite catch up and just forget trying to get ahead...until now.

Now, I'm in Mexico for three months (52 days to go), and I have a return ticket for BWI in Maryland from which location I will head to Richmond for Becky's wedding. I do not currently know where I will live and I do not currently have a job lined up. I have nothing but complete confidence that the Lord will work those things out, so I'm not worried; the point of this is, however, that there is nothing that I'm OBLIGED to return to in VA aside from wanting to see my friends and family again and hear their beautiful voices after three months.

There are just no words to describe the elation that this realization has illicted in my heart!

Wow...God is SOOOOOOOO INFINTELY GOOD!!!!

...When Jesus is MY PORTION
A constant FRIEND his He
His eye is on the sparrow
And I KNOW He watches me

So I SING because I'M HAPPY
And I SING because I'M FREE
His eye is on the sparrow
And I KNOW He watches me!

"Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." ~Is. 55:2b

So, I'm taking suggestions as of now! :) :) :) :) :) :)

Southside Christian Church

So, last week was a buzz of activity around here! We had a team of 32 here from April 1-8 (they left Cofradia on April 7 for Mazatlan and flew home from Mazatlan on April 8). They were from Spokane, WA, and they were SUCH A BLAST! I had such a good time with them! I was very impressed with how much fun they were all able to have with each other and still manage to behave themselves. It was simply fun for the sake of enjoying themselves and not for the sake of causing trouble! How amazing to find that kind of maturity in kids between the ages of 14 and 17/18. Most of them were in the younger part of that range, too! They worked so hard on the new church building being constructed right now. I believe they finished the work needed on the last part of the wall foundation and actually got that poured and completed ahead of schedule! So, since they had finished early in Thursday with their construction activities, we took them up to the Penas Mountain (see one of my earlier posts) to see the countryside.

In the afternoons all week they hosted a Kid's Club VBS. We averaged about 120 kids here on the base property EVERY DAY! It was amazing! I didn't even know we had that many kids around here! We brought them in from Arrayanes and Santa Fe also, but the bulk of them were from right here in Cofradia! The Kid's Club activities included worship at the beginning. There were also dramas put on by the kids and narrated from scripture passages (Creation of Man and Woman, The Prodigal Son, The Healing of the Paralytic, and The Good Samaritan). The kids did such a good job acting out their parts in the drama--they were quite entertaining but they got the points across very well.

Creation of Man and Woman--Adam (in white) trying to find a suitable helper amongst the animals

The Prodigal Son--The Father's joy when his son comes home

The Healing of the Paralytic--The Lame walks again!

The Good Samaritan--Taking the man to get help

Then after the dramas, the kids were divided into groups that they stayed in all week, and those groups would do crafts that were somewhat pertinant to the dramas they had just seen from scripture. At the end of the week--Thursday night--we showed The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe for all the kids who had come during the week AND their parents! It was a smash hit. Lots of popcorn (they eat it with chile sauce on it!) and lots of people and lots of fun!

I ended up having to help with translation this week, too. That was quite a stretch for me because I do alright in casual conversation when I have something to say because I can figure it out ahead of time; but there is no way for me to know what someone's going to want to say and therefore cannot plan it out ahead of time! So, that was quite a stretch, but it was so neat because by the end of the week, I was having an 2-hour-long conversation with one of the girls from Arrayanes that I'm getting to know. Her name is Sandy (the girl to my left), and her younger sister is Mili (to my right, and the girl all the way on the right is their cousin Lupe)--I've mentioned them before. They are cousins of Faviola and Brenda, about whom I've also blogged before. It was such a neat thing to see how much more comfortable I was with sticking myself out there and just talking with people by the end of the week. The funny thing was that on Friday I accompanied the team to Mazatlan, where I spoke almost no Spanish for about 36 hours, and by the time I got back to Cofradia, I felt like I'd taken a step backward--you know, 2 steps forward, 1 step back. However, that's ok, because at least I know that I CAN do it and that it DOES improve with practice, so I'm trying to make arrangements that will provide me with lots of opportunities to practice! One other exciting happened that happened this week!! I saw my first armadillo, and I actually ATE armadillo! It was very flavorful!!

Here's our armadillow friend in the arms of Rachel, surrounded by Alejandra (left), Rebecka in the green (in Tepic for 3 months from Canada), and Lili (Mexican girl who works with the others in Tepic)

And here is our Armadillow friend trying to get away. Yes, we ate him--boy was he tasty!

We had quite a blast in Mazatlan on Friday and Saturday. The bus ride there was quite enjoyable for me because I actually got to spend some time with the girls of the group. The oddest thing happened with this group--I spent almost no time at all with any of the girls! I always ended up hanging out with the guys, which is SO out of character for me. But I never felt anything but completely comfortable with this group of guys, and it was really good for me to have the chance to be "one of the guys" if you will and grow even more in my ability to interact with men well and to get more insight into man-world! However, I greatly enjoyed getting to know some of the girls on the team on our way to and in Mazatalan! In fact, a couple of them walked with me on the beach Friday night late for about an hour and a half and we had such a good time talking and laughing and sharing. They are such a stellar group of guys and girls! It says a great deal about the caliber of leadership at that church that their youth group--and such a young youth group--has turned out as it has! Makes me want to go check out that church because they must be doing something right! One other enjoyable aspect of this past week was that we had some folks come from Tepic to help out in the kitchen and with translating (see the armadillo picture above), since we are so short-staffed right now with two of our staff families out of the country. We had a married couple and three girls around my age staying with us all week. The three girls stayed in the room in front of mine, and we had such a blast! It was great to have some girlfriends around and to get lots of social time with them! What a blessing all of this has been for me this week. I'm very much an extrovert, and I had spent A LOT of time by myself over the first four weeks I was here; but I don't think I'd realized how depleted my energy sources had become until I had this group and these three girls here to talk with and enjoy! I truly just soaked up every ounce that I could. The only time I really spent alone was when I was sleeping or working on stuff for Dave or team expenses (which took about an hour a day tops, if that)! Two of the girls ended up going with us to Mazatlan, and we had a blast out on the beach all day (I actually got some sun without burning!!!) and at dinner Friday night. We also shared a room and had some good girl-talk in our room! I'm loving making friends here, but it's going to be awefully hard to leave them when I return in June!

The sunset in Mazatlan as we at our team banquet in a beautiful, open-air restaurant on the beach!

So, now I'm almost half-way through my three months in Mexico. It's amazing to realize that, and unbelievable all at the same time. We have no more teams coming during my time here, so we shall see how things go. Semana Santa is arriving here--either this week or next. It will be interesting to see how they celebrate Holy Week and Easter here! It was so cool to experience a Mexican Christmas, and now I'll get to do the same with Easter--what better holidays to experience in another culture! I'm excited over that. :)

I'm continuing to tutor Cecilio with his reading. He is improving, slowly but surely. I'm trying to encourage him to start reading words and not just syllables, but that's a hard concept to understand. I've also been asked by a girl in town to teach her English. Now, that's a challenge, because I've never taught English before. So, we'll see how that goes. She wants to come 3 days a week; we're gonna try that at first, but that may change depending on how well it goes. Thankfully, Jan and Doug will be back in a week or so, and both of them are professional teachers and have even taught English here before. So, hopefully I can get some help and advice and guidance from them. I'm also going to be branching out a little more and trying to head over to Arrayanes more frequently on my own to hang out and talk with Faviola, Brenda, Mili, and Sandy and some others. I really want to get to know these girls better. I'm told by some of the missionaries that they respond so well to me in ways that they've never really responded to any of the others that have been here so much longer than I. They tell me that I seem to be able to reach the folks that no one else has ever been able to reach, and since I don't know everyone's history, I don't look at someone and think, "Oh, she's never gonna get it, so I'm just not going to try anymore." Every person in this town is fresh and new to me, and for that I have a special opportunity to reach people in ways that others haven't been able to. I'm trying to be open to that, but it's hard because it requires me to get out there and interact with people that the others are spending as much time with, which means I'm on my own in a lot of ways...YIKES! But the Lord knows why He has me here and what He wants to do in and through me, and all I need to do is keep my heart open and willing and obedient. So, please keep that in your prayers! I still don't know if I'm coming back or not, but I'm enjoying my time while I have it, and that's all I need to know for today!

Moving Again!

So, Dave's parents left to return to Canada (where they are from) last week on Wednesday, which means I have moved again. I've now taken up residence in the apartment beneath Dave and Kathy's. So, here's some pics of my living quarters for the rest of the time here. I'm enjoying it so far! It's very spacious, and honestly, it's the first time that I've ever had my own apartment--without roommates, that is. It's so nice to have room to spread out a little bit and places other than my bed to sit and read or work on my computer or watch a movie or visit with folks or whatever. I also now have my own kitchen and can buy and store my own food, whereas before that was a little more difficult since I had to use the base kitchen and we were anticipating another team's arrival. So, I've gone shopping for groceries, and I'm set for a little while anyway. Yea!!!

The bedroom is about the same size as the room I was living in before, but now I don't have to store EVERYTHING in it, so it feels bigger. What you can't see in this pic is that just to the left of the edge of the picture is a hanging rod just like I had in the other room, for hanging clothes, and there is another bedside table there too. The wodden furniture in this room was hand made by Dave's parents! How cool is that?! And I actually have a real dresser here for clothes, etc! Dave's mom left some candles and silk flowers and a little mirror for me too! So, it's pretty to look at and quite homey for sleeping! Just outside that window is where the bunnies live. Dave, Kathy, and Jonathan raise bunnies to sell. They are very loud at night, so it's a good thing that I'm a deep sleeper! You can see the bathroom at the back of the room. That is the same bathroom I used when living in the other room. That other room I lived in is on the other side of the back wall where the bed is.

This is the kitchen! Isn't it so airy and pretty? Dave's mom did a very good job with decorating and painting. I love the stenciling higher up on the walls. It's not very Mexican in color and all, but it suits my American decorating sensibilities quite nicely, so I'm enjoying it! There's another big window on the other side of the table, which you can't see in this pic. Just for your FYI, this is the room where I realized the Lord might bring me back to Mexico during that Christmas trip!

And the living room! As you can see, lots of space, and even a TV and VCR! I still have to use my computer for DVDs, but now I can watch VHS videos as well, which Dave and Kathy also have an abundance of and share quite freely with me. It's nice also to have a little work station for the computer, etc. I love the windows, too--LOTS of light! Very happy for me!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. It's been a pretty hectic couple of weeks! About two weeks ago, I headed to Tuxpan again with a woman connected to the ministry here in order to run a few errands for Dave. We had a good time in the city--had lunch and walked around a bit. I took some pictures and wanted to give you an idea of what the city is like here. It's SOO different from the country, where I'm living. In fact, the differences are shocking sometimes to me! Every time I go to Tuxpan or a bigger city, like Tepic or Mazatlan, I feel like I've stepped back into the 20th-21st century; but then I return home to Cofradia, and it feels like I've stepped back in time a bit--almost like the 20th century, but in many ways it's like stepping back about 50 years! It's a very strange experience and extremely difficult to put to words, but perhaps the pictures will indeed communicate the thousands of words that I seem unable to find.

Ok, so tthese are a shot of a typical street in Tuxpan (left) and a typical street in Cofradia (right). Notice the stark difference! I don't really enjoy going to Tuxpan because it is SOOO crowded that it just makes me nervous. There are so many people walking around and the roads and sidewalks are PACKED with cars and sidewalk shops or eateries (for lack of a better word for the little places you can stop and eat that aren't really like restaurants, etc.). However, in Cofradia, I can walk down the street and breathe, and enjoy the plain beauty that God has placed in this country. It's almost like getting back to what's real.

Speaking of sidewalk shopping and eateries:

The sidewalks there are swarming with vendors selling everything from food to shoes to jewlry and more! In addition, you can also see the buildings that are full of stores as well! It's crazy! As you can see, this is me in just such a store--a flower shop.

Isabel and I stopped and ate at a little sidewalk eatery that made really good seafood stuff. So we had what they call Jugo de Camarones (the J sounds like an H)--literally, that means Shrimp Juice, but as you can see it's really like a brothy soup. I believe the broth is tomatoe based, and it has shrimp in it along with onions and cucumbers and some other vegetables. You can get it cold or hot. Mine was kind of in between, but it was really good!

One other thing I got see in Tuxpan was the market (below). They have stores there in Tuxpan--like general stores really, but they call them Farmacias (Pharmacies), whether they dispense medications or not. But they have markets too. They are sort-of open air, in that they are covered but don't have doors on the entrances. There are booths set up, and it seems that they are permanent booths. Perhaps the vendors rent them or something I don't know, but they have a meat section and a fruits and vegetables section and all kinds of other stuff. It was pretty neat to see that! You don't see those in the states anymore, really! This was one of those times where it felt like the modern times mixed with about 50 years ago or more. It's really weird! And again, really crowded--which you can't really see in this picture, because we were there right before siesta time started (2-4 every day), which is when everyone shuts down to go home and have lunch, relax, or whatever. Then they open back up again around 4:30-5 pm for evening vending hours which generally end later than what we are used to.