Fiesta time...and then goodbyes...

So, when Sally and I first arrived in our new home in Guadalajara, Romel and Angeles kept telling us that normally their house is full of people on Thursday nights after church. The church we attended with them is called La Carpa. That means The Tent, because when the church first started meeting they litterally met inside a big tent and couldn't think of another name for it. Since that name was pretty well stuck by the time they built a solid building, they continued using it. I think it's a great name for a church and has a lot of spiritual implication attached to it, actually...

But anyway, Pastor Moi is pastor of La Carpa, as well as another church called La Roca (The Rock) which meets underneath his house about an hour away. La Carpa has services on Sunday nights at 6 (MST) and Thursday nights at 7 (MST), and then the youth group meets on Saturdays at 5 pm (MST). Also attending this church is the family of Chayo and Luis, Erika's parents--their family includes Erika, her sister Leslie, and their older brother Israel. Romel and Angeles kept telling us that their house was always full after services on Thursdays with the families of Pastor Moi and of Chayo and Luis. But the whole time that Sally and I were there, they never did this! One Thursday Caleb and Moillito, the sons of Pastor Moi came over to have dinner with us after the service, but that certainly wasn't a house full. The week before I left, Sally and I challenged them on this, so they invited Moi's family and Chayo's family over for dinner after the service. It was a last minute thing, so there wasn't much prepared other than beans and tortillas, but we all had quite a good time! We girls (Sally, me, Christina, Erika, Leslie, and Melly) moved the love seat outside the front door with a card table. We ate there and played Killer Uno until everyone left.

L-R: Christina with Jair, Erika, Me, Melly, Leslie, Sally
We had all we needed for a good time: Uno cards, food, and COFFEE!!! with Vanilla Siced Chai creamer...thanks Daddy and Kathy! They all loved the creamer!

The house was packed to bustin', and everyone had a great time! We laughed a lot and played cards, and just had a good time. It was such a beautiful night: the air was cool and the moon was full. I really enjoyed the fellowship time with these wonderful friends. They really feel like family to me, and that is such an incredible blessing being so far away from my friends and family back in the states! I couldn't have ask for more!

Well, we also planned to do this again the following Thursday which was two days before I left to come back to Cofradia. Only this time it was planned, so everyone had agreed to prepare food to bring. The thing is that afternoon there was this incredibly freakish storm with hail and high winds and everything!!! It was quite insane. I took a video of it. If I can ever figure out how to post a video on here, then I will, but until then, these pics will have to suffice...

Rain, hail, and wind outside looking out the front window

Josue watching the rain out the back door in my room

Our power went out as a result of the storm and was out until 7:45 the next morning. The picture of the flame is one I took of the candle we had in the middle of the table that night. We went to church, though a little late (as usual), and hardly anyone was there. It was a very intimate setting for worship and study, and it was perfect for my last service at the church. I really enjoyed it. After church, even though we had no power, the families of Moi and Chayo still came over for dinner and we celebrated well, though by candlelight. It was pretty cool. When it was time for everyone to leave, there were hugs and well-wishes all around for me, since it was the last time I would see those dear folk. Each one of them is precious to me, but it was hardest to say goodbye to Erika. I miss her dreadfully already, but I know the Lord will bring us back together for visits in the future...it's just the waiting that stinks. :)

After everyone left, Romel and Angeles went to Oxxo to get coffee and desert (since we had no power for the coffee maker), and we proceeded to play Phase 10, another card game that we enjoy at home. It was a really great night, and I really enjoyed have all the people I care about the most all in one place, especially by candlelight.

The Day of the Virgin of Zapopan...

So, I don't know about in the rest of the country of Mexico, but at least in Guadalajara, they have this holy day called the Day of the Virgin. See, they have this statue of the Virgin Mary that travels around to different churches, and when it arrives they have a huge fiesta day and everyone congregates at the church to honor the virgin and take communion, etc. Well, this happened last week..the day after exams ended...in Zapopan, near to where our house was. It was very interesting. Basically downtown is pretty much closed off to buses and traffic because millions of people will descend upon whatever church has the virgin. It was a big deal. I didn't go to the church to take pictures for myself, but I took some of the TV news when they flashed pics on the screen..check this out...




We had some interesting discussion in my house about this form of "idol" worship, because in essence it's what it is. In one of our classes in the school we started reading about different aspects of the catholic church and their dogma and doctrines. It's really sad to think about the fact that many of the people have no idea what the church really believes behind their practices. But this is a very interesting aspect of Mexican culture because it is about 99% catholic, especially for us as Missionaries. The Mexican people make a definite distinction between the Christian church and the Catholic church. It's a little jarring for my US mentality to hear that distinction made, but there is a definite distinction in belief and practice, at least here in Mexico, between the two, and it is something we confront every day. Please keep this country in your prayers that the Lord would break through the strongholds of ritual and idolotry to soften hearts to the truth of His gospel of grace!

Out and about...

So, on the first day of finals, the children of Pastor Moi and his family (Caleb, Moillito, and Melly), Erika, Christina (an american student living with Pastor Moi and his fam), Sally, Leslie (Erika's sister), a few other people from Pastor Moi's other church (La Roca...The Rock...he has two churches), and I went to a place called Peter Piper Pizza. It's basically like a grown-up version of Chucky Cheese. It was a lot of fun. The particular Peter Piper where we went was near the house of Moi which is like at least an hour from where Sally and I and Erika and Leslie live, so we all spent the night at Moi's house with Melly and Christina. We ate pizza and played games in the arcade-type area. They even had DDR in there!!! It was lots of fun. Erika and Melly spent the night earning tickets....crazy how many they won..we were there until everything closed down, so they didn't get to cash in their tickets for prizes, but I think they plan to do so next time.

Erika, Melly, Leslie

Christina, Sally, Me

We headed back to Moi's house, but first, we stopped to drop off the couple other people from the other church. They own a bakery and at night they make birotes (a type of bread they eat here...very yummy). Since it was night when we dropped them off, they invited us in to see how they make it. This particular bakery makes it all by hand. It was really amazing to see them mixing and kneading the dough by hand and then also to see how they get the dough into the huge oven (basically all the space behind the back wall of their house) and how they get the baked bread out. Then we headed back to Moi's house, but during the trip, Melly and I ended up torturing Erika a bit...tickling and all that kind of stuff. We were laughing so hard, and at one point, she ended up in the floor of the suburban we were in.

Erika in the floor of the suburban

It was quite histerical! Once we arrived back at the house all the young people (Caleb, Moillito, Melly, Erikca, Leslie, Sally, Christina, and I) stayed up until 1 am playing Killer Uno...I'm telling you that game is highly addictive and is catching on quickly here in Mexico!

It was quite an enjoyable experience, and it was really great to spend some more time with Moi's kids. I saw them every week at church, but didn't have much opportunity to spend real time with them until the couple weeks before I left. But we enjoyed hanging out all together and had quite a good time. I'm looking forward to future opportunities to get back and visit everyone and to continue to get to know them better and build those relationships up in the Lord! How amazing it is to have this opportunity to know so many different parts of the body of Christ...GLOBALLY!!! It's mind-boggling, but it's wonderful! Perhaps it's just a taste of what we will know when we are all together in Eternity one day....

Ta da!!!

Ok, everyone....I'm back in Cofradia with a 24/7 internet connection. This means that I have finally gotten around to updating the last several posts with the pictures I promised a month ago. So, go back and check them out. There are more posts to come, but patience is a virtue, and waiting makes the reading that much sweeter! More to come so keep your eyes peeled!

Erika...

Erika and I in front of a fountain in downtown Guad....oh what a friend the Lord provided in her!

So, there is quite a lot to catch everyone up on! I'm sorry I haven't been able to get this blog updated in so long, but I'm going to attempt to do that now, so enjoy the updates.
have found another really great friend.

God continued His incredible goodness to me while in Guadalajara! Remember I told you about Erika, a young lady of 23 years who works with the school and whose mom was one of my teachers? Well, she and I hit it off quite well. We decided about a month back that we needed to have coffee and get to know each other better. The first time we sat in Starbucks for 5 hours talking and laughing. The following week, we did it again...only for 6 hours. The following Monday was a day off from classes and we decided to go downtown. I had never been, and she knew her way around pretty well, so she agreed to be my guide. Plus it was another excuse to hang out and go out together, etc. We were downtown for about 7 hours walking around, talking over lunch and coffee, etc. I think we might have done coffee again that week, but don't remember extremely well. We did however, go downtown again about a week and a half later; we were there for several hours, and then she came home with me and spent the night. The day after she and I and Sally joined up with several girls from the church to go to an amusement park called Selva Magica (Magic Jungle). Then the last week of classes we went downtown several times to have coffee, to talk some more, and to just get out and spend time together. I truly believe she is a kindred spirit, and the great thing is that she's just as crazy as I am! I know it's hard to believe...but believe it anyway!

A picture of downtown Guadalajara. There in the center is the cathedral that I talk of...The Basilica of Zapopan.

Erica, my "guide", in front of the Basilica of Zapopan (aka the cathedral)

This is a picture of the inside of the Basilica of Zapopan. I had the chance to go in and it's amazing. (Zapopan is one of the city's surrounding Guadalajara..it's where I lived).

One bell tower of the Basilica from my vantage point! It is grand, that is for sure!

The first time we went downtown, we checked out several plazas, the cathedral, and a HUGE market called San Juan de Dios. Ok, that was HUGE...several floors and anything and everything you could possibly want to buy. At one point, we found ourselves on an upper level but had NO IDEA how we got onto a different level because we had never taken stairs or anything! It was a surreal moment...and we had quite a good laugh about it. Of course we bought coffee (we are both coffee adicts..) and then later we got some lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken and talked for a couple hours. We got cold inside so we headed to a plaza next to the cathedral (the plaza just below the cathedral in the areal shot above) there in downtown to continue talking before heading home. While we were there, a march started coming down the road between us and the cathedral. I don't know if anyone has heard about the chaos going on in the state of Oaxaca right now, but it's a mess, and the president has talked of sending in federal troops to help manage everything. Well this march was a group of people from Jalisco (the state where Guadalajara is) in support of those in Oaxaca who do not want any governement interferance. Just behind this group of folks there came another group...younger folks dressed in black with their hair in spikes, etc. You get the picture I'm sure. This group decided to turn back to another plaza around teh corner from us but also next to the cathedra. That plaza is called The Rotunda, or The Plaza of Illustrious Men, (to the left of the cathedral in the areal shot above) because there are lots of statues of famous figures from Mexican history. All of a sudden this group of youth started running full force across our plaza with the police in hot pursuit of them...and for the next half hour or so, there were police cars and federal police cars, etc, comeing from all directions to the Rotunda. Turns out they had been spray painting the statues! It was an interesting experience, that's for sure because we had no clue what was going on! Shortly thereafter, it started getting dark and we decided to head for home...only while waiting for the bus, a rain storm hit, and we got soaked! Oh, there's always an adventure!

The second time we went downtown...the day she spent the night...we were walking past a fountain near a museum downtown (the fountain in the plaza behind the cathedral in the areal shot above), when we caught the spray from the fountain on the wind. It was so refreshing that we decided to sit for a while on the fountain and enjoy it! While sitting there, some guy decided to ask me out. He had been passing through the plaza, and saw me I guess, so he returned to ask me where I was from, but then left when found out I wasn't European. But then about 10 minutes later, he returned again and asked for my number so that we could go out and he could practice his english and show me around the city, etc. It was an interesting interaction. Of course I said NO! because I'm not THAT crazy and certainly don't have a death wish or worse....but Erika and I had QUITE a good laugh at that. He never even LOOKED at hear, though she was sitting right next to me, and he was very persistent. But he finally gave up, and we just laughed our heads off! I think that's the first time in my life that has ever happened!!! Oh the adventures!

The last time we went downtown, was the day of final exams. I had finished early, and she didn't have to teach or take care of babies, so we met downtown early for coffee and brunch and chat time before heading to school to meet up with all the teachers and their families (all of whom go to the same church as I attended in Guad) to go out to lunch and celebrate. I also needed to pick up my visa from immigration (I had to extend it because they didn't give me the full 180 days in the airport when I arrived). So, we sat down to drink and eat and talk in a plaza across from the Federal Palace, and found ourselves swarmed by pidgeons...it made me think of what my other friend Erica always says about how she hates Pidgeons because they are like rats with wings..haha! They enjoyed our doughnuts greatly, and we had a good time feeding them until they started sarming. There were a couple interesting-looking ones. It was an enjoyable breakfast.

Erika feeding the pidgeons

This "friend" had some funky legs there and the most modern hair-do of them all!

Miss Prim and Proper definitely strutted her stuff and had attitude with the fellas. Very enjoyable to watch her.

Erika and I had a bit of a gift exchange that last week. Her birthday is November 1, so I had given her that Monday her present....a copy of Little Women in English (for her practice with English). She loves the movie Little Women, and she is looking forward to reading the book. Then Tuesday she gave me a card for my graduation. She wrote in the card that God must have known how much she needed to know me during this time, but I think He knew how much we needed each other, and I think we're both eternally grateful for this friendship that has blessed us both. I never cease to be amazed at how perfectly the Lord meets my needs even when I am unaware that the need exists. How wonderful to have such a loving and detail-oriented God!

September-early October Update

Hello to all from Guadalajara!

Well, October has begun, and sometimes it's hard to believe that fall is arriving! I find myself missing the colors on the trees and the cooling of the weather, but this time of year in Mexico is quite enchanting in its own way as well, so I am enjoying it while I can. Guadalajara is MUCH cooler than Cofradia right now, and since I will be returning to Cofradia in just over a week, I'm trying to enjoy the cooler weather while I can!

September has been a busy but enjoyable month! It started off with a visit to Cofradia! I was able to surprise the girls quite well--they were speechless for many minutes, but it didn't take long for us to all start in on catching up on lost time! They spent the night with me one night that weekend, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely! It was wonderful to see everyone again and I'm looking forward to being back there full time, though the nerves are beginning to grow a little stronger as well. Please keep my return in your prayers--safe travels and smooth transitions, etc.

Speaking of the girls, though, I wanted to update all of you on Sandy and Lupe; the last I heard they had both said they would like to pursue attending YWAM Discipleship Training School in Mazatlan in January, and the missionary staff in Cofradia is working on trying to raise support for them. I'm still in the process of trying to find out how that process is going, but please keep these two in your prayers. They need peace from the Lord and strength to follow through in obedience no matter what that may look like. I know that Sandy is experiencing doubt and attacks of apathy. She is still waiting on the Lord, but I know that this has been quite a discouraging time for her. Please keep them in your prayers.

Another exciting thing is that Sandy has asked me to be her mentor! I'm very excited for this opportunity and to see what the Lord has in store for her! The potential in her is very obvious but whether or not it is realized has a lot to do with her! Please keep that in prayer as well--wisdom for me, and a willing heart on her part. I've also had the chance to spend lots of quality time with her younger sister, Mili, who is visiting family here in Guadalajara. We have had a good time hanging out and talking about anything and everything. It is an opportunity that I have not had much of with Mili in Cofradia, so I've been taking advantage of it. However, this time has been difficult for her because her fam here is not Christian nor are any of her friends. She also has not yet found a church here. So, please keep her in your prayers during this time as well.

September has also been a month of celebrating--lots of birthdays AND Mexican Independence Day (Sept 15-16). It has been quite an enjoyable time of cake and cultural experiences! I've also had the opportunity this month to get to know a Mexican girl named Erika. She is 23 and a teacher in the school, though for young children. We have enjoyed our time together, and it has been very encouraging for my heart to be able to develop the kind of friendship we seem to be enjoying! Both of us are quite "loca" (spanish for crazy, in feminine form because we are girls!), so we spend hours upon hours talking and laughing. I'm so thankful to the Lord for the people that he is puting in my life here in Gudalajara, especially. The support and love and friendship are amazing, and they are filling in the gaps created by being so far from all of you. It's amazing to see how the Lord meets my needs in such specific and loving ways..and so creatively as well!

Exams are upon me in my classes. Next week is only three days of quizzes and final exams, and then we're done. Our graduation ceremony is actually on Monday after classes are over. I'm looking forward to celebrating and fellowshiping with the rest of the students as I have not had much time with them during these couple months. We are all enjoying Killer UNO (it's quite addicting and all the Mexicans who have learned this game LOVE IT) and Dutch Blitz and Phase 10 (all are card games) these last couple of weeks, so we're looking forward to good food (tacos!), good fun, cards, and fellowship! A few days after classes end I will be heading back to Cofradia and jumping in!

Well, my time online is running short, so I will sign off now. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Know that I miss each and every one of you and am so thankful for your love, support, and prayers! They are such precious treasures for me and I'm so thankful for what you each add to my life!

Grace and peace to each of you!

FACE TO FEET
ams :)

Transportation Adventures...

Ok, so some adventures I have had using the public transit system here in Guad!

1. About a week after I arrived, Jay and Faith came to Guad to do some shopping. They called me up and we were able to put together a time and a place to meet up to go have dinner and see each other since we hadn’t seen each other since June! However, I had only been in the city a week and had no clue where anything was, so I had to take a taxi to meet them—a little expensive, but worth it! The catch was that I met them at Wal-Mart in a large plaza area of the city—no biggie, everyone knows where that is. However, then I had to take a taxi home to my little residential street. The taxi driver new the area of town, but didn’t know where my street was and he wouldn’t listen to my directions once we arrived. So instead of turning left onto my street at the intersection, he did a U-turn and headed back the way we came. Then he turned onto an ally and asked a girl how to get to my street. She told him something completely wrong because here if you ask for directions and the person doesn’t know, they won’t tell you they don’t know; they’ll just tell you something and you’ll end up more lost. Well, he kept going and turned onto another alley that thankfully dumped us out on my street almost across from our condo complex, and I was able to point to where he needed to drop me off….but oh! The stress I felt when I thought he had gotten us lost AT NIGHT in a city I didn’t know simply because he didn’t believe me when I told him to turn left!!!

2. Heading to Cofradia, I had to take a bus. No big deal! You can get direct busses to Penas which is only about 20 minutes from Cofradia! Well, after classes, Lisa, the director, took me and another girls to the bust station, but instead of leaving us in the bigger station, she dropped us in a smaller one next door—none of us realized there was another one. Anyway, this smaller one had about three bus lines that it serviced, and they all went to Tepic. The woman at the counter told me I could buy my ticket to Penas when I got to Tepic, but did not tell me that I couldn’t get it on that bus line. I just thought I had to catch another bus from the same line to get there. No No NO…this bus line has it’s own bust station in Tepic..very small, and does not go to Penas. SO..I had to take a taxi to the central bus station and buy a ticket to Penas there. So, I got to Central Bus station and lugged my two suitcases and my computer bag (one suitcase was going to stay in Cofradia) to the TAP counter to buy a ticket..they definitely go to Penas. But they didn’t have a bus leaving for another hour…they directed me to Pacifica, a couple counters down…more lugging of heavy suitcases, and Pacifica tells me their bus doesn’t leave for another hour. But they also inform me that Sonora del Norte has a bus leaving in ten minutes….so I lug my heavy suitcases all the way to the OTHER SIDE of the terminal to buy my ticket and finally was on a bus to Penas. Faith was supposed to meet me to take me to Cofradia, however the base truck dropped a shock earlier that day, so she couldn’t come for me, which meant I had to take a taxi. However, no Cofradia taxis were there, so I had to pay 100 pesos to get to Cofradia instead of 60 pesos! But I finally arrived, and all in one peace! Getting home was much easier. Taxi to Penas (20 pesos!) and then a direct bus all the way to Guad! And Romel picked me up! Yea!

3. Today I went to pick up Mili to hand out. She’s been here a few days now and today was a free day (no classes), so we made plans to hang out. But she doesn’t know my area of town (called El Batan), though it is very close to hers, so I went for her instead. Angeles went with me first to the bank and then the post office to pick up a package from my fam, and then I took a taxi to Tabachines, where Mili’s family lives, and met her at the Civil Registration building. Then we were to take bus R-641 back to my area of town, only several km away! The first one we took was SO FULL that when we tried to get on, we couldn't get pass the stairs! And the crazy bus driver started to drive off with us on the stairs and the doors open!!!!! So, we precariously jumped off that bus pretty quickly, and decided to wait for another. However, there are several routes for the 641, and we didn’t pay attention to which one we got on, so we ended up heading back to where Mili lives instead of where I live. But that’s ok, we finally got off and got back on a 641 bus that was headed to El Batan, all was well until I realized (as we were about to get off the bus at my street) that I couldn’t find my keys! The condo complex is gated, so I had to have a key to get in, plus I LOST MY KEYS, and had no idea where. Since I had waited a while for Mili to meet me, we thought maybe I had set them down at the Civil Registration building..so we decided to GO BACK to Tabachines to look for them—but no luck..they weren’t there! So, then we returned once again to El Batan, where I called Angeles and she opened the gate for us. Then when it was time for Mili to head back home for the night, we waited for like half and hour for a 641 bus to pass…that is not normal because that bus has a lot of units on each route…we finally got on one, and about 2 stops later, it picked up everyone and their mother getting off from work or coming home from school…when we got to our stop in Tabachines, we almost couldn’t get off because the bus was so packed! But we did finally push our way through and disembarked from the bus. I took another bus home and Mili took her bus to her house and all ended well, but oh the afternoon we had!!!

Yea for public transportation!!

Celebrations Abound!

Sept 13 was Josue’s 2^nd birthday. So, we had a party! Jeremiah and Kelly (missionaries, and youth leaders at La Carpa, and best friends of Romel and Angeles) came over with their daughters, and we grilled hamburgers and had cake. So, just a little sidenote, apparently Mexicans like to eat their hamburgers with ham as well and also with guacamole!!! YIKES! I had mine with just plain cheese! Lost of fun!

Angeles made the cake. I don't know what kind it was, but it was DANG good!

Josue blowing out his two "candles"...they were actually matches!

The family: Romel, Jair, Angeles, and Josue

The Frey Family: Jeremiah (Jer), Kelly, Emma, and Anna Grace

Friday, Sept 15 was Angeles’s Birthday, and it was also the day of El Grito (“The Shout”), which is the day before Independence Day (Sept 16). I don’t really know the history very well, but at some point in Mexico’s history, some president ended up making himself dictator, and finally someone yelled for freedom—that is El Grito—and the day after they declared independence from the dictator and and began to overthrow his gov’t, etc. They celebrate El Grito way more than the actual independence day—For El Grito, at about 11 pm, the president comes out and gives a speech and yells three times, “Viva Mexico! Viva Mexico! Viva Mexico!” And it’s a big deal!

Well the same day was Angeles’s birthday, so that night, we went out for dinner at a really nice restaurant called El Tango near where the school is. It’s an Argentinian restaurant and it’s in a little plaza. Well they close off the plaza for El Grito celebrations and they have this huge street fair with rides and games, etc. all in the street. They have a beauty pagent type thing for the local neighborhoods and elect a queen of El Grito, and just all sorts of fun things. They also had fireworks! So, I was finally able to use the fireworks setting on my camera, and it worked really well!

The "family" outside El Tango: (L-R) Jair & me, Angeles (in her birthday finery...care of Romel), Romel & Josue, Sally (my US roomie)

Josue as cute as he can be at dinner...those sugar packets were SO entertaining..they saved the evening...YOU try eating at a nice restaurant with active 2 and 4-year-olds!

Sally and I in front of a gazebo in the plaza

Jair riding a ride

I am extremely pleased with the fireworks setting on my camera! Wow!

We really enjoyed dinner and then went out to the plaza to walk around, etc. Jair got to ride on one of the rides, and we just enjoyed it all….LOTS of people crammed in that plaza, but tons of fun. Then we came home and opened presents that Sally and I had for her. Romel had given her money to buy clothes, which is what she wanted, so she bought the dress she’s wearing in the picture. Sally got her the watch she’s wearing, something she’d been wanting for a while, and I bought her the vase, also something she’d been wanting. The only vase she has really only holds a couple of stems of flowers, and her larger one had been broken by the kids some time ago. So, I got her the vase, and we both got her some flowers, and we had a great time watching her open up her presents and enjoy them!

A watch from Sally

A vase (in Spanish = florero) from me.

The girls: Sally, Angeles, and me!

Then on Saturday, we slept in, and spent the day relaxing. At one point we went to a really nice bakery and bought Angeles a berry cheesecake..it had strawberrys, raspberries, and blackberries, and was absolutely delicious…and I don’t even like cheesecake!!! We had a good time eating that up, and that night we played Uno, only to find out that we’re now addicted!

Sept 17 was Romel and Angele’s anniversary! They have been married 7 years! They decided that we should all go to Chapala as a family for the day. So, we slept in late (because church service is at night), and then got ready and headed to Chapala, about an hour away. It’s very close to Ajijic, which is home to the largest population of Americans outside of the US. Lake Chapala is also the primary water source for the entire city of Guadalajara, which has anywhere from 7-11 million people living in it…depending on what areas you count! We had fun walking around an artisan market, and I was able to buy some souvenirs, especially some artwork in a style that I just love! Then we had lunch at a restaurant owned by some friends of the family. That was a lot of fun too!

Lake Chapala....or a piece of it anyway

Yah, in Mexico, they serve fish with heads intact...I took this picture just as Romel was about to eat the eyeball you see on the right....argh!

Enjoying homemade icecream in a plaza nearby...a great end to a great day!

We finally headed home, but too late to go to church, so we ate dinner, and then decided to play more Uno…only this time I taught them Killer Uno….we have all decided we like Killer Uno better and we’re seriously addicted. We played again tonight, and I believe there are plans to play again tomorrow….so much fun!

Visiting Cofradia...

Well two weeks ago I went and visited Cofradia! We had a free day on Sept 8 (no classes), so after classes ended on that Thursday, around 12:30 pm, I headed to the bus station to go to Cofradia for the weekend. It was about four-five hours before I arrived, but it was wonderful to be there! I was shocked speechless to see how different things look there in the rainy season! It was seriously like a tropical rain forrest! Everything was green and lush and just beautiful! There was grass and bushes where there had not been anything but dust before! Whole streets looked completely different! So different, in fact, that a couple of times I was walking streets I new pretty well, wondering if I’d taken a wrong turn! It was marvelous!

These two are of a hill between the base and Jay and Faith's house

This is of the view between Cofradia and Arrayanes...I really do enjoy the view on that drive even if the road is terrible!

Thursday night I arrived and had dinner with Jay and Faith and their kids, and then Faith took me over to the base where my apartment is. We opened it all up and made sure now strange or dangerous animals had taken up residence and then she headed back home! It was very strange to be there truly alone! Dave and Kathy are on furlough right now in Canada, so everything is off and empty and locked! It was a little eery at first, but oh well! On Friday morning I headed to a store to buy some food because there was NOTHING in the apartment since it has been empty since I left in June. None of the local people knew I was coming so it was so fun to walk down the street and see them do double takes and then shout out, “Hola Ambar!” as they realized that their eyes were not lying and I really was there in front of them! I got so many hugs and had some fun conversation catching up with friends that I’d made during my internship!

I then headed over to Steve and Gena’s to talk with Steve about the youth events going on that weekend. He and Gena were in the states while I was there before because their second daughter was born in the April/May time-frame. I communicated with them some over email and blogs, but this was the first time we’d gotten to sit down and talk about the youth and what is going on this year and ideas, etc. Anyway, Friday night was the Youth Family Group, and Saturday was El Reto, which means “The Challenge”. It’s kind of a mix between Amazing Race and Survivor, but this particular time it was set up like Amazing Race. You can read more about it on Steve’s blog. So, we talked for several hours and I had lunch with them and just enjoyed catching up with them! Then I headed home to shower and get ready to go surprise the girls in Arrayanes. They had no idea that I was visiting, which was the whole plan. In fact, two weeks before I had called and talked some with Sandy and told her I wanted to try and visit but had no idea when; directly after that I called Faith and began to make plans. She spoke with the girls’ mom and got permission for them to spend the night with me on Friday night, but the girls had no idea.

So, Faith and I headed to Arrayanes to pick up the youth for family group, but we went early so as to have some time with the girls before we had to participate in a group event. I arrived at the door, and Lupe was the first to see me. Her cousin had come running to tell them that I was there, but they didn’t believe her. Anyway, Lupe’s eyes almost popped out of her head and she screamed and jumped up to hug me. Mili and Sandy were in their bedroom and heard Lupe’s yelling and came out to see what was up. They saw me but it took a minute for it to register that I was standing right in front of them. They had looks of shock on their faces for about 10 minutes and Sandy kept saying, “Am I dreaming? Am I dreaming? I can’t believe you’re right here!” We sat out in the yard and talked some, and I told them about the slumber party. So they packed their things, we picked up the rest of the youth, and off we went back to Cofradia.

The overnight was tons of fun! Lots of talking and catching up until 3 in the morning! And then we did more on Saturday until it was time for El Reto. I was able to have some really great conversations with them corporately about what the Lord was doing and challenging them in some things, and I was also able to have some one-on-one time with Sandy! Oh it was so good for my hear to see them and spend time with them again. I have talked with them throughout the summer by phone, but nothing beats personal, face-to-face time with those you love! What a blessing that trip was!

El Reto was a blast, and it ended in Arrayanes. This particular one was modeled after Amazing Race. I had an activity to monitor, which was that the teams upon arriving at the base had to count all the bricks that make up the sound closet for the church palapa. The answer was 577. Steve had thought this would be the activity that took the least amount of time...it ended up taking the most! One team was there for almost an hour before I finally just gave them the answer..they were within 2 of the right answer anyway. But there were several times when other teams had come to me with answers of 575 or 576 or something else really close, and I had to tell them NO...but it was a lot of fun and the kids seemed to enjoy it immensly. From everything I hear it was a time of lots of growth both in numbers of kids coming to youth activities as well as personal and spiritual growth. I even found myself being challenged in certain ways!

The youth counting bricks to the sound closet

Since Favi had been working with her husband all day on Friday and Saturday, I tried one last time while El Reto was finishing up in the church. Finally, she was home, and when she saw me, she screamed and came running out the door. She hugged me so hard and she started crying! Apparantly she had not realized way back when I told them I was leaving that I was also coming back and for two years! She was very glad to hear that on Saturday night, though! She wouldn’t let go of me the whole time we were walking and talking! Oh how I missed her too!!! She made me a tortilla cloth while I was gone, too! So, now I have one from her too. This one however, is an actual tortilla cloth and it is stitched rather than painted! So beautiful!

Check out the stitching on that! It's so beautiful!

Then Sunday morning I headed back to Guadalajara, tired, but filled with contentment! I’m very excited now to return, but I’m also excited because Mili is visiting Guad right now for a month or so!! I’m really looking forward to getting some time alone with her. For some reason it was much more difficult to get time alone with her during my first months here—I spent more time with Sandy and Lupe individually, so I’m looking forward to getting lots of quality one-on-one time with Mili while here in Guad. In fact today, she came over for the afternoon, and we had a wonderful time catching up and talking about “stuff” etc. We also laughed a good deal over our bus adventures! I’m looking forward to meeting her family here and just hanging out!

God is good!

Update on the Fam...

For those of you who have been praying and asking, thank you. My family continues to “hang in there”. The last couple of months have been extremely tough in all ways: emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc. My uncle finally passed away on Friday, September 8, and the memorial service was on Sept 14. The same weekend that my uncle passed, my youngest brother was in crisis mode, and ended up in ICU for several days. However, praise the Lord, he is out of the hospital and seems to be doing ok: taking it “one day at a time”. He is talking with one of my aunts and her boyfriend about possibly moving out to Chicago

Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for them. I heard that my grandmother has also been sick during this time which is also hard—for her as I know she hates to feel burdensome, but also for the rest of us because every time she is sick, we worry! My step-mom tells me that my aunt is continuing to recover from the last couple months since my uncle’s accident. His son will continue to live with her for his senior year of high school and then plans to attend VCU. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to grieve and learn to go on with life. My uncle David was a wonderful man, and he will be sorely missed, but we are all rejoicing that his suffering is over and he is with the Lord now, waiting for us to join him one day in the huge party up in Heaven!

Introducing....

So sorry I haven’t updated in quite a while! I have not been able to use the internet on my own computer, so it’s been a little tedious to do the whole blog thing. But I have finally found an internet café where I can use my own puter, so here goes!

So, I arrived in Guadalajara on Aug. 23, and was wisked away to my new home (until October when I return to Cofradia). My new family is named Garza: Romel and Angeles, and their two sons Jair (4) and Josue (2). I also have an American roommate: Sally, from Nashville, TN. All of them are lots of fun, and we have a good time. Our most recent passion is Killer Uno! Man, watch out, cuz when the four of us get going, the going gets ROUGH! Romel and Angeles LOVED Uno before, but now that I’ve taught them Killer Uno, they tell me that Killer Uno is “la onda”, which is basically slang for “it’s the bomb diggidy!”

Romel and Angeles
(the g sounds like an h)

Jair

Josue

The House...Interior C-7 (the door on the right)

My room
I'm on the bottom and Sally is on top

The living/dining room and kitchen
There's a second floor too, with 2 bedrooms a 2nd bath, and a little sitting room

Language classes began Aug 28. The school is about a half-hour drive, and almost an hour away by bus. Normally Romel drives us all in the morning—Angeles is one of our teachers—and then we take the bus home—or rather two busses! It has been quite a challenge for me to learn the bus system, but I think it’s finally starting to click! One of the girls from Cofradia is here in Guad visiting family—Mili, the youngest—and I had to meet her in order to bring her to our house to hang out, and I did it ALL BY MYSELF! This was the first time, and we did alright! There was of course adventure involved because I can’t seem to leave the house by myself without encountering adventure, but we enjoyed it anyway! I’ll write a separate blog about transportation adventures!

Anyway, Angeles is one of our teachers, and then we have Lisa, the director and our grammar teacher; Chayo, and Moi (short for Moises—Moses in Spanish) who is also the pastor of the church that we as a family attend. It is called La Carpa, which means The Tent. Chayo’s oldest daughter, Erika, also works at the school. She teaches classes to young children, when we have them (usually when there is a family attending classes), but since we have none right now, she is taking care of Lisa’s 2-year-old, Valerie, as well as Josue.

My Level 4 class
Front L-R: Sandra (Missionary in Guad) & Alyssa (living in Tepic after school--near me!)
Back L-R: Caleb, Jen (Missionary in Guad), Josh (Photographer in Mexico), Me

Pastor Moi with Josue
Moi is my Translation teacher and pastor of La Carpa, the church I attend

Me and Erica in the kitchen at school
She is QUICKLY becoming a VERY good friend! We each finally found another as crazy as we!

The Lord has really blessed me by putting some stellar people in my life here in Guadalajara! I’m enjoying their company, their laughter, their teaching, and their encouragement! This has definitely been a time of relaxing for me in many ways, and I feel as though the Lord is filling me up as well as building up a solid support system that is bigger than just Cofradia! I am so blessed!

Aug-Early Sept Update

Hey everyone!!

Well, I´m in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and things are going well. Thank the Lord my trip went really smoothly, and I´m now in my second week of classes. I am living with a wonderful family and another American student from Nashville. My ¨family¨members´names are Romel and Angeles Garza and their two sons Jair (4) and Josue (2). I am really enjoying getting to know each of them. They have been such an encouragement and a blessing to both Sally and me in the last couple of weeks, and they are very easy folks to live with!

I am sorry it has taken so long to send out a decent update email, however, I´ve had issues getting into the internet cafe in order to do so. However, here I am, and here is the update!

Classes are going well, and I am beginning to slowly figure out this city'--orient myself, that is. It´s VERY large, and we use the buses, something I´m not used to, so it is taking some time for me to figure the whole thing out, but it´s all beginning to find a place in my mind, so that is good. I have been attending church at La Carpa with Romel and Angeles and their kids, and I really enjoy the services there. In fact, the pastor, Moises, is one of our teachers at language school! We also work with Awanas on Saturday mornings in Coli, on a different side of the city...some of the American Missionaries from La Carpa have started this program in Coli as an attempt to reach out to a different area. They have about 30 kids each saturday morning, and then on Wedensday nights, they have bible study for the kids AND their parents. It´s been pretty neat so far!

Between that and school and church, there´s not a whole lot of free time, but I´m enjoying every minute of all of it.

I will be visiting Cofradia this weekend, and I´m very excited to see everyone after about four months of absence! The girls right now do not know that I´m coming, so it will be fun surprising them. Faith is also going to talk to their mom to help me try and plan a pajama party without them knowing ahead of time! We have a free day at the school on Friday, so I will take a bus to Cofradia on Thursday after classes, which end at 12:30 each day, and arrive several hours later. This means that Friday I will be able to attend the new youth family group they have started up this year, as well as the youth activities on Saturday night, called El Reto. This is sort of like a combination of Survivor and Amazing Race that they have done with the youth last year and now this year. It seems to be very popular amongst the youth and effective in getting kids to attend youth events. I´m looking forward to being there this weekend and experiencing all this for myself! Please pray for a great time of visiting and catching up as well as safe travels...

Also, please keep my health in your prayers and today I have not felt well at all due to a cold starting up. The first couple of days are always the worst, with sore throat and low-grade fever and just all around feeling miserable. But the cold has been going around, so I guess it´s my turn. Please just pray for it to pass quickly and be my only health speed bump for quite some time.

I also wanted to give anupdate on my uncle. The reports I keep getting from my family go back and forth. Most of the doctors say that David is not doing well and there is nothing more they can really do for him; however, the one surgeon that has been holding out great hope this whole time is still hopeful that David can recover almost fully and wants to continue treatment. Please pray for miraculous healing in David´s brain as well as comfort, rest, peace, and wisdom for his wife (my aunt, Sharon) and his son (Michael). This has been very tough on them, obviously, and use all the support we can give them. David is still being medicated and kept in a coma. He has a catheter to try and drain fluid off his brain that continues to collect and cause increaded pressure in his skull, and there have been issues with infection and inflamation. This is still quite a rough road in the process to getting David to a stable condition. Please keep it all in your prayers. Thank you!

I wish I could post pictures, but I am not able to use internet on my own computer at this time. But I promise that as soon as I am able, I will post pictures as well.

Well, blessings to each of you and thank you for your prayers and support!

FACE TO FEET
ams :)

arrived

hello everyone! i don´t have time to write a whole lot right now, but i wanted to put a post up and let you know that i have arrived in guadalajara, and the trip went very smoothly. the family i am staying with is very nice, and the mom actually teaches at the language school! we´ve had some good converstation so far, and i´ve enjoyed their two sons: jair aged 4 and josue aged 2. they are dang cute, that is for sure!

anyway, i am resting up and unpacking. i am trying to soak up the next couple of days of down time and really enjoy the rest time becuase i know things will pick up once classes begin on monday. please pray that this will be a rejuvenating time.

i´ll write more soon...thanks for your prayers!

Brave...

The gate is wide
The road is paved in moderation
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground
You're safe and sound and
Until now, it's where I've been

'Cause it's been fear that ties me down to everything
But it's been love, your love, that cuts the strings

So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave, brave, brave

I am small
And I speak when I'm spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all
I say your name
Just your name and I'm ready to jump
Even ready to fall..

Why did I take this vow of compromise?
Why did I try to keep it all inside

So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me wanna be brave, brave, brave

I've never known a fire that didn't begin with a flame
And every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if you believe in me, that changes everything

So long
I'm gone

So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me wanna be brave, I wanna be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me wanna be brave, brave, brave

BRAVE!

By Nicole Nordeman, from her album Brave

~~~~~~~~~

I love this song! There is just so much in it that makes me go YES! It hits the nail on the head on so many issues that I think we as Christians face daily, but so often we're just too afraid to take the fall or the leap and get out of the middle ground into the Promised Land. Thank you Nicole!

The Skinny...

Well, I leave ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! In fact, one week from right this minute, I'll be in the air between the US and Mexico! CRAZY!

This past weekend was my last real weekend in Fredericksburg. I'll be up in Stafford this Saturday night in order to be at church on Sunday, but that's it. So, last night (Monday), there was a get-together at my friend Jen's townhouse. My small group friends all came over, and we had great fun eating, laughing at the special few who got doused with water in unfortunate locations, and playing Scene It Squabble, a game I have heard so many things about but have never been fortunate enough to play with this group of folks. So, they arranged for us to play it last night. I enjoyed it! Can I just say that I LOVE my small group! I'm sad that they are no longer meeting together as such, but I'm so overjoyed that the Lord has built up those relationships and that we/they will still be hanging out as friends for much time to come!

Chip and Katy, Becky and Matt, Jen, Noelle, Bethany, and Madison!

I also got to have dinner with a very precious girlfriend of mine from work (pre-Mexico). This month actually makes it one whole year that we've been friends. We met while suffering through proposal work on our contract last year, and hit it off immediately. The Lord has just blown my socks off through knowing her. Every time we get together and talk I walk away with this incredible joy and excitement and this deeper and more profound amazement at who God is and just how amazing He is at work! Because every time we talk I'm given these massive glimpses into God actively at work, and it's always stupifying to behold! So, we had dinner last night. It was WONDERFUL! We have been missing each other and playing phone tag (or phone stalk) all summer; this was the first time we'd been successful in getting together, and we talke for about three hours. Then I had to head to Jen's for the good-bye get-together. But I got to see her again today when I went in to the office to terminate myself--aka, quite my job! HALLELUIAH! I'm so glad to be done with that STUPID BOAT! But while I was there I got to see all sorts of friends that I made while working there the last two years, and I drove away thanking the Lord for the relationships and people that He placed in my life as a result of that job. I certainly have no regrets from my time there, and I'm very thankful for it!

The rest of this week will be crazy busy: another dinner date tomorrow night in Fred before worship team practice. Friday I have a dentist appt in Fred in the morning and then will see another friend from college and meet her youngest child! Then Saturday night my family and I are having dinner in Fred (again) with a cousin and his wife, and I will then spend the night in Stafford so as to be at church bright and early. After church I'm heading straight home to continue packing and being with my family before flying out on Tuesday, Aug. 22. In the midst of all this traveling, there will be the purshasing of final needs, trial packing, figuring out what to do about the stuff that doesn't fit, lugging stuff to my grandmother's basement, final packing, final details, and finally saying goodbye to folks around here in Richmond. I'm not sure how it will all get done, but I am confident that it will, and that it will get done well.

Update on the fund-raising! PRAISE THE LORD! I'm somewhere around 75% of my goal! He has just been showering me with provision in this way. I finally let go of the reigns and it started pouring in, and even from folks who originally didn't think they'd be able to do monthly support! HOW INCREDIBLE IS OUR GOD! My funds went from 32% of my goal to 75% of my goal in TWO WEEKS! So, I am now at the "safe" point for my time in Guadalajara--meaning there will be no savings or whatnot, but at least all my bills will be paid. And if no more were to come in, I would be a little over the safe point for after my return to Cofradia! It is comforting to see on paper (and in the bank account) the provision for every need coming true! Thank you, Lord! My goal is still to reach the 100% mark. We have certainly gotten closer, but please continue to keep that in your prayers!

Folks are definitely being generous in the one-time gift department as well. I'm overwhelmed by the generosity being litterly lavished upone me! My needs are being met in ways I just didn't think possible, and so quickly too! So, thanks to all of my supporters, both monthly and one-time! You guys are amazing! I have so much to learn from you. Thank you!

Well, now I must sleep! Long week ahead!

it's coming!....

So, I leave in less than two weeks! I can't believe the time is coming so quickly! I keep getting more and more excited, and just can't wait to get back there!.....exciting things! Please pray!

Undeserving...

So...I've recently been overwhelmed by the amazing and undeserved goodness of God.....again! I don't know why I'm surprised, but I do find myself amazed by that...maybe because very often my experience of His goodness is accompanied by a deeper understanding of just how undeserving I really am which makes me aware that the gap between what He is and what I am is even wider than I originally thought and that His grace is even more amazing that I could have imagined...

I had it out with God last weekend, and much came out concerning my frustrations with trying to raise funds for getting back to Mexico. In an online conversation with my friend and mentor and fellow staff-member in Mexico, Faith, on Monday night (while at the wonderful Townhouse), I found myself trying to figure out why I got so truly angry with the Lord....I'm still not entirely sure, but I found myself summing it up to the Lord by saying, "It's just a lot, Lord. It's just way a lot." And in that moment, I heard Him respond,

"Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." ~Matt 11:28-30

And I realized something....my frustrations in this stem from the fact that I come up against an obstacle and I do everything I can to tackle it. Then I get to the point where I need to step back and let God do his thing, but instead of leaving the burdens on His back where they belong, I pick them up and try to do it all myself. The result is I end up frustrated and disappointed and feeling defeated, and then I get mad at God for putting something in front of me that I simply am incapable of doing...DUH...THAT'S THE POINT, right?!

But I guess in my flesh I find it easier to pick up the burdens I think God is dropping the ball on than to concentrate on NOT picking them up and instead focus on walking step by step with him....learning to take steps the way He does...just like two oxen yoked together. If they don't walk in sync, then things go really badly for the poor farmer. But if they walk well together, then there are straight rows in the ground ready for planting and eventual harvest...and anyway, isn't the point of sanctification to walk more and more like Christ and in tune with Him??? It's not about the tasks, but how we approach them and how we interact with Him in those tasks.....

And when HE carries the burden and I simply walk with Him the way He does, then I find rest deep down inside and I get to watch Him be amazing and then share it with me....

...will I ever get that one right? One step at a time, I suppose...