Update on youth support request

Recently I posted about several youth who are in need of financial support. Well, I have an update. Two of them were Sandy and Lupe, cousins, who were planning to attend YWAM's DTS in Mazatlan. While Lupe continues to prepare for her time in Mazatlan and grows more and more secure in the knowledge that this is God's will for her right now, Sandy has decided that this is not the time for her. Therefore, she will not be going to DTS and will no longer need financial support. This was a very difficult decision for her to make, but she has expressed that she has a peace now that she never had before, and we believe that she has made the right decision. We are excited to see how the Lord works in both these girls' lives. I believe that He is preparing them for big things in His Kingdom work...please continue to keep both of them in your prayers and please seek the Lord in how He might use you to help Lupe...and Julio as well...as they continue to trust in His perfect provision and guidance!

Random stuff

So, yesterday, a woman from the church named Angelita (Gela for short, the g sounds like an h) was here cleaning my appartment, as she does every week. I stepped out for a moment to speak with one of the other stuff, and in the process a turantula decided to emerge from whatever hole he had been living in. So, I took a picture, so that you may see what "companions" I have.

Thankfully, they live OUTSIDE my appartment because my appartment is so well sealed and closed off! It is the place I am least worried about being stung by scorpions or finding snakes in my shoes. And while spiders and cockroaches and tiny baby toads seem to be able to get in from time to time, a turantula would have a hard time doing the same. Gela decided to kill it and said it wasn't the first she has killed while here cleaning for me. This wasn't the first time I've come across them here on the base, either. Shortly after I arrived here, I walked out onto the base after dark one night, and there was one just to the side of the sidewalk, though I didn't see it until after I passed it and heard it move..that was shocking! And during my visit in September, there was one perched on the outside of the screen to my bathroom window! Thank goodness for that screen!! I'm told their bite isn't as bad as that of a scorpion, that it's more like a bee sting, but I certainly hope I never have to find out! Please keep our protection from "animalitos" (little animals) in your prayers. I've heard four or five stories in the last week of scorpion stings, and I'm told that this is when they are out the most due to the rains. Please pray that the Lord would protect the local people here and that when the scorpions or any other animals do come around, that he would make them visible before they have a chance to harm anyone.

On a nicer note, yesterday I was driving to Arrayanes for family group, and the sky was just so amazing that I had to take some pics of the clouds.

I love big puffy clouds like that! Especially when they add such depth to the landscape! You will notice two roads here in these pics...this is the end of Cofradia and the beginning of the dirt/gravel, pot-holed road to Arrayanes. I would like to point out that back before the rainy season started, NONE of that grass was there...you could not tell that the road to the left was in existance back then! It's amazing how rain changes everything....something to ponder. :)

Sandy went to Family Group last night, and it was quite enjoyable. We had a good time goofing off with her aunt Erika, who coincidentally is only like 6 months older than I am (!), while we waited for everyone to arrive. All of the Family Groups right now are practicing teaching the scriptures through story-telling format. They had a conference on this during the summer while I was in the states. The premise is that in oral culture, the best way to make spiritual application and teaching stick is to share it in an oral fashion--through stories. So, the conference teachers gave us lists of stories that span the Bible, and each week one or two persons in each group share the next stories and share the spiritual application that they have gleaned from it. The great thing about this approach is that those who can't read are able to participate and apply the scriptures as well, not only in their own lives but they are also equipped to share the Word of God with others too! It's pretty neat.

After Family Group, Sandy and I headed back to her house to find Lupe in order to go find Favi and discuss details of prayer group. Things will be changing a bit and we need to make some decisions. When we arrived we found this cute little scene:

This is their dog, Arnold, and their new female puppy, Sweetie. Now, they also call her Julia (j sounds like an h), because initially they couldn't say Sweetie very well--I came up with that one, cuz she's just so sweet looking and in temperment. At first Arnold wasn't so sure about her, but they are now fast friends, so this was just too cute last night! Sweetie, loves Sandy to death..she'll follow her around, and as soon as Sandy picks her up, she'll hunker down and fall asleep. It's really funny because the puppy was given to Sandy's youngest sister, Aide (pronounced I-day). Sandy picked her up after I took that picture of the two dogs sleeping, and she just made herself comfortable...it's really quite cute!

Just some random things I thought I'd share!

Youth Support Requests

So, there are several youths here who are embarking on journeys, pursuing directions in which they feel the Lord is leading them right now...but they need help. The following support letters were written by the staff here in Cofradia: Sandy and Lupe's by Jay and Faith, and Julio's by Steve. Please pray about how you might be able to help as you read through their support letters, whether through prayer or also through financial help.

Sandy

Sandra was the first one of her family to become a Christian. As a 13 year old she began attending church alone. As Sandra began to change and grow in Jesus, the rest of her family began to believe. First her younger sister and then her mother accepted her invitations to see the good things that were happening at church. Now her whole family has become Christian due largely to her testimony. Sandra is now one of the core youth in the church: she plays in the worship band, has completed the four-level discipleship course, and continues to be a leader in all she does. The Discipleship Training School will build on those strengths while challenging her in new areas. Though Sandra is not sure what her future holds she believes that thsi school is the next step in her journey.

Sandra says, "I would like to attend the Discipleship School in Mazatlan because I believe that God has a purpose for me there, physically and spiritualy. Being there I will be able to be in a more intimate relationship with God, learning from Him, changing character issues in me. I will also be able to communicate this treasure, the Word of God, to other people. I wold like to know people, places, and things that here in this little town I have never known before."

Lupita

Lupita is orginally from Guadalajara where she grew up in an emotionally dysfunctional family. Amidst a lot of yelling and verbal abuse, she left her home for a visit with her cousins in the little town of Arrayanes. There she attended church and youth functions and felt God touch her life. When she received Jesus in her heart she was weeping not only for the pain in her life but also because she knew that her family would reject and ridicule her for becoming a Christian. Reluctantly, she returned to Guadalajara. Less than a year after returning home her father became sick and eventually died from liver failure. Through it all, she stayed strong in her faith even without a church family to support her. Lupita is back in Arrayanes and growing more than ever. She leads the worship in Arrayanes and is becoming a leader in the youth group. Her desire is to be used by God and minister to others who have struggled as she has. This school will strengthen her and give her the tools to do just that.

Lupita says, "Today I began thinking about my goals and the purpose of my life. I have one goal and one purpose. My goal is to attend the Discipleship Training School, my purpose is to be transformed by God and to live my life for Him. One of the reasons I want to go to this school is to surpass who I am now, and come to know Jesus more through His word. I want to be a missionary, to experience other languages and cultures, and to preach the good news about Jesus. I believe that through this experience God will also strengthen me to be able to share with my own family so that they could be saved."

Julio

Julio Hernandez's is one of our youth and is studying in High School at this present time. His father, Gollo, is Pastor here in Cofradia, and he has three other brothers; two of which are studying as well. Steve, writes: "I believe 100% in this young man. I have written numerous times about him in Newsletters, Ministry Updates, and on our webblog, and I have mentioned him when we have spoken at churches. He is GOLD. His desire for the future is to finish High School, go to a Bible Institiute, and come back here to Cofradia to be the Youth Pastor...He is turning into a great, fun leader and will make an awesome Youth Pastor. I have been praying for an intern to work along side of me, and he is quickly becoming the person.


How Can You Help??

Each of the girls (Sandra and Lupita) will need to raise $3000 US to cover the cost of tuition and the outreach phase of Discipleship Training School in Mazatlan. Julio will be studying in High School for three years, and he will need $1500 US for each year, which would be $150 a month.

Would you be interested in helping with a one-time gift or monthly gift? It would be completely tax deductible. You can send gifts to Alternative Missions, and we would be able to withdraw the money here from the account.

If you desire to write a check, then simply make it out to "Alternative Missions", and on a SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER write your designation: "Sandra DTS", "Lupita DTS", or "Cofradia Student Scholarship: Julio".

Another option is to make your donation online through the Alternative Missions website. Your online donations are secure, consistent, and automatic. If you choose this option, on the form there is a drop-down menu that asks which program you would like to donate to. Simply choose "Special Project", and in the text box underneath type in "Sandra DTS", "Lupita DTS", or "Cofradia Student Scholarship: Julio".

Please pray about how you might help these students. We believe very strongly in each one and see the potential in them to be used in great ways in the kingdom work going on here in Mexico. Thank you for supporting the Body of Christ in Mexico in this way!!

Sandy...

Sandy and I have started meeting once a week for mentor time. So far we have had some really great discussions, and she has been very honest with me....I'm totally honored and excited about this opportunity. I see a lot of potential in this young lady, but she is at what I believe is a crucial point in her spiritual walk right now, and she needs lots of prayer. Apathy is a hard thing to battle. Not only that, but there are a lot of issues going on in her home right now and between her and her cousin, Lupe, who is living with Sandy and her family. But I am confident that the Lord has great plans for all of these folks, and He never gives up on us! So, Sandy and I are pressing on. We will be choosing a book of the Bible to study initially. I would really love to go through The Sacred Romance with her and have ordered it in Spanish. However, it has not yet arrived, and she has agreed that at this stage in the game, she needs to be digging into Scripture more. I have also tasked her with praying through and writing down some goals that she would like to place for this mentor relationship. She informed me yesterday that she has decided on goals, but is still thinking about a book of the Bible....WAHOO!

I have told her from the outset that my goal is to challenge her in any way I can. I believe the Lord has so much for her, which means sitting around doing nothing is not acceptable. It's amazing for me to have the opportunity to see how she responds to the Lord's move in her life, whether it be through me or through other people and circumstances. What a precious gift it is to get somewhat of an inside view of how God changes the world for one person in order to change the world through that person!

Please keep Sandy and I in your prayers: for me, wisdom, insight, and gentle boldness; for Sandy, a receptive, responsive heart and the willingness and desire to press forward in all that the Lord directs her to be and do.

Settling in...again...

Sunday afternoon, between services, was spent unpacking and settling in. I had cleaned out the dead cockroaches and unpacked my clothes on Saturday night, but I was so exhausted that that's about all I got done before I fell asleep! So, Sunday I worked on unpacking everything else...decorative things, office type stuff, arranging furniture, etc.. It's really nice now. I liked my appartment before, but this time I like it better because it feels more homey. The stuff I have to hang on the walls hasn't been put up yet because they aren't technically my walls, so I don't want to put holes in them until I know what the owners have in mind, but otherwise there are touches of home, touches of me, touches of comfort this time around, and I feel much more at home this time around. Most of the homey touches are in the kitchen and living rooms. My bedroom looks pretty much the same except for the presence of lots of books on one end table and a lot more clothing (to my great relief...I was getting tired of those 6 shirts..haha).

The chair is a new addition. It was in the room I lived in back in March. It's not being used, so I swiped it! It adds a nice touch to the room, not to mention extra seating!

Light and airy...and there's even a painting on display in the corner that I bought in Chapala at an artisan market

This is definitely different. My fridge was so empty before, but I went home with the goal of bringing back magnets and magnetic pads and pictures to hang...I like it!

This is pretty similar, except this time around I have a table cloth. It doesn't match anything, but it makes the room feel less sterile, so who cares!

Complete with flowers in the center....these come from a tree on the base...and they smell divine!!!

There are still numerous things I need to purchase for the place, including food! But I'm making due until I can make a trip to WalMart and Sam's in Tepic...oh glorious day that they are SO CLOSE! Only an hour away!!!

Back in Cofradia once again....

So, that leaves me with the latest for this post. I returned to Cofradia on Saturday, October 14. Friday, Oct 13, was spent watching movies with Sally and Angeles and then packing. I have recently purchased the new version of Pride and Prejudice (forevermore P&P) and The Lake House came to Blockbuster in Guad on Friday, so I bought that as well, because we all know just how much I LOVE that movie! So, we watched those two movies because Angeles had never seen either. It was very enjoyable...then packing ensued. Also that afternoon I spoke on the phone first with Mili, who is visiting family in Guad still, and then with Lupe here in Arrayanes. Lupe informed me that Mili had told the family I would be returning on Monday instead of Saturday, and since no one was home when I called (except Lupe), she said she wouldn't tell Sandy so I could surprise her again....hehe....I love surprises!

So, after dinner on Friday (very late, as usual...did I mention that in that house we usually ate dinner around 9-10 pm??), we played cards one last time. And then we hit the sack, since we had an early morning. Saturday morning bright and early, we loaded all my stuff in to Jer's car (which we had borrowed because we couldn't fit people AND luggage into one car), and everyone else piled into Romel and Angeles' car. After dropping me at the bus station, they were going to head to Awanas in El Coli, which is a regular Saturday outreach activity that Jer and Kelly have kicked off in that area. However, due to bad directions by some guys at the first bus station where we stopped, we ended up driving around for 2 hours looking for the right bus station to catch the bus line I needed. But I finally got on the bus and on my way around 10:30 a.m. and was in Penyas around 2 p.m.

The view from my bus window, just outside of Tepic
Oh! Mexico is BEAUTIFUL!

Faith was waiting to pick me up and we headed to Tuxpan to run a couple errands, and then home we went. On our way home, we talked about a great many things (because she and I never run out of things to talk about! I love that!!), and we noticed up ahead the storm clouds hovering over the area where Arrayanes and Cofradia lie. I noticed this the last time I visited too, but it's amazing because when it rains, if you're watching the storm from a distance, it looks like a huge cloud descends upon where the storm has hit....you can see it in the pictures..

Notice that the mountain in the distance disappears on it's right...that is the storm that was descending upon Arrayanes at that moment...

Just to the left you can see what look like stripes in the clouds as though they are coming to the ground...yah that's the rain!!! Rainy season here is amazing!

We arrived around 3:30 p.m. just before the rain came to Cofradia. It actually wan't super strong here. I don't know about in Arrayanes, but not bad here. However, it was the first rain I'd experienced here in Cofradia...it was a little weird but cool! I unloaded all my gear from the truck and into my appartment (which was full of dead cockroaches, by the way), grabbed a few things, and around 4 pm headed to Arrayanes with the 15-passenger van (a first for me..driving one that big that is!) to surprise Sandy, and then later to bring a few folks back for an appreciation night at Steve and Gena's (for the leaders that helped with El Reto). I went to see Favi first, and then she accompanied me to Sandy's house. When we arrived, she walked in first, and I followed. I wish you all could have seen Sandy's face...she just lit up like the sun at sunrise and had the hugest smile on her face. Of course it wasn't as surreal as the last time I surprised them, cuz they knew I was coming at some point soon, but still...it was a grand moment! We talked for a little while and caught up some. She and I made plans to get together yesterday to talk about stuff going on and about mentorship stuff (she asked me about a month ago to be her mentor!), and then I headed back to Cofradia with the leaders.

Sunday service was glorious! This was my first Sunday in the churches since being back in the country, since I left before services last time. Gollo's sermon was WONDERFUL. He talked about the different kinds of seed we can sow and what we need in our hearts and lives and minds in order to sow well as well as the types of seeds we need to be seeking to recieve from the Lord in order to be able to sow in the lives of others. It was such a great message. It really reminded me of where my focus needs to be for this missionary thing--well in life in general, but specifically being here in this capacity. Prayer is absolutely essential. Nothing will happen without it, and I will never have the right focus or approach if I am not first grounded and centered in prayer. And second comes my relationship with the Lord. I will sow what is in my heart....if it's not Him, then it's something NOT Him, and that is not acceptable. My relationship with Him must be right FIRST before I can sow anything in the lives of other concerning their own relationships with Him, or lack thereof....it was a wonderful reminder and touch from the Lord. He has such a way of doing that for me on my "first" Sunday's here....Oh what a precious and personal God we have!

Graduation

For our "graduation", level 4 class decided we would like to have the Taquisa come to the school and we would have our graduation there. The Taquisa is this group of people that you hire for events. They will go wherever you want them to, and it's like $50 (pesos), which is like $5 US, per person, and it's all you can eat! We were very excited about this, and we decided to do graduation on Monday, October 11 (the same day as Peter Piper Pizza), since that week was just quizes and final exams. So, we showed up on Monday, took tests and quizes and then everyone (all students and teachers and thier families) waited around for the Tacisa to come. They were supposed to arrive around noon and we would begin eating around 1 pm. However, they never showed..apparantly there was some mix-up over confirmation. So, we ordered pizza instead.

Regardless of what we ate, it was a lot of fun just hanging out with everyone. Level 4 (minus me) played a new board game taught to us by Jen and Sandra. It's called Settlers, and it's a fun game! If you can find it in stores, then you should check it out! Others played Killer UNO or Dutch Blitz. I spent most of my time socializing with the teachers, and Erika and I took a trip to an English bookstore near the school, where I bought her birthday present and a journal for Mili who really needed a good journal. There was also much goofing off with cameras and such. Despite the mix-up with the food, it was a wonderful time of fellowship and fun and laughter! Enjoy the pics!

Level 4 playing Settlers
We had so much fun playing games that those who are still in Guad have started a game night! How fun!!

Angeles and Pastor Moi had a good time too! And their families joined us as well, so it was party-time all around!

Sally and Caleb, Pastor Moi's oldest...they are a couple of goofballs! I promise!

Moillito (which means little Moi, since he has the same name as his dad) is Pastor Moi's second oldest. He's also a goofball, and both he and Caleb are quite talented musicians!

This is Jackie...she graduated the session before mine, but stuck around to help out with the school. And help she did! She was WONDERFUL! A true example of a servant's heart! Thanks for everything Jackie!

Even the babies were having a good time being monkeys under the tables!

Oh the locas (that is crazy in the feminine)!

What can I say? Friends....there's nothing like good friends!

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!