New Blog Location

Well, the time has come. I have moved my blog to a different service. I continue to blog, and I would love for all of you who stop by here to click over and keep up with my new blog. This blog will stay in place as an archive of the first two years of this journey/blog history. However, to continue keeping track of my life and times, check out the new and improved "Over the Horizon" at http://amberinmexico.typepad.com. I hope to see you there!!!

"And hope does not disappoint..."

So, I've been reading in several places in the New Testament lately: reading through Hebrews and Acts, and then spending time in 1 Peter 2:4-12 and John 15:1-15 (meditating on the idea of remaining in Him and staying connected to the Vine), and 2 Peter 1:1-11 (meditating on life and godliness). Another passage that has been constantly running through my mind is Romans 5:1-5, which talks about faith and its journey in us towards the building up of godly character and hope that does not disappoint us.

This morning, I found myself in Hebrews 11 and was captivated by the last two verse in that chapter, which says this:

"These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

I have a note written in my margin indicating that when God makes us wait, it's because He has something better in mind, just as these verses tell us that God made the great saints of old wait to see the fulfillment of their promises, even until after death, because He had planned something better. I found myself convicted by the Holy Spirit of my impatience. I know full well how the Lord has plans for me (Jer. 29:11) and how His ways and thoughts are so much higher than my own (Is. 55:8-9), yet I still whine and complain that He isn't giving me what I want in the time frame in which I want it. I heard the Spirit whisper in my heart, "That isn't faith. That isn't hope. Your own impatience is the root of your disappointment, not my perceived tardiness in fulfilling what I've promised to do. Remember, I am not slow in keeping my promise, as some understand slowness. I am patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:7-8)." And as I confessed and repented of my sin of impatience and selfishness and self-centeredness, and as I asked the Lord to make me a more patient person in His divine power, which has given me everything I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1: 3), I was reminded that patience causes us to persevere, and perseverance builds character, and character builds hope. "And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us (Rom 5:5)." And in the end it all works out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Rom 8:28).

Thank you Lord. May your patience reign in me today producing a harvest of righteousness and peace through your loving discipline and perfect planning. Amen!

I learned to make tortillas!!!

Today, Sandy taught me to make tortillas from scratch and by hand!!!! This is so exciting. I learned last year how to make authentic Mexican re-fried beans, but they aren't so tasty without the real-thing tortillas! I have commented to Sandy that I want to make sure that I experience certain things that are natural to life in Mexico that I would otherwise never experience. I don't want to miss out on the real Mexico because I'm too focused on other things. Making tortillas is one of those things! So, here goes the process and pics!

You start by making the dough. You put in the desired amount of maseca, which is the corn flour, as well as a proportionate amount of regular flour (which makes the dough stick together better and also adds flavor to the tortillas). Then you add water and begin to knead the dough until it's the proper consistency. And you knead and knead and knead until nothing is stuck to the bowl anymore and the dough is all together in a nice, smooth ball.

Then starts the fun part. You take the dough in little balls in your hand and roll them around a little and then flatten them a bit. Then you put the little patty, which is called a testal (pronounced "test-ALL"), and you place it in the center of the flattening doo-dad (they call it the "machine"). Then you flatten it really good until it's about the diameter of the machine and not too thick.

A testal

The "machine"

The flattened tortilla ready to be "thrown" on the comal

Once you do this, you remove it from the machine and you put it on the comal, which is the special skillet that they use for making tortillas over an "open" fire. Now, this is the art of it. See, you have to lay the tortilla out without touching the comal and without allowing the dough to fold over on itself. So, you just have to trust that you aren't going to burn yourself and do it with confidence...otherwise it folds and looks ugly.

As you'll notice, I hold the doughy tortilla by the upper third with my thumb just slightly overlapping the edge. This makes for easier "throwing".

"Throwing" the tortilla

The other art to this has to do with the fire. Now, this fire is not propane-fueled. No, we're talking matches and firewood. So, one has to be able to control the heat of the fire under the comal. If it's too hot, they cook too quickly and burn; if it's too cool, they take too long and don't cool well enough. I have not begun the process of learning to manage the fire, but I definitely have a talent for laying the tortillas on the comal to cook.

Once the tortilla is on the comal, then you have to watch it so that you're flipping it and rotating it appropriately (according to the hotter and cooler areas of the comal and the speed of cooking) so that the tortilla cooks completely and evenly without burning. I'm not very good at flipping yet, but like I said...I have a special talent for laying them on the comal. The third art in all this is that you will always have 3-4 tortillas on the comal that you're watching, flipping, and rotating, while at the same time you are flatting out another to lay out on the comal as soon as you pull one off that is done! It's ridiculous! You know the tortilla is done when it inflates, though you'll deflate it a couple times before you take it off the comal.

Deflating a tortilla

Once the tortillas is done cooking, you put it in a pile on a tortilla cloth, and when all your dough is cooked into tortillas, you wrap the stack up in the tortilla cloth and put it on the table for eating.

My beautiful pile of tortillas!!

Sandy and I started to make tortillas after her parents left to take Mily to Cofradia for the start of classes for the week. So, her mom wasn't there to see how quickly I picked up the talent of "throwing" the tortillas. When she got home, she didn't believe us at first that those perfectly round and un-folded tortillas were actually mine!! But as she watched us finishing up, she realized we were telling the truth. Sandy did much of the flipping, since that is a definitely skill all on its own and requires a new level of coordination that I have not yet attained. So, that's why they didn't come out burned! But all in all, I'm told I did an excellent job for my first time making tortillas!! YEA!

Dental Outreach: March 5-7

So, Tom brought down five dentists this past week to do two days of dental outreach both in Cofradia and in Mojocuautla. Last year when these folks came down I was in Virginia, but this year my trip is in April. So, I'm really thankful I get to experience this. It's quite different from regular teams that come down. These folks are pretty relaxed, but man do they work hard and fast! We started around 8:30 both days, and they worked until lunch (and often past the quitting hour) and then headed right back to work until around 5 or so in the evening! They only did pullings and fillings, and in two days they probably saw about 50-60 patients total between the two towns.

They divided into two teams: 2 of them headed up to Mojocuautla each day with a portable dental unit, and three of them stayed here in Cofradia utilizing our dental clinic and a lounge chair from some neighbors. I don't know how they did it in Mojocuautla, but here they did easy pullings in the lounge chair outside the clinic and they also used that chair to numb folks up that would get worked on inside the clinic. Then in the clinic they did fillings and more complicated extractions. They got their system down pat pretty quickly, and things went really smoothly!

I had a good time working with these folks here in Cofradia and getting to know them. They were a fun group of people, and it was neat to see how the local people responded to them as they filled and pulled their teeth. Several of them commented to me that this was such a blessing to them as they sat waiting to have 2-3 teeth yanked from their mouths! And then when they were all done, they walked away smiling with their mouths full of cotton and all numbed up! My mind couldn't quite wrap around it, but it was obvious that these folks really appreciated the opportunity to have an end to their pain...and isn't that what it's all about anyway?

It was neat to meet local people that I had heard about or never seen before. And it was a challenge for me in general, too, because the night the team arrived I completely lost my voice...out of nowhere! So, the first day of dental outreach I spent translating in a whisper!!! But the second day was better, and it continued to improve from there. It was certainly a lesson in patience and perseverance!

I'm sorry I don't have any pics for you, but I'm sure you can imagine. Thank the Lord for dentists who are willing to donate their time and resources to the needs of these towns! Here's to their return!

Spiritual Tenacity

I've been using My Utmost for His Highest (by Oswald Chambers) in my daily devotions for so long I can't remember when I started. I really love this devotional. Normally, I go through spurts: a few weeks using it, months without it, etc. Well, I've been using it pretty consistently for some months now, and I'm really enjoying his insight and wisdom and perspective anew! This morning's devotions really spoke to me. Ozzie is talking about spiritual tenacity, and he draws from Psalm 46:10:

"Be still and know that I am God.

He says that spiritual tenacity "is more than hanging on, which may be but the weakness of being too afraid to fall off. Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero is going to be conquered....Then comes the call to spiritual tenacity, not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately on the certainty that God is not going to be worsted."

Wow! What a powerful reminder. It's so true. He says that the worst fear of man isn't condemnation; it's that we will discover that our Savior isn't as powerful as we have believed and that in the end, He will be "worsted" -- that is, that our hope will be disappointed (though Scripture clearly says in Romans 5:5 that hope does not disappoint).

Oswald goes on to say this:

"If our hopes are being disappointed just now, it means that they are being purified. There is nothing noble the human mind has ever hoped for or dreamed of that will not be fulfilled. One of the greatest strains in life is the strain of waiting for God. 'Because thou has kept the word of my patience'."

That really hit me. I have some hopes that seem to be disappointed right now. One of which is seminary. I thought I would be able to start taking seminary classes later this year through online education and perhaps even finish a certificate of graduate studies. Then this week, I found out that due to limitations in our internet service, that won't be possible. At least not as far as I can see right now. That was pretty disappointing, but I found myself really encouraged by this devotion to remember that the Lord is greater than my limitations, and His timing is perfect: "Be still and know that I AM GOD." And if He is choosing to purify my hopes through this waiting process, then so be it. May His hopes become my own. May yours as well!

As Ozzie closed, so I do:

"Remain spiritually tenacious."

Student Leadership Conference

So, the youth pastors from Cy-Fair Christian Church in Houston, TX -- Brad Pembleton and Dave Chavez -- came down this past weekend for our annual Student Leadership Conference. This is their third year doing this conference, and in March they will bring their youth group for the 6th year in a row! We love having these folks here, and the youth soak up their visits, ministry, and friendships! So, this weekend was really great, as always!!

Brad and Dave came and talked to our youth about the Kingdom of God: where is it and what does it look like? The simple answer is that it is in us as Christians and it takes the form and look of whatever we do to love others and share Christ with them, whether that be through service, through words, through prayer, or even through a simple smile or hug. Of course, we cannot share the Kingdom of God with others until we have entered into that ourselves, and that is only possible by engaging in an active relationship with Christ and experiencing His love and His kingdom in our own lives first. Then we can share with others because it will naturally overflow through us into their lives. Their talks were really great, and it was neat to see our youth participating more in the discussions than in years past! Yea for growth!

They arrived on Thursday...Valentine's Day...and that night we had dinner together with the student leaders for a time of fellowship and then of discussion about the theme for the weekend and their role in conference. This was a really great time, and everyone really had a good time. Then Friday and Saturday we had the conference meetings with the whole youth group in which both Brad and Dave shared with the youth group what the Lord had given them to bring here and teach on.

Brad teaching the first Friday night session using audience participation

More Friday night sessions

Me translating for Dave for the second Friday night session

The greatest activity of the whole weekend, however, took place on Saturday afternoon. After they finished the study portion of the evening, Brad and Dave proceeded to take the whole youth group on a walk through Cofradia. They would stop at different places and ask the youth: "So, what needs do you see here? What can you do to bring the Kingdom of God to this place, to these people and their needs?" This was a really powerful experience. We stopped at the junior high school, at the home of a needy woman in town, at the local bar, and in the town square.

The most impacting stop, though, seemed to be in front of the preschool/kindergarten. On one side of this property (which stands at the corner of two streets that cross), there is a TON of trash strewn on the road. Throwing trash on the ground is fairly common in Mexico, and if you ask people why they do it they'll tell you that it's just what everyone does. This is something that as Americans raised on the mantras "DON'T LITTER" and "SAVE OUR EARTH" we simply can't fathom being a norm of society. But here it is just that. So, when we stopped at this particular location and talked about what this littering communicates, lights started to go on in their heads concerning the theme for the weekend. Brad and Dave shared that littering is a lack of respect...respect for others and respect for God and His Creation. We talked about how His creation is important to Him and to simply treat it as a trash can communicates to Him...and to others...that it doesn't matter. This is the opposite of loving God and others.

It was really great to hear the youth picking up on these truths and beginning to brain storm and "get it", and I really believe that the message got through to them. They heard it, and they took it to heart. Only a couple of days later, Sandy and I were going somewhere in a truck when she threw a candy wrapper out of the truck window....out of pure, unconscious habbit. Over the last couple of years she has improved at not throwing trash on the ground at least when she is with me, but when it happens I call her attention to it and she realizes what has happened. But this time, as she threw the wrapper out the window, she gasped with a contorted look of horror on her face for what she had just done in light of the conversations from the weekend. This was a horror much more profound than ever before. All of a sudden, this time it was personal between her and her Lord. It was amazing, and yet shocking, to watch. God is certainly getting through!! Anyway, it was a really great weekend!

We're excited to have this youth group here in a month for their outreach to the youth. We spent some time planning the Amazing Race activity with the student leaders. It's definitely a stretch for all of us, but it is going to produce some great growth even in us as youth leaders as we step out in faith and believe that the Lord is make this whole thing come together just as He desires it to! Regardless of the activities, we will be taking the Kingdom of God to different towns and people throughout the week that the youth group is here, and it promises to be a really amazing experience for everyone!! Please keep this outreach in your prayers as we all plan and prepare for what God has in store!

Interesting Mexican Food: Capirotada

So, here is installment 2 of the Interesting Mexican Foods series. This time it's a dish called "Capirotada" (pronounced "cap-ee-row-TA-da"). I'm told this is a dish that is typically made during the easter season, although Easter isn't for another month. But whatever....

It's made of tortilla, bread, raisins, nuts, fried bananas, and some other ingredients. I don't know how to make it or how to describe the texture, but it's definitely different and interesting. I tried it the first time about a week ago. Sandy bought some while she was doing housecleaning for me, and she made me try it. I spent about 20 minutes trying to explain the phrase "the jury is still out" when she asked me if I like it or not. I honestly couldn't give her an answer to the question! But then today I tried it again, and I really liked it! One of the differences is that it was cold this time whereas last time it was warm. I definitely like it better cold. I think that there were some different ingredients this time too. But regardless, I can now say that I do in fact really like "capirotada", and I highly recommend it to you if you ever get the chance to try it!