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!

Partial January Monthly Update

Well, since I haven't had a ton of blogging going on in February, I didn't want to repeat everything that I've already posted. So, I'm only going to post part of my email update for January. Enjoy the read!

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A Running Start…

Wow! 2008 has started with a bang! January was quite a busy month as we had three teams here between January 6 and 31. The Lord certainly blessed us through these three groups. If you'd like to read more about them, check out my blog entries for the Cy-Fair Ladies, the His Place construction team, and the Winnipeg E-Free construction team.

I would like to include a bit of a progress report on our central church construction. The combined total effect of the hard work of the His Place construction team and the Winnipeg E-Free construction team is astounding! Our central church facility looks like an entirely different place than before they joined us! Here’s what they accomplished:

• All purloins for sanctuary roof were cleaned and painted
• 1st-story floors were poured including bathroom floors
• All walls for 1st story rooms were begun
• Smooth-walled the instrument storage room
• Poured the ceiling/upper story concrete floor over library and nursery
• Began smooth-walling the library and nursery
• Columns were placed and poured and are now ready to support 2nd story walkway
• 1st floor sidewalk has been prepped for pouring
• Parking structure roof was installed and concrete slabs were poured
• Picnic corner concrete slab was poured
• Grey-water pit was completed and concrete cap was poured
• Trailer hook-ups to septic system were completed
• Electrical wiring was completed in the library and nursery. Electrical panel and wiring were completed for trailer hook-ups
• Church name and motto painted on outer church walls: "Centro Cristiano: Crece y Deja Crecer" ("Christian Center: Grow and Let Grow")

We are so excited for how the Lord is providing for this project! Please continue to pray with us for continued provision of funds, materials, and labor, especially for the fabrication and installation of the sanctuary roof. We cannot begin using the facility until the sanctuary roof is in place, which will require a highly-specialized labor team. If you are in any way interested in helping with this project, wither it be through labor or financial donations, please email me and let me know! Thank you!

Mentor Gazette

Sandy and I continue to meet for mentor time. This was a bit sporadic during January due to the short-term teams we had visiting us. However, very often Sandy was here in Cofradía working along side the teams, and we found time to meet and talk during breaks or in the evenings. We have been reading through the book Stomping Out the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson and Dave Parks. In some ways this study has been “back to the basics” for both of us, but at the same time it has been a good refresher course and reminder of simple truths that often get forgotten in the midst of dealing with life and growth. So, we have both learned much, been reminded of much, and enjoyed this study! It’s got us thinking and re-evaluating many aspects of life and ministry, and we’re both quite pleased with how the Lord is working. It’s not always easy, but it’s always good.

Sandy continues to enjoy photography. Though my own time has been limited to work on her photographs, I have been able to upload a few to her ImageKind site so that they are available for purchase. If you would like to see them, you can do so by clicking here. We will continue to add more as we’re able; we have lots of ideas, just not as much time to work with them as we’d like. Thank you for your patience!

I continue to meet with Ana as well; we too are going through the same book. Though not enthusiastic at the start, she has now begun to really enjoy the book and has shared with me that she even talks about it and shares the book with one of her teachers at school who is a Christian. The Lord is working mightily in this young lady. Please keep her in your prayers that she would be receptive to His call to a deeper and more committed relationship with Him no matter what the cost.

Fundraising Needs…

Our ministry is growing, praise the Lord! This also means that we are experiencing increased interests in staff internships and increased flow of ministry visitors, all of which we are extremely grateful for! However, we currently do not have sufficient housing to keep up with this increase. Therefore, we are considering the purchase and renovation of a house nearby to be used for these purposes. In order to do this, we need to raise approximately $12,000 USD to meet the purchase price with additional funds needed for renovations. Please pray for the Lord’s beautiful provision in this need, but please also pray about how you can help us meet these goals. We are excited about this growth and hope that you will participate in it with us. Thank you!

Looking Ahead...

We are excited for the months ahead! We have two youth teams coming in March along with a group of dentists, and a group of Christian mental health professionals are coming in April who will work with us as a staff in training us to deal with various aspects of life and ministry in the mission field. Keep your eyes peeled for updates on these outreaches and training! We are convinced the Lord is working mightily this year just as he has every year thus far, and we are ready to be blessed!

In addition, I’m looking forward to a short trip home April 6-11. I will only have about 4.5 days to visit with folks, so that will most likely happen in the form of social gatherings. I will keep you all posted as the time arrives as far as locations and times for those events. I am hoping to see as many as I am able during my short visit. Thank you for your prayers and support! I would not be here without you! I am so appreciative of all of you. Blessings to each!!

FACE TO FEET
ams :)

Winnipeg E-Free Church: Jan 19-31

Well, team number 3 for the month of January left a couple of days ago. What a whirlwind month this was! PHEW!

Anyway, our third team for January was from Winnipeg Evangelical Free Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. This happens to be the home church for Dave and Kathy (our ministry directors) and of Pete and Faye (who are here temporarily helping out as interns). This was such a great team! They, too, came to work on the new church, and boy did they work hard! They even did some "home improvements" here on the base! This team finished pouring the first floor cement floors, finished cleaning and painting all the sanctuary roof trusses, completed the grey-water pit, completed constructing the parking area roof, poured the parking area concrete slab, the cap to the grey-water pit, and the picnic area concrete slab (to one side of the parking area), poured columns that will support the second story walkway, began bricking the foundation for the first floor sidewalks, poured a slab of concrete at the entrance to the church in order to anchor the doors, smooth-walled the library, began bricking the first floor classroom walls, ran all the electrical wiring, poured a new floor in the church palapa on the base, painted the back base wall, painted a Noah's ark mural in the nursery, and painted the name of the church and our motto on the outside wall of the church.

Grey-water pit

More poured floors

Bricking the walls

Working on the sidewalks

Sandy, Pete, and I working with the cement as the team mixes and pours the new floor in the current church palapa on the base. Sandy was taught to tamp the cement!

Me smoothing the cement along the walls

The finished new floor in the church palapa!

Finished parking structure (grey water pit underneath) and picnic area

Smooth-walling the library

"Centro Cristiano: Crece y Deja Crecer" = "Christian Center: Grow and Let Grow"

Painting the mural -- this is the entrance to the nursery

No, seriously...they really did do all of that!!! This team worked ridiculously hard! It was even neater to watch them go because they were an older team, and at the beginning of the week many of the team members shared that they were nervous that they wouldn't really be able to contribute very much due to disabilities or limitations, etc. But there was something for everyone, and every one of them invested 3,010% into whatever job they were given!! What an inspiration!

One of the neat things we did with this group was that for devotions each night we asked someone from the local church to come and give their testimony! Tonia, Luis, Sandy, Julio and several others shared about how the Lord called them to himself as well as how He has grown them through the challenges He has allowed in their lives. I was especially touched by Sandy's testimony as she chose to focus this time on how God has changed her life in the last two years through answering her prayers for a friend.....that just happens to be me! She and I have marveled before at how amazing the Lord is and how he has used our friendship to change both of us, but it was neat to hear her share her particular story and perspective on the last few years without it being a dialog between us! It was also neat to see how the team members took her under their wings after she shared. They were so great at encouraging her in various challenges that she shared with them that are facing her right now. I know she felt especially blessed by them!

This team not only worked hard, but they had a good time too! One night, we took them over to Tonia and Feliciano's house to have a late-night snack of fried armadillo!! This is actually a very flavor-full meat, and the team devoured what they had prepared! We also took them one night to eat tacos with our favorite taco-vendor in Pilas. They devoured those as well, and with good reason!! Then in the middle of their trip, we took them to San Blas to do the Tovara Jungle Tour and relax on the beautiful beach! What a blast this was! It was especially exciting for me because it was my first time going! I've heard so much about this experience but have never been here when the staff took a team. Sandy also went so that she could take pictures, since that is something she has wanted to take pictures of for quite a while. And she did just that! She took several hundred pictures at the Tovara and at the beach! And it was a ton of fun all around!

Arriving at the taco stand in Pilas

Enjoying the best tacos ever!

The Tovara Jungle Tour is a boat tour up a natural, fresh-water spring that runs through a Mangrove. These are the kind of trees that "walk". They grow up and then their branches shoot roots back down to the ground. Once those roots have taken root in the soil, they break off from their mother branches and become new trees. They're amazing! In addition to the mangrove, there is a crocodile farm nearby that releases the crocodiles into this fresh-water spring. This farm was started a while back because the croc population in the area was waning. So, as we boated up to the head of the spring, we saw not only beautiful varieties of birds, iguanas, and even a boa constrictor, but also CROCODILES of various sizes!! The best one was found right at the head of the spring. He was HUGE and has to be the granddaddy of all the crocs in that area!

Loading up the boats

Mangrove

We encountered these during our tour. Apparently folks used to live here, though we have no idea how long ago! Cool!

The granddaddy crock!

At the head of the spring, the tour company has created a swimming hole. Of course, they have fenced off the area so that the crocks can't enter into the swimming area, but it's always a possibility to be swimming in the water and see crocks swimming on the other side of the chain-link fence! There is a dock out in the water that attaches to the walk-way and a swing hanging from a tree for throwing yourself into the water. There are also bathrooms, tables, and a little snack bar.

The swimming hole

Sandy and I in the boat heading back to the beach

We stayed there and swam for about an hour and then headed back up to the start of the tour where we then loaded onto the bus and headed to the most beautiful beach about 1 km away from the Jungle Tour. There we stayed for several hours enjoying soda, sun, and fun in the Pacific Ocean! Sandy and I spent our time at the beach taking photos.



There were rock formations there and even an abandoned house on top of one of the rock formations. Seeing it made me think of Jesus' exhortation that we build our house on the rock and not on the sand so that when the storms come we will continue to stand strong. It is obvious that this house has seen it's share of storms, and though it's missing a roof and doors, etc. (for being abandoned), it's still there and still has a rustic beauty to it!

The house on the rock

Finally, we headed back to Cofradia for dinner and rest and a few more days of work. On Thursday, Jan 31, they headed to Puerto Vallarta for some Mexico-tourist fun before heading back to Canada and the -40 C temperatures!!! What a great team this was! I had such fun with them, and we are all so thankful that they were able to come and share in this ministry with Dave, Kathy, Pete, and Faye and to encourage the local body through their work and their conversations!

Interesting Mexican Food: Tejuino

Sandy and her Tejuino

So, living in a foreign country inevitably means having encounters with foods and drinks that I would otherwise never know existed. And of course, wanting to adapt to the culture in which I live, I generally try to keep an open mind and try things at least once, even if it doesn't look so appetizing or "normal". Well, this afternoon after church Sandy, provided me with a notable experience with a very Mexican beverage. It's called "Tejuino" (pronounced: teh-hWEENo). Here is my response....

BLECK!!!

This is a cold, iced beverage that is made from fermented tortilla dough, lime, and salt. Of course, I didn't think to ask what was in it before I tasted it or I probably would have passed on this particular experience. Oh well...live and learn. Of course, I suggest that if you ever get the chance to try this beverage that you give it a try for yourself. But, needless to say, I will never be drinking Tejuino again!

His Place: January 8-18

The His Place team came down from Washington state again this year to do construction for ten days! It's been a busy month so far. This team arrived two days after the Cy-Fair ladies, so for a week we had two teams here at the same time! Thankfully, their activities didn't overlap!

This team did so much work on the new church facility! It's looking like a totally different place than it did when the month began! They spent a lot of time pouring concrete among other things. They poured several classroom floors as well as the ceilings/2nd floors over the library and the nursery! These are the first floors poured for the second story of the education wing! They began digging the foundations for the sidewalk and worked on the grey-water pit. They ran electrical wires for different rooms and hooked them up to the fuse boxes, and they began constructing the parking area for ministry vehicles! On top of that several of the ladies on the team spent their week cleaning and painting steel trusses that will eventually form the sanctuary roof!! What hard workers these folks are! They come every year just for construction and they always amaze us!

Finishing a newly-poured floor

Digging the sidewalk foundations

Constructing the parking area

Pouring the 1st second story floors

Working on the electrical

Working on the grey-water pit

But they didn't JUST work. They had fun too! These folks love to fellowship with the local church body. Just like we do with all teams that come down, they had the opportunity eat a meal in local homes, which they look forward to every year. And of course there was the annual Arrayanes church hang-out day. Their first Sunday here, their cooks, Judy and Yvonne, made taco soup, and we took it all to Arrayanes in the afternoon to hang out with the Arrayanes church. There was lots of soccer and frisbee-throwing, lots of visiting and getting to know one another more, and of course the delicious food provided by Judy and Yvonne. This was such a relaxing afternoon and a ton of fun, but it was a precious time for friends to be together once again!


Another fun thing we did with team was take them to a rodeo in Arrayanes. This year they came earlier than normal, so the were here during the annual town party in Arrayanes, which is January 15-16. During this time, the whole town of Arrayanes takes off from work and parties. The town roasts a pig and cow, they have bands come in and host dances, there are rodeos, and lots of drinking and having fun. So, we took the team to the rodeo on January 16, the main festival day. It was a lot of fun. I must admit I'm not a big fan of the rodeo, but we all had a really good time there watching the bull-riding and dancing horses and listening to the band (which was REALLY loud)!


Then on Friday afternoon, we took the team up to Mojocuautla to visit the town and to see where Jay and Faith are now living (since this is Jay and Faith's home church). The Cy-Fair ladies accompanied us on this trip as well. It was a very sweet time, and very eye-opening for many people. I know I had my eyes opened when I saw Jay and Faith's new house. I admire them so much for what they are doing now that they've moved up to the Cora village, and seeing their living conditions just makes it more real just how much courage and faith it is requiring of them to obey this call of the Lord's, not to mention how much prayer, support, and encouragement they need from us to keep walking forward in this. Wow!

Jay and Faith's house in Mojocautla

And then at the end of the week, the final fun activity was their annual taco night. For this meal, we take the whole team and all of the locals they choose to invite (which usually ends up being much of the Arrayanes church) to Pilas (the next town over) for tacos with our favorite taco vendor! He makes the meal specially for this team, and they always end up eating a sinful amount of tacos! This year I believe they finally passed the 1,000 tacos mark!!! Yowsers! But this night is always a ton of fun, and the air is always energized by just how much people are enjoying themselves. To top it off, the churro vendor was in town, so some of us went and bought churros as well for our dessert. What a way to end the week!

All in all it was a very enjoyable week of work, fellowship, and relational ministry! The Lord has blessed us immensely through this team, and we're looking forward to having them back again the next time they come!