"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!