We've Moved!

Nope, not houses... we've moved BLOG SITES.
We will now be posting our blogs at:

http://jp-and-jessi.blogspot.com

MUCH easier to remember this website... Visit us, and we hope you enjoy!!

Movin' Back With the Gringos

As I implied in my blog the other day, my friend Sarah left Queretaro on thursday to move back to Kansas (and wherever college is, I'm so bad, I forgot).

Sarah came here the middle of August for a study abroad semester at the Queretaro state university. The family she stayed with is friends with a lady who comes now and then to Horizonte Church, so Sarah came to Horizonte her first sunday here. Hence me meeting her.

Sarah immediately got involved in the young adults' group at church, and made lots of friends - at church and school. It was great getting to know her and share stuff that I've learned about Mexican culture, missions, and life as a gringa in Mexico. We went to Guanajuato together, went out for crepes or coffee or crepes or ice cream... or crepes... many times, and I showed her how to make Honduran pupusas! Sarah is an amazing Christian lady who I know God will use in great ways, and already has! I was sad to see her leave!

We had a goodbye party for Sarah on tuesday night, at our house. I think there were probably about 30 people in and out of the house that night... And if you've ever seen our house, you know that's a pretty big feat. Especially with the lack of places to sit. hehe

Cinthya, Brisa, Sarah, Ari, and Me (I am SO the old lady of this picture! Everyone else is between 17 and 20!)
Everyone who was at the house when the picture was taken (minus JP who was taking the picture!)

So, we'll miss you Sarah! (jaja, creo que vas a leer esto!)

Being Prepared... Or Not...

This week I saw a side of me that has DRASTICALLY changed in the past several years - planning and being prepared.

On tuesday, we had a goodbye party for our friend Sarah, who has been here for 5 months and just left yesterday. The party was a my house, so I had a LOT to do before it started at 6:30. Thankfully, I had done the majority of house cleaning on monday, but I still needed to bake a cake, make punch, buy paper - cut and decorate that paper for friends to write notes to Sarah on to make a memory book for her, put up signs outside so people would know where our house is, and find some plastic chairs to borrow for the evening. Oh, and I was house-sitting a dog for a few days.

So, by 5:30pm, I still needed to bake the other part of the cake (I made a double layer one, with only one baking pan), put the jam between layers of cake and frost it, clean the mound of lunch dishes that we in the kitchen, rearrange the furniture to accomodate everyone, phone around to see if any friends had chairs to loan, go get the chairs, make the punch, make the "Sarah's party" signs for outside, and find pens, scissors and stickers for people to decorate their goodbye book pages with.

As you may have guessed, it is not humany possible for one person to do all of that single-handedly in 1 hour, which is what I needed to do. It was made even more complicated by the fact that I only had the car for about 15 minutes because JP had to go to his school practicum. But, I located some friends to loan us 4 chairs immediately (thankfully they live close by), threw the cake in the oven, went to pick up the chairs, rearranged the furniture, got stickers etc. for the book, washed all the dishes, took down the dry laundry, put the signs outside (as I found one friend wandering around the neighborhood looking for the signs I said would show the way...) and came back to find Sarah and a few friends waiting outside the house. So, by 7, I finally had the cake finished, and punch made, and was ready to hang out with the 10 or so people who had showed up so far (that in itself was amazing, as for parties like this, many people just come for an hour or so, anytime between 6:30 and like 10pm that they can). And everyone thought it was perfectly normal that I was still working on getting stuff ready for the party.

Yesterday night I still hadn't bound the goodbye book for Sarah, and was at a friends' house until almost 8... Arriving at home, I left to put the book together, and rushed to Sarah's house to give it to her and say goodbye. :)

My week has pretty much been that way... between discipling times, work at the church, housework, (I STILL haven't cleaned the sticky/muddy floor in the house after the rainy tuesday evening that we had about 35 people in and out of our home)... No worries, I was ON TIME and prepared for the discipling times, as those are some of the most important times of my week!

Absolutely Amazing

I've written about "KidStuf" (Cosas de Niños) before, the monthly music and drama program that we do here at Horizonte Church that reinforces the concept that the elementary-age kids learn in Sunday School, and is also an outreach to the community.

Well, in March of this year, we began the second season of KidStuf. Lots of the first season actors and singers were no longer available to participate, so we had a casting. Some kids from a neighborhood close by came to the casting. They are not Christians, but we decided to let them participate anyway, hoping that it could be a way to share Christ with them. There was some controversy in the church about whether or not non-Christian youth should be participating in KidStuf, as it IS a MINISTRY of Horizonte Church. Like, the entire point is spiritual growth for the kids who have a relationship with Christ, and to share the Message of Salvation in Him with kids and parents who don't have that relationship. Generally in a MINISTRY we have Christians doing ministry, for obvious reasons. So this was a big step that we were unsure about taking, but took it anyway.

Over the course of this year, there have been about 10 different young people who are not Christians participating. They learn the Bible verse for the month, and sing about faith in Christ. I've participates on and off during these two seasons of KidStuf, acting and singing, but had to leave it in July because of other activities. But I really love those young people, and they look up to me as well. The girl who leads the choreography is an 18 year-old named Cinthya. (She is a Christian). She's had a HUGE impact on all the KidStuf kids, they lover her look up to her. And she is an excellent example to them of how being a Christian DOESN'T mean you can't do anything "cool" with your life.

This past sunday was the season finale of KidStuf until February or March, when we'll begin the THIRD season. So saturday, the day before the finale, you can imagine that there wer hours of practice going on. I knew that Edith, the coordinator of KidStuf, and Cinthya had in mind to share the Message of Salvation with the young people in a direct way, and give them the opportunity to accept that gift of Salvation and a relationship with Christ. I SOOOOO wanted to be there, but I didn't know when they were going to do it, so I wasn't.

SIX of the young people accepted the Lord on saturday!! Because of their participation in KidStuf, they had a good idea of what a relationship with the Lord is - that it's not really a religion at all, but an actual RELATIONSHIP. And, to top that off, six of the Christian young people (really young, like 13-16 years old!!) met individually with the six new believers to tell their story of what God has done in their lives, and hopefully to begin discipling them! So this was a DOUBLE blessing - to have new believers, and to see our youth begin discipling them!!

I'm so excited to see where this goes. And, if you're thinking "Right, those teens are going to disciple other teens" (which I totally believe is possible!), in case that doesn't work out, there are several of us, like Cinthya and myself, who are totally ready to step in and continue working with the new believers to walk along side them as the grow in their faith!

The end of the good-bye song at the KidStuf finale:


We had hoped to see this day come, when God would touch the hearts of all the KidStuf kids and bring them to a relationship with Him. I am SOOO thankful to see His work in KidStuf!!!

Free Vacation!!

Jean Paul has vacations from work this week, they just told him to pick a week in november to not come to work. We fear that this means he won't get vacation in august, but, oh well. Anyhow, we figured that JP would just relax around the house this week, so I didn't ask for days off at the church. But, on Friday, JP came home saying he had a big surprise, and that we could go to Guanajuato. I was bummed because I knew we couldn't pay for that, and that we really couldn't go. But he had won a 2 night stay in any City Express hotel in Mexico! So we COULD go somewhere for MY weekend (monday and tuesday are my days off).

The closest City Express to Guanajuato is in Silao by the Leon/Guanajuato airport, so we picked that one. We left sunday night to drive out there (1.5 hours).

On monday, we went to Leon. There's a pretty cool zoo there, and I LOVE zoos, so we went!

JP with an anteater (we think... there was no sign saying "Oso Hormiguero," but it looks like an anteater to us!

I LOVE giraffes!

And they have CINNABON in Leon!! We previously pick un Cinnabon anytime either of us has to go to the Mexico City airport for any reason, and we don't have these wonderful goodies in Queretaro, so Cinnabon, plus finding "Nacho Libre" for $4 dubbed in spanish was a great way to end our day in Leon!

On tuesday we went to Guanajuato! I had just gone with my friend Sarah 2 weeks before, but JP had never been, and I enjoy visiting there, so we spent tuesday in Guanajuato!

It was an excellent weekend, and great way to start JP's vacations!! And, the only cost to us was about $50!! We seriously needed the vacation too. JP has been working in the mornings until 3pm, going to his practicum at 5, and school from 7 to 10pm... it's been stressful for the both of us. But being able to spend a couple days doing only things that we WANT to do was excellent!!

So, today, Thanksgiving, we're thankful for the time away... almost FREE!!

And, in a coule hours, we'll be having Thanksgiving dinner with Justin, Lluvia, Job, Yetzi, and Sarah. Three of us are gringos, so having Thanksgiving dinner is wonderful! Justin and Lluvia are bringing a BBQ'd chicken (I did a Turkey with my friend Julia for New Year's last year to take to her leutinent husband and the soldiers under him who were all stationed outside of Queretaro, and I DON'T do turkeys anymore!), mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing, green salad, develled eggs (pretty sure JP, Job, and Yetzi have never had those), blackberry cheese cake, and pumkin pie (with no cloves, nutmeg, or ginger... too expensive. But I tasted it last night and it turned out fine).

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Extreme Adventure!

So, about an hour outside of Queretaro, there's this huge rock formation called Bernal. (<-- click the link to see a picture) There's a cute town below it, and really really really yummy gorditas to eat. And, you can climb up the rock as well. You can go about 2/3 of the way up not even being an athlete or anything. You can go a little further up if you're not terribly afraid of height and have good balance, and to get to the tip top by rapelling. (I've only been to the second level...) It's a nice hike, and not really dangerous. We took some of the students from the Horizonte Church young adults' group up there last saturday... Anyhow, I know that doesn't exactly sound like anything EXTREME... But it IS if you're taking a paralyzed young man up with you!! Rafa is a 25 year old who'd been completely paralyzed from mid-torso down for the past 8 years. He was very active and adventurous before he was paralyzed, so it's been a rough 8 years. Rafa has very limited use of his arms and hands as well, but actually paints quite well, and does computer graphics stuff. Anyhow, he said a while back that he'd never climbed Bernal. So, we said we'd take him (to the base of the rock!), and Juan said he's CARRY HIM UP!!!

So we planned the trip. The guys talked for a few weeks about what would be the best way to get Rafa up there. (Although very thin, Rafa is about 6'2 tall (190cm) and probably weighs about 165 or 170lb, 75kg!!) They figured out the best way to get him up was simply to strap him onto Juan's back. I had serious doubts that Juan could carry so much weight (remember, Rafa can't cling on with arms and legs). But we went.

It took a long time to get Rafa strapped into a rapelling harness that we rented, and get that strapped onto Juan, and get everyone comfortable. I STILL had doubts about the safety and wisdom of this venture...

But we went for it! There were a couple times when we almost quit, but didn't. Everyone helped out - walking alongside Juan to catch Rafa if anything happened, carrying pillows for Rafa and Juan to rest on every 200 feet or so...

And we ALL made it up to the first level (2/3 of the way up the rock)!! AND made it back down safely!!

It was really an excellent day! We are thankful for the opportunity to have been able to get Rafa up Bernal, and get a feel for an adventure again!

For more pictures, see my Facebook page.

Things to Remember This By

The past two weeks in young adults group, Jesus has turned the water into... grape juice? and overturned the money changers tables in... Trawpilandia?

We've been studying the life of Christ cronologically. Each week, we see a different event in His life - from His birth, to going to the temple as a boy, calling the first disciples, etc.

So, two weeks ago, we wondered how we could make the story of Jesus' first miracle something memorable. So we MADE the wedding feast as similar to a wedding feast in Jesus' time as we could, being in 2009 in Mexico...

Short tables and seating on the floor, clay cups, green olives, grapes, pita bread with hummus, grape juice, and even Jewish party music!

We saw how Jesus demonstrated that he was both HUMAN, like us, and GOD, all powerful. Read John 2:1-11, and see in which ways He demonstrated both!

And last week, as the students entered the room (Trawpilandia, the elementary school kids' room, which means the land of growth), they saw tables laying on their sides, overturned chairs, some Bible-looking clothes scattered around, clay dishes from the week before tossed here and there, and money sprinkled on the floor... (We wanted to bring in a few white, furry dogs that could pass for small sheep, or even a friend's chihuahua, but no one wanted to clean up poop...)

We looked at John 2:12-22, about Jesus getting rid of the vendors and advantage-taking money changers in the Temple ("Hey! Over here! I'll give you 8 pesos per dollar!!") So, why did Jesus upset these guys in the Temple? The people were likely using the Temple for personal financial gain, AND they were doing it in the Temple Courts, which is the area that the gentiles were allowed to enter to worship God. So, the gentiles probably couldn't do a lot of praying and worshipping during the Passover time if there were a bunch of sales going on in their area of worship. And, most of the people in the Court area were probably there to get rich, and not to worship. Jesus loved His Father SO much, that He wanted the people to respect God how they should. His Father was/is His passion! Maybe it was ok for vendors to sell animals for sacrifices, or change money (13 pesos to the dollar please!) for foreigners coming to worship at Passover. But when the point of the booths in the Temple becomes personal gain instead of helping people to worship, it totally defeats the purpose. And since Jesus is passionate about people truly worshipping His Father, He put a stop to those who were abusing the right to be in the Temple Courts.

I don't have pictures of the overtuned room we "set-up" last week, but I hope it will help the idea of the passion Jesus has for His Father to stick with the students.

What are YOU passionate about?

HE Lives

Last Saturday, my friend Sarah and I (she is a college student who is studying here for 5 months, and started coming to Horizonte Church) went to fulfull a school project that she had to do. That project involved going to an event having to so with Day of the Dead, celebrated on November 1 & 2. Sarah didn't want to go alone because of the sketchy and spiritually weird atmosphere of the holiday, so I went with her. We chose to go to an exhibit of altars and offerings. This seemed like the least creepy option, as there are altars set up in all the malls, and in various parks downtown, etc. So, we entered the exhibition courtyard of the public library and made the rounds looking at the altars. But Sarah needed, for her project, to explain one of the altars. We chose one made by a small group of Jr. High students. They began to explain the significance of the various parts of the altar. We didn't take the picture below, I just found it on the internet, but it's pretty similar to the one we asked about:

So, the kids told us that the altars should have representations of wind, water, fire, and earth; seven stair-type-thingies representing the seven deadly sins; a picture or representation of the deceased person receiving the offering; the favorite foods and the vices of the deceased... etc. I'd heard most of this before, and it always makes me angry because dead people are not going to come back for a day to eat little bits of food, drink alcohol, and put curses on you if you don't leave stuff set out for them. But I was REALLY horrified when the kid told us that three skull figures toward the middle of the altar represented the TRINITY!!!

Many Catholics in Mexico fully participate in the Day of the Dead, and Catholic churches set up altars. For them, Jesus is still dead (hence being represented by a skull). I'm not going to say anything about catholicsism in the US, but here in Mexico, there's just no way that you can say that Catholicsism is like Christianity. The entire base of the Christian faith is that Jesus rose from the dead! I don't have a relationship with a dead guy, but with Jesus who LIVES in heaven, and who's Holy Spirit lives in me and in all others who also have a relationship with Him. The kids showing us their altar made the altar as a "good deed" that is needed to EARN their way to heaven. People just can't (don't want to?) believe that you don't have to do all kinds of good crap so that God will let you go to heaven. I mean, we should do good stuff, but when we mess up, there's forgiveness directly from God, not from a priest of a saint. Sarah was telling one a young guy that lives by her that good deeds don't get you into heaven, but accepting forgiveness for sins from Jesus does. He looked at her weird, and pulled out a wallet-sized picture of the saint from his hometown with a prayer on the back, and told her that this saint would make sure he got to heaven... he hoped.

So, if you thought that Mexico is about as much of a Christian country as the USA, think again. I mean, morally, sometimes I think Mexico isn't as far in the hole as the US (and then sometimes I think it's the other way around), but as far as people who actually believe that Jesus is STILL alive after His ressurrection, and that they HAVE a relationship with Him... There's just not many. It's figured that 1.5% of people in Queretaro go to an Evangelical church regularly. So, how many people out of that percentage ACTUALLY have a relationship with Christ? We figure 1%, optimistically.

So that's why JP and I are here. And why we consider just the act of daily living as sharing the Gospel with others. LOTS of people here have NEVER heard the message of salvation!! (Like our friend Brenda...) In the USA, LOTS of people have actually heard the Message, they just choose to not accept it. But here, we have a huge opportunity to live the love of God in our daily lives, and explain Salvation to others.

Sarah and I were both on the verge of tears when the kids explained the skulls to us. It was hard for two gringas who grew up in Christian homes to even HEAR that the skulls are for the Trinity... Please keep praying for JP and I in our daily ministries, and for Sarah too, as she lives with and goes to class with lots of people who had never heard that Jesus is alive.

And, saturday, Sarah and I are going to the town of Guanajuato (2 hours from Queretaro), we're still seeing if there are any other girls who want to come with us, and I hope it's a good time of exploring the city and encouraging one another!

Sarah and our friend Amayrani:

Viva... MEXICO! And Honduras! And USA!

What? What am I talking about, you ask?

Yes, I know, most of my readers are "gringos" from the US, and put "soccer" in the same sports category as water polo and lacrosse. But it really shouldn't be that way you know... Soccer is the most popular sport in the WORLD - it should be embraced!

Especially when MY THREE COUNTRIES are going to the World Cup!! South Africa, 2010.

In Mexico there wasn't too much celebrating going on when we won the game that clinched entry to the Cup. Most people just automatically assume that Mexico will go... although I have to admit that two months ago, I betted two people 1liter Cokes that Mexico would NOT go, as they were playing so horrible... But that's beside the point.

My brother, Franklin, in Tegucigalpa, sent me video footage of the celebration the night Honduras won entry to the Cup. And footage from the airport when, what seemed like the entire 2million people of Tegus, came to welcome the Honduran team back from El Salvador, where the victory was won. In both of the videos, you may be surprised to know that some Hondurans were toting around not only the Honduran flag, but also the USA flag. This is because if the US hadn't tied or won their game against Costa Rica, Honduras would NOT have gone to the Cup. But USA and CR tied, so CR is out, and Honduras in.



And speaking of Hondurans carrying around the American Flag...

It makes me think back about my time there and the way people treated me, being a gringa. I honestly never felt anyone bad-mouthing the USA, nor discriminating against me for being from there. True, there were store and bank atendees who tried speaking to me in broken english - either thinking that I can't speak spanish, or wanting to practice their english - I prefer to think the latter. And I may or may not have been ripped off at stores, etc. for being a gringa. But in general, people were at least OK with me.

Now, in (Queretaro) Mexico it's a different story. I'm not saying that gringos are treated badly, but frequently people make comments about the US government (can't blame them) and the country in general that rather irritate me. I don't go around saying bad things about Mexico... But what really gets me is the "being ripped off for being a gringa" part. I've been here almost 4 years now, and my spanish is actually quite good. And STILL I have people in stores, taxi drivers, and market vendors trying to make me pay outrageous prices for things, because I'm white so I have money right?? hehe. It usually does change things a bit when I throw in some mexican terms while telling them I won't pay that ridiculous price...

And then, there's being a Mexican in Honduras. "But you're NOT a Mexican!" you say. Well, because of said "mexican terms" that are now a very well-used part of my daily vocabulary, and the fact that women on mexican TV shows are tall and blonde, I very easily pass for a Mexican in countries south of Mexico. The last 2 times that I went to Honduras, I was frequently asked if I was "from Mexico." I always said yes. (I actually DID come from Mexico to Honduras...) And that good attitude toward "Jessica the gringa" that I mentioned above, abruptly disappears. "Yesica la mexicana" is attended to in stores with glares, and given rude comments about my country of residence. Suyapa says it all has to do with soccer. I can see that soccer plays a part in this, but I can't believe that it would make up ALL the animosity of Hondurans toward Mexicans. It could have a lot to do with the fact that some immigration offices in Mexico treat CentralAmericans very badly when caught illegally in Mexico (you think I'm joking, but Mexico treats illegal CentralAmericans as bad or worse than the US treats illegal mexicans...) If any Central American is going to get caught illegally in Mexico, shoot for Queretaro. Our immigration office feeds them a choice of KFC of Pizza Hut, and actually treats them like worthy humans (as all humans have the right to). I see this because of my visits to immigration for my residency...

The famous "Caballero taunting Cuautemoc" in one of the games that Honduras won against Mexico... Cuautemoc is NOT a favorite of mine...

Anyhow, I'm glad that Suyapa and family were able to come visit Mexico last year. They fell in love with our friends Luis and Sandy, and were able to break the sterotypical "mexicans are lazy wife-beaters" mindset that was mentioned to me right before I started dating JP. Franklin even wants to come here for a month or so to visit... he'd LOVE all the art museums and going to the lovely towns around QRO! I'm still a little wary about taking JP to Honduras some day, and he's not exaclty jumping-up-and-down excited to go either. But someday we'll go, and (God willing!) he'll love it despite a few nay-sayers and their comments...

So, I'm not sure what the point of this entry is... MY countries are going to the World CUP, and I LOVE being in all three of said countries... I love living in Mexico, but I miss the warmth of the Honduran people, and their beans and quesillo and crema de mantequilla; and the grass, carpet, and chinese food of the USA. But, when outside of Mexico, I miss all my friends, and the world's most yummiest cuisine, and the excellent weather in QRO... And here we'll stay until God says otherwise!

Adventures in Disicipling

As many of you know, a lot of what I do in ministry here in Queretaro is discipling young ladies. This is also my favorite part of ministry!

Recently, I've been meeting with Cristina (pictured below in the green shirt). She's the same as as me, and grew up in a Christian home, but spent years not following the Lord. After several years of bad decisions, a year in the US, and returning to try to pick up the pieces to her life, Cristina has decided that she can't go on without the Lord. So we're walking through the process of learning exactly what is a relationship with the Lord, and that, while He always forgives us and forgets our mistakes, He doesn't necesarily take away the consequences.
It's been great to see how Cristina relies more and more on the Lord every day, and is seeking Him in her decisions!

About a year ago I had been meeting with Ere. But she kind of dropped off the planet for a while... I called her frequently, but was discouraged that she never wanted to make time to meet. So about two months ago, Ere came to me and asked to talk. We went out to lunch, and she told me that she hadn't been feeling well (emotionally and spiritually) recently. I asked her why, and she, very honestly, replied, "because Ere is most important in my life, and not God." She decided to begin the process of changing who's number ONE in her life, so we are beginning to meet regularly to study the life of Christ together! It's great to be able to learn and grow alongside another young lady! (Ere and I are pictured below)

And, not all discipleships go as planned. I was meeting weekly with Carmelita, a young lady from an extremely difficult financial and family background. It was a challenge for me to relate to her, as I have never even come close to experiencing many of the things she's gone through. But she seemed to be willing to open up to me about the hard times.
Carmelita frequently asked me for money. At first, I was not hesistant to give, as JP and I aren't going to starve if we help her and her family out a bit. And we SHOULD help the less fortunate. But, the asking was getting to be more demanding than asking, more frequent, and also extended to various other church members who also thought they were the only ones helping this family. Carmelita is out of high school and does not go to college or work. This posed a bit of a problem for me... After talking to our church staff and another trusted Christian friend, I slowly began to talk to Carmelita about the asking for money, and the fact that she's not studying, working, nor even looking for a job. I felt like it went over well in that moment. I even volunteered to drive her around to look for jobs, and to help her put together a resume. During this entire conversation, I never told her that she MUST go work, but I asked several times if she would think and pray about what the best way to support her family is (morally, spiritually, as well as financially). We left knowing that we would both be praying about how best to be in support of her family.
But since then, Carmelita has avoided me completely! I'm rather surprised about this. As I mentioned, I felt like that sensitive conversation went over quite well. So I hope to see Carmelita soon, although I don't want to pressure her to meet with me if she doesn't want to...