Super Super Heroes - Part 2... And My Not-so-super Immune System

We finished off our SuperHero series in youth group this past saturday with a lesson on Daniel. The hommade video this week was so funny, I thought we were going to have to bring in oxygen for the youth group kids they were laughing so hard! Ok, not really about needing oxygen...

So here are our 5 heroes: La Mole (the big guy from Fantastic 4) - Adiel, Superman - Alex, Spiderman - Dany, BatMan - Justin, and SuperWoman - Whitney.


Now on to a not so fun subject. My failing health. Ok, not really, I'll be fine. But I have had a rather bad illness apparently since september, it just kept reappearing, and I thought I was just getting sick a lot. Nope. But now, after two weeks straight of being sick, I'm on the road to recovery. On Thanksgiving day, I was diagnosed with Salmonella, but sent to get blood work done just to make sure. Yesterday, I went back to the doctor to find out that it was really Typhoid (Salmonella is a type of Typhoid). Thankfully, I had been immunized against Typhoid in 2002, but the vaccination only lasts 3 years. I had enough still in me to keep the illness to a minimum. I feel alot better, but will be on a diet for the next two weeks, and anyone who knows me knows that I'm NOT a diet person. I'm a "street-tacos, ice cream, and pizza" person. I think I'm up to par with being a healthy Mexican now though - I got a new Typhoid vaccination (a must for living here...), and will get "de-parasited" every 6 months. Thats a nice thought, now isn't it! heehee!

All in all, I should be feeling better in the next few days, be ready to eat normal things in two weeks, and I'll be off to Honduras December 17!! Of course being very careful as to what I eat...

Thanksgiving!

Although rather ill, I was able to spend Thanksgiving Day with a bunch of other "gringos!" There were about 25 of us in one house, eating all the goodies of Thanksgiving! I thought that I was the only non-southerner gringa here in Queretaro, but there is a couple from Indiana who I'd never met before... Needless to say, there were a few dishes at the meal that I'd never heard of before, like cornbread dressing (apparently an essential to Thanksgiving dinner), and congealed (CON-gee-old) salad, which is like a creamy jello fruit dish.

Here is our potluck spread:

And one of the three tables we had set up:

Me with the other young gringas - Stephanie, Laura, and Mary.

And to finish off the evening, we sang hymns - IN ENGLISH together!

I ate pumpkin pie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a great day!!

Part Two

Another full week with a short term team from NPCC in Atlanta!

This team from North Point helped us host a "GroupLink" which is a large meeting of people who are already involved in a small group, and those who are looking for a small group - so those who are looking can find a group that's right for them!

Here is a small look at the conference:

Here is the small group that I am a part of (not the one that I lead), with our new members. We are: Liz, Ana, Claudia, me, Edith (the leader), Sandy, and Sara. Silvia is missing from the picture. Liz, Sandy, and Claudia joined our group during GroupLink.

Every vacuumed grass?? I have! NPCC bought us a blower vac for the buildings and grounds, and I was using it to suck up the sawdust...

The team also helped us put 4 sets of stairs on the stage (stage was unfortunately not ready to be carpeted as we had planned...)
Jan (aka Juanita), me, and JP modeling a new set of stairs.

Here's the whole team: Liz, Jim, Andy, Jan, and Diane.

And me with the ladies at their goodbye party

Then we had a birthday party for Aaron, a Horizonte staff member:

Wow, aren't we mature?! The guy with his tongue sticking out, that's the youth pastor! hahaha!

And Aaron after getting his cake smashed in his face (anyone who is familiar with my blog knows that this happens at EVERY birthday party!)

Last but not least, yesterday we had a pizza and movie afternoon for the university age small groups from Horizonte! Mmmm, pizza!

After moving WHILE the short term team was here, and all the other activities of the last two weeks, I'm grateful that today is a national holiday, which means that I don't have to work either!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Please eat some pumpkin pie for me, as I can NO WHERE find canned pumpkin... and if they think I'm making a pie from a real pumplin, well, I'm not! Have a good one!!

What's been going on the last few weeks - Part One

Ok, I have no internet in my new home yet, so I've completely neglected everything that has to do with internet for about 2 weeks now...

Here's a picture update of what has been going on...

The youth group "anti-halloween" party:
All the teens trying to shove as many marshmellows as possible into their mouths (I WON! 13!)

And here they are trying to pop balloons that are hooked onto other peoples' feet.

We had our monthly church potluck - picnic style!

My Three Houses

Just a little update on me...
We are finally moving this week! And to top that all off, I am living out of three different houses! Most of my stuff is in house number 1, the one I've lived in since I've been here. I now have a bed, a bookshelf, and a dresser and closet that I haven't yet assembled in the new house, and I have all my dirty clothes and a few other things at the Kreveres'. I'm staying there with my friend Ana this week while they are gone. I am loving living in a semi-big house with a roommate! I thought it would be nice to have the van to drive around to move my stuff too, but the more I drive in QRO, the more I'm glad I don't have a car - it's kind of nightmarish, I'm highly suceptible to road rage, and I cringe everytime I see the gas gague lowering. But it has served nicely to use for carting my furniture around.

I'm getting very close to time to go to Honduras for a few weeks too!! I leave December 17, and get back here on January 8. I'm also going to the island of Roatan with my Honduran neighbor Luisa and my brother Franklin!!

Well, it's been a crazy week so far... and it's only tuesday!