Nuestros Pensamientos

We've Moved!

2010-01-06T13:34:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-19T22:55:00.001-06:00

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...

2009-12-18T12:40:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-03T09:59:00.001-06:00

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!!

2009-11-26T10:45:00.001-06:00

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!

2009-11-18T21:21:00.002-06:00

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

2009-11-11T20:48:00.000-06:00

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

2009-11-05T19:18:00.001-06:00

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!

2009-10-22T13:46:00.000-05:00

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

2009-10-13T16:28:00.000-05:00

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...

Independence Day... A Tad Bit Late

2009-10-07T21:26:00.000-05:00

We just want to share a few pictures of this years' Independence Day celebration! We begin celebrating in the evening of Sept. 15 (the official holiday is the 16th), and this year we went to Horizonte Church for food, fellowship, fun, and MORE food!

Pile of three different nationalities! Marica (Costa Rica), Jessica (USA, STILL not a mexican), and JP (Mexico)... Oh! And that bluish-colored tamal* is blackberry flavored! VERY yummy!!

Ladies serving up pozole, tamales, elotes, tostadas de tinga, fruit cider, and lots of other Mexican foods, especially typical of Queretaro!

Face painting and goofing off! (Hey look, I'm not the blondest gringa here!)

My friends: Sarah, Amayrani (have fun pronouncing THAT name!), Brisa, and Ana!

It was a great night!!

* "TAMAL" is the singular for TAMALES (tah-MAH-lees). So just one tamal is "tah-MAHL." Oh the fun facts about Mexican cuisine... :)

Stay tuned for: Adventures in Discipling (the good, the bad, and the well, less than desireable...), A short trip to Mexico City to visit JP's dad, Young Adults' ministry... etc.

Thank You God for Mexico!

2009-10-02T19:46:00.001-05:00

Although I've been here in Queretaro for almost four years, (yeah, it's gone by REALLY fast!) there is still so much to learn culturally! I frequently that the Lord for sending me to Mexico - besides the fact that I met my husband here - it's really not been that difficult for me to adjust to living in this country. The thought process of Queretanos is somewhat different that growing up in Oregon, but nothing too strange. I seriously think that Mexico is home to the world's best cuisine, and Queretaro is an excellent place to enjoy that! The dress of the middle-class society is basically the same as middle-class Oregon, with the exception that not many women wear shorts outside. But that's not a problem. The list of subtle differences goes on. I've been thinking about this lately, as my new friend, Sarah, who is in Queretaro from Kansas studying at the State University, frequently asks me about cultural things.

I recently met with my CostaRican friend, Yami. Yami and her husband are missionaries from CostaRica to Queretaro. They have opened the Mexican regional offices of an organization that sends Latino Christian workers to restricted-access countries. Yami and her husband had prevously lived in one of these countries - a predominently Muslim country. She told me about many of their unpleasent experiences with immigration, having to leave the country at least once a month in order to live somewhat legally in the country, having the police come to their home looking for them to question them in a language that they didn't speak very well, and many other things. (This conversation started as we talked about how frustrating Mexican immigration in Queretaro has been this year - complaining about the $250 per person to renew a visa, and the 3 months it took to GET the visas renewed. After what Yami told me about their experiences in the other country, I'm pretty thankful for the $250 fee and a 3 month wait. I live very peacefully here, and have all the same rights as a Mexican, with the exception of voting.) Anyhow, Yami told me that their experiences overseas were NOTHING compared to what some of their missionary friends went through. I seriously won't put those things on this blog because it would make you sick.

I have a friend, Elsy, who is from El Salvador, who went to the same country as the stuff I won't mention. Elsy, in my opinion, comes from poverty. I've stayed a few times at her family's home. It's very small - about the size of my parents' kitchen/dinning room - and 5 people live there (I'm the 6th when I go). The two girls sleep in bunk beds that must've been made for midgets - I was 15 pounds lighter than I am now when I stayed there, and my hips hit the metal sides of the bed when I laid down... Elsy and her sister shared the top bunk when I was there. The wall between the girls' room and parents' room is a tarp. It's interesting to have a random elbow poke you from the other side of the tarp as you go to sleep! And the bathroom, well, you go down a really narrow, and constatly wet, staircase to where there is a hose that comes from the neighbors' home. That's the shower. And the toilet is a concrete tube sticking out of the ground.
Anyhow, I would have a hard time adjusting to living more than 3 or 4 days at a time in those conditions. And when Elsy moved to the restricted-access country, she said the poverty was so horrible she couldn't stay for the 2 years she'd signed up for. A few times she mentioned some of the living conditions, and mainly rituals that happen there, and it's just hard to believe that there are people who live how she described.

Jean Paul and I went out to dinner with one of his teachers, Alejandro, who gives world culture classes in his school. Alejandro had just returned from China. We were eating BBQ pork tacos during this dinner, and we asked about the food in China. Alejandro grimmaced and asked if we get grossed out easily. We don't. So he told us about the schishkabobs he saw in China. Schishkabobs are pretty common in Mexico - chunks of beef, onions, green peppers, and other vegetables on a stick and BBQ'd. Well, in China, Alejandro saw a guy with two kabobs, each with two recognizable RATS on them! The skin was the only thing missing from the rats! Jean Paul and I thanked God for Mexican food right then!

All in all, I feel like we have it very easy here in Queretaro. True, many people are VERY resistant to accept ANY religion, much less a relationship with the Lord. But they are generally not hostile toward Christians. Here is a nice place to live!!

Pork Tacos...

Side note: The other day I was walking and, after seeing something funny that I'll mention in a moment, thought about some of the weird store combinations here. For example, near our house there is an office-supply store that also sells foods like ham, cheeses, and many things other than snacks and pops. There's also a famous muffler shop that sells tacos. No one would think anything of it if you invited them to lunch at the Chavez Muffler Shop! And, while walking, I found another really interesting store combination that I don't know how I'd missed before, as it's about 3 blocks from my house. It's a hardware store that also sells cleaning supplies (mops, pinesol, bleach, etc.) That doesn't seem weird at all. But this is a hardware and cleaning supplies store, that also sells lingerie! hehe.

Go Ye Therefore and Preach the Gospel...

2009-09-24T12:43:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, Jean Paul and I had the opportunity to go out with Brenda, one of Jean Paul's co-workers. She was having a very difficult time with her boyfriend and family, and knew that we would be willing to listen to her. We went to coffee in the Centro, and she began explaining the situation. She asked how she could improve her life and make the situation less problematic. Jean Paul and I just looked at each other and smiled, and began to explain Salvation in Christ Jesus. It was obvious that Brenda had never heard this Message of salvation before. We explained very simply that God loves her so much, that He sent His Son to die to pay for HER sins. That one decision to accept forgiveness from Christ is what can change her life. Not take away the consequences of sins, but begin to live a new life. Brenda was very honest with us. SHe said she knew that her lifestyle was bad, that she's done lots of bad things in her life, but that maybe if she just asks forgiveness of all the people she's wronged, THAT will bring about a change. We admited that asking forgiveness of those people is a good thing, but it's asking GOD'S forgiveness that brings life change and eternal life.

I know that Brenda understands the concept of salvation in Christ. She asked many questions to clarify questions and doubts. She did not, however, make that decision to accept Christ. We will continue to pray for Brenda, and to hang out with her. We want her to know that we love her, and that God loves here. We trust that soon she we make that decision to follow Christ!

Oregon!

2009-09-24T12:22:00.005-05:00

Wow, it's been a REALLY long time since I've written...

We had a great time in Oregon in August, visiting with people we hadn't seen in a long time, or for Jean Paul MEETING lots of people!, hanging out with my parents, and visiting the Oregon Coast, Silver Creek Falls (state park with several waterfalls), dowtown Portland, and exploring Salem!

Here are just a few pictures...

Jean Paul and I with Lindsay and Roger at the Portland Rose Gardens:
At Silver Creek Falls...

Freezing our buns off at the beach!

The Big Trip!

2009-08-11T12:49:00.002-05:00

Jean Paul and I will be in Oregon for a while... August 14-25. This will be his first time going to the United States! We're very excited! We hope to see those of you who live in the Salem are while we're there. Our plans include times to get together with many of you (if you haven't received an invitation to come to my parents' house on Tuesday, let me know... we are also having a get-together at SS Naz on this Sunday, so if you attend there, we're hoping that you'll come on sunday, it will be in the gym, since not a lot of people will fit in the house!)

See you soon!

Camp!

2009-07-28T12:06:00.006-05:00

The other week, we had youth camp for ages 12 and up. I have to admit that I was extremely skeptical about having jr. high and high school AND young adults in the same camp. But it actually turned out REALLY well!

We had some huge snags in our plans on the first day (camp was thursday thru saturday) that had to do with the facility that we were renting... We weren't given our rooms when we arrived, there was a huge group of teens that should've left in the morning that was still there when we arrived, lunch was 2 hours late, etc. But, we went ahead with some activities that we could do on the lawn, like games and a devotional; and enough kids brought lots of snacks that we were able to stave off the hunger with Cokes and chips. Everyone had incredibly good attitudes despite plans not going, well, as planned.

Our camp theme this year was "My Identity In Christ." We had some great times of worship, some activities that related to "my view of me," and "God's view of me in Christ." We had two guest speakers (adults from Horizonte Church) and a few people from the young adults group share Scripture and experiences related to the theme, and encouraged students to think and pray about what actions or steps they need to take in their lives once they begin to discover an identity in Christ.

The worship group: Ruben, Alex, Job, and Chino is hidden behind Alex

Students participating in the worship time:

Some of the young adults sharing experiences and Scriptures:

Girls hanging out! (Ana, me, Aurea, Brisa, Lluvia, and Amayrani)

And we had some weird fun times... This was in a photo scavenger hunt in downtown Tequisquiapan (a town about 1 hour away from Queretaro), one of the things we had to take a picture of was our team with weird hair-do's. We had four teams for all the games and activities at camp, this was my team, the red team... They're awesome (Back: Alan and Abdiel. Front: MariJo, me, Amayrani, Mary, Dirce, and Justin was taking the picture.)

And a terrible picture of me and Ana after a game... We always seem to get our picture taken together at our worst!

The camp turned out very well, and the students wanted it to last longer! Maybe next year we'll shoot for 4 or 5 days... I feel like the students really learned more about their walk with the Lord, and they definitely built stronger relationships with each other as well!

Welcome to Our Humble Home

2009-07-24T11:40:00.006-05:00

We are very blessed to have a nice little house to rent. It's very centrally located, and within walking distance of our church, several friends' houses, and two grocery stores. The lady that we rent the house from LOVES us, and even LOWERED our rent for a few months so we can continue to live here!

Jean Paul and I want our home to be a place of ministry. Of course we use it a lot as a place for the two of us, a place where we can relax and rest. But you can frequently find lots of things going on... We're a little low on furtiture... no couches or anything yet, but hey, it's less for me to clean!

Several evenings each month there are two or three college students sitting around out table studying with JP. He has one year left of his International Commerce studies, and works on several group projects at our house with his classmates. I make dinner and/or dessert for them and they usually stay until the wee hours of the morning (1, 2 am…) working on school stuff, laughing, and drinking too much Coke.

The young adults group from Horizonte Church has used our home on occasion for movies and snack... movies work great with the youth group's video projector, and the DVD being played from a laptop... Big screen in our house!

A couple weeks ago we had our first over-night guests in the house. Monica and Vilma from Merida (kind of by Cancun) came up for the Calvary Chapel pastors and leaders conference that was held just outside of Queretaro.

We love having other young couples over to eat, chat and play games too! Ricardo and Ana, and Javier and Yaneth are our "Monopoly" friends... We have a mexican version of Monopoly - the red squares have places from Queretaro! - and every now and then we play well into the night! Although Ricardo and Ana haven't played ever since Ricardo stood up, slapped his hand down on the table, and said "Jean Paul, you're being manipulative!" (te pasas de gandalla!) Because JP wouldn't sell him any properties! It was really funny though, and Ricardo wan't really upset... We appreciate these times with other Christian couples who encourage us so much!

We've also been able to have some non-Christian couples over for dinner - One of JP's teachers and wife, and a couple from work have come over, and we've been able to share our faith with them!

It's not all fun times in the house though. We've had some difficult situations as well. One night, JP's frind Jorge pulled up to the house around 11pm and asked to talk with JP. I fixed Jorge some dinner and left them to talk. Jorge had all his clothes and belongings that could fit in his car with him... he had just left his wife. He's not a Christian, but JP was able to share Biblical truths about marriage and relationships with him. A few hours later, Jorge had calmed down, and went back to his house and his wife. Their situation isn't perfect, but they're still together...

Carmelita is a girl who I've been discipling for a couple months now. She lives with extreme financial and family problems. I've had her at our table on occasion crying about her family situation, asking for prayer and wisdom... I feel totally unequipped to deal with her situation, but we both trust that God is in control...

All in all, we feel very blessed to have this house as a place of ministry for whatever circumstances come along. Please continue to pray for us as we share the message of salvation with those who still don't believe, and encourage young Christians in their faith!

Kids Stuf!

2009-07-01T12:37:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been about 3 weeks now since we last had a Kids Stuf drama presentation for kids in Horizonte and the community. In fact, the next presentation is next week. But I just wanted to throw in some photos...

In June our presentation was about Gratitud. The elementary-aged kids at Horizonte Church learned about gratitude throughout the month of May, so at the end of their study of the "virtue of the month," we have Kids Stuf to further drive home the point of learning the virtue.

This was my last month participating, for a while at least, so I can focus more on young adult ministry and youth camp. And I was drafted (possibly out of lack of anyone else who can somewhat carry a tune??) to sing for the presentation. The singers usually participate in the correography as well, but the day before the program it was clear that I could either remember words to the songs, or the motions - not both! So that's me singing from the top bunk bed:
Roberto and Gaby (my little siblings here, since I lived with them for my first two years here) doing an excellent job portraying siblings in the funny drama...

Alma and Arturo presenting the mini-comedy show:

And some of the high school girls selling popsicles after Kids Stuf to raise money for youth camp that will be July 16-18.

Quick Update...

2009-06-11T12:07:00.001-05:00

Wow, I haven't been good at writing in my blog for quite awhile...

We've been pretty busy... Jean Paul has finished with the political candidates' visits to his school (see previous entry), and is busy with another semester. He graduates in August 2010!

Oh, speaking of August, we received a large enough financial gift from a generous person to be able to go to Oregon THIS August!! We still haven't bought tickets, but it looks like we should arrive on August 15, and stay until the 26th. It will be JP's first time to the States - actually his first time ever leaving Mexico!!

As far as the young adults group goes, things are good! We are planning a youth camp for ALL the young people (age 12 and up); that will be 16-18 of July. Please pray for the planning of the camp, in which we're trying to involve many of the college-age students, that the Lord will give us wisdom in WHAT to talk about with the teens, and what to plan for. We want this to be a camp that is not only FUN, but that also IMPACTS their lives! Our main theme is "Identity in Christ." We hope that the speakers can communicate well to the teens, and that all activities are uplifting, fun, and learning experiences! The camp will be held in a place with cabins in the town of Tequisquiapan about an hour away from the city of Queretaro.

Our friends Mark and Abby, who have been in Queretaro since January, are leaving this week. They came here to study spanish before moving to the state of Chiapas (southern boarder of Mexico with Guatemala) to begin a youth ministry there. So the time has come to see them off to their ministry destination!

And, my 10-year high school reunion was a couple weeks ago - that makes me feel old - and No, I didn't go, but I heard it went well. It looks like about half the class was there! (Yeah, there were only 45 in my graduating class...)

Look! Most people look just the same as 10 years ago! haha!

Politics

2009-05-20T10:59:00.002-05:00

Well, the swine flu scare has passed, and things have returned to a much more normal state here. And we've been busy!

JP started summer semester at school, and has had some interesting things happen there...

JP's friend Benjamin works for the county government. He's affiliated with one of the political parties, and helps the candidates for mayor, senators, and governor. In JP's school, one teacher (an ex-polititian himseld) mentioned that he thought it would be an excellent idea to be able to bring one or two political candidates to the school to either have a debate or just talk with the students. Benjamin went to JP's school until he transferred to another this semester, and began talking to his political party's candidates. Since Benja no longer goes to the school, he passed the organizational part of the candidate event off to JP. JP met with the college president and the ex-polititian teacher, and they decided to go ahead with the event, inviting the candidates for both mayor and governor (state and county elections are on July 5). JP is in charge of setting things up for the event. We're excited that he has this opportunity, as it may provide a chance for a better job in the near future, especially if the invited candidates get elected. JP hadn't previously been affiliated with any political party, but this is the party that he would've been a part of... The party that, in general, seems to be most like what JP would vote, AND the party that is most likely to win the elections here in Queretaro.

Please pray for JP in the process of this event, and his relations with the candidates. He's always had a desire to minister to the upper-class and famous people... it kind of seems like God has given this opportunity for that specific reason!

The Projects

2009-05-02T13:31:00.001-05:00

I have been very encouraged by our group of young people at Horizonte Church. I had mentioned in a previous blog that the young adults expressed a desire to do something to both serve out community and share the message of salvation with those around us. I mentioned that they thought of six different projects that we could potentially begin that would help accomplish those two desires. After much thinking, organizing, planning, and praying, we found that three of those projects have the most potential to meet needs in the community and share our faith with others.

Several students, including myself, plan to visit the state physical rehabilitation center to visit and play with the children who have handicaps. We actually had our first event – a short music and drama presentation – planned for April 30th (which is children’s day), but that was postponed until further notice due to the flu outbreak. We hope that through small drama presentations, the children and parents will come to know the Lord.

Two young ladies have been raising money, by selling homemade cookies, to buy healthy snacks and small toys for children on the streets. The plan is to talk with the kids – and their parents if available – and hopefully continue to take time to play with them and chat with their parents on a regular basis (most children and families are at the same intersection begging every day). The girls who are organizing this project and those who will go with them to talk with the kids and families hope to form relationships with them that may lead to the children and families knowing the Lord.

The third project is a little more complicated, and I will talk more about it in a future blog, as it has several purposes!

Please pray for our young adults to continue to be excited about the ministry projects and to have courage to share their faith. Pray for those who we will meet through these projects, that they may choose to follow the Lord!

And some pictures so you have something to look at! Heehee!

Alan (from the high school youth group) and I acting in Kid Stuff - a once a month music and drama program for the kids at Horizonte Church. This is what we were (and are, once the quarentine lifts!) going to do at the physical rehab center for the kids!

The musical part of the kids' program... :)

OK in Queretaro

2009-04-29T14:14:00.000-05:00

Just in case some of you have been wondering if JP and I are ok living here in Mexico during the flu outbreak, we're still alive and well!

We live about a 3 hour drive to the north of Mexico City, where the flu has hit hardest, and about 2 hours to the south of San Luis Potosi, another flu hot-spot. All schools in the country (as far as I've heard) are closed, at least until May 6th, as are all pools, gyms, water-parks, and other places like those. Most people in Queretaro are still going to work. JP has to go - there are two headquarters for Santander Bank, and the one in Mexico City is closed, so that leaves a nice workload for the hq employees here in Queretaro... I, on the other hand, am working from home this week, per the decision of Pastor Martin to suspend activities beginning today, until I'm not sure when.

The situation is a LOT calmer here than in Mexico City. I'm trying to think of what you all see and hear in the US (and Australia! Hi Mr. and Mrs. Jones; Rose!), and the pictures of people wearing surgical masks is pretty much how it is here too, but we haven't had rediculous lines of people buying 100 liters of milk and 50 cans of tuna here in Queretaro, like in Mexico City. We went to the grocery store yesterday and didn't see anyone buying in "panic quantities."

To answer questions, Yes, this is a situation that has potential to become grave if not handled well. However, most people are being sensitive and respecting the rules and suggestions that the secretary of health has put forth. No one has died in Queretaro of flu-related symptoms, and those hospitalized with flu sypmtoms have not been confirmed to be THIS strain of the flu yet (they may have a different strain that isn't as bad).

Oh, and about the earthquake, we didn't even feel it here!

Thank you for your prayers for this situation! And we'll keep you updated on this as things unfold (or hopefully improve!).

Easter

2009-04-23T12:41:00.000-05:00

For four weeks here at Horizonte Church we had a wonderful series about the glory of God. It ended on Easter Sunday. The series involved paintings being done love on the stage during the sermon (those of you who have been at North Point for a while, it was the “Canvas” series). It’s hard to describe the sermon series, but the paintings had everything to do with what Pastor Martin was speaking about. On Easter Sunday, all the paintings were put together and made a representation of God’s gift of salvation to us through Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection. (I’m being kind of vague here because I think you should find the “Canvas” series from North Point Ministries and watch it in English!)

One of the artists who painted during the service was Rafa. If you remember, he’s the young guy who is paralyzed from the waist down, and only has partial use of his hands and arms. Rafa arrived at Horizonte about two and a half years ago, and was very shy and rather depressed because of his physical situation. He’s since slowly gotten involved in the young adults group at church and, while still rather reserved, considers us his friends and it’s embarrassed to have to be lifted out of us chair to go to the upstairs room for young adults group, or to come to the water park with us even though he doesn’t go in the water.

Anyhow, the Easter service was very impacting for probably most everyone present. Even Arturo (a young non-Christian guy who’s been helping with our monthly children’s theater and song presentation) was touched. While he still doesn’t want to be a “religious” person, on Easter he took communion with us after saying that he believes that he’s a sinner, that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins and rose again. I really don’t care if Arturo identifies himself as being a Christian or not; he believes! And we want to help him grow in those beliefs and begin to live a life pleasing to God! (I hope you’re reading this from C.R. Phil!!!)

So pretty much, besides being a great sermon series because of the content and paintings, this past month has been amazing to see Rafa step out of his comfort and even more, seeing Arturo accept the Lord!!

My picture of all the paintings didn't really turn out, but so you can get a little bit of an idea...

Spring Break!

2009-04-20T20:01:00.000-05:00

We've had a lot of funness going on around here in the week that JP was off school and Horizonte church staff was out of the office!

On Easter Sunday, JP and I went to the fair in the Centro. This isn't the big State Fair, but a smaller one, kind of like a county fair - no rides or anything.

One famous tradition in Queretaro (and some other cities too) is the burn a figure of Judas on Easter Sunday. I imagine that originally it was because we could say that Judas was responsible for Jesus' death, although we know that He would've died anyway even without Judas' involvement. Nowday, besides the statue of Judas, the Catholic Church - who organizes the event - also burns statues that represent people or problems that the church doesn't like. This year, figures of the "financial crisis," "drug addiction," and "violence" were burned.

It was hard to take pictures in the dark of a moving piñata-type figure, but here's one of the figures before being burned by fireworks:

Lots of people in one of the main streets of downtown watching the figures being blown up:

And our favorite part of the festival... the food booths! Jean Paul loads up on candies:

I love "antojitos queretanos" - typical street food from Queretaro! However, we opted for pizza instead this time, as my stomache health has been a little delicate lately...

Then last friday, we had a water-park outing with the young adult group at Horizonte Church! I LOVED this water park, the water isn't freezing cold like it is at most of the parks! There were several water slides, a diving pilar, a wave pool, and smaller pools for kids.

Alma in the funnel water slide:

Checo, Alma, Cinthya, Arturo, and Andrea hanging out in a pool:

Dany going off the diving pilar. Several people went up to the top but never got up the courage to jump... :)

And today I made "sopes" (SO-pays) for lunch! Sopes are "antojitos queretanos" also. I kind of guessed at how to make them, and they turned out great! Sopes are thick corn tortillas grilled with refried beans, cheese, meat (I used sausage), and salad on top. YUM!

Tomorrow it's back to the office for me! I'm excited to get back with the young adults group too, next week we are going to a physical rehabilitation center to do a small skit and invite the kids there to Kid Stuff (monthly theater and musical presentation for kids at Horizonte). This is one of the projects that the young adults suggested to reach out to our community a while back!!

More to come:

Easter month services at Horizonte

Maricela's baptism

Ministry videos!

2009-03-27T20:54:00.000-06:00

Just a brief update since the last blog, we're good, I finished washing the last of the smokey-smelling clothes today, it went fast thanks to the great clothes-drying weather! We're very thankful to have to wash half of the clothes we own... it could've been a WHOLE LOT worse!!

Ok, I'm not good with computer stuff, so I'm not sure how to actually put a video ON this blog, so I'll just put a link...
This is a video for young people who are potentially interested in serving here in Queretaro short-term. (I HATE hearing my voice recorded...) It was made by a guy at International Teams who goes to colleges in the US to talk about ministry opportunities with I.T. in Latin America. Check out the other videos of the other I.T. Latin American ministries off to the right!

HERE'S where to click for the videos!

Why?

2009-03-24T22:04:00.001-06:00

Ok, this is not by far the worst thing that could happen to us, but it's just frustrating... even to me, who's usually intrigued by weird weather...

Today, I arrived at home a little after 2pm and began making lunch before JP got home from work (the big meal of the day is between 2 and 4pm here). I dropped some crumbs onto the gas stove top and immediately smelled burning, thinking it was my crumbs. I went to open the window, and a huge blast of smoke came in from outside! It wasn't my crumbs burning... I saw the girls from across the parking area covering their mouths and running back into their home, and I yelled out to them to find out what was burning. It was the vacant lot behind our neighborhood that is just a bunch of really dry grass, probably caught on fire by the lack of any real rain and the heavy winds that even knocked the top of our roof-top water tank (no longer in use) off the roof last night. Black pieces of burnt twigs and grass fell out of the sky. I grabbed a kitchen towel to cover my mouth and nose, and ran outside to see it for myself. There was a lady with a garden hose wetting down her home (she lives closest to the field), I gave her my towel and headed back inside. I ran upstairs and actually started packing some valuables - photos, money, important paperwork, laptop, JP's Bible, his new tennisshoes... into a couple backpacks to take with me in case the fire came any closer... I remember having thought several times in years past what I would grab if I had to evacuate my house fast, and today I actually packed those things...

Thankfully, the fire department came and put out the flames, but as of about 6pm there was still fire burning under the burnt grass in the field, and lots of smoke coming out. Unfortunately, weather-stripping windows and doors isn't terribly necesary here, so the smoke filled our house, which is completely concrete (no one has fire alarms in the house here). So we left in the evening because we were starting to feel sick because of the smoke. It's 10pm, I'm tired, and I'm at a coffee shop with JP and our computers, and we have NO desire to go back home. I'm not sure it's healthy to sleep with all the smoke, and if we open the windows even MORE smoke will come in because it's really smokey still... We're going back to the house to see if the smoke might have cleared out a bit, and if not, well, we'll probably call some friends to see if we can spend the night...

This makes me VERY grateful that I haven't ever lived through a true natual disaster with really bad effects... My husband and I, and our neighbors, are all alive and well. We may have a housefull of smokey clothes, and I lost my kitchen towel to the neighbor lady, but all in all we fared EXTREMELY well. And for that I'm thankful. That and the fact that we have friends with extra beds that could house us tonight... God is good for protecting us!

Just Had To Throw This In Here...

2009-03-23T20:48:00.003-06:00

You might be a missionary if you...

- Greet everyone in the room when all you need to do is say hello and sit down.
- Read a National Geographic magazine and realize, "I know those people..."
- Have to stop and think about what to do with used toilet paper...
- Keep switching languages when speaking with good friends.
- Shake hands with the policeman who stops your car.
- Think a 2 hour church service is too short.
- Can't finish a sentence en un solo idioma.
- Have 6 different varieties of ants in your house and you ignore all of them.
- Your children think it is acceptable to kiss strangers...
- Your kids can recite from memory the airplane safety speech but draw a blank on the "Pledge of Allegiance."
- Your woman's magazines are at least 6 years old, but you still pass them along to friends.
- Bring a bag lunch and a novel when you go to the bank.
- Know your height in meters and your weight in kilos.
- Are okay driving without brakes, but would never do so without a horn.
- Are surprised when the electricity has stayed on all day.
- Can't figure out how to turn the water on in a U.S. bathroom.
- Thought iPod was a disease.
- Think Bimbo means a kind of bread.
- Point with your lips.
- Miss getting junk mail.
- Walk into a church and are given 2 minutes warning that, not only are you speaking, but you are translating for yourself.
- Don't have any pages left in your passport.

Not all of these apply to me, but they are funny anyway! :)

Dental Adventures

2009-03-22T19:51:00.000-06:00

I'm now unsure about where I would opt to have any future dental procedures done...

Jean Paul had two teeth pulled yesterday (had so many teeth in his mouth that they didn't all fit!). Since I'm not easily grossed out at medical procedures (as long as it's not happening to ME!), I decided to ask if I could go in with him and watch the teeth being pulled. The dentist had no problem, so I went in.

I was happy to see the use of novicane that would be used in the US - an ointment followed by several injections in the area to be worked on. No problems there. That was about the time I started to smell the very strong and hunger-provoking smell of pizza from the restaurant next door, and realized that the dental room was actually open to the busy street outside... Hmmm...

When the novicane had set in (No general anethisia was used, dentists don't use that here), the dentist got to work. I'm pretty sure I've seen the exact same screwdriver in my dad's tool chest. At least this one didn't actually say "Stanley" on the handle, and it was pulled out of the sterilizing oven before use... The dentist dug around the offending tooth with the screwdriver, then pulled out some pliers. These didn't appear to be construction grade pliers, so perhaps they came from a medical supply store...

Yes, the dentist, with JP's eyes wide open, and in full conciousness, put his left hand on JP's forehead to hold him down, then used the other hand to put the pliers around the tooth and yank. Hard. And again. And again, until the tooth popped out with a rather loud noise that sounded like the top being pulled off a glass-bottle Coke. The second tooth didn't come out quite as easily. More novicane was applied, and more "head-holding-down" was done. I seriously almost asked if he wanted me to hold JP's forehead so he could use BOTH hands on the pliers. JP said the procedure really didn't hurt, there was just pressure on his jaw, and, well, his forehead too.

Imagine a photo of two large molars laying on a paper towel. I took that picture with JP's phone, but he forbade me from putting it on the internet.

I was put to sleep when my four wisdom teeth were pulled. Now I wonder how necesary that was, but I also doubt my ability to consiously keep my mouth open while someone is putting pliers and my dad's flat-head screwdriver in my mouth.

You should really check out the book God Save the Eggs, by International Teams missionaries Woody and Sue Roland. There's a REALLY great story in there about a dental experience in Bolivia in the late 1970's. And a lot of really great missionary stories for those interested!!

And It's Dawned On Them

2009-03-18T13:39:00.000-06:00

We've recently had some interesting conversations with some of the people in our young adult's group here at Horizonte Church. A little over a month ago, Maricela (remember her?) asked to meet with Justin, Lluvia, Phil and I. She came to the church one weekday morning with a list of ideas for the young adults' group. Among the ideas were ways that she felt we could reach out to not saved youth in a relevant way. Maricela is a GREAT person to share these ideas, as she came to know the Lord about a year and a half ago herself. She has an amazing gift of evangelism, and even though she is rather shy, has a huge passion to see other young people know the hope that she has found in the Lord.

Some other ideas that Maricela shared with us were possibilities for raising funds necesary to begin constructing a youth building here on the Horizonte campus. The idea that really peaked my interest was an art expo where we could display photos, paintings, drawings, videos, and musical productions made by youth from Horizonte and around Queretaro. We would charge a small fee, a contribution to the new youth building.

Later...

Last Thursday, after we (Justin, Lluvia, Phil and I) returned from Ecuador, we decided to share a little bit about the ministries we visited in Ecuador to let our youth see some of the creative ways that others in Latin America are reaching the unsaved. This sparked a conversation about how, as young people working and going to school in Queretaro, we have a responsibility to share the message of salvation with other QUERETANOS in the environments that we are in NOW. Ana (who I've begun discipling, and who had mentioned this same thing to be before) told about all the humanitarian aid programs that are being done by college students in Queretaro - good things like habitat for humanity, and food banks - and that we can do those things too, but even more effectively because we have the message of salvation in Christ! So, why are we not doing anything? Why do we just come every week and be "fed" and not share with others? Ok, no one was saying that our weekly Bible study time is bad - it's necesary for us to grow spiritually! But we shouldn't stop there! We're called not only to grow in our own relationship with the Lord, but also to help others BEGIN a relationship with Him, and grow as well.

Several ideas were mentioned last Thursday night and throughout this week as to WHAT we could do to meet both physical and SPIRITUAL needs in Queretaro. Among those ideas were: go to some of the hospitals in the city to pray for the sick; go to the railroad in town when the trains come by and talk with the Central Americans who are arriving illegally to Mexico on their way to the US (as you can imagine, this one really caught my attention!); make sandwiches to not simply hand out to the people asking for money in the streets, but to sit and talk with them while we eat sandwiches with them; bring some guitars and just have a worship music time downtown (young Queretanos are very in to live acoustic music); and us the art expo that Maricela mentioned as an outreach - the artists would be present with their artwork at the expo, and people would probably take the opportunity to talk to some of the artists about their work, some of which may be descriptive of our faith.

Anyhow, I've really been encouraged to see how some of the young people at Horizonte have finally caught onto the importance of growing in their faith to be able to share it with others!! And the ideas have sprung from THEM, not from the leaders of the group, we're just there to support, encourage and help them develop and begin these ministry opportunities, and to care for them spiritually in the process.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to walk along side thes wonderful young people as they reach out to the community!

Just a few random youth group pictures...

Maricela, Ingrid, Carlos, Adam, and Ana being silly:
We had a team building exercise where we build the talles tower possible with marshmallows and un-cooked spaghettis... Phil (not supposed to EAT them!), Job, Adam, Alan, and Mark attempting to get a tower together:

My team WON the contest (out of 4 teams)! Carmelita, me, Edith, and Ana hoping that our tower doesn't fall before the others see it:

Ecuador!!!

2009-03-12T12:13:00.001-06:00

Hey! I'm back from a great week in Ecuador for an International Teams' missionary conference!

We stayed in a great retreat center in the mountains of Ecuador, and enjoyed lots of time to reconnect and get to know other missionaries serving in United States, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Argentina!

I shared a room with my friend Michelle, who serves in Honduras (hadn't seen her in over TWO YEARS!), and it was wonderful to reconnect with her again! We had some amazing Bible teaching times, and heard reports from all the ministries represented. We also got to do a little tourism around Quito and the mountains outside the city!

I'll just post a few pictures here, you can CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS!

Michelle and I on top of the big cathedral in Quito:

We went to visit a HUGE rose farm near the conference center:

AND, we went to "the center of the earth" - the equator line!

Lori, Yetzi, Michelle, and I at the conference:

As you can see, we ate TONS of great food:

And we were spoiled with the beautiful surroundings of the conference center!

Birthdays and Stuff

2009-02-26T08:52:00.000-06:00

JP and I had good birthdays, we're 28 (yikes!) and had a few different activities for our birthdays this year!

My parents have been here for a week now, they leave tomorrow. I've been a bit sick, but have been able to show them around Queretaro a little more...
Here's them in Tequisquiapan, a small town in the State of Queretaro:

My parents leave Friday, then I have Saturday to get my house in order and cook a week's worth of food for JP, Sunday is family picnic/carnaval day at church, then on Sunday evening, 6 of us head off to Mexico City to go to Ecuador for a week! I'm excited, but sad to leave JP... :(

So if you don't hear from me again for a while, it's because I'm out of the country! Yeah!

Only Rich People and Missionaries...

2009-02-16T20:51:00.001-06:00

In college, I had a professor who told of experiences during his time as a missionary, and described some of those experiences as "things that only rich people and missionaries get to do." So true! I'm so grateful for the many life experiences I've had, most having come to pass from being a missionary. I'm not rich by US standards (ok, not by mexican standards either!), but I've had the opportunity to travel and do some "exotic" (in the good sense of the word!!) things.
Here are a few highlights:

Visiting a tribe in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
Going to three famous sets of indigenous ruins (Teotihuacan in Mexico, Tikal in Guatemala, and Copan in Honduras).
Burning cockroaches out of a toilet before using it in El Salvador (I said "exotic," that doesn't necesarily mean pleasant!!)
Spending a month in the Amazon swimming and walking through the jungle barefoot. No lie, I went several days at a time without putting on shoes or even flip-flops!
Having the chance to taste "delicacies," such as: monkey (used in place of ground beef in spaghetti sauce), cow intestine soup and tacos, chicken feet, pig hoof tostadas, corn fungus, cow head, curdled milk, and cactus. Some are tastier than others... :)
Being "adopted" into a wonderful Honduran family.
Sight-seeing in the world's largest city (Tokyo doesn't count, they cheated) so much that I know my way around Mexico City better than a lot of Mexicans.
Going to a museum of dead people (mummies) in Guanajuato Mexico.
Swimming in a natural wave-pool in the Pacific Ocean in El Salvador.
Swimming through 1.5 KM of underground caves.
Actually using frequent flyer miles from flying enough in Latin America...
Getting "stuck" in a nice hotel in Nacaome Honduras while the bus and truck driver strike prohibited any traffic from leaving the country.
Being on a hijacked bus in Central America. (oops, not sure if my parents ever heard about that one...)
Being in TWO bus wrecks in L.A. county on the way to Mexico.
Travelling the entire distance of Interstate 5 betweek Canada and Mexico TWICE in TWO WEEKS on a SCHOOL BUS.
Seeing the Aurora Borealis.

Ok, so maybe most of my experiences aren't necesarily things that "rich people" really want to do, but they're unusual and exciting experiences none the less. Jean Paul always shakes his head in disbelief at the stories I tell, saying that they couldn't be true, but they must be because no one could make up stories as odd. Hopefully, we'll have the chance to have many more of these experiences TOGETHER in the future!! (although I think I lost JP for any future visits to Central America with the cockroach thing, but it's really not that big of a deal when you're actually facing the decision: a). burn those little buggers out of the toilet and do your business in peace; b). use the toilet with the cockroaches in it and chance them flying up at you; or c). hold it and risk going in your pants. Option A seems best to me!)

Preparing cactus for a BBQ:
At Teotihuacan:

Wonderful Honduran family!

Notes

2009-02-13T18:04:00.000-06:00

Wow, sorry I haven't written in like a month! Lots of good stuff has been going on, which is keeping me very busy!!

We've had an amazing turn-out for our "young adults" group on Thusday nights, and have began meeting in small groups after the worship time and "large group" talk. Two of the meetings this month, we didn't even have enough seats for everyone!

My parents are coming on February 19-27. JP and I are excited to see them!

JP and I have our birthdays this month, we're turning 28. His is the 20th and mine the 23rd.

On March 1 - 8, I'll be in Ecuador with 5 other Queretanos for a conference with International Teams. I'm excited to visit a new country, and also to see my friend Michelle, who lives in Honduras!

JP got his visa approved for going to the States, and we plan to visit for a week or two in August!

I'm off to go out for coffee with Julia (see blog entry below), I just wanted to write a little, and give two random pictures from a Sunday afternoon in Bernal (in the State of Queretaro) a couple weeks ago!

JP and I in front of the Bernal rock:

Me in front of the "comal" (grill) at a gordita restaurant in Bernal:

Max and Julia

2009-01-17T18:41:00.002-06:00

I met Julia the end of September when she's signed up to go to Passion Mexico City 2008, but then ended up not able to go. I knew she lived on the military base of Queretaro, and thought she was the girlfriend of Alan, a young guy at church who also lives on the base. Alan later told me that they were't boyfriend and girlfriend, they just know each other. So, since Julia is 23, I figured she lived with her family, and that her dad was a soldier. At church on Sunday, I was talking with Julia (first actual converstation with her!) and noticed that there was a young man hanging around her, and I figured he was her boyfriend. Julia mentioned that that young man, Max, was in the military, and that in January they may move him to a different city. I asked why they don't just get married so she could go with him. That's how I found out, after like 2 months of greeting Julia at church on Sundays, that Max and Julia ARE married! Max is in the military, and they've been married for FOUR years!!

Anyhow, I started hanging out with Julia a couple months ago. We learned that Max and Julia started coming to Horizonte Church at the invitation another military couple who attend Horizonte. Julia asked me if it was ok that her and her husband kept going to church even though they weren't Christians. Of course I said yes! Jean Paul and I have had some interesting conversations with Max and Julia. They are very open to hearing about God and the Bible, and have lots of questions. We hang out with them as much as possible (between JP's work and school schedule, and Max's military trips out of Queretaro), and we always have a great time! They're our age basically (Max is 31 and Julia 23), and we enjoy the same types of things. We went to the fair, to a Christmas play, and tacos a LOT, as the four of us can't get enough tacos!

Right before New Year's, Max was put at a small base just outside of Queretaro for two weeks. That meant that Julia would be at home by herself for New Year's. But she had a plan and I got involved in helping...

On the 31st Julia came to my house with a big smoked turkey that the military had given them (and the houses on the base don't have ovens! smart). We cooked the turkey (first turkey ever for either of us!) made salads and other food, and loaded it all up into my car.

Julia with our turkey (but leaving the house, it only had one leg! She insisted we keep a turkey leg for helping out!):

JP drove us out to the small military base where Max was stationed for two weeks. Julia said it would be fine for her to go visit, Max is a leutinent, and the "in-charge" person at the small base. We arrived and Max came out with a big surprised smile and met us!

We even got to go into the base (which I'm pretty sure it's not allowed for me, being a foriegner, to enter!) and JP played with Max's uniform and artillery...

Above is a picture of JP holding a real gun for the first time in his life... Not so exciting for me - I'm an Oregonian. But it was cool for JP!

Anyhow, that's the scoop on our new friends, who we hope WON'T get transferred to another city soon! We're thankful for new friends, and for the opportunity to share God's love with them!!

Christmas Celebrations!

2009-01-16T18:54:00.001-06:00

Yes, I'm finally putting up pictures from Christmas!

This was actually my first Christmas in Mexico! I spent my first two Christmases out of the country (2005 & 2006) in Honduras, then last year I was in Oregon.

Christmas in Mexico is celebrated mostly on the 24th. People work on the 24th, but get off by 6pm or so. I didn't think we really had any plans for the 24th, except to have my mother-in-law over for dinner. But JP decided that the three of us (me, him, and his mom) should go downtown in the evening. That was a GREAT idea!!

Here's me and my mother-in-law in front of part of the nativity display in the Centro:
Jean Paul and his mom in the Centro:

Around 8pm, a parade began. It started off with a bunch o paper-machet dolls walking past... Apparently, kids made the big dolls (out of the stuff we use for piñatas in the States), and they could be inside of the dolls, walking in the parade. Notice in the doll below, there's a rectangular hole where a kid is looking out of. They even stick their hands through the little face-hole to collect money from the onlookers!

Most of the dolls were recognizable famous mexican entertainers:

Then came the "Bible Cars." One tradition from Queretaro is to have floats of Bible stories pass through the Centro on Christmas Eve. Here's a car (float) of Adam and Eve, and angels singing behind them.

We also bumped into Gaby and her dad in the Centro! (Gaby is the lady I used to live with, with the two teenage kids)

Lots of people lined up waiting for the next Bible Car to pass. Every car stopped about every 70 yards to do a song or drama about the Bible story that the car represents. We didn't stay for very many cars, but we saw Adam and Eve, Moses and the 10 commandments, Joshua and the battle of Jericho, and some others.

Then came this Bible Car with a song and drama presentation:

The car said "The story of the brave Judith" on it. I was really confused. Who is Judith?! (Ok, my mother-in-law was standing right next to me, and HER name is Judith, but obviously the car wasn't about her!) :) I asked JP and his mom about it, and they were really surprised that I'd never heard of Judith. I grew up hearing Bible stories since before I can remember, plus I went to a Bible college... I should have a good knowledge of Bible stories!! Apparently, Judith is a book in the Apocrypha (the Catholic Bible has the books of the Apocrypha, but other translations don't have those books because it is harder to be sure that they really are God-inspired books). Judith lived around the time that Esther was alive (say JP and his mom). I believe Judith was also a queen. She saved some people (maybe the Israelites?) from a bad guy by cutting off his head and showing the head to the people of the kingdom so they'd know they weren't in danger from the bad guy any more. Mexicans learn this story along with Noah's Ark, Joseph, and all the stories that I've heard all my life too! Now I know another Apocryphal story!

We ended the night at our house with homemade chocolate chip cookies, vanilla ice cream, and... the movie "A Christmas Story" with spanish subtitles! JP really liked the movie too, which kind of surprised me, because it's very gringo. I said it's a good thing he likes it though because we'll be watching it once a year on December 24th for the next 60 or so years! :)

We slept in LATE on Christmas Day, and opened our presents. Presents aren't near as big on Christmas here as in the States. Lots of people get one or two presents in total. I got JP his favorite candy bars, and he got me a Monopoly game where the places you can buy are all things in Mexico! (We play table games a lot more now that we have other couples over to hang out, and doing things at home is a lot cheaper than going out to have fun!) We both bought new cell phones a couple days before Christmas too, so I wrapped those up and put them under the tree. (JP's old cell phone had the letters on the black and white screen turned upside-down, and the face fell off most times when he tried to answer it. My phone heated up a lot, and some of the buttons didn't work! He had his for 6 years, and I had mine for 3. We really did need new phones!!)

Sitting by our tree on Christmas morning!

College Group Christmas Party!

2008-12-26T16:59:00.000-06:00

In Mexico at Christmas time, ADULTS get to do piñatas!!!
On December 11, we had our Christmas party for the college kids at Horizonte church... including a piñata! And no one can say this piñata had lame candy inside...

Piñatas can be made from cardboard, paper mache, or... a clay pot. I'm serious! And I bought a clay pot piñata!

We expected about 20 students to show, as some were still in final exams that week. However, most of our regular attendees came, and several people invited multuple friends! We had almost 40 people!! It was quite multi-cultural as well. Besides lots of mexicans, two gringos (Justin and I) and an australian (Phil) who always come, we also han a dutch guy (visiting a friend from college who comes to Horizonte), and swiss girl and two other gringos (spanish students of Maricela, a young teacher who attends our group).

And there was lots of good food, and excellent homemade hot cider!

Job stayed up on the roof of the church to hold one end of the piñata string to make it move...

Getting ready to break open the piñata...

Brisa taking a swing at either the piñata or the garbage can... Some of the other girls brought the can to make Bris think she was hitting the piñata!

My turn... Phil trying to trick me into thinking the piñata was the other direction. Good thing I didn't whack him a good one on accident!!

Justin beat up a plant thinking it was the piñata!

The party went very well, and was a good closing time for 2008 for the college group. We hope to see some of the new people who came get involved when we resume the group in January!

Christmas Vacation!

2008-12-26T16:43:00.000-06:00

Well, JP and I didn't leave the country for Christmas this year, but we went to Mexico City for a weekend to visit his dad. We spend a good portion of a day at Chapultapec Forest at the Castle. I'd always wanted to go to the castle but for some reason never had. It really IS as cool as I'd imagined!

The outside of one wing of the castle...

View from the Castle that's on a hill in the middle of Mexico City...

Outside of another wing of the castle...

Inside the castle...

The Chapultapec Castle was built in the 1700's, and used my foreign rulers of Mexico, Mexican presidents, as a school, and now as a museum. (The president doesn't live there now).

That weekend, JP's favorite soccer team, Cruz Azul, was in the finals for the second time in a row. We ate gigantic fried quesadillas (kekas) in Coyoacan while watching the game on the tiny TV at the keka stand. Cruz Azul lost... also for the second time in a row. Oh well, we enjoyed the wonderful Coyoacan kekas!

Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-28T18:21:00.000-06:00

I love Thanksgiving!! This was the third Thanksgiving that I've celebrated in Mexico, and by far the best! It was Jean Paul's FIRST Thanksgiving ever, and my first time being the one doing ALL the cooking! Believe it or not, I'd NEVER made a pumpkin pie before. I brought canned pumpkin with me from Oregon in February, along with ginger and cloves, and other stuff that I can't find here (or just don't know what it's called in spanish!). I made my first pumpkin pie in an oven that has temperature settings of "high" and "low." And it turned out AWESOME! (Sorry, I had to brag...) See my pie below (and the quesadillas I made for dinner on wednesday...)

About two months ago, a new couple moved into one of the houses in back of ours. There are about 12 homes that all have the back door facing the small parking area, so we see all of those people when they come and go, and one day a couple months ago we met Diego. Diego said that he and his wife Ana had just moved to Queretaro from the United States after having lived there for 10 years. They look about our age (JP thought they were in their 30's), and they are both originally from Mexico. We decided that maybe they would like to celebrate Thanksgiving with us - as they had probably celebrated it in the US for the past few years. They accepted the invitation and came over for dinner, along with our friend Job from church.

A few days before Thanksgiving, we learned that Diego and Ana are chefs. As if I weren't nervous enough about preparing my first Thanksgiving meal for strangers... They have to be chefs, AND chefs that know what Thanksgiving food should be like!

Here's pictures of JP, Diego, Ana, and Job. (and me below)

I think everyone enjoyed the meal. We had: green salad, mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing (my first time not using Stove Top!), cinnamon apples, pumpkin pie, and CHICKEN. Since I've never made a turkey before, and had to work until noon on Thanksgiving (not a holiday here, but my pastor told me to go home and anjoy some good food!), I opted to swing by Pollo Feliz roasted chicken restaurant before going home to cook! I even stuck it in a baking pan in the oven and poured chicken broth over it, just like if it were a turkey! Heehee!

We had a good time with everyone of getting to know each other, and joking around a lot. And in the midst of the joking, Job asked the question that JP and I had wanted to aske but didn't for fear of being rude... How old are Diego and Ana? We seriously thought they were about 30 or older (I thought Ana may be younger than us, 27)... And Diego said he was 25 and Ana 21. We laughed and asked how old they REALLY were. I'm serious, we did! And they really ARE only 25 and 21! I felt really bad for not believing them the first time, but I don't think they were offended!

Anyhow, Thanksgiving was a good time, and good food too! We are going out with Diego and Ana on saturday, and hope to form a good friendship with them!

My kitchen after dinner... Fun stuff! :)

(At least you can see the counter!)

"Weigh" Too Much Food

2008-11-28T17:59:00.000-06:00

When I met Jean Paul, he was very very skinny. I, on the other hand, haven't fit into that category since high school... Anyhow, when we got married, I was determined to look out for his health through serving 3 good and nutritious meals per day. Living alone before we were married, JP frequently didn't eat breakfast, and ate tacos or pizza for dinner. Of course, having a real kitchen helps me WANT to cook, and being newly weds kind of cuts down on the amount we can eat out... So we decided to eat home-cooked meals as often as possible, in part to save money, but also for JP's under-weight-ness.

Well, it worked. Right at 3 months after we got married, JP got weighed. Over the course of THREE months, he gained SEVEN KILOS!!! I'll leave it to you to figure that one out in pounds, but, even though I know most men gain weight when they get married, I'm doubt many gain that much!! JP is now at a healthy weight, and we think now might be a good time to look into more fruits and vegetables and less fried stuff! Heehee!

This is why JP gained weight so fast... Our normal lunch setting:

Christmas Time!

2008-11-25T18:46:00.001-06:00

We're probably a step ahead of those of you living in the USA in terms of Christmas stuff... JP and I put up our Christmas decorations last friday, I know most of you will be doing that this Friday! We got a tree, and it was my first time putting up a plastic one! The trees that are probably from Oregon cost about $50 USD, and my parents and I used to get the same type of tree free... But the plastic one will last many years!

Here's me arranging the branches on the bottom half of the tree:

Putting lights around the door frame outside...

My favorite ornaments, the little blonde girl ones that I think we've had since before I was born! JP likes them because he says they look like me! :)

JP finishing the lights on the outside window...

And the two of us with our small light arrangement outside (it took forever to get the little neighbor girl to get a decent picture, even if you can't really see the lights...)

We hope you all enjoy Thankgiving in two days too! I'm planning to make a pumpkin pie! Yummy!

Oh, interesting cross-cultural note: Phil, from Australia, was commenting the other day about how strange it is that it's cold around Christmas time!! I can't even begin to imagine it NOT being cold for Christmas, even after two Christmases in Honduras! I still needed a sweater then, not shorts!

Lot of Stuff

2008-11-12T13:26:00.000-06:00

I'm back to being busy again... hence not having written much lately... again.
But it's always the GOOD kind of busy, I LOVE my job!!!!!

I've also been a walking health problem the past month. I'm trying (really really hard!) to get over my second cold in a month, and I'm hearing lots of people sneezing around me, which makesd me think I've successfully infected the rest of the church staff... again.

But other than that, things are going well! Normal I guess. Thanks for thinking of me (you must be thinking of me if you check my blog!!) And, if anyone ever wanted to send down a nice big box of Cheez-It crackers, ask for my address, or if you're cheap like me, my parents are coming down for JP and I's birthdays the end of february and would be glad to bring us stuff! (or checking this blog is good enough to let me know you love me!)

Ok, my brain is turning off for the afternoon... I'll leave you with this interesting photo...

My friend Ana and I at a game night at church... We are both very competive and were trying to sit in the same chair... Oops! :)

A Servant's Heart

2008-10-29T21:13:00.000-06:00

I've mentioned Maricela a couple times in this blog. But in case you don't remember her, she is a 25-year old girl who attended Justin's english classes at Global Grounds cafe, and also was the spanish teacher for various short-term missionaries who have worked with us. Lluvia began discipling Maricela in 2006 I think, and she accpeted the Lord about a year ago, and began attending Horizonte Church in May of this year.

Anyhow, Maricela began to attend the college group meetings this summer, and really enjoys them. She came with us to Passion Mexico City the beginning of October, and was really touched by it. Maricela asked to meet with Phil and I about a week after the Passion event. We went to breakfast with her, and she explained some doubts/questions about Christianity, which we talked through with her. Also, Maricela's family is opposed to her being a Christian and going to church, and were really irritated that she left for a weekend with a bunch of Christians (to go to Passion Mexico). But in spite of her questions and family issues, Maricela (also at breakfast with Phil and I) explained that she really felt like she should and wants to help out with whatever detailes need to be done at church. She volunteered to help us translate some youth group materials from english to spanish, and also wants to start coming early on Thursday nights to help set up everything for Semilla Escogida college group meetings. Last week, she even made and printed invitations for the concert we had last saturday, and went to the State University to pass them out to students! I'm amazed at the way Maricela helps out with seemingly small details, and does it with such a joy in her heart!

Please pray for Maricela that she will continue to grow in the Lord, and not overkill the volunteer work - it's easy to get burnt out. And please pray for Lluvia as well, as she continues to disciple Maricela and talk through her questions and doubts about having a relationship with the Lord.

Here's Maricela and I in the Mexican Capitol Building in Mexico City

Cheaply Healthy

2008-10-29T20:59:00.000-06:00

Eating healthy in the United States can be EXPENSIVE. I was aghast last January when I went to WinCo to buy tomatoes and they cost like $2.30 per POUND!!! True, it was off-season for tomatoes, but good grief... And tomatoes are key to most mexican food...

Thankfully, fruits and vegetables are a LOT cheaper here in Queretaro (and cheaper still in other parts of Mexico). Since I'd lived with mexican families for until I got married, I didn't need to buy a lot of groceries, but always went to the grocery store when I needed stuff. Now that Jean Paul and I are married, of course we have a budget for everything, and I now must figure out the cheapest way to buy food for 2 people for three meals a day. We both ate in cheap restaurants and taco stands as singles, but it's always cheaper to eat at home. JP recommended that I find a friend to go to the market with me. I'd been to the markets many times for things like craft items, disposable cups and plates, etc. But I took a friend and went to the fruit and vegetable section of a market downtown. I was pleasently shocked at the prices! Things are MUCH cheaper than in the grocery stores... In fact, the other week, I bought all this:

Clockwise from the white thing by the apples: 1 pound of cheese, 1 pound of hotdogs, 4 apples, 2 pounds of limes (I make a mean lime-ade!), 2 pounds of potatoes, 6 bananas, 1 pound of tomatoes, hotdog buns, a loaf of bread, a head of lettuce, 2 pounds of tomatillos (excellent for enchilada sauce!), 4 pieces of chorizo sausage, and a cucumber.

All that cost less that $10 USD. Pretty good, no? And all that lasts us a good 2 weeks. (Of course I buy meat and chicken a other stuff too...)

Anyhow, I just wanted to brag a bit about actually being able to make yummy homemade foods for CHEAP! :)

Super Ultra Mega Blessings!!

2008-10-28T21:34:00.000-06:00

God is doing great things in the college group in Horizonte Church!!

I have to admit that about 5 months ago, I was SO discouraged about the apathy among our students, that I felt like quitting to just be a house wife (nothing wrong with being a house wife!!) But thankfully, God sustained me, and I (and the other college group leaders) kept with it.

I think it was about the end of beginning of July that things started taking a turn for the better. First, more students showed up at weekly meetings (not that our goal is lots of people, but it helps). Then, we started a group for non-Christians - or for Christian students to be able to bring their non-Christian friends to a "non-churchy" event where the love of God is shown and Biblical principals are shared.

When I came back to working full-time at Horizonte after my wedding, things were even MORE different - for the better!!

The Passion 2008 Mexico City event was amazing, and really touched the hearts and lives of the students who attended! More students have been making efforts to reach their non-Christian friends at school and work, serving in the church, and having a desire to grow in the Lord.

One example is Ere, an 18 year old girl who accepted the Lord about 3 months ago. She's the cousin of some of two of the Horizonte college students, and they shared the message of salvation with her. I took Ere home from group on thursday, and she mentioned that she has a really hard time knowing how to read the Bible. She wants to, but it's confusing. So tomorrow, I'm meeting with her to begin a Bible study that's aimed at new believers - one of the first lessons is HOW TO READ THE BIBLE! Ere is going through some really hard times in her family, and is the only family member who is following the Lord, even though they all used to go to church and her parents used to be good examples of Christian parents. We trust that the Lord will use Ere and her new relationship with the Lord to touch the hearts of her family, so they trust in Him!!

Ere and I outside in the rain, waiting to enter the Passion Mexico event! (it's the only picture I have of her... and me with my double chin...) :)

I have SO much to share, and so little time... There's lots of stuff going on - events at Horizonte, discipling a few young ladies, and of course taking care of my "wife stuff" like cooking (which I actually LOVE!... possible evidenced by my "double chin" in the photo above), and cleaning... I'll try to be more on top of writing in the blog!!

Super Quick Update...

2008-10-21T20:37:00.000-05:00

Hi!

Just wanted to drop a note to say that I'm doing fine... I know a few of you heard the word "Typhoid" floating around, and yes, it's true, I had that AGAIN. I was in the hospital for 3 days, but had a TON of people taking care of me, and was in a good hospital. I was down for a good week, but by this past Sunday felt a lot better, and I even went to work at the church today! Feeling LOTS better!!

So I'll get a real update on here soon, about the good stuff God is doing in the college group!!

Passion Mexico 2008!!!!!!!

2008-10-08T13:51:00.001-05:00

Warning: THIS WILL BE LOOOOONGGGGG!! :)
Here's what was going through my head last thursday night as I went to sleep:

- We're taking 23 college kids to the biggest city in the world (varies daily), dirtiest city in the world, and most dangerous city in the world.

- Everyone in our group is between 17 and 28 years old (none of which are considered adults here except me, because I'm married).

- No real plan for food for the three days we'll be gone.

- I've been married less thatn 2 months, and I'm leaving without my husband for three days

- I'm CRAZY!!

But things turned out really well!

The Horizonte college students piled on a bus on friday afternoon to head out to Mexico City to go to the Passion 2008 event. If you don't know what that is, see the post below this one, and/or visit http://www.268generation.com/worldtour/high.html

We had with us a 24 year old girl named Alexandra, who I met for the first time the day before we left. She told me she didn't realize Passion was for Christians, that she wasn't a Christian, and wondered if she could still go or not. I told her YES! She should come!! Alex was nervous about going, as she didn't know anyone, and her boyfriend told her that she was too bad of a person to be hanging out with Christians for a weekend, that we'd think she's a bad person. But I encouraged her to come, and she showed up to leave with us on friday afternoon!

Also in the group was another new guy, named Alan, 24 years old. He recently moved to Queretaro from Culiacan (a city a long ways north of here with a reputation for a lot of violence), and doesn't really know many people here yet, but his parents have gone to Horizonte for about 2 years, so he decided to come as well.

Ere, an 18 year old girl who's the cousin of two of our Horizonte students, came as well. Ere accepted the Lord about 2 months ago at the influence of her Christian cousins.

And the rest of our students have been attending the college group and/or church pretty regularly.

We had an absolutely amazing time of worship on Friday night at the event, and a great message about GRACE. The plan of salvation was shared also, which I was glad because Alex isn't a Christian.

Upon returning to the hotel (1am??) I went to my room with Alex and Ere as my roommates. I asked them what they thought about the friday night session. Ere was like, "I didn't even know anything like this ever happened! I just know it was really good!!" And Alex said that she enjoyed the time, that she felt like she needs to "get closer to God." But she also said that she didn't think she'd be able to give up her party life-style and be a good person. She said she didn't want to quit having fun. Ere told her that Christians don't have to stop having fun. There are just things that God convicts us of not to do anymore. I said that a lot of times, those convictions may not even come right away, that it's something that God works on our hearts about. Alex said that it's definitely something that she'll be thinking about.

Inside Passion 2008 at the Palacio de los Deportes with about 6 or 7 thousand other students:

Some from Horizonte:

Saturday, we all woke up tired, but ready for a big day of Passion 2008! The messages were centered around God's grace, and our responsibility of evangelism.

At one point, it was asked if anyone needed a touch from God to be renewed and encouraged in their walks with the Him. A lot of our students raised their hands, that they needed renewal and strength.

Later, a presentation was given to remind us about how much God loves us and that He even sent His Son to die for us because He loved us so much. Impacting.

At another point, the speaker was talking about being a light in the darkness - Christians sharing with their friends in their schools and jobs. The speaker said that if you know you're ready to be sharing your faith with your friends, you should be doing that. And if you aren't sharing, why not? Are you willing to make that commitment to share your faith with your friends? And if you feel unprepared to share your faith with your friends, are you willing to get ready?

This touched many hearts of our students. I was able to pray with Ere, and we're planning to meet for a Bible study every week or 2 weeks to help her in that process of becoming ready to share her faith with her friends. Brisa wants encouragement to share the faith that she's had for years with her new school friends. Ana wants accountability in her walk with the Lord, and also encouragment to share. Fatima wants to renew that faith that she learned about as a child and has been kind of ignoring the past couple years. And I want to meet with Alexandra to see how she's doing and what she's been thinking about this past weekend!

Saturday night we ordered dinner about 12:30 at night, and packed everyone in the hallway and a room of our hotel to eat beef and cheese tacos together, and to enjoy the crazyness of 23 college kids who haven't slept well. Some of the goofyness:

On Sunday, we slept in, and then walked through downtown Mexico City for a while, before going to Semilla de Mostaza Church. This is one of the most well-known churches in Mexico, and probably in Latin America, because of a worship band that is from there. Currently, Fermin IV, a famous rapper from a secular band in the early '90's turned Christian, is the pastor. We know him, the guys from the worship team, and other church members because Semilla is a Calvary Chapel church, like Horizonte. It was good to get to go to Semilla for sunday service, and to see our friends there again. We got back to Queretaro around 8pm, tired as anything, but HAPPY!!!!

Please pray for me as I feel a bit overwhelmed (but in a good way!) about discipling so many girls all of a sudden, and I also want to be sure that I am growing in MY walk with the Lord to be able to help them grow as well. Thank you so much for your prayers!!

See more Passion Mexico 2008 pictures here!!!!!

Independence Day, and Passion 2008 Mexico!

2008-09-30T22:39:00.001-05:00

I'm pretty much not keeping up real well with writing in this blog, please excuse me! :)
September 15-16 is Independence Day here in Mexico, and we celebrated in style at the house of our friend Job and his family, with typical Mexican soup, enchiladas, and traditional musica and dance!

Me, JP, Lalo, Phil, and Ruti enjoying the festivities!

Me with Mariana and Alan:

This week, we've been planning high and low for Passion, a hugh event for college students with the purpose of encouraging students in their relationships with God, and proclaiming His name in the city! We'll be taking 25 students to Mexico City this weekend for the event! We had a coffee and cookies fundraiser at church this past Sunday which went quite well, and the students are excited for Passion! Please pray that this will be a life-impacting event for our students - worshipping alongside thousands of other college students! - and that everything will work out logistically. Honestly, I'm a little nervous about taking so many kids to Mexico City, in the eyes of Mexican parents, I'm the only adult (you become an adult when you get married or turn 30), and only barely so! Phil has done an amazing job of organizing the event for the Queretaro students, I really haven't done much at all, so he's been on his own for the most part - finding a cheap/safe hotel, reliable transportation, event tickets, everything. Phil moved here from Australia in March, so organizing the Passion trip for our students has been a huge undertaking and good learning experience!

Again, we ask your prayers for our students and leaders during this event - this coming friday, saturday, and sunday.

I'll post an update when we get back! :)

Some Updates, Finally!

2008-09-18T13:25:00.000-05:00

(I started to write this 3 days ago, but the power went out, as it has frequently in the past weeks, and with it went the internet... so this is a bit delayed!)

I'm SO sorry about not having written in FOREVER! But, you can probably imagine that things have been busy since we got married!! Busy in a good way, of course! :)

I just want to give a little update about what the Lord is doing in the lives of some of our college students...

I don't remember if I've mentioned Maricela before... She's a 25 year old girl who we know because she's been spanish teacher to some of our short-term missions girls, and she used to attend Justin's english class. Lluvia (Justin's wife, both work with students at Horizonte) began to have a Bible study with Maricela about a year and a half ago. I think it was about 10 months ago that Maricela accepted the Lord! She was always nervous about coming to any church because she'd always had bad experiences with churches in the past. But, in May, Maricela began attending sunday service at Horizonte! She's come regularly ever since, and come to thursday night college group when her work schedule permits.
Last thursday, Maricela called Lluvia after college group that she attended, and explained that she was really enjoying being a part of the group, especially this past thursday, as we had an awesome time of worship and opportunities to spend a lot of time in prayer and reading the Bible. Maricela said that she plans to invite her sisters, who are between 18 and 24 years old, to this week's meeting, which happens to be specifically for inviting non-Christian friends. It has really been amazing to see how Maricela's life has changed in the past several months. We doubted for a long time that she would ever start attending church, and now she's even inviting her sisters to come! We thank the Lord for His work!

Here is Lluvia with Maricela (yeah, I stole the picture off Lluvia's blog...):

Brisa is a 19 year old girl who just entered college at the State University this semester to study foreign languages and linguistics. I've known Brisa the entire time I've been here in Mexico, she's Lluvia's little sister, and has grown up in church. She's also quite shy around people she doesn't know, so I knew it would be interesting to see her form friendships with her new schoolmates. Brisa has said that she feels like she needs to get her act together as far as being a Light for Christ to her school friends. I'm very encouraged to hear her desire to reach out to those in her class who don't know the Lord! We're looking for an open space in the week for me to go to her school for a little while each week to pray with her and any friends that would like to join us!

Brisa at a birthday party...

Rafa is our friend who is 24 years old, and has been paralized in a wheel chair for 7 years. He's VERY shy, but has opened up to Phil and Justin (two missionaries who work with college students) more and more in the past months. When we closed Global Grounds cafe in the location, we were nervous that Rafa may stop coming to college group. Why? Because the only other apt place to hold the group was UPSTAIRS in Horizonte Church. And no, it has no wheelchair access. Rafa didn't come for about 6 weeks after we changed locations, but decided to give it a try one day. Two guys lifted him up the stairs and two other brought his chair. Rafa has come very regularly ever since! He also has been sharing with Justin about his relationship with the Lord, and his struggles in life.

Along with Rafa comes his 17 year old cousin, Hector, who helps Rafa's mom take care of him (Rafa's dad passed away 6 months before he became paralized). Hector rarely talks. For a long time, he would just help get Rafa into the college group area, and sit by himself and not want to talk to others, even though several guys made a good effort to involve him in the group.
In our recent few group meetings, Hector has opened up a bit to Justin and Phil, sharing about his recent trip to the beach, and also asking for prayer that he would be able to follow Christ more effectively! As far as we know, Hector has not accepted the Lord, but wow, he's heading down the right path!!

Rafa at his birthday party a year ago...

And finally, Mariana. My little girl grew up and went away to college!! I feel like a mom saying that. Mariana has been out of high school for a little over a year now, living in Queretaro with her mom and brother, taking intensive English classes (I think she speaks better than I do now!). But in August, she got the opportunity to study Bilingual education at a college in Puebla, about a 6 hour drive from here. So my wednesday nights from 7-10pm seem quite vacant now without looking forward to meeting with Mariana.
However, Mariana has come home a few weekends since she moved away. She's asked prayer for her relationships with ther classmates - that she can have a good friendship with them while keeping moral limits (the classmates like to party a lot). This is also Mariana's first time living alone, and 19-year old girl living alone here is not very common, so it's a BIG adjustment.
So far, all is good, and very busy!, in Puebla, and I trust that they Lord will help Mariana develop healthy friendships and thrive in her new school and living situation!

Mariana and I...

Just a Quick Note...

2008-08-27T13:29:00.000-05:00

To let you know that I am, in fact, alive and well!!
As you know, I got married on August 9th to Jean Paul, and have been really busy with all the planning and honeymooning and all!!

My families came down to Queretaro the week before the wedding...

My mom and dad (No, I don't think my mom is choking him...)

Dan, Kathy, and Apryl...

Suyapa, Mamilita, and Franklin (my mom, grandma, and brother from Honduras!)

I absolutely LOVED that my families were able to come a week before the wedding...

See more pictures of that week by CLICKING HERE.

The wedding was perfect, just how I wanted it!! Jean Paul and I enjoyed it, and I hope the guests did too! :)

More pictures of the wedding HERE.

JP and I left immediately after the wedding to go to Playa del Carmen, by Cancun!

You can see more honeymoon photos HERE.

I'll write more later, check out the pictures!! :)

Por Que Continues!

2008-07-19T19:37:00.000-05:00

On last tuesday (yeah, I've been really busy to write!) we had a little follow up meeting/party for the Por Que event, for the Horizonte folks who helped out with the event. The purpose was to thank God for what He did, to thank those who helped out, and to hear any stories the teens had to share about what God did in their lives or in the lives of their friends.

We broke out all the coffee stuff from Global Grounds, and brought a couple of cakes. We had a time of worship with Ruben, Phil, Job, and Alex:

The kids really got into it!!

Even the moms and not-so-young volunteers came:

And later, EVERY teenager, and person under the age of 25 shared in front of the group their thoughts or feelings about the event, or what God did in their life or the life of a friend they had invited. Many great testimonies were shared, but I'll just tell you one, the one that impacted me the most!

Alan, pictured below, has grown up in church with an awesome Christian mom (he's the little brother of Mariana who I disciple). He's pretty mischeivious, but what 16 year old boy isn't?? Anyhow, about two years ago, Alan invited his neighbor friend Eliu to start coming to youth group with him. Eliu came, and liked it, so he kept coming. He started making good friends at youth group, and started coming on sunday mornings too. Alan shared that ever since he'd met Eliu, he'd wanted him to know the Lord. Now, Eliu, his mom, and his sister Alma come to church just about everytime the doors are open, and the mom is in a womens' small group and has accepted the Lord!

Then Eliu, pictured below, got up to share his side of things, more specifically having to do with the Por Que event. About a month ago, Edith, the leader of family ministries, asked Eliu if he would be insterested in helping lead a small group of 9 and 10 year old boys during sunday school. Eliu was honored to be asked, and all the little kids really like him, but he mentioned that it would be a huge responsibility, and that he was scared that maybe his life didn't reflect Jesus as much as he felt it should to lead young boys.

Anyhow, during the Por Que event, more specifically the question and answer time, Eliu felt impressed that he'd never actually said in his heart that he wanted to follow the Lord; he just showed up for church and helped out a lot, but hadn't taken the step to let the Lord be number one in his life. Eliu accepted Jesus at the Por Que event!!

Something good is happening among the junior high and high school students at Horizonte. God is touching hearts and lives, and we pray that the kids don't let that die! Please pray for the college students, as we don't see the same fire in them as in the younger students. Please pray that God can use us (the college ministy team) to encourage the college kids in their relationships with the Lord!

¿Por Qué?

2008-07-09T12:51:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday was our big outreach event called "Por Que." (Why? in english). We had first an excellent turn-out of students from Horizonte who came to help set up as early as 10am.
Here, the students are in a short pre-event briefing so we're all on the same page during the event:

It had rained every day for over a week before Por Que, and several times it even began raining in the early afternoon (which is unusual). We were very nervous that it would rain on July 5th, and we didn't want new students staying home because of the event, or leaving early!
But it didn't rain!!
Here, some students are enjoying the volleyball tournament:

This was an outreach event for junior high, high school, and college students. We had many different activities going on such as the climbing wall, a room with three video games on big screens, the volleyball tournament, ping pong, Global Grounds cafe, and a graffiti contest. We also had live music performed by Job, Phil, Alex, and Ruben from Horizonte, along with several other young adults from other Churches in Querétaro and even from Monterrey.

We had quite a good number of students come to PorQue who were not from Horizonte (the whole point was to INVITE those who don't go to church!). I was a little disappointed at first at the small turn-out of college students, but we do have some good stories... Keep reading...

The band "Juan," which is part of Semilla de Mostaza in Mexico City came to play in the evening, and Kike from Semilla Cuernavaca and the band guys took questions from the students about Christianity, God, and life in general. Kike has a TV show that deals with tough questions and Biblical answers for young people. The show airs every Monday at 7pm in Cuernavaca and I think Mexico City. Horizonte Querétaro will be on the show this coming week!

Some of the students left after the outdoor activities had ended. But the ones who stayed for Juan and Kike got a good message... The group answered questions like, "How can I know that God really exists?" "Why do Christians hate homosexuals?" "Is there really a heaven and a hell?" "Why is there so much crime and sickness in the world?" And of course the token mischievious question, "Why are Alma Rosa and Jana so weird??" (obviously written by one of the Horizonte girls in the junior high group that Alma and Jana lead...!) The group had some amazing responses to these questions and more, answering straight from the Bible. At the end of the night, the group gave an invitation to accept the Lord (explained really very well!), and approximately 10 people raised their hands to make a first-time decision to follow Christ!!

About 4:30pm, a young man about 20 years old, Jorge, came into Horizonte. He works at the car wash across the street from Horizonte and saw the activities when he got off work, so he came over to see if he could play ping-pong and volleyball for a while. Obviously we welcomed him in. He played with us for a couple hours, then stayed for the Juan concert and question session. He accepted the Lord at the end of the time! We found out later that Jorge had been attending a good evangelical church near his home for about a month, and had a lot of questions, but something inside him told him that Christianity was good. So he made the decision to follow Christ! He will probably continue to attend the church near his home, and I believe someone from Horizonte is going to talk with someone in leadership at the other church so they know about Jorge's decision, and have someone available to disciple him.

Also, Bere, my friend Ana's niece, came to the event. Bere is in high school. We've been praying for Ana's sister (Bere's mom) for a while. Bere also accepted the Lord at PorQue!! Her mom, during the PorQue event, was in a pretty nasty car accident, but wasn't drastically hurt. Bere and Ana were able to share with the mom about God's protection. We hope that soon Bere's mom will come to believe as well!

I know there are other stories of PorQue, but I'll have to share those later!!

Thank you to all who prayed for this event, and we hope that you will continue to pray for the Horizonte students, and the students of Querétar in general.

If you want to see more pictures, click HERE!!

The Few, The Proud...

2008-07-03T21:08:00.001-05:00

The............. Horizonte teens!!

On Wednesday night, we held a prayer and worship time for the youth and youth leaders of Horizonte, to pray for the Por Que event that will take place this saturday, July 5th. (If you're wondering what that's all about, you can read a little about it HERE).

It was pouring down rain, and a lot of people at Horizonte don't go out much in the rain (especially teens who don't have cars!!), so I was discouraged about the meeting, and almost didn't go - I was ridiculously tired from inmigration/moving JP's stuff to his house/running errands/Por Que preparations/etc.! But I went, and this is what we saw:

Kids joining together in praise and prayer to our God who we love and serve. Pretty much, we had a good core group of teens - ones that come faithfully to events and are not apathetic toward their relationships with God. I was very blessed to see true worship from the hearts of these kids, and around the bonfire (it quit raining for about 2 hours, and we prayed around a fire that was made in the yard!), several of them prayed for their friends' salvation, and that God would use the Por Que event to bring more youth of Queretaro to Him.

We trust that God has great plans for this saturday! Please pray with us for this event, the teens who come, and the leaders!

Prep Time for Por Que

2008-07-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

Of course for an large event like Por Que, that will be this Saturday at Horizonte, you've got to have a good amount of preparation time. And if you live in Mexico and go to Horizonte, that prep time MUST include food!! And a lot of it!!

The past 3 weeks, the college group (those who are available at lunch time) has been meeting on thursdays for lunch and to plan for Por Que and Infusion (our new group for college students who have an interest in "spirituality." It will begin on July 17th). Today, Lluvia, Phil, and I made a Chinese-type stir fry. Man did it turn out goooood!!!!!!

Lluvia and I with the woks:

Some of the students who came (more came later, as work schedules allowed!)

The Answer...

2008-06-25T13:03:00.000-05:00

To what some of you have been asking...
Where will you and JP live??

Well, we'll live here:

Yes, we found the perfect house to rent!! JP is moving in this weekend, and I'll move in after the wedding!

Here's me in my new kitchen!!

If you want to see more pictures, click HERE!

School Time

2008-06-25T12:47:00.000-05:00

I found some recent pictures of Jean Paul's school that I thought might be interesting! JP studies International Commerce at the UNIVA university.

Here's part of the school from the outside:

Classmates during classtime. In Queretaro, you stay with the same students all the way through your school years, so you get to know them really well! All JP's classes are with the same bunch of students every semester.

Most of JP's classmates goofing off!

We know Bruno (guy in the back with the pen in his pocket) and Gaby (girl kneeling down in front) the best, and have been able to share about the Lord with them. Please pray for Bruno and Gaby (and the rest of the class!) that God will open their hearts to know Him!

5th of July

2008-06-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

On July 5, we here at Horizonte Church be holding an outreach event for the youth (ages 12-25) of Querétaro. We aim to invite non-churched, non-christians, especially the friends of the youth at Horizonte. We plan to follow up on the new students who attend the outreach event, and are planning regular events that cater to the needs and desires of non-christians who have somewhat of an interest in spirituality.

PLEASE PRAY for this event that God will use it to bring more students to a growing relationship with Him, and that we will be able to follow up with all the new students.

What Not to Do

2008-06-06T19:43:00.000-05:00

I've learned a lot of things in my time living in Queretaro, and in my cross-cultural experiences prior to that. I was thinking the other day about some of the funny things that I've done, trying to be creative or have fun, that just didn't turn out right!

Creativity is a valuable commodity as a missionary. Unfortunatly, I don't excel in that, although when someone has a creative idea I'm able to help carry it out efficiently. So I guess that's my gift instead of coming up with the creative ideas. I just want to share with you some of the things I've learned NOT to do over the past few years!

When being a guest teacher in a 3rd and 4th grade sunday school class in the US, it's a good idea to refrain from bringing your spanish-english Bible to teach out of. Why? Well, on the front of the Bible it says, "Holy Bible - Santa Biblia." To me this is completely normal. However, to english-speaking children, "Santa" only has one meaning... and it's not "holy." I was horrified to hear "Our teacher has santa on her Bible," coming from the students after class, especially since I know that most or all of the childrens' families don't do santa clause for Christmas, and definitely don't want their kids learning about santa in sunday school! Oops!

Be careful about the seemigly harmless materials you use while doing games for college students. I was in charge of games for one of our college group meetings one night, and I had been thinking about a game where there are two teams each lined up and each team has an object such as a water baloon or a wet sponge and must pass the object down the line of the rest of the team members using only their knees. (The object get placed between the knees of the first person, standing upd, who then passes it to the next persons' knees, etc.) Well, since it was November and cold out, and we'd be indoors, I wanted to choose a not-wet object to play this game, but something in a shape that would be hard to pass from knees to knees. I chose a banana. Never, under any circumstances, take a group of college students and tell them to put bananas between their legs. I was horrified once I saw the first people place the bananas and everyone started laughing... My bad...

When doing games for groups of adults, pretend you're doing games for Junior Highers. I've had two bad experiences with adults and games...
The first was in Honduras, a group of young adults went to check out a campground for a youth camp, and afterwards we all decided to have a nice friendly game of frisbee football. The score was somewhere around a lot to zero, and it was getting late, so Michelle - who was the person in charge of the whole camp thing - wanted to end the game and said that the next team to score a goal would win. It ended up that the team I was on (score of zero) actually scored a goal, therefore "winning" after Michelle's new rule to end the game. On the opposite team were several guys between the ages of 24 and 26. They absolutely threw a fit! They were so adamit about needing to win (and they HAD scored like 10 goals, WAY more than my team!) and were so outraged that Michelle had made that new rule and the lousy team won... I had NEVER seen young men act like such little kids in my entire life!! It set a bad tone to the drive home too, just because they HAD to win, and even when we said that they actually won because they'd scored so many more goals that us, they STILL wouldn't let it rest!!

The second incident with adults and games happened about 6 weeks ago at Horizonte. Phil and I were leading games for a group of about 60 adults. I made a "bingo" game where everyone has a sheet with 16 boxes on it, and each box has a characteristic (like "someone who has been to South America," or "someone who was born in the same month as you.") You must find a person with that characteristic and have them sign that box for you. The first person to have all the boxes filled and come to the stage wins. Sounds harmless enough. I purposely picked things that I was 100% sure would be present at the event. I got "someone born in Veracruz" (I know at least 4 people born there, that were at the event), "someone with a drivers' license from a state other that Queretaro" (if no one else, mine's from Oregon...), and so on. However, I made a little mistake. I put "some who uses contact lenses." Those are moderately common here, and I know several people who use them... but none of them came to the event. Soon, most people had all the boxes filled except the contact lens one, and everyone got upset because there was no on who had them. I said no one wins then, the game's over. That caused an uproar "We just did ALL THIS for NOTHING?!?!?!" The purpose of the game was actually to meet people you didn't know before, but whatever... I yelled, "Ok, the next person to bring a black watch to the stage wins!" Someone right below the stage pulled off a black watch, tossed it to me, and I pronounced her the winner. There were about 10 people who got rather angry and came to talk to me about how I was rediculously unfair and how they were really the rightful winner. Phil and I were absolutley agahst at the reaction to a simple little game!!

This is getting long, so I'll stop for now. I hope you enjoyed a few stories about attempts at good going wrong! :)

New Arturo

2008-06-04T10:31:00.000-05:00

I think "Arturo" must be a common name here in Mexico, as this will now be the third Arturo who I've mentioned in this blog!
Ok, so, in preparation for the "KidStuf" that I mentioned in the previous entry, we needed a little bit of help with the acting part of the production. Someone in the church recommended that we talk with a guy named Arturo, who is a professional actor in Queretaro, and is also studying for a Masters degree in Theater. Arturo, who is 24, was very happy to help out with KidStuf, even though he's not a Christian and didn't really have any interest in church.

Throughout the KidStuf rehearsals, the other actors (young-adult Christians from Horizonte) began to hang out with Arturo outside of rehearsals. He invited everyone to his house a few times for snacks and a movie, the Horizonte actors went to one of Arturo's plays, and they all began to have a good friendship.

After the first KidStuf, Arturo volunteered to continue helping with future productions, and the leader of KidStuf felt that it was a good idea. Last week, Arturo showed up at Horizonte for the 11 am service. He hadn't actually attended a church service before, but said he felt comfortable at Horizonte because he now has a lot of friends here.

After the service, Arturo was talking with some of his friends - Phil, Sara, and Alma Rosa. He told them that the music at Horizonte had some really interesting words about loving God and knowing Him, and he didn't really understand what that is all about. I wasn't there, but one of the people talking with Arturo said that he almost seemed a little bit irritated to be thinking about God, but at the same time, he knows that there's something different about his new friends from Horizonte. These friends worship God, but are also really cool and fun to hang out with. So we know God is working in Arturo's life, and I believe that soon he too will have a relationship with God!

I didn't have any pictures of Arturo, but I found this picture of backstage after the first KidStuf on Phil's website, so I stole it to show to you all! Arturo is the smiley guy in the middle.

Buckhead KidStuf

2008-05-21T11:07:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've written, but we've been busy... Getting KidStuf going at Horizonte!

KidStuf is a musical and dramatic presentation for elementary school kids and their parents. KidStuf goes hand in hand with the virtues that the kids are learning in their sunday school classes, and helps to reinforce them.

A team from Buckhead Church (and other North Point ministries churches) in Atlanta came to help us get the stage set up and get KidStuf underway. The team and Horizonte staff worked hard all week (even staying until after 3am on saturday night!) to get everything in order!

Horizonte girls doing the opening song on the not-quite-finished set on friday:
I think we had a good response from the families at Horizonte and some new families that came to KidStuf (Cosas de Niños).

We'll be back with more KidStuf once a month!

Amanda, Deborah, and I at the celebration for all involved in KidStuf on sunday night:

If you'd like to see ALL my pictures from the week, CLICK HERE.

Holy Cross Day

2008-05-06T10:19:00.000-05:00

I'm gonna guess that most of you who think about mexican holidays this time of year would think primarily about 5 de mayo, which, by the way is NOT mexican idependence day. But there are a LOT of holidays all jammed into about 2 weeks. Childrens' day is April 30th (kids go to school but get to play all day). May 1st is Labor Day (no school, no work, no banks, no p ost office...). May 2nd is contructions workers' day (no work for construction workers). May 3rd is Holy Cross Day, which I'll explain later. May 5th is Battle of Puebla Day (no school, some people don't have to work). May 10th is Mothers' Day. So there's 6 holidays in about 2 weeks! And I'm waiting for some paperwork from the mexican government that I need by May 20th, and they said it would be ready in 10 "working days." Ooops.

Anyhow, I must add that yesterday, 5 de mayo, I saw no celebrations. I thought, "wow, people in the States are eating mexican food today in honor of a holiday that they have no idea what it is!" But that's ok, any excuse to have some enchiladas is fine with me!!

So on saturday night Jean Paul and I went to the little town of Pinto to go to a festival for the day of the Holy Cross. JP's friend Ruben and his family (who are Christians) live there. It was interesting to see all the festivities, and a TON of people clogging the streets!

Everything that you can imagine was for sale:

Including some really yummy breads:

To celebrate the holiday, a big tower was set up that had shapes of various catholic icons that would later light up with fireworks:

And this is the courtyard of the church in Pinto:

A lot of people just went to the festival for the same reasons we did - cheap food and lots of stuff for sale. But something that's sad to me is that many people come from all around the area walking barefoot or crawling on bare knees to the church as a penetence in respect of the Holy Cross. Then at night, many people get drunk. In the court yard pictured above, there's a band playing and many many drunk people dancing. Some of them even had on scary masks that supposedly scare off evil spirits. It was really surprising to me to see this going on in a religious area where just that morning people were paying penetences to the Cross. It's also sad to me to hear of people mistreating themselves in honor and maybe worship of icons that are not God.

Here's me and JP with Ruben and his son Gabriel:

Useful Missionary Skills - Part Three

2008-04-30T20:11:00.001-05:00

Low-Tech Technological Communication Skills

Yeah, so, that's probably not really a term for anything, but I'll explain.

Something interesting that I've noticed over the past 2+ years of living in Queretaro is the way we communicate with one another. Pretty much everyone over the age of 12 has a cell phone here, and that's been a useful tool for me ever since I got here. Contacting youth group students, friends to go to lunch with, Jean Paul at work, and many other different people is most easily and cost-effectively done by text-messaging. My phone company has 10 cent messages (USD) to all cell phones in Mexico, and I have a pay-as-you-go plan, so that works out pretty cheap for me. I can remind all my college girls about the sunday evening meetings all at once and in about 1 minute.

Another great communication tool for college students is the use of Facebook and other social networking internet sites. It's quicker and funner than emails, free, and can be done at any time of the day or night. Some of my friends even receive Facebook messages on their cell phones! In planning an event, we can invite many friends all at once through Facebook, and they are even reminded about the event shortly before it starts. It's crazy.

I definitely prefer talking in person with other people to texting and Facebooking, but you gotta use the means of communication that those you are trying to reach use! And through those means, you can set up actual times to meet in person with them! :)

He's A Bus Driver, Not A Baseball!!!

2008-04-26T21:20:00.001-05:00

The other day I was walking down Universidad Street (a main, busy street) in Queretaro with Jean Paul. It was a sunny evening, and we were going to the park. All of a sudden, we saw at the intersection ahead of us, two men fighting, and one of them was hitting the other repeatedly with a baseball bat!! We stood there for a few seconds trying to figure out what waso going on... There was a bus parked in the middle of the road, a taxi idling on the side of the road, and the guy hitting a man in a bus-driver shirt in the arm with a baseball bat. Pretty much if there are two men fighting here, everyone stays out of it and just watched. JP wanted to go help the busdriver out, and of course I wasn't too cool with that. But right then, a traffic cop showed up, and JP and a couple other men went to the fight scene with the traffic cop to help settle things down. Apparently the bus had cut in front of the taxi on the road and the taxi driver had a bat hidden under his seat, pulled it out, and hit the door of the bus with it, breaking the bus window. I know it's frustrating to be cut off by a bus, but out of the approximately 4 hours I've ever driven in Queretaro, I think I've probably been cut off by a bus maybe three times. So, I'm gonna guess that it happens every day to taxi drivers... So pretty much there's no reason for whacking a bus with a bat! And REALLY no reason to start hitting the bus driver with it! JP was talking with the taxi driver for a while trying to calm him down, while the traffic cop and bus driver were filing an incident report. I stood by the bus (parked in the middle of a busy street, nearing rush hour), and directed other cars around it.

Everything ended fine I think - we left before any other police officers got to the scene. But I was really surprised, road rage (with physical violence) just doesn't happen much here. In fact, that's the first time in my 2+ years here that I've seen violence used in a traffic incident! JP said that Queretaro is turning into the United States - next thing you know people will carry guns in their cars for when other drivers make them mad. It's interesting what a violent reputation the US has in many places! But it's true about the whole road rage thing - I remember ducking under a table in a donut shop on Lancaster Dr. on night about 3 years ago because some people in the parking lot and on the road were waving guns at each other. Living behind the Taco Bell on Commerical Street (the one at Madrona) had it's little perks like that too - the stabbed guy ringing the doorbell in the middle of the night, another lady who'd stabbed her boyfriend in "self-defense," and all kinds of good stuff that went on in the park across the street... Oh, not to mention the fugitive that was caught in our backyard one evening when I was home by my self wen I was 13! Really, it's true! I felt actually rather scared one night in January or February of this year walking behind the Salem Library by myself in the dark, and it was only like 6pm!

And then there's life in Tegucigalpa - don't talk to anyone on the other soccer team in Yaguacire, they'll start a fight; get back inside the house, the police just apprehended a murderer across the street; don't go to the market place alone, Suyapa got robbed at knife-point twice...

Well, I feel blessed to live in Queretaro, it's pretty safe in general!

Just a Normal Weekend...

2008-04-22T10:20:00.000-05:00

Here are just a few pictures of some of the activities that were going on this past weekend:

We had a "conectate," or "group link" event at Horizonte Church. This is a breakfast event where people who are not involved in a community group can get involved. We also had a few groups multiply to make new groups! Jean Paul and I are now in a community group for young married couples. I think it will be great, our good friends Ricardo and Ana, and Justin and Lluvia are in the group, along with another couple who we kind of know, and two couples who are new to Horizonte. I know that it will be a good opportunity to grow in our faith along with the other 5 couples!

Here, we are playing some games at conectate to get started:

Sunday evenings are our college group meetings for the college kids at Horizonte. I led the discussion this week, the topic was about evangelism, and how we can branch out to our non-Christian friends; how we can introduce them to Christ's love by creating atmospheres that are relevant to college students.

Here's our ice-breaker game:

And, Julian and Whitney and their girls - a family who used to work here at Horizonte and now live in Atlanta - are here for a week to visit!

Here's me, Sandy (I live with Sandy and her husband Luis), and L to R Talya, Micaiah, and Haniel. Talya and Micaiah are Whitney's daughters, and Haniel is Sandy's.

Whitney, Sandy, and the girls:

Pepe - Part 2

2008-04-16T12:06:00.000-05:00

In a blog in the beginning of December, I wrote about two guys named Pepe who had significant life changes and accepted the Lord in the past year. (You can read that here)

Well, last Sunday, Pepe (the one referred to as "Pepe 1" in the previous post) publicly announced his faith in Christ through baptism at Horizonte! Baptism is a big step for a lot of people in Mexico, as many of them were baptized as babies as "assurance of salvation" in the Catholic Church. Many Mexican families don't want their family members to be baptized in an Evangelical Church.

Here is Pepe in our little baptism tank!

The Car

2008-04-16T11:38:00.002-05:00

I think I mentioned before that Jean Paul and I now have a little car! Here it is - a Volkwagon Pointer - I don't think they have that in the States, but it's a great little car. It gets good gas milage, and is easy to find parts in case it needs reparation. And I always think of Volkswagons as being pretty sturdy. This one is a 2004, so it pretty new (especially for me, who's never had a car newer that 1984!!). This picture is how I saw the car when I got back to Queretaro after being in Honduras! It's amazing how everything worked out for the car - we bought it from the boss of a good friend of ours who sold it to us for substantially cheaper than he should've just because our friend is such a good employee. With a car, JP and I will be able to find cheaper housing, as the further outside of the city you go, the cheaper rent is.

Another way that God has provided for us - a friend fromo JP's school works for a home construction company, and the company furnishes their model homes before showing them. One the model home is bought, they company sells the furnishings, most of which are slightly used, or not even used. So we are buying a brand-new refridgerator through this friend for about half the price that it sells for at Sears! Little by little, God is providing things that we need even before we actually need them!

A New Stage of Life

2008-04-07T21:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know, it's time for a major update on this blog!

As many of you know, things have changed substantially here in the Queretaro ministry in the past few months, basically the months that I was not around, so everything was different when I got back! So hopefully this entry will provide some answers to what is going on:

1. Global Grounds Cafe - Yes, Global has closed it's door in the mall across the street from the university. However, we have moved everything to Horizonte church, and are continuing to have our sunday evening college group with the students at Horizonte. We hope to have everything up and running this next week to open as a cafe and a place to have activities for students on Friday nights as well. We are in the planning stages of re-organizing and re-thinking the college ministry. The Horizonte college students are enthusiastic about continuing the sunday evening meetings, and we are making sure to keep in contact with the students who don't come to church, but came to Global. So yes, I DO still have a job here!! We would appreciate your prayers in this transition time!

2. The Wedding - Things are coming along excellently for our wedding! We have a lot of things completely taken care of, and many friends are pitching in a lot too! Here are some of the things that friends have volunteered to provide: our rings, my dress, our cake, the centerpieces for the reception, the food for the reception (cost of food only, labor is free!), the cost of transportation to our honeymoon destination (yet to be determined!), and we have a friend who's volunteered to be in charge of serving the food at the reception and finding others to help serve, for free. By the way, in Mexico you always have food at a wedding, it's pretty much not optional! So we're not doing an extravagant feast! In fact, in case any of you are worried, the total for food for 200 guests is approximately $300. Not bad if you ask me!! :)

3. Jean Paul and I - It's transition time from being two single people to being a married couple... ok, that does NOT mean moving in together!! That will be AFTER the wedding! :) But, there's so much to think about: arranging our schedules so we can have sufficient time together, thinking about renting a house, changing my mexican visa to a permenant resident, and lots of other stuff that you'd never even think of. But it's been good, and my my pastor and ministry teammates have been patient with us as we work out scedule details and wedding plans. Please pray for Jean Paul and I as we prepare for our life together as a married couple!
Oh! This is cool... We've been asked to join a small group for married couples! There's been a group for young married couples at church, and now there's a lot of those couples, so they're breaking it down into young couples with kids, and young couples without kids. Our good friend Ricardo and Ana are leading the non-kids group, and we'll be joining along with 2 or 3 other couples!

And a couple of pictures...

Phil, Jana, Brisa, and Dany (students who attend Horizonte Church) hanging out at tacos:

Pablo, Alma, and Aixa - students who we know through Global Grounds:

DMV in Queretaro

2008-04-07T20:14:00.001-05:00

Just a little interesting culture story for you all...

I think I mentioned in a previous blog that Jean Paul and I now have a car. Well, one of the things that comes with having a car is following the traffic laws (which are extremely subjective in Queretaro!) JP dropped me off at my house one evening, and on the way to his house, got a speeding ticket on the pan-american highway (he probably wouldn't want to to mention that there were large flashing signs that said "State Police Radar" right before where he got pulled over!) All I have to say is that 35 miles per hour is a RIDICULOUS speed limit for the pan-american highway... But, that's the limit.

Anyhow, if you pay the speeding ticket the next day, you get a 30-50% discount. The DMV - where you go for everything from diver's licenses, to speeding tickets, to car tax, and anything that has to do with vehicles in any way, shape, or form - is open from 8am to 3pm. Those are conveniently the hours that JP works, so he couldn't pay the ticket (and there's no such thing as mailing them a check here!) So I took the ticket down to pay it.

I knew where the DMV was, and it is conveniently located an hour bus ride from my house, and I went at 1pm on a really really hot day. I entered the huge, recently-remodled building, and was really surprised to see the inside. Generally, buildings and homes in Queretaro are a lot nicer on the inside than on the outside, and the DMV is pretty nice outside. But not inside. Inside, it is one huge room with a thin corrugated metal roof (no ceiling tiles or anything); customer service and payment window on all four walls, and a few seats a large concrete flower gardens. Like I said, it was probably the hottest day I've experienced since I've been in Queretaro, and, corrugated metal roofs are NOT friendly in hot weather, especially since the DMV is not airconditioned (which most office building here DO have airconditioning). So, I entered into the mass of people cutting in line to take a number and wait. I told the number-giver that I needed to pay a speeding ticket, and he gave me a number for a specific window. I was pleasantly surprised to see only 2 other people in that line. Then I realized that this WASN'T the correct window, and was told that the bank of like 9 windows on a different was was. So I waited. And waited. And finally my number was called, and I went to the window, and a lady printed off a payment form, and told me to go to a payment window and wait until my number was called. I waited in front of the payment windows. After several minutes, I noticed that the payment form was in someone else's name, and for a different amount. I pushed my way in front of the person who was being attended by the lady who gave me the wrong payment form, and she printed me out another form, in the same wrong name as the first form. I told her that it was the wrong form, and she read me the name on the form and informed me, "yep, that's your form." I told her it wasn't. She finally printed off the correct form, and I returned to the payment window area and sat on a big concrete flower garden to wait for my turn, which, by this point may or may not have been called. After about 40 minutes (and wondering if my number had already been called, or if they'd even call it before 3pm!), my number was called, and I paid the traffic fine with JP's money. Then, they informed me that I would need to go to the next window to receive JP's drivers' license, which they had confiscated as a way to assure that he's pay the fine. I was sure that they wouldn't give it to me because I'm NOT JP, AND I'm a foreigner. But they gave it to me, and I was on my way out of the boiling hot building into the boiling hot sun, praying that I never again lose my Oregon drivers' license, so hopefully I'll never have to spend the DAY in the DMV getting a mexican license!

So, no more complaints about the DMV's in the United States! heehee! :)

Pictures from Honduras

2008-04-02T19:15:00.000-06:00

I realized that I never put any pictures of my recent trip to Honduras in this blog!

Here's my Honduran mom, Suyapa and I:
Luisa, me, and Moises. Luisa and Moises are getting married in August. Luisa is my next door neighbor, and best Honduran friend!

A view of my neighborhood from above my house:

My "nephew" (actually Luisa's nephew) Carlitos Daniel, playing with my grandma's bird:

Suyapa working on my wedding dress! (yep, this is as much picture as you'll see of the dress until my wedding!)

Suyapa working on wedding things from another friend, Marthita's wedding, and me working on beadwork for my dress:

My brothers' soccer team playing in Yaguacire (a farm area near my neighborhood):

Yep, I said Yaguacire was a farm area! The soccer game had to stop because of the cows crossing the field!

I really enjoyed my time in Honduras, and had the opportunity to spend lots of time with Suyapa and her husband Delmer, my brother Franklin, Luisa and Moises, and various other people from the neighborhood. Suyapa completed my wedding dress in approximately 4 days! Beadwork included! We are trying to get visas for Suyapa and Franklin, and possibly Delmer, to come to Mexico for my wedding, but it's more difficult for Hondurans to get visas to Mexico than to the USA, so it's really up in the air as to whether or not they can come... But we hope!

Now I'm back to Queretaro, beginning a new phase of ministry and life!

Back to... Normal???

2008-03-26T13:16:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! I'm really sorry about not having updated this blog in well over a month! It's been crazy around here!

After leaving Oregon the end of February, I returned to Queretaro for a whopping 4 days before leaving again for Honduras. I was able to spend 2 weeks in Tegucigalpa with my wonderful Honduran family there! It was a good time a visiting with everyone there, AND Suyapa, my Honduran mom, made my wedding dress for me! I think it took about 4 or 5 days in total for her to make it! And no, I'm not going to be putting a picture of my dress on here... Many of you have asked about that, but Jean Paul is adamit about not wanting to see the dress until the wedding! So... I'm not posting any picture of it! :) You'll just have to wait too!

The day after returning from Honduras, Jean Paul and I went to Mexico City where his mom is now living. I had never met her before! We spent 2 days with his mom (Judith), and his sister (Yuyita) and niece (Kimberly). And I never thought I'd have nieces and nephews! It was great to be able to spend some time with Jean Paul's family!

Yesterday (Tuesday) I hopped back into work. I knew that there had been some changes with Global Grounds, but I had NO idea what I was in for...

Over the past 3 months, a decision has been made to close Global Grounds Cafe as it has been for the past few years. Finances have been incredibly tight, and the team felt like it's time for a change for the good of the ministry. We WILL continue ministry to college-age young people. We aren't 100% sure of what that will look like at this point, but we are trusting that God will direct us. For now, we are moving all the cafe furniture and supplies to Horizonte Church, where we will continue to have our sunday night student meetings, and also open as a cafe on friday nights. We hope to use sunday nights as more of a time for spiritual growth among the Christian students, and friday nights as a more relaxed atmosphere for those who wouldn't normally enter a church. We especially ask for prayer for our friday night events, as we want to use that time to its full potential - not just as a time to hang out, but also to create opportunities to introduce students to our Faith. We would also like to open up the cafe area (now at Horizonte) on Sundays after the 11:00 service for a time of fellowhip among the college students who attend Horizonte. In the future, we hope to have a space set aside specifically for college students at Horizonte, similar to what we had a Global Grounds.

Apart from all these changes in the ministry, my personal life is changing substancially as well! (Oh really?!?) :) Jean Paul and I are using the afternoons this week (he's on spring break from school) to do a LOT of wedding plans, and also to begin looking for an apartment that he can live in soon, and that will be home to both of us in August. I'm SO thankful for all the friends here who are stepping up to help us with wedding details! We have some friends who are caterers who are doing our wedding meal for us at the cost of the food (working for free!), a friend who is donating the cake, another who is buying out RINGS!!, another friend who is a photographer who is giving us a huge discount... And others who are asking what they can do to help out! We are very thankful for that!

So as you can see, even though I've returned to the same place I've been for the past two years, I've returned to anything but normal! But I know everything will work out for the best!!

Ok, sometime this week I'll try to get some pictures on this blog... maybe some of Honduras, and some of here in Queretaro.

Trip to California

2008-02-16T18:24:00.004-06:00

Hey everyone!
I’m back from a trip to California with my parents! We went to Disneyland, California Adventures, and Universal Studios, and had a really great time! Although I felt old… I can only make it about 5 hours in a theme park before I’m ready to go take a nap! VERY different from when I was a kid! Heehee! I LOVED going on the rides that I enjoyed as a kid, and also going to Universal for the first time. I have some pictures in case anyone actually wants to see “family vacation photos,” and if not, I don’t blame you! Those are only fun when it’s YOUR family vacation! But you can see the pictures if you wish by CLICKING HERE.

I’m back to Querétaro on February 28th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chicago and Atlanta

2008-02-05T13:22:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone!
I just got back from a good trip to Chicago and Atlanta!
I went to Chicago to visit with the staff from International Teams. I had kind of a debrief time of my first two years as a missionary, and also talked about my future in ministry… and as a wife! It was a really great time… in spite of the fact that I’d never been in sub-zero weather before, it was an experience!

This picture pretty much sums up the Chicago weather... :)

After a couple days in Chicago, I headed out to Atlanta and stayed with Julian and Whitney and their girls. (They were missionaries in Querétaro for four years, and left about a year ago). I was able to visit Buckhead Church, a campus of North Point – the church that Horizonte Querétaro is a partner church of. I also got to visit with several people who I’d met when they came to QRO on short term teams from North Point.

Whitney took me to various places in Atlanta, like the Coke Museum, the CNN headquarters, and other downtown things. I LOVED sampling all the Coke products in the museum!! I also had a good time just being able to chat with Whitney and Julian, and play with the girls.

The Coke museum:

Olympic Park:

Micaiah, Me, and Talya:

The girls with Whitney:

Next week it’s off to Disneyland with my parents! Then on the 28th I’m back to Querétaro!!!

Still Around...

2008-01-02T18:34:00.000-06:00

Hi! I'm still here, just not really into blog writing these days... I kind of feel like there's not a lot of interesting stuff to write since I'm taking a little break from ministry, so I probably won't be writing in here much in the next few weeks. But I'm alive and well! :)

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-24T12:39:00.000-06:00

Oregon

2007-12-19T20:09:00.000-06:00

I'm now in Oregon, for those of you who may not have known. I'll be in the States until probably some time in March, raising a little more financial support, and visiting with friends, family, and donors!

And missing Jean Paul!

Nativity Set

2007-12-19T20:03:00.000-06:00

Once again, here are some pictures of the nativity set in the Centro of Querétaro. I LOVE looking at this – every time I pass through the Centro during Christmas time, I look at it!

Here’s the angel announcing to Mary that she will become pregnant and give birth to the Savior.

Here’s an interesting Mexican version of this… They say that the angels that appeared to the shepherds to announce Jesus’ birth also appeared to guys in charge of watering animals. Here are the guys with their water jugs (it’s interesting to me that all the figures in the nativity set except angels, Mary, and Joseph look like Mexicans! But I know we do that too – the people in the nativity weren’t white either!)

Here’s the traditional nativity scene – sorry it was REALLY sunny out, so the light turned out weird.

And another latinamerican take on the nativity – the three wise men. They have names – Melchor, Balchazar, and Gaspar. One comes on a horse, another on a camel, and another on an elephant. They come from India, China, and Africa. (I probably didn’t get all these facts 100% correct, I’m doing it from memory of what people have told me).

Here’s the actual Mexican Christmas scene – families participating in a traditional posada. At a posada, people sing a song remembering the journey that Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem. I think the song also talks about the shepherds and the wise men. Then there’s a candle-lighting, and a piñata for the kids. Yummy food is served (in QRO it’s generally small sandwiches of shredded chicken in mole – my mouth waters just thinking about it!!)

Here's the creation scene:

And the hell scene:

Guadalupe

2007-12-19T19:13:00.000-06:00

Here in México, December 12th is a national holiday. This is the day of Guadalupe, who is the patron saint of México. I was in the Centro the night of the 11th, and there was a procession going to the cathedral that sponsors Guadalupe. There were a TON of people waiting for the truck with the Guadalupe statue on it to pass by. When it passed by people were crossing themselves, and kids were bringing gifts up to the truck to give to the statue.
Here’s a picture (sorry about the quality) of the truck passing by.

It was very sad to me, because it was like the people were waiting to be saved or redeemed by Guadalupe. It’s so sad to me that many people in México (and around the world) read the same Bible (ok, with a few extra books added in) as I do, yet have such a different concept of salvation and forgiveness of sins. The Bible says that Jesus forgives sins, and that there is no other way to be saved except through Him.

Pray for the people of Querétaro, that somehow, someday, eyes will be opened to true salvation in Christ.

The Pepes

2007-12-06T12:42:00.000-06:00

There are two guys at Horizonte church who are both named Pepe.

Pepe 1 (or the first Pepe to start coming to Horizonte) began attending in the following way...
Lalo (a Christian guy at Horizonte) randomly saw Pepe one day by his house. Lalo and Pepe had been best friends in their childhood. Pepe was unemployed, and frequently high or drunk or both. He started talking to Lalo about how messed up his life was, and Lalo was on his way to church to help out on a saturday. Pepe ended up coming to church with Lalo the next day.

Over the course of a few weeks, Pepe found that people actually liked him and cared about him at Horizonte! He began working part time with Lalo in the electrical business, and began coming early on sundays to help set up the audio and video equipment.

Horizonte contracted Lalo to install the new electical system in the auditorium (we previously had 3 fuses and 4 electrical outlets for the entire auditorium, and were running 4 speakers, 3 guitars, 5 microphones, a video projector, two computers, a sound board, a video camera, and all the lights, snd sometimes 4 fans, off those 3 fuses! Talk about NOT OSHA approved!! We now have 17 fuses, and like 25 outlets. Lalo installed 3/4 of a MILE of wiring in the auditorium!!) Anyhow, Pepe began to come during the week to help Lalo. One morning he came in really drunk. He had been sober for several weeks, then one day not. He didn't want to come work at the church because he thought that Lalo and Martin (the pastor) would kick him out. But he came, and instead of working on the wiring, Martin and Lalo took some time with Pepe to let him know that God forgives, and that they forgive too. Martin and Lalo offered to help Pepe with accountability with alcohol, and life went on with a sober Pepe, who now comes to church on saturdays to read the Bible with Juan, another guy at Horizonte.

Pepe 2
This Pepe had been to an evangelical church before, and didn't particularly like it. His wife, Ana, was very interested in attending an Evangelical church, and one day, after inviting Pepe many times to various churches, they came to Horizonte. Pepe actually liked it and felt welcomed, and they even started going to a beginners Bible study that day!
Pepe is a welder. Just use your imagination here as to what the lifestyle of a lot of welders are like in Mexico. Yeah, he went out to drink every night with his other welder friends, and if anyone messed with them, they'd pull out their guns. (imagine hick people getting mad in the States)
Anyhow, Horizonte needed bars put on the windows and doors for security, to be able to leave all that electronic equipment set up over night. Juan (full time maintenance at Horizonte) is a welder, so he began the huge project of making bars for 6 large windows and 3 sliding glass doors. Pepe heard about this, and decided to actually take time away from his welding shop to spend three weeks working with Juan on the window bars. This was without pay!! During this time, Pepe and Juan had a LOT of time (like 12 hours some days!) to work and talk together. Pepe had accepted Christ, but still had (has) a lot of questions, some of which were answered simply by watching Juan's lifestyle, others through asking questions.
One day, just like the other Pepe, Pepe 2 came one morning really drunk. He too was afraid that he'd be rejected by Juan and Martin. Again, they sat down to talk with him about God's grace and forgiveness, and helped him get into a recovery program for alcoholics.

Both Pepes are regular attenders at Horizonte, are enthusiastic about knowing God more, and readinig the Bible, and also use some of their free time to help out in various tasks at church. BOTH Pepes have invited other non-Christian friends to Horizonte!
Lots of good stuff going on that God is doing!!

Below: Martin, Pepe 2, Pepe 1, Ricardo, and Kurt (from NPCC) hoisting a set of bars for a sliding glass door.

Pepe 1 and Lalo working on the electrical system:

Differences of Death

2007-12-05T21:46:00.000-06:00

Everytime I encounter things that have to do with death in Latin America, I realize how latina I'm NOT.

I never saw a dead person in my life (nope, not even at an open casket funeral!) until the summer of 2003. I was in the shower at my house in Honduras when I heard a HUGE loud crash sound that lasted for like 20 seconds. Upon gettinig dressed, I went to the front room and Suyapa was calling the Red Cross. There had been an accident RIGHT in front of our house (which is on the main highway through Honduras) between a Mack truck and a littly bitty pickup. The neighbors began trying to get the three guys in the pickup out with garden tools. When the ambulance arrived, they removed on man alive, and one dead. The third guy had died instantly. I unfortunatly got a really good view of that guy's head, which is in terrible shape after having passed through the accident. One of the other gringas was watching the whole thing from her front porch, in tears. What really surprised me was that my little cousins (8 and 11 years old at that time) and some other little children were walking up to the accident and looking in the truck, and no one even thought anything of it.

In early 2006, I went to the Mummy Museum in Guanajuato Mexico. I don't really consider the mummies to be anything super terrible, even though they are real dead people. But what surprised me there was that parents were posing their small children by the mummies to take pictures of them. One family even posed their baby by a baby mummy! I'm pretty sure that if this museum were in the States, there would be an age limit to be able to enter...

Earlier this year, I received a MySpace comment (NEVER do this) from my Honduran brother telling me that our aunt Amalia had died. I had just seen her laughing with grandma and another of thier sisters like a month before. I even remember telling her that she and her sisters were a bunch of troublemakers. She laughed and agreed! Then I get a MySpace comment telling me that she died. It's like people are sad for two days, then life goes back to normal.

This past monday night, a friend of mine, Chelo, was in a bad car accident and died. She wan't a close friend of mine, but I had hung out with her a few times, and she was only 25 years old! It was so sudden, it took all of us by shock. I've never been to a funeral in Mexico, nor in any other latin american country. The funerals happen within hours of the death. I didn't find out about Chelo until about 4pm the day after the accident, and the family had been at the funeral home all day by that time. They buried her today (wednesday) in the morning.

My friend Rebecca, who is from the States and has been here since August, was a good friend of Chelo, and Chelo's best friend Sarahi. Rebecca stayed all day tuesday and most of the day wednesday at the funeral place with Sarahi and family.

The thing that really really tore at my heart, and I can't even imagine, is that Sarahi and Rebecca dressed Chelo's body to be buried. I wanted to ask what she looked like after having been in a car wreck, but am not about to ask something like that so a good friend of hers who dressed her body! I would have thought that one person would identify the body, then she would be put in a closed casket and buried. But apparently, they had her in an open casket for a long time - for funerals here family and friends go sit with the immediate family and the body for long periods of time. I didn't go. I couldn't make myself go. I don't know how Rebecca did it, or especially Sarahi, who was Chelo's best friend.

I don't know if I will ever get used to the different customs of death here. And I know that I haven't experienced the half of the differences yet. I know it shouldn't be a sad thing when someone who is a child of God dies, and I know that Chelo is in a better place now, but the physical part of death still makes me not know how to react or what to do. And some day I'll have to go to a funeral here and actually know what it's like...

Amalia (in the purple) and two of her sisters on the day that I said they were a bunch of troublemakers

Chelo

More College Group Fun!

2007-11-27T13:31:00.000-06:00

Semilla Escogida, the Horizonte college group, is going quite well! We had our fourth meeting this past Sunday. We had 9 young people, and had a lesson on worshipping God. We are trying to involve the students in programming and giving the lesson, so Ulises, one of the students, helped give the study.

Here is Vicky, Lluvia, and Ahide hanging out after group time:

We also want to privide lots of opportunity for fellowship in the college group, so we went out for tacos at night! Ahide and Brisa enjoying pork and beef tacos:

Jana, Ulises, and Juan at the taco booth:

Please continue to pray for Semilla Escogida, that it will be a ministry that helps the students grow in their relationships with the Lord, be a good time of fellowship between the students, and also have an impact on those who don't have a relationship with the Lord!

Engaged!

2007-11-22T15:13:00.000-06:00

Yep, Jean Paul and I are getting married! Most of you know that by now, but here's just a couple pictures for you, and the story!

This past sunday after church, Jean Paul and I went to eat at an italian restaurant. He was kind of distracted, and kept getting phone calls from one of his friends from school. I was getting a little irritated with this friend for calling so much, and finally Jean Paul said that his friend was outside the restaurant wanting to talk to him - that the friend was having a rough time with some stuff. So Jean Paul left for a few minutes, leaving a somewhat disgruntled me sitting alone in the restaurant. After several minutes, a stuffed cow comes walking into the restaurant, greeting all the people. While this isn't the strangest thing ever, I had a feeling he was there for me! Sure enough the cow had a laptop with him and set it down on my table. He had a presentation that begun like this:
"Hello, my name is Happy Cow." "Are you Jessica Stoner?"
I said yes.
"Someone who loves you very much has a question for you. Are you ready?"
I said yes.
The cow took off his front feet and his head, and sure enough it was Jean Paul in the cow outfit. He pulled a ring out of his sleeve and asked me if I would marry him! I said yes! We are praying about possibly getting married in August of 2008. The wedding will be in Queretaro at our church, Horizonte.

And the picture of the ring that some of you had asked about:

Thanks for your support in our engagement and our future together! I'll post more details as plans come along, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!

Semilla 2

2007-11-12T21:56:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The picture of me in the blog is a DISGUISE, it doesn't reflect my true state of being...

That being said, let me explain the fun that was had last night!
We had our second meeting of Semilla Escogida college group, and decided to have a fun night that would help people to get to know each other a little better. We decided on a photo scavenger hunt in the Centro! We took pictures earlier in the week of some obscure things around Queretaro's downtown, printed the pictures, and each team of students had to find the things and take pictures of them. They also had to look for me, Justin, and Lluvia, but we were dressed rather differently than normal...

Come on now, who's going to think that some pregnant lady is ME?! I thought it was pretty good, despite the fact that I couldn't find a cheap wig or glasses or anything to REALLY disguise my face. I did stick the blondest part of my hair (the top layer that's always in the sun!) under my hat, and used the miracle of concentrated NesCafe smeared on my face to darken my complexion a bit! One team of students actually DID find me!

Afterwards we went out to dinner. Here's what some people ordered... it's called penca, and it's a gigantic nopal (cactus) leaf with a "guisado" inside. I make guisados a lot, they're generally some kind of meat boiled together in maybe a tomato or pepper sauce with vegetables. But this one was mostly nopal... Because I know most of you haven't tried nopal to know why it grosses me out, I'll describe: when cut up and cooked, nopal looks like green beans soaked in snot. The texture is terrible. But lots of people like it, and I've been about to handle eating it when served it at someone's house...

Some of the students hanging out in the restaurant:

Who looks better in Justin's wig??

Dany (Daniel):

Juan:

Or Dany (Daniela)?

The "What Do You Believe In?" Card

2007-11-08T13:28:00.000-06:00

A few months ago, a random student came into Global and gave me a small square box of cards. She told me she'd like to give it to me for if we wanted to use it for English classes. I accepted the box and looked at the cards inside. There are maybe 50 square cards, each with a nice black and white photo on them, and they each have a question or phrase to finish (in english). They are sentences such as, "I think television is..." and "What is your favorite taste?"

The box sat in the Global office until the end of September, when Rebecca decided to use the cards as a way to make conversation with her english student, Arturo. They talked for a few minutes about things like, "What do you do for fun?" and "Why is the past important?", then, the next card in the pile asked, "What do you believe in?" Arturo told a bit about his beliefs, which I believe included unbelief in God or any god. Then he asked Rebecca what SHE believes in. I was amazed at hearing her basically tell the plan of salvation to Arturo, all because the "What do you believe in?" card came up! She invited Arturo to church, and he came once, although I think he's a bit skeptical... He came to Semilla Escogida (see entry below) last Sunday, and seemed to hit it off well with the guys from Horizonte, and I think he's interested in coming back!

So today, I had my english class with Mariana (a different Mariana from who I've mentioned before). She's a 19 year old student who I'm helping a bit with english. I took the box of cards with me and purposely put the "What do you believe?" card as the second one down. We did touch on that, although it didn't have the same astounding results as with Arturo and Rebecca. But now I know that Mariana does believe in God, and that He's good and loves people, but that she doesn't want anything to do with church because it's boring and doesn't add anything to her life. Her dad is catholic, and as far as I can tell, Mariana's only ever been to catholic church. I'm inviting her to Semilla Escogida, and hope that she'll come and find that God/the Bible/Jesus really ARE relevant to our lives, and also be able to form some friendships with other students who live out their faith in a relevant way! Please pray for Mariana and our classes over the next 6 weeks that I'll be in QRO!

Semilla Escogida

2007-11-06T12:23:00.000-06:00

This past Sunday marked the beginning of the new youth group spefically for college students. It is for students from Horizonte church, and students who don't go to any church. Previously, we'd been having the college kids on saturday nights with the junior high and high school kids, but that wasn't working out so well. So we've created a new environment for students between 18 and 25 years old! It's called Semilla Escogida [seh-MEE-yah es-coh-HEE-dah] (chosen seed, in english), seed is for growth in Christ, and chosen is because we're God's people! It does sound a lot cooler in spanish... The students picked the name on sunday.

Here are some of the students who attended:
We want this group to be a place where students experience spiritual growth, community within the group, and impact on other students outside the group. We also want the sunday night meetings to be a non-threatening place to invite friends who are not Christians.

Our first meeting was a kick-off party. We had a TON of snack foods, games, and lots of time to hang out and get to know people who you didn't know before!

Here's one of our crazy games (my idea!) - Arturo and Rebecca trying to feed Dany and Lluvia donuts hanging off strings!

Too much donut, no use of hands!

Another game - the other Arturo feeds Chalio baby food!

We had 12 in attendance (not including leaders). Three of those don't regularly attend Horizonte or any church. They all said they liked the group and plan to come back!

Please be praying for Semilla Escogida that it will be a group where the students WILL experience spiritual growth, friendships, and impact on other students. Pray that non-believing students will feel included and want to come, and that they'll come to have a relationship with Christ! Pray for wisdom for the leaders, that we'll see the most effective way to minister to the students!

ROJO!!!!!!

2007-11-06T12:05:00.000-06:00

Last friday, we took several of the youth group kids to a concert of the band Rojo here in Queretaro. It was a benefit concert for Pan de Vida orphanage!

Getting there was interesting though... The concert was held in a really really big meeting room in the Hotel Real de Minas, and for those of you who are familiar with QRO, you know how that area of town gets on friday nights... On the same side of the highway all clumped together are: the hotel where the concert was, Cuernos Chuecos rodeo and the bull ring, the movie theater, the casino, and three popular friday night restaurants. There was NO parking anywhere, we ended up parking in Jardines de la Hacienda (a neighborhood not terribly close to the hotel).

Anyway, despite the crazyness outside, the concert was wonderful, and I think all who went really enjoyed it!

For me, one of the highlights of the concert was when they played "Never let go" by Matt Redman, but in spanish. You've probably heard the song in english:

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

Here's Andrea, Julieta, Alma, and me enjoying the concert!

And after the concert, all the girls, plus Paco who needed to be in every photo!

The Styrofoam Church

2007-11-05T22:31:00.000-06:00

I go to church in a styrofoam building.

You think I'm joking, don't you?! Nope. The church auditorium at Horizonte is made out of wire mesh and styrofoam, covered in a layer of concrete. It's been there for like 10 years, so apparently it's not as flimsy as it sounds, but we DID have a rather large problem... for about 8 years!

I remember for independence day (sept. 15-16) 2006, I was one of the first people to arrive to set up for the festivities, and it happened to have been raining rather hard. To my dismay, the stage had a big pool of water on it, and the green/white/red fabric decoration on the back wall above the stage was soaked. Water was leaking in the wall like a small waterfall.

What happened when it rained was that, the part of the back wall that is styrofoam had basically been washed away with the rain. There was no concrete on the outside of the back wall. Only the top half of the back wall was styrofoam, the bottom being concrete block (the normal building material here).

Well, in the sunday morning services, we are studying Nehemiah. Chapter 2 talks about how the people of Jerusalem had gotten used to the city walls being ruined and it didn't really bother them much any more. Of course, the main point of the sermons on this chapter were "what things in our lives have we gotten used to that are hurting out lives." But Martin also used that chapter as an opportunity to do something about OUR broken wall. He did the first sermon on Nehemiah 2 in August, then went on with a completely different series of sermons that had to do with evangelism. We came back to Nehemiah 2 the middle of October, and in that down time, a family in the church volunteered to pay for the fixing of the wall.

So during the sunday morning service, we did this:
In the picture above, Jesus, Juan, and Levi are taking out the styrofoam part of the wall... Quite a shock to church members! But it's for a good reason!

Here's the new wall going in - the top is now made out of bricks!

The construction part of the wall re-building is done... just waiting for the concrete to dry to paint it!

Anyhow, it was (still IS actually) an interesting sermon series on fixing the broken parts in your spiritual life. And with such a shocking object lesson, I hope people won't forget the point of the message soon!

Santa Rosa

2007-11-05T22:15:00.000-06:00

Ok, I'm WAY behind on blog updates... Just wanted to share a few pictures of the Horizonte youth group trip to Santa Rosa (a town just to the north a Queretaro) to help paint a the Horizonte church there!

Jana and Alma Rosa looking enthusiastic! -

Gaby (she's my mexican sister, we live together), me, and Alma showing off our handiwork!

Horizonte kids and Sta. Rosa church members at the end of a long day of painting sunday school classrooms and the outside of the church!

This was a good time for the Horizonte youth to step out and lend a hand to other instead of just participating in "fun" activities like bowling or going out to pizza. It was rather hard work, but everyone said they had fun doing it!

Kata

2007-10-30T13:53:00.000-06:00

Kata is an older lady who goes to Horizonte church. She walks from her home quite a long ways to be able to catch a bus that drops her off about half a mile from the church. She had been living in a Coke stand (it's like a metal booth like you'd see at a fair where they serve elephant ears or something; here they're used as taco stands) WAY outside the city for a long time. She recently came and said excitedly to another woman at church that a relative had given her a place to live a little (but not much!) closer to the city, if she would be in charge of his land for a while. She accepted. Now Kata lives on a large piece of land with corrugated metal strapped together to make a shelter to live in. It's really cold here this week (drops down to about 45 degrees) and for a place that has no indoor heat, it's really difficult at nights. I'M cold at night because there's no heat in my house, and I live in two story, middle class house with a bed and good blankets and everything! I can't imagine what it's like for Kata. I asked her today if she is cold at night recently and she said that she is. Rebecca and I are going to find a nice warm blanket to bring her.

But the really amazing thing about Kata what happened just a few weeks ago...
Kata never went to school. Ever. There's a lot of poorer people who went through 6th grade and no further, but she never went to ANY school. So, as you can imagine, Kata can't read. She has been part of a womens' small group here at Horizonte for about a year now. It must be frustrating to be handed a group lesson and only be able to hear what the other ladies are saying about it because she can't read for herself. But a while ago, with her Bible in front of her on her lap trying to follow along, she actually understood what she was reading! She looked at the words and was able to read them silently in her head and understand! She couldn't read for all her life and then just one day she could read the Bible! And, from what I understand from her saying is that the Bible is the only book she's been able to read! She wanted sooooo badly to be able to understand the Bible for herself, and God opened her eyes and mind to be able to do just that!

The Cake Incident

2007-10-22T12:46:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is completely random, but here is a brief, somewhat amusing story with pictures!

The cake above was a wonderful carrot cake from my favorite bakery, made in honor of five members of the Horizonte church staff who all had birthdays around the same time. Lots of us gathered at Martin and Mayte's house to have a hamburger dinner (with fresh cut vegetables and hommade ranch dressing, a surprising treat thanks to Rick and Deyis who used to live in Texas!)

So we pulled out the cake to do the traditional "mordida" (when the birthday person bites the cake, and normally gets their face smashed in it). Since there were 5 birthday people, we decided not to do any face smashing, as there would be no cake left to eat... Two people took a little lick of the cake, and Justin, the third person, was about to take his mordida when Rick decided to do a little face-smashing, but from the other side of the table (note to self, this is a bad idea). Rick pushed the cake, which was sitting on the table, in the direction of Justin's mouth, which was hovering above the cake for the mordida. Justin backed up and the cake didn't stop.

The result is pictured above. However, that wasn't the END end result... Martin and Mayte have two little dogs...

who I think were at the cake before it even hit the ground. We tried to hold the dogs back while Mayte tried to scoop up the part of the cake that hadn't touched the floor.

We ended up actually eating the cake! It had no frosting on top (that stuck to the floor and the dogs ate it), but it was still yummy carrot cake!!

Yep, I really AM going to talk about it...

2007-10-14T22:29:00.000-05:00

IMMIGRATION

There, I said the... lets see... 11 letter word that no grino wants to mention in front of me.

No worries, I'm not going to get into details of laws, my thoughts on laws, illegals, and the like. Just my personal experience with the INS.

Many of you know that on September 17, Jean Paul and I took a little trip to the US Embassy in Mexico City. It was a loooong day, our bus left QRO at 2:30am, we, along with about 50 other visa seekers, were dropped off at a hotel about 3 blocks from the Embassy, and we waited there for litterally several hours. I slept in a chair in the lobby. I also met a girl from Celaya Guanajuato who is now studying at UW in Seattle. SHE got a visa.

Jean Paul's appointment was at 10am, so about 8:45 we headed over to the embassy. I was not allowed to enter with him at all. However, I unfortunately got to see over a fence at what goes on in the first waiting area. Oh, first, you have to leave everything but your paperwork outside the embassy, can't even bring in a bottle of water, and of course there's none available to you for the 3-4 hours that you're in there. I don't believe there's bathrooms either. (I now understand when my friend Edith said she doesn't want to apply for a visa again because she doesn't like being treated like cattle). Everyone is crammed under a tent for an hour or so with a couple of metal benches to sit on. Officials walk in circles around the tent making sure everyone behaves, while yelling at them with loud speakers (the kind they use at youth camps) about how if their application isn't filled out correctly they'll immediately be turned away.

So, I decided to leave. I walked to Chapultapec park and back to kill time, then decided to settle into the Starbucks for a hot chocolate and to read my book. I honestly think that particular Starbucks gave me the biggest cultural shock I've had since I've been in the country. Ok, I've gone to Starbucks in Salem Oregon, and many other US cities lots of times. Being a 26 year old girl, from middle class USA, and pretty ordinary-looking, I'm the kind of person who goes to Starbucks. Not THIS one though. I was wearing jeans and a sweater (a little causal I guess) and was WAAAAAAAY out of place. Everyone stared at me when I walked in. And I seriously doubt that it had anything to do with my skin, hair, or eye color. Not even with my height. Those are usually the reasons for which I get stared at here. No, all the women, and many men, in THIS Starbucks were white and blonde-ish. (In general, people with lighter complexions here are rich people). It was because I am not part of corporate rich snobby Mexico. It's because I'm the kind of person who cringes to think of paying almost $10 USD for a hot chocolate and a blueberry muffin (is it that expensive in the States now?!) But I stayed, surrounded by tall, skinny, blonde ladies in suits that would make the Hilton family think twice about the price before buying; and tall, in-shape men in pink and purple buisness attire (PLEASE don't tell me that THAT is a fad in the States!) Anyhow, more about this in another post...

Upon returning to the embassy to see if JP was out yet, I saw him exiting the building to look for me. Immediately he told me that they denied the visa! We had EVERYTHING possible for him to take in with him. The embassy wants proof that you're going to return to Mexico. We brought: a letter from his work (which happens to be an international bank), a letter and grades from his college, a letter from our pastor saying that he volunteers at church, a letter of invitation AND ability to pay his expenses from my parents, his bank statements with a rather large sum of borrowed money in it (didn't mention the borrowed part to the embasssy!), the exact address and phone number of my parents saying that that's where he'd be staying, we even brought in MY Mexican documents as proof that, as his girlfriend, I am a leagal resident for Mexico and plan to live here. And he didn't get the visa. The lady in front of him in line, for the question, "Where will you stay in the US?" put, "Maybe L.A. or Miami." We put my parents' address. For the question, "How long do you plan to stay in the US?" that lady put, "However long they let me." That's pretty much TELLING the embassy that she's not coming back!! JP put 15 days, with the exact dates that he planned to be in the States.

No visa.

Why do people go illegally to the US?? For many many reasons of course, but one of those reasons is that it's next to impossible for a law-abiding mexican with a job, who's a student, and has sponsors in the States to actually GET a visa to go leagally. And that was for a TOURIST visa. Imagine if someone actually wanted to WORK leagally there... they might as well forget it. Then there's the issue of how the mexicans are treated once inside the Embassy. If a government agency in the States disallowed US citizens to bring water with them for a 4 hour wait, and didn't provide bathrooms, they'd have a huge lawsuit to deal with. So how about they put a goverment office in a foreign country and treat the people in a way that they could never get away with in the States. Apparently it seemed like a good idea.

Anyhow, pretty much the only way JP will ever go the the States leagally is if we get married... And let me tell you, we'll have a really good immigration lawyer with us every step of the way! (Thanks to Rebecca for free tips and the names/numbers of the laws that we need to be aware of!!)

Faith Like Rafa

2007-10-02T22:05:00.000-05:00

There's a 23 year old guy at Horizonte church named Rafa who I think has more faith and perseverance than anyone I know.

Five years ago, Rafa graduated from high school, and went out with a few of his friends in the new car that one of them received for graduation. You guessed it, they got in a really bad wreck, and Rafa was the only one who survived (there were either 2 or 3 other guys who died). Rafa was in and out of the hospital for a year, and ended up in a wheel chair with no use of his legs, and very limited use of his hands and arms. His condition is degenerative, meaning he's gotten worse over the past 5 years, and will likely continue worsening as time goes on.

Rafa came to Horizonte with his mom and cousin Hector (Hector goes everywhere with Rafa and takes care of him) a little less than a year ago. He loved the sunday service and youth group, and began coming regularly. He made quick friends with Dany (who's always gone to church, not the Dany mentioned below) and Jean Paul.

We began to learn more about Rafa, and found out that he's very artistic and attends art classes at one of the universities. He also does quite a bit with computer graphics. When I said he has limited use of his hands, I mean he has REALLY limited use - like it's hard to hold a pencil! And he does art by hand and computer!! Then in one small group time for the college guys, he mentioned to Dany and JP that he'd like prayer... not that he's one day walk again, but that God would give him patience to be content how he is now until God lets him walk again. Wow.

Here's some pictures from Rafa's 23rd birthday party a couple weeks ago:

Taking the traditional "mordida!" (Biting the cake)

Great sense of humor: posing for the picture arm-wrestling with Juan! Juan is the biggest guy ever (for a mexican)! And look, Rafa is winning! :)

Dany and Ili

2007-10-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

(See blog below for more details...)
Jean Paul and I are going out with Dany and Ili this sunday after church. They've been coming every sunday since I mentioned about independence day and everything, and I think they started taking the beginning Bible class! I'm excited to get to know Ili better, and to be a part of God's impact on their lives!

And the Stories Continue

2007-09-18T22:22:00.000-05:00

Another photo-less blog... Oh well, it's the content that counts and for you die hard blog readers, this has good content if you can wade through my wordy writing...

Daniel and Family

A few years back, Jean Paul (my boyfriend, works at Horizonte Church) met a neighbor named Daniel. They were about the same age and became good friends. I'm not sure if they met before or after JP became a Christian, but they point is, at JP shared with Dany about the hope he has in Christ. Dany became a Christian, began attending Horizonte, and about a year later enrolled in the school of evangelism. During that year in the school he always said that his greatest desire was that his family would become Christians and attend church as well.

The school of evangelism ended, and Dany didn't exactly make some good choices, and the next thing you know he and his very young girlfriend were expecting a baby. During this time, Liz, Dany's older sister, began to take interest in Christianity and began attending Horizonte. Shortly after, their mom came too. About a year ago along came the dad to church as well. All three of them - Liz and both parents - accepted the Lord and began to get involved in small groups at Horizonte, and the mom even teaches a childrens' sunday school class. Dany's whole family became Christians and were attending church, but Dany wasn't there.

Every saturday morning for as long as I've been here, JP has asked for prayer for Dany in our weekly prayer meetings. So we all pray for him.

About a month ago a young couple at Horizonte got married, and Dany came to the wedding, as the groom was a friend of his from the school of evangelism. At the wedding was the first time I met Dany (he'd been a good friend of JP).

Last saturday was independence day, and I went to Liz and her parents' house (Liz and I are in the same small group) with the single ladies' small group and the single guys' small group. Dany and his now wife Ili, and their little daughter were there. Ili was very shy and was in the house most of the time that the rest of us were outside BBQing, but Dany spent pretty much the whole night talking with Juan (another young guy from church).

The next day - Sunday morning - I was pleasantly surprised to see Dany, Ili, and the baby come into church. After the service ended, a lot of guys played soccer, and Dany and JP went to play, and since I was the only girl at the church that Ili had ever met, she came and sat by me and we talked a little. Later that afternoon, Dany was talking to Juan again and said that he'd decided that he needed to start going to church again and starting living to please the Lord! After well over a year (probably more) of praying for Dany, then seeing his family come to know the Lord, it's amazingly wonderful to hear that Dany wants to serve the Lord again, and hopefully Ili will be in it with him. I definitely want to make it my goal to get to know her better and introduce her to some other young moms at Horizonte... We'll see what God has in store for this young couple!!

Pastor in Training?

2007-09-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago, Toño (worship leader at church) and his wife Elsa left Horizonte church on a Sunday afternoon after the soccer tournament and lunch, to spend the evening with their boys, helping them with their school work. Around 6pm, about the time they were setting down into the homework routine, there was a knock at the door. It was a young couple who had just begun attending Horizonte. They were having some pretty bad problems with their marriage and thankfully, rather than just give up and separate, they decided to first go talk with Toño and Elsa about their problems. The two couples talked for a couple hours, then went to the store to buy supplies for the boys' school projects (together, so they could continue talking!). The young couple stayed with Toño and Elsa until about 2am! It didn't turn out to be the relaxing evening that Toño and family had imagined, but it ended with the young couple willing to start working out their differences and begin meeting regularly with Toño and Elsa.

This past weekend, Martin (the pastor at Horizonte) and his family were in Mexico City visiting relatives. They were going to come back to Querétaro on saturday afternoon, but that night Toño received a frantic call from Martin saying that his father in law was in the hospital and that they wouldn't be able to come back for the Sunday service! He asked Toño to preach. This normally wouldn't have been such a big deal, but we are in the middle of a 4 week sermon series that Martin is preaching, using sermons from Andy Stanley (in English!) as his outline. Martin had his sermon all planned out, and basically preached it to Toño over the phone!
On Sunday morning, Toño clamly preached the message, and it came out just how Martin would have done it - same basic principles and ideas of the Andy Stanley sermons (I translated those for Matin, so I know what the originals were!). They day went really well despite several set-backs: Those of us who arrived at 8am found the church courtyard flooded, water entering the auditorium, and more water coming through the back wall onto the stage. Juan, who usually helps with maintenance and cleaning on Sunday mornings awoke to find his car filled with flood water and wasn't able to come early to help clean up the waters at church. Sara and Fer, two others who usually come early to help set up were respectively sick and in Mexico City. Martin and Mayte were in Mexico City. The rain had flooded the soccer field and we have a soccer tournament going on for 6 weeks.
Things were really looking bad for the day, but all turned out really well! Toño's impromtu sermon, new volunteers who arrived early to help clean up all the flood water, Mauricio who stepped in to organize the communion service, and good attitudes from those who had come to play soccer and didn't get to this week...

Anyhow, I think the point of this was orriginally about Toño... It's been really amazing to see how God has used him as an extension of pastoral ministry in the church, and opened up Elsa's heart to be willing to serve and support Toño in what sometimes seems pretty crazy.

Another example of how God is working in the lives of His people through Horizonte!

Lives Changing...

2007-08-29T23:40:00.000-05:00

There's been a TON of wonderful things going on here with the ministries of Iglesia Horizonte QRO, and I'd like to share just a few of those with you...

Dustin and Cecilia
Yesterday I went to the UAQ (State university of QRO) to hand out flyers for english classes that we offer at Global Grounds Cafe. While I was there, a young guy (Dustin) came up to me and asked if I teach the classes and if I am from the States. I said yes to both, and he excitedly started telling me how he recently moved - permanently - to QRO from Atlanta. His girlfriend, Cecilia, came up and joined in on the conversation. It turns out that Dustin has Mexican family members who live in Apaseo el Grande Guanajuato (about a 40 minute drive from QRO). He came to visit his family last Christmas, met Cecilia through his cousin, and really liked her. He decided to drop everything in the States and move to Apaseo! Here's the thing - Dustin barely speaks spanish, went to college in Atlanta, had a really good job, and is clueless about Mexican culture, much less small-town-Guanajuato culture (which is vastly different from life in the somewhat lage city of Queretaro).
Dustin and Cecilia came to Global today. Brisa, Lluvia, and I were talking with Cecilia which Justin was talking with Dustin. Cecilia told us girls that she feels so bad because she thinks Dustin moved to Apaseo to be with her, but she really isn't interested in him, and he left his life in Atlanta to come here! At the same time, Dustin was saying to Justin how he wants to build a house in Apaseo or maybe QRO, and marry Cecilia! Now THERE'S an interesting situation...
I hope to be able to build a friendship with Cecilia (especially as I more or less understand Central Mexican culture, and kind of Atlanta culture, and am in a cross-cultural relationship myself). We are also inviting the couple to the soccer tournaments that are going on at Horizonte church on sunday afternoons, and Dustin really like soccer.
Speaking of the soccer tournaments...

Karla and Family

A few weeks ago, a young girl (maye 14 years old?) was walking down the street on a sunday morning, passed Horizonte, and happend to notice a poster in the church entryway about a soccer tournament. Karla LOVES soccer, so she asked for more info, and found out that the tournament started at 1pm after the church service, and that they still needed more men and women for the teams. She went home and got her dad, and both attended the morning service (which happened to be a Salsa praise concert) and played soccer. The mom came to watch them play. They hadn't gone to evangelical church before, but kind of liked it! Karla, her mom, and dad all returned at 10am the next week for the service and soccer. But this past week, only Karla and her dad were here. When someone asked about the mom, they said that she had decided to go to the church across the street (it's a Jehovah's Witness place!!) because she liked those people better, but that she'd come to watch soccer. Oops! We are now worried about the mom, and want to make a huge effort to reach out to her, befriend her, and love her with the love of God, so she will know and accept the Truth!

Yaneth

I'd mentioned Yaneth in a previous entry, she's the young mom/wife with cancer that we painted her house. Well, the last two weeks, Martin (Horizonte pastor) has been talking about investing in peoples' lives, and inviting them to church. We want our sunday morning services to be a welcoming environment to those who are normally scared of church and Christians, and that to do that, we're starting 2 Sunday services (to be able to reach more people), and we'll need more volunteers to be able to have 2 services.
Yaneth went to the church during the week (getting from the truck to her wheel chair by herself! Something that she hasn't been able to do in probably 6 months!) to talk with Martin and his wife Mayte (MY-tay). She said that Martin's messages had really touched her and that she was ready to serve wherever needed! Martin says that if this isn't a wake up call to all the people who sit on their butts every sunday and never help out with anything at the church, to actually VOLUNTEER, nothing will probably get them in gear! So, Yaneth will be joining the welcome team on sunday mornings helping us pass out boletins, and helping visit the sick people of the church during the week! Isn't it amazing to see a woman in a wheel chair who has a good deal of pain on a regular basis still want to serve God in the church wherever needed?!

Hurricanes in Queretaro??

2007-08-25T10:58:00.000-05:00

Since last sunday, when we heard that a hurricane was coming toward Mexico, I heard lots of people say that we don't need to worry because hurricanes never come to QRO.
On tuesday, we got a call from an International Teams' supervisor in Costa Rica wondering if we were going to be okay here. Immediately after that, we got a call from North Point in Atlanta wanting two guys who were helping us out that day to go back to Atlanta (they stayed here). Wednesday, it rained all day, but not really very hard. I left the church at about 7pm though, and there were NO busses running. In fact, a lot of stuff had closed down for the evening. The hurricane was projected to hit wednesday at midnight. Schools and many jobs were cancelled for thursday. So we all hunkered down in our homes for the night. I even moved everything that could be ruined if wet off my floor and onto my desk, put towels under my window and by the doors of the house. (My window leaks lots of water if it rains and is really windy). I was pretty nervous about our "skylight" in the stairway that is corrugated plastic. But I went to be about 11pm, and it was just raining a little bit. I didn't wake up until 7am, and everything was fine! The ground had even started to dry from the rain the day before.
So, my first hurricane I guess wasn't exactly anything to worry about. But, hurricane season has just started...

A Day in the Life

2007-08-17T19:22:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to add a few pictures of "normalness" that I rather enjoy here in Queretaro!!

A group of us hanging out at Global:

Chalio and Daniela at a taco stand:

Chalio, Dany, Me, and Brisa with Elotes (corn on the cob smothered in mayonaise, rolled in cheese, and sprinkled with lime and chile):

Making full use of car space to get everyone to the Centro:

And me, enjoying a street taco: (I have a LOT of pictures of food, don't I. Hmmm, you just can't beat Mexican cuisine!!)

Daniela and the Others

2007-08-17T18:21:00.000-05:00

Divine appointment? I think so. Here's the story of how we met Daniela and the others.

One night, Rafa (a Christian kid who doesn't really have anything to do who's always in Global) was walking in the Centro about 11pm. He passed by a restaurant that was closing, and a girl randomly came out, looked around, saw Rafa and asked him if he's walk with her to her house, which is on the other side of the Centro so she didn't have to walk alone at night. (I personally think that if I'm ever stuck in the Centro alone with no money for a taxi and no phone to call someone I know, I'd risk walking along rather than ask a guy that I'd never met before to walk me home! But not to worry, I always have my phone with me, and I don't exactly find myself alone in the Centro at 11pm...) Anyhow, he agreed and walked her home. Upon arriving and her house, Daniela asked Rafa if it wouldn't be too much trouble to come by the next night to walk with her again. He agreed.
The next night, Rafa asked Elise (a girl who was working with us for 2 months) to go with him to walk Daniela home. She went, and hit it off really well with Daniela. She and Elise began getting togther for lunch and stuff.
Ana (one of the many!) is a girl who cleans house for Jesus and Lucero, the couple that Elise lived with. Ana is 24. Elise invited Ana to go out to lunch with her and Daniela, and the three became friends together, despite the fact that Ana comes from a much different socio-economic background than Daniela.
Maren is a German girl who moved in with Jesus and Lucero about a week before Elise left. She's 21, and is in Mexico for 3 months working at the company that Lucero works for. So Elise took Maren pretty much everywhere with her for the first few days. She is now good friends with Daniela and Ana.
Toni is a guy who just moved to QRO from Zacatecas to study law at the state university here. Rafa saw him by himself one day, and, seeing as Rafa only has like 2 classes and not much to do, and Toni didn't know anyone, the two became fast friends and also hang out with the three girls mentioned above.
Wow. So here we have some definite ministry opportunities. These four young people are all betweem 21 and 24 years old, didn't really know many people in QRO, and therefore became good friends together. None of them are Christians (that I know of) and I really hope that we (myself and other Christian friends) will have many opportunities to share the love of God with them through the friendships that are beginning!
Please pray for Daniela, Ana, Maren, and Toni!

Here are Chalio, Daniela and Elise hanging out at Global:

Enthralled by Rain

2007-08-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

After living in Salem Oregon for 24 years, you'd think that I wouldn't be very amused by rain. I'm really not sure why I am, and this is probably like the 4th journal entry I've written about weather since I've been here, I guess it's just an interest of mine!

Here's one day in July (supposedly not rainy season yet) in the Centro. This was not even FIVE MINUTES after it started raining!! The drainage system leaves a lot to be desired...

And here's my foot in the grass in our back yard, I think this was in June. I didn't even know there COULD be such big puddles in grass!

Yaneth

2007-08-02T22:02:00.000-05:00

Ok, here's the pictures I had promised from Yaneth's house... Yaneth is the young mom with cancer from Iglesia Horizonte who we (the college group) helped paint their house.

Yaneth (in the wheel chair), her mom "Mama Tere" behind her, her husband Javier, and son Emilio.

The outside of the house before:

And after! Yep, we just said "no" to pink panther pink, and put on a nice green instead... good choice Yaneth!

Brisa rolling on some fresh white paint on the inside of the house, with Jimena, Yaneth's little daughter watching. Jimena actually helped a lot with painting inside! And she's only 7!

As demonstrated by Jean Paul and Dany, it was all hard tiring work, with no time for fun and games... heehee!

Marly, Brisa, and I get in on the fun...

Mmmm, chilaquile day! Chilaquiles = fresh tortilla chips dropped into boiling salsa until they get soggy. I LOVE Chilaquiles, and I made these ones... from scratch! No canned salsa in my house, this was cooked tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, jalapeños, and epazote!

(In the picture from left to right - Dora (Yaneth's sister), Dora's daughter, Mama Tere, Emilio hiding in there, Dora's son, Yaneth, Jimena, Jana, Dany, me, Marly, and Elise.)

Jean Paul trying out the paint for the outside of the house:

Even Jana's dad Pepe (a roofer by profession) got in on the painting action, with JP looking down from the roof:

You THINK I'm standing on a ladder, but I'm really standing on the decorative metal bars that protect the window, holding on with my right hand leaning over to reach all that I can... having only one small ladder available meant lots of climbing window bars and leaning over the roof!

Dany finishes off the outside-back of the house...

Tuesday through friday we worked on the house. It was really rather tiring, but WELL worth the blessing we received, and I hope that Yaneth and family recieved too!

Horizonte x2

2007-07-13T21:45:00.000-05:00

It's official, Horizonte Church will now have two morning services! We are at about 80-90% capacity in the auditorium, and have actually have new people come into the church and leave because it looks like there are no available seats!! We DON'T want that! There are of course going to be people who are reluctant to change to two services, as in all churches when it's time for a change. But this is being presented to the church like this:

Our goal is to reach more people in QRO through our morning service. In order to to that, we need to have enough seats for everyone so no one leaves from lack of a seat. In order to have more seats we either need to: expand the auditorium (can't exactly happen due to lack of money), or have another service. It's all about reaching more people!

Please pray for us during this transition. As of now, we don't have two sets of people to cover two services, so many will be serving during both services (worship team, greeters, sound, etc). We also want to offer sunday school classed (UpStreet and Waumba) during both services, so we'll need more sunday school volunteers so each set of teachers can go to a service as well.

We will be doing vision-casting services for this soon, and a celebration service because God has allowed us the opportunity to grow and reach more people! The first day of double services will be September 30.

Oh, and I'll be in Salem (and Willamette Valley area in general!) Sept. 5-12, so if anyone wants to get together, let me know!!