Mexico: 5 down, 5 to go

I'm five weeks through my 10 week stay.  Some of you are probably curious as to whether this makes me happy or sad.  Maybe you can help me decide after reading these pros and cons to being in Ixtlan:

Pros:

• Getting acquainted with the Ixtlan church and the mission here.  They have many different church activities throughout the week so while I haven't made any tight relationships with the Mexicans, I am learning names and families.  Also I'm getting to know the Americans here and I see they have all given so much that it's quite humbling.
• Growing and learning.  Spanish (slowly), about myself, about lots of things.
• Having a better understanding of what the school is like and getting to know the children.
• Enjoying a different culture
• Walking from place to place and easy access to the market/plaza
• Saying hello to almost everybody you pass on the street
• Cheap street food that is incredibly delicious
• The way people make do with what they have
• All kinds of fresh produce available and very affordable
• Sights like three people on a moped zooming down a country road, older men in cowboy hats hanging out in the plaza, or a bright blue Volkswagen van parked underneath colorful banners  on the side of the street that are so normal here but, oh, so wonderful I want to paint a picture of it.
• A more relaxed environment where not everybody is so tight on a schedule and people stop in or you visit somebody randomly and it isn't a big deal.  People have time for flexibility
• While singing hymns in Spanish I get some phrases while others don't make sense.  The phrases I do understand are always so beautiful to me and I think now when I sing in English I'll be more alert to what I'm singing.
• Strengthening my immune system.  You don't even want to know where all the students put the pencil that I ask to borrow.
• I now get dessert every day, thanks to Marshall who likes to have something sweet after a meal. 
• I've played more Settler's here than I thought possible.  It's a great way to wind down (all though sometimes it gets me wound up).
• Oh, and could I leave out the weather?  I have really enjoyed the weather :)

Cons:

• Growing is good, but sometimes growing hurts.
• I miss my family and all those people I would interact with throughout the week.  I miss hearing the things my adorable little sister says.  She has suddenly decided she likes piano and is picking up on it quickly while I'm not there to watch.  After lessons on Monday she told Mom, "Sevenths sound so ugly, I like the sound of sixths much better.  They could just put me to sleep."  
• A language barrier makes things interesting so that is more my fault than anybody's (although I am wondering who ever had the idea to make a tower to heaven).  Good thing is that Grant reminded me this week that love knows no language.  Just show love and people will understand.
• A con to the culture would be the influence of Catholicism everywhere.  Today when I went to the plaza we walked in front of the cathedral and a man passing us crossed himself out of habit.  Just a few yards down the road from the compound is a painting on two walls that says something about Saint Somebody interceding the prayers.  It's frustrating because the Bible is clear in I Tim 2:5 that Jesus is the only Mediator.  Seeing things that are so clearly contrary is sad.  But I know that there is a lot of deception in America as well.  So I guess this is just a con of living in a fallen world.
• There haven't been huge sacrifices as far as conveniences we have in the US that we don't have here.  But two that are mention worthy are space/freedom and water pressure.  I'm wondering what it will be like to wash my hair with good water pressure.
• It will be nice to cook, paint, and craft again, but that's just a petty complaint.  

I'm sure there are more in both categories I didn't include but this gives you the general idea.  Right now this is where I'm supposed to be and God is giving me the grace I need daily to be here.  I think I've grown in the area that I have a better appreciation for the 'simple pleasures' of life I took for granted in the States.  But there are things I will miss about Ixtlan and Mexico in general when I get back to the US.

A huge huge thanks for all the prayers said on my behalf.  And on behalf of the Ixtlan church.  God bless you all!

Mexico: Saturday

Saturday was a great day!  In the morning I went with Grant and Hannah to Zomora.  We did not go to the market this time but that was okay because we went to a fabric store that is the Mexico equivalent of Hobby Lobby.  It has a bigger selection of fabric and a smaller selection of crafts but still gave me my Hobby Lobby fix for a little while.  Of course that means I bought something.  I can't go into a store like that without buying something.  After that store we went to Wal-Mart and Sam's.  Sam's in Mexico also has samples...oh, how I like Sam's. On the way home we ate at this place where they give you meat (we got a whole chicken), several different kinds of salsa, limes, and tortillas.  You shred the chicken yourself and add whatever toppings to make DELICIOUS tacos.  There was so much food we didn't eat near all of it and it cost about $3 bucks a person.  That was a very good experience :)

Then in the afternoon we had Jovenes at the soccer field.

Riding through the streets of Ixtlan in the back of a pick-up truck.  Fun way to get a different view of the town.

Climbing on the big tree while we wait for the soccer game to begin.

It was so refreshing to be able to run around and feel somewhat free.  I'm still sore today which means I exerted myself more Saturday than I have in a long time.  But it's that good sore feeling that means you had a great time.

Talented kid right there.

At first I was worried I would just make a fool out of myself, you know, playing with a bunch of Mexicans.  But soon it felt so good to move so I just had fun...and made a fool of myself.  There was a lot of loose dirt on the field since grass doesn't grow well here so there were quite a few wipe outs, and not just by me!

Ivory watching on the sidelines. Agh! She's so adorable!

After a water break we started playing baseball.  Marshall takes baseball very seriously.  Here he is setting up the bases...

Maybe they were too worn out from soccer?...

There were some covered bleachers nearby where we sat for the Bible lesson.
Ivory and I ready to sing.

Here is part of the group that attended this Saturday.  It was a bit younger this time than normal since usually there are a few more between 20 and 30 that attend.
                                                             

  Afterward I walked with Hannah back into town and then we had our nightly game of Settler's.  Since we've been playing so much we switched it up a bit that past week but now we're ready to play normal again.  Basically Grant wins no matter how we play. I'm an ego booster :)

Hope everybody has a wonderful week!

Mexico: Gone Crazy...Horse Crazy

How are things in Mexico?  School...good.  Church...good.  Me...not so good.  Alright, I'm really in no position to complain.  But right now I'm going to have a selfish blogging moment.  Because lately I've really been missing my horse.  Ok, that sounds pathetic.  Yes, I really miss my family and friends.  So don't take any offense thinking you're not missed.  YOU ARE.  It's just that when I go on a walk and see a horse it's hard to keep walking and not stare at it the whole time I walk by.  Maybe horses are my connection to feeling free.  Since I've gotten here I've been living in town behind fences and barred windows.  Yes, I can go on walks, but even then I'm not about to take some unpaved path and get myself into trouble.

What hasn't helped is that Wednesday three beautiful horses walked by the compound.  This may be a little dramatic, but it about tore the heart from my chest to just stand there and watch them go by.  For a while I was consoling myself with the fact that it's too cold to ride in Indiana.  Then Mom mentioned in an email that Danny went riding in the snow.  Agh!  Do you know how much fun that is?  Okay...it's freezing...but still!  My poor pony is probably wondering if I fell off the face of the earth.

What's not to miss about this?

Freedom.  Right there. (Pretend there are no fences in that picture)

*Sigh*  Sorry to bore you.  I'm not trying to complain, but this blog is not about presenting all the glorious things in my life.  Some struggles I'm going through in Mexico are not things I'm going to post about, but this is one I can share.  You may think it's petty...and you're probably right.  But in the meanwhile I'll keep thinking of ways to get my horse down here if I should ever be down here for longer than a month.

For some news that's not about my horse: I get to Skype my family tonight!!!!!!!  Yay!!! This will be the first time I will have 'seen' them in a month which will be exciting (that's an understatement)!!!!

Mexico: Funeral

As I mentioned in the previous post, there was a funeral last week.  On Wednesday an older sister from the church passed away.  Tradition in Mexico is for the body to be taken to the church or the deceased's home  and for the family to stay awake all night with the body.  Since the church is right next to my bedroom I'll admit that I was thankful when her body was taken to her home.

I did not go to the 'visitation' but from what I have been told, visitations in Mexico are different because people come and basically hang out for a while.  Maybe that's too loose of a term but Matt and Ruth took a bunch of chairs to the house so people could have a seat and stay awhile.

The funeral is the next day because normally they do not embalm the body.  Marshall told me that after a person dies they usually have a scarf or something similar available to tie the jaw shut.  Also, a man whose wife was related to the deceased was at Marshall and Jan's when the call came that she had passed away and he had to hurry to the hospital with the burial clothes before her body was too stiff.

I went to the funeral which began at four in the afternoon on the front porch of the home.  Some people were under the shade of the roof while others were outside carrying on a conversation that was plenty loud during the funeral service.  There were people there from the church and the community...probably around 60-75.  Only a fraction of the people had a chair and there was a fair amount of people wearing denim skirts or jeans.  After the funeral service, some songs, and a prayer, the casket was loaded into the hearse--Marshall's pickup.  The family, that was able to, walked behind the casket to the graveyard.  This walk can be from 1-3 miles!  For those stuck in a blizzard at home it may be hard to imagine that this was a hot afternoon and even the ride in the van felt long.  Along the way, some people from the small town joined in the procession.

The Caravan (Photo credit Keith Herrmann, Grant's uncle)

By the time we got to the cemetery there were probably 100 people attending.  The casket was taken into this little room near the entrance where the family said their goodbyes.  Then it was carried through the graves which are tall and close together.
(Picture taken at a different time)

At the graveside the AC's sang some hymns with guitar accompaniment.  With the tombstones being so close the family was at the foot of the grave while it was getting filled in and the singers were standing among the other graves of the cemetery.  A little different than back home!

I know this funeral was different than the traditional Mexican funeral since it was Christian and most Mexicans are Catholic.  However, the simplicity of it all was really humbling.  In the States funerals cost an arm and a leg and because of that are very nice.  But here the casket was a slightly embellished wooden box.  The funeral was held on a porch.  The hearse was an old pickup truck.  And you know what?  She didn't know the difference.

I'm not trying to sound morbid when I say I really really like the following song (pardon the bad grammar). It's called "All My Tears" by Plumb and says:
"...
Gold and silver blind the eye
Temporary riches lie
Come and eat from heaven's store
Come and drink and thirst no more
...
It don't matter where you bury me
I'll be home and I'll be free
It don't matter where I lay
All my tears be washed away"

So, from an eternal perspective, this was such a beautiful funeral.  Another soul made it Home!!!

Mexico: Valentine's Day and Stuff

Hope everybody had a wonderful Valentine's Day.  Growing up, the way we celebrate Valentine's Day was buying candy the day after at half price.  I only went to public school for kindergarten and every year after that Valentine's Day was mildly celebrate at Cornerstone.

Do people in Mexico celebrate Valentine's Day? Oh, you betcha they do!  This year my eyes were opened to what Valentine's Day is for a lot of people...and I rather enjoyed it :D

Thursday night Hannah very kindly offered to help me make Valentine's cookies for all the kids.  She had a stamp with a bird on it that said 'You're too sweet' so I made tags for all the cookie bags.

Mixing up the first batch of frosting...

Grant's Aunt Ruth that is here with her husband for a week.  She was a huge help!

The finished cookies.  Aren't they fun?

So basically Thursday night these two wonderful ladies baked and washed dishes, frosted and mixed all so I would have something to give the kids for Valentine's Day.  The kids loved the cookies.  Some disappeared right on the spot, others were saved for later.  Some were eaten while writing down the homework assignment...

Valentine's Day was pretty much just a big party.

Some first graders...

And third graders...

Yah, that's six kisses.  I'm not sure who they were from, but somebody must be sweet on that little guy!

Talking about sweets, by the end of the day I had been given 12 suckers (2 of which I ate at school...bad idea), a mini chocolate bar, and two large marshmallow treats.

After school got out, I went and hung out at Grant and Hannah's.  Hannah and Ruth were very busy getting ready for their Valentine's party that evening.  Between making flower garlands, eating lunch, and playing with Ivory the afternoon went very fast.

The party was so fun!  They went all out!!  First we made a flower pin/clip, then made Valentine's for the older women in church.  Afterward we ate (of course :D) and everything was delicious.  The room was very cutely decorated and I think everybody enjoyed the time together!

A party favor. All the guests also got a bag with some fun stuff from socks to hand sanitizer.  

I don't have a group picture on my camera but there were roughly 18 there including kitchen help.  At the end we wrote down Bible verses that talked about love and drew a tag with special instructions of what to do with that verse.  It was a special evening that was a great end to a big day.

Well, it was kind of the end.  After cleanup, Grant, Hannah, and I played a game of Settler's.  I was having a sugar crash after eating wayyyy to many sweets and let's just say that I feel way better after a good night of sleep.

This morning I got up to go on a walk out by the strawberry fields. Ruth went along and this time I took my camera so I got a few pics.  I was really missing my other camera because a little point and shoot has a hard time capturing morning lighting, which is part of what makes the scenery so enchanting.  Anyway, enjoy...

Sorry about the wires.  They seem to be everywhere down here.

The plaza in the morning.  Very empty.  This place comes to life at night.

An there is a strawberry field.  From the road you can see the bright red berries peeking from underneath the leaves.  To the west was the full moon shining in the morning sky and to the left were mountains crowned with golden beauty of the rising sun.  Agh!  Pictures do it no justice.

"When peace, like a river..."

Oh, so beautiful!

Something I've been wanting to post about are these little plants that have been growing in my room.

These are Forget-Me-Not's that Leah gave to me (along with a bunch of other amazing stuff) as a going away gift.  I planted them soon after arriving and watered them but after a few weeks had decided they may not get enough sunlight in my room to grow.  Then one day, I noticed a little green dot in the soil  Pretty soon, there were two little plants reaching out of the soil!

I now have five green stems absorbing sun in the window as I write.  So to everybody back home, especially you, Leah, I have forgotten you NOT!!!  My time here has been enjoyable but thinking of home is always bittersweet.  I miss everybody and everything.  Especially my daddy since today is his birthday.  And I really miss my horse.  

Since this post is getting long, I won't take time to write about the funeral I attended Thursday.  But I plan to write about it soon.  Until then, have a wonderful wonderful weekend!!!!

Mexico: Lessons In and Out of School

While being down here I'm realizing what a weak person I am.  Not that I thought I was capable on my own.  But in very small and not so small areas, God is reminding me how much I need Him.  Prayers for humility and wisdom are appreciated :)

 On Thursday and Friday I had the opportunity of helping some first graders make a basket filled with food since they are learning the English words for cookie, hamburger, grapes, strawberries, etc.  I was excited that the teacher was doing a hands on project since it makes learning fun and effective. It's helped me reinforce these words in my Spanish vocabulary as well!  Thursday we traced/cut out baskets, then on Friday I helped this little boy draw and color food for his basket.

You may have noticed his very solemn expression.  He is quiet and serious and though I don't understand everything that happens in the classroom, I do think I've correctly observed that he is not included by other children as often as he should be, is a little behind in learning, and in general just a little bit sad.  So it was exciting when he smiled for me on Friday.  He really is a sweet kid and I hope things get better for him soon!!!

Maybe I'm biased, but his basket looked pretty swell by the time he was done!

A few of the gifts I've received lately.  That's just the remains of the huge heart red lollipop that really hit the spot one day.

So overall school things are going well.  On Friday classes get out early and the 5th graders were finishing up P.E.  They were playing hide-n-seek (a favorite game of many children here) and asked if I'd like to play with them after school.  For a little background, the 5th grade class has a handful of independent 10-12 year old boys that don't care much about English class.  The girls are more devoted but I mainly interact with one girl so I don't have much of a relationship with any of those kids.  Therefore, I was excited for the opportunity to get to know these kids out of school so we set the time for 4:00.  Turns out that 5 boys came and 0 girls which is funny since it was the girls' idea.  We played hide-n-seek for 1.5 hours!  I think we're friends now.

About the lessons out of school...

I was asked to go for a walk at 7:00 in the morning on Saturday with a woman from the church.  For several reasons that I will not take time to explain I did not one to go on this walk.  But Saturday morning rolled around and on the way to this woman's house I prayed that God would change my attitude and give me a deeper love for this sister.  He was so faithful!

The woman's daughter came along which was nice since her Spanish is a little more clear.  We began by taking a bucket of corn to a man so it could be ground into meal.  Then we walked down the back streets of town to a country road.  This area of Mexico is a huge producer of strawberries, so as we walked the sun began peeking out behind the mountains and leaving a misty glow on the strawberry fields dotted with bent-over workers.  I didn't take my camera so I don't have pictures to share :( .  We walked about 1.5 miles til we came to a bridge over a peaceful creek then took a rocky path off the main road.

When we had taken a little jog around a field we got back on the main country road and headed back into town.  We went to pick up the corn meal then they invited me into their home for breakfast.  It was probably the biggest cultural experience I've had yet.  First they mixed water with the meal, rolled it into a ball, then pressed it in this big wooden contraption and finally warmed it on the stove.  So besides watching the corn get ground, I got to see how tortillas are made from a bucket of kernels!  They made some into quesadillas and others we ate with refried beans (which thankfully I am developing a taste for) and salsa verde, or other salsas.  Everything was so delicious!  To finish it off, I got to try 3 different kinds of bread, all of which were sweet and very good as well.

So basically that morning was way more of a blessing than I deserved.  I'm glad we have such a patient, loving God.

On a lighter note...the rest of the day Saturday was pretty relaxed.  I took a nap then took Ivory for a walk.  This time I took my camera and snapped a few pictures.  I try to take them covertly as to not offend the Mexicans.

Laundry day.  Nobody has driers so wash is often hanging out to dry from balconies or roof tops.

Not sure what these boxes are all about but they ascend a hill at the end of our road.

On a finishing note I have to include a picture of some tacos.  Usually they are very small and have two tortillas each.  These are not from Mario's but they were still very delicious!

And now it's the beginning of another week!  

Mexico: Church Events, The Weekend, and School Days

In a previous post I mentioned something about explaining church happenings here.  I don't have any pictures yet of church activities, but I'll give a little explanation of what a 'normal' week might hold.

• Sunday church begins at 11:00.  The first service is more like a Bible study and is led by different brothers in the church.  Then there's a fifteen minute break and a second service preached by either Marshall or Matt.  At 5:00 there's a singing and sometimes volleyball afterwards.
• Tuesday evening is Bible Study at 5:00. Men and women rotate so last week was women's, this week men's.
• Wednesday evening there is a Bible Study in Zomora (about 30 minutes away) which I have not yet been to.  There are a few people that either were members, are members or are just friends who can't make it to midweek services so this Bible study is a neat opportunity to fellowship with them.
• Thursday evening is church at 5:00.
• Saturday they have Jovenes.  It's geared towards young people ages ~10 and up.  The evening begins at 5:00 with some outdoor activity then we sing for about 20 minutes and split into older kids and younger kids for a Bible study.  There are some youth who come from the community that don't regularly come to church so it's a neat way to interact with them.

Hopefully I'll have pictures of Jovenes sometime soon that I can share.  But for now that gives you a little idea of what the church activities are.

This past weekend was a bit extended since there were no classes on Friday or Monday.  On Thursday Jan suggested I invite a few of the church kids and some of their friends to come play on Friday.  I asked Jana (Hana) if she'd like to come and she showed up with her two brothers and a student that lives right across from the school.  We played hide-and-seek, Candy land, Caballo (horse basketball), and other fun games.  Jana, Tito, and Andres ate with us and went home around 4:30.  It was a fun filled day and now I'm glad I know those kids better.

Andres hiding under a van.

Later I was informed this barrel is used to wash cars so this probably won't be happening again.  They sure had fun though!

On Saturday a woman from the church came to clean Sunday School rooms so I took three of her little darlings on a walk.  Jonathan is a very content baby.

Matt and Ruth Gerber invited me over for comida (the big afternoon meal) on Sunday after church. While Ruth was preparing the tostadas, her son Caleb and I prepared for an imaginary trip to the Antarctic.  Caleb is about 5 and has an incredible imagination and loves taking imaginary trips.  We spent nearly an hour packing for the trip before lunch and then an hour on our big trip after lunch.  The lunch, by the way, was delicious and not to be unmentioned.  Tonight after I spent some time with Caleb while Matt and Ruth took a walk, they took me to Mario's for tacos.  They don't live on the compound so I don't see them as often but they are a huge part of the school and church!

On Monday, Grant and Hannah invited me to go to Zomora with them to run some errands.  It was perfect because my flip flops have been wearing thin very quickly so I wanted to get some new ones that would last a little longer.  We walked through the market and got produce and I found shoes.  A lot of their sandals have backs so it took a little while to find what I wanted but Hannah was very patient and now I have comfortable sandals with more durable soles :)

The fresh produce was just amazing! I bought a few plums and starfruits.

Hannah and Ivory enjoying some watermelon.

After the market we went to Walmart for more groceries while Grant got pizza.  The median of the main road nearby is raised in the middle with a path for bikers, walkers, runners, etc.  On the sides there is grass and trees kind of like a park.  Just a very long park.  It was a nice shady place to eat and relax before hitting our last stop, Sam's.

By the time we were done, we were all very tired.  Grant was recovering from a hard hit of the flu, and Ivory was so exhausted she fell asleep before she finished her bottle.  But it was a great experience and now I have been to Zamora.

Tuesday it was back to classes.  We started having music class at the end of the day for which I am playing the piano.  Yesterday 1st and 2nd grades practiced together, today it was 3rd through 5th.

Here are some pics from the 1st and 2nd grade classes this morning.

Ummm, I don't know all their names yet.  They same them quickly and not so clearly.  But these are some 1st graders.

If you didn't take me seriously when I said classes are just a bit more relaxed, I now have proof.  Today the 2nd grade class was a little more relaxed than normal, but it isn't abnormal to have kids sitting or lying on the floor while doing their homework.

The girl behind me in this picture goes to church as does the girl in the grey and pink hat.  Maybe it's because I have a sister in second grade that I enjoy these girls so much.  Or maybe it's just cause they're stinkin adorable.

Today one of the girls asked me where I live and so I told her Indiana which didn't seem to tell her much.  I started telling her it was very cold and there was snow and she replies, "I want to go there!"  Like Mom told me, she'd probably get bored after one day of no school and want to go back.  Probably true. ;)

Have a good week!