Brussel Sprouts and Buckets!

So last Thursday night, we went out again to the migrant worker camps and shared the love of God with the people.

Now, before I tell you about this particular evening, I want to explain that there are a lot of migrant worker camps within an hour of this town and every week they go to 2 different migrant worker camps for adult evangelism. The next week they will target 2 other camps and the next week 2 more. The rotation begins over about every 5-6 weeks. Occasionally they will hit the same camp within a few weeks of the last visit but usually it's a fair rotation. Well, our first week here we went to a camp that's called ????? (I don't know how to say it or spell it so I'll call it North of Camalu). At this particular camp, there was a certain woman that I connected with and so I've been hoping to see her again but not expecting too. Also, Anna really hit it off with some of the children and cried all the way back to the orphanage at the end of the night because she had to leave them. The next outreach was at a place called San Francisco and again, Anna had a following!

Well, every week since we arrived, we've been either at one or the other of those two camps each time we've done adult evangelism. It's been crazy but amazing to have the opportunity to build relationships with these people through "sign" language, broken Spanish and love.

So, back to this week....we went back out to North of Camalu, and the woman that I had hoped to reconnect with wasn't there but this other woman was. Now she had watched me very carefully the first time we had gone there and even laughed at me a few times (I'm sure my Spanish is funny), and I was certainly making an impression...however, not a favorable one I was afraid. But this night when I saw her, she stared at me again and then started to watch me as I talked with other women but I was determined not to let her intimidate me. So after about an hour, I began to move her direction. Now this is the setting: there is an oversized lot full of rocks and trash and somewhat of a building that's about 20x20. There are multiple people sitting around the door, including this woman, with barefoot children running about. I began to make my way towards her and stopped about 10 feet away and said "Hola!". She nodded at me but didn't smile or respond with an answer. Then I asked in Spanish how she was doing? She nodded again. I smiled and just turned my body away from her towards the group but didn't leave. After a few minutes she got up, went inside and brought out a 5 gallon bucket, plopped it down on the ground and then backed up while motioning for me to sit down. I did and said "Gracias". A few minutes later she said something to her son, he went inside and came out with the biggest brussel spout I had ever seen. She held it and asked me if I liked them. I said yes and smiled real big (considering that's the first green vegetable I'd seen in a month!) and then she said something else to her son and he disappeared. We began to make small talk due to my limited Spanish vocabulary but had a nice conversation. I progressed slowly with it not wanting to overwhelm her with my type A personality and discovered that she wasn't as hard as I had originally thought. She was very soft under her rough exterior. A few minutes later her son emerged from their "house" with a plastic bag FULL of brussel sprouts and she handed them to me and insisted that I take them. The night continued to unfold, our group fed the migrant workers and then there was a time of ministry and we stayed near each other through the whole time, with me managing to visit with other women in the process. She occasionally gave me a nod of approval and a smile. A little while later she went back to her home and sat in her doorway again and periodically I'd look back her direction and she would nod at me. As the night came to a close, she approached me. She gave me another bag full of brussel sprouts. I tried to decline but she insisted. I learned from her broken English that she gleans these from the fields she works in all day. I was so honored to have received that gift from her. Before the night ended, this woman would end up sharing her food with me, giving me many smiles, a bucket to sit on (multiple times) and several hugs. The sweetest was when we stood side by side as the Gospel was presented.

I'll try to post a picture from that evening. Please keep this woman and her family in your prayers. As I looked into her home I was astounded at how much lack they have (no mattress, chairs, tables, only a pile of clothes and a few pots on a makeshift stove) and yet realized why they can't have anything. They move every few months and possessions are burdensome and yet, they need so much. It seems a contradiction. So her name is Reyna and she has 5 or 6 children, (I can't remember). Pray that the Lord will water the seeds of love that were sown into her heart and that even though her life is spent moving every few months, that she will find her lasting home in Christ.

I have tried to upload a few photos. There's one in there of Stephen and a little boy. Stephen gave this little boy his Crocs because he didn't have shoes. It turns out that this little boy is the son of the woman I spent time with that evening! God must have known that her family needed the extra attention.... God is good! Dios de bueno!

Wonderful Weekend!

Well, while Steve is busy constructing his post regarding Rancho de Christo, I'll post a short summary of our weekend.

It was amazing! First of all, Friday night was spent in the home of "local" Canadians who came here 7 years ago via a miraculous encounter with the Lord. Now they foster 11 children, who lovingly refer to them as "Momma and Poppa". So in addition to their own 3 children, their home is full of life to say the least! We were there for hours, visiting with them and their parents and all the children...

On Saturday, we began the day by doing laundry, which is my favorite pastime here....I know dryers are the next best thing to sliced bread, but I have to admit, I love air dried clothes!...especially the towels. It's like having a large loofa! :) Anyway, after doing laundry, we met up with Remy and Esther (staff at the orphanage) and their daughter Mimi for fish tacos. The big treat was going to their home and having Esther (who is a cook at the orphanage) cook the fish right there and then we all added the toppings and enjoyed a feast! Our time with them was so special. Mimi translated for us as the rest of us spoke with broken language and lots of hand gestures!

Sunday began with the English speaking service in Sala and then we came home and had brussel sprouts for lunch and then prepared snacks to take with us on our afternoon adventure. Remy and Esther met up with us and took us up the dry riverbed about 15 minutes into the mountains to their son-in-laws ranch where we spent the afternoon. We took a walk to the nearby ruins of Mission de Santo Domingo and then spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out underneath a large tree just visiting and enjoying the presence of the Lord.

As we were driving back down the dry riverbed towards Vicente Guerrero, Steve mentioned how beautiful Mexico was....he said he doesn't even see the dirt and the trash anymore. He was commenting on how amazing it is when you open your heart to the people how it changes everything. We were so blessed to have a beautiful weekend....thank you Lord for such a sweet time!

Keep checking back....pictures are to come.....I promise! :)

We can't see you!

Hello Everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know that we CANNOT view your comments from Mexico. There is some sort of a ban on our ability to look at our own blog. We can post but we cannot view! How weird is that? Anyway, we will be able to read your comments in a few weeks but for now, we can't. If you need to reach us please email us at rosenfamily6@yahoo.com and put something in the subject line that will let us know that you're not junk mail! Otherwise if I don't recognize your email address it might accidentally go into the trash! Blessings!

Check back soon....pics to come and a personal blog from Steve!

Update from Mexico!

Hola Amigos!

Well, it's been week since our last post and SO much has happened..... As you saw from our previous post, the schedule around here is crazy but it keeps us out of trouble! :)

We had to say goodbye last Saturday to our dear friends that met us down here for the first week. It was sad seeing them off but at the same time it made the mission field seem a bit more realistic. There are so many people all over the world who do not have the pleasure of seeing friends and family every day. It should be a reminder to keep them in our prayers!

I believe in our last post that Nathan had been sick but he is doing much better. Thank you for your prayers. The rest of us have been fighting off colds but our "larger" bodies seem to handle sickness better than his. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

Speaking of "larger" bodies...we've all put on a few pounds. The food here is Mexican, of course. So, there's lots of tacos, burritos, rice, beans, etc. I met a woman who is the wife of one of the Bible school staff and she had me over to her house twice this week at 6:30am to teach me how to make homemade tortillas. Oh my! Paper thin and delicioso! I believe, at last count, our family has consumed 4 dozen. Like I said, "larger"!

Speaking of food, a huge need around here is for "fresh"~ salad a few times a week is the only thing fresh and so when you get it, it's an obvious contrast to all the carbs. Occasionally they receive donations of vegetables and it's wonderful when they do. The last big donation from nearby was a load of zucchini. It was wonderful! We had zucchini soup, zucchini casserole and zucchini salad. The big shocker was when they served zucchini casserole (zucchini and onions) with refried beans. Who knew it would be so delicious all wrapped up together in a fresh tortilla? Oh, goodness....I just realized that I haven't had breakfast....that must be why all the talk of food. Sorry.

Have we mentioned how much sand is here? Not just on the ground but in the air? Some days the sand is blowing around so hard you can hardly see the mountains which are only a couple of miles away. They call them brownouts! We've had sand in our nose, eyes, ears, teeth, between our toes, caked in our eyebrows and nicely spread all over the entire surface of our exposed skin. It's really wonderful to be able to save on exfoliants. Just go outside and then rub your face! :) You know it's bad when your boys start saying, "Oh, I can't wait to be clean" and "Doesn't it feel so good to be clean?". Remember, these are boys! Usually we have to fight to get them in the shower. Now they beg for one! We've come to appreciate water in a whole new way!
Now to the other stuff....we were received our "job" assignments this week and we're all excited about what we'll be doing when we're not in the community loving on people.

Kate is working in the Day Care that is on site for the children of migrant workers in the area. It's a ministry of the mission to people who leave their children every day at home alone all day while they go work in the fields for a few dollars. The bus leaves early in the morning and goes around to all of their "houses", picks them up, brings them back here, they are undressed, given a bath while their clothes are being washed, dressed in little clean uniforms, fed breakfast, taught basic things (alphabet, numbers, colors, beginners reading and math), fed lunch, playtime, more schooling, put back into their clothes from home that have been cleaned and then brought home at the end of the day. It's a beautiful program and such a blessing to the community. Kate works there and does whatever they need her to do. She's with the children sometimes, sometimes she's washing dishes, sometimes she's sweeping the floor and straightening up the rooms...however she can serve is what she's there for. She came home one day and talked about how hard the work is in just taking care of children all day! I laughed!

Anna is working in the Cuna (nursery) and is in heaven! This is actually one of the houses that the orphans live in except it's for all those who aren't potty trained. Most of them are 2 and younger. The one little girl that was 3, who's name is Diana, has stolen Anna's heart. She fell in love with her week 1, and just this week Diana was moved to another casa because her time at the Cuna was up! Anna cried. She had really taken to this little girl who's mother died just a few months ago, giving birth to her little brother. The situation is so sad and it's amazing to watch how these children have to transition from their lives before to the orphanage. While you know this is so much better for them physically, the sadness in the eyes of the those who arrive just breaks your heart. They would rather be with Mommy than in a soft bed with guaranteed meals 3 times a day. Home really is a powerful place.

Stephen and Nathan are sticking by their Daddy's side. It's actually a great spiritual lesson. Stephen will say every day, "What's my job today Dad?" Steve answers the same way every day "Stay by my side son, whatever I do, you do". It often reminds me of when Jesus said, "I only do what the Father is doing". So whatever Steve's work assignment is the boys are right there doing the work with him. For little boys who like to play hard they sure are working hard too. It's really beautiful to see. Stephen can fill a wheelbarrow full of sand and lava rock just as good as anyone else. "Thank you Lord for the opportunity to teach our children how to work hard to meet another's need. "

My job is in the upholstery shop. Connie, if you're reading this, I'm laughing with you! :) Actually, my job isn't just to work in the upholstery shop, my job is to run the upholstery shop! I know it doesn't seem very spiritual but a lot of Kingdom work isn't. When Jesus fed people it wasn't very spiritual but it always gave them a deeper look into who He was. Upholstery isn't very deep but when you think about what life in Christ is like, upholstering can be spiritual....when we come to Him we need a complete overhaul. He covers us in His blood and just like that...a new creation! When something in our heart rips, we bring it to Him and He repairs it.

So, when you look at it, I guess it's an important job....especially here in Mexico when you can't afford to go out and buy a new pillow or cushion or chair...you just have to cover it! My first job is to cover an oversized chair. It's amazing how fast you learn how to swim when you're thrown in the water! My only instructions were, "take it apart but pay close attention how you take it apart because that's how you'll put it back together and use the old fabric that you take off is your pattern for your new fabric." So, that's what I'm doing!

Steve has landed a construction job for part of the time here and the rest of it is spent at Rancho de Christo (RdC). He is going to blog about this in another blog but RdC is a powerful place. Just to give you a taste of it, the first time we went there he cried the entire time. His sunglasses had never been so needed!

This week Steve was asked to preach in church so today he ministered in the English speaking service. It's a small congregation as the bulk of the people here are Hispanic but he was happy to do it.

We have been here long enough to feel like we are a part of the FFHM family and it will be hard to say goodbye. We are enjoying every moment here and already looking forward to the next trip!

This post was a more of "what we're doing post"....there are posts about what God is doing here and in us that are forthcoming....pray we get a few minutes in the midst of our days to send the good news home! We'll update again soon and post pictures next time! God bless you all and thank you again for your prayers!