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!