Pumpkin, Prayer Walking, and Coricos

Guillermo from San Pedro Kid's Club.
Guillermo taking Brian for a ride after class.
Fransisca's baptism.
Julian, Fransisca, and Loren.
Julian peeking in the window and telling us to hurry up!

MariChuy holding Jaciel.

Vanessa and Sol Angel's grandmother.

A gringa stirring the Mexican version of hot chocolate.

Stacey and I with Fransisca.

Julian and Fransisca's entire family.

Sunday. All day fasting for Stacey and I. Didn't know toothpaste tasted so good! No lunch made a long afternoon. Phone call from Mom. Yea! Vanessa, SolAngel, and their grandmother came to church. Definitely more friendly than usual. Cleaned up after the service. Watched piles of children play on Loren and Donna's front porch. Hot shower.

Monday. Two bowls of cereal. Tomato Basil Wheat Thins and cherry tea (which we couldn't taste until we brushed away the tomato basil). Enjoying the warmth of boiling water. Tea too hot to drink. Talks about the ministry in Choix. Holding a clothing customer's baby. Rena admiring "my baby" and telling me that she looks just like her mother--me! Watching Heidi in Spanish. Making pumpkin bars. Making pumpkin bread. Making pumpkin muffins. Making pumpkin whoopie pies. Kid's Club in San Pedro. Hot sun in a bouncy van=not feeling good. Jesi in a dreadful mood. Walking...er...running Marlen home after dinner. Verb class and eating pumpkin whoopie pies. No water.

Tuesday. Chili and cornbread for lunch. Spicy chili. Sleeping during siesta time. Paying our rent so promptly that we surprised the landlady. Stopping by Vanessa's house and feeling like my Spanish was being ridiculed the entire visit. Passing out tracts in Choix. Prayer walking the streets of Choix and climbing the clocktower to pray overlooking the city. Mac 'n' cheese. No water. Showering at Loren and Donna's.

Wednesday. Baptism today. Walking uptown to buy paper supplies for 200 people. Making jamaica drink. Walking Choix for 45 minutes down streets we've never been down before. Chowing down on junkfood. Meeting at Loren's to go to the baptism. Leaving an hour later than planned (typically Mexican). Short and emotional baptismal service for Julian's wife, Fransisca. Helping Fransisca do her hair to match her elaborate dress. Julian complaining out the window to hurry up because he was hungry! Meal in San Pedro. Another short service. Cake and the Mexican version of hot chocolate. Lots of pictures. Mom calling again just to talk to help make my day. Still no water.

Thursday. Water back on. Loads and loads of laundry. Cleaning very dirty little house. Hotcakes for brunch. Junk food too. Writing lots of e-mails. Leaky toilet. Christmas shopping with Marlen. Decorating my gift at her house under close supervision of her grandmother. Delicious "leftover" soup for dinner. Pedicures with Stacey. Falling asleep listening to an English sermon on the computer.

Friday. Waiting for the "muchacho" to come fix our toilet. Studying verbs verbs verbs (Ian would be proud). Making dessert for Saturday. Cutting up onions (and crying while I handed a glass of water out the window to a boy). Taking a long walk down during siesta time. Playing with the girls in Mochiqui. Lots of jump-rope. Coaxing the little girls across the fence to join us.

Saturday. Waking up way too early. Walking uptown. Coming back to find the visitors from Ahome. Finishing the desserts. Saturday school. Rowdy kids having fun (as always). Trying to make friends in another language. Lunch at the orphanage. Dusty volleyball. Dust. Dust. Dust. Walking home in the dying daylight. Making yummy almost-yeastless pizza. Playing I Doubt It and consuming a whole bag of coricos. Eating pizza. Going to bed very early...