Flowers, Thanksgiving, and Impromptu Parties

SolAngel.

Studying Spanish/English.

Lupita with Pepe.
Vanessa and SolAngel playing with sidewalk chalk.
Brianne and Garrison playing guitar on Thanksgiving.
Rachel.
Stacey, Leobardo, and me waiting on the chicken on Thanksgiving.

Looks American to me!

Sunday we all got around surprisingly early for church. We were almost on time and everything! Rod preached both sermons about living life as a follower of Jesus...a living sacrifice. (At least that's what I think it was about...I never can be quite sure. LOL.) After the service, we went back to Loren and Donna's for a delicious spaghetti lunch with real hamburger. Meals like that convince me that I can never be a vegetarian. During the afternoon service, I was so tired that I could barely stay awake. Stacey and I went along to Mochiqui to drop off the Mochiquians. We ended up staying there for a little while and chatting with the little girls. When we got back into town, we found out that Marlen was in the hospital. She went back home that same evening, but please pray for her. She's a new Christian who is under a lot of pressure from her family about not coming to church. She's twelve... so pray hard! We ate dinner quickly, eager to get to bed because Monday morning we had plans to go to the beach. I laid in bed that night, trying my hardest to go to sleep, but instead, I was listening to the noises around me--dogs, music, people sleeping...

I woke up Monday morning with my 3:30 a.m. alarm. I'd only had a couple hours of sleep and my stomach was queasy. I wanted to go, but my body insisted that I couldn't handle a long bus ride, the hot sun, and another late night. So I stayed back and watched as the others trotted off for their day of fun. When I got up at 6:30, I felt a little better--enough better to tackle a dirty house and mounds of laundry. Bri came and joined me for her day off. Our landlady's hired man was out industriously sweeping our lawn and watering our sidewalk. Later that morning, Bri and I were doing our laundry and animatedly talking when the man walked up and handed me a potted flower. I think he said "For you" (in English). Startled, I tried to shuffle the gift off on the landlady: "Para ella?" No luck. "No, para ti" and he handed me the marigold. Then what could I do except murmur, "Gracias" and quickly disappear inside of the house. Around lunch time I walked to Loren and Donna's to write out memory verses for Saturday school. We ate a very delicious lunch around 1:00. I didn't mind although I had plans to eat dinner around 3:00. I finished my laundry when I got home, just in time to go with Bri and Rach to Papa's for a quesadilla. Afterwards, for dessert, we walked over for K-Freezes and Strawberries and Creme. I dropped by Marlen's house to see how she was doing, but she wasn't home. I walked home, checked messages, and made a few phone calls. I showered and went to verb class. By the time that I got home, a very tired Stacey had returned.

Tuesday was one of those days that sort of passes you by in a fog. We were off-kilter from being off-schedule for so long. The happiest moments of my day included the moment I discovered I had yet ANOTHER box, and several belated birthday cards! I opened them throughout the morning, relishing each precious morsel from home. In the afternoon, I went for a walk and dropped by Marlen's house again. She was home and very delighted to have company. We walked back at my apartment and hung out with Rach and Stacey before I walked her home. That evening we stamped tracts and passed them out in the neighborhood. When we got back, we helped make dinner and then ate and came home.

Then came Wednesday...without water. But my day was bright because I called home and talked with Dad, Mom, and Bev (and because I had my green tea). Stacey and I cut up pumpkin and made cookies after language study. While we ate lunch, we discussed writing a book called "101 Uses for Stale Corn Tortillas." Some of our uses include: hot mats, wall art, ear muffs, doilies, frisbees, etc... Please call me with your orders now! They're on sale! We had Kid's Club in Reforma and very few children came and most of the few were late. Rojelio and Adryan sneaked into the house after class; Rojelio saw our food and started to say "Yo quiero..." (I want). I finished his request for him: "...un abrazo!" (A hug!) Then si! si! he wanted "un abrazo muy fuerte" (a very strong hug) and he gave me a crushing hug around my waist. Good news, I think my back is back in place! After our taco soup, we went to prayer meeting and from prayer meeting I went home.

The only tradition some Mexicans know about Thanksgiving is that we eat turkey. Que triste! (How sad!). Besides, on Thursday, we didn't even eat turkey in Mexico. But we did have chicken, stuffing, baked corn, noodles, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry salad, pumpkin pie, ice cream, and coffee. I felt sick afterwards. Right before lunch Rod stood up and announced that Christa is pregnant again. The ladies swarmed Christa with excited hugs. We played scum that afternoon and later that evening, we played/watched volleyball, talked, ate again (although not as much this time), and discussed politics. Then we came home and Stacey and I sat around and talked some more.

Friday we studied language, went to a nursery to admire plants, and made pumpkin bread and cookies in the morning. We ate Thanksgiving leftovers (surprise, surprise) for lunch. We went out to Mochiqui in the evening to play with the little girls. I tried to talk to the two little girls across the fence from MariCruz's place, but they preferred to stay on their own side of the fence and just stare at the strange gringa peering in. We rushed back to Loren and Donna's for waffles and Loren rushed us back out to the "singles" gathering in the bodega at the orphanage. The six of us played scum and apples to apples while eating smarties, bubble gum, chocolate cake, and strawberry ice cream. It was a lot of fun just to be together and hang out as English-speaking Americans.

Last of all, on Saturday, we had Saturday school. Afterwards, I played memory with several little girls. Then Stacey and I made toasted cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch (talk about comfort food!). Stacey made chai tea to eat with our pumplin cookies for dessert. We didn't get home until 2:00 and Marlen , Aile, and Janessa were planning to come over at 3:00. We were barely home before Vanessa came banging on our gate to see if we had any milk or if we could get some for her. Stacey had a headache so I took the money and walked Vanessa to the nearby tienda. She waited outside while I bought the milk and talked with the friendly cashier who insisted on practicing his English. I walked with Vanessa back to her house and she invited me in to sit on her front porch. I met her mother and little sister and talked with her abuelita (grandmother). They were happy to have me visit and asked when I could come back. I left with a fluent "Ya me voy!" Vanessa and her little sister, SolAngel, walked me home and I invited them to come back at 3:00. They were the first ones of our guests to arrive. After a little while, Marlen, Janessa, Aile, and Lupita came tromping in. Hooray for impromptu parties! We studied Spanish and English, looked at pictures, played with [icky] Pepe, and drew with sidewalk chalk. Stacey and I walked Vanessa and SolAngel home and again were invited inside. This time we met the very pregnant sister and we heard lots of stories from the family. Vanessa's mother had an obsession with the fact that neither of us had boyfriends and we were happy without them! We promised to return when we left. I talked with Janelle for quite awhile and then took a cold shower before I headed over to Loren and Donna's for delicious pizza!

Visitors, Parades, and Boxes

The youth group performing their "Jonah" skit in Mochiqui.

A lot of children came!

Cinthia.

The Thursday parade...lots of adorable little children.

Miguel held Kyle on his shoulders for a long time.

Drummers.

Delia in the Mochiqui parade.

SUNDAY started in San Pedro where the bugs swarmed. The sermon was on Christians reflecting Christ, Light of the World. After the service, we sat around and talked for quite awhile (very typically Mexican). Lunch at Loren and Donna's was short and sweet and we set up for the church service immediately afterwards. The Skyline youth group from Colorado was visiting, so we moved the service outside for more space. Stacey and I had a tiny bit of siesta time before we tromped back over to Loren's in time to walk in on a room full of new people. What a strange feeling. I made a hasty exit to wait for the moment where I could greet them in smaller quantities. After the service, one of the guys from the youth group came over and handed me a bag bulging with incredible presents for Stacey and I. I was elated...Thank you, Krista, Phyllis, and Paul!!! While we ate with the youth group on Sunday evening, I tried to memorize names. I'm getting a little bad at this... Afterwards we went downtown and climbed the clocktower and walked around the plaza. I have never seen Choix as busy as it was that night. People and cars were everywhere! While we walked, Stacey and I tucked poor, innocent Janessa between us so the muchachos would stop whistling at her ravishing good looks.


MONDAY was our day to go to Mochiqui with the youth group. Stacey and I arrived early at Loren and Donna's to make brownies for the Kid's Club and then we all climbed into Loren's truck and Rod's van and headed out to Mochiqui. I loved the way that the youth group enjoyed the Mochiqui culture and the children. They did a humorous skit on Jonah and the Whale and had a special craft for the children. Stacey and I helped fry tortillas for the tostadas at lunch and then we walked back over to Rod and Christa's to help with the sopa fria, cookies, and desserts. When the youth group came back from their San Pedro Kid's Club, we ate dinner and then sat around and played games. Scum was fun, but Stacey and I had to leave early because Stacey was leaving the next morning to pick up her mom, sister, and sister's friend in Los Mochis. We conviniently left the game as Scum and Vice Scum... LOL.


TUESDAY Stacey left early, and I barely heard her. I joined the group again in Mochiqui. I enjoyed sitting with Bella and talking to Teo. For lunch, we went to Rod and Christa's for tamales and beans. Adryan and Rojelio dropped by and wanted the gringos to take "peekshers" of them plastered again the front door window glass. Some of the girls were ready to go back to Loren's house early so I walked them back through the shortcut (across the soccer field and through a hole in the fence). We walked uptown to do a little shopping and get K-freezes. I played tour guide. It was fun to show them around "my little town" and watch them be amazed at the things I no longer marvel at. (They even think I know Spanish! That makes me feel very good!) When I got home, I tried to do laundry, but the washing machine wasn't working right. Then Stacey arrived with her mom (Elaine), her sister (Martha), and her sister's friend (Autumn) in tow. I talked with them for a minute or two before I rushed off to help Donna with dinner. The night got late, but no one staying at our house was up to see it.


WEDNESDAY was the day that Christa felt incredibly generous. She told us that she didn't need us until 10 or 10:30. That meant a whole extra hour to sleep! We chopped up the Mexican hot dog toppings. Stacey, Martha, Autumn, and I went uptown for our time off and spent most of that time sitting in line at the bank. I ran to JLR to buy toilet paper and had to carry two big packs all the way through town just because I didn't have anything less than 5 pesos to tip the lady who wanted to put it in a bag for me. How embarrassing! In the afternoon, Stacey, her mom, and I went to Rod and Christa's for Kid's Club. The children worked hard to finish saying their verses. I helped one little boy, Ronaldo, learn his verse. That evening after delicious bean burritos, we went to prayer meeting. The youth group joined us which made our small circle a lot bigger. Rojelio and Adryan walked to prayer meeting and afterwards started asking people for candy (in English). When one of the youth guys gave them each a piece, I made them both say "gracias." Christa applauded me for trying to teach them both some manners. Stacey and her company (or Stacey&Co.), Marlen, and I walked up to the clocktower to overlook the town. After we walked Marlen home, I realized that I hadn't brought our apartment keys with me (they were at Loren and Donna's) and Loren and Donna were at the taqueria with the youth group. So we dashed around Choix, sorting out my absent-minded mistake.


THURSDAY came finally. I say finally because Thursday was "el veinte de noviembre" which meant the parade. After listening to the drums and the off-key horns since I've been here, it was refreshing to realize that those days would finally be over. I do admit that it was fun to watch the fruit of their labor. The little children marching down the street in costume were the best. The little boys had mustaches drawn on them and the little girls wore hoop skirts. Bright Mexican colors filed past us as we stood in the shade along the street. After the parade, we wandered around the little shops for a while. Eventually I walked home to spend some time alone to relax. At 3:00, we headed out to Mochiqui for their little parade. This parade was much shorter with no instruments except for tiny plastic drums that the little boys forgot to beat. Delia was holding the flag and when she saw me she yelled my name. So cute! After that parade, the gringos went to the orphanage for fun nite. Admist clouds of dust, they played soccer and volleyball and ate nachos for dinner. Miguel turned eleven and he was on cloud nine when one of the youth guys gave him a lasso. We got home before ten but it felt much later to me...


FRIDAY I was in the kitchen all morning. But some very sweet friend sent me a box for my belated birthday that made my day. I think everyone else here is jealous at the amount of boxes I have been receiving (hooray for mis amigas y mi familia!). After lunch, I was faced with the decisions of my day: San Pedro or Mochiqui? To eat at the orphanage or the taqueria? I eventually chose to go to San Pedro with the youth group for Kid's Club. I was delighted to get to talk with Guillermo again. I asked him again about his sister and after class he went home and got her so he could introduce her to me. I was completely honored. After battling clouds of dust and swarms of bugs, I returned home and decided to go to the taqueria. The youth group was making their second trip there (they really loved it the first time) and we went on a separate order. I loved my quesadillas even though they were meatless. Before we left, the youth leader picked up our bill as well as the youth group's bill. I felt very blessed.


SATURDAY I woke up way too early, but I got a lot of things done before I headed off to Rod and Christa's to make egg (blah) and potato burritos for the youth group's final meal in Choix, Sinaloa, Mexico. Christa nicely put me in charge of making the eggs...which she soon discovered I wasn't very good at since I don't even like them. The youth group was so appreciative of everything and we bade them goodbye, hating to see them go when they were all enjoying themselves so much. I walked over to Loren and Donna's and had lunch with Stacey&Co. although Loren and Donna were in Ahome for a wedding. After lunch I had fun cleaning out Loren and Donna's fridge (I love to clean!). Then I came home to be lazy and read and sit around. The most adventurous thing I did all night was attempt to sort out an electricity and Internet bill with my landlady...in Spanish. We both got a little frustrated but we still parted as friends, I think (judging by her body language).

Baptisms, Birthdays, and Blonde Moments

Sunday, November 9, 2008
Dear Diary, Today was wonderful. Stacey and I relaxed and hung out all morning. Around noon we wandered over to Loren and Donna's house where we found Fransisca alternately stirring a huge pot of pasoli over a fire and resting in the hammock. Baptism day. For a new gringa, I was excited to witness this event in the church's history. The entire churches of San Pedro and Choix (plus relatives) journeyed to the river for the baptism. The service was short as we stood in the soft, white sand with the warm sun on our backs. The group went to the orphanage for Sunday afternoon "lunch." The pasoli served over one hundred people. Stacey and I walked home with Marlen and by the time we reached town, it was dusk. After a long process of missing keys, money, and getting permission, we three walked over to the ajonjoli festival (about two or three blocks from our apartment). We meandered around the grounds, marvelling at the sites and smells.

Monday, November 10, 2008
Dear Diary, I called Tony for his birthday. He was delighted and told me that he would call me tomorrow for my birthday. Loren and Donna were in Los Mochis getting their visas, so Stacey and I stayed at our house to study language and write out songs on posterboard. Brianne was taking her day off and we hung out with her until we left for San Pedro in the afternoon. Seventeen children came to the Kid's Club. The evil black bugs were swarming, but I was protected by my bug spray. I had fun talking and laughing with Fransisca, Julian, Gris, and Brian. Fransisca is someone I would love to sit and talk with if I knew her language; she's so funny even when I can't understand her! A little boy named Guillermo stole my heart with his sad countenance and quiet desire for love. I just wanted to take him and his little sister home; what kind of lives do they live? Rod took us up to Oxxo when we got home after dark and we bought Maruchanes for dinner. (Rod also came out with an early birthday gift--Doritos, a coke, and bon-bons!!!).

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
I am 22 today. I am totally blown away by God's creativity (He likes to give birthday surprises). Stacey had a box waiting for her at the post office and we were going to walk up this morning and get it. Instead, Loren and Donna came back from the post office with two boxes--one for Stacey and one for me! I floated through my day, overwhelmed at by the e-mails, cards, and gifts I received. I studied a few Spanish verbs, made basil spaghetti for lunch (a recipe from home that I had to alter slightly), and wrote out the "special event" invitations for Saturday school. We had tostadas for dinner with chocolate cake...but it wasn't just any chocolate cake; it was chocolate cake with a caramel layer in the middle and fudge frosting served with cookies 'n' creme ice cream. Life cannot get better! My family sent me a CD with funny songs they had recorded for me. I laughed and cried while I listened to it and got my first real taste of lasting homesickness. In the evening, we crawled up onto the roof with sweatshirts and a blanket to enjoy the full moon and the cool weather.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Dear Diary, Where do I even start? I guess with eating my Cheerios this morning. (I got two boxes for my birthday!!!) I only ate a half a bowl so they will last longer. I was in Illinois while I ate my Cheerios, but the half a bowl of Cornflakes put me right back in Mexico. I studied verbs again. Verbs are so difficult; I'm having a lot of trouble with the seven simple tenses that I dare not even start on the compound tenses yet. Janessa helped me correct the sentences I had written out and basically threw up her hands in despair. For some reason she laughed at my sentence: "I would talk about tigers if you wanted me to." Stacey and I made brownies for the prison and muffins for the youth group that is coming next week. Lunch was a little late, so we ran our afternoon errands before lunch. We didn't have a very long break before we headed over to Rod and Christa's for Kid's Club. The children were well behaved and enjoyed the lesson. We ate taco soup and piled in the van for prayer meeting. The evening was chilly and since I forgot my sweater, Alma laid in my lap and kept me warm. After the meeting, Stacey and I went home with the orphanage crew. We spent the evening at the orphanage hanging out with Bri and Rach, eating food and talking. We planned to watch a movie, but like the good responsible (or just really old and tired!) adults that we are, we ended up going to bed before midnight!

Thursday, November 13, 2008
Dear Diary, Stacey and I froze during the night in the bodega. But we slept in until after 8:00 thanks to the lack of windows in the bodega. We said our goodbyes and walked home while the day was still cool. All day we cleaned our house, did laundry, and ate junkfood. I enjoyed just being home and getting things done. But we did get a little "stir-crazy" and walked over to Loren and Donna's to get some more books to read. Marlen came over while we were there and we watched her do her English homework. I played Legos with Kyle. Dear fellow Illinoisians, did you realize that these poor, deprived children are not even aware of the existence of John Deere?!?!? This was a hard blow to take when Kyle questioned my color coordination as I stacked together green and yellow Legos pieces. We walked back to our house and hung out until dinner. We had verb class in the evening. I was too lazy to get out a different sweatshirt from under my bed, so I wore red and bright pink to class.

Friday, November 14, 2008
Dear Diary, Stacey and I did a lot of work in the kitchen today. Stacey worked on lunch and I washed a lot of dishes. I can't remember details except that the guacamole we made for fun nite at the orphanage was chunky because the avocados were too hard. We visited Mochiqui and watched the school children getting ready for the parade on Thursday. We visited MariCruz and even helped her grind the corn for her tortillas. She sent some along with us for our walk down to the orphanage. Yum! Diego "ordered" hot dogs and mac 'n' cheese since it was his 13th birthday. After the meal the ladies sat around in the kitchen and talked until late into the night (at least by my new Mexican schedule).

Saturday, Novemeber 15, 2008
Dear Diary, I wasn't looking forward to today, but it didn't turn out badly at all. In fact, it was very pleasant. "Quite pleasant and nice." We spent Saturday morning in Saturday school and we made lunch after Saturday school. My baked corn actually turned out! We jumped into making cinnamon rolls and cleaning up after lunch. We took a half hour break and on our way back, we ran into two drunk men who insisted on shaking our hands. We finished our walk, wondering what the town of Choix was coming to. We helped to get ready for the special event at the orphanage for the Saturday school students who memorized all of their verses. Once we got there, I helped with pizzas and watched the children play games. We got back early enough to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening at our apartment.

Funny things that happened recently:

Stacey (studying the Rosetta Stone): Caleb, what is a mezquita?

Caleb: I don't know. (lightbulb!) Uh, a female mosquito?

Rachel (talking to me and Stacey): Are you two still getting along okay?

Stacey (incredulous): We're practically married!

Stacey's blonde moment: We washed our bathroom rug and it was REALLY dirty. So dirty, in fact, that when the washer started filling up with rinse water, Stacey excitedly exclaimed, "The washer must sense that the rug is dirty and is washing it again!" I was like: "Or it could be the rinse water." She instantly started laughing at herself.

My blonde moment: We were writing out songs. I decided I was going to have fun and take my time to do it neatly. So I did. I even did it in Mexico colors. Feeling very patriotic and proud of my work, I held up the posterboard only to realize that I had written out the wrong song.

Youth Groups, Icing Wars, and Extreme Energy

SUNDAY: Day of the Dead~getting to Loren and Donna's house early and nearly walking into a room full of guys~small San Pedro service~counting the verb "poder" for Ian's verb class and discovering that "poder" also means "power" (thus "tenemos poder" doesn't count)~lentil soup~setting up rows and rows of plastic chairs outside~counting verbs again during the afternoon service~hanging out with the visiting youth group~climbing the clocktower at night~singing "We've Got the Power" into the ceiling at the top of the tower~a lot of pictures~everyone riding to the orphanage in the back of Loren's truck~the truck groaning over the speedbumps~hanging out and playing games.

The big group of shopping gringos.

MONDAY: brunch~saving out "eggless" potatoes for me~shopping with the youth group (quite a gringo spectacle!)~saying goodbye to the youth group~setting up facebook for Brianne and watching her get hooked (LOL)~decorating a birthday cake for Carla~Brianne's beautiful decorating job~slapping icing in hair and clothes~getting very sticky~cancelled verb class~talking late into the night with my awesome roommate.

Janessa and I after round one of the icing fight.

TUESDAY: Stacey's 21st birthday~waking up way too early~singing happy birthday in my morning voice~lots of little presents and cards for Stacey~studying language~making Indian rice for lunch~talking on the phone with Mom for a long time~thinking about the butterscotch oatmeal cookies she was making in IL and getting a stabbing pang of homesickness~our landlady returning and trying to tell us things we didn't understand~her son sweeping our lawn unleashing Pepe (grrr!)~chocolate birthday cake with strawberries and creme~tortas with a lot of meat~verb class when we were way too tired.

Stacey's Rice Krispies.

WEDNESDAY: Loren's 40th birthday~finding out the results of the election~baking cookies~peanut butter dessert~cleaning~helping with Kid's Club at Rod and Christa's~delighting in the rapt attention the children paid to the story of Adam and Eve's first sin~helping Stacey with the candy bucket and verses~telling Rojelio the phrase he taught me: "No lo hago!" Don't do that!~prayer meeting~setting up for a surprise party with a bunch of noisy children~many many balloons~confetti~cake and ice cream~going home and talking about how we want to heal the hurts of the children at the orphanage~climbing up on the roof and staring at the stars~hot shower!!!

?, Rojelio, y Adryan

THURSDAY: waking up late~going shopping downtown~French toast~laundry~house-cleaning~Tarzan~walking to the river with Marlen~splashing~swimming~sand all over my clothes~showers~dinner~my first piece of mail...a birthday card!~chai tea~a serious conversation which got interrupted by loud circus music~laughing at circus songs and spilling our chai tea~side note: PTL that Marlen's grandmother, mother, and uncle gave her permission to be baptized..an answer to prayer!

Marlen and I in the river (before we soaked each other).

FRIDAY: cornflakes and hot chocolate~language study~wiping down plastic chairs~lunch...Mexican lasagna~catching up with e-mail and facebook~discussing visas~going to Mochiqui~inviting five Mochiqui girls over for Saturday afternoon~watching their faces light up~having Delia tell me a secret ten times before she finally accepted the fact that I didn't understand!~spending time at the orphanage~Taqueria with Lenn, Debbie, and family (many people)~waiting forever for our food~really good mixtas and tacos with too much meat for my poor stomach~walking by the ajonjoli festival on our way home.

Esteycy, Junior, y Tito-- a familiar site at Loren and Donna's window.

SATURDAY: Saturday school~muchos ninos~making lunch for Loren and Donna's family as well as five very excited and energetic little girls~watching the girls inhale the tortillas, rice, and beans and reject the butterscotch pudding (es como flan!)~marching them all down the street to our house~Bella (the adorable little deaf girl) stopping to buy Stacey and I some candy~getting some really strange looks from Mexicans~watching the little girls be fascinated by our house and our pictures~coloring~hopscotch through the house on the tile floor~feeling content despite the giant mess in our house.

Me with the five Mochiqui girls: Cinthia, Tita, Bella, Alma, y Carla.

Tires, Ajonjoli, and Pepe

Sunday morning was the long-awaited trip to Ahome. The churches in Choix and San Pedro were cordially invited to Ahome to attend services held by a minister from Oregon. Daylight Savings time began the same morning which made the 5:00 alarm not quite so harsh. We left in the early daylight hours so squished in our respective vehicles that Stacey and I were sitting on a tire and staring out the back window of Rod's van. We got a few "pobrecitas" which made us feel much better. After our three hour ride on the tire, we reached Ahome to sit on hard church benches. The gringo minister was fluent in Spanish so I struggled to understand him. After the service we ate grapefruits from a nearby tree and watched the guys play volleyball in the hot sun. The church ladies served us really good soup and corn tortillas at 2:30. During the second service of the day, I was so sleepy that I could hardly keep my eyes open. It didn't help that I was sitting against the back wall with no air circulation. After the service, the volleyball court was shaded so several girls joined the game. And it was fun, despite the Mexican rule of not rotating. For the ride home, Stacey and I squeezed in Loren and Donna's truck just like real Mexicans. My legs kept falling asleep, but the ride was much more comfortable than the tire. Loren dropped by Julian's ajonjoli field to see if he was guarding it. Side note here: ajojonli is sesame seed. Mexicans harvest and stack the bundles to dry. When it's dry, they shake the bundles and let the seeds fall onto a tarp. However, if someone does not guard their crop, more than likely someone else will come along and steal it. Anyway, Julian was in his field and wanted Loren to go back to his house and call the police because someone had attempted to walk off with some of his ajonjoli. So we spent the next hour or two trying to sort out the mess for poor Julian. By the time we got home, I was so tired and there still was no water for showers. I wanted to cry but I just went to bed.

Monday morning started as usual except we still didn't have water (oh wait, that is usual). While Stacey and I baked cookies, we made ourselves coffee to fight off the sleepy/grumpy mood. After that we were remarkably happy. Ah, the marvels of caffeine! Monday afternoon we did some investigating of our water problem and found that someone had turned off our city water supply. That still didn't solve the tank problem, but we were one step closer. Later that afternoon we went to San Pedro for Kid's Club but no children came. Julian and Francisca weren't even at their house (where we have the Kid's Club). Rod drove out to Julian's field and found the entire family harvesting ajonjoli. Amidst the bugs, dust, and blazing sun we joined in with the harvest for a little while. So the next time you eat a cheeseburger with sesame seeds on top of the hamburger bun, think of me laboring under the Mexican sun. Julian made a comment about having a little ajonjoli school instead of a Bible school. "Come back next week for lesson two!" That evening we went to Loren's basketball game and watched him play against high schoolers. Walking in late made the gringo family very conspicuous. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get used to being a spectacle. We didn't get to watch the game long before we headed to verb class.

On Tuesday, the youth group from Door of Hope in Ohio arrived safely for their work week. Many Mexicans were curious about the huge crowd of gringos around Loren and Donna's house. The poor people were so tired and I felt so sorry for them. Seeing them brought back some bittersweet memories of my trip a month ago. Stacey and I helped Christa make lunch for the group. In the afternoon, we went to Loren and Donna's to make pizzas for the group. Other memories of the day include walking off in someone else's flip-flops and having the cat make paw prints in our pizza.

Wednesday was good. We got to Loren and Donna's before the youth group had left for the Kid's Club in Aguajito. So we waded through a mass of people we didn't know yet. When they left, we worked at making an authentic Mexican meal. Like Donna said maliciously: "No more nice American food." The afternoon was Kid's Club at Rod and Christa's. Twenty children came; a few were sooooo energetic and bad, especially Adryan and Rojelio. I just wanted to spank them and hug them at the same time. After the evening prayer meeting, Stacey and I traisped home to relax. Earlier that day, Loren had come and checked our water and completely dashed our hopes of having water in our tank in the near future. So we "showered" in the outside sink and with buckets. It's wasn't too bad. We were relaxing later that evening when someone banged on our door. Considering that we had locked our gate and not our front door, we were scared. I was walking to the door and calling out "Quien es?" when I stumbled over the kitchen chair which made a loud scraping noise across the tile. I was never so glad to hear a soft, "It's Janessa."

Thursday morning we were rudely awakened by the barking of a certain idiotic rat--er--dog. Pepe. One of these days I will shorten his chain and tighten his collar. He chooses the stupidest times of day to begin his little program. He ends every bark with a question mark and fills in the empty spaces with wimpy growls. "Yip? Yip? Yip? Grrrr! Yip? Yip? Grrrr!" So that's what I woke up to on Thursday morning which made me envision ways of silencing him (perhaps forever *sinister laugh inserted here*). Instead I calmly got up and washed my hair in our outside sink and prayed that the water would turn on. Since I had the day off, I walked downtown to the bank and withdrew 2,000 pesos. Feeling extremely rich, I sauntered over to JLR to see what I could blow my money on. Just kidding, I bought cornflakes and toothpaste. Thus is the missionary life, I'm discovering. That's okay; it's worth it. After being lazy for the rest of the morning, Stacey and I walked down to Rod and Christa's for gorditas (fried cornmeal, chicken, and potatoes topped with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avacados, onions, carrots, and cheese. <--Wow that was a long description). We spent some time getting to know a few of the people from the youth group. When they left for work, we came home to be lazy again. For dinner we joined the youth group at Pollo Mayo and had fun hanging out with them all. It really made me miss my youth group *insert sniff here*.

Hallelujah! God brought us water on Friday. Now we have access to that precious commodity we take for granted in the States. In the morning, Stacey and I helped with lunch-- Mexican hot dogs (which are much better than American hot dogs, btw). Of course, making hot dogs for a lots of people meant lots of chopping. Onions, tomatoes, avacados...and carrots, cucumbers, and jicama as side veggies. During our siesta time, we discovered that water was finally reaching the tank and thus our bathroom. We left for Mochiqui, realizing that when we got home we would get REAL showers (!!!). In Mochiqui I helped Alma a little with her English lesson and then we girls played jumprope. That was good practice for Alma, who is learning her numbers: "Whon, tooo, ssree, far, etc." We got back to the orphanage for fun night in time to see the end of the soccer game. After nachos, we played volleyball. I always forget how bad I am at that game, but I had fun anyway. I talked with Teo who had a hard time remembering my name (I'm tired of being "la otra muchacha"!). At the end of our Spanish/English conversation he asked if we could be friends. What a sweetheart! I must have looked fluent in Spanish *insert proud, beaming smile here* because one of the guys from the youth group needed a translator and called me over. What a joke! But I tried... I also found a kindred spirit in the youth group- a girl who enjoys writing as much as I do! By the time I had my HOT shower, it was late and I was tired.

Then Saturday came. I'm getting used to Pepe's barking in the morning so I was able to fall back asleep momentarily. Saturday school was fun. Lenn used props to drive his point home and the kids loved it. After class, Ana and Rosa walked with us to our house; they wanted to see what it looked like. Knowing what their house looks like made us self-conscious of our "luxurious" surroundings. Ana and Rosa missed the Mochiqui ride and Stacey walked them home while I made lunch. After lunch I called "mi hermanita" and we talked for a long time...that was lots of fun! Stacey and I walked to Marlen's house to see what she was up to. Her grandmother invited us in to sit at the kitchen table in front of the TV, but Marlen was showering (and singing she told us later). We stayed for awhile and then traisped over to Loren and Donna's. Eventually we went prayer walking uptown and bought some really good fruit drinks at Oxxo. And then of course, Saturday evening pizza and time to crawl into bed!