Mango Shortcake, Santa Claus, and HOT

We L-O-V-E pitayas!
Rhonda.
Chuy and I.

Fernando and Roxina and a cactus.

This picture was blury but too cute to NOT put on!

Sunday: Mario (from San Pedro) and Ricardo came early for church. Ricardo picked up the guitar and started strumming it backwards. Janessa and I gave each other quietly amused looks before he broke into song about "Tricia, mi tia, la nina mala!" (Tricia, my aunt, the bad girl!). I didn't catch all of the words. Later he affectionately stooped and pretended to kiss my hand. Then he left, claiming to be back in "un ratito" (after a little while) but never did return. The service started and lots of people came. After Loren's message about storing up treasures in heaven, several people responded to the invitation. Some of them just wanted prayer for strength or wisdom to continue their Christian walks...but at least one confessed Jesus as his personal Savior for the first time. Christa and I wanted to talk with one of the girls, and sought out a quiet room to do so. But every door we opened, we accidentally burst into another little group. Donna exclaimed, "Praise the Lord! All the rooms are full!" We finally went on the back porch, ignoring the curious children. Janessa and I went along to Mochiqui and then came back to clean up from the service. After the San Pedro service, I wasn't feeling very good and came home to shower and go to bed.

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Monday: We had pancakes for breakfast. Then I studied Spanish verbs. "Comelo!" "No lo comas!" (Eat it! Don't eat it!). I will never cease to be confused. I walked to Vanessa's house with the groceries. Vanessa's mother, Lupita, and Alejito were gone, but I stayed anyway. I helped Vanessa with her English and we doodled on a paper. Then I talked with her abuelita a little before heading home. And I got home just in time...the Yoders were sitting down for lunch when I walked in the door. The San Pedro Kid's Club was small, but good. Luis and Yesi are such cuties...I think I'll take them home with me. We had mango shortcake for dinner; it was delicious...and definitely a Mexican version of the famous strawberry shortcake. I started reading a book and couldn't put it down even to join the others and Santos, a man from town, as they watched the Fireproof in Spanish.

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Tuesday: I did laundry, made granola, cookies, and lunch. It was a fairly uneventful morning. I didn't burn anything and not many people came to the window. Junier and Esteycy came by to try to sell me some decorative pens, but although they begged me to buy, I turned them down. Loren came in around lunchtime to tell me that I had three boxes waiting for me at the post office. I had been expecting them, and enjoyed how the others moaned and groaned jealously. I raced up to the post office and carried all three of them back despite Diego's protest that they were very heavy and I needed a truck. Then I gleefully began my Santa Claus moment. I locked my room and opened the boxes. They were from my family for the other missionaries...but to my surprise I found a bulk of the stuff for me! From my youth group...Thanks, guys! But I divided up the things and took one box into Loren and Donna's family. They hadn't been expecting it, so it was fun to watch them be surprised. In the afternoon, we passed out tracts. Domingo stole my water bottle and wouldn't give it back until I let him take a drink. The day was hot. Roxina and I walked together and she begged me to teach her English. We passed out all of our tracts very quickly and came back. I sent the other boxes of things home with the other missionaries. No wonder Santa is so jolly; that was fun! We had mac 'n' cheese for dinner.

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Wednesday: I don't remember the last time that I was so lazy. I spent the day reading my book, on the Internet, eating junkfood from my box, etc. I called home to convince my dad to get Facebook...well, that's not really WHY I called home. Loren brought home some sort of burritos smothered in frijolespuercos for dinner; it was delicious! At prayer meeting, I worked hard to keep a little girl straight...and didn't really succeed. I talked with Ana and then went outside with the kids. Jeffrey brought me handfuls of flowers he was busy picking off a bush. I went to Mochiqui with the villagers and came home to read a book. Thus ended an uneventful day.

~~~

Thursday: Today was a really long day. Morning feels like a week ago. When I arrived at the orphanage, the children flocked around me, eager to show off the pictures they'd put in the photo albums my family had sent. The frig wouldn't close so we had leftovers for lunch. I sharpened some knives. I fell asleep during my time off and woke up wet with sweat. I'm ready for the cooling showers of rainy season to start! When I woke up, I helped Roxina and MariChuy with their schoolwork. I watched Chuy and "supervised" visiting family visits for the children. We ate dinner and had pitayas afterwards...LOTS of pitayas. I ate seven; some ate a dozen. I was talking with Teo later on in the evening and majorly messed up in Spanish. Although he wouldn't tell me what I'd said wrong, he just stared at me with a startled and amused look on his face. I deserted him to "play" soccer. I "helped" Domingo be goalie. One time I was all alone in the goal, and MIguel gave me a wicked look and kicked it HARD!

~~~

Friday: Today was a scorcher. I didn't remember being so exhausted because of the heat. I did laundry at the orphanage. A breeze was blowing off of the hot sand and the sun-baked bricks; it was nearly suffocating. I passed my spare time by arm-wrestlling with Roxina and clipping MariChuy's fingernails. Finally, the laundry was done; I was tired of being assaulted by the "hair-dryer" breeze. I went inside. Rhonda and Suzanne were moving around the beds and changing the sleeping arrangements. After lunch, I brought in and folded the laundry with the girls. Meanwhile, Diego sang a song about Rhonda until she locked him out of the house. I had my time off in the bodega with the AC, but "All good things must come to an end," I thought as I stepped out into the world of oppressive heat. Christa came with Maria and I to Mochiqui. We visited Salvador and Enriqueta, Ana, and MariCruz. Maria and I studied with the girls while Christa visited with MariCruz. Rod picked us up and took us to the orphanage for fun night. As soon as dinner was over, Rhonda and I hid out in the bodega and talked and talked like only girls can. Eventually, we joined the others.

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Saturday: I made myself a cup of cappucino while Ricardo watched me jealously through the window. We ate breakfast and set up for class quickly. Then came the kids. After class I tried to memorize the verses with Ana's help. Then I was in charge of verses and had many little hot bodies crowding around me to recite their verses. I went to the orphanage and Rhonda and I made lunch. The kids put on a CD that Rhonda and I were not too thrilled about. We sang along and the kids laughed at us. After lunch, I had my time off where I fell alseep and slept through my alarm. Not cool. I woke up when MariChuy and Fernando got back from Fernando's tongue operation. I got up, played with the kids, mixed up sopa fria for dinner, and then the boys came down to eat with us. After dinner, I was in charge of clean-up while Rhonda started the kids with showering. Roxina dragged me outside to play some sort of game that includes running around the house. I lost. Loren came to pick me up and I went home.