changethewaywepraise

méxico: week five (and then some)

2010-06-07T11:33:00.000-05:00

[Brothers: Domingo and Leobardo]
[Rach and me]
[Rodriz and Mario]

[Chuy]

[Fernando José and Fernandito]

[Fernando José, Fernandito, Abel, and Marcela]

[Maria Inez and Mariela with dirty hands from the tortilla dough]

[Uriel]

[MariChuy, MariCruz, Carla, and Tita]

[Walking up to class on the hill]

[Fernando José]

[Mario with Tirzah]

[Alejito]

[Chuy and Jeffrey find cushy seats]

[Gina, Rosalina, Essie, Maria, and Suzanne]

[La Casa Hogar Luz de Esperanza]

[Me and Dietrich]

[Carol and Marcela "transplanting" a flower]

Sunday, May 2, 2010.

Domingo's birthday. Speaking of Domingo, he "avoided" my eyes during breakfast; he was "shy" after I told him happy birthday. Rach started packing which brought me close to tears. I'm not ready for her to leave! I sat with Marcela and Cata during the Choix service and some of us walked back to the orphanage afterwards. We had lunch and birthday cake. Then I tried to nap, but my quiet was interrupted by Rodriz's chattering outside of the bodega. So I got up and entertained Chuy... or he entertained me. Cata realized that the other kids have been calling me "Salchicha" for the last four weeks and it hit her funny bone. Now she calls me "Chicha"! We had a long ride to San Pedro in which Rodriz talked 95% of the time. We had fun playing a Rodriz-ified game of hangman. After a short and sweet church service and some goodbyes, we had another long trip home. Mario and Rodriz stayed for the late supper. I had my last good talk with Rach; she leaves in the morning.

Monday, May 3, 2010.

I was sad as Rach got ready to leave. I was even sadder when I realized that those teary emotions would belong to me in exactly one week. After getting groceries, I did school with Mariela. We worked in the bodega to avoid distractions. Before lunch, Rosalina and I sat on the swings and had a good chat about nothing and everything. At lunch, Essie and Rosalina peppered me with "¿Por qué?" (Why?) questions that never ended. After school and naptime (hmm... this is getting to be a habit), I sat with Teo and Maria Inez during the soccer game. We had supper, then clean up, and then the kids went to bed. Donna came out to teach ladies' Bible study and gave us some interesting insights on "letter vs. spirit of the law". To top off the night, the Yoder truck was having normal Yoder truck issues and we girls had to push it out of the driveway and up the road before it started. Talk about "raw woman strength"! LOL.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010.

I survived my first night without Rach. I helped Rebecca with picking up the groceries and then she dropped me off at the Yoders' house. I started lunch. Kyle helped me lots so that I even had time to run uptown and finish my souvenir shopping. We ate lunch early, and Loren took me back to the orphanage. I was in a hurry because I was planning to take the girls to Mochiqui to make tortillas. But, alas, the orphanage crew was just sitting down for lunch. So we got a late start despite my efforts. MariCruz was waiting for us and the girls got to work grinding the corn. The day was the hottest one we've had since I've been here. My water bottle was soon gone and we all guzzled the water that Rumaldo offered us (I didn't care at that point how clean or unclean the village water was). The girls had lots of fun making tortillas. We made both flour and corn tortillas... delicious! We took the "short-cut" home which ended with an ungraceful flip under the barbed wire, the grand finale, I guess. Back at the orphanage, my head was pounding. I drank lots of water to cool myself down and felt good enough to help with supper. But partway through supper, my headache flared up again. I realized that this would last awhile and slipped into the bodega to turn on the AC and rest... but I was too late. I was sick... very sick for the next couple of hours.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010.

Contrary to popular belief, "El Cinco de Mayo" is not much of a holiday in Mexico. At least in this part of Mexico. Anyway, my stomach was rolling this morning when I woke up, but most of the dizziness was gone. I had tea for breakfast and tried to go to town with Rosalina for groceries. But the van wouldn't start. Christa offered to take us in the Schwartz van, but that van refused to start too. I started school with Mariela who only wanted to distract herself. I was completely exhausted by the end of our session. After lunch, I did laundry and supervised school. Fortunately, the girls didn't ask too many questions today. I laid down again when they were done with school. I hate being such a wimp, but the weather has gotten the best of me, for sure. Supper was uneventful... except that Cata asked if she could have another tortilla (the limit is two per child). "How many did you have, Cata?" I asked. She gave me a big, guiltless smile as she held up four fingers. Cata and Marcela sat with me during prayer meeting. Cata's mind was on the coke she was going to buy after the service and Marcela couldn't stay awake. When we got home, I hung out with the kids and swung with Veronica until I was sick to my stomach. Roxy lost her rooster somehow. I can't say that I mind. I went up on the bodega roof to pray for the kids.

Thursday, May 6, 2010.

Bad news: Roxy's rooster is found. I suggested putting it in the soup for lunch after it crowed all night. I spoiled Chuy during breakfast by dipping his cornflakes in yogurt. After breakfast, I started wiping tables with a scrubby and realized that as a perfectionist I should never wipe tables with a scrubby. I had to scrub them down until they were white again. But I only got three of them done before I had to move on to other responsibilities. Mariela was excited to learn subtraction today; she thought it was much better than addition. Chuy wasn't hungry for lunch and kept distracting himself and me: "Lookit, Kita! Lookit!" He was set on having a cookie: "Can I? Kita! Have one? Kita! Kita! KI-I-I-ITA!" After cleanup, he asked me for popcorn. I told him we didn't have any. Excited that he knew something that "Kita" didn't, he took off running while grinning back at me over his shoulder. "Look out Chuy!" But too late and he smacked his head on the kitchen table and fell back to smack it again on the tile floor. I held him and expressed my sympathy while wishing I could have caught the hilarious incident on video. During school, Essie and Roxy asked me to stay fifteen more years... or at least until they both are eighteen... which is nowhere close to fifteen years. I took a nap and then made supper. We had a small group tonight since some of the kids were gone for a party in Choix. Rebecca, Cata, and I enjoyed the evening on the swings. Then the Miller family arrived and the noise level became a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Everyone was so excited! Then, after a long while, the kids went to bed and we girls sat around in the kitchen and talked.

Friday, May 7, 2010.

Abel's birthday. I handed Abel his birthday card and he thanked me and just held it in his hand until someone showed him that the envelope opened and something was inside. Chuy came to visit me this morning because I had my door propped open. He came running across the bricks hollering "Kita!" before he even saw me. Now there's a boy that can melt my heart. I sprayed him with perfume and he tried out some of my chapstick. He played with my mirror and rolled around on my bed and jabbered. We had a large group of people for breakfast. Afterwards, kids were everywhere... the 15 children of the orphanage combined with the Miller children made quite a group. Rebecca was in charge of making the pizza for lunch and we all tried to help out. I attempted to get the girls to do their corrections too. But everything was just too busy that I finally gave up on corrections and just helped with lunch. After lunch, the kids had music class with Rod up on the hill and I went with them this time. The classroom was very HOT especially with so many children. I came back and crashed in the bodega with the AC (I know, I know! I'm so spoiled!). I went to Mochiqui to visit Ana. I had to holler for a long time before I got anyone's attention. Ana and I talked for awhile and then we both walked over to the orphanage for "power fun night" with all of the church people. We hung out together all night and it was so good... but my Spanish was tired after she left around 10:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 8, 2010.

I leave in two days. Yikes. I'm not sure that I'm ready. I woke up early, not wanting to miss anything of my next few days here. Lenn announced during Saturday school that I was leaving on Monday and Johan was leaving on Wednesday. So after class, Ricardo smothered me with a hug and various other children came up to give me comparatively timid goodbyes. Santos was frustrating me... but there's nothing new there. I almost got picked for volleyball just because I am tall. Although the weather was suffocating, I went uptown to buy a blanket for a souvenir. I felt ridiculous popping into stores asking to see blankets they'd already moved to storage, but fortunately, I found one that I liked before I looked too hard. I bought strawberries and cream to "beat the heat" and sat down in the plazuela to read. Lots of people were out despite the heat. Every time a certain truck circled the plaza, I heard, "Wutzer name?" and "Wutsup, baby?" until they discovered how good I am at ignoring. I visited Marlen and her grandma. Marlen made me eat lunch, claiming that strawberries and cream was not lunch enough. For dessert we ate chile suckers (not my first choice, believe me). Then I used the phone at Rod and Christa's while sipping a much-needed coke. I went to visit my landlady and ended up stopping at a former neighbor's house and Lupita and Vanessa's house as well. When I got back to Yoder's, I sat in front of a fan and read my book. I walked up to the taquería to meet the Millers for supper, but the taquería was closed. I stopped at the store and bought some delicious mangos. The Millers picked me up and we ate at Pollo Mayo. All of the little girls wanted to sit beside me. Finally I said, "I'm not that cool!" and Lenn turned to Carol and said, "She's not that cool!" (Later he reneged, but it was really funny). The food and the company were good.

Sunday, May 9, 2010.

I awoke with the realization that today was my last full day. I think I was in shock for part of the morning because I didn't get anything done before church. Ana sat beside me during the service. I talked with her after church until it was time for her to leave. At lunch back at the orphanage, Chuy made a fine mess of his shirt with his pozole. He kept asking me for another tortilla, "Tilla? Tilla? Kita! Tilla?" The weather was so muggy that I couldn't help but take a nap. I packed and Roxy came in to help me. Lenn helped me figure out my traveling plans. The afternoon schedule was relaxed, but I was so dreading my trip that I couldn't really relax. Maria Inez took lots of pictures for me after supper. I sat and talked with Rhonda for awhile. When the kids got ready to go to bed, so did I. Before they disappeared for the night, a group of girls flocked me in the doorway of the bodega saying that they would tie me in the bodega so I couldn't leave. They gave me giant hugs that almost made me lose my balance and took turns counting to three before shouting together phrases like "¡No te vayas, Salchicha!" (Don't go!).

Monday, May 10, 2010.

I didn't sleep well... of course, I wasn't really expecting to sleep well. I finished packing and some of the kids came in to "help" me. Then they gathered around me again, repeating the phrases from last night with groggy voices and morning breath: "Don't go, Salchicha." "You're to young to leave." etc. I dragged out my goodbyes; I know, I know... that only makes it worse. Everyone gathered around and they had special prayer for me at breakfast. I told the boys goodbye. Then I had to go. Roxy refused to even look at me until I was literally out the door... then she came racing out to give me a hug. Essie and Maria tried to block the gate until Lenn almost ran them over with the van. Then I left... At the Yoders' as I stood out waiting for a bus, a lady pulled up and asked if I was going to Mochis and that she could take me. Wow. So I rode with her all of the way to the bus station. On the way, I got to know her a little better and realized that she's not happy and she's searching for something... for Jesus whether she knows it or not. When I got on my bus to Tucson, someone was sleeping in my seat so I plopped down beside her and suffered the aisle seat all of the way to Hermosillo. I watched the movies, read, and slept. Sound relaxing? It wasn't; not on a bus. I had one scary moment and that was when we reached Hermosillo. The driver told everyone to get off. I was pretty sure that the driver said "fifteen minutes" but when the bus pulled away after about five, I had a moment of panic where I thought I must have misunderstood. But he was only refueling and cleaning the bus.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010.

I{m convinced that I caught the worst timed bus. We reached a checkpoint around midnight. We had to pull everything off of the bus and haul it over to a scanner. The guard opened my suitcase because he thought he saw meat in it (???). He must have been disappointed to not find any. After pawing through everything, he shoved my suitcase aside for me to put everything back together. The same protocol happened when we reached the border. All I wanted to do was sleep. And I was able to doze a little in between the border and Tucson. I was the only one who got off at Tucson. I tried to freshen up in the bathroom, decided I was too tired to care, and went on a search for a taxi. It was 3:00 a.m. The taxi driver took me right to the airport where I had to wait for the airline desks to open before I could check in my luggage. My bag was a few pounds to heavy, but I pulled out my "501 Spanish Verbs" book and everything was okay. I bought myself breakfast and waited for my delayed flight. We left at 7:00 instead of 6:00. I read Dickens and wished I was home instead of facing the second part of my journey. I enjoyed landing in rainy Chicago and passing through layers and layers of rain clouds. Finding the bus shuttle center took almost all of my leftover energy. I was close to tears by the time I finally bought my $1.50 banana to get quarters to call home. Then I waited and waited until the bus came at 3:00 p.m. Chicago was frigid and I was glad I had my blanket. As we drove toward home, I noticed the beautifully green lawns and thought "Wow. They must irrigate!" until I realized that all of the lawns and the countryside were green. Welcome back to IL! Mom picked me up at the bus stop and I totally woke up and talked the entire way home... Yah, so I didn't get much sleep that night.

méxico: week four

2010-05-28T11:33:00.000-05:00

[Veronica and Abel: sister and brother]
[Mariela and Fernandito: sister and brother]
[Roxina and Rosalina: twins. Chuy: Rosalina's son]

[Miguel with Mariana and Grace]

[Rosalina riding Estrella]

[Jesús "washing dishes"]

[Roxy and Essie during home ec]

[Chuy hitting the piñata]

[The Children's Day celebration at the orphanage]

[Rach and her coke]

Sunday, April 25, 2010.
Marcela got "mad" at me for showing her my yogurt/granola combination. She called me "enfadosa" (annoying) for the rest of the day. Ana came to the gate because she was afraid she'd miss her ride to church. I tried to keep Essie and Rosalina straight during the service. Okay, not really; they were angelic. Ana and I went out back to watch the volleyball game after the service until I got tired of watching a certain person trample the rest of his team as he fought for the ball that wasn't his. Lunch was ready and waiting when we got home. After lunch came naptime. After naptime came supper (well maybe not right after naptime). After supper Rach and I let Maria Inez and Roxy take pictures with our cameras. Wow. Lots of pictures. Rach and I stayed up to watch The Sound of Music. Long movie. Late night. My favorite quote comes from Uncle Max: "I like the way rich people live. I like the way I live when I'm with them!"

Monday, April 26, 2010.

The bathroom door was locked and we couldn't find the key. That meant 20 people for 1 bathroom; the ratio was not good. I helped with breakfast cleanup, did corrections, and then did school with Mariela. She loves to count as far as she can in English (which is to five) before switching to Spanish: "Wan, Tooo, Sree, Far, Fife.... uh-uh... CINCO, SEIS, SIETE!" I took "time off" by sitting in the kitchen and reading to Brittany selections from Great Expectations so we could both laugh at Dickens' characterization. Chuy talked all during lunch. School went long today; Essie and Roxy were scrambling to finish up before the soccer game. Brittany and I watched the game. Seeing a bunch of the neighbor boys made me realize how long I'd been away; some of them have grown up (at least in size) so much! Santos hasn't changed; he's just as annoying and cute as ever. After supper, Abel and Fernandito raced Chayo and I around the soccer field. Chayo and I lost until I made the other boys run backwards. Maria Inez, Kyle, Miguel, Abel, and I played keep-away... but not all at the same time since Miguel and Abel have attention spans the size of marbles. I had responsible plans of going to bed early, but the girls workers stayed up late with interesting discussions including (but not limited to) "chocolate marshmallows" and modesty. And then Rhonda tore apart the bathroom doorknob and we have two bathrooms once again.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010.

Rosalina took me horseback riding after breakfast. I hadn't been on a horse for years, but Rosalina was very patient with me. First, I didn't have anything to wear... so I wore my pj pants under a skirt while thinking "No one will see me way out on the property." But first we had to chase down the horses, and they weren't in the mood to be chased down. Rosalina finally saddled Estrella and I clambered on. I didn't realize that the boys were working out on the property or that "out on the property" is actually in clear view of the road. Thus my lack of expertise was in plain view of practically all of Mexico. Such is life. I had a lot of fun... but painful fun; I now realize why cowboys walk bow-legged. I did school corrections when I got back. Then we had lunch and cleanup and I did home ec with the girls. We made cinnamon rolls for tomorrow's breakfast. Mariela and MariChuy fought over how much they could do and Essie and Roxy fought over how little they could do. Every time I explained something, Roxy would rush to say, "¡Ya sé! ¡Ya sé!" (I already know! I already know!) even when she didn't know. The rolls turned out nicely despite all of the debate. Mariela was fascinated with the yeast when I told her it was alive and would grow. "It's growing! Look, MariChuy! It's growing!" Then it was suppertime. The kids went to bed early so we could have Bible study and [*guilty chuckle] cinnamon rolls.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010.

I took my time off right after breakfast. Roxy was missing two math books so I had to do some copying as well as do school with Mariela. Rach made chicken pot pie for lunch (by request); it was delicious. During school, I was blessed to see Rosalina helping her sister with her schoolwork and Roxy actually letting her. Rhonda ordered the kids to straighten up their rooms but some of the kids volunterily house-cleaned instead. They did a wonderful job. Around 5:00 p.m. people began trickling in from Mochiqui, church, and the neighbor's house for the Children's Day celebration put on by an adult education group (I think). I got tired of hearing everyone chant: "¡Dále! ¡Dále! ¡Dáaaale!" while each kid took a few wild swings at the piñata. Then the group passed out coke and candy. I was tired of people by then and escaped to the kitchen to help with supper. Rach and I went to the taquería by the plazuela. The food was delicious as always. After eating, we walked around town and took some crazy pictures... and some good ones too.

Thursday, April 29, 2010.

Rach and I took Rosalina with us to get groceries this morning. Rosalina's way of talking makes me laugh and I think I laughed for most of the shopping trip. While we were picking out watermelons from the back of a vendor's truck, I made a comment about the corn he had mixed in with the watermelon. Rosalina said, "Let's steal it," with a giggle. While I was hauling the first watermelon back to the van, Rosalina came up behind me with the second watermelon and an ear of corn. "He gave me this corn!" Chortle. "He probably thought we were going to steal it anyway so he might as well give it to us!" Giggle. She's so crazy. So she went home and made some sort of soup with corn in it. Rodriz from church caught a ride out to the orphanage and helped in the kitchen with lunch prep. I played with Chuy and had a blast; I love the way he talks both English and Spanish. After Cinncinati chili and cornbread for lunch, I helped with cleanup and got the girls started on their schoolwork. Rosalina dictated spelling words for Roxina after Roxina told me, "You speak good Spanish, but you have a HUGE English accent!" I laughed (if you look closely you'll see a compliment wrapped in the insult). I helped to cut up veggies for supper and helped Rosalina with her math homework. I had to feed Chayo while we ate, but I still managed to eat lots. Rach and I went to bed early for once.

Friday, April 30, 2010.

Children's Day: a way over-celebrated holiday in Mexico. I helped Rebecca make pancakes for breakfast. I took my time with school corrections to be as organized as possible on Monday afternoon. I didn't do anything all morning... even waited to do laundry until lunchtime. I took a nap after lunch before I headed over to Mochiqui. I never got far into the village, however. Two elderly ladies sitting in the front yard of a house on the outskirts of the village invited me in for a visit. The ladies struck me as relatively harmless busibodies who pinned all of Mochiqui under a strict gaze. They told me that Ana was in Choix, so after a short visit, I walked home to get ready for the girls' night on the town. A big THANKS to Christa and Janessa who made it possible for Rebecca, Rhonda (and Mariana), Brittany, Rachel, and I to go shopping and out to eat. Because it was Children's Day, town was packed and a parade was filing down main street. We picked up hotdogs and then went to Rod and Christa's empty house to hang out.

Saturday, May 1, 2010.

I tried to be organized and plan my day, but alas, my day was unplannable. I left Saturday school to get groceries with Rachel because we had such a huge list. After class, Mariela told me she was sick. In Spanish, they use the expression "the sickness hit me." I misunderstood Mariela because she was talking so quietly: "The spsdfsf hit me." "Who hit you?" "Hjfdjfe!" "WHO?" Janessa and I went out to eat at Pollo Mayo. As we were devouring grilled chicken, the owner's wife, Gladys, came by with two pieces of cake for us to "try". "There are some advantages to knowing the owner," Janessa remarked dryly. I walked Janessa home and then went up to the plazuela to read and write. I used the phone at Rod and Christa's, and then Rach gave me a ride home on the moto. We had delicious pizza for supper, a real treat! Fernandito dropped his plate and I cleaned off the pizza and handed it back to him. While he was eating the piece, I pointed to it and gasped, "Look! A dog hair!" He paled and scrutinized his pizza before taking another bite. Speaking of Fernandito... Veronica asked to be excused (the kids usually ask in English). She said, "Scoozs?" Before I could say "yes", Fernandito butted in with, "No, Veronica, it's like this: Beh, bih, scoozed?" (May I be excused?). We had dessert and then the kids took a stick to the piñata.

méxico: week three

2010-05-26T11:33:00.000-05:00

[Mariela]
[Mariana]
[Veronica and Marcela]

[Evening teeth-brushing: Fernandito, Mariela, Veronica, and Abel]

[Three naughty (and loveable) little boys: Fernandito, Fernando José, and Abel]

[Jesús and Essie: brother and sister]

[Swimming at the river]

[Maria Inez, Marcela, and Grace]

[At the plazuela]

[View of the plazuela from the clocktower]

[Rach and I at the top of the clocktower]

WARNING: the following paragraphs contain some disgusting events of life at the orphanage.

Sunday, April 18, 2010.

Since Brittany was sick, I was in charge of her five children during church. The younger four have unlimited amounts of energy; if I didn't realize that before, I sure did today! I went to the store after church to get some juice for Brittany. Mariela didn't feel good either and I made her sit still (a nearly impossible task!) and read books instead of playing volleyball outside. After lunch and a short naptime, a group of us left for the service in San Pedro. Unfortunately, we were unaware of the service's time change and we arrived an hour early. We sat for a long time. I had a headache and zero energy, but being in San Pedro was good as always. When we got back to the orphanage, we scarfed up the supper leftovers and hung out with the kids until their bedtime.

Monday, April 19, 2010.

I wish today would never have happened. I know tomorrow I'll laugh, but I'm too tired to laugh now. Let's see... in the morning I started Rosalina and Essie on their schoolwork so Rhonda could take them out in the afternoon. Of course, the last part was a surprise so I couldn't tell the girls why they had to do their schoolwork early. When they hounded me for answers, I told them that maybe it was a surprise and maybe it was a punishment. "¡TriiiiciA!" Rosalina wailed. I helped Brittany with lunch and we discussed classic literature. She told me I talk like I read classics... whatever that means. And then [*drumroll!] the after-lunch incident happened. My four remaining students (the other two had already left for their "surprise") started on their schoolwork. Abel, Fernandito, and Fernando José asked to go on the bodega roof. Since their caregivers had let them up on the roof earlier, and since I was in charge because no one else was around, (I have to put in my defense) I let them up on the roof again. So this is what happened, although it took a good part of the afternoon to sort out: Fernando José dared Abel to poop on the bodega roof... so Abel did. Then Fernandito dared Fernando José to jump off of the roof... so Fernando José did... spraining his ankle in the process. For awhile, everything was mass confusion as the kids discovered what had happened, laughed uproariously, tried to find Abel (by stomping through the freshly-mopped kitchen), and climbed up the ladder to the bodega roof to confirm the story, etc, etc, etc. By then, Rebecca was done changing all three diapers and took charge; I gladly let her. I realize that boys will be boys, but why are they especially naughty when I'm in charge? Just as I was ready to concentrate on school, I had to chase Chuy down and discipline him and fish Chayo out of the mud... and the list goes on. School lasted literally all afternoon. The neighbor boys came over before soccer and distracted my slow-working students even more. Yet, by mid-afternoon, I had decided that I would indeed survive the day. During supper, Abel was back to normal, rattling off all sorts of ridiculous comments including one about his "beautiful little head." Rach and I had another long talk in the bodega when we should have been sleeping.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010.

I went into Choix to make lunch for the Yoder family. Donna gave me some quick instructions before she caught the bus to San Pedro. Kyle helped me clean out the refrigerator. Mario came to the window and scared me half to death... and then had the audacity to laugh at me. I made Janessa's request: red rice and bean burritos with guacamole. I had been planning on lunch for seven, but we had some unexpected visitors who trickled in... Reina and David... then Rodriz... then Aile... then Mario... and then Reina's sister and the sister's daughter. I started washing up dishes, but Loren took me out to the orphanage to do school with the girls. Roxy took up most of my time. She was frustrated with a spelling test. When the others were done, I worked with Mariela; she is so smart, but doesn't want to concentrate on schoolwork. I tried to take a nap in the afternoon, but ended up just thinking of ways to help Roxy and Mariela with their learning. After supper, we played ball tag. I had a growth; Veronica insisted on my carrying her. With her face right next to mine, I kept getting wafts of guamuchile breath. Yuck.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010.

Today I did not feel good, but dragged myself to town to buy some yogurt. But we forgot the grocery list and had to make two trips. I did schoolwork with Mariela in the morning so I'd be able to spend extra time on her. I made sure that I had some time off to lay down in the AC and try to make myself feel better. At lunch, I put too much hot sauce on Marcela's food and she kept panting and shooting me disgusted glances. After lunch, I accidentally watched Jorge throw up in the lawn. Shocked, I couldn't look away except to check if Johan, Bryant, and Scott were seeing what was happening. They were all looking the other way, deliberately ignoring the scene behind them. School went quickly, for which I was thankful. Maria Inez needed some one-on-one time, but the others sped through their work. After school, someone accidentally locked me in the bodega and I tried not to panic until I was rescued. Just before supper, Christa told Rach and me the bad news of the day: Scott and Rod wrecked motos. Scott was okay, Rod's knee hurt, and the motos were toast. That was the supper topic for everyone except Cata, who had just been told that she could buy a coke after prayer meeting. I skipped the beans and ate quesadillas and yogurt. Diego saw my plate and disdained the fact that I was on a "diet" although I was already "skinny" (I'm not on a "diet" or "skinny", btw). After prayer meeting, I took a very excited Cata to the store for her coke. The evening was uneventful as we went home and the children went to bed.

Thursday, April 22, 2010.

The milk on my cereal was warmish. Rach paled when I said that it tasted like it was straight from the cow. "Just stop!" she insisted. I went with Rach to town for groceries. On the way back out, I saw someone I knew before he saw me and I didn't feel like being seen or giving an obligatory wave... so I ducked down in the passenger's seat. Rach made fun of me. I did school with Mariela, but the rest of the morning was uneventful. Afternoon school was fun. Afterwards, I tried to take time off, but Roxy and Essie came into the bodega to root around for a tool. Rach made delicious taco salad for supper. We played ball tag again, which soon became boring. So I decided to sit out and Brittany gleefully handed Mariana over to me. Diego stole Mariana away and entertained her by walking her around and calling her fat to see if she would cry. The younger children had a "singing" on the back patio. I loved listening to the them sing at the tops of their voices. Pepper wandered into the center of our circle and was startled when we yelled out "¡GLORIA A DIOS!" as part as one of the songs. Then she sat down and began to scratch her fleas. Such is life in Mexico. As the kids got ready for bed, I spent some quiet time of the swings, praying for the children. Then I went inside to have yet another good talk with the other girls.

Friday, April 23, 2010.

Rach is sick today. I heard her get up in the middle of the night... I won't finish that thought. The day picked up pace as it went on. We had been planning a day at the river and the girls were excited. We went to a different part of the river this time... a part that was down a long dirt road. The place was gorgeous with huge trees and rocks. The girls had a blast. I didn't spend much time in the water... just enough to wade to the other side and reach the shade. We got home around 2:30, wet and dirty. I napped after we got home and then I walked over to Mochiqui to visit Ana. As I neared the village, I smelled the tortilla fires burning and remembered just how much I love Mochiqui. Ana was home. We sat in the shade and talked until I lost all concept of time. I had been planning on helping with supper, but I got home during supper cleanup. Whoops. I quickly ate and then hung out with Veronica and Maria Inez and kept an eye on Diego who was giving Mariana wild rides in the stroller. I did laundry and hung it out in the dark as the kids got ready for bed.

Saturday, April 24, 2010.

I woke up without any real ambition for my day off. Saturday school went well. While I was "working" by passing out crayons to the kids, Kedric asked, "Isn't today your day off?" I left early to walk to Rod and Christa's to use the phone. We had some house key issues which eventually meant that I was locked out of the house, but I at least had the phone. I walked to Marlen's house. She had a friend visiting so I didn't stick around long. I wandered around uptown with my strawberries 'n' cream (of course). I ended up at the plazuela where I sat and enjoyed the beautiful weather and read my book. Then I decided to be a tourist... I took pictures in the plaza and climbed the clocktower to take more pictures. I visited my former landlady and then Vanessa's family. A man was visiting Vanessa's family as well. When asked what crops he would grow this year, he calmly listed, "Sesame seed, marijuana, peanuts, etc..." I was taken aback and then reminded myself that, good grief, I was in Mexico after all. I caught a ride back with Johan and Bryant in the van. After supper, Rach and I were hanging out with the kids when the inspiration hit us to do something fun since we were both feeling good for once. We secured permission and soon were on our way to Choix. We climbed the clocktower and laid on our backs, staring out at the night sky... and we talked and talked and talked. When we saw a group of guys who looked like they were about to climb the tower, we dashed to the bottom only to find them strolling down a nearby street, never having any intention of climbing the tower. We took a walk and "toured" the "house of culture" which was nothing but a few pictures on the wall. Finally we climbed into our "cool" green van and headed home.

méxico: week two

2010-05-20T11:32:00.000-05:00

[Cata] [Essie]

[Part of the group that ate after baptism]
[Dishing out the pozole]

[Ana and I]

[Roxy doing laundry]

[Mariana]

[Waiting in line for the bathroom]

[Rach with her mending] [Passing out tracts in Choix: Roxy and Essie]

[Carla]

Sunday, April 11, 2010.

Today was such a long day. Rod was already stirring the fire when I got up to shower. Some of the Yoders came over to help get things ready for the service after the baptism. Janessa and I tried thawing the deer meat for the pozole. The dogs hovered, hoping for drops. Then I helped Rach cut up the mounds and mounds of cilantro. When we finally left for the river, Cata and Essie were very excited. The service at the riverside was short and sweet. We had lots of visitors from all over to rejoice with Ernesto, Lupita, Catalina, and Esmerelda. I was delighted to see people from the church in San Pedro. We piled back into the vehicles to head to the orphanage where we ate lunch. I washed dishes and then sat with Ana after the church service. Once the visitors left, we had a mini-fun night. I went to bed with a headache. Too much ball tag.

Monday, April 12, 2010.

Teo's 17th birthday today. Brittany and I started working on his birthday cake before breakfast and finished it afterwards. I did most of the observing and not so much helping. I played with the kids and then took some time off. When I returned to the outside world, I helped Brittany prepare lunch and wash dishes. Afternoon school dragged on until the soccer game. I watched the soccer game and cooked up the soya for the cebiche. We VSers stayed up late to talk and talk. I had fun learning to know the other girls a little better.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010.

Rach and I got groceries in the morning. I didn't have anything to do while Rach was sewing so I started picking through the scraps and decided to sew a skirt for one of the little girls. While the school girls worked on schoolwork after lunch, I tried to work more on the skirt. Veronica got wind that the skirt might be for her and she hung around the sewing machine, "Are you almost done?" "When will you be done?" Essie had trouble with fractions and my Spanish was inadequate to explain them to her. Finally she ventured, "I think I understand!" (no thanks to me). Rach wasn't feeling good so I helped with supper. The children went to bed early so that we ladies could have Bible study.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

After getting groceries, I graded schoolwork, had time off, raced Veronica on the swings, and helped Marcela play "house". After lunch, we started on schoolwork right away. The girls were well-behaved today; they did their schoolwork without complaining... and even got done with enough time for me to take a short nap afterwards. During supper I sat across from Abel who stared at me the entire meal. After the evening prayer meeting, Chuy melted my heart by saying his version of my name: "¡Kita! ¡Ven!" (Come). I went home with the Mochiqui crew in the back of Loren's truck... just like old times. Rodriz, Aile, Mario, and Janessa came along too. Before bed, I graded papers and watched the kids play musical chairs and "Buenos días, maestra." Cata was absolutely hysterical with that game... and Marcela did a perfect imitation of Fernando José.

Thursday, April 15, 2010.

Today was full moon... Well not really, but the kids at the orphanage must have thought it was. I sat at Rhonda's table. Chayo sat beside me and vomited milk. I know that's gross, but that's the truth. I won't get into the even grosser details; let's just say that I couldn't finish my breakfast. Today was official "tattle day" because that's all the kids did today... only taking a break from tattling to run back outside and do something else to make another kid tattle on them. I made a skirt for Mariela before lunch. During lunch, I again sat beside Chayo who was bent on escaping his chair. *Grrr. Brittany and I were in charge after lunch. Chuy harassed the little girl's tea party so that they raced to tattle to me. The older girls were doing their schoolwork and I was trying to answer their questions when the three little boys got into a big fight and I had to march them all inside of the house. But at least school was rewarding once things settled down. Mariela, who learned to add yesterday, flew through her math book. She couldn't believe that 3+2 and 4+1 both equaled 5. Roxy learned how to "carry" in addition and got a 100% on her test. At dinnertime, I released Chayo from his chair too early and he snatched Marcela's tortilla. *Sigh. Then the evening was peaceful. Veronica and I had another race on the swings. I wish I could bottle her laugh and take it home with me!

Friday, April 16, 2010.

Leo's 14th birthday. I gave Chuy his breakfast. He ate very slowly, holding each bite of cornflakes in his mouth as he watched the world around him. I told him "Chew it!" And he responded with a muffled, "Chew it! Chew it!" Rach and I went for groceries and to pay our visas at the bank. Back home, I did laundry and the school corrections from yesterday. After lunch cleanup, we left to pass out tracts in Choix. The afternoon sun beat down on my group (Essie, Roxy, and I) as we made our rounds. At one of our first stops, I handed the magazine to two men outside of a building. One asked for a third magazine, "There is a man inside. He is a drunk; he needs to read this." Hmm... We arrived home all hot and sweaty. I got ready to walk over to Mochiqui with Rebecca, MariChuy, Veronica, and Marcela. The others went on to MariCruz's house while I visited Ana. Ana really opened up to me and we had a good heart-to-heart chat like old times. Eventually we walked back to the orphanage, literally too late for supper. After fun night, Rach and I enjoyed a good talk in the bodega.

Saturday, April 17, 2010.

Rach brought me breakfast in bed so I wouldn't have to get up early on my day off. How sweet! Saturday school was a little more eventful than I would have liked. Afterwards, I took Roxy, Essie, and Chuy to the store. Chuy walked around, pointing to things and calling them all "agua" (water). I went to Rod and Christa's house to use the phone and Internet. Brittany and I tried to hide from visitors on the front porch. I visited Marlen and her grandma and then walked uptown for a K-Freeze. A drunk stopped me on my way home. "WHERE ARE YOU FROM?" he bellowed in English. The conversation was short, but we managed to attract a crowd of unabashed and humored onlookers. I made a short visit to Vanessa's house and then raced back in time to catch a ride home with Rach... on the moto. My afternoon included: stuffing my souvenirs in my quickly-filling suitcase, hanging out with the kids, and journaling. After supper, Diego told me that he would rather that I be in the grave than his grandma. I chased him down and gave him a stiff head-rubbing for that comment. Then he and Domingo locked me outside. While the kids went to bed, Rach and I climbed up on the roof to enjoy the stars and sip Fresca.

méxico: week one

2010-05-17T11:14:00.000-05:00

[Chuy buying cookies from Teo]

[The Fernandos: Fernandito and Fernando José]

[Rosalina cutting up vegetables for lunch]

[Veronica]

[Marcela]

[Uriel]

[Chayito]

[Roxina with her rooster]

[Marcela and Veronica]

[Chuy]

Monday, April 5, 2010

Today started way too early. Phil took me to O'Hare. As soon as he dropped me off, I was lost... but not worried. I just faced the fact that I was going to look like an idiot and stopped to ask someone where to check in. Good thing I asked, because I was headed in the wrong direction. I had a window seat which was the only redeeming quality of my flight. The guy sitting beside me talked most of the way to Tucson. He made the comment, "I'm not weird in THAT way... I'm just weird in a brain-damaged sort of way." I didn't disagree. At the Tucson airport, I called Mom from the pay phone and found out that some of the neighbors to the orphanage had been shot and three of them killed... sad news. Rach met up with me after a few hours of waiting and then Rod and Christa came to pick us up at the airport, take us to Burger King, and then put us on the bus to Los Mochis. And so begins the 13-hour trip... Crossing the border was easy except immigration. We got our visas and the officer insisted that we pay them right away. So we hunted down the bank and found out that, according to a sign the lady held up in the window, the "sistem is closed!" So the immigration officer wasn't happy with us, but we weren't exactly happy with him either and rushed back to our bus. Someone commented, "Took you long enough," as we climbed back on.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010.

Rach and I both got several hours of sleep spread out across two seats a piece... until the people who bought the tickets for those seats came on board and booted us back into our own seats. We made it to Los Mochis by 8:00ish. We had to wander around for awhile to find the bus station to take us to Choix. The two and a half hour trip was long and warm. As soon as we disembarked at Loren and Donna's house, the Miller children flocked us. The Millers were on their way to Ohio, but we'd managed to overlap by 45 minutes! Loren drove Rach and I out to the orphanage where another set of children flocked us... some of which I didn't even know! Being back felt so good... and even better after I'd showered. Rach and I moved into our new little home: the bodega. We unpacked and napped and then got up in time for supper. After supper, I went with Rebecca and some of the girls over to the neighbor's house to join the mourners and view the third body. If nothing else, the evening showed me how terrible death is without a Savior. The dogs barked wildly as I slipped through the back gate. I was heading to bed, but Rhonda peeked out the back door to tell me that Essie (one of the girls from the orphanage) had just prayed to accept Christ!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010.

Rach and I moseyed around in the morning, wondering what were our responsibilities. I went with Rach into Choix to get groceries and we found out that the green minivan does not like to unlock. I helped Rach mend Scott's jeans with flower patches. I had so much fun getting to know the children: Mariela is part boy I'm convinced... Veronica's smile is so big and beautiful... MariChuy is the same MariChuy-- I love her to death!... the three little boys (Fernandito, Abel, and Fernando José) are nearly inseparable. After lunch, I got the girls started on their schoolwork. Of course, I had no idea what I was doing since I'd never done or taught PACEs, let alone in another language! Each girl had a million questions for me and all at the same time, but I had fun finally doing something. The older boys hung around, bragging about how much farther they were in their schoolwork than the girls. After school, I organized the school shelf so I'll be able to find things. I rested until prayer meeting... which was cancelled anyway. After dinner, we played ball tag. Mariela and Veronica targeted me and I found myself "it" more often than I wasn't. After the game, I was so hot that Scott suckered me into buying an helado from him. Mmm... I graded schoolwork in the evening. Mariana charmed me by rolling around on the mattress and trying to reach for the papers I was grading.

Thursday, April 8, 2010.

After breakfast, Essie and I walked over to Mochiqui. I was so excited because I love the tiny village across from the orphanage. The warm sun felt wonderful as the chilliness of the morning dissipated. We met up with MariCruz and a few others as they were walking out of Mochiqui and we were walking in. We visited Alma and Enriquetta for a little while and then walked to Ana's house. I was so excited to see Ana again. So much has changed in her life since I've seen her, but I still felt the bond that holds friends together. Last, Essie and I walked to MariCruz's house to visit Carla and Uriel. When I called "¡Buenos días!" Uriel's head popped out from behind the pile of bricks. "Carla, ¡Es la TRICIA!" he cried. He dashed to open the gate. We didn't stay long, whether it was because they were both suddenly shy, or because my Spanish was exhausted, I'm not exactly sure. As we made our way home, Essie thanked me for taking her along with me, although she was the one who had been doing me a favor. I helped Rebecca with lunch since she was sitting with some visitors. I made dessert, watched the bread in the oven, cleaned up a broken mirror, chased down Chayo, etc, etc. When another visitor came (Essie and Jesús' dad), I offered to sit with them while Rebecca finished lunch. Essie's face glowed as she told her dad about her upcoming baptism. We ate late and then I helped with cleanup. Maria was the only one who had schoolwork; the other girls went over to the neighbors' house to clean the yard. Fernandito came back with an ugly gash on his arm from barbed wire, poor guy. MariCruz and her three children came for an afternoon visit. During supper, I realized that no one had warned me about Chayo's obsession with food. I sat, calmly eating my tortilla and was suddenly tortilla-less... and Chayo had his mouth full. Now I know. The kids played ball tag again, but I opted out to watch Gracie, Rod and Christa's little girl. Domingo asked me to write his name on a plastic cup, so I wrote "Domingo" plus a little heart. He totally freaked out: "What the world?!" Abel has an annoying habit of saying, "Ehhh?" and looking at us gringos like we're stupid. I would have attributed that characteristic solely to bad gringo Spanish if I hadn't heard him doing the same thing to the other children. When I asked him about it, he admitted, "Sometimes I act like I don't understand even if I do." When I told him goodnight, he said that he will not tell lies but he will hit his friends and his enemies, broma (just kidding).

Friday, April 9, 2010.

The shower was mosquito-infested this morning. I went with Rach to town for groceries. Lots of children were budging in line ahead of us. For being part of a laid-back culture, they sure were in a hurry to get out of the store! I did laundry and played with the kids in the morning. Veronica and I colored together. I found out that I didn't have to do school in the afternoon and realized what it feels like to be unemployed (albeit to a lesser degree, I'm sure). I feel like I have to work hard to stay busy... which is a really dumb theory. During lunch cleanup, Miguel dubbed me "Palo" (stick). I hope that nickname doesn't stick. Ha ha ha! Get it? The music class with Rod caused a great ruckus. Then the kids played soccer. I sat to watch the game with Teo, Maria, Jorge, Domingo, and Cata. Domingo gave me his life story and although I didn't understand most of it, I still felt like crying when he finished. We had "gringo youth night" in the evening. We ate tacos... Mmm! Just before we left the taquería, some guy started talking to us in perfect English... a little unnerving! We went to Rod and Christa's empty house to hang out and have dessert.

Saturday, April 10, 2010.

When we arrived at Saturday school, Janessa gleefully informed me that Ricardo was there. She asked him: "Do you know who is here?" He gasped and stampeded toward me for a breath-stealing hug. I went to Don Josecito's store after class. He gave me a fleeting glance and then turned toward me with bulging eyes. "¿Cómo estás?" he cried. He wasn't the only person I surprised. I walked uptown and met up with two shocked little girls: Vanessa and Gabi. I went to the bank and JLR and then for some strawberries and cream. The lady at the counter told me to come back. I almost said, "No problem!" The strawberries and cream were just as delicious as I remembered. José, the hotel man, was also shocked to see me. (I found malicious amusement in surprising old acquaintances.) I talked with some of the Yoder family and then went to visit Vanessa's family. Next I went to my landlady's house and she was shocked to see me. God definitely gave me grace with my rusty Spanish because I didn't even feel tired when I was done visiting; I enjoyed it! I used the phone at Rod and Christa's house and then walked over to Marlen's house. Rhonda picked me up back at Rod's. At the orphanage again, I passed out gifts for the children on their respective beds. MariChuy discovered hers and then announced to the others that they all "surprises" waiting for them on their beds. They took off for the house at breakneck speed. The evening weather was perfect... neither hot nor cold.

life's simple pleasures

2010-03-29T14:01:00.001-05:00

Times with Ella (the 11-year-old girl I tutor once a week): "Time for division!" "Nooooooo!"~ ping-pong~ "My favorite color is black... and purple... and green... and I like red, and blue and..."~ "M-m-michigan!"~ "Idaho looks like the Statue of Liberty"~ My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nine (Pizzas)~ banana peel~ jumping on the trampoline~

My family, a few friends, and I drove out to PA for my brother's graduation at SMBI. We made many memories in a short time: Phil trying to hatch two butter cream kisses~ the "dramamine" seat~ Josh's time warp in every gas station~ a wet snow storm~ Mom's "kissing" book~ snacking, snacking, and more snacking~ Dad at the lookout: "I can't even enjoy the view while you are standing so close to the edge!"~ Mom's 24-oz. cappuccino~ Janelle, Mom, Kathy, and Josh bursting from the van at the rest stop~ "swift kicks"~ Elizabeth drinking energy drink... Yikes!~ Janelle's proud looks~ fun family time in the hotel lobby~ seeing Wendell again!!!

Quality little boy time with Andrew: his reading a book to me~ "Giggle, giggle!"~ food all around his high chair until Asta slurps it up~ his trying to get into EVERYTHING~ throwing all of his toys out of his playpen and then crying because he is bored~ hugs~ time outside~

Exciting news: I leave, Dios permite, on Monday morning (April 5th) for México!!! I will spend a month helping at the orphanage in Choix. I probably won't do much (if any) updating while I'm in Mexico... but I'll try to fill you in when I get home. Have a great week... month... whatever...

my life in pictures

2010-03-05T10:40:00.008-06:00

changing the world... little by little

2010-02-26T20:36:00.000-06:00

I thought about writing about some of the things that are happening in my life. But, as I looked back through my journal, I decided it would take too much time and effort. Besides, I'm not sure that many people read my blog anymore... I so rarely update. So I guess I'll just say this:

Life brings lots of challenges. I feel that I am often questioning God's wisdom as He works in my life: "Surely You couldn't want me to do this!" But when I'm obedient to what I know I should do, I reap the HUGE blessing of inner peace... and sometimes physical blessings as well.

I get overwhelmed with the problems in the world. Take for instance the earthquake(s) in Haiti. The devastation looks so impossible that I don't even know where to start. Or, closer to home, some days my heart just aches as I realize that my co-workers are merrily wasting their lives and awaiting the eternal destruction of hell. What can I possibly do to solve Haiti’s problems? What can I say to turn around the lives of my co-workers? But God doesn't always want me to look at the big picture. He calls me to dig in and begin where I am without stopping to second-guess my efforts. I need to help where I can with the destruction in Haiti... I need to use opportunities at work to point my co-workers to Jesus. Sometimes I get frustrated that I'm doing so little, but as long as I am doing what God has called me to do, I honor Him.

So I need to put my heart into each step of my journey... my days with Andrew, working at the restaurant, helping Mom at home, visiting my grandparents, Sunday school class with my kiddos, tutoring Gabby, etc. God, please use me where I am at this moment.

The following song has become very meaningful to me. I feel like I've been waiting on God for a long time without getting answers. But waiting on the Lord doesn't mean living a stagnant life. The song is a promise to God: "I will serve You...I will worship...I'll be running the race even while I wait." The concept of "serving while I wait" has been a challenge to me to use every week...every day... every moment to serve God, even though I want answers (NOW!!!). Someday, I hope to be rewarded by hearing my Savior say "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."

I just realized how long my "just say this" became. I'll get off of my soapbox now. :) Enjoy the lyrics to John Waller's "While I'm Waiting":

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

things in illinois that remind me of mexico:

2010-01-04T09:33:00.000-06:00

1~lots of noisy children confined to one space (the busload of people Christmas caroling was almost like riding home in the orphanage van after Saturday school!)
2~eating the ocassional dishes that the Mexicans at share at work
3~making tortillas
4~sorting beans (albeit black beans)
5~taking care of a little boy who can be very Chuy-like
6~saying "No, no!" all of the time
7~listening to my Sunday school class generate the most original comments that make me laugh (and, unfortunately, sometimes the youth guys on the other side of our wall laugh too)
8~struggling to express myself in Spanish

and then there are things that really DON'T remind me of mexico:
1~slippery roads and snowplows
2~lack of speedbumps :)
3~vacuuming carpet
4~the abundance of meat in my diet (not to make anyone jealous)
5~having so much STUFF
6~wearing shoes other than flip-flops (I haven't worn flip-flops since I've been home, btw)
7~singing 4-part harmony at church
8~the focus on possessions rather than relationships

but some things never change:
1~God's faithfulness
2~awesome family and friends that still keep in contact no matter where I am
3~the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart

time marches on

2009-11-26T21:13:00.002-06:00

Very old picture from Uncle Willard's visit. Dad sleeps and Uncle Willard fixes a clock on G'pa and G'ma E.'s front porch.

Girl party time! Tam, Bev, me, and Alissa.

Derrek getting Haddie to howl (much to the dismay of her parents).
Reatha showing off her maturity level.
A few of my random cousins: Brandis and Reatha.
Sierra and Haddie play memory with great-aunt Arlene.

Brandis enjoyed my camera.

G'pa K. reading a magazine.

The traditional 42 game with Derrek, Brendon, Wendell, and Jacinta.

The girls loved playing with great-uncle Keith.

Haddie climbing over the chair...

...and into his lap.

Sierra getting her share of the fun...

...and chatting.

Chilly weather settles like a lazy fog on the bitter Illinois ground. Farmers rush to finish harvest, spinning tires in the mud and staring glumly at the falling rain. Traffic floods the streets as employees work extra hard to earn their Christmas bonuses and shoppers get a head start on Christmas. And somewhere within that maze, each individual lives an individual life. And we are daily faced with countless pressures, duties, and opportunities. Such is life: crazy, fun, and ultimately under the control of a loving God. My life has picked up a bit since I've last written. Of course, I can barely remember the last time I've written.

~~~

I battled sickness for two long months. My cough and cold got worse instead of better. Finally, with a cringe of a tightwad (frugal missionary blood still runs through my veins), I visited a health clinic where the doctor diagnosed me with bronchitis and put me on some strong (and expensive) antibiotic. Praise God that he chose to work through the antibiotic! My second day of antibiotics (which happened to be my birthday) I had energy for the first time in a month! Since then, I've been taking it easy but gradually getting back into real life.

~~~

Two days a week, I've been babysitting 11-month-old Andrew. He's been growing up so much. He pulls himself up on things and moves around so fast! He gets into everything, especially window blinds. Sometimes the day is filled with chasing him around and keeping him out of trouble. He loves books now... and not just chewing on them. He likes to listen to me read them. Did you know that cows say "Mooo!", sheep say "Baaa!" and three singing pigs say "LA! LA! LA!"? He is extremely ticklish which makes him fun to tease. And he loves to be chased: "I'm goina GETCHYOU!" And he also loves to be "eaten". I don't understand that. What is in a little kid that makes them love to be "eaten"? But he giggles happily when I stick his toes in my mouth and make loud munching noises. He discovered the joy of climbing stairs which may drive me to an early grave. He's sure the way to go down is headfirst and wonders why his babysitter never lets him try it. One day I arrived to find what I assumed was Asta. She looked like a shorn sheep, as Janelle so accurately put it. Nicholas (Andrew's older brother) informed me that "Her was groomed!" Unfortunately, poor old Asta's health has taken a turn for the worse and she now has to be kept in her kennel all day due to accidents she leaves behind on the floor. Maybe her health changed the day I chased her around the couch and coffee table twice before I caught and spanked her for biting at Andrew. Perhaps Janelle and I have been causing her excessive stress.

~~~

My birthday passed uneventfully. It was a perfect day. Nothing big and exciting happened but nothing bad happened either. I spent the morning in the semi with my dad, going back and forth to the elevator. We had delicious cake and ice cream at youth to celebrate. Friends and family made me feel very special!

~~~

I worked a day at my old job as a receptionist at the dentist office. Working there brought back a lot of memories... good and bad. Unfortunately, that was the day that I came down with a fever and went home to go to bed.
~~~

Mom and I have done a lot of house-cleaning. When we cleaned the living room, we ran into Dad's record collection. Mom put on Handel's Messiah. Bradley once described the singing as: "By the time the singer finishes the word, you forget what the word was!" "And he will be chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanged!" Mom and I laughed ourselves to tears when the record stuck, and we barely managed to save the repeatedly dying orchestra. Another winner was some sort of homemade record from one of Mom's friends. He whistled one song. Mom looked a wee bit melancholy at the thought of giving up the record, but I assured her that she was making the right decision. Dad sentimentally turned on Johnny Cash which sent vibrations throughout the entire house. "Because you're mine... I'll walk the line!" It was an interesting finale to finishing up the living room cleaning.

~~~

Janelle and I celebrated the fact that we both had a day off and got together to bake cookies and then pass them out to the people we knew in town. It was a good day, although I silently wonder to myself how in the world we managed to spend so many hours in the little village of Roanoke. Lots of fun though... Thanks, Janelle!

~~~

I've been doing lots of reading since I've been home, due to my sickness and partially un-employed state. I love libraries and renewed my card with much anticipation. Although my life is getting busier now, I still try to squeeze in some reading time. I'm working on a few old and "modern" classics that I'd always wondered what they were like and never had time to read. I can lose myself in books like The Pearl by John Steinback and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Other books like The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck are harder to enjoy. But I like to analyze why these books are considered classics.

~~~

Janelle and I went out to eat with a couple from church and their son (Davis, Marilyn, and Jonah to those of you who know them). After the delicious Indian buffet, Davis, who hates any animals with hairless tails, somehow led the conversation astray. Without realizing what he was going to say, he burst out with:

Davis: Have you girls ever eaten possum?

Jonah: DAD! Why are you talking about this?

Davis (sickly): Oh dear. (Looks at Marilyn) Dear, do you have a piece of candy or something? (takes a sip of Jonah's Pepsi and silence reigns as Davis tries very hard to think about something else).

~~~

One Monday night, I stopped to see my sisters at work. Tony, their boss, was making out the schedule and offered me a job as a hostess. So I trained with my sister on Tuesday night and worked on my own on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. I think I'll enjoy it. I noticed that people are generally amiable because they've just eaten when they come up to the register. (Very different from my job as a receptionist at the dentist office: "I have a toothache! Get me in right now!") Also, several of the workers speak Spanish (some of them ONLY Spanish) which will be good for me! At first I thought I wouldn't tell any of them that I had lived in Mexico and sneakily eavesdrop on conversations about the waitresses. Unfortunately, as soon as I clocked in on the first night I heard "Tree-see-uh!" and the bus boy started talking with me in Spanish. My cover was already blown. Bummer. The two dishwashers are the most fun to talk to; they say absolutely nothing and give me terrified glances whenever I say something to them. I've discovered the joy of bussing tables when the bus boy has a day off. I also found out that the waitresses tip me for bussing! I've already made some crazy mistakes so that Tony has had to drop his work to straighten out for me. He's been very gracious... so far. I'm enjoying learning to know a whole new group of people.

~~~

On Thanksgiving Day we had the entire Zoss (my grandma Kennell's side) family over to our house for dinner. We had a gi-normous spread which tempted us all into (or nearly into) gluttony. With so many people in the house, the noise level was louder than the orphanage right before a meal (yikes!) and the temperature rose to Mexican summer heights. I didn't mind the temperature part so much! The great-grandchildren charmed all of the adults as we played games and ate food. I spent most of the afternoon in a loooooong Apples to Apples game.

~~~

Have a great week or month everyone! Be thankful for all of your blessings even in the midst of the Christmas rush!

warm memories from a cold season

2009-10-28T09:01:00.003-05:00

I am amazed at how time disappears. My life is slow-paced and relaxing, for the most part; yet, time still goes fast. I guess that's humbling proof that I'm getting older. But with age comes experience...which generally inspires wisdom. At least there's one thing to anticipate!

I've been spending a lot of time with my family... well, when they're home, that is. Our best conversations usually happen over the dinner table where we compile a ridiculous assortment of random facts, dreams, songs, and memories. I discovered that Mom and I can still laugh until we're both in tears...even when the incident isn't that funny!

I had a "most embarrassing moment" the other week. This particular day started after a night of three hours of sleep, continued with nine hours with a sick, fussy baby, and tragically ended with a stop to the grocery store. Please note that I am not an experienced or efficient grocery shopper. Nevertheless, Grandma and Mom had sent me on this errand with a tidy little stack of coupons. I found everything with relative ease, minus the fact that I retraced my tracks several times and bumped into the same people more than a few times. I unloaded my groceries at the counter, made polite conversation with the cashier, and then politely refused to load up the cart to pull around and pick up the groceries. "I can carry them!" I declared confidently. However, my confidence faltered as I loaded up one arm with a 10-lb bag of potatoes, a gallon of ice cream, and several containers of laundry soap. While I was fishing for the key in my pocket, the man behind me valiantly picked up two gallons of milk and assured me that he would carry them out to my car for me. I was mortified, but led the way to the car. I stuck the key in the truck lock and twisted... well, I tried to twist. The trunk would not open. I shot a nervous glance back at the patient gentleman holding two gallons of milk along with his own groceries. "You can set them down. I'll get them!" I chuckled as I went to the driver's door. "Oh, I'll wait. I'm not in a hurry." So he bemusedly stood by as I unlocked the driver's door and reached back with groceries dangling off my arms to unlock the backseat (power locks should be a necessity for moments like this). When I finally was safely in my car, I laughed the whole way home.

I wrote about Asta the snoring dog in my last post. Here is an Asta update: I fear she is quite disillusioned with me. I made her go outside in the rain after she'd made it clear she didn't want to. She gave me sad eyes, but I was firm. Then I forgot about her until she was shivering and extremely grumpy. I would've felt worse if I hadn't been the brunt of her reproachful eyes for the next several hours. She did try to make up with me when I was on the floor with Andrew. She placed to furry paws in my lap, and scurried away when I lept up and yelled at her. I assume she will have to work through some emotional baggage before she takes such liberties again.

I had a mouse in my room (notice the tense of the verb HAD. *victorious chuckle*). I was on the floor by my desk when I heard a rustle outside my closed door. I assumed it was someone outside of the door and didn't even look up until something black squeezed under the door and shot for cover. Startled, I believe my first thought was "Cockroach!" (the result of spending a year in Mexico, I suppose). For the moment, he was safely hidden. Later in the day, I was on my bed when I heard another rustle and then a pointy black head peeked out from under my desk. He saw me and froze. He then eyed me while judging the pros and cons of exposing himself to an obvious villain...and promptly vanished again. I maliciously recruited my brother to set a trap. By nighttime, we had our long-tailed friend.

Despite cold (and colds), life has been good. I've had good times with family and friends: long walks, deep talks, hot chocolate, conversations in faltering Spanish, Mexican restaurants, offers of green tomato pie, times in the field during harvest, Tony's Italian love songs, cookie bakes at Grandma's house, and good books. God has been faithful in the most encouraging and frustrating situations of adjusting to life in the States. I suspect it will take a long time to feel entirely adjusted, but I'll just live un día a la vez!

finding humor in the little things

2009-10-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

"Oh...Lord...My...God!"
The Sunday after I got home, a group from my church went to a nursing home to sing for one of our church members. One of the residents gushed over "How Great Thou Art" and insisted on leading it for us a second time. She stood in front of us and made dramatic hand motions. "Oh...Lord...my...God!" she began slowly, almost intolerably low. We joined her, soprano voices brushing the bass section. After the singing, Bev, Bradley, and I went to visit another lady in the home, only to find that her roommate was the energetic song leader. The song leader shamelessly eavesdropped on our conversation and inserted her opinion: "God and Jesus are good, both of them!" And then pointing to a painting of Jesus on her wall she exclaimed, "And good-looking too!"

Shopping Trip
When my Eberly cousins were out for a visit, we girls went shopping. Our first stop was to drop off a rented jackhammer. We had visions of all six of us hauling it out of the back of the van and into the rental agency. Instead, one nice man came to rescue us and carried it off by himself. In the same shopping trip we also hit Farm&Fleet, Menards, and Advance Auto Parts. The guys were impressed.

Cookies
You may think that since I made cookies at least once a week in Mexico, I'd be pretty good at making them now. But alas. I made my favorite recipe of chocolate chip cookies, but instead of turning out deliciously chocolaty, this is what happened. First, I broke the mixer. I'm not used to using mixers anymore, and I stuck the wooden spoon a little too close to the beaters. Good news: the wooden spoon is fine. After I stuck the first tray in the oven, I realized I'd forgotten an entire bag of chocolate chips! Then the cookies turned out dreadfully flat. The first batch actually dripped off the pan and onto the bottom of the oven where they burned. Speaking of burnt... Just kidding, that's the one thing I managed NOT to do!

Torpedoes
I've become more sensitive to how badly most people in America pronounce Spanish words. Soon after I got home, I went out with some friends to a Mexican restaurant to eat what Davis called "torpedoes" (tortillas). At Taco Bell with my mom another day, the cashier confirmed my mom's order as a "gor-diht-uh" (gordita). Cringe!

Asta the snoring dog
I went with Janelle to babysit a little boy named Andrew. Because of his health problems, I wanted to get some "training" before I went by myself. Janelle had warned me about Asta, the family dog. I got to know the pooch fairly well on the first day. Unfortunately, she didn't sense my disdain of dogs, and she loved me. She ignored Janelle and cast adoring eyes on me wherever I went. She stood and quivered almost all day because she was so excited or nervous or...something. She watched us during lunch, waiting for us to accidentally drop particles of food for her to slurp up. She finally laid down for a nap in the afternoon and lo and behold, she began to SNORE! It startled me until I realized it was only the sleepy canine on the floor by my feet. Dogs should not snore!

Janelle scares Asta
Speaking of Asta, on my second day of "training", Janelle was on the floor changing Andrew's diaper and telling me about how she'd made Asta angry one time. At the end of her story, she imitated Asta's nasty response: *SNARL *BARK *GROWL! Asta, who was sitting right beside her, suddenly leaned back and flattened her ears against her head in fright. I burst out laughing and Asta didn't look too pleased that her new hero was finding humor at her expense.

Crazy Youth
What do Josh the quilting bee leader, Andy the tooth fairy, and Arlene the porta-potty attendant have in common? Play strange games with my youth group and find out!

Pickles
My grandma has been known for trying some unconventional cooking. One day, I walked over to my grandparents' house to visit. She had a kettle of cucumbers merrily boiling in pickle juice on the stove. Chuckling inwardly, I made a mental note to tell my mom about this latest experiment. But when I got home and told my amusing story, mom said, "I did that!" And I was humbled to realize that my mom was the one who had given Grandma the idea!

Scary gun explosion
I was lounging on the couch, reading my book. The character in the book could feel unseen eyes watching him as he crept around the house in the dark. Suddenly, explosions ripped through the air, scaring me senseless. I looked up to see my cousin Justin towering in the doorway with a toy ball gun aimed at his brother. He'd been firing right beside my head...slightly unnerving in the thick of a scary plot!

Exciting side note!!! I made flour tortillas on Thursday night for the first time since I've been home (and the first time by myself EVER) and they turned out remarkably Mexican-like. There might be a reason Ana called me a "chicana"!

Another side note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANESSA!!! I hope you know that I did this just for you!

Goodbyes, Airports, and Flannel

2009-09-19T15:27:00.006-05:00

SUNDAY: A lot has happened since I got up on Sunday morning. The highlight of my otherwise dreary and tearful morning was that my former landlady came to church. She had deserted a houseful of company to spend one last time with me. When Lenn led my song request, he couldn’t remember how it went. It was a memorable farewell to have the confused church singing an array of clashing notes, lol. After church I said a few more goodbyes and went to Mochiqui to tell MariCruz and her family goodbye. I told Ana goodbye just in case I didn’t see her again. I thought I had become calloused to saying goodbye by then, and was surprised at how much it hurt to say those goodbyes. It all just felt so final...and depressing. After lunch with Reina, David, Lupita, and Aile, I spent the afternoon quietly in my room. Marlen visited me. Ana came to the San Pedro service; we sat together all the way there, through the service, and all the way back. I had to tell everyone in San Pedro goodbye after the service. It took me so long that Lenn almost sped off without me! Aile had a program at 8:00 that we all wanted to attend. Unfortunately, the others got home from church after 8:00 (others as in: including Aile) and we had to stuff popcorn into bags to take along with us. Aile showered and then we were off, extremely late. We parked and walked in, some marching ahead and others trailing behind… we were quite the motley crew! We shouldn’t have been the least bit stressed; Aile was scheduled on the program after two hours of traditional-style dancing from a bunch of high-schoolers in costume. We got home late after dropping people off.
MONDAY: Reina’s family stayed overnight which is why David’s wild yell woke me up. I wanted to do laundry, but the water wasn’t on. After breakfast, I started with packing and donating stuff to missionaries less-privileged than I (okay, the last phrase wasn’t necessarily true). When I finally got my clean laundry on the line, someone started a brush fire that [of course] drifted over to my clean laundry. I dashed outside to save some of it so I wouldn’t have to smell like a tramp on my flight the next day. I went to buy my last coke and tell Don Josecito goodbye. He gave me gum as a farewell gift. I called home and cleared up some details of my flight. Then I laid down to rest. When I did, I realized that the sniffling I had attributed to allergies was actually my good friend, Head Cold. And his timing was impeccable. I went to the orphanage to say final goodbyes to everyone there. Lenn took Janessa, Caleb, and I out on his moto. It was tight squeeze, especially since my skirt wasn’t conducive to good moto riding. Janessa was basically on my lap with Caleb on top of her. Whenever we stopped, Lenn had to support our combined weight as we slid down the seat toward him. Ana was waiting for me; I’d told her that I’d be there. It was fun to be with the kids one last time, even if it was a bit melancholy. Ana left early, leaving me with a note and a phone number as she climbed on the bike with her boyfriend and disappeared from sight. Suddenly the soccer game had ended and I had to say goodbye to everyone. I asked Debbie if I could just slip out, but she quickly shot down that idea. I had told myself that crying wasn’t an option at least until I was home... but when Roxina started hugging me and wouldn’t let me go and Maria was waiting solemnly for me beside the van, I knew my resolve was not going to last. I had a hard time climbing onto the moto with the girls hanging on me. When I got home, I got a stomach ache. I hate goodbyes. But the night wasn’t over yet. Janessa, Rhonda, Suzanne, and I went out for ice cream and to the plaza. We didn’t have much time, but we had fun for my last night “on the town.” By the time we got back, my head was throbbing and my nose was unstoppable.
TUESDAY: I hardly slept… a result of the blend of sinuses and emotions. I got up at 5:00 a.m. and finished packing. Originally, all of the Yoder family had been planning to spend the day in Los Mochis, but I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t feeling good so those plans collapsed. So I said a few more goodbyes before we left the house. The ride to the airport was long and bumpy. Then I had to wait a long time for my plane. My head was in the clouds by the time I finally got ready to get on the right plane. First, I banged my head in the doorway in front of the stewardess and the pilot. Then I had my ticket upside down when I was trying to find my seat, and the stewardess had to help me turn my ticket around. And then I tried to open what I thought was an overhead bin but was actually just the overhead lights; the bins were only on one side! Most everyone else was already boarded and they watched me curiously as a gave them a weak smile and plunged into my seat. We flew along a body of water that I assumed was the bay between mainland Mexico and Baja California. I began to feel better as the day progressed despite that fact I’d had hardly any sleep and was under stress. It was definitely a miracle. The landing in Phoenix tested the strength of my motion-sickness pill and I was relieved to be on the ground again. Going through customs was easy despite the maze of contradicting directions to re-check in my luggage. I got tired of walking and rode those little flat escalator thingys as an alternative… so slooooooooooooow! My flight from Phoenix to Chicago was freezing. I fought the urge to cuddle up to the passenger beside me, but I think I had goosebumps at least 80% of the 3 ½ hour flight. I was extremely restless and bounded off the plane once they opened the door. As I marched down the hallway to the final flight of stairs, I saw my Dad. Despite the fact that my family had all been awaiting my arrival, they looked a little shocked to see me. After hugs and luggage, we walked out to the van where they had a coat, gloves, a scarf, and a hat waiting for me. I should’ve been really tired, but I think I talked most of the way home. At home, I was delighted to find flannel pajamas in my dresser. I cannot even describe that moment that I climbed between the flannel sheets and fell back onto the memory foam of my bed for the first time in over a year.
WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY: Mainly these last couple of days have been a lot of adjusting for me: cleaning, finding clothes to wear, going to the bank, visiting people, learning to know the new “neighbors” (my grandparents) in our backyard, reacquainting myself with my youth group, etc. So far it’s been good, but not without its moments of Mexico-sickness. Here are a few of the things I’ve had to adjust to, no matter how minor:
~Vertical light switches instead of horizontal.
~Carpet.
~Grass.
~Breakfast cereal other than cornflakes!!!
~Radio.
~Driving (Thanks, Bradley, for the driving lessons).
~Drinking hot drinks.
~The COLD weather and actually wanting to be in the sun.
~Prices.
~The array of my favorite foods (noooo, they’re not spoiling me!).
~Running hot water in the sink.
~What in the world do I do with so many pairs of shoes?
~Walking around the house in stocking feet.
~Dishwashers.
~Quiet.

[This is what happens when my little brother borrows my camera.][Me with my welcome home cookie from Grandma and my welcome home banner from my siblings.]
[Can you blame me for dreaming about this chocolate cake while I was gone? Thanks, Tony!]

So concludes my time in Mexico. I most likely will NOT be keeping up with this blog, at least on a regular basis. (Sorry, Janessa.) Thank you all for caring enough about my life to read this and/or look at the pictures. Thank you also for the prayer support... please continue to pray for the missionaries who are serving down there as well as for the orphanage and the church. Thanks!

Scorpions, Enchiladas, and Lasts

2009-09-12T22:35:00.002-05:00

SUNDAY: I woke up with the impression that a cricket singing very loudly. It startled me in my drowsy state. But what startled me even more was that Mr. Cricket was in my hair. He gracefully leapt out when he realized he’d been discovered. After that, I had a hard time going back to sleep. Therefore, I was sleepy all morning. Loren had a sermon about a Christian’s involvement in politics. Rhonda and I met to discuss the girls’ birthday party on Monday. Then, once everyone had gone, I ate lunch quickly and collapsed back into bed. I felt like a new person when I woke up for the San Pedro service. The service was small, but good. We got home late and ate and went to bed.

MONDAY: Monday was one of those days that I never want to repeat. I had a good day but it involved way too many emotions. I got up early to make cupcakes, walk uptown to get ice cream, and cut up things for the picnic lunch. Fortunately, I got a ride out to the orphanage and skipped the biking part. When I arrived, the girls were locked outside of the house while we prepared for the party inside. We took them to the river; they were so excited! The river was cleaner than it had been the last time, but also more shallow. The girls had a ball. I sat with Chuy and tried to keep him occupied. He loved putting rocks and pebbles in his tank top and throwing mud. We ate our picnic lunch, opened gifts, and then went back into the river. Sitting with Chuy in the shallow water gave me a painful sunburn. Lenn picked us up and we went back to the orphanage. I set up for the birthday party. Sam showed me my very first scorpion. Roxina tried to get Fernando and Cata to stick their hands in the jar: “He won’t do anything to you! Ha, kidding!” The girls were very excited about the ice cream. After having a blast with my little girls, I suddenly realized the second part of my obligations of the day: saying goodbye to the boys (they were planning on leaving for Mexico City on Wednesday). I dragged Gina along with me for moral support. The boys stalled me as long as possible. Domingo locked the gate so I couldn’t leave. Miguel made popcorn. Diego raced me down the road. Domingo and Miguel showed me their new clothes. Finally I told them all goodbye; I was tired of prolonging the inevitable. Then Gina and I went back down to the house. Domingo stood on the fence to watch us as long as possible; he yelled something about a pomegranate or something. After I biked home, I called Dad for a reminder that saying goodbyes here would be worth the being home again. I walked over to say goodbye to Vanessa’s family and my former landlady. My landlady told me that she is coming to church on Sunday… so much for that goodbye.

[Adorable Alejito]

[My very first scorpion!]

[Eating cake and ice cream after a day at the river]

TUESDAY: Speaking of repetitive goodbyes, Lupita and Vanessa stopped by the house on Tuesday morning. And then I found out that we were all invited to the orphanage for the twins’ 15th birthday party. I decided I wasn’t going to say goodbye again to either Vanessa’s family or the boys. I did my laundry and burnt…er…baked cookies for the prison in the morning and then we went out to the orphanage. The twins were making enchiladas with their mother. All of the gringos soon found out that there is a difference between gringo en-chih-lah-duhs and Mexican ain-chee-lah-dahs. After the meal, the twins opened their gifts and had their cake. I helped with clean up, picked on the kids and then went outside to watch them create a tennis court. I purposely disappeared before the boys left so I wouldn’t have to say goodbye to them again. We went home and I took my time off. Afterwards, I helped make dinner and finished up laundry. After a phone call home, I started brainstorming the ways that Mexico is different from the States. Janessa and Donna helped me. Johan and Scott were on the front porch and gave me some input too… some really funny and random input, which was pretty much what I wanted. I also found out that due to problems with the well pump, the boys are not leaving for Mexico City until further notice. Monday’s emotional trauma was all for nothing!

[The twins' birthday celebration with their family]

WEDNESDAY: My LAST day off. For some reason, I wasn’t too sad. I impressed myself with my self-discipline in getting a few things done. I threw most of my things in my suitcase to determine how many more souvenirs I could buy. Then I went shopping for the last time. I ate my last strawberries ‘n’ creme. I talked to the people I know uptown for the last time. *Sigh. I hate lasts. When the orphanage van arrived for prayer meeting, three of the five boys came to tell me that they had the date set to leave “after the races”. (They didn’t know the date; just “after the races.”) After the meeting, we took Mario home before going to Mochiqui to drop off Ana and Rosa. We had smoothies when we got back.

THURSDAY: I made mashed potatoes at the orphanage. The morning went smoothly until I whipped up the potatoes and realized that we didn’t have enough food. Suzanne saved the day by starting some noodles. The noodles were cooking during prayer. Debbie did clean up for me while I took my time off with Rhonda in the bodega. I was chilly with the AC and wrapped up in a sheet; Rhonda thought I was weird. Afterwards, I entertained Chuy and watched Suzanne clean her room. Chuy’s new word is “agua” (water) and he says it as he reaches for his cup; so cute! He also started saying “owie” and pointing to his foot. He seems to think that “owies” belong on the foot, whatever they are. I helped with dinner and then left with Lenn. When I got home, I ran to the store. Don Josecito asked me all about my flight home and my ticket. At home, I started packing my suitcase to see if I really can dream of making it home in one suitcase and a carry-on.
FRIDAY: I called Dad for his birthday. I got a late start with the laundry at the orphanage. But I managed to get it all done. Cata watched me while I sorted clothes and filled the machines. MariChuy was celebrating her 12th birthday. She stood out in the soccer field, loudly singing in English “Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me!” She ordered Mexican enchiladas for her meal and Suzanne busily prepared those. I hung out with the kids and enjoyed life at the orphanage. At lunch MariChuy was so excited about blowing out her candles that she blew them out before we’d even sung to her! Domingo was practicing his English during lunch clean up: “I tol’ you, be quie’, man! I sai’ don’ do dat!” I started making apple crisp for our singles’ night. Domingo and Leobardo approached me hopefully. “For me?” Domingo asked, grabbing an apple. “No. They’re for me. This is for you.” And I gave him a hug. “For you!” he said, returning the hug with breathtaking energy. Since I was the “guest of honor” for singles’ night, I was forced to make all of the decisions. I think it was just because no one else wanted to make them. *aHEM! I finished the apple crisp without burning it. I had a little time off before I walked over to Mochiqui. I was so hot when I finally reached Salvador and Enriquetta’s. We talked as Uriel and a naked Jaciel played tag amongst us. Enriquetta couldn’t believe that I had walked over by myself: “Aren’t you scared that someone will rob you?” “I don’t have anything with me to rob.” “They might kidnap you!” Ana wasn’t home, but I walked to MariCruz’s and had a nice visit in between studying with Carla, Tita, and Uriel. By the time I was done there, the wind was wild and it was starting to sprinkle. I walked back to the orphanage quickly and managed to beat the rain. We were planning a cookout but the heavy rain caused the flexible missionaries to change their plans. Instead, the guys came to the kitchen with the hamburgers to fry up in a frying pan. Suzanne isolated the noisy kids to the bedrooms until they were able to go upstairs to watch their movie. Once they were gone, we ate and talked like boring adults. But it was fun anyway.

[A sleepy and messy Chuy]
[Domingo, Roxina, and Miguel eating leftover enchiladas]
[Dietrich playing "guitar" with a broom. I'm not sure what Miguel is doing]
[The guys in the kitchen. Looks like Sam is giving Johan some moral support]

SATURDAY: Three more days. That’s so crazy. This morning we got around really late and then stood around and talked when we should have been setting up for class. During class, I sat next to a little girl who speaks perfect English. I almost didn’t know how to talk to her because she could understand everything I said! As I started to pass out crayons, Lenn embarrassed me by making me stand up front while the class bade me farewell. We had 43 people in the 15-passenger van on the way home. Once again, I crouched on the floor after throwing Chuy in Ana’s lap. Chuy entertained us with his extensive vocabulary: “Leche. Agua. Juta. Owie.” We made lunch and I did clean up. Domingo started practicing English again, “I tol’ you, man! Quit chunkin’ around!” Both MariChuy and Roxina weren’t feeling the greatest so we babied them all afternoon. They both felt good enough to come out for a water-balloon fight, however. We filled the balloons and we all got rather wet as we did so. We had so much fun. The girls ganged up on me and thoroughly soaked me. We cleaned up our mess and I sent them through the shower. I was still in this lengthy process when Rhonda emerged and I went for my time off. After I got up, I helped a tiny bit with dinner and then we ate. I went to check in on Roxina and ended up staying in her room and rubbing her back while I listened to dark stories from her past.

[Filling water balloons]

[Roxina loved over-filling the balloons and then spraying the extra water and whoever happened to be standing beside her]

This is actually a video from last week. Suzanne painted her face with sidewalk chalk and hid in the dark bathroom with a flashlight in her face. Roxina, who scares very easily, was invited inside to see. I caught the moment on video.

The dialogue in English:

Maria: Come.

Roxina: But what is there inside?

Maria: Something that you need to see. Please open it!

Roxina: But what is it?

Maria: I'm not going to tell you until you open it. You're going to see.

Ice Cream, Hotels, and a Gecko

2009-09-06T00:21:00.002-05:00

Sunday, August 30, 2009.
Mariana made her debut into society in a cute little outfit complete with a bonnet. The ladies dutifully gushed over her. We had a full table for lunch with Reina, Aile, Lupita, David, and Marlen joining us. A lot of people came to the service in San Pedro. Ana surprised me by coming along; I was delighted. After the service I sat and talked with her… she was very talkative and told me things about herself that she’d never mentioned before. I’m going to miss her so much! We had a long and windy ride home in the back of the truck. I had to keep my eyes closed so bugs wouldn’t hit me. I felt a few splatter against me. Speaking of splattering, we saw a snake on the road by Aguajito. Loren purposely backed up to run over it. All of the kids in the back leaned over the side of the truck to watch. The first time he ran over it, the snake popped and splattered. Yuck! But we still had appetites to eat when we got home…popcorn and watermelon. Mmmm…

Monday, August 31, 2009.
The Yoders took the day off at the river and I took over as “master” of the house. I tried to fill the leaky washing machine, but decided I didn’t have time for the uphill battle and walked over to visit Vanessa’s family. We had a nice visit, sitting in the shade and talking about life. When I came home, I forced the washing machine to spit out two loads of clean laundry and then worked on invitations and candy cups for a birthday party. I cleverly avoided two men on the front porch, and allowed them think that no one was home. Suzanne scaled the fence and came in the back door, claiming that I hadn’t heard her knock. I helped to make dinner when everyone got home again. Mario and Aile dumped lots of hot sauce and Tajin in their soup to “Mexicanify” it. Aile is currently living at our house until the bus system works out some problems so that she can go to school in town every day. Of course, there is a rather large possibility that the bus system will never work out its problems and she’ll be around for the entire school year. I can’t remember what I did after dinner besides go to bed.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009.
I was so indecisive in the morning that I annoyed myself. After breakfast, nothing looked good to me while I was trying to decide the lunch menu. Worried that we might not have lunch at all if I didn’t decide soon, Donna helpfully suggested potato bar. I got to work, relieved that my decision was made. The most exciting part of my day was that I managed to not burn a single cookie! I still handed a few out; it was a treat for everyone to get a midmorning snack that didn’t chip their enamel. Aile helped me in the kitchen. I did my laundry. The only people that came to the window were people who were selling things. Goat cheese? No thank you. Helados? No thank you. We ate early so Aile could get off to school. After lunch dishes, I walked up to the hotel to make a reservation. During my time off, Rhonda came bearing glad tidings of great joy; Mariana might be around for longer than previously anticipated. Also, her name will soon officially be “Mariana.” I helped Donna make cebiche and cleaned up the kitchen a little. While we sorted through clothes, Janessa tried on a gaudy flowered shirt and tied a plaid scrap of material around her waist. I dared her to skip out to the trashcan beside the road. She debated for a long time. In the meantime, Caleb’s friend Jesi sauntered over and gave Janessa a smile of suppressed amusement. Finally she made the dash. People watched. It was hilarious. I got a phone call in the middle of dinner and had to munch on my cebiche while I yakked away on the phone. I used up some more phone time and then had fun sorting through and playing with my pictures. Janessa, Aile, and I stayed up too late talking and laughing.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009.
I counted money in the morning. I felt rich although it was all God’s money for Bibles in China and not mine. Then I categorized (with Donna’s help), stamped, and recorded all of the church’s library books. I know that sounds impressive, but we don’t have too many books yet. We had beans and corn tortillas for lunch with Reina and David joining us. I talked on the phone and pulled out my suitcase to see how many souvenirs I can buy before I’ll be full. I stamped tracts in the afternoon and then bought groceries for dinner. By then it was almost time for prayer meeting. After prayer meeting, Rhonda, Suzanne, and I walked up to JLR as it was closing. We zipped in and out. Lindolfo himself was at the cash register and struck up a conversation with me as I purchased some unhealthy snacks. I felt like a celebrity. And then Rhonda and I grabbed our things and walked up to the hotel. We had synchronized our days off so we could hang out for an entire day. We had fun with AC and some… ahem… ice cream. We went to bed an “earthly” hour so we could get up early in the morning.

Thursday, September 3, 2009.
We got up and ready for the day without a water supply in our bathroom. Obviously, hotels in Mexico are not perfect even if they do sell good ice cream. We left without seeing anyone else up or about at the hotel. We dropped off our things at Yoders’ and went to catch the “7:40” bus which actually left at 7:30. We saw it pulling out as we neared the bus stop. Fortunately, we were intelligent enough to dash down the perpendicular street to catch it as it turned the corner. Five old men were sitting at the street corner and watched us curiously as we raced up to them and eagerly flagged down the bus. We had a fairly uneventful ride. In El Fuerte we took the “3 Amigos Trail” which gave us the history of some of the buildings. We stopped at the government building first and admired the architecture. Then we went to Posada Hidalgo hotel (the hotel where Zorro was supposedly born). I loved seeing it again; it’s so gorgeous. The staff was delighted to let us look around; maybe they didn’t realize that we weren’t guests. We toured the fort next. That was fun, despite the fact that it was a replica and not the actual fort. The coolest part was the bush that was cut like an ostrich. Then we toured another mansion turned hotel with a dark history of dementia and murder. That hotel was completely gorgeous too. Both Rhonda and I were wowed. We toured a church and walked by a few other buildings before eating pizza and doing some shopping. We walked a long way to find a big store, but were rewarded with an American-like variety of everything we could ever want. We stopped at a café to get drinks and then headed home. The bus was packed with school kids and a few unfortunate others…like us. By the time that Rhonda and I climbed on, most of the seats were occupied. Rhonda found a seat and I stood in the aisle. The driver apparently wasn’t impressed with my not having a seat; he made a man move his luggage so I could have the seat his luggage had been in. Then he barked at a man and some kids who were standing in my way. I waded through a sea of whipped puppies to reach my seat. The seat was broken and kept slipping so that the back part of the seat was suspended in air. Also, the windowpane rattled constantly. I tried holding it with my hand. The money-collector fixed it for me, but unfortunately, he fixed it with the curtain which meant that the curtain was closed for the entire trip. With my seat several inches lower than everyone else's and my curtain closed, I really had no view except the man beside me who was holding I huge bulk of something suspiciously wrapped in a opaque plastic bag. And the bulk blocked my view of the aisle! I tried to fix the seat, but within a few potholes, I was airborne again. I considered changing seats for a more accommodating one, but then I realized that the man next to me was sitting on my skirt and I couldn't go anywhere if I had wanted to. I tried to sleep and got about ten seconds into a catnap when a bump sent me bouncing again. Finally, they dropped us off. After unpacking, I walked uptown to get a few things and then I worked on overdue emails. Mario sat behind me and snooped over my shoulder. I wasn’t too worried since he can’t read English. But I dropped his name in my writing now and then to make him nervous. I spent the afternoon/evening hanging out and catching up with things I was behind on.

[at the plazuela in El Fuerte]
[at the government building]

[the side entrance to the "Zorro" hotel]

[Rhonda and the heart-stopping Zorro]

[I told you I liked the ostrich bushes!]

[a courtyard of one of the hotels we toured]

[another courtyard of one of the hotels we toured]

Friday, September 4, 2009.
Today was the day that I started to feel the emotions of leaving. I want to be happy and enjoy the last days of my life in Mexico, but I feel so melancholy about leaving. Maria celebrated her 14th birthday. I found out that the boys are leaving for Mexico City on Wednesday. I did laundry and helped in the kitchen a little with the chicken enchiladas for Maria’s birthday. While I was outside, Cata watched my every move; it almost made me nervous. I finished up the girls’ invitations for their birthday party. Lenn cleaned Chuy’s highchair and found a black widow and her egg sack… PTL that no one was hurt! So now I’ve seen a black widow, snakes, lots of lizards, and tarantulas, but still no scorpion. Regina and I went behind the bodega and overturned bricks in hopes of finding a scorpion. No luck. After chicken enchiladas and carrot cake, I did lunch clean up. Domingo did a surprisingly good job with sticking at his job. During time off, I read my re-entry book, which didn’t really didn’t help my melancholiness. I cut my time off short just to be with the kids more… now you KNOW how melancholy I was! Maria and I walked over to Mochiqui. I teased her mercilessly and she tried to catch grasshoppers to throw on me. Ana wasn’t home so we walked to MariCruz’s. We stopped to admire Rumaldo’s dad’s opossums and hawk. Rumaldo fed us tortillas and cheese. We sat and talked with MariCruz. I played in the dirt with Uriel and his wheel-less cars. He was showing me all of his craft projects from kindergarten when Tita came home to study. We visited Ana’s sister, Rosa, and Salvador and Enriquetta on our way out of Mochiqui. When we got back to the orphanage, I sat by the soccer field and Johan, Suzanne, and I had a rambling discussion about… I don’t really remember. We ate nachos for fun night. I should have suspected that something was up when the dessert took a loooooong time to come out… but I was totally oblivious to the behind-the-scene scheming. Suddenly Loren called everyone together: “We all know that in one week, more or less…” Suddenly we were having a good-bye party for me. Loren, Lenn, Johan, and Sam sang a song for me. I would have taken a picture, but I hardly had time to pull out my camera. “What’s the matter with Tricia? She’s all right!” Everyone cheered. They had prayer time for me and then we ate chocolate cake. During clean up, Miguel and Jesse did a lot of posing for pictures and goofing off and not so much work. Once everything was finally cleaned up, I went outside to sit down and talk with Teo, Leobardo, and Donna. Miguel suddenly came up to chase me off of my chair so he could use it to reach a gecko he wanted to kill. He claimed that geckos are very poisonous and illustrated his point by wearing a glove. But the gecko was too smart for him, and dropped its tail before fleeing. Miguel examined the chair to make sure the gecko wasn’t hiding somewhere on it before he let me have it again. But he gave me a startled look when I grabbed it and yelled, “He bit me!” (it hadn’t of course). Later, we saw the poor, tailless gecko…but Miguel must have decided that it wasn’t poisonous anymore, because he remained totally unconcerned when Chuy and Jeffrey were trotting around after it. I was so tired when we finally got home.

[the new 14-year-old. Happy birthday, Maria!]

[Uriel]

[Tita giving Rocky a bath]

[the gorgeous view just outside of Mochiqui]

[Cata, the newest addition to the orphanage]

[Roxina and I]

[my good-bye cake]

[Miguel when he should have been drying dishes]

Saturday, September 5, 2009.

I ran up to the bank while everyone else was eating breakfast. How is that for an anti-morning person? After class, Ana and Chofis worked with me until I had the first three of the memory verses memorized. The van was so full on the way home that I tossed Chuy into Ana’s lap and squatted on the floor. I gladly climbed out when we dropped off the neighbor kids; Chuy and I walked the rest of the way to the orphanage. After lunch, I could feel weariness seeping into my bones. Of course, two naughty little boys helping me with clean up may have had a part in my weariness too. LOL. When I realized that I would never do clean up with those two again, I didn’t mind the extra stress they may have caused. The girls and Fernando helped to fold laundry. The clothes that Fernando “folded” we probably better left unfolded, but it was the thought that counted. I gave the kids their weekly overdose of candy, woke up a grumpy Chuy, weathered a few fierce Cata hugs, and played with sidewalk chalk with the kids. By then, the bodega was calling my name. I slept… really good. But I woke up cold and was delighted to find that the kitchen was warm with dinner preparation. I did clean up since Rhonda conveniently had to fix Mariana’s bottle. Then Maria and I cleaned up the sidewalk and Loren took me home.

[Santos... one of those kids you want to hurt and hug simultaneously]

[folding lots and lots of laundry]

[Fernandito playing with sidewalk chalk]

Mud baths, Lindolfo, and Bobitos

2009-08-30T17:37:00.000-05:00

Miguel loves to hold Mariana.
The doll won in size; Mariana won in looks.

Burying Janessa in the sand at the river.

On Sunday I slept until my alarm went off to get Roxina up. I got up to put the beans in the crock-pot and get my kids ready for church. We all ate a fast breakfast and then some of us went to church an hour early because Loren needed to make several trips back and forth. So we passed the time by talking and playing volleyball. I played a game against Domingo and I think I won despite the fact that he was keeping score. Others soon joined in. The ball was in the tree 50% of the time. I sat with the four girls and Fernando during church. The service was emptyish. Ricardo put on a show on the front bench. Scott poked me and told me to keep “my kid” straight. Ha ha. We had a load of people to take to Mochiqui and the orphanage. I helped Rhonda finish up lunch. But we’d forgotten to get corn tortillas so we ate our beans and rice slowly while Loren ran back into town. After clean up, we all had “quiet time” where we laid on our beds. Roxina was listening to music on headphones and at one point, I could hear the music in her headphones better than I could hear the music in my headphones. I hope she still has her hearing when she turns fifteen! I made smoothies and popcorn after quiet time. After dinner, we sat outside and watched the kids play soccer. I waited until the boys were gone before I played a quick game of soccer with Fernando, Maria, and MariChuy. We ALL went to bed early that night…

On Monday we had to eat cornflakes in the morning because the higher class cereal was gone. Rhonda did clean up while I got the swimming things together for the girls. Then I had my time off. I felt so lazy when I finally emerged. Chuy had an ant bite and no amount of affection from any of us could take away the pain for him. So Rhonda consoled him while I finished lunch. After lunch, the girls were so excited. They chopped vegetables for dinner with vicious energy. I did clean up, and then we left for the river. The river was chocolate milk with a current, but we had a blast anyway. We jumped/slid off a rock, floated along in the current and had splashing water fights. My feet hurt from the sharp rocks on the bottom so Donna and I sat down on the shore and we gave our legs mud baths. Roxina plunked down beside us, deciding that she too would take a mud bath. Slap slap slap! She threw mud on her legs and then stood up instantly to wash it off. Why should she waste time on a mud bath when there was an entire unexplored river? We buried Janessa in the sand and Maria kept tickling her knee to make her twitch. Eventually, everyone went to the other side of the mud puddle… er… river except me. I guarded the truck while I sat in the water. Soon two men strolled over. I sank lower into the water. They had to explain what they wanted to me three times before I understood that they needed their car jumped. By then, Donna was on her way across to rescue me. On our way out we helped them start their car (I don’t say “we” because I helped but because I happened to be along). Rhonda informed us as soon as we got back that Lenn’s family was coming home that night. So we cleaned up, packed up, showered, made dinner, etc. The Miller van came as we were loading up the truck. We stuck around for a while to catch up, but then we finally came home, exhausted.

On Tuesday I realized that I’d been away from home for an entire year. We left at 3:30 a.m. on Monday, August 25, 2008 for the airport. My term is officially up. Anyway, I got up and started laundry and cookies. I went to the store. When I handed Don Josecito a big bill, he held it up to the light to check its authenticity. Then he gave me a sheepish smile. When he gave me my change, I checked the bills in the light too. He laughed at me. I burned a few cookies and passed them out for people to break their teeth. I made lunch then washed up the dishes. After my time off, I wrote out more verses on poster board. Then Janessa, Suzanne, and I walked uptown to get groceries for dinner. We saw Lindolfo Reyes at the store. I wanted to shake his hand, but decided against embarrassing myself. We helped make dinner and then we ate. During lunch Mario informed us that if you want someone to finish up a dish at the table, you tell them “¡Mátalo!” which literally means “Kill it!” I made phone calls and then went to bed early because I my head hurt so bad I was feeling nauseous.

On Wednesday Janessa got ready so quietly that I didn’t wake up until 7:15 a.m. I laid in bed longer, only getting out of bed to make myself some tea. I emailed and then walked up to the plaza to read. One lady stopped me, looked at my large, sturdy frame and asked me if I was German. I did a lot of reading at the plaza… finishing one book and making it most of the way through another. I bought myself “lunch” which Marlen preached at me about: “Tricia! That is your lunch?!” The toronja (grapefruit) across my Fresca bottle looked pretty healthy to me! Don’t ask me what I did all afternoon, because I can’t really remember; pure laziness sorta makes the day one big blur. Right before prayer meeting, the rain and hail poured down. After a brief respite, we had another downpour. The meeting was cancelled. We had a bunch of neighborhood kids on our front porch where we all gathered when the electricity went out. The kids played in the rain and were soaked! I went to bed really early because I had nothing else to do without lights.

On Thursday at the orphanage, Debbie explained to me how to make chicken enchiladas for Johan’s birthday meal. I’d never made them before, so I took my time. For some reason, all of the kids on the entire orphanage property were in the kitchen and trying to stand in my way no matter where I turned…at least it felt like it! I kept literally tripping over children, especially Chuy who likes to hug my legs. Fortunately, Suzanne gleefully took care of floppy-headed Mariana for me. Lunch went okay; no one choked or gagged or died. During lunch clean up, Diego dubbed me enfadosa (annoying) and locked me out of the house. I took some much needed time off with Suzanne and Rhonda in the bodega. Afterwards, Suzanne and I set up bunk beds in the playroom (for the possibility of a new girl). After sweating our way through the process, we sheepishly admitted to ourselves that we might need some help…even with Suzanne behind the hammer. I helped Debbie heat up leftovers and we ate. I accidentally mentioned “outside” to Chuy while he was still in his high chair and he got excited. I forget how much he understands. After that, I felt obligated to entertain him out where the dogs and the bobitos (gnats) play. He enjoyed wandering into the ongoing soccer game. I gave him a quick bath and was ready to pull him out of the tub when Suzanne came in to tell me that Lenn was ready to take me home. After I got home, Aile entertained me with stories from her new classes and teachers and told me some of the things she’s learning.

On Friday I got around late but I was sitting calmly and reading when Lenn came by for me. The Millers were having their day off so the downstairs was quieter than most Fridays. I did laundry, hung out with the kids, and read my book. Roxina tried to talk me into riding the horse sidesaddle without the saddle. I would’ve been more tempted if the poor horse’s backbone wouldn’t be about two inches above the rest of its body. Ouch. DIF (social services) came by right before lunch and threw off our schedule. I did clean up while Rhonda took her time off. Domingo and Miguel were the ornerier than normal… yikes. Sam kept poking his head inside to make sure that the boys were working. I brought in laundry and then laid down for a nap. I was exhausted even though my day had about a 1% stress factor. As soon as I woke up, Maria and I walked over to Mochiqui under the tyrannical sun. (I found out later that the heat index was 118*.) Ana was in Choix, taking her mother to the hospital. MariCruz was out visiting. We felt that our trip had been wasted. We stood and watched the school kids play soccer for a while and finally mustered the courage to walk back to the orphanage. I helped Rhonda get dinner around and then I sat outside to watch the soccer game. Lenn took me and the Yoder kids home. We ate tacos with Marlen. The Yoders went to visit the Millers, but I stayed home to baby-sit my headache and read my letter from home.

On Saturday I woke up exhausted. I hate when that happens. Class wasn’t huge, but we were all crowded in one little space due to the lake in our backyard. After class, I didn’t go to the orphanage, but stuck around the house. I bought groceries and made chocolate cupcakes for the special activity in the afternoon. We had people and kids everywhere, but I tried really hard not to trip over them. I had fun getting a few things ready for upcoming birthdays and then I sat and tried to relax. We left for the orphanage with a truckload of things and people. Donna organized the games. I was in charge of a group of kids while they played relays. The only relay that I was required to participate in was the “pop a water balloon’ relay. The hot day made it fun to get wet, even though I dripped all through dinner. After serving the kids, I ate inside the house with Rhonda and Chuy. I met the new girl at the orphanage. Her name is Cati and she’s not a bit shy and very affectionate. Roxina was having a ball showing her around and introducing her to life at the orphanage since she’d just arrived that afternoon. The rain came as soon as everything was finished and we hurried home. I was cold when I crawled into bed and I didn’t even turn on my fan!

Baptism, Milk Horse, and Baby

2009-08-23T15:10:00.006-05:00

(L-R) Mario, Martin, Roxina, Reina, and Leobardo.
Roxina.
"Big brother" and "little sister."
Actual size difference: Mariana vs. Chuy.

Sunday. I saw so many people today. Too many people. I’m exhausted and I didn’t even do much. In the morning we went to the orphanage with a very full load of chairs, stools, and tables and nearly everything else in the house…at least it felt like it. Mario and Marlen came along too. We cut up the ingredients for the baptism meal. I smelled like garlic for the rest of the day. We got home in time to chow down on some leftovers. Then I had some time alone when everyone else left. I enjoyed the solitude that I knew I would look back on in silent reverence within two hours. Loren came by the house with a load of people and Reina came flying in to borrow my flip-flops. Tons of people were already waiting at the river. There were so many people that I just stood around, too intimidated to talk to any of them, even the ones I knew. Roxina, Rosalina, and I took a walk along the river before the baptism started. Roxina said she was hot (it was so hot!!!) but she didn’t want to go home until she was baptized. Finally everyone had arrived. We started the service in the shade of the trees, but the distraction of passing cars inspired us to move to the river edge. Immediately, the children kicked off their shoes and waded into the river. The five waded into the water with Julian and Loren. Martin, Reina, Mario, Roxina, and Leobardo. I admit that I almost cried watching the procession. It was such a huge blessing to watch commitments to the Lord being made public. After the baptisms, we had to wait around for rides back to the orphanage. I was with the last load which happened to be filled with kids who’d passed the time swimming. I got wet from being in such close quarters with them. At the orphanage, I helped with serving and cleaning up. More chips! Cilantro! More chips! More chips! Onion! Spoons! More chips! I got the first ride into Choix and had the house to myself again. Whew!

Monday. Today was another madhouse. Some of the people in and out of the house not including me or the Yoder family were: Reina, Emanuel, Aile, Lupita, David, Mario, Marlen, Lenn, Ian, Sam, Vanessa, Gabi, Doña Cuca, and Marta. Anyway, my morning started quietly with tea. And then I studied verbs after breakfast and made an amazing link to a strange “hubiese” tense I found in the Bible. I walked to Vanessa’s house and had a short visit. Vanessa and Gabi walked back with me to use our phone. I started working on invitations for the special activity. We ate lunch around a very crowded table. It was chaos. I hid out in my room and relatively away from all of the noise. David tried sneaking into the room whenever the door opened. I did laundry and worked on invitations. Eventually everyone left and I was completely alone again. I’m beginning to wonder if there is a happy medium somewhere… We had “Tricia cleaned out the frig again” for dinner. With all of us moving out to the orphanage tomorrow, we had to do something! After dinner I finished my laundry and packed and read a book about David Livingstone.

Tuesday. We ate breakfast, finished packing, and cleaned up the house before we headed out to the orphanage. The day was surprisingly beautiful, maybe because the sun was shying behind a cloud. Once we got out to the orphanage, I did laundry and baked prison cookies and unpacked. By then, it was lunchtime. During lunch all of the girls gushed adoringly over Donna who barely had time to eat for the sake of answering all of their questions! I did lunch clean up with Janessa and Roxina. During my time off, the wind picked up and the air cooled down. The girls and Donna had brought in the rest of the laundry and we had a giant laundry-folding party. I entertained Chuy outside; we visited Rhonda through the window when she was supposed to be studying Spanish. I worked on some verse posters. Donna managed dinner by herself, amazing lady. Rhonda played football with the kids after dinner. I talked with Teo and he made fun of me when I accidentally substituted the word “highway” for “race.” (In Spanish they sound very similar, at least to me: carretera and carrera). We had a meeting with the kids before bedtime. During the meeting, Roxina listed off her new morning schedule in English. It sounded like this: “Morning shower… milk horse.” I think she meant: “Morning: shower, milk, and horse.” I put my kids to bed and showered and headed to bed.

Wednesday. Rhonda got my kids up so I could sleep in for my day off. I didn’t really sleep in, but I hung out in my room for a while anyway. I went with Loren and Caleb when they went into town for groceries. I hung out in my room in town almost all day. I took a trip uptown and then to the store to buy “lunch” (heh heh). I studied Spanish, drew a picture (inspiration of Ana), wrote, and talked with my family. It was a fabulous day off. When the orphanage crew arrived to set up for church, Rhonda and I walked up to JLR. We brought Chuy with us. I was carrying him when we walked through the door. He looked up at the high ceiling and around at the aisles and aisles of merchandise and was suddenly burst into terrified crying. Poor kid; he needs to get out more! Rhonda and I laughed at him. Prayer meeting was small and short with not so many prayer requests. I grabbed my kids and we left with the first load back to the orphanage. Loren gave us a tour of Mochiqui, since Rhonda had never been there. We had a little party for the kids downstairs. They played games, ate cookies, and drank soda.

Thursday. I was in charge. I don’t like being in charge, but I managed somehow. I got all of the kids up and moving so Rhonda could lay in bed and relax for her day off. We ran out of cold milk at breakfast. I asked Roxina: “What’s the matter, didn’t the horse give enough milk this morning?” Donna made lunch so all I did was supervise and help Maria made vanilla crumb pie for dessert. Other than that, I hung out with Chuy and worked on writing out verses on posterboard. After lunch, I did clean up. Diego described what the guys were planning to eat for their camp-out that night. When he found out that I was jealous, he rubbed it in all the more: “Mmmm… Hamburgers! Hot dogs! Chips! Marshmallows!” I hung out with Rhonda in the bodega for my time off. I finished verse posters and keep a careful eye on the mischievous Chuy. I tried to fry up some zucchini, but found out I don’t have the zucchini-frying knack. The kids loved them anyway. With the guys gone, we had a fun little group. I heated up leftovers and the kids cleaned up almost everything. I did dinner clean up, gave Chuy a bath, and got the others ready for bed. After the nightly meeting with the kids, Rhonda and I sat and talked… for a long time.

Friday. And we both felt it in the morning. I slept in as long as I dared. I started laundry before breakfast in between getting my kids up and ready for the day. Rosalina and Maria hung out all of the laundry for me after breakfast and I was soon out of a job. I saved the burning beans then Rhonda forced me to sit and read my book. Oh, and I broke my flip-flop and had to go barefoot for the rest of the day. Before lunch, rain began to sprinkle down, so I rushed most of the drying clothes inside and draped them over the beds. After lunch, all that Fernando could talk about was going swimming with the boys in the afternoon. I showed the kids some of the pictures on my computer. As I showed them pictures of home, they freaked out about how totally flat Illinois is! They couldn’t believe that there were no mountains in sight! I can’t really either, for that matter. I took my time off, during which three ladies from social services came to drop off a 3-day-old baby girl. Rhonda was afraid that I would want to take care of her until she realized that newborns terrify me. I helped her get the room ready. Chuy watched on like an excited big brother. He soon found out that the rules were hands-off when it came to “baby sister.” The girls came up with the name Mariana since she had arrived nameless. The rest of the afternoon revolved around this new addition to our family. The girls made pizza with Donna. When the boys got back from swimming, we ate pizza. Once the kids were in bed, Rhonda and I stayed up a bit to talk…again.

Saturday. Rhonda had a better night of sleep than I did, despite her having a baby and a toddler in her room. Fernando was up once and Roxina twice, once because an “animal” was “on her leg and biting her.” It was a huge bug that had climbed inside her PJ pants. I stayed with Rhonda at the house. We had fun with the quiet, alone time (minus Chuy and Mariana). After so much quiet time, the kids coming home was a bit of a harsh noise level. We got lunch around in time despite the fact that the cheese for the quesadillas arrived unshredded at 12:00 p.m. After lunch, my kitchen help hid from me until I told them they’d better come if they wanted the leftover quesadillas. After clean up, I cut up cilantro and sat and listened to music with the kids. I watched Rosalina draw and then woke Chuy up. After my time off, I got the kids showered and helped finish up dinner. We sat around outside and talked after dinner while watching the kids play American football. I gave Chuy a bath and cleaned out his belly button. Rhonda and I hung out with a movie and ahem… slices of leftover pie. While Rhonda was showering, Mariana started crying. I was not impressed. I tried talking to her and patting her. “Please stop crying! I don’t want to hold you!” But I eventually had to pick her up, floppy head and all. I was still sitting anxiously when Rhonda emerged. And she had the nerve to laugh at me.

This is Chuy on his "time-out" chair just before naptime.

Toothpicks, Peaches, and Tarantulas

2009-08-16T00:56:00.004-05:00

Sunday, August 9, 2009.
I’m so tired of being hot. We were a little late in getting around this morning. I cleaned up the kitchen while the kids set up for church. Ian had the sermon about the creation. After church, I tried to watch busy little Chuy and talk with Ana. I’m not a very good multi-tasker. I went along to Mochiqui to keep the boys under control. Jorge, Santos, Omar, and Neto had fun tormenting me while the girls looked on in amusement. After we dropped everyone off, we went up to the boys’ dorm to get a tank of well water to haul it to MariCruz’s house. Miguel and Lenn joined us in standing out in the boiling sun as we waited for the tank to fill. We took a drink from the hose and Loren purposely splashed water up my nose. We went into Mochiqui and unloaded the water. We got home late for lunch. I tried to take a nap which turned out to be a “think” because I didn’t sleep. I did my email and we left for San Pedro. The ride was full and the service was full. Yesi basically laid on top of me and Carla was pressed up against my other side. When we stood for prayer, we all had to stand together if we managed to get up at all. It was HOT! Julian preached his first sermon. He felt self-conscious, but he did good, in my opinion. I spent most of my time after the service talking with Doñas Paula and Artemia. Sitting with a fan blowing in one ear, I had a hard time hearing Paula’s low, gravelly voice and Artemia’s soft one. On the way home, the sky was holding a bright rainbow just over the mountains.
Monday, August, 10, 2009.
We all got up early and actually set out for Los Mochis within five or ten minutes of our goal. We had to beat the morning rush of visitors. I decided to be a tourist, and had fun taking lots of pictures. Our first stop in Mochis was a trashcan. Someone had left a bunch of balloons in their trash and I snapped a family photo for Caleb’s 13th birthday celebration, complete with balloons! Janessa was about to faint from embarrassment. We stopped at a Christian bookstore where I gleefully left behind some money. Next, we went to the park. I was totally lethargic because of the heat so Janessa and I went on a lethargic walk which ended with our sitting lethargically on a bench and watching other lethargic people trickle by. Caleb chose to eat at a Chinese buffet for his birthday (after some input from Loren: “I would love some Chinese food! Caleb, you get to choose where we eat today! Chinese just sounds so good!”). I can’t complain; I’ve been craving Chinese food for weeks and weeks. The Chinese buffet was clean and the staff was as excellent as the tea and the food. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed sweet and sour until I tasted it again. Mmmm… Only the dessert bar belied the fact that we were in Mexico: mango, chili sprinkled on the watermelon, and flan. Loren tried to use his kabob stick as a toothpick. Janessa about fainted from embarrassment again, especially when Loren pointed out the versatility of the long wooden stick to our waiter. The waiter took the hint and kindly brought us a container of toothpicks. The Yoder family went bowling and I sat and read a book and laughed at their shoes. We walked around in the mall for a little and then went to Soriana. Big places like Soriana are such a culture shock to me. The array and the options…. Wow! Our last stop was Wal-Mart where I’m proud to admit I have not been to since February the 3rd. I am living proof that someone can survive with low doses of Wal-Mart. We had a long ride home, but we got to slobber on juicy peaches, a Wal-Mart purchase. We got home late and I crawled into bed dirty.

Trashcan birthday party!
That's a really scary slide, Janessa.

The cool palm trees at the park.

I couldn't help but laugh. Other people have to do this too!

The yummy Chinese food.

Loren's "pica de dientes."

Kyle bowling.

Wal-Mart, just a little Mexicanized.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009.

I got early to take the shower I’d skipped last night. I started my laundry and ate a quick breakfast. I made a birthday cake for a little girl which was doughy in the middle and burnt around the edges. The rest of the family was gone helping a lady from church change houses. But I wasn’t alone; Junier, Esteycy, and Johan hung out on the porch for a good part of the morning. Esteycy passed the time looking in the window and demanding from me a narration of every move I made. Also, a drunk man joined us after a while. He stood at the window and made motions to his mouth that I assumed meant that he wanted food. I told him “No, come back later,” but he didn’t take me seriously until the third time I told him. Then he grumpily sat on the front porch and gave me hungry looks through the window. I made cookies for the prison as well as lunch. We had a late lunch when everyone got home. I mopped my floor, finished laundry, and did the dishes. I started stamping tracts before I had my time off and finished after my time off. I had to help Janessa with dinner, since she didn’t decide what to make until about fifteen minutes before dinnertime. Two exciting things happened tonight. One was that the dogs were barking wildly (not so unusual, right?)… at a man in our backyard. He apparently had climbed over the fence and was wandering around. Janessa came into our room with a “the-sky-is-falling” look. She looked so nervous that she almost made me nervous. Anyway, the man was drunk and claimed he wanted food or something. Next, Loren found a tarantula in the alleyway and called us out to see it. It was cool, but he killed it with a screen frame before I could get digital proof. I know I live in Mexico, but I must live a sheltered life, because that was the first tarantula I’ve seen yet.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009.

The storm from last night made the world cool again. Unfortunately, the electricity blinked off and on all morning. I’m not really sure why… it is just something that always happens on my day off. I drank tea in front of a fan, pretending that a cool breeze was blowing and wishing I was cold. Donna was sick. Kedric asked her, "Mom, are you sick because you're pregnant?" (She said no, in case you're wondering.) I worked on the computer and then casually meandered uptown to go shopping. I bought gifts for upcoming birthdays along with a few souvenirs. I tried in vain to withdraw some money. Instead the machine blinked a vile message at me "YOU CANNOT WITHDRAW MONEY!" I shuffled out, giving onlookers a sheepish smile. I'm not sure what the problem was; hopefully nothing a week won't cure. When I got home I talked on the phone and then *gasp* studied Spanish verbs. I have a slight working knowledge of all fourteen tenses. However, looking at them in the textbook and trying to use them in conversation are two different aspects. Ana came to prayer meeting. She presented me with a gift, a drawing of flowers with our names on it. I was so honored that I wanted to cry. On the ride to Mochiqui, the truck was so full that we could hardly breathe. Rosa's hair was flying into my mouth. I decided it was better to not talk and keep my mouth closed from flying hair, even though Carlos, Santos, Jorge, Sergio, and Neto were pestering me again. Why am I so pesterable? We took Marlen home and then I came back to talk on the phone some more. Donna brought me a smoothie while I lounged lazily across my bed.

Thursday, August 13, 2009.

Today was such a blessing. Roxina became a Christian today. At the orphanage, my job was easy. That was a good thing since I had at least twelve kids underfoot. Suzanne excitedly went through the last Bible study lesson with Roxina which ended with Roxina accepting Jesus into her heart. She came inside and gave me a shy smile with her face aglow. "Tricia-" she stopped and I gave her a bear hug. I was thrilled to see her so happy. She is planning on being baptized on Sunday with the three others. During lunch clean up I tried to convince Miguel to come to the States with me even if he'd have to go without papers. I was teasing of course, and he knew that. I took time off in the bodega and had a little alone time before Rhonda and eventually Suzanne and Chuy joined me. I finally went inside to change a very stinky Chuyito. I didn't do much in the afternoon except entertain Chuy and Jeffrey, two busy little boys. The kids were playing "wedding" and took turns getting married to various grooms who most of the time were female. The scenery on the way home to Choix was beautiful. The green mountains were bathed in sunlight against the dark and rainy sky. A brilliant rainbow hovered over it all, shining reminder of God's faithfulness to us.

Carol, the bride and Roxina, "father-of-the-bride."

Friday, August 14, 2009.
Roxina didn't want to just help with the laundry, she wanted to do the laundry. She rapidly sorted the piles, throwing rags in with dishcloths and underwear in with denims. (It might not have been quite so bad, but I had to check through the "sorted" laundry when she was done.) I didn't mind that she wanted to lift the heavy water containers. However, she eventually saw how much fun the other kids were having inside the house and opted to desert me. That was okay. In between loads I read my book, talked with a few stray kids wandering by, and gave a massage. Next was lunch and then Regina and I walked over to Mochiqui to drop off groceries at Doña Aurora's and do a few rapid visits. I was hot and thirsty when I got back. I was dreaming of a Coca-Cola, Fresca, or a Fanta. Soon after we got back, we went into town to pass out tracts. After walked up streets and down streets under the blazing sun for more than an hour, I was getting the overwhelming feeling that usually only comes from opening an oven door. I was so glad to get home and sit in front of a fan and drink water. Oh, but one interesting thing happened; I was setting a tract on a front step when I looked up into the eyes of an unfriendly German shepherd. My first thought was "What a beautiful dog!" and my second thought was "Uh-oh." He barked and I ran. Fortunately, the street was nearly deserted save one passerby who laughed at me. Roxina asked me in broken English, "Porqué you spooky dogs?" The singles went out to eat at a "fancy" restaurant. They had spacious tables, AC, and a big screen TV. We had the entire restaurant to ourselves and it was fun to relax and hang out. My drink came in a big goblet and looked pretty alcoholic, much to my concern. We went to Yoders' and tried to play Phase 10, but nobody was really into it, especially after Scott went to buy coke for everyone. We saw another tarantula. Johan killed it with his sandal. I'm starting to think we are infested.

Johan, Rhonda, me, and Scott (Sam took the picture).

Gotta love the mustache!

Saturday, August 15, 2009.

One month from today and I'll be on my way home. I woke up way too early but managed to stay in bed after I should have gotten up. We'd hardly started setting up for class when the first children trickled in. After class, Suzanne gave me instructions for next week when I'll be living out at the orphanage. I went to the store with Rosalina and talked with Ana. We had forty-two people in the van on the way home. Rhonda and I discussed next week as we made lunch. After lunch clean up, the kids listened to music and drew and colored. I was completely chillin' minus the millions of questions Fernando kept asking me. Chuy was strangely silent when I got him up, he just stared and stared even while he was eating his puffies. I took my time off in the air-conditioned bodega. I woke up cold from my nap and turned off the AC. I helped a tiny bit with dinner prep and then we ate and did clean up. Today wasn't too exciting; pretty mundane... but if every day was exciting, exciting would become mundane. Does that make any sense?

Pool Water, Ranchera Music, and Fish

2009-08-08T22:56:00.003-05:00

"I'm so cute! Look at my ducky!"

"Uh-oh. I just dropped it."

"Look at my muscles."

"I'm done. Somebody please come get me."

Sunday: My day went fast. Rhonda was still sick so I sat with the orphanage kids during church; they were so well-behaved! After church I kept an eye on fussy Chuy as I made out plans to go to the orphanage for the day. I'd never helped at the orphanage on Sunday before, so it was new experience. Once at the orphanage Rhonda came out of her room and asked "What are you doing here?" with a profoundly relieved look. I helped get lunch around and put Chuy to bed. We ate lunch and did clean up. I took my time off in the bodega because I was the only bedless person during "naptime." I didn't have a clock and ended up cutting "naptime" short. Chuy was in an excellent mood for the first hour after his nap. Ian made smoothies and Suzanne made popcorn. Rhonda, Chuy, and I went upstairs to visit Debbie. The dinner bell rang and we scurried back downstairs for dinner. Chuy delighted in throwing his popcorn on the floor and answered my frustrated glares with cheesy grins. I swept and mopped the floor after dinner. During those fifteen minutes every kid on the property was DYING of thirst and HAD to have a drink. I eventually gave up and decided that the kitchen floor could never be clean. Lenn picked me up and took me home. I was rushing the kids through the shower ("Caleb, be ready as soon as Kedric is out!" "Kedric, are you a girl?!") when Caleb told me that I was made out of the stuff that moms are made out of.

Monday: Special edition! author: Janessa Jo Yoder. Tricia tried to study her Spanish verbs by trying to explain them to me, but I'm not sure if she got much studying done or if I came away greatly enhanced of my knowledge of Spanish verbs. We then walked over to Rod and Christa's house as Tricia subtly tried to avoid her "boyfriend." We proceeded to clean their house. It looked like something out of a war movie when a family flees for their lives. With things sitting around, it didn't look like they tarried much in their leaving. Once we cleaned their house, we got some things out of the back. I climbed over the back to hand table, chairs, etc, over the fence to Tricia. I pitied their swaying chain-link fence as I climbed back over. Loren came to pick us up and we proceeded to carry all of the potentially perishable food out of the house, eating the open bags of Doritos as we did so. After our taco salad lunch, Tricia took her time off doing I really don't remember what. From what I heard, she worked on stamping Antorchas (tracts) while Kyle entertained her by playing a Pooh computer game (note from Janessa: This is plagiarized. I was not here because I was playing soccer. Our team won without much help from me). We ate cebiche in my parents' air-conditioned bedroom while listening to Odyssey's "The Business of Busyness." I don't know what Tricia did afterwards since I wasn't with her.

Tuesday: I sweated all day, but by the end of the day, I actually felt like I'd gotten something done. I did my laundry and Rod and Christa's laundry. I ran out of line space and hung it along the chain-link fence. Since some men were working in the neighboring yard, I tried to sneak up to the fence and quickly drape the clothes while their backs were turned. I walked up for groceries at Don Josecito's. I haven't been there for so long that he grinned at me like I was a long, lost friend... at least that's what I'll pretend the grin meant. I made spaghetti for lunch and lemon bars for the prison. We have practically an entire shelf of the frig dedicated to our lemon collection. It's ridiculous. After lunch, Janessa did dishes for me while I finished the laundry. Then I made a hot trip up to the bank to withdraw money to pay my overdue bills for the month... heh heh. I tried to take a nap, but my sweaty head was not worthy to lay on my clean pillowcase. So I read my book instead. After time off, I cleaned off the tract shelf and cleaned out the frig. We ate bean burritos in the air-conditioned bedroom. In the evening, a group of gringos and orphanage kids went to Rod and Christa's to clean up the yard. With so many people, it didn't take long at all. *Insert motherish voice here*: "Many hands make light work!" I was soon out of job and walked home. I made phone calls, stopping only when the phone ran out of battery. Yikes! I was so thirsty, but drinking the lukewarm water was giving me the impression of getting a mouthful of warm pool water when swimming. So I drank as little as possible.

Wednesday: I found a ranchera music station online and wasted my time listening to it when I could have sat outside and listened to ranchera music by sitting on our from porch. The rest of my day is hardly worth writing about. I basically laid on my bed and typed, emailed, facebooked, etc. I tried to drink lots of water to keep up with the sweat of doing nothing. After prayer meeting, I helped Marlen translate a kid's book from English to Spanish. When most everyone had left, Caleb, Janessa, Mario, and I walked Marlen home. Then came smoothies and some quality up-on-the-roof time.

Thursday: I actually counted my days left in Mexico. The result was happy and sad... only 40 days to go. That's not much. I made lunch at the orphanage. The children behaved marvelously. Maria was always one step ahead of me, doing jobs I hadn't even thought to ask her to do. I was actually sitting down and hanging out with the kids while we waited for the boys to come down. I ran upstairs to visit Debbie after lunch, and almost didn't make it back down in time to do clean up. Diego lounged on the couch and pestered me. I pretended to ring out my dishcloth on him and he quickly warned, "Don't or I'll kick you." Just then, four big drops fell from the cloth and onto his pants. He was up like a shot but I was already dashing for safety. He gave me a kick for each drop, administering the last one after I'd flung open the front door... in plain view of Sam. Sam's eyebrows went up and he gave Diego a stern look, but I generously (*cough*) took the blame. I hung out with Rhonda and Suzanne in the bodega for my time off. Then Rhonda and I watched a movie, on which we kept a running derogatory commentary. It was relaxing to [literally] chill out in the bodega. The twins had visitors and were delighted to see their mom and brother again. A storm blew in around dinnertime. We stood out on the porch and watched the wind blow sheets of rain across the soccer field. We ate dinner by candlelight because the electricity was out. The electricity was surprisingly still on in town... well, most of the time.

Friday: I got to the orphanage late on Friday morning and started in with laundry right away. The girls were helping inside the house so I just sat out and relaxed with the machines and my book. The most exciting part of my morning was when the end of the hose popped off soaked me and my book. After lunch I had a little time off before we went into town to pass out tracts. It was SO HOT outside. Of course, 2:30 p.m. might not be the best time of day to walk around in the sun. Regina, Roxina, and I passed out all of our tracts in record time. As soon as we got back to the orphanage, Maria, Marlen, and I walked over to Mochiqui to visit Ana and study with Carla and Tita. Marlen was carrying the bag full of little prize snack bags and she rustled as she walked. Maria and I teased her about wearing a diaper. It was so encouraging to watch Maria and Marlen take over the studying time. Maria was using cards she'd made to help with reading and Marlen took her time to practice with Carla over and over. Maria and I went with Loren when he took Marlen home. Maria's veil blew off in the wind and we had to turn around and get it. For fun night, we ate late. Miguel walked around smacking people with a fly swatter-- gross! We did clean up and then Rhonda and I hung out in the bodega. Unfortunately, the electricity went off with the rain and the little windowless room immediately heated up. I was tired when we headed into Choix. We had a drunk man sprawled out across our porch and we tip-toed around him.

Saturday: Lots of kids came to Saturday school, some of them who haven't been around for quite awhile. Rojelio asked me what happened to my face. Ricardo took the initiative and started to explain. Suddenly he clamped a meaty hand over his mouth. "Is it a secret?" he asked with an unsubtle whisper and wide eyes. I passed out the crayons and icepops and decided that kids fight over the dumbest stuff. Does your life depend on your getting grape or pineapple? Lenn's 15-passenger van hauled 38 out of the Mochiqui (granted, most of them were children). I had MariChuy on my lap and could hardly breathe. We were one crockpot short of beans for lunch, which made lunch prep a little bit off-balance. Lenn told us to fry up the fish in the frig... until he smelled it. He wouldn't even let me give it to the dogs! After lunch and clean up I hung out with the kids and caught up with some journaling. The kids listened to music were marvelously well-behaved. When I got Chuy up, he had fun picking through the kids' candy collection when they weren't watching. After my time off, I helped finish up dinner and we ate. Then I helped Rhonda with the special meal she had planned for the Miller family. It was fun to surprise them with a family-style table just for them.

Note: Thank you so much for your prayers for the Mexico team. They made a difference!

Sunglasses, Birthdays, and Egg Salad

2009-08-02T00:47:00.001-05:00

By SUNDAY I was tired of being the object of so much attention. "Yes, I KNOW I look bad. So if I scare you DON'T ask me to take off my sunglasses!" etc... My black eye was no longer a novelty and very much a burden. I talked with Ana for quite awhile after church and she kept clicking her tongue at my bruised face. She felt so sorry for me... but I was tired of being felt sorry for. After cleaning up from the service I was exhausted and had a headache. I laid on my bed for most of the day, even when the others left for San Pedro. I called home and worked on the computer but rarely left my bed.
~~~
Then came MONDAY, my first "normal" day of work. I made cookies in the morning and tried to study verbs on the side. The verb study didn't work so well, but I couldn't say that I minded cheating myself just a little in that area. I finally meandered over to Vanessa's house. It was my first "public" appearance away from home and I was a bit nervous. No one really noticed the tall gringa with the dark glasses and the purple eye. Of course, Vanessa's family cooed over me, but I changed the subject as soon as I could. By lunch, I was tired, but I didn't let myself relax quite yet... I had too many things to do that hadn't been getting done! After time off, I made cebiche and walked over to Rod and Christa's. I didn't stay long because soccer was cancelled and Rod stayed home with his wife. But I got to see Grace Karina for the first time and, as usual, I was shocked at how small newborns are! After dinner, I had a headache and went to bed a little after 8:00 p.m.
~~~
TUESDAY started with me throwing in two loads of laundry and sticking a poor little naked chicken into the crockpot. I had things to do and people to see! I walked over to Rod and Christa's to help out for the day. Both Rod and Christa were cruel slavedrivers (I'm kidding of course). I cleaned out the frig and made lunch and cleaned up the house. Once Rod and the kids left for Mochis to pick up Christa's mom, Regina and I did some more serious cleaning. Then I made dinner and Christa and I crashed on the futon to watch a movie. When the weary crew arrived home from Mochis after 10:00 p.m., Rod took tired me home. Dear Donna had brought in and folded my laundry so all I had to do was shower and crawl into my bed.
~~~
My day off on WEDNESDAY was impeccable timing. I was ready for a day that I could lay around all day and not feel so guilty. I cleaned up my room and talked on the phone. I was just lazy and basically hung out all day. I finally joined the rest of the world for prayer meeting in the evening. I was delighted to use the fancy "hubiera" verb tense while I was talking with Ana. For the first time in my life, it just sort of fit into my dialogue and I used it. I think I shocked myself more than I shocked her! Everyone told me how much better my eye looked, so I knew I was healing. When all of the visitors were gone, I climbed onto the roof. Under the open evening sky, I talked with God. When I finally came down, we had smoothies ...Mmmm...
~~~
THURSDAY morning I invited Lupita to the Friday night youth activity. When I walked across their yard, I stepped in some mud that nearly pulled off my flip-flop. That was the first clue that my day might not be everything I'd hoped. At first, things went great out at the orphanage, I even had time to clean out the refrigerator while I made lunch. Then, when everyone was gathered to eat, I shattered a 9x13 pan. Well, not really... Defying all laws of science, the glass pan committed suicide. Everyone agreed that it wasn't my fault and it shouldn't have broken... but I still felt horrible. Chuy seized the opportunity to throw all of his food on the floor. During clean-up, I shuffled a few of the dirty dishes and evidently created a current with the puddle on the counter. A stack of plates washed overboard and scattered onto the floor. Fortunately, they were 100% plastic and nothing was destroyed. But everyone in the house was laughing at me... including me. Roxina gave me a much-needed massage before I took my time off. Suzanne and I put together leftovers for dinner and Jesse actually dried dishes for me out of the kindness of his heart (or maybe it was guilt). Dinner was fast and uneventful and then Lenn took me home. I grabbed some chocolate and a pillow and crawled up on the roof for a moment of solitude. I was feeling tension and discouragement from all of the things that were happening and I wanted to pray for the Mexico missionary team.
~~~
Off-kilter. Crazy. Exhausting. Those are all words to describe FRIDAY morning. It was Kyle's and Lenn's birthday. Rhonda was sick. Debbie didn't feel good and was laying down. So Suzanne and I took over. I started on the seven loads of laundry and tried to help with the crazy kitchen work and taking care of the children in between loads. Because Debbie wasn't feeling good, all of the Miller children plus the orphanage children were downstairs. The house felt overrun by children. Here are some of the happenings of the day: We discovered the measuring cup was not marked correctly and had to alter the dessert and the main dish. We got attitude from one of the girls. Chuy leaked poop on the couch. Fernando chose inopportune times to need help in the bathroom. The pies would not bake. And electrical current was running through the stove and the metal shelf... so we had to use wooden spoons for everything or get shocked. But finally, Lenn's birthday meal was finished and all of the laundry was out on the line. I sank into my chair and was happy to see the light at the end of the morning's tunnel. I did lunch clean up and brought in the dry clothes. The kids were doing school so Suzanne and I took our time off in the bodega. Afterwards, I put on my sunglasses (despite the rain) to hide my still-purple eye when Maria and I walked to Mochiqui. We had a nice visit with Ana and she let me color one of her drawings. We studied with Carla and Tita and got back to the orphanage just in time for me to jump into Rod's van and head back into Choix. Kyle was still on Cloud Nine for his birthday and he was even more excited when some of the youth from the orphanage came over to play games and eat hot dogs.
~~~
SATURDAY came. I took care of Chuy during class. After class he wanted to sit in the sun. When I took him away and set him on a chair in the shade, he thought he was being punished and gave a show of tears to impress onlookers. Rhonda was feeling a little bit better and helped me with lunch. Rod and Christa and family stopped by to say goodbye as they left for the States for treatment for Christa. Saying goodbye for an indefinite time was hard on the kids... and me! After lunch and clean up, I hung out with the kids. Rosalina talked about how her life has changed because she has so much peace and joy since she invited Jesus to live in her heart. Hearing her testimony was such an encouragement! Fernando kept pestering me until he got me in on his little keep-away game. Eventually, I went upstairs to talk with Debbie and then took my time off in the bodega. I wanted to sleep, but the reality of what is happening in our little missionary group hit me hard and I prayed and journaled instead. When I went inside the house, I got dinner around half-heartedly since we were having egg-salad and I hate egg salad. The kids that didn't like it blamed me as if I had decided the menu. After dinner we sat out in the cool of the evening to watch the kids play soccer and Chuy play in the dirt. When I left, I entrusted Chuy to Johan's care. Johan was watching him "very closely"... and even watched him as he waddled out the gate! I went home and ate chocolate to make up for my lack of nutrition at dinnertime.

Please PRAY for the Mexico missionary team... PRAY against discouragement... PRAY for us to utilize the armour of God... PRAY for grace and strength for each day...

Baby, Broccoli, and a Black Eye

2009-07-26T15:14:00.002-05:00

[Breakfast buffet]
[Mourning the loss of loved pets at the cemetery]
[Miguel's foot in my sandal and my foot in Miguel's sandal... almost the same size!][Rosalina drawing]

Sunday: As we set up for the service in the morning, Janessa and I grabbed the same broom. As we swept the floor together, Caleb (who was standing around not doing anything at the moment) remarked, "You two could work faster if you didn't do that together." "Well, at least we're working," I snipped. I was delighted that Ana came to the morning service; it was good to talk with her again. Miguel snooped through my Bible while I wasn't looking. I pulled out the calendar to show him the date my visa expires. He told me "¡No te vayas!" (Don't leave!). These poor children are probably tired of workers popping in and out of their lives. We ate lentil soup for lunch. The afternoon ride to San Pedro was hot. The service was full and people kept coming, PTL. After the service, I sat in a group of ladies and tried to keep up with the rapid conversation circling around me. But I was lost every time someone asked me a question. We got home around 9:00 and barely had enough water for showers.

~~~

Monday: I woke up with a sore throat and a cold. How dumb in 100* weather! (The computer said that the temperature was 97* and that it felt like 112*.) I studied verbs, but not even two espresso truffles could keep me alert enough to concentrate. When I made my weekly trek over to Vanessa's house, I played Memory with Vanessa, Gabi, and Lupita. Playing Memory with them is challenging since they rarely put the card down in the same spot that they picked it up. Soon the game is a big, messy pile of cards and has nothing to do with your memory and everything to do with luck. Furthermore, Vanessa and Lupita were blatantly cheating. I guess it was fun in a twisted sort of way. In the afternoon, I worked on posters and drank lemon juice with honey for my aching throat. I helped chop vegetables for cebiche. After dinner, Kedric, Kyle, Janessa, and I played freeze tag in the front of the house. It was fun, even if we did get all hot and very sweaty.

~~~

Tuesday: I managed to make lemon bars for the prison and lunch while my throat and nose screamed at me. I tried drinking hot tea in a 300+* kitchen, but nothing worked to ease the inflammation. After listening to "skateboard and straw hat" Odyssey over lunch, I finished laundry, cleaned my room, and had time off. Then I worked on a new verse poster for Sunday. Scott told me that all I ever do is work on posters. Rhonda and Lenn stopped by to show off the new motor scooter. Rhonda looked so cute on it, but she didn't want to take me for a ride. I called home after dinner. I tried to hide out on the roof, but the glorious rain chased me inside. I decided to go to bed early, but was in the beginning stages of drifting off when Donna came into the bedroom. "Are you ready to go?" And Janessa and I quickly packed our bags and headed over to Rod and Christa's house where we spent the night while Rod and Christa headed for the hospital.

~~~

Wednesday: I didn't sleep good because of my cold and because of the trash man that banged the gate open early in the morning. Rod and Christa's kids were thrilled to discover that the van was gone and two babysitters were sleeping in the livingroom. While we were all getting ready for the day, Rod called to proudly announce the birth of Grace Karina. Loren picked us all up and we went home. I walked uptown and didn't find any orange juice. Then I came back to try to sleep without electricity; not a good idea because of the lack of fans. The electricity was off and on all day. The most adventurous thing I did all day was play with sidewalk chalk with Kassie, Alyssa, and Janessa. But it was so hot that I eventually opted for indoors. Inside felt like AC compared to outside. I checked the weather in Illinois and was dismayed [and jealous] to find the temperature was only in the 70s. Fortunately, the electricity was on during prayer meeting. We went to Mochiqui to drop off the villagers. Out of the seven people in the back of the truck, two were from Mochiqui and the rest were just along for the ride. Janessa and I made our usual two trips to the store for smoothie ingredients.

~~~

Thursday: When I got to the orphanage, Roxina pulled me over to look at the graves of two recently deceased pet birds. The kids (especially Roxina) were very sad. The morning went fast. I made lunch and tried to keep noise level at a minimum. I was struggling a bit with my cold, and noise was making me lose my concentration. Suzanne jumped in to help me out before the boys came down for lunch. None of the kids liked the broccoli salad much. Domingo told me not to make "that food" anymore! Leobardo sat at the table for a long time, trying to finish his portion. Rosalina ate a pile of it and then decided that she didn't really like it after all. Diego made a comment about how I feed them dog and donkey. It was all very humorous. After lunch, I happened to discover that Diego and I have the same size of feet and Miguel's feet are just a tiny bit smaller than mine. Some of the boys hid my sandal in the Rotoplas water tank until Sam made them give it back. Suzanne and I had part of our time off together which was fun. I started dinner prep until Debbie came home. Suddenly, children were everywhere and it felt they were all yelling. (I think my cold was magnifying the noise level slightly). Regina and I ate early and Lenn took me home.

~~~

Friday: Happy birthday, Wendell! I should have stayed in bed. I didn't feel good in the morning. By the time I arrived at the orphanage on bike, I could hardly breathe. Debbie kindly offered to take me home, but I stubbornly started with laundry instead. I was ready to start the machines, but discovered that the electricity was off. "Perfect time to test drive the moto," I thought, not-so-brightly. (Most of you probably know what's coming.) On my second round, I got off the road enough to tip the poor little motor scooter over and send my face into the gravel. I'm still not sure what happened... I'm missing 3-4 minutes of my memory. But, some things are very clear: my mild concussion, my purple eye, my scraped face, elbow, foot, and hands, my aching bruises, etc. Rhonda and Ian, with the help of a driver I'm not sure I even thanked, got me and the moto back to the house. I didn't feel any pain, even when I saw my bloody face. But I remember trying to spit the gravel out of my mouth. Debbie and Rhonda had to cope with my blabbering away while they cleaned me up. I talked and talked even after Debbie took me home. Donna took good care of me as I tried to sleep the rest of the morning and early afternoon away. By then, I was more coherent. I helped a little with getting ready for the evening's modesty seminar... but I wasn't very helpful, I'm sure. Marlen and I messed around on the computer trying to make handouts for the evening. People stopped by to see me... I think I scared most of them with my ugly face. During the seminar, I stayed in my room, emerging only to help clean up afterwards.

~~~

Saturday: Happy birthday, Michelle! [I've been gone from home for 11 months.] If I thought I was ugly on Friday, I was even uglier by Saturday morning. My black eye had spread and was almost swollen shut. Regardless, I enjoyed scaring certain people... like Ricardo: He came to the window, "Tía! Tía! Come here!" "Do you really want me to come?" "Yes!" "Okay." *GASP* "Tía! What happened to you?" The kids were very fascinated with my face and I got lots of attention at class. I was pretty tired of being a freak show by the end of the morning. The only one who didn't act scared or grossed out was dear little Chuy. He looked at my eye and decided he still loved me. After class I went to the orphanage to help with lunch and lay down; I was exhausted. In the afternoon, Rhonda told everyone to behave and set everything up so that I could lay on a bed and still be "on duty." That was the extent of my day. Roxina would NOT look at me without my sunglasses, so I tried to remember to wear them as much as I could... for everyone's sakes. We had dinner and then I helped with clean up and hung out with the kids. Lenn took me home. After a long day of doing nothing, I was exhausted!

~~~

Update on the face: It's getting better. The black is spreading to the other eye, but the swelling has gone down considerably and the scratches are healing. The wound on my hand re-opens when it gets wet. It's frustrating to try to keep it clean! I've been doing a lot of resting and not a lot of work. I'm praising God for taking care of me and sending people into my life who are looking out for me! Pray that God would give me patience to be a "freak" for a little while yet...

Leftover Soup, Genealogies, and Tucson

2009-07-18T23:17:00.000-05:00

Sunday: Ricardo came to church. He sat in the front row right in front of me. When I propped my feet on his bench, he pinched his nose and gave a dramatic "PEW!" I spent most of time during the service looking up references for Ricardo, Carla, and Tita. Ricardo would look on his own for awhile and eventually hand me his Bible hopefully, as if he had somehow happened upon the general area of the reference. After church I was watching the dodgeball game when he came up behind me and tucked behind my ear a huge leaf from Donna's new plant. How touching. Chuy was dressed up in jeans, a plaid shirt, and cowboy boots; he was so cute! Once he fell down and got dirty, Rhonda and I decided that he looked like a REAL cowboy. In the afternoon, I was determined to get a few things done, so I forfeited precious napping time. As a result, I was soooo tired for the afternoon service. The little front porch church in San Pedro was full, PTL. I was excited about the people who had come to hear God's Word. But by the end of the evening, I was ready to fall into my bed.

Monday: I decided by the afternoon that I should've stayed in bed. My morning was full of unpleasant surprises: you know, those days where nothing happens how you want it to. Spanish verbs and I have come to a agreement. I'll pretend to learn them for an hour and a half every Monday morning if they promise not to make me remember them. Maybe not the best agreement, but I'm feeling a tad unmotivated in my language study. I'll blame it on the heat. I walked over to visit Lupita's family and ended up sitting out under a tree talking with the grandmother. I wish relationships would be consistent; not, we like you/we don't want to talk to you/we'll be nice to you/now we really don't like you. We had most of Reina's family for lunch. I took my time off until Rod came to pick us up for the San Pedro kid's club. The class was fun except for the fact that Mario picked me to hold the song. Rod thought that I should sing a solo. Not a good idea for the sake of everyone else! After class, I cleaned up and then went down to watch the children playing games. Sam and Marlen were around for dinner. After dinner a discussion ensued regarding Marlen's life. In fact, the entire episode lasted for quite awhile, even until Janessa and I walked her home. Oh yah, and Ricardo came to the window wearing his Lindolfo Reyes shirt inside out. I asked him if he was wearing it that way because Lindolfo had lost the election and he said "¡Sí!" Crazy, loveable boy.

Tuesday: Tuesday was hot, hot, hot! I got up early to do laundry. I started late on the cookies and lunch, but I ended up with a nice array of cookies: too done, well-done, medium rare, and rare. I finished lunch, some sort of soup made from various leftovers (it turned out a lot like chili). Caleb found out what I was concocting and said, "You'll make a good mom." I decided to take that as a compliment, regardless of the intention. After time off, I worked on posters in Loren and Donna's air-conditioned bedroom. It was all well and good until I stepped back out into the real un-air-conditioned world. I could hardly breathe! I finished the laundry and then helped Loren start dinner. I spent the evening on the phone and catching up with emails.

Wednesday: I made a useless trip to the post office, discovered it was closed, and bought myself a consolation gift for walking all of the way uptown. Mmmm... strawberries 'n' creme for breakfast. I came back home to sit in front of a fan and finish the book I had started that morning. That was pretty much my day. Oh, but I made a quick trip to the store to buy a Fresca. Two men were pushing a truck up the side street. I opted to wait until they were past rather than get run over. But they spotted me and stopped pushing so I could pass. I tossed them a grateful smile and continued on my way. On the way back, the truck was all of the way to the main street, but still wasn't running. As I skirted around the front end, one of the men was crossing the street and coming towards me, right in front of a car! His partner yelled "¡Aguas!" (Look out!) and the man quickly stumbled out of the way. When I crossed his path, he laid a heavy hand on my shoulder and gave me a couple pats. "¡Tucson!" he declared happily. I didn't stick around to find out how an Arizona city pertained to anything; I just continued on my way. While I was munching on a sandwich for dinner, the skies opened up and it POURED for a half hour. What an answer to prayer! We stood out on the front porch and drank in the sight of flooded streets (no drainage system) and waterfalls streaming off of gutterless roofs. We cancelled prayer meeting and the kids played in the puddles instead. I read my book on the front porch until Janessa, Mari, and Marlen made some sort of hot chocolate from a little chocolate bar called an "abuelita" (literally: grandmother). After the rain and driving wind had stopped, I grabbed a sweatshirt and a pillow and climbed up onto the roof to enjoy the freshness of the evening and talk with my Creator. That night I was dreadfully naughty and left the water on during my entire shower. I felt so guilty when I was done... but it was a happy sort of guilt.

Thursday: The morning was deliciously chilly. Lunch at the orphanage went very smoothly. I played with the kids and hung out with Suzanne in my free time. Miguel swept and mopped the floor after lunch. He took forever. When he was finished, he came in for a cookie reward and left big, dirty footprints on the wet floor... and he didn't even care. After my time off in which I slept and had strange dreams, I drank some iced tea and took Jeffrey and Chuy outside. Chuy wanted to see the chickens and he stood right up to the fence, his big belly pressed against the wire. He was startled when a hen reached through the fence and tried to pull a button off his shirt. Dinner was so HOT! We sat inside and sweated. After dinner we flocked the outdoors where at least we had room to breathe. Miguel kidnapped Chuy and Jeffrey and gave them a wild ride in the wheelbarrow. When I got home, I was delighted to find out that someone had accepted Christ that afternoon and another had rededicated her life to Christ. Janessa and I were up late discussing genealogies. Read Titus 3:9.

Friday: I rode my bike most of the way to the orphanage. Laundry went fast. I tried to keep moving to keep the gnats out of my face. They constantly swarmed me despite bug spray. I helped Rhonda cut up vegetables for lunch and I visited Suzanne who was busily sewing in her room. I plopped Chuy on my lap, discovered his diaper was leaking and went in search of his primary caregiver: "RHONDA!" After lunch, Domingo did the dishes. He told me that he had an uncle or a cousin named Prospero. Then he threw water on me when I belted out "¡Feliz Navidad! ¡Prospero año y felicidad!" I worked on the laundry for a bit and then Rhonda and I tried to take our time off together in the bodega. Unfortunately, since it was Scott's day off and he had exclusive rights to the bodega and soon chased us out. We left sheepishly, claiming that we'd just wanted to start the AC and get it cooled off for his arrival. Maria and I walked over to Mochiqui. We visited with Ana and some little girls who wandered through the gate. We had fun studying with the girls; they were all well-behaved for once. That night was power fun night (with the entire church). During the meal, Carlos asked me what my last name was and then he, Jorge, and Santos had to test it with "my first name": Salchicha. Santos and Jorge came around a little later asking for my autograph. Jorge gave it a disdainful look and decided that it wasn't worth anything since it was illegible. After clean up, Maria and I sat by the soccer field to watch the game. Santos kindly offered me some oil to keep the bugs away. I say that tongue-in-cheek because I knew it wasn't out of the kindness of his heart that he offered me some and he didn't just "offer", he dumped it into my hand before I could react. When I put it on my face, it soon began to burn. He was laughing and handed me a shirt to wipe it off. I found out later that I had been furiously dabbing my forehead on Carlos' shirt. Thanks, Santos. I moved to a safer part of the property where I wasn't such an easy target for torment. Suzanne joined me and we talked. On our way home, we crossed a soldier checkpoint. According to Marlen, they were looking for drugs and weapons. It was a teeny bit unnerving to have a grim-faced soldier shining his flashlight around the truck and studying us curiously.

Saturday: I had a brutal awakening in the morning: I heard voices... voices I'd never heard before. Janessa quickly shut the door and told me that the visitors from Ahome were here. So I got ready and took my bleary-eyed self out to meet the visitors. I took care of Chuy during class. He spilled his pop-ice all over his hands and his shorts and then slobbered on his che-chis before spitting them back out or wiping them on me. Then I had "shy" children hanging around me, begging for introductions or facts about the two new girls that I was talking to. We all ate lunch at the orphanage. After we cleaned up, we had segregated conversations under a big guamuchile tree while we swatted at the gnats. The breezes were so few and far between that the men started naming them alphabetically like hurricanes. "Breeze Albert. Breeze Beth, etc..." I was so hot I could hardly work up the energy to tell them all goodbye and make my way into the house for time off. I fell asleep despite the heat. When I woke up, Rhonda was already done making dinner. So basically, all I did was eat and do dinner clean up. Diego stuck his hands in the scalding dish water and griped and whined and finally pointed out that the dish soap proclaimed: "¡Poderoso en agua fría!" (Powerful in cold water!). I told him that it was "Más poderoso en agua caliente" (More powerful in hot water), but he didn't fall for that. The electricity went out so we sat outside. Chuy concentrated on moving the stones from the driveway to the lawn. He kept saying, "Uh-oh!" and "¡Juta!" (Wow). Loren came and picked me up and I studiously went to my room to work on my blog rather than enjoy Superman birthday cake from Santos Manuel's birthday celebration in the living room.

Politics, Birria, and Soccer

2009-07-12T09:07:00.002-05:00

FOR SALE

MALE CHIHUAHUA

BLACK AND BROWN

BARKS ALL NIGHT

5 PESOS OR BEST OFFER

~~~

I got ready for church on Sunday morning and graded Ana's Bible study test. I had to consult Donna on some of the answers. Then by the time I ate breakfast, it was almost time for church. Marlen sat with me. Alma and Jaciel came in and sat on the other side of me. Alma had combed Jaciel's hair into a point; it was so cute! Marlen and Mario were around for lunch. We discussed Mexican politics. The town was eerily silent... everyone was voting. I called home in the afternoon. It felt good to talk to Mom for a bit. During the San Pedro service, Janessa, Marlen, and I watched a cat throw up three times. The cat looked at its vomit in surprise, sniffed it, tasted it, and finally walked away. After church I saw a chicken eating it. Nice, huh? We had a windy ride home with a tiny bit of rain. There was a mouse waiting for us in the kitchen under a dishtowel in a basket. Dumb mouse! Donna brought the cat inside. The cat sniffed around and finally settled down to sit in the basket on top of the towel, oblivious to the escaping mouse. Dumber cat! I ate dinner and sat out in the living room to journal. I heard a truckload of people go by, shouting one of the candidates' name: "¡Oscar! ¡Oscar! ¡Oscar!" But I didn't find out until the morning that he had won the election.
~~~
Monday I almost felt sick. I didn't feel like doing any of the things I needed to do. But I did them anyway. I studied verbs after breakfast. I even had the chance to test out a new verb tense with Ian who was sitting on our front porch. He retorted with a fancy "hubiera" tense that shot down all sense of accomplishment. I visited Vanessa's family. We played Phase 10 and talked. I got home in time to help set the table for lunch. I almost slept during my time off, despite the noise of all of the children. We didn't have the San Pedro kid's club since Rod and Christa were in El Fuerte. Instead, I helped Donna by writing out verse posters for a "modesty seminar" we're having this month. Unfortunately, my creativity was zilch. I helped with dinner when visitors came to the porch to talk with Donna. That evening I had a pathetic shower that was little more than a trickle. The water actually stopped in the middle of my shower; I hardly noticed.
~~~

I was in a hurry to get my laundry done on Tuesday morning. A plumber was coming to fix the leaky pipes (Hurray! A real shower again!) and I wanted to make sure that I didn't get in his way. I went to the store and bought a lot of stuff from Don Josecito who seemed pleased with so much business. I made cookies. I got distracted by some people at the window while I was making them and added too much flour. The dough felt sorta spongy. I burnt some and quickly disposed of the evidence on all of the happy victims scattered around the house. I made lunch and after we ate, I did the dishes, finished my laundry, and cleaned my room. The man working on the pipes said something to me. When I didn't understand him the second time, I just smiled dumbly and hoped he hadn't asked a question. In the afternoon, I worked on two projects for Donna. Marlen came over and helped me make some posters. We discussed Sunday's cat/chicken episode over bean burritos for dinner; Marlen hopped up from the table and ran into the hallway with her hands over her ears. I talked on the phone after dinner. I was up on the roof until it started raining. Then I took a heavenly shower! I felt like I was in the States again.
~~~

Must I admit that I stayed in my PJs for most of the morning on Wednesday? Part of it was sheer laziness and part of it was due to the fact that the plumber was working in the bathroom again. So I sat on my bed and ate Cheerios and worked on the computer. I got ready for the day so that I could walk to Marlen's house and take her out to eat for birria. Birria is a soup with some very delicious spices and goat meat. I've been told to eat it hot, because once it gets cold, it's very greasy. I was having enough of a problem trying to work up the courage in the first place! Marlen waited until I took my first bite. It took me awhile. The restaurant ladies watched us curiously as we giggled over our bowls of untouched goat soup. Finally we started eating... and it wasn't bad. The meat didn't taste like goats smell, like I had expected. And with fresh, homemade tortillas, I even might have been able to call it good. On our way to the post office, we met Diego the post office man, on the sidewalk. "Where are you going?" he asked us. "Ummm... the post office?" So we hung out at the plaza until he returned. I got a box! That made my day! Marlen helped me open it at the plaza. I walked home in the hot sun. A while after I got back, I realized that my neck was tender. SUNBURN! I ate a sandwich and talked with Kyle about the green men living under his fingernails and about how healthy chocolate is. After all that, we had prayer meeting. It was raining just a little, but enough to get us wet on the way to Mochiqui and back. We made two separate trips to Don Josecito's store before Donna had enough ingredients to make the smoothies.

Birria...the goat soup.
Marlen with my package. She claimed she was more excited than I was.

This picture explains itself, I think.

The boys raced around the yard, catching chickens on Thursday morning after breakfast. Kedric sneaked up with a net on the featherless adolescent hen; he reminded me of the pink panther. At the orphanage I was in charge of lunch. It went smoothly with nothing noteworthy and definitely nothing exciting. I started lunch clean up before I took my time off. I got up in time to get Chuy up. He reeked! Poor, suffering little boy. I took him outside once I cleaned him up. We were hanging out on the back step with Suzanne and Rhonda joined us. We talked for a long time. And then I went in to start getting things ready for dinner. Debbie finished dinner and then we all sat down to eat. After dinner I went outside and Roxina announced to the rest of the world that I was going to play soccer. I am? So I humored her for a bit, or maybe I was the only one humored. Nothing I did helped my poor team, so I played with Jeffrey because he was at my skill level. Lenn brought me home. I was walking down the hallway when I saw the cat nestled on top of Loren's clean pile of laundry. I tried to execute justice and now the cat hates me even more. All in a day's work, I say.

~~~

On Friday morning I made my way out to the orphanage, no thanks to Lenn. He passed me up on the moto with a guilty chuckle that tells me he still has a conscience. I also saw a dead cat, mostly eaten except for the head which was posed in an open-mouthed, wild-eyed scream. When I arrived at the orphanage with sweat dripping off my weary brow, Lenn was eating breakfast and fearfully hiding behind a cereal box to avoid my evil eye. I started in with the laundry right away. Something was in the air outside that made me sneeze and my nose run, so I hung out inside as much as I could. I had a headache when I left after lunch and by the time I got home under the hot sun, it was throbbing. So I laid down for a nap with a fan blowing on me. I felt much better when I got up! Marlen joined us as we left for Mochiqui. When we got there, Ana wasn't around. So we joined Donna at Salvador and Enriqueta's house. Tita accidentally pushed Delia into a wooden cot. Delia was crying and then got angry and stood up to beat Tita with her fists. I physically held her back as everyone else looked on in amusement. I felt dumb, but I would rather feel dumb than watch a girl fight. We studied with Carla, Tita, Alma, and Delia at MariCruz's house. Rumaldo fed us tortillas and some sort of soup that he said contained iguana meat (he was joking). That night was our singles' night out. We wanted to eat at a nice restaurant, but we ended up where we usually do... the taquería. We sat and talked until the restaurant started to get busy. Then Lenn picked us up and we went to the orphanage to hang out in the bodega. Scott bought ice cream lasagna (capuchino flavor) and we played scum. We ended just before the round that I would have been scum. Whew! Lenn took me home.

~~~

I woke up early on Saturday morning and decided to get a few things done before class. I was alert during breakfast for once, and the Yoder family marveled that I could talk so early in the morning. They're used to my typical glowering morning face. After breakfast I swept the floor while brushing my teeth. Of course, several people chose those three minutes to enter the house as I performed my multi-task. "BEENBIHNITHOS" *slobber *spit *foam. Just before class started, Santos plunked down beside me and Jorge sat across the table from me. T-R-O-U-B-L-E. They wrote "Salchicha Fud" on their papers. After class, I had a little run-in with Santos that got him in trouble and me feeling like a little kid. Lunch went good. Clean up went badly. We had two problems happening simultaneously: one that included soap in an eye and another that included a bad word. Fortunately, the guys took care of one while I took care of the other. Roxina mopped the floor and I couldn't get into the bedroom to get their Saturday afternoon candy out without traipsing across the wet floor. Fernando wanted his candy really badly, so he propped the fan on his sandal so that it blew directly on the walkway to the bedroom. Roxina counted to 100 in English for me as I relaxed in front of a fan. When I got Chuy up, he entertained us by trying to stomp on the ants on the floor. The children prompted him with "Kill it, Chuy! Kill it!" I had AC for my time off in the bodega. I took a nap before I emerged from my cool cocoon to help Rhonda with the final stages of dinner prep. After dinner, the children went out on the property to find worms for the chickens. Rhonda and I sat and talked until Loren and Janessa came to pick me up. That's when I heard the news that made my day: Reina's husband accepted the Lord!

"Kill it, Chuy! Kill it!"

Lemons, Bubbles, and Hamburgers

2009-07-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

I went for a walk on Sunday morning. I met some of MariChuy's cousins. I meet her cousins no matter where I walk; she must have a million who live along the boulevard alone. Or maybe I just keep "meeting" the same ones over and over again. I dropped by Marlen's house to talk with her and her grandma for a bit. At the Choix service, Loren preached a sermon about "To Judge or Not to Judge", a political thriller with a Shakespearian twist. Okay, just kidding; the text was from Matthew chapter 7. I was sitting beside Ana, but she left immediately afterwards to go to the store. Uriel came up to MariCruz and asked for pesos to buy some chips. I tried to convince him that he wanted besos (kisses) and not pesos (money). I filled up my afternoon with emailing, facebooking, etc. Mario and Marlen were around for most of the afternoon. In San Pedro, Doña Artelmia was back for the first time since her surgery and it was good to see her again. The weather got a little dark during the service. Fransisca sent us off with glasses of coke. During the night, the electricity went off for awhile... and so did the fans. I remember waking up soaked with sweat. The air was dead and the night was silent.

I made myself some tea to go with my Monday morning verb study. Yippee. The 8th tense was much easier than the 5th, 6th, and 7th tenses. I took my practice verb sentences over to Vanessa's house with the groceries. Vanessa looked over my sentences while I helped the rest of the family with house cleaning. I mopped the two-room house and the front porch. Then I helped Lupita with lunch. I came home, happy. Reina and Davíd ate with us for lunch. I studied more verbs during my time off. Janessa was helping me when Rod came and we left for San Pedro. The day was beautiful and more children came to the class than last week. After class I cleaned up and talked with Fransisca, Nayely, and Jesús. Loren had cebiche almost finished when we got home. YUM!

On Tuesday morning, I started in with my laundry and making lemon bars for the prison. Then I made baked fish marinated in lemon juice for lunch and some lemonade. Donna keeps buying bags of lemons from whoever walks by selling them. So we have lots and lots of lemons in the frig right now and I am trying fruitlessly (pun intended) to use them up. After lunch I did up the dishes, finished up my laundry, and then took my time off. I wrote out a song for prayer meeting. Suzanne was on the front porch and wanted a tour through Facebook. Then I helped get ready for dinner. Well, actually all I did was find a fan... which is a very important part of dinner preparation. I talked on the phone for two hours after dinner and I had a blast! (Very unusual for someone who generally dislikes talking on the phone.) The rain chased me back inside.

Wednesday was my day off, of course. But I got up early to work on my quarterly financial report and get a few more things done before I goofed off for the rest of the day. I walked up to the plaza and spent time just sitting, writing and relaxing. I saw a lot of people I knew and/or recognized. On my way home, I came up behind Santos, Jorge, and Sergio. They were walking veeeeeeeery slooooooowly. I said "¡Apúdense!" (Hurry up!). They tormented me as I passed them up. "¡Salchicha!" "¡Fud!" "¡Nana!" When I got home, I relaxed and talked to my mom and my sister online. I tried to sleep, but I had a headache...which disappeared when I got up. I ate dinner with the others. About ten minutes before prayer meeting, the electricity went out. Donna passed out the Antorcha magazine to everyone to use as fans. That helped, but I felt like I was suffocating by the end of the meeting. I kept an eye on Chuy afterwards. Janessa and I hopped in the back of the truck to go to Mochiqui. When we got back, we bought smoothie ingredients. There was a big political fiesta in town. The election is on Sunday and then the "Lindolfo Reyes es como tú ¡gente de trabajo!" and "¡Oscar Lara! ¡Oscar Lara!" will finally stop. Janessa and I went up onto the roof to watch the PAN group go by in their cars. They wildly waved flags out of their windows and honked and yelled and were having tons of fun, apparently. Some man stumbled by on the sidewalk waving a PAN flag. He gave a cheer for PAN at a passing car and got a response something like "¡Somos de PRI!" (We're for PRI). It was funny, even for someone who does not understand Mexican politics. Janessa and I stayed on the roof for awhile, talking about cars and ghosts. I enjoyed the gently cooling night rain.

Then came Thursday. Suzanne had things well under way when I arrived at the orphanage. All I had to do was take over. I got done in time to play with Chuy. He loves bubbles so I let him play with bubbles from the dishwater. Sometimes he'd just get so excited he couldn't touch the bubbles; he'd just giggle and stamp his feet. The girls dressed him up like a little girl. He wasn't too impressed until he realized how much attention he was getting. After lunch, (and no, the potatoes were not crunchy) Miguel amused himself by playing with a doll. I watched as he gave the doll a spanking, set it on the couch and gave it, "Quince minutos" (Fifteen minutes) for time out. I took my siesta time in the bodega after clean up. It was a nice break from the ovenlike outdoors. After break, I helped in the kitchen and then sat outside with Chuy and the visitors. We went to admire the chickens. Well, Chuy admired them, I gazed on them disdainfully. It started to sprinkle. After dinner, Lenn took me back into town.

[My bubble boy]

Friday mornings are those mornings that I set out, determined to do what I least like to do. And I did it. I biked all of the way out to the orphanage...except for the two HUGE hills *gasp!*. The laundry was awaiting me and it smelled as bad as ever. I only did six loads, and entertained Chuy in between. He liked to watch the bubbles form under the spray of soapy water. He had to taste them too. Rosalina decided she wanted to sit on my lap and crush me with a mighty hug after she'd finished the laundry. The twins were in excellent moods and did everything we asked them to do without complaining. We ate delicious taco salad. Then I found out that Domingo's new favorite phrase is "What the world?" I was hot and sweaty when I finally got back into town on bike. I didn't even have enough energy to respond to emails. (Sorry!) We left for Mochiqui after 4:30 despite the fact that we were "leaving in ten minutes" at 4:00. We dropped off a puppy at Doña Aurora's house. Suzanne accompanied Donna and I. We didn't have much time to visit. Ana wasn't home, but we studied with Carla and Tita. MariCruz fed us cake and Rumaldo fed us Zuko. Suzanne and I bought viejitas with Chamoy on the way out. Mmmmm.... When we got back to the orphanage, the hamburgers were still on the grill. We were celebrating the 4th one day early. Jorge and Santos were picking out their puppies. Jorge told me that he was going to name his puppy "Salchicha" after me. After the delicious hamburgers, Johan set off some fireworks for the kids. Then the kids set off some of their own. I lit one and quickly threw it so it wouldn't go off in my hand. I know, I know; I'm a chicken. We had a "punching piñata" because we were too lazy to string up the piñata in the rain. Everyone took a swing at it with their fists, but we discovered why most parties use sticks; it wouldn't break! Lenn finally just pulled out the candy bags.

[Yum! Hamburgers! Almost consisting entirely of beef!]
[Two troublemakers, Santos and Jorge, with their puppies]

[Me, Domingo, and Miguel]

[Jesse pretending to eat Miguel's burger]

[The evening sky was gorgeous!]

[The Three Stooges, Suzanne, Janessa, and Regina, with their watermelon]

[Teo with a piece of the piñata]

We took our time getting around on Saturday morning and then we suddenly realized how late it was. We quickly got ready for class. After class, I asked Jorge if his puppy had died yet. He gave me an incredulous look. I bit into my ice pop and the juice squirted on my skirt and dripped down my chin...not a good omen for my day. Rhonda and I made lunch at the orphanage. The fan blew the flame out under the cooking rice... so we had crunchy rice. I overheard Miguel whispering to Diego, "¡Es duro!" (It's hard!) and then he gave me a guilty look when he saw that I'd overheard. Domingo complained and Johan told him to try to make rice for dinner. "No, I would burn it!" he admitted. After clean up, the boys tried to drag me outside and lock me out. I managed to hold them off for a while before Miguel discovered that I was bracing myself against the door with my arm. Rosalina told me she'd help me, but she didn't really want to get involved. When the boys left, the girls, Fernando, and I drank lemonade and Zuko and hung out in the kitchen. The twins took Fernando out to pick some sort of weed to cook up. A very sweaty Rumaldo came in from the property for some water. I took my time off and even managed to sleep a little. We had a quick and uneventful dinner. After clean up I went outside to play soccer with Fernando, Roxina, and MariChuy. After a couple of wild kicks that made passerbys chuckle, I made a goal! I went inside to talk with Rhonda. Chuy stepped out onto the freshly mopped floor just after Rhonda had said, "No, Chuy!" He managed a mischievous look our way before his feet flew up and he banged his head on the tile floor. We felt sorry for him, but I won't deny that we laughed just a little. When I got home, I took pillows and a dark chocolate bar on the roof to enjoy the evening. The waxing moon peered down at me as I thought about my little problems and my great God. The chocolate kept me awake for awhile after I crawled into bed. I finally fell asleep after midnight. But I woke up when Charco, the Yoders' dog, was barking. He wouldn't stop even though both Loren and Kedric when outside to check what was going on. After an hour or so, I started dreaming of chihuahua barbecue. I think I also authored an entire book... "101 Reasons NOT to Own a Dog!"

Father's Day, Dust Bunnies, and Viejitas

2009-06-28T13:14:00.001-05:00

Chuy the nerd.
A very common site until July the 5th.

Roxina, Rosalina, and MariChuy making lunch on Thursday.

Fernando and me.

Trying to find the bread crumbs on the floor.

Sunday: Happy Father's Day to the best dad in all of the world! Carla and Tita sat with me during church... and were naughty. I met Rebecca; the children had been eagerly awaiting her arrival. Then I went to Mochiqui with the villagers. I helped MariCruz carry a few buckets of water from the street to her house before we came back home. We had a delicious Father's Day meal. Poor Mario had to endure American food again. In the afternoon, we left for San Pedro with a lot of Mochiqui villagers. Yesi came to church; I hadn't seen her in many weeks and I'd missed her a lot. After the service, I talked with Rebecca and then came home in the back of Loren's truck.

Monday: I drank tea and ate chocolate while I studied verbs. Then I bought groceries and went to Vanessa's house. The family was very newsy and they told me all sorts of juicy information about their lives. Alejito enjoyed the chocolate Tootsie pop I gave him; his grandma gave him a bath afterwards! During my time off, Reina's son David kept wandering into my room. I made a Tricia-fied version of lemon bars and walked over to my landlady's house to give her some. She wasn't there, but I saw some of my former neighbor boys... and I can still tell the identical twins apart (or I got lucky. LOL). I went in search of Marlen and didn't find her. But I talked with her mom instead. I saw lots of people I knew on the way home, but I hadn't found anyone I was looking for. Some days are just like that.

Tuesday: Another humid day. I did laundry and burned some snickerdoodles, which I passed out to the gringo victims on the front porch. Then I made lunch and mango cobbler. The mango cobbler was good, I guess. It was my two worlds colliding: American cobbler and Mexican mangos; it just didn't taste quite right. I made out verse posters. Someone turned the AC on in Loren and Donna's bedroom and we all hung out in there. Janessa and I walked to Marlen's house to see if she was around. She wasn't, but her uncle went to find her for us. She came soon, full of things to tell us. We lost track of time and came back "too late for supper." So we ate alone. Then I cleaned my room. The dust bunnies under my bed multiply faster than real bunnies!

Wednesday: I slept in. Then I walked uptown for a few things and back home to talk on the phone and get on the Internet. I enjoyed eating junkfood and spending time alone. I sat in front of a fan and waited for the rain to take the humidity out of the air. (I didn't know that I would have to wait until Thursday night.) I tried to take a nap, but gave up and went to eat dinner with Donna and Janessa. Every Wednesday night during prayer meeting I think of how much I missed the orphanage children from Sunday to Wednesday. After the orphanage crew left, Janessa, Rebecca, and I went along to drop off the villagers in Mochiqui. Along the way, Jorge decided that I was his grandma and spent the rest of the time calling me "nana." Janessa, Rebecca, and I went to get yogurt. Then Janessa and I attempted to make smoothies. They turned out with big chunks of ice and a kitchen that smelled like a hot blender.

Thursday: [I've been away from home for ten months.] I woke up after a pathetic night of sleep. I walked over to invite Lupita to the youth night on Friday night. When I got to the orphanage, I discovered that because some lady had donated a large chunk of meat, the twins were in charge of lunch. I was a helper. That was a switch; and a lot of fun! They worked frantically, chopping, frying, slicing, tasting... Roxina and MariChuy pulled stools up to the stove to reach the back burners. Fernando tried on a dress and I called him "mi hijita" (my little daughter) for the rest of the day. Lunch was delicious and we had no leftovers. Dear Rebecca spent a slice of her afternoon drawing pictures for the boys. After my time off, Chuy and I had the house to ourselves. I fed him bread while I made biscuits. I sat out with some visitors and watched Chuy. Debbie came home and finished the dinner Scott had started with his tuna gravy. Then came the rain. The boys ran up on the hill and the other children played in the rain until they were soaked. Debbie brought me home.

Friday: [I've been in Mexico for nine months.] I was walking my bike past Don Josecito's store when I heard Lily yell, "Subase!" (Climb on it!). I did eventually. I washed lots of smelly laundry. I helped in the kitchen and hung out with the kids in between laundry loads. Roxina sang while she hung the laundry for me. We had a delicious meal after which I biked home to use Internet and take a nap. Rebecca was at our house when I got up and so I talked with her until we left for Mochiqui. Maria and I visited Ana. We sat under the awning by the hot tortilla fire. I took my time, studying with Carla. Maria and I went to the store and she bought viejitas with Chamoy (a big sheet of ice cream cone-like stuff with hot sauce on top). Mmmm... We then hung out in the back of the truck with Alma and Jaciel until Loren, Donna, and Kyle came back. We had youth night at Rod and Christa's. Not a lot of people came, but it was fun. We played volleyball and then sat down to watch "Facing the Giants" in Spanish. Christa served us nachos. The youth really seemed to enjoy the movie. Afterwards, I helped to clean up and we came home. I stayed awake just long enough to tell Rebecca goodbye.

Saturday: We set up for Saturday school. I didn't think that class was fun or boring. It just was. I colored my picture ugly and put Ana's name on it. Domingo somehow talked me into playing soccer with him. So I was all sweaty before we even climbed into the van. The van was so full that I sat in Rhonda's lap; Chuy was jealous. After lunch, I was in charge of clean up. Domingo claimed his stomach hurt, but he still had enough energy to spray me with water. Johan warned me not to start something he would have to finish. Roxina and Fernando sat cuddled up to me on the couch until I got too hot and pushed them away. Rosalina was working on writing. She sounded out words she'd never written before; I was so proud of her! After my time-off I actually had a few minutes to talk with Rhonda until dinner. During dinner clean up we ran into a problem that exhausted me. Loren came for me right on time. He had to get gas and handed the man at the pump a large bill. The man accused Loren of having lots of money as he pulled out a wad of cash to find the correct change.

Tortillas, Volleyball, and Salt

2009-06-21T13:13:00.000-05:00

Ana rolling out a flour tortilla.
Ana and I.
Rosa making corn tortillas.

The Yoders' puppies... in their cute stage.

I like this picture; it looks like the puppy is giving the camera a "come hither" look.

Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Good grief. I can't even remember this morning; it feels so long ago. Let's see... I went prayer walking before I came back to help set up for church and help with lunch. Roxina, MariChuy, and Fernando sat with me since Suzanne was sick. Carla, Tita, and Uriel also sat on our bench. Therefore I was distracted for most of the service. Rod had the sermon about the second commandment: idols. When we dropped off the villagers in Mochiqui, Loren went to visit someone and Janessa, Ricardo, and I were left in the truck to wait. Bella discovered us and she and Ricardo had a little spat. After lunch, I emailed and tried to sleep... but it was just too hot. So I settled for laying on my back and "relaxing my brain." A crew from Mochiqui came along to the San Pedro service. Good thing too, because not many of the other attendees did. The San Pedro service was very relaxing. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Rod dropped me off afterwards and I smelled popcorn before I rounded the corner to the house. I was so hungry!

Monday, June 15, 2009.

Maybe I ate too much last night. Whatever the case, I was awake long after I turned out the light... thinking and thinking and thinking that I wishing I wasn't thinking. When I woke up, I laid in bed and didn't check my clock. If I would have, I might have noticed that I'd set my alarm for p.m. instead of a.m. Whoops. I got ready really fast. After breakfast was the 1 and 1/2 hours I've set aside for my weekly torture... er... verb study. I actually enjoy studying again; after doing it for 16 years of my life, it becomes habit I guess. Then I went to visit Vanessa's family. There were a million things I would have rather done. One of the scenarios I imagined was crawling into a bitter Illinois winter and curling up in flannel sheets and thick blankets and a mug up hot chocolate on my nightstand with just a bit of soft Tchaikovsky in the background. But there I was at the gate under the blazing Mexican sun, squinting in at the inhabitants and realizing the power they had over my emotions. We did a lot of sitting and not so much talking. Alejito charmed me with adorable smiles. After lunch, I hid out in my room with lemonade and chocolate covered coffee beans. We had a typically hot ride to San Pedro for Kid's Club. Reina's dog wandered around under the van seats and kept bumping into my legs. I gave her a soft kick to remind her that under no pretenses did I enjoy her sharing hair with me. Only four boys came to class. I couldn't blame the kids that didn't come; it was so hot, who would leave their houses unless held at gun point... or unless they happened to be persistent missionaries? While Rod read the story to the class, Guillermo leaned over and whispered that he remembered the story from the Jesus film we'd shown in San Pedro. That was encouraging to think that this little six-year-old still had images from Jesus' life in his mind. I helped him and Juanito to memorize their verses. This is how my study session went with Juanito: Together- "Amaras al Senor tu Dios con todo..." Juanito- "...tu alma." Me- "tu corazon." Together- "y con toda..." Juanito- "...tu alma." Together- "...y con toda..." Juanito- "...tu alma." Me- "tu mente." At least he'll know to love the Lord his God with all of his soul, if not his heart and his mind. When we left, Rod put on a blaring Southern Gospel CD and away we roared. Ana stopped by to see me in the evening. It was a good distraction from my boring evening routine. Her visit really blessed me and I didn't do anything else worthwhile all evening... besides shower (very worthwhile!).

Tuesday, June 16, 2009.

I bought groceries. I had to walk uptown to get vanilla. I made cookies, did my laundry, and stamped tracts. I made red rice and bean burritos for lunch. That meal always reminds me of Stacey. *sniffs*. I had a list of things to do on my time off, but I opted for laying on my back, staring at the ceiling, and listening to music. It was relaxing. We passed out tracts in Aguajito and Colexio. Only a few people from the orphanage came due to the flu making its rounds. The new girl, Margarita, and I passed out tracts together in Colexio. She so quiet and I pretended that I didn't know much Spanish... okay, not really. We did talk a little. On the way home, I had one of my moments again when I just look at the kids and mourn their lost childhood... their unhappy years they can never reclaim. Thinking about what humans do to other humans just makes me angry. But praise God that they are in a better situation now and surrounded by people who love them! We got home, hot, sweaty, and dirty. After dinner, I found Lindolfo Reyes (a Choix politician running for Congress) on the Internet. I played the video clip over and over again until we all had his theme song running through our heads.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009.

I woke up several times during the night with the realization that the evening had not cooled off. Then morning came and instead of the forecasted "scattered thunderstorms", we had "scattered electricity." Finally it made up its mind to stay off for awhile. It was suffocating in the house without fans. I told Donna that "I should NOT be literally dripping with sweat at 8:30 in the morning!" The air was thick. I went shopping and found that all of Choix was out of electricity. I mailed a letter. Poor Diego was practically suffocating in the hot little office as he waded through stacks of undelivered mail and a line of customers. I told him, "Ojala que tenga un buen dia!" (I hope you have a good day!) and he said "Your Spanish is good!" Inflated with pride, I marched out of the office, confident that my Monday morning "torture" was finally paying off. I shopped around a little and bought myself a coke. I don't even like coke, but it was so hot that I needed one. And, yes, I understand the fine line between "need" and "want." I talked on the phone and tried to finish up my "to do" list as I ate junkfood. Right before prayer meeting, I ate a large salad and went for a short walk to make myself feel better; my conscience was temporarily soothed. After prayer meeting we picked up Santos on our way to Mochiqui. He was walking, apparently left behind by the orphanage van. I asked him a few questions regarding his behavior and why he was walking. We had almost reached Mochiqui before Sergio and Jorge clambored onboard. Santos and Jorge motor-mouthed all of the way into the village. "This village looks a lot like a little village called Mochiqui that I visited once." When they saw Jorge's grandma and cousin: "That lady looks a lot like my grandma. That girl looks like my cousin!" Back in Choix, Donna made smoothies, which I am currently enjoying.

Thursday, June 18, 2009.

Happy anniversary Dad and Mom! The storm last night cooled off the world again. Our backyard has a lake. Caleb wanted to dig a hole and have a swimming pool. Lenn took me to the orphanage. Going through the valley was chilly; I'd forgotten what it was like to be cold. I took over lunch prep. The day was difficult... Rosalina and Roxina just found out that their brother was killed. It was hard for them to deal with the thought of never seeing him again... even in eternity. Suzanne creatively helped me create a dessert. In the afternoon, all of the kids went up to the dorm to have school. The house was blissfully quiet. I sat in the house and talked with Suzanne and sipped on some iced tea. A truck load of visitors came to visit Margarita. Debbie took care of them while Rhonda, Suzanne, and I hung out in the air-conditioned bodega for our time off. Eventually I emerged to entertain Chuy and help Suzanne with a task I'm not going to write about... (because I don't think he knows yet and I'd rather he not find out via my blog). I tried to throw dinner together while dear Debbie was still entertaining Margarita's visitors. We ate leftovers. Chuy was fussy. He ate a ciruela, part of a mango, and a pitaya (I didn't stick around to see the after-effects). Then came the rain. It poured and a liberal, cool breeze wafted through the open windows and doors. Chuy wanted to play in the rain and was upset when I pulled him out of it. When Lenn brought me back into town, the Yoder family was sitting on the front porch in the dying light. No electricity. I took a cold shower by candlelight and had just decided to go to bed when the lights came back on.

Friday, June 19, 2009.

I thought this morning would be a good morning to ride bike. Fat chance. No morning is ever a good morning to ride bike! The outside air was cool... but muggy as I soon found out. I wasn't dreadfully hot, but I was dripping with sweat by the time I got to the orphanage. I got a late start on the laundry and had nine loads to wash before lunch. Margarita left with social services just before lunch to return to her home. I ate lunch while feeding Chuy his beans and rice. I went straight into time off. When 3:15 p.m. rolled around, I was relaxed, cool, and ready for the next step of my day... making tortillas. I walked to Mochiqui and was all sweaty by the time I got there. This humidity is worse than the dry heat! I sat and talked with Ana for a while as she showed me her drawings. And then we moved under the awning to the "kitchen" to make tortillas. I had to endure the eyes of her parents and her sister as I made my first attempt at flour tortillas. They laughed at me, and I did my best just to laugh along. Ana rolled out perfectly round tortillas; I rolled out Africa, Asia, and Antarctica. One was so bad that Ana's sister, Rosa, hooted with laughter and carried it over to show her amused mother. Jesus and Julio (Ana's boyfriend and brother respectively) also stopped by for a little to add some amusement to their day. Regardless of all of the ridicule, the tortillas were delicious. But standing around a fire in the hot and humidity, I was soaked. But then came a cool breeze and then the rain. Some of the little Mochiqui girls stopped by and we played in the rain. I helped with making corn tortillas and then we walked to the orphanage for "power fun night" (fun night with the church). After we ate, we played volleyball. Janessa and I were on Carlos' team and he gave up on us after several games. He claimed that his leg hurt, but soon he was riding bike and then playing for another team. The night was fun and I was very tired by the time I collapsed on my bed.

Saturday, June 20, 2009.

I ate tortillas for breakfast and felt like a true Mexican. After class we all piled into the van. I had Tita on top of me, Roxina blocking the window breeze on one side of me and Rhonda and Chuy tight against my other side. I was so hot, but I made it. We worked on getting lunch ready and keeping Chuy out of trouble. Just before lunch, Johan radioed to ask if the boys should bring pitayas down for lunch. I thought Rhonda was running upstairs to ask Lenn, and I told him so. Then: "What is she, your servant?" "Pretty much!" I replied happily. Rhonda told me to boss her around once the boys came down. So while Johan was sticking the pitayas in the freezer, I yelled, "Rhonda! Get outside and give this to the dogs!" Both Rhonda and Johan burst out laughing. "You can't even sound mean when you try to!" Domingo whined about everything during lunch clean up. I had to take care of an issue outside on the back step after I chased a curious Miguel out of the doorway. As soon as the boys were gone, another issue arose. I was weary of problems, but hanging out with the girls and Fernando brightened my day again. MariChuy and Roxina were drinking salt water. I let them go until Roxina started dumping more salt into her water. I started a mini-lecture: "Salt is not good for your veins! Salt goes into your blood and your heart gets tired of pumping salty blood and it will stop and you will die!" Roxina gave me a terrified look before both she and MariChuy dashed to the sink and dumped their salt water down the drain. Quickly, they rinsed out their cups and drank several glasses of clear, fresh water. "Nos asusto la Tricia!" (Tricia scared us!) the panting Roxina exclaimed to Maria who was laughing in the next room. She said her heart was pounding wildly and still looked a bit wide-eyed. I laughed and laughed. The kids got their candy when "Gronda" (as Roxina calls Rhonda) got up. Roxina wanted more than her share because she claimed that the candies were small and "like vitamins." She gave me a guilty smile when I laughed at her. I love that girl! I took my time off with some iced tea. I helped finish dinner after my time off. Roxina didn't put any salt on her sopa fria and I had to check and make sure that her heart was still pumping. After dinner clean up, I played a quick game of soccer with Domingo and Roxina. I was goalie. When Domingo came in to score, I kicked the ball away from him. Without a defense for the other team, the ball bounced merrily along and straight into his goal. After he left, Roxina, Fernando, and I played volleyball. Eventually Maria and MariChuy joined us. We had tons of fun although most of our time was spent in fetching the ball from various places of the property. We were still playing when Loren and Donna came to pick me up.

Alice in Wonderland, Ice Cream, and Tuny Gravy

2009-06-13T22:14:00.002-05:00

Clockwise: Roxina and MariChuy dancing/ Fernando and Dietrich on the swing/ Domingo, Rhonda, and Miguel working in the kitchen/ Domingo "not crying" while he cuts up onions.

On SUNDAY... not enough sleep... Uriel and Tita sat beside me... Ricardo and his mom came... I fed Chuy ciruelas and got some happy grins as juice dripped down his chin and onto his shirt... pazole and cebiche for lunch... lots of people from El Tepehuaje for San Pedro service... heat, dust, wind, sweat... Fransisca told me I was more "gorda" (fat) than I was when I first came... home again, home again jiggity-jog... Caleb thought the "Allison Chronicles" was "Alice in Wonderland": "Isn't that were she goes down into a hole?" "Huh?"... Loren thought that "Charlotte's Web" and "Alice in Wonderland" were somehow connected... I give up...

On MONDAY... Caleb called me grumpy... felt grumpier after being called grumpy... Spanish verbs, verbs, verbs... Yo cantaria para ustedes si no tuviera gripa... Yo queria que en que Santos se quedara en silencio... confiscated Janessa's book to make her do her schoolwork... Vanessa's house... off to buy groceries... back to Vanessa's house... leftover pazole for lunch... heard scraping at our bedroom door... Janessa investigated to find David with a collection of wood pieces he'd peeled off of our door... so so HOT!... long hot ride to San Pedro... small class... entertained by Fransisca's funny comments and stories... read my book the remainder of the evening.

On TUESDAY... grocery shopping... made cookies... did laundry... no hamburger at SuperChoix... made chili and cornbread for lunch... dishes... emails... passed out tracts... Miguel and Dietrich brought sticks to ward off attacking dogs... Dietrich's stick was almost a club... "Take the tract or answer to my stick!"... Roxina insisted on passing out tracts with "Chutcha" (me)... down a street... the wrong street... "Whorps!"... didn't meet up with the others until they'd formed a "search party"... kids played dodgeball afterwards... Jesse and Miguel had ciruela dodgeball in the tree with flying fruit... salad for dinner...

On WEDNESDAY... Janessa laughed at me when I ate Golden Grahams in bed... read and journaled at the plaza... went to visit Lupita for her 18th birthday... emails... chicken for lunch... talked on the phone... napped... iced tea... laziness... was still eating chili as people arrived for prayer meeting... chicken curry from Suzanne... prayer meeting... left immediately afterwards to take Lupita out for ice cream... chocolate/cappuccino/vanilla/cookies 'n' creme ice cream... talked... pictures... went for a walk...

On THURSDAY...smoky kitchen... Kedric: "Why is the kitchen always so smoky when we have French toast?" Sheepish Loren: "Probably because I make French toast."... at the orphanage... groceries on time equaled lunch on time... bad attitudes and resolved issues... being a "witness"... time off in the same room as Suzanne equaled lots of talking... cut up potatoes... took Chuy and Jeffrey for a wagon ride... they enjoyed watching the world go by through the hole Chuy discovered in the bottom of the wagon... Scott's tuna gravy... fed Chuy his rice... he saw me getting his bowl ready and tottled off to his high chair... smart little kid... ate pitayas with Chuy sitting on my lap... he loves pitayas... got home to find a box from Aunt Kelly waiting for me... such a blessing for the end of my day!!!

On FRIDAY...climbed on the bike and suffered my way out to the orphanage (note: "climbed on my bike" does not mean that I actually rode it all of the way to the orphanage)... watched the little boys cut up vegetables for lunch... watched Domingo "not cry" as he cut up an onion... mounds of dirty laundry and eventually clean laundry... "danced" with Chuy, Roxina, and MariChuy... taco salad and then the bike ride home... hot hot hot... time off... new girl came to the orphanage as a "temporary" placement... Mochiqui with Maria... visited Ana... studied with Carla and Tita... ate at the taqueria with the singles... decided it might be awhile before our tacos came since they were still cleaning up the grill... street meeting in our front yard... live music compliments of Rod's music class, Julian, Fransisca, Loren, and Lenn...

On SATURDAY... were finishing up with breakfast when we let the first kids in... had some help setting up tables and stools for class, lol... good class minus Roxina choosing me to hold the posterboard song... hot ride to the orphanage... made lunch and did clean up... tried to help Margarita, the new girl, find her place in our routine... fought emotional turmoil while listening to one of the kids reveal a tiny piece of a stormy past... "how can parents do that to their kids?!?"... time off... made dinner... solved arguments... entertained fussy Chuy... dinner clean up... played with the kids... home again...

Mango Shortcake, Santa Claus, and HOT

2009-06-07T08:52:00.000-05:00

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.

~~~

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.

~~~

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.

~~~

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.

~~~

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.

Verbs, Missed Pictures, and Taboo-cowie

2009-05-30T22:47:00.002-05:00

The river.
Adorable Jeffrey waiting in the van.
Rosalina.

Kedric.

I know, I know; I put up tons of pictures of this little guy. He's just too cute! Uriel.

On Sunday...I went prayer walking in the morning and met up with Marlen. When I got home, Ricardo came...very early. I think he was so excited about coming along to the baptismal service that he couldn't sleep in. He walked in with a fistful of candy. Donna asked him, "Is that your breakfast?" But he replied, "No. I got up at five this morning!" He walked around the house and peeked into the bedrooms as we readied ourselves for church. I had to leave his presence because I kept fighting the urge to laugh. Finally, the others arrived and we left for the river. Uriel sat beside me in the van. MariCruz turned around to look at us and exclaimed, "Que bonito! Uriel, estas sentando con la Tricia?" (How cute! Uriel, are you sitting with Tricia?). He looked up and gave me a shy smile. At the river, the men looked for the deepest place for the baptism. It was difficult because the river is pretty dry right now. Jesse played guitar for the songs and Rod talked about repentance and baptism. The children amused themselves by finding fish and tiny frogs in the water and trapping them in plastic cups and bottles. Both Rosalina and Kedric were baptized. The service was so beautiful that I overlooked the fact that the sun was beating down on me (and turned a little pink as a result). We had quite a bit of unexpected company for lunch, but Donna calmly added water to the soup and we ate. In San Pedro, we had lots of singing during the service. We got home early. Mario came back with us and stayed for dinner. I tried practicing some new verb tenses like "hubiera nacido" (would have been born) and "Caminaria si tuviera patas" (I would walk if I had feet). But they just laughed at me. Maybe those words didn't sound natural coming out of my mouth. (Note: This is taken from the first journal entry I've ever written in [pathetic] Spanish; I had to translate it for you!)

~~~

On Monday...I've been gone from home for exactly nine months. Today was a struggle to get out of bed. But I got up and ate a waffle and then sat down to study my Spanish. I almost blew my brain on those verbs. Wouldn't life be so much simpler if we would ever just use one verb tense? I go here today. I go here yesterday. I go here tomorrow. I go here if you want me to go. I was still very tired during my visit with Vanessa's family. I played a game with them, talked a little, and then came home. I walked up to the plaza for my time off and was almost instantly surrounded by people. First it was a lady who asked me all sorts of questions. Then it was her friends that came along a little later and offered to buy me ice cream. And then it was an elderly gentleman. I finally excused myself and walked home, selfishly upset that my quiet time had been so unsacred. Rod came and we piled into the hot van for the ride to San Pedro. Dust bulged in the windows and I was sweaty and dirty when we got there. But the enthusiastic class made it worth it. We had a mini prayer meeting at the orphanage this evening. It was Rach's last night in Mexico so we said our mournful goodbyes.

~~~

On Tuesday...My day was long, but good. I made cookies and lunch, did laundry, and cut up a pumpkin. After my time off, I stamped the new tracks while I listened to music. I finished up just in time for bean burritos for dinner. I then cleaned my room, did some typing, and called home. My family put me on speakerphone so I got to talk with everyone at once. I went to bed seeing Wednesday stretching out in front of me with nothing I had to do.

~~~

On Wednesday... I arrived in Mexico exactly eight months ago today. I didn't sleep good on Tuesday night, so I was tired for my day off. But, fortunately, it didn't really matter since I had practically nothing to do. I went for a walk, stopped by to see Lupita (Vanessa's sister), and then came home to eat breakfast. I walked up to the plaza and purposely chose a bench that was out of the way so people wouldn't come up and talk to me. I was sitting for only two minutes before a lady and her daughter joined me. I wanted to groan, but I shouldn't have worried because they only sat for about ten minutes. When I came home, I ate lunch and continued to be a bum. Somehow the afternoon flew by anyway. We ate cebiche for dinner and then people arrived for prayer meeting. Uriel came running through the front door and sat down beside me. After the meeting, I collected ciruelas (a type of fruit) with Tita and Miguel. Miguel shook the branches with a stick and the little hard fruits came raining down on us. I decided to move out of the line of fire and amuse myself with something else. Donna made our usual Wednesday night smoothies and we sat around on stools in the kitchen (the hottest room in the house) and sipped our smoothies and talked.

~~~

On Thursday...Lenn picked me up early because he was leaving to go dig a well in some village whose name sounds sorta like "Taboo-cowie" or something. Please don't ask me to spell it! Instead of making crunchy potatoes and greenbeans, I did laundry. Everyone felt safer that way. I missed three excellent pictures because I forgot to bring my camera. So I'll explain them to you: 1) Suzanne rinsing the poop out of Chuy's clothes. Miguel and Domingo were standing on either side of her, peering into the basin in disgust and burying their noses in their shirts. "Asco!" (Gross!). 2) Chuy playing with his toys in the bathtub, pausing only to give his crowd of adoring onlookers a cheesy smile. 3) MariChuy, Fernando, and Carol hanging out the clothes. MariChuy stood on a stool to reach the clothesline, Fernando handed her the articles of clothing, and Carol handed up the clothespins. It was adorable. Try to imagine these events since I have no digital proof. I helped finish lunch, but stayed out of the way enough to make everything run smoothly. After lunch, my human dishwasher tried to hide, but Johan found him. He came up with many excuses to not work until Lenn suggested "bad points." The children were good; I hoped it was because they were choosing to be and not because they were listless with Rach gone. After my time off, I took Chuy outside. But soon I was called inside to solve an argument. I'm not sure what I was really solving, but I ended up putting puzzle together with the twins. During the course of the conversation, Rosalina looked at me and asked, "Somos hermanas, verdad?" (We're sisters, right?). It was so sweet! I ended up being sort of in charge of dinner and was relieved when Debbie took over. Fernando came inside and asked if he could dry dishes for me. He took a long time but stuck at his job. Right after dinner, Debbie and a bunch of the kids hauled me into town. Maria gave me a crushing farewell hug. But I wasn't ready to settle down for the night yet, so I went for a walk. I met up with Marlen and talked until I had just enough time to get home before dark. I was in bed by 8:30 p.m...plenty of time to finish my book and start another.

~~~

On Friday...Since I did laundry on Thursday, I spent today at home. I made finger jell-O for the youth activity in the evening, covered some books, wrote out a song on posterboard, and made pumpkin pudding for dessert. During lunch, Caleb gave us a summary of a story he read for Literature...except his summary was likely longer than the actual story. During my time off, I got to talk with Grandpa! Then we went to Mochiqui. Maria and I had a nice visit with Ana before we went to study with Cyntia, Carla, Tita, and Alma. Carla was determined to catch up with her sister and actually focused on her lesson. She caught up with her sister all right, and was making plans to pass her up next week when we left. That night, I walked to Vanessa's house to pick up Lupita for the youth night. Let's just say that I was introduced to another level of Mexican culture and left, extremely frustrated...and without Lupita. Not many people came for the first youth night at Rod and Christa's. But it was a nice group and we had fun together playing volleyball, eating nachos, and listening to Rod and Ramon play guitar. We got home a little late.

~~~

On Saturday...I got up late and then helped get the house ready for the invaders...or visitors. During class, Maria picked me to hold the posterboard song. No amount of glaring at her could make her change her mind; I was forced to be the focal point of dozens of pairs of little eyes for three minutes. After class, I talked with Rhonda, trying to provide her with an island of English in a sea of Spanish. She dryly remarked, "Well, that didn't last long!" when I started talking Spanish baby-talk to Chuy. Teo begged me to tell him a story and I got all of "Cuando yo era una nina chiquita...pues, nunca era chiquita. Cuando era nina pues-" (When I was a little girl...well, I never was little. When I was a girl then-) before Lenn hollered "MOCHIQUI!" and we loaded up the van to head out to the orphanage. Rhonda and I made lunch. The worst thing that happened was that after confidently setting the timer for the rice, I forgot to press 'start.' See? Not at all disastrous! I made peanut butter once the boys weren't around to torment me (and they do torment me too! Johan has absolutely no sympathy for the poor, abused Salchicha! He accused me of picking a fight! Imagine! Me!). The other children were almost angelic this afternoon. Chuy went down for his nap with a big smile on his face and the others played together quietly. I took my time off after Chuy woke up. When I got back on duty, Rhonda and I made dinner. Then we cleaned up afterwards. Diego and Miguel kicked around a soccer ball after dinner, and Diego, as offense, kept a running commentary of his plays...I don't think I even tried not to laugh. It sorta brought back memories of "playing" American football in the living room with my brother (Remember that, Bradley? LOL). Maria and I were talking and watching Chuy when Loren came and picked me up to go home.

Rain, Rejoicing in Heaven, and a Rainbow

2009-05-24T10:23:00.000-05:00

Ricardo helping Donna in the kitchen.
Playing "Snake Pit" at special activity.
Lenn and Jeffrey.

The girls' team in water balloon volleyball.

Chuy taking a ride in a box.

A pitaya (cactus fruit)...I told you it looks like an orange brain!

Cuddly little critter Roxina found outside.

Jackalyn. (This one is for you, Mom. Recognize that skirt?)

Janessa, Mari, and Magdaly in the rain.

Sunday, May 17, 2009.
I walked over to Vanessa's house this morning specifically to invite her family to church. But ten o'clock rolled around and they didn't come. I sat with Ana and kept an eye on Tita and Uriel since MariCruz was not there. I went to Mochiqui with the villagers and Martin and Alain. Alain told me he still knew all of the English he'd learned when he had been living at the orphanage. I didn't ask him to prove it. I spent my afternoon on the computer and talking with Janelle on the phone. Happy birthday, Janelle! Chispa, the Yoders' chihuahua (or part chihuahua...aka: yippy rat-like canine), started having her puppies and Donna stayed home from San Pedro to keep an eye on her. The rest of us had a hot, windy ride. Julian and Fransisca were very talkative and we stayed until almost dark.

Monday, May 18, 2009.

Monday was a day that nothing went particularly right or particularly wrong. I did language study in the morning and then took my practice sentences from my study over to Vanessa's house. They helped me correct the things I had wrong. I ate a greenish mango that made my teeth hurt. But I managed to avoid putting Huichol hot sauce on it, although they insisted that I try it. The blood in my veins is still from el otro lado (the other side) I guess. I read a book during my time off. I felt lazy, but it felt nice. We left for San Pedro in the heat of the day. I was covered in sweat when we reached the trench-riddled road of the village. Class was small. The wind blew great gusts of dust over us. When I got home, I washed my face three times before the grit disappeared. After dinner, I plopped down on my bed and was disgusted to see cat hair all over my sheets. Let's just say that I hate the cat even more than before. Give me a mouse or a cockroach any day. Janessa suddenly burst into the room to declare that it was raining outside. The big drops were heavy and cold...so refreshing. We stood in the rain with Magda and Mari, two of the neighbor girls, and bumped around the volleyball as thunder grumbled and lightning danced in the sky. I was cold enough to make myself a cup of coffee. Coffee and rain...two of my favorite smells in the whole world. Something else happened that night that I didn't find out about until the next day. Rosalina, one of the girls from the orphanage, asked Jesus to forgive her sins and to live in her heart. The angels greatly rejoiced in heaven...

Tuesday, May 19, 2009.

Our room still smelled like rain by morning. I made cookies and lunch and did my laundry (I wanted to wash the cat hair off of my sheets). In the afternoon, I worked on the invitations for the special activity on Saturday for the children that had memorized their verses. Rach and Rhonda came while I was still hard at work. Rhonda stayed for dinner. I felt like a German frau with my heaping plateful next to her tiny little salad. We had fun talking and talking. We moved outside eventually where it was much cooler. And then it began to rain again. Lenn stopped by to pick up Rhonda and I hopped into the van to give Rosalina, my new sister in Christ, a big hug. They're planning a baptism this Sunday before Rach leaves for the States. Pray for strength and wisdom for Rosalina; she's the first in her family to make this step. The electricity went out as I was cleaning my room. Outside, the air was cool, but the house was still muggy. The fan kicked back in around 11:00 p.m. and I slept good.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009.

I swept and mopped my floor. I had pretty much all day just to be lazy...and I took advantage of that. I spent time on the Internet and talking with my family. Then Rhonda came over and we walked uptown together. At both JLR and the dulceria, the cashiers talked to us in English. Rhonda was greatly comforted until I burst her bubble by telling her how rare the occurrences were. We walked up to the little ice cream parlor which is a Mexican version of Whit's End. The ice cream was delicious. When I withdrew money from the ATM, I turned around and saw the man behind me smiling at me hopefully; he probably was counting the bills in my hand. We had communion in the evening. The time together was refreshing. I felt like I could truly worship God through the Spanish songs. Afterwards, Rach and I went out for hot dogs and took them to the gazebo at the plaza. It stormed a little and rained a lot. Some other stragglers joined us under the protection of the roof. Rach and I were yacking away to each other when suddenly the newcomers began talking with us in English. After that, we felt a little nervous about continuing our conversation until they left. We bought [non-alcoholic] drinks on the way home and I drank my entire sugary Arizona fruit flavored drink before I went to bed.
Thursday, May 21, 2009.

Maybe that's why I was so tired this morning. I woke up deliciously cold and quickly took advantage of the situation to put on a sweatshirt and drink some hot chocolate. I worked on writing out verses, songs, etc all morning. By the time that we had lunch, I felt like falling asleep on my plate. I almost did, but I made it to my bedroom first. I slept my siesta time away and woke up as the Yoder family was leaving for San Pedro. Then I made desserts for fun night and wrote out more songs on posterboard. I walked to Vanessa's house to drop off her invitation for Saturday. It started to rain so I rushed home. Before long, the sun was out again as well as a huge rainbow. The colors were so beautiful and it reminded me that God always keeps His promises. I took a walk in the cool afternoon air and dropped by Marlen's house to chat. When I got home, the house was deathly quiet until the Yoders came home around 9:00 p.m.

Friday, May 22, 2009.
This morning it took all of my energy to pull myself out of bed. Dona Paula and Fermin from San Pedro stopped by during breakfast. I helped Donna in the morning with typing out verses and making the gift bags for the special activity. Marlen came by and stayed until after lunch. I walked uptown to buy a tortilla press and soon was surrounded by a big group of middle school girls. One of them remembered me; we met around Christmas, she said. So we re-made an acquaintance and her friend asked me for a peso to buy coke. I don't think she was too impressed when I laughed at her. After lunch I read my book and took a nap. When I got up, we left for Mochiqui. Maria and I had a nice visit with Ana and Rosa. Ana showed us many of her drawings; she is definitely an artist! At fun night, we celebrated (or mourned, depending on how you look at it) Rachel's leaving by eating her favorite dessert. After we cleaned up, we sat outside to watch the children play. I played tic-tac-toe in the sand with Leobardo. The evening was cool and peaceful.

Saturday, May 23, 2009.

Ricardo came very early to Saturday school. When he got his invitation to the afternoon's special activity, he was elated. He exclaimed dramatically: "Yo voy a ir! Ya dije todos mis versiculos!" (I'm going to go! I said all of my verses!). Then with rasping fake sobs he flung his arms around the person standing the closest to him. I cannot be around him with out laughing. Something about him makes laughter sort of bubble up and spill over. I talked with Ana for a long time after class. I made quesadillas for lunch and set out leftovers. I determined not to sleep during my time off as much as I wanted to. Instead, I read a little and then walked uptown to pick up a little gift for Ana. When I came back, I helped get things ready for the special activity. Ricardo came early and wandered through the front door after he got tired of watching us at the window. He insisted on helping Donna stir the tostada sauce and then tattled on me when I tried to sneak some chocolate out of the fridge. We finally left with a truck load of people and things. I helped with one of the games, but just had fun watching the children play. They got along pretty well for the most part which was a blessing. I gave Ana the gift and she almost got tears in her eyes. It was worth every peso! We came home and Aile and Marlen stayed for the evening and played games.

Tracts, K-Freezes, and Spankings

2009-05-17T08:08:00.007-05:00

Sunday, May 10, 2009.
Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers in the world! I wasn't with my mom today, but I made a cake for someone else's mom. The kids made Donna breakfast in bed as I mixed up a chocolate cake. Kyle came hopping into the kitchen to see what I was up to. I told him I would tell him what I was concocting if he could keep it a secret. Even as a 5-year-old, he recognized his weakness and blurted out, "Just TELL me!" I didn't, and he returned to the bedroom, bearing false reports that I was "making supper." I was in the midst of baking the cake when I noticed that we were out of gas. I think I have a strange body chemistry that makes gas vanish out of the tanks. Two times in four days! I was discouraged although Loren went almost immediately to get another tank. The cake, however, was not ruined and came out smelling ooey-gooey and delicious. Ana came to church and we sat together. The service was about madres (mothers). Loren called up different people to talk about their mothers. Ricardo came to church late. Then he sat in the front bench. I'm not sure why he sat up there, because he spent the entire service swiveling his head from side to side to make sure that he wasn't missing any action behind him. He waved his hand frantically when Loren asked questions, but he rarely knew the answer or said something really off the wall that told the rest of us that he hadn't been listening. Then he randomly reached back and yanked the tag off of his 'Lindolfo Reyes' T-shirt. After that, he had the tag in his mouth or was wrapping it around his finger as he watched the world around him. I love Ricardo; he's eccentric and adds a touch of humor to any situation. I was sitting behind him (which is why I can give a detailed account of his actions) and I kept laughing quietly at his tactics. After everyone left, we had lentil soup and chocolate cake. In the afternoon, I wrote a sappy e-mail to the best mother in the entire world. At the service in San Pedro, the service was a lot the same. Julian's mother applauded him after he gave his little speech. The wind in my face on the ride home made me very tired.

Monday, May 11, 2009.
I bought groceries and walked to Vanessa's house. At first, my visit felt like it was in vain; the family was distracted and not very friendly. But as I was preparing to leave they began to ask me questions about hell and salvation. I plunged in to explain the spiritual realm to them. The Holy Spirit was definitely with me, but I still came home to freshen up my spiritual vocabuarly a bit. In the afternoon, Rod and Christa came to pick us up for the San Pedro Kid's Club. We had a nice class; the children were well behaved. It may have been the heat; no one really has much energy to be naughty with this weather. After class, I talked with Fransisca and Gris. Fransisca informed me that if she had an available son, she would want him to marry me. The rest of the conversation ran along similarly humorous and ridiculous lines. We got back to eat Loren's cebiche and some pitayas that Rumaldo had dropped off earlier.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009.
I walked up to SuperChoix and ordered my usual 1/2 kilo of hamburger. The meat-guy gave me a smile of unconcealed mirth. I must be the only person in Choix who buys hamburger. I made bread, cookies, peach tapioca (Thanks, Mom! It turned out good!), and spaghetti. I now have a recipe to make bread FAST! It baked in 15 minutes when it was supposed to take 40-45 minutes. Never mind the crispy, black outside; it was the doughy inside that counted. Okay, it wasn't horrible, just discouraging. I tried to read in front of the fan during siesta time, but I fell asleep instead. We left to pass out tracts about 4:30 p.m. We rode through flying tar, stones, and dust on the way to Aguajito. As we pulled up to the side of the rode, Gris was just driving by in the car. She slowed up and rolled down her window. Then with a very confused look on her face, she surveyed our mighty number and asked, "Y eso?" (And this?). We all laughed as Loren explained. Passing out tracts when fast in both Aguajito and Colexio. We were standing around talking when we saw a boy ripping apart one of our tracts. We all stood and watched him perform this task. He noticed us and was embarrassed, but we didn't look away. I made a comment along the lines of "He should be embarrassed!" My head was pounding on the way home and I began to wonder what it would be like to get sick while trapped in the back of the truck with seventeen other people. When we got back, I couldn't eat much for dinner (that is a SURE sign that I was sick!). But I took a few ibuprofen and a shower and felt good enough to clean my room and sort my laundry.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009.
I woke up this morning realizing that I'd had enough sleep. That felt nice. I was up and at the plaza by 8:00 a.m. I started reading a very interesting book and finally dragged myself away by promising myself I'd stop for a K-Freeze before heading home. The ploy worked and I happily sipped my K-Freeze all of the way home. Kyle was intensely jealous and showed me all of his money. Together we figured out that he had enough money to buy K-Freezes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday...and a hamburger on Friday. He has a potentially blissful week coming up. He thought maybe he'd take my debit card to the bank and get even more money to buy even more K-Freezes. I quickly shot down that brainy idea. I did my laundry, ate lunch, and then talked with my family on the phone. It was so hot and my ear got all sweaty from the phone. After dinner was prayer meeting. After prayer meeting we took the Mochiqui villagers and some of the orphanage crew home (Lenn was in Mochis to pick up the new worker). We dropped off Ian and Jesse at the gate and then Loren stepped on the gas. I bent over backwards the bar in the truck. Jesse laughed at me as I cried out in pain. I was still rubbing my aching back when Loren slammed on the brakes and both Janessa and I flew to the front of the truck. But the ride got even more uncomfortable when Loren stopped to pick up three young men from Mochiqui and hauled them with us all of the way to Choix. The three guys plastered themselves against the back of the truck and we hugged the front after an obligatory "Buenas tardes" (Good afternoon). Janessa and I ran to Don Josecito's for milk and yogurt (in two separate trips, of course). I wanted to finish my book that evening, so I didn't think about going to bed until long after I should have.

Thursday, May 14, 2009.
Potato day at the orphanage. That should have been a clue to how my day would go. But it didn't even send off warning bells in my brain. The groceries were late which meant the potatoes weren't done on time which means a stressed Tricia...again. Thursdays are my thorn in the flesh right now. We ended up being only a few minutes late for lunch although everyone was sitting at the table waiting for us. The bright spot of my day was that I got to meet the new worker, Rhonda. Well, not exactly meet her since I knew her from before. I got to remake the acquaintance. The children were all excited over the new clothes that the social services gave them for children's day (social services came right before lunch, go figure). I iced the pumpkin whoopie pies and then exited the fray for some time off. In the afternoon, no visitors came so I spent my time talking with Rhonda and watching Chuy. Hearing Rhonda's questions made me remember my first week in Mexico. Debbie and I heated up leftovers for dinner and we ate. Then the boys passed out pitayas. We each got six of them! I helped start the clean up and then went outside to watch the kids play jumprope. The boys were showing off for Rhonda. Everytime they did something, they's look at her to make sure she was watching. It was hilarious. Again I had a tardy ride...that never came.

Friday, May 15, 2009.
I saw lots of people from Mochiqui as I biked out of town Friday morning. And yes, I actually rode my bike. I was walking it down the street when Rumaldo sped around me on his bike and said, "Subete!" (Climb on it!). Maybe it was pride that made me obey him just to prove that I could. When I got to the orphanage I started in with my work. The boys were still around, disrupting my piles of sorted laundry. Once things quieted down, I relaxed with the washing machines and read my book. It was a relaxing morning. I tried to remain optimistic as I clambored onto my bike under the scorching sun. And I was optimistic to a certain point. That point was when I was wearily cresting a hill. I glanced to my left and met the eyes of a jogger that was overtaking me. Startled, I swerved as he passed me. I would have fallen if I wouldn't have caught myself with my foot. He turned around and ran back to wherever he'd come from. As soon as he was out of earshot, I burst out laughing as I huffed and puffed the rest of the way into Choix. I chatted online with my two sisters, my mom, and Brianne. It was work to keep up with four different conversations! We left for Mochiqui and picked up Maria at the orphanage. In Mochiqui, Maria and I visited Ana as Donna made her own rounds. Two Jehova's Witnesses came by Ana's house. Afterwards, Ana began to ask me some spiritual questions. After trying to explain a few things, I resorted to having Maria translate for me. Then we walked up to MariCruz's to study with Carla and Tita. When we got home, I showered and then Rach and I walked up to the taqueria to meet the guys for our singles' night out. After tacos, we walked up to Oxxo to get ice cream. I saw my former little neighbor girl and talked with her for quite awhile. We finished our evening by eating ice cream under the air-conditioning at Yoders'.

Saturday, May 16, 2009.
I had two answered prayers on Saturday. One was that Salvador came to Saturday school. He only needed a little convincing before he came in and sat quietly. I was delighted by the way he listened to the Bible story. I sat between Rhonda and Ana. The afternoon was fairly relaxed. With Rhonda's help, lunch was simple. After lunch, Domingo and Miguel discovered a few of the buttons that make me tick. After their work, they went to wash up and came out of the bathroom with soap all over their faces and in their hair. I playfully tried to wipe it off of them, but they preferred to strut around and show off their ingenuity first. My second answered prayer came when I was grinding away at the peanuts to make peanut butter. Out of the blue, Rosalina began asking me questions about what it meant to be a Christian and baptized, etc. I was excited. Not only was it good for her to learn, but it was also good for me to practice my Spanish. I cleaned up after making the peanut butter and by then Chuy was awake from his nap. I took him outside to look at the cows before I went for my time off. I was back on duty just in time to heat up some beans and rice and feed Chuy before dinner. Diego and Miguel came in with pitayas for their personal desserts. I tried to talk them into giving one to Chuy. Miguel gave his to me. "Tengo tres mas" (I have three more) he consoled himself. I gave Chuy a taste of pitaya and after that he kept reaching for it and didn't want to finish his beans. The children were extremely traviersos (naughty) during dinner clean-up. I was worn out by the time that Domingo came in to sweep and mop. He whined and whined and then whined some more when I told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn't do a good enough job, he'd have to redo it. I tried teaching him how to say "I like to sweep the floor" in English. The I altered his favorite phrase ("I want a hundred cookies!") to "I want a hundred spankings!" He gave me a startled look that told me he knew exactly what I was trying to get him to say. Loren came to pick me up early. As I was leaving, the pile of boys by the porch bid me farewell by belching loudly. Such is life...

Flower Pots, Pitayas, and El Arroyo,

2009-05-10T16:24:00.000-05:00

Caleb, Kedric, and Kyle playing for Sunday morning worship.
Loren soaking his feet. He didn't like how rough they were getting. J/K. I think he had a sore or a blister or something.
Maria Inez holding a lizard she found in the kitchen.
Miguel cleaning up the icing bowl.
Uriel with an apple.

Rumaldo, Tita, MariCruz, Uriel, and Carla.

Sunday~I woke up early this morning, and inspiration hit me. BAM! And I was up and ready to go on a walk. Why not? I decided. The rest of my day looked pretty dreary with this whole swine flu thing. I would get out and enjoy the world before the mercury jumped out of the top of the thermometer. I took a long walk too. Most of the town was still sleeping and I was almost alone. Someone tried to get me to buy flower pots. I said, "No tengo dinero" (I don't have money). "Son baratos!" (They're cheap!). "No tengo NADA!" (I don't have ANYTHING!). I pointed out the fact that I didn't even have pockets to hold my money. "You don't need money!" was the next helpful suggestion in English. I didn't even slow down my pace, just marched right by all of the dazzling hand-painted five-gallon flower pots. I could only imagine trying to bring one of those back to Illinois on the plane. When I returned home, the Yoders and I had our own church service. The boys were in charge of singing. We sang a few English and a few Spanish songs to the guitar accompaniment. Even Kyle pretended to play his guitar...so cute! We had a guest speaker for our service. His name was Allen Roth and he talked to us about church planting via recorded seminar on the Internet. We laid around on the benches and the floor to listen. It was the laziest church service I have ever attended. Donna made meatballs and mashed potatoes for lunch. It was deliciously American. I spent the long afternoon working on e-mails and talking on the phone. In the evening we walked to Rod and Christa's house just to visit. It was nice to get out. I wonder what people thought when they saw the drawn-out string of us marching through basketball courts, a hole in the wall, over a creek, almost through someone's backyard, and down a horse trail all for the sake of taking the "shortcut." We spent the evening talking and looking at pictures. It was fun. The evening had still not cooled off when we got home...so I parked myself in front of a fan.

Monday~I made my normal Monday morning trek to Vanessa's house with my armload of groceries. They had visitors..some sort of relatives that the family didn't seem too excited about having around. Vanessa, Gabi, and I played memory on the kitchen floor. Apparently, the relatives were cussing because Vanessa's mother kept telling them to stop using bad words. One time she pointed out that I was an "hermana" (sister, as in a Christian). The cousin apologized to me. I was very innocent; I don't know any Spanish cuss words so I can't understand them. I spent a lot of my time there praying that Vanessa's family would see the black and white of good and evil. After my siesta time in the afternoon, I went for a very hot walk uptown to buy things for the baby bundles. I found everything I needed. When I returned, I ate an helado (kind of like a popsicle in a bag) as I put the bundles together. I was so sweaty and hot, but the helado helped to cool me down. I helped Donna make dinner and we ate when the other children came home from playing soccer at the orphanage. That night, I started cleaning out the refrigerator in my quest for inspiration of what to make for lunch on Tuesday.

Tuesday~"El Cinco de Mayo." I called Rod and got his baked fish recipe and then walked uptown to get the ingredients. I made cookies for the prison as well as the fish for lunch. The fish was very lemony...and delicious. I cleaned up from lunch and then took my siesta time. Donna was laying down when I got up and I wasn't sure what to do...so I finished cleaning out the refrigerator. That job is so rewarding! Plus, we got to eat chocolate pudding and corn muffins from things I found in the deep, dark depths of the unknown. Okay, it wasn't that bad...*sheepish grin*. After dinner, some scampered off to attend a memorial service of a man who had died of cancer, Brother Pablo. I stayed home.

Wednesday~I slept in...a little. Then I went to the plaza to hang out in the shade and read my book. It was surprisingly cool. The temperature continues to climb and the nights don't cool off like they used to. Just thinking about the afternoon makes me break out in a sweat. But for those precious moments at the plaza, I enjoyed the cool breeze wrapping itself around me and the palm trees. And the pigeons strutting under the park benches. And the owl hooting in the tree above me. And the gentle hum of traffic as people got back into their normal lives after the swine flu scare. I went back home and made Indian rice. Marlen tasted the rice and worked on not freaking out. She said something akin to this (in Spanish): "Give me water! Give me something sweet!" I also ate my very first pitaya (a cactus fruit). It looked like an orange brain and tasted similar to a kiwi with lots of little seeds. It was delicious. I talked on the phone with my Dad for quite awhile. I tried to take a nap, but even with the fan blowing on me, it was too hot. I ate cold cereal for supper which was refreshing. The church had prayer meeting and it was great to see everyone again. Janessa and I went along to Mochiqui to drop off the villagers. On the way out of town we crossed paths with MariCruz's husband, Rumaldo, on his bike. Planted between the two handle bars with his ears straight in the air was Rocky, Rumaldo's and MariCruz's dog. It was a hilarious sight. We had our Wednesday night smoothies when we got home.

Thursday~Lenn picked me up on the moto and off we went to the orphanage. Suzanne was such a darling and had the scalloped potatoes ready to go in the oven. Memories of my last attempt of scalloped potatoes had everyone a bit nervous. But we were determined not to let it happen again. I mixed up the bread and we had everything in the oven and ready for the oven long before lunch. We chuckled to ourselves about how easy everything was and why had we been worried at all??? But it was close to noon before I realized that the stove was out of gas and the four pans of potatoes and green beans in the oven were not baking! Suzanne tried to call one of the guys down, but unfortunately, their radios weren't turned on. So she ran up on the hill to their dorm. Meanwhile the bread rose to immensity as it waited its turn for the oven. Sadly to say, we post-poned lunch 1/2 hour and STILL had crunchy potatoes and green beans. I really hate that meal! But no one complained; who dared to complain when we had leftover peanut butter pie for dessert? I had my time off after lunch cleanup. Then I mixed up biscuits for dinner and tried not to trample on the dozens of children underfoot (I'm only exaggerating a TINY bit). Lenn had lots of different evening plans, so he brought me home right before dinner to save a trip. I ate bean burritos with the Yoders and got into a lengthy discussion about books before I settled down to read one.

Friday~I was very sweaty by the time I got to the orphanage on my bike. I started the laundry, hoping that the "hair-dryer" breeze (as Debbie calls it) would dry me off. Using well water means only two loads of laundry per washer-full. (We can't quite de-sensitize ourselves enough to let water drain after each load.) That means that the clothes look and smell much cleaner! Roxina was hyper and wanted to tickle me while I waited in between loads. I was glad when I could put her to work hanging out the clothes. I set back out for Choix after lunch. I made it almost the entire way home on my bike. It was hot, but I must admit that the ride is getting easier as I--dare I hope?--get just a little more in shape. We left for Mochiqui a little after 4:00 p.m. We visited Ana and her family. Afterwards we visited MariCruz and studied with Carla and Tita. Maria and I walked down to the arroyo (literally means stream, but in this case, is more like a watering hole) with the girls who wanted to "bathe." The whole incident was hilarious as Carla and Tita dipped buckets of water out of the concrete whole (trying to avoid the fish) and proceeded to dump the contents over their heads until they were sufficiently wet enough to soap up. They were wading in mud puddles when they were done rinsing off for the last time. I got dirty just from helping to dump the buckets of water. Others were down at the arroyo too. A drunk man joined us towards the end. When he saw the bucket of water I was going to carry back to the house, he nicely offered to help me. I nicely turned him down and flexed my arm muscles just to prove to him that I could do it...okay the last part isn't really true. We walked over to the orphanage and made it just in time to eat nachos and Texas sheet cake. The children started a lively game of prisoner's base which ended while Miguel, Diego, and Domingo were rolling in and tasting the dirt. I thought it was ridiculous enough just to get covered in the clouds of dust that were floating past... When we got home, there was a man laying on our front porch. All I could see were his feet and I freaked out as I imagined this faceless person laying in a pool of blood from a crime committed on our front porch. Fortunately, it was just a man sleeping the night away because he didn't have anywhere else to go.

Saturday~I finished my Cheerios for breakfast. That was a sad moment. Donna declared a moment of silence as I cradled my last Cheerio lovingly in my spoon. Lots of children came for Saturday school. I helped Ana study her verses after class. We had fun together. I went home with the orphanage crew after class. We had 39 people packed into the 15-passenger van and it was HOT! I was squatting on the floor with a little girl in my lap. Roxina who was practically laying across the console kept moving and squishing me against the passenger's seat. We made lunch and I fed Chuy and put him down for his nap. He was surprisingly well-behaved. Domingo tried to dodge dish duty by hiding in the tree, but Miguel came without being told. The girls played together nicely during the afternoon which made my job easy. But the day stretched on and on. I took Chuy outside after I woke him up and let him touch one of the cows. His face lit up as he touched the cool, wet nose. Diego practiced his English after dinner. It was funny to hear his accent. As evening fell, I kicked a soccer ball around with Chuy; he's a true Mexican child! I waited for my late ride which never did come. LOL. Lenn took me home a little before 9:00 p.m.

Answered Prayer, Swine's Flu, and Dirty Feet

2009-05-03T09:52:00.000-05:00

OLD and NEW pictures:

Domingo and his birthday cake (10 years old!).
Chuy on a seat he found in the playroom...Nutrileche milk boxes!
Ian, Johan, and Kedric using the wireless on the front porch...our Internet cafe.

Digging the well.

Lupita and with Alejito's 4-month "birthday" cake.

Sunday morning, I had another headache. But I felt much better than the week before. I got ready for church. I was sitting inside on a church bench, waiting for people to arrive when Janessa came rushing in, all excited. "Lupita is here with Alejito!" she told me. I was surprised...although Lupita (Vanessa's sister) had said she would come for the service (you just never really know when they are serious or want to pacify you). So I jumped up and greeted them in delight. Sitting with them during the service was an answer to prayer. Thank you to all who have been praying for that family...please continue to pray. After the service some of the girls fought over holding Alejito and exclaimed at how beautiful he was. Lupita felt proud, I think. After the service, I found that my headache was mysteriously gone, PTL. I went prayer-walking. It was good physical and spiritual exercise; I haven't had time to do it for quite awhile. When I got back I took a nap until it was time to leave for San Pedro. Rod had to drive a sick lady to El Fuerte and so 12-year-old Caleb led singing. Caleb, if you're reading this, you did a very good job. On the way back, Loren dropped me off at the orphanage to spend the night and all day Monday while Lenn, Debbie, and family had their day off in Los Mochis. Roxina was excited to see me and immediately wanted me to sit down and read a Bible story to her. My mind was tired and I had zero energy. The result was not good; I stumbled over nearly every word. Then we prayed together and I must insert proudly that I made it all of the way through a [short and sweet] prayer in Spanish.

Monday morning I was rudely awaken from blissful sleep. I can't say that I was surprised, just disappointed. Chuy threw a fit from 5:00-6:00 a.m. Nothing I did was good enough for him. Every time I thought he was settled and crept back to my bed, he would start up again. Finally I fell into a wary sleep until he decided he was done sleeping at 6:45 a.m. I smelled him before I even saw him. He had poop everywhere. I heated his bath water and tried to get ready for breakfast in my spare time. Breakfast was a quiet affair without the Millers. I started laundry, first soaking all of Chuy's clothes. Miguel walked up and looked in the bucket and exclaimed, "Asco!" (Gross!) and then retreated to the safety of the house. Laundry went fast without trouble. I even managed to get a lot of it folded before lunch. Chuy pooped his clothes again. During my time off, I tried to sleep, but Chuy was sleeping in the same room and the fear of hearing that screaming little voice kept me on the edge. Instead, I read my book. When he got up, I took him outside and fed him guamuchiles. The boys came down for soccer and some of the neighbor boys came over. Maria took over the Chuy-watch and I sat with Teo on the front porch and told him a story in Spanish. He tried to reciprocate by telling me a story in English, but switched to Spanish pretty quickly. Domingo told me that he had "siete mas dias" (seven more days) until his birthday and then was delighted when he found out that it was only "seis mas dias" (six more days). The Millers got home after dinner. Lenn and Regina took me home on the moto. I walked to my room to unpack and found chocolates and Cheetos on my pillow from the Millers as a thank you. Yippee!

Tuesday was a long day, but not a bad one. I made cookies and lunch. I only had to run to the store three times for the ingredients. Hmmm...I guess I have officially become a Mexican. Marlen came and hung out at our house for awhile. Johan came and sat on the front porch. Some ladies came, wanting to look at clothes to buy. Alma and her dad came; she stood at the window and talked with me for awhile. Loren came in to tell me about a man in Mochiqui who has just accepted the Lord. A lady from Mochiqui and all of her children came for water...water..."MAS AGUA, POR FAVOR!" (More water please!). I'm amazed at the amount of water they drink! We sat down to eat lunch without Loren or Donna. I ran into the kitchen to get the dessert and saw Salvador outside on his bike, waiting for water. I asked him: "Cuando vas a cortar tu pelo?" (When are you going to cut your hair?) Note: I think I ask him this almost every time I see him. He answered: "Cuando quieres" (When you want to). I was shocked. He told me to go get a scissors and I obeyed quickly, afraid that he would change his mind. He held out his long strand of hair and I whacked it off with a decisive snip. I called the others to come and admire my handiwork. Just then, Donna came home, and I asked if she noticed anything different about him. She exclaimed, "He cut his hair!" But I prize that stunned expression she gave me when I held up the scissors. "YOU cut his hair!" His long strip of hair in the front has been bugging me ever since I've met him, but no more...at least until he grows it back. I did up lunch dishes and then caught up with e-mails. I also wrote a letter home, assuring them that no, I have not caught the swine's flu. This week looks pretty boring...large groups of people are discouraged from meeting together which means doing practically nothing until May 6th. No tract distribution, no prayer meeting, no visiting the prison, no Children's Day celebration, no Saturday school, and maybe no church. I wrote some songs out on poster-board for the San Pedro Kid's Club. Then a helped a little with dinner then retreated to my room to sweep the floor and sort my laundry.

Wednesday morning, I woke up early. Donna teased me about getting up earlier on my days off than on a normal weekday. She's right, but I always make long lists for my days off. I was doing my laundry before 8:00 a.m. I worked on the computer most of the day...trying to get e-mails and a "homework" assignment from Ian finished. I had respites of Cheerios and chocolate and yogurt. I love days off. I called home and then went for a walk. On my walk, I met up with lots of people that I knew and/or wanted to talk. I got home just before sunset. We didn't have prayer meeting because of the swine flu virus which has yet to make its presence known in Choix, Sinaloa. The whole day was pretty uneventful and we were all feeling restless; it's like a snow day in Illinois.

Thursday we had Swedish pancakes to celebrate Kedric's birthday (which got lost in the shuffle in February). The pancakes are delicious; they melt in your mouth if they don't melt on your plate first. Loren took me to the orphanage. Rosalina broke her foot from falling out of a tree and had to go to El Fuerte with Lenn and Suzanne. I was in charge of laundry. All morning I oversaw the laundry and the dogs. The exciting news is that we're using water from our well as of Thursday! After lunch, I took my time off. Soon after I was back on-duty, the twins' family came although they weren't supposed to visit until Friday. Regina sat outside with them while I finished up the laundry and watched the beans on the stove. Their brother, Adrian, played ranchero-style guitar and was very good. Chuy pooped his pants twice in one hour. Fortunately for me, Suzanne was back...but was not impressed with her deviant charge. The twins were very affectionate today; I got several near-hit kisses to the mouth from Roxina and a big, slobbery smooch from Rosalina. The evening was beautiful. I sat outside with Chuy and watched the girls play a game and the boys play soccer with Lenn. After Lenn brought me home, Donna informed me that they had saved some shrimp for me. I was very excited. I haven't had shrimp since I came to Mexico!
Friday morning I didn't go to the orphanage since I did the laundry on Thursday and because they were celebrating Children's Day a day late. I went to Rod and Christa's house instead and cleaned house for Christa. It was fun to do something different and I went home, feeling relaxed. Julian, Fransisca, Jesus, and Nayely were at our house when I got there. The ladies ate lunch with us. When I got online during my time-off, I was shocked to see all of the news I'd missed by being away from the Internet for one day. It sorta made me nervous about how fast life can change. (FYI, I will not divulge all of that information publicly). We picked up Maria and went to Mochiqui in the evening. We visited at several different houses in Mochiqui. When we got back to the orphanage to pick up the kids from soccer, the soccer game was still in full-swing. When we got home, we showered and watched a movie together.

Saturday morning we didn't have Saturday school for the first time since I've been here. It was really strange. Loren dropped me off at the orphanage. I made Domingo's birthday cake to celebrate his 10th birthday (and first birthday that he can remember). Then I did the charming chores of cleaning the bathroom and keeping an eye on Chuy. I was very relaxed all morning; Rach had everything under control and I just glided along in her wake, having fun with the children. When the boys came down for lunch, we were ready for them. Domingo acted embarrassed that he was the center of attention, but he loved it. After I'd asked them to do dishes, Miguel and Domingo were disobedient and left the house, saying, "Ahorita venimos" (We're coming back really soon). I little bit later I saw them out playing American football on the soccer field. The incident launched a discussion about discipline with Lenn, Debbie, Johan, and I. Debbie stuck up for me against Johan while Lenn laughed at us and inserted an occasional humorous comments. But Lenn applauded me when I went to retrieve the two deviant boys. While they worked, Rosalina, Miguel, and Domingo were simultaneously singing three different songs. Miguel kept putting his foot on the table while he was drying dishes. Johan and I both got after him for that one, and he dutifully wiped off the table with his drying towel. That was even worse. I wiped off the table with a dishcloth and asked him where his foot was so I could wipe that spot extra-good. He showed me where his foot had been...pointing it out with his foot. I tried to explain to him how dirty and gross his feet were, but his mind had already moved on to other things. About that time, Diego marched in the front door with plastic bags tucked in the shoulders of his T-shirt. He looked like a football player (a short and skinny one). I think this new football craze is due to the fact that the children watched "Facing the Giants" on Friday. The twins spent the afternoon singing different songs in loud, ranchero-style voices. Other than that, my afternoon was pretty uneventful and relaxing...except that Chuy woke up from his nap, screaming bloody murder. Rach calmed him down and then I took him outside to look at the neighbor's cows. I'm taught him "Que dice la vaca?" "Muuuu!" (What does the cow say? Moooo!). He doesn't quite get the "M' out right and it sounds more like: "Oooooo!" I took my time off and relaxed. When I got up I fed Chuy mashed potatoes and then we ate and I helped with dinner clean-up. After Lenn brought me home, I showered and had good intentions of falling asleep...except I really wasn't tired. Janessa and I talked and talked until much later than my intended bedtime. But it was fun.

Headaches, Flying Salsa, and WATER!!!

2009-04-25T21:21:00.000-05:00

Sunday, April 19, 2009. 10:34 a.m.
I'm sick. I hate being sick. Last night my headache was pounding as I tried to sleep and it wasn't better by this morning. I got up, thinking I would throw up, but I haven't...yet. What a lovely way to start the week. Now I'm laying in bed with a bucket beside me wishing that I could join the service outside of my bedroom door. I've never missed a service since I've come to Mexico...until today.

Sunday, April 19, 2009. 2:41 p.m.
I think I'm better. I stayed in my room until everyone was gone, but then I went out to help with lunch. And I ate with the Yoders. I tried to work on some e-mails in my room, but I was tired of the same four walls and walked up to the plaza instead. But it's so hot that I won't stay here long; it's gotta be over 100*.

Sunday, April 19, 2009. 9:50 p.m.
I'm back from San Pedro. I enjoyed the service in the afternoon and getting home in the dark. One of the ladies we picked up in El Tepejuaje spoke perfect English. Strange the people you meet out here in the boonies of Choix. Joe, the man that is here to dig the well, entertained us on the way home with stories from his interesting life. We had a late dinner and then I fell onto my bed, completely exhausted.

Monday, April 20, 2009. 8:32 p.m.
Today is Grandma Kennell's birthday. This morning we had a very late breakfast. I went to the store to pick up some groceries and then over to Vanessa's house to visit her family. I had a good visit with them today. They seemed more concerned with spiritual things than ever before. Or maybe it's just that my language is getting good enough that I can finally understand their questions. God definitely is giving me grace with the language when I talk with them. Lupita might come over tomorrow to make a cake with me. I'm glad that our relationship is getting stronger. I came home and made a cake and then ate taco salad with the Yoder family and Reina, the cleaning lady. I called Grandma this afternoon and had a good chat with her. We went to San Pedro to try to entertain a pile of energetic children for Kid's Club. I did my best to keep my table quiet. When we got home, we ate cebiche and then I hung out in my room and am currently waiting for the shower and looking at pictures from home. It's making me even more homesick.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009. 9:37 p.m.
Today I hit the ground running. I made out my grocery list and went uptown and downtown. When I stopped at SuperChoix, they smiled at me knowingly as I politely asked for "un medio kilo de carne molida" (1/2 kilo of hamburger). They recognize me enough to know that I never visit their store without getting hamburger. At JLR, the cashier told me my bill was "forty-four" in perfect English. Yet, he got all flustered and bumbled about when I asked him if he knew English. Apparently he doesn't. When I got home, I made cookies for the prison, lasagna, garden salad, and pumpkin dessert. The whipped cream stubbornly refused to set up, but I slopped it on anyway. During my time off I mainly laid on my bed and listened to music. At 4:00 p.m. Lupita (Vanessa's sister) came over to make a cake. The cake turned out nicely and she decorated it for Alejito's 4-month "birthday." Fransisca stopped by while we were making the cake and wanted to make one too. She didn't then...but only because Julian was coming at any time to pick her up. When Lupita left, I walked uptown to Kedric's game. While I was talking with Donna and Janessa, some little boys from Kedric's team came over and sat beside us. They just stared at us like they'd never heard English before. Before we left, some kid threw a salsa bag. It was an amazing shot because it first hit Donna in the head and then me in the head and finally splattered in my lap. The coach made the boy come over and apologize. The whole thing was entirely random and makes me laugh as I'm writing about it. Mario from San Pedro was in town and hung out at our house and ate dinner with us. Before sunset, Janessa gleefully informed me that the temperature was currently 105* F. And then she added the punch: "And it's only APRIL!" Well, I had a cold shower and it felt wonderful. Now I'm ready for bed. Good night.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009. 8:39 p.m.
My day off. I got up early and wrote lots of e-mails. Then I walked up to the post office. Diego, the post office man didn't even try to talk much; he's very busy. At home, I typed and did my laundry. After awhile I walked up to the vet's office to buy an ice cream cone. Yum...I haven't had soft serve ice cream since I've been here. I slobbered on it for the walk home. I had to lick fast; the hot noon sun was melting my treat. I made some phone calls and while I was talking to Dad, I brought in and folded my laundry. While I was talking to Bradley, I swept my floor and cleaned out under my bed. While I was talking with Mom, I mopped the floor. While I was talking with Janelle, I cleaned off and wiped down my shelves. I was a very good multi-tasker today. When dinner was ready, I made myself a toasted cheese sandwich. Then we had prayer meeting. I sat between a very bad Bella and a very bad Carla. After the meeting, I went to Mochiqui with the girls (and Jesse, who didn't want to ride a pink bike all of the way home). When we got back, we decided to make smoothies. Janessa and I went to the store [twice] to get the ingredients. After our smoothies, we walked up to Loren's basketball game where I am currently sitting on the concrete bleachers. No flying salsa bags this time....at least YET. It's very hot and the players are sweating profusely; I'm glad I don't have to wash their clothes. Well, my day isn't over yet, but goodnight!

Thursday, April 23, 2009. 8:50 p.m.
ENCONTRARON AGUA!!! (They found water!!!) And at only 57 feet. What a HUGE blessing! But that was later on; let me rewind to earlier in the morning. Loren dropped me off at the orphanage. The children were already hard at work, peeling potatoes. Miguel was even helping. I told him that one day he should help make lunch. He seemed excited at the prospect of making bread. The girls were extremely helpful, but I still had the last minute rush before lunch. We had mashed potatoes with hotdog gravy which was much better than it sounds. I was skeptical at first, but now I'm a believer. I made thumbprint cookies; the kids kept drooling over them as I was making them. Debbie came in to tell me that the men found water where they are digging the well. PTL. I oversaw lunch clean-up. Miguel and Diego hid as usual. Johan told me that they hide from me because I LET them hide from me. "Give them bad points!" I took my time off and spent my time laying on Rosalina's bunk, staring up at the bottom of Maria's mattress. In the afternoon, I went up to watch the well process. It was a fascinating process and I asked a lot of questions, undoubtedly annoying the workers. The children had lots of visitors and in between supervising the visits and heating up leftovers for dinner, my afternoon was used up. We got to eat tamales for dinner; Fernando and MariChuy's grandma was one of the visitors and came bustling through the gate with an armload of tamales. After clean-up, I talked with Rach as she relaxed for her day off. I caught a ride home with Rod, and that's where I am right now...home.

Friday, April 24, 2009. 10:46 p.m.
I started out on bike this morning...well, walking my bike at least. When I got to the orphanage, I started the laundry. I didn't do much sitting and relaxing in between loads; the girls joined me when they were free from their jobs. Rosalina insisted on reading to me from the "Antorcha" magazine. It was hard to understand Spanish syllable by syllable. Roxina came with an "I Spy" book. She wanted me to translate the hidden things, but she gave up after I tried to describe a windmill. I love those girls so much. Roxina helped me fold the laundry and we had a good little chat. She made my day by telling me that, yes, I have an accent in Spanish, but it's not a bad accent. After lunch I biked back into town and used Internet time until we left for Mochiqui. MariCruz was at the creek washing clothes and we joined her. Sitting beside the water was much cooler than walking along the dusty road. But eventually, Maria and I carried clothes up to the house and studied with Carla and Tita. While Maria entertained them with a card game (a good alternative to throwing rocks), I hung out the dripping laundry. We then walked to the orphanage and then caught a ride back into town. Loren ran some errands in town. We passed the time by looking for aluminum soda cans. The singles got together in the evening. The kids were all upstairs watching a movie so we played a card game called "Snitch." It was interesting to see the different personalities coming out during the game. Lenn brought me home and now I'm writing a few words before I drift into oblivion.

Saturday, April 25, 2009. 9:43 p.m.
We got up late as has become the norm for Saturdays. However, this morning was REALLY late. I discouraged myself by taking a Spanish test online and finding out that I really don't know much about Spanish verbs. At Saturday school, Santos sat at my table. He was extremely pesty, but I didn't feel like moving to another table. I didn't go to help at the orphanage today. Therefore, Janessa and I walked up to the store and bought a variety of fruits and vegetables. That's what we had for lunch....and it was delicious. We chopped mango, pineapple, watermelon, plum, cantaloupe, pear, cucumbers, carrots, and broccoli. After all of that, I took my time off. After time off I walked up and visited my [former] landlady. We had a good little chat before I went to visit Vanessa's family. I didn't stay long, but came back to help with miscellaneous jobs until dinner. Marlen and Janessa had made delicious pizza and Marlen and I had made smoothies to go along with it. The food was really good today now that I think about it... Now I'm sorta being lazy and sorta waiting for the shower.