Fire

Just a while ago I was sitting here at the computer and heard sirens entering our neighborhood.  I could tell that they were really close behind our house, and went out to see what happened.  In the next condominium complex over there was a house on fire.  That particular house in the complex is at the very back, and there is no place for a vehicle to come within probably 30 feet of the house.  So the firemen went in with neighbors' garden hoses and buckets... they didn't even turn on the fire hose.  Some neighbors from our condominium complex told the firemen that they could get the truck right up next to the burning house.  One fireman asked to use my neighbors' ladder to climb the fence into the patio of the burning house.  I was there more than 5 minutes watching the house burn and the firemen try to figure out what to do.  They finally brought the truck around to our complex and put the fire completely out... after having to break windows and have A LOT of the family's stuff burnt.

This really takes away a lot of faith in the fire department for me...

One thing you have to understand about house fires in Mexico is that the houses are built out of concrete blocks, rebar, and plaster, so at least the house structure withstands most fires.  But I imagine that the family's furniture and most everything in their home is ruined...

Everyone got out of the house fine...  A small boy found a lighter in the house and went to go play in the closet.  With the lighter.  You can probably imagine that the clothes caught on fire, then the closet doors, etc.  The dad tried to put the fire out himself but it got too far out of hand and they called the fire department.  I feel so bad for the family because it took about half and hour for the fire to be properly put out!  And, most people who live in these condominiums don't exactly have a lot of extra money lying around in case of emergency, so who knows how they'll put their house back together.  JP and I are going over there now to see if we can help them...  donate bedding, clothes, etc...  Please pray for the family with the burnt house.  We also want to use this opportunity to share Christ's love with them.

Graduation Time!

JP has his graduation and graduation party last week!  We went out to dinner after the graduation with a bunch of friends who'd been with us through all the joys and challenges of school.  Then saturday was the party with JP's school friends!  It was a blast!

Classmates before the graduation ceremony

Us

With Luis and Sandy

JP's dad

The guys in JP's class at the graduation party!

Cesar, Bruno, Fede, Chava, JP, Pacheco

JP, Chava, Elena, Cesar, and Pacheco enjoying the food

Bruno, who spent lots of time in our house over the past few years



Enter the Matrix!

Last week we started a series in Infusion young adults's group called "Enter the Matrix."  It's about living for Christ and not being consumed by the world.  Like John 17:15 - "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."  We are to to live in the world.  But we are to live for Christ!  To be an example of HIM to the world that needs Him! 

So on Saturday night, we talked about what we're investing our time in...  School, a good job, a family, owning your own home, etc.  These are all GOOD things, but they shouldn't be THE things that we're living for.  Our number one focus should be Jesus.  We do (some of!) the things that the world says we need to do, but while we're at it, remember that God has put us here to: KNOW Him, GLORIFY Him, to BE LIKE Him, and to TELL others about Him!

Girls at Infusion: (back) Karen, Pam, Ari, Brisa, (front) Carmelita, Alma, Cinthya

We'll continue "Enter the Matrix" for three more sessions! 

 Jean Paul, Ruben, and Dany

Last week we went out to tacos after Infusion!

On February 12th we're doing a service project for an older woman at Horizonte who lives in a metal taco stand.  We'll be fixing the roof and sides of the stand so water doesn't come in when it rains (two of our young guys can weld), water-proofing the areas where the metal siding is hooked together, and painting the whole stand.  Catita, the woman who lives in the stand, sells candy from her taco stand as her source of income.  We hope to raise enough money to: fix up the stand, bring lunch for the young people who go to work and Catita, and buy lots of candies for her to sell, as well as some pretty containers to display them in.  So far we have 4 paint brushes, the caulking needes for the cracks on the outside of the stand, and two large bags for assorted candies.  Some of Catita's friends from the church are donating a little money to help, and we're going to have a car wash to raise the rest! 

The Example of Daughters

Several months ago, I wrote about Pam and Karen, and their baptism here at Horizonte Church. 
Well, I've been discipling Pam since them (in August), and that has been going well...  She is enthusiastic about learing more about the Bible, and deepening her relationship with the Lord.  Karen works in the mornings and goes to school at night, so I haven't been meeting with her, but Pam shares what we learn together with Karen in their house! 

Pam and Karen's parents were not Christians when I last wrote about this family.  The end of 2010 was an incredibly difficult time for this family - several difficult situations arose, and the dad was getting almost hostile toward people who told him about Christ.  The mom started coming to church in December with Pam and Karen.  One day after church, she asked me to pray with her and her daughters for a difficult family situation.  Pam said she was shocked that her mom asked for prayer!  But that was the beginning of a change in the mom.  She accepted Christ!

A few weeks later, the dad was about at the end of his rope.  He found himself alone and desperate for help.  His siblings have been Christians for years, so he knew of the Message of Salvation.  He knew that he just needed to accept forgiveness from Christ and he would be saved.  So, alone one night, the dad accepted Christ too! 

Now the whole family comes to church on Sundays and you can just see their desire to learn more about Christ!  The parents are kind of shy, but we're introducing them to other couples their age - like Arturo and Fabiola, who have daughters the same age as Pam and Karen and live in the same neighborhood - and are inviting them to a married couples' event on February 12th.  It's really been amazing to see how God is changing this family!

My time with Pam has been great too!  She has so many questions about the Bible - most of which we look up together - and I've been encouraged to study the Bible a LOT more because I realize that I don't know how to answer some of the things she asks!  We have been learing some Bible verses together too, and Pam has her family practice them with her.  They all know John 3:16 now!  :)

Carmelita (friend from church), Karen, and Pam at tacos with the youth group!

I'm SO thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the change that the Lord has brought to this family, and see how GOOD He is!

La Rosca de Reyes

First of all, if you haven't seen the pictures of our New Year's in Mexico City, see post below!

We have another Christmas time holiday here in Mexico that isn't commonly celebrated in other countries (well, maybe Latin America, I'm not sure!)  It's "Wise Men Day."  This is the day where we commemerate the wise men bringing Jesus gifts.  Like Christmas, this day has turned into a gift-buying night-mare, in which the real significance of the day gets totally lost.  But, on January 5th, kids get a helium-filled balloon and attach a piece of paper denoting the present that they want.  Supposedly, the wise men come that night and bring them the gift.  On January 6th, kids wake up and lo and behold, the gift they asked for! 

Since this is a day for kids, adults don't get presents.  We get "Rosca de Reyes" bread. 

This bread is special.  Apart from having candied fruit, figs, and walnuts on top, it carries surprises in it too.  Each rosca contains a little white plastic doll (like a plastic army-man, just it's in the form of a baby) baked inside.  Depending on the size of the rosca, there may be multiples.  And there's a catch to the dolls.  Each person cuts their own slice of rosca.  And if they uncover a doll, or there's a doll hidden in their slice, they must buy tamales for everyone present on February 2.  I guess that's why there's more dolls for a bigger rosca - so tamales for 20 people can be bought between 5 or 6 people.  I ALWAYS get a doll.  Every year.  Last night, JP and I went to a prayer meeting for Horizonte Church leaders.  Being January 6th, we cut a rosca.  JP got a doll.  We foung 5 dolls in total, and there was a lot of rosca left.  I took a slice home, thankful that I didn't owe tamales in February!  And, as I was eating the bread at home, I bit the doll!  But we'll just say it didn't count because I wasn't with the others who cut the rosca when I found it...  :)

Just a little interesting piece of Mexican culture for you!

New Year's in Mexico City!

Jean Paul and I went to Mexico City last week to spend New Year's with his dad (Vic)!  We'd gone to visit before, but always just for Saturday and Sunday.  This time we went December 30 - January 3, almost a week!  It was a relaxing time, and we were also able to be tourists for a while, as well as spend New Year's Eve with Vic's family!

First stop was the Chapultapec Zoo!

I love giraffes!

JP and Vic at the Zoo

New Year's Eve at Grandma Conchita's house!

There were probably about 30 people in total - aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousin's kids (JP and I are the youngest of the cousins)  Most of the relatives were people we'd never met before, or who JP hadn't seen since he was 5!

Here's JP with Aunt Mari (in purple), Uncle Lorenzo (the older gentleman), three cousins and two kids!  We'd met Mari and Loren before, but this was the first time meeting the cousins!

It was great to be considered part of the family even though most relatives hadn't seen JP for almost 25 years!  The little kids even called us Uncle Paul and Aunt Jessi! 

 Here's us with Vic and Grandma!

We rung in the new year in the traditional way - counting down to midnight, then eating a green grape for each of the 12 clock chimes, and singing the National Anthem after.  Jean Paul and cousin Carlos did a piñata for the kids... a piñata filled with manderin oranges, caña (sugar cane?), and jicama!  Now THAT is traditional!

On New Year's Day we headed to a part of Mexico City called Coyoacan.  It's almost like a small town fit into the big City!  But it was PACKED on January 1st - not much is open on New Year's and everyone gets bored, so going to Coyoacan is apparently quite the thing to do!

We ate our very favorite fried quesadillas in the food market!  Uncooked tortillas are filled with cheese and your choice of: shredded chicken, mushrooms, sausage, shredded beef, mashed potatoes, chile poblano, ground beef, or any variety of other foods, including three that are very strange for people in the United States - cooked cactus leaf, the orange flower the grows on the end of zucchini, and CORN SMUT.  Yes, you read correctly - corn smut - the fungus that grows between the husk and the corn on the cob!.  It's actually really good!  Then the uncooked tortilla with it's filling goes into the oil to cook to perfection!  Top it off with hot salsa and a fruit punch pop, and it's EXCELLENT!

Here's JP and Vic at the food market!

And in one of the four HUGE malls that we went to, we found something that's not quite so unusual for people in the States but IS for us:

A Dairy Queen Blizzard!  YUM!

We had a great time in Mexico City, and hope to be going back more frequently, even if just for a weekend, to visit!

Navidad in Queretaro

Christmas time is always fun in Queretaro!  Since we have few family members living in Queretaro, and they were out of town this year, JP and I celebrate just the two of us, but by going to the Centro for the Bible-story-float-parade and the yummy food-booths!

This year we ran into Gaby and her dad!  I lived with Gaby and her teenage kids for my first two years in Queretaro!

Christmas dinner for us consisted of lots of street booth goodies!  This was the first time we'd seen pronto pups - JP LOVES them!!

And my favorite bread EVER - Pan de Acambaro!  It's very soft sweet bread with a few nuts in it, and the ovens are right there under the tarps on the street, so we get it fresh and hot from the oven!

We had a pretty laid back Christmas - the parade, sleeping late, watching movies etc.  It was good!

The Teen Mission Trip

First of all, it's Christmas Eve, so... FELIZ NAVIDAD from JP and Jessi in Mexico!!!

Ok, so lots of us in my generation, the 35 and under crowd, have had the opportunity to go on a youth group mission trip.  They were school mission trips in my case, as I went to a Christian high school. 
Beginning in January, certainly many youth groups will start planning thie trips to: the Mexican bodrer (for youth groups on a limited income), the jungles of South America, China, or the ever awaited Africa trip.  So, to prepare the youth leaders for these trips, I've come up with a list of certain things to look out for that happen on virtually every teen mission trip.  (This list is made with a hint of sarcasm, just so you know!  However, I've experiences lots of these on the trips I took as a young person!)

1.  Knowing for sure that God has called you to live forever in the country you visited.  You fight with the team leader while getting on the plane/bus, determined that you won't be going home because God called you to stay.  Right now.  Despite the fact that you are 16 years old and your parents are counting on your poor leader to bring you home in one piece.

On a mission trip you get to see cool things in foreign countries that you'd only ever seen in history class before!  Like what's underneath downtown Mexico City:

And famous indigenous pyramids!

2.  Meeing "That Hot Latino Guy."  The cutest guy in your mission trip location gives you a hug on your last night in the country as you're crying because you don't want to go home.  He automatically becomes a very special person in your life.  When you get home, you refer to him as "My (Mexican/Guatemalan/Argentine, or wherever you went) Boyfriend."  Did I mention that you probably can't even pronounce his name correctly?  The "my latino boyfriend" thing lasts until 6 months later when you receive pictures of his wedding to his pastor's daughter in your email.

3.  Falling in love with someone from your mission team.  Everyone is out of their comfort zone and feeling like they need some sort of constant in their lives... so why not hook up with one of the other team members?  You can dream about getting married and immediately coming back to the country you're visiting to live forever in the orphanage, considering all of the 150 kids to be yours. 

4.  Bathroom stories.  At least one person gets violently ill on the trip.  Could be throwing up, explosive diarreah, etc.  Everyone whispers about now knowing what actually happens if you drink the water.  And once the person gets better, everyone starts fessing up to their own diarreah experiences, making for an evening team meeting full of exciting poop-stories!

5. Either being shocked that there's actually Facebook in: Brazil, El Salvador, Kenya, China, etc. OR wondering how someone can actually LIVE without an iPhone.  Mission trip teens generally fall into one of those two categories.  They either figure that no one in their new country has any idea what a computer or cell phone is, OR they don't understand how the people can NOT be connected to Facebook and Twitter all day via their hi-tech mobile device.
On a mission trip you get to do things that you'd never done before!  Like hold a snake around your neck:

Or paddle in a hand-made canoe in the Amazon rainforest!

6.  You're automatically an expert in the local language upon returning to the States.  You learned a few greetings in: Swahili, Thai, Portuguese, or whatever language is spoken where you went on your 10-day mission trip.  Immediately you put said language on your Facebook page under the "languages I speak" section.  Even though if you heard that language being spoken, you probably wouldn't even recognize it...

7.  You refuse to live like a gringo when you go back to the States.  You shower with cold water.  Quit using the dishwasher.  Hang your clothes outside to dry.  Hand-wash your clothes.  Eat beans and rice for every meal (canned refried beans, and Minute Rice, because you have no idea how to make either from scratch).  Complain about how you can't find a good mango or pineapple in the States.  This all lasts about 2 weeks, until the weather starts getting cold; you get sick from freezing-cold showeres; it takes 3 days for your clothes to dry, etc.

Ahh, teen mission trips.  They can change a person's life forever.  Or for the two weeks that it takes them to realize that they're still in high school, in the United States, and things are probably going to go better for them if they live like a normal US high school student. 

Mission team to Honduras in 2003:

Did I ever fall into any of these catagories during/after a mission trip as a young person?  Haha, YES!  Especially #7!  My mom can vouch for me eating weird things, refusing to use the dishwasher, hanging clothes out to dry, etc.  (Never did the cold shower thing though - the tap water in Oregon is ALWAYS FREEZING!) 

It's interesting to see these things happen to teens coming to Mexico for a mission trip!  By the way, "Mexico Mission Trips" are now kind of lame...  Who wants to go to Mexico when you could go to the Amazon rain forest or Thailand or Rwanda (which you have no idea where it even IS on a map!)  As a missionary, I sometimes have mixed feelings about teen mission trips - do they really do any good for either the gringos or the people of the country being visited?  But, I think they're ok.  I probably wouldn't be a missionary today if I hadn't gone to El Salvador a few times as a college student.  (And Mexico a couple times in high school, where I swore I would NEVER live in Mexico!  See, God has a funny sense of humor!  Now I don't want to NOT live in Mexico!)

I wouldn't know these awesome people, and consider them my family, had I not gone on a mission trip! 

So I suppose that in most cases there's more benefit from teen mission trips than there is harm done!  The people in the country visited generally get some help with: having a house/church/camp built, or exposing kids to the Bible; and the gringos generally get a small glimpse of a culture that is different than their own, they see how other people live, and experience the joy of giving.  :)

Tacos With Friends

In December calories don't count, right? 

Jean Paul and I have this taco place, El Corral del Taco, that we just LOVE.  And we've been going there a LOT in the past few weeks, with different friends everytime.  We've been going to this place since I lived with Luis and Sandy before JP and I got married (because it's not far from their house, which means that it's not close to ours!)  We kind of know the owner now. 

We went to El Corral del Taco for Karen's birthday:

Just JP and the girls...  myself included!  haha!  (COLD december weather in Queretaro!)

And we went this week with Ramses, who hadn't yet had the Corral experience.  The owner gave us a big plate of "burnt cheese" for free!  Sounds like a booby-prize, but it's the cheese that's left on the griddle after the cheezy taco has been taken off...  SO GOOD!

We love our friends!  And Corral tacos too!

Thanksgiving... Mexican Style!

We celebrated a fun Thanksgiving this year at our house with several friends.

Here's me preparing the pumpkin pie the night before with my trusty milkshake blender.  I'm creative, I don't need a mixer!  :)

Justin and Lluvia showing off some of the food!

We had chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, salad, and deviled eggs, with pumpkin pie for dessert!

Our guests - Justin, Lluvia, Jean Paul, Noe, Job, Anne, and I'm taking the picture

We had a good time eating, talking, eating, laughing, eating... 

And here's my favorite part of the meal...  I was making the pie and remebered that I never asked to borrow a pie pan from anyone.  So I chose the next best thing.  And it IS a PIE, not pumpkin bars, and it turned out GREAT!

We like Thanksgiving!!