Going Out to Lunch...

When I was in college and debating on changing my major, I went through the typical self-questioning of trying to figure out what kind of career I was most interested in. At one point of feeling especially frustrated at attempting to discern my elusive "ideal job," I remember remarking to my mom, "I just want to go out to lunch with people and talk to them about their lives!" My mom shared this comment with my youth pastor who replied simply and matter of factly, "Oh, she just wants to be in ministry."

So, here I am seven years or so later, living as a missionary in Fresnillo, Mexico...As I talked to my mom on the phone today and told her about some of the things I had done yesterday, she pointed out that I was doing exactly what I'd always wanted to: "going out to lunch with people, talking to them about their lives, and listening to their problems"--I just had to do it in Spanish! (I added to this that I was also doing it over tacos or gorditas instead of over Hopkins' or Zoe's.) As I reflected on this, I realized that this really is true and how grateful I am to have the privilege of investing in people's lives like this. "Going out to lunch with people and talking to them about their lives" will always be one of my favorite things to do because it's part of the core of who God made me. I'm thankful for all the "coffee dates" when I was teaching elementary school full-time (it's hard to get deep at lunch when you only have 25 minutes and are being interrupted by children needing you to help them with their ketchup packets), and I'll be grateful for however the Lord provides for this desire in the future. Today, however, I'm very content to be here in Fresnillo...spending time with people, listening, sharing, counseling, encouraging, praying, crying, and laughing with them over "picadillo" or "desebrada."

Thankful

This week I am especially thankful for...

• hugs
• fall
• hot chai tea in the AMs
• adorable little kids
• finishing two huge tasks I'd been working on for the last month or more
• Emergen-C
• running
• answered prayers
• the fact that it's still warm inside our house even though the weather is getting chilly outside
• meaningful conversations
• the community of faith

September Celebrations

It's hard to believe that October is already here. As usual, the fall seems to fly by. September was a busy month. Club, team meetings, planning for and teaching ÉXITO, computer & administrative work, visiting with families and Club kids, CFCI correspondence, prayer times, Torta, and much more quickly filled each ministry/work hour and more. However, we also found time to do a lot of celebrating in September...

Claudia's quinceañera--the whole family before the church service and party that would follow

Maye's boys toasting in Mexican Independence Day with their Coca-Cola... great "Independence Day Eve" celebration with their family including pozole and watching the fireworks from outside their house

The parade on Sept. 16, celebrating 200 years of Mexican Independence

Mini-party at Yohana's for Uriel's 14th birthday

Kevin definitely enjoyed it!

Fun day trip to Aguas w/ the CFCI team girls to celebrate Elizabeth's birthday

More birthday celebrating with our dear friends and neighbors, Sergio, Faby, and Jonathan

Pongo

Elizabeth and I "had" a dog for about a week in August. There was a dalmatian that used to always come in to our carport/parking area even when the gate was locked. He was so skinny he could squeeze through the holes in the gate. Being dog people, it didn't take us very long to get attached to him even though he was quite dirty and probably had some diseases. I named him Pongo because he had black ears just like the dog in 101 Dalmatians, and we started giving him water and scraps of food each day. Because we live in CFCI housing and pets are not allowed, we could not officially adopt him or let him come inside the house, but we did cheerfully talk about taking him to the vet one day, maybe how we should buy some dog food, and how we could take care of him, giving him a comfortable home outside. We thought it would be good for us, too--he could protect us and our home, not to mention be a friendly face to come home to each day.

Then, one day all of a sudden, he was gone. At first, we thought maybe he was just wandering around the neighborhood for awhile and would come back soon. After several days went by though, we realized Pongo was gone. Elizabeth and our neighbor Flavio think he was poisoned by someone (People sometimes do that here--it is so cruel and horrible!) because the night before he went missing, he had been howling and whining all night long. Our neighbor Alexa and I have a different theory, though. We think that maybe his real owners found him (after the night of howling) and are now keeping him well-protected in their house or yard so they don't lose him again. I like to believe this is what happened. :) Alexa thinks she might even know the house where he might be. I am tempted to go knock on their door and just ask them. Maybe I will one day. Of course, a third option is that he was sick and was howling that night because he was in so much pain and dying on his own. This would also be very sad, but not as sad as scenario #1. If this third possibility is the case, I'm glad he could spend his last week of life with us, knowing he was loved...

Isn't he precious?!

Just Plain Odd

As I was driving home a few days ago, I was behind a moderately-old, silver, Toyota Corolla. Nothing out of the ordinary about that. Since we were waiting at a stoplight, I had the chance to read the bumper sticker on the back. It read, in English: "My other car is a sewing machine. Etsy.com" (For those of you who don't know, Etsy is defined by wikipedia as "a social commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items as well as art and craft supplies." It is also explained as being a "crafty cross between Amazon and Ebay and your grandma's basement.") The bumper sticker alone made it stand out in Mexico. Here is the kicker though: the person driving the car was a man with a sombrero! Needless to say, I don't think he put the bumper sticker on the car.

Starting the Year off Right...

Although our financial ministry year technically starts again each year on August 1, this week is the first week of the ministry year for us in terms of the schedule. Club begins again this week on Thursday, and we are also kicking off our new times of prayer and worship. This year, we will have several open times of prayer throughout the week at various times in the hopes that these times of corporate prayer will not just be for our team, but for the whole church. We're looking forward to seeing how God uses these times. In Club, I'll be teaching seven and eight-year-old girls this year, and I'm really excited about it. In particular, I am thankful to be able to continue my relationships with many of my girls from last year that I taught in the five and six-year-olds class who are moving up this year.

In the past recent weeks, we have been preparing for this official start to the ministry year. One of my favorite aspects of CFCI is what a prayer-driven ministry it is, and this is certainly the case as we get ready to begin again. A few highlights:

• Individual half day of prayer: We went to some land just outside Fresnillo and all had time to just get away by ourselves and spend time with the Lord. It was a wonderful morning and one that was so refreshing to my soul. Not only did I enjoy listening to the Lord and delighting in Him, but I also loved being outside in nature in an area that was so pretty, it almost reminded me of the South. ;)
• Corporate half day of prayer: We gathered together at our main ministry building and took time to pray for each ministry in detail, including individuals by name who were involved in each ministry. What a great way to begin!
• Team commissioning: Every year, as missionaries we have a special team commissioning before the ministry year begins. This year was the first year we had the commissioning with our whole team--missionaries and national workers together. It was a special time of remembering our purpose, renewing our commitment as ministry leaders, taking communion together, and praying for each member of the team individually and at length. After this very encouraging service, we also went out to dinner to celebrate.

And now, let the "new year" begin! :)

2010-2011 Club Team

Top Row, L-R: Juan, Germán, Chicles

Bottom Row, L-R: me, Elizabeth, Becca, Ruth

Where we had our individual half day of prayer...

yay for the gentle stream and the green trees!

Live from Fresnillo...Midweek Update!

Here are a few random thoughts for this week...

• I have had several successful accomplishments and breakthroughs this week: the Drano is making a difference in my shower, I figured out how to connect my computer to the printer we recently inherited (thanks, Mary!) even without the installation CD (actually this was my smart Mac's accomplishment, not mine), and I got to cross off several projects/tasks on my list today. These may seem like small things to most people, but it's amazing what kind of difference they make especially if you have been showering in ankle-deep water, need to print your newsletter later this week, and have had some seemingly-inefficient days lately where you couldn't finish anything.
• Even predictable people you know very well can still surprise you. Yesterday, I surprised myself with a thought that was very uncharacteristic of me. I was opening one of my drawers, saw some winter clothes, and thought almost subconsciously, "Oh, winter! It will be nice when it's winter again." What?! Where did this come from? I pretty much hate winter and spring can never come quickly enough again for me each year! I suppose the thought (which was very fleeting and quickly corrected by my conscious mind) came mostly from seeing some winter clothes that I hadn't worn in awhile. This part is not very surprising since I always look longingly at my skirts and flip-flops each January, wishing it could be spring again. Apparently, while I might occasionally have whimsical, out-of-the-blue thoughts, some things do not change.
• I used to sometimes watch SNL when I lived in the U.S., hence the title tribute. I loved being on central time because it came on earlier, and I almost always turned it off after Weekend Update and then went to bed...which is where I am off to now!