A Mi Me Gusta Mucho

I am back from Mexico and filled with some great joy (hot showers, comfy bed, flush toilets), but also a lot of sadness (missing the people, especially the kids, the materialism of our culture, and just being around people who were on fire for the Lord). Here is a brief overview and I've included a lot of pictures, if you want to get the bigger picture. If you don't have time or don't want to read, just skip down to the photos because I elaborated quite a bit.

-Our group of 28 from FIL stayed in the small village of El Carmen, Mexico in the state of Nuevo Leon (about 30 miles from Monterrey, a city with a population over 1 million-3 million if you count its suburbs). We stayed at one the Seminary's buildings and slept on cement floors. I did have a thin air/foam mattress, about a 1/4 inch thick. (Next time, I need an air mattress!) We also had a chance to take military showers each day (get wet, turn off the water, lather-up, and rinse off). They were cold, but it did feel refreshing.

-We worked on an orphanage called Casa Hogar in nearby Hidalgo. We mainly painted the 10,000 square foot exterior, laid tile, and worked on a rock wall to keep the flooding at bay and to stop erosion.

-The work was never-ending, but great fun at times. I mainly worked on painting the exterior, but also found myself with the position of crew leader, which meant I had to answer a lot of questions and help the kids find the never-ending supply of paint essentials that they needed. The stucco walls were difficult to paint as we had to get the paint into every little crevice. However, we kept ourselves entertained with a lot of singing and laughing. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is that in Mexico, they do work the hard way. In many cases, they have some of the tools and technology to make the work go faster, but don't use it. However, more times than not, they do not have the advances available to them that we do and everything takes them longer. Apparently, groups started the orphanage in 1998 and it is still not completed-livable, but not completed. They usually only work on it when mission groups come in the summers.

-Our weather was actually quite beautiful. The first few days (Sunday-Tuesday) were hot, hot, hot! With temperatures well above 90, I found that I drank over a gallon of water in 8 hours and still didn't need to use the bathroom. Starting Tuesday night, we had significant amounts of rain each night (huge downpours with thunder and lightning) that began around 7:00pm. This meant that the last few work days were much cooler and more tolerable. The nights were also better for sleeping. The downfall, however, was the massive infestation of mosquitoes, for which my legs are still paying the price.

-The children of Casa Hogar (the orphanage) were precious. I loved having the time to play with them, despite the fact that I was tired beyond explanation at the end of the day. They were so sweet and just wanted some love. One little four-year old boy, Luis, kept asking me the names of my parents and the other FIL members' parents. Finally, I asked why he wanted to know all of their names, and I was told that he was so interested because he did not have parents of his own. My heart just about broke open on the floor at that point. I wanted to take him and many others home with me. Most of the children are there because their parents are divorced or separated and cannot care for them in time or money, because their parents are addicted to drugs, or because their parents were abusive. It was so sad to hear their stories, yet they were well taken care of by the house parents.

-I had the opportunity to speak the language quite a bit and learned two main things. 1) I can communicate pretty well and have conversations for a large chunk of the day in Spanish. 2) I need to learn a lot more Spanish!!!! I did feel that speaking as much as I did helped me immensely, but I also need more immersion in the language. Adam, our UKANDU leader, suggested that I come down for 3 weeks next summer to stay at the orphanage and help out a bit. I talked to the house parents (Cesi and Modesto??) about the idea and they were overjoyed. In fact, when Cesi talked to me, she kept speaking as if I was already going to be there for sure. I know I would love to spend time with children and the time there would give me a major boost in my listening and speaking skills.

-I also had the chance to go into Monterrey two times during the week to help pick up some extra supplies. I was grateful for the chance that Adam provided to me because I was able to see what typical life in the city was like. We visited Soriana's each time, a Wal-Mart type store with a mall attached, and I was able to see the similarities (they carry the same basic types of products-many American brands as well) and the differences (I really enjoyed seeing the different fruits and vegetables and how one aisle was car parts and the next aisle over was plates, cups, and silverware). Our visit to Home Depot was fun too-you would have thought you were right in the middle of your local Home Depot in the USA. Through talking with Febe and Samuel (the children of Moses, who lives near to the orphanage and is just a man after God's heart) and Adam during our trips into town, I was able to learn many cultural nuances and practice my Spanish. (For example, protestants in Mexico think that drinking any alcohol, smoking, and dancing are wrong.)

-We had some great opportunities for worship, both with our own group and with the Mexican Seminary nearby. I did miss a few of them, due to going into Monterrey for supplies. The best thing about being on a Mission trip is that you are, for the most part, ridding yourself of you, and giving yourself to others. I am always amazed at how God works when we give ourselves up wholly to His will. For as tired as I was, I was also completely filled with the love of Christ. I was truly the blessed one to be on this Mission trip. While at the English speaking, Mexican worship service (they have 2 English services per month to practice their English), I had a Mexican girl named Amy come up to me after and tell me that she was watching me and that God gave her a revelation for me. She told me that I was like David, a real worshiper and that I had a heart for the Lord. She also told me that if I felt I wasn't in the right place right now, it was okay because God would reveal himself to me in His time. The funny thing is that the night before, I had stayed up past the time that everyone else went to bed. I sat outside, listening to the rain and prayed that if God wanted my life to be used for something other than teaching at FIL, that He would show me that because I was, and still am, willing to go where He leads. I still need to sort out a bit of what she said and what God would want for me in my own mind. The worship was a bit charismatic for many of our kids and adults, but it was also beautiful to see the love the people had for Jesus.

-On Saturday, we went to Saltillo (about 2 hours away) and visited a desert museum as well as the local market. I picked up a sombrero for my classroom, some vanilla, and a few other handicrafts. Most of all, I enjoyed seeing a new town and the open-air market. The vendors were not as willing to barter as the vendors I have encountered in past trips to Mexico, but we still got great deals. We ate a delicious lunch at Pollo Loco (Crazy Chicken), where we had roasted chicken and a chip and salsa bar. It is a pretty popular local chain restaurant. At night, we went to a buffet restaurant in Monterrey called Josephinos. The kids rode go-karts after dinner and we were all able to get filled up on the food.

-Our food was great overall since we had some local ladies cooking for us. We ate a lot of beans, tortillas, and goat cheese, as well as other foods. We followed Mexican custom and ate our big meal at noon, with smaller meals for breakfast and dinner. We also had a beverage every lunch called "agua con sabor" (water with flavor). Apparently, they take a fruit, such as watermelon, puree the whole thing up (pulp and juice), mix it with sugar, and add water. Most varieties were delicious, especially mango, but a few were a bit too sweet.

-Travel down and back was quite smooth for our whole group. We were blessed with safety and no problems with customs. Thank you to all who prayed for our safety. We also had great health for the whole trip. No one was majorly sick (just a few cases of diarrhea that only lasted an hour or two and an occasional band-aid needed or a bit of minor sunburn).

-Well, after reading my book about Mexico (haha), I hope you were able to get a good idea of the experience overall. I was blessed to be able to go. Thank you to those who supported me. By supporting me, you were just as much a part of this experience as I was. It takes both hands and feet (and sometimes money) to be able to serve. Check out the pictures below (in no particular order) to see what I was able to experience.























Ahh, the top floor of the open-air Market! Dead animals hanging, waiting to be bought! Delicioso!

















Febe, Me, and Samuel at the open air market. Yes, this is the cheesy, but well-made Sombrero that I bought.

















The house parents and me (Cesi and Modesto?? -I am not sure on his name)
















The Maestros (teachers) who worked alongside us and either showed us how to do things or did work such as stuccoing. Back row l-r: Antonio, Mario, Isaias, Zenon, and Moses. Front row l-r: Pedro, Eduardo, and Javier. Pedro lived near the Seminary, where we stayed, and came to talk and flirt with the girls each night. He was pretty funny and was quite interested in expanding his vocabulary. His key phrase was "I like it," in a Spanish accent and he was quite a fan of the Backstreet Boys-too funny!





















A man making handbags at a shop in the Desert Museum.
















Our favorite chicken restaurant (Pollo Loco means Crazy Chicken)





















A beautiful building near the market in Saltillo, Mexico.






















The view on our daily walk to eat breakfast or dinner. We had our lunch brought to us at the orphanage each day.


















Cesi working with the kids on their daily homework. Somethings do not change across the cultures-homework is given all over the world!


















Soriana's store sign.



















At the Seminary's worship service.

















Me and Amporo, one of the 2 children that were not school-aged and stayed at the orphanage all day long.























Me and Bree, two stories up on scaffolding, painting the wall and roof overhang.


















Part of the back of the orhanage.

















A tartantula on the wall we were painting.



















Angeles, who celebrated her 11th birthday with us and a pinata filled with candy, and me.

















Little girl (I don't remember her name), Delila, and Graciela in front. Jenifer, the daughter of the house parents who helps out at the Orphanage, and me.