We are on our way to an event in Mexicali, Mexico which is about 2 1/2 hours East of Tijuana for 2 weeks.
Each Christmas and Spring YUGO holds Evangelism Outreachs in the desert city. This year there will be almost 200 teens and their leaders from the USA and Canada desending on the city to work with Pastors and churches in reaching their communities with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Shar and I are the official leaders of the bathroom cleaning crew (prestigious appointment, I know!) and I will also be the media manager for the week. (a.k.a camera man and powerpoint dude). That will give us a chance to be at all the different sites and see what is happening in the colonias.
So you may not hear much from us until after April 14th. There is very limited dial-up internet in the part of the city we will be in so we may be out of contact for some time.
Please pray with us that our service to the teams will enable them to hear from God and to see Him work in the lives of the Mexicans as well.
Please pray as we do homeschooling in a camper trailer- that that will work out well.
Please pray for Shar and her hip, that the pain will be minimalized this week (no hills in Mexicali!).
Thanks for praying! God bless!
Until next time,
Mike for the family
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Here Comes the Bride... Mexican Style!
We had the honour of being invited to a wedding this afternoon. While there are things that will be similar in any Western, Christian wedding, there were a few things that were distinctly Mexican and distinctly this couple!
Roberto and Anna are both in their mid-twenties and attend our church, Iglesia Biblia de la Gracia. They have been formally engaged for a few months, set a date about a month ago and handed out invitations at church last week!
It had the feel of a First Nations event right from the beginning. My job was to take pictures because there was no official photographer. We arrived at the nicely decorated church at 1:05pm, five minutes late, in a wee bit of a tizzy because of our tardiness. When we drove up the hill to the church we noticed that there were only 2 other cars in the parking lot and both of them left after we got there. (nothing personal I hope!). We got into the church and were only joined by 1 other family. And we thought we were late...
There are no ushers and no "Brides side-grooms side" thing. People came in and filled whatever seats they wanted. Only the first rows were reserved for family. And as is usual in Mexico, there were kids everywhere. Maybe not quite 50% of the group, but pretty close!
The ceremony officially got under way around 2:15pm when the bride came out of her green and white 15 passenger taxi (that brought the majority of her family) that was either family owned or rented for the day- not sure.
The service lasted for about 45 minutes with about 25 minutes of Pastor Martin preaching. After that they exchanged vows and rings (which the grooms mom has- there is no best man or maid of honour). Then the brides family gives them a handful of coins that they pass from the grooms right hand to the brides right hand then from her left to his. This represents the sharing of all that they will have. they no longer have their own possessions, it all belongs to both of them. Then a friend come sup and lights two candles representing the bride and groom and they then procede to light the middle candle- a familiar Canadian tradition. Then they bend down on two small pillows while the brides parents put a woven "yolk" over the two of their necks to symbolize working together and walking together in life.
After that a friend of the couple gives them a family Bible and they promise to make the Scriptures an integral part to their home. The Congregation promises to uphold their Christian values as well.
After this the groom kisses the bride and they walk to the back of the church to a throng of people milling about. There is no formal reception line. Some folks go outside, some stay inside and some try to open the "locked with the keys in" door of the car that is triple parked behind the matrimonial taxi! after 30 minutes of fooling around, they got the door open and off we all went to the reception...
About 3/4 of the people were waiting at the reception hall...outside. The person with the keys and most of the food had left the church early, but still hadn't shown up at the hall! So the groom walked around casually explaining to the folks calmly waiting in their cars that it may be a while until we can get in. Then the van with the food and keys came!
It was an economical wedding as neither family had a lot of money to spend on the wedding. So people from our church and family members made 5 (or more) huge pots of Pozole
Pozole is a hearty stew with chile peppers, garlic, pigs feet / hocks or oxtail, hominy (puffed corn...) and spices. You garnish it with lettuce, lime, onions and sometimes radishes. It is very good (once you get used to it...) and very economical. At our table we had a family from our church and two of the kids from the grace children's home, Elisa and Alan. We had a good time together visiting.
They do the "bride throw the flowers thing" but a little differently. The bride stands on a chair and the groom stands on a chair behind her, holding the Wedding dress "Train". The bride-wannabees then all clap (with the rest of the crowd) and walk under the train in a circle and then at the count of 3 the bride throws the flowers.
For the guys (many fewer guys actually came up front to participate!) the groom stands on a chair. His bride stands opposite him and they touch hands forming an arch. The guys go around the chair and under the arch and on the count of 3 he throws the tie into the crowd...
Then it's the toast- at which both extended families surround the couple as the pastor gives the toast. after that we cut the cake and then the bride and the groom and every one else that's left over start packing up the chairs and cleaning off the tables.
Roberto, the groom and Anna, the bride spent a good deal of their time at the reception walking around making sure that all of their guests were doing ok. They visited, they got drinks and food if needed for folks and only after everyone had finished their firsts did they sit down to eat. I asked Roberto about this and he said that Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and they wanted to do the same.
It was a really good night. The kids ran and played with the other kids (the kids had an open area in the middle of the room and after eating and in between little events they ran and played tag!) and we visited with folks and helped clean up.
It was a simple, relaxed, laid back wedding. The bride was the picture of calmness the entire time, regardless of how things were going (the groom however was more nervous than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs). It was refreshing to see that the couple were focussed on the people and not the minute details (actually, I'm not sure there were many minute details!). It was a very good day! If you ever get invited to a wedding in Mexico, make sure you go- and enjoy yourself- and don't be too worried about showing up right at the starting time!
Until Next time,
Mike for the family
Roberto and Anna are both in their mid-twenties and attend our church, Iglesia Biblia de la Gracia. They have been formally engaged for a few months, set a date about a month ago and handed out invitations at church last week!
It had the feel of a First Nations event right from the beginning. My job was to take pictures because there was no official photographer. We arrived at the nicely decorated church at 1:05pm, five minutes late, in a wee bit of a tizzy because of our tardiness. When we drove up the hill to the church we noticed that there were only 2 other cars in the parking lot and both of them left after we got there. (nothing personal I hope!). We got into the church and were only joined by 1 other family. And we thought we were late...
There are no ushers and no "Brides side-grooms side" thing. People came in and filled whatever seats they wanted. Only the first rows were reserved for family. And as is usual in Mexico, there were kids everywhere. Maybe not quite 50% of the group, but pretty close!
The ceremony officially got under way around 2:15pm when the bride came out of her green and white 15 passenger taxi (that brought the majority of her family) that was either family owned or rented for the day- not sure.
The service lasted for about 45 minutes with about 25 minutes of Pastor Martin preaching. After that they exchanged vows and rings (which the grooms mom has- there is no best man or maid of honour). Then the brides family gives them a handful of coins that they pass from the grooms right hand to the brides right hand then from her left to his. This represents the sharing of all that they will have. they no longer have their own possessions, it all belongs to both of them. Then a friend come sup and lights two candles representing the bride and groom and they then procede to light the middle candle- a familiar Canadian tradition. Then they bend down on two small pillows while the brides parents put a woven "yolk" over the two of their necks to symbolize working together and walking together in life.
After that a friend of the couple gives them a family Bible and they promise to make the Scriptures an integral part to their home. The Congregation promises to uphold their Christian values as well.
After this the groom kisses the bride and they walk to the back of the church to a throng of people milling about. There is no formal reception line. Some folks go outside, some stay inside and some try to open the "locked with the keys in" door of the car that is triple parked behind the matrimonial taxi! after 30 minutes of fooling around, they got the door open and off we all went to the reception...
About 3/4 of the people were waiting at the reception hall...outside. The person with the keys and most of the food had left the church early, but still hadn't shown up at the hall! So the groom walked around casually explaining to the folks calmly waiting in their cars that it may be a while until we can get in. Then the van with the food and keys came!
It was an economical wedding as neither family had a lot of money to spend on the wedding. So people from our church and family members made 5 (or more) huge pots of Pozole
Pozole is a hearty stew with chile peppers, garlic, pigs feet / hocks or oxtail, hominy (puffed corn...) and spices. You garnish it with lettuce, lime, onions and sometimes radishes. It is very good (once you get used to it...) and very economical. At our table we had a family from our church and two of the kids from the grace children's home, Elisa and Alan. We had a good time together visiting.
They do the "bride throw the flowers thing" but a little differently. The bride stands on a chair and the groom stands on a chair behind her, holding the Wedding dress "Train". The bride-wannabees then all clap (with the rest of the crowd) and walk under the train in a circle and then at the count of 3 the bride throws the flowers.
For the guys (many fewer guys actually came up front to participate!) the groom stands on a chair. His bride stands opposite him and they touch hands forming an arch. The guys go around the chair and under the arch and on the count of 3 he throws the tie into the crowd...
Then it's the toast- at which both extended families surround the couple as the pastor gives the toast. after that we cut the cake and then the bride and the groom and every one else that's left over start packing up the chairs and cleaning off the tables.
Roberto, the groom and Anna, the bride spent a good deal of their time at the reception walking around making sure that all of their guests were doing ok. They visited, they got drinks and food if needed for folks and only after everyone had finished their firsts did they sit down to eat. I asked Roberto about this and he said that Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and they wanted to do the same.
It was a really good night. The kids ran and played with the other kids (the kids had an open area in the middle of the room and after eating and in between little events they ran and played tag!) and we visited with folks and helped clean up.
It was a simple, relaxed, laid back wedding. The bride was the picture of calmness the entire time, regardless of how things were going (the groom however was more nervous than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs). It was refreshing to see that the couple were focussed on the people and not the minute details (actually, I'm not sure there were many minute details!). It was a very good day! If you ever get invited to a wedding in Mexico, make sure you go- and enjoy yourself- and don't be too worried about showing up right at the starting time!
Until Next time,
Mike for the family
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Surgery Date for Sharlene
We have a date for surgery for Sharlene's hip. For those of you who don't know, Shar has hip dysplasia. It is a condition she was born with but didn't present itself until she was pregnant with the boys. She was officially diagnosed with it 2 or 3 years ago and it became apparant that she would someday need surgery (hip replacement). It has worsened quickly over the last 3 years or so and she uses a cane almost all the time now. She is in pain almost constantly and sometimes needs a heating pad at night to help her get to sleep.
The Doctor in Canada has set a date of July 5th for her Surgery. She has a pre-appointment on June 26th. She will need 6 weeks convalescence in Saskatoon area before going back to Mexico ( August 16th or so)
I will be speaking at Bible camps from July 8-29 and will have the boys with me. Shar has had a couple people say she could stay with them while she convalesces, we're going to begin making arrangements for that.
Here are the things you could be praying for...
1. We need places to stay! Right now the plan is to arrive back in Canada on June 15th or so- but that may change if we can get saskhealth to extend our healthcare for another two weeks out of country.
2. I would like to have the opportunity to speak in Churches to share our vision for ministry while we are back in Canada.
3. For Shar to heal well and for the surgery to go well.
4.For the boys and I as we venture across the province of Saskatchewan speaking at camps.
5. We are contemplating the idea of flying back, because we're not sure our van has 2 more long-distance trips in it. Mexico has been tough on the beast... therefore we would need a vehicle to use for the 2 months we are in Canada.
Thanks!!
Until next time,
Mike for the McDonald's
The Doctor in Canada has set a date of July 5th for her Surgery. She has a pre-appointment on June 26th. She will need 6 weeks convalescence in Saskatoon area before going back to Mexico ( August 16th or so)
I will be speaking at Bible camps from July 8-29 and will have the boys with me. Shar has had a couple people say she could stay with them while she convalesces, we're going to begin making arrangements for that.
Here are the things you could be praying for...
1. We need places to stay! Right now the plan is to arrive back in Canada on June 15th or so- but that may change if we can get saskhealth to extend our healthcare for another two weeks out of country.
2. I would like to have the opportunity to speak in Churches to share our vision for ministry while we are back in Canada.
3. For Shar to heal well and for the surgery to go well.
4.For the boys and I as we venture across the province of Saskatchewan speaking at camps.
5. We are contemplating the idea of flying back, because we're not sure our van has 2 more long-distance trips in it. Mexico has been tough on the beast... therefore we would need a vehicle to use for the 2 months we are in Canada.
Thanks!!
Until next time,
Mike for the McDonald's
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Back Home..
I had a very good 12 days in Ontario connecting with folks and sharing the vision of Training Leaders in Mexico. I got to visit with lots of different folks and missed a few I would have really like to see, primarily because it was March Break in Ontario...
I preached on Sunday morning at the church Sharlene and I first went to in wasaga Beach- Faith Evangelical Missionary Church. My family has had ties with the church for lots of years. It was an honour and a privilege to share the Word of God with them. I preached on Matthew 28:17-19. "Go and Make Disciples". And how those ar ethe marching orders of all beleivers. I shared how they had done that in our lives (and many others have too along the way) and we were now taking what they had built into our lives, and building in the lives of leaders in Mexico. I had lots of folks sign up for emails and quite a few take prayer cards and others express interest in supporting us financially as we serve in Mexico. PRAISE GOD!!
Thank to all who prayed for us as we were on the adventure (me alone in Canada driving and visiting and Shar here alone with 3 boys for 12 days!). Things went well on both ends. We are all glad to get back together again and will spend part of today re-stocking the shelves (Shar is still a bit apprehentious about driving in Mexico- so the cupboards are bare!)
Until next time..
mike for the family
I preached on Sunday morning at the church Sharlene and I first went to in wasaga Beach- Faith Evangelical Missionary Church. My family has had ties with the church for lots of years. It was an honour and a privilege to share the Word of God with them. I preached on Matthew 28:17-19. "Go and Make Disciples". And how those ar ethe marching orders of all beleivers. I shared how they had done that in our lives (and many others have too along the way) and we were now taking what they had built into our lives, and building in the lives of leaders in Mexico. I had lots of folks sign up for emails and quite a few take prayer cards and others express interest in supporting us financially as we serve in Mexico. PRAISE GOD!!
Thank to all who prayed for us as we were on the adventure (me alone in Canada driving and visiting and Shar here alone with 3 boys for 12 days!). Things went well on both ends. We are all glad to get back together again and will spend part of today re-stocking the shelves (Shar is still a bit apprehentious about driving in Mexico- so the cupboards are bare!)
Until next time..
mike for the family
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The Great Thaw....And 3 older guys...
I find myself amidst a veritable heat wave in Central Ontario. It is about 13C today as streets are turning into dirty pools that tempt you to go fast and splash the dog that is having a bacteria laden drink by the side of the road... It is spring in Wasaga Beach.
Wasaga Beach lies on the southern edge of Georgian bay and is subject to enormous amounts of lake-effect snow. When I arrived last friday there were 10 foot or higher snowbanks all around my moms parking lot. Some cottage owners at the beach front were surprised to see snow drifts that made it almost impossible to get in their front doors, had they been able to traverse the non-existent driveway at all. Less than a week of above zero temperatures and 2 days of +10C and above has caused water to run everywhere. And me without my rubber boots. My moms gonna kill me if I play in the puddles with my new shoes on...
I've had good opportunity to share the vision of training leaders in Mexico with plenty of folks. I have a few more appointments this week and I am preaching at our first church, Faith Evangelical Missionary Church in Wasaga Beach to report on what has been happening and encourage others to partner with us as we make disciples of church leaders.
Last Saturday night I went to my cousin Marty's house (whom I hadn't seen in 15 years or so...) He is married with 3 kids and is doing well living in Barrie Ontario. My uncle John, whose been a pastor or teacher for many many many many years (sorry uncle John...) and aunt Lorna were there with my dad. We had a good chance to catch up and share the vision and eat supper together. Marty's kids were putting on an impressive magic show when it came time for the last performance, which could only be viewed in their bedroom. They said that only 3 could fit in the room to watch and decided to split the group up. Pointing at my dad (who is old enough to collect a pension) my Uncle John (who is old enough to have been involved in ministry for many many many many many years (one more many for emphasis) and then me and my salt and pepper hair said "the three older guys can come first!"... 3 older guys!?!? These guys are both old enough to be my dad- and one of them actually is!!! How did Marty who is only a few years younger than me get out of this---- older guys?!?!? Well, we all hobbled over to the bedroom and watched an impressive display of bed to bed flippy-type acrobatics that made me feel...well... old...
Do they still make "grecian formula"??
Anyway- please continue praying that God would show us who he would have to be our partners here in Ontario. We still need to raise an additional $500.00/ month to be sure our health insurance is provided for starting next September.
Please also pray for Shar as she "single-mom's it" for another 6 days!
Thanks for partnering with us and praying with us- May God bless you,
until next time,
mike in Ontario
Wasaga Beach lies on the southern edge of Georgian bay and is subject to enormous amounts of lake-effect snow. When I arrived last friday there were 10 foot or higher snowbanks all around my moms parking lot. Some cottage owners at the beach front were surprised to see snow drifts that made it almost impossible to get in their front doors, had they been able to traverse the non-existent driveway at all. Less than a week of above zero temperatures and 2 days of +10C and above has caused water to run everywhere. And me without my rubber boots. My moms gonna kill me if I play in the puddles with my new shoes on...
I've had good opportunity to share the vision of training leaders in Mexico with plenty of folks. I have a few more appointments this week and I am preaching at our first church, Faith Evangelical Missionary Church in Wasaga Beach to report on what has been happening and encourage others to partner with us as we make disciples of church leaders.
Last Saturday night I went to my cousin Marty's house (whom I hadn't seen in 15 years or so...) He is married with 3 kids and is doing well living in Barrie Ontario. My uncle John, whose been a pastor or teacher for many many many many years (sorry uncle John...) and aunt Lorna were there with my dad. We had a good chance to catch up and share the vision and eat supper together. Marty's kids were putting on an impressive magic show when it came time for the last performance, which could only be viewed in their bedroom. They said that only 3 could fit in the room to watch and decided to split the group up. Pointing at my dad (who is old enough to collect a pension) my Uncle John (who is old enough to have been involved in ministry for many many many many many years (one more many for emphasis) and then me and my salt and pepper hair said "the three older guys can come first!"... 3 older guys!?!? These guys are both old enough to be my dad- and one of them actually is!!! How did Marty who is only a few years younger than me get out of this---- older guys?!?!? Well, we all hobbled over to the bedroom and watched an impressive display of bed to bed flippy-type acrobatics that made me feel...well... old...
Do they still make "grecian formula"??
Anyway- please continue praying that God would show us who he would have to be our partners here in Ontario. We still need to raise an additional $500.00/ month to be sure our health insurance is provided for starting next September.
Please also pray for Shar as she "single-mom's it" for another 6 days!
Thanks for partnering with us and praying with us- May God bless you,
until next time,
mike in Ontario
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Mission Church in East Tijuana
Elijah and I went out to this small mission church in East Tijuanas poor colonias. This particular church ministers to the folks who live in "Squatters" homes on the railway easement. 100 meters on either side of the railway line is government property and is unsafe in case of a derailment. Some folks invade this land and build ramshackle houses to live in. Pastors Juan and Daniel serve this community at Mision El Alfararo.
We were delivering clothes that were donated from Canada to this community. When we got there Pastor Juan said to me- You cna share God's Word with us today! I was unprepared and so spent much of the next hour or two praying! I understand what the scriptures mean when they say- "be prepared in season and out of season..."
God provided me with somethign to say and then we all prayed together afterwards. We then handed out quite a bit of clothing and candy. It was a good afternoon.
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Saturday, March 03, 2007
Carne Asada (BBQ Meat)
We were invited to celebrate in a Mexican Weekend tradition- Carne Asada. Our landlords own the house across the street from us and they have used it as a weekend home for years. The last few years they just come up every other weekend for a couple hours on Saturday to water their garden and look around. This Saturday we were going to have lunch together- Carne Asada.
It started with Abuela (gramma) Salinas putting a 5 foot long 4x4 piece of wood jammed into a BBQ ( no propane needed!) with some paper and cardboard to get the fire going. After she had the fire going she took out 2/3 of the pillar, whacked it on the BBQ to get the most burnt parts off- then took this smoking 3 foot beam to the dirt road and put it on the ground to snuff itself out. Then she added charcoal.
About 30 minutes later she was putting thin slabs of steak on the BBQ cooking up a storm. Thankfully the water truck came by in the midst of this- he sells tortillas too and you can't have any Mexican food without tortillas- so she bought 2 kg of fresh, warm tortillas (for $2.20- about twice the cost of the grocery store's fresh tortillas). The thin slabs of steak cook quickly and in about 5 minutes we had 15 or so cooked up to eat. With it we had beans cooked with ham, a mild tomato salsa and fresh chiles... all put onto tortillas... But first, you need to rip up the steak with your hands to put in the tortillas. Here we are tearing up meat with our bare hands feeding the kids and ourselves and none of the other people are eating. They seemed to want t make sure that there was enough for us first. So they start tossing 4, 5, 6, 7 slabs of meat on our plates- "Eat Eat!!" After that- they joined in and we ate till our hearts were content...
We've seen people having carne asada parties on weekends around, but this is the first one we've been invited too. The folks speak some English and so we can communicate in a mixture of Spanish and English. It is a typical scene here on "La frontera"- the Border... English and Spanish mixed together to form a third language, Carne Asadas outside on a windy- Santa Ana day, fixing house problems together (like the outside waterpipe (for garden watering) that just popped off. One neighbour gets glue, the other finds out how to turn the water off form the road, we sandpaper the pipe and glue it back on hoping it sticks...
It was a good afternoon. They have a 7 year old boy "Angelo" (who is bigger than all of our kids- even 9 year old Elijah) and they went looking for snails, lizards and whatever else they could find among the cactus. When our kids first met in November there was very little communication, but now they are all able to make themselves known in English, Spanish, sign language or through a parent interpreter.
The big activity for the kids today was snail capturing. I have never seen as many land snails as we have here. if you water the garden or we get a good rain, snails come out from all the nooks and crannies looking to do whatever it is snails do. After things dry up, the snails go into a kind of hibernation until the next rain. The kids found about 10 of these snails and began putting them into a plastic peanut butter type jar. Jacob took the lid off, presumably to give the little critters some air and left them in our living room. I don;t have to tell you how fast snails are, because before anyone knew it- 2 had escaped. The snail search was on. One had slithered his way up the TV screen and was easily captured, while the other had made it to the top of the TV and was almost down the other side. Thankfully, all the escapees were caught and we realized we needed another home for them.
That's when Shar set up our new terrarium. Which is basically 2 sticks a few rocks on the bottom, and plastic ducktaped to the top of an aquarium. All the currently live snails are stuck to the top of the plastic ceiling. We have lettuce and grass in the terrarium for their culinary enjoyment and 2 recently deceased snails still in there to remind them what happens when you try to escape... :)
We'll try to figure out some way to incorporate this into our homeschooling curriculum!
I (Mike) am off to Ontario on Wednesday for 12 days. I will be speaking at one church and connecting with friends, family and supporters while in Ontario.
Please pray for safety driving as it will be my first winter driving since November- and March in Ontario is lots of freezing and thawing, typically.
Please pray that I'll make good contacts with folks whom we missed last time in Ontario.
Please pray that the folks who have been supporting us would be encouraged by my report.
Please pray for more partners in Ministry. We need about an additional $500.00/ month to pay for health Care. We currently only have SaskHealth health care as our supplementary care is nonrenewable outside of the country. Our Saskhealth runs out in June and we need that additional support to stay on the field!
Please pray for Shar and the kids back home here in Mexico while I'm gone that things will go smoothly. Shar is still a bit unsure about the Mexican driving norms...
Please pray that I could secure a faithful Spanish teacher. I have tried 3 so far and none of them show up on a regular basis!
Thanks for praying!
Until Next Time,
Mike for the family...
It started with Abuela (gramma) Salinas putting a 5 foot long 4x4 piece of wood jammed into a BBQ ( no propane needed!) with some paper and cardboard to get the fire going. After she had the fire going she took out 2/3 of the pillar, whacked it on the BBQ to get the most burnt parts off- then took this smoking 3 foot beam to the dirt road and put it on the ground to snuff itself out. Then she added charcoal.
About 30 minutes later she was putting thin slabs of steak on the BBQ cooking up a storm. Thankfully the water truck came by in the midst of this- he sells tortillas too and you can't have any Mexican food without tortillas- so she bought 2 kg of fresh, warm tortillas (for $2.20- about twice the cost of the grocery store's fresh tortillas). The thin slabs of steak cook quickly and in about 5 minutes we had 15 or so cooked up to eat. With it we had beans cooked with ham, a mild tomato salsa and fresh chiles... all put onto tortillas... But first, you need to rip up the steak with your hands to put in the tortillas. Here we are tearing up meat with our bare hands feeding the kids and ourselves and none of the other people are eating. They seemed to want t make sure that there was enough for us first. So they start tossing 4, 5, 6, 7 slabs of meat on our plates- "Eat Eat!!" After that- they joined in and we ate till our hearts were content...
We've seen people having carne asada parties on weekends around, but this is the first one we've been invited too. The folks speak some English and so we can communicate in a mixture of Spanish and English. It is a typical scene here on "La frontera"- the Border... English and Spanish mixed together to form a third language, Carne Asadas outside on a windy- Santa Ana day, fixing house problems together (like the outside waterpipe (for garden watering) that just popped off. One neighbour gets glue, the other finds out how to turn the water off form the road, we sandpaper the pipe and glue it back on hoping it sticks...
It was a good afternoon. They have a 7 year old boy "Angelo" (who is bigger than all of our kids- even 9 year old Elijah) and they went looking for snails, lizards and whatever else they could find among the cactus. When our kids first met in November there was very little communication, but now they are all able to make themselves known in English, Spanish, sign language or through a parent interpreter.
The big activity for the kids today was snail capturing. I have never seen as many land snails as we have here. if you water the garden or we get a good rain, snails come out from all the nooks and crannies looking to do whatever it is snails do. After things dry up, the snails go into a kind of hibernation until the next rain. The kids found about 10 of these snails and began putting them into a plastic peanut butter type jar. Jacob took the lid off, presumably to give the little critters some air and left them in our living room. I don;t have to tell you how fast snails are, because before anyone knew it- 2 had escaped. The snail search was on. One had slithered his way up the TV screen and was easily captured, while the other had made it to the top of the TV and was almost down the other side. Thankfully, all the escapees were caught and we realized we needed another home for them.
That's when Shar set up our new terrarium. Which is basically 2 sticks a few rocks on the bottom, and plastic ducktaped to the top of an aquarium. All the currently live snails are stuck to the top of the plastic ceiling. We have lettuce and grass in the terrarium for their culinary enjoyment and 2 recently deceased snails still in there to remind them what happens when you try to escape... :)
We'll try to figure out some way to incorporate this into our homeschooling curriculum!
I (Mike) am off to Ontario on Wednesday for 12 days. I will be speaking at one church and connecting with friends, family and supporters while in Ontario.
Please pray for safety driving as it will be my first winter driving since November- and March in Ontario is lots of freezing and thawing, typically.
Please pray that I'll make good contacts with folks whom we missed last time in Ontario.
Please pray that the folks who have been supporting us would be encouraged by my report.
Please pray for more partners in Ministry. We need about an additional $500.00/ month to pay for health Care. We currently only have SaskHealth health care as our supplementary care is nonrenewable outside of the country. Our Saskhealth runs out in June and we need that additional support to stay on the field!
Please pray for Shar and the kids back home here in Mexico while I'm gone that things will go smoothly. Shar is still a bit unsure about the Mexican driving norms...
Please pray that I could secure a faithful Spanish teacher. I have tried 3 so far and none of them show up on a regular basis!
Thanks for praying!
Until Next Time,
Mike for the family...
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