¡Viva Mexico!

Two years ago, Cait & I celebrated ¡Viva Mexico! in Mexico. 

[note how short our hair was!...later when I put up pictures from this weekend, you will better appreciate our long locks.]

Our celebration included these things:

ice cream in a bag (second best ice cream I've ever had)

Spanish Christian rapper

playing pool, which I'm no good at, with people who spoke very little English

spending some time at our rooftop pool

Mama Tori's cooking

sweet little Mexican kids

So this weekend, we're celebrating.  There won't be any great ice cream in a bag, or cute little Mexican kids, but there will be this avocado salsa + lime cilantro rice + an attempt at some homemade frozen strawberry limeade.  And, of course, our famous lime chicken tacos, on flat bread, with our "special" sour cream.

 

30 Day Blog Challenge: day 8

day 8

a place you've traveled to

I had a really hard time choosing.

Not that I've been a lot of places...but I just had to decide which one!

Mexico.

I went last September with Cait & a few others from her church.

This trip was amazing for a number of reasons.

one. I'd never gotten to go on a mission trip with one of my best friends before.

two. Cait's felt called to Mexico for years & I got to be there to see her experience that for the first time.  Best part of the trip.

three. Trying to use what little Spanish I know...& letting little kids help me & laugh at me.

four. Getting to know Mauricio, Mama Tori, & Saul.  And of course Mauricio's kids, Sophia & Gabriel.

five. Being chased around by little Mexican children scream "muchachas, muchachas, ¿chocolate, chocolate?"

six. Great pictures.

seven. Let's be honest...a week in Mexico > a week in school.

 [click to enlarge]

Block Party

So, all week when we walked through Region 235, we'd been inviting people to our block party we were having there on Wednesday night. We were so excited & when it finally came, it went over better than I could've ever imagined.

Around 6:45 (it was starting at 7:00), there were maybe 15 people there & most were with the church. Everyone seemed a little down, but no one said anything about it. By 7:00, more chairs were being set up. We had about 200 people. This is the first time that it seemed real to me that they will have a church there & that we were seeing the beginnings of that. So good.

After the party, Pastor Marcial, Henry, & Mauricio met with the couple whose yard the church is starting in. They talked over it, Henry told them "you know Satan will attack you for this." I loved hearing that to straight forth. God is forming this church & Satan won't be happy with anyone who has anything to do with it. Pastor Marcial was crying by the end...this is something he's had a vision for for so long & it's finally happening.

A church is not a building, but a group of people with the desire to worship. And now there is a church in Region 235...

¡Viva Mexico!

Cinco de Mayo: myth. They don't even celebrate it there. If I said "today is Cinco de Mayo," they'd think..."um...yeah, & tomorrow is May 6...so what?" (except they'd think it in Spanish...). So, I think it's a myth created by Americans to have an excuse to have another day to go get drunk. But that's just my theory...

Because I'm such a scholar & crave knowledge (about once a year), I went to the most reliable source of information: Wikipedia*. September 16 is Mexican Independence Day. On September 16, 1810, a priest named Hidalgo decided he'd had enough & that they needed to revolt against Spain. So, he ordered release of any prisoners who were pro-independence. Just before midnight, he rung the church bells, called in his whole congregation, & made this big speech encouraging the people to revolt.

So now, every year on September 16, a gazillion people gather at the National Palace in Mexico City & the president repeats that same Grito de Dolores (Cry from Dolores) that Hidalgo did & then everyone shouts "¡Viva Mexico!"

Apparently, it's really exciting...like this.

All of this to say...we went to a party to celebrate & I had the best ice cream of my life. Homemade. Vanilla Coconut. In a ziploc-ish bag that you had to bite the corner off of. And then began the "Night of Brotherly Love & Hermanitas Compañeras" (as it will forever be called).

Aforementioned life-changing ice cream.
Christian rapper guy.
Mauricio's friends.
Bowling alley.
Arcade boxing game that they immensely enjoyed.
Pool.
I hit more than one ball in.
Never happened before.
Out til 2:30 am.
In Mexico.
Fun night.
¡Viva Mexico!

*Michael Scott: "Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information."

Sometimes Missions is Bridal Gown Shopping

That's right. Sometimes missions is building a house; sometimes it's loving kids in orphanages; sometimes it's teaching VBS. And other times, it's buying a wedding dress.

So, remember the whole deal about Manuel & the wedding all? Henry decided that it would be a huge burden off Marcial's shoulders if he bought the dress for them. So we all went to the bridal store...me, Cait, Henry, Sam, Mauricio, Saul, Manuel, Elena, Marcial, & Marcial's cute wife. Quite a party. I would just like to say that if I were trying on wedding dresses and had 9 people with me, it would not be a happy experience...I can only imagine.

So she tried on dresses & we giggled & oohed & aahed & took pictures. This was such a happy moment to be a part of.

Once we walked out of the store, we all congregated on the sidewalk. The conversation between Marcial, Manuel, & Henry had us all misty-eyed.

So, sometimes missions is chicken pecking at your feet at Bible Study, & sometimes it's dress shopping. Love it.

English to Spanish to Mayan & Back Again...

Monday was our first day of prayer walking through Region 235. Prayer walking...I kind of felt like that was one of those semi-churchy phrases that I never really understood. Before I would've wondered why God would call me to walk around a poor Mayan community & pray. Seriously, wouldn't that be kind of unproductive? These people live in cardboard houses the size of my bedroom. Shouldn't we be doing something about that? I don't even speak or understand much of either language being spoken. But somehow, I didn't feel useless. I felt incredibly blessed.

Ten or fifteen of us (the 4 of us & the rest from the church) walked through 235, stopping at each corner & taking turns praying. I've never experienced anything like it...not understanding what was being said, but feeling God's presence there with us.

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." -1 Peter 4:10

That night we went back out to 235 & had Bible study. Chickens & baby turkeys & roosters pecked around our feet during this. When the kids got home they chased them as the adults commenced with Bible study like nothing at all was happening around us. Loved it.

Broken

Sunday afternoon, Pastor Marcial came over & we talked with him for about two hours...heard the whole story of what's going on with his family & the church. Long story short: his 17-year-old son, Manuel, made all of these promises to his girlfriend's family with intentions to marry her - promises he couldn't keep & didn't even tell his family about. Now, I want to stop right here...this makes him sound like some rebellious teen that he's just not. He's young & in love & not making the wisest decisions, but has such a good heart & seems to really think he's doing the right thing.

Anyway...his family finally found out when he couldn't get married without their consent since he was only 17. Now her family is holding them to it & they're having to plan this big white wedding with no money. Manuel & Elena (his fiance) side with Marcial, but her family is demanding so much. It's even caused disunity within the church. It's just tearing Pastor Marcial apart.

Our 1 John Bible Study that we read that day was about fellowship. We saw a genuine picture of that today. The language barrier disappeared and we saw only a broken man talking to some strangers who soon became like family. So amazing.

Precious Kids

After church we got to spend some time with Sophia & Gabriel. Again, they're the greatest kids ever. Sweet Gabriel has more energy in his little finger than I do in my whole body, I think. He constantly ran around saying one of two things: "chocolate, chocolate...!" or "muchachas, muchachas...!" Precious.

Oh, &...he kind of has a huge crush on Caitlin.

Also, I taught Sophia how to braid that afternoon. She caught on so fast & was so proud of herself!

¡Iglesia en Mexico!

This is probably what I was most looking forward to about the whole trip. I love going to church in other places. My experience at church in Maseru was one of the best of my life, & I couldn't wait to attend church here in Cancun.

Most interesting thing I learned: they sing straight from the Bible. I might've learned something about Jesus, but my brain was lost in translation. So, I learned about Bible singing instead. For example, we turned to Psalm 134 (actually Salmos 134) & sang it. So funny. And their hymnal will go 1-some number & then start over with a random number multiple times. The precious little women kept helping us.

LOTS of singing & even more "amens." I found that they use "amen" like a "you get it?" or "you following me?" just as much as a "right on!"

The church was open - a door like a garage door that pulled down, so it was open during the service. Windows were open with bars in them. It had folding chairs for about 30 people. It's probably about half the size of my garage at home. And HOT. There was a breeze every once in awhile but I was sweating...& I'm not much of a sweater. And I don't mean one glistening drop...I mean drenched. I had to keep drinking lots of water.

I love that even though they don't have much, they make the church pretty. Behind the pulpit hung a curtain across the wall - dark red velvet with a design. In front of the pulpit was a table with a hinged wooden box. When it was time for the offering, Pastor Marcial opened the box for people to come up & put their offering in...& we sang from the Bible.

The music was...joyful. Pastor Marcial sang. LOUD. Not exactly has gift, but so heartfelt. His son, who looks like a young Mexican JTT (unless you're my mother, who totally denies the resemblance), played the keyboard & 2 other men played drums & bass. They had mics & enough speakers to host a small concert...all in this small room. Mauricio said when they have outdoor events they rent MORE speakers. Oh, & the beat...SO hard to sing with. It sounded like everyone just played at their own tempo. But I loved it...and, in the words of dear old Mrs. Camille, they sang in "the language that will be spoken in Heaven" (that's for you, Abby, Chloe, & Em).

A Confession & A Love Story

I've been both dying to catch up on my blogging & write all about Mexico...& also dreading it. I don't know why, but for some reason, it's just hanging over my head. Perhaps because I have about 25 journal entries about the trip, or perhaps because of Caitlin's intimidating post titles to live up to (which is part of why I read one of hers & quit until after I write mine).

So, now that I've gotten up my courage, I guess I'll start with the beginning (God liked to start 'in the beginning,' so I guess I'll be a follower)...

That first day seemed like it lasted a week. We'd been up since 3:15 am, been on 2 planes, & got off to a bit of a rocky start. It was all good until about 30 minutes into the first flight. Let's just say that that Starbucks pumpkin spice latte that I was SO excited about...was better the first time around. Not to be graphic, but I don't think you've thrown up until you've done so in the "lavatory" of a plane. End of story.

During our layover in Houston, my mind was racing. I didn't want to actually be sick sick (I'd been fighting a bad cold all week) & be a hindrance to any part of the trip, but I also knew for sure that God had told me to get on that plane. So...I stuck to it. Had to convince my stomach that it was a good idea, but it agreed in the end. While I sat there in the airport, I texted the TSFs & a few others & asked for prayers. Ever heard that song "Somebody's Praying Me Through"? I totally felt it.

So, pick up when we landed in Mexico. From the moment we met Mauricio, we loved him! God just shines through him in every aspect of his life, & we were privileged to find that out more & more as the week went on.

We settled into the amazing Mission House & went off to Costco (yep, in Mexico) to buy food for the week. Mauricio's kids came along & that's where I fell in love with Sophia & Gabriel. As we rambled through Costco, Sophia came over & grabbed my hand & started telling me about herself...she loves Michael Jackson (Thriller & Ghost are her favorites), High School Musical (especially Sharpay...go figure), Jonas Brothers, Camp Rock, & Barbies & her favorite color is pink. My kind of girl. She learns English at school & communicates very well (it helps that both her parents are fluent). When there was a word she didn't know, she was really good about describing it until we figured out the right word. Her shirt had the words "peace, hope, & love." She said "hope is what we have in God...do you have God's hope?" I genuinely believe she understands. When we were waiting in line she randomly asked me why we grow & plants grow & other things don't. She pointed to the buggy as an example. I said, "well...what makes us different from those things?" She thought for a minute & said "those are plastic or wood or metal. God didn't make us out of that." So we talked about how God gave us a heart & lungs & a brain. She said, "yes, & a hart to love him & all others." She's seven & she totally gets what life is all about. It's the most incredible thing I've ever seen.

Day 1 & already in love...

LOVING Mexico!

Many, many more blogs to come about Mexico, but for now...things to be praying for while we're still here.

• Our block party tonight - we've passed out fliers about it to the Mayan community - thousands live here, so many have the opportunity to come.
• Cait & I giving our testimonies tonight - kind of nervous about doing this with a translator. It's always scary talking in front of a big group, but especially when they don't understand a word you're saying & someone else is translating & you're afraid you'll lose your train of thought.
• Pastor Marceal & his family
• Mauricio

Thanks for sharing this with me! I am so excited about telling you everything else when I get home!

Aquí estoy. ¡Envíame a mí!

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" - Isaiah 6:8
A few weeks ago Cait called & said that she was the only girl going on the Mexico mission trip with her church & had been asked to recruit some more. Anytime this happens, I immediately want to go & have to reign in my emotions & my heart & decide if it's what God wants or what I want.
Now let me just set the stage for you: Sara had gotten home from Swaziland 5 days before. I'd just been at my aunt's going through all of her pictures from the Dominican. Sweet Emily Cates had just gotten home from a summer in India. John-Michael was en route from Malawi. And my heart was anywhere but Madison, Georgia. I'd just been telling someone a few days before about how I knew I did the right thing this summer, going to school & working...but I just really needed to go somewhere. I'm not at all saying that you have to go somewhere to do missions, because that's just not true. But, I felt that tug at my heart to go, to serve, to love, to push everything else aside & just be with people.
You can imagine how easy it was to think "oh, I'd just been having this conversation...this obviously means God's telling me to go." But I wanted to have total permission from God before I made that decision. I started praying about it, a little worried because I knew I needed to know in about a week. For the first few days I didn't really feel like God was giving me a clear answer. Then I began to see doors opening. When I first talked about it with my parents, they were all for it. That's never happened. My parents are both very sensible &, not that they don't want me going on mission trips, but they're going to first ask all of the detailed questions...what about missing school? How much is it? How are you going to pay for it? Do you have that much money? This is pretty soon...are you sure? You know...typical parent stuff. Nothing. Immediately agreed.
The next few days I spent praying about it some more & God pointed me to this verse: "For the Lord gives wisdom & from his mouth come knowledge & understanding." -Colossians 1:9-14
That was the assurance that I needed to know that an answer was coming. And it did, & that's a yes!
Now, two weeks into the semester, I've talked to most of my professors about it & have poured over syllabi making sure I have things all figured out. No professor has questioned my decision to go so early into the semester. No one has been critical in the slightest way. Several of my classes aren't meeting that week. One professor suddenly decided to meet online one day a week. It's all falling into place.
All of that being said...I ask you to rejoice with us as we prepare to go (17 days!) & pray for the hearts of those we will meet. We'll be starting a church outside of Cancun, working with Mayan people. And...that's about all I know at this point. But pray for those people we'll meet there & for God's work in their lives. Also pray for the team of about five or six that is going & that we will prepare our hearts & truly seek God on this trip.