“Land of the Snail”

Recently we took a trip to El Caracol, or the Snail. We’re not sure why it’s named that, but the kids had fun trying to guess—because  you can find snails in the river or because the road is windy like a snail shell?  (It took 3 hours to get there, but it’s only about 16 miles away as the crow flies.)

 

The kids had a blast! They of course made new friends…some human…others of the bird variety!

 

 

 

They chased ducks and chickens. They climbed trees. They ate oranges and mandarins. They picked a coconut, cracked open cocoa. Ellie inspected the beautiful flowers.

You've heard that chocolate is a fruit because
it grows on a tree, right?
Well, this is what it looks like!

The cacao beans, before they've
been cleaned. The white covering
is edible so sometimes the best
method to clean the bean is to suck
on them...thought you might want to know!

Clay worked hard to cut a coconut out of the tree!

The pastor's son chopped off all of the outside shell of the coconut.

My little flower lover!
Her middle name is "Flor,"
which means "flower."

 

They played ball…sometimes with a real soccer ball….sometimes with a homemade variety that was covered in a plastic bag.

 

They made tortillas…

 

While the kids played, Mom and Dad visited the church.

The Bible talks of the church being like a body. When one member hurts, we all hurt. This church in El Caracol is hurting…and I hurt for them. 

The pastor’s daughter has been rebellious.  She has drifted away from God and from the church body. That in itself is a difficult situation in a small village. The people of the village are watching the Christians to see how they handle life’s situations. And the Christians feel the pressure, the judgment. 

Add to this already difficult situation that the daughter is now 5 months pregnant and has been kicked out of her home and was originally advised that she should have an abortion so that no one would know. (The story of David and Bathsheba comes to mind…committing a sin to cover up a previous sin.)

We spent two days teaching about what the Bible says of grace and forgiveness.  We listened. We prayed.  We encouraged reconciliation between the father and daughter. And also between the father and his wife.

When we left El Caracol, we left with heavy hearts. Now, all we can do is pray.

 
Please pray with us for the church in El Caracol, that they will know God’s love and the grace that He readily extends to those who love Him. Also pray that as Christians, we would be quick to offer grace and forgiveness, and that we will resist the temptation to judge others.

 

 

 

Cooking Class

            In our village, most of people love eating pizza and pies and breads…all things that require an oven to make. People have asked often if I can teach them how to make pizza or cake. The problem is that most homes don’t have an oven. They have stove tops or open fireplaces.

            Recently, my friend Cecilia asked if she could come by when I was making pizza so she could learn. (She knows that we eat pizza most Fridays!)  When she showed up, she was accompanied by her brother and her niece. They all wanted to learn how to make pizza! Luckily, I had been experimenting…

            Once upon a time, in a land far away...also known as Idaho, friends taught us how to make pizza on the grill. So I decided to teach my friends how to make personal pizzas on the comal, or flat grill that’s placed over the fire or on the gas stove. It was the same idea as cooking on the grill. My new cooking class was amazed at how quick and easy it was to make pizza! And they could even do it on their stoves or over the fire in their home.

            After tasting the pizza, they got to talking amongst themselves. What kind of cake do you know how to make? What about pie? As I listed off the things that I could teach them, we decided on apple pie.

Step 1
Slicing the Apples

            The next day, my three students showed up, ready to see what it takes to make an apple pie. We peeled and cut the apples. We measured and mixed the flour and other ingredients. I showed them how to roll out the pie crust and then let each of them have a turn too. Theo was a good sport! He jumped right in too!

 

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    There are moments when I’m amazed that I’m the one teaching cooking. I mean, my sister is the one who studied culinary arts. And my old college roommates can attest, I wasn’t really into cooking back in the day. Or my Iowa neighbor Linda is quick to remind me not to forget the eggs! (Do you know what rhubarb muffins look like if you forget the egg? Yeah, I do.) But, here I am…the expert in pizza and apple pie. (Is there anything more American?)

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    So, we sat and waited for the pie to bake…and then to cool. It was a fun hour and a half of building relationships. We talked about what else I could teach them to bake…and then what they could teach me to cook. Often the three of them would discuss plans, ideas, and events in the ZK language…and Clay and I would listen.

 

 

Some things we could understand. Other things we couldn’t. It felt like we were just eavesdropping. But the great thing was that they know we are trying to learn their language and they want us to understand. They were okay with letting us listen in on their conversation. I think that may be the beginning of a great friendship!

 

 

 

 

 

The pies turned out perfect!

 

Granny's Visit

 
                                                                                       


       It's always a treat when we have family or friends visit from the States! This year, instead of showing my mom around the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, we got to introduce her to our home in the rainforest, complete with "organic" umbrellas! Yes, the leaf is really that big! And the locals do use them to shed rain or to shade them from the sun.









Granny with our neighbor girl












After a week in the village, we took a vacation to the Mayan ruins of Palenque and Toniná.

Ryan and Ellie, conspiring.

Palenque

Toniná from a distance



The beautiful clouds at Toniná

Waterfalls anyone?

                                      Misol-Ha...scene from The Predator
              

    
                  

   Agua Azul...

You'll have to ask Granny who this guy is!

 

Agua Azul...blue water? But not in rainy season.

Perspective

God is often reminding me of perspective. I know. I’m a slow learner. He has to keep showing me.

Recently, my family took a weekend vacation to see the Mayan pyramids in Palenque and Tonina. We complained on our trip of the inconveniences of the teachers who are striking in Mexico. They have closed roads and highways which has caused gas trucks not to be able to deliver fuel. And of course, the general annoyances of not being able to travel where we want and when we want…ugh! They have even taken over the toll booths on the toll road and we had to pay them instead of the federal government. (It was a lesser amount, which makes many people happy to support the teachers.)

On our way home, we were stopped in a small community by a group claiming to support the teachers. In all reality, they were Zapatistas who were taking advantage of the situation. They were charging 100 pesos to get through and if you didn’t pay they were threatening to spray paint your car. And to keep you from trying to drive past them they employed spike strips.

I will be honest. I was very angry that they were taking advantage of us and everyone else who was trying to travel on that road. I’m not happy about how the teachers are protesting either. (I understand that it’s the only way to have a voice in this country that’s full of corruption. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Or agree.) I have been inconvenienced. And I have had to pay. But in all reality, even the 100 pesos is less than $10.

The anger. The injustice. The frustration. I’m American! They can’t do this to me.

And then I read the news reports about the mall shootings in Nairobi.

It’s wrong! It’s evil! They can’t do that to innocent people!

When I read of some of our colleagues who were in the mall, trapped for hours, fearing for their lives…it made me reconsider the “dangers” and “frustrations” that I have been experiencing.

An American family (our colleagues), were separated. Mom and 4 kids were able to escape after 4 hours of hiding in a storage closet. But Dad and teenage son were still trapped. They were eventually reunited and everyone is safe.

It makes my frustrations pale in comparison. And then I’m reminded of the injustices. All around our world. Evil reigns. The solution…only Christ. And that makes our call to go unto all the nations that much more urgent.

 

What is God calling you to do today?

 

"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

 

Life’s Interruptions

 

     Clay and I have always considered ourselves to be fairly spontaneous. When someone invites us to dinner at the last moment, I’m okay with it. The dinner I prepared can wait until the next day. Or when only three kids would show up for Bible study instead of ten, we’d go for donuts. We make the best of it.

Here in Mexico, we’ve had a different take on spontaneity. When the electricity goes out and dinner is in the crockpot…well, the oven is gas! We can still cook. When we plan to have a barbecue and it rains, we move the grill under the front porch. Or when the water pressure is low, we take bucket baths instead of showers. When we plan to study, and someone drops in, we put the study materials aside…or better yet, discuss it with our visitors. For example, if we’re studying the language, we practice pronunciation with our visitors. Or if we’re studying a Bible story, we share it.

But lately we’ve been pushed to be even more spontaneous. Last week, we took the two littlest boys to their daycare and we were told they couldn’t receive the students that day, but there would be a meeting for the parents at noon. At the meeting we were informed that school would be closed until further notice because they are changing locations and have to get the new building ready and then inspected. It’ll probably 2 weeks. Or more.

Thursday when we picked up the big kids from school, we were told they wouldn’t have class the next day because the teachers were having a union meeting. (As a teacher, why would you cancel class for this?!? Your job is to teach! Have your meeting in the afternoon!) But, we rolled with it. Today (Monday), Clay took the kids to school, only to bring them home again. School is closed until further notice because the teachers are on strike.

Bring on the spontaneity! Now…back to work, amidst the noise of four rambunctious kids!

 

School Registration

This week is the beginning of school in our community. So on Monday, we went to one of the local schools (there are various) in order to register Ryan and Ellie. Ryan was super excited! Ellie was a bit more reticent.

 Registration was interesting. Each teacher sat at their desk and wrote the names and ages of the students that arrived, and then they recorded the parents’ names and address. There really is no order, just a mob of people trying to push to the front.  When it was our turn, Ellie’s teacher asked what our address was, but I didn’t know how to respond. We live one street away from the main street, but there are no street signs and no house numbers. Most people in town just know where the gringos live.

 

Getting ready for our second day of school!
(Yeah, no pics from day one...)

The crowd of children and mothers began to chatter in ZK and I heard, “next door to Don Felix!” I laughed and told the teacher that we live next door to Don Felix. And she responded, “Oh, in front of Don Miguel!”  Exactly. 

Counting the Cost

Tonight I found myself crying at the drop of a hat. What’s wrong? I really didn’t know. I guess I still don’t really know. But I can guess that Satan was trying to get me down. You know, if Satan can distract me, he can cause all kinds of mischief in our ministry.

So, what did I do? I cried! And I cried! And I cried some more!

And as I cried, I talked to Jesus.

Yesterday I was randomly hit by intense grief. This December marks 10 years since my Pop went to heaven. I think of my Dad often, but only on rare occasions do I find myself crying uncontrollably. Yesterday was one of those days. I am saddened that my children never had a chance to meet my Dad. They never had a chance to love him, or to be loved by him. I miss his smile and his laughter. I miss the twinkle in his eye that told you he was up to something.

Today I was hit by the isolation factor that comes from living in a remote town at the edge of nowhere. It’s hard to describe where we live. It truly is the end of the road. And it’s the middle of the jungle. There is no cell phone coverage. There are only a handful of telephone lines, and they are used like telephone booths by those that own them. And the only internet has sketchy reception, not to mention that it’s not convenient to head to the internet café.

As I bemoaned all that I do not have, God encouraged me to make a complete list of all that we’re missing out on…ballet classes for Ellie, tae kwon do for the boys, VBS, AWANA, Sunday School, sleepovers at Grammy and Grandpa’s house, Christmas dinner with family, Sunday dinner at Grammy and Grandpa’s…the list goes on.

And then He reminded me how unsatisfied I was in Idaho. We had so much. We gave up so much. But we have gained so much more by answering His call to obedience. Don’t get me wrong. Life in Idaho was good. I was happy. I was surrounded by family and friends. But it wasn’t where God had called me.

I was called to the ZK people. God has prepared me for life in “Pine Hill.” My kids may not get to do ballet or tae kwon do, but they have travelled to 5 different countries outside of the U.S. and they’ve seen more of the U.S. than most Americans have! They will soon be tri-lingual. And they won’t grow up learning Bible verses in AWANA, but they will grow up seeing how the Bible transforms lives. And they will be a part of the work that God is doing in “Pine Hill.”

God is moving all around us every day.  There are many people who are interested in hearing God’s Word.  Pray that God will work deeds of salvation in the midst of “Pine Hill.”

 

“Yet God is my king from of old,

Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth. “

Psalm 74:12