El Puerto

A friend of ours invited us to his home the other day. That didn't mean the house he currently lives in, but the house where he grew up. He wanted us to meet his grandpa, who has been a Christian for 22 years. Our friend recently re-committed his life to Christ, and his grandfather is grateful.

So, we went yesterday (Sunday). The plan was to leave town around 9am which would give us a couple hours to visit before church started at 1pm. It was an hour and a half trip, with the last 5 kilometers being the roughest part due to the rough road.

When we arrived at El Puerto, we of course caused quite a stir! There are few foreigners who venture that far off the beaten path. And then there were the four white kids...we were constantly being watched by someone peeking through the fence, or hiding behind a tree.

Our friends family wasn't there...they had gone into the city because the Grandpa had been feeling sick. After a phone call to verify, we learned they were on their way home. So, we decided to walk through the village to see the people, and take some pictures.

While walking through town, we discovered that there was a guest preacher at church...and the service started early. We were bummed that we didn't get to attend church, but it allowed us to spend more time visiting with our friend's family. They even took us out to their cornfield and Clay and the guys picked a few dozen ears of corn. It was an amazing adventure for to the kids to wander through the cornfield.


They have to haul water from the well, so they
carry it in this pot, and hang it from their head.

The water pot

Levi liked the pozol,
a drink made from corn.



The fireplace

One of the smiling neighbor girls



With all of the mud, rubber boots are a must.



I love this little girl's smile...and her bigger sister right
behind her.

It was such a beautiful day! The clouds were amazing.

Sweet Bread...and Lost Souls

Today is Saturday. And today we slept in until 7:38! Exciting news in the Richardson home. So, to celebrate we decided to go get donuts and pan dulce (sweet bread) and head to the park for breakfast. A normal day...we thought.

As we ate at the picnic table, the security guard came over to chat with Clay.
     A usual conversation...
             "How's your family? How many kids do you have? How's your wife?"
      But  the answers broke our heart...he has 6 kids...his wife is well, but she left him and the kids 4 months ago for another man.

As Clay talked more, the kids and I went to play on the toys. Soon, I had a shadow...

We have been praying for opportunities to talk and meet people, for friends for the kids. So I started asking him some typical questions...

"What's your name?"      "Javier"

"Do you live close by?"       "Yes."

"How old are you?"      "I don't know."

"Do you have siblings?"       "Four."

"Are you the youngest?"      "Yes."

"So, you don't go to school, do you?"        "No."

"If you don't go to school, what do you do all day?"    "Nothing."

"You don't know how to read, do you?"      "No." 

"Why don't you go to school?"     "My mom doesn't want me to go."

"What does your dad do?"     "Nothing."

"He doesn't work?"       "No."

"Does your mom work?"    "She sells tortillas."

"What do you want to do when you're grown up?"       "Wash cars."

The reality of this boy's life hit me hard. He doesn't know how old he is! Which means he's never celebrated a birthday. His greatest aspiration is to work at a car wash when he's big. His Dad doesn't work, and his Mom sells tortillas. Can you really make a living for a family of 6 by selling tortillas? Does his Dad even live at home? 

My heart is saddened by the reality of life around us.

The hopelessness...

The lostness...

Our focus needs to be the Bread of Life...not just donuts and sweet bread.

A Look Into Our World

Recently, a short-term medical team was in the area working with friends of ours. They held medical clinics and shared the Gospel among two different people groups. It was a joy to get to know this group who came to serve. (And a treat to get to eat American chocolate!)

There was a professional photographer in the group, and she took some amazing photos, capturing the faces and scenery that surround us.

With her permission, I'm posting some of my favorite pics.

This woman was seeing the doctor, with her daughter
carried in her wrap.

What a cutie!

This lady was taking a break on the porch.

Aubrey was painting the girls' nails.

I love the simplicity of this photo.

A landmark in San Cristobal.

The beauty of God's creation.

Donkeys truly are a common sight.

Just look at those big, beautiful eyes!

Peek-a-boo!

Gathering firewood in order to be able to cook.

This picture says so much...





Sunrise in Chiapas

Gone Fishing

This past weekend, Clay was invited to go fishing with a new friend...to the Pacific Coast...for two days!

He was so excited!

And I was excited for him to have this opportunity too.

They caught 2 Dorado...

And he even got to land a sailfish... 

It was about 9 ft. long!

That was all in one day...so they came home a day early!

Four Degrees North...Part 2

Our trip to Suriname was an adventure in itself. It was a total of 10 flights to get from southern Mexico to the interior of Suriname. Our troubles began from the very beginning...we arrived to the airport in Tuxtla with plenty of time to check in all the luggage a family of 6 might need for a month in the jungle. And that's when we found out that Ellie's ticket was in the name of "Ellie" and not "Elizabeth" like her passport says. Also, Matthew, who was travelling as a lap child, was headed for Spain instead of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. After what seemed like forever, they finally gave us our boarding passes, but then our flight was delayed.

Levi and Ellie, looking at the ships in Panama.

When we finally arrived in Mexico City, we had missed our connecting flight to Panama. We spent 2 hours in line with the customer service personnel, and they finally put us up in a 5 star hotel for the night. The next day we returned early to the airport, hoping to check in and then get something to eat. Instead, we spent another 3 hours with the customer service personnel because Ryan's e-ticket was not in the system. Finally, after much frustration they gave us Ryan's boarding pass and we were off to Panama. There we got to meet some colleagues and do a little sight-seeing. We had planned a whole day to see the canal, but had to suffice with a few hours. We were happy that we had the extra time though or who knows what the rest of the trip would have looked like!

In Panama, once again Ryan's e-ticket was not in the system. Again, we spent a couple hours in line waiting for the problem to be solved. And again, they printed off the boarding pass and sent us on our way to Trinidad and Tobago. In TT, we realized that no one really ever fixed Ryan's ticket problem. They just printed off a boarding pass and sent us on...so, in TT we again spent hours, waiting for them to fix the ticket problem. They assured us that they had it completely fixed, and that we wouldn't have the same problem on the way home a month later.

We arrived in the capital city of Suriname around 2am, I think. After three days of travel, with lots of added ticketing stress, we were exhausted. And relieved to have finally arrived. We stayed in a "suite" at the hotel, which meant Ryan, Ellie, and Levi slept on 2 mattresses on the floor. Not exactly what one would expect when you hear "suite." But we were thankful because we had hot showers and A/C...and we knew that wouldn't last long!

The next day we took a 45 minute flight to our new home. This flight was the smallest plane I had ever been on. There were only 10 passengers, plus the pilots. It was a beautiful flight, giving us the opportunity to see what the country of Suriname looks like.

When we arrived to our new village, we finally got to see our new home! We really didn't know what to expect. We weren't told what kind of housing to expect, just that there would be indoor plumbing. We were pleasantly surprised to find a 3 bedroom cabin, with a kitchen, dining room, and bathroom right on the river. Clay was able to fish from our front porch! And the hammock was a great place to relax!

4 Degrees North Part 1

4 Degrees North...of the equator. That's where we spent the last month. I have always dreamed of travelling to South America, but I have to be honest. The country of Suriname wasn't even on the radar of possible destinations. Seriously, they don't even speak Spanish there. The official language is Dutch, although only a small percentage of the upper class speak that. Most people speak a unique blend of Dutch, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and African dialects all wrapped up into one language.

The Amazon Jungle

"So, how was the jungle?"
                       Well, let me give you a rundown...
Caiman         
     pink-footed tarantulas
          grasshoppers with pincers
                     3 snakes              
       
piranha, wolf fish, peacock bass
                     scorpions


Ellie enjoyed riding in the boat.

18 kids          
     3 stitches, 2 medical evacuations to the city
                    guitars, singing, clapping
                              little girl giggles
                                   3 Matthews, 2 Ellies

1 rope swing
            swimming in the river
                        washing LOTS of laundry in river


Levi fell out of his hammock.

        Jungle pedicures

              boat rides to the store
                          boat rides to church
                                       1 wrecked boat
                        2 birthday celebrations
4th of July
            fireworks
                    ice cream and slushy Coke
                                         hammocks and mosquito nets
      

 Of course, there was so much more. And that is why this is only part 1.