8 More Sleeps

Well ladies and gentlement, after 10 months I am now in my final days of living in Mexico City. Now, looking back, it feels like the time has just flown by. Everyday is full of the last of something for me here and I have found it sad, but at the same time rewarding that I did allow myself to build into the lives of the people here. Tommorow is my official good-bye party joined with the birthday party of my host sister Lupita. Sunday is my last time with the cell church, then Monday I leave to go to the Mexico Field Forum for all missionaries who work with the Alliance. That is where I will spend my final days, returning back to the city on Friday afternoon, hopefully in time to get to see Lupita recieve her diploma for graduation from and Engineering degree in Mechanics, with a major in electronic communications. Then Friday night is family night. I plan on packing and cleaning on Saturday morning before heading the airport at 1 to be on my plane that leaves at 4. I will land in Edmonton pretty much at midnight, and seeing as how that's actually Leduc, I will probably be home home around 2. Wow, I can't believe this journey is almost over. Thank you for sticking it through with me. I hope to post when I get home. Take care and God Bless until then.

A little Taste of Heaven

The past two Fridays I've had opportunities to accompany Rob and Mei yit Dobbs who have begun a ministry with homeless who live in my area of the city. The first time I went I was quite nervous, not knowing what to expect or how to I would be recieved. They recieved us very warmly and my concerns were easily put to rest. Mei yit and Rob have developed a good reputation with them and they now look towards there visits it seems. The people, about twenty live in a community together in a cemented area that is surrounded by busy roads of the metro system. They wash car windows to make money and cook together. They have some dogs who live within the community as well, one of them named Adrian is the biggest rottweiler I have ever seen. A man named George called it over and told it to say hi to me so it lifted up its paw for me to take... which I did... gingerly. Its paw was almost the same size of my hand.

The first time I went Meiyit gave out bibles to some, and we read a passage from Luke. Some of them have never learned to read, with one of them having actually been born into this community of homeless. It was fun to hear them interact with the scriptures and sad at the same time to hear them say that they felt it was too late for them. When we prayed for some of them it was clear to see they were moved. On my second time going there, they asked Meiyit and my host sister Lupita to sing some praise songs for them. It was like being in heaven the way the two sang and watching two of the younger men crying and holding onto each other as they listened to the words. Once again I am moved by how sometimes we set out to minister to others and they in turn end up ministering to us.

Some Days are just NOT your Days

As of today I only have three more weeks here in Mexico. I do find this quite sad. Up to this point I had had many points where I said to myself "its time for me to just go home" and now... now that its coming soon, well its hard to explain all that goes on in my head and heart, but I am doing my best to soak up every last moment I have here in Mexico.

The title for this update comes from a few blond moments I have had recently that my family and I have had good laughs over since then. On Tuesday night during the English group we host, I did make quite a fool of myself (and I just taught them the word fool too!). We started a little late that night becasue my family's cousin was staying and he is a priest in the Angelican church so he was involved in a discusion on the issues that denomination is faced with at present with my brother Enrique and friend Miguel. Once everyone had arrived we brought in the television as its usually in my mother's room, but obviously we won't all crowd in there with her to watch the Jesus film. Along with the televison comes the DVD player and two remotes, one for the TV and one for the DVD. So I'm sitting next to my host brother and getting everything ready to go, but can't find the DVD remote... now I have the TV one in my hand so I turn to Enrique and say "where is the other one?" well holding up the TV remote to show him what I am asking about. He looks at me with a blank look and so with my right hand wave the remote a little more to try and get him to focus on the question. He asks me "the other one what?" Flustered and annoyed I reply "the other CONTROL" while leaving out the DUH that I wanted to add in there (now you all know what I'm like when I feel I am being misunderstood). Enrique replied only by looking down at my left hand. So I too followed his gaze and sure enough there it was. The DVD remote firmly grasped in my left hand. It sure is a good thing I can laugh at myself as the whole group quite enjoyed that one for awhile. Oops. I taught them the meaning of "blond moments" afterwards.

Now I know I made reference to a "few" blond moments, but now for the life of me I can't remember what exactly else occured, only that indeed there were other moments. Maybe I blocked them out... :)

I have added another six photos to my flickr account. These ones are from my host sister, Erika's wedding. I was a "dama" or a bride's maid this is why I have a red dress too like the other ladies. You can see these by clicking on this link:
www.flickr.com/mexicanmanada

Less than 4 weeks and counting

Hi Team,
Well it FELT like I had just recently updated this site, but I guess not. Sorry about that. Well as the title says the countdown to my return to Canada is on. Its a strange feeling to begin to prepare yourself to return to your own culture. These last few weeks here will be filled with preparing to leave everything well as well as return to Canada well. I am having some really fun last experiences along the way.

Two weeks ago today Heather Hahn and I headed out to watch the anniversary show of the orphanage we've worked alongside of in Cuernavaca. It was so much fun to watch the children preform all their different talents and show the audience what it is they are taught in the home. Three young children spoke memorized poems on different topics, such as how to say no to someone who wants to hurt you etc. A number of kids demonsrtated the karate that they learn from the director's son who is a black belt. Others performed a skit on happiness. Finally about eight of the elementry schoolers put on a violen concert as the director got government funding to pay for music lessons (something almost unheard of here). After being awed by the talented children we got a chance to speak to the movers and shakers of Christian ministries in the area. They were rather encouraging as they pointed continually to prayer and service as the way to reach children and the whole world too.

After the anniversary service Heather and I headed out to a town called Taxco which is built on the side of the mountain and has long been the headquaters of the silver mining in Mexico. It is beautiful up there, with steep cobblestone streets (slippery) and all white with red roofs buildings. We stayed the one night in a christian hotel right near the center. In the morning we enjoyed a guided tour of the old catholic church. I had never had a guided tour before, but was thankful this time as he was able to answer a lot of our questions about catholicsm in Mexico as well as provide infromation into the town's beginnings. There were many little shops all around the center and we picked up a few keepsakes, but mainly just enjoyed the shopping. After lunch we left the town, but on the way back into the city stopped off to see the "grutas". The grutas are natural caves that were created when a river ran right through a mountain. I have never seen such a large cave in my life. Its very long too, about 2 kilometers if I remember correctly, but you can't go all the way in because the air pressure is too much by the end. There are many different formations within it that they take you through and give their versions of what they are. All along it is a concrete, lighted path that you follow. Heather and I left the tour group early to make it back to the city on time, but it was a little creepier to walk with just the two of us back towards the enterance even WITH the lighted path.

We returned to Pantitlan in time for the English group that Tuesday night. It was really good for me to see more of this beautiful country during my time here.