The Last Entry

Well I am back in Canada now, which is seeming a little strange so far. I have moments where it hits me that I have in fact already been to Mexico, lived there for 10 months and have returned, as it seems like I never really left. I am learning how to speak to people in English again, as I have had moments where I had to catch myself as I started in Spanish.

I cooked up some real tacos and real salsa too for the family here. My Mexican family taught me well. Other than that, I've attended a friends wedding done a number of different appointments, unpacked and am now trying to sort my life back into order.

Thanks everyone who kept up on my adventure along with me. Maybe one day soon I'll have another blog for another place for me to go....

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.

Summer Heat Wave

www.flickr.com/photos/mexicanmananda

First an explination of the photos. Most of them are from when there was a short term team here from Nipawin, Saskatchewan. The Lucha Libre is something that resembles WWF wrestling from the U.S., but all the wrestlers wear masks and it had started out as a way to make political statements during the days when to do so publicly was a health risk. The church I work with El Encuentro, had a baptism service during the time Nipawin was here. If I remember correctly about 10 members of the church were baptised along with one member of the short term team. It was so fun to see my friends taking that commiment. The last picture is of Heather Paty while she was still here... taking a nap with our chihuahua. Really he had just endured a photo shoot so that Heather could have some memories of him.

Now I will go on to talk about the true title of this entry. It is VERY warm here. Okay now I know I can't complain, many of you would probably want to be enjoying constant heat, and the days are beautiful... until you step into either my bedroom or the metro. I love my room, like while as much as maybe someone can love a room anyways. BUT it has a slanted metal cieling... which means its pretty much deadly in there during the afternoons. However its the nicest place to be in the whole house at nights as it coolest off the fastest as well. As for the metro its always hot, its just more noticable now. Soon the rain will come... soon.

With the heat wave comes flies or "moscas". As we leave all windows and doors open during the day (the hallway of our house is like a courtyard so all room doors are actually to the outside) flies come in. I came down for supper the other night and decided to practice my fly swatting skills. After I missed the first um probably five times my brother Enrique informed me that his record for a day was 43. Being the competitor that I am, I decided it was time to become skilled in swatting flies. I got up to 13 before I got bored. Enrique then informed me that the 43 recorde was from when he worked a paper store and was bored all day everyday.

During this same night an interesting event occured in my life. I saw my first rat. I know I know I have lived in Mexico City for eight months now and I have only just seen one rat. One would think with the size of the city and amount of people there would be many rats, and I think that quite possibly there are, but so far it seems God has provided my easily squirmish self safety from them. I guess New York City actually has the biggest rat problem in the world. Anyways, so I'm sitting at the kitchen table facing the door. Enrique and Lupita are sitting facing me. Suddenly I see this shadow out of the corner of my eye, it was at the top of a wall that is next to our house, but not really IN the house. So I think to myself "oh it was just one of the neighborhood cats". BUT THEN it came back... and it was not a cat. I pointed, speachless unable to tell my siblings what I had just seen. They looked at me like I was crazy cause it was gone already and they didn't see it. So trying to remember the word for rat I stumbled "rata, ratan, raton, rato..." they figured it out anways. My sister looked at me and with a glimmer in her eye said "and this is why you should make sure your bedroom door is fully closed at night", Enrique added "otherwise you will make yourself a new friend". Yes apparently there are not many rats or mice either in the neighborhood because we have really nice cats hanging out, but from now on everytime I leave my room once its dark that door is COMPLETELY closed behind me as before I did leave it unlatched at times to let it cool off more.

Well I only have two more months left here and much more to experience. Enrique informs me that the family has plans to make sure I leave well. One of the things on the list is to improve my stature :) as I apparently slump my shoulders. I am excited for this time as I finally feel content in all that I do here and even in speaking Spanish. Speaking of speaking spanish I just took another placement exam today as I will be joining another classroom setting, and found out that I will be put in the Advanced class. That pretty much made my day... and makes me want to speak spanish more and more and more.

More Pictures!!

www.flickr.com/photos/mexicanmananda

How many days has been and there's already another post? Okay so a break down of these photos for you. The first four are Kid's club photos from our first meeting which took place February 14th. That day we made sugar cookies to celebrate the day of love and friendship as it is called here. It was a good opportunity to first connect with the kids, make them feel welcome as well to see how much interest there was for the kids group to continue. The next photo is of me and my host mother, Aurora. The photo was actually taken around the time we thought there we wouldn't have too much longer with her. Aurora has proved that despite what earthyly doctors say, her doctor is the LORD and she will live as long and as well according to HIS diagnosises. The final photo is of Heather Paty, my host brother Enrique and myself. Near the end of Heather's time with us we tried to get as much in as possible for her to experience all she could of Mexico as well as soak up time with the family and friends. The picture was taken on the top of a building in downtown Mexico City, unfortunantly you cannot see the lights that stretch on and on and on and on in the background of the photo.

Well in other updates about myself, I had a cold again, second time this month :( That cold hit on Monday, my day off :( However I seem to have recovered quite well with just the always annoying side effects of colds lingering. Last night was English group. Two guys who came as contacts through Marcos, an attender of the cell church came on time... everyone else was late, but that's normal. Anyways, so I got to talking to these guys and they're both engineers for medical equipment. Pretty impressive indeed. They want to learn english because it would help them immensily in their careers as all medical equipment at this point in time is made in English-speaking countries. So I kind of wondered to myself why it is they don't take actual classes somewhere instead of relying on me using the Jesus video to teach them English (although of course the more important and still present lessons are about the gospel, not the language spoken in it) but it turns out that even though they are engineers... they have no money to take english classes. So needless to say that renewed my want to keep up the Tuesday ministry, for the pratical help it is the community of providing a way of furthering language skills and also for what a great way it is for people to become introduced to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. It amazes me still even how much I learn as Christ reveals more of himself to all of us through the video.