Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Remodeled kitchen
The kitchen in the boy's home was designed to feed a family at the most of five or six. With twenty-five boys and six or seven staff it was barely functional for cooking or storing food. After speaking with the director as well as the ladies who do the cooking, Walt first built new bookshelves and a desk in the living room, which enabled them to move books from shelves in the eating area. This allowed the kitchen to expand into the old eating area, using the old library shelves as a new pantry and building a service counter, to separate it from the living room, and then moving one of the two refrigerators out from a small alcove and building additional shelves in that alcove for a new pantry. This whole remodel is shown, as best as possible, in these pictures. We were actually able to complete it all before Christmas. Now we need to purchase a new stove to go in the expanded kitchen area - next item on the remodel list. So we just keep on plugging away. In January we are going to Thailand again to visit the family there.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Amateur Carpenter's Dream
We had a pleasant surprise this last month. We had heard that a donor was building a workshop for the boys at Casa Hogar "Mi Esperanza". When we saw a picture of the completed building we were amazed at the size. There is a large workshop on the first floor, and four small apartments above. So we went up to see it in person and found out that the Rotary Club of Langley, BC was donating funds for a new Toyota Commuter Van and for wood working tools for the workshop. Here is a photo of Rodney Dutro, Director of Casa Hogar, a part of Shepherd's Hearts Ministry - a local missions outreach, officially receiving the check for both the van and the tools, from David, president of Rotary Club Langley, BC. Since Walt was raised in Langley he had much to talk about with David. Here are photos of the van and some of the people associated with the project.
The amount set aside for the tools was $20,000 USD. Rodney had been serving as the sole leader of the workshop and since Walt has more carpentry experience, was this God saying that we should take a more substantial role? We thought yes, and so Walt helped list tools to be purchased - clearly all would be professional grade to come up to the amount. Nancy was not left out of this new call for us. She used to do wood carving, and half way looking through the empty shop and the prospects of the new tools, the thought of teaching the boys wood carving in conjunction with the woodworking projects came to her mind. She has ordered new wood carving tools for herself and for the boys. Are we ready to take on the responsibility of teaching carpentry and wood carving? We haven't heard "no" yet, and are looking forward to it. As far as the new shop tools, a week or two after specifying what would be desired, we received a call that the tools had arrived so we went and set them all up. A week later David, the Rotary Club of Langley president, showed up and was able to see them set up. They are shown in these photos. These are some serious tools! Each weighs from 235 kg to 365 kg, yeah that is like 500 to almost 800 pounds. The surfaces, legs and supports are all cast iron! We couldn't take them out of the crates, we had to de-construct the crates around the tools. Talk about drooling..... If anyone feels a twinge of jealousy because of all this cool equipment, we sure could use any help in planning an instruction program as well as putting such a program into effect.
When David explained how he found out about this project and it came to fruition, we just looked at each other and said, "God Thing". Apparently David came down to learn more about this area. He attended a week long series of seminars presented by Focus on Mexico, which we had also attended a couple of years ago. Another one of our local missionaries, Meme Thorpe, gives a presentation on local volunteer opportunities and as part of that talks about Casa Hogar. David heard the need and knew his local Rotary chapter had some funds. So he went back and presented it to the local district who said they would match his funds. Then it went up to the zone level and again was matched, resulting in a sizable final amount. So clearly God had big plans for the boy's home and we are excited to be a part of it.
As a quick update on another project that we have been working on, we sent out a request several months ago for donations to help build the bathrooms of our new church so that we could finally move services from the mud in the current place to a concrete floor - especially before the rains begin again next June. Well, we are about halfway to receiving all the funds needed. They announced in church last Sunday that they are planning to begin construction of the bathrooms this week. Of course room remains for additional support if anyone is feeling called!
The amount set aside for the tools was $20,000 USD. Rodney had been serving as the sole leader of the workshop and since Walt has more carpentry experience, was this God saying that we should take a more substantial role? We thought yes, and so Walt helped list tools to be purchased - clearly all would be professional grade to come up to the amount. Nancy was not left out of this new call for us. She used to do wood carving, and half way looking through the empty shop and the prospects of the new tools, the thought of teaching the boys wood carving in conjunction with the woodworking projects came to her mind. She has ordered new wood carving tools for herself and for the boys. Are we ready to take on the responsibility of teaching carpentry and wood carving? We haven't heard "no" yet, and are looking forward to it. As far as the new shop tools, a week or two after specifying what would be desired, we received a call that the tools had arrived so we went and set them all up. A week later David, the Rotary Club of Langley president, showed up and was able to see them set up. They are shown in these photos. These are some serious tools! Each weighs from 235 kg to 365 kg, yeah that is like 500 to almost 800 pounds. The surfaces, legs and supports are all cast iron! We couldn't take them out of the crates, we had to de-construct the crates around the tools. Talk about drooling..... If anyone feels a twinge of jealousy because of all this cool equipment, we sure could use any help in planning an instruction program as well as putting such a program into effect.
When David explained how he found out about this project and it came to fruition, we just looked at each other and said, "God Thing". Apparently David came down to learn more about this area. He attended a week long series of seminars presented by Focus on Mexico, which we had also attended a couple of years ago. Another one of our local missionaries, Meme Thorpe, gives a presentation on local volunteer opportunities and as part of that talks about Casa Hogar. David heard the need and knew his local Rotary chapter had some funds. So he went back and presented it to the local district who said they would match his funds. Then it went up to the zone level and again was matched, resulting in a sizable final amount. So clearly God had big plans for the boy's home and we are excited to be a part of it.
As a quick update on another project that we have been working on, we sent out a request several months ago for donations to help build the bathrooms of our new church so that we could finally move services from the mud in the current place to a concrete floor - especially before the rains begin again next June. Well, we are about halfway to receiving all the funds needed. They announced in church last Sunday that they are planning to begin construction of the bathrooms this week. Of course room remains for additional support if anyone is feeling called!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
A Way Late Update
We have not posted anything for a couple of months as we have been continually on the move. Retirement, HA!, just a joke.
We have been to couple of interesting events since last time that we wanted to share to give you more of a flavor of Mexico. The first was we went to a Mexican rodeo with all the charros fully dressed in their large hats and special chaps. We had a special invitation by the owner of the ranch, and three large tour buses took the group from Ajijic to the rodeo. It was very fascinating to see the difference between rodeos here and in the States. There was horse roping, bull wrestling and the proverbial bull and wild mare riding. Since the event was sponsored by a tequila producer, for those who wanted, the tequila was flowing freely. However, we wanted to see the rodeo. Here are some pictures of the rodeo. We also took some videos to give a flavor of the rodeo activities. A video of charros riding formation in the arena. One video shows an event where the charros had to demonstrate horse control by how quickly they could stop the horse from a full gallop. Here are videos of a charro lassoing a horse, one lassoing while riding a horse and another from the ground - notice how the horse, as it is going down, drags the charro. Another video of a charro riding a bull and one more of riding a wild mare, notice the suede leather "horn gloves" on the bull. And a video of wrestling a bull to the ground by grabbing its tail and flipping it. After the rodeo we were guests at a very elaborate lunch with delicious authentic Mexican food. It was outdoors and decorated like a wedding. Here are some pictures of the special outdoor lunch.
A few weeks later we attended a wedding of some friends we met through JUCUM, which is the Mexican equivalent of YWAM. Dale is from the Bahamas and Lisette is from a village called Tapalpa in the mountains of Jalisco. Not only was the wedding of interest but the mountain village was absolutely beautiful and very interesting. The village is at an altitude of 7,000 feet and after a very windy road we got to a plateau on top that was reminiscent of the Route 120 access into Yosemite Valley including, of all things, the large pine trees. We thought we were back in the Sierra Nevada. Since there are a lot of trees, wood is used extensively in their buildings, as opposed to where we live, where little wood is used in building. The walls of the houses line the street right on the sidewalk and are all white with red trim and wood frames around doors and windows. We noticed that all the roofs are sloped, unlike in our area where they are flat, and the sidewalks were very high off the road. We found out why when during the wedding it poured like crazy, and the sloping roof allowed runoff and the streets became flooded. Here are pictures of Tapalpa. The wedding itself was interesting. They actually were married in the Bahamas a couple of weeks earlier and this was the brides wedding for her family in Mexico. The wedding included many Mexican traditions. The one we really liked is when the couple danced and people would break in to dance with them and then had to pin money on their clothes. Here are some pictures of the wedding.
Other happenings: Walt built a kitchen island for some friends. Karen bought some pasta machines for her husband's birthday; Bill is a fantastic cook. However, their kitchen counter made it difficult to clamp the machine down to work it. So the solution? They asked Walt if he would be willing to make them an island, complete with granite top. So with a few pictures and rough measurements Walt, the newly bona fide Mexican craftsman, designed and built the island. Then, true to Mexican fashion, payment was through the bartering system. For his efforts we got a pasta machine, pasta drying rack, pasta cook books and two free meals!! Here are pictures of this endeavor.
One morning last week we were surprised to see what looked like a twig off a pine tree stuck on the screen door. Closer inspection revealed this to be an interesting insect in disguise. Here is a picture of this guy. Note how the green and brown really do make it look like a pine twig, but what pine twig has four perfectly spaced needles?
We have been to couple of interesting events since last time that we wanted to share to give you more of a flavor of Mexico. The first was we went to a Mexican rodeo with all the charros fully dressed in their large hats and special chaps. We had a special invitation by the owner of the ranch, and three large tour buses took the group from Ajijic to the rodeo. It was very fascinating to see the difference between rodeos here and in the States. There was horse roping, bull wrestling and the proverbial bull and wild mare riding. Since the event was sponsored by a tequila producer, for those who wanted, the tequila was flowing freely. However, we wanted to see the rodeo. Here are some pictures of the rodeo. We also took some videos to give a flavor of the rodeo activities. A video of charros riding formation in the arena. One video shows an event where the charros had to demonstrate horse control by how quickly they could stop the horse from a full gallop. Here are videos of a charro lassoing a horse, one lassoing while riding a horse and another from the ground - notice how the horse, as it is going down, drags the charro. Another video of a charro riding a bull and one more of riding a wild mare, notice the suede leather "horn gloves" on the bull. And a video of wrestling a bull to the ground by grabbing its tail and flipping it. After the rodeo we were guests at a very elaborate lunch with delicious authentic Mexican food. It was outdoors and decorated like a wedding. Here are some pictures of the special outdoor lunch.
A few weeks later we attended a wedding of some friends we met through JUCUM, which is the Mexican equivalent of YWAM. Dale is from the Bahamas and Lisette is from a village called Tapalpa in the mountains of Jalisco. Not only was the wedding of interest but the mountain village was absolutely beautiful and very interesting. The village is at an altitude of 7,000 feet and after a very windy road we got to a plateau on top that was reminiscent of the Route 120 access into Yosemite Valley including, of all things, the large pine trees. We thought we were back in the Sierra Nevada. Since there are a lot of trees, wood is used extensively in their buildings, as opposed to where we live, where little wood is used in building. The walls of the houses line the street right on the sidewalk and are all white with red trim and wood frames around doors and windows. We noticed that all the roofs are sloped, unlike in our area where they are flat, and the sidewalks were very high off the road. We found out why when during the wedding it poured like crazy, and the sloping roof allowed runoff and the streets became flooded. Here are pictures of Tapalpa. The wedding itself was interesting. They actually were married in the Bahamas a couple of weeks earlier and this was the brides wedding for her family in Mexico. The wedding included many Mexican traditions. The one we really liked is when the couple danced and people would break in to dance with them and then had to pin money on their clothes. Here are some pictures of the wedding.
Other happenings: Walt built a kitchen island for some friends. Karen bought some pasta machines for her husband's birthday; Bill is a fantastic cook. However, their kitchen counter made it difficult to clamp the machine down to work it. So the solution? They asked Walt if he would be willing to make them an island, complete with granite top. So with a few pictures and rough measurements Walt, the newly bona fide Mexican craftsman, designed and built the island. Then, true to Mexican fashion, payment was through the bartering system. For his efforts we got a pasta machine, pasta drying rack, pasta cook books and two free meals!! Here are pictures of this endeavor.
One morning last week we were surprised to see what looked like a twig off a pine tree stuck on the screen door. Closer inspection revealed this to be an interesting insect in disguise. Here is a picture of this guy. Note how the green and brown really do make it look like a pine twig, but what pine twig has four perfectly spaced needles?
We are heading to Oregon this week to see Nancy's parents, and then a long weekend in San Diego to visit Kirsty and Will, with a quick trip to Disneyland as well. Kirsty and Will celebrate their one year wedding anniversary on September 27 !
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Of Projects and Jellyfish
We have not posted a blog for two months because of all that is going on with projects, travel and the like.
In May Walt was busy making shelves and cabinets for the Boy's Home, Casa Hogar, and bookshelves for the language school we attended, Harvest Language School, a language school designed by missionaries for missionaries. Thanks to them we are beginning to feel quite comfortable with our Spanish. The bookshelves and cabinets are shown here.
At the beginning of June we went to California for Katie's, our boarder for the last two years before leaving California, wedding reception. While we were there we had six very full days. We got to see all of our family, except for our Thailand bunch, and through the auspices of Facebook got to see most of our friends that we have not seen since leaving. We spent the first day in Monterey with Eric and was the only place we managed to get pictures. The only picture we got of Eric was this one. The other pictures we got were videos of some interesting creatures at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Here is a video clip of a jelly fish moving through the water and here is a video clip of a luminescent jelly fish that we found very interesting. Then we couldn't help but be mesmerized by seahorses as shown in this video clip. Then we saw the most amazing seahorse that looks like vegetation moving through the water. You can see that here. We found out Saturday morning that in front of our hotel was the Sunnyvale Art and Wine Festival. Kirsty had flown up the evening before and instead of going to Andrew and Gretchens place as planned, we told them to meet us at the festival. Then we saw a bunch of our FBCLA friends at the reception Saturday night and our GBF friends on Sunday since that is where we attended church. Then Sunday afternoon Nancy had worked out via Facebook to have friends drop by at Red Rock Cafe. A friend saw this discussion on Facebook and told us that she was planning a surprise birthday party for her dad, a friend of more than 40 years, and invited us to come. So, to our pleasant surprise, we saw a host of old friends at that party.
When we returned to Mexico, Walt got busy building three cabinets that our pastor had asked for to store materials for the children's ministries. The added wrinkle was they wanted cabinets with locking doors. The cabinets are shown here.
June is also the beginning of our rain season. To show the difference a bit of rain makes we took pictures of the mountains behind our house a few weeeks before the rains and then a week or two after they began. The difference is clearly evident in these photos.
The rains also had a major impact on our church "under the tarps". Last Saturday night we had a major storm come through and when we showed up at church, the tarps were all down on the ground and because of the ropes holding the corners up, it looked like a huge above-ground swimming pool. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures but when we showed up Sunday morning for band rehearsal there was no way to get it repaired by the time church started. So we jammed everyone on a terrace. Good news is the new church facility is almost complete. Our little congregation, old church tarps and new facilities are shown in these photos.
While Walt was building the cabinets for church, Nancy was asked by the pastor to make some backdrops for some drama that they were going to do at the new facility. Nancy was responsible for painting a scene of the earth, Heaven's Gate and the door to hell. The earth scene, which because of last minute glitches, never got used, was essentially the view from our terrace. These backdrops are shown here. The interesting thing about this drama is that it was intended for outreach into the community. They had just got the roof of the new facility in place a week ago, had concrete floors, no walls and no electricity. But the idea is, "we have a facility, lets use it!" Electric installation was completed one hour before the beginning of the first service. There were three planned on 20, 21 and 22 July. Nancy's backdrops were key to the play and are shown in use, with views of the first meeting - pretty much packed out, here. The premise of the whole drama was whether we made the right decision on earth, the earth scenario, with regard to admittance to heaven, Heaven's Gate backdrop, or to be relegated to hell, doors of hell backdrop. On Tuesday night, 21 July, we had the worst storm we have seen here, incredible wind and hailstones the size of large peas. Two minutes after the service began the power went out and wind-blown rain began tearing some of the canvas walls down and flooding the concrete floor. But the tenacity of these folks was evident as we continued on and completed the entire service. For a while lights were run off a car battery until power was restored after the drama had begun. A real lesson for us, its the message and not the building that counts.
Speaking of the building, we can't begin Sunday morning services yet at the new site because there are no bathrooms. We are sure the pastor would be very appreciative if he had some additional funds available to build those so we can get on with it. Instructions for helping out in any way possible is in our April 4 blog. Just remember to designate "Church in Ixtlahuacan" on the tax deductible donation check.
In May Walt was busy making shelves and cabinets for the Boy's Home, Casa Hogar, and bookshelves for the language school we attended, Harvest Language School, a language school designed by missionaries for missionaries. Thanks to them we are beginning to feel quite comfortable with our Spanish. The bookshelves and cabinets are shown here.
At the beginning of June we went to California for Katie's, our boarder for the last two years before leaving California, wedding reception. While we were there we had six very full days. We got to see all of our family, except for our Thailand bunch, and through the auspices of Facebook got to see most of our friends that we have not seen since leaving. We spent the first day in Monterey with Eric and was the only place we managed to get pictures. The only picture we got of Eric was this one. The other pictures we got were videos of some interesting creatures at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Here is a video clip of a jelly fish moving through the water and here is a video clip of a luminescent jelly fish that we found very interesting. Then we couldn't help but be mesmerized by seahorses as shown in this video clip. Then we saw the most amazing seahorse that looks like vegetation moving through the water. You can see that here. We found out Saturday morning that in front of our hotel was the Sunnyvale Art and Wine Festival. Kirsty had flown up the evening before and instead of going to Andrew and Gretchens place as planned, we told them to meet us at the festival. Then we saw a bunch of our FBCLA friends at the reception Saturday night and our GBF friends on Sunday since that is where we attended church. Then Sunday afternoon Nancy had worked out via Facebook to have friends drop by at Red Rock Cafe. A friend saw this discussion on Facebook and told us that she was planning a surprise birthday party for her dad, a friend of more than 40 years, and invited us to come. So, to our pleasant surprise, we saw a host of old friends at that party.
When we returned to Mexico, Walt got busy building three cabinets that our pastor had asked for to store materials for the children's ministries. The added wrinkle was they wanted cabinets with locking doors. The cabinets are shown here.
June is also the beginning of our rain season. To show the difference a bit of rain makes we took pictures of the mountains behind our house a few weeeks before the rains and then a week or two after they began. The difference is clearly evident in these photos.
The rains also had a major impact on our church "under the tarps". Last Saturday night we had a major storm come through and when we showed up at church, the tarps were all down on the ground and because of the ropes holding the corners up, it looked like a huge above-ground swimming pool. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures but when we showed up Sunday morning for band rehearsal there was no way to get it repaired by the time church started. So we jammed everyone on a terrace. Good news is the new church facility is almost complete. Our little congregation, old church tarps and new facilities are shown in these photos.
While Walt was building the cabinets for church, Nancy was asked by the pastor to make some backdrops for some drama that they were going to do at the new facility. Nancy was responsible for painting a scene of the earth, Heaven's Gate and the door to hell. The earth scene, which because of last minute glitches, never got used, was essentially the view from our terrace. These backdrops are shown here. The interesting thing about this drama is that it was intended for outreach into the community. They had just got the roof of the new facility in place a week ago, had concrete floors, no walls and no electricity. But the idea is, "we have a facility, lets use it!" Electric installation was completed one hour before the beginning of the first service. There were three planned on 20, 21 and 22 July. Nancy's backdrops were key to the play and are shown in use, with views of the first meeting - pretty much packed out, here. The premise of the whole drama was whether we made the right decision on earth, the earth scenario, with regard to admittance to heaven, Heaven's Gate backdrop, or to be relegated to hell, doors of hell backdrop. On Tuesday night, 21 July, we had the worst storm we have seen here, incredible wind and hailstones the size of large peas. Two minutes after the service began the power went out and wind-blown rain began tearing some of the canvas walls down and flooding the concrete floor. But the tenacity of these folks was evident as we continued on and completed the entire service. For a while lights were run off a car battery until power was restored after the drama had begun. A real lesson for us, its the message and not the building that counts.
Speaking of the building, we can't begin Sunday morning services yet at the new site because there are no bathrooms. We are sure the pastor would be very appreciative if he had some additional funds available to build those so we can get on with it. Instructions for helping out in any way possible is in our April 4 blog. Just remember to designate "Church in Ixtlahuacan" on the tax deductible donation check.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Swine Flu and Other Misrepresentations
For a while now we have had to respond to friends' concerns about the danger of Mexico for various reasons. Up until now it has been the banditos and gang related dangers. We see the news as well, but if you listen carefully they always end with "Reporting live from Tijuana" or "Reporting live from Juarez" or "Reporting live from Nuevo Laredo". When saying that these cities are representative of Mexico, our friends down here merely laugh. We are well over 1,000 to 3,000 miles away from these places, and a world of difference. Our friends in CA are much closer. So we don't see any of that here.
Now we are faced with the pandemic associated with swine flu. The first we heard about it was Sunday, 26 April after we came home from church. We noticed on the internet that the pandemic seemed to be going rampant throughout Mexico. There were 59 deaths attributed to swine flu in Mexico. Tuesday we went to Guadalajara and about one quarter of the people were wearing masks. By Thursday morning the deaths due to swine flu were changed to only 20 and by that afternoon it had been changed to only 7 or 8. Someone please help us, what are we missing? 7 deaths due to swine flu is a pandemic, the other 52 are due to regular flu and that is NOT a pandemic. Btw, the US has 38,000 to 40,000 deaths per year due to regular flu, again NOT a pandemic. However, by now the world has gone into a panic mode. Thanks to media hype Mexico might soon be off limits. We wonder with the media always crying "wolf" what will happen when a real wolf strikes. As an aside, some of the media has become rational again. Here is a direct quote -"One flu expert says there's no reason to believe the new virus is a more serious strain than seasonal flu. And a federal health official said the new flu virus doesn't appear to have genes that made the 1918 pandemic flu strain so deadly."
Today we went to church again and witnessed an interesting phenomenon. The Mexican government has suggested a number of safety measures. Schools have been closed for the past week. Businesses have been recommended to close for 5 days over the weekend (which conveniently includes 2 holidays). Avoid public gatherings. These are not mandates, only suggestions. But our church abode by them - the Friday and Saturday meetings were canceled, today at church, masks were made available (although using them has not been shown to be efficacious), chairs were spaced far apart, a sign asked people to refrain from hugging or kissing. One of the advantages with a church that meets outdoors is that, with sufficient land, the six foot space requirement was not difficult to meet. The no-hugging rule request was much more difficult! Here are some photos we took this morning of the impact of these measures. Are we in danger? The closest suspected case is hundreds of miles away, in another state. From what we can gather the pandemic is more media hype than real danger. We can't wait until it settles down again, and the parents of all the kids who are home from school probably feel the same.
However, this might be a good warning to think through some things. Maybe we should heed the Words of Jesus, "Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands" and "In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near." It is these Words of Jesus that give us comfort to know that He knew all about it 2,000 years ago and is still in control. We are definitely living in interesting and exciting times. Question is, are we ready?
Now we are faced with the pandemic associated with swine flu. The first we heard about it was Sunday, 26 April after we came home from church. We noticed on the internet that the pandemic seemed to be going rampant throughout Mexico. There were 59 deaths attributed to swine flu in Mexico. Tuesday we went to Guadalajara and about one quarter of the people were wearing masks. By Thursday morning the deaths due to swine flu were changed to only 20 and by that afternoon it had been changed to only 7 or 8. Someone please help us, what are we missing? 7 deaths due to swine flu is a pandemic, the other 52 are due to regular flu and that is NOT a pandemic. Btw, the US has 38,000 to 40,000 deaths per year due to regular flu, again NOT a pandemic. However, by now the world has gone into a panic mode. Thanks to media hype Mexico might soon be off limits. We wonder with the media always crying "wolf" what will happen when a real wolf strikes. As an aside, some of the media has become rational again. Here is a direct quote -"One flu expert says there's no reason to believe the new virus is a more serious strain than seasonal flu. And a federal health official said the new flu virus doesn't appear to have genes that made the 1918 pandemic flu strain so deadly."
Today we went to church again and witnessed an interesting phenomenon. The Mexican government has suggested a number of safety measures. Schools have been closed for the past week. Businesses have been recommended to close for 5 days over the weekend (which conveniently includes 2 holidays). Avoid public gatherings. These are not mandates, only suggestions. But our church abode by them - the Friday and Saturday meetings were canceled, today at church, masks were made available (although using them has not been shown to be efficacious), chairs were spaced far apart, a sign asked people to refrain from hugging or kissing. One of the advantages with a church that meets outdoors is that, with sufficient land, the six foot space requirement was not difficult to meet. The no-hugging rule request was much more difficult! Here are some photos we took this morning of the impact of these measures. Are we in danger? The closest suspected case is hundreds of miles away, in another state. From what we can gather the pandemic is more media hype than real danger. We can't wait until it settles down again, and the parents of all the kids who are home from school probably feel the same.
However, this might be a good warning to think through some things. Maybe we should heed the Words of Jesus, "Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands" and "In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near." It is these Words of Jesus that give us comfort to know that He knew all about it 2,000 years ago and is still in control. We are definitely living in interesting and exciting times. Question is, are we ready?
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Extreme Makeover - Mexican Church Edition
Currently our little church in Mexico meets under tarps come rain or shine. Fortunately it only rains at night but when it does, the church "floor" is solid mud. Here are photos of our church as it is now. We also included a photo of our pastor as we wanted to make a few comments about him. He has a full time job in Guadalajara, that is about 45 minutes away. He has a heart for our church since it is the only evangelical church in the village of Ixtlahuacan. He drives down for the Wednesday meeting and then returns on Friday for the Friday evening men's meeting and then stays through the weekend working with the youth and then church all day Sunday. They stay in a house on the property they are renting now for the church services. The house is falling apart, in fact, from their bedroom you can look through the crack and see the street. The pastor, his wife and three kids live in two rooms of this house all weekend. He apparently draws no salary from the church because he wants the money to go towards the church building. So his heart is in the right place.
Walt tries to go and help out but nothing seems to come of it. Although he has participated in some work, including with Scott Snyder from GBF as seen here, to dig stumps and drive a tractor to level ground, the status has only gotten to level ground for the building and piles of dirt. You can see the current status here. We have been wondering why nothing is moving and thinking it is maybe a language barrier on our part. However, we soon realized that this is standard building practice in developing countries where loans and credit are nonexistent. In a cash society, such as Mexico, you build when you have money and stop when the funds run out.
Currently one of the ways the church itself is helping the building program is to have special a church "family" lunch every Sunday after church. Different families will provide the food and we all "purchase" the food with the funds designated directly for the new building. We like it because we get to know more people at this time, learn more Spanish and get to try all sorts of different types of home-made Mexican dishes and "agua frescas" - flavored, sweetened cold water.
We spoke with the pastor today and he does have a building plan, but not according to American standards - there is no time associated with it. When asked what the timing might be he merely shrugged his shoulders and said when the funds are available. There is no stress to have it done at a certain time, they are happy with what they have and will be just as happy when they have what they are planning for. Here are photos of a baptism service that took place today showing that they are just happy to have an old jacuzzi to use in the rental property for baptism. The beauty of a cash only society is no stress about time, no debt and, since there is no debt, no stress about payback. We love it here!!
With this background, as we were watching another episode of "Extreme Makeover - Home Edition" the wild idea of "Extreme Makeover - Mexican Church Edition" came to mind. What if we could get a bunch of people together to make this thing happen?
Well, we sent out several inquiry type e-mails to friends and churches and received positive responses so we no longer thought it a wild idea. In fact, some folks have begun donations and some contractors are toying with the idea of coming down and pitching in for a week or so, helping to get this church built. We also contacted the pastor of a local English language church who says he has retirees with time on their hands that would also be willing to help out. So, what comes to mind is team of contractors from the North, a team of local retirees and of local Mexican contractors all working together to do something positive and needy. Now mind you, without a building schedule this will be a reasonably long term project so good planning can take place. Of course unless there is a rapid influx of large amounts of funding.
The more difficult task for us would be to coordinate people coming down for a week or so to make maximum use of their time. But that can be done. In addition to the labor to help construct the building is, of course, the need for materials. After our discussion with the pastor today, we have some idea of how many funds will be required and how many funds are available - currently there is a great disparity. There is a building plan so we can go from there to figure out cost phasing.
So the project is twofold: Come down and help build or donate for materials. Tax deductible donations can be made through the following 501(c)3 organization:
Shepherd's Heart Ministries, Inc.
135 Bill Cox Road
Jonesborough, TN 37659
and the check should designate: Church in Ixtlahuacan. It will then be set aside for that. This organization is a 100% pass through so every penny donated with this designation would go directly to the church.
We never intended our blog to be a fund raiser but we view this more as a long term opportunity to share with others who might want to be involved in a good cause.
Walt tries to go and help out but nothing seems to come of it. Although he has participated in some work, including with Scott Snyder from GBF as seen here, to dig stumps and drive a tractor to level ground, the status has only gotten to level ground for the building and piles of dirt. You can see the current status here. We have been wondering why nothing is moving and thinking it is maybe a language barrier on our part. However, we soon realized that this is standard building practice in developing countries where loans and credit are nonexistent. In a cash society, such as Mexico, you build when you have money and stop when the funds run out.
Currently one of the ways the church itself is helping the building program is to have special a church "family" lunch every Sunday after church. Different families will provide the food and we all "purchase" the food with the funds designated directly for the new building. We like it because we get to know more people at this time, learn more Spanish and get to try all sorts of different types of home-made Mexican dishes and "agua frescas" - flavored, sweetened cold water.
We spoke with the pastor today and he does have a building plan, but not according to American standards - there is no time associated with it. When asked what the timing might be he merely shrugged his shoulders and said when the funds are available. There is no stress to have it done at a certain time, they are happy with what they have and will be just as happy when they have what they are planning for. Here are photos of a baptism service that took place today showing that they are just happy to have an old jacuzzi to use in the rental property for baptism. The beauty of a cash only society is no stress about time, no debt and, since there is no debt, no stress about payback. We love it here!!
With this background, as we were watching another episode of "Extreme Makeover - Home Edition" the wild idea of "Extreme Makeover - Mexican Church Edition" came to mind. What if we could get a bunch of people together to make this thing happen?
Well, we sent out several inquiry type e-mails to friends and churches and received positive responses so we no longer thought it a wild idea. In fact, some folks have begun donations and some contractors are toying with the idea of coming down and pitching in for a week or so, helping to get this church built. We also contacted the pastor of a local English language church who says he has retirees with time on their hands that would also be willing to help out. So, what comes to mind is team of contractors from the North, a team of local retirees and of local Mexican contractors all working together to do something positive and needy. Now mind you, without a building schedule this will be a reasonably long term project so good planning can take place. Of course unless there is a rapid influx of large amounts of funding.
The more difficult task for us would be to coordinate people coming down for a week or so to make maximum use of their time. But that can be done. In addition to the labor to help construct the building is, of course, the need for materials. After our discussion with the pastor today, we have some idea of how many funds will be required and how many funds are available - currently there is a great disparity. There is a building plan so we can go from there to figure out cost phasing.
So the project is twofold: Come down and help build or donate for materials. Tax deductible donations can be made through the following 501(c)3 organization:
Shepherd's Heart Ministries, Inc.
135 Bill Cox Road
Jonesborough, TN 37659
and the check should designate: Church in Ixtlahuacan. It will then be set aside for that. This organization is a 100% pass through so every penny donated with this designation would go directly to the church.
We never intended our blog to be a fund raiser but we view this more as a long term opportunity to share with others who might want to be involved in a good cause.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Quinceañeros
We have learned many new customs since coming to Mexico. One of the ones we really enjoy is the quinceañeros. At this fiesta a girl´s fifteenth birthday is celebrated. It is a very special time of recognition for the girl. We didn't realize how important until we attended one. This last Saturday there was a quinceañeros for one of the girls in our church.
Basically the quinceañeros begins with the girl walking in and being seated on a "throne". The whole area is decorated very beautifully, reminiscent of weddings in the US. The worship band then plays half a dozen or so songs. The girl in this quinceañeros is in the dance group in the church so she was featured with her whole dance group in the program. Then the father gives words of gratitude and encouragement. The girl then comes to where her father is speaking and it gets very tear jerky, even for a toughy like me. The pastor and his wife follow this by giving more words of encouragement to the girl and her mom and dad. Now comes the best part - a sit down Mexican meal - how good is that? Gifts are brought and placed on a table, again reminiscent of weddings in the US. There is even a blow-up slide for all the kids to have fun. It's like a huge family picnic!
Here are some photos captured with a phone camera. Doesn't really do it justice but you can get the idea. In the photos you will see guests from all over including CA. This really is a big deal as demonstrated by family flying in from all over just to celebrate a family member's quinceañeros.
¡Feliz quinceañeros Wendy!
Basically the quinceañeros begins with the girl walking in and being seated on a "throne". The whole area is decorated very beautifully, reminiscent of weddings in the US. The worship band then plays half a dozen or so songs. The girl in this quinceañeros is in the dance group in the church so she was featured with her whole dance group in the program. Then the father gives words of gratitude and encouragement. The girl then comes to where her father is speaking and it gets very tear jerky, even for a toughy like me. The pastor and his wife follow this by giving more words of encouragement to the girl and her mom and dad. Now comes the best part - a sit down Mexican meal - how good is that? Gifts are brought and placed on a table, again reminiscent of weddings in the US. There is even a blow-up slide for all the kids to have fun. It's like a huge family picnic!
Here are some photos captured with a phone camera. Doesn't really do it justice but you can get the idea. In the photos you will see guests from all over including CA. This really is a big deal as demonstrated by family flying in from all over just to celebrate a family member's quinceañeros.
¡Feliz quinceañeros Wendy!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Why we continue to love it here
A common comment from US guests at Kirsty's and Will's wedding was "now we see why you moved down here". In actual fact it seems to get better all the time. We are being kept busy with regular personal stuff and little projects. It seems that no sooner are we unloading our musical instruments from the car Sunday afternoon when we are loading again on Saturday for rehearsal. We have no idea where we would have time for work. So we are kept very busy with service projects, projects around the house and other projects we just don't know where they come from.
However, we do find time to enjoy ourselves and relax. When Walt had a bit of time and a gallon of polyurethane from a previous mission project on his hand, he converted his workbench to what Nancy calls a piece of furniture, Walt just calls it a fancy workbench. You be the judge at this album link.
What we really enjoy is the lush vegetation in this area. Even though some areas of the US are still covered with snow, these pictures show what it is like here. These pictures were taken 28 February. We seem to have a continuous supply of papaya fruit. The flowers are incredible all year round. The lovely Jacaranda trees are in full bloom right now. The view is from the mirador on our house but we walk our dog among those trees and it is totally beautiful to walk under the gigantic Jacaranda trees when they are in full bloom. The bougainvillea seem to bloom continuously all year long.
But we like the most is our little oasis under the big ficus tree. We have a couple of lounges, sitting areas with wrought iron chairs and tables and a double hammock. It is totally cool under the tree and extremely peaceful. It is an excellent place to just lounge, read a book or nap. It is very therapeutic. Here are pictures of our little oasis and the house.
One thing that we have always enjoyed is the time around dusk and the setting sun. The view across the lake is very serene. This is especially true during cloudless days when the lake is still and everything is peaceful. Here are a couple of photos at this time of day. What is especially nice is that when we go to sleep with this peaceful setting that we will wake up with another full day in paradise just around the corner.
Another comment visitors made at Kirsty's and Will's wedding is that pictures do not do this area justice. If you want a taste of it we have plenty of extra beds.
However, we do find time to enjoy ourselves and relax. When Walt had a bit of time and a gallon of polyurethane from a previous mission project on his hand, he converted his workbench to what Nancy calls a piece of furniture, Walt just calls it a fancy workbench. You be the judge at this album link.
What we really enjoy is the lush vegetation in this area. Even though some areas of the US are still covered with snow, these pictures show what it is like here. These pictures were taken 28 February. We seem to have a continuous supply of papaya fruit. The flowers are incredible all year round. The lovely Jacaranda trees are in full bloom right now. The view is from the mirador on our house but we walk our dog among those trees and it is totally beautiful to walk under the gigantic Jacaranda trees when they are in full bloom. The bougainvillea seem to bloom continuously all year long.
But we like the most is our little oasis under the big ficus tree. We have a couple of lounges, sitting areas with wrought iron chairs and tables and a double hammock. It is totally cool under the tree and extremely peaceful. It is an excellent place to just lounge, read a book or nap. It is very therapeutic. Here are pictures of our little oasis and the house.
One thing that we have always enjoyed is the time around dusk and the setting sun. The view across the lake is very serene. This is especially true during cloudless days when the lake is still and everything is peaceful. Here are a couple of photos at this time of day. What is especially nice is that when we go to sleep with this peaceful setting that we will wake up with another full day in paradise just around the corner.
Another comment visitors made at Kirsty's and Will's wedding is that pictures do not do this area justice. If you want a taste of it we have plenty of extra beds.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Thailand 2009
Just before going to Thailand we spent our first Christmas in Mexico. Our church in Ixtlahuacan had a fiesta on the Sunday evening prior to Christmas. We played a few songs with the worship band and then came one of the most amazing experiences. The pastor said everyone should hug someone else and what an experience to be hugged by upwards of 100 people. It truly was heartwarming. Then we had a great potluck dinner together. Here are some pictures of us eating under the tarp of what is usually our "auditorium" on Sunday mornings.
Then we were off to Thailand for a couple of weeks and Nancy's sister, Joy, came with us this time to experience life with Adam and Cindy. This was the first time we saw their completed "compound". It truly is that, in that there are three homes within the walls of the property. There are two large homes, Adam and Cindy's and then Sean and Prang's and then there is a smaller house that Cindy's mom has built as a guest house. That is where we stayed. The houses are situated on the property so that there is a large grass area for the children to play between the houses. All of this can be seen in these photos. Here is a video of the daily soccer game. They also have two garden areas that provide most of the produce they need, including a mushroom house that yields this delicacy for them. There is a long driveway that the kids can play on, a playground and then a large covered area for scooters and bicycles. Here is a video of the kids on a furniture dolly. In this video you have to excuse the dust from Nana sweeping up after one of the 3 dogs tried to dig up the lawn and plants. The whole compound is very well laid out for its' intended purpose - raising orphaned children. We can now clearly see how God has brought things together for Adam, Cindy and Sean in just four short years to where they now have their own facilities and are beginning to populate it more and more.
We took Joy to the elephant camp so that she could enjoy riding the elephants and seeing how they are trained. They play soccer, and actually paint pictures, too. Here are some pictures of us at the elephant camp. We also found the time for Joy to experience the large Sunday street market and the night bazaar. A place not to be missed is Ban Tuwai, the village where Thai furniture and carvings are made. It really is an amazing place. A trip to a Celedon plant was also included plus a silk farm. This is the first time we went to a silk farm. Here is a video of one of the ladies weaving Thai silk, clearly a tedious job. Walt took Joy up to Doi Suthep, the Buddhist temple on the mountain. A long arduous and winding drive but well worth it when you get to the top. Here are a couple of photos taken at the temple. Joy was also able to experience Thai BBQ where you cook your meal on a BBQ at your table. The BBQ has become a major event every time we go to Thailand and this time we had sixteen people joining us for dinner.
Before going to Thailand Adam had asked if we could build an entertainment center together - perfect dad/son bonding time. He sent the plans in advance so that Walt could connect with the plans. The big iffy item was the type of materials that were available in Thailand. Sean had or was able to borrow all the necessary equipment for this project. However, before going, Walt felt he had to retrain himself or rehone his woodworking skills. So he built himself a workbench that is shown in these pictures. While we were at Home Depot in Guadalajara we saw the coolest saw ever. It is a Makita "Flipper" that is a table saw that when flipped over becomes a chop saw. Searching for it on the internet we only found it in Germany and Denmark - not even on Makita's own webpage!! But two of them in Guadalajara - go figure. The entertainment center Walt and Adam built is mostly teak, four meters long and almost two and half meters high. The workshop in Sean's carport and the finished product are shown in these pictures.
The greatest event during our stay was a telephone call that Adam and Cindy received during the last week of our stay. They were informed of the availability of a two year orphan boy and through the network Adam and Cindy were contacted. Adam and Cindy were going to spend some time with this boy and then, when everyone felt comfortable, bring him to their home. However, within a few hours of visiting him they returned with Nathan, our newest and latest grandson. In the two or three days that we had to spend with him he appeared to be adjusting quite well. The other two year olds, Isaac and Abby, quickly played with him as only two year olds can. Here are a few photos of Nathan.
We returned last Friday with uneventful flights, healthy and safe and we thank God for that and were back playing in worship band on Sunday, slightly worn with jet lag but back in the saddle again.
Then we were off to Thailand for a couple of weeks and Nancy's sister, Joy, came with us this time to experience life with Adam and Cindy. This was the first time we saw their completed "compound". It truly is that, in that there are three homes within the walls of the property. There are two large homes, Adam and Cindy's and then Sean and Prang's and then there is a smaller house that Cindy's mom has built as a guest house. That is where we stayed. The houses are situated on the property so that there is a large grass area for the children to play between the houses. All of this can be seen in these photos. Here is a video of the daily soccer game. They also have two garden areas that provide most of the produce they need, including a mushroom house that yields this delicacy for them. There is a long driveway that the kids can play on, a playground and then a large covered area for scooters and bicycles. Here is a video of the kids on a furniture dolly. In this video you have to excuse the dust from Nana sweeping up after one of the 3 dogs tried to dig up the lawn and plants. The whole compound is very well laid out for its' intended purpose - raising orphaned children. We can now clearly see how God has brought things together for Adam, Cindy and Sean in just four short years to where they now have their own facilities and are beginning to populate it more and more.
We took Joy to the elephant camp so that she could enjoy riding the elephants and seeing how they are trained. They play soccer, and actually paint pictures, too. Here are some pictures of us at the elephant camp. We also found the time for Joy to experience the large Sunday street market and the night bazaar. A place not to be missed is Ban Tuwai, the village where Thai furniture and carvings are made. It really is an amazing place. A trip to a Celedon plant was also included plus a silk farm. This is the first time we went to a silk farm. Here is a video of one of the ladies weaving Thai silk, clearly a tedious job. Walt took Joy up to Doi Suthep, the Buddhist temple on the mountain. A long arduous and winding drive but well worth it when you get to the top. Here are a couple of photos taken at the temple. Joy was also able to experience Thai BBQ where you cook your meal on a BBQ at your table. The BBQ has become a major event every time we go to Thailand and this time we had sixteen people joining us for dinner.
Before going to Thailand Adam had asked if we could build an entertainment center together - perfect dad/son bonding time. He sent the plans in advance so that Walt could connect with the plans. The big iffy item was the type of materials that were available in Thailand. Sean had or was able to borrow all the necessary equipment for this project. However, before going, Walt felt he had to retrain himself or rehone his woodworking skills. So he built himself a workbench that is shown in these pictures. While we were at Home Depot in Guadalajara we saw the coolest saw ever. It is a Makita "Flipper" that is a table saw that when flipped over becomes a chop saw. Searching for it on the internet we only found it in Germany and Denmark - not even on Makita's own webpage!! But two of them in Guadalajara - go figure. The entertainment center Walt and Adam built is mostly teak, four meters long and almost two and half meters high. The workshop in Sean's carport and the finished product are shown in these pictures.
The greatest event during our stay was a telephone call that Adam and Cindy received during the last week of our stay. They were informed of the availability of a two year orphan boy and through the network Adam and Cindy were contacted. Adam and Cindy were going to spend some time with this boy and then, when everyone felt comfortable, bring him to their home. However, within a few hours of visiting him they returned with Nathan, our newest and latest grandson. In the two or three days that we had to spend with him he appeared to be adjusting quite well. The other two year olds, Isaac and Abby, quickly played with him as only two year olds can. Here are a few photos of Nathan.
We returned last Friday with uneventful flights, healthy and safe and we thank God for that and were back playing in worship band on Sunday, slightly worn with jet lag but back in the saddle again.
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