Buenas tardes!
I'm finally getting a chance to update! This season of summer ministry has been busier than I had anticipated, and without easily accessible internet, I have been slack on keeping in touch. Forgive me!
After I last wrote, we began leadership training in preparation for the summer. Leaders arrived to Mexico City from all over. Kevin and Leah, two former YearOutters, arrived from California to serve with Spearhead as leaders this summer. They are going to have a little girl soon (yay!), and are planning to start a Spearhead program in Spain. Carrie and Carlos, LAM missionaries here in the DF, joined our team and will stay on to help with next year's YearOutters, as Paul and Nydia are going to the States for a year of furlough. After spending time in Brazil and Colombia this past year, Andrew arrived for his fifth summer with Spearhead, but he's currently recuperating from back surgery, so will be out of commision for a few weeks. Erika (my roommate) and I are both here serving as leaders as we finish up our YearOut experience. Wendy (Spearhead coordinator) and Paul and Nydia (Spearhead directors) led a week-long training time at a camp outside of the city for this group. Although lately it's been pretty hot here, that week at Camp Kikoten was super cold! We had fun getting to know each other better and did lots of team building activities with our co-facilitators.
When we got back, we continued prep work for the summer by visiting the various churches and families that are now hosting our Spearheaders. We try to see the ministry site and home to get an idea of what kind of experience the Spearheaders will have, and also talk more with the pastors and families to answer any questions they have about the summer program. This time was really fun and made me want to live in all the host homes and serve at all the churches we visited! It really gave me a vision for the great things that God could do this summer.
Finally, on June 3rd, fourteen Spearheaders arrived with varying levels of cultural knowledge and Spanish language skills. Their first few days in the city were spent in a hostel where we welcomed them, oriented them to the program and culture, and then sent them out with their families.
The structure of the summer utilizes the idea of partnership and teams. We have two co-ed teams of students, each led by two facilitators, a girl and a guy. Erika and Kevin are leading a team of 6 and Andrew and I have a team of 8. Each team is broken up into roommate pairs, so our team has 3 pairs of girls and a 1 pair of guys, while Erika and Kevin's team is 2 pairs of girls and 2 people (a guy and a girl) who are living "solo" without an American/Canadian roommate. The Spearheaders have Spanish classes 4 days a week in their first month here, and spend the evenings and weekends with their host family and church, learning, observing and soaking everything in. Their second month is "full-time ministry" in which they only have meetings with our team once a week and spend most of their days serving in their churches helping with VBS, leading Bible studies, helping with Sunday school, leading worship, working in after-school programs or just being with their families.
Our job as leaders during the first half of the summer is to greet them and check in with them before/after Spanish classes, train them in the skits, clown shows, dances, that they can use in their churches, meet with team members one-on-one to encourage and assist them as they adjust to the culture and learn to serve in this context. As leaders, we visit different churches each Sunday and families during the week to check in on the students. We also have large group meetings once a week in which we worship, listen to a talk and then meet in small groups to discuss how everyone is doing.
I especially enjoy the one-on-one coaching times and our small discipleship groups. It is such a fun thing to get to know people and help them process and succeed in this experience. My passion for counseling is affirmed more and more during these times. I also really enjoy seeing the great diversity of the church here in Mexico. From large, conservative Presbyterian churches, to medium-sized, high-energy, charismatic congregations, to small, Lutheran cell groups, I've experienced a little bit of everything here and love knowing that we all worship the same God and He is the one who created that diversity and treasures it.
My experience right now is harder to describe than the time at the Casa Hogar, but I hope that gave you an idea of what I've been up to. Once again, thank you so much for your support and prayers. Keep praying for Mexico; it has been a rough year for the country with all the border-town violence, swine flu scare and earthquakes! Also pray for my co-facilitator, Andrew, as he recovers from back surgery, and me as I transition and start preparing for my next step: getting my Masters in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton. I've found a roommate, so that's a huge praise, but I'm still trying to get all the plans in place for the Fall, which is hard to do from Mexico! Thank you! Send me an email and let me know how you are!
Cuidate mucho! (Take care!)
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Greetings!
So much has happened since I last wrote! I will try to condense things and give the short version of the last two months.
I left off last time telling about my family's and Julia's visits. Seeing them was re-energizing emotionally, although it was physically exhausting being translator and tour guide. After the dust settled from their visits, I had a challenging few weeks. It was hard transitioning back to "normal" life after being around such loving family and friends for two weeks. I also felt resentment from the other staff because of the time I had been away, which was a real discouragement. Thankfully God provided my good friends Linda and Jim to encourage me during that time.
The next weekend, I also had a visit from Wendy, my program's coordinator. We got the opportunity to clarify with the staff about my time away and talk with them about my program and the events I am required to attend. The next week and a half were better but I still struggled with guilt whenever I wasn't with the children and, looking back, I am sure that my feelings of guilt resulted in resentment toward and a lack of patience with the children.
All this made the Spearhead Retreat at the end of March a welcome break. Although it was only a weekend, it was wonderful to get away and slow down in order to do some "processing." The retreat was held in Puebla, a beautiful town not far from Mexico City, at a summer camp by a sparkling blue lake. The setting was perfect for taking a deep breath and reflecting on my time in Mexico- past, present and future. Several different missionaries gave talks that were encouraging and got me back on track and ready to finish well at the Casa.
Upon my return, I was still exhausted, but I felt much more equipped to love and be patient with the children and staff. I think this new mindset allowed me to make some sweet and meaningful memories during my last month at the Casa.
One of those was a day trip we took with all the kids on a Saturday up to a beautiful lake. We played and talked and generally enjoyed ourselves all morning and then grilled out for lunch. The children thoroughly enjoyed the day- finding dead snakes, playing in the dirt and, of course, soccer. This paseo was to celebrate Semana Santa (Holy Week) with the children before many of them went home with their families/relatives for a two-week vacation. (Many of the children are not true orphans, but their families have economic struggles and emotional/lifestyle problems that make taking care of them year-round impossible.)
Out of the 30 children, we were left with around 13 for the two weeks of vacation from school. We took several fun trips with the kids and really treated them to a lot of things we wouldn't be able to do if all 30 were home. We took one trip to Uruapan so that 4 siblings could visit their mother in a prison in that area. We dropped them off at the prison and then took the rest of the children to a National Park in the area with beautiful waterfalls, tropical plant life and fountains. It was truly breathtaking! The director and I even got to take the two littlest girls on horseback down to the biggest waterfall. I had never seen anything like it, so it was delightful for the girls and me! On another outing, we took the kids to a waterpark where we spent the day playing, sunbathing and swimming. All these "treats" for the kids also provided more time for positive, one-on-one attention, so I see them as God's way of caring for them despite their especially unfortunate family situations.
During these two weeks, I also got visits from Alicia, Maki and Erika, all friends of mine through Spearhead. It was great to see them and have them see and experience my ministry. God was good enough to plan one of their visits during a time I was "abandoned" for the day and was (without notice!) the only staff at the Casa. He is faithful to provide all that we need and make our bad days better!
Finally all the children came back to us on Sunday, April 19th, and it was great to see them after being apart so long! I really felt like a mother reunited with her children! We had a good week, but it was hard to get back in the swing of things after their time away.
Later that week, I headed to Mexico City for a Spearhead breakfast for the Mexican participants in the summer program (host families, church pastors, etc.) The breakfast is to educate them about the program and show them some of the skits and dances that the American and Canadian youth could do at their churches. It just so happened that this breakfast fell on my birthday, so it was great to celebrate with my friends on the team. They were so sweet and really made me feel special!
About the same time, we began hearing a lot about la influenza, or swine flu. By the end of the weekend, they were shutting down schools, canceling public events and there was a general panic and confusion about the virus and its threat. We were even kicked out of a restaurant on my birthday because of their urgency to close down!
I headed back Sunday to Morelia for my last week at the Casa to discover that the flu fears had reached Michoacan as well. School for the children was canceled, along with most of their events for Thursday, the Dia del Nino, or "Day of the Child." This was a blessing in disguise for me, because it gave me more time with the children, but of course, not under the best circumstances.
Sunday afternoon they thanked me for all my work at the Casa with a show, put on by the kids, which included a card, dances, skits and kind words. Wednesday I cooked stirfry for all the kids and Thursday showed them a slideshow of all my pictures of them from the previous 6 months. True to human nature, they absolutely loved seeing themselves on screen! Afterwards, I used some party supplies my aunt and mom had sent me to celebrate them on the Dia del Nino and then headed out with my suitcase after some teary-eyed goodbyes.
Almost a week later, I still cannot believe my time there has come to a close. I will miss the children dearly and will be ever grateful for the countless lessons and skills I learned during my stay in the Casa Hogar. My time at the Children's Home would not have been possible without your financial support and prayers. I am so grateful for the sacrifices you made to give me this opportunity. More than anything, I am thankful to God. He never left me and always provided everything that I needed. After the most challenging six months of my 23 years on this earth, I can confidently say that He is real, and HE IS GOOD!
After much prayer and consideration of the advice from WHO and the CDC, our directors have made the decision to continue with our plans for the summer program despite concerns about the H1N1 virus. I will be serving in Mexico City as a leader for our summer program which brings college-aged participants from the US and Canada to Mexico City for two months. In May, we'll be training and preparing and then the group comes down June 3. We coordinate, coach and support them as they go out 2 by 2, living with Mexican host families, learning the language and serving with church activities like VBS, Sunday School and outreach events. If you are interested in the program or know anyone who is, it is not too late to apply. Contact me or go to www.spearhead.org for details.
Thank you so much for all the encouragement, birthday cards and packages, and especially prayers during this uncertain time. Keep praying for Mexico and for the summer participants, that they would trust God and follow Him (despite the swine flu!) if He's leading them to Mexico this summer. Please note my new address for the summer and keep the cards and letters coming! :)
Hasta luego!
So much has happened since I last wrote! I will try to condense things and give the short version of the last two months.
I left off last time telling about my family's and Julia's visits. Seeing them was re-energizing emotionally, although it was physically exhausting being translator and tour guide. After the dust settled from their visits, I had a challenging few weeks. It was hard transitioning back to "normal" life after being around such loving family and friends for two weeks. I also felt resentment from the other staff because of the time I had been away, which was a real discouragement. Thankfully God provided my good friends Linda and Jim to encourage me during that time.
The next weekend, I also had a visit from Wendy, my program's coordinator. We got the opportunity to clarify with the staff about my time away and talk with them about my program and the events I am required to attend. The next week and a half were better but I still struggled with guilt whenever I wasn't with the children and, looking back, I am sure that my feelings of guilt resulted in resentment toward and a lack of patience with the children.
All this made the Spearhead Retreat at the end of March a welcome break. Although it was only a weekend, it was wonderful to get away and slow down in order to do some "processing." The retreat was held in Puebla, a beautiful town not far from Mexico City, at a summer camp by a sparkling blue lake. The setting was perfect for taking a deep breath and reflecting on my time in Mexico- past, present and future. Several different missionaries gave talks that were encouraging and got me back on track and ready to finish well at the Casa.
Upon my return, I was still exhausted, but I felt much more equipped to love and be patient with the children and staff. I think this new mindset allowed me to make some sweet and meaningful memories during my last month at the Casa.
One of those was a day trip we took with all the kids on a Saturday up to a beautiful lake. We played and talked and generally enjoyed ourselves all morning and then grilled out for lunch. The children thoroughly enjoyed the day- finding dead snakes, playing in the dirt and, of course, soccer. This paseo was to celebrate Semana Santa (Holy Week) with the children before many of them went home with their families/relatives for a two-week vacation. (Many of the children are not true orphans, but their families have economic struggles and emotional/lifestyle problems that make taking care of them year-round impossible.)
Out of the 30 children, we were left with around 13 for the two weeks of vacation from school. We took several fun trips with the kids and really treated them to a lot of things we wouldn't be able to do if all 30 were home. We took one trip to Uruapan so that 4 siblings could visit their mother in a prison in that area. We dropped them off at the prison and then took the rest of the children to a National Park in the area with beautiful waterfalls, tropical plant life and fountains. It was truly breathtaking! The director and I even got to take the two littlest girls on horseback down to the biggest waterfall. I had never seen anything like it, so it was delightful for the girls and me! On another outing, we took the kids to a waterpark where we spent the day playing, sunbathing and swimming. All these "treats" for the kids also provided more time for positive, one-on-one attention, so I see them as God's way of caring for them despite their especially unfortunate family situations.
During these two weeks, I also got visits from Alicia, Maki and Erika, all friends of mine through Spearhead. It was great to see them and have them see and experience my ministry. God was good enough to plan one of their visits during a time I was "abandoned" for the day and was (without notice!) the only staff at the Casa. He is faithful to provide all that we need and make our bad days better!
Finally all the children came back to us on Sunday, April 19th, and it was great to see them after being apart so long! I really felt like a mother reunited with her children! We had a good week, but it was hard to get back in the swing of things after their time away.
Later that week, I headed to Mexico City for a Spearhead breakfast for the Mexican participants in the summer program (host families, church pastors, etc.) The breakfast is to educate them about the program and show them some of the skits and dances that the American and Canadian youth could do at their churches. It just so happened that this breakfast fell on my birthday, so it was great to celebrate with my friends on the team. They were so sweet and really made me feel special!
About the same time, we began hearing a lot about la influenza, or swine flu. By the end of the weekend, they were shutting down schools, canceling public events and there was a general panic and confusion about the virus and its threat. We were even kicked out of a restaurant on my birthday because of their urgency to close down!
I headed back Sunday to Morelia for my last week at the Casa to discover that the flu fears had reached Michoacan as well. School for the children was canceled, along with most of their events for Thursday, the Dia del Nino, or "Day of the Child." This was a blessing in disguise for me, because it gave me more time with the children, but of course, not under the best circumstances.
Sunday afternoon they thanked me for all my work at the Casa with a show, put on by the kids, which included a card, dances, skits and kind words. Wednesday I cooked stirfry for all the kids and Thursday showed them a slideshow of all my pictures of them from the previous 6 months. True to human nature, they absolutely loved seeing themselves on screen! Afterwards, I used some party supplies my aunt and mom had sent me to celebrate them on the Dia del Nino and then headed out with my suitcase after some teary-eyed goodbyes.
Almost a week later, I still cannot believe my time there has come to a close. I will miss the children dearly and will be ever grateful for the countless lessons and skills I learned during my stay in the Casa Hogar. My time at the Children's Home would not have been possible without your financial support and prayers. I am so grateful for the sacrifices you made to give me this opportunity. More than anything, I am thankful to God. He never left me and always provided everything that I needed. After the most challenging six months of my 23 years on this earth, I can confidently say that He is real, and HE IS GOOD!
After much prayer and consideration of the advice from WHO and the CDC, our directors have made the decision to continue with our plans for the summer program despite concerns about the H1N1 virus. I will be serving in Mexico City as a leader for our summer program which brings college-aged participants from the US and Canada to Mexico City for two months. In May, we'll be training and preparing and then the group comes down June 3. We coordinate, coach and support them as they go out 2 by 2, living with Mexican host families, learning the language and serving with church activities like VBS, Sunday School and outreach events. If you are interested in the program or know anyone who is, it is not too late to apply. Contact me or go to www.spearhead.org for details.
Thank you so much for all the encouragement, birthday cards and packages, and especially prayers during this uncertain time. Keep praying for Mexico and for the summer participants, that they would trust God and follow Him (despite the swine flu!) if He's leading them to Mexico this summer. Please note my new address for the summer and keep the cards and letters coming! :)
Hasta luego!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Beauty Revealed in Tragedy
Greetings!
I hope all is well with you! I have had a busy and strenuous last month and a half, in which I've felt a vast array of emotions.
One event in particular really rocked my world- emotionally, physically and spiritually. Alejandra arrived to the Casa Hogar the second Tuesday in February, starved for food and human contact. I cannot say for sure, but we think she was kept in a cage by her parents for a large part of her seven years of life. My first response to this severely malnourished, unpotty-trained, handicapped little girl was shock. It felt like being face-to-face with a holocaust survivor or a child from the commercials about starving African children. The shock never went away, but this precious forgotten one did begin to steal my heart immediately, despite the great burden she was physically to take care of and the great emotional pain it caused me to think of her being so alone, so uncared for, so stripped of human dignity for so long.
As we always do, I began to scream out to God. How could he let this happen? Amazingly, a Bible study I attend talked about this theme of heart-wrenching suffering in our world and God's response during the week she was with us. We read in 1 John 4 and 5 about the great love of God and how it is His plan to overcome the evil in the world through empowering those who accept His love to love others and serve them.
"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."
1 Jn. 4:11-12
"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." 1 Jn. 5:3-4
So the next day, when I went to give Alejandra her bath, I saw her tiny, malnourished body and struggled to try to make her look at me or understand what I was saying (she had almost no verbal skills), and I grew angry. "Why God?" I asked. "How will you make this right?" Then I had this slightly out-of-body experience as I saw my own hands reaching out to bathe her. I realized that God was giving this child a warm bath through me! He was using my hands to contact her, to comfort her, to start to heal her. Then it made more sense. God moved mountains to bring me to this intersection with Alejandra. Of course, He has a long way to go to make things right for her, but this is the way He has chosen in his sovereignty: to love her and forgotten ones like her through His children, those who have surrendered their own wills to His. Just as He won't force His love on us, He won't force us to love, but His beckoning to us to love, serve and act on behalf of others is His chosen way of loving the world. So I am learning to trust that His ways are higher and better than mine, even though I feel so unequipped and inadequate to be Him to others. Alejandra stayed with us for a week and then was placed in another home by the DIF. Please pray with me for her continued healing and redemption.
Another heavy burden recently was the story of Adrian. He is a 10 year old boy who has been in our Casa for around 5 years. He ran away twice and was then sent to a Casa Hogar in another city. This happened while I was away with my family, so I didn't even get to say goodbye. "Asi es la vida" in this kind of work. It has been hard, but I have heard that he was placed in a good Home with plenty of resources, so that's something to be thankful for. Please pray that he holds on to the Lord through this transition and finds the love and attention that he so desperately needs.
As I mentioned before, my family came to visit me the last week in February. I was so grateful that God provided for my Aunt, Uncle, Mom, Dad and sister to all come to see me! We had such a wonderful time seeing the sites, talking and traveling together. By far the best thing we saw was the Monarch butterfly sanctuary. We traveled up the mountain on horseback and found ourselves surrounded by millions of yellow and black butterflies. It was like a very beautiful dream, or a magical childhood fantasy come to life! I've posted some pictures so you can check it out. We have an incredibly beautiful God who created an incredibly beautiful world!
After my family left, I was a little depressed at the thought of 5 more months without them, so it was great that my sister's sister-in-law, Julia, decided to sacrifice her senior year Spring Break to come help me for a week in the Casa. We had a blast talking, playing with the kids, going for tacos and seeing a few sites in Morelia. She even helped me organize the clothes room again!
Also in February, I have been doing the Bible Studies with the older girls. These have been going really well, and I think the girls genuinely enjoy them, which was my goal. (While I was gone with my family, we didn't do them and they have been asking, "When are we going to do another study?" so that is encouraging.) Thank you for your prayers regarding the studies.
I will be leaving the Casa on April 30th to go back to Mexico City to prepare for the summer program, so you can pray that in this next month and a half, I would finish well. I still love it here, but sometimes I feel exhausted and in "survival mode." Please pray that God will give me a positive attitude, energy and constantly strengthen me through His Spirit to keep loving these kids and the staff here at the Casa.
Please also pray with me that God would raise up more long-term staff. While I was gone with my family for a week, the other staff felt a huge burden fall to them because just one staff was gone. The children lack attention and supervision more than any other resource. If you are interested in coming or know someone who might be, please contact me and I'll be happy to answer questions and/or put you in contact with the teacher/volunteer coordinator (who speaks English).
Thanks for all your continued prayers and support.
Dios te bendiga. (God bless you.)
Love!
I hope all is well with you! I have had a busy and strenuous last month and a half, in which I've felt a vast array of emotions.
One event in particular really rocked my world- emotionally, physically and spiritually. Alejandra arrived to the Casa Hogar the second Tuesday in February, starved for food and human contact. I cannot say for sure, but we think she was kept in a cage by her parents for a large part of her seven years of life. My first response to this severely malnourished, unpotty-trained, handicapped little girl was shock. It felt like being face-to-face with a holocaust survivor or a child from the commercials about starving African children. The shock never went away, but this precious forgotten one did begin to steal my heart immediately, despite the great burden she was physically to take care of and the great emotional pain it caused me to think of her being so alone, so uncared for, so stripped of human dignity for so long.
As we always do, I began to scream out to God. How could he let this happen? Amazingly, a Bible study I attend talked about this theme of heart-wrenching suffering in our world and God's response during the week she was with us. We read in 1 John 4 and 5 about the great love of God and how it is His plan to overcome the evil in the world through empowering those who accept His love to love others and serve them.
"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."
1 Jn. 4:11-12
"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." 1 Jn. 5:3-4
So the next day, when I went to give Alejandra her bath, I saw her tiny, malnourished body and struggled to try to make her look at me or understand what I was saying (she had almost no verbal skills), and I grew angry. "Why God?" I asked. "How will you make this right?" Then I had this slightly out-of-body experience as I saw my own hands reaching out to bathe her. I realized that God was giving this child a warm bath through me! He was using my hands to contact her, to comfort her, to start to heal her. Then it made more sense. God moved mountains to bring me to this intersection with Alejandra. Of course, He has a long way to go to make things right for her, but this is the way He has chosen in his sovereignty: to love her and forgotten ones like her through His children, those who have surrendered their own wills to His. Just as He won't force His love on us, He won't force us to love, but His beckoning to us to love, serve and act on behalf of others is His chosen way of loving the world. So I am learning to trust that His ways are higher and better than mine, even though I feel so unequipped and inadequate to be Him to others. Alejandra stayed with us for a week and then was placed in another home by the DIF. Please pray with me for her continued healing and redemption.
Another heavy burden recently was the story of Adrian. He is a 10 year old boy who has been in our Casa for around 5 years. He ran away twice and was then sent to a Casa Hogar in another city. This happened while I was away with my family, so I didn't even get to say goodbye. "Asi es la vida" in this kind of work. It has been hard, but I have heard that he was placed in a good Home with plenty of resources, so that's something to be thankful for. Please pray that he holds on to the Lord through this transition and finds the love and attention that he so desperately needs.
As I mentioned before, my family came to visit me the last week in February. I was so grateful that God provided for my Aunt, Uncle, Mom, Dad and sister to all come to see me! We had such a wonderful time seeing the sites, talking and traveling together. By far the best thing we saw was the Monarch butterfly sanctuary. We traveled up the mountain on horseback and found ourselves surrounded by millions of yellow and black butterflies. It was like a very beautiful dream, or a magical childhood fantasy come to life! I've posted some pictures so you can check it out. We have an incredibly beautiful God who created an incredibly beautiful world!
After my family left, I was a little depressed at the thought of 5 more months without them, so it was great that my sister's sister-in-law, Julia, decided to sacrifice her senior year Spring Break to come help me for a week in the Casa. We had a blast talking, playing with the kids, going for tacos and seeing a few sites in Morelia. She even helped me organize the clothes room again!
Also in February, I have been doing the Bible Studies with the older girls. These have been going really well, and I think the girls genuinely enjoy them, which was my goal. (While I was gone with my family, we didn't do them and they have been asking, "When are we going to do another study?" so that is encouraging.) Thank you for your prayers regarding the studies.
I will be leaving the Casa on April 30th to go back to Mexico City to prepare for the summer program, so you can pray that in this next month and a half, I would finish well. I still love it here, but sometimes I feel exhausted and in "survival mode." Please pray that God will give me a positive attitude, energy and constantly strengthen me through His Spirit to keep loving these kids and the staff here at the Casa.
Please also pray with me that God would raise up more long-term staff. While I was gone with my family for a week, the other staff felt a huge burden fall to them because just one staff was gone. The children lack attention and supervision more than any other resource. If you are interested in coming or know someone who might be, please contact me and I'll be happy to answer questions and/or put you in contact with the teacher/volunteer coordinator (who speaks English).
Thanks for all your continued prayers and support.
Dios te bendiga. (God bless you.)
Love!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
January: Gifts for the children, gifts for me!
Hola!
It's been a while! I hope this blog finds you happy and fulfilled with how your year's begun. I have had a great January, filled with gifts and little joys!
The Day of the Kings (El Dia de Los Reyes Magos) was celebrated here in Mexico on January 6. This is the Mexican's big gift-giving holiday, while Christmas is more about a family meal and spending time together. Here at the Casa, there is a long-standing tradition of three authentic "Reyes Magos" coming, dressed in all the garb of an ancient wise man, to deliver a bag of gifts to each child. The kings come in the night and place the bags on the beds of the children.
In addition to these gifts, the children were invited to several "superstores" to share a breakfast meal and receive gifts from the employees. In some cases, there were other festivities, including pinatas! Seeing all this gift-receiving, I couldn't help but think about the children's need to give, as well. As they say, "It is more blessed (and sometimes more fun!) to give than receive." So I organized a gift exchange for the girls in which I gave them each a fixed amount of pesos to spend along with a secret pal. We took several little ventures to a store filled with earrings, lip glosses, hairbands, etc., and I tried to encourage the girls to think about what their person would like and get them something appropriate. Once we'd purchased and wrapped all the gifts, we had a gift exchange in the castle/tent. I first talked about the importance and joy of giving and then had them go around one by one to give their gift and also say something encouraging to their person (i.e an admired characteristic). They seemed to enjoy the time thoroughly and hopefully learned something in the process. I also challenged them to keep up with and take care of the gift they'd been given, as they struggle more than anything with personal responsibility. Another educational benefit was the financial planning required to choose things they could afford, decide what items would be the better "deal" and know how much change to expect.
After Dia de los Reyes, we were back to real life. The kids went back to school and I got back to work with the clothes. I have finally decided to try an entirely new system with the girls. After a lot of talking with the staff, contemplating and observing the chaos that was their clothes system, I came up with a method that will hopefully minimize my involvement (so that when I leave they still get clean clothes weekly) and teach the girls personal responsibility. The idea is that each child has now been assigned clothes that are officially their own, and their assigned number is written in the tag of each article of clothing that belongs to them. This way, their quickness to shift the blame when clothes are thrown on the floor is eliminated, and their tendency to just go "borrow" someone else's shirt when they don't have a clean one is decreased. The other major change is that instead of being brought up in bulk after being washed, the children go down and sort through the wash to find what is theirs and deposit it in a bin with their name. They do this twice during the week and then, on Sundays, when all their clothes from the week should (hypothetically) be clean and dry, they bring up the entire bin, sort it, and fold it. Then they report to me how many clean pants, shirts, etc. they have and I exchange each article for a new one from their tuperware box. This exchange is an accountability check, so that they are unable to receive the new until they have proven that they are properly taking care of the old. The numbers make labeling easier (the alternative is writing their whole name in each article of clothing) and it allows for the children to grow without having to change their labels. (For example, Lupita, 4, is #1, but in a year, she'll probably be #2's size and Areli, #2, will move up to the #3 spot, vacating her clothes for Lupita's use. We will see if this method continues to be successful and if so we'll hopefully expand it to incorporate the boys as well.
After initiating this, I was a bit spent and thus happy for a break! My coordinator, Wendy, my ex-roommate, Erika, and another friend came from Mexico City and swept me away to Guadalajara for 3 days. We stayed with an old host family of Wendy's who was very hospitable and embraced the "mi casa es su casa" mentality. We explored the city via horse-drawn carriage (for about $2.50 USD!!) , went to a famous restaurant where female mariachis serenade you during your meal and visited a market where they sell their famous Guadalajaran glass for ridiculously cheap (pitchers, glasses, vases, etc.). I bought a beautiful set including a pitcher, 6 glasses and 4 juice glasses for what would probably be about $11 USD. I don't know whether you'd call that a gift or just a steal!
To really fill you in on this past week, I'll have to begin again around the first of January. After the festivities of Christmas and Dia de los Reyes, it hit me that I was completely incapable of doing all that the staff require of me or even doing what it takes to meet the children's needs. I felt extremely overwhelmed and stressed, in addition to feeling more and more lonely. As I rarely leave the Casa, I have very little contact with anyone in my peer group, let alone with people who understand my culture and language. This all came to a head one Saturday night and I cried (literally) out to God in a way I don't think I ever have before. I begged Him to do something, to deliver me. I didn't even really know what I needed other than just generally "help!" The next morning, the Directora notified me that another girl was coming for at least 3 months and would arrive before the end of January. Hallelujah! Even with God's immediate faithfulness, I chose to worry instead of trust for all of January, not sure this girl would really be helpful or a person with whom I could connect. She did arrive on the 29th and I am happy to report that so far we have connected well and she is already a huge gift from God to me. So praise Him for hearing us and answering!
Another gift to the Casa as a whole is the recent birth of Myrtle Elena, the brand new baby girl of the assistant director and his wife. She was born yesterday morning, February 2nd, so she's not even home from the hospital yet, but I am sure she will be a precious little joy to her parents, to all of the children and to me! She's newborn #3 for me in my Mexico experience so far (see November's blog), but I never cease to be amazed at the miracle that is new life. Praise God that the birth was natural and that Mommy and baby are healthy and happy!
So as you can see, God has been so faithful to the claim in James 1:16-17,
"Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
My prayer request is that my relationship with the staff would continue to be good. (With time, the politeness of strangerhood has faded into an high level of "confianza" because of which both they and I at times forget the universal importance of appreciation, respect and kindness.) I'd also invite you to pray with me for the Bible studies I am planning to start with the older girls. (I didn't get to start them in January, but I have some lessons already planned out and ready to go for this week.) My prayer is that the girls would participate and learn to love God through their study of the Bible.
Thank you so much for reading, and for your prayers, emails and letters. They are such an encouragement to me! Keep them coming and update me on your life as well, por favor!
"Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land." Proverbs 25:25
...although you are free to send bad news, too, if that's all you've got... :)
Con mucho amor, Lauren
It's been a while! I hope this blog finds you happy and fulfilled with how your year's begun. I have had a great January, filled with gifts and little joys!
The Day of the Kings (El Dia de Los Reyes Magos) was celebrated here in Mexico on January 6. This is the Mexican's big gift-giving holiday, while Christmas is more about a family meal and spending time together. Here at the Casa, there is a long-standing tradition of three authentic "Reyes Magos" coming, dressed in all the garb of an ancient wise man, to deliver a bag of gifts to each child. The kings come in the night and place the bags on the beds of the children.
In addition to these gifts, the children were invited to several "superstores" to share a breakfast meal and receive gifts from the employees. In some cases, there were other festivities, including pinatas! Seeing all this gift-receiving, I couldn't help but think about the children's need to give, as well. As they say, "It is more blessed (and sometimes more fun!) to give than receive." So I organized a gift exchange for the girls in which I gave them each a fixed amount of pesos to spend along with a secret pal. We took several little ventures to a store filled with earrings, lip glosses, hairbands, etc., and I tried to encourage the girls to think about what their person would like and get them something appropriate. Once we'd purchased and wrapped all the gifts, we had a gift exchange in the castle/tent. I first talked about the importance and joy of giving and then had them go around one by one to give their gift and also say something encouraging to their person (i.e an admired characteristic). They seemed to enjoy the time thoroughly and hopefully learned something in the process. I also challenged them to keep up with and take care of the gift they'd been given, as they struggle more than anything with personal responsibility. Another educational benefit was the financial planning required to choose things they could afford, decide what items would be the better "deal" and know how much change to expect.
After Dia de los Reyes, we were back to real life. The kids went back to school and I got back to work with the clothes. I have finally decided to try an entirely new system with the girls. After a lot of talking with the staff, contemplating and observing the chaos that was their clothes system, I came up with a method that will hopefully minimize my involvement (so that when I leave they still get clean clothes weekly) and teach the girls personal responsibility. The idea is that each child has now been assigned clothes that are officially their own, and their assigned number is written in the tag of each article of clothing that belongs to them. This way, their quickness to shift the blame when clothes are thrown on the floor is eliminated, and their tendency to just go "borrow" someone else's shirt when they don't have a clean one is decreased. The other major change is that instead of being brought up in bulk after being washed, the children go down and sort through the wash to find what is theirs and deposit it in a bin with their name. They do this twice during the week and then, on Sundays, when all their clothes from the week should (hypothetically) be clean and dry, they bring up the entire bin, sort it, and fold it. Then they report to me how many clean pants, shirts, etc. they have and I exchange each article for a new one from their tuperware box. This exchange is an accountability check, so that they are unable to receive the new until they have proven that they are properly taking care of the old. The numbers make labeling easier (the alternative is writing their whole name in each article of clothing) and it allows for the children to grow without having to change their labels. (For example, Lupita, 4, is #1, but in a year, she'll probably be #2's size and Areli, #2, will move up to the #3 spot, vacating her clothes for Lupita's use. We will see if this method continues to be successful and if so we'll hopefully expand it to incorporate the boys as well.
After initiating this, I was a bit spent and thus happy for a break! My coordinator, Wendy, my ex-roommate, Erika, and another friend came from Mexico City and swept me away to Guadalajara for 3 days. We stayed with an old host family of Wendy's who was very hospitable and embraced the "mi casa es su casa" mentality. We explored the city via horse-drawn carriage (for about $2.50 USD!!) , went to a famous restaurant where female mariachis serenade you during your meal and visited a market where they sell their famous Guadalajaran glass for ridiculously cheap (pitchers, glasses, vases, etc.). I bought a beautiful set including a pitcher, 6 glasses and 4 juice glasses for what would probably be about $11 USD. I don't know whether you'd call that a gift or just a steal!
To really fill you in on this past week, I'll have to begin again around the first of January. After the festivities of Christmas and Dia de los Reyes, it hit me that I was completely incapable of doing all that the staff require of me or even doing what it takes to meet the children's needs. I felt extremely overwhelmed and stressed, in addition to feeling more and more lonely. As I rarely leave the Casa, I have very little contact with anyone in my peer group, let alone with people who understand my culture and language. This all came to a head one Saturday night and I cried (literally) out to God in a way I don't think I ever have before. I begged Him to do something, to deliver me. I didn't even really know what I needed other than just generally "help!" The next morning, the Directora notified me that another girl was coming for at least 3 months and would arrive before the end of January. Hallelujah! Even with God's immediate faithfulness, I chose to worry instead of trust for all of January, not sure this girl would really be helpful or a person with whom I could connect. She did arrive on the 29th and I am happy to report that so far we have connected well and she is already a huge gift from God to me. So praise Him for hearing us and answering!
Another gift to the Casa as a whole is the recent birth of Myrtle Elena, the brand new baby girl of the assistant director and his wife. She was born yesterday morning, February 2nd, so she's not even home from the hospital yet, but I am sure she will be a precious little joy to her parents, to all of the children and to me! She's newborn #3 for me in my Mexico experience so far (see November's blog), but I never cease to be amazed at the miracle that is new life. Praise God that the birth was natural and that Mommy and baby are healthy and happy!
So as you can see, God has been so faithful to the claim in James 1:16-17,
"Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
My prayer request is that my relationship with the staff would continue to be good. (With time, the politeness of strangerhood has faded into an high level of "confianza" because of which both they and I at times forget the universal importance of appreciation, respect and kindness.) I'd also invite you to pray with me for the Bible studies I am planning to start with the older girls. (I didn't get to start them in January, but I have some lessons already planned out and ready to go for this week.) My prayer is that the girls would participate and learn to love God through their study of the Bible.
Thank you so much for reading, and for your prayers, emails and letters. They are such an encouragement to me! Keep them coming and update me on your life as well, por favor!
"Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land." Proverbs 25:25
...although you are free to send bad news, too, if that's all you've got... :)
Con mucho amor, Lauren
Thursday, January 1, 2009
¡Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I hope you have had a fun and relaxing holiday season. Mine has been full of new adventures! While I missed many of my own family's traditions, I have loved seeing how the holidays are celebrated in another place by another people.
The Christmas season here at the Casa Hogar was full of chorus concerts. The children performed several times for local churches, schools and other organizations, and even took one weekend "tour" to Nayarit, a city about 8 hours away! They got to stay in host homes in sets of about 3, permitting more personal attention which they so desperately need. All of the staff wanted to go on the trip, so I stayed behind with the 12 younger children (ages 4-10) who are not in the chorus yet. This was a challenge, but I had the assistant director's wife's sister helping me, so we did alright. All the children survived (haha) and got more one-on-one attention as well, so I think it was really a perfect arrangement. Throughout the season, many people from the community also came to help the children celebrate Christmas; these groups put on clown shows, brought piñatas and gifts, etc.
On Christmas Eve we received a last minute invitation to sing at a church's Christmas Eve service. We went and during the sermon, the pastor said, "Everyone should do something good for somebody...my wife and I are going to invite the children of the Casa Hogar for Christmas Dinner tonight." So that was the first we had heard of it, but we went and this pastor and his family treated the children like little kings and queens. The food was fabulous and the children were so happy to be in a real home for Christmas. (Mexicans consider Christmas Eve, or Noche Buena, to be the most important part of Christmas.) Then we went back to the Casa around 11:30pm and started the bonfire. After all the children had used up their own alloted firecrackers, the adults began blowing up old toys; this was the entertainment until we finally went to bed at 3:30am. Needless to say, that was a funny and new experience. (In the States, I have always gone to bed early and awaited new toys from Santa, but in MX, we stayed up late blowing up old toys. haha.) Christmas morning we slept in, and when I finally got up, I opened my package from my parents and then we had our normal, routine morning. I went down to the missionaries' house in the early afternoon and had lasagna with them, and then watched their little girls open gifts for a while. Afterwards, I went back up to the Casa and we had a fabulous Christmas dinner cooked by our Assistant Director who is quite the chef. He made cream of broccoli soup, a creamy type spaghetti, and chicken in gravy. Christmas night, I revealed the tent castle and all the girls had a PJ party! We had a very fun night of music, games, popcorn, candy and laughter and I finished it off with one of my family's traditions, reading the Christmas story to the girls.
It was a very happy and joy-filled day for me, which is a small miracle. As I wrote before, I had some anxiety about being away from my family, my traditions and essentially, my whole "world" for Christmas. I am a sentimental person and the holidays are always a very special time for me. I mean, we are talking about the girl who cries during The Christmas Carol play when the family sings, "Together, together." But God was so faithful to me and gave me all the comfort and familiarity I needed. He taught me of a Christmas different from what I have known previously, one that is not about gifts, but about relationships and quality time, two things that are so valued in Mexican culture.
As I sat in a Christmas Eve service in some random Mexican church, where I didn't know a soul and couldn't sing along to the carols because I didn't know the words in Spanish, I realized the great sacrifice that I had made, and how much I missed my church, my family, my friends, my language. But then my focus turned to the four-year-old Lupita on my lap, her big brown eyes starting to close, and I knew God had a purpose for me. I realized that somehow this precious, beautiful child got left behind, was forgotten, and that this fact grieved the Lord. Not only did it grieve him, it moved Him to take action. He worked in my heart, moved me to abandon my own desires and used me to be Jesus to her, to kiss the top of her sleepy head and just love her like any sweet little girl should be loved.
Finally it hit me, that is the whole message of Christmas! Jesus left all that was comfortable for Him and put our needs before His desires, because we were orphans who desperately needed someone to scoop us up on their lap and kiss us on the head and assure us that we are loved. It was hard for Him, He missed His heavenly Father and the ways of heaven, but He left home to love us and create "home" for us. Not that I am anywhere close to sacrificing what Jesus has, but this realization did make me more grateful for all that He has done for us, His children. "How Deep the Father's Love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that He would give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure!"
After Christmas, my roommate from Mexico City, Erika, came to Morelia for 5 days to visit! That was a blast. She is such a blessing from the Lord. He has given us a bond of unity and we have so much fun together. We spent a lot of time with the kids and also had some fun outings to see Morelia. For New Year's Eve, we saw a movie ("La Duquesa") and then came back and had a late dinner of homemade pizza with the kids. The bonfire started at around 2am. We lasted about 30 minutes before going to bed, and the kids went to bed around 5am...more fireworks were involved.
Thank you for reading, and also for your prayers, Christmas cards and emails during the holiday season. They were deeply appreciated, and the cards are hanging on my wall! If you were praying for the labels in the drawers to stay up, God is hearing! I haven't seen any come off yet, which doesn't sound like a miracle, but trust me, it is. Now I am moving to the "Cuarto Grande" as they call it, the room full of way more clothes than you could ever imagine, to try to get it organized. Right now, it is chaos. So you can pray that I will make progress and establish a clothes system that is self-sustaining and effective. Also, I am starting Bible Studies with the older girls soon, so please pray for wisdom, enthusiasm from the girls and that God would reveal who He is. I hope you have had an opportunity to reflect on 2008 and thank God for His many blessings and that you have a fulfilling 2009! Please write me, by email or snail mail , and let me know how you are. Love!
I hope you have had a fun and relaxing holiday season. Mine has been full of new adventures! While I missed many of my own family's traditions, I have loved seeing how the holidays are celebrated in another place by another people.
The Christmas season here at the Casa Hogar was full of chorus concerts. The children performed several times for local churches, schools and other organizations, and even took one weekend "tour" to Nayarit, a city about 8 hours away! They got to stay in host homes in sets of about 3, permitting more personal attention which they so desperately need. All of the staff wanted to go on the trip, so I stayed behind with the 12 younger children (ages 4-10) who are not in the chorus yet. This was a challenge, but I had the assistant director's wife's sister helping me, so we did alright. All the children survived (haha) and got more one-on-one attention as well, so I think it was really a perfect arrangement. Throughout the season, many people from the community also came to help the children celebrate Christmas; these groups put on clown shows, brought piñatas and gifts, etc.
On Christmas Eve we received a last minute invitation to sing at a church's Christmas Eve service. We went and during the sermon, the pastor said, "Everyone should do something good for somebody...my wife and I are going to invite the children of the Casa Hogar for Christmas Dinner tonight." So that was the first we had heard of it, but we went and this pastor and his family treated the children like little kings and queens. The food was fabulous and the children were so happy to be in a real home for Christmas. (Mexicans consider Christmas Eve, or Noche Buena, to be the most important part of Christmas.) Then we went back to the Casa around 11:30pm and started the bonfire. After all the children had used up their own alloted firecrackers, the adults began blowing up old toys; this was the entertainment until we finally went to bed at 3:30am. Needless to say, that was a funny and new experience. (In the States, I have always gone to bed early and awaited new toys from Santa, but in MX, we stayed up late blowing up old toys. haha.) Christmas morning we slept in, and when I finally got up, I opened my package from my parents and then we had our normal, routine morning. I went down to the missionaries' house in the early afternoon and had lasagna with them, and then watched their little girls open gifts for a while. Afterwards, I went back up to the Casa and we had a fabulous Christmas dinner cooked by our Assistant Director who is quite the chef. He made cream of broccoli soup, a creamy type spaghetti, and chicken in gravy. Christmas night, I revealed the tent castle and all the girls had a PJ party! We had a very fun night of music, games, popcorn, candy and laughter and I finished it off with one of my family's traditions, reading the Christmas story to the girls.
It was a very happy and joy-filled day for me, which is a small miracle. As I wrote before, I had some anxiety about being away from my family, my traditions and essentially, my whole "world" for Christmas. I am a sentimental person and the holidays are always a very special time for me. I mean, we are talking about the girl who cries during The Christmas Carol play when the family sings, "Together, together." But God was so faithful to me and gave me all the comfort and familiarity I needed. He taught me of a Christmas different from what I have known previously, one that is not about gifts, but about relationships and quality time, two things that are so valued in Mexican culture.
As I sat in a Christmas Eve service in some random Mexican church, where I didn't know a soul and couldn't sing along to the carols because I didn't know the words in Spanish, I realized the great sacrifice that I had made, and how much I missed my church, my family, my friends, my language. But then my focus turned to the four-year-old Lupita on my lap, her big brown eyes starting to close, and I knew God had a purpose for me. I realized that somehow this precious, beautiful child got left behind, was forgotten, and that this fact grieved the Lord. Not only did it grieve him, it moved Him to take action. He worked in my heart, moved me to abandon my own desires and used me to be Jesus to her, to kiss the top of her sleepy head and just love her like any sweet little girl should be loved.
Finally it hit me, that is the whole message of Christmas! Jesus left all that was comfortable for Him and put our needs before His desires, because we were orphans who desperately needed someone to scoop us up on their lap and kiss us on the head and assure us that we are loved. It was hard for Him, He missed His heavenly Father and the ways of heaven, but He left home to love us and create "home" for us. Not that I am anywhere close to sacrificing what Jesus has, but this realization did make me more grateful for all that He has done for us, His children. "How Deep the Father's Love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that He would give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure!"
After Christmas, my roommate from Mexico City, Erika, came to Morelia for 5 days to visit! That was a blast. She is such a blessing from the Lord. He has given us a bond of unity and we have so much fun together. We spent a lot of time with the kids and also had some fun outings to see Morelia. For New Year's Eve, we saw a movie ("La Duquesa") and then came back and had a late dinner of homemade pizza with the kids. The bonfire started at around 2am. We lasted about 30 minutes before going to bed, and the kids went to bed around 5am...more fireworks were involved.
Thank you for reading, and also for your prayers, Christmas cards and emails during the holiday season. They were deeply appreciated, and the cards are hanging on my wall! If you were praying for the labels in the drawers to stay up, God is hearing! I haven't seen any come off yet, which doesn't sound like a miracle, but trust me, it is. Now I am moving to the "Cuarto Grande" as they call it, the room full of way more clothes than you could ever imagine, to try to get it organized. Right now, it is chaos. So you can pray that I will make progress and establish a clothes system that is self-sustaining and effective. Also, I am starting Bible Studies with the older girls soon, so please pray for wisdom, enthusiasm from the girls and that God would reveal who He is. I hope you have had an opportunity to reflect on 2008 and thank God for His many blessings and that you have a fulfilling 2009! Please write me, by email or snail mail , and let me know how you are. Love!
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