I woke up this morning having no idea what to share this week. We were going to celebrate a confirmation today, but due to some health problems, the family understandably canceled. With my topic for the week being canceled, I was left scrounging for ideas. I decided to post-pone writing for awhile, so I went up the mountain. As I was finishing my time up there, a wonderful hour by the way, I was reminded of what's to come.
Next week there likely won't be a post. Sometime next Saturday morning, probably fairly early, I will be leaving for a three-day retreat. That's right, a retreat, in Mexico, with a lot of people I don't know. The church we attend is holding their youth retreat, and Adrian and Vero helped head up the event. We won't even be at school on Monday, but rather continue experiencing the Spirit and say our good-byes to new friends.
Shortly after I arrived, Krista and I went to a youth meeting after church; we were both fairly lost and didn't do much more with the group aside from the sleep-over party for Independence Day. As we heard more and more about this retreat, a few people started asking me if I was planning to go. I considered it, and I prayed about it; I asked Julie some questions about the event, and I realized I was just making excuses to not go. A month or so ago, I put my name down and paid for the trip in whole. I wasn't going to let myself back out.
The event will have a few other local churches as well as our own attending. Adrian, Vero, Martita, Angie, and Vicky are all going, and the girls had commented that the leaders tend to break us up. I left it to God to decide if I need to be with someone from the ranch or not. I guess I'll find out for sure next Saturday what His answer is. For the past few weeks I've been praying to be prepared for this. Since my first Sunday I've understood at least parts of each sermon, and it's no coincidence that a lot of those parts are what hit me deeply. I trust that the messages shared next weekend will reveal some amazing things not only to me, but to all who attend. I ask that you would pray this week and next weekend for all of us who are opening ourselves even more to God's will, and that He would make His presence known.
I apologize that I don't have any cute or funny stories this week, but I honestly feel that right now we need prayer for this retreat and that those who need to go will make the final decision to join us.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Your Love
As I was sitting on my rock this morning, thinking about the Lord and doing my devotions, my mind kept wandering. I found myself thinking about August 22, at 5-something in the morning, when my family and I were on our way to the Indy airport. I was scared that morning, filled with fears, what-ifs, sadness, and even a bit of regret. I doubt that anyone else in my family could tell you what we were listening to during that hour-long drive, but I remember.
Dad had his iPod playing, and one song popped on that hit me deeper than anything. "Your Love" by Sonicflood came on and filled the truck. I was staring out the window at the dark, flat land, and thinking about all that I was leaving behind. When I heard the song start, I knew it was a familiar one, but it was also one of the songs that I only knew from childhood. It had been years since I recalled singing along with those words, and they were long forgotten in my mind. As I listened to the refrain, which is how the song starts out, tears filled my eyes.
"Your love, give me Your love
To fill up my heart.
Your peace, give me Your peace
To comfort my soul.
Your joy, give me Your joy
To shine through the dark.
Change me oh Lord,
For my life is Yours!"
Love, peace, and joy, I found myself silently praying those lyrics until the song's end. I hadn't realized until now that I was really praying as I listened to, registered, and cherished each word that came through those speakers. However, God heard the prayer, the prayer that I didn't even know I was giving. He's answered that prayer so thoroughly, and I can't believe I've overlooked so much of it!
Love. Leaving behind my family, seeing all of my friends go on with their lives, feeling an immense fear of not only what awaited me in Mexico, but also what I would have to come home to when I finished my 6 month stay, saying it was hard doesn't scratch the surface. God knew all that, He knew I would feel alone, so He gave me blessing after blessing here. He called two young women to work here at the same time as me. He blessed Refuge Ranch with amazing staff and children who not only are good at distracting you from sadness, but are also godly individuals who know what to say when you need to hear a few words. God's given me a family here, through Vicky and Krista, through every child here, through Victor who can remind me of my dad and has put a smile on my face countless times from that fact alone. He's blessed me with love from Mireya who always has a word of encouragement, a hug, or even a faith that can keep me going. The Lord's also given me a love for the nature in general. The hills, "my rock," the park, our freezing school, the view of Popocatepetl, even the way of life here, it's all become "home." I woke up this morning and smiled, "Home sweet home," I sighed to myself.
Peace. There's no doubt that I was anything but peaceful August 22. Even as I pulled up in front of the house for the first time, I was a bundle of nerves. I won't say that life's easy, or that it's always calm. It's never calm here, but there's peace. As I've settled in here, as I've gotten used to the fact that nothing is ever quite the same, and that anything can happen, God's given me peace. I remember at camp this past summer, there was a day when we were told to find our own little place. We were then told to close our eyes and let go of everything in our minds, to give any concern or care to the Lord in that moment. When we did, we were told to listen, nothing more but to listen and relax. On that day, many of us experienced the peace of God. I've used that experience several times. I've gone to my rock and relaxed. I've gone up the mountain in the morning grumbling that I make myself get up so early or that there's other things I could be doing, but I come down singing, dancing, and prayerfully talking to the Lord. He's given me peace to take on each day with an open mind and heart. If it weren't for that peace, the knowledge that He will carry me through the roughest parts of the day, I could not be teaching English and Kindergarten, reading with kids regularly, working in the school every morning, and still maintain my sanity.
Joy. Now for the best one of all. Back in the US, I had my limits. The easiest way to explain it is that I acted as mature as possible as much as possible. I sat out of fun because it seemed immature or too much. Here, I've been shown a joy, a true joy. In serving, in playing, in putting a smile on a face. "It's better to give than to receive." I've heard it a million times, I knew more or less it was true, but when I got here, some of their giving seemed insane. My first week and kids were asking for my water; if I bought a snack, everyone wanted to share with me, but now, it's second nature. You want a drink, here's my bottle; you want to listen to music, here's my MP3; you want to check out my Kindle, ok, just be careful. Here, would you like a cookie? It's nothing to give away something you don't need, and to see a face glow, it's something else entirely. Then there are the movie nights, the make overs, the random dancing and running. How many times did I tell my cousin, "No you can't do my hair!" but here, I've let a 10-girl old and a 12-year old do my make-up and hair; I've let Angie do strange hairstyles; I've danced like a 3 year-old in the living room; I've given away things, and I've accepted things; I've gone sliding with David and played Wii with Joce. They've joked that they'll make me crazy before I leave, but I think they'll just make me a human finally.
Lord, thank you for the love you've shown me, the peace you bring me daily, and the joy that you've opened my eyes to.
Dad had his iPod playing, and one song popped on that hit me deeper than anything. "Your Love" by Sonicflood came on and filled the truck. I was staring out the window at the dark, flat land, and thinking about all that I was leaving behind. When I heard the song start, I knew it was a familiar one, but it was also one of the songs that I only knew from childhood. It had been years since I recalled singing along with those words, and they were long forgotten in my mind. As I listened to the refrain, which is how the song starts out, tears filled my eyes.
"Your love, give me Your love
To fill up my heart.
Your peace, give me Your peace
To comfort my soul.
Your joy, give me Your joy
To shine through the dark.
Change me oh Lord,
For my life is Yours!"
Love, peace, and joy, I found myself silently praying those lyrics until the song's end. I hadn't realized until now that I was really praying as I listened to, registered, and cherished each word that came through those speakers. However, God heard the prayer, the prayer that I didn't even know I was giving. He's answered that prayer so thoroughly, and I can't believe I've overlooked so much of it!
Love. Leaving behind my family, seeing all of my friends go on with their lives, feeling an immense fear of not only what awaited me in Mexico, but also what I would have to come home to when I finished my 6 month stay, saying it was hard doesn't scratch the surface. God knew all that, He knew I would feel alone, so He gave me blessing after blessing here. He called two young women to work here at the same time as me. He blessed Refuge Ranch with amazing staff and children who not only are good at distracting you from sadness, but are also godly individuals who know what to say when you need to hear a few words. God's given me a family here, through Vicky and Krista, through every child here, through Victor who can remind me of my dad and has put a smile on my face countless times from that fact alone. He's blessed me with love from Mireya who always has a word of encouragement, a hug, or even a faith that can keep me going. The Lord's also given me a love for the nature in general. The hills, "my rock," the park, our freezing school, the view of Popocatepetl, even the way of life here, it's all become "home." I woke up this morning and smiled, "Home sweet home," I sighed to myself.
Peace. There's no doubt that I was anything but peaceful August 22. Even as I pulled up in front of the house for the first time, I was a bundle of nerves. I won't say that life's easy, or that it's always calm. It's never calm here, but there's peace. As I've settled in here, as I've gotten used to the fact that nothing is ever quite the same, and that anything can happen, God's given me peace. I remember at camp this past summer, there was a day when we were told to find our own little place. We were then told to close our eyes and let go of everything in our minds, to give any concern or care to the Lord in that moment. When we did, we were told to listen, nothing more but to listen and relax. On that day, many of us experienced the peace of God. I've used that experience several times. I've gone to my rock and relaxed. I've gone up the mountain in the morning grumbling that I make myself get up so early or that there's other things I could be doing, but I come down singing, dancing, and prayerfully talking to the Lord. He's given me peace to take on each day with an open mind and heart. If it weren't for that peace, the knowledge that He will carry me through the roughest parts of the day, I could not be teaching English and Kindergarten, reading with kids regularly, working in the school every morning, and still maintain my sanity.
Joy. Now for the best one of all. Back in the US, I had my limits. The easiest way to explain it is that I acted as mature as possible as much as possible. I sat out of fun because it seemed immature or too much. Here, I've been shown a joy, a true joy. In serving, in playing, in putting a smile on a face. "It's better to give than to receive." I've heard it a million times, I knew more or less it was true, but when I got here, some of their giving seemed insane. My first week and kids were asking for my water; if I bought a snack, everyone wanted to share with me, but now, it's second nature. You want a drink, here's my bottle; you want to listen to music, here's my MP3; you want to check out my Kindle, ok, just be careful. Here, would you like a cookie? It's nothing to give away something you don't need, and to see a face glow, it's something else entirely. Then there are the movie nights, the make overs, the random dancing and running. How many times did I tell my cousin, "No you can't do my hair!" but here, I've let a 10-girl old and a 12-year old do my make-up and hair; I've let Angie do strange hairstyles; I've danced like a 3 year-old in the living room; I've given away things, and I've accepted things; I've gone sliding with David and played Wii with Joce. They've joked that they'll make me crazy before I leave, but I think they'll just make me a human finally.
Lord, thank you for the love you've shown me, the peace you bring me daily, and the joy that you've opened my eyes to.
Thanksgiving
It seems everyone I talk with has been filled with curiosity about our Thanksgiving celebration. Thanksgiving, believe it or not, is not an international holiday. Why would it be? Since Julie is from the US, and she grew up with American customs, Refuge Ranch does celebrate Thanksgiving. Wednesday night, we started the cooking for Thanksgiving. I peeled the sweet potatoes (camotes) with Martha's help. Meanwhile, the younger kids who wanted to help were sent to the green beans with Vicky to break them. After we finished our jobs, Martita took over the kitchen to prepare the pie crust for pecan pies. I think we ended up with six or seven pies by the time she finished. Sadly, I didn't think to bring my camera down for pictures, so I only have photos of the cooking on Thanksgiving Day.
Thursday, the real work began. I was charged with the sweet potato casserole, and I made a special request home for a copy of our family recipe.
I wasn't kidding when I said I peeled the sweet potatoes. You can't buy canned yams here, so we pressure cooked the camotes Wednesday night, and I got to mash them Thursday morning. I used the purple cup, which fit like a glove!
We wanted to use all of the camote that we had; the recipe called for 3 cups. I had to measure out how much camote there was to know how many times to multiply the recipe. I was able to triple the recipe, which is a LOT of sweet potato casserole!
In case you didn't believe me about there being a lot of casserole, this is one of those big aluminum pans that are used at church or school functions to serve potato salad or something like that. It was a real challenge to get this thing up to the apartment so Adrian could cook it.
Here's all that I used to make the casserole itself. The topping was a different story.
Butter. This was the biggest struggle! I needed 3 cups of butter for the topping. Have you ever tried guestimating how much of a butter cube makes 3 cups?!
Cutting the butter was only part of the problem. I couldn't manage to measure out the melted butter correctly. First, I managed to melt 1/2 cup and I turned off the stove and rinsed my pot before I realized I was way below what I needed. Then, I melted enough to take care of 1 batch of topping, but I was tripling the recipe. My third attempt, I measured to the wrong line. If you look at the cup-thing beside the butter, it's a measuring cup that works for dry and liquid ingredients. I measured with the dry rather than the liquid. Finally, I managed to get the butter I needed.
Take a good look at the white bag beside the bowl. THAT'S how much flour that we had!
Dinner was held for a total of 34 people, including Mireya's family, the Zaragozas, Cerino's family, Adrian and Vero, Vicky, Rosa, myself, Diana came home for the meal, and we also had Niyeli and Marisol.
As a tradition, there is an activity that allows everyone to share what they thank God for. In past years there have been cards, banners, and I'm not sure what else in the past. This year, however, we had a "Graffiti Wall of Thankfulness!"
Here's one of the kid's messages. "Thank-you God for my life and for being my father."
Another tradition around here is that the day after Thanksgiving, the family goes to get their Christmas tree. We went up to the volcano, or around that area. Can you imagine walking around to cut down a Christmas tree all the while dying to ditch your sweatshirt? We had a great time, and got to have a picnic lunch and go play on rickety wooden bridges before going home. Pictures will go up on Facebook since it's a bit difficult to put them on here. After we got home, the family proceeded to decorate the tree and rearrange the house. I went up to my room and got to have a nice visit with my family during this time, so there are a lot of decorating photos that I missed, but I wouldn't have missed the Skype call home for anything. I got to see family that I hadn't seen since the start of summer at least.
Thank-you Lord for all that you've blessed us with, for the ability to see my family, for giving me family here, and for never leaving us, even when we wish you would!
Thursday, the real work began. I was charged with the sweet potato casserole, and I made a special request home for a copy of our family recipe.
We wanted to use all of the camote that we had; the recipe called for 3 cups. I had to measure out how much camote there was to know how many times to multiply the recipe. I was able to triple the recipe, which is a LOT of sweet potato casserole!In case you didn't believe me about there being a lot of casserole, this is one of those big aluminum pans that are used at church or school functions to serve potato salad or something like that. It was a real challenge to get this thing up to the apartment so Adrian could cook it.
Here's all that I used to make the casserole itself. The topping was a different story.
Butter. This was the biggest struggle! I needed 3 cups of butter for the topping. Have you ever tried guestimating how much of a butter cube makes 3 cups?!
Cutting the butter was only part of the problem. I couldn't manage to measure out the melted butter correctly. First, I managed to melt 1/2 cup and I turned off the stove and rinsed my pot before I realized I was way below what I needed. Then, I melted enough to take care of 1 batch of topping, but I was tripling the recipe. My third attempt, I measured to the wrong line. If you look at the cup-thing beside the butter, it's a measuring cup that works for dry and liquid ingredients. I measured with the dry rather than the liquid. Finally, I managed to get the butter I needed.
Dinner was held for a total of 34 people, including Mireya's family, the Zaragozas, Cerino's family, Adrian and Vero, Vicky, Rosa, myself, Diana came home for the meal, and we also had Niyeli and Marisol.
As a tradition, there is an activity that allows everyone to share what they thank God for. In past years there have been cards, banners, and I'm not sure what else in the past. This year, however, we had a "Graffiti Wall of Thankfulness!"
Here's one of the kid's messages. "Thank-you God for my life and for being my father."
Another tradition around here is that the day after Thanksgiving, the family goes to get their Christmas tree. We went up to the volcano, or around that area. Can you imagine walking around to cut down a Christmas tree all the while dying to ditch your sweatshirt? We had a great time, and got to have a picnic lunch and go play on rickety wooden bridges before going home. Pictures will go up on Facebook since it's a bit difficult to put them on here. After we got home, the family proceeded to decorate the tree and rearrange the house. I went up to my room and got to have a nice visit with my family during this time, so there are a lot of decorating photos that I missed, but I wouldn't have missed the Skype call home for anything. I got to see family that I hadn't seen since the start of summer at least.
Thank-you Lord for all that you've blessed us with, for the ability to see my family, for giving me family here, and for never leaving us, even when we wish you would!
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Welcome to the Show
This week was rather unusual, what with a recital, a challenging "good-bye," and a teacher workday on Friday. A couple of months ago it was decided that the children would get to showcase what they'd learned in the last 3 months of piano lessons. Krista and Jorge got together and arranged a formal recital that took place Wednesday night. They did a great job, and the recital hall (the school room) was a beautiful area that fit all of our guests comfortably (we had nearly 40 people in the audience!) Each child played a piece that they'd learned with Krista, and we had some special acts as well. Julie played a violin piece, Krista played a couple of pieces, Jorge sang for us, Diann (Grandma) even played a song.
After the recital we had refreshments which included Polish doughnuts that Krista and I managed to make that morning (before breakfast even, so it was an early morning.) It was really fun to see the turn-out, and afterwards everyone stuck around to help with clean-up which was a great help! Krista, Vicky, and I finally got some shots of the three of us, and I think they turned out really well.
After a hamburger supper, Krista and I went back to our room, accompanied by Joce, Fati, and Miguel. To celebrate her last night, the five of us somehow ended up holding a photo shoot, and when we ran out of poses, we went dancing, had some chair races, and sang along with Krista's piano skills. As if that wasn't enough excitement for one night, Vicky, Krista, and I had our last movie night together, our movie choice? "Pride and Prejudice"
Thursday morning was hard on us all. After about 30 minutes of classes, we were all dismissed to go say our final good-byes and to pray over Krista. I was right in thinking that saying good-bye to Krista would be difficult, all three of us were in tears. Entering our room since she's left has been really hard on Vicky and I. Whenever we open the door, there's that bare mattress and the empty shelves that remind us all too well that Krista's left us. However, we do have Skype to help us keep in touch, and just earlier today I got to speak with Krista briefly.
The kids didn't have school Friday, but the teachers did. At 9:30 we met in the school, and we started to work. We accomplished quite a bit, and nearly 12 hours later we finally finished. A group of four young women somehow managed to clear the school room of some 30+ crate-like boxes filled with books, after organizing the books of course. After finishing the morning's task, we sat down to address some new changes and what would happen with the schedule now that Krista had left. As if that weren't enough, we set to work on one final task that never seemed would end. We went through score keys, replaced binders that were in pieces, created folders for score keys that were being used (which included labeling each folder, hole-punching it, and then tying the key into the folder). Not to mention, as it was Friday, we opened the store so that the kids could buy their rewards for the week.
It's been a long week, and I hardly even remember Monday. However, this week marked the end of one way of living, and a start to the rest of my stay here on the ranch.
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| This is what our table looked like at first... |
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| Krista had the brilliant idea to use Christmas lights. |
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| After the recital, each child received a medal. |
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| Julie and Diann performed a mother-daughter duet. |
After a hamburger supper, Krista and I went back to our room, accompanied by Joce, Fati, and Miguel. To celebrate her last night, the five of us somehow ended up holding a photo shoot, and when we ran out of poses, we went dancing, had some chair races, and sang along with Krista's piano skills. As if that wasn't enough excitement for one night, Vicky, Krista, and I had our last movie night together, our movie choice? "Pride and Prejudice"
Thursday morning was hard on us all. After about 30 minutes of classes, we were all dismissed to go say our final good-byes and to pray over Krista. I was right in thinking that saying good-bye to Krista would be difficult, all three of us were in tears. Entering our room since she's left has been really hard on Vicky and I. Whenever we open the door, there's that bare mattress and the empty shelves that remind us all too well that Krista's left us. However, we do have Skype to help us keep in touch, and just earlier today I got to speak with Krista briefly.
The kids didn't have school Friday, but the teachers did. At 9:30 we met in the school, and we started to work. We accomplished quite a bit, and nearly 12 hours later we finally finished. A group of four young women somehow managed to clear the school room of some 30+ crate-like boxes filled with books, after organizing the books of course. After finishing the morning's task, we sat down to address some new changes and what would happen with the schedule now that Krista had left. As if that weren't enough, we set to work on one final task that never seemed would end. We went through score keys, replaced binders that were in pieces, created folders for score keys that were being used (which included labeling each folder, hole-punching it, and then tying the key into the folder). Not to mention, as it was Friday, we opened the store so that the kids could buy their rewards for the week.
It's been a long week, and I hardly even remember Monday. However, this week marked the end of one way of living, and a start to the rest of my stay here on the ranch.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Mezcla
I know, I know... I skipped a week. Sorry, we got pretty preoccupied last Saturday, and I never made it to an entry.
A basic overview of last week would likely focus on Thursday through Sunday. Julie's best friend from college came to visit along with her parents and children. We had a good time getting to know the family and spending time with everyone. Thursday, when they arrived, the kindergarten class had a project to tackle. If you have much experience baking with a child, then you know that making bread with three young children can be extremely difficult! Somehow, David, Ana, Daniel, and I managed to make rolls to be shared Friday morning at breakfast. We even had enough flour to make 18 decently sized rolls, after half of it seemed to attach itself to David's pants, shirt, and hands. It seems we were just in the kitchen last week. Friday, Krista decided to treat the kids to a favorite creation back home. We came out for recess and snack, and there on the table were mugs filled with... PUPPY CHOW! The kids had never tried puppy chow before, but it certainly became a quick favorite. On Saturday, Krista and I continued our baking week by spending 4 hours or so taking charge of pizza production. We spread the dough, baked it, shredded chicken for BBQ chicken pizzas, prepared the four different types of pizzas, baked each one, set it out and cut it into proper slices.
In addition to baking, we kept busy socializing. Friday night we set up a home theater in the school, including speakers, a large computer screen, 2 full sized mattresses, and various chairs. The "theater" held 14 people, all eagerly watching The Avengers in Spanish. The night went over great, and the kids seemed to enjoy being able to finally watch the movie. A couple of weeks is just too much to wait to see a movie it would seem! On Sunday, we said goodbye to our guests on our way to church. It was a good visit, and really nice to hear what others thought about life here. It's so easy to forget about the ease of life back in Indiana, where there are microwaves, electric stoves, unlimited water and electricity, and where you don't have to check your laundry every 10-15 minutes.
Moving on, this past week has been fairly "normal," whatever you may label that to be around here. Diane, Grandma, came back to the Ranch on Tuesday, and it's been nice to see her again. Another English speaker is always a plus, and since Grandma was here when I first arrived, it's been great to explain how things have changed and to realize how much has happened in a mere 3 months.
However, this week has been bittersweet. With Grandma's return, Krista's departure became all too real. For awhile we've had a joke about hiding Krista's passport so she can't go home, and throughout this past week, the comments about a missing passport have certainly increased. I can't quite imagine life here without Krista. She was here when I arrived, and we've become more than close friends over the past few months. Krista will be more than dearly missed, and while I understand her desire to go home, I also know that it's going to be harder watching her go than when I left my family behind in the airport on August 22.
This week has definitely been a challenge, but I also realize it's just the beginning of a new change. Life can never stay the same, and we're constantly reminded of this fact here.
A basic overview of last week would likely focus on Thursday through Sunday. Julie's best friend from college came to visit along with her parents and children. We had a good time getting to know the family and spending time with everyone. Thursday, when they arrived, the kindergarten class had a project to tackle. If you have much experience baking with a child, then you know that making bread with three young children can be extremely difficult! Somehow, David, Ana, Daniel, and I managed to make rolls to be shared Friday morning at breakfast. We even had enough flour to make 18 decently sized rolls, after half of it seemed to attach itself to David's pants, shirt, and hands. It seems we were just in the kitchen last week. Friday, Krista decided to treat the kids to a favorite creation back home. We came out for recess and snack, and there on the table were mugs filled with... PUPPY CHOW! The kids had never tried puppy chow before, but it certainly became a quick favorite. On Saturday, Krista and I continued our baking week by spending 4 hours or so taking charge of pizza production. We spread the dough, baked it, shredded chicken for BBQ chicken pizzas, prepared the four different types of pizzas, baked each one, set it out and cut it into proper slices.
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| One pizza down... |
 |
| Trying to spread the dough... |
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| One of Krista's mishaps... |
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| Krista's other mishap... |
In addition to baking, we kept busy socializing. Friday night we set up a home theater in the school, including speakers, a large computer screen, 2 full sized mattresses, and various chairs. The "theater" held 14 people, all eagerly watching The Avengers in Spanish. The night went over great, and the kids seemed to enjoy being able to finally watch the movie. A couple of weeks is just too much to wait to see a movie it would seem! On Sunday, we said goodbye to our guests on our way to church. It was a good visit, and really nice to hear what others thought about life here. It's so easy to forget about the ease of life back in Indiana, where there are microwaves, electric stoves, unlimited water and electricity, and where you don't have to check your laundry every 10-15 minutes.
Moving on, this past week has been fairly "normal," whatever you may label that to be around here. Diane, Grandma, came back to the Ranch on Tuesday, and it's been nice to see her again. Another English speaker is always a plus, and since Grandma was here when I first arrived, it's been great to explain how things have changed and to realize how much has happened in a mere 3 months.
However, this week has been bittersweet. With Grandma's return, Krista's departure became all too real. For awhile we've had a joke about hiding Krista's passport so she can't go home, and throughout this past week, the comments about a missing passport have certainly increased. I can't quite imagine life here without Krista. She was here when I arrived, and we've become more than close friends over the past few months. Krista will be more than dearly missed, and while I understand her desire to go home, I also know that it's going to be harder watching her go than when I left my family behind in the airport on August 22.
This week has definitely been a challenge, but I also realize it's just the beginning of a new change. Life can never stay the same, and we're constantly reminded of this fact here.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
The Truth
I have no pictures for you this week, apologies. This week I'm going to break the pattern of giving a weekly overview. Instead, there's something that's been laid on my heart that I need to share.
Thus far, I've been giving an insight to the highlights of each week. These highlights have also been the high points of the weeks, each event being something positive or at least amusing. I feel that I've been portraying the Ranch, or rather my experiences, in a false light by doing so. This trip has not been mere fun and games, each day is a new experience filled with struggles and growth.
I realized a couple of weeks back that I've excluded my strength from my blog entries. I've not shared about the mornings before breakfast where I'm in tears praying for strength, when I'm talking to God, asking for blessings upon each miraculous child who lives here. I've neglected to even hint at the afternoons when I'd finished class and would run to my room fighting tears from frustration and truly believing that I could not possibly succeed in teaching one more class. I've not effectively conveyed how grateful I am for having Krista, Vicki, and Angie here to help me out when I feel completely at a loss. It's time I did so.
I have no doubts that the Lord is working here every day, nor can I possibly wonder if I really wasn't meant to come to Refuge Ranch. In the mere two months that I've been here, God has done so much in my life. He started my first Sunday, the church had made August the official month of families. A homesick girl hearing about the family God wants us to have, it was a painful service, but it did start my growth. Since that point, God's reminded me that I'm His. He's revealed to me that I actually matter, that He's always with me, giving me the strength I need. I've felt true freedom, and I've been given a desire to keep stretching my comfort zone! I will never forget the mornings when I would get lost in singing and suddenly I'd have a group of kids standing by the school looking at me.
Even on the roughest of days, God's given me what I've needed. The second or third day of Kindergarten, I gave up. I literally got up, we still had at least 30 minutes of class, and I walked into my room, collapsed on my bed and wept. Vicki and Krista were both in the room, and before I knew it I was being held and prayed over. I received words from both young women, words that reminded me I could teach Kindergarten, somehow. English, while I love to teach the children, has been a real struggle as well. Yet without fail, God have given me patience. I can somehow get through each class without yelling. Sometimes I lose patience, but I've definitely grown in my tolerance. I've begun to notice that even after a bad day, when I do discipline a child, it's out of a need to get the class back on track and not so much out of frustration or anger.
I keep hearing from Mireya, Julie, and others, how I have so much patience, and that they thank God for sending me. Truth be told, I thank Him daily too, because I can't imagine trying to figure out everything He's revealed to me while living on campus and attending classes. I've heard Him more this year than in my first 18 years combined. It was wrong of me to try to keep His works out of this blog, and so here you have the truth of my stay here.
Thus far, I've been giving an insight to the highlights of each week. These highlights have also been the high points of the weeks, each event being something positive or at least amusing. I feel that I've been portraying the Ranch, or rather my experiences, in a false light by doing so. This trip has not been mere fun and games, each day is a new experience filled with struggles and growth.
I realized a couple of weeks back that I've excluded my strength from my blog entries. I've not shared about the mornings before breakfast where I'm in tears praying for strength, when I'm talking to God, asking for blessings upon each miraculous child who lives here. I've neglected to even hint at the afternoons when I'd finished class and would run to my room fighting tears from frustration and truly believing that I could not possibly succeed in teaching one more class. I've not effectively conveyed how grateful I am for having Krista, Vicki, and Angie here to help me out when I feel completely at a loss. It's time I did so.
I have no doubts that the Lord is working here every day, nor can I possibly wonder if I really wasn't meant to come to Refuge Ranch. In the mere two months that I've been here, God has done so much in my life. He started my first Sunday, the church had made August the official month of families. A homesick girl hearing about the family God wants us to have, it was a painful service, but it did start my growth. Since that point, God's reminded me that I'm His. He's revealed to me that I actually matter, that He's always with me, giving me the strength I need. I've felt true freedom, and I've been given a desire to keep stretching my comfort zone! I will never forget the mornings when I would get lost in singing and suddenly I'd have a group of kids standing by the school looking at me.
Even on the roughest of days, God's given me what I've needed. The second or third day of Kindergarten, I gave up. I literally got up, we still had at least 30 minutes of class, and I walked into my room, collapsed on my bed and wept. Vicki and Krista were both in the room, and before I knew it I was being held and prayed over. I received words from both young women, words that reminded me I could teach Kindergarten, somehow. English, while I love to teach the children, has been a real struggle as well. Yet without fail, God have given me patience. I can somehow get through each class without yelling. Sometimes I lose patience, but I've definitely grown in my tolerance. I've begun to notice that even after a bad day, when I do discipline a child, it's out of a need to get the class back on track and not so much out of frustration or anger.
I keep hearing from Mireya, Julie, and others, how I have so much patience, and that they thank God for sending me. Truth be told, I thank Him daily too, because I can't imagine trying to figure out everything He's revealed to me while living on campus and attending classes. I've heard Him more this year than in my first 18 years combined. It was wrong of me to try to keep His works out of this blog, and so here you have the truth of my stay here.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Feliz Cumple!
"Feliz feliz cumple años..." Sunday morning upon entering the kitchen for breakfast, I had at least four or five people singing this to me. All of the children who were up and about, plus Julie and Victor, broke into song first with a Mexico "Happy Birthday" followed by the US "Happy Birthday." The day was a typical Sunday, and on the way home from church we stopped for BK Whoppers (my first experience of fast food since my arrival) and ice cream. After lunch Victor pulled into Walmart and told me to get out so we could get my cake. Apparently Krista and I chose well, because all the kids said I did a good job choosing. It was funny watching all of their eyes on me as we walked back to the van with the cake; every child was eager to see if I got something good, but really, is there any cake that isn't good? (Aside from the pastel de queso which I tried last summer that is...)
After we got home, I went up to my room to call my parents. Unfortunately nobody was on Skype, and it was a good half hour or so before I got to call anyone. To my surprise and complete joy, Overhaul called me! Overhaul is the youth group that I left behind, and that I miss immensely. I got to talk with a few of the adult leaders, and before the notorious Skype static, that seems to interrupt all of my calls, could ruin the conversation, Austin made the youth group participate in our traditional "Birthday Dance." I got to see a lot of familiar faces laughing and dancing to the uncoordinated gibberish. It was a really nice chance to see faces that I left behind nearly two months ago, and I loved getting to talk with the adult leaders about some of my experiences here.
Later in the evening we all went down to the house and I was led to a chair (if Julie weren't right there, I would've been a bit hesitant considering the kids' pleasure in tying my up.) The candles were lit, and both birthday songs were sung again. After blowing out the candles I had the choice of "biting the cake" myself or receiving help from the kids. To "bite the cake" means that the birthday person sticks their face into the corner of the cake. I decided to do it myself, and I was warned not to do it too hard so that everyone could still get decent sized slice. To my surprise, I got pushed into the cake as I was going to bite it. I ended up with frosting up to my nose before even getting a real bite of cake. We all enjoyed the rich cake, and afterwards Vero gave me a beautiful pin of the Mexican flag. Alejandro handed me a folded piece of paper as a card, and when I read it I couldn't help but smile. He thanked me for teaching them "inglish" and had some other sweet words as well. What was even cooler was that the card was on the back of an old spelling list. The spelling list was from when I first started helping in the school. I recognized the words and hand writing immediately as Caleb's list that we fought through until he could spell each one and know what it meant. On Monday Mireya gave me a gift as well. It consisted of a lovely ring and bracelet combo along with one of the sweetest cards!
The rest of the week was pretty calm and laid back. I've come down with a cold, so I've been in my room a lot more than usual. Leo and Angie were gone this week, which made the house seem very quiet, especially when Martita left Thursday for a crusade with Adrian and Vero. Overall, it was a good week, and I look forward to seeing what God holds for me this week.
A heads up for those who may be interested, I will have a blog post going on the Fishers of Men blog towards the end of next week or the beginning of the following week. I have yet to decide if this will be the same post for my blog or not, so I would suggest checking it out.
If you don't already read the blog for Fishers of Men, it provides a nice look at the mission of this ministry. Julie Zaragoza writes the majority of the posts, and she gives updates of the EMMCs as well as life here on the ranch. Another blog, if you'd like yet another look at life here on the ranch, is Inks, Impressions, and Ivory. This blog is written by Krista, and like me, she posts on a weekly basis. Although she only has about a month left here, I would encourage anyone who reads my posts to check out what another American girl has to say about her own experiences at Refuge Ranch.
After we got home, I went up to my room to call my parents. Unfortunately nobody was on Skype, and it was a good half hour or so before I got to call anyone. To my surprise and complete joy, Overhaul called me! Overhaul is the youth group that I left behind, and that I miss immensely. I got to talk with a few of the adult leaders, and before the notorious Skype static, that seems to interrupt all of my calls, could ruin the conversation, Austin made the youth group participate in our traditional "Birthday Dance." I got to see a lot of familiar faces laughing and dancing to the uncoordinated gibberish. It was a really nice chance to see faces that I left behind nearly two months ago, and I loved getting to talk with the adult leaders about some of my experiences here.
Later in the evening we all went down to the house and I was led to a chair (if Julie weren't right there, I would've been a bit hesitant considering the kids' pleasure in tying my up.) The candles were lit, and both birthday songs were sung again. After blowing out the candles I had the choice of "biting the cake" myself or receiving help from the kids. To "bite the cake" means that the birthday person sticks their face into the corner of the cake. I decided to do it myself, and I was warned not to do it too hard so that everyone could still get decent sized slice. To my surprise, I got pushed into the cake as I was going to bite it. I ended up with frosting up to my nose before even getting a real bite of cake. We all enjoyed the rich cake, and afterwards Vero gave me a beautiful pin of the Mexican flag. Alejandro handed me a folded piece of paper as a card, and when I read it I couldn't help but smile. He thanked me for teaching them "inglish" and had some other sweet words as well. What was even cooler was that the card was on the back of an old spelling list. The spelling list was from when I first started helping in the school. I recognized the words and hand writing immediately as Caleb's list that we fought through until he could spell each one and know what it meant. On Monday Mireya gave me a gift as well. It consisted of a lovely ring and bracelet combo along with one of the sweetest cards!
The rest of the week was pretty calm and laid back. I've come down with a cold, so I've been in my room a lot more than usual. Leo and Angie were gone this week, which made the house seem very quiet, especially when Martita left Thursday for a crusade with Adrian and Vero. Overall, it was a good week, and I look forward to seeing what God holds for me this week.
A heads up for those who may be interested, I will have a blog post going on the Fishers of Men blog towards the end of next week or the beginning of the following week. I have yet to decide if this will be the same post for my blog or not, so I would suggest checking it out.
If you don't already read the blog for Fishers of Men, it provides a nice look at the mission of this ministry. Julie Zaragoza writes the majority of the posts, and she gives updates of the EMMCs as well as life here on the ranch. Another blog, if you'd like yet another look at life here on the ranch, is Inks, Impressions, and Ivory. This blog is written by Krista, and like me, she posts on a weekly basis. Although she only has about a month left here, I would encourage anyone who reads my posts to check out what another American girl has to say about her own experiences at Refuge Ranch.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Guests at the Ranch
The highlight of this week was definitely our two guests, Jackie and Laiza. The two girls came from seminary for a week to help us out in school. We got to meet them at recess on Monday, and from then on, they were in the school or playing with the kids. Jackie and Laiza roomed with us, so we ended up with 5 girls living in one room. It made for a lot of fun in the evenings, needless to say.
Thursday and Friday we didn't have school, because Vicky, Mireya, and Vero went to a conference for ACE teachers. With the exception of my kinder class, I had two days off school. They were greatly enjoyed, and I appreciated the chance to relax and I even completed a few more bracelets for the kids! Since the kids didn't have school Thursday or Friday, Jackie and Laiza took them to learn a play. The kids practiced twice on Thursday, and once on Friday. Friday night the curtains opened, and we saw the Zaragoza production of the Story of Abraham. The kids did a great job memorizing their lines, and they all seemed to enjoy putting on a show for their parents, Krista, and I.
After the show, Krista and I got permission to borrow the boys again. We watched Thor, and the kids got to enjoy half a glass of Coke and a cookie. Their eyes all grew when they saw the treats, and we were able to get rid of some leftovers from earlier this week! Krista had made cookies on Monday, and our English test treat this week was some Coke and a cookie or two. The boys seemed to enjoy the movie, or so I'd guess since I had a few comments this morning when I went down for breakfast.
Not sure what will go on tomorrow, but if anything big happens, I'll have another post for everyone this week. I already received a birthday gift from Vicky. When I got up this morning there was a set of gloves and earmuffs waiting on my computer with a note. Since Vicky leaves for the weekends, she'd wanted to give me my gift before leaving.
Back home, a gift of gloves and earmuffs may not seem all so special, especially here in Mexico! However, since we're at a high altitude in the mountains, the mornings can be very chilly. Every morning I get up around 7:00 so that I can spend some time with God before breakfast. I tend to get outside around 7:20 or so, and so that I don't freeze, I wear 2 sweatshirts and tie my hood almost shut. Earlier this week, Angie loaned me a pair of gloves, because my fingers are always numb by breakfast. The gloves have certainly helped, but they're also a pair that are nearly worn through, and the fingers had a few holes. Nevertheless, I was more than grateful for the extra warmth.
When I woke up this morning and saw brand new gloves, I was ecstatic! I was so happy to be able to give Angie back her gloves, without wearing any more holes into them. I thank God that I have friends here who care so much for me, and who can pick up on the little things that I need. Whether it's a hug, "te quiero," or this amazing gift of gloves and earmuffs, my friends here are definitely my loving family in Christ.
Thursday and Friday we didn't have school, because Vicky, Mireya, and Vero went to a conference for ACE teachers. With the exception of my kinder class, I had two days off school. They were greatly enjoyed, and I appreciated the chance to relax and I even completed a few more bracelets for the kids! Since the kids didn't have school Thursday or Friday, Jackie and Laiza took them to learn a play. The kids practiced twice on Thursday, and once on Friday. Friday night the curtains opened, and we saw the Zaragoza production of the Story of Abraham. The kids did a great job memorizing their lines, and they all seemed to enjoy putting on a show for their parents, Krista, and I.
 |
| Left to right: Me, Krista, Jackie, and Laiza after the play. Ana's in front. |
After the show, Krista and I got permission to borrow the boys again. We watched Thor, and the kids got to enjoy half a glass of Coke and a cookie. Their eyes all grew when they saw the treats, and we were able to get rid of some leftovers from earlier this week! Krista had made cookies on Monday, and our English test treat this week was some Coke and a cookie or two. The boys seemed to enjoy the movie, or so I'd guess since I had a few comments this morning when I went down for breakfast.
Not sure what will go on tomorrow, but if anything big happens, I'll have another post for everyone this week. I already received a birthday gift from Vicky. When I got up this morning there was a set of gloves and earmuffs waiting on my computer with a note. Since Vicky leaves for the weekends, she'd wanted to give me my gift before leaving.
Back home, a gift of gloves and earmuffs may not seem all so special, especially here in Mexico! However, since we're at a high altitude in the mountains, the mornings can be very chilly. Every morning I get up around 7:00 so that I can spend some time with God before breakfast. I tend to get outside around 7:20 or so, and so that I don't freeze, I wear 2 sweatshirts and tie my hood almost shut. Earlier this week, Angie loaned me a pair of gloves, because my fingers are always numb by breakfast. The gloves have certainly helped, but they're also a pair that are nearly worn through, and the fingers had a few holes. Nevertheless, I was more than grateful for the extra warmth.
When I woke up this morning and saw brand new gloves, I was ecstatic! I was so happy to be able to give Angie back her gloves, without wearing any more holes into them. I thank God that I have friends here who care so much for me, and who can pick up on the little things that I need. Whether it's a hug, "te quiero," or this amazing gift of gloves and earmuffs, my friends here are definitely my loving family in Christ.
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