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.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
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.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Let's Go to the Movies!
Another week has gone by, though it feels like I was just writing the last post. Throughout the past week, I experienced my first birthday on the Ranch, co-hosted a "boys' night", and participated in a "girls' night."
School is going well, and I've adjusted to the daily schedule. I feel as if I'm finally "settled in" to life here. Although there is always something new to work around, I definitely feel like I know what to expect when. I don't have any photos for you this week, but I would like to share a video that Krista made. She did a great job filming, and her coverage of the Ranch is fantastic!
To elaborate some on this week's highlights:
Tuesday was Leo's birthday, so we got to see his smiling face all day as he got to enjoy his special day. Victor and Adrian took Leo and Josias out to get a couple of video games for Leo's gifts. The guys were gone from about 10:30 or so until partway through English class, so they were gone for a good four and a half hours. After dinner that night, Julie came up to the kitchen and we all sang "Happy Birthday" in Spanish and then in English. An interesting birthday tradition here is that the face be put into the birthday cake. After blowing out the candles and removing them, Leo ducked his face into the side/top of his cake.
For the past few weeks, I've thought about getting the older boys together one night to watch Captain America or Thor. Krista and I have done several movie nights together, and last week we had Joce and Fati over to watch a movie with us. We decided that "boys' night" would take place Thursday, so after dinner we started set-up. It was obvious that eight people wouldn't fit on my bed, where our movie nights usually take place. So Krista and I pulled out a spare mattress and moved it into the school. We put my computer on a chair, and we all crammed onto the full-size mattress to try to watch Captain America. Here's the hitch, because nothing goes that smoothly around here! My copy of the movie is in English, and I could only get English subtitles to go with it. In addition, my speakers are fairly quiet, so those of us who could understand the movie could hardly hear the words, thank goodness for those English subtitles! I have no clue how much Leo, Miguel, or Ale understood of the movie, but all the boys told me Friday morning that they'd had a great time! Now they're asking when we'll watch Thor; they wanted to do it last night!
Girls' night can't really be labeled as such, because Leo decided to join us. We all had a great evening as Vicky taught us how to do facials and how to paint our nails so they'd look good with cracked polish. We finished off our night with "Another Cinderella Story," this in Spanish as the family owns it, and we all got to just relax and enjoy a Friday night "chick flick."
Movie nights are becoming an easy and fun time to spend with the kids. I think they enjoy getting to leave the house in the evening to come hang out with us, and they always get to pick the movie, which doesn't happen often for some of them. We usually squash on my bed, turn out the lights, and sometimes, we'll even break out the snacks! It's always a good time, and getting to listen to the kids' comments cracks me up sometimes. Each comment tells me a little more about each child, and some of them are just priceless! It's always funny hearing a "yuck" in unison from the boys, or an "aww" from the girls.
Overall, the week was pretty basic, but I can't imagine a single week going by without some type of story to share! Sixteen kids keep us on our toes, and there's always something going on!
School is going well, and I've adjusted to the daily schedule. I feel as if I'm finally "settled in" to life here. Although there is always something new to work around, I definitely feel like I know what to expect when. I don't have any photos for you this week, but I would like to share a video that Krista made. She did a great job filming, and her coverage of the Ranch is fantastic!
To elaborate some on this week's highlights:
Tuesday was Leo's birthday, so we got to see his smiling face all day as he got to enjoy his special day. Victor and Adrian took Leo and Josias out to get a couple of video games for Leo's gifts. The guys were gone from about 10:30 or so until partway through English class, so they were gone for a good four and a half hours. After dinner that night, Julie came up to the kitchen and we all sang "Happy Birthday" in Spanish and then in English. An interesting birthday tradition here is that the face be put into the birthday cake. After blowing out the candles and removing them, Leo ducked his face into the side/top of his cake.
For the past few weeks, I've thought about getting the older boys together one night to watch Captain America or Thor. Krista and I have done several movie nights together, and last week we had Joce and Fati over to watch a movie with us. We decided that "boys' night" would take place Thursday, so after dinner we started set-up. It was obvious that eight people wouldn't fit on my bed, where our movie nights usually take place. So Krista and I pulled out a spare mattress and moved it into the school. We put my computer on a chair, and we all crammed onto the full-size mattress to try to watch Captain America. Here's the hitch, because nothing goes that smoothly around here! My copy of the movie is in English, and I could only get English subtitles to go with it. In addition, my speakers are fairly quiet, so those of us who could understand the movie could hardly hear the words, thank goodness for those English subtitles! I have no clue how much Leo, Miguel, or Ale understood of the movie, but all the boys told me Friday morning that they'd had a great time! Now they're asking when we'll watch Thor; they wanted to do it last night!
Girls' night can't really be labeled as such, because Leo decided to join us. We all had a great evening as Vicky taught us how to do facials and how to paint our nails so they'd look good with cracked polish. We finished off our night with "Another Cinderella Story," this in Spanish as the family owns it, and we all got to just relax and enjoy a Friday night "chick flick."
Movie nights are becoming an easy and fun time to spend with the kids. I think they enjoy getting to leave the house in the evening to come hang out with us, and they always get to pick the movie, which doesn't happen often for some of them. We usually squash on my bed, turn out the lights, and sometimes, we'll even break out the snacks! It's always a good time, and getting to listen to the kids' comments cracks me up sometimes. Each comment tells me a little more about each child, and some of them are just priceless! It's always funny hearing a "yuck" in unison from the boys, or an "aww" from the girls.
Overall, the week was pretty basic, but I can't imagine a single week going by without some type of story to share! Sixteen kids keep us on our toes, and there's always something going on!
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