Hello all!
I just realized it's been almost a month since I posted. Wow...that went fast. I posted some more photos on photobucket, so feel free to click on the links for Magdalena in the sidebar.
For prayer requests, please remember to pray for Magdalena this week: it's the San Fransisco Holy Week, Magdalena's patron saint, where people walk for miles (even from as far as Nogales or Tucson, AZ) to fulfill vows to the saint. Sometimes they crawl on hands and knees as penance for something. It's pitiful to see so many on the roadsides, working and working to earn favor from a saint, when a loving but also holy and righteous God is waiting to forgive them if only they would repent of their sins and trust in His atoning blood rather than a ritual designed to please a deceased man. There are many superstitions associated with the making of vows and pilgrimages in Mexico, unfortunately, and often the kids are right out there with the adults, learning the wrong things at the wrong age. What's worse, the pilgrimmage for almost all is really a drunken party that lasts over a week...many of the people walking by the roadside are staggering drunk. One person has already died this year, and probably more will be killed or injured as well as the party continues.
Keep praying for the teachers and kids at the school. Things are going well, but it seems Satan would always like to throw in a few twists if we let our guard down or take things for granted.
Keep praying for my Spanish...it's getting better, but slowly. The faster I learn it well, the better off I and the kids will be.
Anyway, some news and tidbits...
I saw my first two scorpions, about 2-3 inches long. (See photo.) Seth found them in the shower one morning. I saw another centipede, smaller than the one in my last blog entry, but I found out from the kids that they can actually bite you and crawl under your skin. The doctor has to slit your throat (just kidding), I mean, slit your skin to get them out. Que guacala! (How gross!) I still haven't seen a tarantula, only a dead black widow, but Joel Rinkenberger says there's one living near the sidewalk to the boys' dorm.
We had Mexico's independence day on Sept. 15 and 16. School was out! Also, there's a grito (scream) every Sept. 15 around 10 or 12 at night (depending on your time zone). On the night of the beginning of their independence fight, the leader of the rebels gathered the townspeople and gave a rousing speech, punctuated by a series of shouts: viva (long live) la independencia, viva Mexico, etc. Anyway, in addition to fireworks and etc., the President of Mexico (right now, Felipe Calderon) leads the nation in the grito. I missed out on Magdalena's celebration in the town square because I decided to take a siesta for 30 minutes (which turned into 60 minutes, during which everybody left and I missed the van heading out...). Unfortunately, that's pretty common behavior for me. We decorated the cafeteria, had 21 gun flag salute (all the younger kids were given loaded rifles and told to fire them three times in any direction as fast as they could pull the trigger), sang the Mexican national anthem, etc. Also, the Mexican ladies made a big traditional meal.
We had a relaxed day on Friday because one of our teachers was gone, and we did the experiment where you put a person inside a large plastic bag head first, stick a vacuum cleaner in after him, turn it on, and suck all the air out so the atmospheric pressure closes the bag and asphyxiates him. Actually, it's safer to put the person in feet first, with his head sticking out, and suck the air out with a vacuum cleaner. The pressure is actually so strong that the person cannot take out their arm or move their legs...pretty fun and very cool and useful, if you find an annoying enough person who doesn't know what to expect. That way, you can turn it on and leave him there and have a nice break of peace and quiet....
On Saturday, a group of adults and the smaller kids (18 people in all) piled into a 15-passenger van (seatbelts are not required in Mexico, nor are carseats...) and drove 2 winding hours to a hot springs/waterfall area. The downsides were that the hot springs-fed pools were too hot to enjoy for long periods of time on a really hot day, and the waterfall was too dry to really be more than a water trickle. Also, a lot of kids and adults were nauseous, with one of the adults having to stop by the side of the road. The upsides were that I wasn't carsick, I got to snuggle for 4 hours (2 out and 2 back) with cute little kids who sat on my lap (sometimes 2 at a time!), we hit a buzzard (who else can say that?)(it was actually pretty huge...probably had a wingspan of 5-6 feet, really)(we would have gotten another one with a minor swerve to the side...they were all over the road, eating a massive amount of grasshoppers that were having a party all along the road for miles), and ate a really nice lunch in the afternoon. Also, the rocks and canyon walls (see photo) leading to the waterfall were beautiful, even without the water. Supposedly, the water coming out of the springs is around 140 degrees. I'm not sure what it is down below where the pools are, but it was definitely as warm or warmer than a hot bath. It would be a great place to go in the winter or when the rains have just finished falling.
I'm planning to go with a small group of boys and adults to a small sister church in San Jose this weekend, so that's exciting. It's about 4-5 hours, and it'll be a really full weekend, but should be good. Pray for safety on the journey.
Now, for the profile: Ramses (Ram, for short) is the older brother of Nere, last entry's child. He is 9 years old, scrawny, sweet, and generally pretty adventurous, but not quite as much as Nere. He's a little quieter. He has an older sister, Alexia, and younger siblings Nere, Jose, and Gloria. Living in the sibling house, he's got lots of company and lots of playmates, but pray that he makes good use of the role models (male and female) in his life. In Mexico, the macho image of manhood is even stronger than in the U.S., and it shows in the broken homes, etc. There are very few positive Mexican male role models who handle their body, wives, girlfriends, children, jobs, etc., with love and responsibility. The lack of leadership in the home and church in Mexico is pretty pronounced. For now, his heart is soft. Pray that he keeps that soft heart, that he draws close to God, and that he can become a godly Christian man, living and speaking as an example for the world to see. That's Ram with me in the photo.
Also pictured are Michelle, and Federico with Jaquiline, his sister. They're pretty cute together, and have a really good relationship. It's really nice to see how they act towards each other. Jaqi is our only resident who is also a Christian, so pray for her as well.
That's about it!
Thanks,
Todd
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