Tecate and a few other things...

Hello all!

"Hey, I finally am able to post when I planned...instead of 3 weeks later..."

This phrase was what I started with on December 3, 2009. It is now December 29, 2009, and I'm hoping to finish this entry sometime today or tomorrow...or maybe it'll be February 31 when I finish it...who knows!

All that to say that things have been rather busy and strange (like normal) around Christmastime at CVE (just like in the US!).

First, prayer requests:

For the most part, our kids do pretty well, but we occasionally have issues with a few, unfortunately the same few most of the time and unfortunately almost all boys. The girls have their separate issues, that tend to run deeper and show up on the surface less frequently, like an underwater current that wants to pull them out to sea, away from shore. The following boys, on the other hand, are always bringing their issues clearly to the surface, like a whale, leaping up and crashing against the surface, bellowing for attention. I can't really give details, but please pray for Michel, Poncho, and Daniel. They desperately want attention, especially from older males, but their behavior as a result of trying to get that attention usually isolates them from what they are seeking. They want to be tough guys, "real" men, the center of their world, but all that really comes out as a result of those desires is immaturity and selfishness. Pray for me, their mentors, the older boys who act as their role models, for better or worse, and especially for the hearts of the boys themselves...at this point, there is only so much we can do to help them...God must do a work in their hearts.

Speaking of little boys...I now have a greatly-enhanced opinion of the sufferings of my mother (of no less than 5 boys...). Picture this: you are sleeping snugly in your bed when you are awakened around 6:30 am, by the sound of a little boy's feet sprinting down the tiled hall to the bathroom. You hear the slam of the stall door, the rustle of pajamas being undone in typical "I waited a little to0 long to go to the bathroom like always" fashion (very typical of little boys), and the whooosh of a little boy desperately in need of relieving himself (which is unfortunately not preceded or followed by the reassuring "click" of the toilet seat being raised). Suddenly the whoosh is replaced by an all-too-recognizable splattering sound (the toilet seat, the toilet reservoir, the wall, the floor, etc...) and an "oops," then the whoosh returns again. As an audible groan escapes your lips, you hear the pajamas being redone, the stall door close, and the pitter-patter of a little boy's feet returning to bed. You do not hear the sound of toilet paper being used to wipe up the puddles on the floor, nor do you hear the sound of running water that always accompanies the washing of hands... My dearest Mother, I know understand more fully than ever before the surprised rage emanating from your mouth (AIIIIIII--RRRRGGGGG!!!!!) so many times during my childhood as you once again experienced first-hand the evidence of another little boy's unresolved bathroom issues and poor aim. May you be richly blessed.

The little boy in this unfortunately true story (repeated daily, it seems) is Daniel, pictured above with me, the profiled child of the month and one of the boys I mentioned earlier in this entry as needing prayer! Daniel is 10, almost 11, I think, and lives in the dormitory with Seth Gerber and I. He is, in many ways, a very typical boy of that age, wanting to be one of the big kids but not having the body, mind, or heart to be a "young man" yet. He loves to wrestle and imitate the "3 Ninjas" (the incredibly corny movies of 3 pre-teen brothers who are trained by their ever-present Ninja grandfather to take on 57 well-armed adult males singlehandedly in mortal combat while blindfolded with nothing but chopsticks, a spatula, and a frisbee as weapons)(unfortunately, I cannot deny the presence of this passion in my past, either). He also like to invent thousands of little lies to make himself seem cool, get what he wants, get out of trouble, avoid blame, get someone else in trouble, etc. He desperately needs a mother to nurture him and a father to whup him on the "trazero", things Seth and I can't really provide very well as "big brothers." Please pray for Daniel as he grows and as seeds are planted, that the hardened, selfish sidewalk of his heart will be cracked by the slow yet powerful freezing and thawing of God's love, working to soften and break him into something useful for kingdom.

Now for Tecate: Keith and Emily Schambach with their daughter Kaleigh, plus Nicole Knobloch, Pau, Bere Navarro, Gloria Gonzalez and four of my students, Michelle, Lili, Jaquiline, and Karla, and I traveled about 7-8 hours by van to Tecate, Mexico, on the border just south of San Diego to visit our sister church (Nazarene). Along the way, we passed through the Sonora desert and the Rumorosa, an incredibly winding path through the mountains renowned for its many cliffs, wrecked cars on the slopes of those cliffs, and high, whispering winds. (For pictures of the Tecate trip, see my photobucket links.) We visited an orphanage sponsored by a Mennonite group from Costa Rica (go figure), enjoyed a bible study, singing, and church services, a walk through the town plaza, and of course, a lot of food. Jose and Cathy Cervantes were our contacts and organized much of our stay. I stayed with Javier and Adriana and their four boys. It was a great experience to live with a Mexican family, eat truly Mexican food, and experience life with a Mexican family without many resources to speak of. I got to hear their testimonies of God's faithfulness, see life from their perspective, see their charitable hearts and sacrifices, and hear their life stories and testimonies. Along the way, it was interesting to see how the border with the US influenced everything. Literally across the street from Jose and Cathy's was the border fence, a 10-ft. high wall of corroded metal that I could have easily climbed over if I had so desired (Jose said about 20-30 people a day will cross within sight of his home). We also saw one long section of fence in the Sonora desert that was just a series of metal posts, filled with concrete, to keep cars from driving through. A person could easily have walked through into the US. (We were asking the girls if they wanted to visit the US quick while we were here...they took photos of themselves sticking their hands through the fence to the other side so they could brag they had "crossed" the border to the US illegally.) Overall, we had a good time, got to spend time with the students outside of school and the orphanage, and experience life in another part of Mexico. I was greatly encouraged by the church there, especially by the fact that they actually have mature, Christian men in their church! It is very difficult, due to a variety of factors, to get men involved in active leadership, especially young men who are often more interested in entertainment. This is true everywhere, including the US, but even more so in Mexico.

Lets see...other things: We finished the first half of school with some big tests for the Mexican licensing group, CONAFE, and had some fun (and chaos) learning basic CPR and Heimlich maneuvers with the students, taught by Dana and Martha Kay Regier. It was good to see some Princevillians again and fun to watch the interactions between the students and Dana and Martha Kay. Christmas at CVE was fun, what with caroling at a nursing home (much nicer than the ones in Jamaica, but still not Apostolic Christian Skylines or Cedars, by any means), Christmas junk food and cookies, special services at church, and gift night with all the kids on the 24th. Christmas at home has been great too, what with seeing family, friends, etc. after a long trip home on Christmas Day. After a trip to Leo, IN and Texas to see friends and family, I'll be back in Mexico, where the additional energy, chaos, and craziness of the work team season should make things even more entertaining. Hope to see some of you then!

Also, a new opportunity for any of you who might want to get to know some of these cute kids (such as Aaron, pictured above with cake all over his face...)! I'm hoping to start some correspondence between my friends and family in the US and some of the kids at the orphanage. The kids are well-provided for financially, what with food, clothing, medical care, etc., but certain things that can't be measured monetarily can mean a lot. My thought is that once a month or so, some of you would write letters (Spanish or English), send pictures, cards, pages from coloring books, word puzzles, bible verses, etc. to the kids. With the help of their mentors, they can then write back to you, hopefully establishing a relationship and building communication skills along the way. If you are interested in "adopting" a child for prayer and communication on at least a monthly basis, please email me at todd.stoller1@gmail.com. I have up to 8 kids right now that would enjoy receiving their "own" mail from someone, so if you're willing to commit, great!

You will notice that I will be removing some of the links for photos from the blog and replacing them with one link to my main page on www.photobucket.com. You can then look through the site to find new pictures of the Tecate trip, pictures from Magdalena, or old pictures from other cities in Mexico, such as Morelia or Mexico City. Please be careful of the ads on photobucket, right now I don't have a way to control which ones show up, and unfortunately, many are rather inappropriate.

Ok, that's enough. Here's hoping I write next month's blog entry in a more timely manner!

Thanks,

Todd