!!Mexico!!

Hello again!  I’m home from Mexico (got back Friday night) and have loads of pictures to share…I hope you don’t mind. :)

This trip was amazing…truly one of a lifetime.  It’s always so good to get outside the “American mold” and live among people who operate their lives so different from ours.  To see the joy they have in the face of poverty is beautiful.  It was wonderful to watch Lance and Sarah live among the people and minister to them every day.  Nearly the entire town knows who they are and constantly come to them for help and support.  People see what they are doing and ask what makes them so different…hmmm? :)  Of course, this is a great opportunity to share that it is Christ living in them that makes them different…that gives them the grace to love the unlovable, the poor, the rich, the drunks, the orphans.  Their ministry is huge in the small town of Teopisca. 

Sarah and Lance work with an orphanage in Teopisca and help care for 13 of the kids two and a half days a week. 

During my visit lots of graduations occurred.  To graduate from high school is huge and so is graduating from middle school…I mean, we even went to the graduation party of a kindergartener.  But, not many people get to go to school, so it really is a big accomplishment.  The picture above was taken before a middle school graduation at the home of the middle schooler.

Posing next to a girl with an indigenous dress on…this is probably what she wears nearly every day.

One of the dances the middle school graduates did…a little creepy if you ask me.

Saturday was kids club.  Sarah and Lance lead the kids in a Bible study, games and sometimes songs. 

Joshua helping his dad out…

Joshua helping his mom out (love this picture of Sarah!)…

Joshua being helped out. :)

Sweet little Sarita.

Sarita and Pati. :)

Moving on from kids club…here’s Joshua hanging out in a hammock.

One night after a basketball game we got some corn from off the street (not literally).  They have amazing corn in Teopisca.  It’s field corn, so it’s big…but it is grilled and they can put mayonnaise and chili on it…mmm, mmmm, goood.

A few of the kids hanging out with Sarah and Joshua.

Pati brought me this bouquet of flowers.

Beto stole my heart.  Awww…

 

See what I mean?  Seriously…this kid is one of the cutest on the planet.

Chino the warrior child.

More warrior children…with Tweety Bird and Lion King shirts on.

The stories these kids have are terrible…but you wouldn’t know it from seeing how happy they are.

Chow-down time!

Alex has that wrap around his head because someone kicked him and his head got busted open…never a dull moment.

One night Sarah was feeling Caleb move a lot, so she let the kids feel him too.

One day the kids bobbed for apples…it all went fine and dandy except for the two boys who had lost their front teeth…minor difficulty.

Rosa Linda…sweet girl.

One day we ate lunch at the home of a man named Felix.  Felix is an alcoholic that Lance met and cared for like no one else had in the town.  Now they have an opportunity to witness to him and go to his house every week to read the Bible to him (he can’t read).

You know you’re in a different culture when a little boy relieves himself on the same porch you are eating on.  (Not to be rude…just giving you an idea.)

The kitchen.

Chicken fight! 

Last Thursday we went into San Cristobal.  Lance met a little boy who had not eaten since the day before (it was about 4 in the afternoon).  We were at the Burger King and the boy asked if it cost to play in the play-place there. Of course it didn’t and he had the time of his life!  We got him a meal and Lance was able to share the Gospel with him…we pray it takes root in his heart.

 

Sarah, Joshua and Caleb.

This was at the airport right before we said goodbye. 

I have SO many more pictures, but, because you have a life and probably don’t want to spend 3 more hours on this blog, I won’t do that to you.  Maybe I’ll post a few here and there in the coming days…we shall see.  As for now, that’s all…thanks for reading and looking!

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There is another event that took place this week that’s very important:

My parents celebrated 35 years of wedded bliss.  Wow…I’m so grateful for the opportunity to observe them these past 18 years and learn from their actions what it means to love.

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad.  I love you!

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One more thing (my, this is a multi-purpose post tonight!).  Check out Christa Taylor’s Empowered Traditionalist blog and enter to win a great purse filled with wonderful tracks!