Mexico City Interns

Andrew and I feel so blessed to be able to spend time with the two interns that are currently on the Mexico City field. They both arrived last summer from Canada and the Lord has been giving them a whole new life experience out here.
Jeff very much reminds me of Andrew, more on the quiet side but if you ask him he always has something interesting to say. I think he definitely has the gift of evangelism and is always sharing the hope of salvation with those the Lord places around him. The other week we ran into him at church La Fuente and he was there with two girls he just met at the park. They asked what he was doing and then he invited them to church. I think they might of also been drawn to his fair completion and blond hair. He does stand out a bit :)

Rebbecca is a great caring young girl. We try to meet weekly and talk about the good, the bad and the not so pretty side of being away from family and friends and yet being so full and knowing your in the right place at the right time. She is gifted with administration skills and will one day be a great member of a office team somewhere.

Our children love Auntie Rebbecca and Uncle Jeff. They are currently both on a visa renewal trip and just finished a 17 hour bus ride. I am SO glad I am not with them right now.

this is Rebbecca waiting with me while we wait for Beth to get dropped of from school

This is the back of Jeff dancing at a wedding we just attended a few weeks ago. You go Jeff!

This is shortly after we met Jeff and Rebbecca last summer...I think it was August.

Simon says ?

So last month Andrew was very excited to attend a course in Costa Rica called "Leadership Matters." Only thing the day before he was to fly out and the day of he was told by immigration that they would not permit him to fly until his FM3 Visa card was complete. And by complete they meant when they were able to give it to him. That was disappointing but we trusted that the Lord was in charge of even the government officials that we were dealing with and let it be. The next day he was given his FM3 Visa card but the course administrators said he had missed to much and would not permit him to attend.

Now once again this has become a issue. One that has the potential to stop our Christmas trip to Canada. Only it is the Canadian government that issued changes when applying for your child's birth certificate forms. So instead of them sending the required paper work to the Mexican government they decided to change their forms and resend it to another department with in Canada. Long story short after many prayers and drives to and from Immigration and the Airport Immigration office we have permission to take Bethany out of the country while she is still in process with her paperwork. So that means we get to celebrate the holidays with family!

Here are some photos from last years Christmas in Costa Rico 2011

Last year we spent the holidays in Costa Rica with friends and we planned a full dinner at our place for Christmas day.  Then I (Claudia) got sick Christmas Eve after visiting with wonderful friends (Rosanne ,Willie, J.D and Rhonda and all their children of course). The next day Andrew had to call the dinner off as I was in bed sick (for 3 days).  Andrew and the kids had Christmas. Up side Andrew knows how to make a turkey now even when I am feeling better. You know what was kind of a weird thing. As much as it was incredibly sad not to be with family it was our FIRST Christmas as a family in 12 years of marriage. It was definitely quiet and calm for them. We even had time for carolling as a family and Christmas baking and even hostessing people over to work on a Christmas puzzle one night.

You can't always get what you want...but sometimes you can!

Living outside of Canada has been quite the adjustment. It has been with its ups and downs as I am sure come with all countries. Tonight we are very excited to be packing for Canada. Two sleeps and one more day!! Tim Hortins coffee! Gluten Free pizza! Snow! Family and friends!

Here are some pictures of the sleep over Sam was able to have with his buddies and cousin while we were in Canada. Thanks David, Kyle and Kelvin for making it! The picture below is of them finishing off their time with a Mc Donald's breakfast before we dropped them off.

This is a picture of my sister Lynn with Andrew's sister's Peggie she got for Christmas. Her name is Delilah.

And this is a family picture with my sister's family. We had a great time with you Lynn and Dan and Kyle!

I will add more picture with more family once I find them =)

Thank you to everyone that prayed we would be able to make it.

xoxoxo

The Drop Box

Please check out this video about a true story of a movie coming out about babies in South Korea. 

It's only a few moments but is very powerful. It reminds me of being in the traffic of life.

Claudiahttp://www.dropbox-movie.com/trailer.html

Buses here are so considerate they always have room for one more

what is personal space?

thats right so full the doors can't shut and still the driver goes on

You  know the more I think of it traffic isn't so bad whether in the car or in the market. I think

it actually helps me from the inevitable navel gazing as I like to call it. Just think about it we are people that can stand in the middle of a crowd and yet feel all alone. We need to have people around us whether we like it or not. Otherwise we think our problems are the biggest, our hurts are the deepest our past is the worst. And so if we are able to drive from A-B with out running into anyone or with out having to wait behind 100 people we can actually believe the lie in our head that above all else we are the most burden in the world. How do we get to such a place ? I won't be able to help others lift up their burdens and bandage their  hurts if I am in a place to never see them. 

I can't believe this but ....I am thankful for the crazy amounts of traffic and people here. It helps me to daily encounter people, to see their faces and look into their eyes. So many of them look like they are struggling. Now this gets worse as we leave the City of Mexico. But something I want to never forgot is that even if they have a regular paying job and live in a apartment or in a shed in the middle of the forest  in San Pablito their biggest deficiency is HOPE. They like we need hope and need to be reminded that the current circumstances we all live in right now will pass away. For some of us sooner then later. But is there HOPE after this life. Is the suffering of this life what it is all about, the things we have lost, the things we have gained. For how long will they matter? Will they matter in eternity when I am with my Lord and Saviour. Will it matter to so many others that have never heard the message of hope and are eternally lost in a even worse conditions then they endured here on EARTH. I have hope and I need to love like a person who has been given the free gift of hope. will I live a life of presenting this HOPE if I am navel gazing? I need to choose to live in the bigger victories of this life and share it in action and word. Lets not just survive this life by existing lets offer hope to all the people around us, lets be willing to stretch out our hands and say I am willing to pull you up if you fall. Life is messy lets not tell ourselves  that our neighbours home is cleaner, her scale says a smaller number, her childhood had more roses. Lets be honest life can be difficult, actually life IS difficult but the point is we aren't here alone to do it alone we have each other , we have HOPE and we have so many words of encouragements and inspiration all around us and in the Bible. Read it, drink it in, and then let it flow from you and share the hope that lives with in you. To hurt is to be human, to care and reach out is to be made in the image of God.

So...... how can we be a people that are not afraid to get out there into to trafficy parts of our worlds? Yes I know trafficy is not a word. What decisions can you make to not be a navel gazer? I am not saying life doesn't hurt because it does and I am sorry so many people have to walk through such awful circumstance. My thoughts are we are all broken. Some of our broken parts are hidden deep down where others do not see them. But we are all broken. We can be people that share our hurts and comforts others that are hurting and then remind ourselves and them of the HOPE that we have with in us and the reality of eternity is much much different and greater from anything we have ever dreamed or experienced.

I want to leave you with a passage from  the book of Matthew.

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The little girl on the right is Davida. Her mom died a long time ago, she has sad eyes and lives in a shed a hours walk away from a village we visit in Sam Pablito and I am glad we can share our hope and our life with her. How blessed are we?

Lets get out there and find some traffic to be apart of. There are so many that are waiting to hear the message of our HOPE. Lets merge.

Felipe

We were at a prayer meeting in a town called Atizapan a few weeks ago. While we were there we met a man named Felipe. He is single and lives in the unfinished church building. We were told that he has lived there for a year now, ever since the church was robbed. They were robbed shortly after fundraising for sound equipment and other supplies that help them minister in their area. This was very upsetting for the people at the Atizapan church and so Felipe decided that the church needed someone to stand on guard and that person was him. Just like that he left his bed, privacy, comfort of his stuff. Before you get the wrong idea let me be clear the church is a plain Mexican building with cement floors, no window coverings no soft pews, no cappuccino bar, toilets that can handle flushing paper or any of the extras we tend to have in Canada. The problem is that last Friday he fell 15 feet to the floor of the construction sight that he was helping work on. The Atizapan church has been in constant construction mode for the last 10 years. They do not have bank accounts to draw on to pay for the renovations so instead as money comes in or when missions teams come down from Canada they get a chance to build a bit more. This accident has left Felipe in a wheel chair until his leg heals. Felipe told a group of us that he was awoken the other night (remember he sleeps in their unfinished church building) around 3 am by three young men that were checking out the place to attempt to rob it. This was worrisome for me because I instantly thought how on earth would he defined himself? I was inspired by his commitment and drive. His actions certainly spoke loud and clear what he held dear, what he valued most. Do you think the things you value most are that obvious to the world around you? I had to ask myself if I were in his shoes, single and living on my own would I be willing to give it all up to guard my church's equipment?
I love meeting inspiring people like Felipe they remind me how important it is to share our stories with one another in the hopes of them encouraging a friend, a brother , a sister to step out to whatever it might be they are being called to do. It also reminded me of the sermon on the mount when Jesus talks about what we treasure.
Matthew 6:21
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Luke 12:34
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Dia de Los muertos o Halloween

“La Calavera tiene hambre
no hay un huesito por ahí
no se lo coman todo
déjenos las mitad.

La calavera quiere cenar
Cinco de dulce,
Cinco de sal.
This is a song some if the children sing when going door to door. It says "my pumpkin is hungry do you not have something to feed him? He will eat something sweet or a little of salt"
The children can sometimes go around for a few days. We were told the first day it is for candy and later on they go out agin and ask for spare change or money.

Here is some more facts I found out I will paste them below :)
Halloween From Around the World
Halloween in Mexico

In Mexico they have picnic lunches on the graves of their relatives. As this is a day of remembrance, happiness and celebration.
They bake bread and make candy in the shape of skull and crossbones, a casket, or a skeleton.

The children run through the streets with lanterns and ask for coins.

People light bonfires, set off firecrackers, and hang lanterns on trees to guide the souls of the dead home.

In Mexico All Saints' Day is devoted to Los angelitos - that is, all the dead children. This is a prelude to November 2's Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, a national holiday on which all the grown-up ghosts will be arriving in full force. The littler ghosts get a head start. To help them find their way back to the homes where they once lived, parents and still-living family members often shoot off firecrackers. In some parts of the country on this night they strew a path of flower petals from the graveyard to the front porch.

Mexico's Dia de los Muertos Day of the Dead calls for happy all day picnics beside the graves of dead relatives. At home, people assemble little altars called ofrendas, stocked with the departed loved ones favorite foods and drinks, their photos, and other memories, as well as candles and pungent marigolds, a flower long associated with death.

The Mexican custom of Erecting Day of the Dead altars has caught on north of the border, where the altars serve as the focus of ancestor rituals and memorials.

In Mexico October 27 is the Feast of the Holy Souls or Fiesta de las Santas Animas, families begin the fiesta by cleaning their relatives' graves and adorning them with pine needles and flowers. The families assemble a temporary altar near the gravesite, stocking the altars with candles and all kinds of foods such as meat, beans, chilies, salt, tortillas, fruit and sometimes alcohol. Each person in the family then takes turns in talking to the departed spirit, offering it the food and assuring it that it is loved. The ceremonies go on for several days, as every family has more than one grave to attend to.

It has been quite the experience living in the midst of all this. I find the traditions of hanging out in the grave yards interesting it is like the fear we have in North America is not there or their fear of death. I heard yesterday that the average Mexican prides themselves on laughing in the face of death. We even saw a dance performance the other night and the words to the song were exactly that. I hope that the friends and neighbours we have net will be open to our convictions on the topic of death. And we will be able to share exactly why we too are not afraid of death because of our saving faith in Christ.

My Thoughts Regarding Living Near A Volcano and in a Earthquake Prone Country

Lately Popo (Popocatepetl), the volcano that we see through our living room window, has had some minor explosions.  In the mornings we wake to see his plume cloud before the pollution sets itself over the city.  At first this was neat, somthing we had never experienced before, but then when I started to hear people talk about the already poor air quality (apparently one day in Mexico City is equal to 3 packs of cigarettes a day) becoming worse due to the smoke from Popo my fascination began to wane. As my mind began to digest different outcomes of an eruption I was left with a somewhat helpless feeling. The "what ifs" churned in my mind. What if Popo blows and the poor people living so close lose everything? What if when he erupts it turns the sky dark and we are not near the kids? How will we get to them? Will stores be open to buy water and other provisions? Will the people panic?
What if ..........

As if mulling over Popo outcomes in my mind wasn't enough Andrew and I were awoken twice in less than two weeks  by earthquakes. They were not huge or anything but they were still something to be experienced. The first one was only 4.5 on the Richter scale and the second was 5.4.  During each quake we calmly made our way to Beth's bedroom, our youngest daughter, to wait for the rhythms that swayed our apartment to stop. Or for signs that it was growing stronger and needed to hurry the family to cuddle under the table or beside a load-bearing wall.  My immediate instinct tells me to gather everyone and descend the stairs in our building until we are outside, but I was informed not to do that.  Apperantly in the huge1985 earthquake that rocked Mexico city many casualties could have been avioded if people would have remained in their apartments.  Apparently others that lived around us were not even aware of the earthquakes.  I guess living on the 8th floor insures you feel every earthquake no matter how minor.  After each earthquake I crawled back in bed (as each hit on Saturday mornings, my only morning to sleep past 6 am!) and then prayed and thanked God that it wasn't as bad as  it could of been and that my family was all safe and sound. Then my mind began to run with the unhelpful "what ifs". What if next time it hits and it's harder? What if next time the kids are not with Andrew and I? What if.....

It was then that I heard a small quiet voice in my head that said "Don't worry about tomorrow". And then Matthew 6:30-34:

And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

I couldn't argue with the truths found in these verses and it brought calmness to my mind. I remember that I haven't been left here on my own to fend for myself. God my heavenly Father is here watching over me, and yes life hasn't been perfect and no it won't be perfect but I can trust the God of the universe to watch over me and my family. I only need to live one day at a time and not get caught up in the maybes of tomorrow. They are often just distrations put there to keep us from enjoying and fully living in the moments of today.


Here is a song I enjoy listening to called "Volcano Land" by Caedmon's Call on the Share the Well album (2004). (Inspired by a trip to different places  in the world and meeting 4 brothers who played music together. They wrote the CD to bring awareness of the social injustice around the globe where some people depending on status are denied water and any possibility of education and employment to rise above thier given birth status.)

Hola, me llamo Efraim
I was born among the agave
All I need is this transistor radio
And I am in a band, it's a family band
With the brothers in the years above me
And now we have a song that we'd like to play you
He sang, "Volcano,
Livin' in the shade of the volcano
The volcano
Livin' in the shade of the volcano."
I was ridin' on the bus to the amber hills
I was feelin' like a hundred pesos
And somethin' in my soul was certainly hear to stay
Ain't nothin' on the hill goes on without
The ever-lovin' mother's say-so
Now everything is all right
Everything is OK
She said, "A volcano,
Livin' in the shade of the volcano
The volcano
El Seor es siempre bueno."
Home for me is beneath the palm trees
Where they grow to be about sixty feet tall
They leave you with the feeling
That never leaves you alone
Never leaves you alone


Ok here is a link to a video for the song. I will warn you its lame but I'm pasting it along for the words . http://youtu.be/htXmtx1vm60