"Hop/Hope"

Just as it is extremely difficult for me to say certain letter sounds in Spanish, the Mexicans have trouble with some of our sounds/words.  A couple of my students say "hope" but it comes out as "hop".   "I hop to pass Friday's test" sounds a bit funny, so we continue to work on this.  Also, "hurricane" comes out as "hair-a-cane" or "hear-a-cane".  

We use purified water for drinking and cooking.  It comes in big jugs, and I cannot lift them.  I ask one of my students to bring what I need to my apartment when I am about to run out.  Yesterday he did this for me and as he was leaving, I said, "Have a good afternoon."  He responded, "Me too."  I must have given him a confused look because he paused, thought about his pronoun choice, and then said, "You too."  🤣

Mexican Independence Day was just celebrated September 16.  I have learned that the Mexicans are not a quiet people--they love to laugh and celebrate loudly. :) I heard many cries of "Viva Mexico!" At least a week prior to Independence Day, we could hear the drums from bands from the nearest town practicing early in the morning for the parades for the big day.  Several El Monte students and staff members celebrated with family.  I went with a few others to the church I have been attending for an evening of praying for the country and fun!  At one point, everyone was divided into two teams competing in a scavenger hunt of a sort--the first to get a cap, belt, or person with a mustache earned a point.  The teams were very competitive and boisterous! There was also a competition to create out of colored tissue paper a native costume from a region of Mexico for a little girl chosen from each group. Then there was a fashion show and judging.  Again, lots of  loud cheering and playful arguing!  Finally we all had a traditional meal of Pozole, a soup that is always served on Independence Day, pig skin "chips", and tacos dorados. The Mexicans are proud of their country and celebrate it!  I 'm glad I got to be a part of this year's celebration.

Monday evening we gringos (Paul Q and I) were invited to one of my student's apartment at El Monte for a traditional meal from the south Asian country where he hopes to go next year.  He was kind to tone down the spice for me.  We had chicken, rice, cucumbers in a yogurt sauce, and a homemade flatbread. All was very good (Really!), and the special tea was the best I ever have had.  This student's story of how he came to know Jesus is nothing short of miraculous!  We talked a long time.  We loved hearing his story, and he loved practicing his English. 

Friday always means a test of what was studied during the week, but after the test we clean the classroom, nearby restroom, and hallway.  Then we have "Fun Friday".  This means we do something fun while practicing conversational English.  Last week we watched a couple episodes of  The Chosen in English.  This week I decided to invite Katrina and the students to my apartment for lunch, dubbed "Rachel's Restaurant".  I served a common American lunch--chicken salad sandwiches on buns, raw veggies, potato chips, and chocolate cake.  We talked and laughed about many things including our best vacations.

This week seems like all I did was eat!  As you realize, sharing meals is a great time to get to know one another, and the Mexican people are very relational.  They are teaching me so much.

One more parting shot.  Even the weeds at El Monte are beautiful!

Praise and Prayer Requests

• First, thank you for reading all the way through my blog and for praying!  A friend texted me this week saying that she was praying for me, my students, and my friends here.  My heart melted.
• I am grateful for the close relationships I am developing with the staff and my students.
• Please continue to pray for the needs here.  Someone needs medication but cannot afford it.
• Pray for the people attending the retreats that are currently happening; pray they would grow in their walk with Jesus.
• Pray for two new girls (early 20s) who just arrived on staff and are in the apartment next to me.  Pray for their adjustment and that I could get to know them quickly.
• I will be leaving in December.  That means a new English teacher is needed starting in January for the next semester.  Please pray for this need.
• Thank you for praying for El Monte, my students, and me.  So grateful!  So blessed!

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid or discouraged.                                                                Deuteronomy 31:8

Cuernavaca

Last Sunday Paul and Roxanne drove the gringos (not a derogatory term here)--Paul Q. and me--to Cuernavaca to experience a little culture.  Cuernavaca has a warm, stable climate, is known as the City of Eternal Spring, and has a population of over 300,000.  As you will see from the pics, it was memorable!  We went to a special restaurant that at one time was a home built in the 1920s by an American ambassador to Mexico named Dwight Morrow.  We sat near a softly bubbling fountain and were serenaded with music by a vocalist.  It was so relaxing and beautiful!

The home/restaurant was built at the highest point in Cuernavaca; it was just a couple blocks from where we parked the car.  The watermelon with the name of the restaurant was a work of art!  In Mexico it is not polite to place your purse on the floor.  Restaurants have little stands near the tables from which you hang your purse.

Before our food came, we explored.  The weather is usually mild, so of course when building this beautiful home, a large courtyard with a fountain was included.  Our table was outside but under an umbrella.  Mexicans are very conscious of protecting themselves from the sun.

Coty, a friend from El Monte, also joined us, and we ordered Molcajete for two.  It is a dish that includes chicken, pork sausage, beef, cheese, onions, and cactus.  I talked about cactus once before.  It tastes much like green beans and is very nutritious.  That is cactus draped over the side of the stone bowl.  When the bowl arrived, we were warned not to touch it because it was very hot.  The sauce in the bowl was still bubbling, and all of it was delicious!  You will also notice a basket of bread (red cloth covering) on the table and the ever-present basket of warm tortillas (green plaid covering).  The Mexicans always drink a flavored water with their meals.  We would call it juice, but they call it water.  The small white bowl on the table is a spicy sauce to add if you choose. Want to guess what the tan things are that look like chips?  Yes, I tried one.  It's fried pig skin.  :)

Before we left the restaurant, we looked around a little more.  I imagine that pool and the beautiful flowering plants have been enjoyed by many through the years.  Never have I been in a public restroom with sinks that are pieces of art!  The orchids that you see are the real deal.  Somehow they are growing from the tree; we could see the roots.  Lastly, the wall hanging is one of three pieces of art that hung nearby.  At first I thought it was a wood carving.  Turns out it is made completely of leather!

Before I say goodbye for another week or so, I have to include a pic from El Monte.  You know poinsettias are tropical plants that show up at Christmastime. You probably also know that its leaves are what is colorful and what we often refer to as flowers.  The Christmas plants are cultivated and much bigger and colorful than the wild version.  This week Paul and Roxanne pointed out to me the wild poinsettias here.  This one is just outside the laundry house.  Notice the tiny flower in the center (much like the cultivated ones) and notice how the leaves are turning color starting at the center.  I'll let you know if the leaves completely change color.  

Praises and Prayer Requests

• I am so thankful for how God enabled me to teach both Katrina's and my classes while she was away.  It went really well.  I thank you for your prayers on my behalf.  I couldn't do this without God. 
• I am grateful for the extra cultural experiences.  So blessed!
• Please continue to pray for my students as the difficulty level of their English studies increases.  They work so hard and have such a wonderful sense of humor.  They are a joy to be with.
• Please continue to pray for the other students here as they train for the mission field and for their teachers.
• Pray for the ministry staff and especially Paul and Roxanne as they are heading up a large conference in October.
• Thank you for your prayers for all of El Monte.

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid or discouraged.                                                                          Deuteronomy 31:8

Food Plus

 Last week I asked you to pray as I am teaching Katrina's classes and mine for a bit.  The first two days went well, and I just finished most of my lesson plans for next week.  I am grateful for your prayers.  They are important; I feel them.  

One gal in the Cross Cultural Training program could work in a restaurant as a professional chef!  Most weeks we have a special dinner on Wednesday nights.  This week she took over and cooked an American meal.  She made the best pulled pork sandwich I have ever had!  I am serious!  She made the buns from scratch, the pork was tender and juicy, and the homemade coleslaw she put on each sandwich was amazing.  She also made lightly seasoned potato wedges and a tossed salad with fresh apples and dried cranberries.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a pic of the little apple pies (from scratch) that topped off the meal.  After it was all over, I realized that she went through all the work to honor the Americans living here (actually especially me).  It was such a loving thing to do; my heart melts.  I know El Monte is a Christian ministry, but I am so impressed with the warmth of the Mexican people.

The next night a few of the guys decided to cook for us again!  They made Pambazos.  As you can see it is a large sandwich. (I took a bite out of mine before I remembered to take a pic.)  The bun was actually dipped in a broth for a bit before the bright red spicy sausage and cooked, diced potatoes were added.  Then we got to top it off with a cream, shredded cheese, and lettuce.  I just wanted to sample the sauces, so those are the "dots" you see on my plate.  Yikes!  The sauces were blazing, but I did really enjoy the sandwich.  I was proud of myself that I could eat the spicy sausage.

Then last night one of my students brought two hot drinks to my apartment to try--atole de galleta (I think it has a rice base--almost a vanilla flavor) and champurrado (almost like hot chocolate).  We had been talking about these drinks in class earlier in the week.  After she left I tried both and sent her a thank you text.  She responded, "It was with great love so that you could taste something typical of Mexico."  I was so touched.  I am explaining this because I want you to share in as many experiences as I can possibly relate.  I do not mean to brag; this is all God's blessings.  It is important to me that you understand that the Mexicans surrounding me are so caring, loving, and thoughtful.

At first I thought I had a pickle in my soup one day at lunch.  The soup was very tasty with a tomato base and lots of vegetables.  Turns out it was a thin slice of zucchini. We also had flautas--fried, rolled tortillas filled with chicken and topped with cheese and lettuce.

One day as I was walking from lunch back to my apartment, I noticed some cows on the other side of the fence.  (A fence surrounds all of El Monte.)  Evidently they just wandered over from someplace.  🤣 As I got closer to get a better pic, they took off.  Notice the ears that seem to stick straight out from the sides of the head.  They sure aren't Wisconsin cows!  

I have to include this pic that I took out the window of the car as we were driving home from church last Sunday.  I don't know what that man had inside that basket on his head.  Also on the drive home I saw two oxen in the middle of the opposite traffic lane. (I couldn't get a pic.) The man walking behind them was urging them on with a long pole; the pair even had a huge wooden yoke.  I don't think National Geographic gets any better!

                                   Here's another peek at El Monte--the view out my apartment door.

Praise and Prayer Requests 

• I am grateful for the materials I have to work with in planning lessons.  God's timing was perfect (as usual) in that I was ready to teach the extra classes. 
• I am grateful for all the students who demonstrate Jesus's love without even thinking about it.
• I will never have a longer summer!  I am grateful for all the beautiful days.
• Please continue to pray for the needs of this ministry, its hard-working staff, the students and their futures.
• Please pray for my stamina, energy, flexibility, and wisdom as I will be teaching all the classes this week.  God continues to be at my side.

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid or discouraged.                                                                  Deuteronomy 31:8

One Month!

One month ago today I arrived at El Monte. The time is flying!  I am feeling more comfortable each week as I continue to “learn the ropes” and get to know my students better.

A Taste of Class Time

In grammar class we were discussing words with different degrees of meaning from ”like” to “dislike” and from ”mad about” to “can’t stand”.  One of the students said, “I can’t stand squish.”  He even demonstrated by pushing his finger on the table.  ???  Then I realized he was confusing “squish” with “squash”!  🤣 

Mexicans can have a lot of trouble making the “th” sound.  (I struggle with the way they say “r”.)  My director Katrina has our students keep a running list of “th” words to practice. This week she made sure that when they say “tooth” it doesn’t come out as “toot”.  If those two words got confused, it could be quite embarrassing! 

We also talked about certain noun-verb connections such as farm–farmer, teach–teacher, heat–heater.  We got blank looks with “heater”.  Then Katrina explained what a heater is and what central heating is with pipes in the walls.  More blank looks.   There is no need for heaters or furnaces here!  Our students were really surprised to learn about putting heating pipes in walls.

We stopped for ice cream on the way home from church last Sunday.   I tried a cone made with pitaya, a red fruit with a taste of its own.  It was delicious!  Mexican ice cream is not quite as creamy as what I'm used to, but it is still excellent.  I would say it is more of a cross between flavored ice and ice cream--yet the flavors are distinct and wonderful.  The place we stopped at had the sweetest children serve us.

Tonight Paul and Roxanne treated me to tacos at their favorite place.  Oh my! It was the best ever!  It was a street taco stand with inside (sort of) seating.  September 16 is the Mexican Independence Day so the town and some business places are decked out for the big celebration.  It doesn't get more authentic than this!

                                         Look at these pretty weeds from my morning walk.

Would you please pray for my energy, stamina, and God's guidance especially for the next two weeks?  Katrina will be leaving for ten days to attend her sister's wedding in the states.  She teaches Vocabulary, Spiritual Development, Phonetics (an extension of phonics), and a section in our textbook called Video Journal.  I teach Grammar, Reading, and Writing.  While she is gone, I will be teaching her classes as well as mine.  I have been sitting in on her classes since I have been here, and she will leave me plenty of materials and directions, but it is still a lot to prepare for and be responsible for.  

Praise and Prayer Requests

• I am thankful for all the prayers you are saying.  God is answering!
• I am grateful for all of my new experiences.  I hope my students learn as much as I do!
• I am thankful for all the joy the students and staff have, but please continue to pray for them and their workload.
• Always please pray for the students.  This week I learned about a student here who is a physical therapist now studying to be a missionary.  He wants to go to Iraq.
• Pray that what we do here at El Monte would honor God so many will come to know Jesus.

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid or discouraged.                                        Deuteronomy 31:8                        

                                                                     

Lunch and Washing Dishes

 God continues to cover me with His love and blessings.  I am still amazed that He would pick me to come to this beautiful place to teach English.  He gives me patience when everyone around me is speaking Spanish and laughing, but I have no clue what is happening.  :)  Usually someone explains in a few minutes.

Doesn’t today’s lunch look delicious? The chicken was tender, the vegetables (carrots and a few onions) tasty, the black beans good, and guess what the green vegetable is. The cloth with the colorful edge is keeping the basket of tortillas warm. They are included at every meal. Plus the Mexicans love to have a flavored water of some sort with their meals which the cook also makes. Often it includes a fruit such as melon or coconut; it's always delicious and a bit sweet. A favorite is one made from the hibiscus flower. It's a dark red/purple color and so good!

The students in the cross cultural training program (English students included) and their teachers plus a few others eat lunch together Monday–Friday.  The cook is so accommodating. She knows I can handle very little spice so she will sometimes put something aside for me, but a separate bowl of spicy sauce is always available for almost everyone else. I might add that the women, especially the older women, are invited to go first in line. It’s automatic.  Even the men who don’t speak English motion me to go ahead of them.  

Did you guess what the green vegetable is?  It’s cactus, and I love it!  The texture is a little different, but the taste is not that far off from green beans.  They tell me that it is very nutritious.  Once we had a cactus salad–a mix with onions and other vegetables.  It was spicier than I would have preferred, but it was so good!  Probably by the time I leave, my taste buds will be able to tolerate more heat.

Different cultures just do things differently, and that includes washing dishes.  It seems that everyone here rinses every dish and spoon first, washes the pieces individually with a soapy sponge (no dishcloths), and then rinses each piece under running water.  We take turns washing dishes, sweeping the floor, and wiping off the tables after our lunch.  What a view I had as I washed dishes this week! Note: I wash my own dishes in my kitchen inside my apartment.

I previously wrote about the chachalaca, the bird I described as a loud rooster with a sore throat. One day this week on my morning walk I saw one up ahead. I think it must have been a young one because it didn't fly off right away. (I have so much respect for the men who built the road on this mountain!)

Prayer Praises and Requests

• I am thankful for feeling safe and so well-cared for.

• I am feeling a little more comfortable planning lessons and anticipating what questions or confusion my students might have.  It all helps me prepare.  Yay!

• I am thankful you are praying and God is answering!

• Always please pray for my students.  They work so hard.  I learned this week that one of them dreams of being able to preach in English.

• Please pray for El Monte.  Like any ministry, there are always many challenges.

• Pray for the staff as the hours are long.

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.  Deuteronomy 31:8

Water, Electricity, Grammar

 Thank you for your continued prayers.  It's been an eventful week!  Wednesday afternoon an elbow on a big pipe coming down from the cistern broke.  We did conserve as much as possible, but thankfully we had enough water to make it through by the time our always-busy maintenance crew could fix it.  By Friday the water situation was back to normal.  In the middle of this, the electricity went out, and we couldn't gauge how long it would take to fix, so the generators were hooked up. Someone joked that this was additional missionary training--little water and no electricity! By the time the generators were in place, the power came back on!😊

  Part of my responsibilities is to teach grammar.  Several years ago my grandchildren gave me a t-shirt for Christmas that reads:   Let's eat Grandma

                                          Let's eat, Grandma

                                          Commas save lives

I have always had a lot of fun with the shirt, and when I wore it this week, the Mexicans laughed too.

The view from my second-story classroom

My view over the treetops and into the valley on this morning's walk

Prayer Requests & Praises

• Neither the power outage nor the broken water pipe interrupted too much
• I feel so blessed to be here and part of this staff
• Pray for all of the staff, their workload, and the hearts of the people they are ministering to
• Pray for my students who have so much to absorb, understand, and apply
• Pray for wisdom for me in planning lessons
• Pray that I would honor God in all I say and do and that I would learn the lessons He is teaching

Thank you!

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  Do not be afraid or discouraged.                                                                                              Deuteronomy 31:8

Random Tidbits

 Again, thank you for all the prayers for El Monte, the staff, my students, and me.  I am grateful and thank God for you!

I did laundry this week using my phone.  :)  After I looked at the washing machine, I realized I needed the Google Translate app.  Frio=Cold, Tibio=Warm, Caliente=Hot, Enjuague=Rinse    The little laundry house is just steps away from my apartment door; I actually like hanging up clothes and do it at home.  You don’t find many dryers in Mexico since everything dries so quickly.  There’s no need for a door for the laundry house or glass in the windows; however, the machines are covered to protect them.  It all works very well.

I also cooked some oatmeal for myself one day for breakfast.  Even though I have made oatmeal before, I again used Google Translate just to be sure nothing was really different.  It wasn’t.

You might be wondering about the heat down here.  Just like July in Wisconsin, some days are beastly hot, but other days are more comfortable.  I can’t say that I have been uncomfortable, but then, I am not working outside.  There is no air conditioning, but ceiling fans are everywhere and run continuously.  Because I never shut my fan off, I wondered if it would burn out.  The answer was, “Keep it on 24/7”.  It is basically in the high 80’s during the day and 60’s at night.  I feel for the maintenance men who are working outside all day.  I have noticed that they always wear long pants (for protection as they are usually working with equipment) and often long sleeves to protect them from the sun.  One Mexican man even wears a hoodie with the hood up. 

June–October is the rainy season.  An interesting thing I learned about the zone we are in is that it rains only at night.  With the rain and heat, vegetation really grows quickly, but I’ll save that for another blog.

We are in a rather remote area.  Paul Q., Paul W., Roxanne, and I had a conversation about distances to the nearest towns and their sizes.  The closest nearby town is small; Rib Lake is small.  The next largest town is about 30 minutes away and has more shopping possibilities, similar to Medford.  The closest city (one million people) with the most shopping options is Cuernavaca, one hour away, just like Wausau (not quite one million people).  Being a bit remote is an advantage for this missionary training school.  Students live here in the apartment building and are more easily able to focus compared with having to drive home to another town with its distractions.  

Here’s one more pic from my morning walk.  I am really appreciating God’s beauty in this place.

Please pray with me.

Praises

• The students all arrived on time and are settling in.

• God has provided a beautiful mountain for this training.

• I continue to feel well and feel so cared for.  So thankful for how my body has adjusted in the last week and a half and for the staff's kindness.

Requests

• Pray for my students. Orientation was yesterday; classes start Monday.

• Pray for my continued understanding of this culture.  Pray I would learn to greet when and where properly.  It’s a big deal.

• Pray for me to develop a relationship with each of my students.  Trust is also huge in this culture.

• Pray for all of the staff.  They are so dedicated and stretched.