"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