Conference

Thank you for your prayers for the the WEC (Worldwide Evangelism for Christ) conference that El Monte hosted this last week.  Singles, couples, and families attended including the El Monte staff.  The speaker, a pastor from Asia who has been in missions about 40 years, had the perfect message each day for a roomful of missionaries.  He and his wife ministered to tribal groups, and he had malaria 22 times! I was privileged to sit in the back and listen. (He spoke in English.) The worship time was sweet and full of praise.

During the conference many stories were told and prayers said.  Below you will see one of my students being prayed for as he and his wife plan to go to Asia in 2026.  Some of you will also recognize Paul Q as his work at El Monte was acknowledged one morning.  

Since my students belong to WEC, they attended the conference, and we did not have classes this week.  I did what I could to help the staff which was mainly assisting a very sweet gal with the food prep for coffee breaks.  The first day we prepared fresh fruit.  The second day, we served fresh veggies with crackers and cheese.  The most interesting thing for me was the way we cut up cucumbers.  😊

The cucumbers were long and large so during our prep time I started peeling.  Then the staff gal cut them in half lengthwise and started scooping out the seeds.  She looked at me and said, "Some people eat the seeds."  She was very surprised when I told her that I ate cuke slices with seeds!  She cut the hollowed-out pieces in lengths of about three inches, and then I cut them into little "sticks"--somewhat like carrot sticks.  The snack bowl had sticks of carrots, cukes, jicama (j = h sound), plus a slice of orange and a quarter lime.  Mexicans LOVE limes.  

The kids had a similar but different snack each day.  They each received a large slice of jicama which many promptly sprinkled with chili powder.

Two mornings I joined the conference and had my first Mexican breakfast.  The scrambled eggs with chilies were spicy but good, the fruit bowl contained papaya and melons, and the brown bread was brought to the conference as it is a specialty from a northern state.  It reminded me a little of rye bread, but it was a bit sweeter.  The second day we had molletes, a mild cheese on bread topped with salsa (of course!).  I liked it--how could a Wisconsin girl not like cheese?  I was told that molletes can be topped with a bright red ground meat.  I am sure you are not missing the colorful dishes El Monte uses.  

The El Monte staff is small and was attending the conference too.  There are not dishwashers here, but that is not a problem.  Every attendee took a turn or two helping setting out food, washing dishes, sweeping, wiping tables, and helping with general clean-up--men and women alike--after and before each meal.  Some people would even step into the dish room and offer extra help.  Before the attendees checked out of their cabins on Thursday, most swept and mopped their cabin floors!  Talk about a servant attitude and heart!   

I can't resist sharing a pic of the sweet baby whose parents are missionaries and attended the conference.  Mexicans serve tortillas at every meal (except maybe breakfast some days).  They often put meat inside it, use it to "scrape" up food from their plates, or just roll the plain tortilla up and eat it.  It is just the way it is done, and little ones quickly follow this custom.  The baby is gnawing on a tortilla; I was told it is often one of the first solid foods a baby receives.

And just like that, the rain has stopped.  After experiencing rain almost every night since I have been here, I noticed on my walk one morning that the road is becoming a little dusty.  Everything is still very green and lush as the ground has been saturated with water.  After going to the conference all week, I had not walked over towards where we eat lunch.  This morning I walked that way and was almost startled to see the white flowers on a few trees.  They weren't there a week ago.  

     Here's another view of El Monte.  You can't really judge how steep this road is to one of the staff houses (Thank you to Adam from RL who excavated/built it years ago.), but look at the view once you get to the top!

And a few more favorites from the week

Please pray with me.

Praises

• for a successful conference--many details were cared for, many prayers answered
• I was blessed to meet some missionaries with incredible stories
• for blessing El Monte to be a facility that can host such a conference

Requests

• for getting back into the routine of classes
• for God's provision and direction for students-especially those who will be going into the mission field in a few months
• for God's provision for El Monte and all the staff and their impact on God's kingdom
• for an English teacher for next semester

Thank you for reading and praying!

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

 

This Week

As usual, after church on Sunday we stopped for groceries.  I thought you would like to see the tree outside the store with its pretty yellow flowers as well as the colorful grocery carts.  Why have gray or medium blue when you can have bright green, yellow, and red?  

In Mexico (usually older) men stand in parking lots directing cars in and out of spaces.  The traffic is crazy, so there is a need, but I believe they do it to earn a few pesos in tips from the drivers. 

On the drive home, we pass fields of sugar cane (just in the foreground).  From what I have been told, sugar cane is usually harvested in February around here. The fields are set on fire to burn away the leaves which are very sharp.  People never walk through a field as the cane is densely grown, and they would get cut up.  After the burn, only the sugar cane stalk itself is left which then can be cut.  I also understand that the fields need to be plowed up and replanted every three years or so.

When I was in the grocery store, I looked for spaghetti sauce and found it in a box!  I placed my "Abuela" (means "Grandma")  mug, a special gift from my granddaughter before I left, next to it so you can gauge the size.  He's a cute little guy!  

Last week I told you about and showed pics from the evening with my neighbor girls.  They returned the favor by inviting another gal from the apartment building and me over for pizza.  One of the girls made the pizza crust from scratch.  It was so good! They topped their pizza off with spicy sauces, but I thought it was delicious as it was.  Mexicans even have a spicy ketchup.  One pizza had lots of bacon; the other had chicken and sweet peppers.  The dessert was a wonderful sweet bread with a light cream cheese and blackberry filling.  The gal who made it could open a bakery; everything she bakes is scrumptious!  I also learned a new word--itacate.  It basically is a "to go box", but the practice is that when you have been invited to someone's home for a meal, the host will make extra food just so you can  be blessed by taking it home.  I was given two large pieces of pizza.

El Monte has a Cross Cultural Training (CCT) program for adults training to be missionaries.  Just like at a university, students enter classes at different times.  One of my students has finished all of this training; others have not or may go a different direction.  Anyway, on Fridays the last thing we (students and teachers) all do is get together after classes to take care of any "business", reflect on the week, and pray together.  This week the CCT students focused on teamwork since when they are in the field in different countries, they not only will work with people from their new culture, but they most likely will work with colleagues that may be from a different country and culture too.  Everyone has different ideas, so learning to work with someone who has a completely different perspective is important.  We were divided into two teams and competed in several fun activities in which we all had a role.  

After the activities, the students reflected, made connections to their future mission, and then we prayed.  I was sitting near the open door when in floated a small beautiful black butterfly.  It landed on my hand and stayed there just flapping its wings for almost a full minute! Even as I moved my phone to take some pics, it just stayed there!  God has blessed me with so many special moments!

We don't exactly have fall colors around here, but as I have said before, as rainy season is ending, more and more color is popping out.  One day I noticed the tree on the left suddenly had flowers!  

There's a mandarin orange tree near our apartment building.  I ate one of its oranges for breakfast today.

Please pray with me.

Praises

• I am grateful for the special moments God continually gives me. 
• I continue to be blessed by many loving relationships here.
• The speaker for next week's WEC conference arrived after flying here from India.  His addresses will be in English!  :)

Prayer Requests

• Please continue to pray for an English teacher for next semester, other staffing needs, and resources.
• Pray that God would bind Satan from interfering in any way with the conference.  It starts tomorrow and goes through the week.
• Pray for all those traveling here and for the conference to be successful.
• Pray for the El Monte staff who will be serving the attendees all week.

Since the students will be attending the conference, I will not be teaching English next week.  I will be helping with coffee for the coffee breaks (no surprise there, right, Woodland?), washing dishes, and helping to keep things tidy.

Thank you so much for reading this far!  I am very thankful for your support, interest, and prayers.

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

Great Neighbors

 Two blogs ago I asked for prayer for the new girls who would be coming to work at El Monte and would be living next door to me.  I asked you to pray for their adjustment and that I would get to know them quickly.  Thank you for your prayers.  Both girls are very friendly and kind.  There are now four girls in that apartment, and I invited them for a meal Monday evening.  

Sunday morning Roxanne texted me to see if I wanted to go on a little excursion after church.  Of course!  We stopped at a restaurant first, and what a treat it was!  The first thing I noticed in the parking area after I got out of the car was there were tree limbs growing through a wall.  Obviously the wall was built around those trees.  The pic on the bottom right is of the restrooms.  It is hard to see, but the spot on the wall on the right side is a flower design.  That's the only sign indicating the women's restroom.   The new girls came along too.

I ordered Huarache--little shells stuffed with ricotta cheese topped with chicken and cream.  Cactus and onions were served on the side.  My plate was almost like pottery.  I wanted to order enchiladas (on right--one of the girls did so I took a pic), but was told it was quite spicy so maybe I'll try that another time.  The restaurant was mostly under a roof  but partly outside too.  I loved the little playground for antsy kids.

Paul then drove us to Tepotzlan.  In addition to just being a very beautiful area and a tourist attraction, it has a pyramid off in the distance.  I got a little overwhelmed walking through the market as there was so much to see.  It's hard to choose what to bring home.  The man weaving the basket let me take his picture.

We walked through a convent which was built in 1580!  I asked the girls to stand in front of those doors to show their size.  Massive!

We walked around the town, stopping at a few shops.  It was a little rainy, but people just put out awnings or coverings and continued with business as usual.  I marvel at the size of corn on the cob here.  The cobs are monstrous!--two to three times bigger than what I have seen at home.  Mexicans will poke a stick through the end so they can walk around eating it more easily.  They spread mayonnaise on it rather than butter, and sprinkle it with--you guessed it.  Chili powder!

One of our goals was to get an ice cream-type dessert called Tepotznieves, which Tepotzlan is famous for.  There was a very, very long list of flavors to choose from, AND each choice was made up of four flavors!  I ordered a bowl with two scoops.  One scoop had dark chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate with crisps, and hazelnut.  The other scoop had mango, cream, strawberry, and nut.  I would go back to that place again just for the ice cream, but there was also so much to look at.  The benches and area below the counter were hand carved and colorful, of course.  We sat down to eat our ice cream, and a man walked in from the street and started to play his saxophone!  He was so talented and clearly enjoyed entertaining us.  That was as much a treat as the ice cream!  

As we left the building, we spotted a man on a bicycle across the street sharpening a knife!  When we first saw him, the sparks were really flying!  By the time I got my phone out to take a pic he must have just been putting the finishing touches on the knife.  Notice that he has something under the back wheel to make the bike stationary.  Also notice the little whet stone wheel near his knees in the pic.  Talk about pedal power!  

Monday I was talking to one of my students about this, and he said that someone sharpening knives using a bicycle was common in Mexico.  I wasn't sure I could believe him (He likes to joke a lot.), but I asked a friend here, and she said that this was true.  Also notice the stone pattern in the street.  It was beautiful and throughout the town.

I have to share a few pics from around El Monte.  It has been the rainy season for several months, so more and more flowers are popping out.  The orange ones are wild and all over now.

Please pray with me.

Praises

• I have quickly become friends with the two new girls.
• The first seven weeks of class have gone well.  I am grateful for the relationship I have with my students and Katrina, my director.
• I am thankful for God's direction as I plan lessons and look for supplemental materials.
• Electricity and internet have been fairly reliable this week.  Yay!

Prayer Requests

• In another week El Monte will be hosting a large group for a conference.  Please pray for all the planning, preparation, and the staff's workload.  My duties will be different that week.  Pray I can figure out how to help wherever needed.
• One of my students continues to struggle with some health issues.  Please pray for whatever is needed for healing.
• Please pray for staffing needs including an English teacher for next semester.
• Pray that God would be honored through all the work here.  
• Pray for souls to be refreshed and for souls to be saved.

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

,

You know you are in Mexico when...

We finished Unit 6 this week, and there are 12 units in all, so that means we are halfway through the semester.  Next week will be a review week ending with a mid-term exam.  My students and I would appreciate your prayers for our success.

Last Sunday Katrina and Julio took us to a restaurant after church.  It was so much fun!  First notice that the entrance to the restaurant doesn't have a door like we think of doors.  We walked right in through an open area.  (There is a large door that covers the space that is securely locked when the restaurant is closed.)  The restaurant, like the majority of Mexican restaurants, didn't have air conditioning, but it was very comfortable; it's like eating outside in the shade.  The Mexicans know how to build in order to protect from the sun.  Also notice where I am seated.  Next to me is a beautiful garden with no window between me and the garden. Behind the white counter (in another pic) sat a parrot in a cage.  He did squawk a bit--added to the atmosphere!  You know you are in Mexico when...you see a large paper tequila bottle hanging from the ceiling!  :)

We had carnitas which is fried pork, similar to pulled pork.  The food was brought to the table, and we made our own tacos.  If I haven't explained this before, tacos here are not like the ones at home.  This restaurant had homemade tortillas (so much better and always served in a container that keeps them warm) and all fresh ingredients--cilantro, onions, and red and green salsas (also fresh).  I can eat the green salsa, but the red is way too hot for me.  Take a second look at the ice bucket.  The ice "cubes" are irregular in size and shape. Some were big enough that just one filled a whole glass.  One dish of pork was from pork ribs.  The other was a little more "general".  I took meat from both platters and even tried a piece of pork cheek (yes, the pig's cheek).  It was very tender and tasted a little like ham.  Lastly, we all agreed to have Horchata to drink.  Mexicans usually don't drink water with their meals but have "water" that is more like juice to us.  Horchata has a rice base, is slightly sweet, and I really like it.  

After the restaurant, we went to the local market in Yautepec, a city of about 45,000.  In the pic you might notice "Viva Mexico!" in red, green, and white on the side of the building--decorations left from Independence Day.  On the way I had to get a pic of Charlie Brown on the side of a...can you guess?  We walked around the city square that was shaded by one monstrous tree. Many motorcycles, a major transportation mode here, lined the area near the market entrance.  (Did you spot the soap bubbles painted on the building? If you guessed laundromat, you are right!)

The market was busy and so interesting!  One thing I noticed is that often vendors artfully arrange their produce.  I can't say that flies or wasps/bees have been a big problem, but obviously at a market with fresh fruit, they hang around.  The lady sitting down was constantly swishing the wasps away.  The packages with the white "tubes" in the bottom right corner are sugar cane. We pass sugar cane fields on our way to town from El Monte

You know you are in Mexico when...a pig head is on display at a meat market!  Mexicans don't waste any part of the pig including the feet!  Julio is not camera shy!  🤣  

  

The Day of the Dead is a big celebration in Mexico which my phone tells me is November 2.  As I understand, this is a pagan holiday during which families clean and decorate graves, create altars with the deceased loved one's pictures and favorite food.  They also light candles for the deceased to find the way.  At Sunday's market many were selling yellow flowers (marigolds) which are to "lead spirits from the afterlife to the altars and graves where their families await".  Above several businesses we saw these flowers.  

Like other fruits and vegetables, cacti are for sale.  I saw a woman sitting behind her stand scraping the little spines off a cactus.

I have never tasted star fruit or passion fruit so decided to give it a try.  It is best to wash/let sit for ten minutes fruits and vegetables in purified water to which "disinfecting" drops (looks like iodine) have been added. You simply cut the star fruit straight across (no peeling necessary).  It is very tart--almost like a lemon but with a different flavor.  It is very nutritious.  Passion fruit is not at all what I expected.  When the fruit is wrinkly, it is ready.  You cut it open and use a spoon the eat the seeds and juice inside.  The rest is more like the rind of an orange and not eaten.  It's okay, but I like fruit that I can chew.  This was just squishy. :)  BTW--I also had a couple of tomatoes soaking in the bowl.

This is still the rainy season, but September brought more rain than usual.  Normally the ground soaks up the rain because it is so porous.  Standing water is not common, but we have seen a few water puddles in the morning lately because the ground is so saturated.  BTW--it hardly ever rains here during the day; the rain almost always comes during the night.  I had to take a pic of the cactus that fell over one night.  The dry season is coming, but this cactus just couldn't hang on.

This weekend El Monte hosted a married couples conference/retreat for pastors and their wives.  The large dining/conference area has no walls--there's no need.  Notice the mountain view.  At yesterday's lunch and this morning's breakfast I helped wash dishes.  Everyone helps out at events sponsored by El Monte.  I couldn't resist taking another picture of the weeds along the side of the road as I walked back to my apartment.  I hadn't seen the purple flowers before.  I don't know what the palm-like bush is, but it is classy!

Please pray with me.

Praises

• This weekend's retreat/conference seems to have gone very well.  Pray for these special pastors and their wives who serve so devotedly.
• God has been so incredibly faithful during the last six weeks as I have been learning curriculum, culture, and just how to live in a different place.
• I have not been sick once, and I don't take that for granted.  I also have been strong enough to walk up and down El Monte's mountain road.
• Even though there have been power outages in the last couple of weeks, each time the power came back on in a reasonable time.  We have had no interruptions in almost a week now.
• Last week I asked for prayer for someone who needed medicine.  It was obtained.  :)

Please pray

• For the students to understand how the English language works and to remember all the vocabulary.
• For the students to do well on their mid-term exams and be encouraged.
• For stamina and strength for all of the staff as El Monte will be hosting a group for a whole week soon.
• That God would be honored in the work here--that souls would be saved for eternity.

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