Sweet Goodbyes

This is it!  This is my last blog as I am about to say goodbye to my El Monte family and what has been my home for over four months.  Thank you for reading my ramblings and looking at the El Monte ministry and Mexico through this gringo's eyes.  Most of all, I want to thank you for your encouragement and many prayers.  God has heard and answered in bigger and better ways than I could have asked or imagined.

Monday morning I got to visit the local market at nearby Ticuman.  We also had a quick meal there; the dough had just arrived in a pail.  The lady made the tortillas in front of us and cooked them on her grill.  The top left pic is of a hardware store--batteries, extension cord ends, screws and all sorts of things are displayed in the trays.  The man in the bottom right pic is scraping spines from a cactus.

Traffic somehow flows in many, many places without stop signs or traffic lights.  A big part of that is that drivers "take turns" at intersections--even real oddball ones.  There are many "topes" or speedbumps in the road strategically placed so drivers have to slow down before an intersection.  (Also strategically placed near certain business entrances!)  Some of the topes are wide and people will paint pretty designs on them.  One of the El Monte students told me that when he was in Venezuela, the topes there were called "sleeping policemen".  Clever name. They do force drivers to slow down.

                                              

There are five people in the first pic and four in the second.  Yikes!  This is not unusual.  However, I do feel for these people as this must be the family's only mode of transportation.

Another surprise has been the number of shirts I have seen for American sports.  This guy even has a Lambeau Field hat!  Sadly, he said he also had a Viking shirt.  :)

Can you spot the Chicago Bears shirt?

The trees and cacti here also amaze me.  Note how the roots of the yellow-bark tree actually can grow in the rock which is quite porous.  The cacti with the two vultures stretching and sunning themselves is just outside my apartment.  The morning I spotted them they hung out for over an hour.  Paul W explained that when a cactus gets old, it starts to rot and will fall over--"Splat"!-- like a rotten watermelon.  Remember there are really only two seasons here--rainy season and dry season with each lasting about six months.

Please pray with me.

Praises

• I am thankful for my time at El Monte and how God has blessed me.
• I am thankful for the sweet goodbyes to the students and with the staff as I leave tomorrow morning.
• I am thankful for God's provision again and again.  Daily God has been my Deuteronomy 31:8.

Requests

• Please pray for an English teacher for second semester.
• Please pray for the missionary Tina for God's clear direction for her future.
• Please pray for El Monte's many needs--staffing, resources, future planning, and so much more, but most of all pray for the impact this ministry will have on people's lives around the world 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

Not a Coincidence

In case you were wondering--

One of the many ways God affirmed that I should go to El Monte was that He arranged Paul Q's return flight and my arrival flight to be the same flight so that I did not have to navigate the Mexican airport by myself.  

My director Katrina needs to have a medical procedure done in Minnesota, and she will fly with me to Minneapolis Thursday, December 11, on the same plane!  She will help me through the airport, and that is not a coincidence!  I will then take the shuttle to Eau Claire where a friend has volunteered to pick me up.  I'm set. God continues to take care of every detail!

One evening this week, the students thanked our Mexican cook just as they have honored teachers all semester long.  They arranged a potluck sort of meal.  It was all done very well, complete with cloth tablecloths and fresh flowers.  Someone brought hot dogs that were wrapped in bacon. What a good idea!  

Wednesday morning was the last day of regular classes.  Lots of hard work happened in this classroom.

I often enjoyed the view from the balcony during breaks.

Thursday Katrina and my English students presented their calling and future ministry intentions in English to a group of about 20 people.  Trust me.  This was a big deal.  It was difficult but oh my, I was practically in tears to hear the students' progress.  

Friday was graduation/closure of the semester.  Two of the English students will be back for another semester of learning English, but the others are either doing their practicum with a mission or actually leaving for their assigned mission.  It was a sweet time with some tears.  

I felt so honored.  First, understand that the Mexican people love to celebrate and can be very boisterous.  At one point I was in front when the the student group did a little cheer/chant and declared that I was a Mexican!  🤣

After the ceremony, we had a very nice meal.  El Monte had a different group in using the usual meeting area, so we met in the new meeting space that is not yet finished, but we had shade and chairs, so all was good!  In March a group of over 100 men from a California church are coming to work.  Hopefully this area will get finished then.

At home we have caramel apples on a stick.  Here there are chili apples on a stick.  

Throughout the afternoon there were many hugs and sweet goodbyes.

So now what?

• debriefing
• deep cleaning my apartment
• one final blog
• an evening with my married couple students and their family
• goodbyes
• packing and repacking :)
• more goodbyes
• probably a few tears at I leave my El Monte family     
• (even though I can't wait to hug my family, church family, and friends who have been so supportive!)

This is a pic from this morning's walk just as it is getting light and I'm heading back up the hill.  Look closely to see all the trees with white flowers.  I wish I could capture their beauty.

Please pray with me.

Praises

• Not sure where to begin -- how God has answered prayers all semester and brought us to this point!
• So thankful for the relationships I have been able to develop with the Mexican people and the El Monte staff
• Grateful for the students' progress and accomplishments
• I feel God's hand on me (again!) as Katrina will guide me through the Mexican airport 

Requests

• Please continue to pray for an English teacher for next semester
• Please continue to pray for a missionary gal named Tina and clear direction from God for her future
• Pray for El Monte's needs including getting all the materials on time for the 100 plus men coming the very end of February
• I would appreciate prayer for safety and stamina for Thursday's long, long travel day

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