Wednesday, November 22, 2006

To Mexico and back




Mexico and back in 5 days...WOW!!! We traveled over 1400 miles in a very short time. Going on these mission trips is hard on our trucks, hard on our bodies and a lot of work. However, the blessings we receive in return makes all of the hardship seem minimal. This trip we travelled into the high desert of Coahuila. We went in to serve the native Mexicans instead of the Taramauran Indians, as we did on the May trip. It's such a beautiful place. The mountains surround the deserts in places. There are tall yucca trees, wild mesquite trees and many types of cacti. We even saw maroon cactus which our Aggie truck coined "aggie cactus". Among all the quietness and beauty there are thousands of Mexicans who live in unbelievable poverty. These villages are out in the middle of nowhere, literally.

On Saturday, we drove all the way into Mexico. We stopped at a small church in the town of Musquiz. It was about 100 miles from the border. That was an experience. Steve Akin is very familiar with the pastor and is wife. They knew we were coming so when we got there, she had made homemade tamales and tortillas for us. (This was the first of several meals of tamales!!!) This was also Mollie's first experience with the sewage system of Mexico. She vowed not to use the restroom the entire trip after her experience. I didn't dare tell her that at least she had a toilet in this town. That night we slept inside the church. My bed was two pews pushed seat to seat. It was a very comfortable place to sleep. I could've had a great night sleep, except for what seemed like 100 dogs barking all night. They also failed to tell us that there was a dance hall a block over and they started the party about 1:00. Needless to say, we all got very little sleep.

On Sunday, the first village we visited was La Union. This is when Mollie got her first experience with an outdoor toilet.
She learned quickly, you use what you have. She didn't like it, but she adapted. Many on the men in the village worked in the candelia "factory". I use the word factory very loosely. Candelia is a plant that grows wild out in the desert. They harvest it, boil it, skim off a substance that comes to the surface, mix it with some kind of acid and it then becomes wax. They can sell the wax and make about $50 a day. They use the plants after they are cooked for fuel for the fires to cook new candelia, and their burros graze on it, also. There burros were very fat! The youth on the trip painted two houses in the village. One was painted pepto bismal pink!! We served dinner to the village and some of the youth and adults held a Vacation Bible School for the kids. Some of the woman of the village church, cooked for us. They brought....tamales, beans and tortillas. We then had a joint church service with the villagers. They have a small church up on a hill. Their pastor spoke (we had translators) and then our pastor spoke to them. What was so amazing about that experience was that even though our language and lifestyles are so very different, we can worship GOD together and all the difference subside. That night we slept inside the main building in the village. It was so dark, quiet and peaceful. Before we went to bed, several of our group spent time outside studying the stars. They looked very close. So much so, it seemed you could almost reach out and touch them. We slept great that night. NO DOGS or DANCE HALLS!

The next morning we moved on to another village. On the way we stopped and had a quick service on the side of a mountain. It was amazing! Kyle, our pastor, said that even though we see the people as poor and in need they all seemed very happy. God meets all their basic needs and they are happy!

We continued on through the desert and ended up in a small village of which I can't say or attempt to spell. This village was much more in need. We got there about 4:30, so we worked quickly to cook. The youth started painting more homes. They started 3 houses and finished two before it got dark. Dr. Mettetal operated on a man's toe about 15 feet from our outdoor, makeshift, kitchen. My job was to slice potatoes to fry. Cindy Henderson and I then cooked pounds and pounds of french fries. We probably stood over the hot grease for 2 hours!! For those of you who know about my experiences with frying...you know I was out of my element. The men fried chicken fried steak and fresh corn. We also had tamales, imagine that. We worked outside until about 10:00. About 8:00, the wind started blowing and it got extremely cold. We slept inside the small church. The wind howled across the desert all night. Not much sleep this night either!! I kept thinking about what Kyle had said that morning, the people are happy...the people are happy.

The next morning, we brought our kitchen inside the church and cooked again for just our group. We cooked pancakes, bacon and ham. Dr. Mettetal again operated on a man's eye very close to our cooking area. He then left to make some house calls or as they called it...they took out the MASH unit. The youth left to finish painting. Cindy, Chris Stapper, Wade and I burnt all the trash from the day before. When we finished that, it was time to start preparing lunch. I couldn't seem to locate Mollie. Moments later she returned with several of the youth. They had been visiting with a local woman and she had let them help her role out and cook homemade tortillas.You can't get that experience on a routine vacation!! As lunch was prepared, again I took on the french fry grease. Cindy and I cut and cooked potatoes for hours. My hands were very dry before we reached this village, now they are smooth and silky!

We left that village and headed back out across the desert on our way home. We made it across the border about 10:30 Tuesday night. We drove into Eagle Pass and got a hotel. We had the most amazing shower!! We left early this morning and headed home. We got back into Athens around 4:00.

I could list the blessings I received from this trip. I won't. Instead, below, I am going to add to my list of things I am thankful for from my previous post. We will head back to Mexico in May for a trip back to the Copper Canyon and the Taramauran Indians. I am glad to be home but anxious to return!

26. I am thankful for the beauty of Mexico.

27. I am thankful for the people we met and how appreciative they were of what we did for them.

28. I am thankful for shared worship time between our group and the villagers.

29. I am thankful that the people are so happy even though it seems to us that that's impossible.

30. I am thankful for getting to know Kyle and Cindy Henderson in a new light. (hours over hot grease can bond people)

31. I am thankful for safety to Mexico and back.

32. I am thankful for our youth minister, Chris Stapper, and the kids he brought along on the trip.

33. I am thankful for indoor plumbing.

33. I am thankful for a soft mattress.

35. I am thankful for toilet paper and being able to flush it down the toilet.

36. I am thankful for asphalt and paved roads.

37. I am thankful for a warm shower with soap and shampoo.

38. I am thankful that Wil and Mollie got to see how less fortunate people live and that the world does not revolve around them.

39. I am thankful for Dr. Mettetal, who is our family doctor,and how he uses his profession in such a selfless manner.

40. I am thankful to have shared this experience with Wade, Wil and Mollie and the other 35 or so people who went along.

Sandy C.

Monday, November 13, 2006

With Thanksgiving

After reading Toni's post about all she's thankful for, I thought I would make a list of my own. I, too, was at the Thanksgiving Potluck dinner at our church. We went around the table and each person in our small group told what they were thankful for and couldn't repeat what someone else said. It was easy at first and then the men got silly. So after golf clubs, garage door openers, etc. we realized how lucky we all are. So here's my list...

1. I am thankful for my husband. His laughter and sense of humor are contagious. He makes me laugh and he also can make me angrier than any other human being. I love him, anyway!

2. I am thankful for two healthy children who constantly challenge my patience but give me so much pride.

3. I am thankful for my parents who taught me early on in life what a relationship with Christ was all about. They are also passing their faith and prayers onto all 7 grandchildren.

4. I am thankful that Wade and I have good jobs and enjoy our work.

5. I am thankful for the 18 children that I teach everyday. They are each special in their own way.

6. I am thankful for my in-laws. They love our children!!

7. I am thankful for our large "small" group at church. Each member has been such a blessing to me in the past 3 months. We have gotten to know each other in a special way. It's great to have such a support group who share your faith.

8. I am thankful that our church has such a vision for missions and that Wade and I have the opportunity to share in that work.

9. I am thankful that we live in America with freedom to worship God, choose our leaders, and do pretty much what we want.

10. I am thankful for my friends at school. These friendships are tied together with a love for our profession as well as respect and love for each other.

11. I am thankful for our Sunday School Class. It's wonderful to go into a class and come out a better person just for being there.

12. I am thankful for my sisters. We have a close relationship. We don't always agree with each other's decisions in life, but we love each other.

13. I am thankful for my 7 nieces and nephews. They are all such blessings!

14. I am thankful for my extended family, which is considerable. I can't wait until Christmas Eve when we will fill our house with aunts, uncles and cousins for a wild game of Chinese Christmas.

15. I am thankful for our home.

16. I am thankful that Wade and I are able to support our kids' hobby of showing heifers. The experiences we have had with Wil and Mollie and the friends we have made are priceless.

17. I am thankful that I am a Texas Aggie, Class of '92.

18. I am thankful for Diet Coke! I am even more thankful if it has a lime.

19. I am thankful that I have grown up in small town America and was able to return after college.

20. I am thankful that my parents and Wade's parents live very close.

21. I am thankful for Ebay. It has changed my shopping experience.

22. I am thankful that Wil got all B's on his report card! Mollie got all A's.

23. I am thankful for having the entire week of Thanksgiving out of school this year.

24. I am thankful for Chris Tomlin. I love his music!

25. I am thankful for God's grace, mercy and forgiveness.

There's my list. Where's yours?

Sandy C.