tis better to give....

I just got home from a Christmas party that we organized at a nearby community here in Mazatlan. If I am ever wondering why I am here serving in Mexico, all I have to do is remember tonight. What a blessing it is to give. Once a week we go to to this colonial called "Infernio"-something (it means "little hell") and do a Bible lesson, a craft, a snack and a game.

There are about 60 families in this particular neighborhood and all are in need. The first time I visited these homes I'll admit, I tried not to stare. How can these people live like this?! It's hard not to let it break your heart. Almost all the homes are one, maybe two rooms. The walls are scrap wood and either tarps or tin siding. Most of the floors are dirt, though a few are tiled. There isn't running water so there are huge black barrels in-between the homes to collect rain water. Both kids and dogs have fleas in their hair but it's so hard not to hug them when they come running up to you. They talk a mile-a-minute no matter how many times I tell them I can't speak Spanish. It doesn't matter, they just smile and keep on going!

Here we are decorating for the party!

The kids singing for their parents

The string ensemble played for half an hour

Money, clothes, toys, and food were collected to raffle off. We had enough to give away 5 bicycles, 20 boxes of food and 100 gift bags with candy and toiletries. Clothes were given to the families with the most need. We hung white Christmas lights and balloons from the houses and the wooden fence that surrounds the lot. A face paint station was set up for the kids. We ate tamales (incredible!), beans, cake & jello and had hot chocolate with cinnamon. A string ensemble from a local school came to give a concert. It was dynamic listening to violins play Christmas music against such a backdrop. Our group did a skit and the kid's sang songs they had been practicing for their parents.

As I think about home, especially around the holidays, there are some things I miss about being there. But after tonight, I don't miss the consumerism. I don't miss the madness and the long lines at the mall. I don't miss the rushing around to get last minute gifts.

Tonight was just a nice reminder of how very blessed we are and that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

lessons in negotiating and pretty places

It's been a few weeks since my last post. Mostly I have been waiting for something "unusual" to write about but the "usual" is good. First impressions of our town have worn off and routines are being established.

Steve is teaching the business class once a week and taking a Spanish class along with the rest of the students in the house. He takes several shifts a week at the coffee shop and has been working with Heidi (the owner) on setting up an inventory system and on overall better business practices. He's been busy!

I am comfortable getting out on my own even without knowing much of the language. Somehow a few points and smiles can get me what I need though it does take 3 times as long and in a few cases may cost me more money. Like the other day, I went to a flea market in Juarez and I saw a dress I liked and so I held it up and asked "cuantos?" (how much?). The teenager working looked at it and said "sesenta" ($60 pesos) but I thought she said "Cien" ($100). So I, being really excited to use my negotiating skills, said "ochenta?" (80). She looked at me like I was CRAZY! After about 2 minutes of her repeating "sesenta", I handed her $100. I got back $30. So in the end a $60 dress cost me $70, or about $5.60. I am thrilled with the dress but realize maybe I DO need to put forth a little effort in this language.



Earlier in the week we visited a really cool ranch-turned-restaurant with a little chapel on the hill. It turned out to be closed for a holiday but it was beautiful to wander.

The Kids Club

Yesterday was the first kid's club that the group was able to participate in. Every Wednesday we will be helping to run an afternoon program in a nearby neighborhood. We'll do a craft, story time, games, worship and a snack. These kids are so cute and we are really looking forward to being more involved in their lives!

Some of the students are finding other ministries to be involved in. Two of the girls left this morning to join a local church in their weekly trip to the dump where they bring lunch to the people who live there. We have plans as a house to go there at least monthly and bring hotdogs and a grill.










This week we opened the coffee shop near "playa Bruja" (Witch beach). It has been a truly hectic couple of days for the owner, Heidi as Tom (her husband) had to travel back home to California for about 6 weeks to finish up a large masonry project he has there. She has been doing a wonderful job of multitasking her girls who are in school here, working full time at the shop and being involved in the house as much as she can. Please pray the Lord brings customers! It is always a balance for Tom & Heidi figuring out when to open in the season and it takes a couple of weeks for people to know we are open. The snowbirds trickle down here around late October and November and so hopefully we will soon be super busy!

0-60

Things are well under way here. This past week has been a whirlwind of activity. The Lonsdales arrived last week with their young daughters, Brisa and Mia. Heidi flew in on Tuesday and Tom drove and got here on Thursday night with a truck load of supplies for the shop and some of our personal belongings that we had left in California when we were there in September. It turned out to be just in time because Justin and Lisa's baby was born Friday morning!

Lisa had been really sick on Thursday and they decided to take her to the hospital late Thursday night. It was a good decision because it turns out that she had toxemia and they needed to do an emergency c-section Friday morning. Mama and baby Elsie Wren are doing great and should be coming home today. Lisa's mom flew in on Saturday to meet her new granddaughter and help out the new parents. I know Lisa and Justin are thrilled to have her here!

This week starts the program for the students. They will be arriving Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday we have a full day of orientation planned. Thursday we are taking the students for a trip to a remote beach village to stay and really get to know each other. And next week, the shop is opening so training for the that is happening Monday.

It has been really wonderful to spend time with Heidi and Tom and get to know them better. Over the weekend they took us to Stone Island to hang out on the beach. We took a ferry over and really enjoyed the afternoon there.















I am really looking forward to meeting the students this week and spending time with them on the retreat this weekend. Pray for their safety in travels and that we will have a unified group who are really eager to learn and grow. We are looking forward to seeing what the Lord does in the months to follow in our lives and in theirs!

mexican driver's ed

After two weeks of living here I wonder how long it will take me to master the roads. The driving here is confusing to me for a bunch of reasons.

1. Rules seem to be more of a suggestion.
2. The roads are not named. Or if they are, it's not posted anywhere.
3. There are only stop signs on main roads. If you are in a neighborhood, it's each man for himself.
4. Right now, everything looks the same to me. I see signs, but as they're not in my native tongue, I can't associate them with anything.
5. Roads are mostly 2 lanes but if a third guy wants to join in, he can.
6. The only way I know the road we live on, is that I turn left after the speed bump with the car-width sized hole in it.
7. There is one intersections with like 5 roads joining together that could really use a stop sign, traffic light or a man standing in the middle guiding us all. But really, it's the most aggressive driver who gets where he wants to go.
8. I could be turning left to cross traffic and someone will jump ahead of me and dart through as if I weren't even there.
9. Oh and watch out for man holes, they may or may not be covered up.

However...I like not using my turning signal. And thinking of "stop" signs as "yields". I am going to get back to the states and be aggravated at all the law abiding citizens who don't realize how much quicker they could get to their destination if they would just take a Mexican driver's ed class.

surprise ending

Not watching TV has given me more time to read which is one of the things I have told myself I didn't have time for because of having a baby to care for. Turns out, there IS time, I just must have been using it for unproductive things.

A trilogy called Mark of the Lion was recommended to me by Lisa and I picked the first book up several days ago. I couldn't put it down, it was that good! I was determined to finish it last night as I laid in bed. It was around 11:00 and Steve was watching a movie in another room. Finally, 500 pages later and emotionally spent, I was finished! I put the book down for just a second and then wondering when it was published, I picked it back up to flip to the front page. Then there on the front page were two black eyes, four legs and a tail staring at me! A gecko was hanging on the inside flap of my book! I yelped and threw the book across the room!

How long had he been there?! The whole time I was reading? It was like an HOUR! Was he waiting til I put the book down to jump in? He was IN MY BED! I mean, since we've been here, I have seen a dozen of them crawling outside AND inside. But I thought they'd try to avoid me.

I looked at the book which was now sprawled on the floor, pages bent. I held my breath and eased open the cover. He was still there...but he looked flattened! I was horrified! I killed the gecko! I choked back tears and ran to get Steve. He was kind enough to hold me and calm me down. He left his movie to come deal with the situation.

Turns out, Gecko was just stunned. Steve let him go.

I'm just happy I am not the reason the third largest insurance company is without it's spokesperson.

a day at the beach and a little spill

We woke up this morning unsure if this would be the day we would be able contact family and friends without having to go to a nearby coffee shop for internet access. If there is one thing we have learned so far, it's patience. Our internet/phone lines have worked for 1 out of the 10 days we have been here. I have been itching to talk to the outside world but things move slower here and we rely almost entirely on Lisa to do the translating and figuring-out-of-things. So when we couldn't get the internet working, it was on her shoulders to take care of it. She did all she could through the phone but had to make several trips to the company to have them finally get out here to get us a new box. The box worked. YEAH! And now we are all happily skyping and typing away on our keyboards to friends, family members and significant others who have been wondering what has happened to us.

We are in the tail end of the rainy season and have been having rain showers off and on for the last few days. Today we woke up and it was sunny and so we took our first trip to the beach.







Breckyn loves the water and it is so much fun watching her play in the waves. The water is incredibly warm right now almost to the point where it isn't refreshing but it is nice to be able to walk right in without having to adjust. If only we could send some of that water northeast!

The spill came this afternoon when Justin jumped on his scooter to go to the bank. Lisa got a phone call about 5 minutes after he left. He had been in an accident. Thank the Lord he is ok! A car pulled out in front of him and he had to swerve
to avoid it, dumping the bike which then ended up under the car. Justin ended up with a lot of scrapes and his leg in a temporary cast. The Lord worked out all the details after the crash. Justin and Lisa did not have to pay for anything at the hospital and the scooter was not impounded (as is the norm) which would entail hefty fees to "bail" it out. The police officer just said "It is too far to the lot and I do not want to drive down there". Gotta love it! It could have been so much worse, so we are really grateful!

Thanks for all your prayers and now that we have a (hopefully) constant internet connection, you'll here from us more often.

We have arrived!

On Monday us girls made the flight from Los Angeles to Mazatlan. It was as easy as I could have hoped for. Benadryl has become my new best friend. We stepped off the plane onto the tarmac and a wave of heat and humidity hit that took my breath away. Elisabeth smiled at me and said, “welcome home”.

The original plan was for the guys to drive in the day before and set things up for us, get some groceries and pick us up from the airport. As they were driving my car through the border on Sunday morning there was a small hitch that delayed their trip. The car is in my name and I wasn’t there. When you drive into Mexico you have to register your car. If that doesn’t happen and you reach a checkpoint bad things can happen. So my parents had to be called to help out. They had to wait to Monday to get to the safety deposit box and get our marriage certificate and then fax it to the motel. The guys finally crossed the border around 6 a.m. and made it to Mazatlan by 7:00 p.m. It was a long day for them.

So we had a really nice guy named Chris who is with the YWAM in Mazatlan waiting at the airport for us. He loaded all our bags in a friend’s car and drove us to our new home! We through our bags down and headed out first to the coffee shop to use their phones and jump on the internet and then to the grocery store for immediate supplies.

The plan for the next couple of days is to settle in, get the phone lines and internet set up (it seems to take a while ‘round here), and learn how the house runs. There are filtration systems, pool cleaning guidelines, and general cleaning practices like scraping gecko poo off the walls to get used to.

It is so good to be here finally! It has taken 7 or 8 months of planning and thinking about being here and we are so excited to jump in and get going.

Cali

We have been running like crazy people since the moment we landed in California. This is the first minute I have had to sit down and tell you what we have been up to. The flight with Breckyn was as perfect as I could have hoped for. Thanks to Elisabeth, who is 7 months pregnant and considered "disabled", we were able to get the front seat with extra space and Breckyn played on the floor with her toys for most of the flight. I was super jazzed! Thanks to all who were praying for that. I was anxious about a screaming baby.

We spent the first night in the Pasadena area and then got up the next morning for a 5 hour drive to Crowley Lake, which is a tiny town tucked into the mountains near Mamouth Lake which is near Yosemite. I finally got to meet Tom and Heidi Lonsdale and their family. They are an amazing couple and I am really looking forward to working with them and spending more time with them in Mazatlan.

Steve and I fell in love with the people of Crowley and the "chill-ness" of it all. It was both competely relaxing AND cold as it got down into the 40's at night. We stayed with a great couple, Tommy and Windser Czeschin and their two adorable kids. We were given a friend's RV to call our own for the weekend but didn't realize it had heat for the first 2 nights so the 3 of us slept huddled together for warmth. I think I thought it was more fun than Steve did!

Crowley is an absolutely beautiful area and thankfully our schedule allowed us to stay an extra day to visit nearby Yosemite National Park (pictures to come later). And the Czeschin's were kind enough to allow us to take over their home for another day. I really hope we are able to stay in touch with them as their hospitality and genuineness made a huge mark on us.

We drove back down to the Los Angeles area on Tuesday and Steve and I continued on to Huntington Beach to spend some time with my aunt Barb. Steve and Justin have made several great contacts with area churches in hopes of recruiting more students for the program and it seemed like a couple more people were interested in jumping on board with us!

Pray for the guys as they are driving through Mexico on Sunday and it takes about 12-14 hours to get through from the Nogales border to Mazatlan. I will post a new entry as soon as I possibly can.

0 down. 3744 to go.

It's official, they're off! This morning the guys woke up, had some eggs and toast and left at 8:15. Windy City, here they come! They had been gone half an hour and I was sitting on the computer when the kitchen door opens and Steve walks in.

"Miss me already?" I ask.
"We forgot the ipod adaptor."

10 down. 3744 miles to go.

To follow their trail, check out the map.....


View Larger Map

Yesterday we spent a great day with Steve's aunt, uncle, cousins and a couple of close friends so that they could say goodbye. Jon came home with us so they could get an early start this morning. On the way home, Jon and Steve were talking excitedly about the drive and all the places they are going to see.

Jon: "Mazatlan is on the Gulf, right? Everyone told me to stay away from the oil."
Steve: "Nope, on the Pacific."
Jon: "Oh cool."

Jon: "Why are we going to California?"
Steve: "To talk to pastors and try and get some more people to come down for the program."

Jon: "So, where are we staying in Mexico?"
Steve: "Well, it's a mud hut with a bark exterior. When we get there, we are going to have to put tile down because right now it's just a mud floor."
Jon: "Okay, cool."
Steve: "And the bathroom isn't attached to the house. But it's only about 20 feet away."
Jon: "Uh...okay. cool."
Steve: "Just kidding Jon. It's a nice place."


I love Jon because he didn't care. He didn't ask a million questions about the trip before he left. He just said "YES! I'm going to Mexico to volunteer and to have an amazing experience." He made the decision to go in like 2 weeks. It took me MONTHS to come around and I needed every single detail beforehand so that I could feel comfortable about going. I am so thankful for Jon and his love of life and willingness to go anywhere and do anything without worrying. I need me a dose of that.

Stay tuned for more updates in what will likely be a road trip to remember.

And away they go

We're almost there! Well, sort of...

We first starting planning and praying about going to Mexico in January. That was 8 months ago and it is hard to believe Steve is just a couple of days away from leaving. A lot has happened to get us to this point.

But most recently.....

We moved from the apartment (Yeah! No more mice!) and into my parent's house (Yeah! Central air!). They are thrilled to have Breckyn here and have been spoiling her rotten. It has been amazing to have built-in baby sitters around and Steve and I have definitely been taking advantage of it. We went to dinner last night and caught a movie afterward. I think my parents were happier than we were about us leaving Breckyn for the evening!

So back to our trip....

There is a new and very exciting addition to our adventure. Jon, Steve's youngest brother has decided to join us in Mexico until Christmas. He had planned to take a semester off from college to work, but after some prayer and consideration he thought that this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and shouldn't pass it up. It's going to be a awesome having him there!

The second round of packing is underway. And our long list of to-dos is getting much shorter. The boys are leaving Monday for the drive cross-country. They have decided to camp their way across this beautiful country of ours, taking 10 days to stop with friends and at national parks along the way to make the drive to California fun and hopefully not feel as long. Once there, Elisabeth, Breckyn and I will join them and we will spend about a week and a half meeting with churches to do some recruiting of students for the marketplace ministry program and visiting friends and family. They will cross the border into Mexico on September 12th and we will meet them there that night. Please keep them in prayer during the12th as they drive through Mexico.

So, while the trip is gearing up for the boys, us girls can relax and enjoy the comforts of home for a little longer. Hopefully I will be updating you all on their trip with pictures of Yosemite, Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon. Please pray for safety for the guys and peace of mind for those of us waiting behind. Love you all! Thanks for reading!

we're a-packin

We are slowly packing up the apartment in preparation for our move into my parents house at the end of the month. We thought we could save a couple bucks and some frustration by not waiting until August to move out of our apartment. Storing stuff is a funny thing. Our lives are being packed away not to be seen again for at least 10 months, but probably more since we have no idea what we are doing when we get back. Looking at something right before it goes into a box makes me sad. It is also sort of eye opening. None of it we actually NEED. The 10% we don't put in storage is going to be loaded into our Camry and driven across the border along with Justin and Elisabeth's belongings.

We have been told that we don't need as much as we think. Realistically, I only wear about 1/8 of my wardrobe anyway and I spent my childhood vacations camping so I know I don't need much but this is still going to be hard. Bring only what you NEED. What do I need? Do I need a hairdryer? It would be nice. An iron? Okay, so I haven't used an iron in 7 years but I might start. What if we go to a wedding? I'll need a dress for that. And what about some books? I can't think of anything more lovely than an occasional page-turner on the Mazatlan beaches.

But it all adds up.

And really, my main concern is the baby equipment. She DOES need stuff; a pack-n-play, stroller, highchair, car seat, swim floaty, books, toys, several stages of clothes because despite my parent's wishes, she will continue to grow while we are gone. I know we can buy stuff when we get there, but if I have what I need here, I find it hard to justify buying something again. I can only imagine what this car is going to look like. I know what I pack when I go to my parents for the weekend and we can't bring much more than that.

I really am looking forward to living a simpler life. Living in a one-room apartment will force us to look at what we really need to live with and what we can do without.

Steve says not to worry, it will get in. I just feel sorry for the border agents trying to check it all.

the business of ministry

So, to explain a little more about what we are doing….the ministry in Mazatlan is based on “marketplace ministry”. The idea is that instead of raising funds, there is a business that supports the mission. This amazing idea allows a family or group of people to minister in a community without having to rely on outside money to sustain them. The couple we will be staying with, Tom and Heidi Lonsdale, have 2 coffee shops called Looney Bean each located near the beach catering both to locals and tourists.

In addition to the shops, the Lonsdale’s have a heart for young people and wanted to find a way to minister to them. A program has been developed starting this fall to bring 8 students each semester down from the States to work, learn, live and grow in a different culture. They will live at the house, work at the coffee shop, take some classes and volunteer in the community for about 3 ½ months. Then a new group comes in the second half of the year. With all that going on, it is necessary to have more than one couple working. Steve & I and Justin & Elisabeth have committed to at least the next year to helping the Lonsdale’s carry out their vision.

This is such an exciting time for us! We thought that there is no better time than now to do something different and go on an adventure. We ask for your prayers for us and we will continue to use this blog to send updates.

-Beth

Hello and Welcome!

We have decided to start this blog as a way of communicating what is going in our lives during the next year or so.

There is so much happening and we are really excited about what the Lord is doing. Mainly, we decided to go to Mazatlan, SI, Mexico to help with the ministry of Tom & Heidi Lonsdale and Justin & Elisabeth Reese.

Check out their sites:

www.reesecoast.wordpress.com
www.looneybeanmaz.jimdo.com

The Lord has laid it on our hearts to join them in running their coffee shop. We are super excited about the opportunity to serve and get out of our normal routine for some time. We will be leaving in September and staying til May.

Look back for news, updates and pictures!