Solo Journey to the mercado and a house for rent!!!!

I'm sitting here listening to the crickets sing as well as a marching band playing in the Zocalo! The music and the fireworks are pleasant up here on the hill, they aren't at all intrusive but make a nice fiesta sound in the background. It's a warm evening but not oppressive. Thankfully Taxco is like Colorado in the fact that when there is a hot afternoon there is always a nice cool down in the evening.

Every day I want to write about so many things but before I get a chance to write, then more things happen. I always feel like I'm behind so instead of writing about the ten things that I should write about I'm going to write from my heart, which might be a little backwards but that's just the way I want to do it. :-)

This afternoon I had my solo journey into the mercado. I really didn't intend to buy much but just to explore on my own. I am such a people focused person that when my family is along I get distracted by the interaction with them and miss the amazing intricacies of each mercado stall. This time I just wanted to wander through the maze all by myself! Gary was afraid I would get lost but actually I did quite well and discovered some areas that Gary hadn't even seen! Amazing! I did buy some grapes and a Pepsi! I met a man who spoke a little English so we talked a bit in "Spanglish". It helps when someone speaks a little English so that I can practice my Spanish but not rely totally on it. He was very nice and welcomed me to Taxco as everyone has since we've been here! Tomorrow Gary and I will go together for some more serious shopping. His Spanish is better than mine as well as his sense of direction to find each specific food stall.

I have been so frustrated with my lack of ability to cook good meals right now. I always feel God's tender voice speaking to me and telling me that it will all work out and I will learn how to shop and cook in Mexico. I love cooking for people, lots and lots of people! :-) (Yes, owning a small restaurant is a dream of mine!) I desperately want to bless Oscar and Silvia with another home cooked meal but I feel so challenged in my ability to actually cook a full course meal in the kitchen of the B&B as well as find the Mexican ingredients that I've grown to love to cook with! The mercado is an wonderful cultural experience and I absolutely love it but right now it is difficult for me to know where to find things and how to buy them. I think the main obstacle is not having our boxes with my kitchen accessories. As someone who loves to cook and dreams about being a chef, I am very attached to my knives (the knives in this kitchen wouldn't cut butter let alone chop all the fresh chilies for my chicken mole!) and my blender and my pots and pans! I know exactly which pan works best for popcorn and which pot works best for bean soup and how my cast iron skillet works for mole and how my crock pot does a roast and so on. The hodgepodge of cheap and ancient items in this kitchen would do well for a college dorm or a hunting camp but not for an amateur chef! 


I am very grateful that we decided to include the kitchen items in our shipment from Loveland. How I long for the day to open the boxes labeled "cocina" and pull out all my tools of the cooking trade! Preparing large meals and inviting lots of people into our home is part of my ministry of hospitality and Gary in particular (thank you Honey) felt it would be important in Mexico to have a stocked kitchen ready to go as soon as we moved into our own house....and that brings me to the earlier event in the day! (I told you it was backwards!) 

We looked a house this morning! Actually we looked at two houses but the first one was way too small and too far away from town. It all began when I got an e-mail from a realtor here in Taxco. It was totally in Spanish and instead of trying to correctly respond in Spanish, Gary went over to the office and Silvia called the realtor for us.

So much for the land of siestas and easy living! Many times we have been whisked away at a moment’s notice and this morning was no exception. It turned out that Silvia was going to drive her son to work in the same neighborhood as the house for rent so with two minutes notice (Bethany's hair was soaked from her shower) we piled in their car, all on top of each other, and headed to Monte Taxco, an exclusive area of Taxco set way up on the mountain.

It is peaceful up in the mountains of Monte Taxco but it lacks the charm and life of the city. We looked at an extremely small two bedroom house, thanked the gentleman, and Silvia drove us back down the mountain.

 No offense to the members of my gender but I cannot believe that Silvia, being a woman, drives in Taxco. I would never have the courage necessary to drive alongside other vehicles with a hair's width between the cars! Or to drive on some of the roads where there is a hair's width between the car and the stone walls on either side of the road. Incredible! My hat is off to Silvia and her amazing talent of driving in Taxco!

Silvia drove us home and then motioned us to follow her to the roof of the B&B, where she proceeded to holler to the neighbor behind the B&B and of course up the hill. (You walk 50 feet South and you've climbed five stories!)

Apparently the house right behind the B&B will be available to rent the first part of May! When Silvia yelled to the neighbor she motioned us to come over to see it. We walked up the hill and through a gate and were taken upstairs to the house.

Instantly we were thrilled. It isn't the perfect American expat house but it seems like it is nearly ideal for us. It is very large for a house in Taxco and has a lot of beauty and character, particularly inside.

The kitchen is PERFECT!!!! Again, it's not a white on white, sterile, American kitchen but it is perfect for what I have been wanting. It is a true Mexican kitchen with all the "roughing" it aspects that goes along with that, such as of course no garbage disposal, no dishwasher, no double sink and no frilly curtains. Yet, it is perfect for me! The kitchen is a separate room, connected to the hall and the dining room of the house but it has doors that close it off from each of those areas. I absolutely have been craving a kitchen like this! I can sing, pray and cook to my heart’s desire and have the privacy to do those things. But also, unlike the B&B it isn't so separate that you have to go outside to get to it.


 The kitchen is perfect in every way....except that it is blue! Okay, everyone who knows that I love red and have red appliances can gasp! I don't know if there is anything to do about this because it is blue tile so it isn't as easy as repainting a wall but we may be able to do some kind of creative act of pulling the colors together so it blends. It wouldn't be so bad if it were a deep blue but it is a light blue which just sounds horrid with my red appliances. Oh well, there are more important things in life than a matching red kitchen! This is where our creativity shines, Gary and I can usually make something wonderful out of very little resources. And I think that's what we'll end up doing with this kitchen and her "interesting" colors!

The rest of the house has a large living room and dining room that has a fireplace and a long room length balcony. It also has four bedrooms and each bedroom has its own bathroom and shower! Nathaniel and Bethany think they will be in heaven to have their own bathroom (They aren't too thrilled about having to clean it on their own!) 

There is large upper patio that is shared with the owner's son and wife who live in the adjoining property and up from the common patio there is a nice gazebo type of a terrace that is private to this house. I can picture Gary and I cozily sitting together up in our private terrace while watching the stars appear each evening! Gary and I have prayed for a Mexican substitute for our backyard swing setting where we spent so much time together looking out over our flower gardens in Loveland. This is an important aspect of our marriage and thankfully we can see that this gazebo terrace will provide the beauty, relaxation, and privacy that has come to mean so much to Gary and me as a couple. This beautiful area will also make a great place of prayer in the early mornings. I can take my coffee and my Bible and spend time alone with God up in that very private and beautiful terrace over looking the city!

Below the house is an orange tree and area of dirt that Nathaniel is so excited about planting flowers in!

The house rents for $4500 pesos and the man who showed it to us is going to talk to his mom, who owns it, to see if the price can be dropped to $4000 pesos! This is incredible because at $4000 pesos it would be about $350 American dollars per month, including water! That price, for such a large house, totally shocked us!

One of the totally awesome aspects of this house is how close it is to the B&B and therefore how close it is to our dear friends Oscar and Silvia. We can wave to each other from the terrace and stop over any time!


It is also large enough to have lots of people in for comida as well as for Bible studies and small church meetings!

We are not certain if we will be renting it yet. We had a couple of questions but the owner did not speak a word of English and Silvia Silvia speaks about as much English as I do Spanish so we didn't get a lot of our questions answered. We will go with Oscar on Monday and he will translate. Our questions are mainly regarding a place for a washer. There is a wash board and a sink but that is a tiny bit too rustic for me. Most people here have a washer and hang their clothes outside to dry. That aspect I like but washing with a wash board??? I'm not ready to take that leap yet with a family of four! So that is our major question that needs to be answered. Every time we asked about the lavadora, the owner and Silvia pointed downstairs but never showed us where this washer might be or if they understood our question.

We are thoroughly excited though and anticipating seeing it again on Monday and asking some of our questions, such as whether the circuits can hold more than the two plugs in the kitchen (One being behind the refrigerator)! Gary can do the electrical work but the service has to be able to handle more plugs and therefore more appliances.


There are some things to fix up and build. There isn't kitchen cabinets or any kind of pantry. We will have a local carpenter build us a pantry and maybe some cabinets. The kitchen sink tile is totally broken and needs to be replaced and there are a couple windows broken (we know a glass guy already!) If any of you remember the old 1890s farmhouse that we rented in Pennsylvania you get the idea of how we like to fix up a place. This isn't nearly as run down as the farm house so it isn't overwhelming in that sense. But it isn't so sterile and perfect so as to not give us a chance to put any of our heart and soul into it. I don't suppose there is anything to do about the bright blue bathtub but certain things and certain colors we just need to adjust to. I am thrilled that there actually is a bathtub because that is not very common in Mexican homes!


It's amazing to us how this has all worked out. Oscar has been extremely busy the past two weeks working on a silver order for a client in Ohio, so he hasn't been able to focus at all on helping us find a house. Gary and I have felt discouraged, particularly after looking at a couple houses on our own, first of all that we felt couldn't accomplish finding a house alone and secondly that there wouldn't be a house for rent in Taxco that would be a home for our family and not just a "rental". Yet, in true wonderful Mexican style the house behind the B&B isn't really a rental but a vacant house that is owned by a woman in Mexico City. Because Oscar and Silvia know the son of the owner he happily showed it to us on a moments notice and his mom is happy to rent it to us.


It's all networking of sorts but in such a more easy way for Gary and my personalities than the business approach in the states. In the states the networking is all up to the person who has the need. The person who needs a job or a house or a loan has to make a thousand "cold calls" introducing himself to this person and that person in order to finally make a contact. That approach is extremely difficult for both Gary and I. But in Mexico the networking is all done for the person in need. "Oh you need a job??? Jose has a friend, who has a brother, who has a friend, who works for a man, whose uncle's mother needs help building a house" and there you have a job! And when our Mexican friend needs something, we (after having lived here long enough to get to know people) call our plumber, who has a friend who has a brother, who has a mother and so on and so forth!


 Despite Oscar and Silvia being extremely busy working on this silver order, they still took time to talk to their neighbor, who talked to his mother, who said she would like to turn it into a full time rental. (We think it has been used as an occasional vacation home in the past.) All we had to do was arrive and let them take us around and show us the house. It's much more people doing for each other rather than the lone person trying to make contacts on his or her own. We like this kind of networking!


Therefore, on this end of March day, we think we have found the house that will be home for our family and our ministry!!!!

The Swordmaster Ministries, Inc.

From Taxco Guerrero Mexico

Martes 29 Marzo

www.theswordmaster.org

  

Caminando…..Walkabout…..Exploration…...Journey…..Expedition…..Trek…..Hike…..

Dear Friends and Family,

It’s been an amazing journey these past four weeks in Mexico. It’s been amazing to be transported to another country and not own a vehicle. We’ve had an incredible time as we walk everywhere and explore our new country on foot. In the beginning we were simply exploring downtown Taxco, in recent days we’ve been walking outside of town. We are getting to know our city first hand with all the amazing sights and sounds that she has to offer.

We’ve walked on streets where the cars peacefully share the road with donkeys!

We’ve climbed very high hills and gone down steep descents that challenge even the most trusted hiking shoes!

In all of this, of course we are getting exercise but most importantly we are getting to know the town and her people that God has place upon our hearts. How could we possibly share the gospel message when we don’t know the soul of the people?





We’ve discovered a joyful people who are always willing to help. We’ve seen married couples walking and joking with each other such as Gary and I do. We’ve seen families with children and we’ve seen the elderly keeping young by walking to the mercado or to a small store to get a soda. Everyone we pass has a smile and a greeting for us. We’ve never once felt unsafe or threatened in any way.





We’ve also seen what the American mind would call poverty. Gary and I are gaining  new insight into redefining just what being impoverished really means. Of course abject poverty, where children are diseased and do not have food to eat and families live without a home, is terrible and from the pit of Hell. But what defines poverty? Poverty of the 21st century would be blessing in the 1800s!

After homeschooling in Colorado for 13 years, we have done plenty of study on the settlement of the western states of our country. The pioneers slept under wagons, built one room cabins, and many times did not even have the luxury of an outhouse! We honor the pioneers for their courage and fortitude in spite of that. If we were transported to their lifestyle, we would look upon them in horror! Women giving birth and then following the wagon train for miles to finish the day of travel. Men only being able to provide a 10 x 10 log room for their family as a house! Children working from sun up to sun down to plant a field of wheat so that their family could eat. Yet this is how our country was founded and the American people were all the better for it. Now that we have four bedrooms, three baths and a Jacuzzi in our homes, we think anything less is torture, yet it really isn’t.

 The joy of the family in this picture is a living example of the treasure that the Mexican people have. Yet see the house behind them that they call home??? We Americans would do well to re-think what types of things we feel sorrow for. It is possible that the very things that should cause true sorrow are affluence and wealth, since they rob the heart and soul of a family and turn us into slaves seeking after the God of money? These Mexican families are so happy, yet live so very simply. It’s really challenged our family’s thinking and our definition of poverty.

As I said, Gary, Nathaniel, Bethany and I have been in exploration mode. With every mile we walk we are considering the heart of the town and her people where God has called us to proclaim his salvation. What do these people need? What treasures of heart and soul do these people have that we can learn from? Do we come in as experts with all the answers or as humble servants to our Mexican brothers and sisters?

Walking the streets of Taxco has given us the heart of a servant, and for that I am eternally grateful!

May God give us his favor and his grace as we serve him and serve the Mexican people.

All our love from Taxco

Gary, Rachel, Nathaniel and Bethany

Shocked by kindness

Taxco has a way of getting into your heart and soul. It's an amazing place with wonderful people.

Yesterday, after the most critical part of Nathaniel's sickness was over, I asked Gary if we could go out together, anywhere just so I could recuperate a bit from Nathaniel being so intensly ill. We decided to walk down town and follow a couple of leads on houses for rent.

Just before we left our friend the "Doctor" came to visit Nathaniel, just like an episode of Donna Reed where Doctor Stone goes on his rounds and visits his patients one by one. The Doctor examined Nathaniel (for free I might add!) and told us that he was thankful that Nathaniel was doing much better for the doctor had suspected an appendicitis! When he said that word I was equally as relieved and thankful for this doctor's care. As he left he was full of warmth and was very joyful that Nataniel was better! We thanked him and showed him to the door, once again stunned at the Mexican kindness and lack of the almighty dollar driving every decision and every action.

 Gary and I then walked the steep decent into downton Taxco. Taxco is like another world, it is alive and active with people like a small city in Italy would be. It isn't pavement, highways and skyscrapers but it has an deep and beautifull life to it.

Gary and I walked to a glass shop where the owners were supposed to have a house for rent. We went in and were greeted by the typical Mexican warmth and friendliness. The owner spoke a little English so between our "un Poquito" Spanish and their "little English" we got by. It turns out the house they have is already "rentado" but in typical Mexican style they have a family member who knows someone who knows someone else who has a house to rent. They couldn't reach the first contact by phone so asked us to stop back tomorrow. They were incredibly kind and friendly.

What strikes our family is when we ask if a rental is available we don't get a stark, "NO!" We are told that it isn't available by the Mexican people but then they go about the work of trying to help us anyway. I can't imagine meeting an indifferent Mexican person. They all take on our needs as if we were some long lost relative that they deeply desire to help. I simply cannot imagine how difficult it must be for the Mexican immigrant, thinking that all people are as kind and helpful as their own country is, to arrive in the states and be greeted by a cold hard world of people. Can any of us picture a Mexican family walking the streets of Denver asking for rentals and being helped like we have been helped? The love and kindness has totally blown our minds. Every time I look for a possible loop hole, that maybe they are really trying to get something from us, the loop hole disintegrates and only kindness and generosity remains.

After Gary and I left the glass shop we wondered to another area that had a possible rental but we could not locate the correct place.

 We walked hand in hand back to the zocalo and relaxed as the children played and the birds sang or rather squawked! There is a type of black bird here who has a very shrill and squawky song and they seem to gather in the zocalo along with the children, families, and street vendors. We saw a couple of hijos playing that reminded us of Nathaniel and Bethany how close they are as brother and sister.

 Finally we decided to walk down to the mercado and explore a little, which we did for awhile and then decided to head back home.

On our way from the mercado we passed a familiar silver shop. But instead of passing idly by the man in the doorway asked us where we were from. We told him we were from Colorado but had move to Taxco. He was so full of welcomes and joy that we wanted to live in his city. He kept saying, "If there is anything I can do to help you" and "If you need anything". Finally, because he wasn't hocking silver I decided to dive in and told him that we were looking for a house to rent. Right away he took us inside and started talking to co-workers and calling this person and that person. He told us there was a house for rent that he could show us but we would need to come back at 6:30 after he closed the shop.

Stunned again at the helpfulness of the Mexican people, we walked back out onto the street and walked around shops for an hour killing time before the anticipated appointment. As we walked hand in hand one man asked us if we were on our honeymoon! After 16 years of marriage I think that is a great compliment that we are still so much in love that a shop keeper would think that we were in Taxco on our honeymoon! There's something about Mexico that brings out the best in both Gary and me!

We sauntered back over to the store at the appointed time and a gal took us a few doors up to the owners office. He greeted us with warmth and smiles and began to talk to us in English (thankfully!) and tell us about a house that his dad built for his sister, that was available. Well, it wasn't really available because his sister had just moved into it two weeks ago but she could always live with him so that we could rent it! It is a 3-bedroom house, with kitchen, dinning room and living room! Sounds good to me! He said that he would prefer to show it to us tomorrow (Friday-today) at 5:00. We said that would be great! He asked us about our children and was so happy to know that they are enjoying Taxco. He was so happy and excited to be able to help us. "What ever you need" he kept saying! As with the other Mexican people he treated us like a long lost family member that he greatly wanted to take care of and help.

Gary and I again walked away stunned. I had spent three unproductive hours looking on-line for rentals in Taxco the day before. Yet, on a simple walk down town we were able to just meet people and have conversations that have led us to two different possible houses.

Another thing that is noteworthy is that we sat in this man's silvershop for quite awhile and not once did anyone try to sell us some silver. They asked us about our family and about our life in Colorado and our move here. They didn't seem at all like they were trying to make a sale or look for an easy marked American dollar to swindle out of us. They were just kind people wanting to help.

So in a little over two hours we will look at our first Mexican house for rent. I am a little nervous because this is a major decision and we have so little understanding and experience in this culture. Yet, I feel totally taken care of by the Mexican people!

Mucho Enfermo

\

I awoke this morning (bright and early at 3:00 AM) to Nathaniel moaning. I went to his bed to find him ready to vomit and very sick. For the next four hours I sat by his bed while he vomited time after time. By the time morning came I sent Gary out for some juice, which Nathaniel promptly threw up. As soon as this happened I sent Gary out for help. He went over to talk to Oscar (the property manager and dear dear friend) and Oscar immediately called his friend who is a doctor.

Amazingly, this doctor makes house calls for $500 pesos, which is about $45 US dollars! He examined Nathaniel and prescribed four different medicines. Everything from antibiodics to an anti-vomiting medicine to a "gut cleaner"!

As soon as the doctor left and we paid him his pesos, Gary walked down to the pharmacy to get the prescriptions filled. Four prescriptions came to $40 US. Again, amazing!

The first thing Nathaniel took was the anti-vomiting medicine and then he progressed towards the anti-biotic. He has had a high fever all day long and the doctor mentioned Typhoid Fever, which we had immunizations for but is only good 50% of the time. (So much for the $300 we spent on that immunization!) In any case, whatever the specific cause, Nathaniel has been a very sick boy in the past 24 hours.

As for me??? Any of you who know me well, know that Nathaniel being sick is always very difficult on me. This morning after he vomited the juice, he fell asleep but he looked so still that I had to watch very carefully to make sure the covers were rising indicating a heartbeat. Will I ever get over the fear and the uncertainty? When Bethany is sick it is so different. I remember the time she had the stomach flu and vomited 9 times. I sat by her side and comforted her, hated to see her suffering and took care of her around the clock but it is such a different experience when Nathaniel is sick. It's near torment watch him wondering if he is alive and never really knowing what situation may send him over the edge metabolically.

Of course I prayed and prayed and prayed when he was vomiting throughout the night. I felt the peace of God flow over me, yet I am still a mom and where there is a mom, a sick child, and a life threatening genetic disorder, you will have a deep emotional response of love, protection, and helplessness. As much as we moms like to control things, I cannot, in my own strength, protect Nathaniel's life. I must trust God and continue to lay him on the altar and trust God with the outcome.

For those of you who don't know, Nathaniel has a very rare genetic disorder called V-LCAD or "Very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency"

Here is a brief clinical definition:

VLCAD is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder where the body is unable to oxidize very long chain fatty acids. Fatty Oxidation Disorders (FODs) are genetic metabolic deficiencies in which the body is unable to oxidize (breakdown) fatty acids to make energy because an enzyme is either missing or not working correctly. The main source of energy for the body is a sugar called glucose. Normally when the glucose runs out, fat is broken down into energy. However, that energy is not readily available to children and adults with an FOD. Therefore, infection, fasting and exhaustion can precipitate rapid metabolic crisis that can lead to death."

As serious as this sounds and as serious as it is, Nathaniel a very healthy and strong 14-year old boy. Normality is extremely important for Nathaniel and for the rest of us as we take care of him. It is very important that we don't create a "disability" mindset where VLCAD defines Nathaniel. VLCAD is a part of Nathaniel's life and a part of our life but it certainly isn't the sum of who he is and vlcad doesn't define him.

Nathaniel's situation is unique in the fact that after 3-1/2 years of grueling tests, when Nathaniel was a baby, the specialists discovered that the activity in the vlcad enzyme was working at a 50% level rather than the more severe 0-5% level. In other words, Nathaniel is deficient in the very long chain fatty acid enzyme but his deficiency isn't as severe as a lot of children who have been diagnosed with this disorder.

What does this mean in our everyday life? For this mom, it's always in the back of my mind, "Nathaniel, remember to take a protein bar with you" echoes through our home more times that I can count. When Nathaniel runs outside to kick a ball with a friend or go hiking with the youth group he needs to have some food with him. Where the rest of us would just be good and hungry if we went hiking and forgot an energy bar, for Nathaniel it could be critical. You and I would just burn off some good old fat, Nathaniel can't burn that fat fast enough to supply energy for a hike. In those situations it is critical that he have food to replenish what he is burning as he is actively climbing, hiking or doing any number of crazy things that a teenage boy will do! In those situations vlcad is very manageable It just takes a good memory and a backpack with a couple energy bars.

However, it is much more difficult to manage when Nathaniel cannot keep food down as in times of vomiting. Thankfully this has rarely happened. The first time he got that sick he was one year old and had to be hospitalized and put on a special IV. He had another sickness that wasn't as intense that we treated at home. And this episode of vomiting would make number three in his life and probably the most severe.

Some parents who deal with this rush their children to the ER at the first sign of a sickness. Gary and I have just never done that, for one thing, none of the specialists could really give us an answer as to what would happen with a 50% reduction as opposed to the other children who had died with 5% activity in the enzyme or less. No one has said, "Take him to the hospital immediately" but have left that judgment call up to us. We have always taken the more holistic approach and treated Nathaniel at home. Yes, we use medical services, such as the wonderful Mexican doctor this morning, but it is we as a family who sit next to Nathaniel coaxing juice into him and making sure he is alright throughout the night. We work together as a team and I don't believe any hospital in any country could take care of him like we do at least at this level of illness. Yet, if he deteriorated metabolically he would be in the hospital immediately!

So here we are, Nathaniel is on the couch watching soccer! Or "futbol" as it is called in Mexico. He has had a small bottle of juice and a half bowl of chicken soup for the entire day. His fever is up but he hasn't vomited in 12 hours so I am comforted in that. As long as he can continue to keep small amounts of juice down, he will be alright.

This does hit me deep in the heart though. Nothing can compare to almost losing a child to death. What we lived through when he was a baby will always be with me particularly during times of illness such as this.

For now I will leave you with a cheerful picture taken yesterday as Nathaniel and Bethany had fun at a play ground that we discovered during our treck up the mountain.

There never seems to be a typical day in Taxco, never! We got up this morning in a rush because guests were coming to the main house so we needed to move back over to the apartment. We are not paying full price to stay here so we get shifted back and forth as full paying clients come and go. There was also a guest leaving the apartment so we were in limbo for the morning and afternoon. However, the couple that was leaving were very interesting and we had surprising connections with them.

Joseph lived in Fort Collins during his childhood and both he and Tammy graduated from Belmont College in Nashville where Gary got his degree! They all swapped Nashville stories as both Tammy and Joseph are musicians. We spent about an hour sitting in the little porch area singing worship songs while Tammy and Joseph sang and led. It was really an amazing "chance" meeting and very uplifting.

I was so frustrated with my laryngitis. After so many weeks of not singing I just thought the other day how I was really longing to sing, not just hum around the house but really sing. I was missing choir, worship team and LCS and just had a burning desire to SING! And then we have these visiting musicians that spent two hours singing and playing with us. I croaked out some high notes that were a lot purer than the lower notes (in the lower range I sounded like a frog!) it was nice to worship but still frustrating that I couldn't really sing and have fun with it because of my voice.


We all exchanged websites and e-mail addresses. It is incredible how we just happened to meet them and how we had so many connections in such a distant land.

After they left we were so starved, and really not allowed back into the kitchen, which is part of the main house and not the apartment, so we went out to a restaurant to eat. We ate at a place that had a very high terrace so I got some good pictures of the city and the Zocalo.

 

This evening we are back in the apartment where we were when we first arrived. I am REALLY feeling the need to settle into a home. It was a year ago this month that we began the hideous process of selling our house. I don't think we've been "home" since that time. And then on New Year's Day we began major packing and selling of major furniture and normal life really shut down at that point. We kept pressing onward, like during a major bike ride where all you're thinking about is getting past the next mile which will bring you one mile closer to your goal. We were single minded in getting to Taxco. Now that we're here, we've completed the "moving" section of our race. I just feel like collapsing with a soda and going home to get a shower because the grueling race is finally over. But somehow being in limbo mode at this hotel, it's like having to get back on the bike and ride another 20 miles. Our butts are sore, and our legs feel like jello. We're ready to be done with this section of the triathlon, yet there's more mileage to cover before we can be home. That's the tough part of any athletic event. All the energy of the start of day is gone. all that's left is the sweaty grueling last miles ahead.

For me, waiting on a home to rent and move our family into is like those last ten miles up hill before the end of the bike race. My muscles are burning and I'm exhausted but I'll keep peddling onward up up up the hill until we finally are settled into our new home in Taxco!

Domingo afternoon

I officially have laryngitis so I am more apt to be writing my thoughts than gabbing to my husband and children. (Do I hear a grand sigh of relief from the other side of the room???) I may be on my way to my first Mexican doctor’s visit, which is weird since I haven’t been to an American doctor for medicine in about four years! Maybe it was the stress of the move or maybe my voice is rebelling against speaking Spanish and just wants to be quiet for awhile!

Today is difficult to put into words.  We went to comida at Oscar and Silvia’s home. I desperately wish I could have taken more pictures but I did not want to offend our Mexican friends by taking pictures like their house was part of a National Geographic film. First of all, this is a great honor to be included in a Mexican family’s home and family. So it is not to be taken lightly. It’s funny, we’ve been invited to comida three times, so it would appear that it isn’t a huge deal but in reality it is very important. It is being invited into the family circle which is extremely important in the Mexican culture.

Their home was outside of town nestled in the hillside among coffee and cedar trees! (I saw my first coffee bean flowers today!) When we walked up the steep dirt hill, among the barking dogs and the playing children, I knew this was the real deal of Mexican life. I was greeted with the warm Mexican hug and kiss on the cheek by Silvia and then was introduced to her sister and her sister’s children.  Bethany and Silvia’s niece began playing together despite a total language barrier but with lots of giggles and each of them being a little “timido” about trying to speak each other’s language.

We were served an incredible meal of chicken with mole, tamales, and rice. Along with a watermelon drink which I am hoping was made with purified water. We shall see……. We ate outside on a small picnic table which was the only family table.  

I don’t know why we American’s tend to focus on what a family doesn’t have financially rather than what they do have relationally. This family has love, laughter, faith, joy, and respect for one another. There wasn’t a squabble among the siblings or arguing as cousins. There was love and laughter. We enjoyed our time and communicated as best possible. When we were finished eating Oscar took Gary aside and offered us their home to live in. We are thoroughly humbled and amazed at this culture. How could a man offer a family, who he just met two weeks ago, his family home? It’s an incredible thought and one that will take years for me to even grasp.

Gary handled the moment graciously and they discussed our looking at a variety of houses. What do you say to a man who has offered you everything he has? How do you admit that his home isn’t nice enough for our American sensitivities? I pray that he never realizes this sad truth.

It must be so difficult for a Mexican immigrant, legal or otherwise, coming to the states after growing up in such a giving culture and not realizing the independent nature of the American culture. Here is a Mexican family ready to give us all they have when they have only known us for two weeks. It must come as quite a culture shock to a Mexican family when that doesn’t happen north of the border.

After we sat around the table and talked Nathaniel was invited to “hang out with the guys” for awhile. So Oscar loaded up his small car with eight people (yes we were riding on top of each other) and took Gary, Bethany, and I home and then after Nathaniel changed his clothes the guys went to play “futbol” and hang out! Gary and I were fine with him going, but as the evening wore on and it got dark I began to worry. First of all, we thought Josue (Oscar and Silvia’s 16 year old son) and his brother and cousins were being dropped off to play soccer somewhere in the city, we didn’t know that Oscar was going to be with them. Secondly, I tend to be overly protective where Nathaniel is concerned because of his life threatening metabolic disorder. “What if he has a metabolic need and I’m not there to take care of him”. And so on and so forth.

I tried to pass the time by doing something constructive so I studied Spanish for an hour but once the stars shone brightly in the sky I began to panic. It was getting later and later and I had no idea where Nathaniel was and had no possible way to get a hold of him. (We haven’t bought Mexican cell phones yet.) I took the laundry up to the roof so that I could work off some nervous energy by washing clothes. But all that did was give me a private place to lose control so I stood up on the roof over looking Taxco and wept. I was really an emotional mess. “What kind of a parent leaves their child in a foreign country with nearly total strangers?” and on and on the emotions went. Bethany was concerned and later told me that she was worried about the metabolic issues and what if he had a problem. Then I really lost it when I saw Gary pacing at the front gate wondering where his son was. If Gary gets worried then there’s really something to worry about!

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the front gate opened and a joyful fourteen year old boy appeared having had the time of his life with his new friends. I flew down the uneven rock hewn stairs from the roof to see how he was. Gary came down after me and we all sat down to listen to his evening adventure, alone in Mexico without his family!

As it turns out Oscar and the boys went together to kick soccer ball around and have some fun together. Had I known that Oscar was with them I wouldn’t have been nearly as worried. Nathaniel had a great time and really deepened the friendship with Oscar’s two sons, Emanuel and Josua. I think he’s well on his way to having some really good friendships and learned some soccer skills in the process. We were all so happy for him despite how difficult it was to let go.

We’ve been in Mexico for 17 days. So much has happened, there are so many things to ponder. Will we ever be the same? If we went back to Colorado today what would our response be to our house and our possessions? Would we feel blessed or empty? Of course I miss my home but was my life full of the love and relationships that these people have? Or was it full of meetings and possessions? I think if we Americans were wise we would envy our Mexican brothers for they have a treasure that cannot be bought or sold but lies deep within their hearts.