Gorditas+Dancing+Twins+Sunday school = Rio Ministry

There are many reasons why I love being in the Rio. One is that there is never a dull moment! Here are a few pictures from a regular week serving in the Rio.

Holding twin baby girls!

Miriam and Marian are about 6 weeks old now. This picture is from the first day I got to hold them (they were 2 weeks old). I love babies and have been able to strike up a friendship with the twins mom, Magdalina. She has been coming every week to the soup kitchen with the twins and her two older girls. She likes the break from the babies and I don't mind cuddling with them at all! Last Saturday I went to Magdalina's house to help her bring the babies up the the soup kitchen. I saw that she had ingeniously invented a swing for her twins! She had hung an infant car seat from a rafter and one of her girls was being gently rocked to sleep in it. It was brilliant! In a hard situation (where dirt floors in your house are the norm!) you have to be creative for your children! Please continue to pray for this precious family.

Trying on a Catholic festival hat!

One of the families I am getting to know in the Rio loves to participate in festival dances in their Catholic church. This family sews their own costumes out of whatever they can find, make their own instruments, and then as a family go nearly every weekend to dance in parades. This picture is of one of the hat's they made for a traditional dance... however I don't think the dance looks quite like what I am doing :) I asked this family many questions about the dancing and parades and the father told me that they consider it a way to worship the Lord. "We dance for joy in the Holy Spirit," he said! This is for sure different from the way I dance, but I was encouraged by what he told me about his faith. Please pray that they continue to have a revelation of Jesus.

Making gorditas with the Rio women

This past Wednesday we took an American group from Cincinnati out to the Rio to serve the people. While there a lady named China taught us all how to make yummy gorditas. Gorditas are kind of like sweet tortillas and are considered dessert. We made nearly 100 and all enjoyed them together. I also tried my hand at making Mexican beans... it is harder than it looks! Needless to say the ladies at the Rio were impressed and are now wanting to train me in all sorts of recipes. I have another cooking date with China next week. The Menu: flour tortillas and what I call "orange rice".

Sunday school on Saturday :)

Every Saturday I help out with the soup kitchen. Usually I am with the young kids during the lesson time. We have some tiny kids that come, but they surprisingly pay great attention. Recently we have been seeing many new faces:) This is a picture of Tere and Marilin telling the kids the story of baby Moses. Afterward we did a craft and then I taught the kids a song with hand motions called, "Mi Dios es Tan Fuerte".

As you can see, never a dull moment and never the same experience at the Rio!!!

Christopher's Shoes

The sound of many little hands applauding echoed throughout the bus. The bus driver turned around in surprise. I too was taken back. The smiling faces kept grinning, the hands kept giving praise. Mama Connie nodded her head saying, "Gracias a Dios!" The 20 children from the children's home knew why they were giving thanks... Christopher especially was thankful that day... God had heard his specific prayer and sitting on the bus that day were a pair of brand new shoes just for him.

A church group from Cincinnati came to Monterrey with money specifically to buy new shoes for the children at Casa Hogar Villa de Juarez. We loaded up 20 kids on a bus and headed to Wal-Mart. Each child was allowed to pick out a pair of gym shoes. We were pinching toes to make sure there was room to grow, searching for Barbie and Spiderman designs, helping the teen girls find something fashionable... finally we all loaded on the bus with shopping bags full of shoe boxes.

Back on the bus, Christopher tapped Mama Connie, his caretaker, on the shoulder. "Look hermana," he said pointing to his toes. The entire sole was falling off of his old shoe! Mama Connie looked Christopher in the face and said, "God has answered your prayers Christopher." She turned to me and explained that Christopher had been asking God for new shoes and that Jesus had heard that prayer and provided for him. Mama Connie stood up and told the rest of the children on the bus that God had met them and answered their prayers that day through these people who had heard God and come to take them shoe shopping. The kids smiled and laughed. Mama Connie asked the kids to applaud the Lord and thank Him for answering their prayers and providing for their needs. The bus echoed with the sound of grateful hearts that day, not just for the new shoes, but for the physical reminder that God cares for His children.

Christopher showing his ripped shoes.

Sierra Madre Christian Academy Fall 09

Last week marked the end of the first quarter of school! Where is the year going!!!! Along with Rio ministry this year I am also the social studies and science teacher for 4th and 7th graders at SMCA. I feel so privileged to be able to teach the subjects I love most once a week and then spend the rest of my time working in the Rio, with groups from the states, with jovens, etc... I am very blessed.

Here are a few photos of what has been happening in SMCA. This year we are doing an in depth study of botany for science class. The kids and I have spent many hours building light huts, germinating seeds, watering plants, etc... we have quite a little garden so far. We decided to plant a mixture of vegetables, flowers, and herbs and watch the growth process as we study it in class. The kids love what we are doing, as do I:)

Our light huts where we germinated our seeds. Our plants are now MUCH bigger!

Transplanting the plants that outgrew our light hut.

In social studies we are studying ancient world cultures. So far we have done an in depth study of creation and the book of Genesis. Then we looked at early Mesopotamian cultures. We are now midway through Ancient Egypt! It is so much fun!!!!!

Corinna dressed as a ancient Assyrian noblewoman.

My fourth graders preparing a Mesopotamian meal for us to try... it included grapes, apples, grape juice, and the Sebetu Rolls we made from a 3,000 year old recipe... very cool!

My students with our model of an Egyptian water clock.... it kept time for us for the rest of the day :)

Me, my roommate Becca, and Ruby and Jessica (the other SMCA teachers) all dressed up for the SMCA fall festival. We decided we would all come as condiments. I was mustard... can you tell? The kids loved it!

Worship at the Rio

Every Saturday I spend time at Meme's Rio soup kitchen meeting people, playing with kids, and helping with children's church. We usually have anywhere from 25-40 people every Saturday, most of these being children.

A typical day at the soup kitchen usually goes like this: I arrive around 11:00 and help the rio women with the last preparations, runs to tiendas, etc. Around 11:30 my group of little neighborhood girls and I head off into the neighborhood to invite the people to come to the comedor for a warm meal and a church service. At 12:30 the people begin to arrive and we get organized for the service. The service begins with worship all together. Most of the songs we sing are older hymns with a lot of hand clapping. Just a few weeks ago my friend, Cheque, began leading worship with the guitar and began teaching the people some more contemporary worship songs. Now we have a mixture of the old spirituals and the newer praise songs. After the worship service the adults stay for a message and the kids split up into classes based on age groups. I head to a table in the back of the comedor with the littlest kids to help with their class. We sing together, listen to a Bible story, use the felt board (oh yeah! That's my day and age!), and color pictures until the parents are finished. After the teaching time we all share in a meal together. Each week the meal is different. We have everything from enchiladas, to tacos, to chicken soup and always tortillas!!! During the meal there is time to talk and fellowship with the people. To ask about their lives, their needs, and to pray with them. I love it! After the meal the service is over. These past few weeks I have hung around and played with the kids after the meal. This has become one of my favorite times. We play all sorts of games, Cheque plays the guitar, and we teach them songs and motions. I can honestly say that Saturday has become one of my most favorite days of the week!

Here is a clip from the worship service at the soup kitchen.

Mud Daisies

Meme hosts a soup kitchen each Saturday for the women and children of the Rio. This week when I arrived Meme sent me and 4 of the neighborhood girls to invite the people to come eat and hear the word of God. The girls and I trudged through ankle deep mud to knock on doors and tell the people to come. While I was a bit slow with all the mud, the girls were bouncing through it and around it very much accustomed to this kind of "street." We invited the people and on our way back to the soup kitchen, the girls and I came across a patch of beautiful yellow daisies. These daisies were growing right out of the mud and trash that are the essence of the Rio. Against the backdrop of the dilapidated houses, stinky mud, trash piles, old bones, and smelly weeds these daisies were surprisingly beautiful. With girlish instinct we all immediately started picking the flowers. The girls and I were putting them in each other's hair, collecting bouquets, and having a fine time amidst the mud. While we were collecting the daisies I looked up and realized how very similar these little girls were to the daisies growing in this place. Living in the Rio does not give these girls much hope. Their lives are filled with the muddy messes of parents' bad choices, neighbors' anger, brothers' addictions, and family tragedy. Yet despite the "mud" they are able to grow up beautiful, radiant, and cheerful. The girls and I started talking about the daisies, about the mud, about beauty in an ugly street, about Jesus and His miraculous ability to give us a "crown of beauty instead of ashes"- to change ugly circumstances into beautiful things.

With arms full of daisies we returned to the soup kitchen to share the yellow happiness we had collected with others. Worship followed and all I could do was praise God for the amazing way he changes us and saves us from the mud in our lives. He cleanses us, plants new life in us, and helps us to grow amidst hard and ugly circumstances. He is at work in the Rio. He is protecting and growing these little girls. He is turning muddy lives into daisy patches.... Praise Jesus!

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.... to comfort those who morn and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair..." Isaiah 61:1-3

Rio Pictures

Here are a few shots of from when a group from the states came down to serve at the Rio a few weeks ago. We made close to 500 enchiladas, gave numerous piggyback rides, colored, did crafts, gave hugs, and shared testimonies! Praise Jesus for these beautiful people and the way He is pursuing their hearts!
Two of the teenage girls who come often to the soup kitchen doing a beading craft.

Part of the 500 enchilada team!

Some of the many Rio children hard a work coloring.

Me and some of my dear friends at the Rio.

Back to Back2Back!

Whew! I'm back in Monterrey! After a month of a Spanish language intensive it felt great to get back to Monterrey and a little more English! I have been spending many hours these past few weeks getting SMCA ready for classes. We started school this past Monday and it is hard to believe that we have almost completed our first week. This year I am teaching only one day a week. I teach 4th and 7th grade social studies and Science . I do a 3 hour history block in the morning, break for lunch, and then a 2 hour Science block in the afternoon. I love it!

Jessica, the new teacher, has moved into my apartment with me and my other roommate, Becca. Jessica is teaching language, reading, math, and writing to the 4th and 7th graders. It has been great to get to know Jessica! She is a wonderful addition to SMCA!

Because I am only teaching one day a week I am able to spend more time in other areas of the B2B ministry. I will be helping to lead groups out to the Rio community on outreaches! I love that place! Since being back in Monterrey I have been out to the Rio only a few times. I am hoping now that school has started and we are getting into the groove, I will have more time to spend building relationships in the Rio. Please keep me in your prayers. This year is going to look very different than last year. I am still adjusting to my new schedule and work load. Please continue to pray for more of the Lord's heart for the people we minister to, as well as for more of His vision and wisdom.

Thanks for all your prayers and support! I couldn't be here without you! May the Lord continue to bless you all!

Bubble Gum

This is a picture of one of the many stands in San Miguel and surrounding cities! Often women and children will sit on the curb and sell dolls similar to these... it breaks my heart to see these children there for hours. Today I walked by a little girl of about 6 years sound asleep on the pile of dolls she was supposed to be selling... precious and heartbreaking at the same time. Seeing so many children on the streets makes me so appreciative of the children's homes that we work with. Sure the job of caring for so many kids is hard, but worth it to see them having a childhood, going to school, learning about Jesus....

Several weeks ago I was calmly sipping my coffee in Starbucks (yes, Starbucks has taken over this part of the world too!) when a little girl, 10 years old, came into the store and asked me to buy bubble gum from her. I have to admit that my first reaction was to kindly deny. After the girl left I began to think about the interaction I had had with her. I began to be convicted that I had brushed her off in the same way everyone else had in this town... here was a girl who in so many ways is exactly like the children I serve in Monterrey. I thought to myself how Jesus would have handled that situation and quickly gathered my things and went out to search for the girl. I found her sitting by her mother on the corner still selling the gum. I asked the girl how much her gum cost and ended up have a beautiful conversation with her. Maria is 10 and was thrilled to know that I was a teacher. She told me which were her favorite flavors of gum and I promptly bought two. After a few more minutes of chatting I said goodbye and began to walk home, feeling a little less convicted.

On the other street corner I ran into an older woman with a small child. Both were sitting in the middle of the sidewalk with their hands out asking for money. I asked the woman if her child could have the gum I just bought and then began to talk to her about her life. Maria Paula and her grandson Erik Julian live outside of San Miguel with many other family members. Maria shared with me that it is hard to provide for all the mouths she has to feed. Currently 4 of her 14 children are still at home. Maria and I talked for awhile and I was able to share with her about how the Lord has provided for me several times when times were tight. Although I am sure I have never experienced what this lady has, she seemed to be encouraged by my stories. I prayed for her. She cried. God's spirit was there. And I wondered why so many times I get caught up in my own bubble, my own goals, my own agenda and forget that I am here not for my purposes but for His. This was a great awakening day for me... with the gift of 3 more friends :)

Spanish, Spanish, Spanish!!!!

My time in San Miguel de Allende is almost at a close. Only three more days of Spanish classes, a quick trip to Queratero, and a 9 1/2 hour bus ride lie between me and Monterrey! During this month in San Miguel I have learn tons of Spanish! Many people have asked if I am fluent yet... sadly the more Spanish I learn the more I see how much more there is to know! Granted I have greatly increased my knowledge and use of the Spanish language, but still have far to go... I'm praising God that I get to continue practicing and learning in Monterrey!

Here are a few pictures from my last few weeks in San Miguel:

This ice cream stand has a special place in my heart... and a special place in my stomach! I don't know if I have ever had such good ice cream. Not only do these men sell the usual flavors (vanilla, chocolate, etc...) they also sell more exotic flavors: tequila, cheese, raisin, .... This stand is in the centro of San Miguel, I have very easy access!

Here is a picture of most of my host family here in San Miguel. I live with Marina and Ernesto (the grandparents) but there 3 children who live nearby frequent the home often. This afternoon we were celebrating Ernesto's birthday with the entire family... it is amazing how big families are the same no matter what culture you are living in!

Cheque, my friend from Monterrey, came to visit me for a weekend. He is originally from a town just a few hours from San Miguel. Cheque and I went on adventures to nearby pueblos. It was great to have a traveling buddy (especially one who is completely fluent in the language!). We had a ton of fun! Cheque introduced me to some of his favorite foods that are made in this area of Mexico. They tasted great... until the next day when my stomach wasn't quite so fond of them. While I might be Mexican at heart, I definitely still have a gringo stomach!

Two days ago San Miguel had their "preview" for San Miguel Day which is in September. There was a huge parade, fireworks, music, native dancing, catholic processions.... supposedly this is just a small smidgen of what San Miguel Day is like. This is a photo of some of the indigenous people dancing in the parade. Check out the video too!

San Miguel de Allende

Whew! I am here in San Miguel and has it been a whirlwind of a week! As most of you know, I am studying Spanish for a month in San Miguel de Allende which is about 8 hours south of Monterrey and just a few hours outside of Mexico City. This next year I am going to continue my work with B2B, but in a slightly different way. The Lord continues to lay the poor on my heart, so this year I will be spending more time in the Rio communities (garbage dump neighborhoods) that B2B works with (and a few days in SMCA as well :) . Because of the increase in the amount of time I am going to be working with Mexicans, I knew that my Spanish had to increase as well... that is why I decided to come to San Miguel to study.

I have been in San Miguel a week! My trip started out with a few hard days of stomach sickness... after I adjusted to the water here however, things have been going well. Every weekday I have classes at a school called Habla Hispana which is about 4 blocks from where I am staying. My class is super small (only one other student) so I get very personalized attention. All the instruction and everything is in Spanish, which is really good for me and sometimes a bit hard. I already feel like I have learned a ton with only being here one week. The funny thing about learning another language, however, is that the more you learn the more you realize how much you don't know! ...that is how I feel almost everyday!

I am staying with a wonderful Mexican couple, Marina and Ernesto. They have lived close to San Miguel's center for most of their lives. They are sooo nice, very hospitable, awesome cooks, and know not a word of English, which is perfect for me! There are also currently 4 other American students staying here as well. I have loved getting to know Marina and Ernesto, and honestly feel like one of their kids!

I will be in San Miguel for another three weeks then I will head back to Monterrey to begin another school year there! Please keep me in your prayers. Pray that God uses this time in San Miguel to help my Spanish develop, but more than that, pray that my eyes and ears are open to what He wants to do in and through me while I am here. Already He has had me share Christ with three people in both Spanish and English and pray for them as well... I am beginning to see that His purposes in me being here are much greater than what I first thought :)... sounds like God, doesn't it?

Thanks for your continued love and support! Below are some pictures of San Miguel! Enjoy!

A scenic view of San Miguel's center! There are TONS of old churches here... for anyone who as been to Europe, the churches are much the same.

San Miguel's famous church lit up at night.

My school!

Flower vendors in one of the many markets that are just blocks from my house.

A typical street in San Miguel... all the streets are cobblestone and all the houses are brightly painted.

My cute orange room in Marina and Ernesto's house! It looks right out onto the street... very noisy!

Marina teaching me and the other students at my school how to make Pozole de Pollo... super fun!

Summer in Oxford

I am going to try and catch you all up on my summer! It has been crazy which is why it has taken me this long to blog about it. I went home to Oxford, Ohio for six weeks! It was wonderful to be back in my old stomping grounds. There is just no place on earth that can replace Oxford :) I had my fair share of townie treats, went to my favorite places, and hung with some of my favorite people. It was so refreshing.
God also used my time at home to refresh my vision and desire for Him. I often feel that when I return home, God renews my heart for Monterrey and this trip was no exception (I'll save the details for a later blog!).
While at home I was also support raising for my next year in Monterrey. Many thanks to all of you who have supported me and are continuing to support me! I loved connecting with you and sharing my heart! God continues to amaze me as He provides for my life! I feel so loved and humbled by His provision...
After 6 weeks in my sweet town I returned to Monterrey. I was there for one week. During this time I was reuniting with my staff team, remembering Spanish, working in the Rio, and getting a few things done for our next school year at SMCA. After a week in Monterrey I flew to San Miguel de Allende which is where I currently am! I am here studying Spanish for a month... many more details on this to come :)

My cozy front porch in Oxford... there is no place like home!

Uptown Oxford!

Where music in the park takes place every Thursday night in Oxford.

My brother, Jon, graduated from Tallawanda High school. I was blessed to return just in time to celebrate with him!

The entire Maglich family... we are never boring!

2009 Staff Retreat

Here are a few pictures from the Back2Back Mexico 2009 staff retreat. We took two days, right before I went back to the States, and traveled about an hour outside Monterrey up into the mountains to stay in cabins. We met together, shared thoughts and ideas, and remembered why we do what we do. Afterward I felt so inspired for the summer and next school year! I honestly serve alongside an AMAZING staff team! I feel so privileged to be apart of this ministry :)

Here we are in one of our several staff meetings.

One afternoon we went repelling down a dried up waterfall.... beautiful! These are some of the staff women who braved the 200 ft. repel!

A view of the repel we did from the ground up. We started where you see the sky, went over a cliff edge, and went straight down. This portion was about 150 ft.

Here I am after the 150 ft. repel waiting for the second portion that is between 50 and 80 ft.

Hammocks by the cabins... so relaxing!

A few of the small cabins we stayed in. They were so cool and nearly every one was different.

SMCA Graduation and Inventor's Fair

I can not believe how quickly the school year went by! At first nine months of teaching sounded so long, however by the time the end of May rolled around I could barely believe school was over.
Our last social studies project surrounded the idea of inventors. Together my students and I studied a few famous inventors of the day and took an in depth look at the inventing process. We ended the unit with an invention project where each student came up with a problem to solve and then an invention that would solve that problem. I was amazed at the creativity I saw!
Luke's parents were not happy about him and his brothers always making crumbs in the car when on long car trips. Luke invented the Crumb Cleaner to help with that problem. During a car trip Luke can eat over the Crumb Cleaner and then use the small brush to brush the crumbs into the hole on the tray. They crumbs then go through a funnel and tube, ending up in a box that can then be emptied into the garbage. This was a very creative solution to a real-life problem.

Emma displaying her Extreme Double Dish Drainer. Emma told me that a normal sized dish drainer was way too small for her big family and they ended up putting dishes all over the counter as well. With the Extreme Double Dish Drainer they could would have room for all the dishes to nicely dry. She even included a draining system for the water to get to the sink!

Josh said that he always gets hot in Mexico (me too!). He invented a hat that includes a solar powered fan that will blow and cool him off when he is in the sun... and it looks cool too :)

At our graduation ceremony my class did two song and dance numbers for the parents showing off their knowledge of the 50 states and their capitals.

Here are Miss Ruby's Students at graduation!

Swine Flu

This is my attempt to update ya'll on the last month or so before the summer! Many of you have been wondering about the Swine Flu in Monterrey. We had a little scare during April and after two weeks of quarantine found out from the Mexican CDC that not even one person in Monterrey had the flu! We made the most of the quarantine by keeping active and hanging out as a community on the property! Here are a few shots from those two weeks.

Ruby, Christy, and myself leaving the property on a desperate trip to the store. Everyone had to wear masks!

During our quarantine we had several girl's soccer games. Sports for girls are not as a high priority for many females in Mexico as they for females in the USA. I was proud of so many of our girl jovens playing... even with a field covered in mud!

Ruby did an amazing job organizing a volleyball tournament for us! Different teams played until we had a winning team! While my team lost the first round, we did win the prize for the best attitude!

One night the Garcia's treated us all to a cookout... but not quite what the American staff expected. We had whole grilled rabbit! It really was rather tasty! I even tried to be like the locals and sampled the brain... probably won't do that again!