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!