A Little Bit of Oxford at the Rio

Oscar leading the kids is worship 

Brian and Susan Joyce, friends and supporters from Oxford, OH, are currently visiting Monterrey! I was blessed to have their help at the Rio this past Saturday at our kids Bible class. It was so fun for me to have friends from my hometown come and be a part of what we do here at B2B. They were such a big help and their presence such an encouragement to me :)

Sue practicing English words with Esteban 

Esteban, Brian, and Monse goofing around

The sticker king working his magic! 

Family Therapy

This past Thursday was my first time to meet with Monse and her family as a whole! I had asked many of you to be praying that this time would happen and that it would go well. Thank you for your prayers, I feel that it was a very successful first step.

Miriam and Marian, Monse's 1 1/2 year old little sisters

For those of you not up to speed, Monse is a little girl in the Rio who suffers from neglect. Her mom has a host of stresses and often feels overwhelmed with all that lays on her shoulders. Several weeks ago I talked to Monse's mom, Madelena, about Monse's need for her attention and possible ways I could help out. This past Thursday I went to their home in the Rio, loaded down with games, books, and snacks in order to take care of Monse's little twin sisters so that Monse and her mom could have some positive interaction together. 

When I arrived the twins were sleeping and Monse was finishing some homework. I sat down and just began to talk to Madelena about her life, her dreams, her kids, her stresses... immediately I saw how much Madelena needed and wanted a friend. Madelena in some ways has been shunned by her community and I could tell was aching for someone to talk to. She opened up much more than I had expected and we were able to talk about her dreams for time to herself and people around her who might be able to offer her some support. It was good for me to understand more of Madelena's problems and has definitely caused me to have more grace and mercy for her. 

Monse, Madelena, and Sarita playing Candy Land

When Monse had finished her homework, I pulled out picture books for her and her mom to read together. Madelena told me that she enjoys reading but doesn't have many children's books in her home. She read aloud to Monse while Monse colored pictures that went along with the story. The stories I had chosen were purposeful and demonstrated healthy mother child relationships. After reading a few stories Sarita stopped in for a visit and all three played several rounds of Candy Land, while I entertained the twins who had woken up. 

The day was simple... games, books, chatting... but the bonding, priceless! Monse and her mom had a good 1 1/2 hours together sharing and communicating in a positive way! It was great! I am planning on meeting with Monse and her family  every week for as long as I can. Please keep this time in your prayers! 

Marian climbing into the dresser to play! 

Sights and Sounds of Mexico

On the way to Tere's wedding (see post below) some B2B friends and I were able to do a little sight-seeing around Mexico City and Pachuca. Mexico City is one of the world's largest cities, bustling with people. We tried all kinds of new foods and saw famous landmarks. It was fun to be a tourist in Mexico for a change :) I hope you enjoy these sights of Mexico as much as I did! 

Cheque and I in front of the Federal Palace, downtown Mexico City. 

Scene inside the Catedral Metropolitana de Mexico, downtown Mexico City. 

Inside the Federal Palace is a famous mural by Diego Rivera. This gives you an idea how huge it is! 

The Fays, Jessica, Ruby, Cheque and Myself in front of the clock of Pachuca. 

Local vendors with their goods is a little mining town called Real de Monte, famous for it's silver.  Their blackberries were incredible! 

Pachuca is know for its Pastes, a empanada type food. It includes a dough shell stuffed with either  sweet or salty fillings, like pineapple or chicken, then baked. Here are some ladies making pastes. 

The B2B miners!
All of us sight-seers from B2B found a place in Real de Monte where we could get our picture taken all dressed up :)  What a fun group of people, from jovenes in the Hope Program, to B2B staff, and staff kids! 

Bakery in Real de Monte

Preparing barbacoa for our tacos! This is a process of cooking sheep meat for up to 24 hours wrapped in banana leaves in underground ovens. One of Cheque's favorite dishes! 

Enjoying a quesodilla and barbacoa tacos. 

Tere's Wedding

Here comes the bride! 

Cheque's sister Tere got married on April 30th in a small town called Pachuca near Mexico City. Tere has lived with her parents on the B2B campus for the past 3 years and worked as a social worker for B2B this past year. Tere and her husband Jorge will live near to Mexico city. I am so sad to see her leave, but very excited about her marriage! 

Cheque and I presenting the Bible to the bride and groom during the ceremony.

Cheque and I were "padrinos" of the Bible in Tere's wedding. Mexican wedding ceremonies include the presentation of several gifts by "padrinos". The couple is presented with a Bible, coins, lasso, and rings during the ceremony from special friends or couples they have chosen. The pastor then talks about the symbolism of each gift in the marriage. It was a great honor for Cheque and I to present the Bible to Tere and Jorge.

Cheque and I enjoying some strawberry smoothies at the reception.

The meal that was served. 

Mariachi's serenade the bride and groom

In a Mexican wedding it is traditional for a Mariachi band to come some time during the night to serenade the couple. There are several singers in the family so we heard selections from several guests that night. The most touching was by far when Antonio (Tere's dad) sang to his wife! Beautiful!

I caught the bouquet!

Guess who caught the bouquet???? I did!!! The first time in my life to do so! Cheque's family had a hay-day teasing us about when the next wedding might be :) 

The Garcia family and me. 

Hannah, Ruby, Jessica, and myself

Several friends from Monterrey traveled with us to the wedding. We had a great time sight seeing and living the experience together! Two of these ladies will be heading back to the States in the next few months. It was such a blessing to be able to spend some good time with them.

Suzanna

Suzanna Grace, 1 month old

Last week I spent some time with my family in Kansas City. My sister, Lydia, recently had a baby and it was soooo good to finally meet her! She is so cute :) 

Dad and Suzie

 Nearly my whole family made it out to Kansas City for the weekend. It was great to see them and to spend Easter together for the first time in 3 years. I miss my family so much, so it was a good dose of home to see them.

The uncles 

Suzie's first time in the front pack without crying! She likes her Aunt Hope!

 My family left after the weekend but I was able to stay for a few days longer to help my sister. We had full days of bouncing the baby, tidying the house, and even made it out to Target! Suzie is still getting to know and understand the world, so trips in the car are not her most favorite thing :)

Suzanna with her mom

 My sister and Tim do a phenomenal job caring for Suzanna. I was daily (and nightly) impressed with all that my sister does as a mom. Babies are a LOT of work and Lyd does not shy away.

Suzie's first tea party (she looks a little distraught in this picture, so we are hoping that she grows up to like tea!)

The morning before I left my sister and I decided to take Suzanna out for a walk. We ended up at a little tea shop and decided to sit down for lunch as Suzanna was fast asleep. My sister and I have grown up having tea parties and simply enjoying a good cup of tea and a muffin. This was christened as Suzanna's first tea! After about 15 min she woke up, started screaming, blew out her diaper, and we took the tea to go :)... Suzanna's first tea wasn't much of a success, although Lyd and I did laugh a lot! ...we are hoping that she will grow into liking tea parties with her mom and aunt :)