Flush Toilets

Why a blog about flush toilets? Well ... let's just say that everyone is anxious to return to the States for flush toilets! Here in Mexico City, absolutely no toilet paper is allowed in the toilets. Nada. None. Zilch. One of the many sacrifices in coming to visit Mexico City.

Okay, so yes, this does create an interesting dilemma. Something you need to learn to adjust to. There are wastebaskets with plastic liners in each bathroom next to each toilet to help dispose of the, ummm, "used" paper. Sometimes, if you're not so fortunate, there are no plastic liners. Yuck! And yes, the the nostrils do notice ... particularly the Chica's bathroom which had blockage in their shower which created a situation in which the smelly water overflowed out onto the bathroom floor. mmmm mmmmm smelling good! Such are some of the sacrifices of the "little things" one deals with on a mission trip to Mexico City.

Thursday Blog

Today we opted to stay home, opposed to getting up early for another day in Mexico City. People are wiped out, sick, emotionally spent and on top of a short nights sleep and another long driving day, it just wasn’t sounding very appealing. So we slept in, had pancakes and eggs, played a lot of cards, watched movies, read, then went shopping again in Texcoco and ate dinner in downtown Texcoco. Nice lazy day ... which was just what the doctor ordered. Spirits are up and nobody has killed anybody yet ... yet that is. ;-) We did make a visit to Rolland’s favorite ice cream spot, Santa Clara ... good old fashioned hard ice cream.

We’re anxious to get back home to Salem and see you all again! Tomorrow we’re still on for our raw fish delicacy with a local Mexican family and the Smiths and Nevins, and we’ll be picking up some carne asada on the way to bring just to be safe ... mmmmmmm.

Wednesday Blog

Mexico City today. We first drove to the Basilica, home of the Mexican Catholic church. Very interesting to observe all of the people who come daily, many on their knees to “pay” for their salvation. They are literally taking in millions of dollars daily from all of the various holy water sprinkling, penance, pictures of guadalupe (the virgin Mary), etc. We observed a mass in session, saw the statue of the Pope (holding a very small cross with Christ on it, demonstrating where they place their emphasis), and saw guadalupe’s everywhere. People also come to kiss a replica of what they believe is the actual cloth the baby Jesus was wrapped in at the manger for extra blessings they think they will receive.

A Mexican woman who spoke English came up to me, asking where we were from to start a little conversation. She pointed out that she had stage four cancer just a few months ago, and after visiting the Basilica and getting “healed” that her cancer is now gone. She wanted us to know just how “real” everything we were seeing was.

We spent the afternoon in a market in the middle of Mexico City doing some more shopping. Lots more trinkets and fun times. Carl then took us to a fabulous dinner in downtown Mexico City. I think that the consensus was that this would be like a Mexican Denny’s ... ;) With a few getting sick and “loopy,” we opted to have Antonio drive us to a Starbucks for a little pick-me-up. Much needed!

Enter Mexican Ballet at 8:30. This was a treat for everyone ... tremendous performance with some serious high energy dancing throughout the entire 1 1/2 hours. The history of Mexico, their culture, etc. was all depicted through dance ... lots of stomping, tap dance, many colorful outfits and dresses, sombraros, sword fighting, marichi bands and singers, drums, a hunter and deer dance, various marriage ceremony dances, and on and on. Cheeks purchased a DVD on the way out ... a real “deal” out in the parking lot! You’ll have to check it out when Cheeks gets back for those who want to see it firsthand.

Tuesday Blog

Today was a sleep in day. Ya! For the most part, a good nights sleep at that. We secured a Combi (VW van taxi) and all piled in for a trip into Texcoco. Mexican breakfast at Laura's favorite coffee house was enjoyable to everyone. Did some more shopping at the local markets and we ran into Angel and Austre from 2008 VBS! Carl, Noah, Beth and Noah all knew both boys as well as their mom and we took a picture and visited with them. They were unable to attend VBS this year since both boys were sick during our VBS week. Good to catch up with them.

We are gearing up for two Mexico City tour days and we likely won't be able to blog until Friday so I'll give you an idea of the plans to keep us in your prayers. Tomorrow morning we're heading to the Ballista (the largest Catholic Cathedral of Mexico City) and we will enjoy an authentic Mexican dinner out. They serve authentic fried grubs ... yes, the plan is to order a plate and pass it around to EVERYONE to sample the grubs. Tasty stuff! Tomorrow evening we plan on attending the Mexican ballet. This is song, dance, performance, etc. depicting the history of Mexico, Cortez, the famous "ball game," etc. and should be enjoyable. We likely won't be back home until midnight.

Then Thursday morning we're up at the crack of dawn (yes, after getting home around midnight) to visit the dinosaur exhibit (full size dino skeletons, some robotics, etc.) in Mexico City, the Mexico City zoo, archeological museum, more shopping, and another authentic dinner. Hopefully all goes well regarding safety, travels, food, and fun. We'll try to blog some before we pack up for home.

Friday, one of the Mexican families has invited us out for dinner. He has a family member who is a butcher and they want to treat us to some delicacies ... squid, fish, and other items which sounds similar to sushy ... treated with lime, spices, etc. They suggested we bring some bbq chicken, etc. in case some of the young ones don't fancy the specialties. mmmmmmm.

Also, please continue to pray for our interactions with the missionaries, counseling opportunities, and support for Rolland and Jo Ann, Bryan and Susan, and anything else that comes up throughout the course of the week.

Maranatha!

Sam's Salon

So what about haircuts, manicures, etc. while staying in a foreign country you may wonder? Well, Sweet Cheeks got a haircut for 30 pesos, which he paid the guy 50 pesos (nice tip) ... 30 pesos is just over two bucks American. Now Noah on the other hand, is another story. Sam brought hair cutting scissors and ended up cutting/trimming Karen, Kayla, Kimmie, Beth, and Noah's hair. Now they were all trims, and Sam's first male customer of her life is Noah Chica! It's SHORT ... ;) And Cheeks is calling him a "cute little dude" ...

In Texcoco, the Bains purchased some nail polish for her since she cut three of their four heads, so now coming up in Sam's Salon are going to be toenails and fingernails. Fun fun fun!

Monday Blog

Today was a sleep in day with a light schedule. Everyone enjoyed getting some extended sleep before a nice big breakfast. After pushing so hard for the past two weeks, we played cards most of the morning and/or slept.

We had Antonio take us around Texcoco for some local ruin view in the downtown, some shopping, ice cream, churros as well as the cultural center. The presentation at the cultural center was interesting as we learned about the history about the area leading up to Cortez.

Carl and Laura stayed with Rolland and Jo Ann for some counseling with a gal who attends Rolland's church while the rest of us went back home to crash after a day on the town of Texcoco.

Baby Salamander

During our movie we watched Sunday night after all of the days activities, the kids discovered a little salamander scooting around inside our casa. Yes, this is of course very big news! The kids brought it over so everyone could check it out and it “slipped” out of one of their hands. They were standing directly behind Sam and she joked, “Where is it? Did it fall down my pants?” And Laura looked down stating, “Dude! You aren’t kidding!” Eiy Yi Yi! Eebee Jebeez!!! You'll have to ask Sam about the details ... :)

Sunday Blog

This morning we got to attend the Nevin’s and Smith’s church and Sam, Beth, and Kendra helped lead music and they sang a special number before Pastor Carl preached about faith. Following the sermon the Mexicans put on a pot luck for us to enjoy with some authentic fare ... mmmmm.

That afternoon we visited the ancient Aztek pyramids. Carl, Beth and Sam took their second trip there accompanying the family group as they were part of the student trip earlier. Very interesting to check out the ruins. However, today was a free day for the local Mexicans, so it was crowded and a 30 minute wait to climb the Pyramid of the Sun, whereas on the student trip there weren’t any lines at all. But we had a great time and did some more shopping at the market there to pick up some trinkets.

Fireworks have been a daily event as there is a Catholic saint assigned to every day and most regions have their saint, which is celebrated down here with fireworks. However, tonight must have been a more than significant saint or the local saint, because the fireworks outside our backyard window were nothing short of spectacular. Nice little bonus.

We heard from the students that their flight to Dallas was delayed and they missed their connecting flight, and then weren’t able to connect for the standby either. We are praying that they will be able to make it on the Sunday night flight. However, staying in the Hilton after Mexico City isn’t exactly roughing it either ... ;) Pray for their safety, we’re sure they are ready to get home to see you all!

Saturday Blog

Big day today for all of the girls - after sleeping in, they went to a local beauty salon in Texcoco for some nice nail work - paintings and extensions, etc.. Fun time ...

We invited the Nevins and Smiths over for dinner at our casa. Following dinner, the men met and Pastor Carl described our men’s discipleship, deacon and elder training programs. Rolland and Bryan are working on establishing an elder training program and are praying to have a couple of men rise up within their growing church. We encouraged them and spent time in prayer for them.