Fire Escape? Cool!

Hi Everyone! This is Andrew writing the blog today.
So far we have had a pretty good day - it's five o'clock right now and it's getting close to supper time. Here in Mexico supper is around 6:30 - 7:00 (even later for lots of people), so that's why we're not quite eating yet.

Anyway, Caleb and I figured out a fire escape from our backyard a couple of days ago and forgot to put it on the blog so you can hear about it. So now let me tell you about it - we'll post some pictures down below.

We have a seven foot high gate that locks to go into our back yard from the garage area. You only have about 6 inches of space on one side and 10 inches of space on the other side (the roof is slanted). It kind of hurts your bladder when you climb over because it is so squishy up there. Caleb discovered it first - we were cleaning mud in the back yard when he went inside and when he came out he tried to climb over it - I was surprised he even tried, and I wanted to try it then too. After I did it Olivia tried it a few minutes later as well. So far she always tries to do it when she is wearing a dress and that makes it more difficult - one of these days she will do it when she is wearing pants. The problem is, she loves wearing dresses!

So far the food is tasting great out here - some of it even tastes better than at home. Thank you guys for all your prayers for us.

I'm sure we'll send more info about our life in the next few days!

A look at our very effective but somewhat insufficient washing machine for a family of five.

The kids enjoying some playground equipment at the ice-cream shop.

- Andrew

P.S. - The new soccer ball that we bought when we got here is already shot - the mystery of what happened is on!

Spiders in the Cupboard

We enjoyed a more relaxing day yesterday. Gerald went to the phone company yesterday morning to tell them our phone isn't working. As of today they still haven't been to the house. Hopefully tomorrow they will come to fix it. When it rings we are not answering it - we can't hear anything but static anyway.

Gerald is back at the computer getting ready to lead prayer meeting on Thursday and also preaching in Santo Tomas on Sunday. The kids spent time playing on the computer yesterday and now today wanted to know when it was their turn again. :)

We (the kids and I) are getting into more of a routine with school. I still haven't figured out the best system for teaching all three at once. They are learning to be patient while waiting for me.

We are more settled than we were last week. The kids are sleeping well. There are moments during the day that they don't know what to do with themselves, but that happened at home in Canada too! They seem very content - again, Thank you Jesus!!!

I, too, am doing better emotionally. It was a whirlwind week last week and I felt quite overwhelmed! My days are becoming more routine with school , meals, cleaning and laundry. I've made a couple of batches of cookies - much to everyone's delight. I am also trying to work on my Spanish. Today I met with a lady from the church just to practice. Hopefully that will help (I do need a lot of help!) I am trying to find a little time each day to study or read in Spanish. I don't want to waste this opportunity to improve my Spanish.

Again, we want to say thank you for all your prayers for us. We are very mindful that we are not here on our own! Blessings on you today.

Sandy

ps. Gerald wanted to call this Spiders in the Cupboard - you will have to ask him why because we haven't encountered any spiders in the cupboard. :-)

Change of Plans

What can I say - I prepared quite intensely for the last week for the classes I was to teach all day Saturday and I went to the La Reforma church, a second EMC church here in Cuauhtemoc, where the classes were to take place and nervously awaited the arrival of the students. The director, a fellow missionary, Maria Bergen waited there with me. A couple hours after the first class was to start and after numerous phone calls we cancelled the classes and postponed until next month.
It seems like there were weddings, sicknesses, and whatever other reasons for the some 15 students that were not able to make it out - I told the director it was likely because they heard that some gringo from Canada was going to be doing the teaching?!
While it was disappointing at first, the day actually turned out great as during the couple hours that we waited at the church I was able to talk to the director and her husband, Isaac, and catch up with these old friends and find out lots of stuff about how things are going in many of our Conference churches around the state here in Chihuahua. This will be a huge help to me as we will be travelling around a fair bit connecting with many of these churches over the next several months - I am already booked to speak in a country church next Sunday, Santo Tomas, a church that has had quite a bit of leadership struggles over the last couple of years.
I got home before lunch, much to the surprise of Sandy and the kids, and spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon helping Sandy do lots of loads of laundry and sweep, dust and mop the whole house!
As a treat at the end of the day we went out for supper to Los Arcos, and had a fun evening together!
This morning we again went to the Ebenezeer church for Worship Service and Sunday School (they do things in that order). This afternoon I need to finish preparing a bible study for the youth group that happens at 6 p.m. tonight.
The week ahead looks like it will be busy, for sure and then, Lord willing, next Saturday morning we will put the kids into Awana at our church during the morning hours (I'm sure we will help out there as well) and then after lunch head out to Santo Tomas and spend the rest of the day and night at the Conference campground before going to the church on Sunday morning to serve.
Thank you all for your prayers - we continue to pray, with thanksgiving, for all of those that come to mind on a daily basis!
Gerald

Some Pics

Well, my prep time has come to an end for my first classes tomorrow - I am getting nervous about it all and hope that I have prepared enough material and that my tongue will work well for the six total hours of teaching time. We went out this evening for some family time and to have some ice-cream to celebrate making it through this first week of endless study time and very little family time!

Here are some pics of our family in action these last couple of days...

Ice cream at Meny's...

Mike Rowe's day off...the boys hard at work!

This is how my family saw me all week!

Who is Mike Rowe? "Dirty Jobs" on Discovery Channel - the boys favourite show!

Blessings,

Gerald

Missing home

I am sitting here at the computer. It is quiet in the house. Gerald went to prayer meeting and the kids are sleeping (I think). I am full of emotions tonight. The tears are flowing. I miss home. I miss the familiar. I miss knowing what I am suppose to be doing. I miss my kitchen. Those who know me well know I love to be in the kitchen. And then I feel silly - we have only been gone two weeks. The kids are doing amazing. After school they keep themselves busy with all sorts of activities. I haven't heard "I miss home" from them since the first day we arrived.

It was a busy day. Gerald was having a meeting in the morning here at the house so I cleaned up the living room before we started school. By the time I finished school, lunch dishes and two loads of laundry it was 3:00pm. It seems everything takes longer to accomplish!

I have total peace that this is where God wants us to be right now. But, I am also reminded that it is an adjustment and some days are challenging. Today was that kind of day for me. I am sure that a good night sleep and God's grace poured out on me will help the morning to look brighter.

Sandy

What 50 pesos will buy you!

Yesterday the kids and I walked to the end of the block and bought a pack of paper for the computer. I am guessing they will use most of it to write stories and draw just like they did back at home. Anyway, it was 50 pesos ($5.00)

The boys thought it was SO FUN yesterday to be pushing the van down the street in the water. This morning Gerald and Caleb went walking to try and find someone to help fix the van. About 30 minutes after they returned a gentleman and his helper arrived at our house and went to work on the van. Talk about door service! They had it done in no time and asked Gerald for the keys to start it up. It worked great. Gerald paid the man his asking price - 50 pesos. We chuckled and shook our heads at the comparison. Thank you Jesus that the van works!

We are getting more organized with school and the kids are getting into the routine. This afternoon I took the kids a few blocks down the street to a park. They needed to get out of the house and Gerald needed some quiet to do his work. We all had a good time. The boys climbed trees and poles while Olivia pretended the slide was the fire station. They also used the swings!

Please continue to pray for Gerald as he gets ready for his classes on Saturday. The material that was ordered never arrived and so he is working on preparing, cutting and pasting material as well as translating it and then also getting four weeks of homework ready for both classes. It is a lot of work. I don't hear him complaining but I do know it is a big job.

We are doing well. Thanks for your prayers!

Sandy

The engine is flooded and we need to push???

So did you know that it rains all the time in Mexico (of course normally it is very dry here in this part of the world) - and for us here in Cuauhtemoc it has nothing to do with the hurricane that is coming from the east. It has rained everyday that we have been here - including lots of lightening forcing us to shut down the computer several times a day. It rained once again this afternoon right when we were up town at the Soriana grocery store. On the way home we drove through some pretty deep water rushing down the streets - Cuauhtemoc is on the side of a hill/mountain and so the water goes downhill pretty quickly.
As a result of driving through the water our serpentine belt jumped off the pulleys and so the power steering was gone and soon the motor was over heating. We shut the van off and coasted down the hill to within half a block of our home and then pushed it the rest of the way through several inches of running water. We didn't have enough umph to push it the last little bit off the street and up onto our driveway and so a kind young fellow stopped his car and offered to help us - a wonderful act of kindness. I guess tomorrow I'll have to get that taken care of so we have some wheels again.

Here is a picture of the boys sweeping the water out of our "garage."


Thank you for your prayers - Caleb and Olivia are definitely feeling better and so we carry on.

Please pray for me as I continue to prepare for my two 3-hour classes I need to teach on Saturday. I have lots of prep to do before then and I also need to prepare 4 weeks worth of homework to send home with the students as the next class is a month later. I have gotten quite a bit accomplished in the last couple of days but I still have a long way to go. Pray that I would have clarity of thought, inspiration, and patience for the kids as they come into the office to ask me to come and play quite regularly - not much time for that this week, I'm afraid.

We are heading to bed shortly as we still are adjusting to the altitude and the change of pace in our lives.

Futbol Mexicano

First of all we would like to say thank you for all the emails and comments - we LOVE to hear from you. Even Andrew likes to read them.

We had a great day yesterday at church. The kids were very nervous going to Sunday School but Gerald went with the boys and I went with Olivia. After Sunday School we meet back in the sanctuary. Each class goes up to the front to say their verse. Olivia wouldn't go and neither would Caleb, but Andrew marched up there and stood there and attempted to say the Spanish verse - we were so proud of him. We had lunch at home and spent the afternoon resting (while the kids raced around the house wondering why their parents were so tired).

At 6:00 we went back to church for the youth event. They were playing volleyball. Gerald participated while the kids and I did other things. The guys were watching Caleb and Andrew kick the soccer ball around and were impressed with how well they were doing. So, they decided to play soccer with them. Well, you can imagine how much fun our boys had. Two of the guys play on teams here and we had a blast watching them. Caleb and Andrew had the BEST time ever - as they put it. They were flying high knowing that some Mexican soccer players thought they were good soccer players. On the way home Andrew says "God answered one of my prayers. I prayed during the service this morning and asked God to give me some new friends. And He did." It didn't matter that the jovenes were older than him. He feels blessed that God answered his prayer. Thank you Jesus!

We got home around 8:30 and ate supper - we are doing our part to change our lifestyle to be Mexican! We had a big thunderstorm last night with rain. We thought the kids might be nervous - new house, new country and a big storm. Again, we were amazed at the calmness and security they have. Thanks for your prayers.

We started school today - I am very unorganized yet, but it was time to get going. Olivia was thrilled, but the boys not so much. They say that is because they know what it is like and Olivia doesn't. The first picture is of prep on Sunday night and the next one is of the kids this morning for their first day of school.

So, during the night Caleb came to our room and said his ear hurt. It was still bothering him this morning. After school Olivia said it hurts when she swallows. As the morning went on they both seemed to be going downhill. So, we headed off to the doctor (thanks Scott & Elisa for the info - we used it!) Caleb has an ear infection - although the doctor had to clean his ear out in order to see anything first. Olivia has an infection in her throat. They are both on antibiotics. Once again, even with it being new and different the kids did amazing. God is very good!!!

- Sandy

We just realized that we hadn't given you our complete contact info yet so here it is...

Apdo. 238
Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua
Mexico 31500

011-52-625-582-5475

Our phone service is not ideal and quite a bit of static but it works well enough to use for sure so we would welcome your calls, your mail, your emails and so on!

Blessings!

Mexican Initiation

We just wanted to add some pics of the initiation that "must" take place for anyone who comes into Mexico for the first time...sand dunes and burritos!

The next picture is of a potluck supper at the Juarez church cell group worship service where we were introduced to the brethren there...

Today we figured out how to use Alvira's wringer washer and did several loads of laundry and hung them out to dry. Then we made a menu and headed over to the Al Super grocery store and spent about 130 bucks. We have continued to unpack and get settled in although we have a ways to go with that as well.

Note to self...don't put toilet paper into the toilet - the system can't handle it.

The pastor couple has invited us over for supper this evening so we are looking forward to getting to know them and enjoying some wonderful Mexican food!

WE HAVE ARRIVED!!!!!!!!

We pulled into Cuauhtemoc around 5:30 and came straight to the house. The keys were at the neighbors, but they were not home. So, we went for supper and arrived back at the house about the same time the neighbor came home. All five of us unloaded the van and then the kids spent the next few hours excitedly exploring the "new" house, picking which room they were going to have and playing in the backyard (which is all cement). We are not very organized as we basically unloaded the van and got things settled for the night. The kids showered (Olivia will have to get used to showers only as there is no bathtub) and tried to find a story to read. The kids are all in bed, but not asleep yet. They are still excited about finally arriving and seeing our home for the next few months.

Andrew wanted to make sure that I told you all that Gerald got stopped by the police right as we were coming into town. He was speeding. One of the officers wanted to give him a ticket but the other was persuaded by Gerald's little speech that he was speeding only because he was so excited to be in their country and city that he actually talked them out of the ticket. Way to go dad!

We are tired and are going to go to bed. We had a great trip down - the border crossing went extremely smooth, the scenery through the mountains was beautiful and we are very happy to have arrived. Have a good night.

A day with a lot of new experiences......

Good Morning,
It is a beautiful morning here in El Paso. The kids are still sleeping.

While we were at the park yesterday Roxie, our dog, was attacked by another dog who wasn't on a leash. It was a good 2 to 3 minute tussle as I tried to kick the other dog who was biting Roxie as the kids stood there and watched. We were all shaking and uptight by the time it was over. As we walked home I realized that I had gotten bit during the episode. Thankfully, it wasn't bad and didn't need to find any medical help. Roxie also seemed to be fine other than some spots with hair missing and one surface wound.
They had a good introduction to the way of life in Mexico last night. We crossed the border around 4:30 and made our way to the church to meet Elma. It was an adventure as it seemed only the major streets were marked with signs. We stopped to get some pesos and paid the man who gave us directions. Everything is new to the kids and they are handling it quite well. We went to Elma's house and the kids had some apple juice - they were all impressed with how good it was. While we visited they tried to keep themselves occupied - something that they are going to have to get used to.
We were suppose to be at church around 7 and we arrived at 7:30 and the service started around 8. We sang four songs - two of which the kids knew in English which helped them to feel like they could connect. After the service they served us a meal of Chinese food.
We left the church around 9:15 and after several attempts arrived at the border crossing. It was a 45 minute wait as we slowly inched forward. There were many people selling things, asking for money and others who wanted to clean our van for money. One man who was missing one arm wiped down the van and we paid him a few pesos. Olivia wanted to know how come we didn't give everyone who asked money. Gerald tried to explained that he would rather pay those who are willing to do a little something to earn it.
By now it was 10:30, it had been a really long day and we were still sitting at the border crossing. The kids were doing amazing and Gerald and I commented on realizing that people were praying for us and it was evident at that moment. It could have been an unsettling event for the kids but they handled it beautifully. We got back to the guest house and Andrew, with moist eyes, said he missed home, as did the rest of us. It felt like a long time since we left home.
So, we decided to let everyone sleep in this morning instead of trying to get an early start. We handle new situations better when we are rested. We are thankful that we should arrive at our final destination today and we can get settled.

All in all it was a day filled with emotions - thank you for your prayers! We need them, we felt them and we are so blessed to have you walking with us on this journey. God's blessing on you today.

Sandy(for the sleeping children too)

We have arrived in El Paso, had a bite to eat, Ger did a bit of shopping while the kids and I went to the park. We are all a bit (ok, more than a bit) tired of being in the van but we have arrived safely at each destination. The van has worked great, the kids have done very well - even when they are tired. (Thanks Marcella for the new dvd and the goodies - they have definitely helped) We are off to Juarez for supper and an evening service. We hope to leave at a good hour to arrive at our final destination tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers - we have definitely felt them.

Sandy

Donde esta el bano?

Translated that means "Where is the bathroom?" After several days of scorching hot temps we decided to make sure our kids were getting enough to drink...can you say washroom breaks? Let's just say that there are some cactuses in New Mexico that are good to go for awhile again!
We also located a couple more license plates to bring our total to 40 U.S. plates, including Alaska...pretty good for just a couple of days of driving.
We had an amazing time at Focus on the Family and the kids enjoyed the play area and so on...it was good to spend a morning doing this instead of just driving. We even enjoyed some ice cream at the "Whit's Soda Shoppe" with some of the "treat" money we were given by friends and family...a special thanks to Mary Anne Smith for this blessing. Even so the six hour drive to Albuquerque seemed long.
We are hoping to connect with Alvira Friesen tomorrow morning here in Albuquerque - she is passing through on her way home for furlough (she is the lady whose house we are going to be living in, in Cuauhtemoc) and so it will be good to touch base with her and get any last minute instructions that we will need.
We look forward to getting into El Paso tomorrow (about a 4 hour drive) and gearing up for what's in store.

What A Day...

"The Storm Chasers" "From Lightening to Hail" Lightening McQueen and Hail to the King" "Mile High Fever"

These were a few of the options of what we thought of calling our blog title today...it was quite the day. We left Murdo and promptly missed a turn and only realized it about 25 km down the road - so much for making good time. We once again saw 100 F on our thermometer and then we climbed for hours and hours until we finally pulled into Denver.
"Hey Dad, there are six lanes going our way and six going the other way..." The kids were in awe of the 4 p.m. traffic in this big city. Seeing both stadiums where the Colorado Rockies and the Denver Broncos play was a neat thrill for the kids as well.
As we came through the city we saw some amazing lightening in a couple of storms coming over the mountains and as we left the city we actually drove through one of these storms which included a little bit of hail.
We are now in Colorado Springs and are looking forward to enjoying an evening of swimming and relaxing and then tomorrow morning going over to Focus on the Family to check that out before we leave for Albuquerque after lunch.
The kids are pretty wired and full of energy after two long days in the van but we are having a fun time and thankful for safety and trouble-free travels. Praise the Lord!

Is This Hot or What?

Praise the Lord we made it to our first destination - Murdo, South Dakota, 1050 km. from Steinbach, at 6 p.m. We left my parents home in Rosenort this morning at 7:08 a.m. at 13 C (55 F) and as we pulled into Murdo the temperature had maxed out at 42 C (107 F) - it is hot here.
We are so thankful that the van worked well throughout the day and we made very good time and the kids did wonderful. We passed the time by spotting license plates and saw ones from 3 provinces, 27 states and Mexico - Andrew did the majority of the counting.
We enjoyed a good supper in a local restaurant and then headed to the pool to have fun and cool off. Our Day's Inn hotel is very adequate. We feel truly blessed to have begun our official journey to Mexico and everyone is very excited to be going on this adventure. We continue to trust the Lord and hope that he allows the van to work well as we carry on early tomorrow morning with a goal of getting to Colorado Springs (900 km).
Plans are already being put together for us to be welcomed by the Juarez church on Thursday evening as they have a potluck planned for us followed by a time of singing and praying and then also giving our family a chance to share a little of what we anticipate God has in store for us in the coming months.
We are so thankful for your prayers and ask that you would continue to hold us in your thoughts!

My Doctor Told Me...

My doctor told me that we can leave for Mexico on schedule and while he would recommend surgery there simply is not enough time to make it happen. He advised taking precautions and the like but didn't feel there were any 'red flags' about us going but saw a few 'yellow flags' flapping in the wind...
On the one hand this is a relief to know that my doctor has given the official approval and though I would have liked to see the surgery take place now I continue to feel peace about the fact that God is still in control of all of this.
We have felt so much support for us going to Mexico from friends and family and this has been truly overwhelming. This past Sunday we were strongly affirmed by our home congregation as many people came forward and surrounded our family for words of prayer and blessing. Sandy and I have also received many personal words of support and commitments to pray for and support us in this assignment.
All we can say is THANK YOU and PRAISE THE LORD!

What Now, Lord?

We are back from our holidays out to the Rocky Mountains - truly an awesome experience to be in God's wonderful creation for that time. We traveled back from Edmonton to Steinbach in one day - 16 hours, with three children and a dog!

We are now into the final stages of cleaning our house and deciding what we need to pack and so on. Our goal is to leave Steinbach on Sunday, August 12 and drive the 45 minutes down to my parents in Rosenort and then take off on Monday morning for Mexico.

One prayer request has come up that we want your support in...I (Gerald) may need surgery before we leave. I went in to see the doctor in the hospital on Monday morning and he confirmed that I have a hernia. By God's grace I was able to get an appointment with my own doctor this afternoon and will find out from him what our course of action will be.

We did not have this kind of thing in our plans but we still believe and trust that God is in control and will work things out according to His marvelous plan. I was reading in Psalm 139 this morning for my devotions and felt like it was another great promise from God that he is with us and is leading us each step of the way.

We'll keep you informed as to how this all develops. Please also pray for Sandy and the kids as they are anxious about this and about us getting ready and leaving!