A Very Quiet House!

It is a very quiet house today. Glenn and Nancy left our house at 3:00 am this morning. Gerald drove them to the airport in Chihuahua. He made it home by 6:00am. The kids are going through withdrawals and attempting to adjust back to just five in the house. We had an amazing time with them and were very blessed that they came to visit us. Andrew and Olivia (and me) have shed tears. Olivia told me that when she got up this morning she went to each of the rooms where her cousins were sleeping.

So Gerald and I thought a distraction would be a good idea. We decided to go find a small Christmas Tree. We had bought a poinsettia plant that was to be our tree this year - but it died (not a good sign). We found two 18" trees and bought some lights and a few small ornaments. We rearranged the living room to make a small Christmas corner. That will sure make it look a little more like Christmas. Auntie Nancy helped each of the kids make a stocking. At lunch today Olivia said that was one of her favorite memories of her cousins being here.

We have our small group tonight. We have asked Tanya and her mom and sister to join us once again. We will let you know if they come. I think we will all take a little rest this afternoon. It is a cloudy day with some rain showers. A good day to curl up in a warm blanket and take a rest. We are all tired and will be out late tonight.

Have a good weekend.
Sandy

Tourist Activities...

Basically for the first time since we arrived we did some "tourist" things. We spent the last two days checking out two nearby tourist spots together with the Wien's and I have to say that we had a blast...it was an awesome time (thank you Scott & Elisa for giving us the ideas). Yesterday we went to an old silver mining town about 1/2 hour from Cuauhtemoc. While we were not able to go in and tour the mine we enjoyed exploring the sand dunes left from an old mine shaft.

Today we went down the road about 34 minutes and did some major mountain climbing (at least by the kids' point of view). It was a beautiful location and the weather was perfect and we had a fantastic time. We took along a picnic lunch and enjoyed that together with the adventures of exploring new things.

Auntie Nancy is helping our children make Christmas stockings (Sandy did not bring along any Christmas decorations at all so Nancy thought it would be good to do something). Tonight we are going out for supper and then tomorrow will be our last day together before they head back to the States. We have been having such a great time!

Blessings,

Gerald

Spending Time Together...

One of the main reasons that Glenn and Nancy came to visit us here was to simply spend time together and allow the kids (cousins) to play together...and the result is that this has been happening a ton...they are having so much fun, which means that we are all having fun.

(Kimberly and Olivia playing "hide and seek"...)

(Working hard making chocolate pie...)

Yesterday after church we went to El Granero's Restaurant (the ones our friends from church own) and we once again enjoyed our visit, the food and our time there. We were concerned that when Roxie (our previous dog whom we have given to them) would see our kids then their might be some problems with her wanting to come back with us and so on but things went very well.

(Enjoying our meal at El Granero's...)

Today we went downtown and did some shopping and "scouting" as the girls put it, for more shopping tomorrow. The weather is not so cold as it was but still not balmy by any means. Us adults had a "planning" meeting this evening to prepare for the next several days. We want to take advantage of doing some "touristy" things while they are here as we have basically not had time to do anything since we arrived. We are looking forward to a couple of outings and basically just spending time together.

I counted today and we only have 33 days left here in Mexico before we head back to Canada...actually quite a sobering thought...we have been so blessed to be here and will miss these people sooooo much...

Well it's bed time so I'll leave it at that...

Gerald

Snow Flurries...

So as thankful as we are that the Wiens' are here with us we are blaming them for bringing the snow with them from North Dakota...yes, it snowed today here in Cuauhtemoc. The forecast was for snow but the temp was hanging around 12 Celsius this afternoon when all of a sudden it plummet ted and it began to rain and then it turned into snow. Currently the temp is about 1 degree above freezing...it will be a nice cold night, for sure.

My class went well and on December 15 I will finish teaching the course. It has been a good experience but the attendance has been quite low...today I only had three students. Hopefully in the New Year when they start the next semester the attendance will be better.

Auntie Nancy is reading a story to the kids now as they get ready for bed...they had a great day playing together but last night was very late and so we need to get settled down.

Go Bombers!

Gerald

Another Family Blessing...

Right on time...at 9:55 p.m....the Wiens' family walked into the Chihuahua Airport and we were so excited to see them. A visit from Sandy's sister Nancy, her husband Glenn, and their family is an incredible blessing and we are looking forward to this coming week as we get to show them around to our city, our friends, our church and so on.

(Andrew welcoming his cousin Kyle with a big Mexican hug...)

While we were somewhat nervous about travelling the 1.5 hours to the airport late in the evening and returning home at midnight, we give the Lord thanks for protecting us and keeping us safe (we saw a semi-trailer on it's side just off the road on the way to the airport). Our kids were so excited to stay up late and go welcome their cousins to Mexico. Olivia could basically not contain herself with excitement as we travelled and as we waited in the airport.



They are all pretty tired from their trip and so today looks to be a relaxing day on the menu, especially as it is supposed to rain most of the day.

I am doing some last minute prep for my Bible Institute class this afternoon while everyone else hangs out at home.

Thanks for your prayers on their behalf and on our behalf...we are truly blessed!

Gerald

Happy Thankgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends and family! We had a very fun experience today. We had been invited by Tanya's sister, Samantha, to attend a Thanksgiving celebration at her son's (Leonardo) school. (Thanksgiving is not celebrated here in Mexico as a holiday, but our church had a day of Thanksgiving last Sunday.) Half of Leonardo's school day is in English and they had prepared a program about the pilgrims in English. It was very well done and we enjoyed it. Afterwards we had a lunch which included turkey. It was a very special way to spend part of the day.

(Leonardo doing his speaking part...)

(The Apache Indians and the Pilgrims sharing a meal together...)

(Our kids joining Leonardo on the Mayflower ship...)

Another exciting part of today was hearing from Tanya and her family how thankful they were to have been at the Bible Study last night and that they want to come to our church. I have been overwhelmed with thankfulness to the Lord for His working in their lives. I kept thinking today about how God's timing is so perfect and that I have no doubt that we were here for such a time as this. Our connecting with their family and planting some seeds about His love for them is all part of God's plan for us while we are here. I feel so blessed to have been a part of it and am so thankful that we were faithful to His call. There is so much joy in serving!

Have a good evening,

Sandy

Answered Prayers...

We just wanted to let you share in the joy we experienced this evening...Tanya and her mother and sister came to our small group meeting tonight and we are praising the Lord for a wonderful time. Sandy worked so hard today to prepare a fantastic meal and that was such a key element of breaking the ice and making everyone feel so comfortable. The two other couples from our group did a great job of making our neighbours feel welcome and Sandy and I mostly just sat quietly and rejoiced, with tears sneaking out now and then, as we saw these friends of ours start to build relationships with our church friends. We can only give thanks to God for his goodness in this regards.
We will continue to pray fervently that they will return to our next bible study and also come to church. They were all so thankful for the invitation...they said this was the first time in their lives they had been invited to this type of get-together...and they seemed very interested in returning next week and also of coming to church, especially to get their children into the Sunday School program.
Thank you so much for your prayers on this matter and keep praying as we see this as the beginning of some wonderful things happening in their lives!
We are exhausted and are heading off to bed but we are truly thankful for the Lord's work in our own lives and in our neighbour's lives!

Blessings,
Gerald

Three Things...

First of all, our neighbour lady said "yes" to our invitation to come to the Bible Study tonight at our house!! Her husband is not home this week so she said she would come with her sister. We hope that they do come and pray that the Holy Spirit would be working in their hearts!

Sandy is working hard getting the meal ready for tonight and we have lots of mopping and cleaning to do this afternoon to get the house presentable as well.

Second, apparently some of you could not see the picture of our new dog...so we will post it again for those of you who are animal lovers...

Third, we are enjoying the 21 Celcius (71 Farenheit) weather...although all our neigbhours keep saying it is way above normal for this time of year and the cold and snow is coming in a week or two...we'll see!

Gerald

20 de Noviembre - Dia de Revolucion...

Today is the day that Mexico celebrates the revolution and their folklore hero, Pancho Villa. This festival is taken very seriously in big cities and small pueblos alike. When we were in Santo Tomas on Sunday, all the children and many of the parents were absent from the church service as the kids were involved in the parade and festivities. The church folks decided to skip Sunday School and simply have the worship service. Having been here for a few months now I decided to preach simply using an outline instead of having a manuscript as I have done until now. The good thing about preaching this way is that I looked up and interacted with the congregation way more but on the other hand I was more long-winded...but as Sandy said, in this culture, long-winded messages are the norm...so I guess I am starting to fit in!

(We helped bring some Santo Tomas church members back to Cuauhtemoc on Sunday after church as they were coming to visit a parishener who was in the hospital...what seat belt laws?)

I brought our former dog Roxy to the acerage of some friends of ours last week Wednesday and left her there to begin her new life with a new family that includes two other dogs and lots of space to run and play. While it was somewhat sad for the kids to see Roxy go, we decided to give it a go with one more dog...we purchased a 9 week old Schnauzer from a pet store down the street. These are supposed to be intelligent dogs, don't shed, only grow to be about 10-12 inches tall and is a family pet. We brought him home yesterday morning and the kids are thrilled. The challenge that lies before us includes potty training (I thought we were done with that already) and sleeping through the night in his kennel (last night was long and he sure can whine...).

(LOBO, our new dog...)

Tonight I am teaching my final SEAN class at the Emanuel church and then next week they write their final exam. It has been a real blessing to be teaching and to have gotten to know this group of students.

We talked to our neighbour Tanya yesterday and invited her family to join us tomorrow night for our small group meeting. She was excited about it and so we hope that come tomorrow they will indeed show up. We thank you for your ongoing prayers on this matter.

(The kids playing with some friends at a home we got invited to for supper on Saturday...)

Enjoy the sunshine...we sure are!

Gerald

The Weekend

We have had a busy weekend, but very good. We went to visit a couple from our church yesterday afternoon. We were suppose to go there last weekend when I got sick. The kids had a great time playing outside, feeding the goats, playing with the cats, and enjoying being out of the city. We enjoyed a good Mennonite supper. Andrew ranked this visit to the farm as his second favorite thing we have done since we have been here.

This morning we went to Santo Tomas for church. The kids were actually excited that there wasn't any Sunday School as all the kids were involved in a parade to celebrate the November 20th Pancho Villa revolution. So church was much shorter than they had expected it to be. Right after church we helped transport some of the church members back to Cuauhtemoc as most of the church were coming to visit a member of the church who had had surgery and was in the hospital here in town. We had ten people in our van (which seats 5). The kids all sat on the floor.

I have to admit I have been feeling kind of blue lately. I am a person that loves the Christmas season. I love baking and decorating. We would have our tree up by now at home, the house all decorated, goodies in the freezer, and most of the gifts purchased. I have been missing that. We didn't bring any decorations with us and since we are leaving right after Christmas we aren't having a tree this year. Nor will I do any Christmas baking. We will probably buy a set of lights to hang up and I saw a poinsettia plant the other day. That might make a substitute tree. I have been reminding the kids that this Christmas will be very different. The more I remind them (which they seem to be handling quite well) the more I seem to miss it. I had a good cry the other day. And so we carry on!

Please continue to pray that Antonio and Tanya will come our small group meeting on Wednesday. Thank you!

Sandy

Olivia's Blog...

Hello - this is Olivia doing the blog. Two more days until we are getting our new dog. We set up a good dog kennel. We went to Chihuahua today and we got some good toys that we can play with our new dog - his name is Lobo. I hope you at home are having a fun time.

From Olivia!

Gerald adds...

Our purpose for going to Chihuahua today was to make arrangements for the Pastor's Retreat coming up on December 8-9. Sandy and I are in charge of this event and we are quite excited about being hosts to an encouraging time. We made reservations at a hotel for the pastors who are coming and now need to continue planning how the weekend will go and so on.

The weather continues to get colder - we even got rain last night for the first time in a month! They are predicting snow for Monday.

Our Spanish/English classes have been going well. Sandy is teaching the neighbour boy Alexi (9 years old), and he is making some good progress. Alexi's mom, Tanya, is teaching our three children at the same time and she says that they are doing great, especially Andrew. The classes are on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons, from 4:00 to 4:45 or so.

Please pray for Tanya and her husband Antonio, as we plan on inviting them to our small group Bible study at our home next week Wednesday (Nov. 21). We feel like we have built a solid friendship with them, enough that we feel that we are ready to invite them to meet our group and hear God's Word. Our goal is to have them get to know others from our church so that after we leave in 6 weeks they will have the opportunity to keep connected and, by God's grace, make a decision to follow the Lord with their lives.

Gerald

Long Pants and Warm Air

Two things happened this morning for the first time since we have arrived. Andrew wore long pants. Well, he did put on shorts first thing this morning but we made him change. And secondly, Gerald turned the furance on to take the chill out of the house. It was a cloudy overcast morning and very breezy. It was quite nice to feel the warm air. It is still quite overcast this afternoon.

During school this morning I asked the kids who missed Roxie. Nobody admitted that they did. Either we did a great job preparing them for her leaving for a home in the country or they never really liked her to begin with. :) Andrew actually told me he was quite happy for Roxie - thinking of her being able to run around.

I am doing well. My stomach is still a little tender and I have to watch what I eat. I am quite tired today - I over did it a bit yesterday. But outside of being a little tired I am feeling quite like myself. Thankfully, nobody else got it. The kids are back to normal. Gerald still struggles now and then with his stomach but he also takes way more chances with what he eats than the rest of us do.

Have a good day,
Sandy

Caleb's Blog

Hi Everybody,

This is Caleb. I am telling what the blog is going to be today. Today I'm gonna tell about Roxie. Today was the day that Roxie had her tryout at her new home. Only dad took her because we didn't want to see if they fought or not. And it actually turned out pretty good. She is going to stay out there for a night or two and then they will figure out if they want to keep her or not. They will keep her as long as Spike and Negra get along with Roxie. Her new home is out in the country and it is a big yard. Hopefully she'll like that place cause we are getting a new puppy. We will find out if she likes the new place or not. We will see her once or twice before we leave.

I learned to tie my shoes.

So we will see you guys later, bye
Caleb

Mom adds:
There were some tears today, but everyone agreed that, if this works, it will be a great home for Roxie. She needs more space to run around. As long as Roxie gets along with the other dogs they will keep her (pray for that!). She will be much happier in the country. We are planning on getting another dog - a smaller breed that will do better in a smaller yard.

Short and Sweet

Just thought I would put a quick note up that we had a good day today. I am feeling almost like myself - just lacking energy to do stuff. I did do some things around the house today - clean the bathroom (that was nasty), a little laundry, and some kitchen work. And, yes, mom, I did lay down and rest too!! Today was the first day I ate some food (other than toast) and it stayed down well. I feel so much better and am so thankful to be over this. I know that Gerald will continue to make me take it easy for a few more days. And mom, I will rest tomorrow too!

Gerald is still struggling with his stomach somewhat. Parts of the days are good and others are not. The kids seem back to normal.

Thanks again for your prayers!

Have a good evening,
Sandy

Still on the Recovery Road!

I am taking all kinds of medicine and I have no idea what they are. But I do know that I am not in much pain anymore. Nor am I running to the bathroom every little while. I can't believe how tired and drained I am. I tried to wash a few dishes this morning and had to give up. Gerald taught school on Friday. I managed to tackle it today although I layed down on the couch the whole time. Afterwards I went to bed for a few hours. This has totally wiped me out.

Gerald has done an amazing job taking care of the kids, cooking, dishes, laundry and all the other things that need to be done in a house. On top of that he is trying to do his preparation. Hats off to Gerald!!!

Don and Minna brought supper on Saturday and stayed to join the rest of my family. Thanks Minna for doing the dishes afterwards too!! Tonight Claudia (from our small group) is bringing supper. That is sure appreciated and helps lots too.

Please keep praying for recovery for me and for the others as well. There have been many trips to the bathroom by the rest of them in the last few days. Pray that whatever it is will pass quickly and without anyone getting serious ill.

Sandy

On The Mend...

The medication and your prayers are working to help Sandy start feeling better. She has basically not eaten anything since Wednesday afternoon and still has very little appetite. She had a slice of toast this morning and that seemed to settle sort of okay. She has been up and around for an hour or two today but then goes back and sleeps for a while again.

We suspect that when she was sick exactly six weeks ago, what we thought was the flu bug, may have been a mild case of food poisoning as well. Whatever it was, it seems to have made her weaker so that when she got sick this time, she was not able to resist it and crashed very hard. She can't ever recall experiencing this type of pain before in her life (not even childbirth, for those of you of the female gender who know what that is like).

We are glad for the slight increase in health and hope that the next few days will prove to be a good time of recuperation for her as well.

Pray that my own stomach problems that started yesterday afternoon will not turn into the same thing (I've never given birth but I don't exactly want to go through what she did - I know, us men are wimps, and I better buck up and bear whatever takes place). If it does get worse, I will head over to the doc's office very quickly to get some meds right aways.

Thank you for all your prayers - we realize again and again our need to depend upon the Lord as we live here and upon our prayer supporters all over the place!

Gerald

Salmonella Food Poisoning...

Sandy got Salmonella food poisoning somewhere this week and this is what is causing all her stomach pain (we actually think we might know which restaurant and food it could have been). The case was severe enough that it caused an infection in her stomach/bowels, as best as I could understand from the doctor. He prescribed four different meds to take, including, for those of you in the know, are Ciproflox, Akabar, Flonorm, and Plidan Compuesto (I realize these are Spanish names so I'm not sure what they would mean in English). He said they were for the inflammation, the infection, her fever and for the pain (I'm not sure which one goes with which...).
The test came back negative for Typhoid Fever so we are thankful for that. However, unless the pills kick in very quickly, it will be another day of discomfort before she is out of the woods.
I am also making her drink a re-hydration serum, a type of Electrolyte of sorts...of course, she thinks it tastes disgusting, but the doctor supported my idea - I've got her where I want her now.
I sure hope that she comes out of this soon because she has been in a lot of pain for the last 2-3 days - long enough by all our estimates!
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers - we feel God's nearness through this event!

Gerald

Sandy's Blood Work...

I took Sandy to Dr. Fernando Arias this morning and he immediately thought she had an infection but ordered some blood work to check for Typhoid, which apparently is quite common around here. Sandy's vein's have always been hard to access and so she was very nervous about the young man who was taking her blood. But...as she said later, it was probably the least painful blood work she has ever had done, PTL!

I will go back now in a little while to see what the results are and pick up whatever medication the doctor will prescribe!
She is back in bed resting again after this little outing and still in quite a lot of pain. But now at least we are on track to getting this figured out and addressing the problem.

I made a number of calls this morning to postpone or cancel activities that we had planned this weekend, including going to Chihuahua tomorrow to preach! We're not at a place right now where travelling around the state is such a good idea.

Thanks for your prayers!

Gerald

Update on Sandy...

Just a couple of quick updates for you...
Sandy is not really feeling any better. She has a lot of stomach pain, a constant headache and aches and pains all over her body. I am starting to get a little concerned with her and she is ready for this to be over. If the night does not go well we will take her in to see a doctor tomorrow morning. Our neighbours have offered to take us to their doctor and we know that one other couple in our church has also offered to help us out should we need to see a doctor. Please pray for her that God would alleviate this problem and that if we do go to see a doctor tomorrow that it would turn out well.

The other update is that my folks called this evening and said they arrived back home to Canada safe and sound this afternoon for which we are very grateful. It was very good to have them here and we're glad they travelled back through the U.S. safely!

Pray for peace in our hearts and for the Lord's will to be done!

I'll keep you posted...
Gerald

Happy Anniversary!!

Today is our 11th Wedding Anniversary...and Sandy is flat in bed as sick as she has ever been with a stomach virus of some sort. It was a long night for her and she doesn't seem out of the woods just yet. Please pray for her to get over this flu bug and to gain strength again. We have quite a lot on our plate for this weekend and not much of it will happen if she continues to be down and out.

Andrew showed his caring and responsible side last night...I was out at Prayer Meeting when Sandy took a turn for the worse. Andrew stepped in and was a big help and support to Sandy while I was gone and let me know, in very humble fashion, that he had done what he could while I was gone and now that I was home he was turning over the care-giving to me and going off to bed...it was very special to see him use these gifts that we have often seen in him.
I will try and tackle the teaching of our kids this morning and see how the rest of the day goes as I still have sermon prep to finish and a home to manage in my dear wife's absence!

I have so enjoyed being married to her these past 11 years and feel so blessed to be raising our family together and serving the Lord together. I couldn't ask for a better life partner then God has given me in Sandy. PTL!

Thanks for your prayers!

Gerald

Our Normal Routine

It has been a couple of quiet days since Grandpa and Grandma left on Monday. I have been busy with school, cleaning, laundry, and today I did some baking. The kids (and Gerald) were quite happy to see some freshly baked cookies on the counter. Although they enjoyed the cookie dough just as much. Gerald has been busy working on all the prep he has to do. On top of the teaching he does during the week he is also preparing a sermon for Sunday. He is preaching in Chihuahua on Sunday.

The kids have used their imaginations lots the last two days. They have gone from restaurant, to strong man competitions, to Caleb being the doctor, Olivia the nurse and the stuff animals the patients. They tried to make Roxie, our dog, the patient, but she wasn't a very willing participant.

We are enjoying some beautiful days. The afternoons are warm and sunny. It is cooler in the mornings and evenings. Andrew still wears shorts and sandals while the rest of us start out in long pants in the morning. We enjoyed a walk to the grocery store today. As we were walking across one of the streets Olivia looked down the end of the street to the mountains. She casually remarks, "I am going to miss that view when we go home." Gerald and I smiled as she repeated what she had heard us say many times already. It really is a beautiful view.

Yesterday when Gerald was coming home from his class he witnessed a pretty bad traffic accident. It was close to the police station. The accident involved a police truck and there were many police on the scene immediately. Today on our walk home from the grocery store there was billowing smoke down the street. It seems that something was on fire. Incidents like that remind us that we need your prayers.

Our time is flying by and we are trying to make sure that we fit in all that remains before we leave. Thank you for upholding us in your prayers.

Have a good evening.

Sandy

Saying Good Bye!

What can we say? We are so thankful for the visit of my folks but are also sad to see them go. We had such a wonderful time with them and were so blessed. We decided to spend the last day going with them to the Los Jagueyes Mennonite Colony where they were going to spend one more night visiting with Dad's cousins. Sandy did school with the kids while Grandma did several loads of laundry and then we left before lunch.

We drove for about one hour and stopped for lunch and then drove another 40 minutes or so until we arrived at the colony. There we met up with Neil, their friend who "chauffeured" them here, and proceeded to drive around the area meeting some people and seeing some sights. One of the places we stopped at was the graveyard where my Great Grandfather Reimer is buried. It was a special occasion for us to show the grave stone to our children and, as Grandpa Reimer said to the boys, it was because of this man that they had the last name "Reimer."

(Three generations of Reimer boys standing at P.P. Reimer's tombstone (1877-1949), the Great Great Grandfather of Caleb and Andrew...)

At one of Dad's cousin's homes, the kids had a riot playing in the their big yard and jumping into a huge pile of leaves. It was obvious that they have missed having a yard of grass and trees back in Steinbach.

Saying "goodbye" is never easy and such was the case again today. But we were so blessed that we can easily say it was worth the "pain" of saying goodbye.

Tomorrow we try to get back into the routine of our lives again as the week ahead of us is busy as usual.

Please pray for my folks as they head back across the U.S. for Canada tomorrow and the rest of this week!

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

Time is flying by...

The week is flying by and we are having a wonderful time! We have been out the last two evenings with friends and this has given my folks a chance to meet our friends. Two nights ago we went to our friends Saul and Oralia's and they served us and some other friends a private supper in their restaurant. It was a real blessing to be able to spend the evening with them.

Then last night we went over to Don and Minna's house for supper. The kids had a great evening with their grandchildren once again and we enjoyed a fun time of visiting.

(Our neighbour Tania (far right) with her two boys, mother, sisters and a niece and nephew stopping by for candy on Halloween...)

(Dad and I prepping the fence for painting after a local welder came and fixed up some hinges...)

(Grandpa and Andrew in a "math contest")

(Grandpa playing a board game with the kids...)

(Grandma enjoying some down time...)

Today is our first day where we don't have school or anything so the day is free for us to go out and simply enjoy the culture around us. Of course, souvenir shopping is likely going to happen as well.

(After Caleb looses two teeth within one week...)

With Mom and Dad leaving on Monday we are making the most of our days here before they go!