I Love Mexico

It's late. I'm tired. I had a really good, somewhat busy day. It was busy because I didn't play video games. It was good because I saw GOD using me in ways I didn't know I could be used. So now, I'm going to have to write this stuff down while it was still fresh or I'll forget it by tomorrow morning.

So, first off, I was able to talk with my cool cousin Adam and read a little before going and having copies made of the fliers Sean and I had made up on his computer. Then, I went to lunch at my favorite place, "Los Pavitos" and the two workers that know me best were there. It just so happened that their boss arrived there a little while after me to collect the money out of the register and that was the first time I think I've seen him. I had an idea. Wouldn't it be nice if i told him how good a job his employees were doing. So I did. I hope it helps them in the future. It's my favorite place because I find it the most relaxing. It's easiest place to just sit and read my bible in the whole city, I think. They aren't usually too crowded that I can't take my usual table at the back, grab a drink from behind the glass, and open up my Bible after having placed my order. I don't like studying while at home, so I go there instead. I'll need to make several different lessons before I leave and I think I have just the place to do it. I stayed there at Los Pavitos until it was time to go to small group.

I love being there. Tonight we studied different places in the Bible where the term 'forty days' shows up, like with the Flood, Jesus being tempted in the desert, and the time after Jesus' resurrection that He spent with his disciples. Israel asked me if I could take over the lessons for that group until I leave. I reluctantly accepted. I don't know if he remembers my last lesson there but it wasn't as good as I had hoped. I hope I can give them consistently good lessons. I really love the people there. I'm really going to miss them. Before we left I was just watching Valeria because she was the only kid there at the time, thinking, "I'm really going to miss her." When Israel dropped me off, it sounded like he was saying, "don't forget us". He said when I go back to Alaska to talk about them and keep praying for them. There's no way I think I could ever forget them.

And that wasn't even the best part of the evening! After I was dropped off, I had some tacos at the stand that's still open late at night and had an awesome spiritual conversation with an old woman who works there. I think she's there for PR because the guy making the tacos was trying to convince me to sell him my camera like the whole time I was there. Anyway, I told them that I was a missionary here and she asked what religion I said Christian and she said that she respects that. She's Catholic and she asked me a couple questions which was just enough to get me onto a role. We talked about all kinds of spiritual things and she seemed very interested; even through the part where I was saying we need to make that decision to turn to GOD and be baptized to be saved. I told them how GOD's grace is a free gift (unlike my camera) and that it's an open invitation for anyone, but most people don't take it. We talked about how our relationship with Him is the most important and how we are all sinners, but GOD gave us a way out. We mentioned reading GOD's word and praying everyday. I think that was something this old woman was especially impressed with about my faith, especially since she kept saying that they don't study like that in the Catholic church. Cool, huh?

Then, when I was finally on my way back home, I ran into the little girl Bryce and I had met the other night walking back from small group on Tuesday. When we had met her I was buying a coke, so she asked me if it was good, but I think the added seeming familiarity with her made her parents suspicious. It would make me suspicious. I forgot her name so that made me feel even more awkward meeting her parents, too. At least that's who I think they were. She is very friendly and laughs a lot. Whoever this little girl is, she's a shining light in this dark city.

Carlos from Cuernavaca just asked me on facebook if I will miss Mexico, and for the first time, I'm getting all emotional about it. I'm going to miss the coke and 'boing' drinks, sure, but more so the openness of the church and especially the kids in San Andreas where we meet for small group. The fact that I'll have to leave soon is more of a reality now, and now that it's so close, I realize that I don't really want to leave. I'm still looking forward to being home and doing what I think will move my life forward, but I'm sad to just pick up and leave now that I've been here for a year. The fact is: I love the people in Mexico. I'm going to be a wreck when I do finally come home: Reverse Culture Shock will not be kind to me.
Have a nice night! I'm out.

Back in the Groove

Ok, so this my first blog entry in a while as anyone who wants to read this will know. Since I've gotten back from Alaska I am happy to say that I've been pretty busy.
When I finally made it back to our apartment it was time for small group, so I put on some deodorant, put on a clean shirt, and headed out the door again with my Bibles (I always bring my English bible, too; just in case).
That was Tuesday.
Wednesday I took to rest... well, as much as I could after having a dream that made me so angry I woke up: getting over that took a while. After brownbag nothing else really happened, which is sad because one of my goals for the rest of the time I'm here is to meet someone new everyday.
Now today, on Thursday, I met not just one, not two new people, but three! The first two where a couple of guys sitting on the bench in front of the torta shop, Los Pavitos, singing traditional Mexican songs accompanied by a guitar. When they stopped playing and the thin old man was packing up his guitar, I went over and thanked them for the music and told them I really liked it. The older gentleman's name was Antonio and the other was Miguel Angel. Miguel was drunk. I didn't get the chance to chat with them, but I hope to be able to see them around and, hopefully, remember their names when I see them again.
This morning I made a list of all the things I could do today and then numbered them: #1 being the thing I wanted to do the most (playing the xbox) all the way down to the things I didn't, which means the things that would get me out of the house and interacting with people. Then I started with the items with the greatest number next to them. I think this technique will work well with my motivation: I don't know why. But the last things numbered do tend to be the most productive. So after doing some errands, I went to Sean's house to get help with making some fliers to pass out. I'm really glad Sean is my coordinator, he helps a lot! There was no way the designs could have turned out how they did without him. And then I had the best conversation of today on the way back from Sean's house with Francisco.
Francisco sells carpets and as I was passing by, one of them caught my eye and I thought, "that would be good upstairs in the loft back home." I walked over and started examining it when the guy across the street said, "they're real cheap!" in Spanish. I don't exactly want to buy something just because it's cheap, but oh well. Anyway, to make a long story short, he asked why I was here in Mexico and we started talking about the new law in Arizona. It was a good conversation I think because we both were talking and also understanding the other. We did get to talk about some spiritual things but only in general. It was funny, though, because by the time I was finished talking with him it was time to start heading to small group and I couldn't stop by the apartment. So now I'm back and it's late.
I hope these will start getting a lot better each time I write one. Writing gets better with practice, right? Also, if I write daily the things I talk about will be fresher in my memory!

Airport Evangelism

I forgot to tell you guys about the people I met in the airport this last week! I'm a big fan of airport evangelism. I don't always end up talking about GOD directly but sometimes that's the case.
During this last trip home, I met some really interesting people. One was David, a resident of Los Angeles. He said he did believe in some higher power but not in a GOD. During my time in airports I've heard this response many times. David said he hated religion and that being a good person should be enough. I may have handled the situation wrongfully but I was trying to explain what the Bible says on the matter and that there is a lot of evidence to lend it credibility, but I was selected to have my bag searched and he already sounded very defensive before I mentioned the Bible. By the time I came back to the line, David had moved on to catch his flight. I hope something I said worked into his heart later on.
On the trip back, I sat next to a young woman attending UCSB. She told me she was a follower of reformed judaism and we had good conversation about the GOD, evolution, and especially the Passover. Although, I was a little let down to hear that she claimed agnosticism, and that she really wasn't sure there was a God who created everything like how the Bible says. It was one of those conversations where you think of a bunch of stuff that you could have said after you've already parted ways. In this case I thought of a lot more stuff I could have asked her... but I'm sure the Holy Spirit was working through what was said, though. That was probably the most interesting conversation out of them all!
It was a great trip! I even met two old women, Victoria and Linda, sisters who helped me out with the crossword. :)