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. :)

Hablando con Extranjeros

Wow! It's been a whole week since I last wrote on this page! It wouldn't be so bad if I wrote only once a week, I suppose, but I'd like to do better than that.
Well, the topic I would like to talk about today is evangelism... but not in the way you're thinking. I realized a couple days ago that I have met someone new almost everyday since I've been in Mexico. To tell someone about GOD, all you have to do is look for opportunity. That, of course, doesn't mean that I've shared the gospel with all those people. It does, however, mean I was out of my comfort zone for every single one of those people. It's a great feeling every time you talk with someone new, knowing you have brightened their day. It's almost addicting! I don't even remember all of their names, but I know that I made a difference in each of their lives somehow, even if it was just for that day. You always run into those people who are just rude or having a bad day (I would prefer to think the latter), but I was always better off for having started a conversation.
You know hose awkward moments? You know, when your crammed into a bus with a bunch of other people? Maybe not, but those times when your not quite sure what to say? Talking actually removes the awkwardness from those moments. Unless you like awkward moments, I like it when the other people around me feel comfortable. And do you know what I've found? Talking makes it all better. Even when you don't know what to say, if you just say anything, it's better than nothing. ... I just realized that there are entire libraries written on this subject... I wonder how many people I passed by till now. How many opportunities did I have to reflect the love of Christ in an every day, normal conversation with someone I'd never met before?
I've met the vendor at the corner shop of our street. His name is Ektor. Every time I walk by there, I look in to see if he is there right behind the counter to see if I can go in and buy something to have an excuse to talk with him. I met a group at UNAM that all talk together in the mornings before class: Peter, Carl, John, Ed and Amy, Stephen, and Murry. Murry's from Ireland. Each day at class I've gotten the chance to learn a bit more about a different person in that room. First, I met Robin from Holland who also has blonde, curly hair and blue eyes. Then, I met Christina from Germany. Then I got to talk with Tomas from Chicago, Illinois. Today, I learned more about a Korean girl named Victoria and the city she is from. On Tuesday, I ate at this haurache stand across from the beisbol (baseball) field, and met Joel and Julia who were very interested in Alsaka and me being a missionary. There was also two people there listening in and occasionally asking questions. I also talked with John, a Korean banker, about other denominations and differences in culture as related with the Message. This has been an unusually talkative week.
That's not even the best part! On Sunday I met another missionary on the metro bus, and his brother-in-law. David was reading this religious pamphlet, and as I was trying to decipher it behind him, he noticed me and started speaking in perfect English! We talked till we were well past my stop, and he invited me to have lunch with them at their house. After he woke up Samuel, we talked some more on the way and I got to meet his wife, Stephanie, and mother-in-law, Luz. Seriously, I was over there for about four and a half hours, all the while talking about spiritual things about Christ and heaven and stuff. It was the most encouraging day I've ever here! Even though they didn't believe in exactly the same doctrinal things, I still felt a strong sense of kinship with them. Ephesians 4:1-17 I think matches up great with why that conversation was SO good.
Anyway, I hope you all have a good night! Ustedes tengas una buena noche!

School of Foreigners

Today I was able to pay for the language classes at the university up here called UNAM. I had actually signed up for the classes yesterday with Pronunciation from 8-9, Basic 2 from 9-12, and then, on Mondays and Tuesdays--Salsa Dancing! It was really cool to find out that when I pay for just the Basic 2 class, I can have two other classes each day, and not have to pay more. When I left this morning to go pay for these classes there was long line, but I didn't mind: I had time. The only reason I had to pay the next day was because I forgot that I had my card with me that day, and left without looking. I got up to the front, all the while admiring the room I was in where Dance classes were to be held, and payed. But when I went over to the next station, the woman told me she couldn't enroll me because my schedule was a day late. She called another woman over who had been so helpful the day before, and I found out it wasn't valid anymore! I ended up having to re-enroll for all the classes, but by now, all the open slots for Salsa were taken. So, I lost my Salsa class but was able to salvage the truly important ones. I was really bummed...
The two times I visited UNAM this week weren't a complete waste: I was able meet six new people. I don't think I remember all their names, exactly. The two girls who were talking behind me in line were from Europe: I noticed their accents and thought that was really cool so I turned around and said, "Where are you guys from?" One, Emanuel, was from France and the other, Nikki, was from England. It was a very pleasant conversation, but it made me feel kind-of awkward when they started making fun of each others' countries. Nikki maybe in my class, but I don't know about Emanuel. Most of the people I met, though, were in much higher levels than me. One was in the most advanced class you can take, others were in basic three or four. I can't help but wonder where everybody in my class is going to be from. Last time there were two from Israel, one from India, and three more from Korea, not including Bryce and I; the two Americans.
If anyone wants to: I would always appreciate prayers for learning Spanish. :)

One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Me

As you can see, I have decided to start up a blog. If you're reading this I'm very happy that this has met with some level of success. I've never written a blog before so I hope you will be patient with any errors and the lack of decoration around the site. Hopefully, I will be able to use this to send out word of what my most recent exploits are and other news more frequently while having a channel for random thoughts and ideas. I figure if I just keep trying different forms of communicating my ideas, I will find one that really works. Honestly, I don't know how many people will follow this blog, but I'm willing to give it a shot; even if it is for kicks and giggles. I had never followed one myself until people in my AIM class started writing them. It was actually John's blog that gave me the inspiration to start one of my own.
Well, now that I have one, I suppose I will need to dress it up a bit more and keep it maintained with recent events. Hope you enjoy!