School Days

 Thank you for your prayers for our students, teachers and school year!
Here are some photos from our first few days of classes.

Bound to Disobey

 "For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all." (Romans 11:32)

I was uncomfortable with that verse when I read it the other day.  Why would God bind peope to disobedience? Sounds like He's making things harder.  I understand that He is able to show mercy on us after we are disobedient, but still.

But, in the book I'm reading, the chapter I'm on is about discernment - "An understanding mind gains knowledge; the ear of the wise seeks knowledge" (Proverbs 18:15).  I have also heard several messages lately about meditating on Scripture. 

So, instead of moving on, I tried this meditation business for a moment.  I think the Holy Spirit was greatly merciful on my wandering mind, because I quickly came to a new understanding of the verse.

I considered the opposite: Bound to obedience.  Slavery.  No free will.  Only love out of obedience - which is not really true love.

God did not bind us to obedience.  He allowed us to choose whether or not we want to seek His will.  He bound us to our own wills - binding us to disobedience.  And He has great mercy on us all.

I'm no theologian, and maybe my conclusions are not spot on, but I feel like I've gained a deeper understanding of something that confused me.  While I've got a long way to go, I think I like this meditation business.  I know that I see just a tiny, blurry part of a big and beautiful picture - but I hope that I can continue to deepen my understanding and faith in God.

Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Romans 11:30-36

Back to School

Along with most of Oaxaca, we begin classes on Monday.  Your prayers for Oaxaca, along with our teachers and students (and myself) this school year would be much appreciated.  Thank you so much!

Teachers:

Estela (1^st year teaching)

– teaching 4^th/5^th grade and English –

Iván (2^nd year teaching) 

– teaching 6^th grade –

Leticia (5^th year teaching) 

– teaching 3^rd/4^th grade –

Students:

3^rd Grade

Jade

Keymi

Luis Ángel

Luis Antonio

María Isabel

Marisol

Zabdi

4^th Grade:

Abraham

Albino

Gadiel

Gael

5^th Grade:

Ana Cristina

Ángel

Angélica

Josabet

Norma

Oscar

6th Grade:

Abigail

Dara

Jenifer

Karina

Kevin

Luz

Wilber

Yair

Atzompa

Today I visited the ruins of Atzompa with a friend.  This archaeological site was opened to the public only 3 years ago.  It is on a mountaintop within sight of Monte Alban.  While the top of Monte Alban was leveled off, Atzompa was not so much – making for quite a bit of hiking around.  The current understanding is that there were at least two families in positions of privilege living here.  Basically, where the elite lived in the heyday of Monte Alban's best years.  Pretty neat.

Opened to the public in 2012.  At this time, entry is free.

The view of Monte Alban on the opposite mountaintop.

Also, a great view of the city of Oaxaca down below.

A lot still in need of excavating - i.e. the huge pile of stones on the left.

These are the bases of the buildings.  Neat to imagine them with walls and ceilings.

These rooms are smaller, but some of the spaces around here are huge!

Locals still make the traditional pottery.  Great stop for inexpensive finds!

Ancient Ruins

I had the opportunity to visit anew the archaeological site of Monte Alban.  It was probably my 10^th time there, but I was excited to find things I had never noticed before.  It helped that we got off the beaten path a little – my friend loves climbing around ancient ruins, and so we were a bit more adventurous in our exploring.

 

It also might’ve been the first time I really paused to be amazed at what the ancient people accomplished – leveling off a mountain top around 500 BC.  Not only that, but their buildings line up with the path of the sun during a certain time of the year, and one building sits at an angle that lines up with its path in another season.

United States has been a country for 250+ years.  If you consider that the U.S. took the stage as a world power during WWII, that makes it only 70+ years that it has been recognized as such.  Monte Alban was the major political power in this region for over 1,000 years.  One thousand years!  Which means that Monte Alban was in its pinnacle when, on the other side of the world, Jesus was walking the earth.

That amazes me.  Jesus changed history, but what happened at Monte Alban on the day he was crucified? On the day he rose again?  Did anyone know something special was going on?  Based on how much attention Rome gave Jesus, I doubt it – and that’s a shame. 

And yet, people continue to live as though Jesus never came to earth.  And too often we, who believe that He came and will come again, do not share this with others.  And that's to our shame.  May we be a people marked by the love of Jesus - so that others might know and believe as well.

- - - - - - - - - - -

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

John 15:34-35

Christmas in August

I had the wonderful opportunity this summer to visit my sister who lives in Chicago.  We had gone a year and a half without seeing each other in person - the longest we've ever been apart.  So, when she picked me up from the airport Friday night, the first order of business was a big hug!  It was a wonderful and much-needed week of rest.

The flight back to Oaxaca was rather uneventful until the landing.  I had filled out the customs and immigration forms and tucked those, along with my brand new temporary resident visa, safely into my passport.  I then set everything in the unoccupied seat beside me.  As we landed, I decided my visa might be safer in my wallet.  However, apparently I was too late, as I discovered that my visa was no longer inside my passport.  What?

After a moment of panic and checking once more to make sure I hadn't missed it, I began to frantically look around my seat for my visa.  I looked in places I knew it couldn't be, I asked the people around me if they saw anything, I even dug through the edges of the seat that were filled with crumbs from previous customers.  No visa.

I knew it had to be on the plane someplace.  I debated whether I should ask the steward and pilots help me look for it (it's a very small plane and I'm not sure they can leave if a passenger is still on board).  Then I decided I could just use the copy of the visa I had with me, and try to get a new card again.  Then I heard a man a few rows in front of me say, "Is that yours?" To which another man said, "No, I think some guy lost his ID, but it's not from anyone around me."

I could be offended that they looked at the picture and thought I was a guy, but I was mainly overjoyed at what I'd overheard.  (Besides, those immigration photos are pretty much impossible to take in a flattering way - with hair plastered away from your face and no smile.)  I tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Hey, I think that's mine."  I still can't figure out how it got away from me.

Thankfully immigration didn't ask me any questions and customs didn't search my bags.  It was also very nice to come through the doors and see three friends waiting for me, along with the youngest girl from the children's home, who ran up and gave me a hug.  They told me they had a surprise for me at home, but I didn't think much of it at the time.

When we got home, I was led to an upstairs glowing with warm light - and was rather shocked to see the Christmas tree set up, with Christmas cookie and oranges, and Christmas music playing from an internet radio station off someone's iPad.  It was quite a surprise, not only because it was August, but because, while I love Christmas, one of my roommates does not. It made me feel very special and I made myself suffer through some out-of-season, freshly-baked Christmas cookies ;).

So, to jump on another holiday a little early, I am thankful for so many things.  I am thankful for the ability to go and visit my sister.  I am thankful for the wonderful time we spent together and her apartment that made me feel like I was in a nice hotel, without the cost of staying inn a nice hotel.  I am thankful for safe travels and found visas and green lights at customs.  And I am thankful for new friendships.  I am thankful that the Lord is so good to me.