Blood Moons

Due to cloud cover last night, we didn't get a chance to see the Super Blood Moon.  However, we did get a special treat this morning - pictured below.  With all the superstitions and beliefs that the end times are upon us surrounding the blood moon, it was a very pleasant surprise to see a rainbow arching its way over the children's home as I walked to school this morning.  Almost like God saying, "Don't forget,  I'm still here."

 As one of my college professors once told our Bible class, the experts on the Messiah leading up to Jesus' time had no idea he would come in the way that he did.  The prophecies seem so clear now - the virgin birth, the suffering servant - but as they say, hindsight is 20/20.  It's doubtful we will be able to anticipate well His second coming either - except to remain alert and be found faithful when that day comes.

Peter talks to those who have received faith in Jesus Christ about that day in 2 Peter 3.  He ends it by saying, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen"

Amen. 

Disconnected, again...

Some of you may recall that I have already written a post about being involuntarily disconnected from the internet.  In the end, it turned out to be a lesson in connecting with people living around me.  Well, it seems as though the internet still has more lessons to teach me.  Or, rather, the lack of internet.

For quite a while, we've been having more internet struggles around here.  For weeks it would only come on from sometime in the middle of the night to noon the next day.  In the afternoon, when I'm most free to get things done, there was an internet dead-zone.

So, we switched internet users a few weeks ago and got a giant signal that can reach all the way out to the highway and is faithful 24 hours a day.  Unfortunately, this signal does not do well getting through concrete walls - and therefore is useless in many of our houses, all made of concrete.

I am thankful to have a computer that is able to pick up signals fairly well - and I can sit in my living room and use the internet.  But no matter where I stand in my bedroom, no signal.  While plans are being made to remedy this situation, I've been learning some more lessons.

First of all, since when did I get so reliant on having wireless internet access in my bedroom?  It wasn't that long ago that all I had was one wire connected to one room in the house.  And not that long before that when internet would tie up your phone line with one of the most obnoxious sounds ever.

We even have a video of me as a little girl sitting in front of a monitor with a black screen and the green outline of a piano keyboard.  I could punch different letters on the musical scale to play a song.  Why do I now have to have wireless internet in my bedroom?

Then I began to wonder if I was really in control of my internet usage, or if it was controlling me.  I liked to listen to the news in the morning.  It was nice to check my email at night.  During my devotional time I sometimes would listen to the audio option on my Bible app, to hear someone else speaking the Scriptures.  Those aren't bad things, eh?

But so much time was wasted on useless things. Facebook. YouTube. Facebook. Pinterest. Facebook. Games.  I used the excuse that it helped me to unwind, rest my mind a bit.  And it's true, it did those things.  But the amount of time I spent doing that was really unnecessary and sometimes even embarrassing.

So it was that today, as I walked to school and glanced back at the sun rising behind my house, I was struck by the beauty of it all.  And I realized with clarity that if I get to live in this place, but have no internet at all, would that really be such a bad thing? I don't think so.  I count myself pretty blessed.

As I mentioned, plans are being made to remedy the internet situation, and I expect to get wireless internet back in my room sometime within the next few weeks.  But I hope to be even more aware of the question/challenge: Am I controlling how I use the internet, or is it controlling me?

Teacher Survival Kit

This summer, I got the chance to meet and work with Julia - one of the first directors of the little school here.  She is now living and working at a middle school in California, but she joined us at the end of our school year to help us out for a few weeks.

She also brought me a wonderful gift - which I believe she called a "teacher survival kit."  Having looked this up online, I see that there are many variations of these - along with creative poems giving extra significance to each item.  To be honest, just the items are more than enough for me.

As a teacher, you constantly using things up, and I think it is rare the teacher who has too many supplies.  It is also nice to be thought of and receive a gift that fits your needs so well.  So, if you have any teachers in your life and are wondering how to make them feel appreciated, I think something like this just might do the trick.

First of all, it comes in a pencil box - bonus! :)

Highlighters, Sharpies, Pencils, Pens

Post-its, page markers, push-pins

White-out, tape, glue

Stamps, hand sanitizer

Adult scissors

Even if a teacher already has all of things, I don't think he/she will begrudge a few more.  This list is obviously flexible, any combination of these things along with your own ideas would be great.  So, there you go - if you are wondering how to show a little teacher appreciation, problem solved. :)

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Kind of off subject, but while Julia was here, we watched the movie McFarland, USA.  It is a movie about children of Mexican migrant workers becoming part of a cross-country team in the 80s. I really enjoyed it. 

Julia happens to work and live right around where it takes place and recognized all the school names - and confirmed the schools that were in poor areas and the schools that are generally thought of as wealthier and more stuck-up.  It made it even more interesting to watch it with her.

If missed it, I suggest you check it out!

Independence and Leadership

Mexican Independence Day is tomorrow, however, celebrations always begin the night before.  As the priest Miguel Hidalgo rang the church bell in his village calling Mexicans to rise up against the Spaniards, Mexicans celebrate into the night on September 15th and ring a bell near midnight to remember that time.

Flag Ceremony at the celebration with the whole children's home.

At the school, we decided to have some celebrations as well.  The teachers and I met two weeks ago to plan some special events.  Seeing as how it is not really my Independence Day, I asked them take the lead and I helped out where I could.  They did great, planning three-legged challenges, sack races, group word searches, and more.  We hoped it would be a fun day for everyone.

Sack races!

As the day approached, I realized that it could turn out poorly if it became about competitions.  So, capitalizing on the teachable moment of Independence Day, I explained to the kids that they needed to work together in their groups.  I don't think Mexico would've won it's independence had its people not worked together, and we needed to work together today.

Water balloon volleyball! - ok, this one was my idea :)

With the help of the teachers, I selected a sixth grade leader for each group.  Since all the adults were tied up leading the different activities, it would be the leader's job to get their group from place to place and encourage their group to work together.

Independence-themed word search - created by yours truly :)

Taking advantage of another teachable moment, I pointed out that I had called them leaders and not bosses.  We pondered the difference between a leader and a boss.  A leader should work alongside people and encourage them towards a shared goal.  A boss tends to be more... bossy - telling people what to do and not really participating in things below their pay-grade.

I asked them if they were ready to be leaders.  "Yes," they each responded with confidence.  Great, this day seems to be going well so far, I thought.  Then one of the girls pulled me to the side.  She wanted to let me know that on the way to school, David* (one of the leaders) had been throwing rocks at the men constructing the wall surrounding our property.  The men had noticed and looked their way, but didn't say anything.

I was surprised and disappointed.  I doubted our choice in making this young man a leader.  Calling David to my desk in the hallway, I asked him about the matter.  "Oh, no, I wasn't throwing rocks at them," David said, "I was throwing rocks at a bottle near them."  Cue me rolling my eyes.

"Look," I said, "If some kids started throwing rocks in your direction, wouldn't you think they were throwing rocks at you?"  He acknowledged my point.  I told him, "Listen, this is a very hard thing to do now, but I think you need to go and ask them for forgiveness."  The suggestion was not well received.

After some discussion, we settled on him writing them a note, asking for forgiveness.  I told him I wasn't sure if he could still be a leader of his group, if he was making decisions like this.  He reassured me that he still really wanted to be a leader and could do a good job.  I reluctantly agreed, letting him know I'd be keeping an eye on him.

And, as it turns out, David's group worked together really well that day.  In fact, at the end of the day, when I asked the teachers who's group was the most unified, they all chose his.  (In defense of the other leaders, we have some very challenging individuals at our school who do not excel at getting along with others.)  I was very proud of all of our student leaders - and thankful for the unexpected opportunity to let them flex their leadership muscles.

*Name changed for privacy.

Hidden Messages

Sometimes I walk past this wall in the city of Oaxaca and I've always wanted to take a picture of it, but usually a car is parked in front.  This weekend, I finally got my photo op!

I'm not great at reading "graffit" font, but I think the letters in the arm form the word savior.  Above that it says, "sacrifice of love for you," and hidden on the letters are the words sacrifice, unconditional love, faithfulness, and humility.

There is actually a surprising amount of Christian graffiti all over the city.  I don't know who paints it, but it is always fun to discover as I am out and about.  I hope it brings light to people's lives - I know it lifts my spirits and renews my focus.

Here are a couple more that I've snapped pictures of:

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Do you see that across the intersection?

 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:16

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What's that I see hiding above that wall?

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:31

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Are there hidden messages around where you live?

Many Hands

I have had a lot of roommates in my year and a half of living in this duplex.  In fact, there have been 15 of them, I just made a list.

1. Eunice (Mexico) 
2. Annie (USA - Minnesota) 
3. Norma (Mexico) 
4. Alejandra (Mexico) 
5. Arely (Mexico) 
6. Bethany (USA – Ohio) 
7. Hanna (Germany) 
8. Julia (USA – California) 
9. Anne (Denmark/Canada) 
10. Abby (USA – Montana) 
11. Brittany (USA – New York) 
12. Estela (Mexico) 
13. Sofia (Mexico) 
14. Judith (Mexico) 
15. Leticia (Mexico) 

I am thankful to report that I have enjoyed my time living here and have formed friendships with many of these women.  But, for those of you who have lived with roommates, you will know that it’s not always a walk in the park.   Some roommates are great at seeing what needs to be done around the house and help out.  Others are great at seeing what needs to be done around the house and wait for someone else to do it, because they did it last time and other people need to pull their weight around too.

I will admit that I sometimes have fallen into the latter category.  When everyone is doing their part, I can serve with a joyful heart.  But when I feel like I’m the only one who cares, I can become rather bitter and passive aggressive.  I will also admit that today I was feeling that way.

My current roommates are a completely new group who have moved in within the past month.  And, as far as I could tell, I was the only one who was sweeping and mopping.  I also noticed the trash and compost bucket piling up higher and higher, and no one was taking it out.

I was frustrated by this.  I complained about it to my friends.  I finally decided to just go ahead and do it myself, and try to do it with a good attitude.  After all, I too was one of those people seeing the trash piling up and not taking it out.

But then I realized that that was not the only solution.  I have been learning lately to set aside my passive aggressive tendencies, and so I put that into practice and asked one of my roommates if she would help me clean today after lunch.  She said, "Sure!"  But, lunch came and went and, due to other commitments, she was not around to help.

So then I called upstairs to two of my other roommates. "Will you help me clean down here?"  "Yes, coming!" came the reply.  They made their way downstairs, and the first roommate also showed up shortly afterwards.  Soon we were all working together to give the living area a much more thorough cleaning than I had originally planned on.

I swept and did dishes, Estela mopped, Sofia cleaned out the fridge, and Judith cleaned the spiderwebs taking over the back door and took out the trash.  Actually, we all had some input into the cleaning of the fridge.  As it turns out, having so many people moving in and out of a place results in many unclaimed food items in the refrigerator.  We threw out expired tubs of butter, emptied cartons of milk no one recognized, and washed jar after jar of mostly used up jelly.  It practically looks like a new fridge.

Why is it so hard to put aside this tendency in me to be passive aggressive?  I think I'm making progress, and then I recognize that I'm still making the same mistakes.  Hmmm... this is starting to sound somewhat familiar:

"I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate." ~Romans 7:15 (NLT)

And so, what is the answer?

"I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." ~Romans 7:21-25a (NLT)

Amen.

Time changes everything

I've had fun taking time-lapse videos with the kids here, but someone recently gave me the idea of doing a time-lapse of the sunrise.  She showed me a video she took of a sunrise when she was living in Beijing, and it was so neat to watch something somewhat familiar in a land so foreign to me.

So, for my sunrise time-lapse, I set my iPad out on the back porch for several hours and peeked out at it every 15 minutes or so.  Sometimes I noted a difference, and sometimes it seemed like nothing had moved - but as you can see, things were in fact changing.

You may also notice that it looks like dark storm clouds have gathered just before the video ends.  A few minutes after I turned the camera off, the entire sky lit up with a blinding light.  It was so bright, it was hard to look at, and made me think a bit about the second coming of Christ - "keep your eyes on the eastern sky." :)

I'd say that happens in life too.  Storm clouds gather and we wonder if we will see the sun again.  Then things get even darker, and we just don't see how there can be a light at the end.  Some people chose to give up at that point.  Things don't seem to be getting any better, and if possible, they just seem to be getting worse.  But if you get the opportunity to look back over a period of time, I think that you will find that changes were happening - often when you couldn't see them.

Working here at the children's home, I've had the opportunity to see that some of the naughty little boys I worked with many years ago are now mature young men.  I also see that some of the joyful little nursery kids have turned into very troubled teenagers.  But I hope and pray that God's design for their life will still be accomplished - that there will be a light coming for them at the end of this dark storm.

I'm sure there will be dark times that come into my life in the future - but I hope and pray that through it all I remember that I serve a God who causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose for them.  Time has the tendency to change pretty much everything, but God remains faithful and true.

Raindrops on Roses

When living in a culture foreign to your own, some days can be much more challenging than others.  Yesterday was such a day for me - I felt deceived at the uniform store, cheated at the gas station, and a windshield wiper popped off on the highway during a torrential downpour.  It helps me a lot during such times to realize I'm just having a "bad Oaxaca day" - when the differences in culture have become overwhelming and I wish things would go "my way" a little more.

Uniform store, where I'm weary of hearing "20 more days", to come back a month later and hear "20 more days"...

I have also lately been recognizing times that warm my heart.  And so, to counter-act my bad Oaxaca day, I would like to list some of those here:

• While I prefer kids to walk from room to room, for some reason a few of the students dance through the hallway to their next class.  I don't know exactly why they are dancing, but it makes me happy to see them so joyful at school.
• I have several food allergies.  The cooks here know that and, when they can, they set aside food for me before adding spices to the meal.  The other day I was about to serve myself some rice in the dining hall when the cook ran over and practically threw herself over the food.  Apparently it was spicy rice.  It almost felt like she was willing to take a bullet for me ;).
• Our kids are rock stars at sitting through long church services, and even looking up scripture passages as they come along in the sermon.  The other day, I was sitting by one of the teenage boys and the little 11-year-old boy who recently learned to read.  The teenage boy was generously helping the younger boy navigate his Bible to find each passage, but the speaker was citing scripture after scripture after scripture.  At one point near the end, the older boy threw his hands up in defeat.  I struggled not to laugh out loud at the amusing situation.  I think the speaker might've noticed, because he began to smile a bit too.

I realize now that perhaps I was inspired by The Sound of Music's "My Favorite Things," and that's alright.  I really do like raindrops on roses and warm woolen mittens :).   I guess there is something to the lyrics, "When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad."

So, here's to some raindrops on roses! :)