It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I was so excited to see poinsettias being planted downtown yesterday that I climbed right on up the bandstand in the middle of the zocalo to take a picture. 

However, while I like this picture a lot, it doesn't really give you a good idea of what Oaxaca (pronounced wah-ha-kah) was like yesterday.  So, while some pictures are worth a thousand words, I thought I'd use some words to try to give you an idea of what led me to the moment when I took this picture.

I had been hoping to sleep in on this Saturday morning, but out of habit I woke up at 5:30.  After laying in bed awake for awhile, I glanced at my newsfeed and noticed that there were posts about teacher protests in Oaxaca.  So early in the morning?  It seemed to be true, as I saw photos of crowds forming in the early morning light.

Later on, I saw on the news that the union leader had arrived, and they would be marching from the gas station to the administrative buildings.  This was in protest of the evaluative tests the government is making teachers take this weekend.  The teachers' union would be walking along the very route I had been hoping to take to town that morning, so I texted my friend, letting her know we needed to keep an eye on the situation.

Not everyone marched - there were teachers who took the test this weekend.

We talked it over, and in the end, we decided to give our trip to town a try.  We both needed to get some things done, and we agreed that if we did see any big crowds, we would just turn around.  My experience in Oaxaca in 2006 makes me a little more cautious in these situations than most people around me, but, as the saying goes, better safe than sorry.

Well, as we got to the edge of the city, we looked over towards the administrative office buildings in the distance.  Between us and the buildings was probably the most federal police officers I've ever seen, looking like a sea of black in their uniforms.  Ahead of us, we saw the large crowd of protesters, calmly making their way over a bridge that we would normally drive under to get into the city.

Photo from a local newspaper of the protesters approaching the bridge.

Whoa.  Ok, I guess this is what I was talking about when I suggested we turn around if we came across anything.  However, in front of us, police were redirecting traffic safely away from the scene, and we soon found ourselves heading in the opposite direction - away from the conflict, but still towards the city.

The rest of the Oaxaca was progressing with their day as usual, and we made our way downtown, parked, and set out separately to get our errands done.  I stopped in a craft store and bought ornaments for the tree at school, then made my way over to Mayordomo to buy some chocolate for Christmas presents.

Determined to get more of my Christmas shopping done, I then made my way north to a store that sells women's artisan products.  As I looked around the store, I heard the man who works there say that we were having an earthquake.  I hadn't felt anything, and I looked around at the things hanging around me and didn't see any moving - so I figured maybe he was mistaken.

But sure enough, later on I saw that there had been an earthquake - 4.9 with an epicenter in Atzompa - only about 7 miles away from where I was..  For those of you familiar with Oaxaca, Atzompa is very near to Monte Alban. We are having a lot of close earthquakes lately!  Not sure what that's about.

I visited the ruins of Atzompa for the first time this summer.

Side note: I decided to hold another earthquake drill at school last week, and the kids are doing great.  Now everyone calmly gets up from their seats, makes decisions about where a safe place would be, and gets into textbook safety positions.  In fact, they were a little too calm this go around and could've done with a bit more haste... Ah well, there's always room for improvement. ;)

Back to yesterday, I met my friend again for lunch and we decided on a coffee shop along the tourist walkway.  As we ate, we began to hear music approaching us.  Pretty soon a wedding party was passing by - accompanied by a band, traditional dancers, and guests dressed to the nines.  My friend and I had trouble imagining a wedding in the U.S. that would include a parade down the streets.

Can you spot the bride and groom?

We then walked through the zocalo, where I delighted in seeing the poinsettias and took a few pictures.  We meandered our way back to where we parked the car and headed home, with no more sign of the protests on the other side of the city.

There were more protests today, as the teachers marched to the zocalo this time.  I selfishly hope that they didn't mess up the newly planted poinsettias.  I have tried to understand the teachers' perspective and why they are so against this test, but it is hard to see past how ineffective and harmful to Oaxaca all their protests seem to be.

So, while I delight that it is beginning to look like Christmas around here, Oaxaca is still struggling.  I ask that you continue to pray for Oaxaca.  Thank you!

Atop the bandstand, looking across the zocalo towards the Cathedral.  Beautiful Oaxaca.

Happy Thanksgiving from Oaxaca, Mexico!

I surprised myself by tearing up a little as I explained to the kids in my English classes what we customarily do in the United States on Thanksgiving.  I don't think I surprised them though, they're used to me getting emotional occasionally ;).

Ever since I became a teenager, I have rarely been with my whole family for Thanksgiving.  In high school I would volunteer to serve Thanksgiving meals every year at our church.  One of my fondest memories of that time is when a large Eastern European family thanked us for the meal by singing one of their traditional songs.

In college, Thanksgiving break was so close to Christmas break that it wasn't worth the extra expense to fly home for both.  So, I often had someone visiting me in Chicago, we would go out in the freezing weather to see the parade downtown, and a kind seminary family would usually invite us to join them for a meal.

My first Thanksgiving after college, I found myself in Mexico City - having been evacuated from Oaxaca due to the political violence there at that time.  The following two Thanksgivings I was in Oaxaca among Covenant Missionaries and Covenanters in Mission.

In the years that followed, I have mainly been in Chicago or Oaxaca for Thanksgiving.  Today I will be heading over to our Administrator's apartment in about an hour for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

I am very thankful for so much this year, and though I didn't have the day off, I'm thankful for the work that God has put before me. I finished the school day with my Christmas card making class (and we've been learning Little Drummer Boy in English class).

May God bless you and remind you of his many blessings on this day for giving thanks.

Global Leadership Summit - Puebla

 

I had never heard of the Global Leadership Summit until last year, but I went, enjoyed it greatly, and this year was eager to return.  If you have never heard of it either, I suggest you look into it further.  It is a really amazing movement by Willow Creek Church to equip and motivate leaders around the world.  The speakers are a diverse group of outstanding leaders from the businesses, churches, governments, etc.  Here is a highlight video from this year:

My two main takeaways from this year were that: (1) if God is calling me to do this, He will give me what it takes to get it done and (2) that one of the main intangibles of leadership is to selflessly love others.  I will soon be stepping into more leadership here at the children's home, and this really helped me to be able to take that step with more confidence.

The main conference is held in Chicago, it is filmed and then translated into other languages to be used around the world.  I really highly recommend attending this leadership conference if you are able.  We traveled 5 hours to get to the one nearest to us, and it was definitely worth it.  And if there is not one near you, maybe you can be the one to inspire a church to host one.

From the GLS website:

We're convinced that effective, Christ-centered leadership is critical to advancing the Kingdom of God on earth. We believe that the Church is at the center of this plan. However, the influence and impact of the church is felt most fully when everyone that's a part of a church is fully living out the life God has called them to live. This includes leaders from business, government, education, non-profits and multiple other spheres of influence.  That's why leaders from all over the world gather together at The Global Leadership Summit and come together to fuel our passion and sharpen our leadership skills.

Thank you very much for your prayers for safe travels.  Annie and I were able to travel there and back without incident in a very reliable vehicle.  We are very thankful for the blessing of this weekend's experience.  To God be the glory.

Road Trip! - Prayer Request

Annie and I will be traveling today (Friday) to Puebla to attend the Global Leadership Summit - a conference to equip leaders put on by Willow Creek Church and then translated to be used around the world.  We went last year with the administrator and the director of the home, but due to other commitments, they cannot join us this time.

Annie and me in Puebla last year for the Global Leadership Summit

I've been a passenger on several trips to Puebla, but never the driver (and I think Annie can say the same).  So your prayers for our safe travels are especially appreciated.  The plan is that we will be driving back to Oaxaca on Sunday.  Thank you so much!

Field Trip!

Only one student wasn't interested in going to a museum today.  Actually, it was the same one that didn't want to go to Monte Alban last month...  I'm beginning to give her the option of staying behind and writing a report on what the rest of us are going to go experience, but so far she hasn't taken me up on that offer ;).

We had a wonderful and tiring field trip to downtown Oaxaca to visit the historical and cultural museum next to the ornate Santo Domingo church.  If I remember the guide correctly, construction began on the building in the 1400's.  Wow!  But the friars didn't anticipate all the earthquakes in the region, and it took 100 some years to complete.  Talk about a construction project running overtime.

We were once again blessed to have a kind and engaging guide.  The guards were a little jumpy, watching us like hawks as we explored on our own later on.  But, I suppose their experience with kids in the museum might not be super positive, and the point of their job is to stand around making sure people don't misbehave.  So, I guess I can't blame them too much.

 

It was interesting how much changing the kids' schedule threw some of them off.  I had to answer question after question the night before.  I can see that changing the  schedule up every so often might be a very good thing for these kids - help them learn to cope with changes as they come.

Many of the kids were most excited to bring money along and spend it.  I tried to get them to focus on the museum visit, but with few opportunities to get off the property, I also understood their excitement.  As we arrived, I told the kids that they would get a chance to buy things after our museum visit.  I also had to tell a vendor this as she began to approach the kids.

 

She hesitated to see if I was serious, and when the kids obeyed me by not looking to buy at that time, she went away with the look of dejection that many vendors have when you don't by things from them.  But then she came back up to me a few minutes later and said, "But you will let them buy things when they come out, right?"  I assured her I would, and based on the amount of students with new bracelets later that day, I think she made out alright.

And the girl who didn't want to come?  She ended up buying a necklace for the director of the home, explaining to me that the director's birthday is coming up and they're going to have a  special little celebration for her.  So, in the end, I think a good time was had by all. :)

Picking Oranges in the Dark

It is mid-November, we have a three-day weekend, and I was left home alone.  It was kind of inevitable that I would put up the Christmas tree tonight :).

It was an all-afternoon process, as I climbed on the counters and scrubbed a few years of grime off the tops of cabinets before putting up garland and lights.  I made use of YouTube and had old Christmas movies playing in the background as I worked.

When I pulled the Christmas tree out of its box, I recalled how my parents and aunt and uncle were the ones who helped me put it away last year.  It made me miss them some, but then I went on with the decorating.

I know my roommates like Christmas, I've checked with them.  But I wasn't sure if I was jumping the gun a little.  Most of my American friends insist on waiting until after Thanksgiving, but all my roommates are Mexican, so...

Well, one of my roommates came home before I expected.  Her face lit up as she came through the door and she promptly went and got her own decorations that she made last year.  I don't think she minds. :)

After I made myself a quick (if rather late) dinner, I felt like I needed a little something more before going to bed.  So, I grabbed a flashlight and went out to the orange tree that is beside our house.

 I circled the tree with my flashlight, examining the oranges, trying to find the best one.  It is surprisingly challenging to pick a good orange in the dark.  I was a little concerned about what people might think if they saw me, but not too much ;).

Our little orange tree at sunset one evening

With a slightly green orange in hand, I walked back to the house, pausing on the porch to take in the night.  I could hear the sound of ants crunching leaves in the night - sounding startlingly similar to the pitter-patter of raindrops.  I could see the black silhouette of the mountains that surround us.  And though it is a cloudy night, a sliver of the moon shone brightly and stars still twinkled through.

And I mean they're really twinkling.  The other night I was walking home from church when I first noticed this.  A star caught my eye - it looked to be changing colors.  Then I realized all of them were doing it.  It was truly amazing and I wasn't quite sure what I was witnessing.

I pulled aside three people to find out if they could see it too.  They could, and they confirmed that they hadn't seen them that way before either.  I don't know how to describe it other than twinkling - but I've never in my life seen anything like it.

Anyhow, they continued to twinkle tonight.  I smiled at the glow of Christmas lights through our front window and came inside. While there'll be no white Christmas here, if I can walk outside in my pajamas and flip flops to go pick oranges and stop to admire the heavens, I don't think I can complain :).

Praying for the World

It was early evening and I was standing on the third floor of a bookstore downtown, waiting for the teachers to finish choosing new books for the school, when I glanced at the news-service text on my phone.  It said something about at least 60 dead and 100 injured through attacks and explosions in Paris.  I only had a moment to ponder the gravity of what must've just happened, because suddenly it was time to check out and be on our way.

Over the next 24 hours, I kept getting notifications from my BBC app with updates on what had happened.  My Facebook page began to fill with "Pray for Paris" posts.  After liking post after post, I finally paused to actually pray.  My friends' photos turned to a sea of blue, white, and red.  I found photos of landmarks from around the world covered in the same colors to be inspiring.

It was wonderful to see the world react in unity against such a violent act. But amid it all, one post popped up that got me thinking.  It was a list of events that had happened that day in the world, including an earthquake in Mexico, a bomb at a funeral in Baghdad, and another terrorist attack in the Middle East.  It made me wonder why the other terrorist attacks didn't seem to matter as much as the Paris one.

As I thought about this, I was remembering back to another news report from about a year ago that caused me the same pain upon hearing about it.  On December 16, 2014, gunmen entered a military-run school in a major Pakistani city and killed 141 people - 132 of them children.  I remember being shocked by the news, and at the same time confused as to why news several dozen deaths in a U.S. classroom is instantly all over the world, but this event faded in the media in what seemed to be one day.

The attack was "widely condemned", but why didn't everyone change their Facebook photos that day?  132 children were killed, and I assume more injured.  I think there are various reasons, and  I'm not trying to say that the Paris attack did not deserve the attention it received.  But something doesn't seem quite right with it all.  It makes me uncomfortable that this seems to be revealing that we value one life over another.

So, when this Instagram photo popped up on my Facebook wall, I was happy to find someone who expressed the same confusion as I was feeling.  I don't completely agree with everything expressed here - but I do concur that we need to stop turning a blind eye to certain parts of the world, and pray more.

It is not Paris we should pray for.  It is the world.  It is a world in which Beirut, reeling from bombings two days before Paris, is not covered in the press.  A world in which a bomb goes off at a funeral in Baghdad and not one person's status update says "Baghdad", because not one white person died in that fire.   

Pray for the world that blames a refugee crisis for a terrorist attack.  That does not pause to differentiate between the attacker and the person running from the very same thing you are.  Pray for a world where people walking across countries for months, their only belongings on their back, are told they have no place to go.  

Say a prayer for Paris by all means, but pray for more, for the world that does not have a prayer for those who no longer have a home to defend.  For a world that is falling apart in all corners, and not simply in the towers and cafes we find so familiar.

Family

"Miss Laura, this says to write five words to describe your father, but I don't even remember him."  Wow, way to crush my heart in two seconds, kid.   I ended up telling this young man that he could just describe his house-father, and he went away satisfied.

But the thing is, this kind of situation comes up a lot in the educational material that we use.  Often it is assumed that the kids have a traditional family, and simple assignments become... uncomfortable.

My last unit in English had an activity that was based on assumptions that the kids had a mother and father active in their lives.  For most of the kids in my class, at least one parent is completely absent from their lives, and the other often is not doing real great either.  I didn't really want to get into all of that during what is intended to be a simple English class activity with them, so I nixed that one.

But there are other times and opportunities when the kids do open up about their families.  Often it is through their Spanish workbooks, which I spend at least an hour grading every day.  Mostly I'm checking comprehension, grammar, handwriting - but every so often something comes along that slows me down, even brings me to tears.  Here are a few examples:

One assignment was to write a letter.  This student's reads:

My mom,
Hello.  How are you?  When are you going to come see me?
I miss you.

- - - - - - -

Another assignment asked this young woman to research her family and write your biography.  She shares:

I was born in Chiapas in 2004.  My parents are A---- and R-----, and my birthday is in August.  When I was 3 years old I was with my grandmother and then I went to Oaxaca and I was with my dad and my mom.  And then I went to another house and I was there for 1 year.  Then they brought me here and I've been in this children's home 4 years.  Then they told me my dad died and now I only have my mom.

- - - - - - -

One young boy wrote a letter to his mother.  But, this boy's mother had died the year before.  His father and brothers weren't able to take care of him, so he came to live at the children's home.  His letter reads

Dear mom,
I want to tell you that I miss you a lot and even though you're not here, I love you and I want you to know that I am very sad but I'm getting better.  I will not forget you.  I always want to remember the moments that I lived with you and was happy.
I love you a lot.

- - - - - - -

Man, that made me tear up again.  I think I've said it before, but it is too easy to forget where these kids come from, what they've seen, and what they're dealing with.  It is also amazing to see the transformation living here can bring.

For example, at a simple level, a pair of siblings came to the home in August.  They seemed to come from a better-off home than most of our kids.  But the boy constantly swore and got in fights, and the girl was constantly caught up in lies she told.

However, after only a few months, I never hear the boy swearing anymore and he is one of the ones who dances through the hallways and I have to calm him down.  The girl has proven herself to be a willing and hard worker, and perhaps she's fooling me, but I don't catch her lying as much either.

At a deeper level, we accepted a young woman to the home because she had been in a terrible situation.  When she first arrived, I mostly only ever saw her sitting by herself, staring at the ground, with a hat on her head.  It was explained to us that the week before she came, she had attempted suicide three times.  Ah, that explained quite a bit.

We were asked to make an extra effort to brighten her days, and a few weeks later she abandoned her hats and walked around with a smile on her face.  I'm certain there's more healing to take place for her, but it was amazing to see her stand up in church on a Wednesday night and hear her speak with confidence about God having a purpose for her life.

It doesn't always work out this way, but it is a wondrous thing to see when it does.  I am surrounded by testimonies of how the Lord has changed lives that only He could have transformed.  I am thankful for them and humbled to be in their company.

It's that time of year...

Full disclosure - this is how I spent Halloween. :)

My name is Laura, and I love Christmas.  If you ask my friends, they will tell you this is definitely true.  Heck, if you read this blog regularly you probably already know this about me. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I was born near Christmas Day, was brought to my mom in a Christmas stocking, and had Santa visit us in the hospital. :)

Sometimes, upon hearing that I like Christmas so much, people begin to tell me about why they don't like Christmas.  The list often starts with how terrible the commercialism and materialism of the season is.  I'm really not a fan of these things either - but they are not Christmas to me.  This is not what I mean when I say I love Christmas 

(I would like to note that some do not like Christmas because of unpleasant memories/experiences associated with it.  For some it is a painful time because of lost loved ones.  I completely understand why this would be a challenging time of year for them.)

So, please allow me to tell you what I do mean when I say I love Christmas.  And what I like most about it can pretty much be summed up with my favorite Christmas lyric of all time: "A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn."

The weary world rejoices.  I think most would agree that this old world is weary.  I cannot imagine the suffering that is happening every time I hear about bombs going off in public places in the Middle East.  I am saddened by news of the warfare and famine that plague Africa.  And I have no experience that allows me to fathom what it must be like in Syria for there to be such a mass exodus and people facing such danger to escape what lies behind them.

But a light has come into this weary world, a new and glorious morn.  "...The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." (Matthew 4:16).  To me, Christmas is a reminder of this light.  Light that came into this dark world - and with it, the thrill of hope.

"This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing... Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, The cross be borne for me, for you. Hail the Word made flesh... The King of kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone Him." 

The glow of the lights that I put up around my room remind me of this hope. And, while decorations on houses can be excessive at times, I like seeing lights shining in dark neighborhoods during this time of year.  It, too, reminds me of the Light going out into the world.

This light of hope also shines when I hear a Christmas hymn playing throughout a store.  Maybe people around me just hear noise, but I hear a proclamation of the hope of the Gospel while I stand in a public place.  I smile at the wonder of it.

"Joy to the world!  The Lord is come! Let earth receive her King.  Let every heart prepare Him room, and Heaven and nature sing."

Hope. Peace. Promise.  This is why I love Christmas.  The special treats are nice. Being around family members brings me great joy.  The nostalgia of old songs and movies can give warm fuzzies.  But for me it really is about Christ.  "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)

(photo thanks to my sister Mary)

Saturday Morning Sunrises

Last Saturday I woke up entirely too early for a Saturday morning.  I blamed the time change and went ahead and got up and moving for the day.  Today I woke up entirely too early for a Saturday morning again.  What is going on here?  I turn 32 soon - maybe it's an age change thing? I guess it's not the worst problem to have...

But, being up early last Saturday, I set my iPad outside to capture the sunrise in a time lapse, and thought I'd share that video with your here.  I sat outside to watch part of it, and if you see the image jump a bit near the middle, that was me trying to get back at a mosquito that had just gotten me pretty good. :)

The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

Day after day they pour forth speech; 

night after night they reveal knowledge. 

They have no speech, they use no words; 

no sound is heard from them. 

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

 their words to the ends of the world. 

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. 

It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, 

like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 

It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; 

nothing is deprived of its warmth.

~Psalm 19:1-6~