We put the roofs onto the two houses that were built. One of them will be used for a shared kitchen for a group of familes. the other is an addition to a house and will be used for a place for medical care for a lady needing special care. The second was a bit of a challenge since it was added to the adjacent wall which was rather aged cinder blocks so any screws would not bit into the material it would just disentegrate. So we ended up chopping into the blocks and inserting the rafters. That took a bit longer than anticipated but we finished up both roofs. Tomorrow all that is left is to go back over to the church building and set the benches back on the floor, stain and varnish the doors and frames and do a little touchup on the floor paint.
It was really interesting to drive through the orange groves which stretch for miles. We took a little different route home so we were really up close and personal going through the groves on a small dirt road. most roads are dirt with potholes that make Minnesota washboard seem smooth. The Chevy van is getting a good workout, but is doing the job very well.
Now we are beginning the wind down and contemplated having the temperature go down, and return to our normal worlds.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Home Visits in Hualahuises
Greetings to you all. As I have not been reading these updates, I have no idea how it has been done. So..... first I would like to say that if I had to suffer my most public embarrassing moment on this trip, it could not have been in front of (literally) a more compassionate group of guys. I am most thankful to the Lord that I was back on my feet quickly and haven't missed out on any of the adventures.
Now, on to the visits. Josiah graciously agreed to be our chauffeur, without whom we could not have made the visits. Some of the visits he was able to participate with us, others due to cultural restraints he quietly sat out in the car. What a variety of places and homes we were able to visit, from the very poor to rooms that looked as if they were out of a European decorating catalogue. We praise God for the three who prayed with Christina to receive Jesus. One is undergoing chemo treatments, one was her friend who "just happened" to be there, and the last was an older woman (83) who is also battling cancer but not undergoing treatment. Watching Christina minister to these women has been amazing. She is so able to tenderly prod them with questions and gently lead them to the Lord. We rejoice over their decisions and the knowledge that they will be nurtured and encouraged in their walk with the Lord. We have not been able to see as many widows as we might have at a dinner but we have been able to give 8 or 9 of them individual hugs and encouragement.
posted by Kerry
Now, on to the visits. Josiah graciously agreed to be our chauffeur, without whom we could not have made the visits. Some of the visits he was able to participate with us, others due to cultural restraints he quietly sat out in the car. What a variety of places and homes we were able to visit, from the very poor to rooms that looked as if they were out of a European decorating catalogue. We praise God for the three who prayed with Christina to receive Jesus. One is undergoing chemo treatments, one was her friend who "just happened" to be there, and the last was an older woman (83) who is also battling cancer but not undergoing treatment. Watching Christina minister to these women has been amazing. She is so able to tenderly prod them with questions and gently lead them to the Lord. We rejoice over their decisions and the knowledge that they will be nurtured and encouraged in their walk with the Lord. We have not been able to see as many widows as we might have at a dinner but we have been able to give 8 or 9 of them individual hugs and encouragement.
posted by Kerry
Thursday at Vista Hermosa
On the way to Mr. DeHoyos's we saw an amazing mountain scene. Everything was cloudy and dark. It was like everything was dark but you could see a beautiful mountain scene clearly and brightly lit in the distance. Jason shared during devotions from 2 Timothy 4 about being ready to share the gospel in season and out of season.
Today most of the gang went to the church in Vista Hermosa to finish most of the remaining work. The front and side of the outside of the church were painted. Some outside remaining window frames were finished. Door frames and space above the door were closed up. Major gaps in the inside windows were filled with foam. All the major benches were hung from the ceiling of the church and painted brown. The rooms and remaining floor was power washed to clean the cement. The whole floor and both classrooms were painted. Minor leaks in the plumbing were fixed. It was a good day of work. One of the children helped us do all kinds of things. At the end of the day we went to his house and thanked his mother and gave him 100 pesos for his hard work. We found out that he left school early with a stomach problem so he could help us. Phil also fixed the DeHoyos's stove and made good progress on their generator.
In the evening the youngsters sounded like they had a blast playing a game called mafia. The De Hoyos had a Bible study with a couple. They also stayed for supper. Zelina has been blessing us with good cooking; Ryan will be very blessed! We talked about visiting the mountains on Saturday.
Collaborative post by Daniel and Dane, the Dynamic Duo
Today most of the gang went to the church in Vista Hermosa to finish most of the remaining work. The front and side of the outside of the church were painted. Some outside remaining window frames were finished. Door frames and space above the door were closed up. Major gaps in the inside windows were filled with foam. All the major benches were hung from the ceiling of the church and painted brown. The rooms and remaining floor was power washed to clean the cement. The whole floor and both classrooms were painted. Minor leaks in the plumbing were fixed. It was a good day of work. One of the children helped us do all kinds of things. At the end of the day we went to his house and thanked his mother and gave him 100 pesos for his hard work. We found out that he left school early with a stomach problem so he could help us. Phil also fixed the DeHoyos's stove and made good progress on their generator.
In the evening the youngsters sounded like they had a blast playing a game called mafia. The De Hoyos had a Bible study with a couple. They also stayed for supper. Zelina has been blessing us with good cooking; Ryan will be very blessed! We talked about visiting the mountains on Saturday.
Collaborative post by Daniel and Dane, the Dynamic Duo
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A Fresh Coat of Paint...
What a Wednesday! It was full, it was fun, it was fulfilling. Right after devotions at DeHoyos’, we headed off to Vista Hermosa, to work on the church. When we arrived many of us donned work gloves and started painting. Aside from a few breaks, the gloves remained in tact all day. We began by painting the window frames. Lovely frames, difficult to paint cracks, difficult to move windows, etc. all with a thick, sticky coat of white oil paint, the kind that sticks to everything and will not be removed without chemicals. After the frames, which of course took longer than expected or desired, we moved on to the front of the building. Much to our joy, this paint, while thick and sticky, was latex! It would wash off! The stucco on the outside of the building soaks up the paint like a sponge, and getting it into all the holes let to a motto for those of us painting, “No hole left behind!” However, once the outside of the building was done, we were by no means done painting. The windows were ready for a second coat of paint, back to the oil based. Then we discovered we had one more room to paint, once again back to latex paint.
Throughout this whole painting experience, the guys helped us some, trimmed the doors, finished the bathroom plumbing, washed the floor to prepare it for painting, and finished up many odd jobs and details. Once the bathroom plumbing was done, Breezy and I made the best fifty cent purchase of our lives! We walked to the tiny store on the corner and bought a bar of soap - we can now actually WASH our hands instead of slathering hand sanitizer on all day! We were thrilled.
When things were pretty well wrapped up, a competition started. We had several brooms to sweep the building and several of the guys and other kids began practicing balancing the broom handles on the palms of their hands. Once most of them had the hang of it, they began having races, if you lost the broom you had to start over.
Then it was time for the church service. Changing into non-painted clothes, we tried to freshen up and prepare for it. After singing a few songs several of us girls went into a back room with all the kids. There we told the story of Daniel in the lions den, David and Goliath, and at the end handed out glow sticks, which were a major hit. Daniel Miller shared with the adults, Josue translating.
Once the church service was over, we headed back to DeHoyos’ for a very late, but fabulous dinner. It was also Jason Lee’s birthday. So we sang happy birthday, attempted to say a Mexican birthday chant, tried to sing happy birthday in Spanish, and for a final number, Zelina and Kriss whistled happy birthday, harmonizing! Then we ate cake, and Jason experienced yet another Mexican tradition. Josue brought a piece of cake, and calmly told us all that this was tradition, and we were all to wish Jason many blessings, and Jason was supposed to take a bite. Then without missing a beat, he smashed and smeared the cake all over his face!! It was hilarious, and a very memorable moment. After enjoying the cake, we realized how late it was and headed off to the hotel to fall into bed.
~Jeanie
Throughout this whole painting experience, the guys helped us some, trimmed the doors, finished the bathroom plumbing, washed the floor to prepare it for painting, and finished up many odd jobs and details. Once the bathroom plumbing was done, Breezy and I made the best fifty cent purchase of our lives! We walked to the tiny store on the corner and bought a bar of soap - we can now actually WASH our hands instead of slathering hand sanitizer on all day! We were thrilled.
When things were pretty well wrapped up, a competition started. We had several brooms to sweep the building and several of the guys and other kids began practicing balancing the broom handles on the palms of their hands. Once most of them had the hang of it, they began having races, if you lost the broom you had to start over.
Then it was time for the church service. Changing into non-painted clothes, we tried to freshen up and prepare for it. After singing a few songs several of us girls went into a back room with all the kids. There we told the story of Daniel in the lions den, David and Goliath, and at the end handed out glow sticks, which were a major hit. Daniel Miller shared with the adults, Josue translating.
Once the church service was over, we headed back to DeHoyos’ for a very late, but fabulous dinner. It was also Jason Lee’s birthday. So we sang happy birthday, attempted to say a Mexican birthday chant, tried to sing happy birthday in Spanish, and for a final number, Zelina and Kriss whistled happy birthday, harmonizing! Then we ate cake, and Jason experienced yet another Mexican tradition. Josue brought a piece of cake, and calmly told us all that this was tradition, and we were all to wish Jason many blessings, and Jason was supposed to take a bite. Then without missing a beat, he smashed and smeared the cake all over his face!! It was hilarious, and a very memorable moment. After enjoying the cake, we realized how late it was and headed off to the hotel to fall into bed.
~Jeanie
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Real Cookie Monsters REVEALED
Thank you all for you loyal support in voting for me. It was an honor to run as the representative of all good cookie monstors. HOWEVER, I regret to inform you that I am not the biggest thief of the cookies. It has turned out that while I snagged a mere three cookies from the kitchen, it was Dickmar and Josue that ate nearly a whole bowl between Sunday and Tuesday. The ladies went to pack up the cookies to bring for the meal at Vista Hermosa only to discover that all but three cookies had been eaten from one of the bowls! Please pray that they will come to repentance. :-)
Terrific Tuesday
Tuesday was a very productive day. We had breakfast at 7:30 am and were to the DeHoyos’ home prior to 8:30 am. After devotions by Dane Gunn (well done message about faith and action), we loaded up and headed to Vista Hermosa - this time with the whole crew (men, women, boys, and girls).
Phil and Jerry immediately dove into the ceiling tile project again. The both have very serious cases of detail-itis, which makes for perfectly symmetrical ceilings. Alfredo of course likes this very much. By the end of the day, the pros had the ceiling of the second meeting room completed, as well as the ceilings of both bathrooms.
Jason the master carpenter installed the door jambs and hung all four doors, making it look so easy. He kept on getting a new assistant though; no one seemed to want to keep helping him – what a mystery. Josue installed the knobs and latches to complete the job, so by the end of the day both meeting rooms and both bathrooms had fully functional doors. By the way, for the carpenters out there, in Mexico we don’t get nice pre-hung, predrilled doors. You get a door, hinges, and jambs. Then you cut the jambs to size and screw them together. With the door frame done, then you can hang the door in the frame, and install like you would a pre-hung door. Then, the holes for the knob and last have to be drilled / chiseled in, and the components installed.
Behind the church, Doug was put to working filling in the trench for the water line. Josiah and I worked on the rest of the cutting, fitting, and gluing for the waste lines, as well as the water supply lines. We also assembled the toilets, anchored them to the floor, and hooked up the water supply lines. By around 1pm we had one toilet flushable (with a bucket of water) and by end of day they were both completed. Toilets were technically the highest priority job of the day. Much pressure on the bladders of the workers, applied much pressure to the plumbers.
The ladies all had the unimaginable pleasure of masking all of the windows, and putting the first coat of oil based paint on them. They were all very good sports about this, and did a good job. Tomorrow the fun continues, they are eagerly looking forward to the second coat.
Our day culminated with a meal at the church, where we hosted some migrant workers that are living temporarily across the street from the church. Alfredo met them a week or so ago, and arranged for this dinner (and opportunity to minister to them). I was asked to give a brief but direct gospel message to them, and Alfredo of course followed up in his own very special way.
We headed back to the DeHoyos’ home around 8pm to do some planning for the rest of the week. I think that you can wait until the next post to find out what those plans are. Bloggers need their sleep too you know.
Phil and Jerry immediately dove into the ceiling tile project again. The both have very serious cases of detail-itis, which makes for perfectly symmetrical ceilings. Alfredo of course likes this very much. By the end of the day, the pros had the ceiling of the second meeting room completed, as well as the ceilings of both bathrooms.
Jason the master carpenter installed the door jambs and hung all four doors, making it look so easy. He kept on getting a new assistant though; no one seemed to want to keep helping him – what a mystery. Josue installed the knobs and latches to complete the job, so by the end of the day both meeting rooms and both bathrooms had fully functional doors. By the way, for the carpenters out there, in Mexico we don’t get nice pre-hung, predrilled doors. You get a door, hinges, and jambs. Then you cut the jambs to size and screw them together. With the door frame done, then you can hang the door in the frame, and install like you would a pre-hung door. Then, the holes for the knob and last have to be drilled / chiseled in, and the components installed.
Behind the church, Doug was put to working filling in the trench for the water line. Josiah and I worked on the rest of the cutting, fitting, and gluing for the waste lines, as well as the water supply lines. We also assembled the toilets, anchored them to the floor, and hooked up the water supply lines. By around 1pm we had one toilet flushable (with a bucket of water) and by end of day they were both completed. Toilets were technically the highest priority job of the day. Much pressure on the bladders of the workers, applied much pressure to the plumbers.
The ladies all had the unimaginable pleasure of masking all of the windows, and putting the first coat of oil based paint on them. They were all very good sports about this, and did a good job. Tomorrow the fun continues, they are eagerly looking forward to the second coat.
Our day culminated with a meal at the church, where we hosted some migrant workers that are living temporarily across the street from the church. Alfredo met them a week or so ago, and arranged for this dinner (and opportunity to minister to them). I was asked to give a brief but direct gospel message to them, and Alfredo of course followed up in his own very special way.
We headed back to the DeHoyos’ home around 8pm to do some planning for the rest of the week. I think that you can wait until the next post to find out what those plans are. Bloggers need their sleep too you know.
Monday Madness
Monday morning was a little bit slow starting as we gathered some last minute tools and loaded up the van to head to Cinco Senores. We arrived there around ~9:30 am to find that some of Alfredo's men had gotten a good start on preparing the two building sites. The area for the community kitchen had the old concrete removed, was packed, and leveled enough to start pouring. We built the forms and started pouring the concrete. The mixer was a very dilapidated piece of equipment with an engine that was ready for retirement. Somehow it made it almost to the end of the first slab before dying. The last few wheelbarrows of concrete were mixed by hand. Juan, one of Alfredo's men helped to screed the slab while Phil and Jerry did shovel work and the rest of the men and boys wheeled loads of concrete from the mixer to the slab.
Since the mixer was dead, we took our lunch break a little early while Alfredo rounded up another mixer. After lunch we headed back to Cinco Senores, where Phil, Daniel, and I troweled out the dog tracks from the first slab, while the rest of the crew poured the second slab.
Around 2:30 pm we headed over to Vista Hermosa to start on the church building projects. Josiah, Dane, Brandon, and I worked on the trenching for the sewer and water lines for the bathrooms. A nice surprise was that some of the young Mexican boys started helping. The husband of Blanca (the daughter of Lupita, the widow woman with the store we helped to open in Vista Hermosa) also came over and was a very big help. By the end of the day the water line was hooked up to the water source and run to the building, and we had started fitting some waste line pipes. Meanwhile Phil and Jerry were doing a stellar job getting the drop-ceiling installed in one of the rooms inside. Jason was assembling doors frames and Daniel was pruning trees that were scraping on the roof.
We wrapped up for the day at ~6:30 pm and headed back to the DeHoyos’ home for supper. After a brief rehash of the day with Alfredo, a very tired group headed for the hotel.
Since the mixer was dead, we took our lunch break a little early while Alfredo rounded up another mixer. After lunch we headed back to Cinco Senores, where Phil, Daniel, and I troweled out the dog tracks from the first slab, while the rest of the crew poured the second slab.
Around 2:30 pm we headed over to Vista Hermosa to start on the church building projects. Josiah, Dane, Brandon, and I worked on the trenching for the sewer and water lines for the bathrooms. A nice surprise was that some of the young Mexican boys started helping. The husband of Blanca (the daughter of Lupita, the widow woman with the store we helped to open in Vista Hermosa) also came over and was a very big help. By the end of the day the water line was hooked up to the water source and run to the building, and we had started fitting some waste line pipes. Meanwhile Phil and Jerry were doing a stellar job getting the drop-ceiling installed in one of the rooms inside. Jason was assembling doors frames and Daniel was pruning trees that were scraping on the roof.
We wrapped up for the day at ~6:30 pm and headed back to the DeHoyos’ home for supper. After a brief rehash of the day with Alfredo, a very tired group headed for the hotel.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Different Language, Same Lord
What a joy to be with the dear people again who worship at the DeHoyos' home! Greeting old friends in the traditional Mexican way--big hugs and ladies kissing each other's cheeks--is something I've looked forward to! Great to see Julia and Fernando, the godly couple that we were privileged to help a couple of years ago in the startup of their store and Alvira, the blind lady who never complains! She gave a testimony of gratitude for the Scripture on tape/CD that she has recently received. Lots of new faces, many people who have come to believe in Jesus Christ through the DeHoyos family's ministry, are now here, too! Mario and Jessica are one example. Jessica heard about Christ at a Bible Study that Cristina leads--she believed, then her husband (a former Catholic priest!), then her parents, and now this past week, her sister Bettina was saved! And Bettina and her husband Felix came to the service for the first time today! And so the church grows! Each time we come I'm a little more able to communicate, and this time I really enjoyed the fruit of my Spanish study, as I was able to actually have a conversation with Mario and Jessica, who I have been praying for ever since we first heard of them from Cristina. They are bright with joy and love as new believers in Christ! Praise the Lord!
Wendy Gunn
Wendy Gunn
First Sunday Service at the DeHoyos
Today we participated in the church service in the DeHoyos' home. The group has grown since last year, we saw many familiar faces, as well as some new ones.
Kelsey and Breezy provided special music on the piano and flute, and I sang the song "I must tell Jesus", attempting to teach the chorus to the Spanish-speaking members (not too successfully). Then after Horacio led a time of testimony, we joined in singing some Spanish hymns.
Jerry and Dane worked together delivering the message, using a very good illustration with black and white marbles - illustrating the condition of our heart before and after Christ.
A delicious meal of American food was eaten by all after the service concluded.
Update on Kerry: After the last post, she decided to come to the morning church service after all, but when it was all over she was ready for some rest. So I drove her and Phil back to the hotel while the young men and women went to a local park to play soccer.
Thank you for your prayers for Kerry and the rest of the team as well. We have a long week ahead of us and need to stay strong.
Kelsey and Breezy provided special music on the piano and flute, and I sang the song "I must tell Jesus", attempting to teach the chorus to the Spanish-speaking members (not too successfully). Then after Horacio led a time of testimony, we joined in singing some Spanish hymns.
Jerry and Dane worked together delivering the message, using a very good illustration with black and white marbles - illustrating the condition of our heart before and after Christ.
A delicious meal of American food was eaten by all after the service concluded.
Update on Kerry: After the last post, she decided to come to the morning church service after all, but when it was all over she was ready for some rest. So I drove her and Phil back to the hotel while the young men and women went to a local park to play soccer.
Thank you for your prayers for Kerry and the rest of the team as well. We have a long week ahead of us and need to stay strong.
The plans for this week
Saturday we spent a good deal of time discussing the scope and sequence of the projects we are going to be working on while we are here. So far, the list is looking something like this:
Home Construction
We are planning to build one new community kitchen, and add on to another home in the village of Cinco Senores (literal translation, "five men"), which is a very small village near Hualahuises (wall-a-wee-sis). The community kitchen is for an elderly couple (Felix and Teresa) and their extended family that lives around them. The addition is for a somewhat younger man, Alexander, whose wife has diabetes and is on kidney dialysis. They are too poor to pay doctors to do the dialysis, so they have some equipment at home. The addition to their home is to have a dedicated area for doing the dialysis that is clean, etc.
Church Building Modifications
The church building in Vista Hermosa that Alfredo is now in charge of is getting a number of things done to make it more usable for its intended purpose. The top priority is to complete the bathrooms, which involves installing the toilets and completing the plumbing to and from them (where is Larry when you need him). In addition to the bathrooms, we are going to be putting drop ceilings into two of the smaller rooms to provide some sound proofing. Right now the noise from the children in these rooms spills over into the main meeting area. Curtains are also going to be installed to provide privacy and reduce the distraction to the church attendees. As time permits we will also be fixing and painting the benches and painting the floor.
Today, Sunday, we are going to be worshipping with the believers that meet at the DeHoyos home. Jerry and Dane Gunn will be preaching, and there may be some special music as well. After the service, an "American Lunch" will be provided to the people of the church. The menu of the meal includes hotdogs, baked beans, potato salad, and chocolate chip cookies.
Kerry Mendenhall is struggling with nausea. I believe it started yesterday afternoon... she gracefully filled a plastic bag with the contents of her stomach while we drove back to the hotel last night. She is still not feeling very well this morning, so Phil is going to stay at the hotel with her while we go to church. Please pray for a quick recovery.
Home Construction
We are planning to build one new community kitchen, and add on to another home in the village of Cinco Senores (literal translation, "five men"), which is a very small village near Hualahuises (wall-a-wee-sis). The community kitchen is for an elderly couple (Felix and Teresa) and their extended family that lives around them. The addition is for a somewhat younger man, Alexander, whose wife has diabetes and is on kidney dialysis. They are too poor to pay doctors to do the dialysis, so they have some equipment at home. The addition to their home is to have a dedicated area for doing the dialysis that is clean, etc.
Church Building Modifications
The church building in Vista Hermosa that Alfredo is now in charge of is getting a number of things done to make it more usable for its intended purpose. The top priority is to complete the bathrooms, which involves installing the toilets and completing the plumbing to and from them (where is Larry when you need him). In addition to the bathrooms, we are going to be putting drop ceilings into two of the smaller rooms to provide some sound proofing. Right now the noise from the children in these rooms spills over into the main meeting area. Curtains are also going to be installed to provide privacy and reduce the distraction to the church attendees. As time permits we will also be fixing and painting the benches and painting the floor.
Today, Sunday, we are going to be worshipping with the believers that meet at the DeHoyos home. Jerry and Dane Gunn will be preaching, and there may be some special music as well. After the service, an "American Lunch" will be provided to the people of the church. The menu of the meal includes hotdogs, baked beans, potato salad, and chocolate chip cookies.
Kerry Mendenhall is struggling with nausea. I believe it started yesterday afternoon... she gracefully filled a plastic bag with the contents of her stomach while we drove back to the hotel last night. She is still not feeling very well this morning, so Phil is going to stay at the hotel with her while we go to church. Please pray for a quick recovery.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Just another day in paradise....
We are having a great "slow" day here at DeHoyos'--playing music, making cookies and potato salad, planning construction projects, etc....
The cookie-making is rather interesting, as the oven turns off every half an hour or so.
We are glad for a day to recouperate from the day of travel. We girls ate lunch outside--the sun was blazing down, and it is super warm!!! Wow!
I woke up this morning to birds singing, but they were all "tropical-sounding" birds, like you always hear in Tarzan-type movies. I thought, WOW, I really am in Mexico!!!!
We will post pictures soon! Jeanie and I picked them out already, and we're just waiting for Mr. Housman to get time to post them.
Thanks for praying...
Kelsey :)
The cookie-making is rather interesting, as the oven turns off every half an hour or so.
We are glad for a day to recouperate from the day of travel. We girls ate lunch outside--the sun was blazing down, and it is super warm!!! Wow!
I woke up this morning to birds singing, but they were all "tropical-sounding" birds, like you always hear in Tarzan-type movies. I thought, WOW, I really am in Mexico!!!!
We will post pictures soon! Jeanie and I picked them out already, and we're just waiting for Mr. Housman to get time to post them.
Thanks for praying...
Kelsey :)
From Minnesota to Mexico: The Great Adventure Begins
Well, here we are! All of us are very happy to be here after our long day of traveling. Leaving our house at 4:30am, we drove off to the airport, arriving quite early, as there is very little traffic at that time of day! After checking in and making our way through security, we found our gate and waited. Then we boarded and had a nice, uneventful flight to Harlingen, TX.
When we arrived, we experienced our first surprise. Budget, who we rented our van through, was no longer in the airport. Thankfully they have a shuttle, and Dad and Mr. Housman went to retrieve the van. Meanwhile the rest of us waited outside with all the luggage, soaking in the 68 degree temperature. Once the van arrived, we packed in the luggage and ourselves, and were off to McAllen to shop Sam’s Club and Lowes for the last necessary items. We met up with Mr. DeHoyos at a mall, and stopped for lunch before the shopping began. Of course the shopping took much longer that expected, but finally we had everything and were off for real. The next stop was the border, which took us quite some time to maneuver. However, we finally made it through and we began the eventful drive.
All of us girls, Kelsey, Breezy, Zelina, and myself, sat in the back seat of the van, with boxes upon boxes of stuff packed in front of us, at the top of which was a blender we had purchased for the DeHoyos’. Needless to say, driving in Mexico is quite different from driving in the US. Therefore, if we turned or swerved unexpectedly, which happened quite often, the massive stack of stuff in front of us would shift and begin to avalanche. Our job was to catch it before it did so. The blender, on top of everything else, was the most troublesome. Breezy ended up with a full time job, holding the blender in place with her feet. All in all it was a long drive, but hardly boring.
Arriving at the DeHoyos’ home, we were welcomed as only they can welcome, and given a fabulous feast, even if it was 9:30. It was so good to finally be here, and so fun to see such good friends again. After a nice visit, we all headed off to the hotel with only one thought in our heads, how to get into bed and asleep as fast as we could! On the way, Doug announced to us all that he had been up for nineteen hours.
The Lord was so good to us, guiding our paths and bringing us here safely. It wasn’t exactly our desired time frame, but it was His, and so we are content. Today we are planning out our work for our time here, making massive amounts of potato salad and chocolate chip cookies for an American meal for the church here, and regrouping. We are all excited to see what this time will hold, whatever else it may be, I am sure it will be amazing…
~Jeanie
When we arrived, we experienced our first surprise. Budget, who we rented our van through, was no longer in the airport. Thankfully they have a shuttle, and Dad and Mr. Housman went to retrieve the van. Meanwhile the rest of us waited outside with all the luggage, soaking in the 68 degree temperature. Once the van arrived, we packed in the luggage and ourselves, and were off to McAllen to shop Sam’s Club and Lowes for the last necessary items. We met up with Mr. DeHoyos at a mall, and stopped for lunch before the shopping began. Of course the shopping took much longer that expected, but finally we had everything and were off for real. The next stop was the border, which took us quite some time to maneuver. However, we finally made it through and we began the eventful drive.
All of us girls, Kelsey, Breezy, Zelina, and myself, sat in the back seat of the van, with boxes upon boxes of stuff packed in front of us, at the top of which was a blender we had purchased for the DeHoyos’. Needless to say, driving in Mexico is quite different from driving in the US. Therefore, if we turned or swerved unexpectedly, which happened quite often, the massive stack of stuff in front of us would shift and begin to avalanche. Our job was to catch it before it did so. The blender, on top of everything else, was the most troublesome. Breezy ended up with a full time job, holding the blender in place with her feet. All in all it was a long drive, but hardly boring.
Arriving at the DeHoyos’ home, we were welcomed as only they can welcome, and given a fabulous feast, even if it was 9:30. It was so good to finally be here, and so fun to see such good friends again. After a nice visit, we all headed off to the hotel with only one thought in our heads, how to get into bed and asleep as fast as we could! On the way, Doug announced to us all that he had been up for nineteen hours.
The Lord was so good to us, guiding our paths and bringing us here safely. It wasn’t exactly our desired time frame, but it was His, and so we are content. Today we are planning out our work for our time here, making massive amounts of potato salad and chocolate chip cookies for an American meal for the church here, and regrouping. We are all excited to see what this time will hold, whatever else it may be, I am sure it will be amazing…
~Jeanie
Friday, January 23, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)