The life of King David

I am a fan of the Bible. I love reading about how God moved in people's lives and they were drawn to Him through his love. I have been perplexed by David's life for quite some time now. He was undoubtedly called "A Man after God's Own Heart". And he made his errors. I am aware of those things and I don't want to go in the direction with this blog in the direction we often hear.... "David's life shows us that God can use broken people and that He loves us in spite of our weaknesses." Friends, I know that. And I don't think that David's biggest downfall was the situation with Bathsheba and Uriah. He did it wrong but there is something more that we also see in our families now. Bear with me as I share two things that I have learned.

David was not always a good father to his kids. You can read in depth in 2 Samuel 13 and 14. This story literally gives me the shakes. Amnon and Tamar were both David's children. Amnon loved his sister (incest) and wanted to be with her and was convinced that it would work out by a friend and he used trickery to bring Tamar to her and he raped her. Absalom, another brother, knew about it. He brought Tamar into his house afterwards and he never forgave Amnon.

In verse 2 Sam 13:21-22 says, "When King David heard all this, he was furious. And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar." 


King David did nothing. He sat in his fury. He knew that not only had his daughter been raped but by her own brother and the other brother hated him for it. Being a father, he never stepped in to defend his violated daughter then he didn't help his sons work out the problem. He could have helped. Absalom went on to kill Amnon and went on to have a huge conspiracy against his dad. 


At the end of his life, David had to hire outside care for him. In 1 Kings 1:1-4, it shows that he was alone. After having multiple wives and concubines, this passage shares with us that there was no one available to care for him. Now we can think that all of them died. But do you think it is ironic that there was not one loving family member to warm him at his old age. Not one wife, not one concubine, not one sibling, not one child. That is so sad to me. 


This shows me that I want to be someone that not only loves the Lord but is a great wife to one man. And someday I want to be a great mother that is a hero to her kids. I want them to know that we are a family and that we stick together and with Jesus Christ, we will choose to resolve conflict and love each other well so that the outside world will know Jesus because of our family.

God's grace in the midst of the Imperial

Well friends, I wanted to update you on how God has shown up in Gabo's job with Sofi. I have other more profound things to write about (like the life of King David) but I am still gathering my thoughts.

Gabo did a great job last night. We arrived to the location about 11pm and Gabo went upstairs with the band. Sofi asked him if they could pray together and if Gabo would lead them and of course he said yes. Friends, let me stop her for a minute. This is what we pray for...that God would use Gabo to be a light in the darkness. Sofi's manager and her both see something different in the way that my man does business and plays music. The only thing that sets him apart is Christ. So before taking the stage, Gabo lead them in a prayer. BIG STEPS people. :)

 He was in charge of the band and he played great and even saved Sofi in the midst of her nerves and almost costly errors!

 I hung with my friend Gianina. She is a girl from the ministry but loves music. She was a great one to take along for me. I didn't want to sit by myself and we had a blast laughing together.

Gabo met the two producers of Sofi's disk. Lalo (left) and Mauricio (right) were both very excited and impressed of how the band sounded after 3 short rehearsals and only 10 days of learning the music. I had an awesome conversation with Lalo's wife. I felt like we were kindred spirits.  Today I posted these pictures on facebook. We have a friend named Andres and his wife Ale that used to live in our old apt building with us but we stay in touch cause they are Believers as well. Well, Andres has been telling Gabo for the last couple of months that he needs to meet his friend that is a music producer. Today Andres commented on the picture, "Hey Gabo, that is my friend Lalo I have been telling you about. I guess you did meet!"


Pray for us as we wait to hear the next steps with Sofi. We are so excited to be in the middle of God's will wherever he takes us. Last night it was a club at 2 am with producers, composers, arrangers and celebrities that desperately need a Savior.

We are honored to serve there. Good night!

An Ode to the Amazing Husband

So we are a rare couple. We are from 2 different cultures. He loves music and does things based on feelings. I studied social work, I am very practical, love living in the reality and am very objective.

Gabo has a job that is very flexible and fun...well I should say many jobs. He teaches, composes, produces, arranges, plays in clubs and on top of all of that, spends time with college students that want to do the same thing.

I have mentioned before that this summer Gabo will most likely produce a disk for a new guy in Tampico. We are excited about that. We believe in the guy and his music. He is a man of faith too and Gabo and him are trusting God to reach new places.

Sometimes our finances are weird. I live on a flexible income (depending on people's generous hearts) and so does Gabo (depending if the jobs come in and if they actually pay him for his hard work). So we have never been in need but we watch God provide in some really random ways. It is one way to live out the faith journey. :)

On Sunday Gabo got an email from a guy who is the personal manager of a girl that Gabo helped do her showcase in 2009 when we were just "novios". He directed her band and everything and really didn't receive any payment for it.

Here's a video of them rehearsing...look for Gabo. (second #19, #37, #52...)

Well Sofi got signed by EMI music awhile ago and she is making her way up and is ready to tour a little bit. Juan (the personal manager) asked Gabo to play in the band and be the musical director.

We don't know how big Sofi will get or if it is God's will that he stays in the band but right now he is busy learning all the songs this week for the first rehearsal on Thursday. The first concert is next Thursday (CRAZY huh?). [sidenote: I have been making fun of Sofi's song "te odio" for months now. I really don't like her voice but she is bringing home the bacon for us so I am going to have to accept it. Ha!]

I am so proud of him. Gabo not Juan :) He works so hard and he trusts the Lord with his jobs and he looks for the best way to use his time, talents and treasures for the Great Commission.

Here is her first music video as well. We'll keep you posted on our adventures with Sofi!

and props to me...i learned how to post videos on the blog! oh the things I can share now!

Summer Lovin'

As students are taking their exams and finishing up the year, I am getting excited for summer. We have some visitors coming (and still waiting on some pending ones as well) and some other exciting plans. Gabo is most likely (please pray!!) will be working hard on producing a disk for a guy from the state of Tampico and will continue teaching private lessons here in the house.

I am going to take advantage of our summer. Here are some things I want to do/focus on from now until August-ish.

• I want to work out. There are have been seasons of my life that I have worked out and eaten well. This is not one of them. I feel MUCH better when I cut back on the sugar and white flour and I do something active for 30 minutes a day...this is apart from walking all over the city. I like structure and a plan and I want to take this time to take care of myself. 
• I am excited about having a little "extra" time with Jesus. I want to spend a little bit more time in the mornings in my times with Him. I am looking forward to this. 
• Now that the students are (almost) out of classes, we as leadership want to take time to do fun, cheap activities here in the city. We want to use the time this summer to foster more community and see the things that we think we never have time to see. So we are implementing "The Summer of Fun--no more long faces!". We are going to go to museums (well they are. I am skipping those), movie marathons, going swimming, going bowling, etc. I am excited to enjoy the city and the students. 

What about you? Do you have any summer goals? 

5 years of service

Gabo and I just got back from our national staff conference. We had a great time with friends and staff. We got to know some people well, had some good conversations, spent some time swimming and playing ultimate frisbee. We also were encouraged by talks and devotionals.

This year, I completed my fifth year on staff in Mexico. I was honored with a certificate. Gabo was able to work his schedule to be there the whole time. We had a great time working, praying and dreaming together.

Presidents, Elections and the burn of time.

Dear 3 blog friends that I have,

I am not a political woman. I try to be but I really don't know enough. And I have reached a crossroads. In 2007, I moved to Mexico and although technology is always improving, I have lived outside of the United States for ALL of Obama's time in office. His decisions for the most part have not filtered down to my life at all. I hear every once in awhile the things he has done and what he hasn't done but I am kind of out of sorts.

Approaching this election, I don't have a ton of opinions because well I haven't heard the debates, researched the republican candidates, and most likely will not live in the United States during their time in office.

It's a weird place to be in folks on the other side of the border. I have a passport, the right to vote but knowing that my vote for the most part will not impact my life.

On the other side, we in Mexico are also in an election year. In July, they will vote for a new President. I hear and see a lot about the candidates. I have some opinions but still feel uneducated. The downside that even if I knew for sure what I wanted, I can't vote. I am not naturalized yet.

Here is one of the turmoils of living abroad. I have the power to vote in my home country but my vote does not impact me because I don't live there. And where the decisions affect me, I don't have the right to vote.

Interesting huh? Never really thought about that.

Republican, Democrat, Independent Party, man, woman, abortion, taxes, etc....I got nothing friends.

Thinking outside of the box

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”  Matthew 25:31-46

My husband is much cooler than I am. He is more generous, thoughtful, and sensitive. He honestly makes me a better person. 

Yesterday, we had a day off so we were leaving our house to go to walk in our favorite park and to celebrate Starbucks Frappucino Happy Hour. At the corner by our apartment, we saw a small boy about 10 years old with light spots on his face, ripped out shoes and was asking for money. Gabo gave him a few pesos and we crossed the street. My husband says to me that he wants to go back and give the kid some clothes. So we begin back across the street to ask him if he is with someone else. Gabo goes ahead and invites him and his grandma into our house for food and clothes and to give them a Bible and to pray for them. 

We thought and prayed about this verse above...whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Christ. 

To be honest, our own finances haven't been stellar lately. God has provided but I am not living in a place of comfort and maybe that is what God wants. We have pinched pesos and been very careful.  So naturally when I am in this state, I am not one to be willing to give to others. But God took this moment to say to me that I don't really know what it's like to not have all that I need. He will continue to provide for us so we can be Jesus with skin on. 

Gabo also invited them back anytime to eat. I better make some extra beans and rice this week!

On Gallbladders

**please be warned. personal musing about things such as bowel movements will be talked about**

I am usually a pretty happening, healthy lady. However, I am a person that is plagued with constant stomach musings. I am a magnet for cramping, parasites, montezuma's revenge and hilarious hospital stories.

My journey with bugs in the intestinal tract started at the end 2004 with a trip out east. East meaning Asia. Something I ate in my 12 days there took up permanent residence in my gut for about 10 months. In that time, I went on a summer project to Mexico where in a hotel room in Durango, I saw some freaky things in the toilet. My dear friend Marta took me to a hospital...well let's call it a clinic from the 1960's. At that time, I didn't understand much Spanish but what entailed was a swob of sorts to the hind in region to see what was the matter. The ministry told me to come home. I said...what's another 5 days?

I came home to a very unnerved general physician and a colonoscopy waiting for me. I found relief from the constant pain after an amazing antibiotic and leaving milk in the past.

My first year of marriage I had a couple of little issues where doctors explained it as "gastritis" or that I was nervous or that I probably had some kind of bug in there. Last May was rough. I couldn't even stand I was in so much pain. We went to the doctor and they informed after ultrasounds and tests that it was just gastritis.

Friends let me take a pause here for a minute. I am a funny lady but I am not a hypochondriac. I don't make things up nor am I looking for drama. It feels like this battle I have going on with my gut is constantly getting me nowhere. I don't want to be deathly ill, I just want to understand the problem. I vowed to never go back to a dr again for stomach pain. I was through with wasting our money on diagnosis that led to the same conclusion.

Until Friday. Well I should say a week ago. I ate some questionable food at a family part that led to barfing and the d-train. Vomit is not a normal occurrence for me at all so I was wondering what is the deal. Then on Friday at Costco, I saw the beauty of all beauties in the bathroom that sent us to get some tests. Those colors should not come out of one's body. I was tested for gall stones, hepatitis, liver failure, etc. All coming back negative. Yea but no yea at the same time because my gallbladder was contracted.

After WebMD and talking to various people, I am pretty convinced that I have some sort of gallbladder disease. I haven't had an attack (hear they are horrible) or stones but it is low functioning. We are praying and trying to decide if taking out my vesicula (gallbladder in Spanish) and if that would solve all of my ridiculous problems.

Comments, suggestions, thoughts?

Chilaquiles and Jesus

I have a friend from a local ex-pat Bible Study and she says that she loves reading stories about missionaries and I should write more of my happenings on a blog. So that is exactly what I am going to do...share more stories from the "field".

When we moved apartments in September, Gabo felt led to try and share with the door man of our building and the other men that work on the street...the other doormen, the guys who park and wash cars, etc. So he passed out some Bibles and started from there. 

When we got back in January, we invited two doormen over for dinner. Modesto works in our building and Homero works at the one next door. They came over for dinner and they showed up shaven, in their best shirts and the four of us ate together. We found out after that dinner that Homero has a wife Tere and a new baby born in December. We felt so bad that we didn't invite Tere and Saul along. So we hosted another dinner inviting everyone and at that dinner we passed out another bible to Homero and Tere. It became clear that there was some interest (major interest) in knowing more about the Bible and Jesus. 

So every other Friday since, we've been eating dinner together and Gabo leads a Bible study. Last Friday, I made chilaquiles...this is a mexican plate that is very common. They loved them and this says a lot from Mexicans that grew up in pueblos. They have eaten some good ones before and asked for seconds of mine! I was really excited. 

After we ate, Gabo shared the story of John 3 and Nicodemus with Modesto, Homero and Tere. He shared how we must be born again to live in eternity with Christ. Modesto shared that he made a decision a couple of weeks ago to walk with Jesus and Homero and Tere accepted Christ with us on Friday! It was a very powerful moment. They prayed silently and confessed their sins and cried. 

We are so excited about how God is using us in our neighborhood! How is God using you to reach your neighbors? 

National Student Conference 2012

I had the pleasure of leading the conference this year. It was March 31-April 4. It was a lot of work but went really well. 

You can check out a video of photos from our time together below:

National Student Conference Video

I will miss....

My grandpa, Jim Hendricks passed away on April 5, 2012. Gabo and I are grateful for a number of things. That we were able to go and be with the family during the funeral and that we got really good quality time with him over Christmas. 

I will miss...

• his love for Notre Dame sports
• his newspaper articles that he cut out
• talking about Mexican presidents, drug cartels and everything else south of the border
• the squalk of his police radio
• the smell of his cologne and aftershave as a little girl when I crawled up into his lap
• the scruff of his beard on my forehead when he was too lazy to shave
• the smile on his face when I graduated college
• the way he demanded attention at any family gathering
• when he tried to pay us back for every little expense and his desire for us to save our money and not spend anything on him

at Gabo and I's reception dancing with my grandpa

 I am so grateful for my 30 years with this man. I am thankful that he knew Gabo and loved him. And I am so appreciative for great memories with this man.

On public transportation in Mexico

Because this blog is titled "Life With Emily", I periodically would like to give you a glimpse into every day life here in Mexico. Today as I was on my way home, I thought that this is something that is pertinent yet sometimes hilarious in sharing. Put on your seatbelts folks, it will be a bumpy ride. 

A couple of weeks ago I was on my way to campus. Gabo and I were on a bus and the driver was talking to his friend behind him. The driver was doing his regular breaking quickly then accelerating then slamming on the brakes sending everyone flying. Then all of the sudden, he just gets up in the middle of the bus in motion and his friend jumps up and takes over. I have seen some crazy things here in Mexico friends but a driver abandoning ship was a new one. I am 98.5% sure he was higher than a kite. 

Often on buses and metros the people constantly switch seats to find a better one. It's like musical chairs without the music starting or stopping. 

Upon arriving in Mexico again 6 weeks ago, the Hubs and I went to visit his family and afterwards we jumped in a cab to come home. My husband being the observant one (ha ha...in this moment he was) realized that our taxi driver was out of sorts and sketchy and was communicating with another car. This happens often in Mexico where the taxis work with another car to assault the passengers. Gabo realized that we were being followed by this other car and we were heading into a very bad neighborhood and he says, "drop us off here". I still had no clue what was going on. We paid got out and I was sure my husband was crazy. He begins telling me about a red car following us and he didn't feel right about it and up pulls the red car realizing that the gig was up and we knew what he was up to. We ran across the street into a supermarket to wait for awhile before hopping into another taxi.

Sometimes the metros and metrobuses are so full that we are packed in there like sardines. It's very uncomfortable and yet now I am accustomed to it. I was on the MetroBus today and I was in the "ladies only" section and I looked around and it was loaded with dudes. Can they not read? I jumped off and tattled on them to a police officer and ran away before they knew who did it. :) 

Last story, I promise. :) Yesterday I get on a bus to come home. I had 40 minutes to spare before my discipleship appt was going to show up at my house. The trip normally takes 20 min. It was about 2 (lunch time) so traffic was slow but we were moving...until it stopped for 20 minutes. You see friends, there was a stoplight out and the streets looked like a parking lot. Some people were trying to go vertical and some horizontal and no one was going anywhere. At that moment, an old man sitting next to me started to give me an orientation to the city. (He clearly thought that this was my first bus ride) The intersection literally looked like a knot. It was very impressive. We slowly made our way through the mess and I arrived at my house at exactly the same moment my girl came. I also gave directions to a bunch of students on that bus on how to get somewhere. I am one impressive foreigner!

That's all for today friends. I hope you enjoyed your glimpse into transportation in Mexico.

For the love of Bi-Cultural Marriages

Although marriages to another ethnicity are becoming quite the popular thing nowadays, in some circumstances it's not easy peasy. Being always honest and frank, I would love to share with you a little about the ins and outs of this whole sha-bang and the things you may not know.

Since coming to Mexico in 2007, there is always a requirement to have a visa in this country. Crusade helped me stay legal before. I had to get a birth certificate apostilled. (Can't explain it fully but it's like a super notary) Then arriving in Mexico, I had that paperwork translated with my immigration lawyer and then we proceeded with the documentation. The cost is huge...mostly because I use a lawyer so I don't mess up. It costs about $500 a year. When we got married, we had to translate my birth certificate again...appartantly the office needed an "approved translator" for that one. We had to do a bunch more paperwork, pay about $300 and we were set. My visa had to be switched over so that I would be a dependent on Gabo. We had to prove his income (almost impossible with him being a freelance musician), submit his birth certificate, official ID card, etc and pay $600.

This does not include the massive process of getting Gabo his resident visa in the states.

The bottom line is this. We love each other...a lot. Marriage has it's ups and downs. Bi-cultural marriage throws a whole different learning curve in the mix. Adding a little bit of stress as you wait for immigration offices to decide if you are legal plus thousands of dollars.

Our hope and prayer is that we both can naturalize in the opposite country in the next 2 years. Meaning both taking civics tests, Gabo mastering English and finding witnesses of Gabo's life here to prove he is a Mexican. We don't know what the Lord has for us. We always want to be above reproach in our paperwork and the way we handle these things.

We also are constantly confronted with immigration related topics in the US. Neither one of us are experts in that...we live in Mexico. We look for ways to constantly honor God with our responses and encourage others to do the same. We are learning a lot.

Hope you can learn something from us as well. Let me know if you have any questions.

Valentines Day Event

Often, I find myself not sharing all the cool things that happen in ministry in my prayer letter because I run out of room. One of the things that lately I have been trying is hosting women's events. I want to help give the girls an opportunity to invite their friends that may not believe in Jesus yet or friends that are just not connected to the body of Christ.

So we did an event on Love. One of my friends, Mariana, took the pics. They turned out great. I wanted to share them with you. 

The most important part...the desserts!

The spread of appetizers.

The little fondue pot.

Some of the girls.

I like these activities because it feels like girls are coming and bringing their friends. 

I think one of the hardest things in ministry is evaluating if what I am doing is successful. The most important thing is lives changed. And slowly God is doing that. I want to provide a place for that to happen. 

That is what I hope.

One month in Mexico

We arrived back in Mexico on January 13, 2012. It's been a crazy ride since. One of them being that our brand new Lenovo had some problems...namely the mother board crashed. Now, I think I will be accepting that I am one of those people that will have perpetual computer problems. My friend Ada always has a problem with her cell phone and Angie with Visa paperwork. This is my cross to bear.

Regardless, there are numerous hard things going on in my life. Pray for my heart and that I will stick myself close to Jesus.

More to come shortly.

Emily

Famous People and their Addictions

Etta James died this past week. Her song "At Last" was what I danced with my husband at our US reception. Here's a picture. 

What you can't see in this picture is that I am translating the words to him into Spanish. :) It's our little game we play. The perks of being married to a Mexican Musician.

Anyways, I began to do a little research on Etta's life. I found out that she was a long time drug user. I cannot say that I am surprised by that. You and I both know that people in the spotlight take their stint the Betty Ford.

I am perplexed by it. Again, I considered it when Gabo and I were watching the movie "Walk the Line"--the story of Johnny Cash.

I guess my question is--what is the draw to a substance?  They have it all. Money, fame, fans, anything they have ever wanted and more. But they are still so empty that they need to fill the empty moments or reach new highs with drugs.

I am relatively normal. I pay my bills. I work hard for the money. I do my dishes. I have wonderful friends. And normal people in my life have been haunted by addictions.

Whether you are Johnny Cash or John Smith, we all have a giant hole in our heart that can only be filled with Jesus Christ. Nothing else can really do the trick. Although it saddens me, it makes sense that after all that they have, they would turn to drugs, alcohol, extra-marital affairs, etc to look for the empty feeling to disappear.

I remember a couple of years together talking to a fellow staff friend about experiencing Jesus daily. We related our daily walk with the Lord as a drug that we needed. When we didn't have our moment to surrender everything to Him, we were left feeling a little off. I am sure what it feels like after years of abusing drugs. The day you decide to "take a break", things get a little cock-eyed...partly because you are not used to life with IT. That is what I want. I don't want to live life with Him. Life is better with him.

Try Jesus. Get hooked on Him. He will wreck your life.

2011 Wrap-Up

Coming back to Mexico has been an adjustment but I am thankful for many things. I love my apartment. I love that God has provided for every one of our needs. I am so excited that my husband has work. I am excited for 2012 but I want to recap some of my highlights of 2011.

I got to lead my first summer project in Mexico. We loved the students and our time together and we learned a lot. 

By nature, I like to lead projects, conferences, people. Planning a project in Mexico is a different story. It was hard motivating students to raise their support and book bus tickets. I relied on volunteers in the city to help plan our service activities and some people just didn't dropped the ball. Staff had to drop out at the last minute too. But I am so grateful for this opportunity. I made some great memories and some good friends.


My sweet older brother Eric got hitched in San Francisco.

This was actually only the second time that Gabo and Eric saw each other. We had a great time with my family and celebrating our new addition, Cindy. It was cold and rainy. Gabo and I were surprised how much the metros cost in San Francisco. We were really excited to return to Mexico and the metro here.

Some of my favorite white girls married some pretty sweet Mexican men. 
--Angie married Pepe on June 11, 2011. I was one of her bridesmaids. As you can see from the picture, I got burned severely by the sun. NOT a highlight of the year but all in all it was a good time.

--Then Caitlin married Victor on November 12, 2011 in Xalapa. Caitlin and I were roommates my first year in Mexico and we became friends with Victor then. Years later they married!

Caitlin and I at her Civil Wedding. I was one of their witnesses.

I turned 30! I love my birthday every year. This year was special as well. Gabo always does a great job making me feel loved. We celebrated with a party with my friends on Friday, November 4 then had lunch with some "special friends" on Saturday my actual birthday and did nothing at night. :) 

I look forward to what God has in store for me, for my marriage, for our life and ministry.

BREAK in the States

Gabo and I have had the privilege of being in the Northern Indiana for the last month.  We have had some good times here relaxing, visiting friends and ministry partners and visiting the local stores and restaurants. It's been really fun for family time and for our marriage too. 

We had a blast celebrating Gabo's 36th Birthday with my family...

We have loved hanging out with the nieces and nephews...

 Going to basketball games and other fun activities....

And we had a great Christmas with my brother and sister-in-law coming in from San Francisco. We made some great memories. 

We are still here for a couple more days but are looking forward to our return to Mexico. We miss that place. 

What advice would you give?

On Tuesday nights I have the girls over that have graduated from college but are just starting off in the "real world". It has turned into one of my favorite parts of the week. I always have something prepared but it seems like a topic always comes up that is more pressing than what I have planned. 

We talk about budgets, honoring our parents, following our calling, taking a job that isn't our dream job, etc.

Last night, some girls came with a urgent question. They wanted to talk about what to do when they see fraud at their jobs. Let me lay out these cases for you and I honestly want your feedback. Your biblical based feedback. 

Case #1: Susie is essentially a warehouse manager. This is the first time in 30 years that there has been someone in her position--weighing materials that are coming in and documenting orders. So you can imagine the "white lies" told by the outside vendors as they bring in their materials. They have been accustomed to telling how much instead of weighing. Well Susie has realized that they exaggerate the material to receive a higher cut and she is sending trucks away.The owner is a supposed christian and some of the vendors are her own family members. There is a very good chance that the owner knows of the white lies and doesn't have a backbone to change it. What should Susie do?


Case #2: Martha is a graphic designer at a small race car company. She is in charge of making posters and logos for the races. She has been working there for 2 years. Martha's boss came to her awhile back with a receipt from car company and asked her to lower the numbers in Photoshop to keep the company in a lower tax bracket. Martha said no. So after awhile the boss asked another person in the office to do it and they are completing it for the company. However, Martha knows its happening and even though she isn't doing it directly, she is in charge of organizing the fraudulent receipts. What should Martha do? 


Together last night, we checked out:
1 Kings 3:16 --King Solomon and the two women with one baby
Acts-- Ananias and Saphira
2 Kings 5-- Namaan, Elias and Gheizi


I await your comments. Thanks for helping me do my job.

Update...what? what?

So let's have a quick multiple choice question...

Why hasn't Emily posted a blog in the last month?

1. She doesn't like you. So she didn't tell you what is going on.
2. There is nothing cool to tell you.
3. Pinky the computer's hard drive crashed for the 3rd time in 3 years...leaving Emily without a computer.
4. All of the above. 

And the answer is.... number 3! 

My friend Gaby came over and restored Pinky again. Who knows how long it will last until she goes again so I am taking advantage of it now. So without further ado, here is what you have missed in my life. 

we had a October girl's time at the house. It was a massive success...think we'll do one in November too!

We had our fall retreat in the state of Queretaro. We had a great time with students and other staff.

We worked at the Christian Expo in October and showed  the movie "Magdalena". Our students in Mexico City loved participating!

I turned 30! And celebrated with a surprise party, chinese food buffet and seeing Footloose with my husband. It was a great time!

My husband Gabriel got his resident visa for the United States. This means that we can live and work in the US without hassle! He had his tourist visa for 10 years before that but we are both working for something more permanent in the other country. 

So that is what you missed...in a nutshell. October was extremely busy and it is looking the same with November as well.