3rd World Kitchens

Friends, there are some things that really get me down about comparing my life to the life that is very easily accessible in the US of A.

Kitchens. They are a beautiful gathering place and a space to create. The average house or apartment has counters, a dishwasher, full size oven, etc.

Take this kitchen...

spacious, gorgeous, lighted (Cue Debbie Gibson singing "Only in my Dreams")--this would be my dream in the States.

Here in Mexico, things are a little different. When we moved in last September, we looked high and low for the basics of what a little Expat girl like me would need. Frankly speaking an oven was a necessity. My husband often said to owners, "I'm sorry. We cannot rent here. My wife needs an oven."

So here is the best we can find. And I actually love this tiny little thing.

 See the difference? I liken it to a kitchen in a condo in Orlando, FL that you use on vacation. I am trying to spruce it up. In July, I want to make a cutie little curtain to hide the under-the-bar part. I try to keep things orderly and less cluttered. Which it might be time to pear down the fridge.

But on Saturday, we bought a rug at Costco. I LOVE COSTCO. It sometimes is like my home away from home. The rug said 2"x6" and I said to Gabo that it was probably the exact size of the alley between the bar and the wall.

 And I was completely right.  Above is my empty floor. And below is my new beautiful rug!

It makes a world of difference actually. It's soft and catches all the water that falls from my dinky sink and dish rack.

I am looking forward to other improvements that I can do to maximize my space and make lemons out of lemonades.

Be Fruitful and Multiply

No friends, this is not a pregnancy announcement. This commandment has been something that has caused me angst for most of my adult life. The church typically takes the phrase-

"As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." 

Genesis 9:7

and thinks something along these lines....

courtesy of http://heychristiangirl.tumblr.com/

and so that was what I was taught. Until I start popping babies out, I can't completely fulfill this job. 

I would even go as far as to say that last August, a couple at our church was "scolding" us for not having kids yet. The man said to me, "Emily, why don't you want to serve God?" Which then I proceeded to get angry. If he only knew...I was and am serving God. I am making spiritual children. And my heart wrestles with the stereotypes of married women and their job in childrearing. I have seen great friends marry, have their babes and then disappear from the mission field. I believe that some women can do both. I hope to be one of them some day. 

A good friend recommended a book to me. It's called "Half the Church". It can be a little controversial. People say it's about equality between men and women in the church and women leading. So far I've gotten from it is that women serving and stepping out. I just finished a chapter addressing this topic. I want to share a little bit about what the author says. 

"If the command to be fruitful and multiply is only about reproduction, then it can apply only to a short season in a women's life--her window of childbearing years." (I started to sit up a little bit when I was reading...) 

She goes on to say, "Whatever we lost in Eden we find again in Jesus. Whatever God meant by "fruitful and multiply" and "rule and subdue," Jesus fulfills. As God's perfect image bearer, Jesus recaptures God's original vision for us by embodying true image-bearer living. And Jesus didn't do this in the pristine, sin-free garden our first parents inhabited, but in the fallen ruins of the world we occupy..." (I was left speechless at this point. Could have been the HUGE cockroach that I saw in the bathroom of the coffee shop I was in but she was on to something.) Jesus was neither married, nor woman but he did it.

Lastly she talks about the multiplying of God's Image: "We are God's image bearers. And while physical reproduction may suffice for fish and birds, for image bearers multiplication involves far more than simply populating the earth with more people. God calls us to multiply image bearers--a new humanity that embraces the God who made us and whose purpose is for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven."

There it is folks. The command is for all believers: young and old, single and married, men and women. If we are not multiplying image bearers, we are not following this commandment. No matter what. Lot to chew on huh? 

For me it always goes back to the Great Commission... go and make DISCIPLES. Wowzers...love that action.

The Process of Grief

I am typically a person that never remembers her dreams. I go to bed, sleep my 8 hours, forget to put my bite guard in and wake up refreshed in the morning. Lately, I've had some good, doozie dreams that I remember in the morning.

Last night I dreamed that I received a box in the mail from my grandpa. It had some cutouts from some newspapers (typical Grandpa fashion) and a letter from him and and some old photos. I could see his handwriting in the notes. It was very vivid and I remember feeling excited about hearing from him.

Then in the dream, I realized that he was gone...that he had died. I began sobbing really with my whole heart. It was like I was grieving his death all over again.

I woke up suddenly this morning after pushing snooze a couple of times to a phone call from a friend that was stopping by to drop of some things. I quickly jumped out of bed to brush my teeth and make myself look presentable. I was standing outside of my apt building waiting for him when my dream came rushing back. I felt like I was being hit by a city bus.

I was talking to Gabo this morning about this and I feel that because I am not in Indiana, it is easy for me to not grieve because right now in Mexico my grandpa is not really absent from my life. It has happened a couple of other times that I have been doing something and I remember that he is no longer on the earth. I think, "how can I be so stupid and forget that he's dead?" It just doesn't make any sense.

I think everyone grieves differently. There are a lot of contributing factors to grieve as well...emotional connection to the person, physical distance, the past relationship, etc all effects the way we deal with it. We weren't necessarily close he and I but he has been a fixture in my life forever.

I am grateful for my last memories with him alive. I am grateful that I did all I could do to show him that I loved him. And I am thankful that Jesus is real and He knows grief and loss and he can sympathize with me.

So Long Youth

 

I am in a mourning period friends. I have come to the conclusion lately that I am not as young as I think I am. My friend Cornelia warned me about this. She says that those who work with college students one day come to the realization that the students stay the same age and we just keep getting older. 

This August marks 5 years in Mexico. Lots of things have changed--the team(s), the roommates, the safety of the city, etc. My first couple of years here I was all over the place. I have awesome memories of how we went salsa dancing, to soccer games with millions of people and for late night tacos. We went on spontaneous trips to other cities and had a great time. 

I'm not as young as I once was friends. I'm 30 now. And I am not saying I am old. I am just not an adolescent anymore. I have begun to consider the consequences of late nights and larger crowds. I think this has happened for a couple of reasons. 

1. I married the safety captain. Gabo is all about never taking a necessary risk in life (I can see a fist pump in the air from Cathie Horein now). He lives his life like that and he is even more concerned about his gringa wife and her blonde hair and blue eyes.

2. I get tired more easily and the people annoy me. Standing all day in a hot place makes me want to claw my eyes out. I have less of a "it's worth it attitude". It's not worth it if it means tired feet, sunburn or me being hungry or getting a parasite. I think my priorities have changed. 

3. I blame my stage of life. This could coincide a little bit with #1 but let me explain. You see I am not a college student anymore. I am not a mom either but I am an adult and logical reasoning and future planning does come into play for me. I want this NOT to be true but I know it is. I live in denial about #3.

This all came about because I was supposed to go to a see a certain teen pop star on Monday.

 

 Yes, Justin Bieber. The Mexican government paid for a FREE concert in the Zocalo. Crazy teen girls slept on the street to stand in line for 2 days before.

I had planned to go the day of and stand in the crowd of 200,000 + people and wait for him... in the heat with no umbrella, then rain and then the concert.

But I wussed out. I considered the bathroom situation, I wasn't feeling so good and would need to frequent it. I considered the water and then needing a bathroom more. I considered all the pushy teenage girls that thought Justin was their boyfriend. I considered coming home late and a sunburn and then getting wet. And I just lost my steam. I couldn't do it.

I feel like missing JB was an end of an era for me. I'm not saying that I am never going to a concert again but I feel like my standards and needs have changed. On June 11, 2012, Emily became more high maintenance. I was really disappointed in myself.

So long Youthful Emily. It was fun knowing you. I will be at home weighing my options and consequences. I think I have just become even more realistic.

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.