Well, I've escaped the country of Mexico briefly. It's the first time that I've been out of the country since mid July or so when I brought Jody to the Phoenix airport. Can't say that I've missed a whole lot, though - it's the same crazy, materialistic world that I had left behind...It took me a little bit of time, though, to realize that I didn't have to speak Spanish to everyone that I came across in stores or at restaurants.

We've taken a brief trip into the states to do some shopping. We spent the last week or so in a town called Arizpe, about 4 hours northeast of San Carlos up in the Sonora River valley. Being at an elevation of about 5500 feet, the nights got down to about 10 degrees and made me wonder how I was ever going to be able to handle the -30 degree weather that will be awaiting me at Christmas! I can't tell you how cold I actually was!!

The past two weeks have been an incredible blessing, connecting with the groups that have come. The last group was the Cross Current group from WBC. We spent our time in Arizpe doing some digging, painting, as well as ministering through song, drama, testimonies and soccer to the youth in Arizpe and some surrounding villages. It's neat to be a part of their lives for a brief time and to be able to watch God work in their lives and through them.

For the rest of the year things will be a bit slower as we do some work around the house. I'm looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone back there!

An Update Overdue....

You don't have to tell me...slack doesn't even describe my blogging lately but here I am finally getting you an update. To be fair, though, it has been a crazy but wonderful stretch. Two weeks ago we had a group come in from Phoenix, about 25 people or so who came to build a house for a pastor in Guaymas. Then, last week Sunday (8 days ago...) the CrossCurrent group from WBC came. They overlapped the Phoenix group until last week Wednesday giving us a total of about 50 people to cook for for those 4 days. During those 4 days, the Phoenix group though moved out of the house into some hotel rooms close to our house.

The Cross Current group ran a basketball camp in San Carlos as well as doing some various construction projects including digging two septic tanks for families who had no real plumbing in their houses. On Friday we head out to a town about five hours north east up in the mountains called Arizpe which is where I am now. The team has been doing a bunch of outreach with music, dramas, testimonies and soccer games and now some painting and digging for a new basketball court in a neighbouring community.

It's neat to look back and realize that it was only 10 months ago that I first set foot here in Mexico with the last Cross Current group...what an adventure it has been since then! I have to admit that at first I wasn't looking forward to having the groups here just because of the routine that had been developed...it was that old, stubborn, selfish part of me but as it often goes, God shows up in the unexpected places and blesses the socks off of us when we least expect it. It has been a privilege to be apart of the lives of the people in the teams that have come here and to be a part of their ministry and the things God is doing in them and through them.

Of Paths and Possibilities...

Is it really November the first?? I've probably said it before but the only thing that keeps me on track as far as time goes is that my computer keeps telling me what date it really is. The "seasons" and the weather out here have offered little help in keeping track of time. I'd be waiting for a long time for the first frost, never mind the first snowfall to tell me that yes, winter was coming. Of course, none of you want to be hearing that, but don't worry, I'll be paying my dues as I make the journey back home mid-December.

But the question still remains, what's beyond this aventura Mexicana (Mexican adventure)? A number of possibilties have presented themselves to remain here (or come back here after Christmas) from staying longer with Brenda, to working at an orphanage, or even just teaching English in a school. It seems that the possibilities are often limitless, but what is the path that God wants me to take? And am I willing to go down that path?

These thoughts have been on my mind a lot over the past while and I would greatly appreciate your continued prayers in listening and discerning what God would have me do next. For now though, life is good - it's always good to be in the place where you know God wants you to be. Brenda is coming back in two days and also will a number of groups from Canada and the US (including the CrossCurrent group from WBC...) This morning I picked up a guy from the bus depot who is from MacGregor, MB and will be spending the next 6 weeks or so here at the center on a practicum for his CMU degree. So, life is changing out here but all is well!

It's been a while...

Yeah, I'm feeling a little guilty here...my blogging has been then regular. No, it's not that I've been sitting around doing nothing here...actually the opposite has been true. Here's a couple of recent highlights:

1) I set fire to a huge pile of weeds this afternoon (and stood on guard for the 15 minutes as the pile was quickly engulfed in flames, threatening to jump the fence into the lovely field of dead grass next to my yard...). That pile was the result of two months of work of de-weeding the yard, a pile that had grown to be about 4 feet high and 6 feet wide of packed, dead weeds. Monday was the first day since sometime in the beginning of July that I could truly certify my yard weed-free! (What am I going to do with my time now...?)

2) On Saturday I had the four oldest guys from the orphanage over at my house for an afternoon/evening of soccer, a BBQ, and a movie...I had every intention of getting some pics but, once again, that didn't happen. All went well, until we decided to play soccer in the house. I would have thought that the soft, little nerf ball that we used wouldn't have been capable of any damage but I was quickly proved wrong as a wall ornament and a clock gave themselves up for the game...oh well - the fun we had was well worth it...

Brenda (the owner of the house) is coming back towards the end of next week and it looks like I'll be sticking around 'til mid December. She's hosting a number of groups through November so I'll stick around to help her out for that. Then in December, it looks like Jody might be coming out for a week or so and then driving back with me in time for Christmas. It all sounds good except for the drive back, that is...leaving plus 25 and arriving at home in -25...I think I'll be paying for all the warm weather that I'm experiencing now!

A trip to BC?!?

Well, there for a bit I felt like I was back in Canada, not quite Manitoba, though. A little more like BC, without the snow caps... A friend's family is building a house out in the small town of Yecora, located up in the mountains about 350 kms from here. The town is located pretty much straight east from San Carlos, a couple of miles from the Chihuahua border. Needless to say, judging by some of the pictures, it felt like a brief escape from Mexico. No desert. No heat. Minimal cactuses. Lots of trees (even pine forest). Rocks. The temperature only got up to the low 20's during the day with the nights going down to 10 or less. We went up there (about a six hour trip navigating the crazy mountain roads, potholes, and occasional cows that seem to like to chew the grass where there should be a shoulder) Tuesday morning bringing some building supplies for their house and just hung out until Thurday morning when we made the trip back.





It was good to have a bit of a change of pace for a while and see some new scenery but you may all be wondering when this Mexican adventure is coming to an end. Well, it seems the date has been getting pushed back further and further. What started as a September 15th date has been pushed later and later. At this point though, I'm going to be staying until Brenda (the owner of the house) returns at the beginning of November.

Preaching in Spanish...

Well, I suppose the title might be a little misleading and not entire accurate but yes, I will be preaching again this Sunday in the Spanish Church. No, unfortunately it won't be in Spanish, as any sermon that I would give at this point in Spanish would be, well, relatively short. Mi Español is mejor que cuando primero llegué aquí én México pero todavía tengo mucho más que aprender...My Spanish is better than when I first arrived here in Mexico but I still have much more to learn...(I think...) Anyways, I'll be preaching from the sermon that I had this Sunday in the English church though no doubt a little shorting as I'll be using a translater so any prayers you can offer up would be greatly appreciated!

Other than that, life is a little different this week and will be for next week as well as there is a local group of pastors and church leaders here for a retreat. They arrived Monday and, with the exception of Sunday, will be here until next week Saturday. It's a bit of a change of pace having many people around (mostly who speak Spanish) but the food has been wonderful. Cooking for yourself seems to get more tedious as time goes on and a change of menu is more than welcome. I'm not sure exactly what I ate for lunch but I can tell you that it was delicious!

Why do I keep doubting?

Well, this week has been full of the usual activity with two additions. One being doing some major cleaning for a group of pastors that's coming on Sunday and staying for two weeks. There's going to be about 25 to 30 pastors from the area having a retreat here at the house. It seems that with the lack of use the extra bedrooms and washrooms have had over the past while, they have fallen into a state of uncleanliness.

The other addition is major preparation for my message this coming Sunday. This being the second time around you would think that it would come together a fair bit easier and with less anxiety than the first time but it seems that that has not been the case. The process of preparation for the first sermon was a very encouraging process though it had its moments of anxiety and at times burden, just not being sure what I should do or where I should go with the sermon. Finally getting to the point of having it prepared (after a rollercoaster of doubt and encouragement) I remember sitting at my desk Sunday morning, before I was to deliver it, just feeling like it was weak and thin; I wasn't at all feeling ready and was doubting the work I had put into it. As I got up to deliver it though, the sense of peace that I had and the enjoyment that I had in delivering it was awesome! Though I had spent a lot of time doubting that God would lead me God was faithful and had heard me in those anxious moments in prayer throughout the week. The whole experience, as hard as it was at times was very rewarding and encouraging.

Well, sure enough approaching this second message a lot of those same feelings of inadequacy and doubt began to cloud my mind. One would thank that having walked this path already, I should be able to rely and rest on God's faithfulness as He has shown in the past. I suppose the one blessing about these feelings of inadequacy are that they send us to our knees in crys of help to God and those are the prayers that God seems to love to answer. Sure enough, this process has been plagued by doubts and discouragement at times but just as sure is the fact that God has seen me through as I managed to finish writing it out yesterday morning. Why is it that we seem to be such slow learners? Well, I should speak for myself at least but I'm thankful for God's incredible grace as He extends it to us even when we doubt Him.

So What's Happening Next?

Don't worry, this isn't going to be my last post from Mexico but the future has definitely been on my mind lately. I've been asked the question, "So when are you going back" more than once and the date has seemed to somehow be pushed back later and later. Yes, the original plan was to be here until, well, tomorrow, that is, mid September but time has been flying by here and I'm just not ready to leave this place. Opportunities still abound out here and commitments that I have made will keep me here until mid October for sure. Beyond that, we'll see what happens.

Regardless, though, the question of what lies next has been heavy on my heart and mind at times over the past while. It seems to be a question that has been recurring over the past year alone several times but each time God has been faithful. From leaving camp, to taking some time off, to coming down here to Mexico with the Cross Current group in January, to doing some trucking, to finally ending up here for the summer, I never really saw much past the next step that I was supposed to take. But each step I took lead to something else and through it all God was working things out. It's always a whole lot easier to see in hindsight but it does give me courage to take the next step from here, whatever that may be.

I guess for now, though, my next steps include my responsibilities out here, and for that I could use your prayers! I'm preparing to preach next week Sunday (Sept. 23) in the english church. Pray that God would organize my thoughts and show me what He wants me to say. Thanks again for all the prayers that have been offered up!

The Hurricane Hits...

Well, it was a decent show and from what I've heard, it was not as bad as it could have been considering the forecast at the time and the path that the hurricane took. The last major storm that came here through San Carlos was in 2003, Hurricane Marty, and was more severe than this one with more damage. During the morning as it was clouding over and starting to drizzle a bit I took my camera out to the beach and took some pictures of the pre-hurricane surf, which was quite intense. You can check out the pictures in my photo album and consider the fact that the waves generally are rarely bigger than 3 or 4 feet. After noon things turned up a couple of notches; the rain came down and the wind picked up as you can see in some of the videos. I was kept somewhat busy for the afternoon mopping up water that came in under some of the doors because it was coming down so fast. There was about half an hour or so where I could barely keep up.

By about 5:00, though things had settled down and it was mostly over. All in all we got about 3 inches of rain during the afternoon and the extent of damage was a couple of the smaller trees lost some branches. Other than than, all was well - chalk it up as another experience in Mexico...

Hurricane Henriette

Well, it's not a hurricane yet but before it hits the Baja, it's supposed to become a Category 2 and by the time it's forecasted to hit mainland Mexico, it's only supposed to be a tropical storm at landfall. But, at this point is supposed to make landfall (on mainland Mexico) right here at San Carlos sometime on Wednesday. Well, I must say that that would be me first hurricane/tropical storm. As with all weather, though, predicting anything three days in advance is anything but reliable but we can always hope, right? What would this mean for us? Probably just a lot of rain in a short amount of time. You can track this storm at http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/ep200711.html.

Some things you just can't get used to...

Well, it's been a little while since the last post and I apologize for that - it seems that life continues as "normal" out here and I haven't come across a lot that is truly post worthy. That's not to say that I'm bored out of my tree here - far from it; but it's all just a part of day to day life as we know it, here in Mexico. As I'm sitting here chewing on a mango (quite possibly one of the best mangoes that I've ever had...) I realize that though many things have become normal, there are still some things that I just can't get used to and here they are:

1) I can't get over how beautiful this place is. Often we grow accustomed to our surroundings and lose sight of the beauty around us but after 3 months, I still get taken in by it out here. I know you have seen some pictures but they tell only a part of the story...

2) I can't get used to how 32 degrees (celsius, of course) feels very comfortable and even refreshing! Yes, you may not be want to hear this as day that get up to 32 are quite possibly a thing of the past up north but it is true. There are many late afternoons (that saw a high of 40) where I bask in the coolness of 32...

3) I can't believe how much water I drink out here seemingly without effort. Indeed, the "required" 2 litres of water would leave you dehydrated out here. The other day, by the time I went to bed, I had downed more than 6 litres of water! Keep in mind that I did a fair bit of work outside during the day and played some soccer later on in the afternoon as well. Yikes!

4) I can't get over how much I sweat. There's been some times when I've wondered if I have a sweating condition or something because it seems to be out of hand. There have been a number of times when the sweat actually is running off my body. Literally, I would not have been any more wet if I had just come out of the shower before drying 1 minute before. I usually don't wear a shirt when I'm at home or else my laundry situation would be even more ridiculous than it already is.

God at work...

This has been a packed and amazing week, full of experiences of God at work here in Mexico! The week started with a lot of yard work that I've been falling behind in as I'm trying to reclaim my back yard from the lush garden of weeds. Wednesday evening, however, I had the opportunity to share my testimony with a bunch of men at the AA Rehabilitation Center in Guaymas that I've been helping at with some of the people from the Spanish Church. After my testimony the guy from the Mexican church who usually leads the Bible Study spoke out of Revelation and the New Jerusalem and laid out salvation for the guys. At the end hey gave an altar call and probably about a dozen of the guys came up and responded! I don't know what part my testimony played into the response but it was awesome to see God and work and be a part of the experience.

Later on this week, Friday morning, as I was battling a bad head cold, I hooked up with some of the people in the Spanish church again who headed out to a city call Caborca, about 5 hours northwest from San Carlos where they help to lead some youth evangelistic services hosted by a church out there. The services were help outside in a plaza in Caborca and the group I went with lead the worship and did the speaking as well. We left at about 7:00am on Friday with the first service in the evening. They did a hour long radio program on Saturday afternoon with some music and sharing followed by one more service in the evening. The numbers were pretty low on the first evening but by the second evening, there was a good-sized crowd and once again God was at work out there as a number of people responded, becoming Christians on the second night! Needing to be back for church on Sunday morning, we cleaned up, grapped some supper and hit the road around 12:30am, Sunday morning that is. I didn't get to bed till about 6:30 and was up by 7:30 so you could say that I've been a little tired today.

Regardless, though, it has been exciting to be a part of what God is doing out here! He has given me so many neat opportunities to meet new people and see Him at work here in Mexico. Though I often can't actually be a part of things and often don't know what's actually going on or being said, the Christian fellowship with the people here overcomes language barriers and I have been incredibly blessed to be a part of these people's lives!

Mexican Immersion

I just got back yesterday evening from a bit of a Mexican adventure. I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting myself into but I had been asked a week ago to drive a van for the Mexican Church as they were taking a trip to a town called Banamichi about 4 hours northeast in the mountains. As usual, I didn't get a lot of details but they needed me because one of the vehicles they were taking was Canadian and had Alberta plates, so they needed a Canadian to drive it. As it turns out, it was a group of ladies from the Mexican Church who were visiting some friends in Banamichi who used to live here in San Carlos. We took two vans and a car and left at 5:00am on Tuesday morning. Fortunately the husband of one of the woman was driving the other van and so I wan't alone.

We actually stayed in a house that the Cross Current group helped to dig the foundations for in January and the family that they were going out there to see was one that we had connected with and spent some time with back in January. I've concluded while being out here in Mexico that this truly is a small world...

The time out there was spent relaxing, taking in some of the sights of the area, eating some good Mexican cuisine and taking in a Church service of sorts Tuesday evening. I couldn't help but feel like the minority though, not speaking a whole lot of Spanish. There was one person (one of the people we were visiting) who spoke English very well and a number of them who had a very, very basic grasp of English. We're all familiar with minorities in Canada but it sure is weird being very much in the minority.

Well, we made it back safe and sound Wednesday evening, another adventure under the belt.

Home Alone...

Well, it's just me and the dog now...I got back yesterday evening from dropping Jody off at Phoenix from where she flew home. We drove up just across the US border on Monday, spent the day shopping and relaxing, and crashed for the night before I dropped her off at the airport Tuesday morning. Our trip wasn't without incident as we had some car trouble driving throug Tucson on the way up to Phoenix. It's the second time this happened but my exhaust system spontaneously came apart just behind the catalytic converter - another casualty of the Mexican speed bumps. Fortunately, we could still drive though with a loud car and by taking it easy over bumps so as not to bottom out. With a set of ear plugs, though, the drive home was as enjoyable as it could be!

Yes, it will be quieter around the house now and I will miss Jody's company. It's hard to believe, though, how time has really flown by. It's been two and a half months out here already. I still really appreciate all the prayers that you have been offering up. They are still needed! Adios for now!

In trouble with the law...

Well, incase you are wondering what this picture is, if you guessed a speeding ticket, you're right! Coming into San Carlos, on the four lane highway, there's this one particular spot where a cop on a motorcycle likes to setup. If there's ever a cop setup, this is the place that he usually sits and usually I catch him in time. Today, however, I was a bit tired and justing wanting to get home. That stretch of highway, about 5 miles or so, has a posted limit of 60 km/h, which is rather hard to stay under, especially when everyone else whipping by pretty fast. So, needless to say, in my desire to just get home, I never actually saw the cop until Jody pointed him out and by then it was too late. Looking back in my rearview mirror I could see him getting on his bike with his lights on. At that point, I have to confess I was tempted to pull a Jordan Peters (as him about his experience of running from the law if you haven't already heard the story...) and quickly turn down some sideroad to try and get away. In the end, though, I knew I more than deserved this one so I pulled over. He lead me to the police station where I paid the ticket right aways. He caught me doing 89 km/h and the ticket would have costed me $150 but because I paid it right aways, it was half price. Well, hopefully the lesson is learned and that I have no more run-ins with the law down here!

It's Been A While...

Yes, it has been too long since the last post. I suppose that having family out here ended up taking a lot of our time over the past couple of weeks. In addition to that, though, we have been without internet since last week Wednesday when we woke up to a major storm at 2:00 in the morning. Until that point the only storm action we got was a bunch of intense lightening in the distance. This time, however, the storm made it out to us and it poured! We must have gotten more than an inch in less than an hour. The unfortunate thing was, though, that our DSL router got fried from the storm and we finally got it straightened out today and now we have internet!

The picture above is of the hills that are now turning green! Since last Wednesday, we have had a few more intense rain storms and the leaves are sprouting like crazy. It's incredibly beautiful! Until now, as you could tell by some of the pictures, the only green you would find here was cactuses and the occasional green bush that stays green year round.

I will post a few more times soon to let you know what we've been up to. I'll also update the photo album soon so check back!

Comida Mexicana (Mexican Food)

The food adventures continue...today for lunch we went to a local Mexican fastfood chain called "Pollo Feliz", Happy Chicken. Basically, you order a chicken by the half - a half, whole, 1.5 or 2 chickens. They bring out this fire-cooked chicken mostly intact and chop it into pieces, throw it into a styrofoam container and serve it with flour tortillas, salsa, and red onions. You can throw whatever you want into a tortilla or just eat the chicken off the bone. Either way, it's definitely the best chicken I've ever had.

They other evening we were shown the are of making Chiles Rellenos (cheese stuffed chiles). The green chile peppers are roasted over a flame, peeled, then stuffed with cheese. Then they're dipped in a batter and deep-fried. Yes, they were crazy hot and yes, they were incredibly good! No doubt milk helps to cool the fire in the mouth but it's worth it.

As you can tell from the picture above, Clayton (Jody's boyfriend) has made it out here and arrived Wednesday morning at about 3:30 in the morning. My family is currently on the road, having left at about 10:00 PM, Friday night and we are looking forward to their arrival!

God is Faithful!

Well, I'm glad to say that I'm on the other side of preaching and it's a huge relief. I can't deny the fact though that God definitely was faithful throughout the whole process, even in the midst of doubt. The cycle is so predictable, it seems, when we are in these places outside of our comfort zone. This situation was no exception. I seemed to go back and forth from inspiration to doubt throughout the process of writing and woke up this morning after not having slept very well. Needless to say, I wasn't too excited to get up this morning and stand behind the pulpit. But sure enough, as it so often goes, God works in spite of our doubt and comes through in the end. This morning went well and I was able to settle in and deliver with relative peace what God has been laying on my heart.

I know that I owe a lot of it to all the prayers that have been going up and for that I thank all of you!!

It's hard to believe how fast time has been flying! Yes, it's been too long since my last posting - I guess life has been pretty normal out here, as normal as it can be living in Mexico that is! A couple of noteworthy things that have happened though. The other day we were tubing with a friend on a little bay in San Carlos when suddenly a seal popped up and swam around for a bit about 20 feet from our boat before it dove under and swam away.

The picture above is from last Saturday when we took to four older guys from the orphanage out to the beach for a couple of hours. After a whole bunch of piggyback rides, frisbee in the water, chips and lemonade, we were officially tired but it was a lot of fun.

Other than that, a fair bit of my time has been taken in prepping for my sermon this Sunday. It's been a lot of work but rewarding at the same time. Thanks for all the prayers that you have all offered - they have been needed and appreciated!

Comfort zone shattered...again

It's no suprise that spending four months in a different country with a very different culture where English isn't spoken away from family and friends is outside my comfort zone. I had many miles to contemplate what might await me here during my three days of travel out here. And God has answered so many prayers so far from meeting new people, making friends, getting opportunities to serve God and be involved in ministry out here and more. Perhaps I made a mistake, though, when I first arrived by determining not to say no (or even think about saying no) to any opportunities that might come my way.

Well, as can be expected, whenever a promise is made to God, He takes you up on it. It didn't take long to push the edge of the comfort zone. On my second Sunday here I was already leading worship in the English Church. Of course I would have liked to have some more time to get a feel for how things were done here but God's time table always seems to be different than ours. And of course, this wasn't the end. Tuesday I have an opportunity to share my testimony at a local alcholics rehabilitation center (through a translator). But these opportunities are all eclipsed by a chance to preach in the English Church in two weeks. I have to admit that I did take some time to think about it but in the end I knew what I needed to do.

Just when you think that God has pushed the envelope and stretched you far enough, He comes up with a new way to push you even farther. So, needless to say, I would appreciate as much prayer as you can spare! The date is July 1 and you're all welcome to attend!

Adventure Hermosillo...

Well, yesterday was filled with a little more adventure than either Jody or I were counting on. We were looking forward to some adventure, heading into the city of Hermosillo, the capital city of Sonora (about the size of Winnipeg) for a day of shopping and relaxation. One thing we did have to accomplish, though, was getting a new water pump for the house to replace the current one which had stopped working. The water system here is quite unreliable and if you want to count on having any water supply, you need a pump. Well, warranties don't seem to mean the same thing that they might mean back in Canada and after two hours of trying to work it out, the old one was sent away for repair, not to be returned for upto 6 weeks and we had to buy a new one for now. The only one they had left, though was a display unit which we had to play full price for. Adventure number 1.

The rest of the day went well, though the temp was up to 42 degrees. Hermosillo is usually about 5 degrees warmer than San Carlos, though it's a dry heat. We did some shopping, got some good Mexican cuisine, and caught a movie with Spanish subtitles. Adventure number 2 came as we were driving back. About half an hour out of the city, I had to pull over after hearing a horrible sound coming from underneath my car. As it turned out, my exhaust system had come apart about mid car from all the crazy ridiculous sized speed bumps here in Mexico that I had bottomed out on and it was dragging on the highway. It took us a while to find a way to suspend it and make our way home bu we eventually did.

That day did finally come to an end and today morning we got the pump hooked up with the help of a neighbor and I got my car fixed in about half an hour at a local shop for 70 pesos ($7!!). Indeed, a new day has brought us a new start!

Fishing Mexican Style!

Well, the adventures continue! Friday evening some of the Mexican guys I've been hanging out with crashed at my place for night and we got up the next morning at 5:30 for a authentic Mexican fishing expedition. As Mexican time usually goes, we only actually got on the water at about 8:00. There were 6 of us (without life jackets) in a 20 footer fishing boat with a 15 horsepower engine that took us to a little bay on the ocean about an hour away. Fishing rods were not needed as we just used beer bottles or cans which had fishing line wrapped around them. We attached a barbed hook along with a large bolt for weight and loaded up the hook with pieces of squid as bait. Once all was in place we'd cast and let it sit until we got a bite or until you lost the bait.

One the way to our fishing site we came across a sea turtle out for a casual swim. He must have been almost 3 feet long and took a dive once we got to close - I wish I had pictures! The only fish that I caught was about 4 inches long and was only worthy of being thrown back in. Other than that I only got a few nibbles. The other guys however did pretty good. I'm not sure the name of the fish that they caught but they were very round, about 8 inches long, 6 inches high and a couple of inches in width. Altogether we came away with a good pail full of fish!

Two's Company

Well, I made the hot trip in my non-a/c car up to Phoenix on the weekend to pickup Jody. It was a 7 hour trip one-way where I managed to almost burn my left arm. By the end of the trip, because my one arm was usually hanging out the always-open window, my left arm was quite noticably darker than the left one. It sure is good, though, to have company in the house (besides the dog...).

Life continues on out here and the days fill themselves up. We have been hanging out with the boys in the orphanage Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, usually playing soccer in the late afternoon heat in one of the nearby villages. We usually just start with the 6 of us but by the time we're done, the crowd has grown upto over a dozen. Though most of the guys who play are only about 10 or 12, we don't really have to hold anything back when we play them - soccer's in the blood down here!

The water is beautiful and we spent an hour this afternoon floating on the ocean in our cheap $2 Mexican water mattresses until Jody spoted a fair sized blue-bottle jelly fish (who give an intense, painful sting) floating a little too close to her. She didn't need much encouragement after that to head in off the water.

I'm going to be leading worship again this Sunday in the English Church and would greatly appreciate your prayers in that! I've also received an opportunity to preach one of the coming Sundays in the English Church as well and would appreciate your prayers for God's guidance in that. Until later, thanks again for all your prayers!

Spanish Crash Course...

Well, more and more this place is feeling like "home", considering it's 2,500 miles from the real place! People ask me what I keep my time busy with and I look back at the days and wonder myself but the days keep filling up with something. Boredom isn't something that I've experienced yet and that's fine by me!

My Spanish is still very much in the rough stages though there really isn't a better way to learn than to be immersed in it. However, I was hanging out with the boys from the orphanage yesterday and I'm pretty sure they were trying to take advantage of the new white guy who doesn't speak a lot of Spanish and doesn't always know what is going on! I think they probably succeeded to some degree...

First, when I arrived at the orphanage, they started talking about me taking them to a different place to play soccer (in their broken English/Spanish). Well, after trying to confirm that this was ok with the parents (who only speak Spanish) we took off for a place about 15 minutes away. After playing about 20 minutes of soccer, though, one guy claimed that he had to use the washroom really bad. So, we got in the car and they guided us to a place where there was a washroom, which happened to be an arcade-type place owned by someone the boys knew. So, we ended up staying there for about half an hour playing some ps2. Then after insisting that we needed to get back home, they tried to convince me that they needed to stop by the store first to pick up some treats. Well, we managed to make it home without hitting the store but I couldn't help but wonder if I was just some easy pray for these scheming 10 year olds! Nonetheless, I've had a lot of fun connecting with these boys and unfortunately, the orphanage parents are leaving at the end of this month so their worlds are going to be turned upside down for the next while.

The "cold" hard reality

The past couple of days have been a lot quieter around here. Brenda is gone as well as Donna and I am alone in this house - it's just me and the dog holding down the fort. The first day alone at home (Tuesday) was definitely the hardest but things have been picking up since then. I suppose that the reality of being in a foreign country with a minimal grasp of the language and being away from all family and friends has been sinking in.

These past few days have been fairly full of activity though and God has granted me a number of good connections already. I've made some good connections with the North American Church which consists in winter of the snowbirds and in summer of the faithful retirees who live here year round and brave the heat. I'll be leading them in worship this Sunday filling in for the person who had to travel to Panama for family reasons. I've also been able to make some connections with the Spanish church as well, having gone to rehabilitation center in neighboring Guaymas on Tuesday evening with a small group that lead the men in worship and a Bible Study. I can't say I really knew what was going on but it was a good time.

I was also able to spend some time with the boys at the Orphanage, about 20 minutes away. The picture above is one of my new-found buddies at the orphanage. There are 8 children there ranging in age from 2 to 11. We had a good time working up a sweat playing some soccer.

Thank you for all your prayers! They have definitely been felt!

2500 Miles later....

Well, 2500 miles and 54 consecutive hours spent in my car and I have made it to the toasty coast of the Gulf of California. I actually did manage to catch more than a couple hours of sleep in my car and with my windows rolled down, the lack of air conditioning wasn't unbearable. The humidity hit though, about an hour from San Carlos. More inland in Mexico, it's a hot dry heat but here on the coast, the humidity combined with the heat is more than the average Manitoban is used to. The temperature usually gets up to about 32 right now and cools off to about 25. When I tell people that i'm staying here for the summer, about 95% of them think I'm crazy to be planning to brave the summer heat. I guess we'll wait and see - I'm just thankful for air conditioning!

This week has been quite busy. Brenda and her husband (the owners of this house) left on Friday, after helping me make connections with the local spanish and english church, orphanage, and other people in community. Another person who was here to visit Brenda is here until Tuesday when she's heading back to Canada. She's spend a fair bit of time here and has been my unofficial tour guide, showing me around San Carlos and neighbouring city Guaymas. I'm been meeting a lot of new people, North American and Mexican alike and floundering my way through a lot of Spanish conversionations, usually getting completely lost but managing to understand the odd phrase.

I am planning to post a photo album on this site soon to give you more of an idea of what this place and the house I'm living in looks like. Thank you for all the prayers that have been offered up - they have been hugely needed and definitely felt. The hardest part is going to be getting integrated with the community (especially the Spanish community) and of course getting a modest grasp of Spanish.