Donkeys, Tacos, and Español

Tomorrow marks three weeks that we have been in Mexico. On one hand, it seems like we just got here...but on the other hand, it feels like we have been here forever! We have really enjoyed these last few weeks and have seen God's kindness and grace at work each day.

About a week and a half ago, we moved into our new home. It is on the outskirts of the center of Huajuapan, but it is very close to another populated area. This is the neat thing about Mexico--you can feel like you are in the middle of the countryside when you are, in reality, a 5-10 minute drive from downtown! We love our house! Out of the houses that we looked at, it is the nicest one, the one that we liked the most, and the most affordable! How often does that happen? We really feel like God hand-picked this place for us. We found it seemingly "by accident" when we were out looking for places to rent one morning. God is so kind! It is on a dirt road (which becomes a mud road when it rains--which happens a lot in the rainy season!) but that seems to add to the fun. We had five donkeys hanging out right next to our house yesterday! One of them was trying to come into the area where we park the van, but Daniel ran out and shut the gate :) Isaac loved watching them!

A few days after we moved in, we went out to walk around the area and meet people. We stopped at several tiendas (little shops) down the main street that runs to the city. There we met some young men who are now actually coming to our house for English classes three days a week! They have been very helpful in teaching us Spanish as well. Please pray for them as our relationship with them grows; that they would be receptive to the Gospel, that they would learn to trust us, and that they would ultimately come to trust Christ! A young girl also stopped by when Daniel was out, and I was able to "talk" with her for an hour or so (with the help of the dictionary, for sure!)

Spanish learning has been fun, albeit challenging. I am finding that I understand quite a bit of what people say (especially if they say it slowly!) because I speak French. A lot of the vocabulary is very similar in both languages, although the accent is completely different. Daniel has grown A LOT in his understanding and ability to speak also. Often times, I will tell him what someone says and he will answer them. It works out pretty well! Today, we were in the centro (landmark center of the city) walking to a tienda to buy some oats and dried fruit, etc. when we were trying to decide where to buy something to eat for lunch. Randomly, a lady holding a little boy walks up to us and says to us, "Parlez-vous francais?" I was both shocked and elated! Someone who spoke excellent French, here in this little city in the middle of Mexico! Who would have ever guessed it :) She helped us figure out what to order, and we were able to talk for a little while. It turns out that she lived in Toulouse, France for three years, and now her husband works at the university in Huajuapan. I believe that she is originally from Mexico, also. I told her that we were missionaries, and she said that they are fairly new Christians. Please pray for her! Her name was Candy. She gave me her phone number, so I hope to see her again sometime. What a joy it was to speak some French (although I was mixing in Spanish by accident! ha!)

Some new things that we have been getting used to are:

1.) Stoves and water heaters run by gas. The water heater has a button to start it, so it's no problem, but the stove/oven requires that you light a match and then light the burner. No problem, right? Well, I have always been a bit pyro-phobic (is that a word?), so it has taken some getting used to! Not to mention that Mexican matches are SMALL and FLIMSY! (about the girth of a toothpick, but not nearly as sturdy!) Today, I was able to show Daniel how much I have improved--I lit the match in one swipe and managed to light the burner without throwing anything on the floor or squealing!

2.) Bugs. We honestly have had it SO MILD at our house, and for that I praise God! Really, bugs are no big deal in the scheme of things. Even if we had roaches all in the house, we would still probably be living above a lot of people around here. But, graciously, God has given us smaller things like tiny spiders and ants. The ants have actually been pretty funny to watch! They come marching in through the 1/2 inch space under the front door and go hunting for bits of food that have been left behind. Several times, we have seen 8 or 10 of them trying to carry one oat back to their home. I even saw one fighting with another bug that was still alive, trying to drag it off! After trying to kill them off for days, we have kind of decided to just let them continue to clean up after us. They can have as many crumbs off the floor as they can get to, I suppose! We did have another run-in with the mysterious giant green leaf bug (the same kind that we saw when we came to visit in May.) Daniel will have to tell you about that one....

3.) Haggling. Today, we bought a birthday present for Daniel's nephew, Micah. The price tag said one thing, so Daniel offered about 20 pesos less. The shopkeeper said 15 pesos more. Daniel said 10 less. The shopkeeper said 4 pesos more. Somehow, we ended up paying 5 pesos less than the original price (less than 50 cents of a discount, haha!) It was good practice, though!

4.) Fireworks. They are shot off EVERY DAY, and they are mostly just sound. I still jump! I think that people shoot them for birthdays, and there are a lot of people in this city! I woke up at 4:30 am to feed Isaac, and heard some going off. I'm sure that in a few months, I won't even notice them anymore :)

5.) Chile...on everything. Last night we had corn on the cob with mayonnaise and chile. Interesting, to say the least....

6.) TACOS. Every kind that you can imagine....it is taco paradise for those of you who like Mexican food! We have had tacos al pastor 4 times already (meat shaved off of a big hunk of pork, pineapple, onions, cilantro, salsa, lime juice, on homemade corn tortillas. Son muy ricos!

7.) Stares...and the word "guerro" (blonde-headed or white person). For Isaac, it's "guerrito" :)

8.) Stray dogs. They just go trotting by our house, like they have an appointment somewhere. Sorry, no time to stop and say hello! They have some garbage to get into or a car to chase.....

9.) The beauty of the mountains! This place is gorgeous. Really, you know that you want to come and visit ;)

10.) The fact that we really live here now. It still kind of feels like this is temporary, but sometimes it hits me that this is our home for an indefinite amount of time. This is our station in life, and God has placed us here! Although I do miss the U.S. (and all of you!), I am thankful to God for all that He has done so far. We really do love it here in Huajuapan, and we are so grateful! He hasn't had to give us all that He has. He didn't have to bless us with friends and family here. He didn't have to give us a beautiful and inexpensive house. He didn't have to help us to adjust slowly. But He has, and we are so humbled.

For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are ALL things...to HIM be the glory forever!

Tiff