Thursday, 3/5
We pulled the kids out of bed at 3 a.m. and they didn't crash again until at least an hour into our drive to Guadalajara. It was so nice to be flying nationally, and to be taking the stroller along... overall we spent less time in airports than normal, and the time we did spend there was more enjoyable. The kids both slept for about half the flight, and I got to watch night turn into day from above the clouds. We arrived in Hermosillo at 7:30 their time (1 hour time difference) and were met by Zach. Its a two hour drive from Hermosillo to Magdalena, and once we arrived our first day was spent settling in at Zach & Daniela's, catching up, and catching up on sleep. Ivory and Darilis re-connected quickly and were the best of friends the whole time we were there.
We went to a park in the evening, which Ivory loved. On a quick trip to campus, we got to see Jenae...
... before completely crashing on the five minute trip back to Zach & Daniela's house in town.
Grant went with Zach to Men's Bible study (in English), which he really enjoyed. Ivory and Titus were up too early because of the time change, so in order to keep them quiet and keep myself sane, I took them out on a run. It was very windy and mornings in the desert are chilly, so I had to keep moving and keep the kids bundled up to stay warm. They both fell asleep towards the end and then Ivory stayed asleep in the stroller for quite a while once we got back to Zach & Daniela's. Later in the morning, I was privileged to join Daniela and Denise Maller at Cafe Sed... I loved being with both of them and getting to know Denise. She is an amazing woman.
We met Endi & Alisha and their kids, Juana and Timi, at the same park, and the kids played for a while. We also went out for tacos at Momo's.
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| On the way to Momo's from the park, Ivory got to ride in the back of the truck with Belinda, Jaqui, Belem, and Daddy. All three of these girls are younger sisters of Daniela's, and Belem & Belinda will be moving back to the U.S. with Zach and Daniela. We are praying that all of their adoption paperwork will go through ok! |
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| This is the only picture I have of Angus, Zach & Daniela's little boy. He's a friendly little guy. :) |
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| They had such a great time cracking nuts open together like this until Ivory pinched her finger... and no, I don't usually let her sit in the exersaucer. Not sure how that all came about. |
Saturday, 3/7
Our Saturday morning was spent at Cafe Sed (yes, again), this time with Jenae. We thoroughly enjoyed it and were blessed to have that time with her.
Around noon, we got the chance to participate in CVE baseball, which is quite the ordeal. I mostly just stood in the outfield and got bored. I eventually made my way to the kitchen, where I helped Alisha cut up chicken for Sunday night supper. Around mid-afternoon, Grant and Zach went to get our stuff at Knobloch's so that we could move into an extra bedroom at Jonathan & Bere Aupperle's for the last few nights. By the time they got all of that sorted out and organized, we found ourselves walking up to the comedor and we couldn't have timed it better... the van from the airport pulled in and Dad & Mom were totally and completely shocked. It's really an honor to be able to say that we surprised Dad H. and that he liked it, because he's usually good at finding out information and he doesn't necessarily enjoy being surprised as a general rule. That evening, we went out for tacos (again) with them and Zach & Daniela, this time at Gallego's.
We finished the evening with a wonderful talk with Jonathan & Bere in their living room - we are going through similar situations and found them to be wonderfully understanding and easy to relate to. They are really a pretty remarkable couple, as they take care of a sibling group of 6, including three teenagers and a really little girl, in addition to their own daughter Camila, who is just a couple months younger than Ivory.
Sunday 3/8
The ISU group finally made it to CVE around 8 a.m.; they were exhausted and tired of being in a bus. It was so exciting to see Leah and Scott. Sunday was, of course, church, and after church I was blessed with a great talk with Geo. She's an amazing sister-in-Christ! Once the kids and Grant were down for naps, I went along with the group on a hike to the cross.
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| Sunday morning breakfast with Gloria and Luisa, and playing ball with Camila (below). |
Monday, 3/9
Grant jumped at the chance to go out and hang drywall with the team on Monday, so the kids and I were on our own for the morning. We took a walk to see Limon's sheep out behind CVE, and also ran on the path back to Duane and Ann's and back a few times.
We visited the workers in the school...
... and on Monday afternoon Leah and I went out for coffee at Cafe Sed. It was great to catch up on what's going on in her life, and of course, there are few things I like more than sitting in the sun and drinking a frappucino. In the evening, we went out for tacos at Momo's again, this time with Leah, Dad & Mom, and Scott & Jenae (!). At Momo's there is a little playground, which was a fun place to hang out with the kids while we waited for food. We had a lovely time together and got back at the end of the singing at church.
Tuesday, 3/10
Tuesday came much too quickly, as I suspected it might. Mom was willing to keep the kids so that I could go to womens' Bible study at Cafe Sed (I hope you're not counting...). I loved spending the morning with Bere, Carissa, Angela, Melody, Marce, and Daniela. They're studying the book "Having a Mary Spirit", which I found to be very applicable to my life right now. I was very blessed by my time with these women.
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| With Bere, right before leaving for the airport. |
Zach & Daniela left their kids with Denise and accompanied us to the airport and it was great to be with them one last time, although both Grant and I napped some on the way to Hermosillo. We cut it close, but made our plane on time and had a smooth flight, and then drive, home. We pulled in at our house around 1 a.m. and crashed.
I've felt a little bit like Peter all week - not knowing what else to say, but "it is good for us to be here". It was good, in so many ways - listening to people, talking to people, relating to people, being spiritually refreshed, using Spanish in a setting outside of Ixtlan, spending time with Leah, Mom, Dad, and Scott, and, yes - welcoming Jenae into the family. :)
As I reflect on the weekend, I can only pray that we were as much of a blessing to others as they were to us. As we finish our last two months in Ixtlan, I know that this weekend is one I will look back on as a time that God used to teach us many things and lead us down His paths. We praise Him for this ebenezer.
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