Practicing my story with Madgalena (I
am rather sunburned from our outing earlier in the day!)
Telling the story in the church service
She is an excellent translator!
In Magdalena's house
Friday, October 19, 2012
Magdalena and Me
I was able to get the pictures of Magdalena and me. She is a special lady! I wish I could share all of her story here...maybe someday! I am blessed to have a friend like her!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Yikes, almost been a month since I've posted! I hadn't realized so much time had passed...we've had a busy month with several different activities, including a women's retreat, a quick trip to Mexico City to renew Jkaile's U.S. passport and Jojo's birthday! I think the highlight of the last few weeks, however, was the trip we made to the towns of Ixtepec and Cuetzalan with the Sexton family. The Sextons are appointees with Pioneers and were on their vision trip to scout out the different PI teams in Mexico to see where God might be leading them to work in the future.
Town of Ixtepec
And of course, they couldn't really get to know what our ministry is about unless they made a visit to some Totonacan communities in the mountains, which we were happy to show them! We chose to take them to visit Miguel and Magdalena and family in Ixtepec, where we spent two nights before spending the day at the Coffee Festival in the town of Cuetzalan.
We had so many experiences in those three short days, it would be hard to describe it all here in one post, but I will try to highlight the important parts...or at least the parts that I thought were most interesting!
Miguel had visited Ixtepec before, but this was my first time there. I really hit it off with Magdalena and we ended up talking until late that first night we were there, as we shared our hearts with each other. The conversation continued the next day as she showed us around town (the guys had all gone to Mr. Miguel's garden). I was honored that she was so open with me about her life experiences and I shared back with her about some of mine.
Magdalena preparing corn tortillas
Miguel and Magdalena with a Proclaimer
(audio Scripture device)...it has the New Testament
in their Totonacan dialect
The next day, we were invited to eat at another family's house and they served us each a large piece of fried pork with black beans and freshly made corn tortillas...which was humbling because their house is very small, has a dirt floor, and the walls are made out of 'carrizo', which are cornstalks woven together.
The next day, this family also bought us a bunch of cookies for our trip home! We had a great time at their house, Miguel shared some thoughts on Bible storytelling with the family, the kids chased chickens and saw their bunnies and Micah found a meteorite!
After lunch, we visited another family who lived a ways out of town where Jojo had an interesting experience in their outhouse...he had to go while we were there, but the outhouse was even more primitive than usual and just had a hole with nothing to sit on. Once he figured out how to use it, we realized we had forgotten to bring the toilet paper with us from the van. After some thought, the kids decided to give him some banana leaves! Then Jkaile thought it would be fun to wipe with banana leaves as well, but to his great disappointment, he couldn't produce anything that needed wiping! Boys...
I didn't get any pictures during that visit because I was busy practicing the Bible story that I was to present in the Miguel and Magdalena's church that night. The people consider us to be something like pastors, even though we've tried to avoid having that image, so when they heard we were coming, they asked if we would speak at their church (they are without a full-time pastor right now). We agreed, but decided to present the teaching in a Bible story format with Miguel presenting part of it and me the other.
My part was to share the story of the birth and life of John the Baptist and I was having trouble remembering all of it, particularly the parts that contained prophecy about Jesus. I also struggle a bit to remember the stories when I present them in Spanish, which obviously is my second language. So I was practicing the story when Magdalena informed me that they would be translating it to Totonacan during the service...I didn't know that, so I asked her to help me practice it with a 'live' translation. She did that for me and then she told me that since she liked the story so much, she wanted to translate for me in church that night, even though she wasn't the 'designated' translator! I was pleased because I had enjoyed working with her and I think we make a great team.
It seemed like the people enjoyed the story that we presented. We're just beginning to learn more about oral communication principles and how to put them in practice. These concepts are definitely new for the Totonacans. Traditionally, they are an oral culture, but oral communication principles have not been used much in church settings. We're in the process of exploring how oral communication principles could be used in evangelization and discipleship in the Totonacan context and we're excited about the possibilities because so far, they are responding positively. But that is a whole other topic for another day...
It was hard to say goodbye to Miguel and Magdalena the next day, but we hope to go back to visit soon! The town of Cuetzalan is not too far from Ixtepec, but the roads were quite twisty and sure enough, some of us were getting a bit carsick! At one point, Jojo threw up quite violently and we had to pull over to get him cleaned up (I even had to wash his hair!). Fortunately, we quickly found a place where someone had built a small tank to hold the water being piped down the hill. It was there, basically out in the boonies, that we met a man who spoke English because he had lived in New York for many years! You just never know who you will run into!
We finally got to Cuetzalan, where we planned to enjoy the last day of the Coffee Festival (and yes, I bought some coffee, about 3 pounds of whole beans). The sights were quite enjoyable as there were many traditional Totonacan dancers there from many different towns participating in the traditional ceremonies and rituals.
Totonacan 'voladores' (flyers) performing
in front of the Catholic church
Colorful dancers
Religious procession taking saints
and other images into the church
Lots of Totonacans in traditional dress
Cool shops
We liked Cuetzalan a lot and we felt like we didn't get enough time to really explore as we'd have liked...there are some caves, waterfalls and ruins in the area that we'd like to go see sometime. Every time we go to the mountains, it seems like it's getting harder and harder to come home...I think we'd like to make one of these mountain communities our home!
The town of Nanacatlán
On the way home, we caught a glimpse of Orizaba at sunset, truly a breathtaking sight! Orizaba is the highest peak in all of Mexico and is often covered in clouds, so we were thrilled to catch these pictures.
*Other links from this trip...Gracia writes about the animals we saw and Jkaile is impressed by the pig.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Leadership
I've been thinking a lot about leadership lately as I've reflected on past experiences with leadership and my responses to those experiences...as time has gone by and we're in a better position now, I think I'm better able to evaluate those experiences and see them more clearly, for good or for bad.
And now that I'm a little more aware of leadership issues, I think I'm seeing leadership crises everywhere! On top of that, I'm now much more aware of my own leadership style and recognizing that I need to try to understand what it means for my own life so that I can lead in a way that honors God.
The other day I picked up a book that Miguel is reading called Journeys to Significance by Neil Cole. I wasn't really looking for a book on leadership, but once I thumbed through a few pages, I was rather hooked! This book isn't like any other book on leadership that I've ever read (not that I've read that many, but let's be honest, most books on the topic of 'leadership' just sound like they will be boring!).
The author writes from the perspective of "Charting a Leadership Course From the Life of Paul" and again, his book is intriguing because he has an angle on the different journeys that Paul made that I'd never considered before. In the author's words, "This book offers strategic missional lessons that can help you be more fruitful; but, even more, it focuses on the leadership formation that Paul went through." The author goes on to outline each of Paul's mission journeys and how each reflects his growing maturity in leadership.
This quote towards the beginning of the book really caught my attention and I've been camping out there for a few weeks now...
"In its basic essence, leadership is not hard to define. In fact, you can literally sum it up in one word: influence. It is not hard to find books about good leadership, but finding someone who leads well is not as easy.
Many have defined leadership as getting other people to do what you want them to. That is influence, so I guess it is a form of leadership, albeit one that is selfish and manipulative. Even when we convince ourselves that we are readily only doing what we know to be for the good of those we are manipulating, it is still an insult at best and deceptive at worst. It tends to treat everyone as a child incapable of making a good decision. It also leaves the people being influenced unprepared to eventually grow on their own and lead others.
The best leaders are not those who have the most followers but those who develop and deploy other leaders. The true test of a leader's influence is to look at what is left behind once the leader is gone. This lesson, however, is not something that one learns in an introductory course on leadership. It comes with the maturity that develops over the course of many struggles, setbacks and seeming failures.
Perhaps this is why so few leaders today actually empower and release others but rather corral them in ministry contexts with the promise of services and entertaining productions. I wonder if our leaders have not fought through the lessons necessary to their becoming leaders who finish well and, as a result, have ended up simply casting their own vision and peddling their own influence. Instead of new leaders, the product of such influence peddlers is a growing congregation of consumers who beg to know "What have you done for me lately?" Or, as my friend Bob Logan says, "They're all tuned in to the same radio station--W-I-I FM, What's In It For Me?""
I think this quote has really struck deep with me because we're in a situation now where (praise God!) we have a leader who 'leads well' (we are so blessed!). Our experience with this type of leadership has been in stark contrast to our experiences with previous leaders. We really do feel empowered and like we're being encouraged to grow in our own leadership skills. We don't have to be afraid of disagreeing with our leader for fear that he will be angry or upset or chalk it up to us being rebellious. We aren't afraid to make decisions and we don't feel like we're being micro-managed. We are not afraid of being labeled as 'not team players' (I agree that there are those who are loners and stubbornly independent, but just because one member of the team has a different opinion than the rest does not mean that that person is wrong or not a team player...in fact, it could mean the opposite, that they are more in tune to God's leading than the rest!).
In fact, every time we have a meeting with our leader, either over skype or in person, at the end he lets us know how much he loves working with us! He tells us how he appreciates us and the way our hearts want to serve God and how open and honest we are with him about our ministry. He prays over us and thanks God for the opportunity that he has been given to work with us, as if the privilege is his to work with us, not ours to work under him.
When I hear him say things like that, I can't help but feel uncomfortable and then cry because I'm not used to receiving that kind of affirmation from a leader (I have to admit that I'm so jaded that at times I even wonder if he's being sincere...does he really mean those things or is he just saying that?!). Because to tell you the truth, we've been in ministry for quite a few years now and I can honestly tell you that no leader has ever said those kinds of words to us before and that is just really, really sad. Maybe there was a compliment here and there, but nothing on this level. How sad that we can't naturally just take his words at face value...but I think we're becoming confident enough to accept them.
I think it has something to do with the basic assumptions of leadership in a mission agency (and I speak about mission agencies, because that's my context). Many agencies seem to have the philosophy of "How can you help us do what we do?", which tends to reduce members more to the level of 'playing pieces' to be moved about the 'game board' at the convenience of leadership. Thus, once the members are no longer considered as useful in a certain position, they might be vulnerable to pressure by leadership to move into a different ministry even though it might not be where they really want to be (being asked by leadership to consider filling this or that position might even be seen as 'the will of God' when leadership has such power over the members). In short, this style of leadership allows for a dangerous level of dysfunction to arise, IMHO and in my personal experience.
In contrast, there are those agencies who have this view, "Where is God leading you and how can we help you get there?" This implies a certain humility by leadership as they view themselves not so much as leaders, but as helpers who come alongside the members to guide them into the place where God is leading. This dynamic tends to create an environment that actually discourages dysfunction on the part of leadership (not that there might not be dysfunction, but it is much less likely to exist simply because of the leadership structure itself).
So, lots of stuff going on in my head regarding leadership as I reflect on past and current experiences and my own leadership style. Am I trying to exert the wrong kind of influence (control) over those under my leadership (as in, my kids)? Or am I looking to come alongside them to empower, to raise up and release them to God's leading on their lives?
Good question...
And now that I'm a little more aware of leadership issues, I think I'm seeing leadership crises everywhere! On top of that, I'm now much more aware of my own leadership style and recognizing that I need to try to understand what it means for my own life so that I can lead in a way that honors God.
The other day I picked up a book that Miguel is reading called Journeys to Significance by Neil Cole. I wasn't really looking for a book on leadership, but once I thumbed through a few pages, I was rather hooked! This book isn't like any other book on leadership that I've ever read (not that I've read that many, but let's be honest, most books on the topic of 'leadership' just sound like they will be boring!).
The author writes from the perspective of "Charting a Leadership Course From the Life of Paul" and again, his book is intriguing because he has an angle on the different journeys that Paul made that I'd never considered before. In the author's words, "This book offers strategic missional lessons that can help you be more fruitful; but, even more, it focuses on the leadership formation that Paul went through." The author goes on to outline each of Paul's mission journeys and how each reflects his growing maturity in leadership.
This quote towards the beginning of the book really caught my attention and I've been camping out there for a few weeks now...
"In its basic essence, leadership is not hard to define. In fact, you can literally sum it up in one word: influence. It is not hard to find books about good leadership, but finding someone who leads well is not as easy.
Many have defined leadership as getting other people to do what you want them to. That is influence, so I guess it is a form of leadership, albeit one that is selfish and manipulative. Even when we convince ourselves that we are readily only doing what we know to be for the good of those we are manipulating, it is still an insult at best and deceptive at worst. It tends to treat everyone as a child incapable of making a good decision. It also leaves the people being influenced unprepared to eventually grow on their own and lead others.
The best leaders are not those who have the most followers but those who develop and deploy other leaders. The true test of a leader's influence is to look at what is left behind once the leader is gone. This lesson, however, is not something that one learns in an introductory course on leadership. It comes with the maturity that develops over the course of many struggles, setbacks and seeming failures.
Perhaps this is why so few leaders today actually empower and release others but rather corral them in ministry contexts with the promise of services and entertaining productions. I wonder if our leaders have not fought through the lessons necessary to their becoming leaders who finish well and, as a result, have ended up simply casting their own vision and peddling their own influence. Instead of new leaders, the product of such influence peddlers is a growing congregation of consumers who beg to know "What have you done for me lately?" Or, as my friend Bob Logan says, "They're all tuned in to the same radio station--W-I-I FM, What's In It For Me?""
I think this quote has really struck deep with me because we're in a situation now where (praise God!) we have a leader who 'leads well' (we are so blessed!). Our experience with this type of leadership has been in stark contrast to our experiences with previous leaders. We really do feel empowered and like we're being encouraged to grow in our own leadership skills. We don't have to be afraid of disagreeing with our leader for fear that he will be angry or upset or chalk it up to us being rebellious. We aren't afraid to make decisions and we don't feel like we're being micro-managed. We are not afraid of being labeled as 'not team players' (I agree that there are those who are loners and stubbornly independent, but just because one member of the team has a different opinion than the rest does not mean that that person is wrong or not a team player...in fact, it could mean the opposite, that they are more in tune to God's leading than the rest!).
In fact, every time we have a meeting with our leader, either over skype or in person, at the end he lets us know how much he loves working with us! He tells us how he appreciates us and the way our hearts want to serve God and how open and honest we are with him about our ministry. He prays over us and thanks God for the opportunity that he has been given to work with us, as if the privilege is his to work with us, not ours to work under him.
When I hear him say things like that, I can't help but feel uncomfortable and then cry because I'm not used to receiving that kind of affirmation from a leader (I have to admit that I'm so jaded that at times I even wonder if he's being sincere...does he really mean those things or is he just saying that?!). Because to tell you the truth, we've been in ministry for quite a few years now and I can honestly tell you that no leader has ever said those kinds of words to us before and that is just really, really sad. Maybe there was a compliment here and there, but nothing on this level. How sad that we can't naturally just take his words at face value...but I think we're becoming confident enough to accept them.
I think it has something to do with the basic assumptions of leadership in a mission agency (and I speak about mission agencies, because that's my context). Many agencies seem to have the philosophy of "How can you help us do what we do?", which tends to reduce members more to the level of 'playing pieces' to be moved about the 'game board' at the convenience of leadership. Thus, once the members are no longer considered as useful in a certain position, they might be vulnerable to pressure by leadership to move into a different ministry even though it might not be where they really want to be (being asked by leadership to consider filling this or that position might even be seen as 'the will of God' when leadership has such power over the members). In short, this style of leadership allows for a dangerous level of dysfunction to arise, IMHO and in my personal experience.
In contrast, there are those agencies who have this view, "Where is God leading you and how can we help you get there?" This implies a certain humility by leadership as they view themselves not so much as leaders, but as helpers who come alongside the members to guide them into the place where God is leading. This dynamic tends to create an environment that actually discourages dysfunction on the part of leadership (not that there might not be dysfunction, but it is much less likely to exist simply because of the leadership structure itself).
So, lots of stuff going on in my head regarding leadership as I reflect on past and current experiences and my own leadership style. Am I trying to exert the wrong kind of influence (control) over those under my leadership (as in, my kids)? Or am I looking to come alongside them to empower, to raise up and release them to God's leading on their lives?
Good question...
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The Smallest Volcano in the World
Did you know that the smallest volcano in the world is located in Puebla? I didn't either! Now the smallest active volcano in the world is the Taal Volcano in the Phillippines, but it's huge compared to the Cuexcomate Volcano in Puebla.
The Cuexcomate Volcano in Puebla is only 13 meters high (about 43 feet) and for the price of 10 pesos (80 cents USD) you can actually go down inside it! We were surprised to find out that it's right in the city...even though it's inactive, apparently some people worry that if the Popocatepetl volcano were to really explode, then Cuexcomate might explode as well, since it's connected to the same system.
Last week we had the chance to help take care of some other MKs (Missionary Kids) whose parents came to Puebla to attend a worldview course offered by Worldview Resource Group (I highly recommend it!). Miguel had already taken the same course online, so when we heard that these families were coming and didn't have childcare, we offered to help out.
We took them to several different places, such as the ruins in Cholula, a fort where the Battle of the Cinco de Mayo was fought, a train museum and to the Cuexcomate Volcano, of course!
Here is the whole group (minus Miguel) in front of the volcano.
There wasn't a whole lot to see at the bottom, except for this spring. They say the water has a bit of sulfur, but it didn't smell bad and we even saw a fish in there! There was also the end of a tunnel, which apparently connects to an entire tunnel system that exists under the city of Puebla.
They say that ancient peoples used to throw live human sacrifices into this volcano...it was kind of creepy and sad to think about that. As you can see, it would be impossible to get back out of their without that staircase!
So now you know...the world's smallest volcano is in Puebla! What a fascinating discovery!
The Cuexcomate Volcano in Puebla is only 13 meters high (about 43 feet) and for the price of 10 pesos (80 cents USD) you can actually go down inside it! We were surprised to find out that it's right in the city...even though it's inactive, apparently some people worry that if the Popocatepetl volcano were to really explode, then Cuexcomate might explode as well, since it's connected to the same system.
Popocatepetl erupting in April of this year.
Last week we had the chance to help take care of some other MKs (Missionary Kids) whose parents came to Puebla to attend a worldview course offered by Worldview Resource Group (I highly recommend it!). Miguel had already taken the same course online, so when we heard that these families were coming and didn't have childcare, we offered to help out.
We took them to several different places, such as the ruins in Cholula, a fort where the Battle of the Cinco de Mayo was fought, a train museum and to the Cuexcomate Volcano, of course!
Here is the whole group (minus Miguel) in front of the volcano.
Going down!
There wasn't a whole lot to see at the bottom, except for this spring. They say the water has a bit of sulfur, but it didn't smell bad and we even saw a fish in there! There was also the end of a tunnel, which apparently connects to an entire tunnel system that exists under the city of Puebla.
They say that ancient peoples used to throw live human sacrifices into this volcano...it was kind of creepy and sad to think about that. As you can see, it would be impossible to get back out of their without that staircase!
So now you know...the world's smallest volcano is in Puebla! What a fascinating discovery!
Baked Plantains
Since we came home from Veracruz with quite a few plantains, as you can see from this picture, we needed to eat them rather quickly before they went bad.
Miguel wanted baked plantains with cheese, so we made this recipe twice and everyone really loved it!
First, we peeled the plantains. Then we split them open, set them in pans lined with tin foil, slathered them with butter and lined them with cheese. We used manchego cheese because that's what we had, but any kind of cheese would probably work as well. I added some water in the pans to keep the plantains from drying out too much. This is a recipe that works best with riper plantains.
Alternate recipes would be to cover the plantains with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar or use guayaba paste along with the cheese.
Gabriela helped me peel yucca root one day
for some yummy beef stew (plantains pictured
in the background)
Miguel wanted baked plantains with cheese, so we made this recipe twice and everyone really loved it!
First, we peeled the plantains. Then we split them open, set them in pans lined with tin foil, slathered them with butter and lined them with cheese. We used manchego cheese because that's what we had, but any kind of cheese would probably work as well. I added some water in the pans to keep the plantains from drying out too much. This is a recipe that works best with riper plantains.
Alternate recipes would be to cover the plantains with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar or use guayaba paste along with the cheese.
Trip to Veracruz
About three weeks ago, we had the chance to go visit some Totonacan communities in Veracruz. This particular part of Veracruz is on the western edge of the state very close to the border with Puebla state and small Totonacan communities are located all throughout this area.
As you can see from this picture, this part of Veracruz is at a lower elevation with rolling hills rather than the steep mountains just a bit further to the west. It is a very fertile land and we were amazed at the variety of fruits and vegetables that the ranchos (gardens) here produce. And see all those clouds? Those were the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto that was moving through that weekend!
Our purpose in this trip was to participate in a children's activity that was to be held in the town of Poza Larga that Saturday. Miguel shared a story about friendship with the kids involving three butterflies and three flowers.
There were also games and a meal of tamales, horchata (rice/cinnamon drink) and cake. Our kids were a little shy at first, but then they started making friends and participating in the games. It is always a joy to see our kids making connections with the Totonacan kids!
We stayed with a Totonacan family while we were there, Lorenzo and Juana and their four children. They fell in love with Gugui and he really had a good time at their house! He loved all the chickens and turkeys wandering around and how they cooked over an open fire!
On our way home, we decided to take some time to visit El Tajín, a place where they have restored some ancient Totonacan ruins. The neat thing was that Lorenzo and Juana decided to join us, along with their entire family! They live just about 40 minutes away from El Tajín, but they had never visited there before. That made it a really neat experience for us to tour the ruins along with a Totonacan family! We also had our friend Gabriela from Chihuahua along (pictured just to my right). Here we are as a group getting ready to watch the voladores (literally 'flyers') do a Totonacan ritual where they tie themselves to the top of a tall pole and slowly circle down to the ground as the ropes unwind.
El Tajín was really an impressive place! Even knowing that most of the ruins have been restored doesn't take away from its impressiveness and it made me wonder what it looked like during the time it was built.
Then it rained for a while and we all got soaked!
Micah with his friend Josué. Josué is the son of one of the pastors where we visited and he and Micah really hit it off! We actually brought him home with us after this and he spent a week visiting us in Apizaco.
And then, of course, we had to play around with the camera angles...but since it was our first time to try this, they didn't turn out as good as we wanted! Still lots of fun, though!
Here is nice picture of Miguel and I (pre-rainfall)...Miguel bought that shirt in the market in front of El Tajín, it's Veracruz-style (which happens to be very similar to Venezuelan-style!)...I love the way he looks in his new shirt and cowboy hat!
We brought a couple of extra family members home with us, since Jojo decided to ask a friend there in Veracruz for some chickens! We brought them home in a box and they only escaped once on the way home (unfortunately depositing some undesirables in the van) and now they have their own cage out in the garage. They spent a couple of weeks in the dog's kennel, though, until we got them a cage. The kids are already counting the chicks they think this pair will give them!
Here is a picture of all the things our friends gave us, including some things not pictured, such as plantains, vanilla, and pepper pods. Pictured below are oranges, yucca root, squash, bananas, squash seeds, avocados and sweet potatoes.
We can't wait to go back!
As you can see from this picture, this part of Veracruz is at a lower elevation with rolling hills rather than the steep mountains just a bit further to the west. It is a very fertile land and we were amazed at the variety of fruits and vegetables that the ranchos (gardens) here produce. And see all those clouds? Those were the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto that was moving through that weekend!
Our purpose in this trip was to participate in a children's activity that was to be held in the town of Poza Larga that Saturday. Miguel shared a story about friendship with the kids involving three butterflies and three flowers.
There were also games and a meal of tamales, horchata (rice/cinnamon drink) and cake. Our kids were a little shy at first, but then they started making friends and participating in the games. It is always a joy to see our kids making connections with the Totonacan kids!
We stayed with a Totonacan family while we were there, Lorenzo and Juana and their four children. They fell in love with Gugui and he really had a good time at their house! He loved all the chickens and turkeys wandering around and how they cooked over an open fire!
On our way home, we decided to take some time to visit El Tajín, a place where they have restored some ancient Totonacan ruins. The neat thing was that Lorenzo and Juana decided to join us, along with their entire family! They live just about 40 minutes away from El Tajín, but they had never visited there before. That made it a really neat experience for us to tour the ruins along with a Totonacan family! We also had our friend Gabriela from Chihuahua along (pictured just to my right). Here we are as a group getting ready to watch the voladores (literally 'flyers') do a Totonacan ritual where they tie themselves to the top of a tall pole and slowly circle down to the ground as the ropes unwind.
El Tajín was really an impressive place! Even knowing that most of the ruins have been restored doesn't take away from its impressiveness and it made me wonder what it looked like during the time it was built.
Then it rained for a while and we all got soaked!
Micah with his friend Josué. Josué is the son of one of the pastors where we visited and he and Micah really hit it off! We actually brought him home with us after this and he spent a week visiting us in Apizaco.
And then, of course, we had to play around with the camera angles...but since it was our first time to try this, they didn't turn out as good as we wanted! Still lots of fun, though!
We brought a couple of extra family members home with us, since Jojo decided to ask a friend there in Veracruz for some chickens! We brought them home in a box and they only escaped once on the way home (unfortunately depositing some undesirables in the van) and now they have their own cage out in the garage. They spent a couple of weeks in the dog's kennel, though, until we got them a cage. The kids are already counting the chicks they think this pair will give them!
Here is a picture of all the things our friends gave us, including some things not pictured, such as plantains, vanilla, and pepper pods. Pictured below are oranges, yucca root, squash, bananas, squash seeds, avocados and sweet potatoes.
We can't wait to go back!
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Research Investigation Project
Now that we're getting a wee bit more settled, we're beginning to think a little more about the reason we moved to Apizaco in the first place and that is to be in a more strategic location from which to carry out the research that we've been asked to do about the Totonacan people group.
Research seems to be a much-overlooked aspect of ministry and not something that we'd thought a lot about, to be honest with you, so it's been a very interesting subject to learn more about. Hearing our Area Leader's thoughts about research, however, we quickly saw the value and importance of research in a ministry context. Gathering information is a most critical part of the ministry process in order to be able to develop the most effective, strategic and productive ministry strategy possible.
At first we were merely considering gathering ethnographic research (aimed at describing a particular culture and society) and/or strategic mission research (gathering data about things that can be mapped, such as locations of churches, percentage of Christians in each province, etc.), but the more we have learned about the Totonacan people and their context, the more interested we have become in doing research of a different sort.
The Totonacans aren't exactly what you would call an 'unreached people group', since there are many Totonacan churches that have already been planted among them. There continues to be a missionary presence in Totonacan communities and many of the pastors of these churches are themselves Totonacans. They do seem to be, however, what you could term an 'un-discipled people group' and there is still much work to be done in the areas of personal discipleship and Bible translation (only 3 of 7 or 8 dialects have a New Testament in their language and even those aren't widely used).
While ethnographic and strategic mission research will certainly be included in our research project, we would also like to look at some more specific issues of how churches have been planted among the Totonacan people and what does discipleship look like in the existing Totonacan churches (unfortunately, as is the case in many places, discipleship is more about classroom learning than a personal discipleship relationship such as Jesus modeled).
As we have been looking around for some good resources to help us with this research challenge, we discovered a resource called Breakthrough from GMI (Global Mapping International). Written by Stan Nussbaum, Breakthrough is a resource that assists those in ministry to evaluate their ministries to see areas that could be improved and helps them learn more from their experiences than they might otherwise. The guide aims to help you 'develop basic skills in field research, apply them to one issue or aspect of your ministry, and take action based on the insights that emerge from your research' (pg. 1).
We ordered the guide (although we plan to also order the e-book when it is available as it has more content) and are just beginning to read through it to learn more about this resource. Even though this guide is more geared towards people who have already been in ministry for a while, it can also be adapted for a situation like ours where we are wanting to gather information in order to develop a strategy for future ministry.
Here is another quote I really like from page 1:
'This guide will help you get a clearer picture of other people's thoughts and feelings about your ministry. By understanding people better, you will get into a better position to hear what God wants to tell you about serving them.'
My thought on this quote is that this takes a lot of humility to be willing not just to hear other people's thoughts and feelings about one's ministry, but to also change and/or correct mistakes or methods that aren't as productive or as effective as they could be. I have known/do know many in ministry for whom this would be difficult.
So, we're super excited to keep on reading this resource and learning more about how to do research in ministry, even though it scares us a little at the same time! We're kind of new to this whole research scene and I think we have a lot to learn. We're not just excited about conducting the research in the Totonacan communities, however, but also about the possibility of helping others do this kind of research in their ministries as well! The more we learn about it, the more value we see in adding good research skills to prayer over ministry problems and strategy development...and that's something we'd like to share with others.
Totonacan dancers performing a traditional
folk dance in honor of the local saint. Cuautotola, Puebla.
Research seems to be a much-overlooked aspect of ministry and not something that we'd thought a lot about, to be honest with you, so it's been a very interesting subject to learn more about. Hearing our Area Leader's thoughts about research, however, we quickly saw the value and importance of research in a ministry context. Gathering information is a most critical part of the ministry process in order to be able to develop the most effective, strategic and productive ministry strategy possible.
At first we were merely considering gathering ethnographic research (aimed at describing a particular culture and society) and/or strategic mission research (gathering data about things that can be mapped, such as locations of churches, percentage of Christians in each province, etc.), but the more we have learned about the Totonacan people and their context, the more interested we have become in doing research of a different sort.
The Totonacans aren't exactly what you would call an 'unreached people group', since there are many Totonacan churches that have already been planted among them. There continues to be a missionary presence in Totonacan communities and many of the pastors of these churches are themselves Totonacans. They do seem to be, however, what you could term an 'un-discipled people group' and there is still much work to be done in the areas of personal discipleship and Bible translation (only 3 of 7 or 8 dialects have a New Testament in their language and even those aren't widely used).
Totonacan musicians playing accompaniment
to the folk dance. Cuatotola, Puebla.
While ethnographic and strategic mission research will certainly be included in our research project, we would also like to look at some more specific issues of how churches have been planted among the Totonacan people and what does discipleship look like in the existing Totonacan churches (unfortunately, as is the case in many places, discipleship is more about classroom learning than a personal discipleship relationship such as Jesus modeled).
As we have been looking around for some good resources to help us with this research challenge, we discovered a resource called Breakthrough from GMI (Global Mapping International). Written by Stan Nussbaum, Breakthrough is a resource that assists those in ministry to evaluate their ministries to see areas that could be improved and helps them learn more from their experiences than they might otherwise. The guide aims to help you 'develop basic skills in field research, apply them to one issue or aspect of your ministry, and take action based on the insights that emerge from your research' (pg. 1).
We ordered the guide (although we plan to also order the e-book when it is available as it has more content) and are just beginning to read through it to learn more about this resource. Even though this guide is more geared towards people who have already been in ministry for a while, it can also be adapted for a situation like ours where we are wanting to gather information in order to develop a strategy for future ministry.
Totonacan musicians. Cuatotola, Puebla.
Here is another quote I really like from page 1:
'This guide will help you get a clearer picture of other people's thoughts and feelings about your ministry. By understanding people better, you will get into a better position to hear what God wants to tell you about serving them.'
My thought on this quote is that this takes a lot of humility to be willing not just to hear other people's thoughts and feelings about one's ministry, but to also change and/or correct mistakes or methods that aren't as productive or as effective as they could be. I have known/do know many in ministry for whom this would be difficult.
So, we're super excited to keep on reading this resource and learning more about how to do research in ministry, even though it scares us a little at the same time! We're kind of new to this whole research scene and I think we have a lot to learn. We're not just excited about conducting the research in the Totonacan communities, however, but also about the possibility of helping others do this kind of research in their ministries as well! The more we learn about it, the more value we see in adding good research skills to prayer over ministry problems and strategy development...and that's something we'd like to share with others.
Totonacan musicians in front
of the Catholic church. Cuautotola, Puebla.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Getting Settled
It was a week ago today that we packed up our van and made our final trip to our new house here in Apizaco, looking rather like the Beverly Hillbillies with a cot and a daybed strapped to the roof and five bicycles piled on the rack behind (minus the Granny in the rocker, of course!). Fortunately, we weren't stopped by the police on the way, sometimes they see an overloaded vehicle as an opportunity to gain a bit of extra cash...
Miguel had made a trip to Apizaco the day before with some things, but as we were packing the final things, we quickly realized that he should have taken more on that trip...but we were able to pack it in, leaving barely enough room for the poor dog right inside the door! He had such little space, in fact, that he didn't have room to lay down due to the cooler next to him. I spent half the trip with him panting in my left ear, so I finally just held the cooler on my lap so that he could lay down and quit the heavy breathing already!
Once we arrived, it was a blessing to eat lunch with the Rupe's and Misael (LAMM directors and their coworker, we call him 'Misa') before beginning the chore of settling in. One of my sisters gave me some wise advice long ago that I have not forgotten...any time you arrive somewhere, get the sleeping arrangement taken care of first, she said. That way it's taken care of before it's dark and you find out the lights don't work and you don't know where the flashlights or candles are and you're tired and frustrated...well, you get the picture!
So while Miguel and Micah went shopping for some appliances (Miguel left the next day for a trip to the sierra (mountains) to help set up for a Totonacan youth camp, so he needed to get me set up with a means of cooking and preserving food before he left), I set about getting our 'beds' ready.
I say 'beds' because most of us were going to sleep on the floor. We had a cot and one twin-size foam mattress that I commandeered as I can no longer handle sleeping on anything much less than comfortable and the cot isn't comfortable. Gracia got the cot and the rest of the guys had to sleep on piles of sleeping bags and blankets. I was able to locate the sheets and get the sleeping arrangements taken care of before moving on to the kitchen.
Obviously, the priority in the kitchen was to locate the coffee-making equipment and along the way I unpacked a few other things as well...pretty soon Miguel got back from the store with a new refrigerator and stove. I don't think I've ever had new appliances before!
While Miguel was gone on his trip, I got the rest of the kitchen set up, as well as the dining room. That's where we spend most of our time anyway...I tried to hook up the washing machine, but there were issues, so I just left it for when Miguel got home. And of course, then it took him only a few minutes to figure it out!
On Monday, we went to Walmart and found some good prices on some mattresses. We bought two twin-sized and one 'queen'...I'm pretty sure it's not a real queen-size, though, as it's a bit on the small side. But, it works and it's much more comfortable than the flimsy foam mattress I was sleeping on!
Now what we lack are things like bed frames, living room furniture, bedside tables, bookshelves, dining room table, chairs, curtains...but as they say here, poco a poco, little by little, we will make our house a home...
Miguel had made a trip to Apizaco the day before with some things, but as we were packing the final things, we quickly realized that he should have taken more on that trip...but we were able to pack it in, leaving barely enough room for the poor dog right inside the door! He had such little space, in fact, that he didn't have room to lay down due to the cooler next to him. I spent half the trip with him panting in my left ear, so I finally just held the cooler on my lap so that he could lay down and quit the heavy breathing already!
Once we arrived, it was a blessing to eat lunch with the Rupe's and Misael (LAMM directors and their coworker, we call him 'Misa') before beginning the chore of settling in. One of my sisters gave me some wise advice long ago that I have not forgotten...any time you arrive somewhere, get the sleeping arrangement taken care of first, she said. That way it's taken care of before it's dark and you find out the lights don't work and you don't know where the flashlights or candles are and you're tired and frustrated...well, you get the picture!
So while Miguel and Micah went shopping for some appliances (Miguel left the next day for a trip to the sierra (mountains) to help set up for a Totonacan youth camp, so he needed to get me set up with a means of cooking and preserving food before he left), I set about getting our 'beds' ready.
I say 'beds' because most of us were going to sleep on the floor. We had a cot and one twin-size foam mattress that I commandeered as I can no longer handle sleeping on anything much less than comfortable and the cot isn't comfortable. Gracia got the cot and the rest of the guys had to sleep on piles of sleeping bags and blankets. I was able to locate the sheets and get the sleeping arrangements taken care of before moving on to the kitchen.
Obviously, the priority in the kitchen was to locate the coffee-making equipment and along the way I unpacked a few other things as well...pretty soon Miguel got back from the store with a new refrigerator and stove. I don't think I've ever had new appliances before!
I'm very happy with the fridge, even though it's not full-sized...
Micah was just excited about the food!
My kitchen shelves...not elegant,
but definitely functional!
I found some brightly colored place mats to help add some flair.
My lovely stove! I've been using the oven
quite a bit already...yesterday I made lasagna
and today I baked some banana bread.
We don't have a lot of wall decor, but we do have a little.
A friend recently gave us the picture of the lady
making corn tortillas...I love it!
I believe the grinder is called a quern (saddle quern?)
in English, metate in Spanish.
While Miguel was gone on his trip, I got the rest of the kitchen set up, as well as the dining room. That's where we spend most of our time anyway...I tried to hook up the washing machine, but there were issues, so I just left it for when Miguel got home. And of course, then it took him only a few minutes to figure it out!
On Monday, we went to Walmart and found some good prices on some mattresses. We bought two twin-sized and one 'queen'...I'm pretty sure it's not a real queen-size, though, as it's a bit on the small side. But, it works and it's much more comfortable than the flimsy foam mattress I was sleeping on!
Now what we lack are things like bed frames, living room furniture, bedside tables, bookshelves, dining room table, chairs, curtains...but as they say here, poco a poco, little by little, we will make our house a home...
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Correspondence
With the team here from our home church in Arkansas this week, it's a great opportunity to send back some mail! Quite a few of the thank-yous that we want to send can be hand-delivered via the office mail at church once the team returns home, so it's a good chance to save on postage as well.
I had originally planned on making the cards, but Miguel decided to have some printed at Office Depot (yes, there is Office Depot in Mexico!). As it turned out, however, he didn't print quite enough, so I got to make some anyway!
Correspondence with supporters and folks back home, as many missionaries know, is both a blessing and a curse...while I love picturing our friends and supporters getting a card from us in the mail, it is also quite a chore to hand-write all those notes! I would have to say that making the cards falls into the 'blessing' part, at least for me...I was sorry I didn't have to make more!
I experimented with several different designs, but the ones I liked the best were the ones with collage-style pieces of torn paper. They turned out really cute!
One the inside, I stamped the English "Thanks so much" on another torn strip...it's a good way to use up the scraps. It's a bit more clear on the actual card.
Here's another similar design in green. I think it was my favorite. There are two ways to tear the paper, one does not show the white core. I usually do not let the white core show, but it looked good here.
I used two scraps of paper for the inside of this one, but I did notice that it took away more writing space. Of course, that's fine if you just want to write a short note!
All righty then, back to work!
I had originally planned on making the cards, but Miguel decided to have some printed at Office Depot (yes, there is Office Depot in Mexico!). As it turned out, however, he didn't print quite enough, so I got to make some anyway!
Correspondence with supporters and folks back home, as many missionaries know, is both a blessing and a curse...while I love picturing our friends and supporters getting a card from us in the mail, it is also quite a chore to hand-write all those notes! I would have to say that making the cards falls into the 'blessing' part, at least for me...I was sorry I didn't have to make more!
I experimented with several different designs, but the ones I liked the best were the ones with collage-style pieces of torn paper. They turned out really cute!
One the inside, I stamped the English "Thanks so much" on another torn strip...it's a good way to use up the scraps. It's a bit more clear on the actual card.
Here's another similar design in green. I think it was my favorite. There are two ways to tear the paper, one does not show the white core. I usually do not let the white core show, but it looked good here.
I used two scraps of paper for the inside of this one, but I did notice that it took away more writing space. Of course, that's fine if you just want to write a short note!
All righty then, back to work!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Breadsticks
I've been sick with a bad cold/flu this week and am still not feeling that great...I hate colds. I thought I was feeling better yesterday, but I must have overdone it because this morning I had a bit of a rough start.
But then I got with it and baked up four recipes of banana bread in muffins and small pans for Miguel and Micah to take to the sierra tomorrow. Hopefully some of it will actually survive the trip so they can be used as host gifts! I know how much Miguel loves his banana bread...Micah loves it, too, since the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree...
Since I had the oven already on and I made a big batch of spaghetti, I decided to make breadsticks as well. I was expecting Micah to bring home two of his friends for a sleepover...but then Miguel called to say that the van broke down on him and the evening plans are now in question. A friend was able to take a mechanic to where Miguel was and hopefully it will be an easy fix because this is a really bad time for our van to break down! So I am really hoping that I will have a vehicle to use while Miguel is gone this week...
Anyway, I was disappointed they weren't making it for lunch because I tried out a new recipe for breadsticks and they are best warm from the oven...but oh well, the boys will still enjoy them whenever they get here.
I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com, which continues to be a favorite place for good recipes...I'm missing my regular cookbooks since they are packed away right now. I also enjoy reading the comments and getting advice from others who have tried them.
There was some debate in the comments about the dough being too soft and whether or not one needed to add more flour...in my opinion, you do need to either add more flour or reduce the liquid. There is no way I could have kneaded or shaped the dough without having aded the extra flour. But I did try not to add too much so that the dough would still be quite soft, reducing the chance of getting tough breadsticks out of it. I spread out the dough with my hands, cut it up with a pizza cutter and I did twist them as well.
The recipe also wasn't very clear about the melted butter part...do you roll the sticks in the melted butter and then bake them in that same pan? I decided to just grease the pan and follow the advice on one comment that merely brushed the tops with melted butter (which worked better anyway since the sticks were so soft they were a little hard to handle). I added some garlic & spice mix to jazz it up a bit. I left a few without, though, since not all of us are garlic fans.
They turned out great and I'll definitely be making these again!
But then I got with it and baked up four recipes of banana bread in muffins and small pans for Miguel and Micah to take to the sierra tomorrow. Hopefully some of it will actually survive the trip so they can be used as host gifts! I know how much Miguel loves his banana bread...Micah loves it, too, since the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree...
Since I had the oven already on and I made a big batch of spaghetti, I decided to make breadsticks as well. I was expecting Micah to bring home two of his friends for a sleepover...but then Miguel called to say that the van broke down on him and the evening plans are now in question. A friend was able to take a mechanic to where Miguel was and hopefully it will be an easy fix because this is a really bad time for our van to break down! So I am really hoping that I will have a vehicle to use while Miguel is gone this week...
Anyway, I was disappointed they weren't making it for lunch because I tried out a new recipe for breadsticks and they are best warm from the oven...but oh well, the boys will still enjoy them whenever they get here.
I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com, which continues to be a favorite place for good recipes...I'm missing my regular cookbooks since they are packed away right now. I also enjoy reading the comments and getting advice from others who have tried them.
There was some debate in the comments about the dough being too soft and whether or not one needed to add more flour...in my opinion, you do need to either add more flour or reduce the liquid. There is no way I could have kneaded or shaped the dough without having aded the extra flour. But I did try not to add too much so that the dough would still be quite soft, reducing the chance of getting tough breadsticks out of it. I spread out the dough with my hands, cut it up with a pizza cutter and I did twist them as well.
The recipe also wasn't very clear about the melted butter part...do you roll the sticks in the melted butter and then bake them in that same pan? I decided to just grease the pan and follow the advice on one comment that merely brushed the tops with melted butter (which worked better anyway since the sticks were so soft they were a little hard to handle). I added some garlic & spice mix to jazz it up a bit. I left a few without, though, since not all of us are garlic fans.
They turned out great and I'll definitely be making these again!
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