Tuesday is travel day

We told the boys a final goodbye this morning as they left for school. Now we pack and get ready for our travel day. We will leave the boys' home at 11:00 a.m. and have lunch at a nice restaurant before our 2:25 p.m. flight out of Tapachula.  Our flight from Mexico City departs at 5:30 p.m. which means we only have one hour to get to our flight, if our flight from Tapachula is on time!

Our time here has been very full -- full of love, hope, work, play and grace. We look forward to sharing our stories with others upon our return to Houston.

Monday - our last full day

Today the boys were back to school, so we were up extra-early preparing breakfast.  Five of them left at 6:30 a.m. The rest were gone by 7:30 a.m. A little after 8:00 a.m., two of the boys came back from school. Apparently, their teacher was not in today, so their class did not meet. It's amazing how different the education system is in Mexico -- not quite as strict as in the U.S.

After more cleaning and laundry, Hope and Steve took our team to the market in Tapachula, which is completely new. It was quite an experience to see all of the different kinds of fruit and vegetables, not to mention the knick-knacks that tourists usually like to buy. We also visited the Gramlich coffee shop, where fresh coffee is sold, along with chocolate-covered coffee beans, jams and jellies, coffee cups, even a little jewelry. Finally, we went to a local pottery store. Everyone was able to find something for loved ones at home, or for themselves.

When we returned to the home, we ate a delicious lunch of Pollo Estafado (stove-top chicken), which is like a chicken stew with vegetables. Then we took some time to  just enjoy our last day with the boys.

Before dinner, Becky gave our last devotional to the boys on the fruit of the spirit Patience. The girls joined us from down the street and together with the boys, gave us a proper farewell. Some of them spoke about how thankful they were for our team and what we had done for them this week.  They sang a very special song for us then we sang "Blest be the Tie That Binds" for them, and gave them a general translation of the words.

It was a bit of a sad time, but these children know that our team will be back again next year.

Sunday -- another day of play

On Sunday morning, we had cereal for breakfast and then the boys began getting dressed for church. They all looked so sharp! They had prepared a devotional for the team.

Leo gave his testimony. He lived in very poor conditions,

then went to prison when his dad was incarcerated. 

When he first came to the home, he was severely malnourished, 

which has likely affected his ability to learn. 

Richie told us a very dramatic story of Job. 

He is only seven years old but very well-spoken.

After the children left for Sunday School, we got ready for church.  

The service lasted two and a half hours. There's no air conditioning, so it was

a bit difficult to sit still and pay attention to what was going on! 

The people at the church were very welcoming and friendly to us.

Daniel posed with the tias after church. 

We ate hot dogs for lunch after church. 

In the afternoon, we had several fun games for all of the children.

And the adults got to play, too!

After a long day of church and play, we fed the boys leftovers from the week -- chicken tetrazzini, cabbage slaw, and mixed vegetables. Most of the adults were happy with a bowl of leftover vegetable soup. 

After dinner, we continued our devotionals with the boys on the fruits of the spirit. Tonight's featured fruit was Peace. We talked about peace all over the world, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts. When asked about finding their own inner peace, two of the boys opened up and talked about how they had been doing really poorly in school and in addition to not being hungry or sleeping well, they didn't want to interact with the other boys. After getting some advise from the missionaries and their house parents, they are now both doing well, one of them especially well. They knew that their choices put them in a place that made them and those around them very unhappy. So the lesson of keeping a clear conscience has already been learned and shared with the other boys. 

Children perform for team on Saturday

After a very full day of fun, the children had a surprise for the tias and tio Carl. They put together a short program for us. during the first part, five girls and five boys dressed in traditional Chiapas dance costumes and performed a very special dance for us. In Mexico, each region has its own kind of dress, dance, and music. They are all uniquely different. This is something that the kids actually audition for, and it is an honor and a privilege to be part of it.

We have been teaching the boys about the fruits of the spirit all week in our daily devotionals, so it was completely appropriate that they decided to show us what they already knew about that topic. They had just put together a program last week that named all of the fruits and added a little detail about each one.  We have learned so much from them in our devotionals -- they are remarkably well-versed in Scripture already.  The best thing we can do for them is help them see how to apply the Scripture to their everyday lives.

A day at the beach

What a fun, full Saturday we have enjoyed! Everyone got to sleep late and eat breakfast together at 8:00 a.m. This was a welcome difference from the weekday schedule when we eat in shifts. After more cleaning, a local school sent a whole bunch of clowns to entertain the children. They played games and enjoyed a piñata, sharing all of the candy with one another.

Today's breakfast - scrambled eggs with ham, peppers and tomatoes,

refried beans with cream, fruit, and tortillas.         

  

A clown group from a local school came to entertain the children this morning.

Then we loaded up the boys from both homes and headed for the beach - about a 45 minute drive. Unfortunately, we had to leave behind four of the boys -- two were prohibited because of bad behavior at school and two were prohibited because of poor grades. Those four stayed home and cleaned and studied all day. It is a real treat when work teams come and a beach trip is planned. Hopefully, these four will learn a lesson and get to go the next time.

Thank goodness, it's Friday!

We had another full day of cleaning, cooking and washing at the boys' home. Many of the elementary-aged boys stayed home from school today and were a huge help around the house.

Tonight, Peggy gave the boys their devotional on JOY. She talked about the difference between joy and happiness, and then she gave them all prayer patches that she had knit herself. She told them that no matter what their circumstances, they could find joy in their lives with God, who promises to take care of us through every difficulty. The boys loved their prayer patches and some are still carrying them around this morning!

Ann and Flory got us off to a good start with french toast.

Richie (7 yrs. old)  took the rag out of Becky's hand as she was cleaning

and started wiping down the walls! Great helper!

After all of the cleaning was done, Flory took a break 

with some of the boys and watched a movie on Netflix.

The boys like to do puzzles over the weekend.

Becky and Reddan rewarded their cleaning helpers 

with cokes and chips from a convenience store across the street. 

The team, ready to go out to dinner. 

We ate at a "sidewalk cafe" that doubles as a car wash. I know, it's crazy, but delicious! 

After dinner, we found a street vendor making churros. 

It's like Mexican funnel cake. Yummmmm.

The boys learn about Thanksgiving

The team helped out in the kitchen all day on Thursday preparing a real Thanksgiving feast for the boys. Most of them had never eaten turkey, and certainly not stuffing or cranberry sauce! All of the plates were empty after dinner and more than half of the boys went back for a second helping of Hope's delicious cornbread dressing.  Before the meal, Reddan explained the American holiday traditions and how they all came to be, emphasizing that it is a holiday that is truly centered around family -- not gifts.

The days are flying by

Reddan Green, one of our team members, reminded us on Tuesday night that we should take in our time in Tapachula very deliberately, being intentional about living in the moment. It seems that before we know it, we'll be headed back home to Houston, and not even know where an entire week went. Even as we have worked at that, the time is indeed flying by -- it is already Thursday!

Flory did our team devotional this morning after the boys had been fed and were off to school. She talked about how the question, "How are you?" is so common in our culture, and even in the Mexican culture. Most times, the response is, "Fine, thanks." But if you really want to get someone's attention, give them the answer, "I'm thankful," or "I'm blessed." They might look at you a bit strangely. But this is a good response for a couple of reasons. First of all, we need to be reminded that we are indeed blessed, and should be thankful for the blessings which we have received. The other good thing about this answer is that it can lead them to ask you for more information, and you might even be given the opportunity to share your faith in a meaningful way.

Through devotionals like this one, our team is being bound together in an amazing way. There is a spirit of cooperation in all of our tasks, and this makes it even easier to do the work we are here to do. Each team member is assigned to do a children's devotional during the week, which we do in the evenings after dinner, and a team devotional, which we do after breakfast. The different perspectives are refreshing, enlightening, and thought-provoking most of the time, inspiring some really good discussions.

Today our duties were more diverse than usual. Three team members helped our missionary, Steve Shearouse, paint his newly-enclosed work space which is located in the yard behind the boys' home. Steve has needed a good place to store his tools here, as well as a place to work. Our team has nick-named this space "Steve's man-cave."

The rest of the team worked inside, cleaning, chopping, cooking, and laundering. The boys who go to school in the afternoon also helped out, after they were finished with their homework. Everyone is always busy. There is plenty of work to do and the house parents do not allow for "idle hands" at any time. Play is, of course, just fine!

Cleaning with the children -- a great way to start the day!

Siesta time -- some sleep, some don't...

The finished product!