My Father..

My father's birthday is this week. I have been trying to come up with something to write about him. It's sort of hard to write about someone that is so important to you and has taught you so much.

The old saying, "When I was young, I thought my Dad wasn't very smart, but I'm happy to say he's made great strides since then." rings very true for my father. I know I have been very fortunate to have such a wise, gentle man for a father.

His name is William Glen Homan, but he goes by Glen. I certainly don't know everything about my dad, but I know more than most people. I know he was born in Southern California. He became a Christian after meeting my mom, and became very active in all the churches he has ever been a part of. He eventually spent so much time studying the bible that he became a Sunday School teacher, and still continues to teach as often as he can. While his bible studies have never been published professionally, he has written and printed many pamphlets and booklets that have been used widely in the churches that he has taught in.

With the perspective that age has finally brought my still slightly flaky mind, I understand a lot more about my dad now. I think he may have wished he could have went to school more, maybe even seminary. I know he may have had a lot of goals and dreams that he could not attain because he was working so hard trying to earn a living.

We all feel like that to some degree, I know I do. But in doing so, we always seem to miss the things that we did accomplish along the way. My dad may not have ever got to seminary, but he has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge of all things biblical. Even more important than that, he has obtained a Christian philosophy that is both pragmatic and intellectual.

I remember when I finished seminary, I thought I had figured out the entire world and half of heaven. The real world was quick to explain things much differently to me. After that sort of shaking, it was the things that my dad taught me that helped me to make sense of a world that doesn't conform to neat,clean religious philosophies.

There is a lot more to my dad than just what he knows. I remember in the different churches I grew up in that my dad was much more than just a Sunday School teacher. He was the one that counseled people, who looked out for people, who helped people that were struggling to understand things. This didn't just apply to people in church, he was always reaching out to everyone I knew. He has always presented the type of model of sincerity and caring that I still use to measure all that I say or do.

My dad is an example of someone who may not have achieved the sort of notoriety he deserved, but has accomplished so much in the lives of all the people around him that he will always be remembered.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Love, John

Post Election Let Down...

I have been reading a lot of blogs recently from Democrats that are just really distraught over the election. We're not just talking crying in their beer here, there is some real pain going on in the country right now. Australia, Canada, and New Zealand have reported a huge increase in hits to their sites explaining how to immigrate. I had hoped after the election people would "start the healing", but I don't think that's going to happen. I don't know what the answer is. I don't think there is one answer. People's thoughts and values are very complicated.

I can honestly say that I really understand how the people that don't like, strike that, hate, George W. Bush feel. When Bill Clinton was in the White House, I couldn't stand to hear him talk on the TV. It just made me mad for so many reasons.

I remember my grandma would get real agitated when Reagan came on the TV or radio because she could not stand him. We all knew not to discuss politics with grandma, she was a very "passionate" person. I still miss her a lot.

People are more than political parties and beliefs. There is more that we agree on than we realize. Anyone who wants to leave this country now, well, I would doubt if they "get it". By "it", I mean the ins and outs of our political system. We have survived much worse chasms of differences, even a war between the states. Our political system is messy, its not pretty, and it runs more like a '76 Pinto than a Bentley. But it runs...

America remains the youngest country with the oldest constitution. We will survive and eventually thrive, that is, as long as we stick together.

-John

Third Person Madness

The humble blogger who maintains this site was recently asked by his professor to write an autobiography in Spanish. John was pleased with this because he felt he could handle this, and also the fact that first person verbs are the first ones that all Spanish students learn(Yo estoy, Yo Soy, Yo digo, etc..).

Then, the assignment changed. The professor decided that the assignment would still be a biography of the student, but instead of first person, it would be in the third person. John confided to this writer that he felt a little strange about this. Certainly its not as schitsophrenic as describing yourself in the first person plural, "We are writing a biography about ourselves." or "We felt very strange about this turn of events."

But nevertheless, John struggled with the ideas of trying to define himself as if looking from the outside in. He described it as like losing some inward compass, and finally having to look at yourself as others see you. I started to think that the blogger felt a little lost and insecure at looking at his life through the eyes of others. He could always explain the delays in his dreams, his procrastinations, and the large and small failures in his life through the lens of his good intentions his very typical, yet few personal faults. But without that internal narration that the first person view provides all of us, all of these shortcomings would certainly not be as justifiable through the third person voice. "Don't you see? Speaking of yourself in the first person just seems to justify any mediocrity so much easier", he explained, lifting one eyebrow in that mischevious way we all find so charming about him. This writer believes that John actually fears someone in the world might yet determine he was less than perfect.

But over a cup of John's favorite coffee Henry's Blend(Seattle's Best), (1 Nutrasweet, 1 Sugar-in-the-Raw, Skim milk) in the homey IUSB Cafe, he mused that maybe his reluctance to write about himself in the third person was because it also exposed his own real desire for self-promotion, self-agrandizement. Its a very common, underlying motivation for all bloggers. But not just them, everyone wants to be publicized and celebrated for the individuals that they are. Maybe not with overwhelming fame that takes all privacy, but the idea that everyone knows what is unique about us.

When John considers the two problems of writing a biography in third person, he finally agreed within himself that if he could not change these feelings, he would acknowledge they were real. He told this writer that if he could not overcome this, he would at least not deny that within himself he wanted to promote all the good things about himself to the world, and deny the existence of his failings, delays, and faults.

This seemed to satisfy John, he knew that total transparency to the world was probabally not possible. He also reminded himself it was just one assignment and that he has a tendency to take himself entirely too seriously sometimes...

El 16 de septiembre

This Thursday was Mexico's Independence Day. 194 years ago Father Miguel Hidalgo gave his grito(cry) for independencia. The picture above is from the Mexican muralist Orozco, one of the "Tres Grandes" muralists of México commemorating Father Hidalgo. Check out this link for more information about this part of México's history: Hidalgo Archive

Giving credit where it is due, I found this link on The Daily Texican".

John

Gmail Invitations

I don't know if you have heard about this, but Google has an free e-mail system called Gmail. It is very cool, you have 1 gig of email storage, no popups, and very smart filing and other assorted cutting edge features. I have 5 invitations left.
If you want one, just drop me a line at :

casadejuanito at gmail.com

Thanks

More Diego Rivera

Here's a link to a Power Point presentation I did about Diego Rivera:

"Identidad Mexicana Por los Ojos De Diego Rivera"

It's all in Spanish, a lot of good pictures and some history of the murals of México.

-John

Travel Journal

Those of you who have not read my travel journal to México, look on the sidebar below the archive and I have managed to put all the entries in by date using my meager HTML knowledge.

-Thanks

Back in the Saddle Again..and already a little sore..

Well, school has started again and I am already in the thick of things. I am a student at Indiana University, specifically I attend IUSB-Indiana University at South Bend.

Click Here for a Photo Tour of the Campus
I like most things about going to school. It was really strange at first, and I felt out of place, but now I feel very comfortable. There are a lot of other older students also. I also have to watch myself, so I don't go into old-guy mode and start talking too much or telling stories.

This is my third year going to school, I have about 36 credits. I'm attempting an Associate Degree in Spanish, and may go farther after that. I've done much better than I thought I could, I have been on the Dean's list three times, but I have only just started taking Algebra after 15 years away-we'll see how that goes.

Besides Algebra, I'm also taking Writing Spanish I. I really enjoy this class, if I have any good papers, I'll put up a link.

My least favorite part of school is.......


PARKING..."
There are simply not enough parking places for all of the students. On Wednesday, I had to feed a meter and was 15 minutes late for class, after I payed $30.00 to the school for my parking permit. I normally love irony, but not this time...

A Dream Come True..

I started learning Spanish in earnest around 1994 or 1995. I had always been interested in Spanish and tried to pick some up when I lived in San Diego. But it was not until I started working with Latinos everyday that I decided to take classes.

I always wanted my level of Spanish to get to a point where it was more than just being able to be polite, make a joke, or flirt with Latina waitresses to get better service and more Guacamole. I had been increasing little by little in my skills, mostly by doing two things, being obsessed with all things Spanish, and speaking to anyone in spanish any time I could, even if I knew I would sound foolish or like a preschooler.

What's amazing is I came to find out that going to school alone will not make you a better speaker. Without diving in and babbling away, you will never become proficient.

It's always been my dream to be able to speak to a group of Latinos totally in Spanish, without an interpreter and know that they understood me. That would mean that I had really accomplished something. Well, that dream came true this last weekend when I went down to see my family in Cincinnati.

My sister Kathi and brother-in-law Dale are the pastors of Love and Faith Christian Center. They have a Latino ministry called Amor Y Fe that meets once a month to minister to the needs of the Spanish speaking members of the congregation. I was invited to speak at this service for 35-40 minutes. I was very scared at first and thought about not even doing it, but then I remembered the other times that I had stepped out in faith when I was not sure if I could do something or not and it always worked out.

The service went very well, and we all had a good time. I spoke about Psalm 103, and how "Dios conoce nuestra condición"-how God understands our human condition with all of it's weaknesses and frailties and still loves us and wants to bless us.
Click here if you want to read my notes-but it's all in Spanish..

The people were wonderful, and they told me that they understood it all. They laughed at my lame jokes, and some of them cried in several places. We had a time of prayer afterwards and several people responded for prayer. I hope I get to do this again, it was a great experience.

Family Reunion

Recently, I went down to Cincinnati to see my Mom and Dad and sisters Kathi and Carol, my brother-in-law Dale, Carol's boyfriend Rick, and all my nieces and nephews. It was quite the occasion because the whole family had not been together for some time. My mom was very happy. We ate way more than we should have, all went to church on Sunday and just had a great time.

The Daily Texican

Check out this blog about Spanglish Culture and language:

The Daily Texican

Summer @ the Lake

Many of you may not know it but we live on a lake. We moved here around April to live with Laurie's parents who are getting older and needing some help. It's not always an easy gig and has its ups and downs for sure.

That being said, today was a pretty good day. I got all of the mowing done and jumped in the lake afterwards then grilled some brats and had a lovely dinner.

For some reason I was never exposed to the wonderfulness that is a bratwurst until I moved to the midwest. Next to bacon and ribs, brats are the best thing ever to come from the side of a smelly pig.

I normally like everything on my burgers and hot dogs, but brats are a completely different thing. You need to take more of a minimalist approach to savor the nuances of the flavor of brats. Onions chopped fine, brown mustard-none of that plain french's, and maybe, maybe a little relish. Iced sun tea, made with Luzianne and sugar, and pringles potato chips, and some cantalope or watermelon and you are talking a meal approaching culinary Nirvana.

Here's some pictures from my tiny digital camera:

View of Simonton Lake

Laura and the Grandparents in the swing

The yard and the lake

Read me....

One of the reasons I started this blog was for shameless self-promotion in securing a job someday using my knowledge of Spanish and Hispanic culture. So in keeping with that purpose, here are some of the papers I have written while at Indiana University. The links will either open the document up in Word, or you can download them directly.
 
"Mexican Identity Through The Eyes of Diego Rivera"
This paper was published in the IUSB Undergraduate Journal in the 2003 issue. That issue is not on-line yet, but should be soon. This paper examines the cultural messages contained in the murals and other works of Mexican artist Diego Rivera, and how they relate to Mexican cultural identity.

"America's Culture of Superiority".
I wrote this essay as a cultural autobiography of the United States. It's not what it sounds like. It examines why Americans believe they are the best country in the world, and examines how this belief is valid in many ways. It also examines how we still have much to improve, and why American methods don't work in every part of the world.

"Rosie the Riveter meets Señorita Maquiladora"
This essay was written for a sociology course. It examines how multinational companies in Mexico("Maquiladoras or Maquilas")have preferred to hire women instead of men for assembly work. The paper goes on to compare this introduction of Mexican women into the work force to the World War Two introduction of women into munitions factories, with the example of Rosie the Riveter.

Rosie the Riveter Paper in Spanish
This is the same paper as the one above, except it is written in Spanish. I was lucky enough to have a professor that allowed me to use the same theme for my Spanish Composition class. Of the two, I like this version better, my professor helped me to make it sound much better, and give it a more upbeat and positive ending.

"Como perdí mi juventud"
This is an autobiographical spanish piece about growing up very quick when I was in my teens.

I have put up permanent links to these on my blogroll over on the sidebar, along with links to some websites.

Thanks for stopping by...
-John

Journal Entries Complete!

The blog has been updated with all of the stories and pictures from Mexico. Enjoy reading and drop me a line or click on comment to leave a message on the blog itself!

If you want to start from the preparations for the trip-go back to May archives, otherwise, click below for the first day of the trip.

The Day Has Finally Come

-John

Journal Entries Menu

-Read John's Mexico Travel Journal Here-
Tuesday, June 08, 2004-"Sharp and Pointy"
Saturday, June 12, 2004-"The Big Day"
Saturday, June 12, 2004-"In Texas"
Sunday, June 13, 2004-"Border Crossing"
Sunday, June 13, 2004-"Garden of Eden with Geckos & Tacos"
Monday, June 14, 2004-"Machine Guns and Fried Fish"
Monday, June 14, 2004-Taxis,Shoe Shopping and Tito Puente"
Tuesday, June 15, 2004-"Blue Herons and Strawberry Anesthia"
Tuesday, June 15, 2004-"Last Patient for the Day"
Wednesday, June 16, 2004-"Bad Fish and Dirty Syringes"
Wednesday, June 16, 2004-"Sponge Bob,Sting, and Cashews"
Thursday, June 17, 2004-"Debriefing"
Thursday, June 17, 2004-"At the Beach"
Friday, June 18, 2004-"Back in Texas"
Saturday, June 19, 2004-"Really Home Now"
Monday, June 28, 2004-"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"

Really home now..

June 19th entry

Lovely slow breakfast-thanks for leaving the Pop-Tarts and string cheese out for us Christine!

Caught a plane out of Austin for Cincinnati. Got patted down by the security guy, the cause was a 5 peso coin in my wallet. Finished "Watership Down" and finally started on "Wind in the Willows".

Not sure exactly how to explain all that I learned and what happened inside of me throughout the whole trip-still working on that-look for a future entry.

Touched down at 8:30 pm Indiana time-promptly went to McDonalds for a Big Mac...

Back in Texas...

June 18th entry

Left around 6 am for Texas and spent about 16 hours on the road total before we rolled into New Braunfels.

Got held up at the border again with the vehicles, waited an hour in the heat. After exchanging our money,(Hey, theres not so much back this time!), we went to the Golden Corral Steakhouse. It's like a Ryan's Steakhouse in Indiana. Ate and ate, then ate some more. It was a wave of relief to be back in the states. Really enjoyed our host home letting us have the place all to ourselves. Finally got to watch Sponge Bob in english.

At the beach...

June 17th pm entry

****Click on the hyperlinks to see the pictures***

Finally made it to the Gulf of Mexico. We rented some cabanas, put on our bathing suits and relaxed until about 5 pm. I went swimming for a little while and then came back and sat under the shade and read my book for a couple of hours. Shopping at the beach is alot of fun, because you can do it without leaving your chair if you like, the vendors come to you. Or you can go to the mini mall of palm tree huts and shop there. Heres a picture of Laura in a new coverup she bought on the beach. We also bought alot of pottery and a great deal of jewelry(none for me).The vendors also brought by corn on the cob, candy, fruit, and other goodies. We left around 5 pm.

Later that night we went out for dinner to Burger King and Baskin Robbins. Not very exciting, but it was nice to taste something familiar. What's so interesting about Mexico and the United States is how they are both becoming so similar. There are a lot of signs and places in Mexico with english names and labels, but much of the States has many names in Spanish. Even in Elkhart this is very common. The two countries are connected closer every day.

Debriefing

June 17th entry am entry

Yesterday was the last day of clinics. Today was a free day-that means shopping and the beach. We started out with breakfast and what is called "debriefing". That is where you try to make sense of all that has happened to you and get a chance to share with the rest of the group how the trip has affected you.

My group was adults doing a medical clinic, the other two groups were teenagers and adults working at a local church and orphanage to do painting and other work projects. The teenagers were very touched by the whole thing and a lot of them were crying at what they had seen and heard. It's not that I am hard, it's just that since this is my third trip here, I'm not in such shock over what I have seen. Instead, I am more firmly convinced everytime I come here of the things God had showed me in the past. But one thing did make me cry.

The dentist María got up and spoke to the group through one of the translators. She said that she had always did all that she could to help her people, but it amazed her to see foreigners (extranjeros) travelling so far and spending so much money to show love to her people, and on behalf of the people of Mexico, she thanked us. That got to me.
Here's a picture of María and her son Hernan who came on the trip with us:

Spoong Bob, Sting, and Honey Roasted Cashews..

June 16th pm entry

The way home from the clinic seemed to take forever. We were stopped once by a group of what appeared to be Brahma cattle blocking the road, and then a very agitated skunk who walked slowly tail up in the air like a flag in front of the van. I was starting to feel a little better coming into town and then when I got back to the hotel and waves of nausea hit again.

They were going for tacos again. It just was not even possible to eat another taco. It was so late, none of the other restaraunts were open. I was not only tired, I was sick, hungry and cranky and had just been overloaded with everything around me. I think I managed not to say anything rude to anybody before I got to my room.

I read once in my favorite book about traveling in Mexico, "The People's Guide to Mexico", that sometimes gringos get overwhelmed by being in a different culture and just need to be comforted with familiar things. So I took a hot shower, watched Sponge Bob on Nickelodian(pronounced Spoonge Bob in Mexico). Then I found a radio station playing American music, The Police to be exact, and dipped into my stash of junk food from the states. I highly recommend Honey Roasted Cashews and "Every Breath You Take" as a cure for a good snit. I know there are spiritual people that may read this with all sorts of more edifying ways of getting out of a bad emotional state, but at that point I could not have prayed if I tried.

The next morning I felt like a new man...Thank you Lord.

Bad Fish and Dirty Syringes...

June 16th AM entry

***Click on links below to see the pictures***
Crawled out of bed at around 6:00 am this morning. Grabbed some prayer and devotions wherever I could. Breakfast was awesome again-they made enchiladas suizas-thats enchiladas with chicken and swiss cheese in a delicate green sauce. I also had some hot cakes that really made me feel like I was back in the states. Great coffee and orange juice, and I am ready to get out to the clinic.

I started with registering about 35 people and then we stopped for the time being, depending on how well we did, we may or may not have taken more. It turned out with the severity of their needs that is all we could look after for this day.

I then assisted with getting the dental trays. After that I learned how to sterilize instruments, which is the closest to a cushy job in the clinic, except you have to scrub blood off of dental instruments and be very careful to keep things clean and sterile. The tweezers had little grooves in them that blood collected in. I had to scrub them with a wire brush.

When we had enough instruments clean and trays ready for the next few patients, I gave someone else a break from assisting the dentists.

We finally went to lunch around 2 pm. It was over 90 degrees and 100% humidity. The pastor's wife set down in front of us a fish casserole that tasted of sardines with red chiles. From the first taste, I could tell this was going to be the meal that made me sick-not that I am a pessimist, but something did not taste right and I knew had no other choice but to eat it.

Two hours later back in the clinic, I was finally forced to become intimate with the toilet that I had made a concerted effort not to have more than a passing aquaintance with. I don't know what it is about remote areas of Mexico, but they all seem to see the toilet seat itself as some sort of superflous luxury. It didn't last long, and I took some Immodium AD and pepto bismol and got back to work.I had drank plenty of water, and two gatorades, but this had got the best of me and I was actually sick...Had a high temperature and according to Laura became grouchy. We were there a long time cleaning up until about 7:30 p.m., the service had already started, but our guide and driver Pete let us go home instead of making us go to the service.

The Last Patient for the Day..

June 15th-pm entry


It was after 5 pm and we had seen approximately 35-40 patients all day-some of them getting both cleanings and fillings-so it was like more than that. All we could think about was food, and bed, not even in that order. I had brought snacks, but it wasn't enough. There was no sweat left in me, it was hot and I felt like I could not go any further.

The other team had arrived from Tampico and was preparing to hold an open air crusade in the village square-we were just trying to finish up the last patients and go home.

A young man in his 20's showed up and explained that he had to be at work by 5 am tommarow and would not have a chance to come tommarow morning and would not make it before we had too many patients. When María looked at his teeth it became obvious something had to be done. She set about to cleaning his teeth and I helped her out. While she was doing it one of the women who was important in the church came up to María and started speaking to her about this young man in Spanish. The "pillar" in the church told María that this young man was possibly not even saved and did not come to church regularly and that she should not be working on his teeth. No matter where you go religion always wants to make blessings a result of works and not of grace.

María explained to this lady that this man's relationship to the church and spiritual condition did not enter into whether she would help him or not, and she was going to take care of his teeth anyway. The woman looked hurt and turned and walked away. María had been up since 5:30 am like the rest of us, and did not take breaks like the rest of us-only lunch. It was after 6 pm and she was still doing great work and not slowing down. This guy's teeth were horrid! He had to rinse often because of the huge amound of blood and food particles. But María did not berate him, but was kind and loving and ministered to him.

There are a lot of heroes in the world, but María is my idea of a hero. Someone who sacrifices to put the needs of others before their own, and does it with no complaining or fanfare. She may not be a Benito Juarez or Emiliano Zapata-but she is still a hero of Mexico in my book.

We finally finished and headed home, we managed to talk our driver and guide Pete into taking us to Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner, which was very good. No honey for the biscuits-but awesome strawberry preserves. Fell into an exhausted sleep, at around midnight again....

Pan Dulce, Blue Herons and Strawberry Flavored Topical Anisthetic...

June 15th AM entry

***click on the hyperlinks to see pictures***
Today started out very slowly. Still exhausted from yesterday I managed to actually pull my sorry butt out of bed by 5:30 am to have devotions and pray-and fell asleep promptly in the middle-but did manage to wake back up and have some productive time.

Breakfast at Don Eduardo's again-this is the high point of the day as far as eating goes for me.

Rode again with Ron out to the village. Stopped off in another village to spend some time with the neighboring pastors and invite them to come. We drank some great coffee and ate sweet bread with a pastor and his family, talked about all sort of different things-just passed an hour in pleasant conversation. Alot of missionary work, at least in Mexico is spent drinking coffee, and making friends. I have read in books about doing in business in Mexico that "Relationships are the social oil that makes everything work smoothly", and that is even more true for missionary work also. Ron explained that before any clinics or crusades can take place there is so much legwork that needs to be done, and you have to sell people in the village on the idea, and then remind them and promote it to other churches. Nothing happens overnight or haphazardly when it comes to setting up these kind of events.

When we arrived at the clinic, things were already set up and just beginning. I set up registration and trained one of the ladies from Texas on how to do it-Her name is Vicky. Then I assisted the dentists. Since everything is mobile, you have to hold a flashlight into the patient's mouth so the dentist can see what they are doing. Then get the dentist gauze, or water, or hold up the spit bucket so the patient can rinse out their mouth. Because so few of them have brushed very often, there is a lot of blood in the spit, it was not a pretty site.

I watched extractions, cleanings and fillings, I watched María inject people with Novacane. When I got tired I would sit down and one of the other people would take over. Laura was trained in doing teeth cleanings and by the end of the day was a pro at it. She was very impressive. She said that sometimes the teeth were completely covered with plaque.***Click here to see her cleaning teeth***. The cleaning apparatus had a suction device that also filled with bloody waste water too that had to be emptied. By the end of the day, I became the one to empty all of the "Bio Hazard" liquid waste into the proper receptacle-at least I did not throw up.

At one point in the day, I took a break and Ron drove me down to the part of the village that is connected to a salt water tributary on the gulf. There was a salty cool breeze that chilled my sweaty body. I saw blue herons everywhere and could see the fish swimming in the water.

Two of the main industries in this village is producing sea salt by letting in the water to a flood plain and then letting it evaporate and collecting the sea salt and there is also a fishery where they collect a lot of shrimp.The flood plain is on the left and the building on the right is the fishery in the picture.


We went to lunch in two shifts. It was not as wonderful today as the first day, but I was hungry and ate it. We had ground beef and potatoes, rice, and napolitos(heart of cactus-very good-like tangy green beans) and some of the wonderful chilled and washed mexican plums that tasted like mangos.

After lunch I was trained on preparing trays for the dentists to use on each patient. You had to be sterile, and be very clean. You had to put a bib, a mirror, a probe, tweezers, 2 vials of novacaine and a sterile needle, a syringe, gauze and a bottle of Strawberry Flavored Topical Antisthetic-that was the kid's favorite flavor-we had mint-but not used as much.

Taxis, Zapatos Chulos y Tito Puente..

(Tampico Plaza)June 14th PM entry

Arriving back at the hotel after meeting the Mexican Army, we had some free time. María the Dentist and one of the women from Texas named Vicki decided to take a bus into town and do some shopping. I realized this may be our only time to get any real quality shopping other than at the beach so we,(Laura and I) took off with them-we had to be back by 5 pm to go to the night service.

I love doing this sort of thing because you put yourself in the situation where you could get lost or have a real adventure. We got to the Plaza and it was beautiful-like all the other Plazas in Mexico.

María and Vicki were looking for shoes and baby's clothes and I was looking for a silver turqouise ring-because the stone broke in one my Mom gave me. We found some really nice rings and they cost less than 40 dollars. After that the adventure wained, I became the bored tag-along on a shoe hunt. Shoe shopping with three women rarely becomes exciting, no matter what country you are in. Prices not so hot either. They stayed at it so long we had to take a taxi back-which was kind of fun, and we made it back just in time.

The service that night was held at a stucco church called Agua Viva (Living Water)in a poor neighboorhood down by the beach (that is Pastor Dave from Indiana in the picture). They had lovely mango trees, a friendly pastor who looked and acted a lot like Tito Puente-¡El Rey de Salsa!. There was a real feeling of fellowship between the people from the US and the Mexicans. We all had a lovely service.

I got to give a testimony in Spanish, and it went really well. María said that she understood all of it. This was a real high point of the trip for me, that my Spanish is getting to the point where it is useful and people understand me.

Even though the service was great, it wasn't until 10 pm we got out of there, and did not get dinner until after 11 pm. I got to bed after midnight, totally exhausted...

Soldiers in Hummers and Fried Fish ...

June 14th AM entry

Got up at 5:30 am to get ready for the first trip to set up the clinic. We loaded up in vans and headed for Don Eduardo's restaraunt for an outstanding breakfast. We had eggs, chilquiles, black beans, and hot cakes with maple syrup(Mexicans do outstanding hot cakes, and they are very popular here). There was also the heavy clotted cream and salsa-the green was like fire, but the red was more my cup of tea. Lots of hot coffee and plenty of orange juice.

Steve Muscarella did the devotion and talked about how many people perish without getting a chance to understand the gospel. We then prayed and dismissed with 3 groups going to three different locations.

I rode with Ron Walicki, who is the senior missionary there and has been our friend for sometime. We had an excellent talk and I learned a lot of things about ministering in Mexico. It is true that relationships play a larger part in evangelism, and people may be convinced of the gospel easy enough but true conversion and understanding takes a little longer than it seems to in the United States. Once we turned off the highway, were on a rocky dirt road that seemed to go on forever. Crops and cattle and vaqueros(Mexican Cowboys) greeted us with a nod. I did think the cowboys seemed a little stand-offish compared to other parts of Mexico, but I did not think about that until later on in the day.

Finally arriving at the clinic in Emborranco,Tamaulipas , we began to set up. People were starting to gather around, and I met the pastor Hermano Pompoyo. We soon found out that we did not have the medical instruments to do anything, no cleanings, no fillings, nothing-they were in another trailer back in a van in Tampico-more than an hour and a half away from here, it was already near noon when we realized this and there was no way we could make it back in time to do any work. It was heart breaking, but we had to close up the clinic and tell them we would be back in the morning.

Before we left, the pastor insisted we come to his house because they had already prepared the meal for the day. His house is larger than most people's in town, had mangos and key lime trees along with a small plum like fruit called Cidallias that tasted like a cross between a mango and a tomato-very good. The kitchen was a shack outside of the house with a wood stove for all of the cooking.

His wife made us fresh fried fish that tasted like Tilappia with rice beans and a wonderful home made salsa that was very subtle. with fresh corn tortillas. She was a chubby women with long brown hair and a silver tooth, even though she is Mexican, her way and manner were the same as many Assembly of God pastor's wives I have met. "Full-Gospel" culture seems to translate very easily...

After lunch I rode back with Ron in his GMC and the others piled into the van and we started back to the hotel in Tampico. As we rounded a corner I could see two olive drab hummers in the distance-it was the Mexican Army, and probabally about twenty men with .30 caliber HK assault rifles waved us to pull over.

They all appeared about 18-20 years old, except for the commanding officer who looked about my age or older. Ron and I were told to get out of the vehicle and they searched our stuff. Our van arrived shortly after and they stopped them also. I wasn't really scared, I had been through these things before-besides we had nothing with us that was contraband. Finally , the dentist Maria spoke to the officer in charge and he believed her.

Ron told me later that this was not a high crime area and he rarely had seen them out there. Maria told me she was sure someone had called them about us specifically because a large group of gringos in nice vehicles in a remote area is very suspicious. I wondered now if the cowboys may have had a cellphone in their saddlebags...

Next Mexico Entry: Taxis, Zapatos Chulos y Tito Puente

Green trees, Mangos, Geckos, and Tacos with limes...

Made it over the border and am in Tampico. There is an internet connection in the lobby for 10 pesos, heck of a deal.

I was concerned that I would be seeing only scrubbrush and cactus, but with the rain, the state of Tamaulipas is like an incredible lush garden that has never been tended(think Secret Garden). It was an incredible trip that was incredibly green and lush and like candy to the eyes. Mountains in the distance shrouded by dark clouds and mists with a base of green sprawling farmland in every direction overwhelmed us as we drove.

Two culinary events for the day, had a cantalope ice cream bar and a candy made from goat milk and pecans, then finally had the best tacos with lime and cilantro and onions over them. Have a gecko in our room and a mango tree in the back. There is a kidney shaped pool with a waterfall and air conditioning in the room. There was also a gecko in the air conditioner, but he is not bothering anyone....

Tommarow we start the clinics.

Next Mexico Entry: Soldiers in Hummers and Fried

At the border about to go into Mexico..

After this we would be given the run-around by the border beauracrats as they watched Soccer in between telling us to go to other windows for more stamps of our documents. Very very hot...

Next Mexico Entry:Green trees, Mangos, Geckos, and Tacos with limes

Arrived in Texas..

Finally made it Texas. We were put up in a very nice host home with a lady named Kristy that used to live in Mishawaka. She insisted that when we come back we use her house, even though she would not be here. Her daughter let us sleep in her bed, and her little boy was delightful.

We met one of our drivers, Jaime. He used to work for immigration, but quit that to attend the school of the ministry at Tree of life and to work for the church.

Just from these two people we met I continue to be struck by the quiet dignity of people I meet in the world. Both of them have alot of other things going on in their worlds and either putting up a couple of strangers when you have alot of other things going on in your life, or changing your life's direction to emphasize service to God and people over money and status, they both are in their own way quiet heroes to make the world a better place.

Next Mexico Post: At the Border

The Day Has Finally Come...

Well, the big day is here. I am finally packed, only stayed up until 11:15 to do it. I am sucking on a coffee(1 equal and 1 sugar in the raw packet),trying to shake the no-caffeine morning headache, staring bleary-eyed at the screen, trying to type something, anything...

I love that point in any endeavor when you stop preparing. Nothing else can be done, whether you are ready or not, you finally relax even if you are in the face of certain doom, because you just cannot do anything more.

I feel prepared enough, now I just want to have fun.

We leave the house at 9 to get to the airport at 10, leave South Bend at 11:59 and arrive in Austin,TX around 5 pm. Leave for Tampico the next morning on a 12 hour drive. Now the utter and complete boredom starts until we finally get there.

Next Mexico Post: Arrived in Texas

No Sharp Pointy Things...

I hate packing to go through security since 9/11. This from a man who collects pocket knives and carries 2 most of the time. No multi-tools, no swiss army knives, no japenese steel spyderco, it's enough to make a guy feel naked, and of course the 12" KBar Marine combat knife is sulking in the bottom of my footlocker along with the flare gun-sorry guys.

This is the more redneck side of my personality. I am putting one knife-my $13.95 4 blade victorinox swiss army knife in my checked bag along with a pair of needle nose pliers, that is the extent of tools. But when I am in Mexico, it stays in my "utility" bag in the backpack.

Here's a list of other things that I refuse to leave the country without:
-duct tape(small pocket pack)
-parachute cord(25')
-AA Maglite
-Wire Ties
-whistle
-compass (I have *NO* sense of direction)
-matches
-lighter
-55 Gallon Black Garbage Bags
-Ziplock freezer bags
-Red Bandana
-dental floss
-Cherry Almond Clif Bars(the best flavor)
-Werthers Hard Candies
-Immodium AD

Survival is not just about being prepared, it's also about buying cool stuff and being smug. But in the end it feels more like just dragging alot of useless crap around.

Next Mexican Entry: The Day Has Finally Come

Audio Blogging

This is something brand new that blogger has set up where I can leave messages over the phone and they are transferred over to the blog as a Windows Media File. I may use this in Mexico depending on how much time I have.
Click on the icon to hear my smooth manly voice....

Getting Anxious...

Have been preparing and buying things, but mostly I am just anxious. I know you can't expect a trip to change your life, but the first time I made this trip it did just that. I returned from the first trip to Mexico a changed man, touched by the people and the compassion of the Lord. That trip was the real catalyst for my desire to continue learning Spanish.

The second trip was just as significant, maybe not as relaxing(pesky teenagers...)-just kidding, but they were a lot of work to take care of. It seemed everytime I turned around Mexican Machos were flirting, or trying to kiss, or trying to date the gringitas I was responsible for, and they were pretty much oblivious to it.

I'm looking for something to happen on this trip that will renew my vision and motivation for ministry to others. I want more insight into what I am going to do with the knowledge of Spanish and culture, because that is still not real clear whether I will try to find a ministry position or a job where my spanish is useful.

I am not expecting everything to be better after this trip, it may be worse, it is a lot of money to put out and work to miss. But it feels like we are supposed to do it. I do know that anytime you can go away from the daily grind and routine to do something outside of what you are used to that is a good thing.

Next Mexican Entry:No Sharp Pointy Things

What is the message for Mexico?

When we attended a pre-mission meeting we were told to get a testimony together. I'm trying to put something together that will be simple. It's sort of hard, because I don't really have a "glorious salvation". I was more saved from religious bondage and guilt than smoking, drinking or drug use.

I guess if I would sum up what I want to share with the people in Mexico, it would be something like this:

All my life I tried really hard to be a Christian. I tried to do good things, but I kept on sinning and doing things I should not. I always felt guilty and depressed because of my sins. But one day I read in the bible where it said that I was saved by faith in the blood of Jesus, and not by my good deeds. I read that Jesus died on the cross to cleanse me of all my sins, even those I might do tommarow. I asked Jesus to cleanse me and believed by faith that he had. I was not perfect after that, and I still made mistakes, but I had peace and joy. After that, I do not have to try to be good, now I have a desire to do good things because he helps me, and if I make a mistake I know he will forgive me. He said he would never leave me or forsake me, and I believe it.

Now I just have to translate this into Spanish, and I will have something to say.

Next Mexico Entry: Getting Anxious for the Trip

Peaceable Kingdom?

Shortly after this picture was taken, Grandpa rubbed the cat's belly and the cat chomped on his hand. They have been avoiding each other the rest of the evening....

Ron Walicki

Check out Ron Walicki's Website. My wife Laura designed this site, there are pictures and information about his ministry. He will be one of the missionaries that we will be working with.

Preparation continues for the trip..

We continue to prepare for our trip to Mexico, and today we did some of the more enjoyable preparation: shopping! Since this is my third time, and Laura's second time, we are fairly clear on the sort of things to bring.

There is a lot of down time, traveling in vans across Mexico, and spending times at customs, and on airplanes and layovers, so you need to have some reading materials. Some people say, "well, just read your bible..." Ok, that works for awhile, but somewhere along the line you need a break. My first trip I read a trashy X-files novel about Quetzlcoatl(Winged Dragon God of the Aztecs). The next trip I read "Call of the Wild" and "Voyage of the Dawn Treader". This time I picked "Watership Down" and "Wind in the Willows" . Will let you know how they turn out.

Next Mexico Entry: What is the Message for Mexico?

Welcome

Hi, I set this blog up because I wanted a way to communicate with my family and friends. In June, I will be going to Tampico, Mexico for a week long medical mission clinic-keep an eye peeled for updates here!