1.11.2014

Down south

Hola from sunny, delicious Mexico!

Can I tell you that I do not miss the below-freezing temperatures of the mid-South at all? Because I don't.

Things that are striking me here so far:

  • It is not advisable to throw toilet paper into the toilet; almost all bathrooms thus contain small garbage cans for this purpose. It still feels completely gross and irresponsible to throw used toilet paper into a garbage can that someone else will have to touch. Perhaps that was too much information.
  • Houses are colorful and come in all kinds of shapes! It's beautiful!
  • My Spanish is better and worse than I had expected. I can hold kind of a conversation, but I can't hear very well when people talk to me. Part of this is because Americans just speak at a higher volume than most people; part is because people speak quickly, and all their words come together. I will be starting classes this Monday, so I'll have two hours of individual instruction on Monday and Tuesday, and lots of practice during the week. For now I'm pretty much stuck in present tense and very simple sentences. Go declarative!
  • Idols are everywhere, and there's a massive emphasis on Mary. I knew this, but now I'm experiencing it.
  • I got to meet members of a local church this evening, and I am really loving being surrounded by Mexicans. Loving the chatty, warm culture. Got to go to my first Mexican house this evening for coffee with some ladies, and it was crazy fun.
  • I remember more Farsi than I thought; my brain keeps offering me helpful translations for everything I want to say--in the wrong language.
  • People think to ask different questions in Bible study than I am used to, and that's really neat.
Anyway, pray for me and my friend here. I'm here to work with her, but I hope this is something that's really fruitful. We're working on setting up a missions banquet for forty or so people at her house on Sunday, and we could use prayer that people will see the need to invest in the world. Pray also for open doors in the city. There are many suburbs that have no evangelical presence, and, so far, no obvious people of peace. Pray for connections with people of peace. Pray for opportunities to share, and, in my case, boldness just to speak, when it's easier to lean on bad English and body language. Pray for energy; these are some long days.

Thank you for praying for me!
-Jennifer

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