Tim and I drove the churche's 1970's bug to the airport and picked them up Thursday night. We were both excitedly waiting till they rounded the corner and we finally got to see them! Thursday we got home late, chatted for a couple hours and hit the sack.
Friday morning we were all up bright and early and got ready for school:
My kids had each made one letter in the welcome banner to give Richard and Cheryl a proper welcome to Mexico:
Each of my kids came up to them, gave them a handshake and introduced themselves. Each kid also taught them a Spanish word. Then Cheryl did her lesson on seasons with the kids. She was great! She brought different type of seeds and leaves with a picture of the tree they came from, explained each and passed them around. Then the fun part came - the SNOW!! None of my 38 kids has ever seen snow. My mom brought this chemical stuff that when you add water truly looks and feels like snow and is even cold. The kids were SOOO excited!! Here they are playing in the snow:
Richard prepared a lesson of English slang to teach the kids. We did a bit of it but didn't have time to finish because it was a half day. I'm going to finish the lesson sometime this week. After a great day meeting both Tim and my classes, and all of our fellow teachers and directors, school was out and we headed in bus to downtown Merida:
In "El Centro" we walked around the main plazas and historical center of Merida, ate traditional Yucatecan food for lunch, and bouhgt some soveniers. It was a beautiful sunny day and not too hot - around 96 that day. Here we are in the Plaza Grande:
Friday night after getting back from downtown, we changed clothes, covered ourselves with mosquito repellent and headed back to school/church. Friday night was one of our school's biggest parties/fundraisers. It was the same night as Day of The Dead and is designed to give people and alternative means of entertainment instead of participating in the Day of the Dead celebrations. More than 300 people from our school and church came to the party. There was food, bouncies, and games for kids. Each teacher was responsible for setting up a game. Tim and I choose to do a Relay Race. It was a huge success - everyone gathered around to watch the kids crab-walk, hope, wheel-barrow, etc. It was a very fun night and was wonderful to be able to introduce my parents to the people from our church and see our students in a different setting. Here we are eating:
Saturday morning we headed off on a full-day adventure with Fernando. On the 1 1/2 hr drive to the caves, we stopped on the highest "mountain" (which is actually more like a hill) and looked at the view. Here we are at the look-out. Richard and Kari are showing off their new Mexico souveniers:
We arrived at our first stop of our adventure- the Caves of Calcehtok- the biggest cave in the Yucatan. Richard kept marveling at the fact that even though these beautiful, extensive caves are the biggest in the Yucatan, it is very underdeveloped and little-used. It is by no means a tourist trap. For the 2 hrs we were there, we were the only people in these caves in which you can go in for more than 8 hours without hitting a dead-end. For 5 of us, we paid 20 pesos, or about $1.50 to enter. Good deal I'd say. The cave is very open with a high ceiling in the places we explored and is filled with interesting natural formations as well as Mayan artifacts such as pottery. Here is Fernando, Richard and Cheryl sporting their hands-free lights before entering the cave:
After caving for a couple hours, we headed to the Mayan Ruin of Oxkintok. Here 3 of us are at the main pyramid of this ancient city:
This was the favorite stop of the day for both Richard and Cheryl. All 5 of us kept marveling at the amazing fact that all these structures were made between 300 and 500 AD. It is incredible to think of the time and manuel labor it took to create such large impressive structures with no machinery. We entered and conquered the maze within on of the pyramids! As we continued, we made our way to these awesome statues:
Saturday after the caves and the Mayan Ruins we headed to Cheryl and Richard's first cenote in Chochola. It is a very small, but very beautiful lake inside a cave. At places it is a mere 2 feet deep, and in others drops dramatically to 150 feet to the underground river system below. After our adventures, we came home and made fajitas, ate together, and crashed after a long but wonderful day.Sunday, we headed to Calvary Chapel's mission site in the small Mayan town of Hocoba. We snapped a picture of people on their way to the cemetary to celebrate day of the dead. Notice the ladies with towels covering their heads. We learned that this is coustum stemming back to the days of the Spanish conquest when they were told to cover their heads before entering the church. The older ladies of smaller towns still follow this tradition:
We arrived at the mission trip abotu 1 and 1/2 hours later. Here we are with the pastor, and his wife and kids outside the sanctuary made from sticks held together by wire, and a tar paper roof:
Normally Tim and I have about 19 or 20 kids ranging from ages 1 to 12 in our Sunday School, but this week we only had 8 because may were absent because their families were celebrating Day of the Dead at the cemetaries. Tim brough his guitar and with the help of Richard and Cheryl taught the kids two new praise songs in Spanish. Then, I did the Sunday School lesson in Spanish while everyone else did crowd control and made sure the kids were listening! Big help! Then we used the fancy new markers that Cheryl had brought to color pictures. Richard and Cheryl were great with the kids and got right in there and colored with them:
At the end of the 2 hour Sunday School, we gave each kid and orange for their snack and sent them out to play on the playground equipment.
Both before and after Sunday School we got a chance to sit down with the adult members of this tiny church and talk to them about their town, their country and their lives. Richard did a great job of engaging them in great conversation and asked interesting questions. We learned that this town was built and once prosperous due to the henequen plantations - a plant from which hemp and ropes are made. But once nylon was invented and replaced the need for help, the plantation and therefore town started to dry up.
Now days the majority of the people are employed in Merida, which is an hour and half away. We took an hour or so to drive though Hocoaba, a town of poverty and disrepair. What we saw was very humbling:
As we were driving around Hocoba we saw a small tortilla machine in front of someones home. We were interested so we stopped to talk to the people and see the process. Very interesting, and only abotu 50cents for 2.2lbs of fresh hot tortillas:
Sunday after the mission at Hocoba, we got back to town and ate at Kari and Tim's favorite resturant called SuperSalads before heading to church. We dropped Tim off so he could practice with the band and then we went to church an hour later for the English service at 5. After church got out at 7 we chatted with everyone and went home, relaxed and went to bed.
We arrived at the mission trip abotu 1 and 1/2 hours later. Here we are with the pastor, and his wife and kids outside the sanctuary made from sticks held together by wire, and a tar paper roof:Normally Tim and I have about 19 or 20 kids ranging from ages 1 to 12 in our Sunday School, but this week we only had 8 because may were absent because their families were celebrating Day of the Dead at the cemetaries. Tim brough his guitar and with the help of Richard and Cheryl taught the kids two new praise songs in Spanish. Then, I did the Sunday School lesson in Spanish while everyone else did crowd control and made sure the kids were listening! Big help! Then we used the fancy new markers that Cheryl had brought to color pictures. Richard and Cheryl were great with the kids and got right in there and colored with them: At the end of the 2 hour Sunday School, we gave each kid and orange for their snack and sent them out to play on the playground equipment.Both before and after Sunday School we got a chance to sit down with the adult members of this tiny church and talk to them about their town, their country and their lives. Richard did a great job of engaging them in great conversation and asked interesting questions. We learned that this town was built and once prosperous due to the henequen plantations - a plant from which hemp and ropes are made. But once nylon was invented and replaced the need for help, the plantation and therefore town started to dry up. Now days the majority of the people are employed in Merida, which is an hour and half away. We took an hour or so to drive though Hocoaba, a town of poverty and disrepair. What we saw was very humbling: As we were driving around Hocoba we saw a small tortilla machine in front of someones home. We were interested so we stopped to talk to the people and see the process. Very interesting, and only abotu 50cents for 2.2lbs of fresh hot tortillas:Sunday after the mission at Hocoba, we got back to town and ate at Kari and Tim's favorite resturant called SuperSalads before heading to church. We dropped Tim off so he could practice with the band and then we went to church an hour later for the English service at 5. After church got out at 7 we chatted with everyone and went home, relaxed and went to bed.Monday was another great and full day. We went to the very small remote town of Cuzama to take the truc - or horse-drawn mini-railroad cart - to the 3 gorgeous centoes. Here we are on our truc:
Cheryl and Richard were as impressed and in awe of these beautiful underground lakes as Tim and I were the first time we went. It was absolutely gorgeous and the first one we went to we were the first ones there so the water was completely still and transparent. Here we are in the 3rd cenote. (disclaimer: Richard and Cheryl only used lifevests at the last one so they could just float around using the goggles instead of swimming):
Here they are being brave swimming in the 150 feet lake in a cave and looking mighty cute doing it!
Richard and Cheryl were both a bit hesitant Sunday night at the idea of driving another 1 1/2hrs to go to the cenotes, after having such a packed weekend, but at the end of the visit they both agreed that it was their favorite thing that we got to do. It was so interesting driving past so many tiny Mexican towns on the way, and the truc itself is such a unique, one-in-a-lifetime experience, as are the cenotes! After the truc we stopped at a brand-new resturant right by the enterance to the trucs. It had only been open three weeks and is the only resturant not out of someones front room in thier house in the whole town. It was a gorgous unique resturant which we think could really bring more tourism and money to the very tiny poor town.
Cheryl and Richard were as impressed and in awe of these beautiful underground lakes as Tim and I were the first time we went. It was absolutely gorgeous and the first one we went to we were the first ones there so the water was completely still and transparent. Here we are in the 3rd cenote. (disclaimer: Richard and Cheryl only used lifevests at the last one so they could just float around using the goggles instead of swimming):
Here they are being brave swimming in the 150 feet lake in a cave and looking mighty cute doing it!
Richard and Cheryl were both a bit hesitant Sunday night at the idea of driving another 1 1/2hrs to go to the cenotes, after having such a packed weekend, but at the end of the visit they both agreed that it was their favorite thing that we got to do. It was so interesting driving past so many tiny Mexican towns on the way, and the truc itself is such a unique, one-in-a-lifetime experience, as are the cenotes! After the truc we stopped at a brand-new resturant right by the enterance to the trucs. It had only been open three weeks and is the only resturant not out of someones front room in thier house in the whole town. It was a gorgous unique resturant which we think could really bring more tourism and money to the very tiny poor town.
On our drive back to Merida, we stopped in a small town and Richard bought coconut home-made ice cream off the streets from these guys:
Tim and I both had a WONDERFUL time with my parents here! The visit was fun, and busy, but we never felt rushed and had plenty of time to just sit and talk and enjoy eachother company. It is such a blessing that my parents wanted and were able to come share in Tim and my new life here in Mexico. It means so much to both of us that they can now truly picture and relate to our lives here. What a great trip! It made us both miss home, family and friends so much more, and made us happy we are only this far away temporarily! Though we miss our friends, and families, we are both very happy here and know that it was the right decision and where God wants us. Being just the two of us for the first year is such a great way to start our marriage and we are learning how to depend on eachother compeltely. We are happy and in love!
Please keep praying for the mission of Hocoba, that it will grow and that financial support will be found to continue the bulindg of the new cinder-block sanctuary.
Tim and I both had a WONDERFUL time with my parents here! The visit was fun, and busy, but we never felt rushed and had plenty of time to just sit and talk and enjoy eachother company. It is such a blessing that my parents wanted and were able to come share in Tim and my new life here in Mexico. It means so much to both of us that they can now truly picture and relate to our lives here. What a great trip! It made us both miss home, family and friends so much more, and made us happy we are only this far away temporarily! Though we miss our friends, and families, we are both very happy here and know that it was the right decision and where God wants us. Being just the two of us for the first year is such a great way to start our marriage and we are learning how to depend on eachother compeltely. We are happy and in love! Thanks mom and dad for coming! It made us both SOOOOOOOOOOO happy and thankful! We love you!
Everyone else, family and friends, we have an extra bed and AC.... please come visit! We would be more than happy for anyone to come visit whenver and however long you want!!
Please keep praying for the mission of Hocoba, that it will grow and that financial support will be found to continue the bulindg of the new cinder-block sanctuary.
i love my family! i'm so glad you guys had such a great visit. can't wait to see you guys over christmas break!!!!!!!!
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