Millers Take Chiwas Day 1
Friday was our first full day together, and we enjoyed every minute of it. I decided to stay at our mission's guest house with my parents for the sake of convenience, so as I got ready for school and they were rousing from their sleep, I left them with specific instructions about when to come to school and what to pack for my lunch.
My kids were simply inspired by the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Miller, and they decided that we needed to have a surprise party for them. So that is what we did! The kids planned pretty much everything; we decorated the classroom on Thursday afternoon and then they all signed up to bring something to eat or drink. This party was going to be the best "Welcome to Mexico" party Binimea had ever seen. The kids conspired to bring a Mexican flag, make a Mexican cake, and even dressed up our class mascot, Fuzzy Wuzzy, with Mexican apparel- a poncho, sombrero, burro, mustache, and guitar. I guess they don't mind stereotypes.
The party was scheduled for 11:00 AM, and the sixth graders came running from Mr. Barbier's room at 10:45 with great excitement and anticipation. They were practically dying from the sheer excitement of these new friends coming to their classroom. We made sure everything was in place, turned on mariachi music, and hid. They entered, confetti was thrown, and hearts were glad.
After my mom hugged each one of my students and my dad took pictures with his i-phone, we sat down and talked to them. My kids were quite curious and asked them several questions about their lives and memories of me. We ate, laughed, and enjoyed one another's company. Good times were had by all.
When school was over, we rushed to get changed and headed to the brickyard. I knew that this experience would be something quite different for my parents and also difficult for them to see. They had never come so close to abject poverty before. I was returning to the brickyard for the first time since the beginning of August, and I had missed them all so much.
As we pulled up to our classroom building, the kids swarmed the car as usual, and I got down and swept them up with big hugs and kisses. We went inside, and it warmed my heart to see everyone again. Because Tasha did not have enough help in the nursery, she recruited my mom to help with the babies. This situation was not a big deal for my mom, who loves babies. I was so proud to see her just jump in where she was needed and love on the little ones as their mothers soaked up the Word.
My dad sat in the back of class as I wrote on the white board and then taught about peace. We were learning about the Fruit of the Spirit, and I taught about peace and shared about the peace God has given me in living here in Chihuahua. God is so good. My dad, with his limited Spanish, pretty much knew what I was talking about as I shared about the process in coming down here and his worries about me. God is so faithful.
After class was over, we went outside and were visiting with the ladies and kids. The kids were curious about my parents, and I was catching up with some of the ladies, when all of a sudden, someone came to Linda, said something, and they all went running for the other side of the building. I wasn't quite sure what was going on, and then when I went to the other side I saw. There was a fight. It was over something petty and small, but it was a fight. Two of the men were in a heated discussion, and everyone else was just watching, dumbfounded. Linda and her husband Beto own the land where our classroom building is, and the Lord has done some miraculous things in their hearts through the years. But Beto was upset, and he wasn't backing down.
I watched with amazement (and a little bit of fear) as my dad stepped in and took Beto aside, using his limited Spanish to comfort him and calm him down. He walked with him and took him aside, urging him not to allow the fight to escalate and to think of his wife and children. The Lord is faithful.
My dad was the only man at the brickyard that day. The two other men that normally come are not nearly as physically intimidating as my dad, so the Lord used him to stop what could have been something very ugly. The Lord is faithful.
Please pray for the hearts of the people at the brickyard. Pray that their hearts would be sealed with the love and protection of our Father. There are many hardships and difficulties facing them that we cannot being to imagine. Pray that the truth of God's word would win out win they are approached with false doctrine. Pray that their hearts would be content in Christ alone.
After a very interesting experience at the brickyard, we left, thanking the Lord for His protection and His ways. We enjoyed a scrumptious meal at the Rafferty's house, and then retired for the evening. Isn't He a good God?
My kids were simply inspired by the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Miller, and they decided that we needed to have a surprise party for them. So that is what we did! The kids planned pretty much everything; we decorated the classroom on Thursday afternoon and then they all signed up to bring something to eat or drink. This party was going to be the best "Welcome to Mexico" party Binimea had ever seen. The kids conspired to bring a Mexican flag, make a Mexican cake, and even dressed up our class mascot, Fuzzy Wuzzy, with Mexican apparel- a poncho, sombrero, burro, mustache, and guitar. I guess they don't mind stereotypes.
The party was scheduled for 11:00 AM, and the sixth graders came running from Mr. Barbier's room at 10:45 with great excitement and anticipation. They were practically dying from the sheer excitement of these new friends coming to their classroom. We made sure everything was in place, turned on mariachi music, and hid. They entered, confetti was thrown, and hearts were glad.
After my mom hugged each one of my students and my dad took pictures with his i-phone, we sat down and talked to them. My kids were quite curious and asked them several questions about their lives and memories of me. We ate, laughed, and enjoyed one another's company. Good times were had by all.
When school was over, we rushed to get changed and headed to the brickyard. I knew that this experience would be something quite different for my parents and also difficult for them to see. They had never come so close to abject poverty before. I was returning to the brickyard for the first time since the beginning of August, and I had missed them all so much.
As we pulled up to our classroom building, the kids swarmed the car as usual, and I got down and swept them up with big hugs and kisses. We went inside, and it warmed my heart to see everyone again. Because Tasha did not have enough help in the nursery, she recruited my mom to help with the babies. This situation was not a big deal for my mom, who loves babies. I was so proud to see her just jump in where she was needed and love on the little ones as their mothers soaked up the Word.
My dad sat in the back of class as I wrote on the white board and then taught about peace. We were learning about the Fruit of the Spirit, and I taught about peace and shared about the peace God has given me in living here in Chihuahua. God is so good. My dad, with his limited Spanish, pretty much knew what I was talking about as I shared about the process in coming down here and his worries about me. God is so faithful.
After class was over, we went outside and were visiting with the ladies and kids. The kids were curious about my parents, and I was catching up with some of the ladies, when all of a sudden, someone came to Linda, said something, and they all went running for the other side of the building. I wasn't quite sure what was going on, and then when I went to the other side I saw. There was a fight. It was over something petty and small, but it was a fight. Two of the men were in a heated discussion, and everyone else was just watching, dumbfounded. Linda and her husband Beto own the land where our classroom building is, and the Lord has done some miraculous things in their hearts through the years. But Beto was upset, and he wasn't backing down.
I watched with amazement (and a little bit of fear) as my dad stepped in and took Beto aside, using his limited Spanish to comfort him and calm him down. He walked with him and took him aside, urging him not to allow the fight to escalate and to think of his wife and children. The Lord is faithful.
My dad was the only man at the brickyard that day. The two other men that normally come are not nearly as physically intimidating as my dad, so the Lord used him to stop what could have been something very ugly. The Lord is faithful.
Please pray for the hearts of the people at the brickyard. Pray that their hearts would be sealed with the love and protection of our Father. There are many hardships and difficulties facing them that we cannot being to imagine. Pray that the truth of God's word would win out win they are approached with false doctrine. Pray that their hearts would be content in Christ alone.
After a very interesting experience at the brickyard, we left, thanking the Lord for His protection and His ways. We enjoyed a scrumptious meal at the Rafferty's house, and then retired for the evening. Isn't He a good God?