Top 3 Favorite Week 1 Moments!

Looks like my ´´(500) Days of Piedras´´ idea really bit the dust! I guess I didn´t realize how busy I would be here. Or how difficult the internet would be. Or how hard it would be to get on the computer. So looks like I´ll take a step back, and just say I´ll update at least once a week if not twice a week.

Welp, I´ve survived a week in Mexico! It´s been a pretty long week, but a good one at that. I´ve eaten amazing food, gotten to know the church really well, helped Josue with his English, played with my host sisters, helped teach a children´s class at evening services, played with the baby puppies, gotten locked out of the house for two hours, had a really funny birthday lunch, and lots and lots more. I´ll give you more details on a few of my favorite moments this week:

1. Tuesday night with Sarai.
I hung out with Sarai, Josue´s 23 year old sister, on Tuesday night while he went and bought school supplies for the girls. I was nervous and excited about spending a few hours with her. Nervous because I still haven´t caught on to all the Spanish yet, and excited because I could tell she was going to be a good person to have as a friend. She goes walking around the neighborhoods every morning and afternoon for excercise, and even though I didn´t have tennis shoes on (just flip-flops), I went with her. We got to talk and she showed me some of the streets in the neighboorhood. She told me about what church activities were scheduled for the young adults this weekend and what other activities we do during the year. She asked me about Oklahoma and all the people I knew from the groups that have come and worked during Spring Break campaigns. Afterwards, we sat outside and she asked me to tell her about my life. I shared with her everything -- or as much as my Spanish would let me -- my upbringing, my family, my best friends back in the States, my dad´s testimony, my passion for Blue Haven and the ministry I did there, my mentors, my life at Oklahoma Christian, and even some of my struggles. It was a blessing to be able to share all of that so quickly with someone I hadn´t even really known until 3 days before. Afterwards, Sarai looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, ´´I´ve been praying for you.´´ I was caught off gaurd, and asked her what she meant. She said that after hearing me and my life stories, she realized that we were very similar. A year or two ago, she had wanted to study to become a missioary in the States, but then had felt a calling not to because of how different it was and how difficult it would be. She said when she heard from Josue that I was coming, all she could do was thank God. She knew that the friendship she would have with me would encourage her to grow in the Lord, and even though we only knew each other for three days, she said, she could already tell the Lord was blessing our friendship. Man, it took everything I had not to cry right there on the spot! I was blessed by the Lord that night. It was as if He had spoken to me clear as day, ´´Rachel, you will be blessed for following Me. Continue to seek Me, beloved, and you will find me.´´

#2. My Birthday lunch
I was thrilled to know that my host family were excited about celebrating my birthday. In just a few short days I had already grown fond of them, and I could tell it was the same for them. The morning of my birthday, Sarai had invited me over to her house for breakfast. Maru (my host mom) would lead me to their house in her car, while I followed. Turns out, the way she went was different than the way I had been the night before, and long story short, I ended up lost somewhere in the neighborhood. Thankfully, Maru found me and all was well. I ate breakfast with Sarai, and then her mother came in and told me that Josue wanted to meet me at the house. They drove me back, but he wasn´t there. I didn´t have a house key, so they told me to wait for them while they went back home to call Josue. Well, I waited, and waited, and waited, and waited.... for two whole hours! Finally, Josue and Estefany came home. I wasn´t too upset, but thought, ´´What a funny thing to happen on my birthday!´´ Afterwards, Josue took Estefany and I to a buffet restaurant where you can eat free on your birthday. It was great! Even Maru came! After a while, we all realized that nobody had picked up the two little girls from school! We stressed about it for a little bit, and once realized that they were taken care of, had a laugh about it. Then all of a sudden the lights went out. It was a really weird thing to happen, and Josue and Maru said it was a funny thing because of how crazy the day had been. First I´m locked out of the house all morning. Second, we forget to pick up the girls from school. Third, the power goes out at the restaurant. What more could happen? Oh believe me, it did! The waiter somehow found out it was my birthday, and proceeded to sing Happy Birthday to me. He brought over a large slice of cake, and a big bag of silly hats. He made us all put one on, and then sang the most ridiculous birthday song I´ve ever heard. Josue recorded it, so hopefully I´ll be able to post it to Facebook sometime. All in all, it was a good day, but still -- I couldn´t help but laugh at how unique and strange it was.

#3. Renuion of the Church
Saturday night we had a big Church gathering. All of the churches of Christ in the area came together to worship. I would supposed that there were at least 250 people there! It was so great to sing and worship with everyone else. Church here is very encouraging to me. There isn´t a set of ministers or just one preacher, but rather, a sign-up list and or roll for whoever would like to sing, preach, or read scripture. Church usually goes like this:
Reading of the schedule, Prayer, Himno, Himno, Coro, Libros, Prayer, Himno, Sermon ,Himno, Prayer.
Himno´s are songs more like ¨He leadeth Me¨ and Coro´s are songs like ¨Light the Fire¨ Libros is a scripture reading. It´s been hard for me to follow the sermons in Spanish. I can understand the scriptures and read them when they read them, but sometimes I have a hard time understanding how they got from one scripture to the other. Overall, I love worshipping here. It´s all from the heart, and while I´ve experienced that back in the States as well, there is something just a little different down here.

Until next time...
Rachel!