stories and learnings: pieces of mexico.

here it is: one last post (until my next adventure to another world).

since i only had internet for about half my time in mexico, i wanted to share a small collection of the stories and photos that filled my time there. my goal is not to tell the places and people i saw but more importantly the ways in which i saw God glorified, the ways in which He more clearly revealed Himself to me, the ways in which He was able to use some gringa from fort wayne, indiana to advance his kingdom in ixtapaluca, mexico.

my "job" at the church wasn't really a job at all. unlike most missions trips where a team has to build a roof or do some predetermined, specific task, my job and the job of the other interns was to build relationships with the people in ixtapaluca. in other words: be a part of the church. live with the people, show them the love of christ. at first it was hard for me, because i'm a task-oriented person. i like direction. name the game; i'll do what i'm told. but oftentimes our work for the day was to have lunch at someone's house, be a gracious receiver of someone's hospitality, spend time with them, learn about their lives. other times, it was to go to a quinciñera or a fiesta (mexicans always have parties). at first i was a bit of a skeptic, but even in the short time i was there, i was able to see it pay off. the people we spent time with were the ones who began to come to church, ask important questions, give their lives to christ, and begin living for him. looking back, i'm glad we didn't have a more tangible, visible task-- it takes away all the glory of missions. the hero is Christ. i can honestly say anything that was done there was of God and not of my own hands, because all we did was live. all the work was done in the hearts of people, changed by the Holy Spirit.


this is my friend fernanda.





















she is (i believe) six years old. i met her my very first night in mexico at a farewell party, where she sat down next to me and started playing with my hair and asking questions.
"what is your name?"
"where did you come from?"
"are you new?"
"did your mom braid your hair?"
"can you speak spanish?"
i was overwhelmed by being in mexico on the whole, but she was calming to be with. just a curious little kid. no expectations to meet or cultural rules to worry about breaking-- she didn't follow them half the time anyway in her childlike curiosity.

every time i saw her after that night at the despedida, fernanda came running up to me with hugs and kisses and excitement. one night, her mother brought her to bible study at the church. fernanda immediately claimed a bench next to mine, and opened up her bag to proudly show me:
"look what i brought! this is my bible." it was a thick little book, which she opened up to a page with some color and said "look here! my bible has maps in it. do you have a bible?" i handed her mine, and her eyes grew wide at the sight. "wow, your bible is big. do you have maps in your bible?" i opened my bible and pointed out some maps, and her eyes grew even bigger. "wow your bible has LOTS of maps." at this point, the bible study had begun and her talking became conspicuous in the silent room. i leaned over and told her "shhh. jim is teaching now." but like any kid, silence was short lived. she squirmed in her seat and flipped through her bible, looking at the pictures. she leaned over to my friend andrea and began talking again. andrea patiently answered a few questions and then told fernanda to listen. she sat still for a little bit and listened to jim teaching, then leaned over again and asked "who's jesus?"

who is jesus? the most innocent of questions. she really didn't know. somehow it was unbelievable to me. mexican culture is very catholic. and i mean very, very catholic. but it's not the catholicism of the united states-- mixed with superstition and magic, the message of jesus christ is lost completely. mary is absolutely everywhere. every neighborhood, every home, every business has a memorial, an altar, or a picture. people take their statues out for fresh air, walking them around the streets from time to time. fernanda knew of mary-- mary is ubiquitous, more noticeable when she's absent than present. but jesus hardly exists.

one of the biggest blessings for me was to be able to give fernanda a bible for kids that explains our failure and sin and God's plan for salvation throughout history, culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. fernanda's mom, a new believer, thanked me profusely and promised to read it to her 4 kids. i am very thankful for the new church in ixtapaluca and for the fact that God is using it to reveal himself to people who are ready and willing to accept him in a society that doesn't.

this is my friend teo.















i met teo at the christian camp in amealco. he has a huge love for God, and a deep devotion to the word. he was born in mexico, but his family crossed the border illegally when he was about 9 years old, so he's spent more of his life in the united states. he grew up in a home without God. in fact he told me, "before, if someone would have asked me, i would have said 'umm catholic?' just because that's what mexicans are. but my family didn't believe in God." when he was 5 years old, his parents got him drunk for the first time, just because they thought it was funny, and taught him how to ride a bike, if that tells you anything about his life. in high school, he became a drug addict, into whatever he could get his hands on, whatever would keep him satisfied. his addiction ruled his life, and eventually it tore him apart. he didn't know what to do-- one day, broken and near the point of suicide, he cried out to God, saying "God, if you're really there and you really will come into my life, make it rain." within 20 minutes, the sky grew dark and it began to storm terribly. there was a tornado, but nothing could stop his elation... running around and shouting for joy, he became a christian that day. he gave up his drug addiction and sold his life to christ. i asked him if it was hard to give up the drugs, and he looked me in the eye and said "no. if i really believe God is who he says he is, then it's not impossible. i am free in Christ, no longer a slave to my sin, and the Spirit of God is inside of me." unfortunately, his family exiled him for becoming a christian. he was forced to live with uncles and friends, until he felt convicted to go back to mexico. he loved the united states, but felt as a believer he couldn't be here illegally. he went to puebla and entered the seminary there, but after living in the states for over half his life, encountered a lot of trouble. mexicans can be very judgmental against other mexicans, and his imperfect spanish made him a target and made him struggle to love his own people. but he continues to study, lacking only one year of school, and plans to minister in mexico, because he feels that's where God wants him to be, because he wants to be a part of the solution and not a critic of the problem.

teo was a huge encouragement to me, a clear example of the Spirit working to draw whom God chooses. there was nobody in his life to encourage teo to become a christian, and afterward he had to sacrifice everything for his faith-- his home, his family, his friends. he's a little like a huge, healthy tree in the middle of a desert... it almost makes no sense. but he helped me to realize God will use whoever he wants to use. he doesn't need our help (although he often allows us to help). if God calls you, absolutely nothing could keep you away from him, because he works even in the most adverse situations.


overall, i'm just in awe of who God is. being in another country helped open my eyes to how huge God is and how insignificant i am. he is working in all of creation, his ways are magnificent, and he is worthy of more praise than we could ever give him. until next time, i'm out.

salmos 8.1

"nuestro Dios y nuestro rey, ¡qué grande eres en toda la tierra! ¡tu grandeza está por encima de los cielos más altos!"

oops... i overestimated.

well. i slightly overestimated the availability of internet in veracruz... which wouldn't have mattered if only the internet hadn't gone out at the valtierra household. needless to say, i'm a few weeks behind in blogging. sometimes i think i'd be better off not trying.

i don't have a lot of time right now, but as for current updates.... i'm in dallas, texas right now!! welcome back to the beautiful USA. i proudly flushed toilet paper for the first time in 4 weeks this afternoon. the last couple of days have been a whirlwind of goodbyes as we packed up from mexico and then a whirlwind of hellos today as we meet all the other interns from CAM (who keep coming in from all their different summer sites). amidst all the chaos, we made a trip to see a doctor 2 days ago in Ixta because i had an allergic reaction to something i ate (unrelated to the reaction i had to my bed at camp.) and got really hot in the middle of lunch the other day broke out into really itchy hives. the doctor shot me up with something and i've been taking whatever pills they gave me ever since, without much success. dear mom and dad: i think we should go to the doctor to get tested when i get home.

as for now, i'm short on time, but thank you guys for allll your prayers. i've been learning a lott and can't wait to get home to see everyone. for now i'm broiling in the texas sun and recovering. later, gators.

get ready to sweat, kids.

camp was soo awesome.
i got home today at maybe 6 tonight, and in typical mexican fashion, left with my siblings 20 min later for a quincinera. tomorrow we leave right after church for our road trip to veracruz. for the first time we're headed somewhere really hot. until this point we've been at altitudes too high to feel the heat (to correct an earlier stated fact: camp was over 9000 ft up.) soo, planning on sweating a lot this week. i'm currently trying to frantically wash and dry my clothes in time... without a dryer. (in other words, i'm really exhausted... living the vida loca.) but absolutely loving it.

i really wish i had time and space to describe everything but it is late. i think & hope we will have internet in veracruz?? andd plan on doing some of the catching up when we get there. for now, just know this: at camp, i
met some really great people my own age
cooked some mexican food!
sang a few worship songs with a sweett band from up north
froze in the rain all week
had an allergic reaction to my mattress
spilled a lot of oreo pudding on my crotch
lit some fireworks
learned how to salsa
....... and loved every minute of it.

kyle ginder is going dark.

well chavos, this is my last post for a while. tomorrow morning we're taking a bus to queretaro (8000 feet above sea level!!) where we'll be staying at a camp in the middle of the woods for 10 days... without internet, obviously. so this page is about to go dark for a while (um, meaning i just wont post anything new til i get back to lovely ixtapaluca). for the next few days we'll be working around the camp, doing whatever maintenance/improvement kind of projects they have picked out for us. then there will be a week-long camp for 18-25 year olds (mexicans) and all the interns are going to participate. i'm pretty positive we'll be integrated into the different cabins with them, so i'm really looking forward to having some new amigos to learn about and learn from.

it is almost 1:00 am right now, but i did promise to write something of spiritual value here so before i go, a little something i am learning about.
one thing that is soooooooooooooooo (i really cannot emphasize that enough) blatantly obvious about the people we've encountered here is their hospitality. i really mean that. every single time we walk into someone's house, each person is readily greeted and hugged and kissed and welcomed and then ALWAYS offered something. whether its just water or juice or an entire meal, without fail, mexicans will share whatever they have to give. and it's not just because we're american; they treat each other the same way. there's a very different group mentality here, an acute awareness of each person's presence and needs, and a desire to care for them if there is any way that can be done. it certainly has made me reflect on my general selfishness, my tendency to pay attention to my certain familiar friends and my own needs and desires. if Christ has done so much on my behalf and continues to fill my life with an abundance of grace and i am now a slave to Him, why is it that my desires continue to dictate my actions? i think i have a lot to learn from the people here in that aspect, and i pray for a heart of service and a deeper compassion for other people.

as for now, i'm outt. adios gringos... be back in 10 days.

perros enojados.

my first sunday! during church i went to the youth group and listened to andrea teach... hearing the Bible preached in spanish is something i am really going to have to get used to... it's hard because i have to focus a lot and it gives me a headache. i'm looking forward to waking up tomorrow morning and devouring some of the sermons on my ipod before the day starts. but i really like listening to people worship in spanish... it amazes me how their voices are heard and celebrated in heaven just as much as ours.

we watched mexico lose today in the world cup :( which was not exactly ideal, to say the least. all the interns and some others (mexicans) from the church came over to samuel and auroras to watch and eat lunch. afterwards we played baseball with a tennis racket and it was so fun... there was a lot of laughing and teasing in both spanish and english and even spanglish, and it was good to start to feel normal here, that i am starting to know everyone as friends and not strangers.

my mexican culture learning today: esli and i went for a run in the mountains around where we live. for one thing, the altitude makes it harder to breathe. for another, the mountains are exhausting. but the best part is the angry dogs, perros enojados. apparently all dogs in mexico are really, really mad. luckily where i live most of them are locked up, so all they can do is snarl and bark and foam at the mouth at you. but every now and then you find a roamer that will chase you and jump on you and more or less attack you. looking back it's kind of funny, but at the time both of us were a little freaked out, even though she's used to it and lives here.

i'm really exhausted right now (therefore going to bed like a smart kid) but my goal for the next post is to share something of spiritual value, soo now there is that to look forward to. and now that i've told you publicly i'm obligated to do it. buenas noches chavos.

gringitas.

today i'm at the house tiffany is renting while she is here for a year... spending a lot of the day with the other girl interns until english class and basketball later. david calls us "las gringitas" or "gringita"... he adds -ito or -ita on everythingg. it's kind of a form of endearment, meaning sommething like "little." so we are the "little white girls." tonight we're having a sleepover for all the girls from the church, with movies and games and such... but we have no idea how many are coming so we're prepared for anything.

last night and this morning i got to spend a lot more time with my mexican family, especially aurora (mi madre) and melanie (mi hermana). i spent a lot of time with them this morning at breakfast talking about melanie's experience in canada last summer, where she studied english for a few months. apparently it was miserable because she was with a philippino family that didn't do a lot to accomodate her needs, so she was left to herself a lot and struggled the whole time. they made it really clear that if anything they hope to avoid that kind of experience for me, and repeatedly urged me to let them know what i like, what i don't like, if i need anything, etc. so i feel very much at home. tomorrow i get to spend the day with the family so i'm excited to get to know them on a deeper level. aurora and i had a great talk about some of the differences between our culture and theirs... the valtierras have been to pennsylvania before with rod's family for a vacation, so they understand something of american culture. the prevalent attitude seems to be that we have a lot of posessions in the states, so we talked about how things can give you a false sense of security and self sufficiency, when really you are very poor in spirit. one thing is certain; i've definitely already seen God's grace through the valtierras and their hospitality and warmth.

every meal is quite the experience... you never know what youre going to get. but the food is good. this morning we had tomales for breakfast. i had a tomale dulce, which is like a sweet corn dish cooked inside a corn husk. some things take a little getting used to, but there's always more than enough food... mexicans are extremely hospitable. every time you go to someone's house, they will always, always offer you something, even if it's just water.

my mexican culture rule for the day: "agua" does not mean water. it usually means some kind of juice that has water in it. "jugo" on the other hand, means straight up juice without anything else in it. if you want real water, you have to ask for "agua agua" or "agua simple." oh the things you learn in mexico.

me llamo cail.

ixtapaluca!! i made it, i'm here. currently sitting in the valtierra household using my host sister esli's computer. yesterday was quite probably the most overwhelming day of my lifee. i met the other interns: andrea, tiffany, jacklyn, stephanie, camron, micah. stephanie got here yesterday too, but the others have all been here for a month already. they're super close andd i already feel like i've known them for ages. i also met rod (the CAM missionary) and his wife, mayra, and their 3 kids. my host fam is the valtierras. samuel and aurora are my parents... they are wonderful and are very involved with the church, and my sisters are esli (who i share a room with) and melanie, and my brother is sammy.
beyond that there have been an endless stream of spanish names to learn and culture catching up to do... a couple of basic rules on mexican culture that i quickly picked up on:

rule number one. always kiss on the left cheek. kissing between girls and between guys/girls (but NOT guys/guys as poor micah learned the hard way) is almost always an appropriate greeting. i've kissed more people in 24 hours than i have in the rest of my entire life combined.

rule number two. in mexico, there's always room for one more. seriously. 20 people crammed into a van? no biggie. theres room for one more. 10 people crammed on one couch? hey, we got you covered. theres room for one more. regardless of how many people there already are or large the person is (small child or full grown adult?) there's always. always. room for more.

rule number three. the name kyle is utterly unpronouncable, and i'll probably remain nameless (you know, "hey you!") while i'm here. either that or i'll take on another name like claudia as david suggested. i told him my spanish teacher used to call me "quile" (kee-lay) but he scoffed and said it was ridiculoso. (david is a single mexican guy who lives attached to the church. he's hilarious and is kind of the 8th intern... always with us.) in english class today we tried to teach everyone to say kyle... andrea wrote "cail" on the board because its kind of a phonetic way of writing it with spanish vowels... so for now i'm cail. kind of.

for now i'm off to do devos, then bed... i think i'm waking up and running in the morning. at 7200 feet up that means a mile feels like a marathon, and i plan pretty much on not being able to breathe. que divertido, how fun. hasta luegooooooooooooooo.

well, i caved.

i've always avoided blogging like the plague. i don't really want to spend a lot of time updating a public journal that probably nobody is going to end up reading anyway, except maybe my mom (hi mom.) but due to numerous questions and requests, i figured this would be the easiest way to let everyone know what's going on in mexico while i'm gone. i don't plan on using it too extensively, and i plan on keeping things simple. but if you want to know what's up, this is the place to be.