Angelina's Life in Motion

A warm greeting to all my cold friends and family members!! Carol Hudson got back to Puebla last night from Ohio and told me that it's been mostly below 0 there. Well, you'll be surprised to here this.... Friday night I was having dinner with my friends when we found out from the principal that the Autopista (the Interstate) that runs from Puebla to Mexico City was closed because it was snowing!!! I'm not kidding.. it was that cold, plus it rained all day! I happened to have my Mexican friend, Elizabeth, over for dinner and she is probably close to 30. She said it's never snowed near Puebla before, except for in the mountains. And the rain is very unusual too! So, it was crazy! I didn't see the snow, because it was a little north of where I am, but it wasn't far away! Speaking of crazy, it was a crazy week! First of all, my students had a Poetry Party where they recited poems they'd memorized and used props to go with them. They had to dress up, and use a microphone. We had it in the chapel and invited their families along with the other elementary classes. It went well. Everyone enjoyed it! I was very proud of my class. I, however, forgot a line in the poem I wrote for my class. I had a line about each student and said their names in it, so when I forgot the line, I left out a student. His mom told me afterwards. So, I felt really bad about that. He forgave me though. Well, now comes the really hectic and crazy part. On Wednesday, we planned for me to go to the immigration office and get my visa renewed. It really is no big deal, or else, it shouldn't be. So, I had a substitute for that morning and went with Rick Hudson and another teacher up to the office. I was 2nd in line and thought, this is going to be simple. However, it was not. Not at all. Because I only got 30 days coming in to the country, the man at the office said he couldn't extend it for more than 30 days. He said I probably could come back at get it renewed 30 days at a time until my 180 days is up. But, I'd have to pay about 20 dollars every time and get a substitute once a month. Plus, I don't even know for sure if they would renew it. (They kind of make up rules as they go down here, or so it seems.) So, after some frantic checking (because my 30 days would end in 3 days) Rick Hudson contacted an immigration lawyer in Mexico City who helps missionaries and she agreed to help us the next day. (She told us that the man had every right to extend my visa 150 days and that he was just being stubborn.) However, we had to go to Mexico City to do it. So, we left early in the morning on a bus to Mexico City, then took the metro, during rush hour to the side of the city where the immigration office is. WHen I was on the metro, I saw a pick-pocketer. He was directly in front of me and I saw him fishing around in another guy's jacket pocket. Fortunately, it was empty. After that, I moved down to another section. I didn't want him trying to pick my pockets! I have to admit I was very nervous on the metro. It was wall to wall people and I know about pickpocketing and such things, plus I was the only American as far as I could see, so that made it more awkward. Also, Rick Hudson and I got on separate cars because when we first got on, they were segregated, guys on one end, girls on the other. Halfway through, it was no longer segregated. So, that made me even more nervous. Rick said he was really worried about me getting off at the right stop, but I did. After the metro, we took a bus to the immigration office. There we met the lawyer and another missionary couple she was helping. We were both waiting on her for quite some time. As it turned out, the man in the car in front of her had a seizure and she had to take him to the hospital. So, she was late. After about 2 hours, she had everything taken care of, and I am now legally allowed to be in Mexico unitl July 7. Praise the Lord. We got back to Puebla around 4:30 that evening. Finally, another interesting experience I had this week was going to a village in the Sierra mountains. The mountain range is actually at a lower attitude than Puebla, but is very hilly. After driving about 3 hours, we spent nearly another hour going up 5 or 6 miles from the interstate around the side of the mountain. It was a beautiful view. It had rained there the day before and the dirt roads were pure mud/clay. So, it was an interesting ride up. The village is an Indian village. Half the people speak Totanok, and the other half speak another Indian dialect. There is a clinc there where the principal's daughter-in-law wants to volunteer dental service once a month. (She lives in Puebla.) So, we went with a group to check out the clinic. The people there speak very little Spanish. We only saw 1 car and that belonged to the doctor at the clinic. THere is a Christian church there, which in the past has gone through many trials. The Catholic priest in the town told lies about the evangelical couple there and they actually were planning on killing him one night when a few other Catholics defended him, refuting the lies that had been told about him. So, there are about 150 people who attend the church every Sunday now. However, the men that accept Christ will often times abandon there families and move to the big cities to work. (They become prosperous after their Christianity and then desire material things, and often times they learn how to read in the church and then go off to make a better living.) So, it's very sad. We saw women washing clothes in the river. The houses are mostly made of wood and have dirt floors. There is not much running water. Their houses are built randomly on the side of the mountain. There are dirt paths, but no roads. Some do have electricity though. The clinic is a very modern building with running water, bathrooms, appliances and is made from concrete. I thought about how different that life is from mine....it's very peaceful there, but so removed from modern civilization. However, they too, are in need of Christ. It makes me remember that nothing matters to Christ, except if you have put your faith and trust in him!! Well, I hope you have enjoyed reading about all my adventures this week! God has been faithful (as always) and has broadened my horizons once again! Have a great week! Love, Angelina
P.S. I hope you enjoy the Superbowl. I'll be watching it in Spanish. :)