Angelina's Life in Motion

Hello everyone and I hope you are having an excellent day. I am!! Well, I just checked the Lima weather. 13 F, feels like 2F. Well, today here in Puebla, we had the PCS Winter Picnic. Now, being a Lima girl, those two words just don't go together, you know. But here in Puebla, that's not the case. I have to tell you I just spent several hours outdoors for a lovely afternoon of activity. Temperature- 75F. It felt like summer. It was an absolutely beautful day for a picnic! I played a game called Fran-tan (I have no idea how to spell it. I don't even think it's a Spanish word.) But, anyways, it's similar to racquetball, (which I learned to love in college.) So, I had a great time. I played for probably an hour and a half without a break, but loved every minute of it. I'm so thankful for the time of fun activity God has provided for me here. Hmmm.... well, I was able to talk to my family last night. I call home about once a month and I just look forward to it and enjoy it so much! Especially when I get to talk to my mom. She is always so excited to hear from me.
Mrs. Hudson, if you haven't seen her yet, is in Lima. If you see her tell her that Debbie misses her!
I am very excited about the plans that Chi-Alpha is making to come down and do some work here at the school this summer. I'm working with the Hudsons to help plan that. I'm also going to be coming with the team. It will be such a neat thing for so many of my peers to see where God has called me and actually be a part of the ministry here at PCS!! I'm greatly looking forward to it.
Well, I want to close today by thanking you all again for your encouragement, prayer support and also financial support as God continues providing for a second year! Have a great week! Love, Angelina

Hello friends and family! God is faithful. This week was one of the most hectic weeks I've had yet this year! I had many school things going on this week and some frustrating times. However, God reminded me of His love and presence during the day "when everything went wrong!" He was there and He helped me realize that I need those kinds of days sometimes, when He is the only stable thing. How wonderful it is to be able to go to the Lord at any time. He is so good! Well, not only was the school week crazy, but the weather has also been a little weird. It rained 3 days in the past week and a half. Remember how it's not supposed to rain from November until May??? Well, it rained Friday and this morning. You know, the one time I leave me laundry on the line overnight, it rains the next day. :) So, I left it up to dry again and what happened? It rained again!! So, they are still hanging up. Well, today, I went out with a Mexican friend from church. Her name is Elizabeth and her dad is the one I tutor in English. Elizabeth also speaks fluent English. Well, here in Mexico, if you invite someone to do something, you pay for them, so she treated me to lunch and a movie. It was fun. She's very nice. I hope to do more things with her in the future. So, this was my first invitation from a Mexican. It's nice to have friends here and be accepted by my peers. Well, I'm going to leave you with just this short message because I've got grade cards to do this weekend, a bulletin board to change and several lessons plans to write. I've got to get busy. I"ll say again that I'm so glad God called me to a job I enjoy! Well, have a great week and remember, if you happen to have a day this week where everything goes wrong, thank God for it and let Him teach you something from it! Love, Angelina

Hola todo el mundo! Well, another week has flown by and God has been faithful! I had a very nice first week back. School went well and the students all seemed glad to be back. Yesterday I went to my first Mexican lunch at a Mexican home. The Hudsons and I were invited to a birthday dinner for the wife of the man I tutor in English. They attend my church here. I was a little nervous, not knowing what would be served, but I was pleasantly surprised. We had rice that had some kind of chile in it. It was a little hot, but I could stand it. Then, We had a Mexican soup that has hominy in it. (I've never heard of hominy before but I guess we have it in the states too.) I don't really care for this type of soup, but I was able to eat it. Then we had a Tres Leche cake. (3 milks) I've only had this kind of cake in Mexico and it is very good. It is made with 3 types of milks and is almost soggy, but it's very good. So, my first homemade Mexican meal was a success. Later we had a party at church for Kings Day, which was January 6. It is an event having to do with the wisemen. Thre is a bread called Rosca which is a speciality to this time of year. Inside the Rosca are hidden little plastic dolls. So, the tradition is that you pick any spot on the bread, (which resembles a big donut because it is round with the center cut out) and cut yourself a piece. If your piece has a doll, you are traditionally supposed to host a party in February. So, it was a fun event. I did not get a doll. Two other teachers, Erin and Joel came with me.
Well, I'd like to conclude this blog by sharing 2 prayer requests. First of all, a missionary couple here from EBM found out just this week that the wife, who was pregnant with twins, lost the babies several weeks ago. So, please pray for the Nevin family as they cope with their loss. Also, something that has been hanging heavy on the hearts of many people in our school this week is that 2 of our students have moved with their mother to Canada. They are leaving behind in Mexico the father and 4 youngest members of their family. The oldest of these four is in my 3rd grade class. This family which is composed of 2 different families is struggling to stay together and in desperation, the mother has left with her first 3 children (whose father died) in order to "wake-up" her husband. So, please pray for this family and for the children. It has saddened their hearts. Well, we know that God is faithful and He will work out something good from this situation! I challenge you to watch God at work in your own life this week! Angelina

Hola from Puebla, Mexico. I thank all of you for your prayers while I was traveling. Everything went smoothly during my flights and I am glad to be back. I had a not-so nice "Welcome Back" greeting in Mexico City though. First of all, when I went through immigration, the lady only gave me a 30-day VISA. Usually you get 90 days, and other people on my flight were getting the usual 90 days, but for some reason, the lady just felt like giving me 30. That means that after 30 days, I have to get my Visa renewed here in Puebla, but the normal renewal is 90 days, since that's what you usually have to start with, so there could be a complication because you are only allowed one renewal. If I can't get it renewed for 120 days, then I'll have to take a trip to the border, go across and re-enter to get a new VISA. So, we'll see what happens with it. Then, I got randomnly selected to be stopped and searched going through customs in Mexico City. They had to open up and check my suitcases. So, my first 30 minutes in Mexico were not very welcoming. However, it is good to back to Puebla. I'm almost ready for school tomorrow. I'm looking forward to what God is going to teach me about teaching over the rest of this school year. I was challenged while home at LBT to put more into the ministry God has called me to, so I'm looking forward to that. For those of you who may not have heard, I am planning to return a 2nd year to PCS. I have felt God's leading in several ways. Please, pray with me again that God will provide the finances needed for a second year. God did exceedingly above what I could ask or think this summer and I know He is able to do it again. The church continues to have an account for me for people to give through the offering. Thank you for your encouragement and support. I look forward to hearing from many of you over these next few months. Please don't hesitate to drop me an e-mail or letter. I'd love to hear from you. Tienen una bonita semana! (Have a great week!) Angelina