[Thursday, April 21, 2005]
Dear Family and Friends,
Blessings from Mexico. I have a lot to write about as I have not written in a couple weeks. I have less than 50 days left in Mexico and I am planning to enjoy every minute of it! First of all, the #1 thing I wanted to do before I left Mexico was climb a mountain named La Malinche. It is higher than any point in the continental US, so it’s really cool to have it only 2 hours away. So, last Saturday, I went with my friends, Kathryn and Wendy to La Malinche. We left the base of the mountain at about 8am and made it to the treeline in about 3 ½ hours, which was pretty good for US American girls, who haven’t grown up in high altitude. The day was gorgeous. We walked through paths that wound through the woods of tall green trees. The birds were chirping and the squirrels running around. We also saw a cow herder with a big herd of cows. The view from the ridge was beautiful in spite of the clouds all around. We had a great climb. Then, after the treeline the path was very rocky and steeper. I enjoyed making my way through the rocks and made it to some huge boulders, about 40 minutes away from the summit. I really wanted to summit, but the lingering dark clouds were threatening and one of my friends ran out of energy and for those reasons we started back down. I was a little disappointed that I was so close to my goal and couldn’t reach, but I was thankful for all the blessings I’d had on the hike. On the way back down we stopped for awhile and had a time of prayer, praise and reading some Psalms. It was so neat to be looking over God’s creation as we sung to Him, “Oh, God You’re an awesome God, You reign.” Don’ t you just love those times when God leads you to a place where you can experience Him in a special way! It was a great day!
Well, my student teacher has become a great friend to me and I’ve enjoyed having her in the class. She has been a great encourager to me and has shown the kids a lot of love. She has only 5 days left in Mexico, 3 of which we will spend at the beach in Veracruz, Mexico, on the Gulf Coast. The 7th-12th grade at PCS have an annual trip there and it’s this weekend. I’m excited to have a weekend of relaxation, salt water and fun. (Well, I’m not that find of the salt water, but I do like the ocean!)
Tomorrow my class is putting on a recital of poetry. We’ve worked very hard to memorize poems to share with the other elementary students and parents. It’s going to be a really fun time. It’s our big event of the year! Next time I write I will let you know how it went.
One last thing, I got a new student this week. He is from Brazil and he speaks Portugese. I’ve enjoyed having him in class this week and look forward to working with him for the rest of the school year. He’s quiet and works hard. He will be challenged by the all English atmosphere. He has a lot to learn and I’m glad that I get to be the one to help him! He will be a blessing to me.
Well, thank you so much for your prayer and support. I ask you to pray that the rest of my time here in Mexico. Pray for God to accomplish in and through me what He desires. Please also pray for my future plans as I find where God is moving!
Love,
Angelina
Blessings from Mexico. I have a lot to write about as I have not written in a couple weeks. I have less than 50 days left in Mexico and I am planning to enjoy every minute of it! First of all, the #1 thing I wanted to do before I left Mexico was climb a mountain named La Malinche. It is higher than any point in the continental US, so it’s really cool to have it only 2 hours away. So, last Saturday, I went with my friends, Kathryn and Wendy to La Malinche. We left the base of the mountain at about 8am and made it to the treeline in about 3 ½ hours, which was pretty good for US American girls, who haven’t grown up in high altitude. The day was gorgeous. We walked through paths that wound through the woods of tall green trees. The birds were chirping and the squirrels running around. We also saw a cow herder with a big herd of cows. The view from the ridge was beautiful in spite of the clouds all around. We had a great climb. Then, after the treeline the path was very rocky and steeper. I enjoyed making my way through the rocks and made it to some huge boulders, about 40 minutes away from the summit. I really wanted to summit, but the lingering dark clouds were threatening and one of my friends ran out of energy and for those reasons we started back down. I was a little disappointed that I was so close to my goal and couldn’t reach, but I was thankful for all the blessings I’d had on the hike. On the way back down we stopped for awhile and had a time of prayer, praise and reading some Psalms. It was so neat to be looking over God’s creation as we sung to Him, “Oh, God You’re an awesome God, You reign.” Don’ t you just love those times when God leads you to a place where you can experience Him in a special way! It was a great day!
Well, my student teacher has become a great friend to me and I’ve enjoyed having her in the class. She has been a great encourager to me and has shown the kids a lot of love. She has only 5 days left in Mexico, 3 of which we will spend at the beach in Veracruz, Mexico, on the Gulf Coast. The 7th-12th grade at PCS have an annual trip there and it’s this weekend. I’m excited to have a weekend of relaxation, salt water and fun. (Well, I’m not that find of the salt water, but I do like the ocean!)
Tomorrow my class is putting on a recital of poetry. We’ve worked very hard to memorize poems to share with the other elementary students and parents. It’s going to be a really fun time. It’s our big event of the year! Next time I write I will let you know how it went.
One last thing, I got a new student this week. He is from Brazil and he speaks Portugese. I’ve enjoyed having him in class this week and look forward to working with him for the rest of the school year. He’s quiet and works hard. He will be challenged by the all English atmosphere. He has a lot to learn and I’m glad that I get to be the one to help him! He will be a blessing to me.
Well, thank you so much for your prayer and support. I ask you to pray that the rest of my time here in Mexico. Pray for God to accomplish in and through me what He desires. Please also pray for my future plans as I find where God is moving!
Love,
Angelina
[Sunday, April 03, 2005]
Hello to all my friends and family! You probably think that I forgot about you since it's been so long since I've updated the blog. Time has gone by quickly! Well, there is a lot to tell about so I'd better get started. First of all, I'll tell you a little about my student teacher. Her name is Sandy Archer and she is from Bethel College in Indiana. We have gotten along very well. She and I developed an instant friendship. The kids like her a lot and are enjoying having her in our class. This week she will begin teaching full time for 2 1/2 weeks. That will leave me with some extra time. I'm hoping to plan lessons for when I take over the class again and also spend more time studying Spanish.
Well, I was able to spend time reflecting on my faith and the covenant God has made with me through His Son, Jesus Christ. On Good Friday I was able to see The Passion for the first time. It was very moving and it provoked a lot of thought in my mind. I liked the way that viewing what happened versus reading about it really helped me to see different perspectives and appreciate more what Christ did for us. It is an amazing reminder that although there are many religions in our world, only Christianity has a demonstration of God's love for His creation and only Christianity shows proof of God's power over life and dead. How blessed I am to know God and His Son Jesus Christ. I know that He alone is the way, the truth and the life! Easter Sunday was also a day to think upon this miraculous love. We had a sunrise service at a church member's home. After church on Sunday, I made and had lunch with 3 friends. We had a fun time eating and enjoying each other's company.
Well, my most recent and most exciting experience lately was having visitors!!!! Yes, some people actually came all the way to Puebla, Mexico just to see me. I was so blessed to have them here. My aunt Rose and my sister, Tiffany flew into Mexico City on Monday. I went to the airport to meet them and brought them back to Puebla. We stayed in my apartment. On Monday night my sister went to youth group with me. On Tuesday I had my class over for a pizza party. There was no school for us last week. So, we played games, had a water balloon toss in the park and ate pizza. It was so much fun. My family and the kids really enjoyed it! On Tuesday night we went to the mall here and had dinner. On Wednesday we went with some of my friends to the pyramid in Cholula. I've been there several times, but this time I got to be the guide and it was fun to show them a new place. We bought some straw art there. Tiffany and Rose also enjoyed doing a little shopping in Cholula. For dinner we went to my favorite restaurant here- La Suprema Salsa- it's only 2 blocks away and it's very good Mexican food. We ordered a few different things so they could try various foods. I think they liked it. It's especially fun for foreigners to experiment with the different types of salsas. :) On Thursday we headed to downtown Puebla. We first went to a pottery shop. On the way to the pottery shop we passed through a little market. I had a very interesting experience there. I was walking down the aisle, which happened to be very narrow and I saw these two guys coming. They were carrying something heavy and yelling. Well, then I realized that they were coming through whether or not I was in their way. I ducked just in time and barely missed being hit by what they were carrying. I looked behind to see that they were carrying a cow all ready to be butchered. It was stripped of skin but it was still bloody. That's the first time in my life that I've almost been hit by a dead cow. My sister thought it was pretty funny and I'm sure she has told the story to many people at home. Well, anyways, after that we made it safely to the pottery shop. The guy there is very nice and he really enjoys selling to people from our school. He took Rose, Tiffany and I into the room where he makes things and explained the process of how things are made. He spoke mostly in Spanish, so I got to be the translator. That was fun and good practice. He also gave aunt Rose a discount on everything she bought. She took tons of pictures in the pottery shop. Then we walked to the market and had fun buying some things. After that we walked to the zocalo (the town square) and then onto a restaurant. We met my friend, Kathryn for dinner and after dinner she drove us to a hill that overlooks the city of Puebla. My family really enjoyed the fabulous view and the lights of the city. On Friday morning we loaded up and went back to Mexico City. I left them at the airport and they made it safely back to Ohio. I am so thankful that they were able to come visit me. It was very special and I will always remember it.
Well, I think that brings us up to date. The time I have left here in Puebla is growing shorter. I have just over 2 months left and I plan to enjoy every moment of it. I am also getting excited about going home. I feel like it is a special blessing from God to be able to spend some time at home after being away from my family. I know that God is preparing me for something new and I'm just praying that I'll know His will. Thank you for your prayer, support and friendship. Have a blessed week!
Angelina
Well, I was able to spend time reflecting on my faith and the covenant God has made with me through His Son, Jesus Christ. On Good Friday I was able to see The Passion for the first time. It was very moving and it provoked a lot of thought in my mind. I liked the way that viewing what happened versus reading about it really helped me to see different perspectives and appreciate more what Christ did for us. It is an amazing reminder that although there are many religions in our world, only Christianity has a demonstration of God's love for His creation and only Christianity shows proof of God's power over life and dead. How blessed I am to know God and His Son Jesus Christ. I know that He alone is the way, the truth and the life! Easter Sunday was also a day to think upon this miraculous love. We had a sunrise service at a church member's home. After church on Sunday, I made and had lunch with 3 friends. We had a fun time eating and enjoying each other's company.
Well, my most recent and most exciting experience lately was having visitors!!!! Yes, some people actually came all the way to Puebla, Mexico just to see me. I was so blessed to have them here. My aunt Rose and my sister, Tiffany flew into Mexico City on Monday. I went to the airport to meet them and brought them back to Puebla. We stayed in my apartment. On Monday night my sister went to youth group with me. On Tuesday I had my class over for a pizza party. There was no school for us last week. So, we played games, had a water balloon toss in the park and ate pizza. It was so much fun. My family and the kids really enjoyed it! On Tuesday night we went to the mall here and had dinner. On Wednesday we went with some of my friends to the pyramid in Cholula. I've been there several times, but this time I got to be the guide and it was fun to show them a new place. We bought some straw art there. Tiffany and Rose also enjoyed doing a little shopping in Cholula. For dinner we went to my favorite restaurant here- La Suprema Salsa- it's only 2 blocks away and it's very good Mexican food. We ordered a few different things so they could try various foods. I think they liked it. It's especially fun for foreigners to experiment with the different types of salsas. :) On Thursday we headed to downtown Puebla. We first went to a pottery shop. On the way to the pottery shop we passed through a little market. I had a very interesting experience there. I was walking down the aisle, which happened to be very narrow and I saw these two guys coming. They were carrying something heavy and yelling. Well, then I realized that they were coming through whether or not I was in their way. I ducked just in time and barely missed being hit by what they were carrying. I looked behind to see that they were carrying a cow all ready to be butchered. It was stripped of skin but it was still bloody. That's the first time in my life that I've almost been hit by a dead cow. My sister thought it was pretty funny and I'm sure she has told the story to many people at home. Well, anyways, after that we made it safely to the pottery shop. The guy there is very nice and he really enjoys selling to people from our school. He took Rose, Tiffany and I into the room where he makes things and explained the process of how things are made. He spoke mostly in Spanish, so I got to be the translator. That was fun and good practice. He also gave aunt Rose a discount on everything she bought. She took tons of pictures in the pottery shop. Then we walked to the market and had fun buying some things. After that we walked to the zocalo (the town square) and then onto a restaurant. We met my friend, Kathryn for dinner and after dinner she drove us to a hill that overlooks the city of Puebla. My family really enjoyed the fabulous view and the lights of the city. On Friday morning we loaded up and went back to Mexico City. I left them at the airport and they made it safely back to Ohio. I am so thankful that they were able to come visit me. It was very special and I will always remember it.
Well, I think that brings us up to date. The time I have left here in Puebla is growing shorter. I have just over 2 months left and I plan to enjoy every moment of it. I am also getting excited about going home. I feel like it is a special blessing from God to be able to spend some time at home after being away from my family. I know that God is preparing me for something new and I'm just praying that I'll know His will. Thank you for your prayer, support and friendship. Have a blessed week!
Angelina
