Balance and Belonging

Have I shared with you all how much I LOVE the food here??!?! Everything I have been served, I have loved. Muy muy rico, is a phrase that comes often from my lips. I am finally getting to the point where I feel somewhat comfortable down here. I have a sense of balance in my life and a place where I belong. This is not to say that God is not still stretching me and placing obstacles in my way. Many people have told me how impressed they are at how much Spanish I am understanding. I can usually understand what people say to me in Spanish, but actually responding to them is the difficult part. It is so hard to find the right word to use. I know this is common, though, because that is exactly how Sean and Lisa are.

I am getting excited about all the Christmas festivities at the church and within the community. We are planning outreaches to some orphanages, hospitals, the Tarahumara community, and the city center. Christmas events and community volunteering, what could be better!?!?!?

I have started meeting with Lisa, who is the pastor's wife, once a week. We are going through a study on spiritual gifts. I have enjoyed our time together of discovering knew things from Scripture. Spiritual gifts is something she is very passionate about, and something that I had not thought about too much. We are looking at examples from Scripture and investigating the strengths and weaknesses of each gift. This week, we did our study at Denny's! They even had menus in English, although we still had to order in Spanish. HA!

Soledad Light Shine has gotten easier since I first started helping them. Only the children who are sponsored are allowed to attend the program, but the other children have stopped coming and trying to participate. It was so sad to see so many kids who want to be in the program but are unable to be. We finally have name tags for all of the children which really helps. We are working on Christmas songs and a skit to present to their parents in December. I have enjoyed learning the Spanish version of Jingle Bells :-)

CAMPANA POR DOQUIER

RESUENAN SIN CESAR,

PROCLAMAN CON PLACER

QUE HOY ES NAVIDAD

LOS NIÑOS CON CANCIÓN

LA GRATA NUEVA DAN

DE ESTE DÍA DE AMOR

Y BUENA VOLUNTAD.

NAVIDAD, NAVIDAD,

HOY ES NAVIDAD,

ES UN DÍA DE ALEGRÍA

Y FELICIDAD

NAVIDAD, NAVIDAD,

HOY ES NAVIDAD,

ES UN DÍA DE ALEGRÍA

Y FELICIDAD

EL NIÑO DE BELÉN

NOS TRAE LA SALVACIÓN

CON JUBILO SIN PAR

SE ENTONA LA CANCIÓN:

YO TE AMO, MI SEÑOR,

TUS GLORIAS CANTARÉ,

EN ESTE DÍA TAN FELIZ

ME REGOCIJARÉ.

1 month down...

  Mexico has definitely been quite an adventure from trying to learn the language to all the different foods they eat and even the times in which they eat.  I think, after a month, I am finally starting to adjust. I wake up each morning around 8am and have breakfast, but the girls I am staying with do not wake up until almost 9:30 or 10. Mexicans are very relaxed about everything, especially on the time things start and end. No one really has to be in to work at a specific time. It is nice to have that time of quietness in the morning before my busy day begins. I work at the church every morning from 10:30 until around 2. I do all sorts of things: filing letters and other documents for the Light Shine ministry; cleaning the church; helping with the kids at Light Shine twice a week; organizing closets and storage areas; caring for the infants in nursery for Saturday evening services; making fancy coffees and baking for the cafe; and much more!

   My favorite part, so far, has definitely been working with all the Tahamarian children in the Light Shine ministry. It is so neat to see how eager they are to learn everything they can about the Bible. They are wild and crazy before and after Light Shine, but during devotion time, they pay very close attention and answer all the questions their teacher asks them. God is definitely doing a mighty work in this ministry! 

   I have also enjoyed getting to know all the different missionaries and church members here. They are all so loving and welcoming, as well as very understanding of my lack of knowledge when it comes to Spanish. I am learning some Spanish, but it is coming very slowly. I have the basic greeting down very well. They actually say, “Thanks be to God” at the end of their greeting. For a while, I thought they were saying goodbye because it sounds like “ gracias, adios” (thanks, goodbye)but it is separated as “gracias a Dios” (thanks to God). I also learned that the word “stupid” in English translates to a curse word in Spanish. It is not a word I say very often, but I made the mistake of saying it in a casual conversation with a native speaker who also knows English. He told me NEVER to say that word again! 

  Time has definitely gone by fast here. I cannot really believe I have been here for a month. I am definitely enjoying serving the Lord in the ministry down here. It is teaching me how my everyday life should be in full service to Him no matter what I am doing. Most days, I am doing basic clerical work that no one will every know I even did, but it is not any different in God’s eyes then working one-on-one with an indian child. 

Week 2

It will be 2 weeks tomorrow, that I have been here in Chihuahua. The weeks have definitely gone by fast. I still feel like I just arrived. Things are slowly starting to feel more comfortable like their crazy hand shake with a kiss on the cheek (a normal greeting and goodbye) followed by, "Como esta usted?... Muy bien...y tu?...bien, gracias". All straight from the Spanish textbooks! I am also picking up little spanish phrases here and there. Food is "muy rico" which means very rich. I thought "me gusto" (I like) would be more appropriate, but apparently not. "Otra cosas"- other things..."tambien"- also... "hasta la vista" - see you later  (always makes me laugh when they say this). 

God is teaching me a lot already during my time here. Pastor Sean has been encouraging me to find my fulfillment in Christ alone; especially when I am feeling homesick or out-of-place. I am really trying to live that out. When I just want to go home, I pray to the Lord to fill that "homesick place in my heart". We as humans think it only natural to be homesick, but it is really an earthly desire, not a heavenly one. It is okay for me to think often about home, but not to desire it more that serving the Lord where He has placed me at this time in my life. 

I have been spending many evenings serving in Cafe 1040 which is attached to the church building and run by the church. It is an outreach to the community. I have played games like dominoes and cards with people that speak only Spanish. That is quite a challenge, but it always produces a lot of laughter and fun! I have also learned how to use the espresso machine and how to pronounce e-spress-o properly.

I will have to update more later. Hasta la vista ;-)

1 week down...

I have been here for almost a week. God is definitely stretching me! That is really the only way I can describe my experience thus far. There hasn't been one moment where I haven't felt uncomfortable or out-of-place. The language barrier has been the most frustrating part for me. I have met so many neat people that I wish I could have a real conversations with. I keep reminding myself that it is only the first week. I know many spanish words and "forget" them when put on the spot by a native speaker. I know, with time, the words will flow more naturally.

Lots and lots of "firsts" for me. I tasted sushi for the first time when we went out for Lisa's birthday. I helped in Light Shine for my first time. I had my first service at Capilla Calivario. It was so neat to worship the Lord in English and Spanish! I ate at a road side stand for my first time with Marcos, Alma, and Fatima. I was so nervous that I would get sick, but thank the Lord I am still feeling fine! I cared for spanish speaking children in nursery for the first time. I got to practice by spanish reading books to them :-)

I don't really know what other things to tell you all about. Any questions...what do you want to hear about?

Officially in Mexico

Dad, Fran, and Bethany took me to the airport at 5 o'clock in the morning. When we arrived, I had a wonderful surprise. Zach, Amanda, and Mel were all waiting there to say goodbye before heading home from dropping off the Rafferty family. After a tearful goodbye (on Fran's part not mine), I headed towards security for my full body pat-down and leg x-ray! I enjoyed a delicious pumpkin muffin(baked by Janelle) while on the first leg of my journey. All of my flights went smoothly yesterday, and I arrived in El Paso at 11:50am. I waited at baggage claim to meet up with the Rafferty family and begin our ride into Mexico.

We made a few stops in El Paso and had to get a tire repaired as well. We crossed the first border where I applied for my 6 month visa (no, I am not actually staying for 6 months). I got my first taste of Spanish from a native Mexican, and was surprised at how much I understood! I was still glad that Lisa was there with me to help me out. The military check points were a bit intimidating. Men dressed in camouflage with machine guns across their backs made me feel a bit uneasy.

For the first few hours of my time in Mexico, all I saw was dessert land filled with dirt, yucca plants, and mountains in the distance. The sunset over the Rocky Mountains was gorgeous. I enjoyed the car ride, getting to know the Rafferty's better; their likes (asian food) and dislikes (mayo). They also taught me a lot about the culture of Mexico.

Today they took me to the church and gave me a tour. There was then a women's ministry meeting at the church where I got the meet the missionary women as well as some of the women of the church. Everyone is so welcoming, as well as understanding of my uncomfortableness and weak knowledge of the language. Rocio and Fatima took me to the local supermarket, which has a food court, for lunch.... green chili chicken enchilladas---delicious! They then took me back to their house where I will be staying for the next few months. I am now unpacked at ready to begin my Mexico missionary adventure.  I am sure I can only imagine what the Lord has in store for me!

Lasts

Worshiping on Sunday at Open Bible was just like any other Sunday there...announcements, worship, sermon, special music, etc. Yet the whole time I could not help but think about how I do not have many Sundays left here. As amazing as I am sure it will be in Mexico, I know I am going to miss everyone at Open Bible so much the next few months. It was my last time to share in the Lord's Supper with my church family until New Year's Eve. Sundays will be very different. I will not be greeted by people I have known nearly my whole life. Faces that I look forward to seeing week after week after week. I truly treasure my church family, but I know that Mexico holds new faces for me to meet and learn from.

17 days and counting!!!!

Booking my flight today. This cannot really be happening?!?!?!


I am going to work with a missions group in Chihuahua, Mexico for 3 months. This group felt called to bring God’s love to this region of Mexico 4 years ago, to a population of Indians who have no word for “love” in their own language. The common occupation for the women and children is begging on street corners to feed their families because the men are not present in the homes to provide. There is also strong racist resentment from the Mexicans and these native Indians. The missionaries started a church to reach out to both groups and help bridge the gap between the Mexicans and Indians. The church, Capilla Calvario, ministers to the people through a worship service on Sundays, a children’s ministry two days a week, women’s and men’s Bible study, and a cafe which is open normal business hours throughout the week. The missionaries did not expect to see any adult come to know Christ is less than 10 years, but God saw fit to bring 3 men to Christ within the first 4 years. I am so excited to go down to this community and see, first hand, the amazing things God is doing to bring His light into this once dark city. 

This world needs Jesus, and God calls us to go out and be disciples to the nations of the world (Mark 16:15 ). Yes, there are ways to share God’s love in the United States, but at this time, God is calling me to minister to the Tahamurara Indians of Mexico. I have been trying to make my own community my missions field, just as we all should. I have served in soup kitchens, nursing homes, shelters, and assisted with various church activities/groups. It is so neat to see how God can use you on an everyday basis if you are open and willing. Now, it’s time to take things I have learned here to a new longitude and latitude. 

I covet your prayers and emotional support during my time in Mexico. Keep checking in here for more updates!!!

Heavenly Aromas

I have decided that heaven will smell of freshly baked bread. Wouldn't it be just delightful. I personally get pretty sick of smelling cookies, cakes, pies, and the like when it is all I smell for weeks, but bread has a light smell that is...well...the only word that I can think of to describe bread baking in the oven is... heavenly! So how and where did my infatuation with bread start? Well, doesn't everyone love bread!?!?!? One of the first things they tell you in Weight Watchers is to beware of bread... the basket of dinner rolls at fine restaurants can destroy a diet. They know that bread is one of those foods that everyone likes. It comes is such variety too...rye, potatoe, wheat, French, Italian, the lists goes on and on.


I was at Williams-Sonoma at Towson Town and ran into a friend of Fran's. I was introduced to him and we got on the topic of baking. He said that anyone who aspires to be a great baker needs to learn the art of bread baking. He recommended The Bread Bible. I have never dabbled in bread baking, but thought it may be something new and fun to try out. My sister-in-law, Amanda, has been learning to bake bread from my grandmother and her mother. She has had some difficulties which caused me some hesitation, but I decided to go for it. The lady I work for loves to cook and bake. I found that she owned a copy of The Bread Bible. I asked to borrow her copy and she complied adding her commendations as well. That is what brought me to where I am today... enjoying the rich aroma of fresh baked Buttermilk Honey Bread.

“Bread is the king of the table and all else is merely the court that surrounds the king. The countries are the soup, the meat, the vegetables, the salad but bread is king.”

~Louis Bromfield, American novelist ~

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.”

~Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet~

Hmmm....

Boy am I aweful at keeping up with a blog. I really need to get on and at least post pictures more often. I have been pretty busy with school work. Being junior is a lot of work. Anyway...enough excuses!

I learned something neat in my law class the other day. My ears perked right up when I heard the professor say "tort". He was not talking about the tort I was familiar with, though. Tort law is,
"A body of rights, obligations, and remedies that is applied by courts in civil proceedings to provide relief for persons who have suffered harm from the wrongful acts of others. The person who sustains injury or suffers pecuniary damage as the result of tortious conduct is known as the plaintiff, and the person who is responsible for inflicting the injury and incurs iability for the damage is known as the defendant or tortfeasor."
Quite a mouthful. My easy way of describing it and remembering it for tests is, " A civil wrong that interferes with one's property or person. e.g. tort of trespass, battery, assult, false imprisonment..." Kinda neat, isn't it.

As for my baking, I have had a few cake orders. Here are the pictures:

The cupcakes were for Mothering Mommies LLC. (Amanda's mom's business). October 9th is National Pro-life Cupcake Day. I bet you did not even know that day existed! The idea behind it is,

"Cupcakes were designed with birthdays in mind.However, not everyone has been allowed to be born.In fact one in three children will never celebrate their first birthday due to abortion. We simply don't think it's fair that so many children don't ever get to have a birthday party. So we thought that we would schedule a day to remember the children, who never get to blow out the candles, unwrap their gifts and eat some cake."

Here are some other exciting things that have happened over the past couple of months.

Anne Elise Correlli was born....

Pappy now has 4 lovely granddaughters. Only two can fit in his arms at a time, though. I'm sure he wishes he had more arms to hold them all :) ....

Summer......Annie................Kiera........................Molly....

CrossCurrent's Harvest Party was held at our house. I dressed up as a girl from the 1940's...

Dad and Luke celebrated their birthdays. I got a little lazy and just made giant chocolate chip cookies... nothing very fancy....

I also celebrated my 20th birthday. Fran made me a coconut cake (my favorite kind) and Ethan decorated a cake for me as well...

Sorry, nothing too terribly exciting has happened. Maybe I will get back on here soon and post some stories of the cakes. My aim for this post was just to get the pictures on here. Hope you all enjoy.

"The future... seems to me no unified dream but a mince pie, long in the baking, never quite done.”
Edward Young quotes

Happy Easter

Welcome, Spring!!!!!

So why haven't I been blogging? Well there are two reasons: too busy and a feeling of inadequacy. I know many of my readers out there (all 5 of you :) are wonderful wives/ mother or soon to be of which I am neither. You have wonderful stories and life lessons learned. I am a simply college girl that loves to bake. How can I make a difference through the blogging world :/ I have been enjoying reading everyone else's blogs that I haven't written any of my own. At first, I had decided that I am not a very good writer and felt so inferior after reading all of yours. I have come to realize, though, that everyone has a story. We each need to share ourselves with others, so that others may benefit as well (even if it is just baking tips :)

Anyway...You all have been asking for a new blog, so here it is. If any of you thought I just must not be doing much baking, you are foolish. I always bake. Baking is a way of life for me, like breathing. Not a day goes by that I do not, at least, think about baking :)

What have I been up to during this dormant time in my blogging life? I have been embarking on all sorts of exciting baking adventures. The first of which was Chocolate Souffles. I have had these Ramekins for a while and never used them. I found this recipe in the newspaper and thought I would try it. Never in my life had I even attempted souffles because I have heard they can be very tempermental. They turned out beautifully. When I served them, I wasn't sure whether you are to use a spoon or fork to eat them. I ended up giving each person a spoon AND a fork :)

My next baking venture was a Maryland cake. Ethan's class has been doing a report on Maryland for the past month (maybe even a little longer). Maryland day, March 25, was coming up (I had not idea such a day even existed) and his teacher wanted to have a small celebration since it would go along with their report. She asked me to make a cake that would resemble the Maryland flag. I was more than happy to oblige ( I always love an excuse to bake:) Here's how it turned out....my hand hurt after piping so much. Ethan told me I was lucky, though. At least, the Maryland flag is one of the easier patterns for our state flags.

We had our family birthday party back in January to celebrate the birthdays for the December/January babies. They requested an ice cream cake. I had never done on before, so I googled to find a recipe. This one turned out pretty well, although, I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I felt that putting regular icing on it would make it way too rich. I used cool whip to cover the outside of the cake and then put some fudge in the center of the top layer. Funny story... I don't have any round cake pans that are the same size so I used one 9 inch tube pan and one 9 inch regular cake pan to make the cakes. Then I used a 10 inch and I don't even remember the other pan size for the ice cream part of the cake. I added the fudge to fill in the hole on the top of the cake and had to cut some of the ice cream part off to make the cake side's even. It looked a little lopsided, but tasted great.

I had been anticipating making these spaghetti cupcakes for April Fool's day. My dad gave me Hello Cupcake for Christmas and I had found this design. I thought it was very clever, so I made them for my Pathfinders....Butter cream icing, strawberry jam, malt balls, and white chocolate shavings.....delicious!

Next up is not a baking project of mine but it's cooking. I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine and I just had to try it. It was so simple too. I made salad bowls out of shredded Parmesan cheese and crushed walnuts. I just melted them in a frying pan and then quickly placed them over the bottom of a drinking glass to form to the shape of a bowl.

Finally, one last baking project. Bekah has been asking me for a chocolate cake. I am not really a chocolate cake kinda gal but Bekah is. Since Bekah passed her driving test (1st try), I thought it appropriate to celebrate with a chocolate peanutbutter cake (two of her loves in life :) This cake was dark chocolate with peanutbutter icing on the inside and dark chocolate icing on the outside. Even I like this one....

I have been doing lots of other baking, but none other that is truly noteworthy. Some sugar cookies and other things of that nature.

Something exciting that I must share with you is some recent additions to my baking supplies. A friend of mine entered a raffle to win a basket full of baking supplies. She hates to bake, but entered in hopes of winning it for me (isn't that the sweetest thing ?!?!). I'm sure you have already figured it out, but SHE WON!!! I must say, I have some of the greatest friends in the world. I cannot wait to use the stuff and I'm sure it will generate lots of baked goods to put on this blog. I will be baking things for her for a long time in hopes of "repaying" her. Baked goods to reach China and back wouldn't be adequate, but that is what I am going to attempt. Here are all the wonderful things that were in the basket... (look at those wonderful scrapers and all those lovely sprinkles!!!!!!)

Well, that is my baking adventures so far for 2009, but alas it is only the beginning!

"The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight..." ~M. F. K. Fisher

Christmas Season

Well, I haven't done anything too impressive lately. No beautifully decorated Christmas cookies or intricate birthday cupcakes for Ethan. I stuck with basic chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, and choclate bark in my Christmas baking this year. Somehow I never found time to make anything exciting.

Oh wait....I did make a wedding cake!!!! I wouldn't say it was easy at all, but I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. There was a point when I was nearing the completion of it when I looked at it and just cried. Not because of happiness, though, I just cried. I had been working on it for about 5 hours all ready that day and didn't like how it looked. I was very happy with the end product. It took 3 days to make it. The first day was just baking all the cakes. The second day was leveling all the cakes out and icing them. The third day I stacked all the cakes and then decorated it. The entire cake was about 16 inches high and 12 inches around at the base. It weighed about 50 pounds (this was 30 pounds of sugar and 10 pounds of flour...not kidding). I'm sure any of you who got to enjoy a piece of this cake are now wishing you hadn't...hehe! It was an exciting adventure and I would do again in a heart beat.

One other exciting thing that happened over the Christmas holiday was this BEAUTIFUL 5 quart Kitchen Aide mixer from my Uncle Earl and Aunt Marian.

I have enjoyed using it. You would never believe how much faster it is. In just a few minutes I have a batch of chocolate chip cookies made. My dad gave me Hello Cupcake. This is where I got the idea for Ethan's birthday cupcakes which he took to school. It has lots of other fun ideas that I cannot wait to try! He also gave me a rolling pin that you put cold water inside of. It sounds kinda odd but works like a dream! I have a pie baking in the oven as I write. I received lots of other baking things for Christmas as well. I'll try to post a picture of all of it soon: pie plate, cookie tray, oven mit, baking utensils, cookie jar, etc.

I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas as well!

Thanksgiving...cake

I made a cake!!!This was an order I received. It is for a boy's birthday party; which will be held on Thanksgiving day. I wasn't completely happy with the result, but I guess it's not too bad. Did you know that soccer balls have two different shapes?I had no idea. The black shapes are pentagons and the white are hexagons. AMAZING!!! You learn something new every day...hehe! I'm still not sure whether I like the border I put on it :/ The picture makes the cake look crooked, but it really isn't...I promise!

I'm sure you all are wondering why there isn't a Thanksgiving cake or any Thanksgiving dessert for that matter. Bethany volunteered to make all the desserts for our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, so I am not making a thing. Can you believe it??!?!? It has actually been hard to resist making things like pumpkin rolls, pecan pies, apple crisp, pumpkin cheesecake, or even just fresh pumpkin pies!

I don't really have much else to write today. Sorry.....Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!!

I'm an aunt!!!!!

I can hardly believe it. Summer Anne has finally arrived. She entered this world at 1:54 in the afternoon today. She is 21 inches long and weighs 9 pounds 1 ounce. Both mom and daughter are doing very well. The first thing Luke said to me was, "She has big feet"(referring to Summer). Hehe! I know he loves her despite. She is going to be wrapped around his little finger before he even realizes it :)

Dear old Pappy got to hold her for about a half hour during his visit. He is overjoyed at being a grandfather. Once again, Summer will be spoiled by him as well. Poor girl...hehe....Oh! Pappy is my dad. He has requested to be called Pappy. I think it's kinda cute :)

Uncle Ethan was elated at the chance of holding his new niece. He went to bed singing, "I'm an uncle and you're not!" I did inform him that I am an aunt and he's not.

I'll have to post some more pictures later. My computer is acting funny, so I'm going to end the post here. Been in prayer for Luke, Janelle, and Summer that they can get some much needed rest tonight. They arrived at the hospital at 1:30am, so no one has slept much.

Yay...More baking!!!!

Well, I got back into baking. I am not sure how much longer I could have gone without baking anything. I got home from class on Thursday night and baked up a storm! Almost everyone was in bed, so I had the kitchen to myself. I made:



....Mocha Cake...................Maple Pecan Muffins

........Berry Pie.................Chocolate Chip Cookies


I even got to bed before 1 am. I enjoy baking late at night, but I am not quite sure why. Mommom and Pop call me the "Midnight Baker". They go to bed one night and wake up the next morning with baked goods everywhere. Normally, I don't wait for things to cool. I just leave them on the counter with a dish cloth over them. Sometimes, I clean up the dished other times the kitchen is a disaster in the morning.

Back to Thursday's baking escapade. The Mocha Cake was a repeat from about a month ago. It is amazing!!!! I had never made the Maple Pecan Muffins before. They were actually from a muffin cook book I received for my birthday from Janelle. It has 100 muffin recipes all from 1 basic recipe. It's pretty neat. They are all fairly easy to make. The Berry Pie was another repeat, but definitely worth making again. I use a bag of frozen mixed berries like blueberry, strawberry, and raspberry. Of course, I had to make chocolate chip cookies. I have them down to a science. I can make 1 batch, which equals about 60 small cookies, in 30-40 minutes. I always use parchment paper because I hate to clean up. Well, here are the leftovers as of today:



I don't have pictures of the muffins or chocolate chips cookies because I never got to the cookies before they were eaten. So the picture before is their current state. I only took a picture of one muffin, but by the supply left today I can tell you they weren't a a huge success. Until next time.....Au revoir!