mucho trouble with computadora

The computer set up is not working so I am writing this in Word, then I will, hopefully, transfer to blog. At this point I can not access the internet. Tomorrow, I will go to an internet café just to check on all of you.

Sunday evening, August 10th 2008.
Our wonderful cousins, Rick and Leigh left yesterday after driving us to the coast and spending a couple of days here. They have been wonderful company, and we do miss them. Rick is an easy-going, astute fellow and Leigh is the brains of the outfit. They have been a joy to meet and get to know.
After they left we decided to jump into the water at the Pacific Ocean, a block away from our little casita. We quite literally almost died. There was a strong undertow and I could not get out of the water. After several attempts, I thought I would die and told Stephen to “go on in to shore”. He did not listen to me. He took me out beyond the waves so that I could catch my breath. I had already swallowed a fair amount of water. Then he kept trying to ride in the wave and not let me go as the undertow kept sucking me back into waters that treated me like a washing machine. I didn’t know up from down. I simply had no energy left to fight and thought I was going to die. Stephen stayed with me over my protests and brought me in and held on to me until the waves subsided which gave me a few seconds to roll further up the beach. I did not have the energy to crawl or get up on my feet. So, I am saved--again. Thank God for mercies I knew nothing about.
Today is the Lord’s Day. Stephen and I rode our bikes downtown to the English speaking church here. San Patricio by the Sea has a web site—check it out. There were four other people besides us and we were doing a study in James. One of the ladies said that the service is filled to capacity (60) in the winter and they do two services. The church is an area with a cement floor, brick “fence” around the outside about 6’ tall and a roof over the entire area made from palm leaves. They do have a bathroom. I did miss my little church in Ithaca and the saints that are attending there.
The bicycle that I am riding has a very narrow seat that jams up my crotch while I am riding. It feels awful on the cobblestone streets. It is also too short for me so my knees keep hitting the handlebars. So, while my hero is riding along just fine, I am usually miserable on the cobblestones. Hero dropped off our laundry today and picked it up several hours later—riding a bicycle. He tried to talk me into going down the beach to a “safe” place to swim. We walked about half a mile but I was not getting in that nasty ocean. If it gets me again, it might eat me.
We came home to have drinks on the veranda and talk to the babies walking by with their moms. I am very sweaty and dirty. My major event of the evening will be my hero reading the Bible to me. More tomorrow. Meema.


Hi. This is Stephen, Granddaddy, “Pastor,” etc.
There is an old song about Margaritaville—no; it won’t be in one of our three hymnals. I must be there, in Margaritaville. It’s a fairy land in this lovely little hacienda. A swallow family works in their nest at the right hook of our hammock. They fly in and out, poking food into hungry young beaks, whether we are in the hammock or out. There is also an unusual hummingbird—rusty and pink—sucking on beautiful balls of red flowers in front of me. Then there’s me, here in a bathing suit and having rinsed off the continuing, warm and healing sweat of the day with a local hose. I may have to stop for a picture of the hummingbird. I have Mitzi’s telephoto camera, and I want to get a shot of this rusty-pink fellow sucking at a scarlet floral ball. My telephoto photos, so far, are the lovely ringlets that form around Mitzi’s ear and neck when it’s so hot and humid like this. If I get a camera shot of the hummingbird and flower it will mean more to others, but Mitzi’s wet and upward-shrinking ringlets mean more to me.
We studied James, chapter 1, in our tiny church today. The stretch of our trials, that James talks about—“count it all joy”—allowed us to better understand both the folly and the horror of almost losing Mitzi in the ocean yesterday. When I took Mitzi back out beyond the rough waves so that she might catch her breath, she was both beside herself with fear and wanting me to return to shore to save myself, as well as—and here’s the key—she was praying, mightily, to God. She doesn’t remember praying (!), and I think that is the way it often is when the crunches come in life. God’s Spirit is either in there to be called on, or He’s not. Mitzi was calling on God.
We both slept all afternoon, and had no interest in talking about our ocean adventure until we were watching a crummy George Clooney movie on television in the evening--not the one where they all die in the sea! Again, this morning we could “process” what happened. This morning at church we could compare the paltry power of the mighty sea—which took us to the edge of ourselves yesterday—to the fearsome and almighty power of God. Mitzi’s cry to God was to the Almighty and made it all okay for us so that we are back to normal today. Sort of.
We’re not just here on vacation. That’s clear. In spite of the spirit of Marguerittaville and the singer’s “lost shaker of salt” (ask Dan Jones about the details) and a sense of vacation the likes of which we have never had before, there seems to be a brewing purpose in all of this. We talk with the church “Gringos” who work and pray for a Protestant church growth down here, and they talk of our establishing a church in the village (La Manzanilla) 6 miles north of Melaque (where we are staying). “But, Lord,” we protest, “didn’t we just get done establishing a church in faraway Ithaca?!” We see the warmth and hard softness of poor and broken Mexicans around us, and we can turn to, and once again thank James who says, “Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith?” There’s work to be done down here, and we dare to think that maybe God has sent us to be partakers of that work. Remember, He could have drowned us so easily! Gulp, blub, and snuffed out—just like that! As someone said in church today, apropos of our near-drownings, “God’s obviously got something more for you.”
My cousin, Rick’s last move was to drive us to La Manzanilla, to the north, to get a look-see. Rick claims to not be a believer, but keeps doing these believer sorts of things (like Jim, Ralph?). I highly recommend reconnecting with cousins you’ve not known for fifty years—and their wives!
Mitzi has just returned from “la tienda”, half a block down the street, and asked me to come carry a five gallon water bottle home. A Mexican lad sitting nearby saw my awkward heave and heard my huffs and puffs and soon was carrying the bottle for me. He wouldn’t take the glittering pesos we offered him. I smiled and said, “Senior Dios bendecira por eso” (God will bless you for that) which may be my first tidbit of ministry here in Mexico. We would never leave Ithaca and live here in Mexico full time, but we do see ourselves coming for even 6-month chunks of time and doing a new work for the Lord.
I had told our church elders, Michael and Ralph, almost a year ago that I would be “phasing out” as I reached the age of seventy which is two weeks from now. Already that is happening and especially so as Michael takes over the business of the church, as Ralph Selin pours years of church wisdom into our considerable changes at Reformed Community Church of Ithaca, and as Ralph Reigle comes on board as Deacon, but this venture down here in Mexico so stretches the meaning of “phasing out” as even to surprise Mitzi and me.
Five years ago, when we first considered what to do about the future of our church in Ithaca—it was a troubled time and the two of us were “not getting any younger”—we could not have foreseen God’s powerful hand in bringing down Ralph Selin from Valois and stepping up Michael Jones into his ministry. Wow! and that’s a joyous “Wow!”
If we were to make this move to a part-time ministry in Mexico, I trust that I would still be part of the team in Ithaca on a part-time basis, as well as remaining active in the Federation of Reformed Churches—(what a time we all had last week!) But we think there’s work to be done down here and that there may be a “leading” to do such work. Can you imagine a FORC church beginning in a tiny village on the south-Pacific shores of Mexico? That’s a stretch, to be sure, but nothing like the elastic goings-on in the Bible. I’m sharing these speculations in order to ask you for prayer. I recall that, before we got started with a church in Ithaca, there was an inner tension between the assurance of God’s will and strong delusions.
If you ever plan to come down here and help someday, be forewarned that those beckoning beaches are dangerous. We’ve learned that many people drown by not being able to make it back through the rough waters and just when they are so very near to what seems like the salvation of dry land. I guess illusions like that are prevalent in Roman-Catholic Mexico. Today at church we were told of a doctor friend (a strong swimmer) who was literally jammed into the sand by a huge, but typical, wave and broke his neck when the undertow snapped him backwards. He lived, but in a very changed condition.

crocodiles and electric cars

Hi all, We have had some difficulty getting on the internet. The only way to do it is to go to an internet cafe-they don´t serve coffee. However, there are many of them. They moved the horse yesterday. If there is a vacant lot people with horses let the horse graze there. In the block next to ours, there was a grey horse grazing for several days. I was very pleased to discover my four legged friend a couple of blocks over today. He appeared quite happy to be chewing on new weeds.



Grandaddy and I have been riding bicycles all over town. He is doing fine with it--I am not. Finally, yesterday, I rented a golf cart and we can tour town. It takes about 15 minutes from one end of town to the other in a golf cart. We were walking down the road and saw a red car coming towards us. We moved over and as the car went by we noticed that the driver was a little boy of about 10 years old. He was alone and driving the car. We also see lots of motor bikes, not motorcycles, with entire families riding on them. Today, I saw one that had mom in the middle, an 8 to 10 year old on the back and a 6 or 7 year old steering. You see entire armies of children riding in the back of open pick up trucks.

We took our laundry to the lady today. They wash,dry, fold and package it for about $8.00 a week.

We rode a chicken bus finally. We took a bus to the next town over to explore and go swimming on their ocean. For the grand sum of $1.20 each we rode the local bus the 8 miles over. There actually were no chickens and there were seats. However, the doors were left open for air circulation and the isles were littered with coolers, blown up plastic crocodiles, children and a dog.

Free range chickens and other things

Back home in Ithaca, the folks make a big deal about "free range chickens". The eggs are supposed to be superior to store eggs--and they are. The yolks are bigger and brighter, the shells are stronger and the whites are not runny. Well, as far as I can tell, there is nothing but free range chickens in Mexico. Everywhere you look, even in the center of town, there are chickens living the high life while looking for bugs and other yummy stuff to eat. I bet the eggs are just delish.

While standing on the patio and enjoying the view of the lake, a large "bird" flew by. It was right at dusk. Taking a second look to identify the bird gave me quite a shock. It was the biggest bat I have ever seen in my life. It is a fruit bat. VERY BIG wing span. I wondered about the fruit part but haven't asked.

Another interesting fact is that all the trees and water in Mexico are owned by the government. You can not cut down a tree, even if it is in your own yard, without a permit from the government. Don't mess with the water either. Rasberries are in season from September to June. And they are big too. Maybe that is why the fruit bats are so big.

Today Leigh gave me some rocks. A large piece of obsidian from the flow from the Tequela volcano that is currently dormant but is very near by. And you thought tequela was a drink! We also saw mescal plants from which the alcoholic drink, mescal, is made. Speaking of alcohol, we are enjoying one or two margaritas a night-the free range kind with oranges from the yard.

Today Rick and Leigh took us up the mountain to a little town named Mazamitla. It is way up and has little cabins that are rented out on weekends to families from Guadalajara. It is a Mexican vacation area. The temperature was 63 degrees in town. The town had little wooden balconies as well as wood decor in many places. This is because it is high enough to have many pine trees. I made my first financial transaction by paying for chocolate (hot) for the four of us. I was pleased to be able to sort out the money values and make an appropriate tip. We stopped at a gas station and they pumped the gas! I like that. You are supposed to tip the person that pumps the gas 1 or two pesos. The person that washes the windows also gets the same tip. Leigh tipped the little old man that washed our windows 2 pesos. She is very sensitive to the needs of others. If you buy something in a store, the person that places your purchase in a bag also gets a peso (about 10 cents).

Rick and Leigh have decided to drive us to the coast and do some sight-seeing along the way. Isn't that just amazing? We are leaving tomorrow, and the first stop will be the city of Colima. Colima has an active volcano that erupts about every one hundred years. The last time was in 1908. You know what I am thinking. Rick and Leigh are very much fun to be with. Many laughs about the family and Rick, Steve and the rest of the cousins as kids. Stephen has really had a great time revisiting his childhood and family.

One last thing. I am learning to use my new Canon XTi. It is really fun. I also figured out how to move photos from the camera to the computer and doctor them some. So far, I have not figured out how to upload the photos to the blog spot. Well, I do have to leave some new things for tomorrow. Love to you all, Meema

We Made IT

Oh my gosh, we are in Mexico! It is such an amazing place. Soon, for Stephen and me, Mexico will become a land of....

beauty....

beasts...

bugs...

birds...

las flores...

buildings--

finished...

unfinished...

los amigos...

churches...

cemeteries...

construction...

destruction...

colors...

street talk...

art...

and romance...

You will see these things scattered

here and there throughout these blogs.

But, let me start in the beginning-- A big thank you to daughter, Vanessa, who drove us to JFK airport making it look easy to drive in New York City. Huge trucks were surrounding us and switching lanes while Vanessa seemed cool and collected. Actually, it was the easiest trip from JFK ever. We landed in Mexico City and had an hour to go through immigration (customs) and find our next connecting flight. Mexican people are polite to the extreme and very helpful. We were loaded on the plane from Mexico City to Guadalajara but then sat on the plane for 2 and a half hours! It was hot. Everyone was polite and no one acted distressed by the late takeoff. The delay was because the airline was short two pilots in Guadalajara and needed to get some from Mexico City. So we waited for pilots for another plane to arrive before we could leave. My only concern was that Stephen's cousins were meeting our plane and had to drive an hour and 15 minutes to the airport. I did not have a phone number for them but I did have an address. If worse came to worse we could take a cab.... But Rick and Leigh Frederick were there, smiling and warmly hugging us in a big welcome to Mexico. I was very happy to see them.

We drove the hour-plus back to their home on the "wrong side" of Lake Chapalla. It is the wrong side because it is out in the country so far that no Guadalajara cab driver would ever have found it. It was dark, but we still saw beautiful trees,

flowers and the lake. Arrival at their home was an adventure as we were greeted by an enormous mastiff dog. She had been severely abused, but under their loving care this huge lassie had become a real sweetie. We were oriented to the house and off to bed. It was a big day.

Up this morning and saw the lovely 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom lakefront hacienda that we were staying in. Lots of tile-work, brick and cement painted in lovely, mexican yellows and oranges. There is also a small two-bedroom house for the gardner and his wife, the housekeepers. They have a rescue pit bull dog that is also a love hunny dog. There is also a house next door that is part of the property. It is only three bedrooms and bathrooms with private lakefront as well. The yard/property is huge. They have avocado trees and limes, lemons, mangoes and other things that I have never heard of. We had margaritas this evening made of sour oranges from the yard. They also have sweet oranges. As we are sitting and looking at the lake a large egret is sitting on some tree branches in the lake saying hello to us. Rick and Leigh are gifted hosts and we feel immediately at home and spoiled.

Today we drove to the little town of Ajijo to go to the bank and get pesos. The current exchange rate is 9.71 pesos to a US dollar--the lowest it has been in years. The US economy is falling! We also went to a grocery store and a wine store. The big event of the day was going out for lunch in a little restarant that's claim to fame is hamburgers. They have top quality beef and serve the burgers in a number of memoral ways. Zachary would love this place. Funny thing is that the decor was 60's music. Oldies that Steve and I enjoyed as young people were being played. As you see at the top of this blog, we danced ourselves off the wall! The walls were decorated with old 78 rpm records and photos/posters of Jimmy Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Bill Hayley,etc. The burgers and hand cut french fries were served in old 78's that had been melted on the edges to form the shape of plates. We also had milk shakes. The place was in an large open air area that is enclosed by buildings on the sides. The owner's wife is from Germany and quite a seamstress. You have to walk through her handmade clothing shop to get to the burger joint. It was a fun day. Oh--there are chickens, horses, cows, dogs and burrows on the sides of the roads foraging for food. Mexican cowboys ride horses everywhere. Also, we stopped for fresh strawberries which we had for dessert tonight. They were just lucious. Did you know that the Driscoll farms brand of fruit that you buy in Wegmans is produced on a farm on Lake Chapala?

I do miss all the kids and my home. I miss Sandy and think she must be pining away for me. Mandy is taking care of her this week (and Scrapper) so I am sure she is OK. Mandy, I miss you too! I am going to try to learn to upload photos tomorrow so you can see this place.

Love to all, Meema in Mexico