The Latest

A few days back we celebrated Mexican Independence Day (which is not Cinco de Mayo as commonly believed in the USA) with the MTI students at a 'noche mexicana.' People dressed up in traditional clothes, ate pozole (a classic dish), played games, and broke home-made piñatas that the students had made. There were five piñatas and only one had candy in it. Another was empty, one had water balloons, one had flour, one had eggs and the last one had the leftover scraps from dinner! That one was kind of gross, but the rest were really fun. People seemed to really a kick out of my costume...I felt very Mexican.

Each morning the seminary students have a devotional before breakfast, which different people give each day. And last Friday was my turn. I spent an estimated total of about 9 hours over the course of the week beforehand preparing it and translating it. Which was all well worth it because I was able to speak pretty fluidly and cohesively. I talked about the importance of living out our faith, about not just being a Christian on Sunday but being a Christian every day of the week. It is something that I have been feeling more and more passionately about lately and felt like the students needed to hear. It seems like God thought that too because a lot of people (including myself) ended up crying. It was truly special. But afterwards I was just exhausted. I felt like I had used all the mental capacities I possessed between the thinking and the speaking and the praying. I'm so grateful that I had the chance to share.

Most of my office work lately has revolved around preparing the financial report for the upcoming board meeting. And it is a little scary. We have had less groups come and stay at the ranch (both American and Mexican) which means less income. And we have had some big construction projects and many more seminary students than we are financially prepared for, which means more expenses. And then there is the whole economic status in the States. Suffice it to say, we are in the negative...big-time. So please join us in praying for funds. We've been tightening our belts, but I'm worried that by the end of MTI we'll be feeding the students bread and water. So please pray. And possibly consider giving a financial gift to MTI for the students room and board or spread the word about Agua Viva to people who might be interested. Everything helps!!

MTI!

So picking up where the last blog entry left off...I spent the last week of the summer doing work on the new MTI building in the hopes of getting it in (more or less) working order for the start of classes. There were several moments I wish I had pictures of to share with you, for example: sitting on a toilet and painting the walls of stalls next me, up on a ladder sanding a metal beam wearing a dust mask and sunglasses to protect myself from the rust, and laying down on scaffolding to paint the underside of ceiling beams, to name a few. We were able to get two downstairs classrooms and the bathrooms in working order. We finished the office area as well, but the exterior windows haven't been installed yet, so no one can move in. We are continuing to work on the large classroom upstairs a few days per week...it still has a ways to go, so I'm not sure when it will be ready for students.

But at the end of August the students arrived and we have a record number of 57 students. The vast majority are from Baja, but there are others from Sonora, Jalisco, Morelos, and Chiapas. Some have returned from last year, but many are newly beginning the first year. I have had a lot of fun getting to know them at meal times and around the ranch. This is what my typical day looks like during MTI:

6AM: Wake up and go for a run around the ranch (ok so this doesn't happen every day but I'm trying to make it at least an every other day event)

7AM: Shower and get dressed, while hearing the students singing in their morning devotional

8:30AM: Go to breakfast in the dining hall, sell coffee and snacks as a fundraiser for the staff mission trip

9:30AM: Report to work in the office, download emails, check petty cash reports, go to meetings, etc, etc...

11AM-11:30AM: Go to the "bodega" a storage room, where students can come during their break and get stuff they need from me (paper, pens, notebooks, highliters, soap, shampoo, etc.)

11:30-1:00PM: back to the office

1:00PM: Lunch in the dining hall, get to sit and eat with different students

2:00PM: In the office

4:50PM: Leave to pick up seminary student's children's from school, Alejandra (MTI director's assistant who I am teaching to drive) drives there. We pick up four kids at one school, and then another one a few miles away.

6PM: Return to RAV and hang out for a bit

7PM: Dinner in the dining hall, set up snack shop and sell for missions trip again while the kids play their favorite game of pretending to steal snacks from me

8PM: Play volleyball with students or relax at home, depending on my energy level

10PM: Bedtime :)