The Mystery of History, Volume 1

Finished.

We chose to homeschool almost 20 years ago. I knew when I started that I would have challenges, simply because of who I am. I’m a bit scattered. Really. When I nag Caleb, my text-book ADD child, to focus on what he’s doing, he quips (respectfully) that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Ah, so true.

I’ve tried, over the years, to fix myself, but I finally have just come to grips with the fact that I am not and never will be super-organized or completely on schedule.

My homeschooling style reflects my personality.

Eclectic.

That’s a very kind way of saying hodge-podge, seat-of-your-pants, sporadic.

But I try.

Homeschooling is a struggle. Homeschooling while being missionaries in Mexico is a struggle of a whole new level. We take one- or two-month breaks every six months, a month’s vacation at Christmas, time off any time there is a mission team or evangelical crusade or VBS or other church event and school is canceled as soon as it gets too hot to concentrate (usually about two months of the year) and if anyone stops by to visit, we generally have to stop classes for the day.

That happens a lot.

Sometimes I wonder how we ever complete anything! Oh, I’m such a whiner!

Once in a while, though, I feel like I’ve really succeeded at something. The Mystery of History is an example. Never mind the fact that we started Volume I (a one-year class) the year that we moved into this house.

We have finished. We ALL took the massive 30 page final and EVERYONE scored in the 90th percentile. I feel that we have really accomplished something. Yes, it took us almost 4 years to get through a one-year course, but we DID finish it and we really learned a lot.

On our dining room wall hangs a wonderful timeline depicting history from creation to the crucifixion of Christ. As the author of the textbook states, the timeline reflects the personality of those who built it.

Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today and Forever

The Powers of Mesopotamia

Israel Falls to Assyria

Many of our timeline figures are quite "tongue in cheek", some are plays on words and some are really silly, but if it helps us remember the event…

Lot's Wife

The Great Wall of China -- note the skulls and bones built into the wall. Kind of morbid. Believe it or not, Evie made that one! And I just noticed that I spelled Colossus wrong. hehehe

You'll have to read the book of Malachi to understand why this one is funny.

This is Sarah's personal favorite. If you have to explain it, it's just not as funny.

The guy in armor on the right is Alexander the Great. The guy with "censored" across his buttocks is Archimedes. Do you like the little guys with wiggle eyes in the middle? Those are Alexander's 4 generals.

Our timeline has been quite a conversation-starter. Many facets of history (such as creation) are simply not mentioned in the public schools here, so kids who come over are understandably curious. Not only has this course helped our family to put Biblical history in its place with the history of the ancient world, but it’s been a great way to share with our neighbors.

What’s next? Volume II! But I’ve promised the kids that we’ll be finishing it in a year! Absolutely!!!

Here’s a question for you: Do you ever struggle with finishing what you start?

Autumn - Otoño

Fall is really my favorite season. The smells and the feelings, more than the sights and sounds, evoke memories from my childhood -- freshly turned soil, burning leaves, chilly morning air, heavy fog. In Oregon, I savored the turning leaves in red, orange and yellow. Here in Sinaloa, fall brings the vibrant rainbow colors of bougainvillea and the bright green of corn, milo and wheat fields. Autumn in Oregon brought mornings of dense fog which sometimes didn't burn off till midday. Foggy mornings are part of autumn here, too.

Long-sleeved shirt, warm socks, hot coffee.

I do love autumn.

Here are some "Autumn in Sinaloa" photos. Enjoy!

Maria nibbles grapes at our friends' house in Tamazula.

My $1 pumpkin -- found at Wal-Mart. Pumpkins sell here before Halloween for about $2 per pound. I got mine for $.10 per kilo. Goooooooooooal! I see pumpkin swirled cheesecake in the near future.

Ramon arrives to deliver milk in the morning.

Making fresh butter.

Freshly baked apple coffee cake -- made, with love, by Seth.

Feliz otoño a todos!
Happy autumn, everyone!

Time Flies Like an Arrow...

...Fruit flies like a banana.

Today marks 4 years of banging my head against a wall blogging. To celebrate, I baked a cake!

In years past, I've hosted a "Round TUIT round-up" to commemorate my blogoversary, but this year...I didn't get around to it. Such is life on the beach!

We've been building a fellowship center, going on mission trips, planning a Bible school and getting ready for mission teams -- in addition to schoolwork, housework and laundry. A cake seemed much more accessible than a blog carnival!

I used the basic recipe for THE Chocoflan and crossed it with an amazing Crimson and Cream cake I saw somewhere -- memory fails. I had something in mind when I started this project.

I must say, this wasn't it.From the very moment that the pristine, white cream cheese mixture touched the creamy red cake mixture, I knew I had a problem. Note to self : Red food coloring is very invasive!!!

The kids' #1 comment: "Wow. That's red." #2: "Mom, why is it red?" #3: "Is it supposed to be that red."

It's a Red Velvet cake. Yes, it's supposed to be red.

So, I wiped ideas of "Crimson and Cream" from my mind and replaced them with thoughts of "Burgundy and Rose".

Everything baked according to plan.

But when it came out of the oven, I got ahead of myself.
I was a bit over-anxious when lifting the pan off the top and...sigh. Some days are cake-baking days. Some days are just NOT.

You can tell by the photo, though, that the top of the cake wasn't wasted. In the time it took me to grab my camera and shoot a couple of rounds, the mistake was eaten. Verdict: Red is good.

I put the cake in the fridge to chill for 24 hours.

Now here we are, all chilled and ready to turn onto the very-beautiful-cake-stand.
And here we are...

Happy blog-o-versary to me! Whipped cream covers a multitude of faults!!!

Life is Back to Normal

My house is loud again!

Doug and the boys arrived home from their mission trip to Quimichis, Nayarit, México, last night. They were glad to be home and we were glad to have them home!

I think that they grew. Caleb says he doesn't believe that's possible in only 5 days, but I don't know. I was starting to feel tall while they were gone (Andrew and Evie are still a bit shorter than I), but now I'm reminded how short I am! lol

Today being a national holiday, día de los angelitos, the guys won't be working on the construction project. Instead, I'm giving the kids extra chores...mwa hahaha! Doug and I will be heading to Los Mochis in a little while to pick up lumber (pray that they have what we need!!!) and have a "date". oooOOOooo Yes, almost twenty years of marriage, and we still date.

Speaking of anniversaries, my 4th blog-o-versary is coming up in just a couple of days. I think I'll bake something wondrous and invite my friends over to help me eat it. :^) You're all invited!!!

Any suggestions of what I should make???

Old Dogs and New Tricks and All That

We've been in Mexico now for almost six years. Time has flown! I was just thinking about how much the kids have grown!

Funny how Doug and I haven't changed a bit! (Don't laugh.)

So in six years, we've experienced 12 "Daylight Savings" changes.

And I've missed every single one. Without exception.

Why is it so difficult? It really shouldn't be. In Mexico, the time changes on the first Sunday of April and the last Sunday of October. Always.

Sunday morning arrived and we were frantically trying to get out the door by 8:30 so that I have time to set up the piano, check the sound and all of that. Evie was scrambling to print out something for the kids' class, when she suddenly called out, "Mom! Something's messed up with your computer clock. It says it's only 7:30."

Once again, I had missed the time change.

So we all relaxed. I got to take a little walk in my garden, Evie finished printing her lesson, Andrew got to eat breakfast. lol

The bummer thing is that my body is still on the "old hour". My trusty inner alarm went off this morning at 5am. Ugh.

However, I won't complain -- I got a lot of tweaking done on our blogs. I've pretty much changed everything. I hope I've made it easier to navigate between blogs, easier to find articles, etc. I still haven't fixed my header photo. Sigh. I guess we can't have it all!!!!

Have a happy Monday, everybody!!!

You Know You're a Large Family When...

I took a little stroll outside this morning, wandering among my various trees and vines which are doing very well, in spite of me.

I admired the bougainvillea, which now has both white and fuchsia blooms -- not sure exactly how it does that. I praised God for my orange tree and my naranjita, which are both finally beginning to grow. I coaxed a few stray tendrils from the extremely happy and aggressive grape vine back into their proper direction. I pondered my mandarin for a few moments and then prayed a blessing over it; it's in God's hands now!

Then I arrived at the grapefruit tree. Happy sigh.

This tree was in danger of the axe last year. Planted about 5 years ago, it has grown like crazy -- nothing but leaves. Not a single bloom did we find on it. Ever. Our neighbor, Ramon, said to give it one more year. So, we did -- and this year, voila!!! Grapefruit!!!!!!

Yay!!!

So, I was admiring the fruit when I noticed something a bit peculiar. A closer look revealed...

and...

and...

My question: Does that mean that the rest are mine?????

Winter is Coming and Other Randomness

Yesterday morning, while driving to Boca to buy some water and pick up some lumber at Julio and Lupita’s house, I saw our friend Ramon driving his cows to Las Glorias.

This made me think of several things.

My first thought was, “Now I know that the weather has changed for good.” It’s a sure sign of winter’s approach when Ramon moves his milk cows from his home in Rosales, about 2 miles away, to Las Glorias.

At almost the same moment, I remembered that I’m out of coffee. That’s a very important fact and is related to Ramon and his cows in that just about every morning while the cattle are in Las Glorias, the cowboys stop in for coffee…and bread.

That thought led to my next thought: I need to make some bread today. Or maybe some cookies.

Speaking of cookies, won’t it be wonderful to have fresh milk again, now that the cows have come home?

One of my kids’ favorite stories is entitled “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”. I really relate to the characters in that book; such is my life.

THE Chocoflan

First of all, I want to go on the record as saying that I really don't care for flan. At all. It's kind of like watermelon for me. I'll eat it when it's put in front of me and I've been known to say, "Oh, this is a really good watermelon!" Left unsaid, however, is the rest of the sentence, "For a watermelon." That's how I am with flan.

Normally.

So, when my friend Melita said that she wanted to learn how to make a Chocoflan, I agreed to search out a recipe. But I wasn't all that excited.

Until I found this recipe at Kraftrecipes.com. You can click over and see why I was intrigued. I'll wait here.

Anyway, I printed out this recipe and began the translation into Mexican. I say "Mexican", since it's more than the words that need to change in most cases. Of course the measurements would need to change to metric, but although cajeta is easy enough to get here, Cool Whip? No lo hay!

The more I looked over this recipe, the more I just HAD to try it. So last week, for my friend Basilia's birthday, I tried this amazing-looking Chocoflan. (And I made a lemon cake, too, just in case the chocoflan flopped! lol)

I would say that it was a total and complete success! To be honest, I was a bit concerned when I opened the oven door after the first hour. It looked pretty strange and it didn't look like it had done what it was supposed to do, but upon closer inspection -- it was perfect. Sigh.
And tasty. I repent: I do like flan -- as long as it's made more like a cheesecake and has plenty of chocolate! Who wouldn't like this???

You can get this recipe over at the Kraft link above. I found it a bit convoluted trying to follow the recipe, though, so here's how I would write it:

What you'll need:
1 can cajeta (make your own by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk for about 30 minutes -- in the can. Just take off the label, put the can in a pan of water and bring it to a boil. Weird, but it works.) You could also use any thick caramel sauce; you won't need very much.
1 can evaporated milk
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
7 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c sugar (the recipe calls for 1 cup -- I put in 3/4 and it was plenty sweet)
1 chocolate cake mix
1 c water
1/3 c cooking oil
(I omitted the sour cream and the Cool Whip as unnecessary. You could garnish with whipped cream, but it really didn't need it!)

For baking you'll need: a 12 cup mold/Bundt pan and a large "turkey roaster" or other pan large enough to hold the cake pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Well-grease a 12 cup mold (I used a Bundt pan).
Pour up to 1/2 cup of caramel sauce into bottom of pan. (I barely used 1/4 cup and that was really plenty.)

In a blender, combine:
1 can evap. milk
1 pkg. cream cheese
4 eggs
vanilla
3/4 cup sugar

Set aside.

In mixer bowl, beat together:
Chocolate cake mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
3 eggs

• Pour chocolate cake batter gently and evenly into the cake mold.
• Slowly ladle the milk and egg mixture over the top of the cake batter. (This was the crazy part. I thought that the recipe was mixed up, but it really does work!)
• Gently set the cake mold into the turkey roaster, and fill the roaster with water enough to cover the bottom 1/2 of the cake mold.
• Cover cake mold with aluminum foil (I missed this step, and the cake ended up a bit browned on the top -- didn't affect the taste at all, though!)
• Place the roaster pan in the hot oven and bake for 90 minutes. (Until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.)
• Remove from oven and cool IN THE CAKE MOLD sitting on a wire rack until mold is only warm to the touch. Then REFRIGERATE until completely chilled! If you try to unmold this cake while warm, you'll be eating it with a spoon.
• After cake is completely chilled, loosen edges gently with a plastic spatula, invert a plate (preferably the plate you'll be serving it on) over the top of the cake mold, and then flip the cake carefully over onto the serving platter.

Provecho!!!

Shesa Goin' Home!

At the end of our last furlough, in March, we said goodbye to Sarah. Our eldest daughter has been in the U.S. for the past six months. It's been a difficult but wonderful time for everyone. I can't even begin to describe the experience, but I will say that the wonderful did balance the difficult and the difficult even turned out to be wonderful.

Caleb, for example, has stepped up and proven that he can write a curriculum for a kids' class and run the class smoothly -- even when there's a bit of mutiny amongst the younger siblings. Evie proved that she was not the sole contributor to the messy room which she and Sarah shared.

Meanwhile, back in Oregon, Sarah got to experience the joys of American culture: youth group, public library, Dutch Brothers, zumba, financial aid and car insurance.

The original plan was a six-month stint in the U.S. and, "Then we'll see where God leads." During that time, she was working to save money for college and pay her expenses. She also applied for financial aid to be able to attend the local community college this fall. However, none of us really had much peace about college.

All summer we prayed, "Give us peace, God. Your will be done."

So, September came with no financial aid in sight. Our response: Relief. Our daughter is coming home. I'm a bit excited. Maybe my motives are a bit selfish; I love having a partner in the kitchen, I miss her guitar-playing, She's my favorite Spanish dictionary.

Yesterday, I was reading an article in Reader's Digest. [Sidenote: I used to love that magazine, but this issue has more advertisements than the Superbowl, all the depth of a kiddie pool and the journalistic value of a first grader's book report.] The article, ("They're Baaaak!" October 2011, p. 37) began by stating that 85% of the college class of 2011 was moving back home. Intrigued, I continued reading.

By the time I finished the half-page article, I was ready to throw the whole magazine in the trashcan. Reader's Digest's recommendation for parents whose college-age kids are returning home: "Remember, when kids leave high school or even college, they are not adults. Between 18 and 23, they're entering the last and most difficult stage of adolescence: trial independence."

*Pause here to re-read that quote.*

What a crock of over-ripe fertilizer! Reader's Digest just lost a reader.

Reader's Digest, the company which popularized the word "teenager" in a 1941 issue, has now extended teenagerhood into the mid-twenties.

I'm sorry, but in our house an 18 year old is not an adolescent. "Adolescent behavior", in fact, is discouraged after the age of 10 or 12. Of course, the kids are all still growing and learning and making choices and sometimes mistakes, but as a general rule we try to move our kids from childhood to adulthood with very little time in that adolescent limbo which the American culture calls "the teen years".

With that said, let me tell you about Sarah's decision to move to Mexico in December. She's not coming home because of "failure to launch". Nor is she returning because of a lack of funds and inability to enroll in college or pay for car insurance. Although both of those were issues, they really had no bearing on her decision, other than as confirmation of God's plan for her at this point. Sarah is moving to Mexico because it's where God is calling her. And we are very excited.

Sarah's future is wide open. She left our home-nest to test her wings and found them strong. In fact, to borrow a phrase from Isaiah, she has trusted in the Lord and has risen on wings like an eagle.

School is still in the plans, as are mission trips, a journey to Europe and only God knows what else. We're all trusting God for His timing and direction.

And did I mention that we're excited?

Isaiah 40:28-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Yet Another Benefit of the Bi-Lingual Life

I just got back from a little shopping excursion with my mom-in-law in Chico, California. We had a great time -- went to Costco again. I didn't see the Vitamix guy this time, so I managed to keep my longing for over-priced kitchen gadgets in check.

Christmas decorations are out. What's up with that???

Anyway, we also stopped in at my favorite herb and natural food store -- it's very "Chico": Lot's of tie-dye, lots of hemp. While Mom picked up her stuff, I meandered over to the herbal book section. I thought I might find something interesting in the reduced section.

GOOOOOOOOOOAL!

All the Spanish books were on sale 50% off! WOOT! WOOT!

I bought them all. Well, not ALL of them. Only four.

I'm so excited to share with my friend Luz! I've been translating stuff for her, but this will be so much nicer. At least one of them is written from a Christian perspective (rather rare in the herbal sub-culture), which makes me very happy, too!

While I'm not Mrs. Organic, I do see a lot of value in healthy eating. And while I'm also not anti-doctor, (I honestly haven't set foot in a doctor's office in years...unless you count when we took Andrew to see the local doctor, but that wasn't his "office"; it was his front porch.) I see a lot of value in understanding disease, medicine and how doctors arrive at their diagnosis. To that end, I read a lot about herbal remedies and healthy living. Can't hurt, right?

There has been very little that has come our way, in matters of health, that I haven't been able to handle with prayer, my herb books (and the herbs that go along with them) and some common sense. I can't wait to dig into my new books and see what else I can learn. In fact, I think that's what I'm going to do right now.

Just for fun: What's your favorite herbal or home remedy? What's the first thing you do when you start to feel like you're catching a cold?

On the Road Again

Determining to post at least once before I get home and find myself, once again, months behind, I hereby post a few pics of our last two weeks of travel.

We've passed through Arizona and Southern California and today we leave Grandma and Grandpa's house to head to Oregon. Squeal!!!! I'm a little excited about seeing my daughter again! I just think six months is a long time.

The other day, I was considering how many hours a year we spend in the car. So far in 2011, we have spent -- on furloughs only -- 160 hours traveling. That doesn't count the 20 or more hours a week we spend in the car as we travel around Mexico. That also doesn't include the other 45+ hours we still have ahead of us this trip.

Needless to say, as a family we have discovered many ways to pass the time while driving. I wanted to share these shots of Jessee. This is his new travel-pasttime:

He was really focused on the casting on. I'm looking forward to seeing his finished product. What really caught my attention, though, was the title of the book he's using to learn the manly art of knitting.

Can you read the title? It's a bit dark.

The book title: "Knitting with Balls".

I would say that the title is a bit, um, brash, but I thought it very funny. And hey, if it helps my guys pass a few hours in relative peace, I'll accept a bit of off-color humor!!!

Family Vehicle

La Familia Aguilar

Ages ago, I mentioned that the "Family Vehicle" in Mexico was significantly smaller than the family vehicle of the US -- even though family size is the same or larger here. To those of you who didn't believe me: Oh, you doubting souls!

Wordless Wednesday -- Caution Flag

Just so you know: a stick, broom, bucket or lawn chair sitting in the middle of the road here means

"Caution: Street Repair in Progress"

If it wasn't already painfully obvious!

This n That

I got up this morning with great plans to cross everything off my list by noon and be ready for the steady stream of well-wishers which should begin arriving after lunch sometime. It's the culture here: if someone's going on a trip, you stop in to say goodbye the day before they leave. It used to bug me, since I always have a ton of stuff to do the day before a big trip. I like it now. I feel like "part of the family". ;^)

I'm not doing very well on my list, though. Ugh, it's hot. I think the humidity rose about 5% overnight. Can't do laundry, because it won't dry before we have to leave. Oh, well. I'll deal with it and move on! Did I mention that it's hot?

Anyway, we're tying up loose ends and packing (and sweating) furiously to leave early in the a.m.

I am just amazed at how quickly the past 6 months has passed! With all the youth events, conferences, music classes, parenting classes, teaching at various churches, writing a book and going on a mission trip, the time has just flown.

To be honest, we're all looking forward to this trip. Foremost in everyone's mind is the visit to Oregon to see Sarah (YEAH!!!!!). A close second, though, is a month in a dry climate. Have you ever experienced your laundry souring from being left in the washer too long? How long is too long where you live? Over night? Two days? Here, I get about 3 hours and then I have to re-rinse. Ugh.

I hate that moist, sour smell.

So, we're packing and cleaning, cleaning and packing. And I...I need to get back to work! This "No checking Facebook till I post on my blog" thing is working well. I just hope no one gets tired of reading my pointless ramblings here and decides to abandon me! ;^) Facebook is so much better-suited for mindless chatter!

Have a blessed day! If you think about us today or tomorrow, pray for safe travels!!!

I Sometimes Wonder...

I've opened the fridge a couple of times today just to admire the whiteness of the interior. Yes, I'm certifiable.

Anyway, I'm working my way through the leftovers and UFOs (Unidentified Frozen Objects) in my freezer. Yesterday's lunch was a rather yummy use for leftover rice which I call "Rice Loaf". We even had a couple of slices left -- which is amazing, considering that I'm feeding 6 growing boys.

When we got home from music classes in Alamito this evening, I opened the fridge to grab supper makings. This is what I saw:

So my question is this: Was the young person who did this just too lazy to wash the plate, or did they actually think someone would want to eat what was left?

Note: I did find the culprit. Everyone agrees that it was Notme. As soon as I catch him, he's grounded, 'cause he's been causing all kinds of trouble around here lately!!!

Yucky Jobs

Why is cleaning out the fridge such a yucky job?

I mean, really. I store my family's food there. We eat that food. I throw stuff away (usually) before it becomes a science project. (Except for the the stuff that actually IS a science project, such as the snake skins I found on the bottom shelf in a little baggie.) When I spill stuff, I wipe it up.

A HA!!!

Found the problem. I am not the only person moving stuff around in my fridge, and while I am careful to not spill stuff (usually) and wipe up my messes (most of the time) others are not.

So, cleaning out my fridge is a rather yucky job.

But, I did it!!! In a couple of hours, the ice in the drainage hose should be melted and I'll be able to plug it back in and start making ice again. Woot! Woot! (My fridge is quirky. I won't elaborate.)

I'm crossing items off my list right and left. With only 5 days left before we leave for a month-long trip to the US, everyone in the house is scampering around, getting ready to leave. Well, maybe "scampering" is a bit of a strong word. In this heat, the only one doing any scampering is the cat when I catch him trying to grab stuff off my counter. He'd better scamper.

What I have left to do:
Defrost the deep freeze
Clean out the pantry cupboard
Sort through two big boxes of books (of course, I have to clean out the closet so I can get to them first)
Make a multi-media presentation for the churches we'll be visiting
Send out an update letter
And about 5 other things I probably won't have time to do

It's OK, though. I got the yuckiest job done.

I was tempted to do the other jobs first. I would honestly rather sit up in my air-conditioned bedroom and type on my 'puter than mop sludge up off the kitchen floor. Go figure.

But this had to be done -- more for the sake of my friend, Luz, who'll be staying in my house while we're gone than for me. It's not that I'm worried that she'd be offended at my gross fridge which drips constantly. I just want to bless her. I don't want her to have to deal with a big puddle of water in front of the fridge every morning.

And so, in the midst of mucking out the fridge, I began to consider the things that I'd really rather not do, but I do them anyway -- for my husband, for my kids, for my neighbors, for my friends. Then God brought a passage of scripture to mind...

Philippians 2:1-11 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I added the italics to emphasize the part that really stuck in my brain. My prayer today: God, help me to consider others more significant than myself. Even when it's hot and I'm cranky and I've a ton to do and people just won't stop interrupting me. Help me, God, to humble myself and look out for the interests of others!

Divided Attentions

Yesterday, I had a bit of an epiphany: Facebook is not helping be become a better blogger. In fact, I think that since I began my "Facebook Journey", my blogging has become next to non-existent. I have become...

The Lousy Blogger.

Therefore, I have decided that for the next week or two, I'm not going to post anything on Facebook except links to posts I have written on my blogs. That should help.

Hey, it couldn't hurt!!! How can I post less than nothing???

So, today's "Status" is: HOT.

Doug shared this morning at the Guasave church, and I took this shot. It really doesn't capture all that is summer in Sinaloa, but you can see a glimpse.

Note the slightly lighter-colored part of his shirt near the waistband of his slacks. That's the dry part.

No, I did NOT throw a water balloon at him during worship and no, we did not do a baptism. It's sweat. Thankfully, his sweat don't stink. Seriously, it doesn't. But it's still...um...sweaty.

Church in Guasave is held in open air, partly because the building hasn't been built yet, but partly because holding service inside a brick building is similar to holding it inside a brick oven. We sometime have cows or goats wander through, and if it rains there's a mad scramble to pack up equipment, but the breeze...ah...que bonito!