Beyond the Border

Its been a year!

2010-05-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

A year ago I was finishing my second day at the Castillo.

I remember laying in bed asking myself if I was really in Tijuana.

And now in Ohio, I lay in bed asking myself if a year has already gone by!

wow.

Okay, story time.

I have a busy summer ahead of me:

working for the Salvation Army, volunteering at the Domestic Violence Shelter, college bible study, 6 weddings, preparing for the Sojourn and Turbo Kick!

All of these things will be awesome! Especially the Salvation Army! What an awesome organization and church! Anyway, yesterday I went in to the SA's Dewald Community Center for a job test run. Basically I hung out with the k-6 graders during the after school program so the director could get a feel for how I would do this summer.

I'm convinced the learning activity I led sealed the deal. What did I do? I taught the kids Spanish words related to Cinco de Mayo.

God is funny.

Welp, another late recap

2009-08-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

Holy! I'm only in TJ for 9 more days! That is so wild.

I'm planning on doing a whole summer recap post soon, so this is just going to be a short update...(sorry Mom & Grandma ;) You'll hear all about it soon enough.)

Lindsay and Breann prepping for our appreciation dinner/dance party that we host for Caravan Ministries. Dinner was great, but the dance party was the highlight of the night! Earlier this summer, I was accidentally told by a Caravan staffer that they were planning on 'showing us up' at our own dance party with a choreographed dance routine to Michael Jackson's Thriller. So, we secretly started practicing the routine from Slumdog Millionaire's closing credits. After two months of preparation, Caravan showed up without a routine and we totally blew them away! It was one of the highlights from the summer for sure!

Kelly and Addie at one of our favorite Chinese restaurants, The Chinese Dragon Bazaar! The three of us attempted to demolish enough food for 10 people...it didn't work out. I love these girls so much! I never expected to become such good friends with the staff here! Its going to be so hard to leave them!

Today's project - regrouting the Castillo shower. Work has been going really well the past few weeks. The dorms are almost done and we're doing some of the finishing touch jobs on the Castillo itself. Today I regrouted our huge shower and it took forever! This weekend were pouring concrete and stamping the main floor and that'll complete the Castillo as far as construction projects go!

Other than that! Life here keeps chugging along...Next Friday will be here in a heartbeat and the summer will be over...weird!

To Grandma [Because I'm convinced you're the only one that reads this.]

2009-08-09T10:57:00.001-07:00

So the countdown begins - 19 days until I head home.

Its a very bittersweet reality. Mexico has been an unbelievable learning experience and it is the only place I would've wanted to spend this summer. I have made a few really good friends and gained new insights into missions life that I would not want to travel without. To me, Mexico is a place of comfort, security, and growth - and the thought of leaving is a little scary. But this experience has given me a renewed sense of motivation and strength for college and I am so excited to go back! Part of my heart is here, but I know that school is preparation for greater things. I leave here on the 28th, go home for two days, and then straight to Indiana on the 31st, so the transition is extremely short and right now, all of my thoughts are on getting back to school!

Until then, a lot is going on here! We have less than six weeks until students arrive and we can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to finishing the dorm rooms. (I'll have to take more pictures of the work we've been doing sometime this week.) To be honest, I've been kind of tired of working on dorms lately, but after this weekend, my attitude has changed and I'm excited for the finish.

Okay, so the past few weeks...well they've been pretty normal here. But the most exciting event was that a group from Mansfield came here last week! My old youth pastor, who brought me to Mexico for the first time 5 years ago, brought down a small group from his church to work at Caravan. It was so good to see familiar faces - I cannot even begin to explain how happy I was. Tony, Sarah, Denette, Alyssa, Nate, Diana, and Gary are some of the people that I've known in the past and getting to spend time with them this week was absolutely fantastic. And we had so much fun! I don't think I've laughed and talked so much all summer! Their team had such an awesome week with Caravan - I had the privilege of sitting in on their debrief, which they did here at the Castillo this past Friday night, and I am amazed by what one group of people can learn in one week. God continues to amaze me in the ways He works in the hearts of His children when they desire Him. Having them here goes down as one of my favorite summer memories - hanging out with Sarah, Denette, and Alyssa - I will never forget this week.

On a side note, part of this week was funny because Nate was here with the group - and we used to do worship together for Crossroads' Senior High. So reminiscing about the old days was hilarious! Anyway, I swear by Nate's talent. And at one point we were sitting in the lounge area at Caravan and he was singing one of my favorite songs, so I recorded it just to remember the moment. Its actually a pretty crappy recording and I think me and a girl talk about cereal or something for a minute. Anyway, I don't have many pictures from this week (I'm waiting for people to put them up on Facebook) so this little bit will have to do until then...

One month left...

2009-07-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

Welp, we just got back from our staff camping trip and that's crazy!

I remember when I got here in May, everyone was telling me about the summer highlights and the trip at the end of July. I remember thinking, "Wow, July is so far away. I just need to get through May first." But here I am - July's almost gone and the camping trip is done. I have exactly one month left until I go back to life in the States...I just can't believe it.

The camping trip was pretty cool. I probably didn't appreciate it as much as our outdoorsy people, but it was nice and the area of Mexico we were in was beautiful! It was the kind of place where the only sound you heard was the wind blowing and birds flying...and the occasional flying beetle attacking in the dark. Ha! The stars were unbelievable! Dustin killed a rattlesnake. There were horses and cows wandering around...etc etc

I'm still phased that I only have a month left. There's so much going on this last month, every weekend is busy and we have a lot of projects to finish.

I'll write again soon!

Frustrations...

2009-07-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Is it okay to write about a few frustrations? I guess if I'm being real about what life is like here, there are definitely bumps along the way. I'll keep it short and just share one that's been plaguing my work here lately.

SO,
my job here on campus as a summer staffer is to help with construction. Funny, right? I'm definitely not one to bust out my tools and construct something on a regular basis, so 6+ hours a day doing construction type work is new to me. For the most part, its been fun and really rewarding to learn how to do new things like paint the right way, stucco, texture, install flooring, build ladders, ect., especially when the results help further the progress of Baja Bible.

BUT,
obviously, as our team does construction together, there are miscommunications, careless mistakes, and just straight up accidents all the time. And I feel like I get the butt end of the deal, because I've assumed the position of detail finisher and now, fixer. While the boys work on big tasks like plumbing, electric, and hanging doors, I (Kim too) do the painting, the tiling, the cleaning and re-cleaning, and all of the little details that finish the big tasks. But, sometimes, paths cross in the most horrifying way or tasks are assigned and completed way below my own standards - and I'm stuck spending more time fixing mistakes than it should've ever taken to originally complete the job. At the end of the day, I can say I've spent many hours, painting, re-painting, re-re-painting, and touch-up painting - and that's just in one room!

This curse has hovered over a majority of our work projects the past few weeks. Most recently, my newest tiling project has been massacred while a plumbing job was being completed, and my frustrations are beginning to boil over.

It is true that for us here at Baja Bible, that one of the major things we are learning is how to live and work together in community. I 100% believe that living in unity and tight-knit community is the way God intended life to be, but sometimes, it is just really really difficult. Really, really, difficult.

Post-Experience Weekend and our new friends

2009-07-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we hosted another of our Baja Bible Experience Weekends. Basically we open up our campus to anyone interested in the school and cross-cultural missions to experience what life is like here. We've partnered with a church from Riverside, California as they've transition into a more globally minded church body - they came down on Friday and it was a really great weekend. They're a really solid group and we've really learned to love and appreciate these guys. Its really refreshing to have a new group of people on campus that really wants to embrace and then share the Kingdom of God.

[I took pictures of the weekend, but my camera isn't the greatest and likes to delete entire folders of photographs...ugh.]

The weekend went like this:
Friday we waited until 11 PMish for the group to get here and welcomed them with coffee, dessert, and a introductions. Saturday Andrew and I woke up bright and early to make breakfast for the community, followed by a teaching on God's story and His desire for the unity of the Nations by Dave Burdette. For lunch we had a world hunger meal. This meant that 15% of our group ate extremely well, with multiple courses and dessert. 25% of our group ate at the median, rice and beans, and then 60% of our group ate at the poverty level, just rice. It was really humbling and thought-provoking. It makes me call into question why I eat like 15% of the world. I don't need to and I don't want to. I don't know what its like to go hungry and I don't know what its like to hurt like those that go without. So lunch was a very different experience for all of us. After that, we heard Dan and Cristin speak about different aspects of missions. Somewhere in there was a prayer walk and an afternoon of free-time to reflect and explore. Dinner was at our favorite taco stand, Rene's and then we spent the evening at the beach for a bonfire! Sunday morning Ryan taught on the things we should say 'yes' and 'no' to in life (I'll post about these another day), followed by a debriefing and we said our goodbyes.

So the weekend was pretty packed with stuff! I hope that the experience weekends leave a huge dent in the lives of the people that come down here - that they cause life change and a new understanding of life...I know that so many of the things the experience weeks focus on are things that changed my life 5 years ago when I came to Mexico for the first time.

And so today is a day off for everyone on campus and that has been so nice!

On a different note - we have even more visitors on campus. I guess these guys come every year around this time and stay for a while.

Ants. They are everywhere! In my room, there are three solid trails of these little guys coming through cracks in the ceiling. They come from the top and go through cracks into the floor. They don't really stop anywhere on the way, so they don't bother me. They just decorate the walls a little! ;) Trust me, we've tried to get rid of them, it just doesn't work. So unless they start crawling on me while I sleep, I'll let them stay. Hahaha!

Summer is definitely in Tijuana

2009-07-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

Holy, its been hot.

We spent part of yesterday at the beach and it was blazin'!

I'm am really getting my tan/sunburn on!

Anyway, this week is going to be so busy! This morning will be relaxing though. Heidi and I are going to a world class cafe, Cafe Sospeso, for a little hang out time. Tomorrow, we're hosting tons of boy's from Luis' for a barbecue, Wednesday a group from Caravan is coming over for dinner, Thursday is book study, and the weekend is an Experience Weekend that Andrew and I are in charge of serving! At the same time, we're going to bust it out to finish the dorms this week! This place is really coming together! But there's still so much to do!

Heidi and me at fireworks on the fourth!

Kim, Jess, and me a few weeks ago...we miss Jess!

Training for the "Mission Field"

2009-07-11T23:33:00.000-07:00

It is easy for me to overlook the essence of what I am really doing here in TJ, especially when my free time is sometimes filled with normal fun things like the movies, coffee shops, and waterparks.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that everyday is a chance to serve this ministry and to take part in its completion. Everyday I am reminded of the fact that living in community, with 12 other people I didn't know before, is training for the future when I could possibly live in a completely foreign community with strangers. Everyday is an opportunity to serve someone and to love them in whatever way it takes. Everyday is a chance to live out what God intended for "His Kingdom come."

But at the same time, I'm starting to learn that contrary to popular belief, the life of a Christ follower cannot and should not be divided into "normal" believers and "missionaries." (Or people that leave their comfort zone and go to another culture with hopes of serving and sharing their redeeming faith.) We're all "called" to the same lifestyle - so really, this blog is nothing special. It is just the ways I am learning to live out the same faith as my friends back in the States.

Cultural Outing!

2009-07-09T21:49:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week, Heidi announced that we would be going on a cultural outing - to the local waterpark! She made this annoucement early in the morning at the end of class and everyone was pretty tired/not very responsive. I on the other hand was super excited and let them all know by letting out a very enthusiastic "WOOOO!" (Jocelyn style. Those whooo's are becoming more frequent on campus, courtesy of me.) Anyway, I was really excited because we've yet to do anything that requires a bathing suit or sitting/running around water all day.

We were a little skeptical because things here are usually way nicer than you expected or really really horrible. But, we got to the park and it was awesome! Everything water related you could think of! Slides, intertubes, lazy river, a barrel thing, rope swings, a wave pool - everything! And it only cost $4.80 for the whole day! For the quality of the park, I think it would've cost well over $20 a person back in the States!

I'm in a little pain now that the day is over. Why you ask? Well I'm experiencing substantial sunburn for the first time in my life. I've never really gotten sunburned before and I kind of like to tell pale-skinned people about how being Asian is not only the coolest ethnicity, but it also guarantees that I won't burn in the sun. Well, I guess my body's not used to the Tijuana sun. While everyone applied sun-screen today, I boasted about my tough skin, only to be burnt all over my shoulders, back, and legs. Ha, I guess that's what I get.

~

When we got back from the park today, I found a few birthday packages! One from my mom and one from Joci. I was so happy! They sent the most perfect/needed gifts and I'm so grateful for them!

A quick plug. Jocelyn's band, Sing for Company, recently came out with their first full length album and she sent me a copy! I was so happy! Jocelyn and Olivia are brilliantly talented musicians and they've worked so hard on this album - I am so proud of all of their hard work and commitment! I know I'll have their album on repeat for the next few weeks!

~

Today was really an awesome day! I'm blessed to have people in my life that I can grow with and learn from. The staff here really pushes me to live Kingdom life and towards the goal of being in relationship with God the way He originally intended. They remind me of the simplicity of living intentionally, forgetting myself daily and learning to love God and love like He loves me. I saw all of those things in them today and I am so thankful for them and this place.

I should start writing more regularly!

2009-07-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

Katie informed me that I don't write enough. I guess I created a following of friends and family, but I haven't held up on my end of the deal...

So, I have a handful of random things I can write about, so forgive me for the choppiness of this post!

On Friday, Heidi and I went to Alex's little brother's kindergarten graduation! At the last minute, Alex's mom asked Heidi to be Pablito's sponsor, which basically meant that Heidi gave him a gift after he graduated. :) This was a brand new cultural experience for us and it was really um...educational. Alex picked us up almost a half an hour after he said he would and we got to the program pretty late. We know that Mexico is a "hot culture" and that promptness is not common, but we were a little confused. When we finally got to the program it was over within 15 minutes! (That's weird here! Everything lasts forever!) Afterwards, we went to Alex's house for lunch. There must have been a miscommunication because when we got there, they were setting up for a huge party and Betty's oldest sons were there...which led to an awkward encounter involving Betty really appreciating how close in age I was to her second older son...we ended up leaving soon after.

Pablito and Betty after the graduation!

Saturday was the Fourth of July and some of us girls took a trip up to San Diego! We started the afternoon off by going to a favorite thrift store! I found the coolest things for so cheap - an awesome bag, sunglasses, and a beautiful pair of pointy-toed, black tacones or high heels! Heidi, Kim, and Addie all found really sweet stuff too! After stopping at a Starbucks for a tall americano with soy milk (definitely something Lizzie would drink) in Little Italy, we walked down to the boardwalk and had fun checking out the historic boats and Fourth of July festivities - pirates, human statues, really awesome sculptures, a parrot farm, and tons of people! We stopped at a really authentic Greek Restaurant and waited for the fireworks to start in the bay.

I can remember last Fourth of July so vividly. I was at Cornerstone Music Festival in Bushnell, Illinois with some of my closest friends watching one of our favorite bands, mewithoutYou. It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. And that time of the summer was so fun! I had just graduated high school and was getting ready for my first year of college in the fall - time goes by so fast! This year, as I sat on the rocks with the women I've been living with here in TJ, I just couldn't believe that a year later I was living in Mexico, hanging out in California, and that was normal! It was kind of bittersweet - back at home, most of that same group of friends drove up to Detroit, Michigan to see mewithoutYou play again. It was just one of those moments when I was so grateful for where I was, but also really wished I was at home...

While walking to the Greek Restaraunt, we saw this WWII monument. It mapped out the route a famous Navy ship took around the Pacific. Of course I had to take a picture of little ol' Japan. :]

And yesterday was my 19th birthday! (Again, I can't believe how fast time goes by...yesh! I sound like an old woman.) Lyndsay came to class with birthday tea and a candle for me! It was so cute! And then after dinner some of our staff and a group that got in yesterday went to Cafe de la Flor - the cutest cafe ever! Dan, Lyndsay, Andrew and I went there a few months ago and just admired the desserts - so we all happily went back and used my birthday as an excuse to splurge and get the most delicious desserts ever!

I had another encounter with Mexican culture - after everyone sang happy birthday they started chanting "comer!" or something along the lines of "eat!" and I had to eat the first bite without my hands! Haha, it was really funny!

Heidi and I after dessert!

At the end of the day, I had tons of birthday wishes from friends and family and again, I just couldn't stop thinking about how thankful I am for all the people in my life! Seriously, I don't know who or what I'd be without them!

And last but not least, we have released another Tijuana Life video. This one is about Dave Burdette and the class we have with him every Tuesday and Thursday. We've been going through Matthew - really looking into what it means to live Kingdom life and understanding who Christ is. We're in chapter 10 right now... If you look quickly, I'm in the beginning introduction, but that's it. I can't get it to load onto here, so just go to this link and check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VNTXOcmyUc

The past few days...

2009-06-24T21:37:00.001-07:00

Sunday was another super relaxing day, and thank goodness for it because Tuesday was crazy! After going to church in San Diego with Addie and meeting a few former Caravan staff, we came back to the Castillo and I got a little bit antsy. I think a lot of us were feeling a little cooped up, so Heidi, Andrew, Kim, and I went to the beach and hung out for a while.
At Lat 32, the cafe that many of us love, we saw this couple and I thought they were so cute! The cafe is a local hot spot and the people that are there are always so cute and trendy! It may be kind of creeper-ish of me, but I wanted to document the fact that my generation of Mexicans are so adorable!Its so pretty! It was also the first day of summer and the weather was perfect! There were even surfers!
This is Heidi, the dean of women here at Baja. She noticed our need to get off campus, thank God, and drove us out to las playas! (I think that's the right Spanish...)

I really have been surprised by fashion here in TJ. On the east side of the city, where Caravan Ministries is based, the people are living in really horribly poor conditions - that is the Tijuana I was envisioning when I was planning on coming down. But the Castillo is located in a middle class neighborhood and the community, although they are by no means living up to the same standard of Americans, they do okay financially. So, young adults and teenagers have style! And they pull it off well! Everyday I see someone cuter than I saw the day before! There are really cute boutiques everywhere too! I guess I just wasn't expecting it, so it kind of makes me smile when I see a majority of that generation looking awesome!

Like I said, thank goodness we had a relaxing day on Sunday, because Tuesday was a crazy! We're currently in the process of stuccoing the dorm building, but that requires sand - and a ton of it! So, the boys called someone to dump some off and soon enough a dump truck showed up with a bed-full! They put in our driveway and from there we had to load up buckets and carry them up two sets of stairs, around the Castillo, up another set of stairs and dump them between the dorms and Oscar's house. It was a looooong day. Hundreds, maybe more than a thousand buckets full of sand up and down and up and down.
Addie was manning one of the chain stations on the first set of stairs. Eight of us made a chain through the campus to hand off buckets...it took a pretty long time. Towards the end of our work day, Addie and I made it through by belting old Dashboard Confessinal songs. It was a goood time! :]

And then today was awesome. We were all sore and I probably complained a little more than I should have, but it was good. After class, Andrew, Kevin, and I went to the laundrymat down the street! It didn't take too long and it cost about as much as it would've if I was at IWU, so it wasn't too bad! And we met a guy that can probably fix our washer! (Which turned some of my clothes gray last week...)Kevin and Andrew chillin' while their clothes dried in giant orange dryers!

This afternoon, we went to the V.I.P. movie theater to see the new Transformers movie! It was fantastic! The movie was great and the theater was unbelievable! It was by far the nicest theater I've ever been to in my life and it just caught me off guard because we're in Tijuana! The lobby was SO COOL! Extremely modern and the furniture was sweet! Their concession stand was not your normal theater concession stand! A cafe menu like Starbucks, 4 different kinds of popcorn, a breakfast menu, a bar, crepes, and sushi! It was out of control! And then digital screening, leather recliners, lamps, waiters, call buttons, everything! It was crazy! I didn't know what to do it was so sweet!
Addie and I were so phased by how nice it was. As you can see, the recliners were awesome and there were little tables to put everything on. And you can't see the mini lamps but those were awesome too! Oh, it was interesting - we had to purchase our specific seats like you would concert tickets. I was in I, 4! Haha!

After all of that excitement, we came back to the Castillo to greet a group that was visiting from Caravan. About 30 people came from West Michigan and the youth pastor grew up in Ashland! Weird huh!

Anyway, that's about it! I haven't been up to much else!

Lazy Saturday

2009-06-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

I am loving this day!

Jess and I are taking full advantage of our day off by chillin' in the lounge, reading, writing, listening to good music, and discussing the fact that we probably won't shower or change out of our PJ's for a while. :)

Honestly, this week hasn't been very difficult in the work department. We work from about 9:30/10ish to 5ish everyday (which is a longer work day than I've really ever worked.) But the days haven't been that long lately. We started slow because we didn't have all the supplies we needed and then I started a job that would take the rest of the week - tiling a sink!

I worked on this for days! Haha! It started as a fun, creative project...but after a few days of struggling with mortar, not to mention I had no idea what I was doing, it didn't look so cool in the end. It was definitely a learning experience though! And if I get lucky, I might get to do it again next week. (ek.)

So, I can't say that I'm exhausted or anything like that. But time still goes by really fast here no matter what type of project I'm doing. Having a little time to myself is always welcome!

I've been listening to Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell this week - that's given me a lot to think and write about today. I recommend this book to anyone reading this - whether you agree with Bell or not, its definitely thought provoking and spiritually challenging.

...I'm not sure what else to write about...

Next Saturday will be my first day working with Spectrum Ministries! I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing, but I'll get dropped off at a local market and head out east to help them with their hygiene ministry project.

And! Tonight we're having a girl's sleepover in the Castillo! Viki, Ana, and some of the girls from the church I've been going to are coming over for a sleepover with the girls here!

Haha, I think that's all...

Until next time!

Welp, its been a while.

2009-06-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

I was way out of funk this weekend. I'm not sure what it was, but I was just tired. Not physically, but tired in every other way. Its the beginning of my seventh week here, which in my small frame of reference is a LONG time, so maybe that is partially to blame. I also let myself get into a weird mindset this week...that definitely didn't help. So, I caught myself being so unreasonably irritable and quick to snap at people - it was a frustrating situation to be in, especially when I live with so many wonderful people!

I didn't know what else to do, so I grabbed a book, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. That solved my problem. For two days, I hung out around campus, completely absorbed in one of the most beautiful stories ever - a retelling of the book of Hosea.

I can't explain the book in a way that does it justice, but if you head over to Amazon.com, you can read the reviews others have written - over 600 of them!

--

I was explaining to a few girls that came to visit for the weekend that I came here (idealistically) really hoping that this trip wouldn't be about me. Originally, my only hope was to come serve this school and Tijuana in any way that I could. I felt like I was ready to be here and do that, but I quickly realized, and God quickly let me know, that I have a lot to learn first. That's been kind of tough. Not only do I have so much to learn about Him, but I have A LOT to learn about myself and there is so much that the Lord has planned for my heart. He is teaching me about love and what it means to be selfless and forgive. He is teaching me other extremely important things as well, like discipline and the patience required for language learning...

Sometimes, well most of the time, I feel like a big goob, stumbling around trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing here and why I can't seem to do things right. But then the little things remind me that there is purpose to this summer and I just can't see the big picture yet.

Ha, this is vague, but I think we've all been there before. You probably have similar experiences, whether they're in the U.S. or somewhere else in the world...

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the past few weeks!
The view into the United States from the Mexican side of the TJ beach and Kim, me, Addie, and Jess - I love these girls! We were in a store trying on the most ridiculous sunglasses ever!

Video Update!

2009-06-03T07:31:00.001-07:00

Last night Andrew, Dustin, Jess, Kelly, and I went to a college group in San Diego at The Rock. We went to one of their young adult programs, The Young Adult Cafe, and it is HUGE! They do this service three nights a week and have a Sunday service time just for the 18-25 age group because it is so big! We were a little overwhelmed by how huge the building was and confused about where to go, but everything was cool after we got to the right place. I think everyone had a good time and appreciated the reminder of what Love truly is that the pastor, Andy, talked about. It was a completely different church setting than what some of the group was expecting or used to, but in the end, we met a few really interesting people and had a fun trip to the States...just another sweet experience to add onto my summer list!

[I must admit, after being a student leader at Crossroads for a few years in high school, I had a lot of fun taking notes on how The Young Adult Cafe's program flowed together. I was so impressed by the atmosphere, the organization, the leadership, and the desire for community. All the while, it really made me miss Crossroads!!]

Anyway, I took a video of us waiting in the border line.
So, sit back and imagine that you're in a hot car full of young adults waiting to get back in the United States - enjoy! :)

The sounds of Tijuana and a quick update.

2009-06-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

Peacocks, mariachi bands, bread and tamale vendors, stray dogs, car alarms and Super Nintendo theme songs. These are the sounds of Tijuana.

Tonight is especially lively - usually you would only hear a few of these things at a time, but today, we've been graced with them all. Although you would think it sounds like chaos, its kind of nice. And I'm positive I'll miss this beautiful sound nightmare in just a few months.

Well today was great - not so productive on the work side of things, but it was great.
(I'm thinking I should incorporate more diverse adjectives into my vocab. I say great a lot...)
So today was delightful, lovely, congenial, fabulous, splediferous, hunky dory, and swell.
(haha, yeah right.)

I dabbled with power tools, such as skill saws, table saws, power screw drivers...other handheld saw things, ect. Dustin and I attempted to make a ladder for one of the dorm rooms that goes from the bottom floor to the loft, buuuuut, it didn't really work out. Haha!

And tonight I am going to sleep a little earlier - I was telling some of the staff today that there just doesn't seem to be enough time in a day here! It all goes by so fast and there's always so much that I want to do! Its ridiculous! (So 9ish bedtime - here I come!)

Anyway, things here are just chugging along! But I don't want to breeze past the weekend without filling all of my lovely readers in on what I did!

Kelly, Baja's secretary, invited me to really experience Mexican life by spending a couple of days with a local Mexican family! So, we met up with a few of her guy friends, who took us to their church where we met their sisters and friends. That led to a local youth conference and a sleepover with 3 wonderful Mexican girls! The next day we went to church, where I finally met the other summer staffer's at Mexico Caravan Ministries! Right after that, some of the staff loaded up and drove down to Encenada to a birthday party at an orphanage! Without getting into much detail, the whole weekend was a really awesome cultural experience! So much fun!

(Kelly and I talked about how it really was a typical Mexican weekend. No one was on time for anything, there was extreme amounts of laughter, tears, dancing and singing. Ha, it was really great and all of the time really helped my Spanish!)
Ana, Vicky, and me after church before our goodbyes! And then, Ana, Me, Vicky, Jonaton, Kelly, and Jessica! (I'm sure I'll see them again soon - at least I really hope so!)

Okay, that was the quick version, but I need to get to sleep!

Just an update.

2009-05-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

This week has been a reminder of the importance of being intentional.

After almost 4 weeks of life here, I am beginning to get comfortable,
and Tijuana is not such a strange place to be living life.

This is a blessing and a curse.
A blessing because I'm not feeling so out of place and I am feeling good enough to approach new and different situations with a little bit of confidence. A blessing because I am learning and growing. A blessing because I am in a place where God is showing me His true intentions for my life. But a curse because I am forgetting the significance of this experience and (for some irritating reason) the initial desire to change and be changed is starting to wear off.

So, my challenge this week has been to stay focused and aware of each of my thoughts and actions. For example, it is easy for me to only think about life here on campus and not about the country I am in. It is easy to wake up, work 9-5, eat dinner, read, and then go to sleep --> repeat. But it takes being intentional to wake up earlier to spend time in communion with the Father, to think and practice Spanish, to put myself our there to meet others in the community, to think about others as better than myself, to love, etc.

At the end of the day though, I love it here and I am learning more than I really expected.
I left the states with a lot of questions and desires - and I am already finding answers and guidance...Haha, I was telling my dear friend Anna today how funny it is that everything I was looking for is meeting me head on.

Anyway, its the weekend and we have a few days of rest ahead of us! I might have some pretty cool pictures in a few days too! Tomorrow we're going to the beach (even though its pretty cold here - low 70's with the ocean wind) and hanging out at the really awesome coffee shop I went to before. And then on Sunday, I am going to a pretty cool church (from what I hear) in east TJ and then going to a birthday party an hour and a half south of here!

We'll spend the next week working, but in a week from now - our first group is coming down! I'm so excited for there to be more people on campus that we can share this community with! It should be really awesome!

Okay, that's all! I have some reading to do and then sleep!

Blah. Check out this video!

2009-05-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

My life has gotten better!
Another girl has joined the Baja Summer Staff!
Jessica got here yesterday and I am so thankful for her!
So, I'm back in the Castillo and we're happily sharing a room.
(She's fast asleep at the moment, but I'm so glad she's here!)

Welp, today was just a workday.
It was pretty fun though.
Oh - I finally got up and participated in the morning work out.
It wasn't too bad, but then again, I didn't have any weights so I kind of coasted along. Jessica and I cooked a very American dinner tonight...
Hamburgers, chicken, salad, corn, steak fries...its a lot of food, but a lot of people.
We take care of each other/eat well here at Baja.

(Worst writing in a blog ever award goes to me.)

Check out this video.
I'm not in it, but it's part of our Tijuana Life series to show people what we like to do down here.
Keep checking back, I should be in the next one! :)

(Oh - I can't fix the width on this blog, so if you don't like the cut off look, just click on the video and it should take you to the full screen on YouTube.)

Friendz.

2009-05-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning my fourth week here in Tijuana.
I cannot believe it! Time is going by so fast!
The next thirteen weeks will be gone in a flash, I'm sure,
and I'll be back at school before I know it...so weird.

~

Today was peaceful and rejuvenating.
(I spent the day reading, studying Romans 12, and painting.)
Throughout the day my mind kept wandering to my wonderful group of friends.
Not only did I think about all of the fun times and late nights we've shared,
but I couldn't stop thinking about how grateful I am for a group of people that have loved me so unconditionally.

We share similar dreams and ambitions.
We love the same things and live for the same Savior.

I am forever grateful for their community and for their support.
(...and the hours on the phone, hundreds of text messages, and video-chatting...)

[Anna, Levi, Jon, Liz, Kristin and Seth // Jordan, Jocelyn, Liz, Kristin, me and Seth]

Hiking, Mexicali, and a really good weekend!

2009-05-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Whoa. Its seems like its been a long time since I've updated and written something with a decent amount of Mexico coverage! Days really do go by fast here and so many killer things happen - its hard to remember to write about everything!

So, I'll just start with today and work my way through the other things that happened this week.

This morning, Dan, Lyndsay, Andrew and I woke up pretty early and crossed the border to spend the day hiking in San Diego. I agreed to go on this little adventure even though I've never done any serious hiking and I wasn't really sure what I had gotten myself into. We waited in line at the border and drove a little ways north and ended up at Cowles Mountain. I'm definitely not as in shape as I should be and the hike was a little tough at times, but it was really fun! Plus bonding time with the other staff isn't that bad ;)
[The summit sign...very, very exciting as you can see.]

[Andrew and Dan looking out over the mountain.]

I think we were ready to be done with the three hour hike at about two and a half hours, so we used lunch as our motivation and decided we would go to Trader Joe's! That really did it - haha! And that was so great! Days on end in Mexico are awesome, but a little trip to some familiar places is just as awesome! We grabbed some really good food and then went to Balboa Park for a picnic!
[I got these Snapeas today because they're delicious - and because they're Jocelyn's favorite. So it kind of was in honor of her too haha!]

[I have a few pictures from the picnic, but this one I think captures the relaxing day - ha! Dan laying like that in the grass with a popsicle!]

It really was a fantastic way to spend a Saturday morning/afternoon. I've never really been a hiking kind of person, but I really liked it and hope to go out more often! And of course, we know that I love Southern California! :)

Welp, after that adventure we headed back down to the border where Dan and Lyndsay dropped me and Andrew off. We walked for a bit and then took a taxi to the Castillo - and now we're home! Its been a fun, but long day and I'm probably going to do laundry, shower, and video chat with some friends tonight!

Okay, well here are a few little details of the things I've been up to lately!

On Wednesday we went to Mexicali, a neighboring border city a few hours away, to build a little store for a family that Ryan and Dave know. We left super early and met Dave at a Starbucks, which is always a nice treat! Mexicali is like Tijuana, but a lot more calm. Dave said it had a lot to do with its agricultural background and its tendency to be more patient/slower. We met the family - Sylvia, Javier, Valaria, and oh I can't remember the little girl's name...Valaria has a little snack business, selling ice-cream, popsicles, and other snacks.

[Valaria's store]

So, the store we built was for Valaria. I helped do the roofing and some of the framing and walls, but the boys carried the weight of the work. We were done by the end of the day and headed back to Tijuana. The only reason this sticks out so much was because Valaria was awesome and her family treated us so well. We ate a lot of really good food, I got to practice my Spanish, and me and Valaria traded contact information! Not to mention I got sick for the first time around then. I had a horrifying sore throat and I've been recoving. So its not a big deal!

I've been learning a pretty good amount of Spanish this week. Mainly because a neighborhood boy, Alex, comes over a lot. He's thirteen and lives nearby and I really like him! He is really spunky and just curious about everything! He's taken us around the market and the neighborhood. He even invited us over to his house! Spending time with him and trying to communicate has been hilarious, but I'm glad he comes back all the time!

[Me and Alex playing with Photobooth yesterday!]

Other than that, its been a normal work week. The staff has been coming back and its been really nice have Addie around. She's been here for a while and I can't complain about having another girl to hang out with! Andrew got back too. Its kind of crazy because I met him last summer at the Alive Music Festival in Ohio when he was touring with Ecola Bible School! Me, Addie, and Andrew share simliar music tastes and that's SO nice! Especially since I have to listen to country with Dustin and Kevin all day! ;)

Oh. And yesterday we went to a really awesome coffee shop and hung out. TJ has so many nice places that don't seem to fit in. Where we went yesterday was so classy - it felt like we were at a cafe on High Street in Columbus! (It probably seems like we're always just hanging out, but its not that often and its usually just a break from work here on campus.) After that, we came back and had dinner at Renee's. Its a really good taco stand a few block down the road - its a Baja Bible favorite!

I think that covers a lot of the week...

I'm super pumped for tonight though! I'm video chatting with my sister and Jocelyn at 9 and midnight! It should be great! And then I'm spending tomorrow with Addie in the States! Overall its been a great weekend!

P.S.
I'm reading a few really interesting books right now.
Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell
and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Just a few photos.

2009-05-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

The days have been flying by here
and I have a lot of awesome events to write about,
such as our trip to Mexicali, cooking dinner, learning Spanish, and most exciting of all - the ways I'm already seeing God in these three weeks I've been here.

But, its already late!
Today's to do list was pretty long, but not much got done.
Blogging with a decent amount of content and effort to write well was on that list,
but that isn't getting done either.

Here are a few pictures from the past and today - enjoy!

[I decided to have a photo shoot while painting today. I may look ridiculous, but it was a good laugh and I had to show off how awesome I look (haha!) on a daily basis here at Baja.]

[This is from last week...or was it this week? Well when we went to Cafe Maya. Stephanie took this awesome photo!]
[This is me and Kelly sometime last week sifting dirt into her garden-to-be! :)]

P.S.
I'm listening to mewithoutYou's new album non-stop.
Its excellent!

P.S.S
If you can't tell, I'm loving it here.

[Oh - and if the layout of this post looks funny, its because it is. Its kind of difficult to format the way things layout.]

Days go by faster than I can remember to write!

2009-05-17T01:28:00.000-07:00

Mexico is definitely a slow-moving culture. A popular saying, at least I think this is correct, is "There's always tomorrow." And this is important to know when living here, because its a completely different mentality than in the U.S. Not everything is about speed and time efficiency! And it takes a lot of intentionality to not be upset or uptight about timeliness. I was reminded again of this today in just a few ways:
#1: Although I woke up at 9, I didn't leave my room until 12!
[This is weird at Baja. But then again, I'm not Mexican and I think its impossible to acculturate in two weeks. So, this really was my fault - ha ha!]
#2: Dustin has a bike that has been in the shop for a month! The Mexican owner promised it in two days, but that turned into over three weeks! And, when we went to pick it up today, there was another hour and a half wait! But, as we say here - it's Mexico.
#3: We were told the border crossing line was twenty minutes. We proceeded to wait an hour.
[Which isn't the Mexican's fault either. More like the United States'.]

Haha, those aren't very serious and they're not very good examples. But I'm sure more slow-moving incidents will happen while I'm here this summer. We'll just have to wait and see!

Anyway, yesterday and today have been pretty awesome!
We spent most of Friday in San Diego because Heidi's sister, Heather, needed help moving apartments and we needed to pick up one of Baja's board members, Brent, at the airport.

After spending the day there, I've decided that I love Southern California! It was beautiful and I loved the life of the city! Especially Little Italy! We had some down time between moving and the airport, so Dustin, Kevin, and I hung out at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a really sweet cafe were I ordered an amazing iced tea! It was so relaxing! And having more time to read Stepping Heavenward was great - so really, I have no complaints about the day! Even the power outage we had the on campus last night when we got back wasn't that bad!

And today has been a lot of fun too!
After a really chill morning, we drove out to El Florido to go Caravan Ministries and to get Dustin's bike from a local shop. No one was at Caravan, but just seeing the area reminded me of how that place changed my life four summers ago. I would be here now if it weren't for Caravan...

We came back to the Castillo to find that there were 25 Hispanic women setting up for a surprise baby shower for Stephanie in the main lobby! No boys were allowed, so I was on my own and kind of found my place within their group! It was a lot similar to an American baby shower. Lots of pink and party store decorations, food, presents, and laughter! We played a few games, such as guessing baby Elena's characteristics and writing poems for Stephanie. They gave beautiful gifts - even a head band looking thing that is actually used to hid the ugly part of the baby's belly button after she's born! (Do we have those in the U.S?) All of the women are from a local church that I hope to visit next weekend. And it was awesome because I ended up becoming friends with one woman's niece - Emily-Jessica!

She is 13 and goes to middle school nearby. Her favorite class is English and you could tell! She knew more English than I knew Spanish, but in 15 short minutes, I think we got to know each other pretty well and we made sure we would see each other agian soon! It was so exciting to finally have a decent conversation with a Mexican! And our language issues weren't that big of a deal in the end!

Okay, so that is not all! After the baby shower, everyone here packed up and cross the border to see the new Star Trek movie. I admit I was skeptical and just went along to be with the group, but it was such a good movie! I have never known anything at all about Star Trek, except that I can tell Star Trek and Star Wars apart! It was an awesome movie and I think I might use some of my free time this to try and get ahold of the old movies/shows/books! Haha! Nerd Alert...again!

This picture is us after the movie! Thank you auto-timer! (L - R: Kevin, Mike, Brent, Stephanie, Ryan, Dustin, Rod, and Me)

Now its 2 AM and there's church in the morning! Good night!

Book nerd.

2009-05-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

I found a book in our library today:
Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

I haven't been this captivated by a book since before college!
I used to say that reading was my favorite hobby (okay nerd alert!)
But then school kind of killed my soul a little,
and thank God for this book because I can't stop reading!

It may be a bad thing though,
because after a really chill day of cleaning the Castillo for our board meeting this weekend,
I just sat down and read for a long time!

Stepping Heavenward is a fiction diary of Katy Mortimer. It starts on her 16th birthday and goes for the majority of her life. What makes it so interesting is her thought process on following Christ as she grows as a woman. And Prentiss, the author, was raised in the U.S. and was the wife of a pastor, so its really cool to see how her life comes alive through Katy.

Anyway, wow. Nerd! Bah!

As far as life here in TJ, today was really chill.
I went on a walk with Stephanie this morning and then came back here and cleaned for part of the day! I also talked to my family for a bit and had dinner! Just a really calm, uneventful day...

Tomorrow's going to be a little busier though...
We're going to San Diego to help one of our staff's sisters move.
And then we're coming back to the Castillo as the board members arrive.

Its kind of sad/pathetic, but I'm not as brave as I also thought I would be in cross-cultural situations. I feel so limited by not knowing much Spanish and going out into TJ without other girls makes me really nervous. I know that I won't learn as quickly with my nose in a book as I would if I was constantly out trying to work out language with the people - but I'm still kind of nervous about it. And I just need to get over my newly acquired, minor social anxiety. The boys go out all the time but I usually deny their invites. (Girls at home, you know how awkward it is when you're the only girl in a group of guys - we always try to avoid it or convice another girl to go! Welcome to my life!) So for me, its awkward even in the U.S to invade on man time, but add on unfamiliar culture and constant silence because I can't speak the language = major awkward time for me! (haha, I just need to get over it.)

It is only week 2. So I definitely have time!

A long post!

2009-05-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today was such an awesome day!

Regardless of the fact that I slept right through workout (again), the morning was great!

Some of the permanent staffers here are at home for summer break, so the group is pretty small until June. Because our gang is small, we changed up the morning routine and went to el Cafe Maya for class. Normally, class, which is just a Bible study and time for prayer, is held in the lounge in the Castillo. But I don't think anyone was too upset that we relocated to Maya! ;)

So as you can guess, el Cafe Maya is a coffee shop. It is so cute! And the service is great! Not only did the baristas speak English (good for me!) but they brought our coffee to us instead of us waiting at the counter! Ryan treated everyone and I got the best chai I have ever had. Seriously.

We stayed there and talked for a while, then headed back to the Castillo to start working. Us summer staffers are currently doing construction on the second floor of the dorms. So today I painted - good times! (I've learned to paint the real way this week from Kevin. He used to work construction, so its legit.)

This is the exciting part! After a little bit of painting, Lyndsay took me to "mercado hildago." This is like an outlet mall kind of market place. Its shaped like a giant rectangle with parking in the middle and stores lining the outside. They sell everything! Produce, pinatas, spices, medicine, houseware, everything!
We started off by buying a coconut! This picture is Lyndsay drinking the cold milk/water from the middle! It was my first time having coconut milk and the fresh coconut! It was so interesting!

This is the spice store! Everything was just piled into these tubs, but it was so pretty! So many beautiful and vibrant colors! In the U.S. it would be considered unsanitary to just have everything out like that, but you know...I don't think Mexico is suffering at all because their spices sit out. I think that it is pretty cool. And different doesn't mean wrong! (Haha - there. That's my insight on culture for the day.)
This guy is a giant pinata I saw in the pinata store! He was huge! And probably expensive because Mexicans love pinatas and clowns! :]

These things below are lychee! This was super exciting for me, because Jocelyn (one of my best friends) absolutely loves lychee! She's in Asia now, probably having her fill of lychee! And I've really missed her lately, so getting this was just a nice surprise! I've never actually had this fruit before, just candies and drinks that have its flavor. I really like them! Anyway, these prickly nut looking things are a fruit. You squeeze them and the shell cracks. Inside is a juicy, grape-like fruit that tastes fantastic! It has a pretty cool seed in the middle too!

After our trip to hidalgo, we came back to the Castillo, where I returned to the dorms and painted with Kevin. If nothing else, I am going to come back from TJ this summer with so many new manly skills! Painting, stuccoing, sanding, wood cutting, landscaping, and hopefully I'll learn something about cars and motorcycles. The boys here are big into biking and cars, so maybe I'll learn how to do a few things...haha! I have a lot of hope in my potential to learn new things this summer!

Its true that time flies when you're having fun. Today was gone in a heartbeat! I couldn't believe it when it was 7 o'clock and time for dinner! Dan and Lyndsay had a girl close to my age over for dinner. Daniella - she's 20 and wanted to practice her English, so it was really cool talking to her! And the after dinner conversation with the boys was interesting. I'm a "city girl" in comparison to the boys here that are from the country. So talking about the differences in our lifestyles is always entertaining!

And the funniest news of all - I am no longer in the big Castillo by myself. Until Kelly comes back from home, I'm staying in her room in the dorms. The scary noises won't freak me out at night now, and maybe I'll get a decent amount of sleep tonight! Haha!!

Anyway, like I said, today was awesome! And I'm so tired, so I am going to go to sleep. Goodnight!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day Momma!

I experienced Mother's Day in such an awesome way today!

After sleeping in pretty late, (9:30, which is late here at Baja) I woke up and went to a local church with Dustin and Kevin. The church is just a few blocks away and it was nice outside, so the walk wasn't bad. That was actually one of my first neighborhood experiences since I got here on Monday. A lot of people were out because of morning church services - one woman even shocked us by talking to us in English as we walked by.

The small church was awesome! Everyone was so friendly and welcoming even though no one knew English (and our Spanish is horrible!) They had a really touching Mother's Day service. All of the children recited memorized scripture and poems to their moms and gave them gifts. Then all of the moms named their favorite hymns and we sang all of them! Worship lasted for a long time! I loved it though! (It seems that people in Tijuana have no reservations when it comes to worship. I talked to the other staff about their services this morning and we've decided that most Mexicans sing very loud and boldly, whether they can sing well or not! Its great!) My small church, with probably 50 people, was so loud! It was awesome! They sang a lot of familiar hymns and then read Proverbs 31 aloud.

I was caught off guard with how emotional the Mexicans were throughout the service. Mother's Day is a HUGE deal here and they really took the time to sincerly tell the mom's how much they appreciate and love them! After worship and reading, they called all of the mothers on stage and almost everyone in the congregation stood up and explained why they loved the moms so much. It was extremely emotional - almost every cried! I was teary and I had no idea what anyone was saying! haha!

In the middle of the service, they asked all of the newcomers to stand and introduce themselves. We had no idea what was going on! It wasn't until everyone turned and looked at us in the back that we realized we were supposed to do something! So, I awkwardly stood and said, "Hola! Buenos dias! uh....me llamo Betty (that's what we've decided on - the 'th' in Bethany is kind of tough here) ...uh yeah that's it!" Haha! And then I sat down! They laughed at me, but everyone pretty much remembered my name at the end - so that was awesome! It was also motivation for me to study Spanish harder in my free time!

After all of that, we came back for lunch and I called my mom! Thank God for her! She was so encouraging and just listened to me as I spilled my heart about some of my worries and frustrations. I realize once I start talking about my feelings or emotions, it kind of just floods out and there's no stopping it! So she just listened and helped remind me of a few important things to keep in mind when I'm feeling defeated.

I've felt a little lonely here lately. I'm the kind of person that loves to be in the company of friends 24-7. And that has been the majority of my life. Very comfortable and surrounded by the people I love most. So, although I absolutely love that I am here, its not neccesarily what I would call comfortable and I don't have friends surrounding me all of the time. The language barrier and my own fears don't help! But its all been expected! I know in a short amount of time this place will be home and I will be fine, but the beginning's been a little more difficult that I expected. So, the encouragement from my mom was great today!

Anyway, that was only half of the day! I spent some time studying Spanish. I have a pretty decent pile of books to help me out! An old 70's level one Spanish textbook, a Spanish-English dictionary, a phrase book, and a language computer program! I'm trying to beat the odds and become completely fluent in four months! ;) Haha, we'll see...

Dan and Lyndsay Silver (one of the deans and the nurse) came back to campus from church and we watched a documentry together called Wetback. It is about people from Central America that migrate North to the US. It was really interesting and thought provoking. Watching the documentry led to a few controversial discusiion topics, but it was good. I feel like I always learn something from old debates about illegal immigration, gun control, the death penalty, etc. And hanging out with Dan and Lyndsay was great! They really took care of me tonight and I enjoyed spending time with them!

Dinner was after that and now, I'm just in my room! At the end of such a good day, I got to talk to some of my best friends and catch up! So good! I should probably go to sleep though, because I really am going to try and get into the whole 6:30 work out that goes on here!

[I've lost track of how many days I've been here] Part Two

2009-05-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

Pulpo, entrienda, dar, y lechuga - these are all Spanish words that I learned today!
(Octopus, I understand, to give, and lettuce)

Of course, I use entrienda to say, "No entrienda mucho espanol!"
Haha! That means I don't know much Spanish!

Today was really exciting!
Kelly took me with her to the Debra House, a women's shelter, where she teaches English.
I really appreciate Kelly - she's been really great about showing me around and making me feel welcome here! Anyway, I was so impressed with her! Put her in front to teach and she changes from a young, twenty-something, bubbly girl to a fantastic profesora!

Being at the Debra House, I was able to interact with some of the local people for the first time. It was difficult, because of the language barrier. All I can do now is make myself known. I can tell them who I am and how old I am, but that's about it. So, hopefuly I can go back enough to make myself known to them and eventually build relationships. Language is a slow learning process, but I think if I work hard enough and if I am intentional about it, I should be able to learn a lot this summer!
After English class, Ray and Robert, who run the shelter, took us out for lunch - Chinese! It was so good! I haven't really had anything too strange here, everything has been pretty normal, but eating something familiar was really nice! :)

[Each of these huge plates only cost $3!]

Gosh, this post is all about food! Haha! Because after that, Kelly took me to a local dessert place! They are on many of the street corners and have a specific name, but I can't remember. It was really cute and the owner was super nice and understanding of my horrible spanish! "Me da...una (whatever it was called)....por favor...heh...heh..."
But I got this! It is a mixture of fruit like strawberries, pineapple, melon, apples, banana, and mango, mixed with sweetened condensed milk, raisins, almonds, coconut, and granola!

Overall, today was really great! Everyday here is new and better than the day before. I'm still so excited to be here! Tomorrow, I'm getting up bright and early to do a pretty brutal workout with some of the staff. We are all about being healthy and fit here at Baja Bible! ;)
[just a side note...I didn't actually end of doing that brutal workout. fail.]

I don't know how many people read this, but I would love to hear from you! I check my email pretty often! It is: bethany.ezawa@gmail.com

[I've lost track of how many days I've been here]

2009-05-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for today!
Me and Kelly are going to the local women's shelter.
I'm not sure what its called, but we're leaving soon.

I'm not sure of what it will be like, but I haven't actually interacted much with anyone in Mexico other than the Baja staff, so today will be interesting!

Okay, we're leaving...
I'll write more about this later!

Day Two [first work day]

2009-05-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I just killed my first strange bug in Mexico just now. It was a multiple legged creature that was crawling on my bed to the wall,
where I happily squashed it with my shoe.

[I added this picture of Liz, Anna, me, and Kristin that I wanted to post yesterday. This is from my last night at home.]

I don't know if I mentioned it, but I am living in the Castillo alone, so it's kind of creepy! I had Kelly, Baja's secretary, who is a sweetheart, walk me in while I turned on all of the lights! But now that I am sitting here thinking of friends and family, I feel oddly safe! Plus I can hear Oscar, the security guard, and Kelly talking outside. So no worries!

Today was officially my first day. My first work day, that is. I got up at 7, journaled, got ready for the day, cleaned up a little, and went to our morning study at 8:30. After that, some of the guys and I piled into Dave Burdette's (a local missionary and teacher) 1987 Nissan Maxima for a 3 hour drive to Mexicali. Halfway there the car started to smell really bad! After a little stop we realized that we couldn't keep going, so we turned around and headed back towards Tijuana.

[This is another summer staffer, Dustin from Maine, checking out the car.]

On the way back we stopped in Tecate and had lunch. My first, well first since I've been here, Mexican lunch! I got a quesadilla con carne asada with a Coke! So good!

Coke in Mexico is the best because it is made with real cane sugar. Its sold in glass bottles that are recycled! That means their environmentally friendly! ;)

We came back to the Castillo and Kevin and I got to work fixing the security fencing that lines the top balcony. I don't have a picture of that - but it was a simple, but time consuming job. Part of the way through the job, Dustin took my place and I went and helped Kelly put dirt in her garden to-be. It was a really dirty job.

Okay, I'm going to speed up this slightly boring description of my day and say: At 7 we ate dinner as a staff and then us younger folk sped across the border (in record time!) and grabbed groceries in San Diego and indulged at Starbucks!

It was a really good day and I'm still so excited to be here!

I'll finish this post off with a few more pictures and reassuring news that the Swine Flu is a huge joke. There are no reasons to be worried at all!

[Anna and I are so cute!]

[Down the road from the Castillo]

The front of the Castillo...well, part of it.

Day One

2009-05-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

10:51 AM
Okay, so since when do airports charge for wireless internet?
Yes, $10 for 24 hours of internet here in Minnesota.
I’m kind of disappointed - I have been hoping to post pictures and blog about this first leg of my trip to San Diego and ultimately Tijuana, but I’m settling for Word until I get online somewhere.

I guess the beginning of the day started with the end of last night.
I spent my last night at home with my absolute best friends.

Kristin, Liz, Anna, Levi and I spent the night doing a few things we always wanted to do, while also doing our usual thing at the Arneson house.

These four have been my support for the past year (and longer for some!) and I would not be who I am without them! Part of leaving is so sad for me because I will miss them so so much!

At the end of the night, after multiple goodbyes, hugs, and promises to keep them updated, I got into my car to leave. I guess we weren’t ready to part quite yet, because my battery was dead and Levi had to save the day.

I really appreciate Levi because he’s so dependable and knows how to fix almost everything! I can’t forget the girls, they were so glad to stay and hang out a little longer – to cheer on Levi as he “refueled my car with energy.”

[This is when we said a lot of ridiculous things about reenergizing my car.]

So, after that whole fiasco, Kristin, Liz, and Levi went inside but my wonderful friend Anna stopped and sent me off with her prayers. I love this girl! I have a few friends that share my heart and passions and she is one of them!

The ride home was kind of rough. Something within me immediately thought of the worst and made me question if I will see all of them again. I know that it is just a worried thought and that of course I will see them again, but I guess my thoughts just got the best of me…

I came home and could not get to sleep. It wasn’t until after two that I fell asleep, only to wake up three hours later. That amount of sleep does not feel good on a shakey airplane – that is for sure!

Haha! The best part of this trip is my scan through security. I forgot that my McConn (IWU’s coffee shop) Nalgene was half full of water. So they made me take it over to my mom, where she now has another piece of her daughter (who I think she’s convinced will not come home! – Haha Mom, just kidding!)

But that’s all as of now! Minnesota is beautiful and this airport is insanely huge!
Hopefully I can get some sleep and I’ll write again when I get to California!

9:05 PM (Tijuana time!)

What a long day!
After only three hours of sleep, I have been awake for twenty hours and I am so tired!

BUT! I am here!
Tijuana, Mexico! Baja Bible School!
I am here and it is so hard to believe!

Currently, I am in my room.
[I'll have to post pictures later - the internet is kind of slow.]
I am the only one living in the Castillo right now.
Everyone else is living in their houses on campus (Ryan and Stephanie) or in the dorm rooms.
The dorms are full as of now, so I get the Castillo to myself!
It is nice, but then again, it is also really creepy.

Unusual sounds, dark, big and empty, dark, unusual sounds. ek!
My friends know I'm a big chicken, so this is putting me a little bit out of my comfort zone.
But that is what this trip is about!

Everyone here is great!
They're like a little family! Its so cool to be a part of this community!
I'm really looking forward to being here and getting to know everyone.

Today has been just a little awkward because I am in the midst of their normal life here and the staff are alternating weeks of going home. So things are going to be a little abnormal here until June, but that's okay!

I'm already learning to be more flexible with Mexico's laid back lifestyle (aka time is not an issue!)

Anyway, I apologize for a terrible end of the day post, but I am dying and need sleep!

Just an Update!

2009-05-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

With two days left until I go, and make what some say is the most irrational decision possible, I have been really busy. Not busy as in running errands and buying last minute necessities (I did that weeks ago,) but busy as in spending as much time as possible with people I love the most.

It hit me about a week ago that four months is a long time.
So many things can and will happen in four months!
I can imagine that huge things will happen in the lives of my friends and family, and I won't be here for any of it. Of course it is bittersweet, because I am so positive that Mexico is where I should be this summer, and I am so excited! But still, I cannot help but be sad at the thought of missing out on so much.

So the last few days have been filled with sleeping in late, hanging out with my little brother, writing emails to distant friends, going to movies and Starbucks with my best friends, and late nights talking until we can't talk anymore.

(There's also been the packing, unpacking, and repacking part - the multiple attempts to fit everything I want into two suitcases.)

Today, its time for business. I'm doing all of my laundry, packing my carry on, and spending some quality time with my mom. After that, I'm pretty much ready to go - but I can't even begin to believe that I am leaving in less than 48 hours!

p.s.
The Invisible Children were given ten minutes of live air on Oprah's Friday show! It was unbelievable! The media attention and call to action the Oprah emphasized was exactly what The Rescue needed!

p.s.s
My friends Jocelyn and Eric Biddle are on a missions trip in Cambodia/Thailand right now!
Follow their blogs at:
www.jocelynbiddle.blogspot.com
&
www.ericmcfiddle.blogspot.com

Hippies, Uganda, and Indifference

2009-04-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

"And action is the only remedy to indifference, the most insidious danger of all."
-Elie Wiesel

This weekend was one of action and for the first time I can relate to the suffragists of the early 1900's and the African-Americans that protested with MLK ! I was a part of the Invisible Children's The Rescue - a lobby for peace in Northern Uganda.

Invisible Children is a non-profit organization commited to ending the longest running war in Africa - the rebellion and genocide in Uganda. A man named Joseph Kony is leading The Lord's Resistance Army against the government and northern people of Uganda, the Acholis, who do not support him. The LRA has killed thousands and displaced millions. Invisible Children represents the people of Uganda and is seeking peace for their country. Part of their efforts include The Rescue. The Rescue took place in 100 cities in 10 different countries worldwide. Columbus was one of those cities and it was amazing!

The purpose of the event was to draw media attention to the thousands of people around the world who desire their governments to step in and end the war in Uganda. We gathered and symbolically "abducted" ourselves to represent the thousands of children in Uganda that are abducted by the LRA. Then, we marched more than 3 miles in solidarity to our "LRA Camp" that symbolized the place where the children are kept, brainwashed, and enslaved against their will. And we stayed there for the night until we were "rescued." To be rescued, a political representative had to come and give their support and promise that they would act on behalf of the people of Uganda. Then, a media mogul had to come and also give their support. By doing this, our desire for change could not be ignored and the longest running war in Africa could not be ignored by our government representatives.

The most exciting part is that Columbus was the 5th city in the world to be rescued. All of Columbus' major news stations and anchors came, along with Columbus' congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy and members of the Columbus Crew!

This may not seem like a lot, but before Invisible Children started seven years ago, no one knew about the war in Uganda. Slowly, because of their documentaries and two events like the Rescue, Uganda has been working with the LRA to create peace. The have also developed in huge ways! - healthcare, education, sanitation, economic growth, etc! And a majority of this is because of Invisible Children's work! Also, for the first time I really felt represented by my government representatives and I saw our government system on a personal level!

I believe that these kinds of things represent the kind of action that needs to take place in order to create long term change. Yes, I am one person and it seems idealistic to think that I can change the world. But with a large group of seemingly powerless people, we have acted and continue to create change. And I agree with Elie Wiesel, indifference is the most dangerous attitude. It allows the unnecessary to continue. And I do not want to live my life indifferent.

(P.S. 6 days until Mexico! There's not a lot going on except packing and hanging out with friends and family I won't see for 4 months!)

Good Intentions, Perspective, and Differences: Thoughts on my mind.

2009-03-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

The Monkey and the Fish from Duane Elmer's Cross Cultural Connections
A typhoon had temporarily stranded a monkey on an island. In a secure, protected place, while waiting for the raging waters to recede, he spotted a fish swimming against the current. It seemed obvious to the monkey that the fish was struggling and in need of assistance. Being of kind heart, the monkey resolved to help the fish.
A tree precariously dangled over the very spot where the fish seemed to be struggling. At considerable risk to himself, the monkey moved far out on a limb, reached down and snatched the fish from the threatening waters. Immediately scurrying back to the safety of his shelter, he carefully laid the fish on dry ground. For a few moments the fish showed excitement, but soon settled into a peaceful rest. Joy and satisfaction swelled inside the monkey. He had successfully helped another creature.

Obviously, there is something wrong with this story.
The monkey was in a dangerous situation and thankfully got to a safe place.
But then he saw the fish, in what appeared to be the same kind of dangerous situation.
So, he risked his own life to save the fish's life.
Then he watched as "the fish showed excitement, but soon settled into a peaceful rest."
The monkey, motivated by goodwill, helped the fish in the way he wish he was helped and unknowingly killed the poor little guy.

Too many times good intentions do not matter.
And knowing no better, we think other people need what we needed in similar situations.

Stop and think about the last time you talked to someone. How did you react to what they said? Did you think of your own similar situation? Or did you think of ways to console them? Based off of what? YOUR own experience? When a friend tells a funny story, how do you reply? With a similar story that YOU know of? And when you spend time with them, are you motivated because you want to bring joy to their life? Or your own?

Three things from all of this:

First, I have been learning that no matter what, good intentions are not always best. Like the monkey, sometimes we see something that doesn't look right to us and we pose solutions that we think will do good, but in the long run, it doesn't help. For instance, we can send aid to children in Africa with the best intentions - sacrificing much, and providing them with material things they would not otherwise have. But if we don't teach the children how not to contract diseases and how to produce their own food and create a general way of life that they can happily survive under, than they just become dependent on our aid and never learn to live on their own. Or another example, you can build hundreds of houses in Mexico, with the desire to help and make good, but if you don't ever know the Mexican people and you live in your own frame of reference, yes, you've built a house, but you've also built a relational wall between cultures that will be a lot more difficult to tear down. We have to stop relying on good intention alone.

Second, I have also been studying what it means to interact and communicate cross-culturally. I've been studying right and wrong - how to stop categorizing everything based off of my own standards and frame of reference. Yes, I should hold fast to the standards set by the Bible, but when it comes to everything else, right and wrong should not be defined by what I am comfortable with. Rather, I should view things as just "different" from what I know and learn to appreciate those differences. I think in that way, I will learn to see the truths of who God is in other people in ways that I would have normally rejected as wrong or bad simply because they are different from what I know.

And third, I am really wondering what true relationship looks like. Over and over again in the New Testament, we are reminded to live selflessly, as servants like Christ, thinking of others as better than ourselves. But when we are communicating, it is easy to see that deep down everything relates back to ourselves, how we feel about an issue, how we relate, what we know. I just wonder what our relationships would look like if our perspective was no longer from or about me, but fully and unrelentlessly about you, about others, about God. Would our love for one another look differently when we stopped seeing from our own lens and from and for the lens of others.

Spring Break & Support Letters

2009-03-03T08:53:00.001-08:00

It is hard to believe that Spring Break is already here!
My first year of college has just flown by
and I carry around this deep sense of excitement for the future,
but also sadness for the realization that I am growing up!
(I'm thinking Peter Pan...)

Well, I am blogging this morning, almost afternoon,
in my family's kitchen in Ohio.
Sitting here, it is as if I haven't been gone for six months.

But yes - the reason for today's blog:
I am writing my support letter and planning for fund-raising.
I have almost exactly two months until I leave for Baja,
May 4th until August 29th,
and it will cost roughly $1500 (including airfare).

In the past, the actual support letters, have not worked out.
I have so much trust in God, that He will provide, so I am not worried,
but in the past, support letters have worked 0% of the time, every time.
I have been so lucky to have a youth group that cherishes community support,
and when I was unable to raise enough, my church family helped me through.
This time around, I am fully aware of my own responsibility.

So, today I am attempting to write letters to my small family, friends, and
the families from church that have supported me in life up until now.

I'm sure I will write more about this later,
but already my mind is scattered!

Impatient

2009-02-07T18:28:00.001-08:00

The title basically sums up my feelings tonight.

Midterms start soon and I am ready for school to be over.

But, thankfully, God has been shaping my heart more than ever,
and tonight He is teaching me patience.

What a Week!

2009-01-31T15:23:00.000-08:00

It has been a crazy week here in the small world of Indiana Wesleyan University.
We are a third of the way through the semester, so group projects, presentations and the first round of tests are beginning. It snowed multiple feet of snow earlier in the week, and although our tiny city of Marion closed down, class went on, and we acquired more stories of walking miles to class in the cold for our future grandchildren.

Busyness aside, the week has been spiritually challenging more than others.
God has understandably put my character to the test.
I know these next few years of college are really going to shape my heart as a woman,
and I have prayed for the opportunity to grow as His daughter.
So, I was not surprised when huge events came up within a few relationships that required more honesty, humility, and toughest of all, forgiveness, than I have ever had to give.

I am in the process of memorizing Ephesians 4, and the first phrase (Eph. 4:1-3) alone has been running through my mind all week.

"I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in Love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

-bearing with one another in love.
Gosh, that takes being intentional and Spirit led in everything you say and do.

I would say more, but my battery is about to die!

What a wonderful beginning!

2009-01-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

What an opportunity it is to write this first blog!
Especially because it is in reference to my future
summer spent in Tijuana, Mexico at Baja Bible School!

Well, to start things off,
I am Bethany Ezawa and I am 18 years old.
I am currently attending Indiana Wesleyan University
and I'm studying International and Community Development
and Business Administration. [What a mouthful!]
Choosing my major so quickly was such a God thing.
His guidance and obvious will for my life is something I am extremely
thankful for and I cannot wait to live out what I have been learning.
This place has been such a blessing!
We're in the second semester, so I have moved past the excitement of
finally being on my own and have moved into taking responsibility for my grades! :]

I started this blog today, because it was today that I emailed Ryan
and confirmed that I will be coming down in May.
This is such a fantastic moment!

Around this time a year ago, I was looking into many different colleges,
schools, and programs, really just searching for the path God wanted me to take. And for a little while, I thought Baja might be the place.
Until IWU's development program followed me everywhere I went and
things happened that let me know IWU was the place.

Finally having the opportunity to go serve in Mexico and work with
such an amazing ministry is such a privilege!
I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the summer and for Baja!