Busy, busy summer

I just returned to Monterrey after a very busy week in the central part of the country. I spent a few days in the state of Guanajuato helping out at a church and school out in the country, and I also got to spend some time in the wonderful town of Querétaro with all my good friends there. Below is a picture of Javier, me, Juan Carlos and Nolan.



Today begins what is sure to be a very fun and productive, yet very crazy month. This evening I will welcome a volunteer group from Kentucky. They will be here working until next Friday. The day after they leave I will receive another group from Texas, who will be working in Monterrey for a week. When they leave, Nolan and I will be heading on a cross-country business trip in which we will hit four cities and cover about one quarter of Mexico in a week. After that I will be in Leon for our annual company meeting. When I return from Leon I will have a few days to prepare before the fall semester begins and I start taking some Spanish classes. It is going to be crazy but good. Please lift up all of the things going on this month, asking that God will be glorified in all that we do.

Dios les bendiga!

The air conditioner that wasn't

So I've already written a little bit about my parents coming to visit. Tonight I have another story to tell. On the second day they were here, my Dad decided that he wanted to buy me an air conditioner. This was a very thoughtful thing to do, because it can get pretty hot around here, especially inside an old apartment. I have several fans, but having AC would be nice.

I told Mom and Dad that I really didn't need it, but Dad insisted, and I gratefully agreed to go find an AC unit. We looked at several different stores, and finally settled on one from Wal-Mart, which was not a surprise. So, last Friday afternoon we rented a big truck for a half hour and brought home the gigantic monstrosity pictured below, along with a nice little cart with wheels for it to sit on. We were very happy to get it hooked up and running, as evidenced by my parents posing for several triumphant pictures with the Lenomex. (For those of you that have never been to Mexico, almost every company has the letters MEX somewhere in the name).



Only after getting it hooked up and letting it run for several hours did we begin to have our doubts about its effectiveness. It was advertised with Spanish words that closely resembled the English words "air conditioner" and the employees at Wal-Mart had told us it was an air conditioner, but I was a little concerned that the box had said "lavador de aire," which translates to "air cleaner." We also were skeptical because we didn't have to do anything besides plug it in. A typical air conditioner would need to have some type of coolant and be partially outside to expel warm air and condensation. Anyway, we returned from Alianza on Saturday afternoon and realized that we had simply purchased the largest fan of all-time. The reason the air that had been blowing out of the display model at Wal-Mart felt so cool was because Wal-Mart already has AC. We strapped the beast to the back of the rental car and returned it along with the fun little cart. Oh well, we tried. Mom said the whole experience gave her a new appreciation for what people go through who come to the U.S. and can't speak English.



Below is a picture of me putting up the Mexican flag that now hangs over my couch. I am glad I got it up just in time for the World Cup.



For those of you that may be concerned about my World Cup allegiance, have no fear. The Stars and Stripes is proudly hanging on the other wall, above the table. I put it there instead of over the couch so that it will be protected from the sun and so I can look at it while I eat my tacos. Since we put the Mexican flag up first, Mom was really happy to get Old Glory on the wall. The picture below is me and Mom after hanging the American flag in my apartment. On Monday when the U.S. plays its first World Cup game, the flag will be proudly flying out my front window.

Dayton in the Fifties

Yesterday my parents returned to the United States after spending a few days with me here in Mexico. We had a great visit. Along with getting to see much of the city and the surrounding mountains, my parents helped me with many things around my apartment. We put up curtains, decorated the walls with flags and maps, and stocked up on things from Sam’s club. When we weren’t working, we went to a big waterfall, toured the Chipinque nature park, checked out the Tec campus, saw Macro Plaza and the downtown area and went to the Obispado, a giant hill in the middle of town that has a huge Mexican flag on top. Below is a picture of Mom and Dad at the Obispado, overlooking the city on the night before they left.



We had a great time catching up and I really enjoyed my parents getting to see where I live and work. Many funny things happened while they were here, such as hearing them attempt to communicate with the local kids when we went to work at Alianza on Saturday morning. Although the kids don’t know any English, Dad thought the kids might be able to understand him better if he spoke English with an Italian mafia accent. It was hilarious. Mom, on the other hand, thought that they could understand her if she spoke very slowly, clearly, and with emphasis. I still can’t decide who was funnier. Either way, they both did a great job connecting with the kids. Below is a picture of Dad doing one of his favorite things, handing out candy.



I have mentioned before that coming to Mexico is like stepping back in time. My Dad also noticed this, and soon after arriving remarked that things reminded him of growing up in Dayton, Kentucky in the 1950’s. When he first said this, Mom looked at him like he was crazy, considering Dayton had about 4,000 people and Monterrey has over 4 million. In some respects, though, he was right. As we drove around town and they began to see more of Monterrey and the surrounding areas, Dad began to compare everything here to Dayton in the 1950’s. It became the quote of the week, and by the time they left, Mom and I would look at everything and exclaim, “It’s just like Dayton in the 50’s!” Although there are many differences, having my parents here for a little while made this place feel that much more like home, and I am very thankful for the time we were able to spend together. I am also thankful that my parents got to see and experience a little of my life here, and now have a better understanding of what I do and why I do it. Also, we celebrated Mom’s birthday while they were here. Below is a picture of Mom and Dad at Italianni’s, which is by far their favorite restaurant in Monterrey.