An Answer to Someone's Prayer

Upon completing my classes today, I felt I should get closer to two students who were designing an indigenous home for an exhibition later that day. As I admired their production, one of them came to me and asked me whether I had any experience working with the youth as a counselor. I explained my experiences in both work and church and then he asked if I could help him with a problem. We talked for about an hour and a half. I shared a few answers to questions he had had for so long, answers he couldn't get from anybody. His humility and willingness to be teachable and to receive advice filled my heart with gratitude. It was amazing how he transformed throughout our conversation and his dark eyes became bright and happy. Towards the end, he shook my hand with joy and pronounced the following words: "Thank you teacher. You have been an answer to my prayer." My heart was filled with joy and gratitude again as I left that old classroom knowing that I had been an instrument to help someone today. As I thanked him for his trust, I replied truthfully, "YOU have been an answer to mine." Experiences like these ones make me so grateful for the profession I chose a few years ago. I hope that I will continue to be an answer to someone's prayer and that I would take the time to listen in my heart when someone is in need of help and advice.

International Festival at Colegio Latino

Emma is waving as the Tabasco girl representative

Ashlie and Gina are standing to the right...

Villahermosa, Tabasco

Our Beautiful Tabasco Girl Emma...

Visiting Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco

This weekend we went to the Immigration office and finally received our Visas. Since we were in Villahermosa, we decided to stay in a hotel and visit the city. As you can see, our children had fun in the swimming pool, which was on the top floor of the hotel. We visited the Tomas Garrido Canabal park. Nowadays, this park carries the name of the man who founded it in 1930, and who originally called it Tabasco Park. The park was created to house the commercial cattle market, which the state is famous for. It received its current name in 1965 and was remodeled for its reopening in 1985 with new architectural and visual elements representing pre-Hispanic and colonial times. This beautiful park is located right by the shore of the Laguna de las Ilusiones. We also ate in nice restaurants and had to visit Walmart!! Charlotte went to the temple in the evening while I stayed with the children in the hotel room watching a few movies. It was a great weekend with a beautiful sunny weather.

Three Days of Unceasing Rain

15 inches in the last 24 hours...

We have been here for two months and it's been raining on and off since then. We would be amazed at the amount of rain and people would say, "Wait until the tropical rain season begins. You will see more rain," which we did not understand until now.

It's been pouring for 3 consecutive days so our streets are flooded now. We have never seen so much rain in our lives. Cars, motorcycles, and pickups are getting stuck in the water. Fortunately, we are staying in a 3-story house, which is built on high grounds; so we want to believe the water won't reach us. We feel so bad for our neighbors who are removing water from their houses; but I guess they are so used it as we heard this happens every year.

My supervisor just called and told me that there would be no classes tomorrow due to the fact that there are so many streets which are flooded in the city of Cardenas. How much longer will it rain? Who knows? Some natives said, "Ohhh...it will rain only in October." Others say, "Be ready because it won't stop until November." Who to believe? None!!! I want to believe that it changes every year, so we will just go with the flow...

Lucas' Adventure to School

Every morning Lucas wakes up and asks us: "Blanco o naranja?" which means, "White or orange?" What he truly means is which uniform he is supposed to wear. He dresses himself and after a light breakfast, he leaves for school. He loves his new Dora and Diego lunchbox, where he packs his juice and snack.

Charlotte usually buys a breakfast made by moms at school. It costs $12.00 (Mexican pesos) which is less than a dollar. This money is raised to buy materials for the classroom as they don't receive much financial help for this. Mothers take turns; they are assigned by the principal and it's your turn, you must do. It's not an option! If a mother does not participate, she has to either pay someone else to do it or she will be fined.













Lucas carries his backpack and this blue folder, which is for homework. He is doing very well in Spanish. It's truly amazing to witness his progress in the language. Though he is so young and attends a school equivalent to a Head Start in the US, both teachers are extremely good at teaching him. What I'm trying to say is that his school does not act as a Day Care Facilities. The academics play a very important part even at such a young age.







As Lucas leaves for school, one can see all these munchkins dressed in orange and blue walking to the school holding their mother's or father's hand...Such is not the case with our Lucas, who has become very independent lately just like his sisters have always been at that age...













There he went all by himself hoping that his school is open today because it had poured so heavily the day before and it rains like that, Lucas does not have school because the streets flood and so does the school. Thank Goodness it was all dried by then and he had classes.