New Church Location, Part III

Welcome to Cruz de Cristo (Cross of Christ)! Today, on the first Sunday of Pentecost, we opened with a lovely service in our new location. Many people have stopped by to ask about the church, and we pray they keep coming!

Here are several photos of our new worship location. Not all is completely finished; however, we have a beautiful space where we can worship God!  We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who have helped with the building, cleaning, designing, organizing, painting, and so much more. To God be the glory!

Merida Travels

Jorge, Zoe and I are currently in the city of Merida, capital of the state of Yucatan, working on U.S. paperwork for Zoe (more on this later!). Merida is nicknamed la Ciudad Blanca (the White City).  There are many speculations as to why, including a) The people don white clothing to stay cool, b) Many buildings were built with limestone, and c) The city is kept very clean. Indeed, I must admit Merida’s downtown has some of the cleanest streets I’ve had the privilege of trodding in Mexico. What I’ve loved most so far is the fascinating blend of colonial charm and cosmopolitan elegance.

While touring downtown, Jorge and I paused to enter the Museo Casa Montejo. Founder of Merida and conqueror of the Yucatan Fransisco de Montejo the Younger built and occupied this mansion. The ornately sculpted facade is the only portion of the original 16th-century house to be preserved; however, the rest of the building has been restored and opened as a museum.

You may wonder how we managed with a babe of two months in tow. That’s where a canguro comes in. Literally the word for kangaroo, this term also refers to baby slings! Hopping in and out of buses and taxis, climbing the precarious open-air staircase to the 4th (!) floor of the hotel, I sure appreciated wrapping Zoe in close. Can’t say she savored the sudden shrinkage of personal space though. At two months swinging her arms and legs in arcs is the utmost in entertainment.

Almendros

Almendros (almond trees) decorate the sandy corridors between concrete storefronts and the open sea.  Broad leaves kiss the impossibly blue horizon, a splash of green and the occasional blushing red.

Readers, want to practice your descriptive writing? Give us a glimpse of your neighborhood foliage in the comments section.

Entre Mundos

In one of my college courses we came across and dissected a noteworthy phrase: entre mundos.

Entre mundos means “between worlds”.  You don’t quite fit into the place you’re in. You don’t quite fit into the place you’ve left behind.

Entre mundos is when you’re sitting amongst a group of women discussing if bitter orange tea is the best remedy for colic, when you grew up with doctor prescriptions and biannual dentist appointments.

Entre mundos is when everyone’s talking about the latest pop stars and breaking technology and you’ve barely kept abreast of the current presidential campaign.

Entre mundos is when you feel too little at the adult table and too big at the kiddie table.

Entre mundos is when you try to explain why you don’t “need” a new oven (just kind-of want) to someone who’s debating which big-screen TV they must get this Christmas.

Entre mundos is when you never seem to understand the jokes being told in the language spoken where you live.

Entre mundos is when you insist on using a car seat in a country where no one is the backseat is legally required to buckle up.

Entre mundos is when you’re homesick for a place you’ve never been, where everything is perfect.  When we get there, it will be home at last, for God has set eternity in our hearts.

Until then, we’re all a bit “entre mundos”. We are but strangers here, after all.

Photo credit: ”Awakening of the Pilgrim” from “The Atmosphere: Popular Meteorology” by Camille Flammarion, 1888

Guanabana

Alright, readers, this has got to be the most fun fruit name I’ve had you pronounce yet – guanabana!  You may have heard it called “soursop” in English.

Here are my top five facts about this fascinating fruit!

1. This is generally a large fruit – think 4-12 inches long and weighing anywhere from 10-15 pounds! Definitely a fruit to share with a friend…
2. Prickly green on the outside, white and pulpy within.
3. Unique flavor– citrus and creamy at the same time. I guarantee you’ve never tried anything like it.
4. It is a popular dessert fruit in Latin America – eaten chilled with sugar and cream, or made into custard, gelatin, ice cream, sweetened drinks, syrup, nectar, and/or jelly.
5. Different parts of the guanabana plant have medicinal uses according to varying local customs, including getting rid of head lice, relieving liver and gall bladder ailments and even alleviating eczema and rheumatism.

I like eating guanabana fresh with a spoon, but the desserts sound awfully tempting!  I’m curious to know, readers – have you tried the guanabana fruit?

Photo courtesy of buzzle.com.

Grandmama Comes to Town

To log some precious time with her nieta (granddaughter)…

and with her dear son-in-law and daughter!

God be with you until we meet again!

New Church Location, Part II

Thanks to the combined efforts of folks here in Mahahual and folks from the United States, much has been accomplished at our new worship location.  Ken and Mark, volunteers from WELS Kingdom Workers, have contributed their expertise in the construction of this swinging double door at the entrance of our space as well as shelving units.  Deb, a member of our congregation, has spent countless hours scrubbing and sanding and otherwise organizing the workforce to get the church ready for use.  Her husband Hugh has been of vital help checking electrical connections. We can’t express our gratitude to these people often enough.  Thank you!

In other exciting news, we chose a name for our church, Cruz de Cristo (Cross of Christ)!  “But we preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23).

Keep watching for updates on our progress!