Tuxtla Gutierrez...and the mango-piña

After visiting Salina Cruz, Nolan and I traveled to Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital city of the state of Chiapas. We are still here, and we love this place. They are going to have to drag us out of here.

We are staying in the home of Victor and Leti. Below you can see Victor relaxing in the hammock with his daughter Fernanda. A hammock is a great place for a nap or a good night's rest.



Victor and Leti are treating us great, but we do have one complaint. The first night here, they gave us some fruit that we had never seen. Leti showed us how to eat it, by rubbing it to release the juice, making a little hole in the top, and then sucking it out of the hole. We loved the crazy new flavor and Nolan quickly finished his, and I ate two of them. Leti told us they are called mango-piñas. What she did not tell us is that they are natural laxatives. We spent the next day or so fighting for the bathroom and carrying baby wipes (know as Cremosas) everywhere we went. We are all better now, but learned a good lesson. All members of the mango family are laxatives, and the mango-piña is the most potent of all.

Back to business...There is an awesome group of students here that is very excited about starting a ministry on several campuses. In the mornings, we have been visiting different campuses and meeting with students there, while in the evenings we have been spending time with the student leaders, training them, and just having a good time. The picture below is of Nolan, Deborah, Andrea, and Josh. We were at the zoo.



The next picture is of Nolan and Oscar.



Oscar and Deborah study medicine at the school right across the street from the internet cafe where I am writing this. Andrea studies civil engineering with Ismael, another buddy who we have been spending time with. We need to go right now to meet up with some friends for lunch, but we will update you again soon. We have lots of fun things planned for the next few days, and we are looking forward to spending more time with the students here in Tuxtla. I will leave you with a picture taken earlier today on the Med School campus of the Universida Autónoma de Chiapas. Pictured are Nolan, Angela, Deborah, Josh, and Oscar. Deborah is giving Josh the infamous Zoop that is currently being spread all over the southern part of the country. Until the next time, stay away from the mango-piñas!

Salina Cruz

Salina Cruz is a pretty large town on the southern coast of Oaxaca state. There is a major PEMEX oil refinery there, as well as a very busy port. The majority of the people work for PEMEX, at the port, or in the fishing industry.

Nolan and I arrived in Salina Cruz on June 19th. We met Emanuel, and stayed at his house for a few days. On our second day there, we traveled about an hour away to Juchitan to visit the university campus where he studies. The picture below is Nolan, David, Josh, and Emanuel at Universidad Autónoma del Istmo.



Near Emanuel's house is a large hill where you can see a panoramic view of the city. We went there a couple of times to check things out. There is a large cross on the top. The next picture is of Nolan and Josh at the cross.



We worked hard in Salina Cruz, spending a lot of time with students and sharing a lot with Emanuel, but we did have some time for diversion. One morning we went to a beach not far from the city to ride some big waves. Below is a picture of Nolan and I at the beach.



We also ate some interesting food in Salina Cruz. Our last day there, Emanuel's parents made some good fish and shrimp. The fish looked like it had just been taken off the hook. Below is a picture of my plate after finishing one fish, and preparing to start on another.



On our final day in Salina Cruz, we also went to a very secluded beach about an hour west of the city. It was one of the nicest beaches I have ever seen. We spent the morning playing in the clear water, relaxing, and enjoying having the place all to ourselves. Honestly there wasn't another person on the entire beach as far as we could see in either direction. It was awesome. The place is called Chipehua, and you can see it below.

We're still alive

The guys are back after a long absence, and have finally found a decent Internet connection. We are currently in Chiapas, but I am going to update you on our other travels before getting to the present.

We stayed in Oaxaca, Oaxaca for about four days, and got to spend some great time working with our buddy Manuel. Below is a picture of Nolan, Manuel, and Josh.



While in Oaxaca, we got to do a lot of fun things like going to Monte Alban, an ancient city of the Zapotecos, and visiting the largest tree in Mexico. Below is a picture of Nolan and I at Monte Alban, and below that at the large tree.





We have eaten some interesting foods on this trip, and Oaxaca was no exception. Below are pictures of both Nolan and I trying some grasshoppers. They actually weren't that bad, so I had two of them.





We had an excellent stay in Oaxaca, and from there traveled south to Salina Cruz, on the Pacific Coast. Check the next post for pictures and stories from Salina Cruz.

Los Mochis

Amy and I with Abner, our contact in Los Mochis, his two kids, and his dad. We loved our time in Los Mochis. It is not a very big city, but we had a great time with Abner and his family. Abner has had a lot of experience working with students in Los Mochis, but now is busy as a pastor of a new church. He would love to help with students, but we need someone to rise up and be the leader to start a ministry with students. The night we got there, Abner had arranged for us to meet with some students from different churches who were interested in student ministry. We shared with them what MIES was and they seemed interested and asked us several questions about how to begin a ministry.

Amy and I at one of the campuses in Los Mochis. As you can tell by my closed eyes, Abner loved to take pictures on the count of 2 instead of 3.

Amy and I with some students we met on the campus of the Universidad de Occidente. We just started talking to them about their campus and then ended up sitting and talking to them for an hour. This would be a great school for Target Harvest (www.targetharvestmexico.org) because Abner is a great resource in Los Mochis and would be a great support.

Ciudad Obregon continued......

Amy and I with Hector and his family in front of their church. We had a good time staying with them in Obregon and getting to know their family. Hector is a doctor and his wife is a nurse. They work hard at their jobs but then also spend plenty of time at their church. Hector is the pastor at this church, which is a mission church started a few years ago by another church. Hector is the leader of the MIES in Obregon. The student ministry there has been strong in the past but in recent years there have been less and less students.
Our friend Jose, Amy and I at the lagoon in Ciudad Obregon. We had been eating some coconut and then for some reason thought it would be fun to make mustaches out of torn off pieces of the coconut. This is our first picture when we just held the coconut....what followed were many more pictures of us trying to keep the mustaches on without holding them. We had so much fun with the people in Obregon....everyone was so friendly and made us feel right at home.

Eating hot dogs with Hector's family. It seems like every city we went to up north claimed their hot dogs were the best! Everyone wanted us to try one in the cities we were in.

Amy and I with Emmanuel, one of the students we met, visiting the campus of ITSON, Instituto Tecnologico de Sonora.

Ciudad Obregon... the adventure continues

Hello de Obregon... actually, we are in Los Mochis... but, we didn´t get a chance to update from Obregon... and this is just the first part. We are sitting in an Internet Cafe accross the street from the University... and all of the pictures wouldn´t fit on our JumpDrive... so, check back we will update more soon! But for now...

We met with some Jovenes (Youth) from several different churches around Obregon... we had a chance to listen in on their meeting about missions. We also had a chance to share with them our call to missions and what God is doing in Guadalajara and Puebla.

We had a chance to spend some time in prayer with our new friend Jose... We met Jose in Hermosillo. He studies there but his family lives in Obregon. We just happened to be in his church for the Wednesday night service and met him... he offered us a ride home that night- and then the rest is history. We feel like we have known Jose for years! He gave us a ride to Obregon and helped us out a lot! We got to meet his family and spend time with his church family also. We also gave him a chance to try an American favorite... Fudge Rounds that we just happened to find in a random OXXO!!! We don´t think he really appreciated it as us girls did... it didn´t have chile! :) just kidding!

Laura sharing her testimony about how God called her to missions...

Amy sharing her testimony about how God called her to missions...

Greetings from wild Oaxaca

Nolan and I are a little more than 24 hours into our adventure, and we are having a great time. Last night in the México D.F. airport we were able to eat at Italiani's and we picked up two dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts. We would have bought more, but they only had 13 glazed when we arrived. The two pictures below are Nolan and I taking our first bites of the soft, sugary treats.





Upon arriving in Oaxaca we met up with our buddy Manuel, who took us to the Hotel Monte Alban, a lovely building right on the main town square. It is over 400 years old, yet has wireless internet. You can't beat it for the price. Tonight being a Saturday, and the day before Fathers' Day, there was a lively festival in the square. It was called Noche de las Luces, or Night of Lights. The following picture is of Nolan and I participating in the festival.



Not only were people holding lights and carrying large globes and figures, but there were also many fireworks, bands, and lots of dancing. Despite the heavy rain, the Oaxacans showed up in large numbers, and danced under ponchos and umbrellas. A young lady named Tanya, who is from Mexico City, pulled Nolan into the dancing action. Below is a picture of Nolan and Tanya, dancing in the rain in front of the cathedral.



Don't think that everything we do is fun and games. Earlier today we went to the main university campus here in the city, and tomorrow we will be meeting with several students. The picture below is of Nolan and Manuel on the university campus.



Finally, before coming back to the hotel for the night, we had to check out an art display in the local government palace. Oaxaca is known for its art, especially pottery, and the artesans' displays were awesome. The picture below is of Nolan with a ceremonial mask. Notice the matching orange tongues. Nolan had been drinking some Gatorade just before this.



Well, that's all for now. We are going to get some sleep and prepare for another great day in Oaxaca. We'll update you again soon!

Greetings from Hot-mosillo

It's getting hot in here... yes, it is... so we decided to.... go for a swim. That's right Josh- a little birdie was right... we went for a swim... IN MANZANILLO in APRIL!! If there was even THAT much water here... it would be paradise... but all there is is brown dry tierra! As you can see from the real pictures from Hermosillo below...

If you look really closely... you can see that sign back there- the one that is telling you to say no to drugs... it says 43C- and that was just at 12pm... that is about 109F. And just if you are wondering what that feels like... sitting in a hot car with the windows up and breathing fire... I know you are so jealous that you are not here! Actually, in the shade with the nice 'warm' breeze... it wasn't too bad.

Universidad de Sonora... or UNISON is the largest University in Sonora... about 25,000 students. We did get to meet with a few of them and talk with them about their campus and student life. We found that there is some Christian work on the campus from a Baptist church and also another Christian organization. We were able to prayerwalk ... or prayer'sit' in the shade for the campus/students/teachers/believers and non-believers.

Yes, we know we look HOT... you can see the sweat pouring off of us and this was even after the sun went down at about 8:00pm. Of course we couldn't leave Hermosillo without having one of the world-famous Hot Dogs!! They are made on special bread, with the dog and chorizo, bacon, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayonaise and anything else you can think of!! Just trying to fit it into your mouth was a challenge. Really, this is on the NY Times 100 things you should eat before you die...

We went with a local pastor to see this campus... and while he was taking our picture he decided that we needed to have a picture with some of the local students... so, he beckoned these two students over... and here is the result.

Two Gringas in the middle of nowhere... We mean the typical landscape of Hermosillo... This is when we were wishing we were in the pool!! We think cactus is the state tree...

Working hard... as always! Laura and Amy on the plane wishing we had some tea... Our plane ended up stopping part way to drop off some people in Los Mochis- we will be going to Los Mochis in a week... and from the plane it kind of looks like there isn't much going on... However, we think we might be surprised! We are looking forward to our next adventure in Ciudad Obregon...

We will be leaving here this afternoon and riding with a guy we met to Ciudad Obregon. We met him at a church- and he offered to drive us there becuase he's going there for Father's Day... so, we accepted... It will be nice to be in a car! We will keep you updated as we go... We have a meeting with some students tonight in Obregon. Continue to pray for our safety and for the time we have- that it will be used to glorify the Lord. Pray for the students of Hermosillo and for those working with students. Thanks for checking in!!

The Amazing Race continues... Until next time... Las Gringas

So it begins

Today I will fly to Mexico City, where I will meet up with Nolan for our journey to Oaxaca. Right now I am most excited about the prospect of eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the Mexico DF airport. I could be gaining a lot of weight on this trip, as I have heard the food in Oaxaca is very tasty.

The ladies (Laura and Amy) have been sweating it out in steamy Sonora, where temperatures have been in excess of 110 degrees F. Tomorrow they leave Hermosillo and go to Ciudad Obregon. Word has it that they are working hard, but one source claims to have spotted them at a local pool. We shall see.