Up in the Mountains

A week ago, Saturday, a group of us drove about thirty minutes to hike a mountain on the ranch of someone with whom Limon is acquainted. We drove there packed into a big, white van and two 4-wheel-drive pickups.

Looking towards the mountains from the ranch.

Gathered around getting ready to take the pickups the rest of the way.

In the back of the pickups.

Looking back toward Magdalena which was at a lower altitude. If anyone knows what I mean by the big mountain south of Magdalena with the impressive cliff, that mountain (Cerro de la Ventana) is peeking up right on the left side of this picture. We were east of Magdalena. You might not be able to see the little white buildings, but Magdalena is straight ahead in this picture.

The beautiful cliffs off to our right.

The mountain we were headed for. It is actually a large plateau on top.

Facing the cliffs below the plateau.

Hiking below the cliffs towards a natural spring. 

Beyond the spring, you can see a slope of rocks where my group ended up hiking later.

Looking up from the spring.

The spring.

Some of us hiked up to the left of the spring and others to the right. I went to the right and we arrived at these rocks. They weren't such a difficult hike as a stressful one, more so on the way down. :) Some of them were unsteady and we had to be careful not to knock them loose.

Mani is climbing on the right in this picture.

  

Looking down from the top of the rock slope. Fernando is the boy pictured.

Alicia went with me on the hike. Here we are at the top of the rock slope.

We crab-walked down the rocks and arrived back at the spring. We were the last group back to the trucks.

As we left, we looked back at the rock slope. We hadn't gotten even close to the top of the mountain. :)

A few days later, Pau, Kathy, and I climbed the cross mountain close to Magdalena. It was just as usual, except for the cows which were very cute. :)

 Hopefully, with all our mountain climbing we'll be ready to climb the Cerro de la Ventana come March. 

Looking at the Cerro de la Ventana from the cross mountain.

Hiking the Cerro de la Ventana as a girl.

I can't wait!

Classroom Playtime - Oct 20th

I finally got our official school photos, so here they are.

Jesus "Chuy" - now age 4

Luisa - age 4

Jesus and Luisa are my two students. It isn't always this picture perfect! :)

Mili - now age 5

Emmanuel "Mani" - age 5

Mani and Mili are Jackie's students. As of October 5th, she also has twins, Santiago and Corina, but regretfully I don't have pictures of them. They are four years old and the children of the third grade teacher at our school here.

Tadeo, my special student - age 10

Maestra Jackie and Maestra Laura

It has been great to work with Jackie; she is a talented and insightful teacher.

Each morning we have an approximately 10 min playtime before classes. We recently got new play dough and the students rediscovered the fun of our play kitchen. It is cute to watch!

Please pray for Jodi, Osmara, and Jorge. I originally wrote here to pray for them because we had received news that Osi was returning to her family soon, but just now I got the message that their lawyer misunderstood the judge's ruling and their is no departure scheduled. However, I would still plead for your prayers in this case as it is by no means over and we could very well hear otherwise soon. The uncertainty has been going on for about a year now and especially right now I am sure it is a roller coaster of emotions. For those who aren't aware, Osi is the older sister of Keyla, our little girl who went to be with Jesus last November.

Thanking God for cool autumn breezes, two good days of kinder so far this week, and the joy of working, learning, and living. And also for more days with Osi at CVE!

Birthday Party at the Cafe

Feliz Cumpleanos Jesus and Mili! 

(L-R: Mani, Mili, Jesus, Luisa, Tadeo)

Lighting the candles...

Mordita for Mili

Group picture

My two students, Jesus, and Luisa, and I

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Jesus, Mani, Luisa, and I.

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We managed to inflate the "super balloon." The kids had fun running around with it.

I think this is the best picture ever of Tadeo and I. I'm glad he got to go along and enjoy the festivities.

So that was the party last Friday at the cafe. Jackie and I braved the crowded town (because of the October fiestas) and the kids each got a smoothie, we played with the super balloon, Mili and Jesus had their penguino cakes, we opened gifts and then headed back to school. 

Please pray for Magdalena. This prayer request is a little outdated, as last weekend was the actual holiday of San Fransisco Javier, our city's saint, but the town is still teaming with people. Every October for several weeks people come to celebrate. Some people come walking from Nogales or other towns to pay vows that they have made. Please pray that God's light, truth, and power would shine into the hearts of the people here in Magdalena and also all those who come to celebrate. Pray that they can know God's love and salvation by grace.

Also, please pray for our two new students in kinder. They are twins of a primary school teacher at Colegio Verdad y Vida (the on-campus school) and are in Jackie's class. Today was their first day, so I don't have any pictures, but they are very petite and very cute. Please pray that they can have a smooth integration into our school and that the other kids can be good examples for them to follow. 

Thanks to God for a fresh, breezy day, for His blessings on our choir, and for Tadeo's improving communication skills. (It has been amazing to hear the improvements in our choir (ages 13-20ish). Our next program is planned for November 8th. For me it is a weekly bucket filler.)