October's going to be awesome

How delightful to see such great photos posted by Mandy and Julia when looking at the blog today. I'm excited for our time together in October - it will undoubtedly be a great time. Oh, and don't worry about who will provide the alcohol, I feel the call to fill that role. In fact I've already started with some beer in my fridge and tequila in my cabinet. Even when pregnant I think tequila would be good and yes, maybe even for the child. ;)

For those that haven't heard that much about Mexico, I thought I'd take a little bit of time to tell you about it. In a nutshell it was a phenomenal experience and gave me lots of things to think about in relation to what ministry I feel I being called to. While I learned more spanish and feel my comprehension is better than what it was, I also learned a lot about the culture, political, social, and economic state in the country and especially in Morelos and some of the other poorer states in the country. What's great about the type of learning that I experienced is that it is not just in the classroom but takes place by talking with the people and visiting homes and attending neighborhood meetings and parties. I've learned a lot about community and can't wait to implement that into my future ministry. In fact I felt more welcomed by the people I met in Mexico over some of the communities I've been involved with in my own culture. I've been back two weeks today and I'm feeling like I'm finally getting into the swing of things, whatever that means. Because truth be told I'm not the same as when I left and I don't think anyone is when they return from an immersion experience (which doesn't come exclusively from leaving the country). As I continue to process and discern I'm thankful for my community of friends. Elizabeth and I went to visit Schripes last weekend which was wonderful and tonight a little girl (Micaela) and her mommy came over with a banana bread to share - talk about community. Additionally, I look forward to October and our gathering - it's nice to be with people who understand who you are. Here are a few photos from my trip. Maybe when you come in a few weeks I'll actually have some developed.