Cross Cultural Fiesta

Two wild and crazy groups of people joined together to eat tacos and show Christ's love to families and the communities of Ensenada and Tijuana.

Individuals and families from a church in Redding, CA (guided by our friends Shaun and Maria Sheahan and family) invested a week of their lives to shower the love of Jesus on a public school in a forgotten part of Ensenada, a boys' home in Tijuana and the home of a single mom from Ensenada. They did repairs, played with kids, built a "snack shack" at the school and made a difference in people's lives through their generosity and kindness.

In our newly rented home, we found that our patio can hold 60+ people eating tacos and mexican sweet bread and hot chocolate. The group from Redding joined with our Reflejo community to share the love and faith in Jesus that we all share. The principal of the rural school and his family also joined us. As you can see, there are no language or cultural barriers when it comes to fiestas!

A New Home...A New Area...A New Season

After living for our entire married life in one area of the city, we couldn't imagine any place else being as beautiful, as peaceful or as pleasant. There was the beach down the street, a brand new shopping center around the corner and the giant warehouse stores within walking distance . Who could ask for more?!

But in October when our landlord told us he was selling the house and gave us two months to move out, we took it as a sign that the Lord wanted us somewhere else. We wanted to be open to His will and prayed that He would show us just where He wanted us, the location that would be most strategic for the work that He has called us to.

We scoured the internet, called realtors, saw countless properties...but nothing seemed right. We were starting to feel the pressure when a month from M-Day (move-out day) we went to see a rental house on the recommendation of a friend. It was located on the other side of town, and even the friend who had recommended it had never actually been in the house, she just knew the owner.

We showed up for the 12:00 appointment and minutes later a lovely women met us there and let us into the house. We liked her immediately. She was very kind, polite and laughed easily. As we walked around the house there was a feeling that we could see ourselves living there. It was well kept up, mexican decor with nice features and the price was even in our budget (most of the properties we had seen were not). We had to make an immediate decision as there was another person interested in the house but the owner assured us it was "first come first serve. "

From then on it was, "Let the games begin...." We called the owner, called the bank, called our friends, called to buy a washer-dryer that would fit in the new space, went out for some tacos--and started moving. From the first vehicles that started loading on Saturday evening at 6 pm until the last load Monday night at 11 pm, it was a tribute to hard work and good friends and we had moved out, moved in and cleaned both places! Setting things up would be another story, but we were officially relocated.

So how do we like it? It's great! We love living on this side of town. We can get to the girls' school and the counseling center in five minutes. Most of the people we spend time with and are in our groups live from around the corner to a few miles away. We have hosted more gatherings in the last couple of months than we usually did in a year just because we are accessible. People drop by more, we carpool now, and we have more contact with our neighbors here. Although we miss the beach, if we hike up a hill about five minutes up the road, we have a panoramic view of the entire bay!

We are still hoping that God will provide a long-term housing situation for us (perhaps one that we can purchase). But we know we are where God wants us for now and we are happy to be here!

Move Over Santa...Here Come the Three Kings!

In Mexico our holiday traditions continue into January. On January 6 families celebrate the coming of the Wise Men as they arrived to honor baby Jesus bestowing Him with gifts. Children here await the “Day of the Kings” with at least as much anticipation as youngsters in the U.S. anticipate the coming of Old Saint Nick. In Mexico, Santa often brings “only” clothing or school supplies while Balthasar, Gaspar and Melchor are the ones who bring games and toys.

An important part of the festivities on this day is the cutting of the “King’s Bread”, a sweet bread decorated with dried fruits and shaped in the form of a crown. Inside there are one or more “Baby Jesus” dolls. Each person cuts a slice and if the doll is in their portion, the tradition says they will provide the tamales for the “Day of Candelaria” on February 2nd when once again the group will gather to eat a traditional meal. February’s date remembers when Jesus was taken to the temple to be dedicated to the Lord. Only then do many families put away the Niño Jesús from their crèche, often dressing it in fancy clothes and taking it to the church to be blessed by the priest before storing it away until next December 24th.

This January 6 we received an invitation from some new neighbors to cut the King’s bread with them. Having only lived here for a month and a half we were honored to be included. David got one of the Jesus dolls, so we will buy the tamales and gather with the group once again on the February date. These neighbors have introduced us to their friends, mainly professors and small business owners, and we have found that we also have many friends in common with these new acquaintances.

Another highlight this month was co-hosting a group from Redding, CA who fixed the bathrooms at a rural school and built them a snack bar where they can sell food. They also did an “extreme makeover” at the home of a woman we are discipling, as well as spent time with our community of faith here. At one point during the week we had 65 people in our back yard for a carne asada barbeque. Many good relationships were formed across the borders, as well as connecting the principal of the local school and his family with our fellowship here.

This next month we have the trip to Washington, D.C. with our partners and disciples, Danny and Lucy as well as the 2nd Annual Ensenada Women’s Retreat Feb. 22-24. Please keep these activities in your prayers.