Familia Dyrst

We have finished our time with MCC in southern Mexico and are now living with Martin's dad in Bluffton Ohio.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Stove Building








We built 4 mud stoves in Olinala last week. The advantages of these stoves are that there is a chimeny which carries the smoke from the fire outside of the kitchen, they use less wood, and because the fire is completely contained, there is less risk of being burned. A group of 5 women from the neighborhood worked together and we had a great time! Briefly, here is the process - First we mix together: 7 or 8 buckets of dirt, depending on how "sticky" the dirt is, 3 buckets of sand, 1 bucket of dried donkey manure, 1/2 bucket of lyme, and somtimes a 1/2 bag of cement. (picture 1) Then we add nixtamal water - water that the corn soaked in before it was ground into masa to make tortillas. (picture 2) First we mix the ingredients with shovels, and then (picture 3) with our hands to make sure we have the right moisture content and no lumps. (picture 4) Then we put the mold in place. The big circle is where the fire will be lit, and the pan for making tortillas fits on top. There are also 2 pvc pipes that we use to make air tunnels. 2 cooking pots sit on top of each pvc pipe. Finally, there is a space for the chimeny. (picture 5) Once the mold is in place, we slowly start filling in the spaces around the mold, pounding down the dirt mixture, so it is firmly packed. This takes awhile, and this is when the joking and laughing really begins. (picture 6) Then we smooth out the top and start taking the mold apart.
And "wa-lah!" a stove!
I'll post "finished stove" pictures later - we're still trying to decide how we are going to inaugurate each stove!

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Working at Home


Martin and our neighbor Silvino have been installing fence posts and putting up barbed wire in an attempt to keep the cows out of our yard. Silvino will plant corn in part of our yard in a few weeks, after we have had more rain. Here they are inspecting their work.

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Swimming Lessons



I taught swimming lessons to children and adults during the month of May. (Yes, there is a swimming pool here!) We had a wonderful time and I am delighted to report that this month, the lessons are continuing....without me! A friend helped me during last months' lessons and feels confident to teach classes on his own now. So he is offering two sessions, twice a week, to children ages 5 to 14. I will continue working with the adults once a week, for now.

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Guests




Along with the scorpions, these three-horned, stag beetles are regular guests in our home. All three of the guys I live with get really excited and enjoy holding the beetles. A number of beautiful moths have visited us too. (All three of the scorpions in this picture are dead. When we find scorpions in the house, we carefully put them into a jar of alcohol. We've heard that it helps to rub some of the scorpion-enriched alcohol on scorpion bites.)

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Puppies


The neighbor's dog had puppies awhile ago. They come over OFTEN :)

Chiaucingo





Chiaucingo is one of the nearby commuities we work in. Last week we visited a family whose mud stove needed some tender loving care. (These are the stoves we are promoting because they use less wood, the chimney carries the smoke out of the kitchen, and because the fire is completely enclosed, there is less risk of burns.) While Enrique (our co-worker), Martin and I repaired the stove, the boys hung out. I took some pictures of Micah "hanging out".

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Reading Together


We spend quite a bit of time reading together. We brought lots of books with us, and there IS a public library here! Our favorite spot to read is in the hammock, in the evenings, when the temperature has cooled off a bit.

Our Kitchen



Here are some "before and after" pictures of our kitchen. Martin installed electricity, plumbing, the sink, ran a gas line for the stove and painted the walls. (Whew!) A local carpenter made the storage shelves. Martin and the boys bought the blue paper-mache sash for me for mother's day. (It is a tradition here to hang one on the outside door, but it's too windy in the evenings, here under the mango trees.) Our kitchen works very, very well. And yes,that is Isaiah washing dishes.

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Calling Home


Here is a picture of Isaiah talking, via the internet, to his friend Tobey who lives in Chicago. We use Skype (see skype.com) to "phone home". We can talk "computer to computer" for free. We also have a Chicago phone number - 773.661.3050 - if you want to call us. With this number, our computer rings, and if we are nearby, we answer. If we don't answer, you can leave a message. Yes, we have technology way out here in the mountains.

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English Classes



I started teaching English classes in May. Lots of "Total Physical Response" activities. We're having fun!

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Basketball


Here is a picture of the basketball team I am on. Our team name is "The Chicas" (the girls). We just got uniforms. I have learned a lot from this group of women. We spend about as much time talking about feelings and emotions as we do playing basketball! For the love of the sport........

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Thursday, May 10, 2007

Another Friend


Just wanted to post this picture of Isaiah and his friend Alexis. They are in the same class at school. (Alexis' mom is also their teacher.)

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Chiaucingo





We went to Chiaucingo again this morning with a group of community development students from Cuernavaca. The students talked with a number of people who have worked with MCC in the past and have built dry latrines and stoves. The students had a questionair with them to fill out, to help us evaluate our projects.
Our family went to the preschool to eat breakfast - to celebrate Mother's Day. We went with our friend Aquilina, one of the MCC promoters in Chiaucingo. The food was wonderful. This town KNOWS how to do hospitality! While we were waiting for the Cuernavaca students to finish their evaluations, Micah and Martin helped our friend Narciso go get water. Micah loved it! Narciso and his son walk 5 blocks with two donkeys every day to get their water. They make 3 or 4 trips each day.
The pictures above are Micah on the burro, local landscape, and Aquilina and I. If you look closely, you can see that Aquilina and I have confetti on our heads. That is because we are celebrating Mother's Day here. We continue to build relationships and make connections.

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Chiaucingo


One of the communities we work in is Chiaucingo. Our family has spent the last two days there, learning to know people. Our kids got out of school early yesterday, so we decided to go to the preschool in Chiaucingo and check out their dry latrines. It has been a little over 2 weeks since Enrique (co-worker) and I did a workshop there with the preschoolers on how to use the dry latrines. One of our goals is to check in with people on a more regular basis to make sure that the dry latrines are working properly, i.e. no smell, no flies, are clean, and are being used. We have an evaluation form that ranks all of these characteristics. Isaiah helped me (Liz) evaluate the dry latrines and reminded me that "the secret is that they are dry." He also took the picture of me filling out the evaluation form.

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Tuesday, May 08, 2007

My May

Here's an update as to what I am doing and have planned for the month of May. Last week the basketball team I play on (and for the first time in my life, I can say that I'm one of the "starting" players!) placed third in a tournament. We had a lot of fun!
I am teaching English classes three times a week, in our home. The students are mostly middle school and high school age. A few adults. It's fun to have people over. This month only I am teaching swimming lessons twice a week. (Yes, there is a pool here, and lots of people who want to learn how to swim.) Whole families are coming to the lessons. We've having a great time! I am also leading a yoga class twice a week. Needless to say, I am learning to know quite a few people here in Olinala.

Along with these activities, I am continuing to spend time in meditation and prayer, run to the top of the hill behind our house (3 miles), go to basketball practice, and get home by 8am to help get the kids off to school. (Isaiah and I have been riding bikes to school - he has ridden his bike to and from school for the past 3 weeks.)

Yesterday Ana (co-worker) and I went to Teticic for a workshop - just the two of us! I managed to drive the 1 1/2 hour trip on bumpy, curvey, dirt roads in the mountains, in a stick shift, no power steering vehicle. We had a great time and have made plans to go back to the community on Monday to help them plant chilies. Planting season is beginning. Our country representatives are encouraging us to spend time with people in the communities helping them plant. So that is what I plan to do for the next while.

This weekend I am planning to go on a women's retreat in Mexico City. The retreat is sponsored and planned by the Mennonite churches in Mexico City. I am looking forward to this event.

Two weeks from now, I will work with a group of women to begin building stoves (see previous post) that conserve wood and carry the smoke out of the kitchen. I will also be a part of building dry latrines and cisterns in two other communites.

Through all of these activities, I am learning, being stretched, and seeing the face of God everywhere I turn. I give thanks for new relationships and the personal growth that comes with each new learning.

And so begins the month of May.

Garden



We finally planted in our garden! We put in a drip irrigation system, to conserve water. Still working to keep the cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys out. We'll see who really gets to eat the herbs and veggies.

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Day of the Child




Last week we celebrated "Day of the Child" here in Olinala. A group of mother's got together and danced to some children's songs while dressed up as clowns during a performance at school. Barney also made a surprise visit and shook everyone's hand. Can you guess why Barney's picture is included here? When we dropped the kids off at school that day, Isaiah's teacher said "We need someone really tall to wear the Barney costume. It's bigger than I thought." Thanks Martin! All in a day's work.

Friends




Some of our friends: Picture 1- boys with Ronda, one of our teammates that lives in Mexico City, Picture 2 - Alondra, schoolmate, Picture 3 - water painting with Adreana, neighbor with whom both boys play with daily.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Holy Week






Some pictures from the various processions on the streets of Olinala during Holy Week.