Friends

Friends dropped by this evening. We had such a nice time talking on the porch, holding the baby, and then playing card games and more talking inside. I got a few photos. When they came over Marcie said "When the people don't go to the mountain, the mountain goes to the people." A kind way of saying "why haven't you dropped by our house for awhile? And since you haven't, here we are to visit you. Thank you friends.

Time in My Garden

It's so good to spend time at home! We continue to enjoy the wonderful outdoor space around our house. I was able to work in my garden all morning. I'm trying to grow cilantro and swiss chard even in this heat.....so I made some shade. I've decided to train the Maracuya plant to grow over the cilantro and shade it. And I made a cloth shade for the swiss chard. (Remember Filomena's shade cloth? It's the most "quilt-like" sewing I've ever done :)





Micah was in the garden too. Here he is sitting by the onions and basil.


Our strawberry plant has a few berries again. We'll see who gets to eat them this time, us or the grasshoppers.



Tomatoes, a bit of dill, and nasturshims. The yellow plastic has oil on it to attrackt white flies. Some things ARE growing. I reflected AGAIN on how much work, time, and water goes into growing food. And give thanks for those who are doing it. And pray that true organic gardens can flourish.

Graduation in Zacango

Friday evening we attended the graduation ceremony in Zacango for the water-science workshop. Our MCC co-worker Dr. Bruce taught a 10-week course and people were really excited about it. He's hoping to replicate it in other communities.


Handing out certificates and documenting the moment.



It was great to be in the classroom. The community rehabbed the room - cleaning it up and putting on a new roof. Jaime is teaching ESL classes here too. Many people practice their English with us now when we come to Zacango and say how much they are enjoying the classes.

To continue the graduation celebration we watched a movie in the room - on a sheet on the wall, and a projector. With popcorn and chile powder.

We had a fun evening in Zacango.

Carrot Cake

Aquilina, Filomena, Bernadina and I met Thursday morning to bake a carrot cake together. It's been really fun for me. The group is small (technically, we work with groups of 6 minimum) but I've decided to let that go for now. Origionally there were more people. I often feel like I don't "get out" much, that the majority of my work is in the office, or visiting government offices, or having one or two meetings with groups to get projects started and then one or two meetings at the end of the project. This little cake/cookie baking gig gives me a chance to meet regularly with the same people (whom I really enjoy being with).
Filomena's birthday was March 22nd and she excitedly reported that she had made the milk sponge cake for her birthday party (see earlier post) and it turned out very well.
I couldn't stay to taste the carrot cake, but it sure smelled good in the oven - which Filomena was also proud to report that she now knows how to use.


Grinding the spices outside by hand. (Check out her shade - she patched different pieces of old clothes together - I just had to bring up Mennonites and quilts.)



Shredding carrots



Mixing


So while they were making the cake, someone turned on the t.v. to a cooking show (alsabordelchef.com) and I got interested in what they chef was making. We talked as a group about going to the computer lab sometime so they can learn how to access and download more recipes. Yum!

In case you're interested, here is the carrot cake recipe from Cook's Illustrated (thanks for introducing us to Cook's Illustrated, Steve!)

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4tsp. powder
1 tsp. soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. clove
1/2 tsp. salt
6 -7 carrots, pealed (3 cups)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil.

Mix dry ingredients together.
Mix wet ingredients together.
Add all together. Add carrots last.
Bake.

Some thoughts

I've been reading "Rilke's Book of Hours - Love Poems to God".

".....I yearn to belong to something, to be contained
in an all-embracing mind that sees me
as a single thing.
I yearn to be held
in the great hands of your heart-
oh let them take me now.

Into them I place these fragments, my life,
and you, God - spend them however you want."


I connected to this particular part of this poem today. There have been many fragments over the last number of months. Times have been hard. Conversations have been difficult. We have spoken out and shared, maybe too loudly and too much at times. Maybe, maybe not. From the fragments - talking, resolving, and I believe, healing. Yes, healing is happening. I want it to happen slowly, so it can be more complete.

One more poem from Rilke:

"Only in our doing can we grasp you.
Only with our hands can we illumine you.
The mind is but a visitor:
it thinks us out of our world.

Each mind fabricates itself.
We sense its limits, for we have made them.
And just when we would flee them, you come
and make of yourself an offering.

I don't want to think a place for you.
Speak to me from everywhere.
Your Gospel can be comprehended
without looking for its source.

When I go toward you
it is with my whole life."

On Anger

Here is and excerpt from an article I read sometime last week - I think form YES magazine online. Looks like I forgot to copy and paste the source. I'm going to post it here anyway. Two weeks ago I made some commitments - this article speaks to them (the commitments) very well. More life learning.

"Take the example of malevolent anger. We usually identify with anger. Anger can fill our mental landscape and project its distorted reality on people and events. When we are overwhelmed by anger, we cannot dissociate from it. We perpetuate a vicious circle of affliction by rekindling anger each time we see or remember the person who makes us angry. We become addicted to the cause of suffering.

But if we dissociate from anger and look at it with mindfulness, that which is aware of anger is not angry, and we can see that anger is just a bunch of thoughts. Anger doesn’t cut like a knife, burn like a fire, or crush like a rock; it is nothing more than a product of our mind. Instead of “being” the anger, we understand that we are not the anger, in the same way that clouds are not the sky.

So, to deal with anger, we avoid letting our mind jump again and again to the trigger for our anger. Then we look at anger itself and keep our attention upon it. If we stop adding wood to a fire and just watch, the fire will die out. Likewise, anger will vanish away, without being forcibly repressed or allowed to explode.

There is no question of not experiencing emotions; it’s a question of not being enslaved by them. Let emotions arise, but let them be freed from their afflictive components: distortion of reality, mental confusion, clinging, and suffering for oneself and others.

There is great virtue in resting from time to time in pure awareness of the present moment, and being able to refer to this state when afflictive emotions arise so that we do not identify with them and are not swayed by them.

It is difficult in the beginning, but becomes quite natural as you become increasingly familiar with such an approach. Whenever anger arises, you learn to recognize it right away."

Team Retreat

This weekend the whole MCC Mexico team got together for a spiritual retreat. Our family had a good time. Isaiah and Micah love being with the other MCC kids. (and adults too.) Here's lots of kid pictures (not in order).




Camp fire one evening with our Mexican version of smores - marie cookies instead of graham crackers. We sang lots of songs too.




I took the face painting book that tia Doris and tia Su sent. We painted faces after the swim.






Some of the team members put together a beautiful and meaningful worship service. Thank you!



The sandwich.


After the sandwich.

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Merideth singing with the girls.


This is the wall at the ice cream store.

Dependencia - Dependency

I took this photo on my way to a new community to talk about stoves and cisterns. I've been thinking a lot about how MCC is referred to as a "dependency" here, not a "Non Governmental Organization". Signs like these are all over the place. The government hands out, gives out all kinds of stuff. Here they are sharing the number of cement floors they have poured in people's kitchens. Now that more people have cement floors, the number of people living in poverty have decreased. Just like that?
We don't want to be just like the government, giving handouts. We want to be different. For example, the people who want cisterns have to participate in the construction process. And now they have to help find the funds to buy the materials as well. We're trying to work ourselves out of a job, not create more dependency. We're trying. But are we really doing it?

Basketball

Our team "Nuevo Paraiso" played in a tournament this week. We had so much fun.

Making a Cake

A group of women in Chiaucingo have been asking me to bake cakes with them for more than a year. We finally got everything together and made a Sponge Milk Cake (from More With Less) last week. We had a blast. This week we plan to make a carrot cake. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that they have talked a bit about starting a cake shop. But for now, they want to focus on learning how to make cakes for themselves, for their own birthdays. I can't say I know anyone here the uses their oven for anything except storage space. Well, now Filomena knows how to light hers.

At the Office

Kiara, Merideth and Manuel at the office.

Last week we had flies (oh no!) in our dry latrine. We had changed the dry mix - using less calcium and more sawdust - might be why. Martin made a fly trap and it's working wonderfully!

At Home

Here's some random pictures from our house.


Building blocks that Opa made, thanks Opa!




Our cat Canela had kittens Sunday morning.


Micah and Canela


Micah getting bigger - he can now wear the shirt Tia Dori sent a long time ago. Thanks Tia!

Cheese Cake - Greg Bartel's Recipe

Here's the recipe:
All at Room temperature:
1 1/2 lbs (3 cups) cream cheese
1/2 lb (1 cup) sugar
1/2 lb (1 cup) sour cream
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Beat together in order.

Crust:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 325 for 35-40 minutes.
Let cool. Refrigerate.

more.....

Another long day of talking and tears. More tomorrow I'm sure. I've copied and pasted a blog post from our friends Jenny and Joel who are in Mozambique. We were at orientation together. I connected so strongly with Jenny's entry the other day that I've decided to post it here, for those of you who don't read their blog. Thank you Jenny, for putting this into words. Someday I hope to read the book too. For now, the poem has been helpful.


From Jenny and Joel's blog at JoelplusJenny.blogspot.com
"A few months ago, a friend lent me Sheila Cassidy’s book Good Friday People. The book is stories of people who suffered because of their faith. It showed me that though, my life here in Mozambique has more often than not, been hard, that God is still working and all is not for naught. It showed me how people of faith, though we often waiver in our confidence and feel like life is bleak, still end up seeing God shining through the darkness. That God is working through us and in us to accomplish his will of alleviating oppression and pain, of bringing reconciliation to people, of rebuilding ancient walls.

Throughout the book, she quoted a poem that exemplifies the struggle that we have with our calling, with our faith in God and how we keep trudging on. When I read the poem in its entirety, it struck me how it shows the struggles and triumphs of life, particularly for those of us who because of our faith live overseas. I initially had scribbled one of the stanzas in my journal, because it so embodied Joél’s and my experience here in Mozambique.

We did not want it easy God
But we did not contemplate
That it would be quite this hard
This long, this lonely.

Like the author writes, we expected it to be hard, but not so hard and so lonely,. I think what strikes me the most about the poem is how its theme is that of Philippians 3: 13-14 “…forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”



Starting Over, Fighting Back
And so we must begin to live again,
We of the damaged bodies
And assaulted minds.
Starting from scratch with the ruble of our lives
And picking up the dust
Of dreams once dreamt.

And we standing there, naked in our vulnerability,
Proud of starting over, fighting back,
But full of weak humility
At the awesomeness of the task.

We, without a future,
Safe, defined, delivered
Now salute you God.
Knowing that nothing is safe,
Secure, inviolable here.
Except you,
And even that eludes our minds at times.
And we hate you
As we love you,
And our anger is strong
As our pain
Our grief is deep as oceans
And our need as great as mountains.

So we take our first few steps forward
Into the abyss of the future,
We would pray for
Courage to go places for the first time
And just be there.
Courage to become what we have
Not been before
And accept it,
And bravery to look deep
Within our souls to find
New ways.

We did not want it easy God
But we did not contemplate
That it would be quite this hard
This long, this lonely.

So, if we are to be turned inside out,
And upside down,
With even our pockets shaken,
Just to check what’s rattling
And left behind,
We pray that you will keep faith with us.
And we with you,
Holding our hands as we weep,
Giving us strength to continue,
And showing us beacons
Along the way
To becoming new.

We are not fighting you, God,
Even if it feels like it,
But we need your help and company,
As we struggle on.
Fighting back
And starting over.

Anna McKenzie"

Friday

Another full week.
I had computer-type work planned for my time in the office this morning. But at 10am four gentlemen that work in the government offices here in Olinala stopped by to find out more about what we do and how we can work together. They stayed until 11:45am! I'm excited to see where this goes.

In the evening we went over to Malena and Chuchi's house to celebrate Malena's birthday. I made cheesecake and decorated it with nasturshim flowers and mint leaves from my garden. AND WE FINALLY played Apples to Apples (Manzanas con Manzanas) - the boardgame. Somehow I didn't get a picture of it, but it was a hoot! Or as Chuchi told me "nos picamos". At the risk of being redundant, it's great to have friends, hang out together and LAUGH!


(Left to Right) Pepe (Malena's brother) Malena, Chuchi

Alondra's Birthday

It's good to have friends.
We celebrated Alondra's 9th birthday last Sunday. Lots of food, laughter and games. Just their (extended) family and ours. One of those parties where the adults are just as involved in the games as the kids!

The kids played musical chairs first. Then the bigger boys played. Micah ran circles around the game the entire time. I think they only broke 2 chairs in all.



We made a double layer carrot cake.



This was our first time to play the bottle game. A string tied on to a pen, attached to a belt loop at the back. The idea was to get the pen into a bottle......



I posted a video of Martin playing this game on facebook.



Guerro always wants to see who can jump higher.




Chely has a baby duck that her boyfriend gave her for Valentine's Day.


Plenty of pizza to eat.

Ash Wednesday

That's Enrique with the pink hat on the right.



Way to go Manuel!



On Ash Wednesday (those are ashes on my forehead) we had a small gathering at our house to celebrate Manuel's defense of his thesis. He is now a licensed "Ingeniero".

Unknowingly, it was also the last time we would be with Enrique our local coordinator. He left that evening for a meeting with the Mexico MCC directors the following day. During their meeting, they came to the conclusion that they would not renew his contract. We are very sad and will miss him greatly.