spring break

After a couple of days of rest and relaxation, I'm beginning to feel recuperated from the last week, which is now a blur of fun, food, craziness, little sleep, worship, fellowship and pure insanity...I LOVED having the FSM team here in Puebla!  What could be better than having some of my favorite people (Katelyn, Alexia, Kyle and Dick Nelson) here, along with a great group of FSM students??  Not much in my book could be better.  It was an incredible week packed with a new activity and event everyday.  We went to the coolest water park, did a rally where we ran all over the city of Puebla (and my team won!!), ministered in a jail, visited a local high school, had a volleyball tournament and even had mini-youth-conferences at night.  I was so encouraged by their love and support, in the form of sweet words and prayers, as well as TONS of games, balls, markers, toys and supplies brought for Club Neon.  It was a sweet time for me to remember my many spring break trips in high school.  Seeing how the Lord was working in their hearts and minds through this one week was really special for me and brought me so much joy.  The students did an excellent job leading in small groups, sharing testimonies and teaching.  People were so impressed to see how equipped these students are in their faith...and it's all the proof of excellent discipleship and training that FSM promotes on all levels.  I could go on and on about how wonderful the week was but I think you get the idea.  I now understand, as a missionary, how much a team visit from your home church blesses you and your ministry.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to all!

Also, I think the world needs to see how the students of El Camino and Fellowship get down...

situational leadership

I don't think I've ever really even considered the term 'situational leadership'.  Today I read a great article from Bible Gateway.com and realized that 'situational leadership' is exactly what I'm experiencing in Mexico.  What a great reminder that like Jesus, I am only here for a short time and to be intentional in the leadership and situation in which I have been placed.

Jesus chose twelve men and developed them into the church's first leaders. Within a few short years from the event recorded in Luke 6, he would delegate the continuance of his kingdom work to them (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

Even a casual study of the manner in which Jesus prepared the twelve apostles shows us how effectively he adapted his leadership activity to the realities of the situation. He instructed them when they were uninformed, directed them when they were confused, prodded them when they were reluctant, encouraged them when they were downhearted. When they were ready, he allotted them limited tasks and responsibilities and then participated with them, guiding them through their assignments. Finally, he empowered and commissioned them as his apostles.

The Master Teacher shows us that effective leadership is situational. The leader's whim or desire (even when that leader is Jesus) is not what drives intelligent action. Effectiveness in leadership is driven by what the followers need. Jesus observed and understood what his followers needed, and he supplied it. He always interacted with them within the situation and responded appropriately to it. And within three years these obscure Galileans began to change the world.

As we observe Jesus' training of the twelve in the Gospels, we notice how consistently his actions were exactly appropriate to the situation. Jesus was very intentional about situational leadership. Leaders who can analyze a situation and adapt their leadership activity to address it can function as servant leaders and as transformational leaders, and they can profoundly affect the lives of their followers.

I pray that I would be a good 'situational leader' and that you would also lead well in whatever situation God has placed you.  There's never too little time to make an impact.

finally home.

Our sweet Bobba has gone to be with the Lord.  

How sweet are these words.  Wednesday night two weeks ago, Mom and I got to Chattanooga around 8:00 pm.  Bobba said goodbye to this world that night in the wee hours of the morning and finally made it home.  I am so grateful that the Lord allowed us to get there just in time.  The Lord heard the cries of my heart to be with my family when he passed and to see Bobba one last time.  It was a full week...full of things to do and people to see, a full house with visitors and family, it was full of fun times and sad moments too and I think it goes without saying that WE were full.  Constantly full of so. much. food.  You know you live in the south when the fridge is full of casseroles, fried chicken, ham and congealed salad.  Even though I'm not a big congealed salad fan, it warmed my heart to be surrounded by some familiar foods.  And no one would have enjoyed all of this more than the one and only "Shotgun-Shirttail Robert Bryan Kile".  The man loved life, having fun, softball and cracking jokes, he loved his family, his wife and his Jesus.  What an example of a man that took this life by both horns and lived it to the fullest.  I might be biased, but I think my dad, (uncle) Steve and (uncle) Clay did a fabulous job at the service as we celebrated such a joyous life in Christ.  As I was helping Meme to make the programs for the service, we decided on the front to say, 'Celebrating a Life in Christ: Robert Brayn Kile.'  She and Bob had decided long ago that this day was to be about Christ and not about them.  His life surely was and I hope that we honored Christ and Bobba's wishes in our celebration of his life.  I am so thankful for the heritage of faith I follow after.  I am blessed to have such strong believers and leaders with the most incredible faith to call my grandparents and family members.  Family is a gift like no other. 

In other news...

I returned to Puebla exactly one week later (last Wednesday).  The following morning we headed out to Guadalajara.  The family I live with and I went to a discipleship conference in Guadalajara at El Camino's daughter church.  The conference was great and of course I was so excited to see all my girls there!  

Sadly, I only got a picture of Johana and Andrea.  I have got to start taking more pictures.  I wish you could see cute little Alma's happy face that was once so shy and sad when I met her 2 years ago, or Valeria, or Karla, or sweet Armando's face that now has burns from where his mother threw hot beans in his face.  The situations of the kids in this community of Guadalajara are heartbreaking.  It's full of prostitution, drugs and alcohol...and you can imagine the repercussions that come with these things- abuse, infidelity, single parents, poverty, hunger- the list goes on and on.  Sometimes I am so overwhelmed for these children that I love so much and the situation seems helpless.  But I know that the Lord is the only one who can change their lives and their situations.  Although, it sometimes seems impossible, I know that nothing is too hard for the Lord.  He can change their hearts, their lives, their families and their situations.  Please join me in praying for these kids who deal with bigger, darker, harder and scarier things every day of their lives than many of us will ever experience in our lifetime.  I can't wait to see the plans He has in store for their lives.

waiting on wednesday...

Alright, well....I did pretty good on the cleanse-diet...for the first two days.  The third day was a complete flop.  We had Esteban's birthday party on Saturday.  Who can say no to sushi and a mexican-choco-flan-with cajeta (like caramel) cake that I made myself?  Definitely not me!  So I only cheated at lunch but had great plans to continue on...then yesterday, we went to eat lunch at some friends' house.  Hamburgers...ice cream...cookies and cream ice cream! my favorite!...I clearly have no self-control but people, there was really no other option.  And now I am going to Chattanooga on Wednesday, so all the healthy groceries I bought are going to go bad.  I think this is what you call a complete flop.  Oh well...

I feel much more at peace knowing that I will be in Chatt soon with (parts of) my fam.  I just couldn't imagine being here without my family and getting the call that Bobba has passed.  I think I would have a completely embarrassing breakdown that would be unconsolable due to the lack of my family.  Can't wait to see my Meme!  (and of course my mom and Karen and whoever else may be there too.)  I received so many sweet texts and emails last week.  Some of them were the kind that make you go, "How on earth did they read my mind?"  I was really struggling with being so far away at a time like this and so many people said to me exactly, "I know it is hard for you to be so far away at a time like this."  Made me cry every time.  It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord works divinely in and through those around us.  Thanks for praying...thanks for the encouraging words...thanks for the love for me and my fam.  So thankful for the body of Christ that surrounds our family.  We are blessed and I am convinced that God can turn your "mess into a message" and your "test into a testimony."  

just another day

Yesterday, I started a one week cleanse-diet.  I have never done anything like this before and thought why not give it a try.  It's actually called the GM diet, started by General Motors decades ago to help keep their factory workers in shape.  Weird, huh?  Can you imagine your employer putting you on a diet?
Everyday the foods you can eat changes and by the end of the week you could lose 10-17 pounds.  Honestly, I am highly skeptical and kind of doubt it so this is really a test to find out if it really works.  Day 1, yesterday, all melon, all day.  You know, it's a good thing that I have recently developed a love for cantaloupe because for breakfast and lunch yesterday, that's all I had.  I tried to shake things up a little and had watermelon for dinner but could barely choke it down.  I bought from  a "fruteria"  (little produce store) down the road- the man told me the watermelons were very sweet and delicious....this one tasted like grass.  Also, in the states we've gotten quite spoiled on seedless watermelon.  I don't know when the last time was I had to dig/spit out watermelon seeds.  Let's just say I did not enjoy that part very much.
Today is all vegetables but wait, a treat....a baked potato for breakfast!  I wouldn't go so far to say "who eats potatoes for breakfast??"  Because as an avid breakfast lover, I enjoy some good hash browns with my morning meal, but a potato with just a "pat of butter" (which I'm pretty sure I exceeded the normal "pat" size) was rather hard to get down this morning.  I did it and I'm feeling good....we'll see how the rest of this week goes.

On a different note, my family is in somewhat of rough situation right now.  After years of steady decline in the health and Alzheimer's status of my uncle/grandfather, "Bobba"/"Dede"/"Bob", we are now preparing for the worst.  I can't even bring myself to type the real words to explain the situation because I don't want to think about it, but I think you know what I mean.  I am so sad at the thought of really losing him.  Though he hasn't been the "Bobba that we knew as kids" for many years now, we have grown accustomed to this silly Bob who makes jokes and doesn't remember our names, and talks to every woman in public and does crazy things like eat sand dollars out of a bowl on the table because he thought they were candy.  Yes, we love this Bob and the Bob he used to be.  He has been a part of our lives, for our whole lives, and holds a place in our hearts that can be replaced by no one else.  If you don't know my family very well, you might be confused by the uncle/grandfather title.  Bob is technically my uncle, the brother-in-law to my mother.  My mother's sister, Joyce, my Meme, is 19 years older than my mom.  So when my mother's parents passed away when she was just 13, she lived with her sister, Meme & Bobba, for the rest of her growing up years.  Bob is in all respects, her father, and my grandfather.  He's also one of the most fun-loving, silly, goofy, hilarious, and genuine people I've ever known in my life.  I often think back to what it must have been like for him, to not only lose his in-laws within 6 months of each other, and deal with the stress of helping his wife through that, but then the reality that he will now have not only 3 children and mouths to feed, but 4- and another teenage girl at that.  But his heart has always been so full of love and kindness and compassion, I'm sure that he never even thought the things that I sometimes think I would in his situation.  He didn't ask for that and he didn't plan on it but despite all, he loved her just the same and was a wonderful father to my mom and the best grandfather any of us could have asked for.  Please be praying for our family, and especially my Meme, Joyce, as we walk through the next days and weeks.  You are never prepared for situations like these.  But at times like these I am never more thankful for the peace, love and comfort of the Father who holds Bobba in HIS hands.

Happy Valentines Day!

It's so easy to get caught up in the negativity and bad attitude of the beloved "Singles Awareness Day", but when I look at this I am reminded that I already have a love so much greater than the love I may think is lacking in my life right now.  How HIGH and how DEEP and WIDE and how GREAT is HIS love for ME!  When I think about this I don't care that I am "alone" on this day of love, roses, candy, cards, gifts PDA and all the mushy sentimental stuff that goes along with February the 14th...no I don't care because I'm not alone.  I have a family (actually two- American and Mexican) and so many friends who love me.  But most of all I have a Savior who loved me enough even to give His life for me.  Let's remember that today.  

And for all my single girlfriends...here's a little note I got from MA today.  (Way to go!  She learned how to copy and paste on her iPhone!  So proud of her. )

Also, just for your personal knowledge...in Spanish today is 'El Dia del Amor y la Amistad'...translated to 'The day of love and friendship'.  That's right!  I think we need to focus a little more on that friendship part in the states.  Just a personal opinion, but it kind of makes me happy.  :)

Hoping that you have a great Valentine's Day, whether you're "celebrating your independence" or the love of your life.  Just remember to celebrate the greatest love of all too...oh, that makes me think of Whitney Houston...enjoy!  

peanut butter is to tortillas, as....

I was never good at those...whatever you call those confusing phrases that are on the ACT and every standardized test.  I mean I'm good at english and grammar but those are just downright mind-boggling sometimes.  Anyway...I stumbled upon a picture today and realized I forgot to blog about this very important moment in history.  Take a look.

This is my friend, Olga.  And last week she tried peanut butter for the very first time!  It was a couple of weeks ago that Eddie, Olga and I were strolling through Wal-Mart while I did some grocery shopping.  Of course, I had to get some peanut butter because as any good American I can't live without having it in my pantry at all times.  Olga looks at me and says, "What's that?"  At this point, mine and Eddie's eyes proceed to pop out of our skulls and the volume rose increasingly as we replied, "YOU'VE NEVER HAD PEANUT BUTTER??"  We explained to her that just about every child in the US grows up with a peanut butter and jelly/banana/honey/something else sandwich in their lunch box 3 out of 5 days of the week.  It's the stuff that children all over American survive by and we were astonished that she had never tasted it.  We related to her in Mexican terms like this, "In Mexico you have tortillas.  In America we have peanut butter.  You just can't live without it! It's like a part of your culture."  I don't think we offended her with this but we made enough of an appalled reaction to convince her to find out what she was missing and try peanut butter for the first time last week.  As you can tell from the pictures...she was skeptical at first...gave it a brave first bite...thought it over....(what you don't see is she took another bite to re-evaluate)...and then decided it was....okay.  JUST OKAY!  We were slightly disappointed but never faltered from our proud love of the creamy peanut concoction.  She said she was going to stick to her tortillas.  We decided later that it wasn't a fair judgement because we gave Olga her first sampling of peanut butter slathered on a piece of bread with nothing else.  This caused a very dry and sticky mouth and probably lowered her chances of love for our favorite staple.  So, next time you're introducing someone to peanut butter, remember to include one of the following: banana, honey, chocolate, nutella or the always faithful jelly.  Just another crazy cultural experience in my daily life.  

living for the weekend.

It's been a busy and very fun weekend...

Saturday night, I went to my very first Quinceañera.  A friend from the church, Sara, turned 15 and as is customary in Mexico, she had a blow-out birthday party.  It's almost like a wedding.  The girl has a huge, beautiful ball gown, everyone her family knows is invited, there's a ceremony, dancing and a presentation of the quinceañera, dinner and cake are served, accompanied by a toast to the lucky birthday girl too.  For a day, she is truly a princess.  This is not your average birthday party and is quite the extravaganza.  I'm not gonna lie, I would have loved this when I was 15- especially the part where she dances with her 'chambelanes' (escorts that are usually her guy friends).  The dances always include the traditional waltz with a few fancy tricks thrown in there.  Sometimes there are just one or two but sometimes more, like hip hop.  So fun!  I'm jealous I didn't have a 15th birthday party like this.  It was all really beautiful and fun but the sweetest part were the words her father shared.  Sara's father, Horacio, adopted her five years ago.  Though he is not her biological father, you would never know.  He had the whole room in tears as he shared about 'his quinceañera' and though she had only been his daughter for five years, he loved her all the same.  He said that day he understood what it meant for God to adopt us as his children, and the love that He has for us.  What a beautiful picture and story of adoption.  

This little cutie is Sara's cousin, Ester.  Her 3 little cousins were part of the first dance.  They were all dressed as Disney princesses.  Adorable.

The birthday girl.

me and diana, enjoying the festivities.

Yesterday's greatness was two-fold.  First, my sweet friend Tere came over to eat lunch with us.  She's a sweet older lady who owns the little store down the road, where we go to buy tortillas or other last minute items.  I usually stop by on my way to or from Zumba most days.  I would say I'm not sure how we struck up a friendship but I know that it's because of the Lord.  From the first week I was here, she took notice of me (is it that obvious i'm a gringa- white girl?)  and started to ask me questions about why I'm here and what I'm doing.  She was quick to share with me that she too is a believer and from the very beginning we had a connection.  Sweet Tere works at this store, which takes up the entire lower level of her tiny apartment, all day, every day and hardly ever leaves or gets a day off.  Tere is desperate for relationships and friends.  It was such an honor to invite her over yesterday to eat lasagna (which I made in the crock pot!).  She was so nervous at first and said she didn't get invited to people's houses much.  As I sat and listened to her share with us about her struggles and rough life experiences, I kept thanking God for this sweet friend that He brought into my path and for the opportunity to serve and love on her.  

And then...we watched the Super Bowl!!  Yes, it was in Spanish and no, we didn't get to see any of the fun new commercials BUT we did have a complete supply of the super bowl munchies.  I got busy with some pinterest recipes - homemade salsa, samoa cookie bars and herbed crackers.  Everything was de-lish and I think everyone had fun.  Go Giants!  I'm not really partial, I'm just saying that since they won.  It was a fun night piled up on the couch with my Mexican family all together.  I love introducing them to these classic American celebrations.  By the time the game was over, it had been a long day since 7:30 am lasagna prep and a full morning of Club Neón and I was ready to hit the hay.  

Also, on a sidenote, I am now a driver in Mexico.  Please pray for me as I take to the streets of Puebla.  haha It's actually kind of fun with less rules...you can drive as fast as you want (basically) and you don't have to stay in your lane or really a lane at all...there's so much freedom!  Here's to another step in becoming 'a real resident of Mexico'.  

it's been a while...

So, in making over my blog (more) today, I used photoshop for the first time in...I don't know how many years.  Yes, sadly and unfortunately, this very expensive program (which included the whole Adobe design program set) has been sitting idle on my computer since my days of interior design when I was forced to use it.  The thing is that I don't really feel like I was taught or trained how to really use photoshop back in the studio era.  It was so rushed and of course because it was homework, I avoided it at all costs.  But using it today to make this fun new banner (look up!) and add my name to my photo (check it out...) I think I have a new-found love for photoshop.  Maybe I'll watch some tutorial videos because I don't remember all the tricks anymore.  Maybe I'll leave my powerpoint-for-everything days behind and move forward into the much more advanced realm of photoshop.  So exciting!  I'm sure there will be more to come from this...stay tuned.

Today...

I have a countdown app on my phone and I absolutely love it.  I keep only the most important upcoming events on it...

I CAN NOT WAIT to see the FSM team coming in March (which includes my loving cousin, Kate, Alexia, Kyle McCarthy & Dick Nelson...just a few people who make me smile.)

April 19th, my mom comes to visit!  (I think she's anxiously counting down the days too!)

Wahoo! June 13th I will meet my fam in Tampa.  Probably my most favorite time of year.

June 23rd, my oldest friend (like we've been friends the longest, not she's the oldest) is getting married.  So excited for this wedding!

And on April 23rd I will turn 25...I'm not so much anxiously awaiting this one as I am dreadfully holding on to every day of 24.  I don't know why but 25 just seems so much...older.  (No offense to you who are older and wiser than I.)

Even though I think it's all good and well to look forward to these events with anticipation...I sometimes have to remind myself to LIVE FOR TODAY.  It's not that I'm worrying about tomorrow or the next day all the time (although sometimes I do) but I just don't let myself enjoy a day to its fullest when I'm focused on how much I'm going to enjoy future days.  Matthew 6:34 (Message version, of course) is a great reminder for me today: 

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, 

and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. 

God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

I have to "give my entire attention to what God is doing right now" because if I don't, I not only miss out on the good and wonderful things He has in store for me today, but I'm probably not hearing his voice as clearly and following him in obedience of the plans he has for me today.  What a wonderful thing that our Lord and Savior "will help you deal with whatever hard things come up WHEN THE TIME COMES."  Just another day I have to remember to rest in the promises of God and not worry about my own petty thoughts.  He's already got it under control.  Praying that you can enjoy this day to the fullest that God has planned for you!

o, rodrigo

3 weeks down and many, many, many more to go for Club Neon!  Starting a new ministry is challenging, stretching, enlightening, inspiring, beautiful and downright exhausting sometimes...but this experience has been one of the most amazing of my life.  In three short weeks, I have been hugely blessed by leaders, volunteers and kids.  Meet one of my favorite kids, Rodrigo.

Rodrigo is 6 and is part of (small group) team purple.  I will never forget meeting him the first day of Club Neon, he was soooo excited. His parents came to drop him off and he was just running around- almost gleefully.  Even sitting in his small group and talking with his coach, Angie, I noticed he could hardly sit still.  The next week, God blessed me with one of those little moments.  As I was running around from one end of the church to the next and back again, Rodrigo came through the main gates with his parents...once again, he was "gleefully" running, ready to split and bolt from his parents as he kept saying, "I'm going to Club Neon!  I'm going to Club Neon!  Bye Mom and Dad!"  And off he went.  It was just a moment but truly one of those where you see the beauty of the Lord in a small child.  I don't know about you, but I need moments like that, and God frequently uses them to redirect my eyes back to Him.  It's as if He's saying, "Slow down.  Take a minute to soak it all in.  Don't worry about the details and the schedule and the papers, leaders, music, etc....just stop and listen to the excitement in this kid's voice.  That's ME!  Remember, Caroline, it's all about ME.  And would you just take a second to look what I'm doing."  It's not in a mean tone or like a slap on the hand.  It's like a soft hand on your shoulder that turns you around with a grin and a chuckle because of your current state of "chicken with its head cut off" that He finds so silly.  I love it when He does that.  I don't think it's ironic at all that these moments in my life generally always come in the form of children.  For everyone it's something different, but I know that God has given me a passion for children for a reason, because HE speaks to ME through THEM.  Amazing.  And blows me away every time.  Beth Moore was riding my same train of thought this morning as I studied in my Patriarchs bible study...check out what she said.  (I think she's maybe one of the wisest women ever BTW...besides the one and only Mary Ann McIntyre, of course!)

"Among the things God surely must enjoy doing, He can choose to reveal Himself any way He wants.  His revelation doesn't have to make sense to us.  We don't have to worry ourselves to death trying to get the Hebrew sentence structure to work for us.  We don't have to debate it in seminaries (though we can).  And we don't have to automatically accept a brilliant scholar's attempt to take the mystery out of it.  God can reveal Himself through flames of fire from within a bush, through a water-gushing rock, through a commander of an army, or through a voice out of a storm.  If I may be so bold, I think He rather likes the variety.  So today why don't we just sit back and enjoy it?

Club Neon

The day we had been waiting for...the kick off the ministry we have been working on all this time...FINALLY THE DAY CAME!!  Last Saturday night we had our Fiesta de Inauguracion de Club Neon, or our kick-off/launch party for our new children's ministry!  It was a mix of emotions (stress, nerves, excitement, anxiety) as we prepared to show all the families of El Camino what we have been cooking up.  And what a fiesta it was!!  We had a great turnout of families and I think everyone seemed to have a great time.  Everyone got a little preview of what was about to come...the very next morning!
Here's me and Nissi, one of our large group teachers, with our mascot, Sandy the ostrich.

Sunday we officially launched Club Neon!!  For the first day, everything went miraculously.  God has really taken care of all the details and put the right people in place for each and every area of the ministry.  We have more than 40 people currently serving in Club Neon, from small group coaches, to large group teachers, praise team, band and coordinators.  It is truly incredible to see how God has particularly gifted each person serving with the passion and skills that they need to do their part in serving the kids of El Camino.  I am so grateful that the Lord has all of this in His hands and under His control!  It was great to see these kids worshipping and experiencing the Bible together with their peers in a way they never had before.  Please continue to pray for us as we seek God's guidance in the next steps for the kids of El Camino.  I know He has great plans and I am so honored, blessed and excited that I get to see and witness what He's doing in Mexico.

{For some reason, I can't upload photos...if you want to see more photos from this weekend, check us out on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Club-Neón}

Home for Christmas

And oh how sweet it was to be back home for Christmas....somehow I didn't take hardly any pictures BUT maybe it's because I didn't have a second to take a picture with my jam-packed schedule of visiting friends, supporters and family all day, every day.  I loved being home and seeing everyone, the time just went by too fast.  A few highlights from my first homecoming...

Eating at Chick of course!  My most favorite things?  #1: chicken biscuit #2: Southwestern Chargrilled Spicy Chicken Salad  #3: "extra crispy" fries (learned this trick from the great Rachel Morris)

Night o' Fun with some of my favorite people, Kat, Jenna and Nolan.  We went ice skating and to a Boom Kinetic concert.  My absolute favorite and most fun concerts to go to!

Visiting friends...and often getting treated to my favorite meals.  I really miss this little Jack Jack who's growing up entirely too fast, his fab momma, dad and sis too.

Family photo session with the one and only Blanca Garcia.  If you haven't checked out her work, you should.  www.blancavgarcia.com

Dad thought he was the creative director for the shoot.  He was really adamant about a few things, a picture with sunglasses being one of them.  Gotta love him.

Family fun day at the Gentry Safari. 

I feel like he's saying, "whatchu lookin' at willis?"

CHRISTMAS!!  I think this one pic says it all.  Mom with "the mother of all bows".

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!  Got to ring in the new year with such a fun group of friends.

And before I knew it, it was time to leave again.  It was really hard leaving this little face....

BUT knowing what I was coming back to, made me all the more excited!  I arrived back in Puebla on January 6th and the January 15th date of the first Club Neon was approaching quickly!!

More to come...

Navidad en Puebla

For me, snow is not a requirement for a beautiful Christmas.  However, if it's going to be snowy temps then I need some snow and time by the fireplace.  

Here's some of my faves from Puebla this Christmas... Enjoy!

yes, there is fake snow falling from the sky.  

it was kinda nice...until it started getting my hair all wet and soapy.

snow flakes are so much more sparkly in the sun.

some view of beautiful puebla from atop a tour bus.

Recap...

 Oh wow....I just realized I haven't updated the ol' blog in more than a month!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Things have been a little crazy since I last updated on December 9th.  Let's see, my last week was in Puebla was filled with preparations to leave and go home to Arkansas for a little bit, as well as a few Christmas celebrations here.  This included many mornings working at the church with Diana, filled with task-lists and things to get done before and during the time I was gone.  We were working so hard to have everything ready because the first Club Neon would be January 15th!  Preparations also included many afternoons spent downtown shopping for pottery and fun, authentic Mexican Christmas presents to take home with me.  (I also ended up buying a 45 piece set of china for my Meme...but we'll get to that later.)  And of course I had to spend a lot of time preparing to bring out little Nina home.  Yes, I traveled across the border and into the US with a 3 month old German Shepherd (yet Mexican) puppy.  I ended up making pretty good friends with the guys working at the local pet store.  Only made a few dozen trips to buy a cage, a carrier, toys, a sweater, a collar and leash, waterbowl, etc... Traveling with a dog is stressful and I think I've learned my lesson.  DON'T GET A DOG IN ANOTHER COUNTRY.  It's just too difficult.  But how fun it was to celebrate Christmas with my Mexican family and friends, decorating a boot for Samy at his school with Diana, church Christmas dinner, small group Christmas dinner and of course Ana's 15th birthday!!  I took her to get her nails done and she was sooooo excited.

On December 14th, I embarked from the bus station at 8:30, heading to Mexico City and my ultimate destination of Nashville, Tennessee for my cousin's wedding.  When we (my friend Eddie was flying out of Mexico City the same day so we took the bus together and thank God because I would not have been able to handle the tub of china, the dog and my 2 suitcases alone!) finally made it Mexico City and I stood at the check in counter for at least a half an hour, got Nina checked and handed off all my baggage, it was time for lunch and then off I went.  Just a side note, it's usually so annoying going through customs in the states- taking off your shoes,  your jacket, pulling out all liquids, removing your computer from the bag and it's case, and not to mention my boxes of (insulin pump) pods, syringes, insulin bottles, etc. that usually get a double check over- however, in Mexico you are not required to take your shoes off.  I was almost offended like, "I need to take my shoes off or you're not doing a thorough check!  I could have a bomb in my shoe!"  Once I explained that the bump/machine on my stomach was an insulin pump, was thoroughly patted and waved down, I was sent on my way.  And of course in Mexican time, our plane left about an hour late, which made us late arriving in Houston, where I stood in line and got my passport stamped and stood in line and got my bags (and loaded them onto 2 carts) and stood in line with my 2 carts and got my dog checked (and my dog food taken away) and because the whole customs process took so long, I thought I had missed my flight so I stood in line to get my ticket changed only to be told that my flight was delayed and I would make it..."just stand over here and wait (some more) for a TSA rep to check in your dog".  Who at this point was so depressed and lethargic that they thought I had gone against the rules and sedated her.  Poor thing!  So, she gets checked and I run to the train, wait for it, ride it and run to my gate and of course, I missed the flight by a few minutes.  It's okay...I wasn't bothered my 2 hours wait time before the next flight, I treated myself to a new neck pillow and a little Starbucks and all was good.  When I FINALLY made it to Nashville, it was too late and I couldn't even get my first "wish for when on US soil" of going to Sonic because it was closed.  I was however, happily greeted by my parents and second parents, David and Marianne Meriwether.  It was good to be home...well, sort of.

We spent the next week or so in Nashville celebrating the beautiful wedding of my cousin Katie and new cousin, Stephen Alderman.  So fun!  What a beautiful wedding at Loveless...and of course good food too.  Here's mom and Katie at the rehearsal dinner. For explanation, Katie and Stephen both ride and work with horses so Mom, of course, had a perfect themed outfit that she was so excited about!

The happy couple and the fun photo booth favors!

We were able to spend lots of time with our old friends, the Meriwethers, while we stayed at their house and even got to see our old and favorite neighbors, the Campbells.  Lee Campbell was my best childhood friend, I mean the kid being two years younger than me, was the only one who could teach me to ride a bike without training wheels.  I hadn't seen them since we moved to Arkansas nearly 12 years ago, so it was fun to reunite!  Here's the Macs and the Campbells reunited once again...

Here's me with my other best friend from childhood, Laura Meriwether, and her fiance Brandon, eating at one of my favorite restaurants, Maggiano's.

I always love "going home" to Nashville and spending time with family and friends...and of course eating at our old stomping grounds.  We also spent a day in Chattanooga to visit Meme, Bob, Bryan, Suzanne, Bobby and our "Aunt Clara".  What fun!  And I got to see Meme open all her china which she was ecstatic about.  (She collects a certain pattern that is somewhat hard to find, when I found 45 pieces in Mexico, I just had to get it.  Crazy, I know but to see her happiness over all those dishes was worth it all.)

So true.

Eating with Meme at one of our favorite bakeries in Nash, The Puffy Muffin.

Oh, Loveless...

 After this fun filled, crazy-busy week, we took it on home with dog in tow and I finally made it home-home to Arkansas!  I'll save my Arkansas adventures for another post, I think this one's long enough.
And by the way....

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR 

from the McIntyres

curious surroundings...

Yes, curious surroundings is what I found myself in when I first arrived in Mexico.  Although, thanks to my many spring break trips to Mexico in high school & college, not much was new to me- however, there is a large difference in visiting and living.  On the way to work today I began to think about how this once strange and foreign environment has become my home. Now, don't get me wrong, Puebla is a huge city and I'm still learning my way around- bus, taxi, walking and all BUT I don't look around anymore and think about how strange things look or how different they are from the States.  So, I thought for a good laugh or two I would compile a list of the things about Mexico that I have gotten used to and in some instances grown to love.  Enjoy!

1. When Mexicans are sick, they wear a mask over their mouth.  Like a dentist or doctor.  I was afraid an epidemic was breaking out at first.  Don't worry, it's for your protection!
2.  Buildings are started...and never really finished.  There's always rebar sticking out the top of buildings because... you never know when you might want to add another floor.
3.  The gas trucks, tamale vendors, the man on his bicycle selling elotes and many others that drive around with a loud speaker on top of their car and a trunk full of food.  I may be used to this one but it's still just as annoying.  Although it does serve as a nice wake up call at 7am.
4.  The view from my door of the most beautiful church all lit up on top of a mountain. every. single. night.  It's gorgeous and yet a constant reminder of the stronghold of Catholicism on this country.  What a great reminder to pray.
5.  Food carts EVERYWHERE.  On every corner and lining every street.  You can get just about anything.  And I love quesadillas from street vendors.  I think they have become my new favorite and go-to food.  Simple cheese and tortilla at home or a thick and huge one off the street.  Quesadilla of the day:  cheese with chicharron and squash flower.  Amazing.
6.  Kids not in car seats.  This one's still hard for me but yesterday as I rode in the car with Samy jumping all around the backseat with me, it felt pretty normal.  Still, frightening but it's one of the biggest Mexican norms.
7.  The smells- I can't even begin to explain them to you.  Some good, some awful, but over time I have gotten pretty used to them.  The worst has to be the smell that rises from the taco cart on the street down below while I'm in Zumba...about to puke anyway.  There's a certain smell to Mexico and every once and a while you can find it in Rogers, aka. "Little Mexico".
8.  Driving with no adherence to any sort of rules OR lane markings.  Still makes me nervous sometimes.
9.  Little mini-buses packed with people like a clown car.  Sometimes it's quite a sight to see a group of people climb their way out and there's still not an inch of space left.
10.  Steady yet sometimes unpredictable weather.  Right now, it's generally 35 at night and 75 at the highest in the daytime.  Sometimes this makes it difficult to decide what to wear and how many layers you need to wear or bring with you.  But one thing's always true, because of the concrete buildings (without heat)  it's always colder inside than it is outside.  Thank the Lord for space heaters.

This morning I was thinking there were a lot more things to add to this list but I can't remember them at the moment.  I'll add to later if I think of them.

I praise the Lord that He has changed my once curious surroundings to what's now my very comfortable temporary home.  I know that He is totally responsible for every ounce of peace, joy, love and comfort that I have found here.  He knows everything we need and often gives it to us even when we don't ask for it.  That's what grace means to me.  From the beginning God has put this whole "me and Mexico" thing together and He continues to provide and direct.  I can't wait to see what He has in store.

Can't wait to be home in the states in 5 days and in Arkansas a few days after that!  What a homecoming it will be!

Don't watch Grey's before bed...

I made the horrible mistake of watching Grey's Anatomy before I went to sleep last night.  Although, it was not a particularly gruesome or gory episode- just the one where Izzy's mom comes because she has cancer (for you avid Grey's fans out there).  I even buffered it with a little X-Factor before going to sleep...but this did not protect my dreaming-mental state.  I had the wildest dream that someone who I'm pretty sure was Owen (on Grey's) was performing surgery on me- on my bed.  I was wide awake and apparently felt nothing as he continued to pull things out of my body and lay them on my bed.  I was appalled that he was getting blood all over my quilt that my mom made me and kept thinking of ways I could wash it out.  However, Owen's surgery was unsuccessful and he told me he "didn't want to kill me so he was going to take me to San Jose."  At the time I thought he meant California.  We got on a Mexican style mini-bus and headed for San Jose, but the bus driver said we couldn't go there.  And that's the end...but then I had a second dream that I was thinking about the previous dream and how weird it was and that I should write on my blog about it.  SO STRANGE, RIGHT?  I know.  But what's even stranger is that I was telling Cati about my funny dream this morning and she says, "You know that San Jose is actually a hospital here, right?"  I had no idea!!  What a creepy dream and sequel dream.  I felt that because I dreamed about writing it on my blog, I had better do it.  And, I'm just slightly bored at the moment, so I hope reading this has been as entertaining for you as it was for me to write it.

In other news, I'LL BE IN THE STATES IN T-13 DAYS!  And arriving in Arkansas December 20th!  Can't wait to be home and start the Christmas celebrations with family friends.  So excited that today is the beginning of December! I was feeling crafty last night and made advent-envelope calendars for my family here and some friends too!  Don't you just love advent calendars?  Gives you something to look forward to each day and with sweets it's a great reminder of the sweetest gift that's ever been given- sweet baby Jesus! Hope you are already having fun celebrating...and don't forget...DON'T WATCH GREY'S BEFORE BED!  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Feliz Día Acción de Gracias

I think I know how the pilgrims felt...okay, so my last few months in Mexico haven't exactly been equivalent to the pilgrims' miserable, probably scary and extremely difficult first year in America BUT on some level I think I share their sentiments.  To be in a new place is sometimes hard, exhausting, interesting, sad, funny, exciting, encouraging and a range of other emotions, but after the pilgrims' first year...they were ready to celebrate!  Ready to celebrate that they survived and that the Lord took care of them.  (Right?  I apologize in advance if I botch any Thanksgiving history that I might have forgotten since the 3rd grade when we did the whole pilgrims and indians play.)  They struggled and they sacrificed a lot- their homes, their comforts and even family members.  While I do not know the loss of my family members, they are currently VERY far away.  And I am not having to build a house with my bear hands and wood that I chopped myself- my general surroundings and comforts have changed and some all but disappeared.  But despite all these things, we find the strength, joy and peace to say THANK YOU, LORD!  Thank you for the last year and all the good things, thank you for the hard things, thank you for providing and caring, loving, stretching and helping us survive.  I think that today, for maybe the first time in my life, I actually put myself in the shoes of our great ancestors, the first Americans, the Pilgrims- and truly understood the meaning- their meaning and intention of Thanksgiving.  It took being just a few thousand miles away to reach this point in my life but I feel so grateful just to understand it.

And like the pilgrims, I had a few "Indians" to help me with the meal.  While we are so unfortunately unable to purchase canned pumpkin here in Mexico, hence the pumpkin pie that was missing from our otherwise lavish spread of pies and cakes left-over from Hiram's birthday, we do however have just about every other traditional Thanksgiving food.  Praise the Lord for that!  I mean what's Thanksgiving without the food, right?  The Indians knew this!  This might be another reason why my family's favorite line about me is, "Caroline...she always did love a good indian."- we think alike and I'm very proud of my Cherokee heritage too.  But all jokes aside, I could not be more grateful for my "Mexican family" that God has blessed me with this year.  And new friends that feel like old friends.

While I missed my family tremendously today on one of the most special holidays in my family and all of America, it was a Thanksgiving day that I will never forget. Today we changed the usual phrase of "I am thankful for..." to "I am thankful to God for..."  because really, who else is there to which we are to be thankful?  He has so graciously given, taken and cared for each and every one of us.

I hope that you and yours enjoyed today with family, friends and lots of good food (maybe a pumpkin pie for me too!)  But most importantly I hope that today was a day to remember what the Lord has done for you this year.  "Give the thanks to the Lord for HE IS GOOD...His love endures forever."

And friend, I am thankful for you.

Guadalajara : take 2

What a blessing it was to go back to Guadalajara last week...the place where it all began (well, sort of).  Last November, I went with a team from Fellowship on a trip to Guadalajara for a medical mission/equipping trip.  It was during that week that I made the big decision that I would come back here to work with the children's ministries of El Camino and their daughter churches.  It was also a week filled with new friendships and countless faces of sweet children.  As I was preparing and packing before the trip last week, I was a mix of emotions- excited to see if the same kids showed up, nervous if they would remember me, but mostly I kept thinking about how great I knew the week would be and how much I wouldn't want to leave.  (In case you know know, after things are off and running here in Puebla, I will probably spend some time in Guadalajara as well.)  Well, it was exactly that!  I got to see nearly every single precious face of every kid I met last year and meet some new ones too. 

Meet Karla.  Look how much she's grown in the last year....but she still loves that shirt! :)

Jeni.  The girl has the kindest heart and a love for all. 

Esmerelda & Jennifer.  The cutest sisters ever.

Jenny has lost some teeth since last year too...but she's still posing just the same.

Edgar Francisco.  One of my new friends and possibly the sweetest little boy I have ever known.  He loves to tickle, help others, teach Spanish and learn English.  He has a heart of gold.

These next two chicas are extra special to me...

Andrea...I was blessed enough to be with Andrea as she accepted Christ last year.  Since then, she has remained the screen saver on my phone.  What a great reminder of prayer her sweet face is to me.

Johana.  She and Andrea are cousins and the three of us formed some kind of special bond last year.  I think about this girls every day and have been praying for them and their family over the last year.  Well, this year, I got to meet their family!!

2011

me with their abuela (grandma)

Yes, all these people (and more) live in this one house together.  The grandparents, and five grown children, each with their spouses, two families each have a baby, one family has four children and another two!  It's one big crazy family but they are sweet as they can be.  This family has touched my heart and they have a special place.  I got to spend a couple of hours at their house the last night...the girls were teaching me all kinds of dance moves and introducing me to all the family members.  The whole time I was praying in my head asking God, "What do I do in this situation?"  I know that like most Mexican families, they are Catholic and know that this family particularly is very involved in the Catholic church.  They literally live right across the street from the church we work with, Iglesia Biblica Nueva Vida en Cristo (New Life in Christ Bible Church), their kids often go to the church and they know why we are here.  But I just kept telling God, "I want to be intentional.  Is just being here and showing them love enough?  God make something happen!"  And He sure did!  Before I knew it, we were all sitting down talking and they were asking me questions about my beliefs and Christianity- even telling me how beautiful they thought it was and so much more real than their own Catholic religion.  It was a huge answer to prayer!  I am so grateful for the time that I got to spend with them and the seeds that the Lord planted.  I continue to pray earnestly for this family and so many others in Mexico that are held so tightly by "the rules" and "the cultural requirement" of Catholicism.  

I pray that layer by layer, God will begin to open their eyes to his wonder and love, 

so that these children, 

Andrea

 Valeria

 Johana

 Alma

 Jose

 Omar

 Brian

 and

 Byron

 might grow up to be world-changing followers of Christ!