Wrapping up

Three weeks has come to a very quick end. I am writing this on my final leg of our flight home. We had a very good time in Oaxaca. We spent most of our time in the ministry, socializing with the friends or sampling all the local food. We spent a few days as tourists, but when you come to a place with helping out in the ministry as your main objective, priorities become evident. For instance, yesterday we had planned to spend the morning in service and then go see the famous Tule tree (a huge cypress tree that a little town built itself around). As it turned out, after lunch we decided staying out in the ministry and spending our last day with the friends was the better option. I mean who needs to go see some 2000 year old tree when you could start another bible study?! As it turns out, in the afternoon a man approached our group in the park. He recognized one of the brothers. He had studied before and after the brothers spoke with him and shared a few scriptures, he agreed to resume his study! Like I said, who needs to see some old tree! Also, both of the studies Cleo and I started were handed over to local sisters and Cleo intends to keep in touch with the young girl she met via email.
We ended our day enjoying an authentic Oaxacan meal with the Flanagan family from Ohio. Enchiladas with wonderful molé sauce. Yum!
I am always encouraged by all the young adults I meet on these trips. They are always persons of incredible abilities and character, yet they are all choosing to exert themselves serving Jehovah while living in the simplest of conditions. Even considering all that, most of them are very well traveled and have seen quite a bit of the world already. I think about all the young adults that pursue higher education and prominent careers. They work hard all their lives so they can finally retire and travel. They might get to half the places with half the energy that most of the pioneers I've met have been. What a rich and wonderful life Jehovah offers our young people if they just take advantage of it.
So, to wrap up......our trip was a success. We met new friends, had good experiences in the ministry, gathered more information on a country we might return to, widened our cultural outlook, tried new foods (ok, only Dave tried the grasshoppers), and increased our appreciation for being servants of the one true God. Doesn't get any better than that.
Don't forget to click on the pictures so you can see the whole enchilada!

    Erin and Cleo showcasing a pomegranate tree in service.

    Our last night in Oaxaca, dinner with the Flanagans.

    Isidro and Jorina, the brother and Sister we stayed with.

 

Food and VW's

There is plenty of food to choose from here, but the tortilla is king here in Oaxaca. It is served with every meal, in some form, most times taking center stage. Depending on how it is prepared and if it is corn or flour, makes for the name. There is the empanadas, tlayudas, enchiladas, chilaquiles, and of course tacos. We have found many juice bars, where they can mix up your choice of fresh squeezed fruits and veggies. Also crepes are popular here too, especially with a little Nutella. There is also a large kernel corn that is allowed to sit on the stalk after rain and develop fungus turning it black. Strawberries are in season here now and absolutely delicious! Of course they are known here for eating chapulines, or grasshoppers. They sauté them up with garlic, chili pepper and peanuts. Dave gave them a try, but not me.
VW bugs are everywhere! I am trying to get a picture of one in every color. They only stopped making them here a few years ago.
Oh, and turns out Oaxaca is where they filmed Nacho Libre. So the friends have been showing us different locations where scenes were filmed.
We are in our final week of the a very short three. I was working territory on Friday with a sister and a man approached us asking for the magazines in Spanish. We didn't have the current ones in Spanish, but found out he spoke English. Turns out he lived in California for a few years and had moved back to Oaxaca last year. We gave him the magazines in English along with an invitation to the meeting on Saturday. We walk into the hall on Saturday and there he was! He met several of the local brothers and sounds like he will return.
Our host family treated us to an authentic Oaxacan breakfast this morning. A lady came and fixed us empanadas on a terra cotta pan heated by coals. It was washed down with Mexican hot chocolate. The generosity of the friends always amazes me.