Tomorrow marks 4 months in Mexico

So I started this post earlier this week and I am finally finishing it now.  I will warn you there are LOTS of pictures as we had a Thanksgiving meal at school and my birthday. I also went Rosa and Rafael's two weekends ago and we went to 3 museums. I may have gone a little picture crazy! 

It has also been over 2 weeks since I posted, so here we go. My birthday happened to fall on Thanksgiving this year, so I got to work as Thanksgiving is not a holiday in Mexico. Some of you may have already seen my post on facebook. Boy, did they spoil me! 

My birthday started off with opening a card from Jenny that she wrote back in August. Then we did a family zoom. Norma had a sign hung at home and greeted me with a hug and prayer. They had decorations and treats at school. They sang many times in Spanish and English : ) They made cards and gave me gifts. We had cake! It seemed like the gifts just keep coming and they kept on singing. This will be a birthday I will always remember. I also had many texts messages from family and friends back home. They even sang to me on Marco at the barn service. Thank you Lord for all the special people that made my birthday so special. 

We also enjoyed a Thanksgiving Feast together at school. Each family brought something to share. So fun to see that community feeling! We had fun making pumpkin souffle in the Primary class and sharing it with the other classes. 

Norma, Michelle and I decorated the tree and put another pre lit tree up. I just love sitting on the couch and admiring the trees. This was a little piece of home.

Friday, after our teacher meeting, I headed to Guanajuato with Rosa and Rafael. Rosa is the director of the school. We had a very busy, but good weekend. Norma, Ricardo and Michelle joined un on Saturday. See the many pictures below.

Norma and I have started walking and going to a park to use some workout equipment. Be sure to check out the fun pictures. Norma will have me fit and healthy by the time I leave here. 

Daniel, my buddy, had a big step in class. At the beginning of the year, he was only able to write the date and his name in the time he had to work. We have been writing and then he traces. One day last week, he started writing all by himself and got his work all done. This was a huge for Dani! Thank you Lord for progress.

Last week, the secondary class did a story telling activity. They each told a story to the other kids and had a setting to go with their story. It was fun to watch the older kids do this. I snapped a few pictures.

I thought the post would be longer, but many of the pictures were from the same time. Thankful for pictures as I didn't write notes this time and my memory is not very great. So yeah thats's my last 2 weeks in a nutshell.

School is going well. Thank you Lord that we seem to have a schedule and routine down. Thank you for the love the students and staff show me!

As I share my praises, I will start with I am thankful that God continues to be in each and every single detail. Last week, I was tired and wrote that in my prayer one morning. That same day, I opened. a card from Jenny that she wrote back in August. God knew I would need those exact words. Pictures are at the very end if you want to see how perfect His timing is. 

I am thankful for each and every one of you that continue to pray, encourage and support me. Thankful for my host family, school family and church family. 

Prayer requests, I fly to MN on December 15th, so pray for safe travels and all to go well. Pray that I will finish my last days here strong. I won't lie, I am ready to see family, friends and familiar. I have been battling a head cold this week, so pray for complete healing.I actually went to the doctor and got some medicine. A praise I forgot about, the doctor didn't charge me for my visit because he wanted to bless me for my ministry. Continue praying for my host family. My dad had knee surgery on Monday, so please pray for a speedy recovery.

Remember, there are LOTS of photos!

We all had lunch together on Thanksgiving at school. No turkey                                         or mashed potatoes, but we gathered together

Group picture at lunch

Group from a distance

Liz and I before eating

The kids helped make pumpkin souffle at  school. 

Birthday cake after school

Fancy candle

The kids made turkeys and colored pictures to hang                                                                 by the food table on Thanksgiving

Started my birthday with opening this card from                                                                                             Jenny. She sent them in a bag with me in August.                                 So special!!

This magnet was inside the card : ) 

We did a family zoom at 7 a.m. Just missing Becky,                                 Ruby and Vivian

                 

This sign was at the bottom of the steps when I                                                                                                 came downstairs. Norma greeted me with a great                                                     big hug and prayed for me. 

The beautiful sun as I was getting ready to cross t                                                                he street to head into the school

Treats on the table outside our classroom door : ) 

The wall was decorated by the table : ) 

Next pictures are the students helping make pump

Play dough turkey with a happy message : ) 

More play dough turkeys

Group photo with pumpkin souffle

He made a little cake out of play dough : ) 

More play dough turkeys

Tasting our pumpkin souffle

Group photo before tasting our pumpkin souffle

Happy Note : ) 

Feathers in her hair : ) 

Another play dough turkey

Decorations the kids made

Turkey finger puppets and handprint & footprint                                                                     turkeys made with Corinna and Joe 

Turkey windsocks made with Corinna & Joe

More turkey decorations

We had chicken instead of turkey. Liz called it                                             Mexican chicken

Moms and staff setting food up

It's all about being together, who cares what food we are eating?

Liz and I with a watch, some bracelets and lotion                                    she gave me

More pictures of eating

Thanksgiving dinner at school : ) 

Some of the kids hanging out

Cake for dessert

More kids hanging out

Preschools and Liz trying their pumpkin souffle

Me with preschoolers and pumpkin souffle

One of the secondary kids gave this to me. It had skittles,                                                                                 crunch bar a couple other chocolates. He knew skittles was my favorite. 

The secondary kids made me birthday cards. They                                                                                     did a dance, but it wasn't recording. Too sweet!

Liz and I with secondary kids

Liz taking selfies : ) 

Dani made me a card and was so excite to give it to         me

Birthday cake after school

Our awesome team at school

Michelle, Norma and I

Sweet gift and note from Liz

One of the primary boys brought me this

One of the primary girls brought me these

Another primary student brought me this

This was from the secondary student from above                         picture

Money from staff

One of the primary kids made this at home and                                         brought it to school

The teachers had the secondary and primary kids                                                                                             make cards for me at school. So the next pictures                                            are of the cards : ) 

Paper roses : ) 

We made bacon wrapped hotdogs for supper at home to             celebrate my birthday

Some pumpkin souffle for dessert

Norma and Michelle decorating the tree

The finished tree

Walking around Guanajuato

Escorting Norma down the stairs 

At the museum 

Rosa thought I needed a flower head band that lit up and a                     picture with the Estudiantinas-The group that led our callejoneadas. Norma, Ricardo, Michelle and I in front of the museum

My fancy flower head band that Roas bought

Me with the Estudiantinas. The group that led our                                                                                      callejoneadas.  Callejonedas is a traditional alley-                                                                                               walking route with student guides  showcasing                                                                       folk costumes, song and stories. Fun experience!

                              Just having fun with s scavenger                                                                                                         hunt at our staff meeting

Rafael, Rosa and I at the restaurant

Watching the US play in the world cup while                                                                         waiting for supper at the restaurant

Shrimp Alferdo-yum!

Some fish thing

Chocolates

Rosa, Rafael and I went to an Art Museum Friday                                                                                 Night. I may have gone picture crazy there. 

Walking in Guanajuato

Enjoying some starbucks and music

Listening to music

Callejoneada Friday Night with Rosa and Rafael. 

                                                                                     

More pictures from the callenjoneadas Friday night

 

                                                                          

 

Rafael got flowers for Rosa and I. One of they guys from the                                                                         group delivered them to me, but no phone number or anything with it. LOL

My flowers 

Just so flowery

Breakfast before we went out for the day

Subway for lunch : ) 

We went to another museum Saturday night with history and art                                                                 of Guanajuato. I was thankful for google translate. I may have                 taken a lot of pictures here too.

The next photos were at the wax museum. It was a museum kind of weekend

This room was creepy!

Next few pictures are just views of Guanajuato

My friend Kayla's daughter had just asked me on                                                                                         the phone earlier that day if I saw Mickey and                                                                                                 Minnie. I said not yet, so I had to take a picture for                 Lauren

One of the churches in Guanajuato

Out for a coffee and some dessert with Rafael,                                                                     Rosa, Michelle, Norma and Ricardo

My delicious brownie

Not a coffee drinker, so I had a smoothie

More shots of walking around Guanajuato

My host family : ) 

Outside Rosa and Rafaels house

Overlooking Guanajuato

Beautiful sunshine

Baseball field

Beautiful clouds and mountains

Next few pictures are the drive to the restaurant

View from out breakfast table

Hot chocolate and a pastry appetizer

Ham and cheese omelet : ) with beans and lettuce

Next group of photos were just taken outside of the                                                             restaurant. Such a beautiful place

Little church by the restaurant

Selfie in the sunshine

Rosa and I

Admission ticket from the museum

Admission ticket from the museum

Our other Christmas tree. It's like a gumdrop tree

The Christmas tree lit up

Flowers from one of the pastors daughters that I got at school                                                         Monday after my birthday. They just kept on giving!

Helping Norma with supper

Finished product

Norma and I went for a walk and stopped at a park with these         fun work out machines. 

Selfie on the work out machine

Norma doing crunches

Help, I can't get up. LOL!!

Fun equipment

Dani getting right to work! All on his own. So proud of him!

Showing off his work!

We used to write and he would trace. 

They had to draw an unusual school, so next photos are of that

Dani grabbed a chair so I could sit him at lunch and                                                                                     carried my water bottle over to the table. This boy just                         melts my heart!!

Beautiful sunset before our walk

Just some more fun photos working out

Ice cream after : ) 

The next group of pictures is the secondary kids                                                 story telling activity

tacos for lunch

Nativity craft we did to decorate for our program

Norma and I found massage chairs at the mall

Beautiful sunshine at the park. Next photos are just some                             scenery pictures from the park.

Ponche-a special tea they make in Mexico in December.  

Big fat burger for supper

Another beautiful sunset

Michelle putting the star on the tree

This was a prayer I wrote last week in my journal

This was a card I opened from Jenny that morning                                                                                         after I wrote in my journal. Mind you, she wrote                                                                                             the card back in August. I love how God knows                                                                                             each and every detail and knew I would need those                             exact words.

Front of the card from Jenny