Mexico {Week 2: Worker's Off Week}

The second week we were down there was actually a bit of a letdown. First of all, our families/church had all just left, then, the church that was supposed to come down cancelled, then finally, to top it all off, about half of us ended up sick. So, we spent our week cleaning, working in the kitchen, assembling Bibles in the print shop, and having some fun...here's the fun. :)

We went bowling a couple of nights

One of the nights there was a 2 for 1 deal on laser tag, so we decided to give it a go. 

For the record, Blue team totally dominated. :D

Thursday morning some of us went mountain climbing. At first I wasn't going to go, because I didn't feel the greatest, and it was just guys going, and I didn't want to slow them down. So, I was just going to get up early with them, drive them to the base of the mountain and enjoy the sunrise. Well, Dan talked me into going along to take pictures...he assured me that it wouldn't be any harder than the hikes we'd done on vacation...

...so, we rose before the sun, grabbed a quick bite to eat, threw some energy bars and water bottles in a backpack and started our adventure...

...It didn't take me too long to realize that this would prove to be a very different hiking experience. Being sick, combined with the fact that I have hardly any energy when I first wake up in the mornings, I honestly felt about ready to be done after our walk to the base of the mountain. :/ About half way up the first summit, I considered asking if I could just wait for them to finish the hike and they could meet up with me on the way back. I didn't think they'd agree however, so I just kept going...

...The terrain was challenging to say the least. There was cacti everywhere. I seriously had to calculate every step to avoid getting pricked. At one point I had to duck under cacti overhead and step over it on the ground...aaaand, since BPS dress code is skirts only (and I hadn't expected to have free time or anticipated mountain climbing), the only pants I had with me were pajama pants. I thought it'd be strange to go out climbing in pink owl pants, so I just stuck with a skirt. Normally, I don't think it would be a big deal to hike in that attire, but in the desert terrain, I think I got stuck on nearly e.v.e.r.y. cactus... :S

...as I mentioned before, I wasn't feeling 100% (runny nose, cough, etc.) so, before we left, I grabbed a bunch of toilet paper and stuck it in my backpack. Dan was carrying my bag, so when we made our first stop, I took my tissue out, blew my nose, and was going to put it back in the bag. I told Dan I needed to put it back, and he took it from me (I thought he was going to put it away), and threw it down the hill - he thought I had additional kleenex in my bag. I must admit, I felt a little dismayed as I watched my only tissues tumble down the mountain and realized I now had nothing to wipe my steadily dripping nose with for the remainder of the hike...

...at first I just tried snuffing it up, and then wiping it on my shirt sleeve. Finally, I was forced to use the bottom of my skirt as a giant tissue. :/ I now refer to it as my "kleenex skirt".  Well, it definitely made the morning slightly uncomfortable, but I guess it makes for a good story now. :)

All of us on top...we totally conquered  these mountains! :D

We climbed to the top of 4 or 5 different peaks...by the end of our adventure, we were ready for a shower and a nap, but the view from the top and the memories along the way were SO worth the effort!

Thursday night after dinner we went to a park. I don't think that a trip with guys from Normandale would be complete without a little softball. 

Friday night, Mr. Jarvis took us out to CiCi's Pizza for dinner and then to an El Paso Diablos game. 

1/2 Bat Boy...I love it!

Fireworks after the game

Our "off" week was an interesting experience. While it was nice to have free time to do fun stuff, we all felt a little down that we couldn't do that for which we had come. About half way through the week I was really feeling like I wasn't doing anything important and it was a waste of a week. One afternoon, I was working on putting a slideshow together to show for church, so I was editing pictures and going through some music. One of the songs I was listening to was called "All I Have is Christ" performed by the Galkins. As I was listening to the words, a line in the song really struck me. It said "Dear Father use my ransomed life in any way You choose..." Oh. "In any way You choose." Yep. That means scrubbing counters, or cooking chicken, shampooing carpets, or putting together ice cream sandwiches. Any way You choose... It really gave me a different perspective on missionary life. It's not always "glamorous", going into foreign countries spreading the Gospel. Sometimes it's mundane, but necessary work on the home front. 

Oh, and one very worthwhile thing we accomplished our off week was assembling 1,500 +  entire Bibles in the print shop!