One of the big things I miss about living in Prescott is seeing the changing fall leaves, drinking a hot coffee that I bought in a drive-thru, and smelling Autumn in the air. One thing I don't miss about living in Prescott is the super cold weather. It's a lose/win situation. I take full advantage of the nice weather here in Oaxaca - and I decorate my apartment with enough fake fall foliage (and drink enough coffee) that the difference isn't too noticeable. I love fall- it's the time to soak in the achievements of the year- a time of thankfulness- a time of reflection. It feels like it should be the quiet before the hectic chaos of winter and Christmas, but there's not much quiet and downtime on the mission field. Let's catch up:
-School is in full swing. This year I am teaching 9/10 English (we just finished reading The Outsiders, and my students divided into groups, discussing what separates us, what unites us, and they added some dramatic costuming effects to make it more awesome. we also watched the old movie and had pizza at my house), AP Language and Composition (we are currently reading Half the Sky- a really intense but incredible non-fiction), and AP Psychology (my students currently walk around school with notebooks and write absolutely nothing in them, but scare all their peers into thinking they're being experimented on by the Psych students; it's hilarious). I am also running a re-entry program with the Jr/Sr class during homeroom. We are covering everyone from finance, student loans, job interviews, transitions, saying goodbye, etc. I also help them fundraise for their end-of-the-year trip, so we are doing all sorts of bake sales and activities.
-Youth Group is also back into the swing of things. We launched the year with a weekend retreat in the mountains- it was freezing! Most of my pictures include youths huddled by the campfire. We played games late into the night, drank tons of hot chocolate, and laughed until we cried. My roommate gave the talks- the theme being prayer. This year for Youth Group, our goal is to talk about Making Our Faith Our Own. We are so grateful to have help from two new volunteers, and we even had help in the kitchen during the retreat! Amazing.
-Girasol is growing still- I am constantly amazed by God's provision and guidance. Our leadership team went on a retreat- taking time to talk together, pray together, and plan together. We have some exciting projects ahead of us- we will be launching a website soon (so everyone can get to know our team, hear more stories from our volunteers, keep up to date on goings on, and see some pictures!)- I will send out the link as soon as we get that started. Two of our volunteers downtown have started taking more responsibility on our team, working on prayer groups, birthday gifts for the women, and planning our Christmas party! We are so grateful for women who want to work with other women serving women. It's incredible to see. Having new volunteers is also helpful for us, in the sense that it helps us clearly see progress. On a day-to-day basis, we might feel that our progress is slow. But when a new volunteer joins us, and she sees how much trust there is between the ladies we serve and our team members, when she sees how comfortable we are talking with the ladies downtown, it suddenly becomes clear to us as well. We've added some fun activities downtown, including Jenga (which gets pretty competitive), a hair-cutting day, and hopefully some new crafts will begin soon. It's hectic and busy and always unexpected, but our work downtown is so fulfilling and incredible- even on the really hard days.
-Amanecer Jewelry is such a surprising delight to be a part of as well. We knew that this business was a next step for us in Girasol, but it's surprising how quickly God moved us in this direction. And, though it should not be surprising, I am always in awe of how God has provided businesses that buy our product and people who want to buy what we make. I'm also in awe of the girls- we had graduation from our 6-month program in August. Girls who were quiet and shy, stood up in front of people to give presentations. Girls who hadn't thought too much about their futures- dreamed incredible futures for themselves. It was emotional and inspiring to see their growth through the program. Now that they've graduated from the program, the women continue to work, making jewelry, and our team is preparing for January when a whole new batch of women will join our team and go through the program. Amanecer means "dawn" in Spanish- and our whole name is Amanecer: Hope Rising. I know our team feels the hope rising in our hearts- the dreams of what is to come, the faith that God will guide, protect, and provide, and the joy of being a part of such an incredible journey and ministry. Our leadership retreat for Girasol ended with us each sharing memories of impactful and meaningful moments throughout our 6 years of ministry together. My heart is so full, seeing and remembering the great things God has done- the big steps He has moved us through, and knowing we have so much more to do.
-Other fun things: my roommate and I were in charge of the decorations for our friends' wedding, and we had a blast making flower arrangements, centerpieces, an arch decoration, etc. It was a super fun wedding- mainly because our friends are such a sweet and kind couple, and we love them so much! Also, it was my birthday and we threw a 20's themed murder mystery party. A bunch of wonderful friends from my community here came by and we had a blast. My sisters were in town, too, so that was wonderful. The Guelaguetza ( a traditional Oaxacan celebration) was in July, and the colors, food, dances, traditional garb -everything- was so beautiful! Also, Mexican Independence Day was in September, and we had yummy food, fireworks, games, and more celebratory activities. My church also celebrates its anniversary in September, so we had a big fair in honor of our ministry-minded mission statement. We had a bouncy house, nail painting, hair cuts, a garage sale, dental cleanings, classes, mechanics, etc.
-Lastly, for those of you from The Ridge in Prescott Vally, you will be happy to know that Natalya has joined me in Oaxaca for 6 weeks! She is an intern/helper/encourager extraordinaire! She is working on labeling and organizing all of the books in my classroom (a less-than-exciting, and yet incredibly helpful task that has been on my to-do list for 5 years), she helps out at Youth Group with games and interactions with the kiddos. She was a life-saver at our youth retreat, too. She's been on a village trip with my church to a small remote village, playing with kids and helping with Sunday school. She is also working 2 days per week at Amanecer, allowing the girls to teach her how to make jewelry (a task they were way too shy to do even 6 months ago), taking pictures for our catalog, and helping with the piles of labeling and pricing and wrapping. I am beyond grateful for her help- but also it has been really encouraging to have someone from my home church come and see and be hands-on with what we do here. Now, when she prays for Oaxaca Missions, she has a personal connection with and passion for what we do. That means the world. I'm grateful.
So that's fall, here: a busy and hectic time, but I sit amongst my plastic orange leaves, drinking abnormal amounts of coffee, and take the necessary time to reflect and be thankful on the quickly passing year.
Below are pictures of some of the mentioned activities. I've also included a link to our Amanecer catalog in case someone would like to order some Christmas gifts or something from there. You can message me directly for an order.
Gracias!
-Ruth