Oaxaca

Today was another day that was full. both of us slept so well. the beds are fairly comfortable, but there is no box spring. i guess when you're tired it doesn't really matter. i love our hotel room so very much. did i mention that Oaxaca is extramly loud???

a cold front moved in last night. it's like in the 50's here. everyone is bundled up in thier warmest winter clothes. it's kind of funny. people kept asking me if i was cold. i just told them no, that the weather was beautiful. on the street people were saying it's so cold, we're going to feeze. my favorite was this old man on the street saying "you'd better buy chapstick, it's so cold, you're lips might crack and freeze off." tina told me what he was saying and we got a good laugh.

we went to breakfast with a small family in the village where the church was. i'm trusting Tina with my entire life, she's even been ordering food for me, which has all been very very good. i had an empada with cheese and squash flower. it was pretty good. i had some really good coffee again, and sweet bread. yummy, oh and handmade orange juice, it took about 10 oranges for a 16 oz. cup. the little boy had a jello mold shaped like a cocker spaniel puppy on green jello (it looked like grass.) then we went to church. it seemed pretty good, i couldn't understand most of it and meet a whole bunch of people and half of them we meet on the way to the bathroom.

there was one little girl, she was so beautiful! but i could tell something was wrong with her. Tina told me it was b/c she had fluid around her brain. and she also told me this was common. she also told me that a child with this handicap would only live until about 12 years old. as for the cause, it goes back to a lot of incest and such as that. it broke my heart. i was sitting in church and i was choking back tears. i was thinking that i would give them all the money in my purse. then the Holy Spirit said, it's not money they need, Mexico doesn't need money, it's not to get out the economic cisis that America needs. what both Mexico and America needs is to be loved. to know what Christ did on the cross so we could be reconsiled to a right relationship with the Father. the only thing that is going to make Mexico or America better is a lasting revival. i was so overwhelmed.

the driving today was much better. after church we went to lunch and it was really good. i didn't eat anything that i didn't like. Tina said that we were going to do something fun tonight. just to relax somewhat. we decided to go shopping. i was tired of being sad. it takes so much out of you. but one thing i do know is that i'm going to love like i've never loved before. i know that i have taken so many things for granted. one thing is family. families here are so very close. they spend as much time together as they possibly can. walking through the streets you see whole families holding hands. it's just so they can be touching. America has traded families for materializm, and Mexico has traded materializm for families (yes, i know there is a balance). it's just so sad. during lunch the Pastor's wife was trying so hard to talk to me. she thought if she spoke Spanish slower that i would understand. i gave Tina a desperate look and Tina translated for me and said that she said "if i talk real slow will you understand me?" i told tina no matter how slow or loud she spoke i would not be able to understand her. it was so funny.

okay now for the fun stuff. we went to the Zocolo (the main plaza in the city). it was so very much fun! there is no way that i can explain this. you had to be there. i don't know of anything in the States that is like this. there are places to eat all around, and shops and street acts. there are so many things i want to tell you, but there is no way i can do it. it's something you would have to come and see for yourself. i got some super cute things today at the market. we will go to the big one on tuesday i believe. anyway, i have to tell you about my favorite thing that happened all day. on our way to somewhere we saw a group of people. i wanted to know what was going on so we stopped to see. it was a street performer, he was all silver like a statute (i forgot to mention that Oaxaca is one of the largest art capitals in the world, all sorts of art, good and bad). anyway, he was dressed up as a construction worker, had the boots, hat, and shovel and anytime anyone would put a peso in his bucket he would move like a robot. and then he would stop until someone else would put in a peso. and man was he good! we both were mezmerized. we went to have coffee and went walking around some more, we saw another gathering of people so we stopped, it was some people doing Mexican folk dancing. the song was so long and there was so much foot work. it was crazy. but all of the people did a great job. they traveled very far to come and dance in the plaza. it was a great honor for them to be able to do that. so we were going to go into a catherdial, but they were having mass and didn't want to disturbe them. so we went back to where the man in silver was. this time there were so many more people there. tina and i sat and watched in amazement and kept asking oursleves what would he do if one of us went and put pesos in his bucket. some ladies he would kiss their hands, others he would shake their hand, it was hard telling what he was going to do. this one little boy was so scared to go put in a peso, but finally his parents convinced him it was going to be alright. so he went up and dropped in the pesos and ran back to his mom and dad, and hid behind a stanger. the silver man was trying to get him to come back up but he wouldn't do it. finally the silver man waved at him, and the little boy waved back and gave a thumbs up. it was so much fun. tina and i continued to talk about what he would do to tina. she said i just don't want him to do anything embrassing i told tina that she would never know if she didn't go and if she didn't go she would always want to go (i told her this b/c i knew that she would go and i would be to embrassed lol). so she finally went. he just looked at her and did something and then did a bless you sign. it was really cool. he even took off his hat for her. this little boy came up and put in a peso and the man wanted to shake his hand, so he shook it, then the man put his hand on the little boys head, now every time the sliver man touched anything he got silver paint all over whatever it was he touched. this little boy with black hair had silver all over his head. one boy started to cry when he couldn't get the sliver off. it was funny. anyway, enough about the silver man.

we were having coffee and these little boys came up and wanted us to buy gum from them. tina asked how much. the first little boy said 2 pesos. tina said "my prices have gone up." the little boy said "yeah they really have." he was so sincear about it. it was like a 30 year old in a 7 year old body. then the other little boy wanted us to buy gum from him as well. tina asked how much, the little boy said "one peso, uh, i mean 2 pesos." tina said it's funny that you would say one, and then change it to two." the little boy said "i made a mistake, it's 2" tina gave him the 2 pesos and got one thing of gum, the little boy looked at her and then gave her the second pack.

we were walking down the road and in the market and Tina greeted so many people. they were so happy to see her. this one guy came up to her in the market and greeted her. both of them were so happy to see eachother. then he introduced some other people to us. they were Americans. they were speaking ENGLISH!!!!!!!!!!! oh how excited i was. i've only been able to talk to Tina and one or two other people, but never to very much extent. oh, to hear English. you wouldn't understand unless you've been in the same position. wow, it was just really good.

we were walking around and this one little old lady. she was soooo sweet. she greeted Tina, she had sweet bread in her hand and went to shove it into her pocket to show us her wares. when she did this her sweet bread fell out of her pocket. i asked Tina if she would pick up the bread and eat it and Tinas said she thought she would. my heart shattered into a million peices. i eneded up buying this beautiful shawl thing from here. Tina said that she was 1/2 the size that she was the last time that she saw her and that she had told Tina that she was trying to recover. i want to see her again to buy something else from her. my heart was so broken. for like the 5th time today i cried.

well, it's 11:00 i guess i should call it a night. until tomorrow.