In My Opinion by Tammy

What I Will Miss About Mexico
~All the teens we have come to know, especially my adopted Mexican sons, Javier and Eric
~The wonderful adult friends we have made, namely Raramure, Enock and Esther and their sons, and Lupe and her adorable children
~Being treated so kindly and lovingly by all the people; respected and honored by the young people
~Experiencing such good manners in Mexican teens
~Having kids in and out of my house all day
~Trying new foods
~My husband's work schedule being less demanding (having him home in the evenings and weekends)
~Buying hand-made items for good prices
~The strong sense of community - the town plaza, a place to go and find friendship
~Experiencing a different culture and see how it effects people's lives
~Being apart of something so amazing that started 20 years ago

~Learning new lessons about life, some of which are:
*People and relationships are above everything else
*Learning to be more thankful for all that God has given me
*Seeing life from a renewed perspective
*Learning what factors effect the Mexican people and make them who they are
*Falling in love with the Mexican people
*Growing in compassion for those in need
*Learning how to be more flexible, rolling with the punches
*Becoming more hospitable
*Being taken outside of my comfort zones and challenged on every side of me
*Being 100% needy and requiring God's sustenance
*Learning a new language
*Growing in Faith- God constantly being faithful as provider, protector and friend
Knowing He is with me, esp. during times I didn't acknowledge Him

What I Will Not Miss About Mexico
~Extreme bouts of home sickness, the emotional ups and downs
~Cobblestone streets
~Dry, cracking, high-maintenance feet
~Being 3,000 miles away from my family
~Night times - constant concern of scorpions, bugs and lizards that are in my bedroom
~Mexican roads, Mexican driving
~That my church is not here
~Grocery stores- the uncleanliness of them, challenge of feeding my family with different and limited ingredients
~The heat
~Our family being such an item of interest (starring in the market place)

What I Am Looking Forward to Once I Return to America
~Hugging my mommies and daddies, my sister, having some girlfriend time with friends
~ Winco - to "drive" to the store and buy a week's worth of groceries in one wack
~Appliances: dishwasher, washer and dryer
~A cleaner and more organized house; a house that seals out weather, smoke, noise, dust and bugs
~Having the family back on some kind of a routine
~Cooking for my family, American food
~Consistent full nights sleep & snuggling up under blankets with my hubby
~Worshiping with Creekside Community Church
~To seeing all the ways this journey impacts our lives, coming to a fuller understanding of all God's purposes. Being changed. Watching my children grow in wisdom and character.

In My Opinion By Madeline

What I Will Miss About Mexico
~Learning Spanish through immersion
~My friends Javier & Eric
~Warm beaches
~Seeing other places
~Living a simpler life that is less busy than in America
~Walking around the town plaza and seeing friends there
~The cute little lizards

What I Will Not Miss About Mexico
~The starving dogs that walk around town
~Litter everywhere
~Scorpions
~Mexican food
~Hot climate
~Our La Huacana house
~Dirty floors


What I Look Forward to Once I Return to America
~4H
~Friends & Family
~My house, my bed
~Walking around the house with fuzzy socks, my comfy robe, wrapped in a blanket while looking out the window and watching it rain
~That cleaning our house will be easier
~My Church, Creekside Community
~English TV
~My rabbit and my dog Ayla, and Lily, Molly's chicken
~Quiet nighttimes

In My Opinion by Jake

What I Will Miss About Mexico
*Beaches, tropical water, Ixtapa, hotel, the sand
*Javier's friendship
*Tony, Carlos
*Beautiful scenery
*Mexico's money system - purchase stuff for much less money
*Fresh meat

What I Won't Miss About Mexico
*The climate- being sweaty all day every day
*Ants that come into the house
*My bed or bedroom
*Not being allowed to flush toilet paper
*Night times with dogs that bark all night and bugs that bite you in the night
*Having to wash dishes everyday by hand
*Crusty clothing off the clothes line

What I Look Forward to When I Return To America
*Working along side Grandpa Ron
*America TV programs, video games and movie rentals (all in English)
*Being cozy in my bed under blankets
*4-H activities
*Hanging out with my friends (Air soft war games)
*Wide variety of supplies in the stores
*Real American food

In My Opinion by Josh

What I Will Miss About Mexico
*Javier, Karen, Carlos, Tony, Sandra, Paola, Hugo, and other friends
*Be with my friends every day, visitors at the house all the time
*Some of the food, esp. the fresh chicken and fresh fruit
*Experiencing the unusual- living a different lifestyle for a short while
*Visiting new places and seeing new sights


What I Won't Miss About Mexico
*General uncleanliness of the environment, being sweaty and dirty
*My La Huancana bedroom, dusty and hot
*Climate is too hot
*Nighttime - too warm and too loud
*Cobblestone streets - having to watch the streets ahead of your steps, feet hurting after walking
*My clothing coming off the line crusty

What I Look Forward to Once I Return To America
*The need to use blankets at night
*To only have to shower once a day
*My bedroom and bed
*To play my electric guitar
*Our house
*Quiet nights
*Our dog Ayla
*Creekside Community Church and the youth group
*Drew Family, Isaiah K.,

In My Opinion by Molly

What I Will Miss About Mexico
~Karen, the best female I have ever clicked with
~Javier, a great guy who clicked with my entire family
~The sunshine, happy & bright atmosphere
~Not being lonely (constant companionship)
~Tasty food such as tacos and enchiladas
~ Fresh fruit; mangoes, coconut, starfruit, papaya, guava, avocados, pineapple
~The looser, more carefree attitude towards life
~The school and all my friends I have made
~The super-cute feminine clothing styles

What I Will Not Miss About Mexico
~The sugar ants (constant problem in the house)
~The bumpy, shoe-ruining, toe-stubbing cobblestone streets
~People who stare at our family because we are white
~The guys and men who holler and whistle at me

What I Look Forward To Once I Return to America
~Creekside Community Church And Youth Group
~Grandma Diane, her country home and her cooking
~Ice Cream (no such thing as mint flavor here)
~Anna D., Chris M., Andrea D. & Cody D., Nathan M., Brad H.
~My white coachin chicken named Lily
~Walking around in public and not being starred at
~Excell Fitness Gym (my job and exercise)
~Running in the morning with my dad

Night Pictures of the Cathedral in Morelia

I have posted pictures of this cathedral before but these are different - much more beautiful. This is the biggest and most visited cathedral in Morelia. It is located right by the town square. Travelers come from all over the world to see it.

I took these pictures standing beneath the cathedral. A person feels sort of engulfed in it's majesty. This is only one small section.
A unique view...

Night Pictures of Morelia

I loved having the opportunity to walk through the streets of Morelia when it was all lit up.
Snapping pictures from every angle that I can. I feel like I am in London. No, this must be better.
Morelia's post office! Would someone explain this?
I am unsure of this building but took the picture because the building says "Morelia".
These arches extend throughout the city. Lanes of traffic travel through them.
There are several cathedrals in Morelia. We have been able to visit three of them. This Sunday our friend Raramiri walked us in the middle of a mass service. We joined the people down front, and of course, with being Americans, all eyes were on us. Our public display was worth it though since I was able to thoroughly take in the beauty of the cathedral from inside. (This one picture here). Wow! It was amazing, being decoratively painted in real gold.

Winding Down Our Time Here; The Future For This Blog

A few butterflys flying above us.

As of today, we have about two weeks left in La Huacana Mexico. Our plan is to head for home on Wed. March 18th. For the next two weeks, I will continue posting more on how we are spending our time and what I think you might want to know and see. I am excited to answer some questions that a friend had sent to me by email. One was "what will you miss about Mexico" another "what will you NOT miss". I am currently polling my entire family because I know that these answers will vary. Each member of my family has had a their own unique experience.

Once I return to my home town, I plan to finish off the blog. I will post on our travel across Mexico and then into the US, and finally our arrival to our home town. This blog will continue for a short while as the Lord leads. Since I can't predict the future, I am guessing that I might blog about readjusting back into the US, lessons we have learned, how God has changed us, and the like. You can imagine how much we have all learned and how many great stories there are to tell! Eventually, this blog will come to an end, just as our stay in Mexico has to come to an end. I do believe, however, that our time in Mexico will impact us all forever.

Stay posted for the results of the poll.