La llegada
There was a spectacular sunset as I flew in to Chihuahua, México.
El paisaje
The gorgeous desert landscape around Rancho Siloé.
La escuela Bíblica de verano
I visited a summer Bible program for indigenous children that live in a brickyard, where their parents work. There were songs, crafts, games, and most importantly, Bible verses and God´s love, just like in vacation Bible schools at my home church in Michigan.
En la ciudad
Visiting the city of Chihuahua!
El restaurante de pollos infelices
It´s called the Happy Chicken, but I´m pretty sure the chickens weren´t that happy. I was, though!
El restaurante Tortas Piolin
Fast food in México is still much fresher and more delicious than fast food en los Estados Unidos.
La torta de Tortas Piolin
A torta is a sandwich. Mine was hot and delicious.
La registración
Registering kids for the Bible school.
Esperando la merienda
On the last day, my kids were all lined up and waiting for their snack when I snapped this picture.
La iglesia de los pima
We celebrated the Lord´s Day with the Pima, an indigenous group that now speaks mostly Spanish (which is sad, but that´s a story for another day).
Los niños
The children of the women at the Bible study were excited to have their picture taken!
Centro comunitario kipor
To earn extra income, the Pima women have taken up embroiding pillows, purses, and dresses. They use designs based on local cave paintings, so the embroidery serves as a way to preserve and share their culture, too.
Una mujer pima cosiendo
One of the women graciously let me take her picture while she was sewing.
Discada
Discadas are great for large crowds--they combine potatoes, meat, chiles, and whatever else is on hand. They´re named for the big disks in which they´re cooked.
Un plato típico
A very typical meal of beans, discada, tortilla, and a traditional rose-flavored drink.
La familia Granger y Lucero
The trip wouldn´t have been possible without the hospitality of Nancy, Dorr, Jaci, and Josiah Granger. I also loved getting to know Lucero, a good friend of the family.
Rancho Siloé, Chihuahua, México
The New Tribes ranch where I stayed for my first few days and last few days in México.
¡Una tarantula!
Yes, I really did see a tarantula.
Con los niños
I bonded a little with Lupe, the little girl on the right. The cute little boy on the left is her brother.
Paletas
It´s HOT in the desert--ice cream and popsicles were everywhere to help us stay cool.
Comida del Pollo Feliz
Bottled beverages, as usual to avoid getting sick from regular water. The chicken was delicious.
Esperando en Tortas Piolín
As you can see, it´s an open-air restaurant. It would be hard to pull that off in Michigan!
El viaje a Maycoba, Sonora, México
The missionaries that I stayed with worked in a small mountain town in the next state over from Chihuahua. We went for a week to run a vacation Bible school for the children there as a partnership between the local church and a church from Chihuahua.
Games!
My job was to corral the five-year-olds, which was quite the job! They were adorable, and I got to practice giving commands in Spanish--a skill I definitely needed a lot in the following months as a Spanish teacher.
Descansando
We had finished our games and were resting a little bit. I love how they snuggled around me.
Estudio bíblico para mujeres
I had the privilege of visiting a women´s Bible study for the Pima later in the week.
El serpiente
Checking out a snake we found to make sure it´s dead.
Productos bellos
Some of the beautiful products that the women make.
La última comida en Maycoba
The people in Maycoba cooked a delicious meal for our last day in the town. The men are cooking a traditional discada.
Tortilla de maíz azul
Doña Evelia made delicious blue corn tortillas on her wood stove.
Última foto del grupo
We got together a lot of the people from both the church in Maycoba and the church in Sonora for one last picture before we left. I was sad to go!
