When we stopped the car, I recognized one of our favorite destinations — the city of Guanajuato.  We walked down some steep steps until we opened an iron door.  As we entered, Rick, the American owner, welcomed us into his home.  We spent the night at a local bed and breakfast overlooking the city.

After we settled in, we took the free pass to go downtown via cable car.  We enjoyed the atmosphere along with a great meal.

We found out it got pretty chilly overnight as we sat on the balcony in the morning to watch the sunrise. Then we enjoyed a delicious full-breakfast in Rick’s kitchen with two other guests from Washington state.  Then Rick joined us, telling us tales of the city’s history along with some good sightseeing suggestions.

Nate and I spent the day touring Teatro Juarez and the Museo Iconografico.  This museum is a collection of art featuring Don Quijote from around the world; explaining the connection of Don Quijote and Cervantes with Guanajuato.

I am thankful to God for an amazing husband and another year of grace.

As the moments surrounding Christmas get filled with activities involving family, friends, decorations, and celebrations; the members of our mission, Cristo Resucitado, wanted to set aside a special time to spend together as a family united in Christ to reflect on the Christ-child and to enjoy some extra fellowship time together.

It was a potluck, offering many traditional Mexican foods for the season. The entire night was full of wonderful conversations as we continued getting to know each other a little bit better. After the meal, everyone headed outside because it was time for the piñata.

As the children began trying to hit the piñata, everyone else sang the popular song in Spanish –

Dale, dale, dale
No pierdas el tino
Porque si lo pierdes
Pierdes el camino
Ya le diste una
Ya le diste dos
Ya le diste tres
Y tu tiempo se acabó

(Hit it, hit it, hit it
Don’t lose your aim
Because if you lose it
You lose the way
Hit it once
Hit it twice
Hit three times
And then your time is up)

Then several adults took their turn to break open the piñata.

It finally broke and candy spilled out everywhere as the children scrambled to grab every last piece.  Sadly, Elsa, one of the children, fell and landed on her wrist and needed some medical attention.

Pastor Brad concluded the event with a devotion focusing our hearts and thoughts on Jesus our precious Savior.

Update: Elsa (the girl in a red sweatshirt and scarf) has a hairline fracture in her wrist so she is wearing a cast until the first week of February. Please keep her in your prayers for patience.

The Candy Maker — Many years ago, a humble candy maker had a great idea. He wanted to show the world that Jesus was born among us, lived and died to save us all. So through the color and shape of a candy, he could tell the story of Jesus, from Christmas to Easter and the Resurrection. So he created a cane-shaped candy with some very special characteristics:

Its Colors — The white lines represent that Jesus was conceived pure and sinless. The thin red lines symbolize the punishment Jesus endured before he died; and the wide red line, the blood shed for us on the cross … all this was done out of love for us.

Its Shape — The candy is shaped like a cane, which reminds us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. If you invert the candy, you’ll see the letter (J), the first letter of Jesus’ name.

Its Flavor — The freshness of mint with which the candy is made represents the cool breeze of winter when Jesus was born for everyone, and it also brings to mind that sensation of well-being and freshness that our soul feels when it is in the grace of God.

We can learn much from this candy maker, who demonstrated through his art that we can share the remarkable story of Jesus, our Savior. So when you see the candy cane, remember to share the story of Him who gave his life for you, for me, and for us all.

El Dulcero — Hace muchos años, un humilde dulcero tuvo una gran idea.  Quería enseñarle al mundo que Jesús nació entre nosotros, vivió y murió para salvarnos a todos.  Así, a través del color y la forma de un dulce, podría relatarnos la historia de Jesús; desde la Navidad hasta la Pascua de Resurrección.  Por eso creó un dulce en forma de bastón con unas caraterísticas muy especiales:

Sus Colores — Las lineas blancas significan que Jesús fue concebido puro y sin pecado.  Las lineas rojas finitas simbolizan el castigo que Jesús soportó antes de morir; y la linea roja ancha, la sangre que derramó por nosotros en la cruz…todo esto lo hizo por amor a nosotros.

Su Forma — El dulce tiene forma de bastón, lo que nos recuerda que Jesús es el Buen Pastor.  Si invierte el dulce, verás la letra jota ( J ), la primera letra del nombre de Jesús.

Su Sabor — La frescura de la menta con que está confeccionado representa la brisa fresca del invierno en que Jesús nació para todos, además nos trae a la memoria esa sensación de bienestar y frescura que siente nuestra alma al estar en la gracia y perdón de Dios.

Podemos aprender mucho del dulcero, quien demostró por medio de su arte que podemos compartir la historia admirable de Jesús, nuestro Salvador.  Por eso al contemplar el bastón de dulce, recuerda compartir la historia de aquél que dio su vida por ti, por mi, y por todo el mundo.

The first event was the End of Session/Christmas Party for the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students.  We had a full house and WKW Joel Hering taught everyone how to play Bunko. (Note to fellow Bunko players: I ended up being the winner with only 1 loss!)

Another event targeted a younger audience, the children, a Posada Infantil — similar to a Christmas for Kids night.  Upon arrival, they registered and were assigned to a group (0-7 yrs old or 8+).  We had several Christmas coloring sheets, words searches, and crossword puzzles to keep them busy until more arrived.  The parents stayed to set up the snack table and help with crafts as they watched their little ones enjoy the activities.

We began the first session, 45 minutes late, which is quite common.  The younger group went with Pastor Brad to learn more about the Christ-child, while the older ones stayed with Heidi and me to make bastone de navidad — candy cane pins with safety pins and beads.  A few of the adult English students came to help with the project.

An hour later, we switched groups.  As the older group participated in an interactive devotion about Jesus’ birth and the little ones came to Heidi and me, full of excitement.  We began making candy canes out of red and white pipe cleaners. Then they moved onto a door-hanger project using Popsicle sticks, colored paper, markers, pipe cleaners, and foam stickers.  Nate presented the story of the candy cane to both groups with a handout.

Towards the end of the evening, everyone gathered together to sing Silent Night in Spanish and English.  Then it was time for snacks.  One of the families brought a malt machine with enough ingredients for everyone.  The Chocomil — chocolate milk is a type of milkshake in various flavors.  It was delicious.  Many of the families brought drinks and holiday favorites. Our homemade Christmas cookies disappeared right away.

We invited all the children to come back the next morning to sing in church.  Then all 37 children received bags of candy with the book, “God’s plan of salvation for the world”.  We also gave them sticks of sugar cane as they were heading out the gate.

A wonderful night of fellowship with some new contacts as well as many familiar faces and opportunity to share the joyous story of Jesus’ birth.

Filed under: Mexico Tagged: efl, fellowship, mission, outreach ]]> http://thewagenknechts.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/posada-infantil/feed/ 0 thewagenknechts Elsa&friend WorkingonProject CCProject Helper Helper&kids Nate&Project CristoMeAmo Cristomeamo2 Nate&kids SilentNight Candy http://thewagenknechts.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/days-with-dad/ http://thewagenknechts.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/days-with-dad/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:40:12 +0000 Julia http://thewagenknechts.wordpress.com/?p=6976 ]]> Nate’s dad spent the last two weeks of December with us here in León.  It was a special treat since he is our first family visitor in our home in México!

As he resides in the Phoenix, Arizona area, the climate wasn’t too big of an adjustment, at least not as much as the language.

The first week included daily tennis matches between Nate and Dad along with completing our list of small projects around the house. We also participated in several mission activities (posts coming soon) throughout the week.

The second week included a little sightseeing around the city of León and surrounding areas.  Some of the highlights included Cañada de la Virgen (Pyramid), historical and picturesque tours of the cities of San Miguel de Allende, Dolores Hidalgo, and Guanajuato.

It was so special to celebrate Christmas with family.  Thank you, Dad, for coming to visit.  We miss you already.  Come back soon!

Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/myrlinmexico for photo titles & descriptions.

Yesterday, I noticed several balloons floating high into the sky and wondered why.  Was it a birthday party and one of the little ones accidentally let go of the balloons, or did they come undone as a mom opened the car door? As the day progressed, I saw more and more balloons in the air and every street corner had globos – balloons for sale.  A friend told me that children write out their wish lists and messages on cards to the Kings or Magi, attach the lists to balloons, and let them float away, with hopes to find gifts in/near their shoes on the early morn of January 6th – El Día de Reyes.

Along with the gift-giving is another tradition of the rosca de reyes -  crown of the kings.  This morning, I watched in awe as every customer had at least one, if not two roscas at the check-out.  For many, that was their only item of purchase.

The rosca is a sweet bread baked in a circle, usually topped with dried fruits.  It also has a small plastic figure, representing baby Jesus, baked inside. I have read that this hidden Jesus represents Jesus and his parents fleeing from Bethlehem from King Herod’s decree to kill all baby boys who could have been the promised Messiah. Whoever finds the figure traditionally hosts a party on Día de la Candelaria -Day of the Candles on February 2 celebrating Jesus in the temple, accompanied by a meal with tamales.

Today, the parks are full of families spending time together with the children playing with their new toys.

These events mark Epiphany, as the Magi visited baby Jesus as a sign that He is the Savior for all people of every tribe, nation, language, and village!