Be Still My Soul

Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

 

Hymn #651 — The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Psalm 46:10
Author: Catharine Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel, 1752, cento
Translated by: Jane Borthwick, 1855
Titled: “Stille, mein Wille”
Composer: Jean Sibelius, b. 1865, arr. — Tune: “Finlandia”

 

 

Back in México

With a midnight arrival, Nate and I were happy to sleep in our own bed after a 2-month stay in Brazil. We slept in and spent the next day unpacking. During the next couple days, we managed to clean almost every room of the house and trim back the garden. We were excited to find a dozen cherry tomatoes on the vine waiting for us in the garden.  While we were in Brazil, the switch for our electricity was accidentally turned off, so we lost the majority of our refrigerated and frozen items. We had some food to tide us over, though, because in México some items like boxed milk [and eggs] aren’t refrigerated, but stored in the pantry.  We eventually made it to the supermarket to replenish our groceries.

It was fun getting back into our routines. Nate working on his online courses, and I participating in Zumba exercise classes.  I also started a new class — boxing.  The rest of our time was spent visiting friends.

On our first Sunday back, we were pleasantly surprised at a high number in Bible Study attendance at church.  During class, we heard a “Help” from the front patio.  WKW Volunteer Joel went outside and came back carrying a large Christmas tree. One of the regular attendees donated the tree for church.

Almost everyone I ran into said to me, “Un milagro” — a miracle as they hugged me because they hadn’t seen me for such a long time.  It was really neat to return to many warm welcomes!

 

Last Day of Class

I just finished my final class with my Spanish tutor, Oscar. Yeah!  I started classes at a language school last September to focus on Spanish grammar, conversation fluency, Mexican vocabulary and culture.  On Tuesday, Oscar gave me an oral test covering all verb tenses and grammar rules we studied over the past months. Today, we ended with a written comprehensive exam. I don’t know if I will ever conquer all the sneaky subtleties of these exams, but it is fun to try!  I do think I have finally retired my French accent in my Spanish pronunciation and abandoned my vocabulary from the Dominican Republic.

It is a bittersweet moment, as I have achieved a huge goal of mine, but I will deeply miss Oscar.  He has been with me throughout my journey here in León so far.  He has become more than a tutor, but a good friend-always ready to provide cultural insight.

Even though I have finished the formal Spanish classes, I will continue to review the grammatical material. Somedays, I feel as though my Spanish has progressed in leaps and bounds while other times I feel as though I am going backwards.  I guess it all depends on the topic, background noise, accent, and my comfort level.

Learning a different language is truly a humbling experience, but it offers much insight and understanding of another culture. It also gives perspective from the students’ point of view if you are an English teacher.

If you are interested in studying another language, give it a try at www.livemocha.com. It is a community website for language study with native speakers on a give-and-take (learn-and-teach) basis.

 

Mosquito Season

It is 9:30 at night and I hear a distant buzz drawing closer.  Louder and louder, but I can’t figure it out.  Then I remember, we have entered the rainy season here in León.  The buzz is the truck with mosquito sprayer.  A couple times a month during this wet season, the truck drives through our neighborhood.  It drives up and down our street, spraying both sides of the street in an attempt to reduce the mosquito population.

Our house does have screens on the windows and doors, which is a luxury, but the mosquitoes still find a way in.  As a malaria survivor, I try to avoid them as much as I can, wearing repellent and keeping a fan blowing throughout the night.

I am happy to report that malaria isn’t a high risk here.  Instead, we have the threat of dengue, but I haven’t heard of any outbreaks yet.

 

Trash Pick Up

Living in the city of León, we have the privilege of having our garbage picked up 6 days a week. When we arrived, the pick-up schedule varied.  At first, pick-up was between 10-12 in the morning, then it changed to the afternoon, and then again between 6-8 in the morning.  Now, the standard pick-up is between 9-12 in the evening.

I thought it was strange, picking up garbage at midnight… but after talking to a friend whose husband is a garbage man, I understood the logic. Picking up trash in the evening has its advantages: the temperature is cooler, the garbage men are not working in the heat of the day with the sun beating on them, and there is minimal traffic.  Of course, in some neighborhoods, they continue to pick up in the daytime for security precautions.

As the garbage truck and workers pass through the neighborhood, two security guards accompany them. If the workers happened to catch you outside, they will often ask for a tip in a round-about way. “Can you help me buy a Coke or snack”? I truly appreciate them and the work they do.  Every couple of months, I bake them some cookies or give them an ice cold water or Coke.

 

Coca-Cola Light

One product that has been available throughout all my overseas living and travels, even in the remote villages of Fiji and Malawi, is Coca-Cola. I have just found out that in the majority of these places outside the USA, Coca-Cola is available in glass bottles sold at conveniences stores, liquor depots, road-side stands, in coolers attached to large tricycles or in thatched huts. Depending on the area, it may be served warm, without ice. Here in México,  it is also available in plastic bottles, cans, and 2 or even 3 liter bottles.

Coca-Cola is often the drink of choice when you are questioning the purity or hygiene of the drinking water.

Personally, I have also found Coca-Cola to taste different from country to country or region to region. I just found that American Coca-Cola contains high-fructose corn syrup and Mexican Coke is made with sugar. I am not sure how this transfers to the diet or light version, but my guess is that the artificial ingredients vary too.  I do know that there is a distinct difference in taste between Diet Coke and Coca-Cola (Coke) Light.  Not to sound like a commercial, but if you have a chance, taste the difference.

In the Dominican Republic and Brazil, I have tried Coca-Cola Light Plus, fortified with vitamins and minerals. It was okay, but I will stick with my Coke Light!

Note: I consciously used “Coca-Cola” referring to the brand of beverage to avoid confusion as Nate continues to remind me that all soft drinks are called “Coke” in Texas.  I do remember thinking it was odd when I was asked “What kind of Coke do you want–Cola, Dr. Pepper, Sprite?”, when we were in Dallas.

 

The Uniform – Part 2

Yesterday, I went to see Dora, the seamstress.

My visit was two-fold: 1) to find out how the operation to remove the cancerous tumor from her tongue went and 2) to pick up my long-awaited uniform to volunteer at the hospital.  This time, I brought reinforcements… Nate.

When we arrived at her classroom in the hospital grounds, I was surprised to find Dora there teaching.  She was happy to see us.  Immediately, she gave us her medical update.  The surgery went well, and that the doctors said they caught the cancer early.  She will have two treatments of chemotherapy.

Then she led us to a closet and presented me with my uniform.  Wow!  Completely unexpected. I tried it on and it fits like a glove.  She had a few more stitches to finish and another button to sew which she did on the spot.

As she walked us out of the building, we talked more about her cancer which lead into a Law/Gospel presentation.  She told us how important the prayers that I gave her the day of her surgery were and how they helped her.  She recognizes her cancer as an opportunity to grow closer to God. We encouraged her to do so by reading her Bible and praying to Jesus.

Please keep Dora in your prayers that she find peace and eternal hope in Jesus.