We're on the Adventure

Since my last post so much has happened in Mexico. The least to say is that there are hundreds of thousands of protesters blocking the cities main economic and cultural hot spots. You can read more at Election Protest Grow In Mexico City. The city and country are going through a bit of tension regarding their last election about a month ago. We drove real close to the protests but the streets were closed so no go.

Day 2 of being in Mexico City was filled with getting lost in our car, going to Walmart, Costco and spending about 2 hours getting a cell phone. We didn't even get to go home with our new cool talking machines. We have to come back tomorrow. Then we dropped the kids off back to our hotel/apartment flat and Christine and I headed out to look for a washing machine, dryer and fridge. We didn't have phones, we didn't really know where we were going and we left my non-Spanish speaking sister with the kids at the hotel. We arrived late but Isa and Benjamin just woke up from a well needed naps. Perfect. We warmed up some Cambells Soup, Clam Chowder style and Benjamin fell back asleep in his chair. Only to be woken up later with a sick stomach and some toilet bowl time. Yuck. He slept well that night as we worried he would hurl again.

Day 3. Since Christine and I arrived about a month earlier on July 8 with our FM3 visas we had to register them on Day 3, Thursday. We had an appointment to meet Illiana, the hired lawyer who CCC uses in Mexico for this continued exciting adventure of getting visas. She was blown away at the inaptitude of the Santa Ana Mexican Consulate in California. They made mistakes and 2 of our visas had to be redone. Take me know Jesus. After 3 1/2 hours we left that office. It was promised it would take 2 hours max. He He He. We're learning something about patience already in Day 3. Oh yeah, we still don't have the registered visas. We're to get them on Aug 18.

The cool thing was that we drove right by Liverpool (department store) and Sears. We needed to do some comparison shopping for our appliances, mostly to calm my bargain buying spirit. Sears turned out to be a win. We found a dryer, washing machine (floor model) and Fridge. The washing machine was to be delivered on Saturday but the Fridge and dryer on Tues. Ouch. 5 days with out a Fridge. This was going to be good.

Day 4. The long awaited and fearful arrival of our shipment from the U.S. was to arrive at 9am. Thanks for all your prayers. It actually worked out better. We did some much needed shopping, visa registering and learning the area in which we live before our stuff arrived. We got up early, loaded up the van with our luggage and kids and headed to our house to do some cleaning. We drove up and the truck and 5 sleeping on the curb Mexicans were already at our house. Hey they broke the rule of being late. We hurried ourselves into a frenzy and I pulled the paper work to check box by box that it was all there. They were saintly machines. They took each box to the location we told them and unpacked it and took out the trash. Wow. After 6 1/2 hours later, no food, kids running around like crazy fools, Isa taking a nap, missing two boxes, and a broken exercise bike and damage chair we drove to get lunch or dinner. We're not sure what it was. We we're beat.

It was fun to see stuff we haven't seen since May 9. It was even more fun to sleep in our beds. Aaaagh. My sister slept in a make shift guest room and the kids in their rooms. My sister's room, the guest room, was found to be a wind tunnel and a leaky faucet. The doors had no seals and rain just poured in. We also found the carpet to be soaked. Oh the home projects began.

Day 5, 6, 7 and beyond. The remaining days seemed to be getting as much stuff done around the house to make it livable and then rush off to eat somewhere with the kids and my sister. We did the best we could without a fridge and filtered water. Many trips to Walmart, Costco food court and Home Depot. Finally our landlord sent a dear man, Benito, to do some home repairs. He is here today fixing our doorbell intercom system and the security system. The leaking doors have been fixed with much weather stripping, foam filler (I'll have to tell you about how the foam attacked me and didn't come off my hands for 2 days), and some cement I laid on the ground to adjust the flow of water. Then we started on putting up window covers and have had a blast with plaster/cement walls. I miss dry wall already. There are many more things to fix, the least is not the rotted patio beams, but we're enjoying each day more and more.

We have had to adjust our expectations of what we want to get done each day as my, not Christine's Spanish, is limited when I go shopping. We are also on day 4 of waiting for the Home Depot water filter installers to show up. We were promised they would come on Tues. It is 9am on Friday and they are not here yet. But our wash machine, dryer and Fridge are all working well and we're eating much better at home. Our house on Periban (our street) is becoming a home.

Thanks for all your prayers. As we get used to living here in our house we are still reminded as we drive around the city the shear numbers of people here who don't know Jesus. Yesterday was a great day. We received our phone land line, hooked up the internet and our vonage phone number for calling the states, hooked up our sprinkler Elmo deal for the kids, blew up the bike tires and went for a ride.

Last night Benjamin prayed that we would find friends, speak Spanish and find people who don't know Jesus so we can tell them. I don't think the last request will be hard to find.

Categories: God, MexicoCity, Family