Affiliate organizations, general boards, national associations and such…
UGH! I’ve been reading.. or.. well, semi-memorizing the United Methodist Church website for clues of what is out there that I would like to be a part of. I don’t understand why, if I absolutely crave planning and organization, can the mere mention of vaguely political labels and structures give me such an ugly feeling of nausea. Maybe it’s the memory of my heart broken parents leaving the politics of Methodism behind… sort of behind. Or that ugly stomach discomfort I used to get during conferences when we were all waiting to see if it’d be time to pack and say goodbye to everyone again. Maybe I just quite honestly don’t like that tricky, deceptive side that politics will always have –I don’t know if I’m sharp enough to keep up without some disregard of my own personal values. That last sentence alone sounds ugly enough.
Whatever it is, how does one get rid of it? This… thing… that is … so ugly sometimes but also very often necessary, and so useful, and SO beneficial? How can I be a part of that “Church and Society” tab without going crazy (--er)? Will I make a difference in the kind of small organization I prefer? Maybe it is a big fat lie that revolutionary changes can only be made through the masses. Wesley might have disagreed with me, though! Maybe my “preferences” will only get me stuck in an unproductive, mediocre hole of contentment. Or maybe I am altogether too problematical. Maybe I am missing the beauty of the simple life. Of making a true and lasting difference, one life at a time.
Why do I feel like I have to do everything? Sometimes it is so overwhelming that I feel I have done nothing in comparison to that gigantic original goal… If I didn’t think like this, though, what would keep me on check? What is it that drives great leaders, if it isn’t the fear that things could remain the same? If a great leader needs a great label, though, and colossal structures, and ridiculous amounts of attention… then maybe I can remain an ordinary person doing… um.. random acts of crazy greatness.
miércoles, agosto 29, 2007
martes, agosto 28, 2007
fotillos!!
todos en la playa!
chicos guapos ;)
Abi, Ryan y yo :)
what were we doing that whole time? :P
Abi's XV
Abi y Misael
Dana all dressed up :)
miércoles, agosto 22, 2007
Miscellaneous
Anybody amazed that I can spell *miscellaneous* but not *project*? That was a Spanglish slip :P (proyecto is the word in Spanish :P)
Anyway... here goes my little point-by-point rambling of the day... uh.. definitely not in order of importance :P
* My dad is super sweet. He and mom came back home ridiculously late after a school meeting, and mom wanted a coffee. when they realized we’re out of milk, my sleepy and waaay overworked father ran out the door --and came back with a smile. He had gone to the superstore (the little neighborhood store was closed by then) just to get milk, just so mom could have her coffee. THAT, my friends, is love.
* HELP!! Donate to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and even the Mexican Army relief campaign. Hurricane Dean has left a lot of Latin American people homeless… lets do all we can. A tiny bit goes a long way :)
* Calderon is giving his first Reporte de Gobierno on Sept 1. They are about as long as American “State of the Nation” speeches… but if you speak/understand Spanish and can deal with a little Mexican politics, well, this should be an interesting speech to listen to :P
* I have a feeling that my insomnia is back. sigh.
* Dana is well again :)! She leaves the hospital tomorrow. Gracias al Sen~or!
* My parents are moving to Anapra! It’s official. They have started the construction of the house. Living so far away from the mission has not been the best idea for them, and they want a 1store house for when they get old.. so, that’s that. They are moving. Crazy people. I get the sneaky suspicion that deep down inside they just miss moving places –That’s all it is :P They’d just gotten too used to the itinerancy.. :P
* And just for kickers, sad songs remind Q of me :P ... hehe... I love you sweetieeee :*
Anyway... here goes my little point-by-point rambling of the day... uh.. definitely not in order of importance :P
* My dad is super sweet. He and mom came back home ridiculously late after a school meeting, and mom wanted a coffee. when they realized we’re out of milk, my sleepy and waaay overworked father ran out the door --and came back with a smile. He had gone to the superstore (the little neighborhood store was closed by then) just to get milk, just so mom could have her coffee. THAT, my friends, is love.
* HELP!! Donate to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and even the Mexican Army relief campaign. Hurricane Dean has left a lot of Latin American people homeless… lets do all we can. A tiny bit goes a long way :)
* Calderon is giving his first Reporte de Gobierno on Sept 1. They are about as long as American “State of the Nation” speeches… but if you speak/understand Spanish and can deal with a little Mexican politics, well, this should be an interesting speech to listen to :P
* I have a feeling that my insomnia is back. sigh.
* Dana is well again :)! She leaves the hospital tomorrow. Gracias al Sen~or!
* My parents are moving to Anapra! It’s official. They have started the construction of the house. Living so far away from the mission has not been the best idea for them, and they want a 1store house for when they get old.. so, that’s that. They are moving. Crazy people. I get the sneaky suspicion that deep down inside they just miss moving places –That’s all it is :P They’d just gotten too used to the itinerancy.. :P
* And just for kickers, sad songs remind Q of me :P ... hehe... I love you sweetieeee :*
lunes, agosto 20, 2007
I am so tired...
Dana is sick... doing much, much better, but still a little sick. We've been taking care of Davidito...
I am sure I seriously considered not having kids a few times this week. pesistent periods of "temporary insanity" do that to a girl. that, and realizing you're way too skinny to be a comfy head rest for either your nephew or your niece. sigh...
I finished my first book! It's an ESL textbook for thecute little 1st graders of Anapra... with songs and worksheets and powerpoint presentations, and video-clips ---all approved by a couple 1st grade teachers... I'm very proud of it :D It's not going to get published, of course. But ---even better--- it is going to be used and tested... It's like a little Ed. proyect! very proud of it. I'm moving on to intermediate and advanced level books :) Hopefully I'll be done before I return to school.... three more weeeks..... sigh..... It's not going to happen....
we got some pics from Quijote's parents! I will take a bit to write back by mail, since we're freaking out about the baby, but I did want to say THANK YOU. very sweet of you :)
Other than that... well... I am PREACHING at church!!! NEXT WEEK!! no idea what Im going to talk about. any suggestions? I'm just so excited ... and nervous.... it has been YEARS since I last preached.... we'll have to see how that goes... Misael's first warning was~ "Dont go all crazy with your weird theolgy and stuff ok? you're going to put them to sleep!"
LoL!
I AM so much more of a teacher than I am a preacher. but deep inside, I know preaching and teaching should ideally accomplish the same goals: to inspire and train the believer... and even the non-believer.
we'll see how it goes :)
I am sure I seriously considered not having kids a few times this week. pesistent periods of "temporary insanity" do that to a girl. that, and realizing you're way too skinny to be a comfy head rest for either your nephew or your niece. sigh...
I finished my first book! It's an ESL textbook for thecute little 1st graders of Anapra... with songs and worksheets and powerpoint presentations, and video-clips ---all approved by a couple 1st grade teachers... I'm very proud of it :D It's not going to get published, of course. But ---even better--- it is going to be used and tested... It's like a little Ed. proyect! very proud of it. I'm moving on to intermediate and advanced level books :) Hopefully I'll be done before I return to school.... three more weeeks..... sigh..... It's not going to happen....
we got some pics from Quijote's parents! I will take a bit to write back by mail, since we're freaking out about the baby, but I did want to say THANK YOU. very sweet of you :)
Other than that... well... I am PREACHING at church!!! NEXT WEEK!! no idea what Im going to talk about. any suggestions? I'm just so excited ... and nervous.... it has been YEARS since I last preached.... we'll have to see how that goes... Misael's first warning was~ "Dont go all crazy with your weird theolgy and stuff ok? you're going to put them to sleep!"
LoL!
I AM so much more of a teacher than I am a preacher. but deep inside, I know preaching and teaching should ideally accomplish the same goals: to inspire and train the believer... and even the non-believer.
we'll see how it goes :)
lunes, agosto 13, 2007
Novecientos Once
Hoy encontre mi journal -el ke escribi para la clase de Galceran, hace 6 an~os. My entry for Sept 11 was there. Es extran~o, como vemos diferente el mundo cuando tenemos 15 an~os. Mis pensamientos no se escaparon hacia la filosofia hasta dos entries despues. Hasta entonces -al menos una semana despues- comence a filosofar sobre el poder de Dios y el poder humano, sobre la justicia divina y la incapacidad humana de controlar los eventos de nuestra vida personal y colectiva -de crear justicia en el mundo. "There seems to be no true reason for which things happen... If God does not want to force us to submit, and we are not willing to give him control of our lives, then the world is not under God's rule, but under ours. AND IF WE CANT UNDERSTAND OURSELVES, HOW CAN WE BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND -LET ALONE PLAN- THE EVENTS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD???"
Very deep thinking. LoL. I know. Cut me some slack, tenia quince an~os. Habia olvidado ese sentimiento --that feeling of loss and spiritual alarm that one can only feel in the face of imminent war. el sentimiento ke solo viene cuando piensas ke el mundo va a estallar, sin razon alguna, y todo lo ke conoces, como lo conoces, parece desaparecer mientras escuchas al principal dismissing class, sin que nadie pueda hacer nada. En donde queda el poderio humano? The enlightened man? the scientific mind? the self-righteous, humanitarian, morally and politically correct civilization we've built?
No existe. Nor does God's willingness to enforce justice seem very .... palpable ... when you believe that if you dont get through the border soon, you might end up on the wrong side of this century's Berlin wall.
But He did give us a second chance --and maybe I was right on something back then, because... well, is that fair? Do we deserve it? Did we not so unashamedly pave the way to WW III?? Have we done anything to fix our mistakes? Are we trying harder to help our neighbor, or did we open our eyes to a reality of a sick world just so we could feel disgusted at it? I just ... moved on. To the next page. To my little world, full of boys and shoes and gossip. And then the wave of emotions caught on to me a few days later. And then a few years after that. And what have I learned? just one thing: not to trust my weak and selfish spirit. y a prestar un poco mas de atencion a las necesidades de los demas. trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean in your own understanding.... it's so difficult to do when you're an arrogant, stubborn brat like me.
Very deep thinking. LoL. I know. Cut me some slack, tenia quince an~os. Habia olvidado ese sentimiento --that feeling of loss and spiritual alarm that one can only feel in the face of imminent war. el sentimiento ke solo viene cuando piensas ke el mundo va a estallar, sin razon alguna, y todo lo ke conoces, como lo conoces, parece desaparecer mientras escuchas al principal dismissing class, sin que nadie pueda hacer nada. En donde queda el poderio humano? The enlightened man? the scientific mind? the self-righteous, humanitarian, morally and politically correct civilization we've built?
No existe. Nor does God's willingness to enforce justice seem very .... palpable ... when you believe that if you dont get through the border soon, you might end up on the wrong side of this century's Berlin wall.
But He did give us a second chance --and maybe I was right on something back then, because... well, is that fair? Do we deserve it? Did we not so unashamedly pave the way to WW III?? Have we done anything to fix our mistakes? Are we trying harder to help our neighbor, or did we open our eyes to a reality of a sick world just so we could feel disgusted at it? I just ... moved on. To the next page. To my little world, full of boys and shoes and gossip. And then the wave of emotions caught on to me a few days later. And then a few years after that. And what have I learned? just one thing: not to trust my weak and selfish spirit. y a prestar un poco mas de atencion a las necesidades de los demas. trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean in your own understanding.... it's so difficult to do when you're an arrogant, stubborn brat like me.
sábado, agosto 11, 2007
Summer Update
Summer this year has been absolutely amazing. I feel so happy and grateful! The first month of my vacation was spent writing papers for school, but after that was over with, I was finally free. I was here for Mother’s Day, my mom’s birthday, father’s day, and a couple missionary groups. Raoul and JJ got married in June (I know the whole Quijote clan now!) and Quijote arrived to Juarez a couple weeks after. Dana was finally born the first week July...on the same day as Bug’s birthday :)! 
Quijote and I helped with Anapra enrollment and with the graduation ceremony. We went to my cousin Sami’s graduation... we took so many pics! including one of the few "couple" pics we took this summer. Aren't we cute? 
Q and I had a great time introducing his family to my entire (and I really mean ENTIRE) family. I hope Quijote’s parents had as much fun as we did >:)
Q and I also went out on vacation with my parents and my two kid siblings… and he almost freaking gave me a full system failure, with his suicidal motorcycle (or what are they called, again?) driving… [I still haven’t forgiven you.] But we did have a wonderful, romantic dinner the night before leaving Puerto Peñasco, which made me feel much better :)
We also celebrated my birthday! rather, my no-cumplean~os :D! :P...
We visited the INBA museum, we ate sushi, then went to a coffee shop for frapuccinos and crepes, and finally tried to see the jirafa at the park, but it was closed by then. I also got to open my present! Q gave me an absolutely gorgeous necklace. It has a history too! It was made by an artist that specializes in ~2000 year old Roman glass found in Jerusalem’s archeological sites, isn’t that amazing? mwajaja.. my entire family had to hear that little sentence a few times… I just had to show it off :D!
Quijote and I helped with Anapra enrollment and with the graduation ceremony. We went to my cousin Sami’s graduation... we took so many pics! including one of the few "couple" pics we took this summer. Aren't we cute? 
Q and I had a great time introducing his family to my entire (and I really mean ENTIRE) family. I hope Quijote’s parents had as much fun as we did >:)
Q and I also went out on vacation with my parents and my two kid siblings… and he almost freaking gave me a full system failure, with his suicidal motorcycle (or what are they called, again?) driving… [I still haven’t forgiven you.] But we did have a wonderful, romantic dinner the night before leaving Puerto Peñasco, which made me feel much better :)
We also celebrated my birthday! rather, my no-cumplean~os :D! :P...
We visited the INBA museum, we ate sushi, then went to a coffee shop for frapuccinos and crepes, and finally tried to see the jirafa at the park, but it was closed by then. I also got to open my present! Q gave me an absolutely gorgeous necklace. It has a history too! It was made by an artist that specializes in ~2000 year old Roman glass found in Jerusalem’s archeological sites, isn’t that amazing? mwajaja.. my entire family had to hear that little sentence a few times… I just had to show it off :D!
Q left on the 31st. It was still a little painful. Despite the prolonged visit… It still caught me off guard. Neither of us had time to think about it much, though. He had school and work waiting for him and I had a Quinceañera to tend to.
Abi’s XV was on the 4th of August. It was amazing. The service felt intimate and family oriented, and the dinner / pool party afterwards was just as rewarding. I say rewarding because Abi and I worked oooh so very hard, and it was worth it. The country club we had it in has a beautiful garden/ tree area, and we had a white canopy put up on the far end of it. We had rose candles, lilac and silver center pieces, and contrasting paper ornaments that hung like fun chandeliers over the tables. It all looked so fun and beautiful! We had a DJ and LOTS of food, peach and milk cake, a nice refreshing pool, beach volleyball… and go karts! We had such a blast! Abi wore two very beautiful classic dresses, but no gown, since the reception was at a country club, and she had a lilac orchid bouquet to go with them. We went for a “simple contemporary” style. I will save you the details and simply say that she looked absolutely amazing :)! She is such a beautiful, beautiful girl! I've still got to download the party pictures, but I have a great pic of her we took at the studio:
She is a bit crazy too. The night before her XV, she had a sleep over party for what we (lol) called her “VIP friends.” I did not go to sleep till 5am. Three others went to sleep a little later, and Abi and her two best friends did not go to sleep till 7am. We had lasagna, fruit mousse, grapes and cherries with cheese, Doritos with salsa, chocolates, and popcorn. We made Abi a XV gown… with toilet paper! We ate a lot, played Marco Polo in the dark, played with the Wii, told horror stories by a candle light, and watched a movie. We talked about boys, of course, and had a blast telling silly stories about Abi. I think she had a great time :)!
The week after that (a couple days ago) my Dad and I had our birthday … we went out to eat and then Misael took me and Abi to the movies. Abi got us some treats –the traditional Misiones crepes and frapuccinos :). And then we came home and slept…. It was great!
So there it is… my summer so far. One month to go. I’ll leave for