Hello!  We moved into our new place  . . .

we should be unpacking;  instead, we are:

1. lounging around with Mom and Papi (they are here for two weeks - two weeks!),

2. exploring our new neighborhood (we found the outdoor vegetable market, the closest tortilla store,  a teeny tiny bread shop with the most amazing rosemary focaccia ever, and a good place to buy cream and cheese),

3. watching the olympics (of course) 

All year long we've been promising the kids a trip up to our rooftop (they are never allowed, because of all the sudden drop-offs leading to certain death, and because they are a little crazy and because I am a little careless);

On the night before we moved out of our place,  right before the sun set, we remembered our promise and called the kids to - quick! - climb up with us!  We held hands and peeked over the edges, identified all the tall buildings that we could see, and then, in one big family hug, thanked God for the year that he had given us in our home - for the friends he had given us, for the memories that we had made, for the ways he had grown and changed us as we began our journey in Mexico

(phew.  we made it up and then back down and no one dropped off any edges)

We got a call yesterday telling us that our new apartment should be ready for move-in on Wednesday (tomorrow!) morning.   We are scrambling to re-pack all of the things that leaked out of the boxes that had been packed up two weeks ago when we initially thought we would move.

In between boxes, I'm prepping our goodbye gifts for the neighbors.  We'll invite them over tonight for a final coffee and we'll thank them for being great neighbors - for not running over our kids even when they played in the driveway, and for all the smiles and waves throughout the year.  We'll give them a little gift with two of our very favorite things - - the gospel of John and brownies, and we'll pass out our new address and insist that they all come to visit.

right, then.  I'm off to slice the cooled brownies! 

I had a dream last night about my friend Sonia from Spain.

I used to have a coffee with Sonia and Ana almost every morning after we would drop our kids off at school.

We would talk about everything - every week Sonia and Ana would hear about my highs and lows, about my menu plan, about my longings to see our church authentically follow Jesus - - everything.

So I dreamt about Sonia last night

I dreamt that she made a surprise visit to see me in Mexico City. 

and I cried.

I was so happy to see her.  I bawled my eyes out.

this dream has been lingering with me all day long.  I think about it and my heart aches.  

Part of moving away from Spain meant leaving behind people that I loved.

people that God - the creator of relationships - had woven into the tapestry of my life.

and moving away meant maybe not seeing Sonia again.

ever. 

and this

is one of our hopes for eternity, don't you think?

that our relationships aren't broken?

that there is no threat of final goodbyes?

and that

is why I will keep begging God to pour out mercy and grace in Sonia's life;

I will plead with him to enrapture her heart with his love,

and 

I will write Sonia a letter this week

 

One of the things that I adore about our city is all the forms of public transportation that are available to us.  There is an amazing, complex web of metros, taxis, bikes and busses (the big ones and the little ones!) that can take you pretty much anywhere your city-traveling heart wants to go.

Sometimes I think about my kids growing up learning to navigate through this web . . and it excites me;  I watched Malachai yesterday as we rode on the bumpy, crowded street bus together - he saw an older woman without a seat and automatically scooted closer to Josu;  with his politest, most proper Spanish he called out to her - - inviting her to sit down.

this was a clear Mexico-city-public-transportation gesture of kindness.
He wouldn't have done this a year ago.
I don't think he would have even noticed the woman
much less thought to open up a seat for her.

but I've been noticing him do this more often lately.
(I don't have to push him off his seat and offer up his seat for him anymore)
it's just become a part of his everyday life

that makes me smile.

Last  month we spent a Saturday afternoon at Invasion - - a christian youth art rally in the city of Neza.

Joshua and I really aren't young or hip enough to go to something as cool as that, but we faked it and snuck in anyway; it helped that we had Renae there - I'm pretty sure she (young and as cool as cool can be) diverted everyone's attention away from (old, not-so cool) us . . we even made it through the full body frisking at the entrance gate without any questioning.
awesome.

So, Invasion was jam-packed full of skaters and graffiti artists and rappers,
and there, in-between the skating and graffiting and rapping, Joshua gave the most fantastic rendering of the creation account I have ever heard . . .

He told about THE Artist . . . who created the world and filled it with artists . . . artists designed to also create art - pointing back to and praising the great Artist.

He told about the tragic corruption of the Artist's masterpiece . . . and about how the Artist actually entered into his work to redeem the artists he loved so much.

And Joshua challenged every artist there to
dance
or sing
or paint
or work
or cook
or crochet frilly barbie dresses
(just kidding about that last one;  I added that part, but I do wish he would have said it)

he encouraged them to create
and to do it well,
for the glory of THE Artist

because He deserves it.

Dang, my kids are troopers.  Days like yesterday remind me how God's grace is poured out on our family . . . we spent about four hours (four hours!) on public transportation, and these little guys just took it in stride.  

And our day celebrating with Paco's church was lovely . . . there were about ten million unexpected elements to our day (which, of course, is totally expected), but we are getting better and better about going with the flow.    

While we waited for the celebratory anniversary to begin, Joshua took the kids to the mile-long playground that the city recently installed under these giant, buzzing power lines (it was available land, I guess . . . ), and I helped the ladies in the kitchen shred 10 pounds of chicken breasts and two pig heads for the pozole*.  They laughed at all the silly questions I asked about the ingredients and the preparation process.  I think that sometimes it's good to be laughed at . . . it breaks down barriers, don't you think?

*pozole - one of Mexico City's favorite party foods:  hominy in broth - piled high with shredded pork and chicken, lettuce, radishes and onion, with lime, salsa and oregano on the side. 

Yesterday:  We checked in on the work happening in the apartment we signed for last week (hooray!  it looks good!)  On our way home we got caught in a rain storm and spent twenty minutes trying to hail a cab to drive us to the closest metro stop.
The 278th cab that we saw finally pulled over;
we were so thankful to have caught a cab that we didn't even mind that he was simultaneously steering and wiping the inside of the fogged up windshield the entire drive to the metro.

Today: I had two sweet mamas from Josu's school come over for coffee and waffles.  I was reminded that there is often genuine hurt in the lives of those around me - - and that I need to actually share life with them to hear about their hurt and to offer true care and hope.

Tomorrow: we take a 2 hour metro trip across the city to visit a friend's church.  They will be celebrating their two year anniversary - and I'm certain that they will eat together (last time we were with them they served us up picked pigs feet on tostada shells!)  hmmm . . . I wonder what I could contribute that would travel well?

I hope your 4th was spectacular;
Barry and Karla made the 2 hour jaunt over from their new house so that we could spend it together . . . We mexicanized our celebration by putting jalepenos on our burgers and eating our ice-cream out of clay bowls.

Karla baked an amazing pineapple cake; we put some candles on it and celebrated her birthday!

also . . . we ate cherries