Well we've been back from our Mexico trip for a month now. That excursion seems long ago already. It took some convincing for me to convince self that I still had the energy and gusto to spend a month in Mexico. Push yourself, I told myself and so I did. ruth and I flew from Dulles International Airport on september 26, 2013. It was a grand trip. See below: Here are our notes on our trip to Mexico: September 26th to Sept 29: It was quite a vigorous trip and we felt God’s strength and blessing. Arrived in Mexico City at 9:30pm on the 26th on a direct flight from Washington, D.C. Stayed in the apartment of Rosario and David and six month old David James. Rosario was our student in La Generation, 1996-97 at the Bible School in Jerez and “one of the three.” Toured the city, ate in favorite restaurants and reminisced. September 30th to October 22nd. Ruth and I took an ETN bus from M.C. to San Juan Del Rio, a small city of 50,000 a three-hour bus ride north. Pastor Hector Manuel, 9-year old Mairon who is my namesake, and 7-year old Betsi picked us up at the bus station and drove us to the new house on the outskirts of the city at the bottom of the scar-face mountain that rears its summit a ½ mile behind the house. We are teaming with Hector to build this “House of Blessing”. The house is completed except for laying floor tile, painting the walls and installing appliances. We met Maricela at the house and spent the remainder of the day and overnight at the house. We celebrated Mairon’s birthday that night at the house. On Tuesday, Oct. 1st, we rode with Hector and family on a six-hour trip to their home in Zacatecas. In August of 2013 Hector and family were transferred from the church in Necaxa to the church in Zacatecas. This was a surprise for them and we since we all had hoped and expected that they would be given one more year in Necaxa. So Pastor Hector left a large and thriving church for the small, poor church in Zacatecas. The contrast couldn’t be greater: tropical climate - for high desert plateau; a two-story church building 100 feet long by 40feet wide with a lovely parsonage - for a small building that is cold, damp, dark and unappealing; helpful friends – for strangers. Starting over to build church membership and new buildings with only a handful of people is difficult work. The church in Zacatecas has been there since the 1980es but due to neglect, membership has dwindled down to 15. Evangelism, visitation and preaching and construction will fill Hectors and Marcela’s days. It will take years of work. Wednesday, Oct. 2nd … because Ruth’s brother David Rosenberger’s plane from Minneapolis was late, it wasn’t till 12:15am, Thursday morning that Hector, Ruth and I met David at the Zacatecas airport. The problem had been that while in flight, a large bird had flown into the windshield of the plane while flying at 30,000+ feet altitude and the pilot made an emergency landing, thus throwing off the whole schedule and arrival time. We were very thankful that David arrived safely. David spent the next week with us in Hectors house in Zacatecas and left on Oct. 9th. Friday, Oct. 4th … Myron’s 35th spiritual birthday celebration in Jerez. Hector, Maricela, Ruth and I drove to Jerez and ate at the restaurant on top of the hill near Lois Rasers house. Those eating with us were Jose and Jan Solis and Joan Murray. This meal came about as I lay awake one night thinking. Suddenly it came to me that Oct. 3-4, 1978 was my spiritual birthday. This would be my 35th birthday. What should I do to make it special and glorify God? The thought came to me; why not invite my close friends to a ‘birthday’ meal? So I did. I paid for our meal, each one ordering form the menu. Afterward I gave my testimony about the Lord finding me and saving me. The Hound of Heaven, Francis Thompson haunting poem is my testimony … “I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
 I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
 Of my own mind; and in the midst of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.” It was a very special celebration, one I shall never forget. Tuesday, Oct. 8th … Pablo Ramirez, a former student, and “one of the three” came from Fresnillo where he was visiting his mother, and spend the day with us. In the morning we all drove up to La Bufa overlooking Zacatecas. What a grand view! We rode the cable car down and had Hector pick us up. We all went out to eat at El Recoveco buffet in Zacatecas. It was good to see Pablo, though we were disappointed that Nick and their children; 10-year old Jaci and 4-year old Andreas were not along due to cost for the trip. Pablo rode over from near Tampico in the cab of a tractor-trailer truck. Thursday, Oct. 10-14th … stayed with Jose and Jan Solis in their home Thursday is the day that Hector and Maricela teach at the Bible School in Jerez. We left Zacatecas at 7:10am and took the four-lane highway that now runs the 35-miles between the two cities. Cruising at 100klm per hour we arrived at 7:45 in time for Maricela’s class at 8am, the first class of the day. At 9:20, we went with Hector to his class titled, The Pastor as A Counseling Shepherd. Myron took Hectors time and taught the class. Pastor Todd Schierkolk was my translator. Todd is a Lutheran pastor living in Jerez. The class of fourth year students went well and was very stimulating. When it was concluded we went with Todd to his home for a visit. At 11:30, Jose and Jan and Joan Murray joined us for dinner; Hector and Maricela came after their classes were concluded at 1pm. We had a lovely time; Barbara Schierkolk is a gracious hostess. Her daughter Kirsten helped with the dinner. We stayed in Jerez over the weekend and Pastor Jose asked me to preach at all three services in their two churches: Jerez and at La Ermita. It was good to reconnect with Jose and Jan. On Monday we rode with them back to Zacatecas where we ate lunch El Recoveco buffet again. When you find a good place, you keep going back, right? In the evening we went to visit Veronica and her twin, 4-year old daughters at her mothers house. Veronica was a student of ours in La Segundo Generation in 1997-98 at the Bible School. The days flew by filled with visiting, trips to El Centro shopping, and services. On Thursday, Oct. 17th we again returned to the Bible School where I taught the class. I presented the students with two, true, counseling cases and they presented solutions. Fourth year students are so much more advanced than freshmen and teaching and dialoging with them is exhilarating. After classes we four went to the home of Joan Murray for dinner. The Schierkolk, Jose and Jan and Jimmy Spulecki were there also. We had first met Jimmy and her husband Al in 2001 when we were living and teaching in Jerez. Al was a cripple and we often went with them on excursions. Al had died a few years later and it had been some years since we had seen Jimmy. Jimmy is quite eccentric, to say the least. Irreligious but interesting. Joan and Jimmy are bosom buddies, two peas in a pod, though Joan is more sophisticated and not as raw. Dinner was delicious and our group time together first rate. We said goodbye to our Jerez friends knowing that we would never see them again. Over the years our bond with these Jerez friends had deepened, they had been such a help to us and we will miss them keenly. I felt like Apostle Paul when he was parting with the church members on the beach at Ephesus. It was difficult not to shed tears. Friday, Oct. 18th we rode with Hector and family and Hectors down syndrome brother Esok, (Isaac), to La Quemada, the Indian ruins, 30 miles south of Zacatecas. These ruins date from around 300-400AD. We toured the museum and then began a stiff climb to the top of the ziggurat style ruins. We left Esak under a tree and the group forged ahead of Mairon and I. I decided to do the climb and the two of us slowly went up toward the summit. The view to the four points of the compass is stupendous. What a watchtower! After we had hiked down, we gathered in one of the rooms and ate a picnic lunch of Mennonite cheese, boleos, chilies, and chips washed down with pop and fruit water. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed our outing tremendously. It gave the children hours of exercise and got them out of their cramped quarters back at the house. Saturday, Oct. 19th … was a quinciniera, a coming of age party for a fifteen-year old girl. It is equivalent to a bar mitzvah for a Jewish boy. It was held at the church with Pastor Hector officiating. Veronica’s niece was all decked out in a lovely, full-skirted, topless, blue gown almost as if she were getting married. Family and friends packed the small church for the hour-long ceremony. Later that night we went with Hector to her party in an upper room where a banquet had been provided. I shudder to think what it all cost her father. Bankrupted him, I hope not. Sunday, Oct. 20th … morning and evening service at the Zacatecas church. Maricela led the morning Sunday school service. After service there was a benefit meal for the church building fund in the upper rooms where the old feeding station once fed hundreds of children in the 1980es and where Ruth used to come to supervise. That evening Ruth played the keyboard while Israel, Veronicas brother and Eric, a student from the Bible School, along with Maricela led the singing of eight hymns. The singing of hymns is unusual in La Movimiento where they sing the same old praise songs over and over. The hymns that were sung were sung in Spanish were: The Old Rugged Cross, I would Love to tell You What I Think of Jesus, This is My Story, Onward Christian Soldiers, Take My Life and Let it Be, Nothing but the Blood of Jesus, I’m Anchored in Jesus. The words were put up on the wall since they were not regularly sung and there were no hymnbooks. Then Hector preached a good sermon. When he was finished I was surprised when Hector called me to the front to “bare witness” to his sermon. Eric, who can speak some English, though not fluently, translated for me. He done fairly well as I spoke for 15-minutes off the cuff, so to speak. It had been a long, taxing, day. Because of the chill in the narrow, un-insulated bedroom, as well as the altitude and active schedule, I was not getting more than 3-4 hours of sleep. It is distressing when one goes to bed tired but cannot get enough sleep to be rejuvenated. But God gave grace and strength. Monday, Oct. 21 … a church member named Linda invited us to her house for a nine o’clock breakfast. A former elected official to the governor of Zacatecas, Linda had set out quite a spread featuring tamales. We ate and talked for three hours, the children got quite bored. The house was quite nice befitting a government official; need I say more? I enjoyed the food but the visit seemed interminable. We left around noon. After supper that evening we sat in Hectors living-room while the family gave us gifts: a bag for Kathy, a leather belt for Ric, a leather purse for Karen, a leather belt for Roy, and a ceramic key chain holder for us. I prayed over Mairon and Hector and Ruth prayed over Betsi and Maricela and we cried. A sweet but sad time. It was difficult for me to sleep that night. The three weeks we had spent with them seemed like a dream that I did not wish to wake up from. Who knows if I will ever see them again this side of heaven. Tuesday, Oct. 22nd … we left at 9:10am for the House of Blessing in San Juan Del Rio. Passing through San Louis Potosi and arrived in the city around 2pm. We chose Toks, an upscale restaurant, as the place to eat our dinner. We arrived at the house by 3:45pm. The House of Blessing nestles at the foot of Scar-face Mountain, a summit that can be seen for miles around. It lies on the outer, NE perimeter of the city in an undeveloped colonia. I think that within ten years it will be part of the main city. It is built on a slightly promontory above the city and one has a good view of downtown from the flat roof upon which I delight to sit and view the sunset. After a chill evening and night we got up an left by 7am. We drove toTepije where we ate breakfast in the home of a former member of Hectors church when he was pastor there four years ago. This brother then drove us to the Fiesta Inn Airporto in Mexico City because Hector could not drive his car into the city because he did not have the proper plates for his car. We arrived around 10:30am. After again saying a emotional goodbye at 10:45, Hector and friend departed leaving us in the hotel lounge waiting till noon to check in. The lobby was a chilly place as there was no heat, even in a 4-star hotel. Rosario, David and baby James arrived at noon and we went to our room on the third floor. After chatting and diaper changing, David drove us to the House of Tiles near the Zokalo where we ate a good dinner from 2:00-4:30pm. This is my favorite restaurant in Mexico and well it might be. The building was built hundreds of years ago and the hand painted, blue tiles still look new. I always say; if it’s good enough for the Mexican president, it’s good enough for me. Returning, we visited till 6:30; praying, and saying farewell. Why are partings so difficult? Thursday, Oct. 24th … we left the hotel at 6am via shuttle to the airport, a mile away. Everything went smoothly and we arrived in Washington, D.C. on schedule at 2:50pm. In the end it turned out to be a wonderful experience in spite of the difficult beginning. Many answered prayers, good health, ( didn't get Montezuma's Revenge) great connections with old friends, seeing/sleeping in the new house, interacting with Hector and family and Rosario, and mental and spiritual stimulation. What more can one hope for in life?