Devil Car

The Windstar shall go by no other name except the "Devil Car."

So we actually did leave on Sunday at about 2 pm. The car had taken exactly a week to fix and we've been staying at the Plaza Continental Hotel for that entire week. It started to feel like home. The car's engine pretty much got rebuilt yet . . .

It broke down again.

We were about 6 hours into the drive to Jerez from Juarez and it crapped out again. We tried to do "mickey mouse" repairs to it but it wouldn't get going. Jerry even suggested we bust a Little Miss Sunshine maneuver (push the car and try to start it). That didn't work either, but it was fun trying.

Thank God the car stopped only about 4 miles from Camargo, which is a fairly big city. We also, by God's grace, ended up right across from a farm house. There were no houses for probably 5 miles in either direction, yet we broke down right across the highway from that house. The guy in the house, thank God again, had oil for us and water. But the water and oil replenishing didn't seem to make a difference.

Jerry and Rubin tried to find a mechanic, but at that time it was getting late already. They went to a Pemex gas station and the man working there actually took them to a mechanic's house. But the mechanic was sick and sleeping and not able to come out so late at night. That is something that is awesome in Mexico. I keep questioning people's motives (they want money right!) and whether or not people are trying to con us, but apparently in most cases, people just want to help other people out. In America we've been trained to be so distrusting that its good to know that there are still good people out in the world. Of course, it's still good to be careful, since we've been duped a couple of times on our trip already.

There was nothing else for us to do but sleep in the car and wait until the morning. It was extremely dusty where we were and very windy at night. At times it felt like were in a sand storm. Nothing like sand in your mouth and eyes and all over you and your clothes. The shower I just took never felt so nice. It was also really cold like it always is sleeping in a car in the middle of nowhere on a highway in Mexico.

We woke up found a mechanic and the car is being fixed as we speak. It should be done later today and we should be in Jerez later tonight. It's about another 7 hours to my new home. Of course it didn't happen without a quick scare. When we woke up the other minivan, the Previa, didn't start. It turns out the alarm was triggered (by me) and it has something like a kill switch that activated when the alarm gets set that prevents the engine from turning on. We somehow managed to get it to reset. I don't think we're surprised anymore by these roadblocks.

Its fun to be around faithful people. Non religious types would say, "What a stroke of bad luck."
Faithful people wonder if the devil is trying to prevent them from getting to the Mission to do works for God. Or perhaps God is protecting us from something? We just don't know, but its interesting to think about. Just gotta stay faithful.

Original scheduled date of arrival: April 17th
When we will most likely be in Jerez: May 1st

One week of getting Devil Car registered. One week of getting Devil Car fixed. And that would amount to one heck of an adventure.

Something to be thankful for. We didn't get stopped and harassed at the border check. That was a big worry of ours.

Ruminations

I consider myself an Asian-American, but when I am in a different country, others only see me as Asian.

Do you ever notice how when people talk to their significant others on the phone, their voice changes to this cutesy voice?

I finally see a use for noise cancelling heaphones. It's so you don't have to hear other people's cutesy voice.

What do you do when you can't do anything about something? Nothing. Just trust in the Lord.

"Getting Into You" by Relient K is one of my favorite songs of all time. Check out the lyrics.


Oh, still in Juarez by the way. We've officially been here a week now. We're supposed to leave today. But we will see.

Food and Church

So we've been eating at this place next to the hotel called Burrito Lerdo. It is an awesome place. I had some Caldo de Pollo (chicken soup) and they have huge burritos (30 cm as the menu states). This is a pic of a Burrito de Asado Puerco (pork and only 20 pesos). I had a Desehbrada quesadilla with guacamole today that was huge. That was the first time I had guacamole in Mexico. They don't have guacamole in Jerez. Their service was also one of the best I've ever experienced anywhere in the world. It was a very very busy restaurant, yet they were friendly and attentive.

We also visited the local mission church last night. They usually have Wednesday night services in Mexico. They had a really great worship band. This is a pic of the little girl singing. She was really good. They also had a young boy playing drums who was very good as well. I loved how the little girl played the cowbell too on one song.

We spent some time talking to Pastor Ernesto and his wife Maggie. They've been missionaries in Juarez for 5 years now. The church was beautiful and they have plans to expand the building. They actually had some concept art of the new building and it looked amazing. The design showed a pool in the front for baptism.

The church is part of Calvary Chapel (Las Palmas) and they house missionaries during the year. They had 2 rooms and a nice kitchen for missionaries to live in. They were very well equipped. This church was in the slums of Juarez and Pastor Ernesto said that before they were here, it was a haven for drugs. I wish them the best. It was nice meeting other missionaries and seeing their work.

We're still in Juarez. It looks like it's going to be Saturday before we head out to Jerez.

Praying

So we're still in Juarez. it looks like it might be a couple more days. Our original plan was to get to Jerez last Tuesday. So we're only a week behind! There's definitely a reason for us being here, though. There is a reason for everything and God has put us here for a reason. We might not ever know fully why. Maybe if we had gone when we wanted to, something would have happened.

Jerry also brought up a good point about how this is actually a good time for all of us to bond and get to know one another better. Because once we get to Jerez, we won't have this down time to talk and hang out.

This picture is proof enough as to why we might have a reason to be here. Juan was getting a shoe shine and testified to Arturo and he decided to accept Christ. This is a picture of Juan praying for him in Centro. It was quite amazing to witness.

Delayed

Delayed again.

We did manage to leave Saturday morning. We finally got on the road at around noon and got to El Paso around 2 am here local time. So about 1 am PST. It was 780 miles here and we still have about 14 hours more until Jerez.

One problem though. One of our cars broke down, thankfully right before we crossed the border. So we are now in Juarez, right across the border from El Paso waiting for the car to get fixed. Hopefully we can head out Tuesday or Wednesday. It's a good thing it didn't break down in the middle of nowhere in Mexico on the way to Zacatecas.

We are in a hotel in centro and I'm happy I found wireless here. I am sitting in the hallway writing this since the best signal is in the hallway. It's another roadblock but I think I'm starting to appreciate and understand what these roadblocks are about. I've been in such a rush to get down to Jerez that I haven't stopped to just appreciate the journey. My focus was too much on the destination.

Amazingly, this epiphany came straight to me from watching the movie Click! I'll be honest, there were moments that made my eyes well up. It was a horrible movie though except for Kate Beckinsale and the lessons that it teaches. For those that haven't watched the movie or for those that even watched the trailer, the lesson learned is easily said. When you try to blow by to get to your destiation and what you deem is happy, you miss all those special moments that lead to it. Even all that hard work has redeeming qualities. Relish the journey.

All these delays, I think, is teaching me more patience and just to soak in whats going on and trust that everything will work out. I have much growing and learning to do on my journey.

Finally

I've been waiting all week to finally be able to blog about heading out to Jerez. Here is how the blog would have gone had I actually blogged when I thought we were leaving. We've been waiting for some car registration stuff that's been taking forever.

Saturday, April 14: Yay. We're leaving Monday morning to Jerez. I can't wait to get down there and get to work.

Sunday, April 15: Well, it looks like its going to be Tuesday morning. Yay!

Monday, April 16: Um, I guess it's going to be Wednesday morning now. I guess I can wait another day.

Tuesday, April 17: Alright. I'm ready to go tomorrow morning. (phone rings) Hmm, ok I guess it's for sure going to be Thursday Morning. Definitely for sure.

Wednesday, April 18: Looks like its going to be Friday now. This time for sure.

Thusday, April 19: Friday is looking good. I think we're set. Nope, car is still not ready yet. We have to leave Saturday no matter what though.

Friday, April 20: YAY! We're leaving tomorrow.

So after many schedule changes, we are finally heading out to Jerez tomorrow morning. It's going to be about a 12 hour drive to El Paso and then another 12 hours down to Jerez. We will stay overnight in El Paso and expect to arrive in Jerez on Sunday Night. I hope and pray we have a safe journey free of troubles.

My next post will be coming straight to you from Mexico. At least I've been able to eat many many more last meals in Los Angeles. =) And also much more Wii time and spending time with my friends and family.

Nothing is Mundane

I will admit that I've been feeling anxious and scared lately about making the move. When I made the decision to move to Mexico, I was really excited. In the month that I've been waiting to head out, I have grown increasingly anxious about getting there and starting to help out the mission. I am pleased to announce that I am excited again after a blessed day.

These past 2 weeks I have been trying to find a minivan for Reuben, who is a big contributor to the mission in Jerez. Its a very particular car and a particular budget. Today the car has been bought and it was an amazing purchase. I found a private seller on craigslist (God bless craigslist), whom I called and met to test drive the car. The price was awesome and the condition was good. I called Jerry to come with Reuben and Juan to come take a look at it. They did, and they met with Mike, the seller, and we had a wonderful visit with him. Juan, who is going to be coming down to Mexico with me was amazing. He reached out and testified to Mike. It was amazing to hear him give his testimony and encourage a person he had just met. Its a great feeling to see God's hands at work.

It turns out Mike does go to church and we spent a good time talking to him about the mission and he shared with us his story as well. He donated some awesome things to us for the mission and the people of Jerez. We will be keeping in touch with him and his hospitality will not be forgotten. Its amazing the people that God brings into your life.

I remember when I was struggling to find a car and Jerry encouraged me to pray and not worry because God will take care of things. There are many who believe that God does not care about the mundane things of your life, like maybe what kind of haircut to get. But I am one who always tries hard to think that God cares about every little thing. It was said in the Bible that he knows every hair on your head, so I believe that every little thing matters to God. But at that moment, I had forgotten to pray about a mundane thing like finding a car. Its amazing what God can turn a mundane thing into.