On our way to Indiana

Snow in Dallas. There was ice and and there were small patches of snow on the ground in Dallas on Tuesday when we left. Here is evidence with neice Michelle loving every minute of her time in the falling snow.

Siloam Springs, Arkansas Main Street at night!
Glenn got to play a round of racquetball with Gary. Gary is now much better than Glenn. They played hard. It was good exercise, especially after Glenn helped Matt and Amanda Orcutt move.
Today (Thursday), after Gary's last final, we'll start driving to Indiana for Ellen's wedding.

More later,
Judy

Walker Connection

Several weeks ago, Glenn got an "intermission email" where our co-laborers, David Ekstrom from Huehuetenango was looking for a walker for his neighbor.

Glenn was able to retrieve the walker for David to give to his neighbor. Since we were driving right through the town of Huehuetenango on our way to Mexico during the Thanksgiving holidays, we made a quick 10 minute pit stop to drop the walker off. What an answer to prayer. Its a little thing, but a big thing for the Guatemalan!

More later, Judy

Jingle Bells Jingle Bells

Caleb Adams, CAM MK getting ready for the Mall performance.

Guatemalan family getting a Santa Claus portrait.
The mall was decked out in Candy Canes and Teddy Bears.

Wednesday afternoon, Glenn and I drove over to the Mira Flores Mall to listen to the CAG (Christian Academy of Guatemala) band perform on the 1st floor of the mall. We're so proud of our MKs and their performances. Way to go guys.

Judy

Conner kids

"The Grinch Stole Christmas" production at CAG


Several weeks ago, we stopped by CAG (where Gary graduated) to watch David play soccer. The team lost. It is always fun to stop in on our CAM family here and watch a soccer game, or even a Christmas play, choir concert or special event.

Judy

Stamping Heaven

Recently, I invited the CAM ladies to come over to my house to spend the day making/stamping greeting cards. Gail Conner, Sandi Glick, Elisa Sywulka and Jenny Adams are pictured here showing off their art work.

Glenn cleaned off his work table from his office and placed it in the dinning room area. I spread out the ink, stamp pads, stamps, and paper along with scissors and glue. Everyone agreed that it was a relaxing day and we had a great time just visiting and sharing with each other. I made a big batch of Taco Soup for lunch to share with everyone.

We'll do it again. Thanks ladies for coming and enjoying the day stamping.

Judy

Another Cola

As we were driving into Guatemala, after crossing over the border between Mexico and Guatemala we ran into traffic. I looked over at Glenn and asked "Is this Sugar Cane Season?" and sure enough, it was Sugar Cane harvesting season, which translated means that slow moving trucks will occupy the 2 lane road as they drive from the fields to the processing plants and back.

The last few hours on a 2 lane road were challenging to drive. No middle stripe in the road, no shoulder, very slow truck traffic and oncoming vehicles without headlights.

We were also stopped in traffic for 45 min. as we waited for the police to clear the traffic because of an overturned sugar cane truck that was on the road and blocking traffic in both directions.

Oh, the joys of driving here in Guatemala.

Judy


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La Ventosa, Mexico

Driving from Oaxaca to the Guatemala border, we drove along the Southern coast. At one point, we were in a portion where it was ridiculously windy. Glenn remembered this portion of the highway on his 1976 bicycle trip from Texas to Colombia, South America. He recalled that when he and Ben rode on this stretch of highway at times it was like riding at a standstill as the wind was so forceful. Glenn recounted that the effects of the traffic was dangerous and at times treacherous.

This is an excellent place for windmill farms. Hundreds of them. Everywhere. Why not? The wind was so strong. It is a a very interesting place to drive through.

Judy

25 years later

So, we head out of Fortin de las Flores, climb over a pass through the fog and rain and come out into beautiful blue sky and see this snow capped mountain, Mt. Orizaba, the highest mountain in Mexico. A beautiful sight.

Mount Orizaba!

Meet David and Wendy Nellis. Glenn and David grew up together on the mission field in Mexico. They attended MBI together in the 70's. Glenn and I visited them while they were in SIL training in Norman, Oklahoma in the 80's. We connected with them at the Tlalapan center when we visited with Glenn's folks, Don and Shirley, in 1980 and 1981.

Back in 1982, we drove with my folks and Glenn's folks to the Mitla Center and ran into them again. We've stayed in contact (via missionary letters) for all these years. We figured the last time we met with them was in 1983. 25 years ago. And you know what, we picked up not even skipping a beat. Wendy reminded me that their daughter, Janeil, traveled to Bolivia for spring break back in the 90's with fellow classmates from Moody and CAM missionary/MBI mission professor, Ken Hanna. I had completely forgotten that.

I showed Wendy how to work Facebook and now she is getting reconnected with friends. We also enjoyed being with Wendy and Dave to catch up - just like old times. Thanks Dave and Wendy for your many many years of service in Mexico. We appreciate you.

More,

Judy

Cup of Christmas

Good singing! Here volunteers played chimes.

Good pies - no complaints.

During the "Cup of Christmas" afternoon, kids sang, played instruments, poems were read and skits were played out. There was a great afternoon of celebrating the Christmas season.

Judy

Few more CAMex photos

Mark and Angelica Boardwine
Jim and Shari Cottrill
Jonathan & Barbara Baker
Bob and Sharla Buhler
Dr. Hamm - 11th consecutive conference. Thanks for your service to CAMex!

Judy

Some snapshots of CAMex folks

Dan and Beverly Kendall - what a precious couple. We enjoyed visiting with them. They served many years here in Guatemala and also in Mexico. Again, this is another Moody couple.

Tim and Debbie Blycker. I love them. They met at Moody, have a deep heart for Moody and for their work in Mexico. Tim came up to me and just hugged me. He said he wanted some Guatemalan dust off of me. See, Tim was partially raised as a TCK in Guatemala.

The Downs are new CAMexers and we just hit it right off. We invited them and their family to come down and visit us in Guatemala and also help out with our Conference. Who knows, it might work out.

The Hower family are a "handful". Those who read my blog regularly, might remember us keeping a family for a few days because their truck was getting repaired. Well, Heather Hower and Daphne Foote are sisters. They even talk alike, laugh alike and have 4 precious kids each.

Beth and Chalo Sandoval have been CAM missionaries for years. Their daughter-in-law, Natalie, grew up with our kids in Bolivia. We also caught up on families and stuff. I appreciate the Sandoval's consistent years of ministry in Puebla.

These are just a few of the CAMex folks we were privileged to get reacquainted with and to minister to.

More later,

Judy

CAMex & Moody Alumni folks

Great bunch of folks attending the CAM International Mexico Fellowship Conference. Location was Fortin de Las Flores, East of Puebla. The long weekend event (Nov 30 - Dec 1) included Randy Pelton, pastor of a church from Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania. He spoke on being discipleships and discipling others and what it all means. It was very helpful in light of the upcoming CAM field structural change.

Allowing God to mold you and to use you in molding others.

"We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand." Isaiah 64:8

Tim Blycker and Bryan Smith

Rod Fry and Tim Blycker

During the CAMex conference, I had an opportunity to hand out some Moody Alumni pens and stuff to those CAMexers who also attended Moody Bible Institute.

Rod Fry, Helen & Terry Vanderwerf, Beth Hanna, Bryan Smith, Scott & Ruth Yingling, Tim & Debbie Blycker, Mark Boardwine, Beverly & Dan Kendall, Stu Grewatz, Glenn and myself. God bless the School that DL Moody founded.

Judy

Honoring Rod and Myra Fry

Each year, the CAMex field honors an outstanding CAM missionary for his service and ministry in Mexico. This year, the award for outstanding service was presented to Rod and Myra Fry. They have lived and served in Mexico for 18 years. Rod has a passion for ministry and evangelism. Rod is "pro-Moody". He has a passion for the salvation of the Mexican people. Rod has worked with many high school and college interns. Have I mentioned he has a passion for evangelism?

While driving, Rod has a heavy foot. I remember 3 years ago praying really hard as we drove with him through Mexican traffic. Thank you Rod for those extra grey hairs:).

I could really feel the warmth from the CAMex folks in their appreciation and love for Rod and Myra and their service. Thank you Rod and Myra! To read more about their ministry, you can follow their blog at http://ixtapalucafryed.blogspot.com/

Judy

Saying Good-Bye

Toby and Marilyn Casteel have lived and served in Mexico for 10 years now. They are moving back to the Dallas Metroplex and the CAMex field showered them with love and appreciation.

Wow, what great member care givers. I could sense instantly that Toby and Marilyn took their job seriously. They loved on and cared for the missionaries. I hear they have had thousands of folks in their home who they have ministered to. Marilyn has even had slumber parties for the missionary ladies. They have helped new folks get through language school and have carried them through those long depressing days of language study.

Thanks, Toby and Marilyn, for your love for the Mexican folks, for the CAMexers and family. I can tell you will be dearly missed on the Mexican field. Thank you.

More,

Judy

Gingerbread Houses

There must have been 25 creatively different Gingerbread houses! I loved the ones with the satellite dish on the roof. Creative.

Saturday afternoon, about 20 CAMex families put together and designed unique and interesting Gingerbread houses. What a great idea. Prizes were awarded in different categories for most unique, sweetest, and traditional. It kinda brought the "kid" out in everyone. I wonder how much candy was actually eaten while working on this sweet family project?

Glenn and I head from Oaxaca down to the Pacific Ocean and on towards Guatemala on Wednesday morning bright and early. It'll be a long day on the road.

More later,
Judy

Mount Orizaba

Outside of our window on Saturday morning - beautiful view

No smog or fog!

We had a beautiful view of Mount Orizaba. This mountain is the tallest mountain in Mexico. On our first day, we had a specular view. Since then, it has been raining and overcast. I'm glad I took pictures that first day.

Today we drive towards Mexico City and Puebla and down south to Oaxaca (pronounced Wah-ha-kah). We'll be driving the pass near Mount Orizaba this morning. The following day we'll head to the Mexico/Guatemala border.

The past few days, the Internet has been "non existent" or very "interrupted", in other words translated as "frustration".

Pray for safety on the roads these next 2 days. I'll be posting about the CAMex Conference in the next few days.

More later,

Judy