Well, my time in Mexico has come to an end, for now. 

Last night after church it was a bittersweet love-fest of hugs and prayers and goodbyes.  I was swarmed by kids, most of whom I think might actually miss me (I will miss them, for sure!), and a few of whom may have been more interested in the photos I had put together for each family..  In any case, it was nice (if chaotic) being the center of attention for a few moments.  I wish I had had time to say longer goodbyes, but then I might have decided (again) not to leave.. 

My flight leaves at 4pm today (and gets in at 7:05pm — anyone able to pick me up?). Jose likes to be early for everything, so I’m sure we will end up leaving here before noon.  At least it wasn’t 4am, which is the usual strategy for crossing the border – we’ll get to try out Jose’s brand new SENTRI pass, which allows him to skip the long lines and will save them a huge amount of time in the long run, not to mention allow them to sleep in to a more normal hour.  Unfortunately, Yolanda’s application was denied due to a clerical error, which will require several more appointments and possibly re-application to fix (I hope Jose was paying attention when we did it online the first time).  Anyway, for today I’ll get to experience the walk-through border, since Jose can drop us off and meet us on the other side.

It’s been several weeks since I had time to write.  Days have been long, the sun has been hot and the labor physical (much more so than in the months prior).  As many of you know, I’m not exactly known for my prowess as a manual laborer (Braulio jokes that I should stick to photographing others doing the work), so it was tough for me some days.  The worst was hand-scrubbing our 242 “new” (stained and stinky) upholstered chairs on my birthday, with not so much as a “Happy Birthday” or a dinner to look forward to (Jose was orphaned at age 13 so I can’t blame him for calling a birthday “just another day”, but we’d done something special for him a few days earlier so I expected something).  I clearly still have a long way to go in becoming a true “servant” who doesn’t require any appreciation/ affirmation for who he is or what he does.  In that regard, “character-building” may not have been what I had in mind for a birthday present, but it’s probably what I needed (especially turning 34 – I need to grow up one of these days)..

On the topic of not growing up..   A couple of weeks back, myself, Braulio and Eric were given the task of painting my lime-green Sunday School classroom white.  It was frustrating because the green kept bleeding through and we didn’t have any color-killing primer, yet I knew Jose felt it was a one-and-a-half day job at most and would have plenty to say if we didn’t finish.  To make matters worse, we were running out of paint.  Then to top it off, the grandkids, ignoring a dozen or so warnings about playing near the painting operation, got paint on their clothes and tracked it all over the compound (fortunately, they were still outside).  I scolded them harshly and proceeded to hose down the concrete (at least it was water-based paint!).  The grandkids retreated upstairs but 5-year old Eliana, who lives next door, stayed downstairs and quietly splashed her bare feet in the river of water I was creating in my anger.  But as she’s done so many times during my time here, Eliana smiled, my heart melted, and the next thing I knew I was tossing aside my boots, rolling up my pant legs, and puddle-splashing alongside her.  The grandkids heard all the commotion, and before long we were all in a full-scale water fight, complete with hoses and balloons.  Even Mary and Susana (Eliana’s mom) joined in the fun.  Then we all rushed to dry our clothes and hide the evidence of our unsanctioned fun before Jose and Yolanda got home.  What a day!

Braulio hasn’t been able to find work lately so Jose has been paying him to work on projects around the church (good for him, but bad for me, since it means I’ll be putting in a full days’ work also!).  One day last week we went to Joe Jr.’s house to feed the horses and do some weeding of the big, thorny tumbleweed-like shrubs that take over like morning glory or blackberries do back in Seattle.  Jose said to feed them to the horses, but there were so many I knew it would end up as a huge mess for me or someone else to clean up later.  So we did what any stereotypical Mexican would do – we dumped them on the empty lot next door!

This week he and I have been painting the fence around the church, and the running joke has been about all the ways I have (or haven’t) become a Mexican in the time I’ve been here.  Have’s: the aforementioned dumping; driving aggressively, with one hand on the wheel and one on the horn (unthinkable in Seattle); beans several times a day; homemade tortillas or none at all (it’s impossible to go back to the storebought Mission variety).  Haven’ts: using your car horn for a doorbell; eating whole chile peppers; liking “banda” music.
 
Some other activities:
Tecate: We loaded up the bus and took 50 kids to the same ranch the youth went to a few months back.  A 10-year-old boy did the preaching, as well as singing (mariachi) with his sisters.  I wore several hats as clown/teacher/referee/lifeguard/photographer.  As always, pool time was the big hit with the kids.
Tomatoes: Some friends who have a ranch in Tecate and periodically show up with overripe produce to be given away came with tomatoes this time – lots of them.  We bagged them and gave them to everyone who would take them, and pitched the rest (we’re still getting rid of the fruit files).
Baptisms: We had a baptism service last Saturday and 11 folks took the plunge!
Clown reprisal: Last Sunday at church Mary insisted that we do a few clown skits, since many of the adult members have never seen them.
Newsletter: Last Sunday we sent out the church’s first-ever email newsletter.  I wrote it but created a template so hopefully Jose will be able to do it on his own next time.
Youth conference: Last Monday we hosted the monthly youth conference with 150 or so youth from the network of churches.  No clowns needed, thankfully, but since I sat in the front row I still got called up for a few illustrations (the hair-gringo combination are always good for comedy relief)

One of the blessings of attending a small church (and one of the reasons I stayed) is that you can get experience in just about anything you want, since there is always more work than people to do it.  If there was a need and I thought I could do it (or wanted to learn how), I usually volunteered, and thus learned to play bass (one song anyway), train dogs (until they mutinied), teach Sunday school, etc. 

But be careful what you promise around here, because Jose will call you on it.  The past month has been hard on him because he’s had to preach three times a week while Joe Jr. is gone.  Yolanda used to preach sometimes but she’s been so tired lately that that wasn’t a possibility.  Jose said anyone in the congregation could preach, so naively I said I’d start thinking about it, and spent the evening looking up a few verses that I could add to the essay on “God Math” that I wrote for my grad school application.  The next day (with two hours to go before service) he said, “You’re preaching tonight.”  Yikes!  I pretended that I wasn’t phased, sneaked out to my room and went into full-on last-minute mode like I haven’t been in since college. 

Then, to top it off, some friends from my church back home arrived for a surprise visit, so my first sermon was going to have to be bilingual as well! (thankfully, Jose sat next to them and translated so I didn’t have to)..  Anyway, my sermon was short on Holy Ghost and long on verses, but it wasn’t terrible for a first effort.  In hindsight, with my friends there I should have thrown out everything I had prepared and given just the bare-bones edition (and my testimony) in two languages, but that’s a lesson learned for next time (if there is one – allowing a random member of the congregation preach doesn’t seem like it would fly so well back home)..
 
Well, technically I’m still packing so I’d better wrap this up.  Perhaps I’ll have some reflections after I get home, but you know how easy it is to get caught up in the distractions of daily life, especially after a long trip.
 
I start grad school next month, but for the moment I’m thinking it will only be for one trimester and then, God willing, I’d like to go ahead and do YWAM in Argentina like I had planned this past year.  I still like the idea of full time missions a whole lot better than being a psychologist, even though I’d be helping people either way.  I’ll give school a shot so I have an idea what it (and a psychology career) might be like.  I have 5 years to complete the degree, so technically that gives me two years to play with.    I’m not sure many folks would pay to see a psychologist under 40 anyway, unless they were extraordinarily good..
 
Please continue to keep Jose and Yolanda and the church here in your prayers.  I’ll attach the newsletter in case you’re curious — feel free to email him if you’d like to be included on future editions..
 
Lots of new pictures, let me know if the photo site is too slow with 600 pics.  Here is the link — http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=c76dvf4.a374gik0&x=0&y=pofqq1
Thanks for all of your support and prayers during my time down here, and thanks for reading these updates!  I’ll be in touch regarding my future plans.

I hope all is well with you.  Please drop me a note if you haven’t recently, and I’ll try to catch up on email when I get home..

Que Dios les bendiga!
-Tos
 

It’s been a busy week but a good one, highlighted by Pastor Jose’s surprise birthday party yesterday.

We had a group from a Korean church in Philadelphia here all week putting on a medical clinic and Vacation Bible School, and when they found out it was Jose’s birthday (and that the congregation seldom remembers it), they wanted to be a part of blessing him. First we had cake at the VBS and all the kids sang for him. Then we turned the Koreans’ going-away barbecue into a surprise birthday party for Jose with all of his kids (and the five youngest grandkids). We gave him an mp3/cd boom box (even though he has no idea what an mp3 is) and a nice office chair (which he jokingly accused me of buying for myself, since my room here is the office and I’m on the computer much more than he is). He was the happiest and most relaxed that I’ve seen him in a long time.

After the barbecue we had our normal Thursday night church service, so I took the opportunity to embarrass him a little more.. I went up after the announcements and asked people to tell a few stories of how God has used Pastor Jose in their lives. Poor guy, he actually hid in the back room for the first few minutes of it, until either his wife or God told him to go up front and receive the blessing of the words being spoken about him. There was hardly a dry eye in the place, and we could have gone on for hours since all of us have many “Jose stories”. Afterward he joked that it was like being at his own funeral, but he was appreciative. Lastly we sang him “Las Mañanitas”, the traditional Mexican birthday song (most of which I surprisingly still remembered from my high school Spanish class).

There are about a dozen other birthdays in the family here over the next few weeks, starting with mine on the 16th (34 — ugh!)

Joe Jr. is on vacation visiting his daughter in Oklahoma, so my list of duties now includes caring for his dogs, horses, and garden twice a day. I wish it had happened sooner, since it finally got me driving down here and thus able to help more by running errands, taking people home from church, etc. It also meant I could pile 30+ kids onto the pickup and go play soccer a couple of afternoons after VBS, which was tons of fun.

The Koreans were a lot of fun and they did a great job with the VBS. Each day the kids sang songs, heard a Bible story, did a related craft, and played games. It was both heartbreaking and hopeful to see how the kids soaked up the love they felt here this week. By the end of it, each us had several kids who’d adopted us and didn’t want it all to end.

Tomorrow morning at 4am we taking the truck across the border to pick up the second load of “new” chairs for the church. I am partial to the current bench setup since they are excellent for napping, but Jose is not very sympathetic, since the new chairs are blue and match the colors of the church much better than flourescent orange. Oh well, I won’t be here much longer so I won’t suffer too much.. Anyway, please keep us in your prayers tomorrow while we are on the road (122 chairs stacked on the back of a pickup is quite a sight, as are Mexico’s roads and drivers)..

It’s hard to believe I will be going home in three weeks! It hasn’t sunk in yet, and it probably won’t until I’m home. I know I will miss it here, and I’m not sure how often I will be able to afford a visit over the next few years. I am excited about grad school, but not so excited about the reality of student loans or a private practice that may prohibit dropping everything every few years to travel.. I’m already scheming about taking 6 months off after my first two trimesters to go to Argentina like I’d planned all along, but we’ll see what happens..

FYI, Yahoo Photos is no more, so I had to move my photos to KodakGallery. It will come up with a login request, but you don’t really have to sign up – just click on “View Slideshow”.
Mexico http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=c76dvf4.a374gik0&x=0&y=pofqq1
Guatemala http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=c76dvf4.5z4ul3v4&x=0&h=1&y=w2nsxp

Que Dios les bendiga! (May God bless you!)
-Tos

We’re on the home stretch our week-long Vacation Bible School, and so far it’s been great (although it got off to a rough start for me as Monday night I came down with a nasty stomach flu bug, which mercifully was only of the 24-hr variety). It’s hard to imagine that Jose and Yolanda used to do this all summer long — it’s exhausting!

We added two new clown skits to our repertoire, The Selfish Clown and The Vagabond Clown (which has me stealing some clothes that just happen to be infested with fleas, with predictable results).

The kids are here about 3 hours per day, roughly split between worship, classes, lunch, and skit/song practice for the Friday competition (my group has changed ideas three times midstream, but we finally settled on the parting of the Red Sea, so pray that everything will come together, for all the groups, and that God would be glorified!)

Gotta go, time to set up before the kids get here!

Que Dios les bendiga! (May God bless you)
-Tos

I’m back in Rosarito after two fun weeks in Seattle visiting family and friends (and applying to graduate school — I found out yesterday that I was accepted!).

School starts in mid August. I may come home a week early for a last hurrah — either another horse trip in the Canadian rockies with the guys from church, or being a camp counselor with the American Cancer Society’s Camp Goodtimes (either of which will be virtually impossible for the next 3 years given the trimester class format)..

My flight back was uneventful, although I had an interesting moral dilemma on the trolley to El Cajon when I sat across from some street youth who were marking the seats and windows with graffiti. I was alone and had visions of the confrontation turning violent, so I said nothing, but felt like a coward for it.

I’m back in my old spot seated at the computer for hours. Jose said while I was gone he would picture me here when he walked into the office. It’s nice to know you’re missed.

It’s been strange being back, even before I knew I was accepted to school. Two weeks doesn’t seem like that long given the months I’ve been here, but it’s plenty. Church, cornflakes, fresh tortillas, toothbrushing with bottled water, no-TP toilets, picking up treasures — it all feels familiar and homey, but my heart is already looking toward the next chapter of my life. Pray that I can focus on what I came here to do, and finish well.

Today we’ll be rehearsing the skits we’re going to do for the Vacation Bible School next week. We’re going to do the same ones as before, but it’s been a few months so hopefully we can remember them all (I say “we” but I mean “me”).

I’ve been lousy at mentioning this up to this point, but if you want to support me in this ministry down here you can make a check out to Snoqualmie Valley Alliance (PO Box 2178 North Bend, WA 98045) with “Tos” in the subject line (this is an important detail, or else it goes to the general missions fund).

I will also try to do a better job of telling you about prayer needs and what is coming up, rather than just telling you after the fact. Of course, I haven’t been back long enough to tell you much at the moment.. Anyway, know that I feel and appreciate your prayers, please keep it up!

Dios les bendiga! (May God bless you)
-Tos

A lot has happened since the last update I sent out. I broke up with my girlfriend and almost threw in the towel down here as well, but God got me through with encouragement and prayers from friends back home.

I’ll be in town June 7th-18th for a much-needed break. I just want to hang loose, spend some time outdoors, have a few quiet dinners with friends & family, and try to hear from God about where my life is headed. I hope to be able to see many of you, but no guarantees!

I will likely still be in Mexico until September as planned, but there is a new idea of graduate school on the horizon, and since I just happen to be in Seattle the last possible week to turn in my paperwork (and even do the interview) for the Counseling Psychology program at Mars Hill Graduate School, I figure why not? Please keep me in your prayers. Assuming I get in and decide to go forward, I’ll need a part-time job and a place to live with cheap rent in the Seattle area, so keep your eyes open if you would!

Six weeks is too much to try to summarize, but here are some of the highlights anyway:

• April Kids’ Fellowship. Our “Deflated Clown” skit went well, but I didn’t realize it was foretelling the next 6 weeks of my life!

• Koreans. A Korean church came to visit at the end of April. They spoke very little English and did not bring the medical clinics we were expecting, but they did a great “David and Goliath” puppet show, gave hugs generously and sang great karaoke (with participation required by all – fortunately for everyone else, my attempt at “Amazing Grace” was nearly drowned out by those humming along)

• Mother’s Day. My first genuine Mexican piñata experience, and my first time reading one of my poems in public (and my first Spanish poem, for that matter).

• Frankie & family. One of Jose’s grandsons and his young family are visiting for a few weeks while Joe paints his Dodge Charger candy-apple red. Jose’s sons have a fiberglass and painting shop in El Cajon, and Frankie is getting the full initiation into the family business (and the endless practical jokes that go with it).

• Youth retreat. We went to Tecate for a youth retreat with the other 7 churches in Jose’s association. I remember a message about Absalom (outer beauty vs. inner beauty) that made me want to get a haircut. I made friends with a youth named Oscar who had recently come out of a brutal gang lifestyle and been completely changed by Jesus — he’s so soft-hearted and soft-spoken now that you’d never know if not for the tattoos. God is amazing!

• Women’s conference. It was our turn to host the women’s conference this month. We made taquitos for about 200 (don’t worry, all I did was chop lettuce).

• Father conversations. I am having some long and important conversations with my father and brother over email.

• Prophecy. I had two different people tell me I was not going to marry Ellison (something I was sensing anyway but not wanting to believe), and in less than a week it was over. I feel some sadness still, but I feel much more peace.

Things will get busy when I get back here. We have a kids camping trip weekend and then a week-long Vacation Bible School that will require our entire clown repertoire and more. In July we have another group coming down, supposedly doctors again but like everything down here, seeing is believing!

I hope you are well, and perhaps I’ll get to see you next week. If not, let me know how you are doing!

-Tos

I need your prayers. Don’t let the rosy emails fool you, I am dying down here, and yesterday it got much worse. This trip will either heal me or convince me once and for all that I am unfit for ministry (which will mean a slow death for me). The guest speaker at church last night was a prophetess. I was determined not to go up front because I was certain she would expose me as the sinner/fraud I feel like most of the time. I told God that if He wanted to speak to me through her she would have to call me out, which she did a matter of seconds later. She told me some encouraging things (that I am hungry for God, that I will be much more than a missionary if I seek after Him), but she also told me I would not marry my girlfriend, Ellison, and that has devastated me. Jose and Yolanda essentially told me the same thing, without even meeting her.

It’s back to the same old story — nothing good ever happens to me, so it’s up to me to conjure up something on my own which God will eventually take away (and punish me for). I know it’s a messed up view of God rooted somewhere in never being the “beloved son”, but I don’t know how to stop it. I don’t know how to hear God’s voice, and my fear of what He might say keeps me from even trying. Jose telling me “it’s easy, just believe” doesn’t help much, it just makes me feel more incompetent.

SVA wants to fly me home in a few weeks to talk about future plans, and I was ready to tell them that after September I want to focus more on marriage/family than on missions for a few years. Now I just want to curl up in a corner and disappear. But I can’t hide here, and I am far from the friends who could help me, so my two primary coping strategies are unavailable, and now I have lost the relationship that was getting me by. I know God is isolating me so I have nowhere to turn but Him, but I am still afraid of Him, and disgusted with myself which makes it worse. Frank said you guys would parachute in if I needed you. Well, I need you.

Thanks,
-Tos

Well, I’ve passed the two-month mark and I’m settling in to life here in Rosarito. 

Some of the highlights of the past month:

• Señor Tos: I’m now a Sunday school teacher for the 4-8 yr olds (I thought I was substituting, but it seems I may have inherited the job).   It’s a lot of fun, and good practice for me since I’m not accustomed to being the “authority figure” (the kids all know me as the clown, so it’s a bit of an adjustment for all of us).
• Ensenada: We drove the “Heaven Bound” bus full of kids from the youth group to La Jolla, a beach just south of Ensenada, for a picnic/overnight on the beach (technically we slept in the bus and in tents – it was too cold to sleep under the stars).   Lots of fun for the youth, but not exactly a vacation for those of us who had to keep track of them!
• Easter: Another last-minute substitution put me in the role of Jesus in the crucifixion and resurrection dramas – an experience I won’t soon forget! (check out the photos at http://new.photos.yahoo.com/tfackenthall/album/576460762393004966)
• San Diego : A very nice weekend visiting Ellison, walking around Little Italy, falling asleep in the sun, etc.
• SVA Men’s Mexico trip: Built houses, dug fence posts, fellowshipped and prayed with the men from my church back home.   Good times!
• Staying put: Decided to stay in Rosarito rather than continuing on to Ecuador and Argentina as I had planned.
• Internet: Much like my Kentucky trip two years ago, a computer followed me here, and shortly thereafter, the Internet (I can’t seem to get away from the thing!).   While it makes finding solitude a bit more challenging, there are some nice benefits, such as Voice Over IP phone calls.  I just got a headset yesterday, and if you have one (or a built-in mic) for your computer, you can call me for free via Yahoo Instant Messenger or Google Talk software (email me for my IDs). 

Some things I’ve grown accustomed to:

• lots of handshakes (culture is to shake hands with everyone you come across in a day, both when you arrive and when you leave)
• church services three times a week; miraculous healings almost every day; jumping in the front-row mosh pit during the more lively praise & worship songs (it started with me and a couple of the youth, now there are 20 little kids that join us)
• 5 meals a day; home-made tortillas that are sooooo good you don’t need anything on them; “something sweet” after every meal; “cornflakes” (as Yolanda calls all breakfast cereals) before bed (I may never be able to eat them for breakfast again)
• sleeping through the tortilla factory’s blaring music (3am), the tamale trucks and their loudspeakers (4am), the vehicles spinning and sliding on the hill in front (especially after a rain), and our dogs barking & roughhousing all night (not to mention chewing up anything not bolted down).
• lighting the propane water heater for a shower (after one minor explosion/burn)
  flushing the toilet with a bucket of water, and not flushing toilet paper (goes in the trash or it’s bad news)
• no indoor sinks
• picking up dog “treasures” every morning
• sticky mud when it rains, endless dust when it doesn’t
• no Blackbery!

Tomorrow we are having another “Kids Campaign” like we did last month (only this time it will be for one night instead of four).   The kids choir are next door practicing as I write (currently, it’s a Spanish/polka medley of “Father Abraham” and “I’m in the Lord’s Army”).   The “payasos” (clowns) will be back, so we’ll have practice after the kids are done.   The first campaign I was the Sad Clown who had no friends and no one to tell him how to get to heaven.   Then I was the Traveler Clown who had been many places but still had an emptiness in his heart.  Now I’ll be the Deflated Clown, who is constantly deflating (despite the efforts of his friends to pump him up) and unable to stand until he finally hears the gospel.  

The next week or so will be quite busy, as there is a group from a Korean church who coming to give free medical/dental treatment during the day and church services during the evenings.   They also may help paint the church and finish a fence we started on the new property when the SVA men were here (we’ll see — you get a lot of promises in this business!)
 
Anyway, please keep us in your prayers.  I hope you are well.  God bless you, and please keep in touch!
 
-Tos

Happy Resurrection Day!

I am just waking up from a nap, since I woke up at 3:30 this morning to prepare for our 5am service (we did two dramas, one of the crucifixion and one of the resurrection).. I was going to be Peter, but the youth who was going to be Jesus missed a couple of the practices, and since I have long hair (and a beard now), now I was Jesus. It was quite a powerful experience to play the role, especially carrying the cross (and being lifted up on it, which was quite surreal).

I think God prepared me for last month’s clown gig by having a little girl in Guatemala tell me I looked like one (at the time I didn’t know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult), and this time it was the scripture “take up your cross and follow Me” that kept popping up, in my devotions, in Jose’s sermons, in the book I am reading (“The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer)… I didn’t think it would be so literal!

Up next is a youth retreat/outreach next weekend, which will surely feature some more skits, and hopefully my young friend Braulio will have an environment to share some of the raps/poems he’s written about following Jesus (Pastor Jose is quite old-school, and I don’t mean that he likes Run DMC!).

After that, there is a group of Koreans that come down every year to do a medical/dental clinic (and possibly paint the church as well). And later, the worship team has been invited to do a concert in Punta Coronet (about 8 hours away), so that will be another adventure for us on the “Heaven Bound” school bus (the same one Jose was driving when he met my friend Sherwood, which started the chapter of the story I’m in down here).

Technically we were supposed to go away for vacation yesterday and the day before, but as always seems to happen here, something wasn’t quite right (this time it was the weather, plus the Easter service preparations). Oh, well, we almost went. One of my main goals here is to get Jose and Yolanda to rest, but it is an uphill battle (as for me, much of my time here has felt like a vacation!)

Some days I feel more like a hobbit than a missionary — I wake up, do some chores, eat some fruit & yogurt, read my Bible, eat “2nd Breakfast” when Yolanda wakes up, do projects/errands, eat a big lunch, take a nap, go visit friends, take a shower, eat dinner, go to church, eat “Corn Flakes” (which is what Yolanda calls all such cereals — mine are usually Toasty-O’s), do some more reading/writing, go to sleep, and do it again tomorrow!

What else? I burned my hand pretty good last week.after putting a flame to the propane-powered water heater without checking whether the pilot light was lit. Doh! (won’t make that mistake again!) It’s healing fine and the hair on my hand/wrist is starting to grow back (Jose and Jose Jr both singed head/beard/eyebrows when they made the same mistake before).

We got the internet last week, because evidently the Mexican government is trying to pretend they are First World and they are requiring certain tax/gov’t forms to be submitted online. But much like my road trip a few years ago (when my godfather got the internet after never touching a computer in his life), so far it’s meant a lot of teaching/helping/ researching and not necessarily more time to write emails (or update my badly neglected blog).

Also, we began an 8-week evangelism class (which at our current pace will take twice that long) which will culminate with some house-to-house gospel sharing, so it’s cool that I am getting some of the training I would have received in Argentina. The scripture memory part is the most difficult for me — I have a hard enough time in English!

As for San Diego a few weeks back, Ellison and I didn’t do much much except walk around and talk and eat, but we had a great time!

Last but certainly not least, the mission trip here three weeks ago of the men from my church back home was a tremendous blessing. We built some houses in Tijuana, played with kids, prayed, and fellowshipped. The team was large, so some of the guys came to help Jose dig fenceposts on a piece of property he bought in a new housing colony nearby. After we built the gate, I noticed that it was at the corner of “Hermosa” and “Bonita” (that is, Beautiful & Pretty), which reminded me of the story in Acts chapter 3 (the gate called Beautiful). So far, God hasn’t told them what to do with the property, but if the street name is of any indication, it will be a place of great healing!

Well, if anyone is still reading this far down, I’ll say goodbye for now! I hope you have a great Easter!

He is risen!

-Tos

A lot has happened in the past week.  For one, I am no longer going to Argentina (or Ecuador, for that matter).  I’ve decided to stay where I am, in Rosarito.  There was a place for me here from the moment I arrived, almost like it was planned long ago.  I have a family here. I get to work with young kids and with youth.  I get to do drama, which I put on my list last year (along with missions) as something I’d like to try.  I get to do evangelism, as when sometime this summer we load up the “Heaven Bound” school bus and have a tent revival under the stars.  I get to learn from someone who’s been a pastor for 30 years, a father for 50, a man for 70.  I get to bask in the affection (and great cooking) of a doting mother.  I have a computer in my room, internet four blocks away, and a cheap phone card to call home (although the cordless phone and Mexican telecom make for a lousy connection).  I’m a few hours from civilization (if you call California civilized) for critical supplies like floss picks (for those who know me well).  Once in a while, I get to hang out with friends from church back home who come to do (or are already doing) missions work down here.  And of course, it’s a lot closer than Argentina, which makes it more feasible for Ellison (or any of you folks) to come for a visit (I was supposed to leave next week for Ecuador, so she bought a ticket to come see me this weekend – it will be great to see her and lounge around San Diego for a few days).

My plan was just to take a step in the direction of missions, and ask God to redirect my path as necessary, and He is faithful!  Argentina was pretty arbitrary – I wanted to study missions, and with YWAM I could basically choose anywhere in the world, and I’d always wanted to visit Argentina.  I liked the Compassion focus of the Discipleship Training School in Mendoza.  Plus, I’d always heard about how beautiful the Argentine women were, which fit into my plans of finding a wife.  But then I met Ellison a month before leaving, which is exactly how such things happen (rather than planning them ourselves). And then after the hospital experience in Guatemala City, I was starting to question whether I had enough heart to handle Compassion ministry after all.

In any case, YWAM may end up as an option for me and Ellison to do together someday, as a foundation for a life of missions together (assuming we decide to get married, which is a bit premature at the moment, since we only met about 10 weeks ago and I’ve been gone 5).  I am bummed that I won’t be able to visit my host family from Ecuador 14 years ago, but that too may be better to wait for Ellison (I’d have to make another trip with her anyway).

One additional benefit of staying in one place is that I´ll actually have contact information..  You can call the church directly at 011-52-661-613-37-43 (Jose speaks English, don´t worry), or you can send post c/o Jose´s daughter in Imperial Beach, CA:

Tos Fackenthall
c/o Jose & Yolanda Garza
863 10th Street
Imperial Beach, California 91932

Thanks for your prayers, please keep them coming!

More later,

-Tos

(From Guatemala) I remember the beautiful, purple-flowering bushes that grow everywhere like a weed. I remember the great chemistry we had among our mission team, and how different the trip would have been if any one of us had not been there. I remember Edwin’s stories, gracious hosting, and passion for ministry.

(From Huehuetenango) I remember the surreal feeling when the poor campesinos pulled out their camera phones to snap pictures of the visiting gringos. I remember the Indian teenagers proudly explaining to Katherine and me the distinctions between the “classic” indigenous dress for their region and the “stylish” versions (all hand-made by each girl). I remember playing (and teaching) baseball with kids at the Mayan ruins. I remember a group of Indian women playing duck-duck goose with all the laughter and enthusiasm of children. I remember the layered rhythms of the rug factory. I remember my teammates smiling and shaking their heads as I ran off at any available moment (of which there were few) to check for email from my girlfriend, Ellison. I remember the ladies singing a cappella in their hammocks, and the acoustics of the stone, open-air house we stayed in. I remember sharing life stories (and lots of laughter) with my teammates before heading off to sleep. I remember the interesting clicks and guttural sounds of the Mayan language. I remember the 4-hour church service under the stars at the coffee plantation (or “finca”), and the little girl who came over to visit (and tickle) us. I remember the foreman Carlos’s 11 beautiful children, and how he tried to remember my real name but it came out differently every time (Aris-tos?). I remember his 3-year old daughter, who I called “Boo” because her garbled mix of Mayan language and giggles reminded me of the character in the Pixar movie “Monsters, Inc.” I remember the sand and gravel pile that, with some encouragement from Paula, was transformed into a tiny village, complete with road, flowers, church, and volcano (fitting for Guatemala). I remember Carlos’s 10-year old daughter and her friend making flower bouquets for all of us. I remember the chaos and excitement of trying to coordinate and explain games to 150 kids, most of whom only spoke Mayan. I remember getting swarmed by kids when we visited the local school (just as they were getting out). I remember the delicious food prepared by Edwin’s assistant, Gail. I remember the dozens of inside jokes that are impossible to explain but would send us all into fits of laughter.

(From Antigua) I remember the picturesque cobblestone streets and earthquake-devastated churches.

(From Guatemala City) I remember the oasis of Seteca Bible Institute, and the 20-year old kids who adopted me into their community for a few days. I remember Mike Glick’s beautiful family and generous hospitality. I remember 10-year old Astrid’s beautiful and courageous smile, laying in the hospital severely burned over 90% of her body, and how helpless and heartbroken I felt as she whispered to her devastated mother, “Tengo dolor” (“It hurts”).

(From Rosarito, Mexico) I remember the four German Sheperds (3 pups) greeting me each morning with incessant licking of any exposed skin, and my morning “treasure hunts” to pick up their poop before Yolanda had to walk the gauntlet to the kitchen. I remember having a cold for most of my time here, staying true to my name (¨tos¨means ¨cough¨in Spanish – lots of jokes, even without the cold). I remember riding shotgun with Jose as he went on everyday errands in his very non-ordinary way. I remember going to San Diego to attend the Garza’s granddaughter’s birthday party at Chuck E Cheese (which Jose translates unnecessarily as “Chuck AND Cheese”), and sneaking out to call Ellison on the pay phone outside. I remember Rosalva and friends coming faithfully three times a week to clean the church before services. I remember attempting to translate a guest speaker’s sermon real-time for Jose’s friend Hank, and trying to balance his lack of hearing with me trying not to disturb others. I remember Jose’s surrogate daughter Mary, who runs the childrens ministry and is herself a big kid (and one who took a little while to warm up to me, but now we’re good friends). I remember Jose’s grandson, Jojo, who leads worship and the youth program, and who has a huge heart (to go with his huge size). I remember the incredible number of people who call Jose and Yolanda “Papá” and “Mamá” (including me, at least for Yolanda), which says a lot about who they are to this community. I remember 4-year old Eliana’s visits to Jose and Yolanda every afternoon (he calls her “Morenita”, little brown girl, and Yoli calls her Princesa, which she truly is). I remember 6-year old Andrea’s big eyes and beautiful smile. I remember 8-year old Cinthia’s enthusiastic singing (some might call it shouting) and her attempts to be in every photo I took. I remember 4-year old Elias hamming it up for the camera while I was trying to film the “Kids’ Campaign”. I remember 3-year old Alex pulling on my hand and giving probably me the tiniest peck on the cheek I’ve ever received (he still refers to me as El Payasito – the little clown – even without my suit/makeup, and is sweetly devoted to me, even running up during the middle of my skit to return my fallen balloon hat). I remember Lorena, Sarai, Gina and Susana, the talented and funny ladies who were my co-clowns, and the fun skits we did for the kids. I remember 2-year old Abigail singing the children´s song “La Tortuga” (The Tortoise) for everyone at church, delighting when her brother on the keyboards increased the tempo. I remember 15-year old Marcos and friends, who turned most high-energy worship songs into a sanctified mosh pit in the front row (and I’m probably a half-inch shorter for all the times I went over to join them). I remember Elias, the 11-year old preacher during the Kids Campaign, who may not have the life experience yet to be a “real” preacher but certainly has a beautiful heart and a remarkable photographic memory which should serve him well in that endeavor in the future. I remember the enthusiasm of the kids (performers and otherwise) during the Kids’ Campaign and how even after 4 days they did not want it to end.

Today 25 men from my church back home arrive, most to build houses in Tijuana perhaps others to help Jose with some manpower-intensive projects around here, such as digging fencepost holes or painting the church. In any case, I´ll more than likely have to do some actual work for the next few days.. (doh!)

I hope you are well, please continue to keep me updated with what is going on in your life (even if I don´t get back to you for a while).

Love,

-Tos