Friday 31 August 2012

Crazy Neighbor and WII tournaments!

So, my neighbor (the crazy one) stopped me today to tell me that she sees MY dog go out to go to the bathroom on her fruit trees every morning at 4:30. I didn't want to argue, so i told her to take a picture tonight.

I have a couple conclusions...
1. I sleep walk and take my dog outside every morning at 4:30am
2. My dog sleep walks, unlocks my door and goes to the bathroom on her beloved fruit trees every night, comes back in and sleeps.
3. Me neighbor is reaching a new height of crazy!

(if it is conclusion one or two.... we have an issue!)

She told me this while she was having a giant fire burning old grass in her yard.


But tonight, we had a great time with the youth! WII tennis tournament! So much fun we even broke chairs!



Thursday 30 August 2012

Erin Gets Married!

I just got back from a short whirl wind trip to Nebraska for Erin's wedding! I am completely blessed that I was able to go... sometimes when you do what I do, you have to give up being at many things. But, this is something I didn't have to give up =)



Monday 20 August 2012

Whats happening this fall?


Community Center Fall 2012
TUESDAY

Womens Bible Study 9am
Bible studies (adults and youth girls) 6:30pm

WEDNESDAY
Knitting 9am in the coffee shop (bring your own needles an yarn) 2nd  and 4th  weeks- Tina
ESL for youth (12-20 years old)- 5pm- Tiffany
Drums-5pm- Allan
Basketball- 6pm - Allan
Family Pictures- 6pm, 6:30pm and 7pm (sign up in coffee shop, cost $30)- Tina
Coffee Shop 4:30-7:30pm

THURSDAY
Baking 1st and 3rd weeks at 9am- Tiffany and Shari
Selling Crepes in Locales 12-3pm- Tina and Tiffany
English for Kids (5-12 years old) 5pm- Tina
Guitar 5pm- Rod
English for Adults (20+ years old) 6pm- Rod
Coffee Shop 4:30-7:30pm

FRIDAY
English for Adults (20+ years old) 9am- Tina
English in Santa Barbara 5pm- Tina
some Fridays the youth event might be at the locales

SATURDAY
Kids Club 9:30am- Marta
Bible Study 9:30am- Jim
Guitar 9am- Bryan
Math with Samuel-9am


September 8       Community Center clean up
September 15      Independence day party 1pm
September 17      Classes Begin
October 6            Youth Outing – Tepozteco
October Fall Festival with special needs school
October 20            Fall Festival
November 15       Hand out coffee to market
CAMINO CONFERENCE week of November 19th
December 15       Closing Program
Girls Bible Study every Tuesday 6:30pm
Youth Group every other Sunday

*** Bold= youth group events

Thursday 16 August 2012

mmmm... crepes!

Our coffee shop is incredible. It has really turned into a place where we just hang out, talk, play games, have fun together!

A desire to make our coffee shop self sustaining AND making enough profit to pay someone to work at it fueled our new idea... CREPES!

Today we had our first attempt at making them. different types!
First-- chicken, cheese, and spinach
Second-- banana chocolate chip
Third-- Peanut Butter, banana, chocolate chip!

They definetly got much better the more we got the hang  of making them... we will have to practice more ;)

 Crepes will be sold at the coffee shop every Thursday starting in September during the lunch hour! We will have two different type every thursday (one lunch kind and one sweet kind)! PLUS its a way to get new people coming to our coffee shop... then hopefully the community center classes... start a relationship with them.... and eventually (hopefully) get to share the gospel with them!

Why thursday? That is when the market is there!

Why Crepes? Have you ever eaten them... sooo good!


Tuesday 14 August 2012

Maggie

Having a dog definetly has its joys and challenges....

They really are always your best friend...  unlike cats! ;)

My dog, Maggie, happens to be one GREAT dog! She is always there greeting me when I get home. When I leave she goes upstairs, jumps on the bed, sticks her head out of the window, and watches me walk down the street until she can not see me any longer. When I am sick she lays right next to me. When I am lonely, shes always there. When I get scared she gets defensive. and on and on and on.

Of course there is always the down sides to dogs too... They are alot of work. They need fed, need let out, expensive to travel with, sometimes they need to go to the vet,  they always want attention!

But, who knew my dog would actually be part of ministry! I didn't! But, there are people who come up to me in the park wanting to pet her... then start asking why i live here, when are classes in the community center, I work for a chuch? which one?
Sometimes I only see and talk to them once... but other people I see and talk to weekly and sometimes daily. It has been fun to see the relationships with these people (mostly woman and thier kiddos) grow this last year!

There is this group of kids that did live on my street, the would come over all the time but then moved. They are back. I love them! I am not sure if they are here for summer break or if they moved back... because they don't seem to know!
But tonight, I took Maggie to go bathroom and on the way back one of the little girls was sitting on the curb crying. She looked up and Maggie dragged me over to this little girl. Maggie layed next to the girl on the curb, licked her face, and put her head on her lap. I sat down next to my dog and asked the little girl if she was ok. She never told me what happened she just said "Maggie your my favorite friend".

I love my dog. I love how sweet she is, especially with little kids. I know she is alot of work but definetly worth it.

Currenty, she is sleeping next to me snoring like an old man ;)

Sunday 12 August 2012

Silence

My blog has been slightly lame lately, sorry! I have been enjoying a little down time, getting some stuff in my house done, catching up with people back here in Mexico!

Last night, I went to a house of someone here on my street and had tacos with thier family. I had fun hanging out with them. They actually don't live here anymore, they are just here for vacation to visit family. Thier kiddos love my dog, and when they did live here they were frequent visitors for Maggie!

Well unfortunately, I thought the meat tasted funny when I was eating it at thier house yesterday... and about 2am I was proven right! I spent the next few hours with awful stomach cramps and a couple quick  runs to the bathroom! Too much information? Sorry!

I just woke up again, feeling better. But sadly, I didn't go to church.

Anyways, that is my fun story for the day! Maybe tomorrow I will have something better to report!

In other news, Mexico won thier first Gold Medal in Soccer. And thier first gold medal of the olympcs yesterday! I had fun hanging out with the Cottrills watching the game!

Saturday 4 August 2012

year in review video!

Ok trying this again! Here is the video i showed in church last weekend if you didn't see it. It is an overview of the last year here in Mexico!



If you want to give to me and my ministry in Mexico... go here... http://www.caminoglobal.org/about/barham

Our new website for Camino Global (formally CAM International) www.caminoglobal.org

AND my e-mail. tbarham@caminoglobal.org

Home Sweet Home!

I am back from the US! I had a great trip which started in Colorado for a huge reunion of all of our missionaries at Camino Global. It was an incredible time of learning about the history of our mission and seeing what is in store for the future. We named a new president, kicked off a new website and met a whole bunch of new people! I loved every minute of it! Then it was off to Nebraska where I spent nearly 2 weeks catching up with family and friends mostly in Omaha, Lincoln, and Fremont and giving updates on the ministry here in Mexico! I am an incredibly blessed person when it comes to my friends in the states and I am glad I got to catch up with a lot of them--- and wish I could have seen the ones that I didn't see... but time sure does go fast! Three weeks was a long time to be gone... I was sad to leave all the people in Nebraska again, but more then ready to be back here, home, in Ixtapaluca! So, it is back to the norm around here. Whatever norm is!

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Heading Home

I have one day left in the states before heading home to Mexico! Time flies when your constantly on the move catching up with people, hanging out, and traveling! It has been a great time, with great people.... and I am ready to stop living out of a suitcase and be home with my dog and my bed!

Nebraska tends to get hot in the summer and super cold in the winter but I believe all but one day I have been home has been over 100--- and there hasn't been a sizable rainstorm since the beginning of June! The first picture is from the Platte River. Last summer it was SOOO flooded we couldnt go on it.. This summer its so dry they can't go one it!