Another blog site

You may have seen my previous post regarding Lent and my decision to nix the white flour and sugar.  Since this relates more to eating or "not eating", as the case may be, I think that a better place to post might be a health-related blog.  So, since I have one on the SparkPeople site, I will be posting there as my experiences relate to this season of Lent.  If there are family or spiritual issues, however, I will try to post them here.

Also, my brother-in-law has also decided to participate in his own way during the Lent season.  You may enjoy reading his post here.

Lent and what goes with it

Bible reading plans, local celebrations, fasting, repentance . . . just to name a few.

About 2 years ago, I began using an app called YouVersion.  It is actually a Bible app with several extras.  One of those added features connects me to several different reading plans, allowing me to daily see a devotional or which chapters of the Bible I should read to complete a "plan" by a certain date or after so many days.  I am currently using 2 - a parenting devotional and a Bible-in-a-year plan. They'll even send me e-mail reminders.  Because Lent was approaching, I received a notice at the bottom of my app asking me, more or less, if I celebrated Lent and if I wanted to browse their reading plans for the occasion. I answered (silently) "no, but I'm interested in seeing what that involves." Browsing the plans, I noticed that one was 46 days.  Strange.  I thought Lent was 40 days.  So I looked it up.  Thanks to google, the answer was at my fingertips - yes, 40 days, not counting Sundays, between Ash Wednesday and the Saturday before Easter.  That clears things up a bit.  But there is more surrounding this holiday.

Here in the Yucatan, the days leading up to it involve something called Carnaval which is like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA.  The Evangelical church here is diabolically opposed to this "celebration" as it basically puts the bar and club scene out on the streets of Mérida for several nights.  My hubby reminded me of a conversation we had with a family who saw it as a time to basically get your fun in, then repent on Ash Wednesday, no harm done. Needless to say, we didn't take part in this aspect of Lent.  But it raises my curiosity.  What goes on in the life of these individuals during Lent?

Traditionally, I found out through the trusted Wikipedia site, people are expected to fast in some form, generally giving up meat products at least on the Fridays as well as Ash Wednesday during Lent as a form of penitence.  However, there are several Protestants who also choose to observe some form of fasting during this time through giving up some particular food or habit.  This is done more out of choice than obligation.  Even popular healthy living sites are using this as a motivational tool.  

This morning during breakfast, Dave shared with me and article he received from sparkpeople.com about this very topic.  In it, the author listed 14 ways to improve your health during the season of Lent not only for observers but also for those wanting to support friend and family members who "do without" during this time.  This peaked my interest.  What could I do?  Some areas mentioned in the article were things we already did - drinking enough water, daily walks, eating 3 servings of fruit a day . . ..  I guess I was feeling gutsy.  I suggested something to Dave and Rebekah during our morning walk.

 "I think I want to give up white flour and sugar." 

Now, this wasn't an out-of-the-blue thing.  Earlier this week I was listening to my missionary friend's thoughts on how her family is eliminating carbs from their diet when they're in the form of white flour and high fructose corn syrup.  They are even trying to eliminate corn in general from their diet because of what it turns into in the body when not expended by daily exercise.  My Mom has also said for years how badly white flour and sugar affect her system.  Of course, if I was choosing to give these things up, that didn't mean my family had to as well.  I just wanted them to know my plans, but that they were welcome to join me if they so chose.  Imagine my surprise at dinner today - lentil soup - when my 13 and 11-year-old kiddos chimed in that they also wanted to participate!  I clearly said NO white flour or sugar, mind you.

So, here begins my/our journey.  There will be major changes, moody days, cravings, and frustrations.  But there will also, hopefully, be a sense of togetherness, improvements in health, more energy (eventually), weight-loss(?) and growth as we investigate and move forward in this new endeavor.

Do you celebrate Lent?  Are you giving up something or adding something healthy to your routine?  Maybe you've tried to give up white flour and sugar - any advice? 

Beyond the GPS

Cocoyol (coco - joel'). It isn't on google maps, but it certainly exists.  It took us over 3 hours to get there, which included a few wrong turns.  It was raining during about half of our trip and raining when we arrived. Why did we go?  To be part of a new work going on in Yucatan to start or "plant" new churches in the Mayan language.  We are what you might call the "link" - hooking up those who have a vision to see the message of Jesus brought to people in their own language with a group of believers who have a desire and commitment to start a church, oh, and that speak both Maya and Spanish (that part is important!).

The Maya have been in math & history books, in several tourist guides and even in Hollywood, but I don't think the current culture or people get that much publicity.  In Cocoyol, we saw a snapshot of life for this indigenous people group.
It was a bit like entering any other small town at first glance.  After we found the correct road, we traveled under a canopy of trees, that would have provided shade had it not been raining, and arrived at the "center of town" where the Catholic church and the local school were situated on two joining sides of  a basketball court.  The team had arrived before us, visiting the 100 families that make up this Maya community and letting them know about the event. Upon returning, they got to work setting up a portable screen and projector to show the Jesus film, not in Spanish but in Maya.  "Wait!" you're saying, "aren't you living in Mexico?" Yes, yes we are.  Although Spanish is the national language of Mexico, there are, according to Wikepedia, over 6 million indigenous Maya in 4 countries!  And one of those is Mexico.

While the setup was taking place, I watched, snapped some photos, and spoke with the kids who were gathering.  Fortunately, I didn't need a personal translator since some of the kids were able to communicate in Spanish.  I even got a few questions/words in English since some of the kids' family members most likely have work in tourist areas.  One particular boy acted as a sort of spokesman for the group; he even confiscated my camera and snapped a shot of Rebekah and me.

However, the kids spoke to each other in Maya.  All. the. time. It was like being in another country for me.

I knew that there were several families, even in the city where we live, who continued to speak Maya inside the home or between family members.  There are older ladies in our church who help us with basic phrases to learn something new in their native tongue. But, hearing their everyday conversation being spoken in something other than Spanish was a bit surprising.

This was not the first time that the message of Jesus' love had come to the small town.  One boy told me of another group that had come on a few occasions (with a bigger screen!).  The difference, we hope, is that the team's goal is to come, to stay, and to speak their language. The Maya language.  The team is not from America or Korea, but from a larger town in Mexico, about 30 minutes or so away.  And they don't plan on being a passing memory.

I played a small part, not being on the team and not speaking the language.  Sure, I spoke Spanish and a few answered me in Spanish.  I mainly talked and played with the kids.  My kids and I taught them Simon Says and they taught us "veneno" (poison) which, fortunately, was a harmless game where they spun in different directions holding hands ;-) They practiced some English phrases and I practiced some Maya ones.  They were amazed at the height of our daughter, who is 12 going on 13.  I marveled at their ages being 12 and 17 and still being in the 3rd and 6th grades, respectively, of their elementary school.

It is clear we are very different, but we are loved by the same God.  I am glad my God doesn't speak to me in Mandarin or French or Turkish.  Can you even imagine? . . .
That is the idea behind this team and others that will follow in their footsteps and in the footsteps of Jesus - speaking the language of the people, sharing His beautiful words of life.