missionaryMAC

I wanted to learn how to make a turkey + stuffing and cranberry sauce aren't on OFLC's menu = Chris teaches Erin how to make a turkey and Erin makes Thanksgiving dinner on Cyber Monday! Ready to be stuffed! YUM-O! Our belated Thanksgiving dinner: turkey a la Erin, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, rolls...and pumpkin pie!

The annual Alternative Thanksgiving group from Our Father Lutheran Church in Centennial, CO, arrived this past Wednesday night and is currently on their way back, hopefully not in the snow. This year seemed slower-paced than last year, probably due to the fact that there were less people in the group. It seems counter-intuitive that with over 1000 meals to serve, less people would equal less chaos, but they have everything so streamlined that there is really only work in the kitchen for so many. There were a few other changes this year due to safety concerns in Juarez--not crossing the downtown bridge, cooking for but not serving at Cristo Rey, and having the "market" come to El Paso--but all in all it was a great couple of days with lots to be thankful for. My role was more Servant Event Coordinator-esque this year as opposed to last, when my family and I jumped in and participated as group members since we had never experienced it before. This year I left that to newcomers ...

Mariachi San Pablo's Christmas CD is HERE! Even though the Christmas season doesn't technically start until Friday, people have been playing this in the office ever since Pastor Heimer came back from picking them up yesterday. Chris keeps telling me that I am on the front cover since I WAS with the group during the photo shoot...wearing a Mariachi San Pablo T-shirt...but I'm not convinced. Anyways, you can order a copy online at http://www.ylm.org/mariachiCD.html or by calling the office ((915)858-2588. They're $16 and make great Christmas gifts... In the meantime, check out this FREE music video featuring the title track. I'm in it for sure--there's a photo of Viviana's baptism and a video of me moving a piece of insulation inside a partially built house, probably on one of my organize-the-construction-site rampages. Until next time, blessings!

It's been more than a week since my last post, so I think it's time for a general update on my life. The title is pretty much what I've been up to lately. The annual Our Father Lutheran Church Alternative Thanksgiving group gets in on Wednesday night, so I have been conference calling with the leaders, scouting potential construction projects, mentally steeling myself for some of my most hectic days apart from June, July, and August, and the early part of next week will be filled with Lowe's, Sam's, and Wal-Mart runs. Thanksgiving 2009 was definitely a highlight of my year, so I'm really looking forward to being a part of it, border-style, for the 2nd time. Other things on my brain that maybe you want to read about: --I made some super-yummy chicken and dumplings a la Cracker Barrel last week. My grandma that I'm turning into used to make them but I never had. They turned out to be delicious and I can't wait to make some for my family when I go home for ...

The real reason that I went to St. Louis took place 11/8-11/10: the LCMS Servant Event Leadership Conference. This was my 3rd year in a row, so thankfully there were some changes so it wasn't ALL a repeat. We did a mini servant event at a local Orphan Grain Train warehouse (ironic because YLM is a frequent recipient of OGT shipments), and LCMS personnel were on hand to lead some of the breakout sessions. As usual however, the Bible study was my favorite part. The writers always do a wonderful job of integrating small and large group discussions, components for different styles of learning, thought-provoking questions, and different methods of praying at the beginning and end of each session. This year's study was called "Live to Serve," and each day was centered around a word of the day and a Bible verse of the day. Note: it was difficult to follow the train of thought sparked by the word of the day when you are using a translation of the Bible that does not include s...