Visitors, Visitors!

I have recently had a few visitors here in Mexico. A group from Boyd Buchanan came to the City of Children for their fall break trip. I was so impressed by their group! They were so prepared for their trip and they even sang songs in Spanish. AND, it was so AWESOME to hear "y'all!" every other word. I LOVED it. Also, they made sweet tea for every meal. I must have had a lot because Mario started talking to me about the dangers of too much tea. Oops :). They were so sweet and it was a good reminder of why I love living in the South so much.

Allyson Hall came to visit this past weekend. She is a dear "friend" of Misha's and they were sweet to let me
hang out with them! We went to a place called "Las Canadas". There we ziplined and also walked across some scary bridges. The pictures say it all. If you have facebook, you should check them all out. This is my scared face!

In other news...

A rooster conveniently moved into a house across the street this past week. My alarm clock is no longer needed.

2 Black Widow spiders were brutally murdered outside the Baja Missions office with the help of teen boys from Boyd Buchanan.

I'm coming home in 2 weeks (Yipeeee)!

I accidently used the verb "fallecer"(to pass away) instead of "fracasar"(to fail). Maybe numerous times.
I really have no idea haha!!! Special thanks to Pilar for correcting me on that!

Pilar and I ate at this delicious restaurant a few weeks ago. A rather tipsy American lady came up and started talking to us in Spanish (very basic). She complained about some "alergias"(allergies) while pointing at her eyes. It was very comical and I was actually doing very good at keeping a straight face. Well, then she looked at Pilar and said "tu primera vez aqui?"(Your first time here?). Oh my dear. I totally busted before she could even finish the sentence. Pilar's FIRST TIME IN ENSENADA?! I don't think so! I wanted to tell her that Pilar basically owns Ensenada but I refrained from saying anything.

The Baja Missions conference is next week! I am very excited for it, but also very stressed out :). I'm trying to perfect my Spanish, prepare to teach 3 classes next week (one for the conference), and am trying not to freak out :)! Please keep me in your prayers!

Tortilla Tally: 92 (Don't judge me!)

"This is what I've come to believe about change: it's good, in the way that childbirth is good, and heartbreak is good, and failure is good. By that I mean that it's incredibly painful, exponentially more so if you fight it, and also that it has the potential to open you up, to open life up, to deliver you right into the palm of God's hand, which is where you wanted to be all along, except that you were too busy pushing and pulling your life into exactly what you thought it should be."
-Shauna Niequist

love Y'ALL.

My Mother, there really is no other.

Wowsa. It would be a tall task for me to write about everything that has happened since my last post, but I will try to fill you in on the most exciting things! My parents came to visit me two weekends ago, along with Jimmy Smith. WHAT a weekend. The weekend basically consisted of mom trying her best to speak Spanish, Dad asking me to translate American sayings that don't exactly translate in Spanish, and me and Jimmy just looking at each other like, "What is going on?!". My very favorite quote of the week came from the mouth of my mother, Linda Bumpus. "Poor little Reyna really needs help with her math homework. She couldn't understand anything I was saying to her." Oh dear, I do recommend that you hire my mom as a tour guide if you ever want to visit. Seriously. She provides cooking services, translating services, and can show you the best places for Christmas decorations! Love you, mom :).

In other news, I traveled to San Quintin this past Saturday to attend a youth meeting at the church there. San Quintin is where I have spent time my past 5 Spring Breaks. Before we started our trip, we stopped at Pemex (gas station) for coffee. Not just any old coffee, but cinnamon coffee!!!!! The trip there and back is absolutely breathtaking! Just imagine big mountains, vineyards, fields, the ocean. Ahh, I was definitely reminded of why I love this place so much. It was truly hilarious to see my little friends there and the looks they had on their faces when they saw me. The picture on my blog is of me and 3 little girls from San Quintin. The little girl on the right in the pink hat is "Tania". She is my absolute favorite and we got to hang out together all day. She kept telling me that she really wants to come home to Nashville with me one day!

Exciting highlights of the week:
On Sunday, a cow was spotted walking around the City of Children. It got to visit a few gardens and apparently ate everything in the Mediano boys garden. The last time we saw it, it was heading for the workout equipment at the teen boys dorm. No joke.

I got a young professional haircut for...$5.

One of the mediano boys (Enrique) took my Spanish bible from me and pretended to read it in Chinese. If you know Enrique, you're probably laughing. If not, you should come meet him!!

I started my Bible class with the women at Colonia 89 last week. It went so well! Tomorrow we will be having a cooking class and we will be making my Mimi's recipe of Apple Pie Goody. YUM!

I started classes with the babies and the teen girls at the City of Children this week. I will be teaching them every Sunday after church.

Tortilla Tally: 72

I really appreciate all the letters, messages, encouragement, and prayers that have been sent my way. It REALLY makes a difference. While I really do feel like I'm in the right place, it's hard not to have doubts sometimes about my purpose and my abilities. While my Spanish is definitely improving, it's still a constant source of stress and worry. I continually feel God putting it on my heart to be grateful for my circumstances. If I weren't so dependent on Him right now, I probably wouldn't be able to experience the love and strength that He provides me with everyday. I want to share this thought with you from my devotional book:

"Many people spend a lifetime or a small fortune searching for someone who understands them. Yet I am freely available to all who call upon my Name, who open their hearts to receive me as Savior. This simple act of faith is the beginning of a lifelong love story. I, the Lover of your soul, understand you perfectly and love you eternally."