http://jillianandre.myadventures.org Jill Andre First Year Missionary - Letting go, letting God en-us Fri, 5 Sep 2008 16:32:52 GMT 30 http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=coming-home http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=coming-home So this week I am coming home, for a short while at least.  I want to keep this brief, because other than emotional goodbyes and several moments of 20-something introspection worthy of a John Mayer song, I don't really have anything to tell you for this week.  That'll have to wait until I'm not borrowing someone's laptop at South Padre Island.  In other words, when I get home.  I cannot wait to get home, run my medical and logistical errands, and go to the dentist (I think I have like, 4 to 6 cavities that  I can see right now...thank you Mexican water).  But at the same time, this chapter is closing.  Another short one opens (New Orleans) and after that, another  (school for a year at Eastern again if I can work that out). God has been so good this year.  But we'll save that for later :).  Take care everyone, and God bless you! Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=its-the-final-countdown http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=its-the-final-countdown As we are wrapping up our ministry in the colonias and in our internships, nostalgia is starting to flood my head, as well as reminders of God's great blessings during the year.  Rather than rewrite what I wrote in my update, I will post the update letter I am sending out in an e-mail to many of you.    It will be hard to leave behind so many inside jokes, powerful moments and precious relationships, but they will definitely be recorded in many annals (such as photo albums, blogs, letters, facebook threads, etc.).  I will be leaving only two weeks after getting home, so please pray that everything I have to get lined-up will get lined up in the 15 days I have at home (I have about 20 things to do in those 15 days!).    Where am I going?  N'AWLINS!  Or New Orleans, if that didn't make any sense.  I'm going to be a project facilitator for an Adventures in Missions summer project team. What that basically consists of is six weeks of helpi Sat, 3 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=may-2008-update-newsletter http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=may-2008-update-newsletter In the event that some of you don't get my newsletter, here is a copy of the letter I am sending out via e-mail.  Lots o' readin' :).  Have a great week!        Dear Friends and Family,                  As time has flown by and I've come to realize that I have less than month left of my mission, it occurred to me that I have only sent one update for the entire trip down here, and that update did not make it to everyone's computer, regrettably.  However, before my trip ends I would like to sum up a few of the things that have gone on since January, for those who may not have been able to read my blog.              As many of you know, there was a very big change in the FYM Mexico program in the month of February.  Our pastor, Bob, had some personal issues that had to be taken care of, and our leadersh Sat, 3 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=baby-shower-for-laura http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=baby-shower-for-laura At home a baby shower typically consists of a dozen squealing women ooing and gooing over baby names, playing absurd games involving potatoes, and fumigating the room with estrogen.  The immature 20-something supportive single/loser (that is typing this blog) in me usually starts choking on the fumes while trying to dodge the "Are you getting married soon" question.   But the shower that we had last week for Laura, a mom-to-be that we know in Estrella, was way different and an absolute privilege to attend, because it wasn't just some giggly diaper fest for a glowing lady dressed in pastels (pardon the sardonic honesty - my attitude will probably change when I'm married and pregnant).    First of all, this is the 16-year-old wife of a 20-year-old who lives with his parents.  She is a new Christian, her husband is currently trying to stay clean and sober as well as keep a job, and she had virtually nothing for when the baby arrives.  She had one o Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=construction-week http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=construction-week This week is a bit of a change as far as the pace goes.  Instead of going back to normal again, our first priority is building a house for a lady in Granjas we know named Antonia (she gets the house we planned to build since the lady whose house we were going to build earlier had a change of plans).  The greatest part of that is that Antonia is the mother of a very special girl I know: Nancy!  I get to see her every day for the duration of the project, which will resume on Monday since the guys helping us will have this weekend off.The other major event: our countdown of a month until we return to the motherland, so to speak.  I have been trying to put some closure into the relationships I have built in the prison so that I don't leave so abruptly.  Recently, the Lord spoke to me about starting a Bible study in the prison here (which, God willing, if I return, I will definitely continue), so on Wednesday I'll bring a prepared talk for some ladies in one of the Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=johnson-ferry-week http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=johnson-ferry-week This week was the week of biggest project that Matamoros sees every year.  With over 200 high school students, and up to a hundred extras (workers, translators, leaders, and chaperones), the place was a zoo.  But it was awesome.  I decided to journal the four days I was a ministry coach, so this blog is rather long.  Whenever you get a chance, take the time to read it.  Some pretty awesome stuff happened.  God brought people to us that needed his love this week -- I'll just set it up with that.     Day 1:   Today I was originally assigned to lead a group of folks through a neighborhood around the house-building sites in an activity we call Random Acts of Kindness.  This activity is basically one where the group takes yard tools around the colonia and looks around to see if they can help out with a manual task (such as cleaning a field or someone's yard for them) or a social need, such as playing with children whose Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=ive-got-a-pocket-full-of-miracles http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=ive-got-a-pocket-full-of-miracles This week was a relatively uneventful week, apart from a visit from a teammate's mom (she was really sweet) and a couple little miracles here and there.    One involved a house being built for a lady we know in Granjas, Mari, who couldn't get the landlord's permission nor get the church that had reneged on the building to start it up.  We literally went there two days after we prayed for God's provision for a way for her to have a solid home (not the dump scraps of wood over dirt that she lives in now) and there the foundation was, along with the cement ready to be poured by the church that promised her a house.    Another blessing was that she had also been sick that week, and was able to get free medication from a doctor that had mercy on her when he saw that she couldn't afford simple medication and was barely able to care for her children in that state.  She is now healthy and awaiting her new house, which will have an actual floor, a roof to kee Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=a-week-of-projects http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=a-week-of-projects I unfortunately only have five minutes to do this blog, but in that time I will attempt to sum up some of the events of this week. Most of what we did with the high school group from Birmingham, Alabama this week had to do with children and families.  From Monday through Thursday, we had vacation Bible school for children in the neighborhood of Solidaridad at two different churches.  Usually combined with that was construction at two different house sites, as well as colonia visits, where we walked through the neighborhood and met with people at their houses.  At the end of the week, we did a couple of exercises where we asked the Lord (ATL) about what we should do that day.  Through that exercise, we got to minister to a man about his addiction to tobacco, something that killed his own father (by heart attack) and had been the cause of death for a grandparent of one of the high-schoolers.  We basically approached that visit simply by waiting in prayer and g Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=feliz-dia-de-san-patricio-happy-saint-patricks-day http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=feliz-dia-de-san-patricio-happy-saint-patricks-day Before I start this blog, I must say to me kin and to me mother and father, Top o' the Mornin'.  Happy Saint Patrick's Day to ye. So far the projects are going well...aside from toilets leaking in the girls' bathroom, hyper singing on the buses (I secretly kind of like that) and translating left and right (I can never get sincrely tired of that).  Today I helped some of the Alabama group walk through colonia Solidaridad in Matamoros and meet some folks there.  We met some very friendly and kind-hearted auto shop owners who indulged us in conversation about life, work, and chickens they raise for cock-fighting (that's popular here).  We also hung out with some energetic kids in the colonia until lunch, and met a grandmother whose daughter is getting baptized Easter Sunday.  After lunch there was a semi-crazy Vacation Bible School session that we invited neighborhood kids too.  We managed to keep them entertained, for the most part.  We'll see if tha Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=projects http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=projects After being stuck inside with a bad case of the flu in 98 degree weather, I'm ready this week for a new adventure. We're headed out to the Gateway (El Portal) for the next week to head up a project with a high school group from Birmingham, Alabama. From what I know, we'll be involved in some construction, vacation Bible school, colonia visits, and possibly some of our usual ministries as well. I will, at any one moment in time, be "in charge" of a dozen high-schoolers, since there will be about 60 or so here. It's exciting and overwhelming at the same time. My body's still recovering from the nastiness that managed to make its way through the entire household, so please pray for my well-being and renewed strength as well as the well-being of the other eight people on our team, and the two leaders that will be with us this week. I'm ready to get a little bit of leadership under my belt. Hopefully there should be an update of that for you all soon. Thanks for your prayers and sup Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=humility http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=humility I have good news about the church here in Matamoros.  Castillo del Rey may be continuing on, in a different location than where they are right now, hopefully nearby or within a pesera (bus) ride from their home.  There are people that are devoted to continuing this church, even if they have to walk because they cannot afford the bus.   Doesn't sound that scary, right?  Imagine passing through a field littered with trash, with only enough space for cars to pass through when they come flying down dried mud roads.  High bushes so no one can see if you're kidnapped, men running around with machetes (whether they're working or not is a good question).  It's questionable in the daytime, but if you're a mother with children, imagine passing through these often muddy fields or backroads with high winds and nothing to defend you or yours against a random drunk or fast cars.  Many of our churchgoers are elderly, and the walks to and from place to place a Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=no-subject-really http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=no-subject-really I typically like to have some dramatic beginning to these blogs (curse you, journalistic addiction to hooks), but I'll just run the ol' update by y'all (please don't shoot me, Washingtonians...I know that's not standard grammar).  This month has been about getting back to the basics.  Our colonia ministry is back to normal...well, sort of.  We have combined groups, since I was the only one left in my group, and now we visit Granjas and Estrella (neighboring colonias).  I have been enjoying the change of pace that comes with working with kids once or twice a week.  Our cell group (that's what they call Bible study down here) is usually held in Granjas at Clara's house, a well-known church patron in our community.  Typically all the kids are sequestered into a room next to the discussion, and we attempt to keep the noise down to foghorn level, either with a game, coloring, or a lesson that is prepared beforehand (typically a story from the Bible).  Sat, 8 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=new-beginnings http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=new-beginnings Hope springs eternal.  There is something about the approaching springtime that brings a "newness" with it.  Something about opportunity, a new start, a different mindset. Presently the team and I are in a new season of our own.  We have literally just moved into a brand new house (this past Thursday), a house with five bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms, sort of a Mexican "frat house" if you will.  We've just started exploring the nicer neighborhood, in hopes of reaching out to these folks as well as the colonias from our old ministry, which are still in progress (thank you, Jesus!).  We are continuing the remaining internships with the 6 girls and 1 guy on our team that remain after 5 others left for other callings at home.  Although I greatly miss those that left last Saturday, I feel that this is also an opportunity for our team to become tighter knit while we're still here.  After a tidal wave of changes, the tide has drawn out, and everythin Mon, 3 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=join-the-awakening-discipleship-missions http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=join-the-awakening-discipleship-missions Awaken to the Adventure Disciples aren't born; they're made. It's a process that takes time, discipline, and God. In reality, it looks more like waking up than attending a class. As part of The Awakening, you can undergo a discipleship program like no other, experiencing four months of intense training in another country to prepare you for the ministry that awaits you for the rest of the year.Join The Awakening Your mornings will be spent in training and your afternoons ministering in local communities, activating what you've learned. In the context of experiential learning, you will be discipled by mentors who want to see you grow deeply in your faith. You will be part of a community of other individuals who share your passion and desire to come alive in Christ. This time will challenge and stretch you in new ways, and you will never be the same.Become a part of The Awakening in either Latin America or Africa and discover your role in the kingdom Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=adjusting http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=adjusting So here's the scoop.  We're at the AIM Gateway in Matamoros, we've signed a contract to rent a very large and elegant house in Matamoros proper close to where we used to live, and we're committed to several projects at the Gateway (one with several hundred highschoolers) in the next month or so.  Life took a turn, not for the better, but for the different. I've never been a fan of John Lennon (I like the other Beatles members more), but he did have a really good quote, or at least I think it was his: "Life happens when you are busy making other plans."  Although we are detached from our current responsibilities and the pace of the "real word," this is still real life.  We have a Plan A in our head, and God has Plan A through Z.  Or rather, he has plan A....and plan A changes for us from A to B to C to Z and all that jazz. Some of our current team members have felt led by God to go home, so right now we are about half our size, and I miss every one of t Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=i-really-dont-know-how-to-put-thisbut-please-read http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=i-really-dont-know-how-to-put-thisbut-please-read This may be the most difficult blog I've had to write.  When I decided to be a missionary to Matamoros, Mexico, I agreed to a lot of things.  I agreed to give up a lot of privileges.  I agreed to living life according to promptings from God, and to approach everything prayerfully.  I expected adventures around every corner.  I have not received anything less than that so far.  God has blessed me and the group I am in most definitely. Unfortunately, there are things for which a missionary doesn't normally prepare him/herself.  Like when his/her leader stumbles. Our team found out this Tuesday that, a few Saturdays ago, our Pastor, Bob, had committed a "moral failure," I should probably call it, with respect to his privacy (this is an editing of an earlier post which I hope no one read).  He is, regretfully, no longer our leader. I'm still processing what happened, and none of us know all the details, to tell you the truth.  Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=think-fast http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=think-fast Ever been so hungry you couldn't think? Sometimes that's the best place to start thinking.  This week our group had a four-day "semi-fast," meaning we had about 6 meals (some of them very small) in that time instead of 12.  If you are a person that eats five or six times a day like me, and hasn't fasted since an dark time in her life about a decade ago, then this is really challenging. Our pastor, Bob, had us go through a fast, sort of involuntary (if we wanted to, we could quit it) but still very effective.  It made me realize I could use this Lent period (no, I'm not Catholic, but it's a convenient time schedule for me) to make my fasting of sweets and chewing gum effective. During our fast, I concentrated on complete surrender of hunger toward God.  I asked him if he wouldn't mind showing me a thing or two.  He gladly obliged.  Some things are very personal.  For example, an offensive poem that I used as part of a healing process might Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=lukewarm-water http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=lukewarm-water Before I begin this blog, I wanted to post this poem I found in my journal.  It doesn't have a date on it, but I wrote it well before I came to Mxico.  No title, nothing special, but somehow I discovered it at an opportune time last night. Why does the fly land on vinegar When he knows the honey is sweet? He fears a trap but forgets That acid would wear him away And he will fly away With a foul stench. Why let the chain of limits and doubt Pull on my weary achiles When a lighter yoke awaits That would free my swelling foot? Sweet songs of hope and truth Flood my ears So why should it make a lick of sense When I choose the sorrow found in empty lyrics? Everyday you call me. I must remember to turn my ringer off silent. I wrote this, frustrated by the fact that I declared myself a Christian, wore the invisible "Christian" badge that we all wear, read the Bible, but my heart and its true desires were not changing.  I've come along a Mon, 4 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=just-a-little-update http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=just-a-little-update I just wanted to let all of you that received an e-mail with an update letter in it that, due to the document being written on old software, it might not be able to be sent.  I'm working out the kinks in that and fortunately it should be sent soon.  When I get the opportunity and figure out how my camera can load photos, I'll also put up photos here.  Please forgive me for not having many up.  Again, I have one day of Internet a week. Anyway, other than that, I have exciting news.  In a couple weeks, we are going to build a house in Granjas, the community nearby where Nancy used to live.  She lives near my colonia now, so I'll still be able to see her hopefully.  There are some college students coming by in March too, so I'll have the opportunity to work with several of them in our community and introduce them to some people in Matamoros.  There is also a tentative trip to Chiapas, a 24-hour bus ride from here!  Long trip but well worth it. Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=its-been-a-while-hasnt-it http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=its-been-a-while-hasnt-it Let me begin this blog by apologizing for the multiple times I have promised insightful blogs on a multitude of things.  I have promised "more on that later" for a number of things that have never come to fruition, and for that I not only feel absent-minded, but foolish.  Time is never on my side when it comes to keeping in touch via the Internet (and when we get blog access, sometimes it does not work).  Please accept my sincere apologies and my lack of blogs in the past month in general.  I will try to touch on something that I mentioned a few months earlier.  I have attempted to set up an e-mail that will update you all more on the activities that I am doing here.  God willing, it should get sent out in a couple of weeks.  I have to have my mom forward it to me (thanks for your help, Mom!).  When I figure out a system where I can put mass pictures on this blog, you shall see those too.  That might not happen until May, since those Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=reflection-in-30-degree-weather-and-snow http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=reflection-in-30-degree-weather-and-snow It's been a week since I've arrived home (a day late!) and, due to working every day since, I have been a little lazy with this blog.  My sincere apologies for those who search the Internet for entertainment and were left wanting after visiting my page.  It's the holidays.  Go make a snow angel.  Or a mud angel if you're in Matamoros...eww.  Nevermind. I must make another confession before I carry on: my usual daily devotions have been put on hold since it's been sleep, work, sleep, work, how can I help you, we don't carry children's shoes, I'm sorry miss, we can't do that, no sir, we don't have that, would you like that on your Macy's card, receipt in the bag, yadda yadda yadda.   This week things will hopefully be back to normal.  So without condoning my busy-ness/laziness, I here make my disclaimer.  If this blog seems like a patchwork quilt of sorts, it's because I haven't had organized thought in about a week.  Isn Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=da-beach-da-plane-da-holiday-vacation http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=da-beach-da-plane-da-holiday-vacation So my group had a holiday week of sorts this week.  An overnight trip to the beach (not the one pictured on my profile photo, but equally as beautiful as Puerto Vallarta) and a Christmas party brought us some good R&R from our daily grind.   Pictures of that will be up soon, that is, whenever I get the disposable camera ones developed and whenever I get my memory card to load on a computer. There is a lot that I have learned this week.  Some of it has to do with pride, methinks.  More on that later.  I cannot wait to set aside a lot of time to do fill-in blogs.  There will be a lot of philisophical whatnot coming your way, so gird yourself.  For the AIM staff in Gainesville, I apologize.  I'll try to keep it to a short novel ;). Anyway, I'm coming home on the 15th, very soon, as I have previously said.  Cannot wait to see you all!  I will possibly be in Monterrey this week, so I'll take photos with however many exposur Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=december-in-80-degree-weather http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=december-in-80-degree-weather I don't think I can count how many times I have typed up a good blog and, because of this blog site or the fabulous (this is minor sarcasm) connection we have in Mexico, it has been erased.  Ergo, the topic which I typed yesterday for my blog will appear at a later date.  I will hint at the forecoming by telling you it has to do with the "Christian poker face."  That is all. Since I have a mere twenty minutes this week to type a blog, I will let you know that things are going pretty well.  We had a couple of gals (meaning one younger than 30 and one older than 30, out of respect for ages) visit us here from Maine for about 10 days last week.  Heather, a former FYM to Mexico, and her mentor, Judy, came and spent the better part of their time here following us around, soaking up the Matamoros missionary lifestyle.  I will expound on their visit later, but suffice it to say that these women are true blessings from the Lord and their generosity has bro Mon, 3 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=manuel http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=manuel Imagine an 86-year-old homeless man on a park bench, wearing old thrown-away clothes that we deem rags, bundled up in an old quilt and leaning with his good hand on a walker.  This man has a broken leg that has gone untreated, a hand with an open sore on it that also looks broken, and a smell of stale urine that you can pick up about two or three feet away. His family is on ''the other side''... the states, that is...and he has no address or way to reach them.  He has camped out there for three weeks now, in front of a Catholic church, begging passers by to help him get ahold of the DIF (the government agency responsible for charities, etc.) and get him into an assisted living center.  You know, the place where most old folks don't want to go. A redheaded young man in his twenties who speaks maybe a couple sentences in Spanish approaches him to see how he's doing.  This young man is just trying his hand at witnessing to people in Plaza Allende and has no clue what Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=otro-poema http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=otro-poema So this is my second blog this week.  You poor things!  Lol... It's a poem I meant to post earlier but forgot to bring with me.   It's about a topic brought up by pastor Bob and later reiterated by Jason, one of our leaders here: potential.  They both told me (Bob used a well, Jason used a dam as a metaphor) that they see this overflowing about to start.  Of what?  Only the Lord knows.  If this were just a "yay me" revelation I'd keep it to myself.  But what has been on my mind a lot lately is the idea of blockage.  What blocks me from reaching higher for God?  What holds me back?  Even more so, what may be holding you (the reader/whatever lonely soul finds this via cyberspace) back from living life inundated with God's joy, power and grace?  Even those who know Jesus still have to choose everyday to live life with their thoughts and heart centered on him and his wisdom.   It's easy to talk about....hard to c Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=a-change-of-pace http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=a-change-of-pace I have been griping in my head these past few weeks about not having done any physical labor of any sort...and envying what the folks are doing down in Peru.  I must confess my heart was not in the right place, and I kept wandering, what if God wanted me to go down there and I just didn't listen? Let me just say, before I go on, that God is a genius.  Well, yes, he created the world, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, love, man, yadda yadda yadda.  But let me expound on my obvious statement. I swear the man upstairs catches me off-guard.  A lot of times I'll pray for things that I think he will answer.   You know, help my mom recover from knee surgery, calm my friends whose family in Tabasco are dealing with a huge flood, teach me something on the field today, bless this food, help me sleep.  The usual. But after this week, I am convinced God just has a scanner on my brain that prints every thought regarding Him as pr Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=if-you-cant-take-the-heat http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=if-you-cant-take-the-heat Get out of the kitchen?  If "the kitchen" is Matamoros, there's some truth in that.   It's still 80 or 85 in early November and I long for home.  Why the heck am I here? I was questioning that last night before it was my turn to give my prepared testimony.  A whole hour of the Jill Show.  Yikes.  Anyway, I paraphrased a lot and let the rest of the hour be time for people to say something.  I even left out why I'm here and the fact that I was baptized on June 3rd...(woops!). But again, why am I here?  I've asked myself that more than a few times, I'll admit.  I've not been building houses or anything like that (with the exception of our construction crew and all the FYM team helping this week).  I've not been helping people in Peru do earthquake rehab like Rubie has (among many other things).  What have I been up to? Sometimes it's frustrating not to be able to rattle off a dozen ways in which I have helped the c Tue, 6 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=here-comes-november1 http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=here-comes-november1 I was going to write another poem on my blog today but forgot the notebook in which I wrote it.  It is in Spanglish (or code switching, really) and it is about a topic that Pastor Bob addressed with me earlier this week.  I'm calling it "The Well."  More on that later, I guess. Since this week has just been a continuum of what has been going on, I guess some random insight will do.  I should start with this little girl named Nancy that I mentioned earlier.  She lives in Granjas, a colonia about 5 minutes away (by van) that is basically a squatter community.  No electricity, no plumbing, and their water is dropped off by a bottled water company.  They live on top of the dry mud, in non-insulated houses, without fans and the like.  Yet these children still have this energy when you see them that astounds you.  Their hearts are ready to accept you and all they want to do is talk to you, play with you, treat you like a horse (that is, ask f Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=prison http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=prison About a year and a half ago I wrote a poem because I felt far from God in my mind and was questioning my salvation, his presence, the works.  I dug up this poem from my old blog site at www.latinaatheart.blogspot.com.  This blogsite was my internet forum before I knew about myspace, so it's got everything from the mundane to the deep.  Before I drag on, though, here it is (the stanzas all run together in this blog format, so sorry if it looks long even though it's broken up into two- or three-line stanzas). PRISONI am waiting in perturbed contemplationBegging my head to clear its clutterSo you can come in.You knock, but the din inside the grey wallsPrevents me from hearing the tapOf your knuckles against the cold metal door.Everything I want to know is outside that reinforced steelBut for some reason the door is wedged shutAnd I grapple with the door handle but cannot open it.The cat-eyed guard with pale, lifeless skin guards the doorLocking me inI Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=a-poem-for-the-week http://jillianandre.myadventures.org/?filename=a-poem-for-the-week I was going to write this week about this adorable girl in the Granjas colonia with whom I traded necklaces this Sunday.  More will come about her....along with some things I did last week that were surprisingly fun (one of them basketball!). Since I have about half an hour before I have to head out to Estrella (the other colonia that I have been visiting, my more permanent outreach location), I decided to post this poem.  I don't really have a title for it, which might be bad...I think it's kind of like having a boat without a name.  It code switches, so I'll translate.  I wrote it when I heard some bad news about a family member, but it also applies to days where I need to humble myself in prayer and devotion to my Daddy Upstairs. So, without further ado: Oh, dearl soul Trapped in your cycle of pain Nada te llena -- ni comida, ni deseos, ni el amor de otro. Te esfuerzas y todo se cae de nuevo, de nuevo. Bottom's dropped again... And here you ar Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT