The Goldfuss Family

Some Concluding Thoughts

Now that we're home and beginning to get our bearings again (we hit the ground running!), I wanted to put down a few thoughts about our trip. It was great to see the Goldfusses again and fellowship with them. It was also neat to see how much their children have grown (I always think of missionary kids staying the same height and size as their last prayer card). It was exciting to see their house and to think of the great blessing it will be to them when it is completed and how they will be able to use it to enhance their ministry.
Since this was not my first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or even seventh time to visit Mexico, I was struck more by similarities to our life and ministry here than the differences. Here are a few of them, in no particular order.

• The difficulties of ministering to people are very similar. The problems the Goldfusses are facing with unsaved people or those in the church are evidences of the depravity of man. It has nothing to do with where those men live; they have sinful, selfish hearts.
• Building on the previous point, people often destroy their lives with layered sinfulness. They spend years making sinful choices, doing selfish things, and living with no thought of God and his Word. When they finally realize their plight, they want to pop a pill and turn back the clock twenty years. Unfortunately, those layers of sin have consequences, scars, and form habits. I like to say that the Christian life is simple. I didn't say easy, but it is simple.
• Raising children in this sinful world is no easy task. I thank God for those who are willing to accept the challenge of trying to raise godly children to the glory of God.
• God must change hearts. His Holy Spirit must give spiritual life where there is spiritual death. God's Word is living and active and it penetrates through man's pretenses and pretexts. The Bible is sufficient for salvation and for sanctification (2 Tim 3:14-17).
• God's people love to sing hymns of faith and praise to God. Some would like to say that hymns are not appropriate for "Latin culture." They are not appropriate for unregenerate or unthankful hearts. However, it was a joy to hear and watch God's people sing his praise--- it makes me look forward to the day when a multitude of the redeemed from every ethnicity and language group will sing God's praise (Rev 7:9-12).
• God puts in the hearts of his leaders a love and a burden for the people to whom they minister.
• It is certainly true that "Anywhere with Jesus is 'Home Sweet Home.'"

Home, Sweet Home!

After a short delay in Dallas, we arrived home around midnight. It's great to be home. I never noticed how smooth the roads were, how big our house was, and how much I took running water for granted (I did have a water and sewer bill in the mail). We thank the Lord for a great trip and we will continue to pray for the Goldfusses.

American Airlines Flight 642

Departing: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Departure Time: 8:34 PM
Gate: C7

Arriving: Columbus, OH
Arrival Time: 11:38 PM
Gate: B32
Baggage: 5

Quick Update from DFW

Well, we're waiting to board our flight to Columbus from Dallas. Customs and everything went fine, we got a little bite to eat (would you believe I spent $4.28 for a personal size pizza from Pizza Hut?), and we're ready to be home (and get back to work!).
Mike got us a taxi to the airport from his house, and we left about 12:15 and made good time. When we left his house, it was foggy, chilly, probably about 50 degrees. When we arrived in Dallas, they told us it was 101 degrees!
Thank you for your prayers. Next stop: HOME!

American Airlines Flight 1064

Departing: Mexico City, Mexico
Departure Time: 3:30 PM
Gate: 29

Arriving: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Arrival Time: 6:07 PM
Gate: A17
Baggage Claim: CUSTOMS

One Last Look

The View from the Roof This Morning

Pretty foggy out there, huh? There really is a big city out there. Honest.

Next Door Neighbor

We are in the big city, right? Oh wait, that's just the neighbor's lawn mower!

Church Family

Here is a picture of Morgan and Marcos, two young men from the church. Morgan is 25 and a taxi driver (he drove us back from the airport). This morning, he led the song service.
Marcos, on the right, is 24 and the oldest son of Juana. He works downtown as a maintenance man in a children's cancer hospital. These two young men have been given some opportunities to lead in the church services.
These two girls are the twins, Alondra and Elsa. The guy on the left is Miguel, the friend of Alondra. Elsa is living with the Arredondo family right now because they have come from a difficult family situation.

Pozole

Today after church, we were invited over to the home of the Arredondo family (Juana and Reme) to celebrate Reme's birthday. Juana had made a massive pot of pozole for all to enjoy. Pozole is a soup made with chicken (or sometimes other meat) and hominey. We sprinkled oregano on top, shredded lettuce, sliced radishes, and ate it with cream spread on tostadas. It was quite tasty. This is how to make pozole.

Ingredients

• Pork roast or chicken, cut in chunks
• Red chile pods
• Garlic salt
• Can of hominy

Directions

• Cook meat in salted water until it shreds easily.
• In blender, blend red chile, water, and garlic salt until thick and smooth.
• When meat is done (about one hour), add chile mixture.
• Add hominy and bring to a boil.
• Turn heat down and let simmer 10 minutes.
• Serve with chopped lettuce, sliced radishes, cream and tostadas.

Church This Morning

This morning in Sunday School, we continued our study from last week about personal finances. There were several good comments about teaching children responsibility in the home.
In the morning service, I continued preaching from Isaiah 40, working through verses 12-31 about the greatness of God. The service was similar to last week. Here's the bulletin from this week's service.

Sunday School children's class

Bekah got the chance to sit in on the children's Sunday school class this morning. Reme did a great job teaching the class for all the children while the adults had their Bible study. The four oldest Goldfuss children made up most of the class, along with Davíd and Adriel, the sons of Guille and Alejandro.

Cheri

Cherith Hope is the youngest Goldfuss. She will be one year old in just a few weeks. She likes to eat and eat and eat (I suppose if you're the youngest of five you have to be able to eat when you can!).

Matthew

Matthew Josiah is two years old and he is always working on something. He likes to build with his trucks and move dirt around the yard. Matthew loves his little sister Cherith and is very gentle and loving with her. He likes to read books (especially his favorite, Scamper Sam).

Carissa

Carissa Grace is five years old and is going into first grade. Her favorite part of school is writing her name on the paper and doing math. In school, she likes to cut things out and glue them on her paper (although she says she sometimes gets sticky doing that). She likes to climb to the very top of the trees that are on the property. We have also found out that Carissa is a veritable fish in the swimming pool!

Cristi

Cristiana Faith is the Goldfusses' oldest daughter. She is seven years old and will be in the second grade when school starts in a few weeks. Cristi likes to draw with markers (and get them all over herself and everything). Anything that has to do with crafts she loves. She likes to play with Mrs. Bekah's hair and try to braid it. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, she goes to gymnastics class. She likes to play around the yard with her brother and sister, climbing on the walls and trees. Here is a picture of Cristi with her younger sister, Carissa.

Mikey

Mikey is the Goldfusses' oldest son. He is nine years old. He likes to play with his army men (that must be why he wanted the game of Risk). Right now, he likes playing basketball, and he plays for a team called Villa Olímpica. They practice on Mondays and Wednesdays. Mikey likes the Mexican soccer team Cruz Azul. A big event for him was getting to attend Camp Peniel a few weeks back which he is still talking about. Mikey is tearing through the Hardy Boys books, reading them every chance he gets. He will be in fourth grade in a week or two. His favorite subjects are History and Math, but he says he doesn't like English class.

Back from a Mini-Vacation

We just got back into town after a few days. My wife and I took the Goldfusses on a little mini-vacation to Acapulco for a few days. It was nice and warm and very relaxing. I took my computer, but didn't have any access to do any blogging from there. We left Acapulco at 12:30 PM and we were sweating and it was warm and muggy. We arrived back at the Goldfusses house around 5:00 PM, about 10,000 feet higher and many degrees cooler!

The City of Hope

As Bekah and I walked around the downtown on Wednesday, we noticed a bunch of billboards that call the city "The City of Hope." It seems that this is the government's slogan. That really got me thinking quite a bit about what hope really is and if there is any true hope here in Mexico City.
My mind ran to 1 Timothy 1:1, where Paul speaks of "Christ Jesus our hope." Titus 1:2 speaks of the hope of eternal life which God, who does not lie, has promised us. Those who lose loved ones in death sorrow because they do not have any hope (1 Thess 4:13).
So it seems hard to imagine that Mexico City can in any way be called a "City of Hope." The only hope for Mexico City and its people is Jesus Christ. The only way to be reconciled with God is through the sinless, wrath-appeasing sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. This hope is not limited to this life (1 Cor 15:19); Jesus Christ is also our hope of future glory (Col 1:27). Social programs, human government, and better living conditions are a far cry from the true hope which those who have trusted in Christ enjoy.

The Front Door is In!

On Wednesday, they finished up the front door of the Goldfusses' house. This is a picture of the door from the inside and the outside. Mike bought the door from some carpenters down in the little town of Santo Tomás for 4,100 pesos (about $400). He sanded, sealed, and varnished the door himself. We thought it looked great and wished we could buy a door like that and take it home for our house!

Electricity in the Big City

Electricity is a little different here. The electric company hasn't gotten meters installed this far up the mountain yet, so the electricity is free. (As you can see, it's kind of a free-for-all as well.) These wires are 220V, but Mike says about all he can draw is 40 amps. These are called cables colgados (hanging wires), because someone just puts up a ladder and hooks on their wires to the wires on the pole and your electric hook up is done.
The luz (electricity) bill must be paid in cash at specified locations (banks and other such places). There are no online payments or automatic withdrawals here. The electricity has been fairly constant since we've been here, although last Saturday night it was out for several hours.

Money in Mexico

This is one way to get money in Mexico. Here's an even better way:

A Delightful Treat

Tonight after church, we took the Goldfusses out for tacos. Bekah and I are both agreed that nothing beats good Mexican tacos! These kind of tacos are called tacos al pastor, and I’m not sure exactly how that translates, but I’m a pastor, and I like these tacos! The meat (pork) is placed on a vertical skewer and roasted with a gas flame. Using a large knife, the guy cuts off the edges that are cooked to a golden crisp. He cuts them onto two little corn tortillas, sprinkles a mixture of onion and cilantro on top, and finishes it off with a slice of the pineapple you can see at the top of the skewer.
It may not look too great in this picture, but they are wonderful! All of the Goldfusses love tacos, so we all had a great time. We also enjoyed bottles of Boing!, a fruit drink. Mikey and I had the guava flavor, and the rest had mango. The server brought a large paper menu up, and Mike marked down how many tacos of each kind we wanted, and then he brought them up to us. The rest is history.

Prayer Meeting

Prayer meeting tonight began by singing several songs (about ten or so). I played the piano and we sang the first and last stanzas. Then Mike took requests, and everybody wrote them down on little half-sheet prayer lists that he handed out. After taking requests, the men and women divided up for prayer. The men sat in a circle and each one took one or two requests. There were several visitors there this evening, workers who were in the area doing some work in underground telephone cable. Some prayed, but before we began, one man said, “Those three men aren’t going to pray because they don’t know the Lord.”
After the prayer time, we met back again in the main room, and I preached from Isaiah 40:1-11. You can read more about the message at my blog. At the close of the service, we passed out pictures that Bekah’s dad made for us of Isaiah 40:8. The people really enjoyed that.

A Trip into the Big City

Today Bekah and I went downtown Mexico City. We left about 10:00 this morning, walked out to the end of the Goldfusses’ road, and waited a few minutes until we could catch a pesero (bus). We rode that for about 45 minutes down the mountain and got off and hopped on another pesero which took us to the starting point of the Metro’s green line, Ciudad Universitaria (or Universidad). We rode the Metro up to the red line, changed trains, and rode one stop to Villa Basilica, where we got out and looked for soccer jerseys. We ended up buying two for my nephews and one for us, had a quick pit stop at McDonald’s, and got back into the Metro.
It was a little more crowded by this time, but we retraced our route back and got off at Juarez, where we looked at ties (bought five silk ties for $N150 (about $14.40), looked at watches in some more street stands, and walked through the Alameda, a park in downtown Mexico City. We sat on a bench and watched and talked a bit, and then walked up to the Latin-American Tower. After the tower, we had lunch at Sanborn’s and walked back the way we came to the Ciudadela, a sort of market of “Mexicanish” stuff for sale. Bekah bought a silver bracelet, and we headed for the Metro again.
The Ciudadela is right at the Metro station Balderas, and we rode the green line all the way back down to Universidad. There we got in another pesero (after some trouble finding the right bus), and rode it back up. We got off two blocks from the church building, and arrived there with about twenty minutes to spare before prayer meeting. It was a fun day with lots of walking, lots to see, and we were thankful for God’s protection. We did see this one interesting sight and thought we’d pass it along.

An Anniversary of Sorts

Since we got engaged on the observation deck of the Latin-American Tower over four years ago, we wanted to make sure we got a chance to see it again. They have remodeled some of it, so the exact place wasn’t really there, but it still was fun to remember back. We also had a nice lunch at Sanborn’s across the street, just like we did then. The significance of this picture is that four years ago, I gave Bekah an engagement ring on the tower (and then put it back in my sock for the trip back), and today, we left our rings at home to be as safe as possible!

McD's

This afternoon while we were out and about, I needed to find a bathroom (most bathrooms in Mexico City aren't too great and you have to pay for them). You can always count on good ol' McDonald's. We bought a small orange pop, used the bathroom, and then hurried on.

Scamper Sam

One of Matthew's favorite things to do is read (or be read) his favorite book, Scamper Sam. Bekah reads the book, and at the end, instead of reading, "Good night, Sam," she inserts Matthew's name. This brings a howl of "Me not seepy!" followed by "Again, again!" Repeat the entire process.

View from the Roof

Mexican Doors

A Mexican front door is a little different than front doors in the United States. Most homes have brick walls around their yards, so the street is lined with everybody's walls. Sometimes the walls have wrought iron spikes or broken glass on top to discourage would-be burglars. This is the Goldfusses' street, Camino Viejo al Maninal. Their house is number 10B, as you can see the arrow painted on the wall in front to alert the construction trucks. The street itself is paved, but there are several large holes that must be avoided. It is also rather steep.
The Goldfusses' front gate looks like this. On the right is a smaller door with a latch that you can walk through. The two main doors open with a modified garage door opener so cars can drive in and down the driveway. With most houses having gates and doors like this, it makes door-to-door visitation a little challenging.

A Special Treat for Dinner!

Not exactly authentic Mexican cuisine, but as you can clearly see, Tuesday is buy one, get one free (two for one) day at Domino's in Mexico too! We got two large pepperoni and sausage pizzas for $N149 (about $14.30).
With our pizza, we also got one of Bekah and my favorites: Manzana Lift, the Coca-cola brand of apple pop.

An Interesting Import

As you drive up the mountain toward Ajusco, where the Goldfusses' live, the scenery changes from densely populated city to beautiful pine forests. The road winds up through the woods and there are many parks in the "green area," a sort of forest preserve. The latest additions to all the stands offering horseback rides, restaurants, and go-carts are a bunch of paintball places. I guess people like to go out in the country and unwind here too.

Why?

Maybe you've been wondering why someone would go to another country and endure various difficulties in order to minister. Oftentimes, the Lord would have us "bear the iniquity of the people."

An Early Morning Delivery

Mike and I were painting last night and we ran out of paint for the dining room and stairwell. So this morning, Mike called up the paint store and ordered 19 liters of #306 Blanco Chantilly. This guy delivered it to the door about an hour later.

D&D Alert

My favorite donut and coffee shop finally made its way to Mexico City. I caught sight of it when Faith and I were heading into Sam's Club just across the way.

Too Strong for My Own Good

I was chopping wood today in the Goldfusses' wood pile. They are hoping to get a lot split and stacked for the winter time, as it gets rather chilly (and even more so up here farther up the mountain). I was making good progress splitting and stacking wood, when I took a mighty swing, buried the head of the axe into the log, and splintered the handle. (No, I did not hit the handle on the wood.) I guess I'm just a lot stronger than I had thought.

A Trip to Sam's

To keep the kids from getting soaked in the aguacero, Faith dropped me off with Matthew and Cherith at the door of Sam's Club. I was concerned that I would not be able to find a dry carriage while trying my hand at juggling two little ones. A very considerate employee selected a carriage from his "carriage train" that was not only dry but also equipped to store two younguns' side by side in the front of the carriage. I was so thankful for his help!
I gave this man at the register a chuckle to see an American tourist taking pictures in a grocery store! I just wanted to show ladies that Sam's Club is very similar to the ones in the States. Actually, I thought their check out was more efficient than ours. Faith had run out of a few supplies so we went to Sam's while Mikey was at basketball and Cristiana and Carissa was at gymnastics. It worked out pretty well, except that we had forgotten that we had dropped off Faith's glasses to get repaired until we had picked up the kids from their various activities. =-p

Pintando (Painting)

This morning, Mike and I began to work on painting in the house. I quickly found that painting bare concrete is a lot harder than painting drywall! First, we began by spraying a "sealer" that looked like glue watered down one to five. Fortunately, Mike has an electric sprayer that made the job go a lot quicker.
Next, we began to prime with Comex primer. Because the concrete surface isn't completely smooth, it was quite a difficult job. We did the edges of the outside and the ceilings and walls in the dining room and living room inside as well as the stair well.
Then we painted the outside of the front entryway area of the house black. It went on really nice and looked great. Here you can see before and after pictures.