Visiting Churches

The first weekend in July Mike traveled to the city of Guadalupe, a suburb of Monterrey. It is about five hours by bus from Torreon. He went there to visit with Pastor Eduardo Vazquez, who oversees the congregation, and to see the members.

Traveling to the different congregations in Mexico (see their locations on this map) is an important aspect of Mike's job. As field coordinator, he serves as a counselor to the various Mexican pastors. He helps the IELC, which is WELS' sister synod in Mexico, to grow and mature.

Pictured above is the building where the congregation in Guadalupe worships. It is a mission congregation right now, with plans to continue growing in the coming years. Here's a short video of the members saying hi and wishing you God's blessings.

Recipe for Chipotle Chicken

Chipotles actually start out as jalapeños. Farmers grow fields of jalapeños (yum!), and when the peppers turn green, they pick most of them and send them to the market. They leave some on the vine, however, to continue ripening.

At the end of the season, the jalapeños turn deep red and dry out. The farmers pick them and then smoke them. The end result is a flavorful scarlet pepper with a new name: chipotle.

We can find chipotles here in the canned food section. I'm guessing that in the U.S. you'll see them with other canned foods or in a Mexican food section, though I don't know for sure because I don't live there!

This recipe comes from the cookbook "La Cocina Mexicana" (The Mexican Kitchen). I've had it for a few years and the following is one of our favorite recipes from it.

So without further ado, here's the recipe for Chipotle Chicken:

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
dash of salt

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon flour

1 cup plain yoghurt
1 chipotle pepper
1 chicken bullion cube


How to make
Fill a pot with one quart of water. Add the chicken breasts, onion, garlic and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken.

In a medium-sized frying pan, melt the butter. Add the chicken to it and fry on both sides until each side is slightly browned. Remove the chicken. Add the flour and cook for just a minute (you may need to add a little more butter during this part. I usually use a mixture of butter and PAM).

Meanwhile, place the yoghurt, chipotle and chicken cube in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the frying pan. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken breasts. Heat through and serve.

A few notes:

- I always serve this over cooked white rice. You can also serve it alone or with tortillas.

- I add more chipotles to this dish. If you want it hotter, try adding one chipotle at a time until you are satisfied with the taste.

- I know of some who substitue cream or sour cream instead of yoghurt and prefer it that way. Yoghurt in Mexico tastes different than the yoghurt in the United States (in my humble opinion) so if you are making this dish north of the border, you may want to try a few variations to make it to your liking. And if you're in Mexico, my favorite yoghurt for this is LALA natural light.

***

Next week I'll be talking about guacamole and sharing the recipe I learned from a friend here. Whenever I make it, I get asked for the recipe (except for the one time I made it too strong and everyone was in coughing fits because of the sharp jalapeños. Oops!). Anyway, stay tuned.

WELS Kingdom Workers in Torreon

Last week Kerry Pamperin, our former WELS Kingdom Worker, headed home. She had served in Torreon for a year teaching English. This fall she will head back to Martin Luther College (MLC). She'll spend the next year and a half there, finishing up her studies to become a teacher.

Kerry was replaced by two volunteers: Derek Bartelt (left) and Andrew Gerlach. These men are also from MLC. They're both studying to be pastors, and are currently taking a year off of school in order to help out with outreach efforts in Torreon. They'll be teaching English classes during their time here.

Many thanks (muchas gracias!) to Kerry for her dedicated service here, and we wish God's blessings on our new volunteers, Derek and Andrew.

Learn more about our English program here.

Three Signs We've been in Mexico for Awhile

A long, long time ago (as in before I came to Mexico) I was a perfectionist. And jumpy about critters.

Well, we all change. Mexico has been a good antidote for my perfectionism. Here are a few signs that I've been here for almost a decade:

1. I threw a load of whites into the washing machine yesterday. As I was pulling the clothes out of the basket and putting them in the machine, I noticed an ant crawling on a shirt. Then I pulled out a sock and there were about a dozen critters on it. I peeked closer into the basket and found the clothes were swarming with ants.

I didn't scream, or even call for Mike. I simply turned the water temperature on the machine to hot, threw those clothes in quickly, and added a little fabuloso (all-purpose cleaner - we use it on our floors and such) for good measure. The clothes came out great.

2. A few months ago, Mike and I climbed into bed. I remembered my book was downstairs, so off I went to get it. I flicked on the living room light and watched a three-inch cockroach scurry through the room, then stop, dazed by the light.

I considered my options, and decided I was tired. I waited until the yucky thing had gone under a couch, made a mental note to think about this more in the morning, got my book, and headed to bed. It was a good book.

3. The tail light on our van fell off - oh, let's just say long ago enough that I can't really remember the day or month. Mike fixed it with duct tape. A couple of months ago, we drove the van into the United States. To get ready for the trip, Mike decided to make the van look nicer. He replaced the silver duct tape with clear, plastic tape. I now consider it to be not only fixed, but also classy.

p.s. Next week I'm starting a series on Mexican recipes. Yeah! Check out the couple I have already posted if you want a preview. I'm going to kickstart the series with Chipotle Chicken, one of our long-time favorite dishes that I make.

Fun Times at the LWMS Convention

Wow. What a thrill!

We just got back from the 2009 LWMS Convention in Denver, Colorado. We flew up last Thursday and got there in time for the opening service. On Friday and Saturday I gave a workshop on life in Mexico. We came back to Torreon on Sunday after the closing service.

(A quick note for those who want to know more about LWMS: LWMS stands for "Lutheran Women's Missionary Society." It's an organization that supports WELS' mission endeavors in many, many ways. Trust me, these women are amazing! Learn more about LWMS and how you can join at their website.)

There were so many encouraging things at the convention. For starters, we got to worship in English, which I just loved. We also got to hear about mission work going on in other areas of the world. And we chatted with so many women that are doing great things for missions.

LWMS is such a huge support system for missionaries like us, and I have a deep appreciation for each one of its members.

Here are a few pics from the weekend -

The display on Mexico was just fantastic! The ladies of Valley Lutheran in Sheridan, WY, did an awesome job - check out the full mariachi suit!

Mike took a picture during one of my workshop sessions. In this photo, I think I'm talking about my attempts at killing a big rat in Mexico with a broom :)


Mike and Trinity having fun at the banquet on Saturday night...


Our littlest trooper was so tired from all the fun that she slept most of the trip home! (okay, I'll be honest. I did too!)

5 Things to do at a Mexican Stoplight

Ah, stoplights in Mexico. You never know what you'll find at one. When the light turns red, the vendors come out and the fun begins. Here are five things you can do at a red light here.

1. Buy a newspaper. This is the place to get the morning paper. Here's how to do it: roll down your window, flag the vendor over, dig around for the money while he puts the paper on your dashboard, pay him, and then go. It's best to get this done before the light turns green, but if it doesn't. don't worry. The guy behind you is probably getting a paper too.

2. Watch a juggler (like the one above) or other performer. "Other performers" include guys rolling around in broken glass with no shirt on, men swallowing fire, and people with painted faces acting as clowns. When they finish their act, they walk by the cars. If you've enjoyed the show, you can give them a few pesos.

3. Support local causes. Kids often walk up and down the line of cars holding jars. You can donate a peso or two to your favorite organization. We've seen just about every non-profit, from the Red Cross to government programs and even cancer research.

4. Have your car dusted off. Young men at almost every major light in town offer this service. For a peso, they'll wipe down your car with a rag while the light is red.

5. Buy just about anything. Water, fruits, donuts, toys, roses, maps...you name it, they sell it. I've done some shopping at red lights, and have to say it's a convenient place to pick up inexpensive toys, grab some bottled water, or get a map of Mexico (we liked the first map we got so much that we actually bought a second one). I've never tried the donuts, though. It seems like they'd taste a little, um, exhausty. But that's just me.

A Great Father's Day

This little sweety knows she has a good Daddy. I know it too. I give thanks to God for Mike nearly every single day. He's not only my best friend, he's also a solid Christian father and head of our house.

While we enjoyed Father's Day as a family (and gave Mike a shirt and some ties), we also had a fun church highlight. Mike preached at the mission in Zaragoza Sur. It was the first offical church service held at the new property (more about Zaragoza Sur here and here). 40 people came!!!

Things like this keep us going. They're a strong reminder of why we are here and what our ultimate goal is. Just as we hope our children grow up to be strong Christian girls, we pray that the church body in Mexico continues to grow and mature.