On Tour

This last Sunday Mike headed to Monterrey to kickstart his tour around Mexico. During the next two weeks, he'll be on the road, visiting congregations throughout the country. At each place, he'll meet with the people and give a presentation about the IELC.

The IELC, which stands for the Iglesia Evangelica Luterana Confesional (Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church), is its own church body. It is in fellowship with WELS, and operates in a similar way - just on a smaller scale.

The focus of Mike's presentation deals with what it means to be part of the IELC. Because Mexico is so big, many of the congregations are located hundreds, even thousands, of miles apart. The average person in the pew might not know that there are members in other areas of the country, that there are pastors to support, a national convention held every year, etc.

Mike started his tour at La Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) in Monterrey, pictured above. Then he went to el Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd) in Guadalupe, a suburb of Monterrey. Some of the members are pictured below.


When Mike travels, he often takes buses to get around. Here's a short clip of him waiting to catch a bus in Monterrey that would take him back to Torreon (about a five-hour trip). Note the organized chaos - it's all part of the adventure!

Recipe for Mexican Horchata

Ah, horchata - truly one of Mexico's finest drinks.

This rich, creamy rice-based drink is oh-so-good if it's made well. Here's a recipe that Jorge, one of our seminary students, shared with us. I made a few tweaks and now it is the official "Hartman" recipe too.

A quick note before we get started - this recipe is not difficult to make, but it does require soaking and chilling time (and lots of it!) so plan ahead, like 24-48 hours in advance. It makes about 6 cups.

Ingredients
2 cups of white rice
4 cups of water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cups milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

To Make
Place the rice in a large container that can withstand heat. Heat the 4 cups of water to boiling point, then pour over the rice. Add the cinnamon sticks. Cover and let sit for 8 hours or overnight.

Discard the cinnamon sticks. Then place the rice/water mixture in a blender and blend until almost smooth (do this a few scoops at a time so you don't make a huge mess). Strain the contents or pour them through a cheesecloth into a pitcher. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Chill for at least two hours. Serve in glasses with ice.

Notes
- horchata is pronounced or-CHA-tah

- I like this best with whole milk

- I didn't strain the blended rice immediately. I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. This helps everything settle to the bottom, which makes it easier to strain (in my opinion).

- We think the drink tastes better if it chills for a long time (like 12-24 hours after it's finished).

- horchata can be served in sippy cups to young children :)




p.s. Special thanks to Andrew, who helped me with the taste-testing process. Look how brave he is!

Oh, and Andrew, you now have to come over and try my final version (and play some more music for us too).


p.p.s. This is the seventh recipe in an 8-part series that I'm doing on Mexican recipes. Find more here.

Play-dough and Family

Here's Trinity having fun with play-dough at Aunt Roxy and Uncle Ralph's house. Aunt Roxy and Uncle Ralph are WELS missionaries that live about 10 minutes, by car, from us. They moved here earlier this year from Puerto Rico, and are now serving the Mexican field.

We have Trinity call the other missionaries and workers here "Aunt" and "Uncle" since she is so far from other relatives. The mission team really becomes her extended family. And with fun things like play-dough, who wouldn't want to go to Aunt Roxy's?

Recipe for Caldo Tlalpeño

Welcome to my sixth (wow - six already!) installment of our Mexican recipe series. This week I'm talking about caldo tlalpeño, one of my favorite soups here. I often order it in restaurants, and I also make it at home.

The key ingredients in caldo tlalpeño are chicken and garbanzo beans. It also gets some vegetables and rice thrown in for extra texture. And then the two ingredients that top off the soup: sliced avocado and a chipotle thrown in at the end. Mmmm, good.

So, from mi casa a tu casa (my house to yours), here's how to make it.

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
2 carrots, chopped
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon uncooked white rice
1 chipotle
pinch of salt
15 oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup corn, drained (canned or frozen)
1 avocado
2-3 limes
extra chipotles for serving

How to Make
Fill a large pot with water and add the chicken breasts, carrots, onion, garlic, and rice. Rinse off 1 chipotle pepper and remove its seeds, then add it to the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the garbanzo beans and corn. Simmer for 20 more minutes, or until chicken is done.

Remove the chicken and chop it into small pieces; return to the pot.

Serve with sliced avocado, limes and chipotles on the side.


p.s. For more recipes, click here or on the link listed on the right.

Missing Phil

This week our vicar Phil Gurgel headed out of town. After coming down last summer and serving as vicar here in Torreon for the past year, he is taking two weeks of vacation in Mexico. Then he heads back to the U.S.

We so enjoyed having Phil around during this last year. His efforts at the congregation Cordero de Dios (Lamb of God) were greatly appreciated. He will be missed here by all, including Mike, me, and Trinity (and Noelle, although at nine months she's a little small to fully express this).

We wish Phil the very best during his coming years of service and studying. And we hope that he'll be able to visit us in Torreon someday!

- extra note on vicars in Mexico -
We've had vicars from WLS (Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary) come down regularly to serve in Mexico for the past 10 years. They have helped out with the work significantly during their time here, and are such a blessing to the mission team and field.

Unfortunately, this year there was not sufficient funding to bring another vicar to Mexico.

When talking to Mike about this, he mentioned that this is a good reminder of how important our congregational mission offerings are. They are used to fund WELS missionaries and the WELS vicar to Mexico.

We hope to have a vicar here again in future years. They are not only a big blessing to Mexico; the experience also benefits them during their ongoing ministry.

Dedication in Zaragoza Sur

Last Sunday evening we went to the dedication service for the new worship center, Cristo Rey (Christ the King), in Zaragoza Sur.

The service was, hands down, one of the biggest highlights we've had during our time here in Torreon. I think Mike is still on a high from it :). And he should be. It was simply awe-inspiring. Here's why.

Mike and two seminary students have been working with the people in Zaragoza Sur, an area of Torreon, for some time now. Zaragoza Sur is a relatively new section of town, and there were no other churches in the neighborhood.

Until now.

On Sunday we dedicated a new church building in Zaragoza Sur. About 50 people from the area showed up for the event. Many of our members from nearby congregations came to show their support. They brought guitars, a choir, cake and refreshments, and most of all, their joyful spirits. In all, slightly more than 100 people attended.

During the service, Mike installed a new pastor, Pastor Juan de León, who will now serve the congregation. Pastor Carlos Cajas came from Mexico City, a 14-hour bus ride away, to preach for the service.

Here's a play-by-play of the evening.

The service started outside...





Señor Jesus Vega, the president of the Mexican Lutheran church, cut the ribbon to the entrance of the church...


And then we went inside...

where worship continued...


Some of those in attendance were Hilda (in the orange shirt) who lives just two blocks from the new church...


and Mrs. Ibarra, 92 years old, a long-time member of a nearby congregation...


Pastor Carlos Cajas preached...


a captivating sermon...


Then it was time to install Pastor Juan de León...

After the service, the kids lined up for cake...

and then ate it!
There are so many stories behind the dedication service, from Mrs. Ibarra, who is from Missouri but has lived in Mexico for more than 60 years, to Pastor Cajas, who grew up along the Guatemala border and was a taxi driver before becoming a pastor, to Hilda, who lives in a two-room house and regularly brings her six kids to the new church to hear God's Word...I could go on and on.

Even though we came from different walks of life, we all gathered around the same cross and worshipped the same God that night. I got choked up numerous times (even as I chased around my two-year-old) as I thought about how far the Mexican church has come, how many people in Mexico have heard the Gospel, and how many have come to faith. All glory be to God on high, our Redeemer, Friend, and faithful Guide.

p.s. special thanks to Andrew and Derek, our Kingdom Worker volunteers, for taking the pictures.

Recipe for Pay de Limón

Welcome to the fifth week of my recipes series (previous ones here). This week I made pay de limón, a popular lime dessert here.

I've attempted to make this several times during our years in Mexico. Unfortunately, every time it has turned out very soupy or just tasteless...

until now!

This week I found a recipe online that worked really well! Hurray! It uses just three ingredients and tastes like key lime pie. Perfect for a hot summer day.

Ingredients
Enough limes to make 1 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice (10-20)
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
27-36 Marias*


To Make
1. Cut the limes in half and squeeze them until you have 1 cup of lime juice. (Mike found some huge, juicy, seedless limes at the grocery store last week. I only needed 10 to make a cup. Usually I would need many more than that to make a full cup of juice).


2. In a blender, blend the lime juice and sweetened condensed milk until smooth.

3. In an 8 x 8 pan, make a layer of Marias, using about 9 Marias. Pour about a third of the lime/milk mixture over the Marias. Then add another layer of Marias, followed by the lime/milk mixture. Repeat once or twice more, depending on how thick you want the dessert to be.

4. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve.


* Marias (pictured below) are a very common type of cookie in Mexico. They remind me of graham crackers and vanilla wafers. So if you're making the recipe and can't find Marias, I'd recommend substituting graham crackers or vanilla wafers.



Other Notes

- Some recipes I've seen call for a can of evaporated milk to be added to the lime/condensed milk mixture. If you find the dessert is too thick, you might try adding evaporated milk to it.

- You can add chopped nuts or candied cherries to the top for decoration. As you can see in the photo of the finished pie, it did not turn out as one of my prettiest-looking desserts; however, I assembled it with a baby on my hip (one of Noelle's current favorite spots to be) so I think it looks pretty good, considering I made it one-handed :).

- Mike loved how this dish turned out. Trinity took one bite and spit it out. I think it was too tart for her tastes (or that she was just in a disagreeable mood, since after spitting it out she took a fork to the pan and roughed up the rest of it...)I guess my point is that if it's too limey for your tastes, you can adjust the amount of lime you add or change up the other ingredients.

So that's how to make pay de limón. Next week I'm going to make caldo tlalpeño, a soup that has chicken and garbanzo beans in it. Stay tuned!

Things I love about Mexico: Traditional Dresses

When it comes to dressing up, Mexico is one of the best places to be.

You can find traditional dresses, like the one Noelle's wearing in the above photo, in markets around the country. If you dig a little deeper, you'll find that the styles vary from region to region. Oaxaca, a southern state, is known for its heavy garments full of rich embroidery. Puebla is credited with the origin of a lightweight dress stitched with bright-colored designs. Veracruz residents wear a top with a lace collar and flowing black skirt as part of their traditional attire.

You may not see them every day, but if you head to a special festival or ceremony, you'll find plenty of traditional dresses. I have a number of them for our two girls. Sometimes they wear them to church or to other special occasions. They usually draw quite a few compliments from others.