Our Oaxaca Adventure

This is Travis, Paul Swift, Torrey and Deb sitting outside a pizza "Tiende" Thursday evening. Paul is from Minnesota and is a missionary along with his wife, Elaine at Casa Hogar in Oaxaca. They have been incredible hosts for us and have made us feel welcome and assisted our "transition" into the Oaxacan culture in many, many ways. Paul is incredibly busy trying to keep up with all the maintenance needs of the home, plus assisting people in the church when they have mechanical or other "handy man" type needs and also others in the community. I don't know how he keeps up. Elaine is very busy with coordinating the volunteers, being a liasan between the directors, Francisco and Carol Marin and poeple who want to help at the home. We made it to Oaxaca on Tuesday after being forced to stay in Mexico City due to them cancelling our flight on Monday evening from Mex. City to Oaxaca. It was an interesting culture shock at the airport in Mex City. We stayed at a hotel at the airport and attempted to order a meal at a Mexican McDonalds. It was quite interesting. I know just enough Spanish to be dangerous and not enough to know my big numbers or some of the "different" names for your normal McDonalds meals. We figured out most of it with some help of some clerks who knew a little English. The airport was very modern, clean and professional. We got through customs quite easily and with no questions at all even though we had 2 suitcases full of "interesting" wheelchair parts and other assorted therepeutic items for the home.

After our evening at the hotel we got up with what we thought was plenty of time to catch our flight to Oaxaca but found out it was very confusing where to check in for our flight. We were standing in a long line waiting for our luggage to be inspected with only 45 minutes left before our flight was to leave. We were getting a bit nervous but then we prayed a bit and an attendant asked to see our reservations and then took us to another spot and had our bags specially checked. He entered us into the system and took care of our passports. Then we had another attendant get us quickly through the boarding pass process. But then we discovered it was even more confusing where the departure gate was! We now only had a few minutes left...we were running to where we thought we had to go with hardly any signs to guide us. We tried to ask some people where gate 14 was but they all looked at us funny...(loco Americanos)...we finally found these obscure stairs to the security point and made it quickly through there and quickly to our gate where we finally were hurried onto the "mobile gate" (short for adaptive bus) which then takes you to the "remote gate" (Mexican for "out in the parking lot") and finally made in the air. Mexicana is a very nice airline and they serve snacks and drinks on all their flights.

We arrived at Oaxaca and were greeted by very warm and humid temperatures but a very pretty airport. Palm Trees and Moutains surrounding the whole city. (reminds me alot of Tucson, except for the humidity) We have been busy ever since with work projects and spending time with the kiddos....lots of kiddos!!

I will post some more later about my experience at the local hospital...the church took a visit there to pray with the families, and hand out food and drink...it demonstrates the incredible need still in Oaxaca....Please pray for the paz de Oaxaca....Peace of Oaxaca!! They need a devine intervention very badly...the reason they cancelled our flight was due to all th e turmoil here and very few people coming here now.

Hasta Luego! Until Later

Blessings!

Rick andDeb and Family