Monday, February 29, 2016

Los Ahuehuetes Baptisms (Erica and Ricardo)

In December we had a very special church "field trip". My dad's Bible study family wanted to be baptized! Remember Jael? His parents. They didn't want to be baptized just anywhere though. They wanted running water! So we got a bus that would take us out to Los Ahuehuetes and headed out early one Saturday morning.

Things were pretty tight so there were a few kids on laps.


Our chauffeur

Caught in deep thoughts of disaster
Hey, ya big brute! Could you please move to the side of the road?
Thank you very much.
When we arrived at the dirt road leading to Los Ahuehuetes, the bus broke down.
 

At this point we still had about a mile to go. It was getting pretty stuffy in the bus so we grabbed our bags and the food and started walking.

After walking a while on that dry, dusty road, this was a beautiful sight to behold! We were getting pretty hot and sweaty :D


Jumping in a cold oasis was sounding like the most refreshing thing in the world.

When everyone got to the spring and got their things settled, we gathered in a circle to start the baptisms. Dad read a few verses and talked for a little bit.


He then got in the water...a little bit at a time :)
It was a little chilly!

Erica was the first one to be baptized.
I'm so glad that I've been buried in the name of the Lord!
Her husband, Ricardo was next. Pastor showed him how to hold his hands and then they prayed...

Then he was put under...
These pictures show what happened next :)
The rocks on the bottom of the lake were a little slippery - haha! 

They soon found their footing and the baptism got back on track, despite a few giggles from the crowd. 

Family picture afterwards!
Jael has a bit of a chip on his shoulder - he reeeeally wanted to be baptized - aww! The deal is that he has to get the Holy Ghost first though.
After the baptisms, we ate lunch. Everyone brought a little something to share. Sis. Rocio made tamales - yes, those famous tamales. This was my first time to taste hers - after this, I was in love. No other tamale will ever top hers.
 Some days after eating Rocio's delicious baptism tamale, I went over to her house. The subject got brought up and I told her again how yummy they were. She laughed and in a taunting "ha, ha, ha, ha-ha" kind of voice she said, "And I didn't tell you want kind of meat was in them! Ha ha ha hahaha!!!" I froze and...*gulp*..."WHAT WAS IT, ROCIO?!!" *punch, punch in her arm* Of course I am thinking she's about to say it was iguana liver or lamb nostril...or something weird like that. When she replied smugly that it was a duck from her very own yard, I breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, duck qualifies as "civilized food". 
The lyrics to this song are appropriate...."The devil thought he had me, he thought my life was over..." HAHA. 

 Rocio - now and forever to be known as "the tamale queen".
Choyo, Sara, and Rocio
 After lunch, a bunch of the kids jumped in for a refreshing swim in the water.

The baby loved the water!! Look at that grin! 

I got her after she got out of the water and had dry clothes on. She seemed so happy without her diaper on - heh heh. Yeah, I was a little nervous, but if you've ever held a freshly bathed baby with just a thin little sleeper on, you know they are irresistible!! So soft, squishy, and cuddly.
Baby toesies!!!

When it was time to head home, everyone was so tired. We were also very relieved that bus had gotten fixed. Ugh!

The spring we went to is surrounded by fields of corn. By the entrance to the little pueblo where the water is, there are little shacks selling everything corn. Corn bread, corn tamales, elotes, grilled corn on a stick, and drinks. We always make it a point to stop and pick up some "souvenirs" at this place.
This time, we got corn tamales and a sugar cane juice.


Once we got back on the road, everything was good for the first ten minutes or so. Then the engine started to overheat and do...I don't know what...but this was only the beginning of the stop and go trip that lasted about three hours. (It is supposed to only be about an hour and a half drive).
Eventually, we did get home. Looking back, it is just another memory made, but at the moment it was NOT very pleasant at all! I am glad to be home :)
Keep our new family in your prayers - they need the Holy Ghost! They are a sweet, sweet family. I will be back with an update on them soon, hopefully!

~Bethany~

4 comments:

Amy Bailes said...

Praise the Lord for those two being baptized and how wonderful that Jael desires to be baptized too. What a wonderful blessing.

Thank you, God!

The Wakefields: Missionaries to Mexico said...

Amy - Yes, he is the main reason his parents are even coming - he had such a burden to be baptized and come to church. He's a wonderful little witness for his family! We had a wonderful service last night and Jael was at the altar praying. I'm looking forward to sharing the news of when he is filled with the Holy Ghost!

~Bethany~

Jennifer Connell said...

It's awesome to see the hunger in a child. May God continue to do great things in that family!

The Wakefields: Missionaries to Mexico said...

Jen - Amen! That is our prayer.

~Bethany~

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