Ten Memorable Moments in Oaxaca, Mexico (From Days 4, 5, & 6)

On past missions trips, our team would meet together at the end of each day to regroup & decompress, with what we called "Highs and Lows" ~ this was a chance to share what God had taught us that day, what really made us smile, OR what made us cry, or was bothering us.
I decided that I'm going to share with you my HIGHS & just keep the "lows" to myself (only to be shared with God & with those who ask).


So, these posts of HIGHS are for:
* those who want the "short" version, instead of reading each day's diary page I've posted.
* those who are interested in the HIGH points of my trip so far
* those who just want a quick glimpse of what it is like being a volunteer missionary here in Oaxaca, Mexico

HIGHS of Days 4, 5, & 6:

* I was blessed to be invited to join a Ladies’ Bible Study in the book of Colossians. They were just getting ready to begin the book, so it was perfect timing!


* Learning a Spiritual lesson while sitting outside the hospital room of a missionary man who is terminally ill


* Discovering a FREE museum about stamps from around the world with Julie


* My Canon PowerShot D10 miraculously turned back on after it would only display an irreparable error message the day before!


* The accomplishment of finishing the immigration application process that I’ve been working on for several weeks (This includes: Rosa FINDING me, after I was “lost” in the huge immigration building / Julie being available and willing to bring my passport & tourist visa down to the immigration office / And meeting Debbie, a single missionary.)


* Debbie bought me a churro, my very FIRST authentic Mexican churro!


* Joining a weekly prayer meeting with SIL missionaries


* Bonding with the students of the third and fourth grade class a bit during two days of observation at OCS


* Hearing a bit about the backgrounds and ministries of both the missionary family who is giving me a ride home from school & the Kindergarten teacher


* Finally feeling like a teacher again, as I spent the evening finding online resources and preparing a visual presentation for the third/fourth grade class about the Iceland volcano

Day Four Diary Page ~ A Day of Unexpected Happenings

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Today was a day of unexpected happenings, including: enjoying a stamp museum, discovering my purpose while sitting outside of a hospital room, an impromptu meeting with the entire school board, & my beloved & treasured camera deciding to die.

I woke up at 7:45, without an alarm. Showered. For breakfast I had granola, milk, & fresh squeezed orange juice (THANKS 2 Julie!)

We decided not to go on the cathedral tour yet, as we had planned, because of the enormous amount of walking involved. (I was still having altitude sickness symptoms & not yet used to the heat.)

Instead, I did Facebook, Flickr, & Blog until 11:20 with my feet up, to try to reduce the swelling.

We took the bus to a free stamp museum. (Free is the best kind!) I didn’t know quite what to expect. I had collected stamps for a time when I was a young child, but didn’t know if it would be worth the bus trip & walking… It turned out to be really VERY fascinating, especially the room with the world map on the cement floor & then stamps from all over the world on the 4 walls!

I found stamps from every country I have been & took pictures each. That was cool. I also bought 3 really neat bookmarks, made from used stamps from Mexico. They are stamps from like 40 years ago! Really neat!

Then, we walked to a local hospital for Julie to visit her friend… Along the way, I saw some interesting things ~ including walking underneath a lime tree & some cars & trucks I've never seen before. 

It was during this part of the day that I was reminded, “it’s not about me!” I was sitting outside the room, perfectly occupied with going through my receipts in my purse, then writing in my journal, then looking at the pictures I’d taken on my camera, then eating a granola bar… Then, I found myself wondering what to do next. My selfish brain even wondered what was taking so long. Then, KLUNK! It was like I was hit in the head with the reminder that this is NOT about me! We were there to visit someone in the hospital!!!! Even if I couldn’t go in, I could still minister to him with prayer! So, I began praying, first to thank God for reminding me that my life is not my own, it was bought with a price, & then for comfort for this man that I didn’t know & for wisdom for Julie as she talked with him. It was a good reminder to check myself.


We took the bus back to the house, arriving at 2:30. Then, we quickly left again for 3:00 Bible study at the school, with Julie, Lorri, & Nancy (2 teachers there at OCS). They were just beginning the Bible study in the book of Colossians that week, so they had invited me to join them. On our way TO the school, a phone call with David (the school’s principal) ended by him announcing that he wanted me to meet the school board before the Bible study. Oh my goodness gracious! Meeting the school board while sweaty from hours of being outside & on public transportation?? So, when we arrived ~ I met the entire school board! They were very nice & welcoming (considering how I looked & considering that they were in the middle of a board meeting).


Bible study was really good ~ it was a detailed introduction with a good amount of discussion. I learned quite a bit too, that’s always good! It lasted until about 5. I took 3 pictures of the 2 teachers, Nancy & Lorri, with my little handheld camera. It was School Spirit Week at the school, and that day was Twin Day. They looked so adorable, so I offered 2 take a picture & said I’d email it to them.

I was SHOCKED & DISMAYED to discover that only minutes later, the camera wouldn’t work! It would beep & give me this error message about the lens. I couldn’t believe it! I had only been in the country for 4 days out of a 7 week trip & already my camera had broken??? The whole ride back to the house & the rest of the evening, I kept trying it. I even took the battery & camera card out of the camera…still the same error message. I looked at the manual & looked at the Canon website, searching for answers. It said that this message would come on if the lens had too much pressure applied to it. So, I guess I squeezed it in its case too hard? All I know is I was really sad about it.


The loss of my camera, plus the way I was feeling, equaled me falling into discouragement. With tears in my eyes, I typed this as my Facebook status that evening:


Jenn Noll is trying NOT to be discouraged... Please pray for my STILL swollen feet & ankles, the rumbly in my tummy, & my handheld camera that I apparently broke today after taking a picture of 2 teachers I'll be volunteering with. :( Also, please pray for my visa application as I go to immigration WED morning! On a positive note, I got to see the school where I’ll be, met some staff, & enjoyed a Bible study there today.