Still so much to learn!

This week has been full of up and downs! Monday and Tuesday I was having a very difficult time being content here in Mexico; missing home a bit and trying not to get stuck in a rut with doing the same thing for 6 weeks straight. Plus I was feeling pretty drained emotionally and physically. Wednesday everything started to change, I realized that I still have time remaining for a reason and that I still have a lot to learn about myself, loving people and Mexican culture.
I met a very old woman named Pratisp on Wednesday. She is a widower and shared the story of her life with me and my friend Kenny. I believe this old woman desperately needed to talk with someone; to see how lonely she feels was heartbreaking. Her youngest son left home when he was 14 years old and she hasn´t had contact with him since...he´s now 41. She recently learned from a family friend that he is still alive, but this too brings her grief - she doesn´t know why he refuses to contact his mother. This old woman was crumpled and crying in mine and Kenny´s arms and it broke my heart to see how much she craves friendship and love. I realized that there are old women and men all over the world just like her - feeling alone and unloved. Kenny and I prayed with her for her son and their relationship, and I understood for the first time how blessed I am to have family members and friends that truly show their concern and love. I want to adopt this old woman as a grandmother, and write her letters when I concern home. And I want to be more aware of the older people I am surrounded by when I return home - how many of them are feeling unloved and abandoned?
1 Timothy 5:3-4 "Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God."

This week I also talked with my friend Roberta, and she told me the 2 hour story of how she stopped her lifestyle of pagan idol worship and converted to Christianity. It gave me so much hope for the people here that still worship and sacrifice to idols. And hope in my Spanish ability! I´m not fluent but I´m learning a great bit! My Grandma and Mother shared a bit of history about the Catholic church here in Mexico that has made it much easier to understand peoples ways. I never realized persecution was such a reality here even into the 20th century.
I have many amazing experiences from this last week, but very limited time to write - so a longer blog update will have to wait until later. Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and love, I miss you all dearly!

In faith,
Danielle