Bumpity-Bump

After the ups and downs, and loops of the rollercoaster ride we experienced in regards to our new baby (read more about that here), this past month has been much smoother riding. But that is not to say there has been no bumps along the way.

The biggest bump we experienced was Elizabeth’s stay in the hospital. She caught a cold which quickly went to her chest and caused pneumonia-induced asthma. This was the worst she’s ever had it, and it was scary to see her struggling to say more than a couple words at a time, and then vomiting in the van on the way to the hospital. However, thanks be to God, He provided good care for her at the hospital and after three nights, she was better again. We were also reminded of the many people in this city already who care about us and quickly offered to help in any way they could.

We had expected the remaining part of our visa application to be a sizeable bump, yet, thankfully, that has not been the case. Scott and the kids had their visas approved and processed and all that remains is for the actual visa card to come in the mail. As mentioned before, Annemarie still needs to apply. Before that happens, we likely will have to make a trip down to México City to get a document from the Canadian Embassy. Visas will enable us to get a bank account here, which will make accessing our money simpler. It also means we can stay in the country and eventually apply for a permanent resident visa. This will make living and staying in Mexico easier, or less bumpy if you will.

One of the bumps in our road has been the baby bump. It is a bump we love dearly, but it does make things a little uncomfortable for Annemarie. We continue to be thankful for the excellent health of the little one and pray for good health and stamina for mamá.

Continuing the theme of bumps, we bounced over countless speedbumps (topes in Spanish) on the three-hour trek to Tolantongo last week. Besides being fun to pronounce, Tolantongo is an incredible little piece of God’s creation. Warm, volcano-heated water pushes its way through the mountains creating a sizable cave at the bottom. From the cave, and multiple waterfalls, flows a brilliant blue river with the perfect temperature for swimming. I could write a thousand more descriptive words or you can just find a picture of the place and save me the hassle.

The occasion for our Tolantongo trip was a visit from Scott’s sister, Shanese. Not only was she the excuse to go, but she was an extra pair of hands and eyes to keep tabs on the kids (this included having to deal with a car-sick little boy). Thank-you Shanese!

Having a visitor to show around has made us appreciate the progress we have made here. While we still have much to learn, we feel somewhat competent as tour guides and we can drive you around our new city without getting completely. At the very least, we’ve learned to keep a keen eye out for camouflaged topes.

Many of the bumps we have experienced in our time here are nothing out of the ordinary. We know many of you reading this are getting jolted and turned upside-down by much bigger bumps than we have had. The challenging part for us is the bumps are in unfamiliar terrain: a different culture and language. That can make a molehill into a mountain.

We know there will be many bumps on the road ahead. Some of them will be like the topes in México and will appear out of nowhere, while others will be clearly marked. Whatever the road conditions, we continue to hold on tight to Jesus. He will not let us be shaken. He will get us to our destination. And when we get there, I’m pretty sure there will be a lazy, blue river of warm water to relax in.