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Dec. 17-22 I got to visit Croc. Much more happened in those five days than I can convey in a post, but I’ll give you a couple of highlights (strangely I didn’t take very many pics with the people I was around the most) and then explain a some pics from the week.

I got to see a lot of Peluchi. We threw a birthday party for his mom and I also got to go on several house visits with him. At the house visits I got to meet Alfredo and Maria-Guadalupe’s new daughter (whom Peluchi and I were praying for a lot during a hard pregnancy) and I also got to catch up with several of the other families we have grown so close to.

Within an hour of arriving in Croc I was making banana bread again with Jovani, who was super excited to have me back for a bit. Later in the week we also got to make cookies together and one night I got to sit down and have a deep conversation with his mom. Be in prayer for both of them, this has been a hard year on Jovani and the mom is trying to figure out how to handle things.

Apart from Peluchi I probably saw Victor’s family the most. This family and I really made a strong connection my very first summer in Croc (2006) and they’ve always had a special place in my heart. When I left in May a lot of great things were happening in their family: the Dad had become much more involved and the four boys were getting close to him, financially things were going really well too. But I found out this past week that things have been tough since I left. The Dad has been struggling to find work and he left the family for about a month; he’s back again, but a lot of the old resentment between him and the two oldest sons is back. I visited with them on four of the five days I was there and got to have some really meaningful talk with all of them. I really care about each of them (including the Dad, we are friends) and it was hard to only be there for five days. Please pray for them (The parents are Victor and Paz, and the boys from oldest to youngest are Victor, Jose, Carlos, and Eric).

Peluchi and I went out and bought a slaughtered pig and rented the cajon (smokebox) for his mom’s birthday party:

The birthday girl!

Around 1am only the younger guys were left at the party and as regaton (Mexican hip-hop more or less) started playing. Peluchi’s mom (who is as fun-loving as her five sons) started dancing in the middle of everyone! She had a good time, we all did.

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Fernando and Danni and I got to make banana bread one afternoon.

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I got to stop by and see Donna Quika a couple of times (she lives across the street from the house I rented)

One of the many posadas (Christmas parties) I got a chance to go to

Peluchi and I got a chance to have a long conversation with Roberto–who was one of my neighbors who came to me wanted to turn his life around (he was addicted to drugs). He ended up getting connected with the rehab center we got to build with my last couple of springs. When I left in May he was drug-free and passionate about Jesus and when we talked to him last week he was still doing great! It was awesome to hear his excitement about all the things God is doing in his life and how he is sharing it with his family.

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