We recently received an email from a freshman homeschooler who is interviewing missionaries. We get these types of emails probably two or three times a year, and we are always happy to respond. Here are the questions she asked us and the answers we gave. Hopefully, they’ll help you understand more about us and the ministry here in Mexico, too.
- What do you like about serving in Mexico? Mostly, the interaction we have with students at the seminary is what we like the most about working here. It’s also cool when we get to see other parts of the country and get to know people from all over Mexico.
- How long did it take to get into Mexico (passports, visas)? We already had our passports from a trip we took to Costa Rica with our youth group from Florida, but I think it takes a few months to get them usually. Our visas took a little while longer to get. I think it was a few more months, after we got all of the papers we needed to get. Renewing them every year usually takes us about a month and a half.
- About how long did it take you to learn Spanish? We’re still learning Spanish! We studied in a language school for 5 months, where we took class from 9 am until 2 pm and also lived with a Mexican family. This helped us learn a lot of Spanish, but we are always learning more and more everyday.
- What is one of the hardest things you have had to deal with? Living in Mexico City, one of the hardest things to deal with is how long it takes to get things done. Mexican people are not as time-oriented as people from the United States, and the size of the population causes a lot of waiting (in traffic, etc). For us, that’s one of the most difficult things to deal with.
- What is one or two unusual things about their culture? I don’t know if these things are “unusual,” but I’ll put them here anyway. The big meal in Mexican culture is around 2 pm in the afternoon. This is when they eat what we would say is dinner. Then they eat something lighter around 8 or 9 pm.
- If you had the choice to go back to the day you chose Mexico would you choose a different country?
- How long does it take to adjust to a different culture? I am not sure if you ever adjust to a different culture. It is more like you constantly adjust. Someone once told me that you adjust or go home. We are constantly reminding ourselves that because it is different does not make it wrong. It is very difficult to live in another culture where you have to think about a lot of things that you wouldn’t really have to think about normally.
- What are the greatest challenges you face? One of the greatest challenges we face here is being away from our family. Since Nathan (our 1 and a half year old boy) is growing like crazy, it is challenging for us to know that he doesn’t get to see his family as often as we would like him to get to see them.
- What is the most rewarding thing that has happened while in Mexico? One of the most rewarding things that has happened while we have been here has been when my students understand something that I am teaching them for the first time. When I get to see them put it into practice in their church what they are learning in the classroom is one of the most rewarding times.
- What are your prayer requests? Our prayer requests would be for safety and patience here as we work. Also pray that God will help us as we continue training youth workers.
