Expect the Unexpected

New Braves Hats!

Yes, that is the theme of our lives right now.  If we've learned nothing else since moving to Mexico it is to expect the unexpected and today was especially unexpected!  Like most Sunday mornings we woke up extra early to get ready for church.  Normally, we ride to church with a family that lives nearby.  They work with the youth and have to be there by 8:00 a.m.  So, as usual, we were ready by 7:30 (more or less) to get out the door.  For some reason, our family did not come this morning.  We decided that we would try to save some money and take a bus to church instead of a taxi.  However, we've never taken a bus and were not sure exactly which bus to take.  Kris asked the guard at our neighborhood gate and he told us his best guess.  All dressed and ready for church, we walked about half a mile to the main road to catch a bus.  Just to be safe, Kris even asked the bus driver if the bus was going to this particular part of town (near our church) and he said yes.

About 20 minutes into the trip (it normally takes about 20 minutes by car to get to church), Kris and I both realized that we were not anywhere near the church.  We noticed that we were actually heading out of town to another community about 30 minutes outside of Puebla.  The driver asked Kris again where we were heading and at this point he told us that the bus was actually NOT going anywhere near our church.  We're not sure where the breakdown in the communication happened, but, nonetheless, we were not going in the right direction.  So, we decided to change our plans and stay on the bus.  We ended up getting off near a big outdoor Sunday market, buying some fresh fruits and veggies and hot tortillas, and then watching a parade complete with marching bands and giant paper mache puppet-like characters (and of course my camera battery was dead).  Kris and Kieran found Atlanta Braves baseball hats and Elyse got a pink Nike hat for about $7 total.  On our way home, we stopped at an Italian community (yep, right here in Mexico) known for their cheese making and ate a delicious thin crust pizza for lunch. 

This was the parade we happened upon!

We saw some amazing views of our local volcano and some real cowboys riding horses down the road!  At one point, Elyse said, "Hey, weren't we suppose to be going to church?"  Yes, we were, but we praise God for the extra family time and chance to experience His amazing creation up close and personal.  This evening, we sat down as a family and watched the service at First Baptist Dallas on our computer (Elyse was very excited to see her Sunday School teacher in the choir).  Maybe this "unexpected" day was God's way of preparing us for different ways of worshiping Him.  We will not always have the option of attending a "formal" church service once we get to the village and need to get use to going with the flow. 

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." ~Proverbs 16:3

P.S.  Did I mention we managed to lose two wheels off Elyse's stroller?!?   I think we may need to upgrade to the all-terrain version!