Thursday, February 16, 2012

look out the window!

So here I am at Sed...sitting at one of my favorite places in the whole shop...looking out the front window.
I loveeeeeee people watching so much!
I look forward to flying places because airports are the #1 spot in the whole wide world to people watch.
It's true...and if you've never done it - you're totally missing out.
I actually have a little black notebook I keep with me when I'm traveling and, in it, I write down all of my thoughts while people watching.
It's super entertaining to go back and read. 
If we're ever together while traveling - you should probably have a look at it.

There are two little boys looking at my book display right in front of me.
It's always funny to watch people on the street read book titles from the window 'cause they have to squint their eyes and cock their heads to read the binding right.

Magdalena has the most interesting people.
Interesting as in...yeah...interesting.
About 60% of the cars that pass by are barely functional...
the other 40% of vehicles are nice. Some are like...super nice.

It's interesting because (in many cases), in Mexico, you are wealthy if you were born into a wealthy family who have been wealthy forever.
Same goes for the more impoverished family.
You're poor 'cause your family has always been poor and many lack the initiative to be forward thinkers.
{as you can imagine, this is crazy frustrating for someone like me}

'Kay so, at my shop, there is like...no parking.
Like...at all.
Which can be annoying 'cause we're between all of the government offices, two banks, a shoe store, a bike shop & a computer appliance store.
There's never any parking on our street. 

...

well....right now there is 'cause it's a lazy, cloudy thursday afternoon.
you heard right...cloudy!
cloudy? cloudy. that's weird for magdalena.
and on days like today...everything slows down even more.
It's been a good day for Sed so far. 

Ok...back to people watching.
The shoestore lady just got back from lunch. 
She's really funny.
She's got super curly hair (like Tess!) that she dyes black. 
She walks really fast & it's always comical when short people walk fast 
'cause their little feet are always shuffling. 

Recently, one of the major political parties set up shop in the building on the corner. 
Most of the people are nice...but I'm a lil' miffed 'cause I really wanted that empty building for my children's museum. Now it seems less possible 'cause the hot shots moved in.
Maybe they'll lose the election & move out!!! 
keep dreaming, katie...they always win.
awh. man!

green SUV. grey truck. blue car. police truck. white car carrying water jugs. police van. middle aged man. nicer police truck. red car. middle aged man. red car. ...... red car. red truck. {popular color!} red truck. blue car. red jeep. idon'tknowwhattocallthatcolor SUV. boy with sucker. mom with two boys. mom in blue car dropping off two little girls. they came to pick up a purse they left behind the other day. they said "thank you"...that's nice. nice girls. 



Tuesday, February 7, 2012

La Santa Biblia & José

BEWARE: It's highly likely that this jumbling of thoughts isn't very coherent. Sorry.

Sometimes, I just have to strangest encounters with very interesting people.
Sometimes, I share stories with you all.
Right now is one of those "sometimes."

All right, I need you to settle down now...
Guess what?
"WHAT?!"
I got a story to tell..it's about a little girl...are you ready?
"YES!"
"Once upon a time, in a distant land...far beyond the sea..."

Even though I know you're all dying to read the rest of the lyrics to "Penelope Judd", that's not the story I'm going to share with ya'll.

My story has to do with a guy named José.
I was going to type his whole name out ('cause it sounds cool), but I'm scared that he'll google himself, see that I wrote a blog post about him, come to my shop & shoot me or something.
So we'll just call him "José". Common enough. He'll never know.
I don't really know José...I met him about 30 minutes ago, 
had about 2 minutes worth of interaction with him and that's it.
But those 2 minutes were hilarious, worrying & thought provoking. 

[finally] The Story:

Like most quiet afternoons...
I was on Pintrest  working like a machine, making cappuccinos and pleasant conversation, when the door opened and a young (early to mid 20's) man got in line.

At first glanced, he seems like a normal guy. Maybe a little nervous, but nothing else out of the ordinary.
But as soon as he decided to talk, it became very obvious that something was wrong.
He talked slooooooooooow....thenreallyfast...then paused, lifted his chin & closed his eyes before continuing with everything he wanted to say. 

It went something like this...
(When Melissa is talking it'll look like this, I'm like this, and, if you were to type out the way he spoke...
it was pretty much all hash tagged...so that's how I'm going to type his side of the conversation. Enjoy.)

"#ExcuseMeAreYouBusy?"
"No...How can I help you?"
"#Well.....See......#IWantedToChangeOutThisBible"

Everyone is watching this man, who's obviously high or drunk or something...Meli looks to me for help and I step in..

"What's wrong with the Bible?"
#ItsRipped

The guy shows me the bible...it was one that we give away here at the Café,
 and it was...badly damaged...

"Well...how did that happen?"
#IRippedIt #CanYouGiveMeADifferentOne?

Obviously, Since there are only three characters to this story and two of us are girls, this guy is José.
He was a decent looking guy...bad haircut but, besides that, there was nothing wrong with the way he looked. However, in the state he was in, He looked ridiculous. 
He'd open his mouth really big, almost like a yawn & shut his eyes before he'd talk.
He seemed über nervous and was sweating profusely. Poor guy.

"Are you drunk?"
#No #IWantADifferentBible #IHaveAProblemWithDrugs #ImAlmostDoneWithDrugs #IveAlmostQuit
"Are you going to rip this other Bible?"
#NoNoNoNo #ImAlmostDoneWithDrugs #ImAlmostDone #IveAlmostQuit #GodIsHelpingMe
#ILikeMarijuana  #IveAlmostQuit #ImAlmostDone

At first, the way he talked was almost comical. I actually had to hold back my smile. Now it was just pitiful. I asked God to heal this man and handed him the new bible...

"Don't rip it."

He just stood there for about 20 seconds. Looking around. Closing his eyes. Opening his eyes.
Finally, He extended his hand to shake mine. 
I looked at him straight in the eyes and shook his sweaty hand.
He left and I breathed a sigh of relief. I went to wash my hands and started laughing...a little hysterically..a girl that was doing homework with her friends came up and looked at me and said "I thought he was going to pull a gun out of that bag of his!"
I laughed & told her that it's a good thing it was a Bible..
but it only took me about 5 minutes of reflection to realize that it COULD have been a gun. Now, I don't want you to freak out and be like 
"MEXICO IS SOO DANGEROUS!"
The truth is, is that it could have been a gun in Peoria too. Or Phoenix. Or Catalonia (I don't even know where that is, but apparently someone from there reads my blog!)
...but it could have been a gun. It could have been anything.
But it WAS a Bible. And everyone is safe, and could laugh about the encounter.
The End.


Pretty much the moral of that story is that...Magdalena is a town, like a lot of the world, that has a lot of lost people. It's a dark town because it's in a dark world ruled by a dark lord.
But in the midst of the darkness, Christ's light is able to shine...and shine brightly!!!!

I know this man's name is José because it is written in the destroyed Bible he brought back. 
I don't know why he ripped the Bible, but I know that Satan likes having him where he is and doesn't want him to read, know & be saved by the ever gracious blood of Christ. 
But Christ is stronger then the devil!

I think José knows that there's something different about Jesus. 
Apparently, he cares enough to come make a fool out of himself in public..just for getting a new Bible.
Jesus knows José. He loves him & my prayer is that He brings José (and people like him) on his knees before the cross & cleanses him with His blood.

Please pray with me for all the lost people of this world.

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."
-Titus 2:11-13