Mazaltepec

Service again today. However, today was much more interesting than the others. Seeing that the congregation has the whole state as their terriotory we went out to one of the border towns of Oaxaca city. An hour on the autobus took us to Etla. A speck of a town. Two main roads. One going in and the other going out. We went looking for another sisters return visit, a man, who is interested in studying. It took us awhile to find him as we were on the wrong road, the one coming in. He was on the one going out. His English really wasn´t that good but Brandon introduced the Require brochure to him and started a brief study. Afterwards, Brandon returned to Oaxaca to prepare a meal of red sauce and pasta for the family tonight.

Meanwhile, I conintued on with another sister to Mazaltepec where she had a study. Mazaltepec. I believe it must be mandatory to be 4 feet high and own two donkeys! Because that´s all there were. Dark skinned, native Indian looking Mexicans. We found one young boy along the way who proclaimed he spoke English. ¨Do you speak English?¨ ¨Jase¨ ¨Oh great, how is your English?¨ ¨Jase¨ ¨Aha. Would you like to study the Bible in English?¨ ¨Jase¨ ¨So how did you learn English?¨ ¨Jase¨ Then he pulled out on his movies in English. He put in Superman. I suppose since we spoke English that was an indication we were interested in staying awhile and watching a movie with the boy. Then he said, ¨Music. Jase¨ Next thing I know I´m listening to Total Eclipse of the Heart! Seeing, that we weren´t getting very far we left him with the brochure and we carried on our way...only after he insisted we take two lolipops with us.

You would think Mazaltepec was the most fertile town there is. Not by sight, but by smell. I have never known an entire town to smell of manure. Every corner greeted you with a smiliar yet fetid smell. Perhaps this has to do with the mandatory donkey regulation! Turkeys wandering the streets, oxen walking in pairs with their yoke, cilantro filled saddles riding atop ponies, and the gust of exhaust as the only city bus sails within inches of you!

We stoped near a small cluster of trees for some shade. A young girl of about 8 pulled a bamboo stick out of her fence and began fetching something in the tree above us. Cleverly the girl was using a bamboo stick that had two pong like ends. He reached it up to branch, gave the stick a turn and produced a fruit neatly hanging on the end and handed it to us. She repeated the process and this time we got a fruit I have never seen, mispero. It hangs in groups of threes, small fig size, orangish yellow color and a sweet flavor. Not that I tried it mind you! I also walked off with a twig attached to a green guayaba. I´m bringing them home for B to try. He´s much braver than I.

So, now I´m just arriving home from a nearly two hour bus ride from service. And am off to help my hubby get ready for tonight!