Trivial Tuesday

This in trivia but really not so trivial. The Director of Publications shared this with us last week:

*9.3 million - the number of Mexican immigrants living in the US (legal and illegal).

*6 million - the number of speakers of an indigenous language (sometimes called "heart language") living in Mexico.

*500,000 - the number of speakers of an indigenous language (from Mexico) living in the US.

The last number is the important one. One half million people in the US speak and hear (maybe read) a language which has had, is being worked on, or needs to have the New Testament translated into their language. It is not only people IN Mexico for which the New Testament needs to be put online, but also people IN the United States.

*295 - the number of indigenous languages in Mexico.

*115 - the number of indigenous languages in Mexico which have the NT translated into that language.

Have a nice day.

Bitter Sweet

It is difficult to leave the friends we have made here at the Mexican Branch of SIL but Thursday was our last day of work. Whenever someone leaves, the volunteer coordinator gives them a bag with a few things in it (names/addresses of everybody, certificate, small souvenir, etc.). Many people left the week before and we knew a lot of people were going to leave Thursday so we put our name on the list. We were right. At least 25 people received good-bye baggies. Now there are only a very few seasonal volunteers -- maybe 8 or 10 plus the volunteers who live here year around.

Below is a picture taken a few weeks ago of all (almost all) of the keyboarders. The older couple sitting in front on the right are the ones who gave over 30 years of their lives translating the New Testament into Mixe in the Coatlin community in Oaxaca State in southern Mexico. I am continually humbled as I meet people like these who have given so much -- and I am giving so little. Joyce doesn't have a good picture of the people she did stamps with, but we remember them in our hearts. Wonderful people. All of them.

Beside leading chapel (actually we are supposed to call it devotions) this last week... Oh, I have to tell what Joyce did. I did a short (4-5 minute) devotional each day at the beginning of the devotional period. On Thursday, Joyce did it (Remember Thursday is always the end of our work week). I based my devotions on keyboarding -- sort of made an object lesson out of it. So Joyce did the same thing with stamps. She made a stamp puppet and had the puppet tell what a stamp went through when it arrived at SIL. All of this based on how carefully they are treated -- and so were we. Everyone got a kick out of it.

Saturday was fun. We went to a yard sale at Cases Church -- they call it Unique Repeat, then ate lunch with Uncle Ken at The Fountains. That is an experience in itself. This is a retirement home but it is like eating in an upscale restaurant. White table cloth, linen napkins, a waiter takes your order (limited menu but you DO have choices) and then serves you. At the end, you get up and walk away. No bill, no tip, just leave! Quite a life, huh?

After lunch we stopped at a Botanical Garden to see if they had any cactus in bloom. Not many. But the butterflies were hatching. We were let into a special room where they were flying all over, landing on branches, leaves, and even people. It was fun. These were butterflies from other parts of the world and some were HUGE (6 inch wingspan).

After that we drove up to Mt. Lemmon. That is the highest point in these parts and is the local skiing option in the winter. The views from the road going up were simply awesome, looking out over the Tucson area or looking the other way if the road was on that side. We rode the ski lift to the top of Mt. Lemmon -- 9,157 feet (we started at about 2,800 feet in Tucson). Very little snow left but fabulous views.

So on Wednesday or Thursday we move on. Into New Mexico for a little tourist stuff, meet the kids, and slowly head home. Or quickly head home. However the spirit moves us. Take care. Love ya.

Trivial Tuesday

Here are some Arizona trivia...
*The only place where Arizona trout are found? Arizona!
*In Arizona, it is against the law for donkeys to sleep in bathtubs.
*The official state fossil? Petrified wood. Most of it is found in the Petrified Forest in NE Arizona.
*The official state neckwear? The bola tie.
*The largest freshwater striped bass caught in Arizona was at Bullhead City (in the Colorado River). It weighed 59 lbs. 12 oz.
*In Globe, Arizona you may not play cards in the street with a Native American.
*The famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral did NOT occur at the O.K. Corral. When the Earps and the Clantons shot it out in Tombstone, Arizona in 1881, their famous battle took place in a vacant lot between Fly’s Photograph Gallery and the Harwood house on Tombstone’s Fremont Street. The O.K. Corral was located nearby, however, and somehow its name became attached to the famous shootout.
*The movie, "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" was shot in Tucson, not Tombstone.

Blessings. Have fun.

Friends Are Friends Forever

These four photos go back to last week's blog. Above is the set from the High Chaparral TV show of many years ago. The building in the background is a complete building but guess what the facade is made of? Plastic! Can you believe that? Plastic. Well, what can you expect when the whole thing is fake -- just made up stories. Guess the buildings can be made of anything that is easy.

This is one of the chapels on the grounds of St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery. As I said, very beautiful grounds and elaborate buildings. Nice to walk through. That is Joyce in the picture.

This looks kind of funny but it is the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. This is the largest of the ruins, hence the name "Grande." A wooden roof was put over it many, many years ago to prevent it from deteriorating in the rain. Eventually it was replaced with this metal one. The building is made of adobe so it will eventually "melt" if it isn't protected.

These outlaws were captured on their way to Western Night at the Center. The plan was to get rich from the takin's at the shindig but they didn't have any guns and a camera person caught up with them before they could do any harm. They're back to keyboarding and stamping now.

Which brings us to this past week. Monday, Dennis and Sandy came to visit. We took the afternoon off to go to lunch, give them the grand tour and visit for awhile. Dennis and I grew up together. I was in 2nd grade and he was in 3rd grade when he and his parents moved to a house almost next door (an alley separated the back corners of our two lots). He didn't have any brothers or sisters and mine were married and out on their own so Dennis and I were like brothers. His parents were a second mom and dad to me. I am very grateful for the things I learned from Arnold and Eileen. His house was like my house and my house was like his house. We played together, attended church together, went to school together, and later we worked together. Sometimes his folks took me along on short trips. Dennis and I even fought like brothers. Not very often and not for very long, but occasionally. He and his wife, Sandy, are vacationing in Tucson (but about 40 miles from us).

Sunday we went their direction. The RV Park where they are staying has a big church service so we joined them at the Voyager Chapel. After, it was off to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch, then back to the Park for a couple games of bocce ball and soaking in the hot tub. In the evening we watched "Extreme Makeover: Home Addition." Did you watch? This featured Lizzy Bell and the makeover of the Bell house here in Tucson. Very moving.

All the keyboarders and some spouses went to lunch Tuesday at the Sunny Side Up Cafe to celebrate the completion of entering the Mixe translation onto computer. Friday Joyce and I painted Jim's house. That sounds ambitious, doesn't it. Actually we painted the fascia and a little bit more that needed touching up.

This week I am the moderator at the morning chapel. Basically that means I pick a hymn, give a really short (3-4 minute devotional), introduce the speaker, and lead in prayer. Trust you will have a good week. The cactus are in bloom. Joyce took this picture just up the road from the RV.

Trivial Tuesday

Two trivias for the price of one. What a deal!
#1, Don't forget to tune into Extreme Makeover Home Addition Sunday evening on ABC. That's the one done here in Tucson that we visited.

#2, Last Wednesday we went to a get together at the Center. They used the theme of a Western Night -- really, really good hamburgers, chips, etc. And everyone wore "western" clothing... or some approximation. We found some hats at a second hand store. Maybe a picture later. But here is the trivia. We sang some songs and I want to sing one for you. You can't hear me so you'll have to sing along... real loud now. Get the tune to "Home on the Range" in your mind. You remember: "Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam and the dear and the antelope play..." Got it? Okay. All together now. Here are the new words:

Verse 1:
Oh, the volunteers come from their faraway homes,
To SIL where they work and they play
Where friends become dear & they fill us with cheer
And we all come back year after year.

Refrain:
Blue, blue jeans tonight
Where chaps and boots are worn
We never may be the same -- you see
We are here as westerners tonight.

Verse 2:
When it's 40 below and the icy winds blow
How I love to sit home on my range
Where the cactus do grow & the sun is so warm
Right here in our Cat-a-lin-a!

Verse 3:
Oh give me a spot for the RV I've got
Where the road runners and javelina play
Where the volunteers come for the work to be done
And the prayers and the blessings do flow.

Refrain:
Home, home at the Mexican Branch
Where the dogs dark and coy-o-tes howl
Where cactus is seen but must not be touched
Lest you suffer with pain all night long.

Verse 4:
Oh give me a home where the coy-o-tes roam
Where the quail and rabbits run wild
Where the pack rats are free & javelina we see
And bobcats & road runners scare me.

(Sing the refrain again)

A Normal Week

Maybe this was more of a normal week -- whatever normal is. We didn't do any BIGGY things, just things that were fun. One day we went with the people Joyce works with -- the stamp bunch -- to have lunch at a Chinese restaurant. For another lunch we went to Bubb's Grub with Clyde and Shirley. Bubb's Grub is a nearby restaurant that specializes in Texas barbecue. Real good.

Friday we drove to Florence and toured St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Church. They have beautiful, peaceful grounds, about 6 churches or chapels (all dedicated to some saint), and a very strict dress code -- women must wear long skirts and have their arms and heads covered. Men must wear long pants and have their arms covered. It is all great but I wonder about the money spent on all this -- it has to be hundreds of thousands, maybe millions. Why? I don't know why and it seems to be a such a misuse of resources. I'm not really sure God is impressed.

We also went to Casa Grande National Monument. From about 800 to 1350 a.d. the Hohokam Indians populated this area. They built a thriving economy based on agriculture and hunting. Suddenly it disappeared. No one knows why. Their presence is marked by the remains of buildings and play areas. The largest of these is a portion of a four story structure, Casa Grande -- Big House. It's interesting to see how they lived long ago.

Today we worshipped at a nearby United Methodist Church. It was a very liturgical service (following a written form), but good. Personally, I would appreciate more spontaneity, yet the structure is good. They have a great choir. After church we decided to go to Old Tucson Studios. This was built as a movie set in 1939. It has seen various renovations and additions. Lots and lots of movies and television shows have been filmed there including the Bonanza series and some of the Little House on the Prairie shows. Actually "Gunfight at OK Corral" was shot there (not in Tombstone where it actually took place). They have shows and gunfights throughout the day to add to the interest.

I guess that is what a normal week looks like in our world. I think. Check back next week. Love ya.

Trivial Tuesday

In Sunday's blog I forgot to mention Arizona is still on Mountain Standard Time. That means we are on the same time as the west coast. And for the east coast... I don't know. You'll have to figure it out. Here is a little trivia on the subject.

Ben Franklin is credited with originally conceiving the idea in 1784. It was so intriguing that he kept up correspondence about it for many years hence. But no one acted on it. William Willet pushed the concept in London in 1907. While he was out for his morning ride, he noticed people had their shades pulled to keep out the morning sun while they slept. His idea was to change the clocks 20 minutes each of the four Sundays in April (and then back the same way in September). Fortunately no one bought into that!


Germany and Austria adopted Daylight Saving Time, or Summer Time as it was sometimes called, in 1916. Other countries soon followed, including the United States. In 1918 the Standard Time Act and the four times zones were adopted in the US. However the idea of DST was not popular and that part of the Act was repealed the next year.


So over the years various localities passed their own versions of time savings. In the 1950s and 60s it was very confusing to travel across the US. For instance in Iowa there were 23 different pairs of start/stop times. Things were so confusing that businesses had to keep printing new time schedules. It cost the railroads $12 million (in today's $$) to print the various timetables. In 1966 some order was made of all this when Congress passed the Uniform Time Act. States who didn't want to have DST could opt out and some did (like Arizona). And of course, this became good campaign material. A 1996 Indiana gubernatorial candidate with the appropriate name of Rex Early mixed the concept with typical politicize by declaring, "Some of my friends are for putting all of Indiana on Daylight Savings Time, some are against it. And I always try to support my friends."


I understand. That's more than you ever wanted to know and I try to support my friends. But you need to know this: in 2005 Congress passed the Energy Policy Act which set Daylight Savings Time to begin on the 2nd Sunday in March and end on the 1st Sunday in November. So remember, fall back on November 1, 2009.


And we'll try to figure out what time it really is wherever we are.

All Work and No Play...

...Make Gene and Joyce Dull People. Or something like that. I think we did more playing than working this past week. Yeah, I keyboarded a little and Joyce stamped a little. You've heard all that before. I even took this picture of a bobcat sitting in the shade just outside our keyboarding building. He was about 20 feet away. But here is the fun stuff...

Tuesday we were invited to dinner at the house where Gene and Linda were staying. She is one of the keyboarders and we've made friends with them. They are from Boise. Anyway, they had also invited some translators over. We had a fun evening listening to them tell about their work among the Seri people. The Seris live along the coast in the northern part of Mexico -- across from Baja. Linda had been editing a book Steve is writing about the Seri language (very, very technical). Gene and Linda left today to go home so I am taking over the editing. It is fun. Really it is. I don't understand all he is saying; I am just looking for errors in punctuation, spelling, use of words, etc.

Wednesday there was a luncheon for the men sponsored by the keyboarders. I let the ladies do the planning and I just helped set up tables and chairs. But the ladies decided to do a skit about how we check words to be sure we have typed the correct letters. So that meant a practice on Tuesday, then Wednesday morning was another practice and setting up for the lunch, then cleaning up after the lunch... so you can see we didn't do much work.

Wednesday afternoon the two Joyce's took off for lunch, shopping, and running around Tucson. But Thursday was a "high tea" for the ladies sponsored by one of the other volunteer groups. Of course Joyce went to that.

Friday it was out to dinner again. A few weeks ago there was an auction at the Center. Shirley (remember Shirley from the Home Makeover and Superbowl Sunday?) She is one of the keyboarders. Anyway, she bought a dinner for four at the home of one of the other keyboarders (actually two couples went together to do the dinner). Shirley and Clyde invited Joyce and I to join them for the very delicious steak dinner. We were honored they invited us to be their guests. It was a great evening. We ate on the patio with a beautiful view of the Catalina mountains.

Saturday morning it was breakfast with a gang from Eugene high school days and the Eugene FM Church. Dennis and Sandy, Ken and Sally, Ken and Sue, and Vern and Pam. It was good to get reacquainted. Only thing, the time was too short. In the evening we attended a Pregnancy Care Center meeting just to see what they are doing down in this part of the world. Same needs here as at home.

Today we went to church at Casas. It was Missions Street Fair day. Jim and Joyce had a booth about Wycliffe and we helped them. Let me tell you, this Street Fair was awesome -- a lot better than anything I have seen in any other settings. It was well laid out and the booths were interesting and varied. Attending church as Cases is not simply "going to church," it is an event.

So we've had fun. Better get back to work this week. Our time here is running out. Lots to do; lots to see. Take care.

Trivial Tuesday

My friend Sue has a "Macro Monday" page and my friend Carole used to have a "Wordless Wednesday" page so I decided I had to get in on this, so here goes "Trivial Tuesday." The items I share will be "kinda" trivial -- mostly of questionable value. More or less. Some religious, some not. Enjoy.

Special Bulletin:

Latest news reports are that five terrorist cell groups have been operating in many of our churches. They have been identified as: Bin Sleepin, Bin Arguin, Bin Fightin, Bin Complainin, and Bin Missin. Their leader, Osama Bin Lucifer, trained these groups to destroy the Body of Christ. The plan is to come into the church disguised as Christians and to work within the church to discourage, disrupt, and destroy.

However, there have also been reports of a sixth group. A tiny cell known by the name of Bin Prayin and is actually the only effective counter-terrorism force in the church. Bin Prayin does whatever is needed to uplift and encourage the Body of Christ. We have noticed that the Bin Prayin cell group has different characteristics than the others. They have Bin Watchin, Bin Waitin, Bin Fastin, and Bin Longin for their Master, Jesus Christ, to return.

Consider joining the Bin Prayin cell group!
(copied)