Yes, indeed it was a good visit, just what we needed to recharge our spirits and encourage us to press on in our Spanish study. However it was a visit full of adventure, excitement, and new memories for all of us. Liesl’s parents flew into El Paso, TX on August 3rd to spend a planned 7 days with us in Chihuahua. They were excited to experience all the fun of Chihuahua and also see what our life is like here as we build relationships with the Mexican people and learn Spanish. What all of us weren’t prepared for was a 4 hour stint in the desert heat along the highway between El Paso and Chihuahua, but this was indeed how our first day together transpired. Many of you have read our core prayer group emails so I will spare a lot of the details, but Pete and I drove up to El Paso three days earlier than my parents were arriving so we could get a new clutch put in our vehicle. That was finished late Tuesday, so we spent one night in the guest house facility for missionaries and then departed for Chihuahua on Wednesday morning.

Breakfast together in the guest house (oh American - well, actually, Greek - yogurt, how delicious thou art!)
Along the drive we visited with Mike and Alice, answering all their questions about what signs meant, or what certain plants were, etc. Plus we prepped them for what they would experience during their week in Chihuahua.
About an hour outside of Chihuahua our car died…driving along at about 75mph, it just quit. Fortunately we were on a small stretch of the highway that actually had a shoulder so we were able to pull a ways off the road. Now what to do! The car would not start, so we called a missionary friend who has a truck and car trailer, and he said he would be out as soon as possible, but it would be at least 2 hours. At that time it was the middle of the day, about noon, also the hottest time of the day, but we made the best of it. We snacked on cheese and tortilla sandwiches, and chocolate coffee beans my Mom had brought as a special treat, and played numerous games of hang man. Also, we took A LOT of pictures!!

The guys pushed the car back, and then all got behind it and ran and pushed it up onto the trailer...while I steered! I then had to climb out the window.
After arriving in Chihuahua, one of the missionaries who helped us loaned us his wife’s car for the week so we would be able to show our parents around the city. God was good and looking out for us. After a long day we helped Mike and Alice settle into the guest house here in Chihuahua and get some sleep for all of the things we had planned for them. I won’t share a day by day commentary, but we truly enjoyed our time together. We were able to show Mike and Alice downtown Chihuahua where they shopped and bought goodies for the grandkids and friends. We took a tour of the famous murals of the history of Chihuahua, visited several landmarks within the city, and some of our personal, favorite places. We all ate mucha comida mexicana, and the best two days of their visit were Sunday, when we were able to take them to our church here in Chihuahua and have a Mexican lunch with our host family, and Monday, when Pete and I took Mike and Alice through a typical daily routine of ours (minus the hours of personal Spanish study). This included a morning visit to our gym, a street side burrito stand, and even a short language session with one of our language helpers, Sergio. For the last evening of their visit, we were all treated to a homemade Mexican meal by another missionary couple who happened to be staying in the guest house as well. The meal included chile rellenos, white chicken enchiladas, roasted jalapenos, fresh pico de gallo, and guacamole! It was delicious, thank you again Janet and Tim! Below is a pictorial tour of the visit! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy this post. We will be posting again soon about the status of our vehicle and other new adventures!

Next a visit to one of our favorite panaderias...Pan Integral, which means all the bakery goodies are made with wheat flour. Yummy and healthy!

We went for a walk in one of my favorite places in the city, the Deportiva Central. Dad and I had to try out the ellipticals that are alongside the walking path.

After church we enjoyed a Mexican meal with our host family. In the photo, Pablo, Lili, Natalie, and Heber.

Los Padres had to take a photo of the Wisconsin-brand cheese (that's made in Chihuahua) in the grocery store