Retro: A Wedding!
Actually, we were at more than one wedding in November 2025, but the one we’re featuring today is the wedding between our friends Fabian and Tiffany! Has it really been 10 years? Happy Anniversary!
Tiffany
Tiffany: Three Years of Thanks
This past Wednesday, we had a going-away-party (despedida) for our friend Tiffany. Tiffany just completed her term in Mexico – a one year commitment that turned into three and a half.
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Tiffany first visited (coming to us from Arkansas) four years ago, an exploratory trip before coming mid-term. She was a part of the very first baking class, something that would become an important part of her ministry here.
She came the following year, and joined the summer interns (you can see lots of Tiffany in this video). She did some language school in Cuernavaca, and in the fall dove into classes at the community centre – shaking up Jesús MarÃa with a line dancing class!
She started helping with the youth, continued her work at the community centre, including those continuing baking classes, English classes, country dance, and eventually even classes for kids, and served the families of Jesús MarÃa in countless other ways. She helped with a “vision weekend” that brought together Mexicans, Americans and Canadians as we imagined what God could do in Ixtapaluca.
Somehow in the midst of all this, she served us by babysitting and even hanging out with us once in a while!
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Who can forget the startling events at her birthday party in 2011?
Tiffany shared the Gospel, served without words in the background, and energized others. Not only did she encourage us and others around her, she encouraged others from outside of Mexico to come and join in the harvest.
We didn’t always support Tiffany as we should have, and we probably didn’t tell her we appreciate her as much as we should have. During those three years, Tiffany has gone through challenges and trials that no one else can understand.
But Rod put it well at the party on Wednesday. Tiffany was faithful – when she said she would do something, she followed through.
And as rare as that is, there’s more. She did it in spite of the many challenges – expected and unexpected – that she faced. She did it with energy and a smile. And she still went above and beyond and did more than anyone expected.
So thank you, Tiffany.
Tiffany will be back. But everything is changing so fast, we know that things will be different. So it’s a good time to look back and say thank you.
Tiffany, we send you the prayer from Ephesians 3:14-21 as God continues to guide you and do amazing things.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
that according to the riches of his glory
he may grant you to be strengthened with power
through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—
that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the saints
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.Now to him who is able to do
far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,
according to the power at work within us,
to him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations,
forever and ever.
Amen.
Tiffany’s Going-Away Party (October 2013)
Why Baking Classes? (Amigas del Alma)
Yesterday Shari had another baking class, and it was a great success! So – how did all this get started?
Back in 2009, Shari, Mayra and Aurora started doing baking classes in Jesús MarÃa. I should mention Tiffany too, who was there for the first class even though she wasn’t living here at the time.
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Around the same time they also did a baking class in Santa Barbara.
This was the beginning of many more baking classes in both communities. So – what are they all about?
The ministry, known as Amigas del Alma, was described by Rod this way back when it started:
The phrase “Amigas del Alma” has two meanings in Spanish. The common meeting [sic] is “soul friends” or “best friends.” The second meaning is “friends of the soul.” Obviously the purpose of this dynamic trio is to reach women through different creative events, principally…are you ready for this…baking and cooking. So far, Shari has helped the women make banana muffins, and Tiffany assisted in making Christmas cookies. [original post]
Amigas del Alma has evolved quite a bit in over three and a half years, and the “amigas” have changed over time. But here’s the basic idea…
How it works
It’s nice to have a specialty, and Amigas del Alma has specialized in desserts. Yes, it could have ended up much broader, but sticking (more or less) to desserts has brought a nice focus, specialization and expertise. Shari has also tried to bring recipes that are less known here in Mexico City.
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Actually, dessert-making here is not especially common. You can buy cakes at the store, and you might make flan or rice pudding, but there’s not the variety that there is when it comes to other types of food. Not to mention that many Mexican women use their ovens more for storage than for baking!
Shari usually hands out the ingredients and what-to-bring list a week early (not the recipe itself – that would take the fun out of it!). Everyone brings their ingredients and what bowls and utensils they can.
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Then at the class, Shari goes through the recipe and everyone bakes more or less together. Some share ingredients, others bake their own thing – and it kind of depends on what’s being baked. But everyone wants something to take home! 🙂
As the goodies are in the oven, someone leads a short, simple devotional.
As time has passed, Shari has learned a lot (as have the rest of us!) about what and how to teach! For example, how to explain things in a culture that often just doesn’t have the specific words that we use in Canada when we bake (how do you “cream”? or “fold”?). Or what things are natural to those of us who have grown up baking, but are foreign to those who haven’t. (For example, a pie is not a stew – you can’t just put everything in at the same time and mix it like crazy and throw it in the oven!)
Some things we’ve more or less invented Spanish names for – fun!
Why it’s so cool
There are a lot of reasons why the baking class has been an awesome ministry! For example:
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- It’s delicious! What a great thing to share – and to bring home to your family! Good feelings all around!
- It’s relational! What a great way to get to know people – believers, unbelievers – what a great way to make friends!
- You can invite your friends! It’s a fun, non-threatening atmosphere.
- It’s a great skill! As a matter of fact, some women have used what they’ve learned to earn money for their families!
- You can bring your kids! And many women have over the years. It’s a great mother/daughter event! (And yes, some guys have come once or twice – but here in Mexico, that’s just pretty weird.)
- You can pass it on! You can teach baking – and then someone else can take the same recipe and do the same thing – and some have!
- Short termers can be involved! As Tiffany did when she first visited, many others from the USA and Canada have come and have been involved. Can’t speak much Spanish? No problem – just come and share a recipe, help stir, and share a smile. You’d be surprised how powerful it can be!
Oh, and of course when someone shares something from the Bible, something else happens. People start to think about spiritual things – and struggles, and hopes. And conversations get started. And people are introduced to – the Pan de Vida (Bread of Life)!
And His food and drink last forever!
Thanks to those who have prayed for this ministry, and those who have donated supplies. Sometimes at the end of a series of classes, the women are invited to one of our closing programs, and they get a little gift. It’s especially fun to get something that’s expensive or hard to get here, that can help with future baking exploits!
And looking back, it’s so neat to see women in the church who got to know other believers through Amigas del Alma. And of course, they got to know Jesus.
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me shall not hunger,
and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
(John 6:35)
More about Amigas del Alma:
- Soul Friends “Amigas del Alma” (2009)
- Another Event Starting Now! (video) (2010)
- Community Centre Event (April 2011) (video) (2011)
- Baking Class with Shari! (2012)
- (10/30) BAKING CLASS! (2013)
Adults and Piñatas. Be Afraid.
Tiffany had a birthday party on Saturday. A piñata was provided for the children, and another for the adults.
I’ve seen my share of adults hitting piñatas, and I’m convinced that they have more fun than the kids.
They’re also more violent.
And they cheat more.
😉
If you want to see for yourself, here’s a short video from the party…
Warning: If you really like Strawberry Shortcake (Rosita Fresita), you might want to forgo this particular video.
Headed Out for some Holidays
It’s been a great few days. We’ve enjoyed times with friends, both here and in Cuernavaca. We got Tiffany settled in language school. We had a good service on Sunday, and Shari led Sunday School (a large class this week!). All right, my keyboard playing left a lot to be desired, but some weekends are just like that.
Now we’re tying up a few loose ends… and then until next Monday we’ll be taking a little holiday (that’s a vacation, for you in the USA).
Sometimes it seems like the preparation and build-up of work makes the holiday not-so-worthwhile. Kinda like what I call our most-expensive-holiday-that-never-was in April. But we won’t go there.
So we’re hoping and praying that this time we’ll actually have a real rest. For a large chunk of the time we’re going out of cell phone and internet contact. We’ll spend some time as a family, and visit some friends.
Then lots to look forward to when we get back. I’ll be preaching the following Sunday, then Lord willing heading to Guadalajara to visit some people from Garside Bible Church. Then we’re looking forward to a visitor here… Shari will be teaching again, the baking class will continue, women’s Bible study… the Chronological Bible Study will be wrapping up…. doctor’s visits…. the van needs some work… yeah, we won’t be bored. And school starts on August 23rd!
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By the way, I was able to get a few photos up over the weekend, so feel free to check those out. For some reason I had some trouble getting them uploaded, so some I hoped to have up are missing. Perhaps it’s our … special internet connection. 🙂
To the right here is a shot of a river in the Tuxpan, Veracruz – right next to a shop where we picked up some seafood. Yum. The boat came in while we were inside – can you say fresh?
See you when we get back.