Day 36: Relational Plates Too Full To Care?
We are thankful for new friends here in Playa. They have warmly embraced us as family and that always means so much but even more so now because we are temporarily wandering as Nomads for the next year. To feel connected to others in a ‘strange land’ is truly a gift. The very first evening we arrived at the Lighthouse Church, we were greeted by almost every single member – hugged, kissed, embraced. At the end of the evening, our new friends refused to let us take a taxi back home. Instead, Eduardo González (aka… Read More
Day 31: Discovering Cozumel
Cozumel is not what I expected. I feared it would be crowded, commercial, and pushy. And while it may be that at times, especially when more than one cruise ship is docked, we found it to be a lovely island with friendly people, gorgeous beaches, and beautiful sea life. It is very easy to reach Cozumel. You can either fly directly onto the island or you can take a ferry from Playa del Carmen. At the time this was written, the ferry cost $162 pesos (about $13-14 USD) for those 12 years old and… Read More
Day 27: A Cozumel Sunset
We enjoyed our first Cozumel nightfall yesterday! Being on the “West” side of the island, we were treated to a spectacular sunset over the water. The colors emerged slowly as the sun disappeared behind clouds. For a moment, we feared the clouds would obscure our view. Moments later, however, the sun peeked through the bottom of the clouds and the sky burst into colors…red, orange, purple, yellow. It was brilliant and though I wasn’t able to capture the full beauty of what we experienced, I just wanted to share this captivating moment with you. God’s glory… Read More
Spanish Lessons and Theft!
Day 25: We’re well into our second week of Spanish lessons and they are going really well. We have the kindest teachers, one from Mexico, the other from Guatemala. They patiently take time to explain everything to us, making it fun along the way. We’ve separated into three groups. Danny and Katie are in one group and here they are below, laughing with Annabela as she teaches them. Ryan, Mikayla, and Ryan Thomas are in the second group. You’ll see them below, working with Isabel. We are extremely thankful for our teachers…. Read More
Isabel’s Story
Introducing Isabel, our first Spanish teacher. We have so much more to learn about who sweet and gentle Isabel is and look forward to getting to know her better over the next four month. I thought, however, that it would be neat to share a difficult experience she recently went through, as it gave me a chance to glean a bit of insight into the life of people who live and work hard here in Playa. Isabel woke up on Monday morning, ready to start her job. As she sat up in bed, she realized something… Read More
Day 22: Taco Treasures in Playa!
Day 22: Walking home last evening, we stumbled upon this new Taqueria and tried their Tacos al Pastor (one of our quickly growing menu favorites). They were only 10 pesos each, the equivalent of about $.77 each…even less than the price of the street stand tacos we fell in love with two weeks ago! And they were just as tasty. Tacos al Pastor, spicy pork tacos, are similar to gyros in that they are cooked on a spit-grill, rotating during the day until the savory pork is sliced away onto corn (maiz)… Read More
Day 19: Celebrating the Fourth of July in Mexico! A photo blog…
We were not expecting 4th of July celebrations in Playa del Carmen and were taken completely by surprise! What a fun, heart-warming day. We are so thankful for the country with which we have been blessed and it was neat to have time to reflect on these things during the evening. Happy Fourth of July, America!
Day 18: Reflections Two Weeks In…
Last evening, we had the opportunity to take another walk on the beach as a family. We strolled north for a while and then stopped and set up house. The kids jumped right in and had a blast playing with each other and throwing sand “snowballs”. Finally, when they were exhausted, they sat at the edge of the water, half submerged, just chatting. Their silliness and laughter was infectious and we eavesdropped for quite a while, taking it all in. Ryan and I enjoyed watching them interact with each other and their environment. We… Read More
Manny’s Story – Cancun, Mexico
I’d love to introduce you to…let’s just call him “Manny.” We met him our first day in Playa del Carmen and he shared with us his unique story. In 2002, when he was 17 years old, he met a woman who was 11 years older than he was. She was a tourist who frequently visited Cancun. Over time, she talked Manny into sneaking into the United States. She said it would be easy, and she would take care of all of the details. He was reluctant at first, and didn’t know… Read More
Day 15: Friends and Fun
One of the things we made sure to tell our family and friends was that they were welcome to come visit us as we traveled. Of course, we meant it sincerely, but wondered if anyone would actually be able to make the trip to Playa del Carmen. We know life is busy, and schedules are packed. So…imagine our surprise when we had not one…but TWO separate visits from dear friends! On Sunday afternoon (yesterday), our friend Linda, also from Chicago, met us at a restaurant close by. We finally got to introduce our… Read More
Deena Gainor
Six Hearts One Journey 
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