PRAYERS FOR THE ARGUELLO'S

Since Rodo and I are leaving really early in the morning of January 30th, for Mazatlan, we are in need of prayer!

Not only for that but also for transition time, saying adios to our Monterrey family, and getting everything ready and packed to go.

Our friends, David and Lonnie, are helping us drive all of our stuff to Mazatlan! Please be praying for our trip and for everything to go smoothly.

Bucket List

Before leaving Monterrey there was a couple of things I had on my bucket list.

Cathy Huffer makes the BEST home made pretzels I have ever tasted. So, I asked if she would teach me one day step by step on how to make them. We had an afternoon to the two of us and we made 2 batches of pretzels. It was very hands on and I am a visual learner so it was perfect!

Cathy, thank you so much for taking the time to teach me how to be a little more like yourself:) I am excited to take the recipe to Mazatlan and share the pretzels with everyone there!

Being with the teacher was awesome, but next time who knows how they will turn out!

There is a mountain here called El Cerro de la Silla. The significance of the name means “saddleback mountain”

A ton of our staff love to hike, bike, and camp. Well I like to camp, I like to bike, but hiking is just not my thing. The only thing I LOVE about hiking is wherever you are, you get to be in the wilderness of God's Beauty! You always have a goal when you are hiking and once I am there, I LOVE IT. But during the getting there part is super hard for me.

WELL, this last saturday, Rodo and I put on our hiking gear and headed out to climb El Cerro de la Silla! It was probably one of the most challenging hikes I had ever done. But pictures speak for themselves when it comes to the beauty part! We got to the top and there was a lady selling tostadas. I thought that was really funny! So, we bought some tostadas and enjoyed the view that God created, which in that exact moment felt like just for us! We stayed for about 45 minutes just marveling at God's Workmanship! Then we headed back down. The next couple of days I have been a little more sore than usual but it was worth it:)

Countdown and saying goodbye's

In our last days in Monterrey, we want to be sure to spend time with the people we love before heading out west.

I (Becca) was able to go have a fun breakfast with the 2 girls that have held me accountable for over a year now. Beth and Kelly have invested so much in my walk and in my faith, I can't believe I won't have them right outside my door anymore.

Thank you ladies for all the time, tears, prayers, and laughter that you have brought into my life! In life changing moments you all were there for me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. Thank you for believing in Rodo and I as a couple from the very beginning and for walking me through becoming a wife every step of the way. I intend to have skype dates every once in a while: ) I love you girls and are so thankful for the way God has used you in my life!

We are super busy packing up our house, having dinner dates with friends and family, and mentally preparing for us leaving on January 30^th, thats right, this coming monday is our head out date for Mazatlan!

This last sunday we went to have a big family day with Rodolfo's family. We had barbacoa tacos in the morning, then spent the rest of the day in the kitchen making tacos al vapor, pollo achote, and spaghetti but not like we know spaghetti! I LOVE being in the kitchen with rodo's mom and sister. I learn so much from them. I got 3 great/easy recipes for our groups in Mazatlan. I love learning how to cook mexican food!

We left around 10pm and it was a full day. We cherish our days with them. Praise God there were no tears, just laughter, and lots of love! We are hoping some of them will be able to come and visit us sometime in the near future.

A Day of Lasts in Monterrey

We had a group from Xenos and St. Marks that we had merged together for the week. This day was mine and Rodo's LAST DAY WITH A GROUP IN MONTERREY! It was a monumental day! We went to the Cadereyta squatter village with the group. We had tons of projects going on. I learned how to wheld some copper together for a shower. I was also in charge of breaking a sewage pipe to connect the pipe line from the second floor of the church to the first. That was a stinky job, literally!
Rodo was in charge of building a stool for the preacher, getting everybody suited up for the concrete, by hand job, and overseeing everyone! At the end, we had some time to play with kids and I colored at least a hundred pictures with some of the very sweet children we serve out there!
We then returned to our property where Vita had our last plates of her delicious tostadas and rice pudding. Most people hear the word rice pudding and think it sounds gross if they have never tried it. Then everyone in line takes a bowl and tries it. They come back asking for 3rds because I am telling you, vita's rice pudding is the bomb!
I have been in charge of the vita cooking days since my friend Julie Cooper left. So, it was sad saying goodbye to her!
Then after we ate and everyone was stuffed full of tostadas, we had market for the groups. So, it was my (Becca's) last day on the group, last seeing Vita and her tostadas, and I put on my last market!

It was a big day of lasts in Monterrey for us!

Chrismas 2011

Like i said in the previous post, I LOVE BEING HOME AROUND CHRISTMAS TIME! I love the lights, being with family, and the reason for the season:)

This Christmas had a lot in store with it:

My best friend Amanda is very pregnant with her 3rd child. The entire time we were in Oklahoma we thought she was going to have him, but she didn't. He is coming any day now though.

Seeing my niece is always a highlight of getting to be with family. I can't believe she is almost 1 year old. She is growing up so fast.
We celebrated our Grandpa's 90th birthday this year. All of my dad's side of the family was in town for the new year! So, we all got together and threw a surprise party for him. in the picture above is my sister, my niece, and my grandpa.

I actually didn't take very many pictures while being home but the ones i did take were all about finley:)
It was her first Christmas and she was all about it. she loved opening up the presents and she loved all of her new toys!
Christmas this year was perfect and reminded me so much of why i love being home:)

saying goodbye to both my grandpa and Finley was super hard. Good thing my mind was all over the place trying to get things together and pack up so we could venture south:)

An Emotional Day

Going home for Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year! This year it was even more special because we were able to be there for 2 special events!

In October we were in Cincinnati for fundraising and we were able to see some of our best friends, Elizabeth and Cole. They found out they were pregnant right before they flew to Monterrey to be in our Wedding in March. We were able to see them in October and i was so ready for baby Ezme to come while i was there! BUT she didn't so we were super sad! For the holidays they decided to travel to Oklahoma. And so were Rodo and I. We spent so much good quality time with them and we cherished every moment of it. On this particular day we hadn't met Ezme yet but we were so excited!!! We walked in and i immediately started bawling my eyes out. i literally couldn't stop. Ezme was so perfect and tiny. Seeing Elizabeth and Cole as a mom and dad is crazy. They are perfect and i am excited to see them as parents as Ezme grows older! Thanks for all the time you made for us while we were in Oklahoma friends! we love you guys and appreciate your friendship so much!


Another exciting event in the SAME day was one of our other best friends Kenzi Lee Couch was getting engaged. It worked out perfectly because it was the day after rodo and i got into oklahoma so we were able to celebrate with them. Mark Fogleman is her now Fiance and they met while he was working on a mission trip with Campus Crusade here in Monterrey. Kenzi lived here for one year so it was during that time!
Mark was very sneaky and surprised Kenzi a whole bunch on the day he proposed! Then at the end of the night they had a surprise family dinner that rodo and i were invited to and we all celebrated together!
Kenzi was in our wedding as well and it is so fun that now we will be attending HER wedding! We are so excited for the couple and can't wait for them to start their lives as a married couple!

Like i said, it was an emotional day for me:) But, it was an AWESOME day!