Weekly Prayer Gatherings

Every Monday at 3pm students from the RUF group, and friends, gather at a central location on the UNAM campus to pray for one another, the campus, and the city.

Supporting Japan

A group of Japanese students that study Spanish at the UNAM (some from our English Club) held a benefit activity to raise money for Japan. Alitzel and I went. We got bookmarks with our names written in Japanese!

La Marquesa Cookout

I went on a cookout to La Marquesa. La Marquesa (located about 30 minutes outside of Mexico City) is huge natural area/park/community with lots of grass, picnic tables, creek, horses to ride, playgrounds, etc for a day spent out doors. A group us us spent the afternoon there eating, playing soccer, hanging out, and going down the big slide!

The group shot!
We grilled carne asada, chorizo (type of sauage), costillas (ribs), salchicha (sauage), hamburgers, onions, and nopales (cactus) .

hanging out

The big concrete slide. Even though it was concrete you went pretty fast!

Pozole

For our CURICLUB activity last Friday we went to one of our English Club member's house and to eat! His parents invite the group each year and they cook us yummy Pozole. Pozole is a traditional Mexican dish that is in my Top 3 of the foods that I have tried here. I could eat Pozole all day long!!! Yum!

It was really fun taking a group mixed of English Club students and RUF students out, as well as getting to know the family of one of our English Club students.

The whole group eating!!

Pozole

Instead of trying to describe Pozole, I have included a recipie. So, if you are feeling Mexican and want to try something new, or if you just want to know what in the world Pozole is, here ya go.....

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste
• 3 cups white hominy, rinsed and drained
• tostada shells
• Sour Cream
• finely chopped lettuce
• Avocados
  

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and cook until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Remove from skillet, drain, and cool. When completely cooled, shred chicken with a fork.
2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons canola oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes. Return shredded chicken to the skillet. Stir in the chicken broth, water, oregano, salt, and chili powder. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook about 90 minutes. Stir in the hominy and cook until tender, about 15 minutes more. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding more salt and chili powder, if desired. Serve in soup bowls. Garnish as desired with chopped onion, lettuce, avocado, dried oregano, and hot sauce. Eat with tostadas topped with sour cream.

Monse's Graduation

After 5 long years of studying at the UNAM, Monse graduated. Graduating here in Mexico (even for undergraduates) means that you have finished all of your course work, done some sort of social service to the community using what you have learned, and you have written and defended your thesis. A few of us went to Monse's professional exam/gradation, which consisted of her defending her thesis and then receiving her official graduation document. Monse is very special to the RUF group because she became a Christian during her time at the UNAM. She met the RUF group by way of the English Club, and later became a Christian. Before graduating she served on the RUF Service Team.

Monse receiving word from the "panel" of professors that she has graduated!

Me, Monse, and Uziel after the big event

Announcements

For announcements of our weekly activities and upcoming events in RUF, at Large Group this week we will be showing videos as a way to "spice-up" the announcements. Two of the four videos are below.

Arturo and I announce the English Club...


Karina announces the Retreat in April...

RUF Service Activity

For our RUF Service Activity we took a group to serve at the Kids' Club at Betel Church (where I have been before... see previous post). We did a skit to present a Bible story about Jacob (I was the angel as well as the sheep!), we played games, sang songs, prepared a light lunch, and did a craft. What fun it is to spend time with those PRECIOUS children!!!

Playing games. "Red light, Green light" was a big hit!

The RUF gang, plus a few!

Music!

Here I am as an angel

Here I am as a sheep!

Pasta with sour cream, pineapple, ham, and dinosaur shaped noodles

Craft time!