Merry Christmas and Happy New Year -
I have been home for 2 weeks now and I will be returning to Mexico in two more weeks. I am glad to be home and I also miss my friends and neighbors in Nogales. I am experiencing some kind of "reverse" culture shock, I think. One of the first things I noticed is that things here are so clean and quiet and, consequently, kind of boring. I also noticed how most everyone is very orderly in traffic and driving is somehow less fun here. I have grown accustomed to having lots of noise around me and lots of people. I now find it unusual to not hear firearms discharging in the neighborhood at night. Things in Lynchburg are a little less lively than in Nogales.
I have been wondering what my friends and neighbors in Nogales are doing. I wonder how their Christmas was. I wonder how they are managing nighttime temperatures in the mid 20s.
As we approach the New Year, I think about my first 6 months in Mexico. The "newness" is gone and in its place is a deep sense of contentment and satisfaction. Thanks for sending all the warm clothes and shoes. Thanks for blessing the people in my colonia in Nogales. Thanks for praying for me and for them.
Gloria a Dios,
steve
