Attempt number six!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wrote a beautifully written blog yesterday and guess what...it was deleted! So here I am again. I am determined to let all of you in on all the fun I’ve been having this summer

During spring I decided I needed to break away from California and visit friends in Virginia and Mexico. On June 11th I hopped on a plane and began the adventures of summer. My friends Mitch and Melody Caton graciously opened the doors to their home and spoiled me with southern hospitality. While in Virginia, I was able to travel three hours away and hang out with my good friend Teri Jo and her beautiful girls Emma Jo and Addy Lynn. The theme for my trip was “let’s get tropical” and that’s exactly what I did. I hung out by the pool all day, had awesome conversations, drank tons of sweet tea, and just hung out with people who I have truly come to love. Leaving was a bit sad but knowing that some of them would be with me my first two weeks in Mexico was comforting.

After a crazy day of airports and delayed planes, I arrived home on July 9th. I spent my one day home unpacking, doing laundry, going to lunch and dinner with friends and family and to be in my room, packing yet again. The next morning I stuffed my huge bag into the trunk of my friends car and headed to the train station. Once I got on the train, it hit me that I was going to be spending a month with my “Mexican family” and got excited.

It is my third week here in Mexico and it has been nothing but awesome. I’m in the kitchen with Kim and Ana doing what I do best (cooking), sharing a room with Mama Rho (crazy Canadian), hanging out, and living in community.

While in Virginia, Melody and I had a conversation about baptism and shared our experiences with it. We both were baptized as infants and confirmed as teenagers but she was later baptized as an adult and I wasn’t. I did not think too much of it after we talked but once I got to Mexico my head started spinning. This past Thursday a couple friends and I went to dinner and while there we talked about the church and its history and baptism came up. I shared with them what I had shared with Melody and at that moment I felt nervous, anxious and excited. God was saying “Nona It’s your time ” Without mentioning anything to the guys how I was feeling, they said “Hey...we can do it”. On the way back to the camp I looked at my friend Doug and said “Okay...let’s do it”. When we got to camp we changed our clothes, told some people about it and headed down to the beach. I was surrounded by people who I loved and who I knew would be truly happy and excited for me. Mitch, my “white dad”, took my confession and Doug walked down into the water with me and baptized me. This time I was being baptized out of conviction rather than religious practice. It is powerful to know that my old-self has been washed away and that I am starting out fresh on my journey with God

I hope you enjoy the pictures Dios les bendiga =)

n.kim