Cochinitas and Cheesesteaks

Last year, when we traveled with a team from our church to visit the Bible Fellowship Church (La Roca) in Merida, Mexico, we were introduced to cochinitas.  These were sandwiches of a shredded pork flavored with a Mayan seasoning, served on a roll with onions.  Quickly, this became a favorite for me.  We left Merida, traveled to Cancun and had a meal at the Cancun airport before flying home...I found Cochinitas on the menu at one of the fast food restaurants.  I was sorely disappointed...sort of like getting a cheesesteak anywhere but Phila.  This weekend, we had the privilege of hosting Pastor Marcos (the pastor of La Roca de Merida) and his family.  Marcos and I are about the same age (some say forty...I am going with thirty-ten), and our daughters are the same ages.  Ariana and Sofia are 13, Alexa and Frida are 11.  We had a great time together, eating, visiting with others from our church, Marcos preached at our church on Sunday, and of course with teenage daughters, we went shopping.  We introduced them to Rita's water ice, Shoo-fly pie, and the cheesesteak.  Marcos had eaten a cheesesteak on a previous visit, and as he tried to explain the cheesesteak to his wife and daughters, he likened it to the cochinita.  Though one is beef and the other is pork, there is a lot of similarity between the two.  We had a great weekend, and said 'adios' today.  I look forward to seeing how our families will continue to grow closer through the years to come.  Here is a picture we took of the two families with two of our cats...the dog wasn't as agreeable to get his picture taken.

As we drove back to Reading, Marcos asked about the process for adoption and what the next step would be.  I shared that we are simply waiting for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration to give us preliminary approval to adopt a child from Honduras.  We are waiting for our appointment to get our "biometrics" identification done.  As I was traveling home from Reading, Alicia called me to let me know that we received our appointments, so before the end of May, we will have to travel to Phila. to get this taken care of.  The process keeps moving along, and we continue to trust in the Lord as He directs our steps.  Thank you for your prayers, and for the many who have donated items for the yard sale on May 14.