Missions Trips Chapter 7: Preparations

Brother Zartman, known in Mexico as Don Tomás, turned 80 that summer, so a huge party was in order. The neighbors had all been invited to join us at the local park. They brought grills and food, and we busied ourselves in the kitchen, making a birthday cake and some matching cupcakes. No Betty Crocker here, Mrs. Zartman taught Mary how to bake a cake from scratch, and she entrusted the frosting to me. Let’s just say her trust in that instance may have been a bit misguided. After three tries, I still didn’t get it right… but we ate it anyway. “Waste not, want not.” I admire her patience!

On Thursday in the kitchen, time to bake,
But first to neighbors went to borrow pans.
From scratch came many minis and a cake,
Anticipating special birthday plans.
On Friday morning, with our breakfast done,
And having spent time in the Word and prayer,
The kitchen was with women overrun
To make a frosting for the final layer.
Three times I tried to make a cherry gloss;
Three times it turned out less than perfectly.
Though it was usable, we suffered loss;
We handled my mishaps with levity.
I’m glad the Lord our imperfection takes
And skillfully a worthy vessel makes.

But I have jumped ahead of the story a bit and missed a few days of visiting with church members, so let’s back track for a few minutes.

One day we visited a lady who runs a very successful bakery out of her home. She has one other lady working with her, and when we were there, she was making a cake for a little boy’s birthday. Her cake was much more beautiful than the one we made for Don Tomás, in spite of the fact that she allowed me to help.

On another day, we went with Don Tomás to visit the dentist. He was there on a professional visit, but after business hours, the dentist closed her office, and the waiting room became a sanctuary. It was Wednesday night, and the church met there for a time of Bible reading, testimonies, and prayer. The Wednesday and Sunday services are held at two different locations, to help the folks for whom transportation is an issue.