So this month I am participating in a study on the topic of aging. Let’s face it, there are only two possible roads to travel in life, dying young or getting old and for the most part the which road we travel is not ours to make. We do however have choices to make each day that will affect how fast we age and what kind of health we will have in our last trimester of life. I hold fast to the assumption that I’ll live to the age of 90 so 60-90 is what I call my third trimester in life. My justification for this assumption is the longevity of my parents and a multiple of maternal aunts. Whether there is any truth in this premise, only time will tell.

Having spent my first 30 years in youthful dreams and pursuits, my second in child rearing and establishing my career and future financial security, my last 30 I have committed to fulfilling a higher purpose. Exploring the ‘big’ questions like why am I here and what am I supposed to be doing with all blessings that have been bestowed on me.

One of the first choices we made several years before retiring was to purchase a house in Baja. Having visited Rosarito annually for several years, I had become enamored with the possibility of living in a temperate climate somewhere near the beach. I’m not a cold weather fan. Snow is pretty when you can observe it from inside a warm abode but there is nothing pretty about shoveling your way out of the drive or crawling around on ice to put on tire chains.

Convincing my husband, Chuck, of this move took a bit more effort. It wasn’t until I could show him that he would be able to retire 3-5 years earlier if we lived in Mexico did he come around. So step one in the process was to simplify which meant reducing the years of accumulated stuff that we filled every nook and cranny of house and garage with. Admittedly, Chuck had the most to eliminate. He sorted through his extra large shop and gave the kids each part of the his fishing gear that would not be appropriate for deep sea fishing. My job was a lot easier as I was leaving my daughter in residence of our house so any dishes and furniture I didn’t bring could remain there.

So now that we are hear in a smaller house with less stuff, what do we do? During my years of child rearing and career building I had little time to become involved with my community. One of things that drew us to buy a house in town was a desire to be part of the local community and have a chance to give back. One look around San Felipe made it evident that there were many great groups and organizations that devote both time and money to improve the lives of our neighbors and alleviate some of the hardships they endure. The hard part is picking which of these to get involved with and how to divide up our time and resources in a way to do the most good and least harm.

Our beliefs are guided by the Bible so we took the words “feed the hungry”, “see to the widows and orphans” to heart and in doing so became “facilitators” of Volunteers Without Limits. We didn’t start it or nor are we officially part of the the organization. We are just helpers. We help with some of the food delivery, shopping and picking up donations. Sometimes we help with fund-raising events. But the heart of the organization is the Director, Paty Orozco. She is the one who oversees the distribution. She also screens all applications and visits the homes of the clients. Paty came to the food bank one day in the early days and offered to work as volunteer and run the thrift store if in exchange she could set up a space to help the parents of children with severe disabilities by teaching them about resources available for their children’s care. She also petitioned to get help supplying nutritional supplements and disposable diapers for these children.

When the founders of the original food needed to leave town due to health reasons, Paty jumped in and formed a new non-profit association under the name of Voluntarios sin Limites which means Volunteers Withou Limits. She picked this name with the forward thinking that someday the work may expand to help more than the hungry and disabled children. Now three years later that dream is growing and VSL is supporting the efforts of the drug rehab facility by promoting the sale of their crafts. We are also reaching out help people of all ages who face major medical needs. Last month VSL help an eleven year old boy (who is being raised by his older brother) get an MRI and CAT scan that determined he had tumor on his spine and we are purchasing the necessary corset for him to wear following his surgery. Paty has also lobbied for and obtained additional help from other agencies to fund renting the traction apparatus he will need in the hospital following surgery. Interest grew and before we knew a musical event was created by Martin and some of the local musicians which raise money to help the family with the rest of their portion of the medical expenses. The last word was that Eli had gone to Mexicali for his surgery but it had been rescheduled for the 28^th o f May. In the meantime, Eli has been given a walker to help him get around safely.

We’ve been in San Felipe full-time for four years but this summer we are sojourning back to Northern California for the summer to be present for Chuck’s mom’s 80th birthday party and the birth of our third grandchild.  We have decided to leave our big dog at home with a house-sitter.  Chuck and I are busy preparing for our trip north and getting the house ready for it’s summer occupants.  This includes having a new roof built with has been a challenge.

We found a delightful couple who were looking for a place to spend the hot summer months and they and their dog will be joining our big dog Russo at the casa in our absence. But it’s a big job getting your home ready for guests. Hopefully the new mini-splits will be up and running this week and none too late at the thermometer is peaking in the mid 90s today already. Fortunately, the new insulation is doing it’s job and the house is tolerable even without the air conditioning.

So back to work I go. Hope you all are having a great spring. Looking forward to catching up with many of you this summer.

Susan

]]> http://fromthedeck.net/something-a-little-different/feed/ 1 http://fromthedeck.net/grandbabys-first-video/ http://fromthedeck.net/grandbabys-first-video/#comments Sun, 27 Jan 2013 08:02:16 +0000 Susan http://fromthedeck.net/?p=844

Today is traditionally a day to start over, to make ourselves a bunch of promises or renew commitments to change.  I started over a couple of days ago.  I started back through the 12 Steps program for Overeaters.  Last year I made it to Step 4.  A couple of days ago I reread Steps 1 through 3, wrote about my feelings and chatted with my sponsor.  Steps 1 through 3 are simple, the can be summed in a few words: “I can’t, God can, let God”  They apply no matter what the problem or addiction.  For me it is mindless eating, leading a Bible study, conducting a fund raiser. To each problem the answer is the same.  When I try to handle it on my own I mess it up.  When I turn it over to God it works.

Safety in Mexico: Reality vs. Sensationalist Media Hype

By Cathy Brown / Dec 12 • Categorized as Living Overseas

In the last few months, I have had the good fortune to visit Mexico a couple of times. For a single mom whose family and friends have no problem with me romping around Buenos Aires, taking my young kids to the Amazon, or climbing mountains in Africa, I cannot say that I was sufficiently prepared for the distinct reaction I got when people heard I was going to Mexico:

“You are going where? But what about the cartels?”

“Wow. I wouldn’t go there even if someone paid me”.

“Pretty irresponsible to be going there.You’ re a mother – you shouldn’t be putting yourself into situations like that…”

To which my response was:  “Have you ever been to Mexico?Oh, you haven’t… Well then, please at least tell me specifics as to what this violence is where I am going. What area is it in, and what specifically should I be on the lookout for?”

And, shocker…they have no idea. They just know it’s for sure really, really bad and I am totally going to get kidnapped/raped/shot/then probably beheaded for good measure.

Let’s work off facts here….  read the rest of the article here

In the home I grew up in there was a common saying: Don’t talk politics or religion.  I always figure this was because my mother hated confrontations and discussions of either of these topics was sure stir up the pot and cause it to boil over.  So I was taught that we kept the important things to ourselves and didn’t talk about them.  This article goes completely against that teaching but my mother is long gone and will no longer be disturbed by this transgression.  But rest assured that I am not going to talk politics as we have all had our fill of that topic in these last months and the election is over and the outcome settled.  What will come from the results remains to be seen.  With the population so closely divided on the outcome there is sure to be plenty of room for heated discourse on the topic in other venues.

My topic, today is on the other forbidden topic of polite society, although not technically on ‘religion’ because religion to me carries a connotation of buildings and organizations and my personal beliefs have little to do with either of these.  My subject today is faith.  Merriam-Webster defines faith as: a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion.  When I use the word faith I am referring to the first meaning.  My trust and loyalty is solely to God and when I use the word “God” I am referring specifically to God as He reveals himself in the Bible.

I am not a theologian or Bible scholar so I don’t intend on getting into debates over doctrines or interpretations.  In this article and the ones that follow in this section of my blog I  will be merely sharing what God is teaching me today.  Since I believe God calls each of us to know him personally, I share this with the hope that you will not take what I learned as your own but will instead seek to get to know God better yourself  and see what he wants to say to you personally today.

Today I am reading Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer  and we (the group of ladies I am currently getting together with) are in the fourth week of that workbook. Day 1 of Week  4 suggested we study the names of God.  A Google search lead me to an article called The Names of God by J. Hampton Keathley, III.  The particular section that caught my attention was

Yahweh Maccaddeshcem: “The Lord your Sanctifier.” Portrays the Lord as our means of sanctification or as the one who sets believers apart for His purposes (Ex. 31:13).

This speaks to me because the one thing I am very sure about is my own inability to be holy.  My life has been filled with failures to be what I knew I should be.  I have fallen far short of being good in all that I have endeavored to do.  Yet, in spite of my shortcomings I know that God has called me to be his own and by his gift of faith I have given a purpose in this life.

It has been on YouTube since February but I just came across this video about San Felipe.  It’s especially cool as we know Tom and Ben.  Ben is a one of our faithful helpers at Volunteers Without Limits.  Sam Grubb  of San Felipe Storage and Tom and Jeanie of Rumors and Fat Boys are also regular contributors.

Mexico’s New Migration Law

The regulations for the new (2011) Migration Law for Mexico were published on 2012-Sept-28. This will affect all foreign residents, and soon-to-be residents, in Mexico.

Quick Summary

• * No more FM3 or FM2. Just a 1 to 4 year temporary resident visa (working or non-working), followed by a permanent resident visa with the right to work.

• * Should be possible to apply direct for permanent resident in some cases, without a temporary resident visa beforehand.

• * Ownership of real estate can qualify for a temporary visa, without requiring specific income, which can then be converted to permanent residence after four years.

Sources

You can download pdf’s of the full texts in Spanish and in English (unformatted, poorly translated), for the regulations and the law to which they apply, from the links under “attachments” on the side column of this article at San Felipe Life.

Purpose of the law

The main purpose of the law is to protect the rights of migrants, especially women and children, and to allow for more humanitarian family reunion. If you have a partner or child who is Mexican, or if you are a refugee there is a lot in the law that addresses your rights.

For clarity, I’ve limited the discussion below to those who do not have Mexican family, and who are not refugees, and who are not students. I’ve also not gone into detail about how working visas will work as a lot of that, such as points system, is still to be defined.

The law consolidates and simplifies rules that were scattered around other laws (and repeals those). It certainly seems like it’s going to be much simpler. It does remain to be seen if it will be implemented like this, or if local rules will be added!

The article numbers below are those from the regulations (and law), so you should check my summary with the real documents (downloadable alongside) if you need to know the exact wording.

Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer, nor have anything to do with immigration, so there are likely to be errors in this summary. Plus, of course, the actual way these rules and laws are interpreted may vary depending on which immigration office, which person, and what phase of the moon it is.

Article 93

The article 93 in the regulations describes the procedure at land borders. It requires passports (and visas, where applicable) to be checked on entry, including for pedestrians and people in private cars. Maybe this won’t be implemented immediately, but when it does it might add delays at the border.

Article 101-106

The issuing of visas at consulates is described. Ten year multiple entry 180-days per entry visitors visas are also mentioned, but unless something has changed, visas are not required for visitors from major Western countries, so this doesn’t really apply.

There is no mention of any changes to the FMM or FMT, which were often called “tourist visas” but were actually entry permits (issued without visas for people from low-risk countries). So for most tourists from the US and Canada it is likely the existing FMM will continue as at present for trips up to 180 days.

Article 107

Article 107 in the regulations refer to how article 40 (IV) of the law will be implemented. This is for the temporary residence visas that are available for those who want to stay for 180 days to 4 years, without the right to work. It roughly replaces the FM-3 or “non immigrant” rentista permit.

This is what you need to get a Temporary Resident visa. You have to meet only one of the conditions listed. They include, among others, (I) enough money for “accommodation and meals during stay”, (V) ownership of Mexican real estate above a certain value, (VI) investments including Mexican stocks and commercial property, or job creation. The amounts for the real estate and investments are to be announced later (presumably during October 2012).

Article 138

Article 138 is for temporary residents who may work, whether for pay or not (article 52 VII in the law). As well as the conditions listed above, other options are (II) have a job offer from a genuine employer or (III) have registered with the tax office for work that doesn’t involve pay (I can’t quite see the logic in that, but that’s what it states).

Proof of knowledge and experience for the job is required if applying under II or III. It appears from reading this that ownership of property is an option that actually allows work with no job offer, experience, or existing business needed, but maybe there’s some other condition somewhere.

Article 109

This article covers Permanent Resident visas from article 52 VII of the law, which are without the right to work. Conditions for granting this include one of (among others): (II) pensioned or retired with sufficient income to live in the country (amount not stated yet, but likely similar to the existing FM3 or FM2 rules), or (III) qualify under a points system to be defined (this will be mainly for highly qualified skilled workers, similar to the points-based immigration to Australia, Canada, New Zealand etc).

This is worth repeating: with a sufficient retirement income, the rules state that a permanent resident visa is immediately available. No requirement for temporary visas first.

Article 139

This covers the law article 52 IX, which is Permanent Resident visas with the right to work. Like article 109, a pension income is enough (III). So it probably makes sense to apply under this category rather than article 109, to have the right to work and keep your options open. There is also a points-based qualification option for skilled workers (IV).

In addition (V), anybody who has been a temporary resident for four years, working or not, is eligible for this permanent resident visa with the right to work (two years if you have a Mexican spouse/partner).

Article 141

Article 141 VI reiterates the conditions under which a temporary resident can change to permanent resident. These are a) qualify under the points system (for work), b) retired or receive a pension with sufficient income (amount not stated), or c) have been a temporary resident for four consecutive years.

It’s unclear whether an existing FM3 or FM2 counts towards the temporary resident time, this is probably the most important question for many people! If anybody can point me to some written statements on how existing temporary visas will be treated it would be very helpful.

Article 156

The temporary resident card can be issued for 1, 2, 3 or 4 years. If you’re under 3 years of age (well done for reading this far!) you can only get a one year visa, which implies that 4 year visas should be available to others. Hopefully no more annual renewals! For a working visa, it is restricted to one employer and also to the length of the contract, which may be where the other lengths come in.

Article 157

The permanent resident card is valid indefinitely. Again if you meet one of the conditions for granting it, such as having retirement income, you should be able to get this straight away, no stepping through FM3 then FM2, which is a really major change.

There doesn’t appear to be any requirement to spend any specific amount of time in the country each year before or after you have this (there are separate rules if you plan to become a citizen later).

Article 167

If you have either the temporary or permanent resident card you must notify a change of residence (in Mexico), workplace (for work visas), marital status or nationality within 90 days.

Article 111

Temporary and permanent residents can apply to bring in their parents, spouse or partner, and minor children.

Transition rules

The new regulations are intended to come into force 30 days after they were published (29 Sept), so this will be on Monday, 29th Oct 2012.

Any applications submitted before that date will continue to be processed under the old rules. Existing cards remain valid until their expiry dates.

Updates

I’ll update this post when the monetary amounts have been announced (such as how much real estate is needed, as one of the ways to qualify for the temporary visa).

This post has been copied to your blog  (CC-BY-SA).

By the way, if you have something you’d like to donate, give me a call or drop me a line at vsl.vwl@gmail.com.

The Guerreros (Warrior’s) of San Felipe are part of the Liga de Futbol Americano de B.C. which is an independent youth football league in Baja Norte with teams in Mexicali, Ensenada and Tijuana. This past year, San Felipe joined the league with the formation of the Guerreros. This team is aged 15-17 years old and they practice 5 nights per week with one game per weekend, for a period of 3 months.

Unfortunately, the cost of playing American football in Mexico is quite high as they have to pay 2800 pesos per home game for the referees, approximately 4000 pesos (per team) for each game in which they have to travel and 700 pesos (per player) for registration and medical clearance. This does not include the price of their uniforms (for which we have been thankful for donations). However, even when we get donated uniforms for the kids, we must have the helmets painted (which the kids do at practice) and then send them to get numbered and have the logo (cost 100 pesos) put on so that our kids look the same as those from areas that have greater resources. The jerseys need to have numbers and names put on them as well and we do this at the best price possible here in San Felipe. In total, it can cost a Mexican family approximately 200 dollars per year or more. This is an impossible situation for some families when the working parents make 100-200 pesos per day.

Our problem is not unique. We have heard from youth football organizations throughout Mexico that are in the same plight. Due to the economy, many youth football organizations are having a difficult time equipping their players suitably, paying the referees, buses and other travel expenses. In San Felipe we are at an even greater disadvantage because we are a small community and do not have the numbers to create our own league to play within locally. The only way that our youth aged 15-17 can continue to play and compete in American football is to travel to other areas of Baja California and to have teams travel to San Felipe. We do not charge our children a fee to belong to the Guerreros, but we do have to pay for the budget items mentioned above.

The parents of these youth are highly supportive and we are planning fundraisers including two carwashes to try to ensure that the team understands that they too must ensure that “all their friends” can participate in this team. However, we still need the help of the community. We have some boys that have been playing for two years and their families can simply not afford the costs associated with the sport. Last year we saw over 5 players leave our team mid season as their working parents could not pay the weekly travel/referee costs. They wanted to, but on their wages and with other children, it was just not possible.

Please help us to keep these boys actively involved in something that makes them feel they belong. More importantly, being part of the team teaches them: discipline, team building, respect and commitment. The coaches teach all of this and are dedicated to these boys even though they work 12 hour shifts, 6 days per week; they are there from 7pm to 9pm to ensure that these boys have leaders they can follow. If you would like to see these youngsters before you make a commitment to help, please stop by the field behind the community center, Monday to Friday 7pm – 9pm. These kids will be more then happy to talk with you and tell you what they love about this sport and why they want to play football.

If you would like to provide assistance, please contact Cynthia or Abelardo at 686-210-3861 or csunmx@ hotmail.com

Video shared by FOBeto0326 of Guerreros San Felipe VS Halcones Mexicali game in  2011