Genealogy Forum
The Genealogy Forum will meet on Monday, April 27, 2 p.m. in the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) Sala. This month’s session will include a webinar by Legacy Family Tree called “Hookers, Crooks and Kooks: Aunt Merle Didn’t Run a Boarding House.”
Many of us want to ignore that scalawag, that counterfeiter, or that madam of our family tree, but the black sheep may prove the most interesting of all. Learn to examine clues in unusual and also common sources. Learn how they lead to locating more records. The presenter is Jana Sloan Broglin, a professional genealogist with over 35 years experience.
Marci Bowman will also give a brief presentation on using Jing – a free screen clipping application by SnagIt.
Cooking Classes
The season’s final three cooking classes, co-sponsored by AbueLinda and the LCS, featuring Mexico’s authentic cuisine are scheduled for the final week of April. All classes require advance sign up and payment at the LCS office. The classes are held at AbueLinda’s, Constitucion 3 in Ajijic.
The Tuesday, April 28, 4 to 6 p.m. class will headline Mexico’s cure for the common cold – sopa de ajo, and tinga de pollo from Puebla. The traditional, comforting garlic soup is made with a simple homemade chicken stock and streamed with fresh eggs. Then the group will be cooking and serving Puebla’s chicken tinga, which is perfect with golden Mexican rice.
AbueLinda’s final popular tour of the Wednesday street market and cooking class, “Tianguis to Table,” is slated for Wednesday, April 29, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Class members will meet at Salvador’s Restaurant to explore the market’s array of produce and then taste some of the vendors’ wares, before returning to AbueLinda’s to prepare lunch.
The last Mexican specialties class will include a sampling of this country’s extensive culinary culture with a discussion of how to replicate them “back home” on Thursday, April 30, 4 to 6 p.m.
Those with questions or who want cooking class parties can call AbueLinda at (376) 766-0955 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">.
Grand Raffle
Kelly Wilson won the grand raffle prize, a week in a 19th century home between Toulouse and Lourdes in the Pyrenees, at the Sunrise Rotary International Women’s Day Golf Tournament at the Chapala Country Club. Wilson and his wife, Penny, have booked flights to France and will extend the trip for an additional week at Maison D’Isabel.
Ribbon Cutting
Love in Action Children’s Shelter is hosting a ribbon cutting and reception to celebrate the completion of the newly renovated teen girls’ house, the community room and the therapy center on Friday, May 1, 9:30 a.m. This most recent project has been sponsored by the Chapala Sunrise Rotary Club and Geoffrey Kaye.
Visitors at the ribbon-cutting celebration will have the opportunity to see these new additions to the home located at Pedro Moreno 76 in Chapala. The reception will continue until 11 a.m. For additional information contact Kari Romey at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
British Club
Chiropractor Lowell Stephen Birch will be on hand to present the program at the Saturday, May 2 meeting of the British Club. The meeting will be held at 1 p.m. at Manix Restaurant on Ocampo in Ajijic.
Birch graduated from Western States Chiropractic College with additional study in Nimmo, followed by Thompson instruction in medical Qui Gong in mainland China. While discussing his own history with chiropracticy, he will give a perspective as to how patient treatment has developed in the past 40 years.
Those who wish to attend the meeting must RSVP with menu choice to Alicia at (376) 765-4786 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The 120-peso meal includes a small salad and dessert of ice cream and berries, and a choice of either chicken or fish in a typical Mexican cochinito pibil sauce and served with rice and beans. Those preferring a lighter meal can chose the large salad with dessert for 85 pesos.
Upsale Resale
This charity shop which helps support two children’s homes, Love in Action and Hope House, has announced plans to close early on Monday through Saturday during May, lakeside’s hottest month. The store will close at 2 p.m. instead of 4 p.m.
Upscale Resale Bazaar has been selling donated and consignment items – including clothing, furniture and household goods – in Riberas for five years. The store currently has some new items such as fresh Belgian chocolates. Photos of new items are featured on the Upscale Resale Bazaar’s Facebook page.
Once the modest expenses are paid each month, the remaining income is split equally between the two homes. For more information call (376) 106-0882.
Puttin’ on the Ritz
The supporters of the Jocotepec School for Special Students are already at work on plans for the group’s annual Auction Fashion Show, scheduled for early December. With a theme of “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” early indications are that the show will not only be exiting, it will have a new look for 2015. The date will be announced when the venue is confirmed.
As in years past, this is a fashion show with a twist. As area residents complete spring-cleaning, they are urged to make decisions on what to cull from their closets with this event in mind. Set aside ladies’ gently used or new quality or designer clothing and accessories to donate for the auction and sale. These cast-offs can make a huge difference in the education of area children with special needs.
Contact Maritza Freyslinger for information on donations by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Open Circle
Alexandro Sempe will discuss bioenergetics at the Sunday, April 26 meeting of Open Circle at the LCS. The group gathers at 10 a.m. for socializing, with the presentation starting at 10:30 a.m.
The talk will focus on biomagnetism, bioquantica, domotherapy, chromotherapy and the releasing of trapped negative emotions. These non-invasive therapies and adjustments to the daily behavior (including changes to diet and thinking), clean and harmonize aspects of the body and mind to help patients with chronic diseases.
Sempe was born into an Italian family in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While he divides his time between Vienna and Crete, he travels in Latin America treating patients and presenting conferences and workshops. He studied these therapies at Hahnneman Institute of Alternative Medicine in Berlin, Germany.
Touching the Present
Twice each year Heart of Awareness Community sponsors a workshop with sessions streamed live from Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. This spring’s session, “Touching the Present,” is scheduled for Friday, May 29; Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31. The 300-peso fee for the three-day workshop includes brunch following the final session.
Pema Chödrön, a notable U.S. figure in Tibetan Buddhism, is the featured speaker. A disciple of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, she is an author and ordained nun.
The workshop will be held at Guadalupe Victoria 101 A-B in Ajijic. Visit the Heart of Awareness website at heartofawareness.org for information. Register via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
St. Andrew’s Anglican
Fr. Winston Welty of St. Andrew’s Anglican church will mark the Sunday, April 26 worship service at 10 a.m. with the sermon, “Whistling the Shepherd’s Tune.”
Welty says, “The fourth Sunday after Easter is traditionally known as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday.’ This message reflects on how Easter changes sheep into shepherds.” The Children’s Sunday School meets at 9:45 a.m. The congregation gathers for refreshments in the garden after the service.
Donations will be received, as they are on the last Sunday of each month, for the school lunch program in Mezcala. The men of St. Andrew’s meet for lunch at La Taverna in San Antonio on Tuesday, April 28, noon. The final session of “Origins of the Church of England” with Arnold Smith will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 29.
St. Andrew’s is in Riberas del Pilar at Calle San Lucas 19.
Christ Church
Deacon Rob Wells will preside at Christ Church Lakeside on Sunday, April 26, when his message will be “The Good Shepherd” based on the story in John 10:11-18. During the service Wells will serve Holy Communion from the reserved sacrament.
The congregations of Christ Church Lakeside and the Little Chapel by the Lake will share a coffee fellowship time from 10:35 until 11:10 a.m. in the Little Chapel at Carretera 10 in Chula Vista.
Wells will resume his Tuesday morning Bible Study class in May.
Lakeside Presbyterian
Dr. Sidney DeWaal will conduct the morning worship service in English on Sunday, April 26, 10 a.m., and for the several upcoming weeks while Ross Arnold, lead pastor of the Lakeside Presbyterian Church, is away. The local congregation recalls that DeWaal presents compelling Bible stories, which give him the opportunity to develop pastoral highlights for daily living.
In “Ordinary Faith, Extraordinary Living” he will use Jeremiah 32 to guide the group to see how the practice of faith in challenging experiences and how an honest struggle with God can open the door for a liberated, joyful, convincing, and enriched experience.
The English congregation joins the Spanish group for an 11 a.m. time of fellowship and refreshments. The Spanish service is held at noon. The Lakeside Presbyterian Church is in Riberas del Pilar, a block south of Mom’s Deli.
Little Chapel
The interdenominational congregation of the Little Chapel by the Lake will continue with its regular schedule of events on Sunday, April 26. Refreshments will be shared with members of Christ Church Lakeside at 10:45 a.m. At 11:15 a.m. members will gather for the regular worship service in the sanctuary. Along with scripture, hymns and prayer, Rev. Gene Raymer will deliver a message called “Satan Lies.”
“Satan lied to Eve about the results of eating fruit from the forbidden tree and he hasn’t stopped since. We want to examine a few of the more common ones we all have to deal with on a regular basis,” says Raymer.
In anticipation of a growing number of younger attendees, the Little Chapel now has a bilingual supervisor for its Children’s Church. “This will give our youth an opportunity to learn on their own level and freedom for the parents to worship uninterrupted.” says Raymer.
The Little Chapel by the Lake is located on the mountain side of the Carretera just east of the golf course in Chula Vista. More can be learned by visiting LCBTL on Facebook.
Unitarian Universalist
Trudy Crippen will present “Zionism,” a program which focuses on the Jews returning to Israel supported by the Christian Right, during the Sunday, April 26, 10:30 a.m. meeting of the Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
The local group meets each Sunday at Plaza de la Ribera, Rio Bravo 10A in Ajijic. For future information, visit uuflc.org.
Unitarian Universalists search for truth along many paths. They gather around common moral values that include the inherent worth and dignity of every person. They are a caring, liberal, open-minded community that encourages others to seek their own spiritual path wherever it leads.
San Andres English
Rev. Basil G. Royston, D. Min. will officiate at the English Mass on Sunday, April 26, 9 a.m. “Christ, the good shepherd, went before us through suffering and death,” he says, “so that we could follow in safety and be with him in his heavenly kingdom.” The readings and homily for this week will reflect the Biblical references to Jesus as the shepherd.
Fund raising fair
Appearing last Sunday as a guest artist at the Niños Incapacitados fund-raising fair, popular Guadalajara comedian- vocalist Fredy Garcia delighted the audience with his impersonations of famed Mexican singer Vicente Fernández and – after a fast switch turning fake moustache into bushy eyebrows – his heart-throb offspring Alejandro Fernández.
Heart of Awareness
The Heart of Awareness Buddhist Community will meet on Wednesday, April 29, 4:30 p.m. for meditation and dharma teachings. Each meeting begins with 30 minutes of sitting meditation followed by a 10-minute walking meditation and then another 10 minutes sitting. The dharma film on April 29 is “Buddhism, the Essential Points, Part 2.”
The sangha is in Plaza San Juan at Guadalupe Victoria 101 in Ajijic. Heart of Awareness is a non-sectarian Buddhist practice community grounded in the original teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the Theravada/Vipassana tradition. Membership in Heart of Awareness is open to those with Zen, Tibetan or Shambhala backgrounds, as well as people with no previous meditation experience. For further information on the sangha, call Janet Reichert at (376) 766-6069.