Thank you, Benjamin Franklin

This week's Fun Fact Friday is about a funny cultural difference between Mexico and the US. Even things which look the same "on the outside" are sometimes very different here! Take, for instance, Daylight Savings Time.

Daylight savings time, which was first suggested by the famous inventor Benjamin Franklin, is not the same all over the world. We received a note some weeks ago from a friend in the States reminding folks to move their clocks forward. Unsure whether or not Mexico changed on the same date, we Googled. Sure enough, Mexico is different. In Mexico, clocks are changed on the first Sunday of April.

Funny thing is, no one really talks about it here. I remember in the States there were bulletins on the nightly news, blurbs on the radio and -- as mentioned before -- people sending out friendly reminders via internet the day before the time change. Do I need to say that we missed the time change?

We showed up an hour early on Sunday to prepare to lead the worship service and found Pastor Ricardo standing at the door. Almost immediately we knew what was up. "Did the time change today?" we asked. "Yes. Church is over and everyone's gone home." Liar. We laughed.

So what do churches do here when more than half the church doesn't show up on time? We postponed church to 11. After all, it's not like anyone really had any place else they had to be!!!

We are improving. Last year we didn't realize that the time had changed until the Monday after. Yes, life is a little more relaxed here!