GuatemalAdventures

Hasta la vista!

2008-05-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for your prayers. God is so faithful and working in the girls’ lives. We all met with John and Sharon on Wednesday and John spoke in very serious terms about the girls’ attitudes and responsibilities while they are here. It was a good session and things have improved greatly with the girls. They are more positive and considerate of one another. We are very encouraged that they will do fine after we leave. Certainly, they will have problems - after all, they are totally opposite - but God’s bigger and He wants to work in their lives as well as through their lives.

We are planning on leaving Chichi early Sunday morning, because of the hurricane and the possibility of mud slides along the road. Please pray that the weather will hold off and that the storm will diminish as it reaches us. Consequently, we will have to spend an extra night in Guatemala City. Please pray that there’s room at the inn.

This will probably be our last entry before leaving Guatemala. Thank you all for your prayers. And please continue to pray for us. We have been asked to continue working with ASELSI, which would require a longer commitment and more time in Guatemala. We are not sure if this is the direction the Lord is laying out for us or not. Our hearts for service are still in Murfreesboro so we need to hear clearly from the Lord.

Bless you all!

We need prayer!

2008-05-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

We need your help. Since we’ve come to Chichi things have not gotten better with the interns, but worse. We had hoped that getting out of the city of Antigua and getting into a place of ministry here at ASELSI would be a turning point in the girls’ relationship with each other. The two girls are exact opposites and don’t have much tolerance for their differences.

We have spent much time trying to disciple them and teach them how to relate to one another and forgive each other in a biblical manner. We have shared our concerns and have prayed with John and Sharon and they have shared their concerns about what will happen with the girls after we leave. t There is no one to oversee them once we’re gone.

Please pray for us to have greater understanding and discernment in dealing with them. Please pray for the girls, too. Each of them is struggling in her own way. Thanks so much.

Back in Chichi

2008-05-26T12:26:00.001-07:00

We’ve arrived safely in Chichicastenango with the interns after a long day of traveling from Antigua, then down to Guatemala City for groceries, then back to Chichicastenango. We left Antigua at 9 am and arrived in Chichi at 3 pm.

We spent the weekend settling in to the new house, unpacking and ministering to the ‘chicas’ a bit. Now that we’re living in the house we’re having our first opportunities to cook our own meals with the girls. They’ve been great about taking responsibility for the menu and the daily chores around the house.

Today (Monday) we will begin work at ASELSI. Our first project is to clean up and organize the large storage area on the compound. Throughout the week Grace and Jessica will begin preparation for their ministry at the local schools. They will be teaching a Bible study and English classes once a week. In addition they will be working with short term mission teams which will be in and out throughout the summer. Grace is a nurse and will also be helping in the clinic one day a week. Jessica is a computer techie and will spend time working on a Spanish website for ASELSI.

Suki and Mary Jane are discipling the interns and trying to help them process their differences biblically and live together in harmony. Please keep praying for us all as we move into this phase of our journey.

Back at the Books!

2008-05-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

We're knee deep in espanol once again! We arrived in Antigua on Friday and met Grace and Jessica (the two interns) on Saturday. We were able to spend the weekend getting to know them before focusing on Spanish on Monday. Both girls are doing well and speak Spanish well, which will make it much easier for them in Chichicastenango.

Suki and Mary Jane are both amazed at how much we have forgotten. However, much of it is coming back fairly quickly (Thank You, Lord). We've had great opportunities to reconnect with our old teachers, the little church we attended, and our former host family. It's been great seeing them all again. And, we have no doubt that it will be hard to say goodbye all over again.

Mary Jane was under the weather Monday afternoon and missed class Tuesday, but is making it up in the afternoons. Suki is doing fine.

This weekend we will return to Chichicastenango where we will get the girls started in their ministries at ASELSI.

Again, thanks so much for your prayers. They keep us connected.

Off to Antigua

2008-05-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

We've finished the final details in preparation for the Summer Interns in Chichicastenango. Yesterday we spent much of the day with Sharon planning the schedules of service and activities for the interns for the next few weeks. Tomorrow (Friday) we will head out to Antigua early in the morning. We will be there to meet Jessica and Grace on Saturday when they arrive. We're looking forward to getting to know them and to be able to pray for them. We're also looking forward to seeing our friends at the Christian Spanish Academy again. We also plan to visit Maria Elena and Carlos and our friends at the little Christian church that we attended.

Please pray that our Spanish grammar will come back and we'll be able to advance - even a little - in the upcoming week of school.

Answered Prayers

2008-05-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

Praise God for His goodness. John and Sharon went to the doctor in Guatemala City on Saturday for more consults and were told that the 'tumors' are calcifications on John's back and hip. The bloodwork confirmed that John does not have cancer. We're thankful for God's faithfulness to John and all the work at ASELSI.

In other news, we are finishing up the latest touches on our house and the schedule for the Summer Interns. We said goodbye to the WOC team on Sunday and have been working with ASELSI since then.

Yesterday MJ was in bed with a cold, but Suki was able to go to the compound and help with the distribution of wheelchairs for many of the children in the region. For those of you who remember him, little Nelson received a wheelchair. We'll post pictures as soon as we can.

We are also making final preparations for returning to Antigua next week. Time is flying by here. Again, thank you for your prayers. We have already seen God doing some amazing things here.

An Urgent Prayer Request

2008-05-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

This morning the team arrived at the ASELSI compound and John and Sharon had gathered the staff for an announcement. Over the past several months John has been experiencing some pain in his back. Yesterday he went to the doctor who took some xrays and discovered two tumors on his spine. The doctor said that this type of tumor is generally the result of prostrate cancer and is very serious.

As we gathered for prayer two of the ASELSI staff shared dreams that they had had about thieves coming to the compound to steal all the valuables. Our team surrounded the staff of ASELSI and began to pray God's protection over everyone here. We all felt that this is a spiritual attack. Just a few weeks ago Sharon had surgery to remove cancer on her face. In addition, several of the members of leadership here are also battling serious illnesses.

On Monday Frank, one of the members of our team, told us that he had the feeling that we were here for something special on Friday. Today (Friday) we all felt confirmation in our spirits that we are here to resist the enemy's attacks on the leadership of ASELSI. Please join us in prayer for John, Sharon, and all the staff of ASELSI.

Another Great Day!

2008-05-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

We've had some wonderful times here in Chichi. After the first day the weather has been beautiful -- sunny days and cool days. On Monday we visited homes of some of the families in Chichi. Generally, the poorer families live in adobe huts with only one electric light hanging from the ceiling and possibly only one electric outlet. In this family the kitchen was outside under the eve of the house. There were seven children in the family and they all lived in one room with three beds in it. The room had no windows and a dirt floor. We brought a laundry basket full of toys and food which would last the whole family a month.

Yesterday we mostly worked on projects around ASELSI -- the men doing some construction and the women painting furniture that will go into our house after the team leaves. The blue table and chairs will be our dining room table and chairs.

In the afternoon the team went the two local hospitals: one for the public and one private hospital. We were able to pray for many of the people there and deliver personal bags with soap, toothbrushes and combs.

Thanks so much to everyone who is praying for us. We are seeing God do some amazing things in the lives of the people here and in our own hearts.

We're in Chichi!

2008-05-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

After a long day of travel (starting at 3 am and ending at 10pm) we finally arrived in Chichicastenango, Guatemala with the WOC tram. It's rainy season here now and we hit the rain on the long drive from Guatemala City. However, we made it here safely and John and Sharon were waiting at the hotel to greet us.

It was good to see them again and, amazingly, it felt like we had never left. Sunday we had a wonderful day, beginning with the church for the local missionaries (all in English). Phillip Jackson, our pastor at WOC, preached a challenging sermon. After a little sorting out of the gifts we were bringing and getting some money exchanged we headed to town for lunch and a brief walk through the local market. In the afternoon we attended a local church, where Phillip was again scheduled to speak. The church (C.OP.S. - which stands for Christians Obligated to Preach Salvation) was a Spirit-filled church, full of young people who were excited about the Gospel. The worship invited the Holy Spirit and after Phillip's sermon we were invited to pray for the congregation and anoint them. The movement of the Holy Spirit was powerful in the place as people were being touched by the incredible power of God.

Monday we had our first visit to the ASELSI compound where we began to work on the house where Suki and Mary Jane will be staying with our two interns, Jessica and Grace. The construction on the house is almost complete -- enough that we can begin putting furniture in. So we have begun hanging curtains and bringing in beds. It will really be home before we know it.

This afternoon (Monday) we will be going to visit some of the families in Chichicastenango and tomorrow we will finish up some projects on the compound and paint some furniture for our house.

The team is doing well -- just a few upset stomachs, nothing major. Everyone on the team has a heart to serve and they all are having a great time doing it. Please pray that we will all stay healthy and safe as we continue to do some of the work projects.

Also, please keep praying for the ministry here at ASELSI and for our team to be a blessing to them.

We're Back!

2008-05-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we're off again on the second part of our adventure! We left with World Outreach Church early this (Saturday) morning -- in the wee hours! We all gathered at the church at 3 am and headed to the Nashville Airport for our flight out at 6ish -- it was too early to remember the time exactly.

We will be arriving in Guatemala City this afternoon and will begin the LONG drive to Chichicastenango. We will be working with the WOC team for a week before starting our work with John and Sharon Harvey of ASELSI. Right now, there are 11 of us who will be working with the Mayans in the mountains of Guatemala.

We are looking forward to being back in the country and seeing our friends again. Again, thank you so much for your support and your prayers. We are looking forward to seeing what the Lord will be doing in this next month.

We promise that we will soon have new photos for you.

Graduation!

2008-03-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it! We both graudated from Level C. We left the school with a great feeling of accomplishment. With God’s help we were able to go farther in the school than we imagined.

In spite of the excitement of graduation, we left the school with sad hearts. It was hard to say goodbye to our teachers who had worked with us for 160 hours over the past two months. Two months ago we met Lucy and Dina as our personal Spanish teachers, but on Friday after a final lunch together and many tears, we said goodbye as friends.

It was also hard to say goodbye to Maria Elena and Carlos. When we arrived in their home we were barely able to say thank you in Spanish and our meals were spent in silence. However, by the end of our time with them we were able to have long conversations about everything from our relationship with Jesus to the politics in the United States -- all in Spanish!

On Saturday we also said goodbye to Nina. She had asked us to ride into Guatemala City with her in the morning as she had to catch an early flight. Again, we had to pull out the kleenex.

Sunday we began the long journey home. Once we said goodbye to Antigua we were anxious to get back to Tennessee. As we look ahead we are excited to be back home with good friends, catching up on their lives and telling a few stories of our own.

This will be our last posting until we begin plans for our return to Guatemala in May. We want to thank you all for your prayers and comments and investment in our time in Antigua. We couldn’t have done it without God. Thank you for listening to Him and for keeping us in your hearts. You are in ours.

Our Last Weekend in Antigua -- for now

2008-02-25T13:33:00.001-08:00

Our last weekend in Antigua was a memorable one. On Friday we decided that we would finish our homework and ‘play’ the rest of the weekend. We spent the day Saturday walking around the town and exploring new restaurants, shops and ruins in the city. In the evening we went to a concert in the park by the Guatemalan Opera Company.

On Sunday we went to our little local church for the last time. The pastor (who didn’t know that it was our last Sunday here) prayed a blessing over us and our work. It was a very emotional time for us to say goodbye to the people in the church.

We spent Sunday afternoon with our former housemate, Nina, and her mother walking around town and exploring more of Antigua. After dinner we saw the weekly Catholic Lentan procession. In the procession people parade through the streets carrying large platforms of statues of Jesus carrying the cross and Mary in mourning following behind. Each week the procession begins at a different church on Sunday afternoon and slowly moves through the streets to the central park. The processions usually takes about nine hours to move through the city and return to the original church. It is a fascinating custom.

All in all it was a great ‘last weekend’ of fun, friends and good food. Now it’s back to work with the possibility of another exam this week.

Our Weekend in Chichicastenango

2008-02-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

We left Friday to spend the weekend with John & Sharon Harvey in Chichicastenango. We had lots of planning to do for the Summer Intern Program (SIP - Taste and See that the Lord is Good). We checked into an inexpensive hotel in ‘Chichi’ Friday and went out to dinner with Sharon that evening. On Saturday we spent most of the day going over ASELSI policy and getting an understanding of the type of work we will be doing this summer. We will be leading a team of no more than 8 young people who will be staying for two months. A large part of our ministry will probably be discipling youth from the local churches and reaching out to the unchurched youth in the city. We will also be helping ASELSI with various projects as different church teams come to minister in Chichicastenango.

We also looked at the house where we will be living. The house is a duplex with two floors - one two-bedroom apartment on each floor. We will have to take both floors for the team because it is very small -- four small rooms and two baths for 10 people. The apartments have small kitchenettes where we will prepare our morning and evening meals. The apartments also have a small area that will be used for a dining room downstairs and a classroom/lounge/meeting room upstairs.

Sunday afternoon we returned to Antigua and crashed in our room. It was a long and tiring trip in the midst of studying Spanish. We are still pretty tired and are struggling a bit with this next level. With only one and a half weeks left to go we are beginning to wear down and are looking toward coming home. We do need your prayers to finish well. We don’t want to lose heart after such a successful beginning. Please keep praying for us.

We're Movin' On Up!

2008-02-13T12:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much for your prayers! We both passed Grade B with A’s and are now moving on to Grade C. As soon as you pass your exams here the teachers immediately take you up to get your new books and they begin the new lessons right away. No time to even catch your breath! Both of us even have homework tonight!

We have two and a half more weeks of school and both our teachers think that we’ll at least finish Grade C. The great thing about this next level is NO VERBS!

We have settled into a good routine. Guapo (handsome) Freddy picks us up in his tuc tuc each day at noon and returns us to the school at 1:30. We walk to and from school in the early mornings and afternoons. The walk takes about 25 minutes, but the temperature is pleasant in the mornings and afternoons and it’s not the rainy season.

We will visit John and Sharon in Chichicastenango this weekend and begin to make plans for the students who are coming this summer. John & Sharon plan to pick us up Friday after school and we’ll return to Antigua on Sunday. We’re looking forward to seeing them and to starting work on the Summer Intern Program (which we are calling ‘SIP’ --Taste and see that the Lord is good!)

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, which is also celebrated here in Guatemala. The school is planning a small party for us all where we exchange chocolate with each other. We hope to have pictures for you soon.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Another Test!

2008-02-07T11:59:00.001-08:00

We have almost finished Grade B and will be tested either Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. This level has been particularly hard because there are about 500 verbs to learn. Not only do we have to learn the meaning, we have to learn to conjugate them in five tenses: present, past, future, progressive and past progressive. We also have to memorize all the exceptions and irregular verbs that are conjugated differently.

In addition to the verbs are idiomatic expressions, and demonstrative and possessive adjectives and pronouns. We also have to memorize verbs that change their meaning as well as their spelling in the past tense. All that in a little more than two weeks! Needless to say, we are studying around the clock as much as possible. Please continue to pray for use as we head into this next week.

On another note, God is giving us lots of opportunities to teach others about Him. Both Suki and Mary Jane are teaching their maestras more about the nature of God and His Word. It’s been a challenge to explain Biblical principles in Spanish but it has also been rewarding.

Thanks again for your prayers. God is putting things in place. Freddy is picking us up at noon and returning us to the school at 1:30 each day. And Marlon is picking up and returning our laundry once a week. Gracias a Dios!

A Short Update

2008-02-05T12:24:00.000-08:00

Dina, MJ’s maestra, knew a tuc tuc driver who is very reliable. We met him today and he will pick us up at the school every day at noon and return us to the school at 1:30.

Today (Tuesday, Feb 5) is Nina’s birthday. Nina is our housemate who turned 28 today. We have been celebrating her cumpleano (birthday) all day in the house and at the school. We’re including some pictures.

Thanks for your prayers!

Ups and Downs in Antigua

2008-02-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

We decided to take the day off from studying Saturday and just walk around the market, which was a refreshing change for us both. However, this past week was a tough one, and we need your prayers. As you know, our new home is REALLY far from the school. The Antiguans measure distance in blocks here and at last count we live at least 12 blocks from the school (a distance of perhaps a mile or more). It is extremely hard for us to return to the house for lunch (which is already paid for) and then come back to the school in the afternoon to do our homework. The long walk at the heat of the day makes it almost impossible to concentrate on our studies in the afternoons.

The house is so far from the central part of town that it’s even hard to get to a restaruant on the Sundays when there aren’t meals served in our house. This Sunday we left the house at 8:30 in the morning and spent the day in the garden at McDonalds where we did our homework. We have to say in town in order to buy dinner Sunday night. Of course this past Sunday night we also watched the first half of the Superbowl on a TV in the restaurant, but we couldn’t watch the whole game because it’s not safe to be out walking in our neighborhood after dark.

The extra burden of distance is bringing us down a bit. The solution to walking to and from the school at noontime is to take a tuc tuc which costs 10 quetzales each way -- about $3 roundtrip (which is cheaper than buying another lunch). Our other concern is that Suki’s lower back is hurting her from so much walking on stone streets and concrete floors. We are praying for healing for her, but would appreciate you joining us in prayer about it.

The one highlight was that the Lord directed us to a new church near our house (it’s the only thing that’s near!). It’s a small totally Spanish Christian church about three blocks from our house. The people are very friendly and even though we didn’t understand much of what was said, we knew it was Spirit-filled and we will continue to go back there.

We've Moved!

2008-02-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

Well, we're in our new house. It's lovely and much smaller than the other house. Our room is much smaller, but cleaner and without any termites! Thank You, Lord! We are in a very quiet neighborhood, which is very nice, however we are now VERY far from the school. We think that we're at least a mile from the school -- well over 10 city blocks. The only problem is that it's hard to go back to the house for lunch at noon and return to the school in the afternoons for our homework. Our room in the new house isn't large enough for table or bright enough to be able to do our homework. Maria, however, is very happy with the house and we are happy for her. It will be much easier for her to take care of. It's just very far away. The neighborhood is pretty isolated so it's not really safe to be out late, which means we have to leave the school earlier. We're asking God for a good solution.

Our Weekend in Panajachel

2008-01-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

We were told that the trip would be two and a half hours. (That must be Guatemala time.) We were picked up at about 8:30 Saturday morning and arrived in Panajachel around 1:30. There was some roadwork going on almost the entire trip. Needless to say, we were glad that we weren’t scheduled to return that afternoon at 4:00. The small town is situated on the edge of Lake Atitlan, an enormous lake surrounded by three beautiful and very tall volcanos. The town essentially has two streets. The main street is a very busy market street. The other, which is where our hotel was, is much quieter.

We spent a lot of time walking around the town and along the lake. It is truly one of the most beautiful areas we have seen. Two of the volcanos are inactive, however the third is constantly producing steam. They are about 10,000 feet high. We were told that there are parts of the lake where the water is too hot to put your hand in. Much to our delight we were able to converse with the people in the stores and restaurants and made many 'new friends' there. That was encouraging to us. We must actually be learning a little Spanish!

The ride home was much faster. (We took the long way around the lake.) We arrived back home at 7:30 in the evening with enough time to unpack and look over our newest list of irregular verbs before settling back into the routine of school.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to visit Panajachel. It gave us another perspective on the life and culture here. Besides that, it was a chance to catch our breath, and give our brains a bit of a vacation from all the studying these past few weeks.

Weekend Plans

2008-01-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

We're off to Panajachel, a village by Lake Atitlan, this weekend. It's a two hour ride in a bus across some winding mountain roads. Everyone here says it's a beautiful village and that we must see it. The trip will be a little change of scenery for us - even though we will take our homework with us and continue studying our VERBS! We hope to have some interesting photos for you when we come back.

Success!

2008-01-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

We both passed our Grade A exams with flying colors. We both received A’s on our tests so we have been promoted to Grade B. Each grade has two books: one for grammar and the other for homework. The Grade B homework book is more focused on your individual studies. So our homework book focuse on Biblical themes with scriptures as examples.

We’ve had several opportunities to pray for people while we are here. And we’re seeing God move in people’s lives. Suki has prayed with her teacher twice and Mary Jane has prayed with her’s once. We are also praying for Maria and Carlos, our hosts. Carlos has had cancer for three years and has now dropped back to only working part time. He is often depressed, which makes it hard for Maria because she has to make all the decisions in the family. Please join us in prayer for them. We are praying that God will totally heal Carlos and lift his depression, and that God will also give Maria peace and grace to handle all the day to day tasks of running a household.

We’re keeping Sharon and John Harvey, of ASELSI, posted on what’s happening here and we hope to be able to meet with them one weekend in February. In the meantime, we plan to see a few sights on the weekends -- if we don’t have too much homework.

We really do appreciate all your comments and words of encouragement. It's a connection to home.

News from the Week

2008-01-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

Please keep up your prayers for us. Just when we were getting settled into our new room Maria (our hostess) informed us that she has sold her house and we all will be moving at the end of the month! She says the new house is smaller, but much nicer. We’re not quite sure where it is, but it’s not much farther from the school (according to Maria) -- just two extra blocks. More great exercise for us and another new adventure. We’re not sure how this move is supposed to take place but I’m sure we’ll have some great stories to tell from it.

On Friday afternoon we took a short but strenuous walk up to the cross that overlooks the city of Antigua. It was a nice break from the daily studies. We were disappointed that it was hazy but if we have the time we'll try to get up there again for some better pictures.

The other BIG news is that we will be taking our first test on Monday and Tuesday. If we pass we will move up to Grade B, the next level. The test is supposed to take about 3 hours and will include an oral exam as well as a written exam and verb conjugation. Please pray for us.

New Adventures over the Weekend

2008-01-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

To those of you who have been praying about the noise and our ability to sleep, we thank you. We have been able to move to another room, which is upstairs. To those of you who have been praying that we will get more exercise, we thank you. Our room is up a serious flight of tall stairs which we have to climb many times a day. We are so grateful that God is answering your prayers and ours. We are in a new room which has much better ventilation and a bigger bathroom. It is not on the street so the noise and dust are no longer a problem. Although we were quite content with our old room, we are much happier in our new one. It even has a small refrigerator. God gives us more than we can ask or hope for! There is one small problem. ... We have termites in the ceiling and the droppings land of one side of Suki’s bed. Pray that the ceiling doesn’t fall down on top of us. Did you know the Spanish word for termite is termita?

We also went to a great church Sunday: Vida y Fe (Life and Faith). Service began at 9:30 and we spent an hour in praise and worship. The pastor’s sermon reminded us of Allen’s. He talked about BLESSINGS and CURSES, and CHANGE and FORGIVENESS. The sermon was translated into English so we were able to follow along. (We haven’t learned that much Spanish yet!) The service ended at 12 -- that’s a 2 & 1/2 hour service. Next week we’ll eat breakfast before we go!

Our weekend was spent studying. We went to the library Saturday and were blessed to be able to find the YWAM base which has free wireless on Saturdays, so we were able to listen to Allen’s sermon from a week ago. We don’t have many extra curricular activities. Sleep, study, eat, study, go to school, study... (We did also do a little temporary fix to the ceiling over Suki's bed.) We now have about a thousand flashcards of Spanish words spread across our desk. Did you know the Spanish word for broccoli is brocoli?

Our Tutors

2008-01-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

These are a couple of photos of our tutors. We're so grateful to have patient tutors in the school. However, this 'going back to school' isn't as easy as it seems. It feels like they've opened our heads and are cramming Spanish into them. Our tutors keep telling us that we're doing well, but we think they're just trying to encourage us. In the evenings we just crash in the room and stare at the walls. We're too tired to even talk in English!

New pictures

2008-01-08T10:15:00.001-08:00

Thought you'd like to see more of where we are living and working. Our classes are challenging, but our teachers are patient. We also have homework, which keeps us busy. Tomorrow morning before class begins they have a Bible study. So we plan to attend.

Thanks, again, for your prayers. As things get harder we're going to need prayers to retain the new words we are learning, to pronounce them properly and to use the right verb tenses. Gracias mis amigos en jesucristo.

We're in deep Espanol!

2008-01-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

The first thing Francisco said to us was, “En Antigua hablen solo el espanol. No ingles.” (In Antigua you will only speak Spanish. No English!) It’s going to be a long two months. We have learned just enough Spanish to get us started and, then, get us confused.

We’re in a lovely bed and breakfast type of home, run by Maria and Carlos. We have our own room, which is right on the noisy street (Suki thought to bring earplugs). The lighting comes from one lamp that hangs from the ceiling and it flickers occasionally as the power surges. We do have our own bathroom which is smaller than most closets in the US, but it is private. The sink, which is in the room itself cause there’s no room in the bathroom, is the size of a dinner plate. But it’s all ours!

The school is about a 20 minute walk from the house along lovely cobblestone streets. We are looking forward to the daily walks. The weather here is much warmer than we anticipated -- temperatures in the mid 70s. Calla lillies, bougainvilla, ginger and jackeranda trees are blooming. And most people are in teeshirts.

Our first day of school was exhausting. Plus, we have HOMEWORK! But we have a couple of wonderful tutors and we're having a great time!

Thanks so much for your prayers. God has already been at work here - sending us an angel to help us out in a store where we were trying to buy a cellphone.

We are able to get online at the school in the afternoons after class. We'll post more pictures of the school and the area when we have time to take them. Keep checking the blog for new stuff.

We're Here!

2008-01-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

We left Nashville at about 8:30 after Joe and Cathy took us to the airport. We had an easy flight to Houston, but a rushed connection to catch our plane to Guatemala City.

We had not trouble getting through immigration and were met at the airport by the hotel shuttle. We checked in without any problem but couldn't figure out how to connect to the internet. Sally, our new best friend at the front desk, helped us get it straightened out.

We'll have dinner in the hotel tonight and will be picked up by the school bus (????) by noon tomorrow.

We've already spoken with Sharon and hope to see her in Antigua tomorrow afternoon. We have received the name of our host: Maria Elena de Estrada. Please be praying for her. She will have two radical gringos living with her and will need a lot of grace!

By the way, they're still playing Christmas carols here, so Feliz Navidad everyone!