Moving Day

It's moving day here in Guatemala . . . . . we moving out of the school and into a house.  The nice thing is that it is literally next door to the school so we can almost carry our luggage over there.  The "owner" is a very nice woman who is originally from Holland.

This weekend, we're also saying goodbye to new friends from all over the world:  Paul, Sheila and their family (missionaries to Honduras), Emma and Patrick (from Holland), Daniel and Cass (from Australia) and David and his son, Scott (from Oregon.)  They've all finished their time at the school and are all off on new adventures.

We have four more weeks of school . . . . we think we're getting better!  When we get back to El Salvador in August, we're hoping other people will also be able to tell the difference.

Surgery Today

Praying Psalms 31:24, Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD, for my brother during his open heart surgery today.

Surgery now underway at KU Med center.

Prayer Request Part 2

My brother's heart cath was normal.  They were looking for potential blockages before they do the open heart valve repair procedure tomorrow.  Please continue to pray for him.  Thanks!

Prayer Request

Please pray for my brother, Ron. Tomorrow he is having a heart cath at KU Med and then on Tuesday he will have open heart surgery to repair or replace, if necessary, his mitral valve. His wife, daughter and our dad will be there for the surgery, but my sister is in Mexico traveling for work and, of course, I can't be there.

Thanks for lifting him up!

Prayer Request for Corina

Please pray for Corina, one of my teachers. We took her to the emergency room  here in Antigua, Guatemala on Monday and they diagnosed her with a kidney infection and gave her antibiotics.  After 3 days her pain has not lessened; she went to a public health clinic this morning and the doctor recommended an ultrasound to check for kidney stones.  We took her to a clinic with an ultrasound machine this afternoon.  Interestingly, she got her results about 10 minutes after finishing the test and everything looked normal.  A negative result on an ultrasound, however, doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't have kidney stones (so says Stephen's brother who is a family practice doctor in Kansas.)  So, it's back to the public clinic tomorrow to see what, if anything, the doctor suggests.  By the way, originally they told her the ultrasound would cost 200Q, or about $28 and Corina and her husband, Jose, were concerned about their ability to pay the bill.  At the front desk of the clinic, they found out the charge was only 75Q ($10.00) and you could see the relief on their faces.

Things that might be simple to diagnose with the equipment/tests that are available in the states, can become life-threatening here.  So, thanks for lifting her up in prayer.

 

Not your average McDonalds

I am pretty sure you would not think this was McDonalds, if not for Ronald sitting peaceably on the bench. Nevertheless, this is the garden at the McDonalds in Antigua, Guatemala.  Nothing like eating an Egg Muffin or Quarter Pounder with Cheese while enjoying this beautiful view.

 

If

Prayer Request

Please pray for my teacher, Araceley.  She's a Catholic and is convinced that she needs to do more good than bad things so she can get to Heaven.  I shared the gospel with her in class this morning, using "The Big Question."  She asked if she could keep the tract because it was very interesting.

Moving day and More

Yesterday afternoon we moved from our room with the family of 14 to a room at the school.  All in all, it's a trade up for us.  Our room is probably twice the size, has a desk, two tables, a mini-fridge, a TV and faces the garden of the school not a street.  Right now there are two couples and two single girls in rooms here; there is also a family staying in the small apartment on the grounds.  Paul, Sheila and their kids, Bella, Gabriel and Isaiah are missionaries who will be serving in Honduras.    

The cost is about the same, except that not as many meals are included in the price.  Therefore, we are heading to the grocery store this morning to pick up somethings.  The kitchen here is large and well-equipped, so everyone can share the space without too much trouble.  Actually, we are looking forward to eating a bit "lighter" and a big bowl of popcorn will really hit the spot tonight.

Since we didn't have time to shop yesterday, we visited a pizza place that my teacher recommended, and it was delicious.  Stephen also learned that one of the restaurants in town had a piano so after we ate, we stopped by Cafe Flor to check it out.  The owner, Jose is from El Salvador; but he and his wife have been living in Antigua for 10 years.  On Friday nights, he plays the piano and she sings.  We had dessert there (which was fantastic) and listened to 3-4 of their songs.  They were so friendly, even inviting us to stay in their extra apartment if we come back to Antigua for a visit.

One of Stephen's teachers (Syria) and both of mine (Corina and Aracely) are Catholics.  Nancy, Stephen's second teacher is a Christian.  Syria told Stephen that she doesn't believe in eternal security.  Corina's mother died a week ago Friday and nine days later it is traditional to have a special mass and celebration of the individual's life.  She along with her sisters and friends are making 1200 tamales (they were supposed to get started at 3 am this morning) for the people who will be coming to her home after the mass. The family has been frustrated with their local priest who has offered very little support and comfort.  My other teacher, Aracely, is a single mom with a 15-year old boy and 10-year old twins; her financial situation is difficult.  Work at the school is good, but not as secure/regular as she needs. 

Please pray that we for us as we continue to share our testimonies with them as we "practice our Spanish."  Please pray that their hearts will be open to the truth of God's word.  In addition to them, pray for us to have an opportunity to share with the other who are living here.  Daniel and Cassandra are an unmarried couple here from Australia; Jane is a Korean-American from the states and Emma, who just arrived yesterday, is a 30-year old from Holland.  Lot's of diversity here!

Time to sign off and get going.  We are heading to Guatemala City for church tomorrow and looking forward to a day of worship with the Vida Nueva family!  

Pictures 1, 2 and 3 are views from our room in the school; 4 is from the pizza place last night.

June 8, 2012

Two years ago today we boarded a plane for El Salvador . . . . . what a grand adventure it has been.  Some of the things that have happened we expected, but many, many of the others were unexpected.  Nevertheless, the adventure continues . . . . this summer in Guatemala.  God has a way of working out all of the details if we'll just let him.

Looking forward to many more anniversaries here in Central America.

Bit of a rough day

Had a bit of a rough day--but we're trying to be flexible. Made it to Antigua--thanks to Wendy (from our church in Guatemala City) for letting us follow her. Once we got to Antigua, there was a huge procession of some type and the town was one big log jam--we literally sat in the same spot for more than 30 minutes. I finally got out and walked to the school to check in while Stephen and Wendy sat in their cars waiting. Unfortunately, the director of the school didn't know we were arriving today--somehow they still showed an arrival date of June 10. So, no family ready to receive us today and no teachers scheduled to start with us tomorrow. Plan B--we're staying in one of the school rooms tonight and will move in with a family tomorrow. Teachers have been contacted and are going to be here in the morning. God is in control!

Safely in Guatemala

We had no problems on the road today and the lines at the borders were even short than we expected.  The weather for the drive was sunny and clear, even though we prepared for the possibility of rain.  Stephen and William divided the driving and we arrived safely at the Biltmore Express Hotel at 12:30.  About 15 minutes after we parked the truck in the parking garage, it started raining.  It's so great that God's timing is perfect!

We enjoyed lunch at Mexico Linda, one of our favorites close to the hotel.  Although the banks closed at noon, we were able to change some of our dollars for quetzales at the hotel.  We walked to the mall down the street and bought new chips for phones.

The King Quality bus, William's ride home, arrived promptly at 3:00 p.m.  So he is now almost 3 hours in to his 4 1/2 hour trip back to El Salvador.  Buen viaje, amigo!  Muchas gracias por su ayuda!

We're off to Guatemala

We are driving to Guatemala this morning; thankfully, William Flores is going with us so we don't have to negotiate the trip and the border alone.  He will be taking the bus back to El Salvador this afternoon--that's real friendship because a 6-hour bus ride is not anyone's idea of a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

We are going to spend 8 weeks taking Spanish classes at Centro Linguistico International in Antigua.  We will be living with a Guatemalan family and taking classes 6 hours per day.  We will also be working with Pastors Nelson and Javier at Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva in Guatemala City.  

Please pray for:

     Our focus and mental capacity to handle classes and conquer the language

     Opportunity to share the gospel with our Guatemalan family and other students

     Opportunity to bless the pastors and church family at Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva, Guatemala City

     Ministry here in El Salvador, especially for Jeff, Paula and Emily as they continue the work without our help