A little of this, a little of that

We are heading east for our "white Christmas" this year. Yes, you heard correctly. We will spend our week off on the white, sandy beaches of the carribean coast just 6 hours from Chamelco. Spending our first holiday season without family will be strange and a little lonely, but we are taking advantage of being this close to the coast.

There is a governmental state of siege in our region for the next month in hopes of fighting the Mexican drug cartels. The Mexican government has really cracked down on drug trafficing, but unfortunately for Guatemala the "Zetas" cartel have relocated themselves here. They are taking advantage of the poverty by recruiting indigenous through promises of financial prosperity. The police and military have the right to search any car or house without a warrant and have been doing so. Our lives have continued as before here in Chamelco, but in some nearby cities more armed men are seen patrolling the streets. We hope and pray this will help take care of the problem before it becomes an even bigger one. Now don´t freak out and vow to NEVER come to Guatemala, because it's just part of being in another country.

Mayan Style

This is what a gringa in a corte and guipil (mayan dress) looks like. I borrowed this from a friend and everyone was just thrilled that I would attempt to identify more closely with their culture. Mayan clothing differs alot from region to region and everyone will know where you are from simply by your attire. The people here have been absolutely amazing and have done everything they can to welcome us. We have been invited to 5 different homes to celebrate Christmas. Fortunately, the tradition is to visit different homes throughout the entire night which means we will be eating tamales at each one these 5 homes.

Pray that I (Kallie) will continue to learn keq`chi since it is the Mayan language in this area. The women don`t speak spanish and the obvious barrier of communication will be broken, but as I have already seen, they are quick to bring down their walls of defense and distrust when I try and converse with them in their maternal language with the few words and phrases I`ve learned. When I meet a gal for the first time she will be very quiet, timid, and seemingly unfriendly, but as soon as I ask her, her name in Keq`chi (ani`aka`ba) her whole demeener changes as her face lights up with a big smile. They are not customed to foreigners taking the time to learn their language and this has really helped me to begin friendships even though communication is very limited. As you know, I still have alot of spanish learning left to do, but I am trusting that God will give my mind the ability to learn both simulataneously. To my delight and surprise I really enjoy learning languages. I am so talkative that I had anticipated frustration at the inability to express myself, but thanks to God this hasn`t been the case at all.

Thursday, December 2, 2010; 18:23...

We arrive home. Flip on the lights. I go to the bedroom to change. I see our window is broken next to the latch. First thought, did someone enter our house and take something. I examine the crime scene.
No glass inside the house, some mud on the wall underneath the window, a slightly soiled toilet seat. Strange. But nothing is found missing from the house. From the evidence I deduce someone needed to use the bathroom badly. He broke into our house leaving mud on the wall. It was such an absolute emergency that he forgot to lift the toilet seat (hence I conclude it is a male). Feeling bad about breaking our window he cleans up the glass and throws it out the window. My companion, Kallie, says my explanation is naïve. She says someone has either entered the house looking to take something or possibly we are being over paranoid gringos. I say, it’s elementary my dear, the evidence explains all. Case closed.

Monday, December 6, 2010; 7:29...
Though seemingly a closed case, my mind was restless all night like a fat man on a low-carb diet. I cleverly place a little wad of paper next to the sliding window. If an intruder reenters the house I will know without a shadow of doubt. I also lock our bedroom door, so that access is denied to any other room in the house.

Monday, December 6, 2010; 18:39...
We arrive home. I check the window. The wad of paper has moved. More mud. I look for anything missing. I discover that our now not so friendly intruder took two hidden thumb drives along with a CD with special family photos saved onto it. Why these things? Everything else is perfectly in place. It is as if he does not want us to know he had been in here. What is going on? My deductive reasoning fails me like a stealthy panther fallen into water.

Presently…
Our landlords will be welding our windows shut in a few days and until then I have tried to lock our window doors shut with some nails. Apparently, even though intruders have entered our house multiple times we are still on Guatemalan time and feel vulnerable as we wait for our new window and for the welders. We are pretty confident our intruders are just kids, but knowing we’ve been robbed leaves us feeling a little uneasy. It feels weird to think that someone has been searching through our stuff, and we have learned that for us getting robbed is not so much about the material loss, but about the loss of feeling secure. So now we are just trusting God and asking Him to keep fear, paranoia, and distrust from creeping in and gnawing on us while we live here. We would appreciate your prayers for this too.

Gringos Welcomed

There we are sitting in church, just after arriving in Chamelco (only after 3 months of language school). We are content experiencing the culture, listening for words we recognize as we read body language to interpret the rest. Then I hear “North Americans” as the congregation simultaneously turns to look at us and energetically begins waving us up to the stage. With dumb founded looks on our faces we make our way to the front, the pastor smiles and then hands us a microphone. We have no idea what we are to say, but assume we need to introduce ourselves and explain why we are here. I’m not much of a public speaker, so with that in mind, take this slight phobia and pour miracle grow all over it to know how I feel as I face a crowd that is waiting to hear the gringa speak. I hand the mike to Shane, smile, and stand there in silence. People clap and I return to my seat.

Even churches we go to for a second time will have us come up to the stage yet again (happened last week). Generally, churches in the states hope that visitors feel as comfortable as possible, while the intentions here are to welcome and recognize the visitor. It can be a little nerve racking at the time, but it’s good. There is no slipping in and out the back door here without being talked to or greeted. It's an example of the emphasis put on relationships in this culture.

And speaking of relationships, here are some friends I have made in the community of Satexa.

I've got plenty to be thankful for

Today is Dia de Gracias in Guatemala which means…absolutely nothing. The pilgrims did not land in Central America so Kallie and I are working today. But even though the Guatemalans don’t have a Thanksgiving, it does not mean they are not thankful people. Our friends in the office as well as people we meet in the communities have been great examples to me about thanking God for everything, little and big. Their prayers are so much more filled with gratitude to God than I am accustomed to hearing in the states and it is always a good reminder for me.

So even though we might not be celebrating Thanksgiving this year with family, a turkey and all the trimmings, I am still taking the time to reflect on all the blessings God has given me – an incredible wife, a great family, being here in Guatemala, making new friends – to name a few. Yes I’ve got plenty to be thankful for.

Chaos coming to a close

We went to a cross-cultural training in Colorado last year and learned about the stages of change that we would encounter.

Settled- rooted stage
Unsettling- “pulling up” stage
Chaos- rootless stage
Re-settling- surface adjustment stage
Settled- newly rooted stage

The unsettling phase included de-junking the house, moving in with parents as we support raised and all the other things that came along with preparing to leave. Chaos struck the moment we stepped off the airplane and into a foreign culture full of new sounds, smells, tastes and so on. In ways, chaos is the honeymoon phase because EVERYTHING is new, fun and exciting. This phase lasted about 6 months and I am happy to say that we are re-settling. I now know who sells the best veggies in town, we know our bread maker by name, I don’t feel nervous every time I need to speak Spanish, communication is improving, we like our little, tin roofed house and are slowly decorating it to make it feel more like home, the gas and water delivery guys know where we live (giving directions in Spanish is terrible especially when we don’t have an address), friendships are beginning as we intentionally invite people over for dinner, and finally even our immune systems are adapting which means fewer sicknesses. Feeling uncomfortable has been normal for 6 months and I am glad that many things are starting to feel much more normal and comfortable.
We want to be fully invested in Guatemala and see this as home for the next 2.5 years. Pray with us that we will continue to settle into life here.

Back in the saddle again

Yep you heard it, we bought a Suzuki Grand Vitara!
It was well worth the wait complete with four wheel drive, stick shift, great condition (’99) and to top it all off, red, Shane’s favorite color. We just weren’t having much luck on this side of the country due to a lack of options and escaladed prices. We only had one day to find one, decide to buy and do all the necessary steps to ensure the car would be put in our name. With the help of another missionary family, we began scouring the capital. After going to place after place without seeing anything we would consider or could afford we began making our way towards McDonalds for some lunch. As we were driving, we saw a man putting the letters and phone number on the back window shield of the exact model and year we had been hoping for. We quickly dialed the number since making our way across traffic wasn’t an option. He met us in the McDonalds parking lot where we discovered that it met all our must-have criteria. The test drive went well and we knew the price was going to have to come down to buy it. After learning a few things about bartering we made a low offer of almost a thousand dollars less than the asked price expecting to meet half way, but to our shock he accepted our price. This NEVER happens in Guatemala, especially when gringos are buying. He had all the papers in order and told us we would be meeting with his lawyer to make sure everything was done right. This also is NOT the norm. Also, he spoke great English, which put us at ease that we were understanding the paperwork correctly and such. Everything went so smoothly and quickly that it seemed totally unguatemalan.

Both our vehicles were sold before we arrived and that money still wouldn’t cover the cost of one vehicle here. We were surprised with a generous donation specifically to help buy vehicle a few months
ago. God knew how much we needed because we were able to use it with our collected money from our sold vehicles and then used the rest to put new tires on it right away (which HAD to be done). He sure knows what we need even before we do. Thank you for all the specific car-prayers. We are so thankful that God has blessed us with “Little Suzi”
This last weekend we drove to Semuc Champey. What a beautiful country we live in.

Ups and Downs

We always knew that leaving family behind would be the hardest part of living here. In a culture where family is everything, little time is left for friendships and skype doesn’t always meet our relational needs.

In the same week, my mother remarried and Shane’s grandma Myrtle passed away. My mother has been single for 14 years after being widowed and I am glad God has brought someone into her life. She is a warm, people person who loves companionship and my youngest brother just left for college, therefore I was really happy that the timing was perfect. I look forward to getting to know this lucky guy, whom I haven’t met, when I return for our home leave.

Myrtle lived right next door to Shane’s family for many years. We were able to spend a lot of time with her while support-raising in Missoula. We are so thankful for that extended amount of time, for while we were so anxious to get the rest of our support in, God was giving us an opportunity to spend much quality time with Grandma. Her love for her Savior was evident and we look forward to seeing her again one day.

We would have liked to be with family during these times of celebration and of loss.

Lighting Satexa

Twice a month, a group of gals from Satexa make candles. After pouring many coats of hot wax over the hanging wicks they divide them equally to be sold. Many families in this community are able to have light in their homes for the first time. The candles are a huge hit and they never have a problem selling them. They named themselves ¨cinco candeleras¨ after the Bible story of the 5 virgins who had enough lamp oil to wait for their bridegroom found in Matthew 25:1-13. In this video they are speaking Keqchee.

These women are constantly laughing and joking. They have formed some great friendships while working together. They have been so accepting of me that they even asked me to wear their traditional dress the next time I come. I am honored and surprised at the same time. In our culture people are wierd for dressing like a cowboy if they aren`t actually a cowboy, but here they see it as a way of identifying more closely with me. This project was started only 4 months ago by one of our local FH staff. They don`t know if they are making money or not, therefore, I will be teaching some of the basics of running a business. These women have also been taking a hold of the truth that God loves their children and has given them a responsibility to care for them as best as they can. They are learning about health, the Bible, and running a business with much enthusiasm and in response are blessing their community. Stay tuned to see me dressed from head to toe in a corte and guipil, Mayan style.

Realities

Realities…….

Last week was a sobering one. I am beginning to build relationships with the women even though they speak Quiche rather than Spanish. Everyone that works here can speak both languages, therefore I am still able to communicate through my companion, Flory, who translates for me. Fortunately, facial expressions, eye contact and touch are much more connecting than actual words.

We started out our day as we normally did driving in our big FH van, employees getting dropped off in different communities along the way. We arrived in Paapa at about 8:30 and started trekking through the rain in our boots, jackets and umbrellas. First, Flory and I went to a little store (closest thing to a grocery store) to meet with Tamasa who has a daughter in our growth promotion program. Flory was talking to her about the importance of washing her hands and such when a woman named Maria arrived to buy a small amount of food from the store. Tamasa invited her in and told Flory, my companion, of this woman’s circumstances. Maria has 6 young children and is very poor like many others in this community. The real hardship and heartbreak began a month earlier when her husband beat her and then left her for another woman. Her husband lives within walking distance from the family and has neglected the fact that without his small income the family has no income. Mom has been trying to sell some veggies and fruit that she finds, but this isn’t able to feed her family. As my companion visits with her Maria sobs, loud heartbroken sobs. She doesn’t know what to do, who to turn to and the church hasn’t reached out to her to help either. Truthfully, I don’t know how to make this better.
Within minutes of Maria leaving, a group of woman appear at the store. Flory greets them, and asks the young mother where her daughter is who had been sick the week before. The woman responds that her baby died last week. When I say responds that is exactly what she did. A tear wasn’t shed, no explanation was given except that her baby had a fever and now she’s dead. I don’t know if she was hurting on the inside or if she was relieved to have one less child to feed. Even though there are free health care clinics many are afraid of them and will not go regardless of the need.

The next day I went to a home because the child wasn’t growing and gaining weight each month like we would hope. The mother was 17 and married with two children. Her oldest, Santiago, was a year and 4 months and had only gained 8 pounds since his birth. He has lived with constant diarrhea since he quit breastfeeding at 3 months when his mother got pregnant with her second child. When I saw little, tiny, way too small for his age, Santiago, I felt sick. He looked like he could die any minute but sadly has been that way for the majority of his life. His eyes were distant, unfocused, sort of rolled back in his head, he seemed lifeless with a huge lack of energy for a 1 and 4 month old and his hair was thin and had the clearness that is seen in extremely malnourished children. This mother lived with her in-laws and the whole family desperately wanted him to get well. They even took him to the hospital, which is not common here. The family had been practicing some hygiene, but boiling their water wasn’t one of them and they have a contaminated water source. We are praying that this family will apply what they have been taught and trust that what we are telling them is true.

It doesn't get easier hearing these stories and seeing the tears, nor should it. God cares about every single life and I never want to become calloused to the pain around me.

~Kallie

My Battle Wound

Earlier this afternoon I (Kallie) was bit by a medium sized dog. The skin was just barely broken and I have slight bruising. No big deal, right? This dog actually does have owners, which is surprising, and we will be asking them tomorrow if it´s been vaccinated. I really, REALLY hope that it has been or I will have to get rabbies shots. Ouch. I would rather not die because a stupid, little rabbid dog doesn´t like gringas. I hate the dogs here. There are tons of them and they are everywhere. Pray that the owners have the papers to prove that the dog is vaccinated.

Walmart

Dear Walmart,

Oh how I miss you. Life just isn’t the same without you. I use to arrive with a huge list and I would drive out of the parking lot with every single thing crossed off. Many times I would leave with even more than I needed because I just couldn’t pass up those unbeatable prices you pride yourself on. How do you manage to keep your shelves stocked at all times, not to mention, with hundreds of different brands? I am confident that I could buy a cookie sheet and a bed skirt no problem with you but instead I will continue to search for the items that don’t have the privileged checkmark next to them. I look forward to the day I can effortlessly shop again.

~Kallie

"Prepare your minds for action" - 1 Peter 1:13

The rain´s been pouring down hard this week and so we´ve been stuck in the office the last couple of days. But though I (Shane) would rather be out in the communities, some time in the office can be good to "prepare my mind for action".

Ideas have consequences. Or in other words, our worldviews shape our actions that will have an impact on other people. For instance, my understanding and beliefs about poverty are going to shape the methods in which I try help the people here overcome poverty. So often I can get caught up trying to act like a Christian should, without first making sure my thoughts align with those of God, without first making sure I "think Christian". The fact is, though, that if I don´t make a conscious effort to think like Christ I will begin to think like the rest of the world and my actions will reflect it.

That is why it is so important to read and study the Bible, to simply ask God for wisdom, and to quiet oneself to hear the leading of the Counselor (the Holy Spirit)- all of which I have done too little of lately. And the ironic thing is that while I´m here to help those living in poverty I am living in another form of poverty myself.

King Solomon, when God told him to ask for anything he wanted, asked for wisdom and God blessed him immensely for it. I think this is because He knew Solomon had his priorities straight. Solomon knew that wisdom (a mind aligned with the Creator of the universe) was the base for success for everything else in life.

Lord, please fill my own emptiness with wisdom and a rich relationship with you that my mind may be prepared for action.

We Prayed And God Answered

As many of you know, Shane and I have been looking for a car for what seems like an eternity. Here a used car is a code word for a totaled car imported from the U.S. If that doesn´t make us slow down and really look into what we are buying, the price tag certainly does. Used cars are almost double the price of what they are in the states. So we have been looking at our options to say the least. Our friend Paulo who is a mechanical engineer has been able to help us know which vehicles are in good condition and such. Shane and I have been praying a lot that God would provide us with a vehicle that would meet our needs as far as having enough space and wouldn´t break down a lot and cost us a bunch of money.

With those things being said, we have had our sights set on a 96 Tracker. The body was in good condition, the motor was running well, no oil leaks or anything. Of course the only problem was the price. Too high. Over a three week time period we continued looking at other vehicles and kept coming back to this one. With the help of some friends we finally got the salesman to come down little by little on his price until last Friday it hit our price range. That evening we prayed that if this was the car we had been praying for that all would go smoothly, and that if it wasn´t we would be prevented from buying it. I really hadn`t considered the second being a possibility, though. The next morning we cheerfully headed into town with our friends just ecstatic to be with car again. We anxiously greeted the salesman, whom we were on a first name basis with at this point, and he gives us the news. Yes, the car had been sold Friday afternoon. We were a little dumbfounded and were not even sure how to respond. So here we are, back to square one and trusting God with the vehicle hunt. While laughing our friends said, ¨You asked, and God answered!¨

Birthday Weekend

I (Shane) turned 25 this last weekend. I was given a surprise birthday party Saturday night by one of our fellow employees, Carlos, that works in the Guatemala City office. He said that since we had no family here to celebrate with, he wanted to come down and celebrate with us. They brought wine and cake and Kallie and I made everyone a Cajun meal (our favorite type) for dinner, but I think it was too spicy for most everyone. The Guatemalan's are very polite and ate it all (though some very slowly and with much pain). From now on, we will probably stick with pizza or pasta. It was a fun night and made me feel very welcomed and at home here. The next morning my lovely wife gave me a guitar for my birthday. That was quite a surprise and I have been wanting to learn to play (I think my uke might be a little jealous to share her time, but she'll get used to it).

I've began meeting some of the men that form the water committees in some of the communities where we are working. It's great to be able to see and find out more about their current water systems and what they think needs improvement. Please pray that these meetings will go well, that I will ask the right questions, and that I can start building relationships with these men.

Our First Guest

The other night we had our very first overnight guest, a fellow employee named Eleuterio. Him and others have long commutes to the office here, so Kallie and I have offered our extra room as a place to stay when they need to start work early or end late.

We enjoyed getting to know Eleuterio better. He has a wife, eight kids and lives in a community that has no running water except for rainwater collected from rooftops. When we asked what he did in his free-time on the weekends he said that he was a "local missionary" in his community. What a great way to think of ones self. Then, before we went to bed, he asked to pray for us and our new work in Guatemala.

Eleuterio meets with families everyday, often ones with kids that are suffering from malnutrition. He said he likes working for Food for the Hungry because he can talk with families everyday about God and about how their children can grow healthier (at least something close to that, remember all of our conversations were in Spanish).

Eleuterio is the guy sitting on the left. This picture was taken on our office fun day. We went to a park which included a barbeque, devotionals, soccer, swimming, and going down this crazy concrete water slide (definately would not pass safety regs in the states). And in case you didn't notice, I'm the guy in the middle.

...we all need somebody to lean on...

It's not in our nature to have to rely on other people for just about everything we need to do, but that's exactly what we are doing here. As you would expect, there is a lot to learn living in another country, and without a lot of local help we are fish out of water.

But our new friends here in Guatemala have been beyond helpful, and it's been a humbling experience. For example, we have been looking for a car and a gal in the office named Vivi said she had a phone number at home of a good car dealership. That night she called us and said that the next day her and her husband would drive us into town and take us around to all the car lots. We could not turn down that offer. The next day we found out that her husband, Paulo, is a mechanical engineer and knows quite a bit about cars. They were tremendously helpful, and this is just one of the many examples of the kindness we have experienced.

As we have said before, we want to remain in a posture of learning here, and with the way the locals will drop everything to help us out has made it easy so far. In our new environment we are learing to rely on others and God more, and want to learn to mimic the hospitality and unselfishness that we have been given.


In the middle is the director of the office here, Sandra. On her left is her son Albert. They are our new neighbors. The other two are Drindis and her husband, Marvin. Drindis works in the office and is the one responsible for finding our new home. We were able to express some of our gratitude by making them dinner.

Our Home

Due to popular demand, here are some pictures of our house here in Guatemala. We are living on El Rancho Santa Fe.
We still have work to do to make it more homey, but you'll get the idea. We are so thankful that God provided us with this place. It exceeded our expectations and we love that we are out of town surrounded by trees and flowers.

First Days in the Field

We have been so busy lately and loving it. We were greeted our first evening here with a gift and some delicious Guatemalan food. We felt welcomed right away. We have been going to different communities almost everyday to see the different projects, and have begun building relationships while just shadowing other employees. And before we do much else, we have to learn a little more Spanish.

I (Kallie) have been going on quite a few home visits. My fellow employee, Mary Elena meets with the mother and talks to her about malnutrition and what she can do to help her children grow and develop into the person God created them to be. She says, God creates a seed but in order for that seed to grow into a huge corn stalk it needs to be taken care of, and likewise we need to take care of our children as best as we can. Mary then talks about the importance of wearing shoes so that parasites can`t enter and how washing hands can prevent diarhea. During this time the mother seems slightly preoccupied tending to her children or adjusting the wood in the fire, but when it is time to pray I can see that she isn´t aloof or uninterested. We pray with the mother for her children and that God would help them to grow. We pray for their future that they can learn and live the way God intended them to live. During this prayer the mother just sobs. It`s really hard to watch because she loves her children just like any mother does, but with dirt floors, mice infestation, chicken feces everywhere, not much food to eat, and unclean water it is really, really difficult to keep her children healthy.

Please join us in praying that these children will grow physically and spriritually as God desires.

First Time For Everything!

1. Waiting 4 days for my laundry to dry and I´m less than thrilled to have my unmentionables hanging for the whole world to see for not one but 4 days

2. Making corn tortillas

3. Eating soup without a spoon; fingers and tortillas are used instead

4. Putting on my favorite pink jacket and feeling something scurry up my arm all the way to my shoulder. A cockroach.

5. Owning an oven that is hooked to a propane tank

6. Using a latrine which only had 3 of the 4 sides covered.....akward

7. Watching my o so manly husband bat down the enormous, flying insects in our house.

Stranger in the Night

This little critter paid us a visit earlier this week. It was three in the morning when I woke up feeling a worm like creature on my face. As I tried to brush it away it stung my face. All the meanwhile Kallie woke up from the commotion and assumed I was only dreaming. After I convinced her it wasn´t in my head, she flipped on the light, and we saw our little friend (about 2 1/2 inches long) crawling across the sheets trying to escape. He wasn´t so lucky! The next hour and a half we laid there unable to sleep, paranoid that there were others.

Lake Atitlan

We were able to get away from the hustle and bustle of Antigua this last weekend and enjoyed a few days at Lake Atitlan. My mom (Kallie's), Lorrie, came with us since she is here visiting for two weeks.

It was great to be able to hike, kayak, and spend time with my mom. Two of the hardest things for us since we’ve been here include being away from family and not having easy access to nature like we did in Montana (not that its not here, we just don't know yet how to get to it). Fortunately, we had both of these and were left feeling refreshed!

Over the last 10 weeks we have spent 200 hours with our teachers Majo and Erika. We have seen our teacher-student relationships turn into friendships. We have watched many soccer games together, met their families and made dinner for them one night. Shane and I both want to continue these friendships when we move and are praying for good friendships in Coban to materialize. We are starting to anticipate the move which is just two weeks ahead of us.
A typical Guatemalan breakfast (on the fancier side). Huevos, frijoles negros, platanos fritos y tortillas (por supuesto).


Our hotel at Lake Atitlan was absolutely beatiful and "tranquilo" (possibly a little side trip for anyone that would like to visit us).

A Few Days in Coban

Last weekend we went to Coban (the city we will be living in) with some of the staff from the Guatemala City office. We were able to practice our Spanish, meet our fellow employees and envision our future living conditions. One morning, we went to Paapa where all the mothers brought their children to be measured and weighed. As the child was wrapped in clothe then hung on the hook the mother anxiously awaited the results. Had her child gained weight? Weight gain as well as vertical growth indicates proper nourishment. The mothers are learning about good nutrition and how to prevent malnutrition and this monthly measurement shows the hopeful mothers that their children are developing properly. Unfortunately, most of the women in these small villages don’t speak Spanish. We were only able to smile and wave. Many of the men know Spanish as their second language because they have more education.

It was obvious that gringos are an interesting and unusual occurrence in Paapa. The children would stare at us with big, brown eyes. We were only approached by a few who would get up the courage to say hi or ask us our names, but then would quickly return to the comfort of their mother's side. Our few days in Coban have made us all the more excited to join in with the great work that's already going on.

Both Shane and I have been far from healthy since our return from Coban. Last week I was miserably sick and unable to attend school for the first two days and this week Shane has been sick. But I think things are looking up now. Part of the adjustment process.

Cleaning Up After Tormenta Agatha

Yesterday Kallie and I had the opportunity to go help shovel mud out of homes in a nearby town that was extremely affected by "Agatha". It was sad as well as unbelievable how much mud had been swept into the city by the storm. But in the midst of hardship it was awsome to see all the locals staying positive and working hard to clean up there town.

It's been good for Kallie and I to see how the Guatemalans unite and help eachother clean things up. Kids to elderly were out with shovels and picks working to remove mud up to five or six feet deep in the streets. Many of the Guatemalans we know who were not affected have given of their time and money to help. I was shoveling mud away from the front of a building with some guys, and when they got the mud down below the window, water started pouring out. Those type of things would probably make me want to give up hope. There is still so much that needs to be done, yet the overall attitude was positive.

Please continue to pray for fast recovery, for no more big rain storms, and for God to provide for those who lost everything.

Volcanic Eruption to Tropical Storm

This last week has been trying for Guatemala. If you haven't heard, last Thursday the peacefully active volcano, Volcan de Pacaya, had its biggesst eruption in at least 14 years and it devastated some nearby communities as well as covered part of the country in ash. And yes, it's the same volcano that we hike up the weekend before. Then even worse, tropical storm "Agatha" hit the next day and it has caused some deaths and much destruction. Many people have lost their homes to flooding and mudslides.

Please keep Guatemala in your prayers. Pray that no more damage will occur from the storm and that God will provide for the people that have lost their homes.

Spanish flub of the week! Our friend Robyn (gringa) introduced us to her friends (guatemalans) and told them that we had been married for three years. I was shocked when Kallie responded "posible mas", meaning possilbly longer. I and the three women looked at Kallie with confusion, and I answered, "I sure hope so". Kallie quickly realized they were not talking about the three years we will be living in Coban. We hiked Volcan de Pacaya and saw lava for the first time!

Shane and I came walking home one night, when a young man came into sight acting a bit odd. Naturally, as paranoid gringos we tensed up a bit wondering if the unusual behavior was potentially threatening. As we briskly walked passed he tried to say something and held out his hand. Thinking back, obviously this man was probably dehydrated (which can be fatal) and sick which explained why he was off balanced and confused. "Fortunately", we had just purchased a cold gatorade for the boy that is usually selling flowers, but had already left for the day. So without thinking much we handed it to the man and then walked the last few feet to our door. Just as we opened the door the maid, Marta, (who works for the Gonzalez)was leaving the house since her shift was over. I pointed towards the man and in broken spanish told her that something was wrong. She sort of shrugged and responded, "yes, the man is very poor." Shane and I were so quick to first assume that the man was drunk or dangerous, but when looking back he was probalby dehydrated and in need of a meal.
Later that evening the encounter was still on our minds. Why hadn't we encouraged him to sit down and then make sure he was ok? Why hadn't we gone to the nearest tienda and bought him something to eat? Is he ok right now? Surely we could have done something more? We have seen many, many beggers, but this was different. He was more desperate. God convicted us that in this situation we did not react how Jesus would have. So we did the only thing we could do after fleeing the situation, we prayed. We asked God to stabalize his condition, and also asked God to give us wisdom for other times that we will have these encounters. We can't help every poor person we see, but we can study God's word to learn how Jesus interacted with the poor. This verse came to mind, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me..." Mathew 25:35-36


Shane learning how to wash laundry by hand from Marta (family maid). It takes Marta 1 hour of hard scrubbing for one load of laundry - hard work.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN GUATEMALA WHEN...............THERE'S BLACK BEANS IN YOUR DOUGHNUT! Sweetened of course. Unusual but surprisingly tasty.

Shane and I just celebrated our three year anniverary. Wow are we're getting old. We spent the weekend in Monterrico (pacific coast) and had a great time. We saw geckos and crabs in our hotel. This wasn't the Cancun of Guatemala that's for sure! The water is way to strong to swim in, the sand is black, very few tourists and the hotels are uh.....rustic. It was a great way to celebrate.


We spend 4 hours a day with a private teacher and then have about 2 to 3 hours of homework a night. The great spanish learning happens when the books are put away and we are spending time with our host family. We visit about all sorts of things over dinner and it is amazing what one can understand from body language, gestures, and slowed speech. We play uno (card game) with Marsala (10 year old) in the evenings too. It's much less intimidating to speak to a 10 year old than to peers. We are so thankful for where God has placed us for the next three months.

My language teacher Majo. Yes, Shane and I both look like giants.


Shane's teacher Erica.

Antigua, Guatemala

We are blessed to have such a beautiful place to learn spanish. We certainly haven't been "roughing it" the last week.
Downtown Antigua!

At a barbeque with fellow staff

We hope to hike Volcan Aqua (Volcano)

Believe it or not this is McDonalds. Perfect study destination.


Some Mayan children wearing their traditional dress.











Thanks for the prayers about language learning. Our Spanish studies are very important for our future work in Coban.

We Arrived! Estamos Aqui

After a red eye flight and a cancelled flight in Miami due to a storm we arrived in Guatemala City just 24 hours after we left Missoula, Montana. Our first two nights were spent with fellow staff Jana, Edson and little Emma.

Next, we were driven to Antigua (45 minutes away) to meet our host family to get settled in before language school begins on Monday. We were first brought to a host family with a tiny, tiny bedroom with no windows, a barking bulldog and an unsettling feel altogether. Fortunatly, there was a mistake and our room was occupied for a few more days so we were taken to a new host family. We will live with the Gonzalez's for all three months and have already had multiple spanish conversations with them at meal times. We are blessed with privacy, a spacious bedroom and a very warm, friendly family. Already we are beginning to feel the stretch of a new language and culture; but God has taken care of us by giving us a place where we can find rest and relaxation.

Shane and Emma's jam out session!

We will post pictures of our home, host family and of Antigua soon. Thanks for all the encouraging emails.