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.