Okay, so I have been challenged to really study, not just read God's word! Kind of like what my Pastor said a few weeks ago...chew the cud!! So you know how cows chew their food, then swallow it, then regurgitate it, then chew it again...yeah absolutely disgusting, I know!!! But it's kind of what we have to do with the Bible!! Read it, then "chew on it, then live it out, or spit it back up!
The Book of Jeremiah, just caught my attention for some reason! There are several verses throughout it that I have always thought were amazing!! This time though, I'm determined to learn something from the whole book!
Just in Chapter One, I have been totally blown away! I come to find out that this whole story happens while King Josiah, crowned king at only 8 years old, was on the throne. It is so cool that when God speaks to Jeremiah, He doesn't just give a command, but he reminds him of their intimate relationship.
"Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." ~ verse 5
Long before Jeremiah or we were even thought of, God knew us! He knew exactly what we would look like...what color hair we would have, whether it be straight or curly; if we would need glasses or claim that we could see just fine; if we would have to work hard at keeping the weight off or if we could just eat as much as we wanted and never gain a pound; whether or not we could carry a tune! He also knew what our hearts would look like...the anger and bitterness, the jealousy and hatred, the insecurity and fear of the unknown, basically not a pretty thing. (Jer. 17:9) He knew we would mess up, but He loved us inspite of it all and sent His only Son to die for us! (Rom. 5:8) To make it even better, He chose to use us to reach the nations! As you can tell from above, I am not perfect by any means, but yet God would choose to use me?!?! He definitely doesn't need me, the God who spoke the universe into existance, but He wants to use me!! How mind boggling!!!
The next thing that stood out to me, was how Jeremiah instantly realized how inadequate he was! His first instinct was to protest and give an excuse for why He couldn't be used! His was, "Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child." So lets be honest! How many times have we not gone up to someone, we knew God wanted us to share His love with, because we were afraid? or because we felt like we didn't know enough? or that someone else would say it so much better? How many times have we not given, because we didn't have enough money? How many times have we not taken that step of faith, because we couldn't see how it was all going to work out? Let's not beat ourselves up too much! Jeremiah doubted himself too! But that's the thing! IT"S NOT OF OURSELVES!! IT IS TOTALLY ONLY GOD WHO WORKS IN US!! God told Jeremiah not to be afraid and to do all that He had commanded him to do! Then get this! "Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my (Jeremiah's) mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth." ~verse 9
The job that God had given to Jeremiah was not going to be easy! To go and tell his people, whom he loved dearly, that God was not happy with how they were living their lives! This included everyone...kings, princes, priests, and all the people of the land...how scary! But the fear of God is the best antidote against the fear of man. God promised Jeremiah, that the people would fight against him, but they wouldn't succeed. God was with him to deliver and protect Him! What God has called us to do is not always going to be easy, but He has promised to go with us!! What an awesome thought!
Okay...that's enough for one note! Haha, I think I just wrote a book! I don't think anyone will read this, but it is mainly for myself! Just to get all my thoughts out, so one day I can look back and see what God was teaching me at this moment in time!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
A Long Journey Home!
So Tuesday morning Brit and I woke up very early even before the sun came out! We finished our packing and just hung out waiting for Jimmy to come and pick us up! We even watched Sleepless in Seattle in Espanol! Just as good! Jimmy kind of slept in past his alarm, so we were racing to the airport to make our flight at 8:05 am! We made it to the airport at 7:35 and got right in without any problems!! Brit and I were on our way home!! It was bittersweet leaving! We landed in Guatemala City and got to our connecting flight without a problem! Our plane was delayed a bit, but we were soon on our way to Miami!
I got to sit by this amazing lady on the plane. Her name was Ana, and she was on her way back home from Guatemala as well! Her brother-in-law had been shot and murdered in Guatemala City, and she was there with her kids for the funeral. Her in-laws asked if the grand children could stay with them for a few weeks! It was really hard for her to leave her kids behind in a city where there is so much crime and violence. I was able to share with her the purpose of our trip to Guatemala and the book I was reading, “If You Want to Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat.” She was absolutely amazed, and shared that God had brought the story of Jesus Walking on the Water several times in the last few months! She had actually read that passage of scripture that morning. We spent a long time discussing what God had been teaching us and how that scripture was challenging and encouraging us! A total God thing!
The chapter I read for the duration of the flight was entitled, “Seeing the Wind.” The author pointed out that “Matthew apparently wants us to understand that even for someone who has walked in faith for a while, storms can be a disruptive business.” Walking on water is an amazing feeling, but then reality sets in, and we see the wind. We face obstacles! Our plans seem to be falling apart and people we are counting on let us down. But the truth is that “your heart and character is forged when life does not turn out the way you planned...it is in the act of facing the storm that you discover what lies inside of you and decide what lies before you.” Through it all, the Lord is with us! Brittany and I could have never imagined the storm we were going to face when we landed in Miami!
We landed in Miami and were picked up by the car agency. I couldn’t wait to get on the road to Jacksonville. After waiting several minutes up front for them to bring my car around, the gentleman came back with the news that my car wouldn’t start. Yeah, I was like okay?? What do you mean it won’t start?? They asked if there was a secret way of getting it to start :-) Both Brit and I called our dads asking for some advice! They gave us lots of stuff to try but nothing worked. The employees who all thought they were mechanics kept telling me different stuff that they thought would be wrong, but if you knew even a little bit about cars you would know that wouldn’t have been it. They kept asking me if they could jump it, but I kept saying no because I knew it wasn’t my battery. I didn’t understand why they were being so persistent! After calling many friends and family that lived in a 4 hour radius, we finally got a hold of Brittany’s uncle who lived in Miami! He came right away cause apparently we were in a very bad part of town! He looked at my car too and had no luck! The car agency agreed to let me keep my car there overnight until I could get it towed to Jacksonville the next day!
So here we were, two girls pretty much stranded in Miami, but God was definitely taking care of us!! Brittany’s uncle was so nice and put us up in a nice hotel! We were starving, a so first thing first was ordering some dinner! We spent some time at the pool and got an Iced Mocha before returning to our room! All during that we had been calling back and forth to our families trying to figure out how we were going to get home! My dad and Brit’s boyfriend, Lemuel, decided to drive all night from Jacksonville to Miami with the intention of renting a dolly from Uhaul to tow my car back. So we had a plan, and we couldn’t wait to see the guys in our life the next day! As hard as we tried to fall asleep, our bodies were still on Guatemalan time and we were just a tad bit anxious for the next day to go smoothly! We spent several hours sharing what God had taught us while we were in Guatemala and what we wanted to see God do in our lives! 3 o clock a.m. came and we finally fell asleep!
I got to sit by this amazing lady on the plane. Her name was Ana, and she was on her way back home from Guatemala as well! Her brother-in-law had been shot and murdered in Guatemala City, and she was there with her kids for the funeral. Her in-laws asked if the grand children could stay with them for a few weeks! It was really hard for her to leave her kids behind in a city where there is so much crime and violence. I was able to share with her the purpose of our trip to Guatemala and the book I was reading, “If You Want to Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat.” She was absolutely amazed, and shared that God had brought the story of Jesus Walking on the Water several times in the last few months! She had actually read that passage of scripture that morning. We spent a long time discussing what God had been teaching us and how that scripture was challenging and encouraging us! A total God thing!
The chapter I read for the duration of the flight was entitled, “Seeing the Wind.” The author pointed out that “Matthew apparently wants us to understand that even for someone who has walked in faith for a while, storms can be a disruptive business.” Walking on water is an amazing feeling, but then reality sets in, and we see the wind. We face obstacles! Our plans seem to be falling apart and people we are counting on let us down. But the truth is that “your heart and character is forged when life does not turn out the way you planned...it is in the act of facing the storm that you discover what lies inside of you and decide what lies before you.” Through it all, the Lord is with us! Brittany and I could have never imagined the storm we were going to face when we landed in Miami!
We landed in Miami and were picked up by the car agency. I couldn’t wait to get on the road to Jacksonville. After waiting several minutes up front for them to bring my car around, the gentleman came back with the news that my car wouldn’t start. Yeah, I was like okay?? What do you mean it won’t start?? They asked if there was a secret way of getting it to start :-) Both Brit and I called our dads asking for some advice! They gave us lots of stuff to try but nothing worked. The employees who all thought they were mechanics kept telling me different stuff that they thought would be wrong, but if you knew even a little bit about cars you would know that wouldn’t have been it. They kept asking me if they could jump it, but I kept saying no because I knew it wasn’t my battery. I didn’t understand why they were being so persistent! After calling many friends and family that lived in a 4 hour radius, we finally got a hold of Brittany’s uncle who lived in Miami! He came right away cause apparently we were in a very bad part of town! He looked at my car too and had no luck! The car agency agreed to let me keep my car there overnight until I could get it towed to Jacksonville the next day!
So here we were, two girls pretty much stranded in Miami, but God was definitely taking care of us!! Brittany’s uncle was so nice and put us up in a nice hotel! We were starving, a so first thing first was ordering some dinner! We spent some time at the pool and got an Iced Mocha before returning to our room! All during that we had been calling back and forth to our families trying to figure out how we were going to get home! My dad and Brit’s boyfriend, Lemuel, decided to drive all night from Jacksonville to Miami with the intention of renting a dolly from Uhaul to tow my car back. So we had a plan, and we couldn’t wait to see the guys in our life the next day! As hard as we tried to fall asleep, our bodies were still on Guatemalan time and we were just a tad bit anxious for the next day to go smoothly! We spent several hours sharing what God had taught us while we were in Guatemala and what we wanted to see God do in our lives! 3 o clock a.m. came and we finally fell asleep!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A Guatemalan Birthday!
No girl could have asked for a better birthday!! I woke up to text messages from two of my best friends!! Made me feel loved!! Thanks girls! Then got to spend some time watching the sun come through our window while waiting for Brit to wake up! So I was turning 20 and couldn’t help but think about all that God had done in those 20 years, but even more I can’t wait to see what He is going to do in the 20 years to come!! Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”, and I am going to claim that promise!!
Jim and Shelley unfortunately lost power the night before and didn’t get it back until close to noon! Apparently some kids were flying kites and they got stuck in the power lines! Where were their parents?!?! Brit and I hung out at the hotel that morning! We finally went over to the zoo that was next door! We saw warthogs, an alligator, three male lions, a crazy monkey, a tapier with a nasty long tongue, and two deer! We did not go to see the demented llama, because of past experiences! Last year Sam and I ventured over there and the llama chased us down, had us cornered, and then spit all over me twice! So not cool! It was probably the worst animal experience ever!
Jim came and picked us up for lunch, and we enjoyed once again Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches!! They surprised me with an authentic Guatemalan Birthday cake! It had strawberries on it! My fav!! We were all excited about it; until we took a bite…it had the most unusual soggy taste…needless to say we all but Jimmy took a few bites before disposing of it! At least I can say I have had Guatemalan cake!!
We spent the rest of the afternoon in Santa Rita!! Brittany and I went for one last ride around the village announcing that the Kid’s Bible study was just about to start! It was the girls’ week so they all piled on! Shelley taught on how Jesus wants to spend time with the children! We split up into two teams... “ The Disciples” and “Jesus”. The Disciples would say, “No, no, no,” while the Jesus team would say, “vegan, vegan.” The kids were kinda hesitant at first in saying their part, but after a while they jumped right in and got excited! We split into four teams to play the game! It was so funny to watch them slide in the mud to get to the other end, but it was hilarious to watch Jimmy play while Quincho kept backing up farther and farther! After the game the kids sang Happy Birthday to me; it was so sweet! I think craft time with my table of boys was my favorite part of the day! Even though they would make fun of me, and I would try to speak to them in horrible Spanish, we had loads of fun!
Aaron came early to spend some time with Jimmy asking him questions about the book he was reading. He found a leaf and played a song for Brittany and me by blowing on it! It was even prettier than the man who serenaded us at dinner the night before! Before his Bible study, Jimmy went to Maricus’ house to see what Gloria thought about our girls’ day/purity talk. He told Jimmy that as soon as Gloria got home, the whole family sat down while she went through her box. She read each verse to them and explained what they meant! He told Jimmy that day and Shelley’s lesson was really good for his daughter! How encouraging is that!!
Jimmy also talked with someone about Juarjo. She told him that when Juarjo was little, he fell out of a tree and bumped his head. Since that day he has been “crazy.” Our guess is that he might have some brain damage or even fluid buildup on the brain! He really has come out of his shell though, and I hope he will continue to come to the Bible study here on out! I spent the rest of the evening in the back room with the ninos and ninas! Jimmy had three first time guests at his Bible study! This Saturday they are all going to the caves as a reward for doing their Bible study homework and bringing their Bible every week! It was sad leaving Santa Rita, but I am looking forward to coming back and seeing how everyone has grown!
For dinner Shelley made fried fish, oven baked fries, zucchini, and cheese biscuits! A delicious dinner!! We had a great last night with Jim and Shelley! They are awesome friends and even better mentors! I can’t wait to see what more God is going to do through them!!
Jim and Shelley unfortunately lost power the night before and didn’t get it back until close to noon! Apparently some kids were flying kites and they got stuck in the power lines! Where were their parents?!?! Brit and I hung out at the hotel that morning! We finally went over to the zoo that was next door! We saw warthogs, an alligator, three male lions, a crazy monkey, a tapier with a nasty long tongue, and two deer! We did not go to see the demented llama, because of past experiences! Last year Sam and I ventured over there and the llama chased us down, had us cornered, and then spit all over me twice! So not cool! It was probably the worst animal experience ever!
Jim came and picked us up for lunch, and we enjoyed once again Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches!! They surprised me with an authentic Guatemalan Birthday cake! It had strawberries on it! My fav!! We were all excited about it; until we took a bite…it had the most unusual soggy taste…needless to say we all but Jimmy took a few bites before disposing of it! At least I can say I have had Guatemalan cake!!
We spent the rest of the afternoon in Santa Rita!! Brittany and I went for one last ride around the village announcing that the Kid’s Bible study was just about to start! It was the girls’ week so they all piled on! Shelley taught on how Jesus wants to spend time with the children! We split up into two teams... “ The Disciples” and “Jesus”. The Disciples would say, “No, no, no,” while the Jesus team would say, “vegan, vegan.” The kids were kinda hesitant at first in saying their part, but after a while they jumped right in and got excited! We split into four teams to play the game! It was so funny to watch them slide in the mud to get to the other end, but it was hilarious to watch Jimmy play while Quincho kept backing up farther and farther! After the game the kids sang Happy Birthday to me; it was so sweet! I think craft time with my table of boys was my favorite part of the day! Even though they would make fun of me, and I would try to speak to them in horrible Spanish, we had loads of fun!
Aaron came early to spend some time with Jimmy asking him questions about the book he was reading. He found a leaf and played a song for Brittany and me by blowing on it! It was even prettier than the man who serenaded us at dinner the night before! Before his Bible study, Jimmy went to Maricus’ house to see what Gloria thought about our girls’ day/purity talk. He told Jimmy that as soon as Gloria got home, the whole family sat down while she went through her box. She read each verse to them and explained what they meant! He told Jimmy that day and Shelley’s lesson was really good for his daughter! How encouraging is that!!
Jimmy also talked with someone about Juarjo. She told him that when Juarjo was little, he fell out of a tree and bumped his head. Since that day he has been “crazy.” Our guess is that he might have some brain damage or even fluid buildup on the brain! He really has come out of his shell though, and I hope he will continue to come to the Bible study here on out! I spent the rest of the evening in the back room with the ninos and ninas! Jimmy had three first time guests at his Bible study! This Saturday they are all going to the caves as a reward for doing their Bible study homework and bringing their Bible every week! It was sad leaving Santa Rita, but I am looking forward to coming back and seeing how everyone has grown!
For dinner Shelley made fried fish, oven baked fries, zucchini, and cheese biscuits! A delicious dinner!! We had a great last night with Jim and Shelley! They are awesome friends and even better mentors! I can’t wait to see what more God is going to do through them!!
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Safest Place to be is in the Center of God's Will!
Brittany and I could have slept in till 11 today, but of course I was wide awake at 8:30! It was all good though! I was able to get caught up on some blogs and post pictures! Jimmy came and picked us up at noon, and we enjoyed left over chicken and dumplings and eggplant parmesan for lunch!
We spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling till New Horizon! Shelley’s lesson was on bringing the little children to Jesus! It was a great lesson and the children were so interactive! We played an awesome game, and of course my team didn’t win, but we still had fun! For the craft we made clocks, to remind them that Jesus wanted to spend time with them! Our verse was, “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me…” ~ Luke 18:16a
It started to rain, and the power went out! Jimmy was able to talk to Quincho, Gerardo, and Mateo about Joseph and how God used him! They asked a lot of questions! After we left New Horizons, we debated on whether or not to drive back home or to the city for dinner. We were concerned that the power would be out in El Chal too, so we ended up going to Pizza Hut! Sure enough, when we got back to Jim and Shelley’s, their power was out and who knows when it will come back on!
I can’t even begin to explain, how great Jim and Shelley have been these last two weeks! I have learned so much from them, and I am so grateful for their guidance and encouragement! Starting a deaf school here will not only provide a way to share Jesus among the deaf, but at the same time will open doors to villages that Jim and Shelley otherwise might not be able to minister to! This whole thing is so much bigger than I ever imagined it would be! Brittany and I are actually watching End of the Spear right now…More than ever before do I believe that God’s ways are so much higher than our ways and He works all things together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose! There are people all over the world and right here in Guatemala, that are lost in utter darkness. They are just like the Wadoni people, that Jim Elliot and Nate Saint and three others gave their lives for, so that the Wadoni might one day know Christ!
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." ~ Jim Elliot
"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me." ~ Jim Elliot
"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." ~ Isaiah 55:6-11
We spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling till New Horizon! Shelley’s lesson was on bringing the little children to Jesus! It was a great lesson and the children were so interactive! We played an awesome game, and of course my team didn’t win, but we still had fun! For the craft we made clocks, to remind them that Jesus wanted to spend time with them! Our verse was, “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me…” ~ Luke 18:16a
It started to rain, and the power went out! Jimmy was able to talk to Quincho, Gerardo, and Mateo about Joseph and how God used him! They asked a lot of questions! After we left New Horizons, we debated on whether or not to drive back home or to the city for dinner. We were concerned that the power would be out in El Chal too, so we ended up going to Pizza Hut! Sure enough, when we got back to Jim and Shelley’s, their power was out and who knows when it will come back on!
I can’t even begin to explain, how great Jim and Shelley have been these last two weeks! I have learned so much from them, and I am so grateful for their guidance and encouragement! Starting a deaf school here will not only provide a way to share Jesus among the deaf, but at the same time will open doors to villages that Jim and Shelley otherwise might not be able to minister to! This whole thing is so much bigger than I ever imagined it would be! Brittany and I are actually watching End of the Spear right now…More than ever before do I believe that God’s ways are so much higher than our ways and He works all things together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose! There are people all over the world and right here in Guatemala, that are lost in utter darkness. They are just like the Wadoni people, that Jim Elliot and Nate Saint and three others gave their lives for, so that the Wadoni might one day know Christ!
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." ~ Jim Elliot
"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me." ~ Jim Elliot
"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." ~ Isaiah 55:6-11
Girl's Day!
Yesterday after a good night’s sleep, we got up and could not wait for our girls’ day! We still had quite a bit to do before they came, so we ran over to Jim and Shelley’s to get busy! First Brit and I iced cupcakes with pink and purple icing!! Except there was something wrong with our icing, cause even after it had been in the refrigerator overnight it was still extremely runny! We had icing everywhere and they weren’t the prettiest cupcakes; we were just hoping they tasted good! Then when Brittany and Jimmy left to go and find glue…I made the egg salad sandwiches with this really cool sandwich cutter! They surprised us by bringing back some ice-cream with the glue! The only thing we had left to do was to set up and then just chill till it was time to go and pick up the girls!
Jimmy left at noon to meet the micro at Santa Rita. It was raining when they got there, so they had to drive house to house to get the girls! Okay this part is really sweet!!!! Two of the teens that go to the Bible study at night, got a tarp and went along with Jimmy to cover the girls so they wouldn’t get wet walking from their houses to the micro! They would have totally won my heart if I was there!!!
We didn’t leave till one to go and get the girls at New Horizon! Several of them were already waiting for us at the front!! We gathered them all up front and waited for Jimmy to get there with the other girls and the micro! I got to play checkers with Diana! We played with white rocks, so it was easy to get confused about which pieces were yours! The clouds started to roll in, so Shelley took some of the girls back to the house to make sure nothing was wet! Not even 5 minutes later Jimmy arrived, and we all piled in!
It hadn’t rained at the house, so after all the girls got a tour of the house; we got busy making our purity boxes!! It was so much fun, and the girl’s were really creative! Next thing we knew this crazy monsoon/hurricane/tornado rolled in and everything and everyone was getting soaked!! As fast as we could we were trying to get all the tables, chairs, and craft supplies in the house! There was glitter, paint, and mud everywhere!! Crazy times!! After we got everything in and somewhat dried off, we got started again on our purity boxes! While the girls were working on that, we got all the food set up! Jimmy cut our apples right before it was time to serve, so they wouldn’t turn brown! The girl’s were so funny washing their hands and getting soap! They had never used a faucet like that before and were freaking out!
The food went over well! There wasn’t a scrap left of anything!! Even the cupcakes were a hit!! After piling their plates up with food, we all came and squeezed in to the living room! Shelley did such a great job talking to the girls about how precious they are to God, and how special it is to save yourself for the one guy that God has for you! The girls were kind of shy and didn’t really converse a lot, but they did pay very close attention to everything Shelley had to say! To conclude her challenge, each of the girls sewed a strip of lace to the edge of a heart rag we had made for them! They would be able to look at them everyday to help remind them how important it is to guard your heart as precious treasure!!
Jimmy took all the girls back on the micro while we three girls cleaned up the house that looked like a tornado had blown through! But in less than an hour we had it sparkling! I took a quick nap on Jim and Shelley’s comfy carpet, while Jim was dropping off the girls and Brittany was getting caught up on Facebook! I was awoken by Lucha, who was trying to get the cracker that Jimmy threw on me!
We then left for a great dinner at Las Puertas! On our way there Jimmy told us that the girls from Santa Rita asked if they could sing on the way back to their village! They asked to sing Santos, Santos, which is Open the Eyes of My Heart. It was like they had their own youth group now! It was even cooler that they could meet other girls from another village that go to Bible study just like them!
A famous Guatemalan singer (at least we think he was) just happened to be at Las Puertas and serenaded us through our whole meal! He sounded great!! Cristina was the one that cooked our dinner, and it was fabulous!! Another end to a great day!
Jimmy left at noon to meet the micro at Santa Rita. It was raining when they got there, so they had to drive house to house to get the girls! Okay this part is really sweet!!!! Two of the teens that go to the Bible study at night, got a tarp and went along with Jimmy to cover the girls so they wouldn’t get wet walking from their houses to the micro! They would have totally won my heart if I was there!!!
We didn’t leave till one to go and get the girls at New Horizon! Several of them were already waiting for us at the front!! We gathered them all up front and waited for Jimmy to get there with the other girls and the micro! I got to play checkers with Diana! We played with white rocks, so it was easy to get confused about which pieces were yours! The clouds started to roll in, so Shelley took some of the girls back to the house to make sure nothing was wet! Not even 5 minutes later Jimmy arrived, and we all piled in!
It hadn’t rained at the house, so after all the girls got a tour of the house; we got busy making our purity boxes!! It was so much fun, and the girl’s were really creative! Next thing we knew this crazy monsoon/hurricane/tornado rolled in and everything and everyone was getting soaked!! As fast as we could we were trying to get all the tables, chairs, and craft supplies in the house! There was glitter, paint, and mud everywhere!! Crazy times!! After we got everything in and somewhat dried off, we got started again on our purity boxes! While the girls were working on that, we got all the food set up! Jimmy cut our apples right before it was time to serve, so they wouldn’t turn brown! The girl’s were so funny washing their hands and getting soap! They had never used a faucet like that before and were freaking out!
The food went over well! There wasn’t a scrap left of anything!! Even the cupcakes were a hit!! After piling their plates up with food, we all came and squeezed in to the living room! Shelley did such a great job talking to the girls about how precious they are to God, and how special it is to save yourself for the one guy that God has for you! The girls were kind of shy and didn’t really converse a lot, but they did pay very close attention to everything Shelley had to say! To conclude her challenge, each of the girls sewed a strip of lace to the edge of a heart rag we had made for them! They would be able to look at them everyday to help remind them how important it is to guard your heart as precious treasure!!
Jimmy took all the girls back on the micro while we three girls cleaned up the house that looked like a tornado had blown through! But in less than an hour we had it sparkling! I took a quick nap on Jim and Shelley’s comfy carpet, while Jim was dropping off the girls and Brittany was getting caught up on Facebook! I was awoken by Lucha, who was trying to get the cracker that Jimmy threw on me!
We then left for a great dinner at Las Puertas! On our way there Jimmy told us that the girls from Santa Rita asked if they could sing on the way back to their village! They asked to sing Santos, Santos, which is Open the Eyes of My Heart. It was like they had their own youth group now! It was even cooler that they could meet other girls from another village that go to Bible study just like them!
A famous Guatemalan singer (at least we think he was) just happened to be at Las Puertas and serenaded us through our whole meal! He sounded great!! Cristina was the one that cooked our dinner, and it was fabulous!! Another end to a great day!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
School, School, and Popcorn Balls!
Friday we woke up super early! Brittany and I were going to the Special Ed School in Poptun, which was about 45 minutes away. The school day here in Guatemala is from 7:30 to 12:00! Isn’t that nice!! Brittany was extremely tired so she slept the whole way there…pretty amazing…while I was freaking out trying to learn as many signs as I could from the book that they had given me. When we got to school, we found it practically deserted. My heart sank, and I was bound and determined to find someone there. So I jumped out of the truck to see what I could find out…stupid me who doesn’t know any Spanish…well, Jimmy was a step or maybe a few steps ahead of me and called the principal of the school. She said that the school was at the Sports Complex preparing for the Special Olympics in August. I also found someone, who came with me to speak to Jimmy, and confirmed where they were at.
When we got to the Sports Complex, Brittany and I jumped right in! We did all the exercises with them, it was a sight to see :- ) Okay, and apparently there was a miscommunication when we were there last time, but instead of having 16 deaf students, they really have 6. Sadly only 2 came to school that day! I was able to sign my name to them, and ask them theirs. The deaf girl, Perlita, went through the book with me a little and showed me some other signs too! After they had gone over all the exercises, it was time to go back to the school. We weren’t quite sure how we were getting back, whether it would be by a moto, tuk tuk, or a taxi! It ended up being 11 people including the driver all piled into a small taxi! That was definitely an adventure!
I was able to talk a lot to the teachers there thanks to Brittany! There really isn’t much structure that goes on in Guatemalan schools. Students can walk in and out whenever they please, and there really isn’t much learning going on. The learn how to read by copying the same sentence thirty times. Well, seeing that the hearing students don’t get very far on that education, it is even harder for the deaf students. The deaf students I met were both 12 years old on a kindergarten level. They have so much going against them, but they only need one person to believe in them.
Leaving the school, I had a lot going through my mind! All I could think about were all the mountains I was going to have to climb in order to do anything to help these deaf children. Then out of nowhere God reminded me that He is big enough to move those mountains! That morning I had read Jeremiah 1 and was so encouraged that afternoon, when it finally made a connection!
On our way home, Jimmy pointed out all these roads that lead to about 70 Kekchi villages that are still unreached! Talking with the teachers at the school, they knew of more than 50 deaf that were Kekchi. There is such a need there too!
We spent the rest of the afternoon working on preparations for our girl’s day!! We made egg salad, chocolate brownies, caramel dip, and popcorn balls!! We even got to make some extra pop corn balls for us to have that night!
When we got to the Sports Complex, Brittany and I jumped right in! We did all the exercises with them, it was a sight to see :- ) Okay, and apparently there was a miscommunication when we were there last time, but instead of having 16 deaf students, they really have 6. Sadly only 2 came to school that day! I was able to sign my name to them, and ask them theirs. The deaf girl, Perlita, went through the book with me a little and showed me some other signs too! After they had gone over all the exercises, it was time to go back to the school. We weren’t quite sure how we were getting back, whether it would be by a moto, tuk tuk, or a taxi! It ended up being 11 people including the driver all piled into a small taxi! That was definitely an adventure!
I was able to talk a lot to the teachers there thanks to Brittany! There really isn’t much structure that goes on in Guatemalan schools. Students can walk in and out whenever they please, and there really isn’t much learning going on. The learn how to read by copying the same sentence thirty times. Well, seeing that the hearing students don’t get very far on that education, it is even harder for the deaf students. The deaf students I met were both 12 years old on a kindergarten level. They have so much going against them, but they only need one person to believe in them.
Leaving the school, I had a lot going through my mind! All I could think about were all the mountains I was going to have to climb in order to do anything to help these deaf children. Then out of nowhere God reminded me that He is big enough to move those mountains! That morning I had read Jeremiah 1 and was so encouraged that afternoon, when it finally made a connection!
On our way home, Jimmy pointed out all these roads that lead to about 70 Kekchi villages that are still unreached! Talking with the teachers at the school, they knew of more than 50 deaf that were Kekchi. There is such a need there too!
We spent the rest of the afternoon working on preparations for our girl’s day!! We made egg salad, chocolate brownies, caramel dip, and popcorn balls!! We even got to make some extra pop corn balls for us to have that night!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
How Great is Our God!
I love God!! Okay, I know that sounded a little random and shallow, but seriously, if you could be here and see all that He is doing, you wouldn’t know what else to say! Satan has been fighting this week, but today was totally worth it! We had our Ladies’ Day in New Horizons today!! We were all kind of nervous and had no idea what to expect! Since we are running on Guatemala time nobody was there at 9 when we were supposed to start, but slowly, lady after lady started to arrive! Each one was served a piece of sugar bread and apple cinnamon tea! Then we got started on our craft!! We were making message boards, which turned out so cute! Watching the ladies use hot glue guns was amusing, but they all did so good! A lot better than I would ever do, cause I am so not crafty!
Kimberly came! She is the girl that braided my hair last November when I was here. She is still not saved, and is in total bondage…there are rumors that she is her step father’s mistress and she can’t even leave her house at night to go to the Bible study because of the rumors that people spread! I wish I could speak more Spanish, so I could be more of an encouragement to her, but please pray for her!
Judi also came! She is Alex's, the little boy who had problems with his binocular craft, mom and also Quincho’s sister! Marcella and Maroucca’s mom, who is Kekchi, came too! She is so shy, but Judi took her under her wing and helped her with her message board!
Tania and Lesbia…sisters…also came! Lesbia’s son owns the house in Santa Rita that Jim and Shelley use for their Bible study! She is one of the sweetest ladies and is always taking care of Jim and Shelley. Tania is Kimberly’s mother. Both ladies have major influence in the village and among the town council! Neither of them has accepted Christ, and they do not attend the Bible study either.
Rosa the town nurse came! She is one of Jim and Shelley’s good friends but has never come to their Bible study either. She was able to give Shelley some advice about the babies and the pregnancy!
Each lady received a card that had Proverbs 31:10, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." This was such a good opportunity for Jim and Shelley to build on their relationships with these ladies! I know God has great plans for each and every one of these ladies, and He loves them more than anyone else! Please pray that God will use today as a small stepping stone in these ladies' journeys in becoming virtuous women!
Shelley made homemade chicken and dumplings with Jiffy cornbread! Very good! Then we all spent our afternoon sleeping!! We woke up just in time to make eggplant casserole while Jim and Shelley worked on their lessons for the Bible studies! After dinner we had a great time playing spades and watching the Office! Great night!
Tomorrow Brittany and I are going to the Special Education School in Poptun! Brittany is going to be my Spanish translator! I am so thankful for her! I am really excited about meeting all the deaf kids tomorrow, but I am so nervous, cause their signs are so nervous! I really have no idea what to expect, but I am really hoping I can learn some things and build some relationships! Thanks for all yours prayers for today! You all have a major part in what God is doing down here in Guatemala!
Kimberly came! She is the girl that braided my hair last November when I was here. She is still not saved, and is in total bondage…there are rumors that she is her step father’s mistress and she can’t even leave her house at night to go to the Bible study because of the rumors that people spread! I wish I could speak more Spanish, so I could be more of an encouragement to her, but please pray for her!
Judi also came! She is Alex's, the little boy who had problems with his binocular craft, mom and also Quincho’s sister! Marcella and Maroucca’s mom, who is Kekchi, came too! She is so shy, but Judi took her under her wing and helped her with her message board!
Tania and Lesbia…sisters…also came! Lesbia’s son owns the house in Santa Rita that Jim and Shelley use for their Bible study! She is one of the sweetest ladies and is always taking care of Jim and Shelley. Tania is Kimberly’s mother. Both ladies have major influence in the village and among the town council! Neither of them has accepted Christ, and they do not attend the Bible study either.
Rosa the town nurse came! She is one of Jim and Shelley’s good friends but has never come to their Bible study either. She was able to give Shelley some advice about the babies and the pregnancy!
Each lady received a card that had Proverbs 31:10, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." This was such a good opportunity for Jim and Shelley to build on their relationships with these ladies! I know God has great plans for each and every one of these ladies, and He loves them more than anyone else! Please pray that God will use today as a small stepping stone in these ladies' journeys in becoming virtuous women!
Shelley made homemade chicken and dumplings with Jiffy cornbread! Very good! Then we all spent our afternoon sleeping!! We woke up just in time to make eggplant casserole while Jim and Shelley worked on their lessons for the Bible studies! After dinner we had a great time playing spades and watching the Office! Great night!
Tomorrow Brittany and I are going to the Special Education School in Poptun! Brittany is going to be my Spanish translator! I am so thankful for her! I am really excited about meeting all the deaf kids tomorrow, but I am so nervous, cause their signs are so nervous! I really have no idea what to expect, but I am really hoping I can learn some things and build some relationships! Thanks for all yours prayers for today! You all have a major part in what God is doing down here in Guatemala!
Friday, July 10, 2009
A bumpy day....
Okay, I know…I’m a little behind again! No wonder I always struggled keeping a journal, but I am glad you all are keeping me accountable!! Yesterday was so much fun!!! Well, actually it didn’t start out fun, but it got better! When Jim and Shelley woke up, they found out that their water pump was broken…it isn’t fun to not have water and can be extremely stressful! Jimmy was Shelley’s hero and was able to find a new pump at a local hardware store. After an hour or so of hard work, Jimmy had it all fixed!!
While Jimmy was fixing the pump, Shelley, Brit and I were busy cutting and ironing fabric for our Ladies’ craft day in New Horizon! After that project was done, we then starting baking some desserts for a get together we were having that night. Pumpkin roll and No-Bake cookies were on the menu!!! Both two of my all-time favorites!! Our first attempt at the pumpkin roll didn’t go so hot…instead of adding ¾ of a cup of flour; we added 3 cups of flour! Needless to say it was a little stiff and didn’t even want to pour on the pan! So after realizing our mistake, we tossed it out and started over again!! Our second batch was in the oven, and we got started on the cookies!! Jimmy forgot to tell us that you have to add a little bit more butter than the recipe calls for, so they were a little stiff at first. But then we decided to experiment and add a little bit more butter and milk, and they turned out great! We added the cream cheese icing to the roll, and it looked “heavenly!” Well, that is a little of an exaggeration…it did taste heavenly though!!
After our baking frenzy was over, we left for Sayache, probably one of the most dangerous cities in Guatemala! This is where former Missionary Virgil Stolzfus and his family live! Virgil’s dad, Elam, who grew up Amish, moved his pregnant wife and three kids to Guatemala in 1972. Elam’s heart’s desire was to tell the whole world about Jesus! Over 19 years of ministering to the Guatemalan people, their family lived on a houseboat, planted churches, built a medical clinic, were caught in the middle of a horrible civil war between the army and guerrillas, and so many other crazy adventures! Virgil ended up getting his pilot’s license and being a major help to his father’s ministry and saved countless lives! His wife, Dara, just published a book titled Jungle Breezes, which tells about the life and testimony of Elam and his family! I just finished reading it, and I honestly can say that I put these missionaries on the same shelf as Hudson Taylor, Jim Elliot, and Amy Carmichael! I definitely recommend this book to everyone, especially if you are the least bit interested in missions. We got to spend the evening with Virgil, Dara and their 8 kids! I was amazed at story after story they told about their life in Guatemala. They have by no means have had an easy life, but they have continued to serve God ministering to the Guatemalans, and God has continued to bless and take care of them!
Oh! Dara made this delicious meal called Tortrix (a Guatemalan type of corn chips) casserole!! It was amazing, and I will definitely have to try and make it when I get back! I really learned a lot and enjoyed myself immensely last night!! A great conclusion to a bumpy day!
While Jimmy was fixing the pump, Shelley, Brit and I were busy cutting and ironing fabric for our Ladies’ craft day in New Horizon! After that project was done, we then starting baking some desserts for a get together we were having that night. Pumpkin roll and No-Bake cookies were on the menu!!! Both two of my all-time favorites!! Our first attempt at the pumpkin roll didn’t go so hot…instead of adding ¾ of a cup of flour; we added 3 cups of flour! Needless to say it was a little stiff and didn’t even want to pour on the pan! So after realizing our mistake, we tossed it out and started over again!! Our second batch was in the oven, and we got started on the cookies!! Jimmy forgot to tell us that you have to add a little bit more butter than the recipe calls for, so they were a little stiff at first. But then we decided to experiment and add a little bit more butter and milk, and they turned out great! We added the cream cheese icing to the roll, and it looked “heavenly!” Well, that is a little of an exaggeration…it did taste heavenly though!!
After our baking frenzy was over, we left for Sayache, probably one of the most dangerous cities in Guatemala! This is where former Missionary Virgil Stolzfus and his family live! Virgil’s dad, Elam, who grew up Amish, moved his pregnant wife and three kids to Guatemala in 1972. Elam’s heart’s desire was to tell the whole world about Jesus! Over 19 years of ministering to the Guatemalan people, their family lived on a houseboat, planted churches, built a medical clinic, were caught in the middle of a horrible civil war between the army and guerrillas, and so many other crazy adventures! Virgil ended up getting his pilot’s license and being a major help to his father’s ministry and saved countless lives! His wife, Dara, just published a book titled Jungle Breezes, which tells about the life and testimony of Elam and his family! I just finished reading it, and I honestly can say that I put these missionaries on the same shelf as Hudson Taylor, Jim Elliot, and Amy Carmichael! I definitely recommend this book to everyone, especially if you are the least bit interested in missions. We got to spend the evening with Virgil, Dara and their 8 kids! I was amazed at story after story they told about their life in Guatemala. They have by no means have had an easy life, but they have continued to serve God ministering to the Guatemalans, and God has continued to bless and take care of them!
Oh! Dara made this delicious meal called Tortrix (a Guatemalan type of corn chips) casserole!! It was amazing, and I will definitely have to try and make it when I get back! I really learned a lot and enjoyed myself immensely last night!! A great conclusion to a bumpy day!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Learning Every Day!
Another busy day here in Guatemala!! Before I tell you about our day, I want to tell you a funny story that happened last night! So Brittany and I got back really late from Jim and Shelley’s, but we were still wide awake, so we put in a movie! At about one am a truck pulled up in front of our bungalow with their headlights shining into our window! We both freaked out right away! Then two guys got out and were walking back and forth and talking on our porch! I called Jimmy right away, and as soon as I did, the guys must have realized someone was inside, so they got in their truck and drove away. Well, Jimmy called the front desk and had them send a guard back to check on us. We were both kind of shaken up and couldn’t fall asleep, so we decided to pray to ask God to help us. Not even 5 minutes later we were both out cold, so out that Jimmy tried to call and check on us and we didn’t even answer! Even though it was probably nothing, we still needed God to calm our worries and He totally did!!
“Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus!” ~ Philippians 4:6-7
So today we spent most of our day in the city getting all kinds of stuff for our Ladies’ day on Thursday and our Girls’ day on Saturday! Our first stop though was a boat ride across the lake to pick up the canoe for Jim and Shelley’s babies room! It was such a beautiful ride, and when we got to the other side we got to climb up the side of a mountain to get to the canoe! The view from the top was amazing! It was kind of funny watching us go downhill with a 6 ft canoe that was carved out of mahogany, but Jimmy didn’t falter one time…I did though : )
It started to rain on our way back to the island, and it was just a reminder that if you stay focused on God even the storms of life can be beautiful. After our boat ride, we went to the market! It was market day so a ton of people were there! Our first purchase was fabric for our Ladies’ day craft! We found some pretty awesome colors that match perfectly with our ribbon!! So much fun!! Oh, a side fact….all the workers in the fabric shop were guys, and they knew so much more than I will ever know about fabric!
We were then on a hunt for lace, for some heart towels we are using for an illustration for our purity talk! It was cool to walk through the whole market, and there was so much to see, smell, and hear! Finally we found fabric! Lunch was at Pollo Campero aka Skinny Chicken! It is a Guatemalan delicacy and apparently there is one in Florida somewhere…I will have to find it!! Next was to go and get ply wood for our message board crafts! Jimmy let me ride in the bed, and it was so much fun! So we got our ply wood, and we were off to the Maxi! Guess what Brittany and I found!!! Havainas!!! They are really nice flip flops, and they were only $12!!! We also got all our groceries for all our activities this week!
When we made it back to the house, Quincho was there cutting the grass with a machete! It only takes him 4 hours….Brittany and I got started painting the babies’ room right away! A few hours later a once white room and two lovely girls where covered in jungle green! It turned out so good, and even I was amazed!!
For supper we had Jimmy’s famous waffles!! They were the best waffles we had ever had!! After supper we cut a ton of batting, fabric and ribbon! Unfortunately we have to go and find some more ribbon tomorrow, so please pray we can find some! The cistern also ran out of water, so Jimmy had to go to the gas station to try and by some of those big jugs of pure water. When Jimmy got to the gas station they were all out of the jugs, but the old gas attendant allowed him to fill up his jugs with water from the hose for free. Hopefully the town will turn on the water tomorrow so the cistern can be full again!
God is teaching Brittany and I to trust Him in so many ways…I didn’t realize how much I doubt Him or how easily I get upset when things don’t seem to going the way I planned! We can’t just freak out every time, but instead turn to God knowing that He is in complete control!
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and He shall direct thy paths.” ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:19
“Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:24
“Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus!” ~ Philippians 4:6-7
So today we spent most of our day in the city getting all kinds of stuff for our Ladies’ day on Thursday and our Girls’ day on Saturday! Our first stop though was a boat ride across the lake to pick up the canoe for Jim and Shelley’s babies room! It was such a beautiful ride, and when we got to the other side we got to climb up the side of a mountain to get to the canoe! The view from the top was amazing! It was kind of funny watching us go downhill with a 6 ft canoe that was carved out of mahogany, but Jimmy didn’t falter one time…I did though : )
It started to rain on our way back to the island, and it was just a reminder that if you stay focused on God even the storms of life can be beautiful. After our boat ride, we went to the market! It was market day so a ton of people were there! Our first purchase was fabric for our Ladies’ day craft! We found some pretty awesome colors that match perfectly with our ribbon!! So much fun!! Oh, a side fact….all the workers in the fabric shop were guys, and they knew so much more than I will ever know about fabric!
We were then on a hunt for lace, for some heart towels we are using for an illustration for our purity talk! It was cool to walk through the whole market, and there was so much to see, smell, and hear! Finally we found fabric! Lunch was at Pollo Campero aka Skinny Chicken! It is a Guatemalan delicacy and apparently there is one in Florida somewhere…I will have to find it!! Next was to go and get ply wood for our message board crafts! Jimmy let me ride in the bed, and it was so much fun! So we got our ply wood, and we were off to the Maxi! Guess what Brittany and I found!!! Havainas!!! They are really nice flip flops, and they were only $12!!! We also got all our groceries for all our activities this week!
When we made it back to the house, Quincho was there cutting the grass with a machete! It only takes him 4 hours….Brittany and I got started painting the babies’ room right away! A few hours later a once white room and two lovely girls where covered in jungle green! It turned out so good, and even I was amazed!!
For supper we had Jimmy’s famous waffles!! They were the best waffles we had ever had!! After supper we cut a ton of batting, fabric and ribbon! Unfortunately we have to go and find some more ribbon tomorrow, so please pray we can find some! The cistern also ran out of water, so Jimmy had to go to the gas station to try and by some of those big jugs of pure water. When Jimmy got to the gas station they were all out of the jugs, but the old gas attendant allowed him to fill up his jugs with water from the hose for free. Hopefully the town will turn on the water tomorrow so the cistern can be full again!
God is teaching Brittany and I to trust Him in so many ways…I didn’t realize how much I doubt Him or how easily I get upset when things don’t seem to going the way I planned! We can’t just freak out every time, but instead turn to God knowing that He is in complete control!
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and He shall direct thy paths.” ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:19
“Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A New Day!!
Monday was a great day!! I slept in till 11:30 am!! I felt so much better and couldn’t wait to see what the day was going to bring us!! After our first lesson in New Horizons we thought of a lot of better ideas to improve our story! We made all kinds of visuals and had the kids help us act out the story! Jimmy was Jesus, Quincho was Peter, and the kids were the boat, waves, and stormy clouds!! It was a lot of fun and the kids really understood how important it was for Peter to keep his eyes on Jesus despite of his situation! They had so much fun playing the game and doing the craft! I was able to go around with Jimmy and all the boys to announce the Kids Bible study and took a video of the village! Hopefully it might help you feel a little more apart of Santa Rita!
After the Kids’ time, while we were waiting for the Adult Bible study, Quincho took us up to the tienda to get a drink! We got to see more of village and really spend a good time talking with him and getting to know him better! Unfortunately my Spanish is horrible, but thankfully I had Brittany with me!! The adult Bible study was packed full!! We sang one of my favorite songs in Sa It was so exciting and encouraging!! Jimmy has been teaching through Genesis, and last night his lesson was on Jacob and his whole family! Every adult there brought their Bible and listened so intently! Several even asked questions! It was a good night!
Jimmy made tacos for dinner and they were really good! I was glad to be able to eat somewhat normally again! Thanks for praying for our Bible studies again! More than anything I wish I could speak Spanish! That is definitely something else I will be working on when I get back home!
TTYL :-)
After the Kids’ time, while we were waiting for the Adult Bible study, Quincho took us up to the tienda to get a drink! We got to see more of village and really spend a good time talking with him and getting to know him better! Unfortunately my Spanish is horrible, but thankfully I had Brittany with me!! The adult Bible study was packed full!! We sang one of my favorite songs in Sa It was so exciting and encouraging!! Jimmy has been teaching through Genesis, and last night his lesson was on Jacob and his whole family! Every adult there brought their Bible and listened so intently! Several even asked questions! It was a good night!
Jimmy made tacos for dinner and they were really good! I was glad to be able to eat somewhat normally again! Thanks for praying for our Bible studies again! More than anything I wish I could speak Spanish! That is definitely something else I will be working on when I get back home!
TTYL :-)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Another great Lord's Day!
So yesterday, I finally got sick!! Amoebas are not fun at all!! Jimmy was able to get me a prescription that helped a lot! Most of the day Shelley and Jimmy helped Brittany with translating her lesson! Lemuel, you should be proud of Brittany, she did most of it herself!!
Our kids Bible study went very well! Brittany did a fantastic job telling the story of Jesus walking on the water in Spanish! After she told the story we had the children act it out with us! They did so good and I think it really helped them understand it more!! We then made our binoculars!! The kids had so much fun! Alex is a little boy that comes faithfully every week! Jimmy was helping him make his binoculars, so they should have turned out amazing, right??? :) Well, Alex puts his pair of binoculars on his neck, and we all hear, “Oh, Jimmy!!!!” His binoculars that should have been stapled together were only being held together by glue that hadn’t dried yet! So Jimmy takes them to fix them, but he wasn’t paying attention and stapled the hole punch holes on the inside, so now his string was all weird. So again, we hear this pathetic, “Oh Jimmy!!” Poor kid thought his binoculars looked like a disaster, and even though we told him they looked good, he did not believe us. He managed to find a pair that someone accidentally left behind and claimed that pair as his own! It was so precious!!
An Italian, that has done a lot of charity work in New Horizons, stopped by after our Bible study yesterday to talk with Jimmy. He seemed like a nice guy and asked Jimmy a lot about what they are doing in New Horizons! Wouldn’t it be cool if God used these Bible Studies in an ex guerrilla village to lead an Italian to the Lord!
Unfortunately we had no one show up to our adult Bible study…it is really sad! Not only do people spread rumors about Jim and Shelley, but they spread horrible rumors about each other too! They are all so stuck in darkness and sin but it seems that they have no desire to be free from it. Please pray that God will continue to work among the people and keep Jim and Shelley encouraged!
That night we went back to Jim and Shelley’s and they made grilled chicken and mashed potatoes. I hadn’t eaten anything all day, so the mashed potatoes were really good! It has been so nice to talk with Jim and Shelley, and they have been such an encouragement!!
Our kids Bible study went very well! Brittany did a fantastic job telling the story of Jesus walking on the water in Spanish! After she told the story we had the children act it out with us! They did so good and I think it really helped them understand it more!! We then made our binoculars!! The kids had so much fun! Alex is a little boy that comes faithfully every week! Jimmy was helping him make his binoculars, so they should have turned out amazing, right??? :) Well, Alex puts his pair of binoculars on his neck, and we all hear, “Oh, Jimmy!!!!” His binoculars that should have been stapled together were only being held together by glue that hadn’t dried yet! So Jimmy takes them to fix them, but he wasn’t paying attention and stapled the hole punch holes on the inside, so now his string was all weird. So again, we hear this pathetic, “Oh Jimmy!!” Poor kid thought his binoculars looked like a disaster, and even though we told him they looked good, he did not believe us. He managed to find a pair that someone accidentally left behind and claimed that pair as his own! It was so precious!!
An Italian, that has done a lot of charity work in New Horizons, stopped by after our Bible study yesterday to talk with Jimmy. He seemed like a nice guy and asked Jimmy a lot about what they are doing in New Horizons! Wouldn’t it be cool if God used these Bible Studies in an ex guerrilla village to lead an Italian to the Lord!
Unfortunately we had no one show up to our adult Bible study…it is really sad! Not only do people spread rumors about Jim and Shelley, but they spread horrible rumors about each other too! They are all so stuck in darkness and sin but it seems that they have no desire to be free from it. Please pray that God will continue to work among the people and keep Jim and Shelley encouraged!
That night we went back to Jim and Shelley’s and they made grilled chicken and mashed potatoes. I hadn’t eaten anything all day, so the mashed potatoes were really good! It has been so nice to talk with Jim and Shelley, and they have been such an encouragement!!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Happy 4th of July in Guatemala
Yesterday was a more relaxed day! We slept in a little bit, then went to Jim and Shelley’s to work on our lessons for Bible study! I am so excited because Brittany agreed to teach the lesson in Spanish! I think the kids will get so much more out it, because they won’t have to wait for me to say it in English then someone to translate it in Spanish! Her lesson is about Jesus walking on the water and how important it is to keep your eyes on Jesus, no matter what the storms of life bring your way! We are going to do the Tennessee rain storm to make it sound like a real thunderstorm! They are also going to play a game, where they have to walk on this straight line, but keep their eyes on “Jesus” and not look down! Our craft is making binoculars to help remind them to stay focused on Jesus!
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.” ~ Isaiah 26:3
For our 4th of July lunch we enjoyed BLT’s and Macaroni and Cheese! Delicious!! After lunch Brittany, Jimmy, and I drove about an hour and a half to see the Mayan Ruins at Tikal! This was my 3rd trip, but I enjoyed it just as much as the first two times I had gone! Brittany absolutely loved it, and was like a monkey jumping from temple to temple! We have a ton of pictures and will post them soon!
After our 4 hour adventure in the ruins, we headed back home to Shelley and dinner! Jimmy had made a roast in a crock pot, so it was already to go as soon as we got back! Shelley made cheese biscuits to go with it!! Oh, and Brownies and Ice cream for dessert!! After dinner we played Nertz, which is so much like my favorite card game, Dutch Blitz!! It was tons of fun with lots of smack talk and laughter! With the scores from both games combined…I was the winner! Just a fact, no bragging here!!
This afternoon we have our Bible studies in New Horizons! Pray for Jim and Brittany as they give their lessons!!
Have a blessed day in our Lord!!
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.” ~ Isaiah 26:3
For our 4th of July lunch we enjoyed BLT’s and Macaroni and Cheese! Delicious!! After lunch Brittany, Jimmy, and I drove about an hour and a half to see the Mayan Ruins at Tikal! This was my 3rd trip, but I enjoyed it just as much as the first two times I had gone! Brittany absolutely loved it, and was like a monkey jumping from temple to temple! We have a ton of pictures and will post them soon!
After our 4 hour adventure in the ruins, we headed back home to Shelley and dinner! Jimmy had made a roast in a crock pot, so it was already to go as soon as we got back! Shelley made cheese biscuits to go with it!! Oh, and Brownies and Ice cream for dessert!! After dinner we played Nertz, which is so much like my favorite card game, Dutch Blitz!! It was tons of fun with lots of smack talk and laughter! With the scores from both games combined…I was the winner! Just a fact, no bragging here!!
This afternoon we have our Bible studies in New Horizons! Pray for Jim and Brittany as they give their lessons!!
Have a blessed day in our Lord!!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Trying to get caught up!!
Okay guys! I am two days behind on our blogs!! It has been quite busy here the last two days! On Friday, I was just so totally amazed at the things that God did! That morning, we met up with Maria Jose’s mom, Maria. She first took us to this school in Delores, which has a class for challenged students. We were hoping to meet some deaf students! The principal, special education teacher, and one other teacher met with us. Jimmy and Maria both took turns explaining my heart and desire for the deaf children of Petén. The teachers then told us about a little deaf girl in their school, named Yennifer! She is somewhere around 7 or 8 years old, and really has no language except for some few homemade signs. I was able to spend a few minutes with her and she is very smart ! She hasn’t had the easiest time though…many times deaf children here are abused by their parents, because the way the parents “teach” their children here is by beating the child, but if you are deaf and can’t understand because there is no language you just get beat more. Not only that, but the other kids make fun of you because of the way you talk or when you get upset cause you can’t understand them, so they throw rocks and sticks at you. Even sadder is when you wonder why you are the only one in your whole family that is different, but no one can explain to you, or even if someone tried you can’t understand them. When the principal was telling us about the many cases of different deaf children that they have had in their schools, I couldn’t help but cry. The teacher even teared up; they really do care for these children but they don’t know how to help them. The special education teacher can only spend 45 minutes with each child, and the rest of the time they are in a regular classroom. So in reality they aren’t learning anything…and in the end if they have no language how are they ever going to understand that there is Someone who loves them so much that He died for them???
The teachers at this school told me about another school in Poptun which was only about 20 minutes away. This school was a center for special education and had one class designated just for deaf children! When we got there all the deaf students had already had left for the day due to the bad rains, but I was able to talk with the teachers. They were so excited that we had come, and asked all sorts of questions about how to teach a deaf child. They have 16 deaf students in their classroom!!! They do know the Guatemalan Sign Language and are teaching their students….but they really would love for someone to come down and teach them how to work with deaf children. They also were telling me about some of the horrible backgrounds that their students come from, and it is very heartbreaking. They invited me to come back sometime this week to work with the kids for a whole day! I am so excited! Oh, and guess what!!! They had a book that teaches you the Guatemalan Sign Language!! I couldn’t believe it!!
After leaving that school, we went to take Maria back to her house. That was where I finally met Maria Jose! She was the sweetest girl and sosmart , but again she had only homemade signs. Her story is also a sad one, and her father was killed by a stray bullet 10 years ago, which left her mom and six sisters all alone. We exchanged email addresses, and I am hoping to keep in contact with her. Once I learn the Guatemalan sign language, I would love to teach her and maybe explain to her how to be saved!
The rest of the day I spent trying to process all I had seen and heard that morning…my heart ever yearns to come back here as soon as God allows! I honestly don’t understand how it is all going to come together, but I know we serve a big God who is leading the way for the deaf people of the Petén!
Later on we went back to Jim and Shelley’s and ate grilled ham and cheese sandwiches!! Yum! We hadn’t been able to do any shopping yet so Jim and Shelley decided to take us around to see Flores. It was beautiful!! We were able to go into these little shops and look around. The girls that owned the shops were very good salespeople. We boughtearrings and some coffee bag purses that we got for a great deal, even if Quincho doesn’t think so… They are in the middle of tearing up the streets in Flores and we had to be very careful where we stepped so that we would not fall into holes that were sometimes bigger than me!!! And they had no signs or blocks to let you know when there was one either. So after we had been shopping for a while, Jimmy decided that he was going to go sit in the restaurant where we were going to eat, La Luna, and get some coffee. We eventually made it in there and enjoyed a great meal! Jim, Shelley and I ordered this delicious salad with grilled chicken on top, and Brittany ordered pork medallions with pineapple on top! For dessert we enjoyed Ice-Cream with either hot raspberries or plantains with honey. It was a great end to a great day!
Thanks for praying and sorry again that I am so behind!
The teachers at this school told me about another school in Poptun which was only about 20 minutes away. This school was a center for special education and had one class designated just for deaf children! When we got there all the deaf students had already had left for the day due to the bad rains, but I was able to talk with the teachers. They were so excited that we had come, and asked all sorts of questions about how to teach a deaf child. They have 16 deaf students in their classroom!!! They do know the Guatemalan Sign Language and are teaching their students….but they really would love for someone to come down and teach them how to work with deaf children. They also were telling me about some of the horrible backgrounds that their students come from, and it is very heartbreaking. They invited me to come back sometime this week to work with the kids for a whole day! I am so excited! Oh, and guess what!!! They had a book that teaches you the Guatemalan Sign Language!! I couldn’t believe it!!
After leaving that school, we went to take Maria back to her house. That was where I finally met Maria Jose! She was the sweetest girl and so
The rest of the day I spent trying to process all I had seen and heard that morning…my heart ever yearns to come back here as soon as God allows! I honestly don’t understand how it is all going to come together, but I know we serve a big God who is leading the way for the deaf people of the Petén!
Later on we went back to Jim and Shelley’s and ate grilled ham and cheese sandwiches!! Yum! We hadn’t been able to do any shopping yet so Jim and Shelley decided to take us around to see Flores. It was beautiful!! We were able to go into these little shops and look around. The girls that owned the shops were very good salespeople. We bought
Thanks for praying and sorry again that I am so behind!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)