Guatemalan and Mexican Food are Not the Same!

A common misconception we have encountered many times while we've been in the States is that Mexican food and Guatemalan food are synonymous. For the record, this is not at all true. They really aren't alike at all. There are some foods that are called the same; such as tamales, enchiladas, and tacos. But even these common names mean two totally different things in the two different countries. And outside of the names of these foods mentioned, all other food is totally different. Now I have never been to Mexico, but I am pretty sure that the food we eat at Mexican restaurants here in the mid-west are probably not exactly the same as the food that people in Mexico eat day in and day out, although there are some authentic restaurants that I think come pretty close. So when I refer to Mexican food, I am referring to the food offered in Mexican restaurants in the med-west United States. Norman and I really like Mexican food and ate it quite often when we lived in the States. So that is one of the foods we miss the most. I can get ingredients to cook some of our favorite Mexican meals but there are some entrees offered at Mexican restaurants that are too hard to duplicate at home. Therefore, when we are back in the States, contrary to popular belief, we DO want to eat Mexican food and eat at Mexican restaurants because we can't get the same thing in Guatemala. The food is not the same. Just a little tidbit of information for ya for free. GUATEMALAN TAMALES:

MEXICAN TAMALES:

GUATEMALAN ENCHILADA:

GUATEMALAN TACO:

Ouch, that hurt!

We left Hogar de Vida this morning and came to Guatemala City.  Tomorrow morning we fly to Omaha, Nebraska.  We will be in the States until January 3.  It has been two years since we've been back for an extended visit.  Since then, Norman has only been in the States for 1 week, and I have been there for 2 weeks.  When we were back 2 years ago we had only been serving at the Home of Life for 7 months.  Leaving wasn't too bad because we were just starting to bond with the kids and we knew we would be back.  Now we have been serving there for 2-1/2 years.  We have been living life with 30 kids.  We are now part of the family and we love them all dearly.  The little ones love us and the older ones appear to tolerate us but we think they might kind of like us too.  It was heart wrenching to say good-bye.  Especially to the younger ones who we know don't fully understand the concept of time and where and how long we are going.  We are so ready to come to the States and see family and friends.  We need a break and are looking forward to a time of renewal.  We want to go, but it still hurt my heart to leave.

 As we started on our journey, I began to think about the fact that when we love deep we also hurt deep, but it is worth it. We picked up a family of three walking down the road and gave them a ride to their destination.  They spoke minimal Spanish, only Quiche, but we could communicate through smiles.  As I smiled at the lady and she smiled back, I realized how much I love these people.     It was a beautiful day this morning and as we were driving the dirt road through the mountains, I took in all the beautiful scenery around me.  It is such a beautiful country with beautiful people and I found myself thanking the Lord for sending me here.  For allowing me to serve in such a beautiful place with such beautiful people!  I  surprised myself, it hasn't always been easy to be here and even though I want to be here and I am glad to serve, this is the first time I truly felt thankful.  I think this is a sign of progress.  :-)  Thank you Lord!

What is your calling?

If you have followed this blog at all, you have figured out that regular blogging is not my strength.  More than once I have determined that I am going to do better and post regularly.  I do okay for awhile and then life gets busy again and I have all these blogs going on in my head that never get on paper. Then I feel like what I had going on in my head is old news and I don't bother to post it.  After 6 months since my last blog, I once again determine to do better and start blogging again.  Well, that is where you find me right now.  One of my struggles in writing is knowing what to write.  I usually write about events, which is good and keeps you informed on what is happening, but it is really the heart things that encourages all of us.  However, I find it hard to write about heart things because I don't want to betray any confidences and I think it is possible to be too open, not to mention that it makes me very vulnerable. :-)  But I do think there is a balance there and I am asking God to help me find that balance.

So, today I am going to share one of those heart things that  God has been working on in my life.  In a nut shell, what He has been showing me is that I need to have confidence in His calling on my life.  This morning my bible reading was in Nehemiah.  God called Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem and facilitate the rebuilding of the city wall.  Nehemiah went in confidence knowing that he was doing God's will and that God was with him and would equip him.  I want to share with you what I wrote in my journal this morning.  As you are reading, be thinking, "God called Nehemiah to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem, He called Norman and Vickie to work among at-risk children in Guatemala.  What is His calling on my life?"  There may be a few people who are reading this that God is nudging you to make a big move for Him and step out in faith to follow His calling.  However,  for the majority of you, your calling is right where you are.  You may or may not be aware of what that is.  My prayer for you is that God opens your eyes and helps you see the purpose He has for you right where you are at.  There may be a person in your realm of influence who God wants you to reach out to.  It is in living out His purpose in our lives that we have peace and are fulfilled!

October 10, 2012  
Bible Reading:  Nehemiah 1-6
My bible reading was from Nehemiah today and how he went to Jerusalem and helped rebuild the wall.  He was obviously called by God specifically for this purpose and God equipped him  and guided him.  God gave him favor with the king who appointed him as governor of Jerusalem which gave him the authority he needed to carry out his purpose.  Nehemiah's confidence strikes me, he goes forth with purpose and in confidence and knows God's hand is on him.  He sees through the schemes of his enemies and doesn't fall into traps that are set.  He knows how to encourage the people and keep them motivated.  He sacrifices for the people and is very generous and asks nothing in return.  Nehemiah is a great example of a Godly leader who listens to the Lord.  God gave him very specific, successful plans to rebuild the wall in record time.  
"Lord, I know I am here in Guatemala for your purposes, called by you.  Lord help me to walk in confidence in my calling.  help me to be so close to you that I see the enemy's schemes of discouragement and sabotage for what they are and do not fall into his trap of self-pity and depression.  Lord, my calling is different from Nehemiah in that you have not called us to be in authority but I do see that you have called us to leadership.  Lord, give us a confidence in your calling and your leading.  Help us to always be in tune with you so that our actions and words are of you and edifying and not destructive.  I love you Lord and today I choose to rest in the confidence that your mighty strength is at work within me.  AMEN!"
Ephesians 3:20-21  "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen."

I feel incredibly exposed right now having shared my deepest thoughts, but I pray that these words will be of encouragement to you and spur you on to serve the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind!  Many blessings to you all!

Last Minute Plans or Spontaneous Fun?

I wrote this blog in May.  I just found it and don't know why I didn't post it.  So here it is.  Enjoy.

A couple things that we have learned living in the Latin American culture is that you have to be flexible and that plans aren't usually made too far ahead so be ready at any given moment.  This has been an adjustment for this "planner" but I have learned to adjust and don't get bent out of shape too much any more when things are thrown at me at the last minute.  Last Friday we got to experience the fun side of this cultural trait.  Instead of last minute plans, it's called spontaneously doing something fun.  Just the change of wording changes your whole perspective.

All but the two high schoolers in the home didn't have school last Friday.  So at breakfast a "Dia del Campo" (literally "Day in the Country" aka field trip, outing, picnic, etc.) was mentioned.  Norman and I were asked our opinion on what we thought about EVERYONE going on an outing.  We were fine with it so then places were discussed.  At 8:45 am a place was picked and it was decided that we were going to do it.  So then we asked what to us is the logical next question, "What time are we going to leave?"  The answer was 9:30.  Whoa, they don't mess around.  The actual departure time was closer to 10:15 am, but still, in an hour and a half they had 30 kids packed up and ready to go in addition to everything they needed to make lunch on the "beach" (aka by the river).  I was extremely impressed.

So we loaded up into the 15 passenger van and the pick up truck and headed on to our adventure for the day. We went about a half hour away near the neighboring town of Canilla.  We found a real nice spot by the river that had a deep place for the older kids to swim and a shallow place for the little ones to play in the water.  There was nice sand and a good place to set up a campfire so that lunch could be made.  We ladies set to work starting a fire, peeling vegetables and getting the pot on for beef stew.

Oralia and Alicia

Around 4:00 pm we started packing up and heading home.  Everyone had a great time.  It was such a fun "family" time and I am so glad they suggested it.  Those spur of the moment things often turn out far better than if a week of planning had gone into it.  It was a blessing for us to enjoy this time with all the kids and staff!

May 19, 2012

Dear Friends and Family,

On May 1st we completed 2 years of living and serving full time at Home of Life and Nutrition in Guatemala.  Living and serving at a children’s home is a lot like parenting, it is hard to see the fruit of your efforts from day to day but you hope and pray that you are making a difference and an impact on the lives of the children you interact with daily.  We try to live out our faith and demonstrate the love of Jesus in everything we do. 

Though we both have jobs or projects to do, we find that the most important thing is how we interact with the people God puts in our path from day to day.  In addition to ministering to the staff and children at the home, we have the privilege to host teams who come to serve throughout the year.  We enjoy meeting all kinds of new people and seeing God work in their lives as they experience a new part of this world God created.  Now that we are feeling more established and comfortable in our surroundings, we are also hoping to reach out more to the people in the community we have met, have them over for dinner, just get to know them on a more personal level. 

Now to get into some details of what we have been doing since our last letter in December.  We started off the 2012 year with a “family” vacation.  We loaded all the kids age 3 and up, about 25 in total, along with 10 adults onto a school bus and headed to the beach.  In addition to the beach we visited a zoo and an awesome water park.   It was such a blessing to be able to give these kids, who have barely been out of San Andres, a chance to experience another part of their country and to enjoy some great “family” fun.   

A few days after we got back, all the kids started back to school for their new school year and we received a few visitors.  Our visitors included a family who adopted a boy from the home 13 years ago.  They came back to visit on his 21st birthday.  It was a blessing to see God’s hand on this young man’s life.  After that Norman’s brother and 3 men from his church came to help with some mechanical repairs and to start building cupboards for our kitchen.  It was such a blessing to have them.  Then came a team from Lifegate Church in Omaha.  This team was unique in that the team leaders have spent a lot of time here at the home and know it well.  Because of this, the team was able to take over the daily running of the home and send all the Staff away for a 2 day retreat.  What a blessing!  We all came back rested and refreshed!  Shortly after the Omaha team left, we celebrated Vickie’s 50th birthday.  With 30 kids around it isn’t possible to let your birthday just pass by without much notice!  The week before Easter we hosted a team from Grove City College.  They come every year and never cease to be a huge blessing while here.  Currently our Supervisor, Dena Stromstad, is here for a visit and we are anticipating the visit of Vickie’s sister and niece in one week.  After that, bring on the teams.  We are hosting 4 different teams throughout the summer months and squeezing in a short visit from our very busy daughter. 

We would greatly appreciate your prayers.  Please pray for Heather as she finishes up her 3rd year of med school and looks forward to graduating in one year.  Also please pray for our son, Ryan, who will be returning from his internship in India in July and will also have one year left before he graduates with an Architecture degree.  Please pray for wisdom in our lives as we daily minister to those around us and for our health and safety. 

We cannot tell you how blessed we are by all of you, our faithful financial and prayer supporters.  You are the best!  Our monthly financial support continues to stay right around 95% of our need.  And once again the difference has been provided through one time donations.  It is such a blessing to be able to serve in Guatemala knowing that you all have our “backs”.  If you are not already supporting us financially and are feeling led to become a part of this ministry through being a monthly financial partner or through a one time donation, you may do so by sending donations to the address on the right.  We pray that the blessings you have poured on us will be returned to you! 

Blessings,

      Norman & Vickie

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream

Every once in awhile the ice cream truck will pass by the home at an opportune moment.  All conditions need to be perfect:  right time of day, Norman near by to give permission, Norman have money, warm weather, fast enough reaction to catch the truck before its too far away, and hungry kids.  Well, the last one isn't much of a problem.  Yesterday all conditions were met and, in addition, it was Soila's (one of the workers) Birthday.  So we just couldn't let that truck pass by.  After missing him on his first pass, the kids finally got his attention, and the "ding-ding" man was directed onto the basketball court and the kids lined up to get their ice cream.  It's not everyday that the ice cream truck is in your home.  :-)

The kids are watching for the truck to come back by again. 

The "kids" are lining up to get their treat.  Did you notice who is first in line? 

This is how it is done.  Four choices: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or neapolitan.   

Everyone got ice cream for a grand total of $5.33!

The Birthday Girl

Deal of the Day

I sent Norman to the market this morning to pick up our fruits and vegetables for the week.  I had cabbage on the list, and this is what he came back with.  He spent a whole 46 cents on it.  :-)  Gotta love Guatemala.  I so enjoy the easy access to inexpensive fresh fruits and vegetables.

Count Your Blessings

The longer I live in Guatemala, the starker becomes the contrast between living here and living in my native country.  Keep in mind that what I am saying applies to the area we live up in the mountains.  If you talked to someone who lives in Guatemala City you would get a different story.  What I am saying may or may not apply to different parts of the country, I am just speaking of the small area of my experience.

Those of us who were born and raised in the United States were blessed just by that fact.  I think if you asked, most people would agree with that.  But day by day I am realizing how blessed we really are and how much I have taken for granted.  Simple things that is expected to be a part of our lives.  Such as an education, a job, a home to live in.

Education is the area my eyes have been the most opened to.  In the United States I would say, generally speaking, that for most people when they are talking about an uneducated person, they are referring to someone who didn't finish High School.  Therefore, an educated person is someone who finished High School.  A person we refer to as having a higher education would be someone who graduated from College and a highly educated person would be someone with a Masters or PHD.  Here where we live, an uneducated person is someone who didn't go to school at all or for just a few years.  A person who finishes High School would be equal to a College graduate in the States in stature, and a college graduate would be equal to a PHD.  A PHD is way out there.

School is something we as North Americans take for granted.  We have a right to a good education.  I don't think we have any idea of all the benefits an education provides.  These "hidden" benefits are the things I am learning and experiencing first hand in Guatemala.  Now If you are an education major or a home schooler you might know all this, but this is a revelation for me.  I haven't done any official research on any of this or looked at any statistics, this is just my personal experience.  I had been told and believed that education provides more than book knowledge but I didn't really know what those "other" things were.  Now I know some of them first hand.  Going to school teaches us how to learn, it teaches us how to concentrate and focus, it teaches us how to process, it teaches us how to retain things, and it teaches us how to think critically and think on our own.  I have met and worked with people who have a hard time learning new things and retaining new information, not because they aren't intelligent, because they are, it is because they weren't given the privilege to learn these things in school as a child.  Many Guatemalans just take what they have been told as the gospel truth.  They don't question it, they don't analyze it, they just receive it and believe it.  They haven't learned how to analyze it and verify that it makes sense or is really true.  For me, all these things puts a whole new light on the benefits of education and how blessed we are to have education as a given, no questions asked.  Here it is not necessarily so and I praise the Lord for Hogar de Vida where kids who wouldn't have been given the chance to go to school are now able to go.  Thank you Lord!

I just want to mention two more experiences that Norman and I have had that highlight the difference between our two cultures and reminds us how blessed we are just because we were born in the U.S.  Not too long ago Norman had a conversation with a couple Guatemalan ladies about what his job was in the states.  He tried to explain to them, but didn't get too far past that he worked for a heating and air conditioning company.  Two reasons for that, 1) a little bit of language barrier, 2) they have no frame of reference.  They barely have closed in homes, much less central heating and air conditioning.  They understand that air conditioning cools your house and a furnace heats your house, but they have never seen either one of these or have any idea what they look like or how they work.  It is times like these that we sometimes feel like we moved to a different planet instead of just to Central America which really isn't all that far away.  Our lives are so different!  But my point in sharing this, is that this conversation reminded me of how few jobs they have available here in this part of the country.  I know that this has been a tough time in the States and many have lost jobs or had to change jobs, but we expect to eventually find a steady job and support our families.  Here, a steady job isn't a given.  There are not only very few jobs but there are very few types of jobs and lots of competition for the jobs they do have, which brings in corruption.  Many men leave their families and go to the coast to find work or head to the States illegally in order to send back money to their family.  Another thing we take for granted, parents who are married live together. This separate living conditions is not unusual here.

Our Humble Abode

Yesterday I cooked supper for all 40 of us here at the home to celebrate those who had birthdays in March and April.  It was the first time that I cooked a big dinner like that in my own enclosed kitchen that I now have instead of outside in the team kitchen.  Two of the staff ladies came over and offered to help.  They were a great help and I felt like they were enjoying just working in my kitchen.  Then right before we were ready to take the food out to serve, Lorena, another worker, and Oralia, one of the directors, came and joined us.  They commented on how much they liked our apartment, everything about it.  And that it reminded them of a doll house.  Well I took the doll house comment to mean because it was so little.  But with more conversation they told me that it was like something you would see in a magazine or on TV or in a movie.  This made me smile.  Mind you, our apartment has a total of 4 rooms, a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom for a total of about 500 square feet.  But it is home, and after 2 years of not having a place to call my own, I love it!  It is perfect for the two of us and we enjoy it.  We have furnished it with things that make us comfortable and feel at home, but we have worked very hard at being frugal and not extravagant.  In American standards it is small and simple.  It has some Guatemala touches, but it definitely has a North American flare that they have only seen on TV or in the movies.  A nice cozy home with nice furnishings and personal touches is another blessing that we often take for granted living in the States.  

 I know this got a little long.  Thanks for sticking in there to the end.  To close I want to say that I am in no way sharing this to cut down the Guatemalan people and raise up North Americans.  Not at all.  God loves us all equally.  My purpose in writing this is to try to give you a little insight into what life is like here in San Andres, Sajcabaja, Guatemala, and to remind us how blessed by God we are to just be born in the good ole U.S.A.  May we never forget to count our many blessings.

Giving, hard or easy?

Many times we are approached and asked for money just because we are North American. Last week we were walking down the street with Pat and Dick (see blog from 3/28) when a lady approached us. She was from a nearby village and told us she needed money for uniforms for her kids to be able to go to school. We asked her a few questions and then took down some information and told her we would see what we could do. She asked us where we lived and we went ahead and told her.

Most of us have learned that people aren't always honest when asking for help and don't always use the money in the way they say they are going to. The Lord has blessed us and we want to bless others, but we also want to be good stewards with what He has entrusted us. So we have learned to do a couple things when wanting to help someone: 1) Verify the need, 2) Provide the need, not just money, and 3) Have the person contribute in some way towards the need.

When she left we all had decided that we wanted to help but were in agreement that we didn't just want to hand her money. I kept thinking about her and how we could verify her need and help her when she showed up at the Home on Sunday asking for us, saying that we had said we would help with uniforms for her kids. We didn't say that exactly, but close enough. So Oralia talked with her and we evaluated the need once again. There were some inconsistencies with her story but we finally decided to help her out. We figured out how she could contribute and then we sent one of the boys from the home with her to the market to buy the agreed upon items. She was thankful, but as her and her daughter left, I sighed and thought, "Why does it have to be so hard to give? I wish we could just trust people and give when the opportunity arises." I do want to add that there are times that when the Spirit is leading we should do just that, but there are other times when we need to check things out.

Now we will fast forward to tonight. We went to church tonight and the sermon was on the rich young man and how he was told to sell everything and give to the poor. Through this sermon we became aware of a dire need in the life of a single mom and her two children. Our paths had crossed with this woman before and she is such a sweet lady. We have been looking and praying for how God would want us to bless others and this time it wasn't hard to figure out. There was an obvious need in the life of a sister in Christ and God wants us to help. This may not only be monetary. Please pray that we can help her find a way to support herself and her children. So sometimes giving is hard and sometimes it is easy, but it is always worth it!

God's ways are higher and bring blessing

In December 2007 we went to the Westside Church Christmas pageant in Omaha. We always tried to go every year if we could. We would usually see lots of people we knew and hadn't seen for awhile, and this year was no exception. We had just recently made the decision to follow the Lord in obedience and prepare to go on the mission field in Guatemala. We were starting to share this plan with others and told them our goal was to leave in a year and a half. We ran into Julie, a long time friend, and shared this with her. Her response was, "Oh, you have to meet someone." She then introduced us to a wonderful lady named Pat who too had fallen in love with the people of Guatemala and she too was making preparations to go serve long term in Guatemala in a year and a half. We chatted and shared stories and then went on our way. We didn't run into Pat again before we left a year and a half later, Aug 2009, and didn't really know what was happening with her.

Well we finished language school and in May 2010 we arrived in Guatemala. In June 2010 we received an email from Pat saying that she now was in Guatemala living about 4 hours from us, but only 1/2 an hour from Guatemala City. Shortly after that we went to visit Pat in Antigua where she is living and serving. We really hit it off and became good friends. We get together when we can, help each other out when we can, and encourage each other. It's especially nice because we have Omaha as a common denominator and end up knowing a lot of the same people. Pat is a retired special education teacher and offers her skills and experience to kids here in Guatemala.

The body of Christ is such a wonderful thing. Through Pat we have met Dick. Dick is retired and living here in Guatemala. Dick has a huge heart for children. He ministers to several boys in his neighborhood who hang out at his house whenever they can and check in with him pretty much every day. He also has a heart for those kids who have disabilities. Besides volunteering at Hermano Pedro, a handicap hospital in Antigua, Dick travels all over Guatemala measuring, adjusting, repairing and delivering wheelchairs.

Pat and Dick came to visit us in San Andres for a few days last week. With them they brought walkers for Chepa and Alicia. Chepa is 23 and has an inoperable brain tumor. She has difficulty keeping her balance to walk and spends some of her time in a wheelchair. Dick adapted a walker especially for Chepa and now she can walk with more confidence without having someone right by her side all the time. She still needs to have a little supervision, but she is enjoying her freedom. As we shared in a previous blog, Alicia has cerebral palsy and is delayed in walking. Dick brought a walker that will help her learn to put more weight on her legs as she learns to walk. Both these apparatus' are a huge blessing!

Dick had lots of help adjusting the walkers.


Chepa getting fitted for her walker and trying it out.

One of our girls here in the home, Leslie, has a learning disability. There is no special education in Guatemala and kids who are struggling just end up repeating their grade. Pat worked with Leslie a little and sat down with her teacher and tutor and gave them some different ideas to do with her. Our goal is to help Leslie pass her grade that she has been in for several years. Pat sharing her expertise with us is a huge help.

Pat reading bedtime stories to Leslie, Marta, and Grisma.

The kids fell in love with both Pat and Dick and I dare to say that the love was mutual. We have a new 5 year old little boy here named Juan who only knows k'iche, no spanish. Dick doesn't know too much Spanish, so the two of them really hit it off and some how communicated with no words. :-)

Dick and Juan hanging out

Juan using reading glasses like Norman and Dick.

We are so blessed to know Pat and Dick and it is so exciting to see how God is using them to minister to His special children here in Guatemala. Thanks Pat and Dick for coming and blessing us greatly! We know two little girls who are smiling bigger because of your efforts!

We took the plunge, now are we going to float or swim?

When we decided to follow God's leading and quit our jobs and trade our house in the country for a smaller one in town and sell our cars and other belongings, and move to Guatemala to serve in a children's home there, we were taking a plunge. We dove right in. As soon as we landed in Costa Rica for language school we began to furiously tread water. There were many days when we barely had our nose above water. But God was faithful and saw us through. I just received an email from a friend from language school and she said, "My heart smiles as I read your stories. To think back on the days in language school and how worried we were about learning the language. Just one of those hurdles in life that seemed to be too high to jump over. For some, He gave grace and allowed them to crawl under the hurdle, hehe " And that's what we did, crawled under and kept treading water even after we arrived in Guatemala.

May 1st we will have been living here in Guatemala for two years. That seems like a long time, but in reality when it comes to adjusting to living in a new culture it is not very long. We are just beginning to feel like we aren't treading water so furiously, like we can relax a little. Maybe even float. That is a good feeling and I realized just recently that I could stay floating and no one would think anything of it.

But God isn't one to let us be less than what He planned and made us to be. So He has been prompting me lately to keep going, keep growing, and take the next step. It is time for me to take another plunge and start reaching out to those outside the home more. To the community. To make friends, have them over for dinner. Be a friend. Now Norman has already been doing that. He is an extrovert and it comes naturally for him to reach out to others. Who cares if they understand his language or not. I love people but I'm a little more timid and introverted. It is harder for me.

I recently shared with a friend that I felt like I should be doing more. Her response was, "You're kidding, right?" I wasn't kidding but I wasn't surprised by her response because I am sure I would have reacted the same way had the roles been reversed. I would be thinking, "You're on the mission field, isn't that enough." I suppose it could be, but this is where I face the decision, am I going to play it safe and just float or am I going to obey and trust God and start to swim? Am I going to keep moving forward and see all the beautiful things He has for me or just float around the same place and see the same old scenery?

And that is my challenge for you as well. What stage are you in right now? Have you taken the plunge in obedience to God or are you still standing safe on solid ground? If you have taken the plunge, are you treading water still or are you in the floating stage? If you're floating, are you going to stay there or are you going to start to swim in obedience and enjoy all the things God has for you.

I hope we all decide to swim and enjoy the abundant life God has for us!

What does it mean to truly trust God?

This question has been rolling around in my mind lately and I decided to put some thoughts on paper. I should warn you that this blog is going to be a little deeper than my usual babbling, but mind you I by no means am saying that I have the answer. In fact, I will tell you right up front, I don’t have the answer.

Plain and simple, life is tough. As most of you know, our 3 year old nephew, Daniel, died tragically 2 years ago. His picture is to the left. We all miss him greatly. I have a friend who is going through her second round of cancer. It is tough. These people love Jesus and trusted Him to protect them and their family. Does that mean God let them down? No, I don’t believe it does, but I do believe it feels that way. This is one area of grieving that I wasn't aware of before, finding it hard to wholy trust God again. But it totally makes sense.

So this brought me to the question, “What does it mean to truly trust God?” Probably the better question is, “What am I trusting Him for?” Am I trusting Him to keep me, my family and my loved ones safe and immune from all sickness and harm? Consciously, no, but I think if we were all honest deep down, that is our expectation. Did God promise us that? I don’t think so, but He did promise us that He would never leave us or forsake us. (Deut 31:6) God can see the whole picture.

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Does knowing these things make it easy to go through losing a child or fighting cancer? An emphatic “NO”! We are human with human emotions and it hurts like crazy and we feel betrayed and let down. God knows that and He can handle it. And He is not going anywhere. He is still there to hold us, love us, and help us through.

So the question I am asking myself now is, “Will I trust God even when bad things happen?” With all my being I want to say yes, but I know that it isn’t that easy. But praise the Lord He loves us unconditionally and takes us just as we are.

Lord, My prayer for my friends and family who are grieving right now is that you will rebuild their trust in You and their peace. You enable us to trust You to start with, it isn’t from ourselves. So I ask you to enable them once again to trust in you. Heal their broken hearts and comfort them in the way only You can. Give them a peace that passes all understanding. Thank you Jesus. In Your name we pray, Amen

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

This is a song, with the words following, that has ministered to my sister-in-law through the trial of losing her son. She says it makes sense, and I agree.

Blessings By Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
As long as we have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Alicia Update

WARNING: I decided that if I am going to blog more often, I need to just let myself talk with my fingers and not worry about spending alot of time editing and keeping it short, etc. This means that I can be a little long winded because I can type fast. Sorry about that but hopefully you still find it interesting. Thanks for reading, or at least scanning. :-)

We arrived back from Guatemala City around lunch time today, a half day later than planned, but we are home safely. Alicia didn't like the car seat too much on the way there. She has probably only ridden in a car about 3 times before this and the last time was 4 months ago, so she is not used to being confined. She did finally settle down and was fascinated by the things flying by outside her window. She disliked the doctor checking her out even more. But after we got done there, we went out for spaghetti dinner and boy did she enjoy that. We then went and checked into the Bed and Breakfast where we stayed and she went to bed at 7:30 pm and didn't wake up until 6 am. What an angel! :-) She knows we need our sleep!

The view from our balcony at the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at.

The doctor diagnosed Alicia with Cerebral Palsy, the type that affects one side of the body. He said that she will be able to walk but it may take her until 4 years old to do so. Alicia is also speech delayed but the doctor doesn't think that is related to the Cerebral Palsy in any way. We are going to wait a few more months before we start to look into causes for that. In the meantime, we will be praying hard for her to start walking and talking! Our hope is that some day we will wonder why we were ever worried about her walking and talking because we would love for her to slow down and to stop talking from time to time. :-)

The Doctor also requested that an MRI be done just to check things out. We had that done at 1:00 pm on Friday. Alicia had to be sedated because there is no way a 16 month old is going to lay still for an MRI. Boy, did that bring back memories of when Ryan was 5 years old and needed an MRI done. You'd think it is no big deal since they are put out, but it is the "putting out" that isn't fun. And don't forget the fasting before. She had to eat breakfast by 7am and couldn't have anything to eat until afterwards. And I forgot what it is like to be in an exam room trying to entertain a 1 year old while waiting for the Doctor to come and put the IV in. It was exhausting and Alicia isn't even as mobile as most 1 year olds! But we got the test accomplished and left there around 2:30.

I stayed with Alicia for the exam while Norman went and did our errands so that we could leave town as soon as we were done and get back to the Home at a decent time. Well, the "plan" was to make one "quick" stop at a hardware store to pick up cabinet and drawer handles that I needed to be involved in picking out and then head out of town. Well, that "quick" stop ended up in two stops and lots of traffic, taking 2 hours! Plus we had a little girl with wild hair (they took out her pony tail holder during the MRI and didn't give it back and I didn't have another one), who was still a little loopy from the anesthesia, so looked like she was drunk. And with her hair sticking up like a fountain without a pony tail holder, it really helped the part. :-) I am sure people were wondering what this old gringo couple was doing with a loopy, wild hair little girl. :-)

Alicia waking up from anesthesia.

So at 4:30 pm we FINALLY left Guatemala City. This is when we decided to look at our options. Our biggest concern is the last 22 miles on the windy dirt road through the mountains that takes about a little over an hour right now during dry season. We would be on that road in the dark around 9:00 at night and there is no cell phone reception in the mountains. If anything went wrong mechanically or otherwise, we would be stuck for the night and feel like sitting ducks. Not an inviting scenario. We recently met a missionary who lives in Chichicastenango, an hour and 45 min from San Andres, who had told us that if we ever needed a place to stay we were welcome to stay at their house. So we were at that point where we are thinking, "Did he mean it? We haven't met his wife, will she be in agreement? If it is incredibly inconvenient, will they tell us?" Well, we decided to take the risk and call. They were very gracious and welcomed us with open arms. They are a young couple who have a 9 month old little boy of their own. So Norman and I and our "baby" went to their house to stay. They showed us great hospitality and a good night sleep after a couple of long days. We now have wonderful new friends and are greatly blessed.

This morning we got up and took a tour of the ministry where they serve and then headed back to San Andres and arrived just in time for lunch. Alicia was quickly scooped out of my arms by one of the 12 year olds and given her lunch, and I got to give my lunch my undivided attention for the first time in a couple days. One thing that I learned on this trip is that I am NOT good mom material anymore, assuming I ever was. I am ready for the Grandma stage. Whenever Alicia cried or wanted something, my reaction was oh just give it to her. Let's just go for peace. :-) Definitely not good mom material. :-) But I sure did enjoy loving on Alicia and she did so good! She did much better in the car seat on the way back and slept most of the way! Thanks for the prayers!

Alicia lounging in her car seat.

We would appreciate your continued prayers for Alicia. Please pray that she will keep developing and be able to walk and use her right arm without any physical problems. Also that she will start talking soon. Thanks so much!

Baby Alicia

This is Baby Alicia. She came to live at the home at 1 day old. She was abandoned by her parents and will grow up at the home. She is such a blessing and we are so thrilled to have her. She is now 16 months old. When Alicia was pretty young we noticed that she wouldn't put any weight on her legs like most babies do when you try to stand them up. Shortly after that we noticed that she hardly used her right arm and right leg. We also noticed that her right hand was always clenched hard into a fist. At 7 months old we took her to see a Neuro-surgeon that was here from the States to do some surgeries. He felt that there was something neurological going on and that we should take her for a neurological workup. In November we took her to a Pediatrician so that we could get a referral. We have finally been able to get an appointment with a recommended Neurologist in Guatemala City for Thursday.

Two days ago Alicia turned 16 months old. Alicia does support weight on her legs now and will take steps with help. She isn't crawling yet, but can scoot on her bottom pretty fast to get wherever she wants to go. She is a happy, smiling baby who grins at everyone who walks by. She is also real good at letting her needs be known. Alicia can jabber up a storm and is good at getting her opinion across. She has quite the expressions and makes us all laugh daily. She is deeply loved by all the staff and the kids here at the home. We are so blessed by her and are thankful that the Lord brought her here to us.

So Thursday morning Norman and I will be leaving for the 5 hour trip to Guatemala City with a 1 year old in tow. The appointment is at 3:30 pm so it will be too late to drive back the same day, plus if there are any tests needed we will most likely have to do them the next day as well. So we will be staying the night and hopefully traveling back on Friday. Its been a long time since we've traveled with a baby. Should be an adventure.

Please pray that the Doctor will be able to tell what is going on with Alicia and that she will be able to fully develop physically and mentally. Thank you so much!

Matters of the Heart

One of the first times I came to visit Hogar de Vida on a short term mission team, I remember Tim Stromstad, founding missionary of the home, saying that working with kids can really mess you up. And still to this day I am reminded of how true that is. Kids have a way of getting into our hearts and taking a part of it and never giving it back.

I know this is sad to be thinking about this so far ahead, but I have already been wondering how I am ever going to leave for a month the end of November when we go back to the states for the holidays. I can't wait to go back and I greatly miss my biological kids and family, but on the flip side I am leaving children that I pour my life into every day. When we left 2 years ago for our first short furlough, we had only actually been here 7 months. It was hard to leave but it didn't leave a hole in my heart. This time I am pretty sure it will. But, alas, I will return, and even more than that, God is faithful and will take care of the kids while I am gone and help us both not to miss each other too much.

Now onto another matter of the heart. A little over a month ago, around 9:00 at night, the local police came and brought two sisters, ages 9 and 11. Their mom and dad had divorced. Dad moved away offering no help, so mom went to Guatemala City to find work, leaving her two girls to fend for themselves. The 11 year old had been working full time making tortillas and cleaning. A neighbor became aware of this situation and reported the family. Thus the reason they came to live with us during the time it took to get a court hearing and make a ruling on their future living situation. The possibilities being: live with Dad, live with Mom, stay living at the home. This past Wednesday they went to court with their mom and dad. The mom had found a new job in the village where they live and Dad agreed to help with child support. It was agreed that the 11 year old wouldn't work any more and they would both go to school. So the judge ruled that the girls would go back and live with their mom with these changes taken into consideration.

We are all very happy for these girls and we hope and pray that mom and dad really do carry through with the promised changes. Though we are happy, there is a little sadness as well. These girls were here for a month. We cared for them and nurtured them. We saw the 9 year old grow attached to the adults, giving and receiving lots of hugs, and become confident in her surroundings. We saw the 11 year old gradually loosen up and not work so hard, even play at times. And most importantly we told them about Jesus. We know that this time the Lord gave us to care for them will not be wasted. He has promised that His word will not return void. We pray that as they return to live with their mom, they will remember that Jesus loves them and will never leave or forsake them.

So Tim was right, working with kids messes you up. Part of our hearts went with those 2 little girls. So what is the alternative? Play it safe and not invest in these kids lives. Protect my heart so that it never hurts? Its an option, but in exchange I will be giving up the rewards that come from loving a child. The joy that comes from caring for a child and seeing them start to smile and enjoy life. The unconditional love that comes from a child in return. I will be giving up the hugs and morning greetings. The satisfaction of knowing that I might have had an eternal impact even in the life of one child! No I don't want to give that up, not even so that my heart is safe. Because in reality, God didn't make us that way. He made us to love and in loving and being loved, foremost by Jesus and then pouring this out to others, we are fulfilled. So I encourage you today, take a risk and love someone. It is well worth it!

Got Milk?

It's actually ice-cream. The other day Norman heard the ice cream truck going by and quickly asked "Dad" (Sebastian) if he could buy ice cream for every one even though it was real close to supper time. Dad said yes, and we got to create a memory and spoil the kids a bit. So Norman hailed down the ice cream truck and had him pull into our compound. We suddenly had our own ice cream stand and all the kids lined up to get their own personal ice cream cone. What a fun sight to see. Baby Alicia enjoyed hers right along with the rest of them. You might think buying ice cream for 36 people would break the bank, but no it came to 36 Quetzales which is equal to about $4.80. Nothing like ice cream on a hot summer day!

We're still here!

Okay, it's official. I have done a terrible job of keeping up on my blog. I think about it alot and get wonderful stories in my mind, but some how those great stories never actually get entered into my blog. I remember when my kids were little and not in school yet and I would have all these things I wanted to do but some how never got to them. Something else always took away my time. Well, now I find myself surrounded by 5 toddlers plus up to 25 older kids at any given time. I thought I was busy and had a lot of distractions with 2 kids. I had no idea. I'm not using this as an excuse, just sharing what I am trying to adjust to.

In May we will have been living at the Home of Life for 2 years, you'd think I would be adjusted by now, but I am finding that I am just now feeling more comfortable with my surroundings and more accepted into the "fold". I want to give you an example of why I feel that way, but first I need to give you some background (this may be review for some). Sebastian and Oralia are the directors and live on campus full time with 4 boys of their own. They are the "parents" of the 27 other children that live here on campus. Lorena is 20 years old and grew up in the home. She still lives here at the home and is now working here full time during the week and going to college on Saturdays. Plus we have two more full-time staff members who work during the day, six days a week. My job is to be support to the workers when needed and to perform administrative duties such as Children Sponsorships, coordinating teams, some financial reporting, etc. Right now one of the daily workers is on vacation and Wednesdays is mine and Norman and Lorena's day off. Yesterday Oralia and Amilcar, the Legal Representative of the home, needed to go to Quiche (an hour away) for a court hearing for two girls temporarily placed in our care. They needed Norman to drive them. With Oralia gone that left Lita, the worker all by herself, an impossible situation. Oralia offered to have Lorena not take her day off, but Norman and I offered to postpone ours by a day since Norman couldn't take his anyway. So that would leave Lita and me. So now here is the amazing part. I asked Oralia if she thought the two of us could do it so that Lorena could still get her day off. And she said YES! There was a time not too long ago when they wouldn't have thought that I could handle that. For some reason they thought I had a domestic handicap or something, I don't know. So for them to have confidence in me to truly be a help was a huge step! And for this I am very grateful. We are getting there! And the good thing was that I really did know what to do to be of help. But I have to say I was exhausted by the end of the day! Two people feeding and caring for 30 plus people is a huge job. Boy was I glad for the day off today!

Me making or "attempting" to make tortillas. Lorena and Lita literally flew out of view when the camera came out. I wasn't really working all alone. :-)

Part of my problem with blogging is that I make it too hard. So you may get more blogs with me just babbling about what is on my mind like what is above. Hope its not too boring. Thanks so much for sticking with me and for checking to see if I put in any up dates. Hopefully you won't have to wait so long the next time! Who knows, maybe I'll get Norman to do one every once in awhile to give me a break!

God bless and remember that God is always faithful to complete that which He has started. Even if it means getting nationals to let you help. :-)