Farewell!

It's over, done, finished,terminada....or is it? We have said our tearful goodbyes and gazed out of the plane window till Guatemala disappeared from sight, and so that window of our lives has closed, but over? No, nothing can erase the memories and the love for the ones we told goodbye to. When we talk about Guatemala City traffic, there is a panoramic film that flashes across my mind, buses smoking their way along the streets, people, multitudes of people walking, talking, buying food from the many vendors who have their little stands set up, traffic police with shrill whistles waving us  on, color, vibrant colors everywhere. When I hear names,like  Marta, it is not just a name, she is a person with a wonderful sense of humor, a kind heart, a hard worker who never and I mean never complains, and someone who is serving the Lord no matter who else chooses not to! It was very hard to say goodbye! Every time I walked into the kitchen and saw Ruth, Elba and Marta, putting off their work to cook one more special lunch for us, empanadas and fresh pineapple, I would start crying and had to laugh at myself at the same time! Isn't God good? When we got to Guatemala, I believed God would be with us and give us strength to survive, now I can look back and see how He poured out blessings to full and overflowing! I can't find words to describe the kindness and love that was so graciously extended to us! If we don't see each other again here on earth, we will see each other in Heaven. Now we are back in the states, slowly making our way home. We are in SC, having a good time visiting Vernon's family for a few days, and then heading to CO to visit our son and his wife. Spring is here in the south, the dogwoods are blooming and mushrooms keep pulling Vernon into the woods. He found one. Today there is fishing on the 'to do' list. A lot of excited boys and men!
So, the thought for the day........ embrace the day, it will never come again!

Count Down!

Our days in Guatemala are numbered! We are trying to get a lot of work done, savor the last days, and hold on to budding friendships even as we feel the tug of separation. In the midst of all this I find myself looking ahead to the special people who are waiting for us in the states! The days are flying by! Monday, Vernon and Jeana went to the dentist and Jeana had 4 wisdom teeth cut out. Yesterday, Jeana told me she learned a new word in Spanish, 'ardilla'. She must have looked in the mirror! I love humor and a person can handle a lot of things if they can laugh. We had a fun day on Tuesday taking the school children on a special school day. We piled every one into the van and went to the Children's Museum. It is great place with hands on science, activities and lots of fun things to do. From making huge bubbles and standing inside a bubble, to wall climbing, and fighting their way through the germ jungle, to name a few things. After a picnic lunch we headed home and got to relax a bit. It was a beautiful, hot sunny day and we savored the warmth and wondered how chilly we will be when we get back to Idaho. This afternoon, our family and Danny Beachys family went to zone one, one more 'last' thing to do together. We were impressed with ourselves. We left at 2:15, went to 2 fabric stores and the tourist market and were back home for supper by 5:30!!! It was fun to be together and we are going to miss them when we leave. Tonight we all worked together to knot 2 quilts that Sharon and her mom had been working on. It was live comedy for some of the time. Put Vernon, Craig, Tristan, Lee, and Edy in front of a quilt, trying to thread needles and tie knots, it's bound to be funny. I wish I could have taken a picture of Vernon and Edy, the intense look of concentration on their faces as they tried to force a thread through a small needle. It took them quite a while. We really did appreciate the help and now we can relax a bit and I can finish this blog I started writing on Monday! Jared is racing around trying to catch one of the new vs boys. Jared is on the rip stick and Lee is on a bike. I am hearing yells, laughing and one time a loud crash that I didn't investigate because I heard Jared and knew he was ok! :) Tomorrow is a farewell party for our family and Sharon since we are both leaving next week. I suggested we go awol. It is very sweet of our friends to go to so much work, but I am afraid I will cry. I guess that's ok. Thought for the day, "If it matters to you, it matters to Him". I know these last days are important to God even more than they are to me! Go ahead tears, come if you must! I wouldn't trade the privilege of learning to know so many wonderful people just to escape the pain of having to say goodbye!

Dying from Laughter?

Can a person ever die from laughing? Last night I was wondering. Vernon and I were reading some great books by Dr. Robert Leslie about his experiences as an emergency room doctor. The author is a gifted writer and there were sad stories we cried over and some  we laughed at, but the final story was just too much! We wept and howled with laughter and it took a long time to finish the story because we were trying to read through the tears. Isn't funny how comical we can look with our faces all stretched out of shape as we try to open our eyes wider so we can see past the tears? I woke up this morning feeling very healthy! It just goes to prove that the Bible does have all the answers! It even talks about how good laughter is for us!
Vernon is headed to the bus station to pick up the girls. They did a quick bus trip to Santa Rosita 'once more', and got to tell the village people, as well as the workers, goodbye. This week looks full. We have guests coming and going and I think we will have a lot of people around here for the next two weeks. Pray for us that we do the most important things first! Hasta Luega.

All Days are Special, Some More Than Others!

Today was a special day. Jeana and Elba had a birthday. The day started early. Vernon had get up at 5 and head for the airport to pick up someone. Jody and I made breakfast; eggs, beans and tortillas. It felt like a disorganized morning. Craig and Linden were trying to get home for breakfast after doing Brian's chores, but were caught in traffic. We finally sat down to eat half hour late and then the boys finally came in and a bit later Vernon got back. Jeana didn't hear Jody call her and so she slept in. We were finished eating and here Jeana was in her room waiting to hear the breakfast bell and she sent Jared over to tell me that she would be glad to help if I needed help! Needless to say, she felt a bit sheepish when she came in to the kitchen and we all started to laugh and  sing happy birthday. We do have clocks in our house, a person just needs to look at them! We had a fun time singing this morning. We had sang a few songs for our morning devotion and some how we just kept going. It sounded so pretty and was a great way to get the unorganized morning going! The rest of the morning was a rush of getting food ready for our birthday lunch. Vernon left early with the grill so he could get it going. It was quite a job to get the grill down the hill to the area we wanted.  At 11:00 the rest of us headed out  to 'our' park., our  green oasis not far from the concrete jungle we live in. In 'our' park, the air is fresh and we are surrounded by green trees and beautiful flowers. By the time we arrived, Vernon was done grilling. We had steak from the states that Craig brought down in his luggage, and potato salad and cabbage salad. Que rico!! For dessert, Elba chose pound cake with fresh strawberries and milk and Jeana chose fruit pizza. Muchisimo deliciosio. (pardon my spelling) The weather was chilly and rainy, but we had a wonderful time eating, laughing and making everyone ride the zip line before they could have dessert. It truly was a special day!

What a life!

Sunday, a day of rest.... Brian preached about this and he talked of how we can have rest in God. He is the one who carries our fears and worries.... when we allow Him to! I did get to have a relaxing afternoon and it was a special treat because by 5 pm we had guests coming in for the night. We fed about 29 people. I made a big pot of chili with corn bread. One of the guests politely allowed me to flounder through my 'spanish' welcome and details of what the food was and where he was to sleep, then later I heard him talking in perfect English!!!
It is wonderful to have our girls back with us again. The week was very busy and there are undone jobs waiting for this coming week! Jared was a flexible student, bless his heart, and some days we did school in the big kitchen while I cooked, some days it was in his class room while I finished painting the doors and trim in the room close by. Some days it was in segments... do math..go to market....do language...wait for mom to get the laundry hung up.........This week is off to a more organized start! Actually, I woke up at 3:30 am to make breakfast for 13 of our guests who had to leave early to catch a plane. A good travelling breakfast of atol, granola, bananas and cinnamon rolls. After my early morning, I had most of the laundry ready to hang on the line by 7am. I could have fit in with those Amish ladies who have their wash flapping on the line before breakfast. :) 
One thing that happens every day down here is the ringing of the bell and a request for 'comida, por favor'. How does a person know who is really hungry and who is getting a free lunch on their way home from work at the factory? There are a few 'regulars' who come every day. I wish I could share the salvation story along with the food!
The March calender is up on the wall and our names are on it! 'Vernon's saldran :(' Talk about mixed feelings! We have a lot of things to do yet, work wise and fun wise, not sure how to fit it all in. Vernon and some of the children went to the dentist today and looks like we have some dental work to do before we go home. Jeana needs her wisdom teeth taken out. She is not impressed since she HATES going to the dentist. Tomorrow is a big day. It is Jeana's birthday and also Elbas birthday. We are having a special lunch and surprising them both with a plan to go to the park and grill and eat and have a great time! I am hoping to get some more rooms painted this week. Maybe I should just tell someone to hit me over the head now before I start! I always question the 'why' of more painting, but it is so rewarding when the ugly old paint is all covered up! Tonight I told Jared to sweep for me and I could see this lethargic wilt come over him and the broom handle became so heavy! He got more energy when I gave him a time limit. I need to go spend some time with him.
Feliz Noche!

Another Week

Life in this glass house has been rushing on. The first weekend of February, I was sick and heard the days go by while laying in my bed. I felt vulnerable, laying there, feeling like I didn't want to move, talk or look at anything. In a few days I was feeling better but I am still fighting my way to feeling totally well again! Good health is such a wonderful blessing!
Over the past week we have had a lot of guests. We had some work days like canning quarts of salsa, tomato juice cocktail and tomato soup. The next day, we painted the houseparent bedroom and bathroom. It was an all day job but looks so much better. I have the doors and trim to paint yet and Vernon has to fix the floor and then we can get it all set up. We again had a full house over the weekend. Saturdays always seem to go by at high speed, and I have forgotten how it feels to have a Saturday to do my own thing :). Saturday night at 11:00pm, Vernon and I got a call to see if we could take a woman to the hospital. She had been real sick for a few days and had a lot of pain. So we headed out into the city. We made sure we had a spare tire and we prayed for safety. The streets were dark and quite empty. There were groups of people walking and a few loners who were carrying big liquor bottles and I wondered if it was a drink or a weapon. We picked up the woman and her daughters and headed for a hospital in Trebol. It didn't seem like they saw gringos there very often especially at that time of night. I helped the daughter walk her mother to the gate and then went back to the van to wait with Vernon. After the women came back out they said that they had been told she probably had appendicitis, but she would have to wait a long time to get help because they were working on so many gunshot people right then. We decided to try another hospital and headed to zone one. It is one thing to drive down to zone one late at night when you can go to the bus, get passengers and head back home. This time we were parked along a dark street with men wandering back and forth. We sat by the curb for a few hours while the women were in the hospital. One time I woke up to see a man come up to our window and plaster his face against it. We 'slept' on, ignoring him. It was comforting to know that God was there watching over us. The diagnosis was different this time. The examination showed it was her blood sugar and her kidneys were being affected. We got back to the mission at 3:30am. The woman was feeling a bit better by 9:00am and we took the three women back home. I realized all over again how fortunate we are to have a God we can have a relationship with and who we can trust in. As we sat at the hospital a woman came out crying with such a hopeless cry for her 'papa'. Life is hard and yet how desolate and empty it is when we don't know God or turn to him for help.
This week looks interesting. The girls are in Antigua for Spanish school and Sharon is in El Salvador!
We were a small group for supper, total of 10! I am schooling Jared and it will be a challenge to keep up with that and my work. I guess what doesn't get done today will be there tomorrow.......waiting.

What would I do different?

What if I was living life, doing things my way and serving God enough that I would be sure He would be satisfied, but  my personal interests would be number one? What if I was told I have cancer and it is terminal and there is nothing to be done? What if I was 16 years old?  What value would the things I thought so important have? What would really matter? When the layers are peeled away, the Only thing that matters is... the destiny of my soul. Is God most important or am I? Sounds so simple! Yet how far reaching the consequences! God doesn't 'put' us in heaven or hell, We Choose Where We Want to Go!!
Last night, a father and son came in for the night. They left for the hospital early in the morning. The father and son heard the news that he has a non treatable cancer and his life expectancy looks short. The young man is 16 years old........What would I do different?