Well, things are starting to calm down around here a bit. We are taking these next few weeks to rest a little and focus on the baby coming. Olga goes in for a C-Section on Saturday (the 27th) in the morning. We are all very excited but praying very hard because sometimes the conditions here are not always the greatest for giving birth. Also, my friend Jasmine, who was here with me in the spring, is coming down a week from today and she’ll be staying for a month! She’s coming down for a visit, to help with the ministry and to accompany me on my English adventures. Which is perfect timing because on November 4th, Carol, the lady that I live with is going to Ghana, Africa for a little over a month. While she’s gone I will be in charge of preparing all the materials we need for the seminars and taking care of the daily house hold runnings.
Last week we went to the prison. The prison is called Canada. And we taught in the Bible school they have there for the prisoners. We taught about 35 students how to lead someone to the Lord and Diving Healing. The students in the prison are always so receptive and so we always like going there.
Yesterday we went to Erik and Olga’s house to paint their daughter’s room. Olga wanted to do something special for them because the baby was coming. So we painted their room pink and then Olga is going to make new curtains with Disney princesses on them. So the girls are very excited! After painting we went down to the river (to pray!! Ha ha ha….) that is behind their house and did a little swimming. It was so fun and it’s very pretty down there, almost like right in the middle of the jungle.
I have still been teaching English. I go to Casa Samuel, an orphanage, twice a week and teach around 35 kids. They are very excitable and sometimes classes can get chaotic but it is still super fun. They are so entranced by my blonde hair and always ask me if I dye it. And the other day, Oscar, who just turned 6 told me I have eyes like honey. They are very sweet kids! They always ask me too, “When are you coming back? When are you coming again?” and I say to them “oh you only like me because I give you candy”. It does get a little frustrating because sometimes you think that they are not learning the way you want them to but I keep reminding myself that a lot of the kids there have learning problems and the amount that they have already learned is astounding!
On top of that, I teach 3 adult students once a week. We have had one class so far and I can’t wait to teach them more. They are so eager to learn! I love preparing lessons for them because I remember what it was like learning Spanish and what was fun and helpful and what wasn’t. So it’s fun taking that and turning into lessons for them.
Well, that’s about it for now. I will be sure to send pictures of the baby!! And we finally have sun!! We’ve had two tropical depressions which means A LOT of rain! We had not had sun in like 9-10 days. Well we haven’t had sun since my last update. And let me tell you it made me so tired and I had no energy the whole time. It’s amazing what the sun can do! But yeah we are now moving into the hot season so I’m pretty excited about that.
Oh and one more thing, I have had a personal need come up in this past week and one thing that would really help me with ministry and English is having my own laptop. Right now I am using Carol’s and we are both trying to use it. So if anyone has a laptop that supports Windows XP and are looking to get rid of it, I know a nice missionary in Guatemala who could use it….
Thanks again for reading my update and your prayers!!
Dios les bendiga!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Guatemala Update #3: Thanksgivings
Since my last update we have been keeping very busy here at Operation Jabez. We are constantly being reminded that here in Guatemala, there’s never a dull moment!
We’ve had at least 9-10 seminars since the last update, teaching mainly Why Evangelism is Important, How to lead someone to the Lord, How to Share your Testimony and Divine Healing. We’ve been blessed with very receptive students who love hearing what we have to say and plus everyone gets copies of everything we teach so they won’t forget. And we get to go to some really cool churches- in the countryside, by the beach, on top of mountains, there is no where we don’t go!
Other than having seminars we have gone into 2 schools to teach the teachers how to do Children’s ministry. As part of the lesson we give each teacher a CD with over 500 Bible Lessons from levels kindergarten to adults and a CD with kid’s songs. The teachers love getting this stuff because they don’t often get a lot of material to work with and they love participating in our model class and getting to act like the kids!
Other than going out, we also host events here in our home. A week and a half ago we joined up with Casa de Refugio (a rehab centre for drug and alcohol addicts) and hosted a breakfast at our house for some of the prostitutes who work in the area. We had 16 prostitutes show up and we fed them a hearty Guatemalan breakfast (Tamales- which are usually only served at special occasions), there was a message and then we prayed for them. They were given paper and pens to write down any prayer requests they might have and we found out that 2 of them are pregnant and quite a few of them want to get out of this lifestyle. They all left with huge smiles on their faces.
Another event that we hosted here was this past Wednesday ( the 3rd) and we invited people from 2 or 3 churches who were interested in learning how to make puppets. We were blessed by the visit of Carol’s good friend Annie who came from the States to help us out with this day and with many other things! And get this, we figured we had enough supplies here to make about 5 puppets, so we invited one person from each of these churches so they could learn and go back and teach others how to make the puppets. Well…we had 14 people show up and we were able to make…14 puppets!! By the grace of God all our materials multiplied and everyone got to make a puppet!! And the people who came loved it!! Not only did they get to make a puppet but they got to keep the pattern and they got a CD with puppet shows and songs recorded on it and a few scripts for other puppet shows. Oh yeah…and it is all free.
Also this past week, Annie and I started teaching English classes at Casa Samuel. At first the kids weren’t too sure why we were there, but they enjoyed participating anyways. At one point one of the boys said “why are we doing this all English?” So I had to tell him. But they love playing the games and learning new songs and new English words, and then showing you the next time how much they remember. And then today, I received 2 new students, who are in their 20’s and who want to learn English, so I will be teaching them and our cook Irsa as well!! It’s amazing how God is really enlarging my territory, just like Jabez’s prayer.
October 1st is Children’s Day here in Guatemala and it is a VERY big deal. All the kids get presents and piñatas. So on the Saturday before we had a really big kids program held at Fe Viva World Missions with over 200 kids coming from around the neighbourhood. There were songs and dances and a puppet skit and 3 piñatas! Plus all the kids got a tostada, cake and juice as a snack.
As for other holidays, this past weekend was Thanksgiving and I was invited by my Fe Viva family for an entire thanksgiving meal! There was turkey, scalloped potatoes, stuffing, asparagus, peas, carrots, salad, fruit salad, jell-O and PUMPKIN PIE!! The food was absolutely delicious and we had an amazing time of fellowship afterward- well mainly because we all ate so much we couldn’t get up! It was a huge blessing!
And last Friday Carol treated all her Operation Jabez workers to a day at the beach. We were really blessed to have beautiful weather and everyone stayed safe in the ocean. So I guess we’re not all work here…
In lieu of this festive season, I just wanted to thank you all again for your prayers and for reading my updates. I love being able to recap everything that’s going on and going back through pictures…I hope you enjoy them too!
Dios les bendiga!!
P.S 76 Days until Christmas!
We’ve had at least 9-10 seminars since the last update, teaching mainly Why Evangelism is Important, How to lead someone to the Lord, How to Share your Testimony and Divine Healing. We’ve been blessed with very receptive students who love hearing what we have to say and plus everyone gets copies of everything we teach so they won’t forget. And we get to go to some really cool churches- in the countryside, by the beach, on top of mountains, there is no where we don’t go!
Other than having seminars we have gone into 2 schools to teach the teachers how to do Children’s ministry. As part of the lesson we give each teacher a CD with over 500 Bible Lessons from levels kindergarten to adults and a CD with kid’s songs. The teachers love getting this stuff because they don’t often get a lot of material to work with and they love participating in our model class and getting to act like the kids!
Other than going out, we also host events here in our home. A week and a half ago we joined up with Casa de Refugio (a rehab centre for drug and alcohol addicts) and hosted a breakfast at our house for some of the prostitutes who work in the area. We had 16 prostitutes show up and we fed them a hearty Guatemalan breakfast (Tamales- which are usually only served at special occasions), there was a message and then we prayed for them. They were given paper and pens to write down any prayer requests they might have and we found out that 2 of them are pregnant and quite a few of them want to get out of this lifestyle. They all left with huge smiles on their faces.
Another event that we hosted here was this past Wednesday ( the 3rd) and we invited people from 2 or 3 churches who were interested in learning how to make puppets. We were blessed by the visit of Carol’s good friend Annie who came from the States to help us out with this day and with many other things! And get this, we figured we had enough supplies here to make about 5 puppets, so we invited one person from each of these churches so they could learn and go back and teach others how to make the puppets. Well…we had 14 people show up and we were able to make…14 puppets!! By the grace of God all our materials multiplied and everyone got to make a puppet!! And the people who came loved it!! Not only did they get to make a puppet but they got to keep the pattern and they got a CD with puppet shows and songs recorded on it and a few scripts for other puppet shows. Oh yeah…and it is all free.
Also this past week, Annie and I started teaching English classes at Casa Samuel. At first the kids weren’t too sure why we were there, but they enjoyed participating anyways. At one point one of the boys said “why are we doing this all English?” So I had to tell him. But they love playing the games and learning new songs and new English words, and then showing you the next time how much they remember. And then today, I received 2 new students, who are in their 20’s and who want to learn English, so I will be teaching them and our cook Irsa as well!! It’s amazing how God is really enlarging my territory, just like Jabez’s prayer.
October 1st is Children’s Day here in Guatemala and it is a VERY big deal. All the kids get presents and piñatas. So on the Saturday before we had a really big kids program held at Fe Viva World Missions with over 200 kids coming from around the neighbourhood. There were songs and dances and a puppet skit and 3 piñatas! Plus all the kids got a tostada, cake and juice as a snack.
As for other holidays, this past weekend was Thanksgiving and I was invited by my Fe Viva family for an entire thanksgiving meal! There was turkey, scalloped potatoes, stuffing, asparagus, peas, carrots, salad, fruit salad, jell-O and PUMPKIN PIE!! The food was absolutely delicious and we had an amazing time of fellowship afterward- well mainly because we all ate so much we couldn’t get up! It was a huge blessing!
And last Friday Carol treated all her Operation Jabez workers to a day at the beach. We were really blessed to have beautiful weather and everyone stayed safe in the ocean. So I guess we’re not all work here…
In lieu of this festive season, I just wanted to thank you all again for your prayers and for reading my updates. I love being able to recap everything that’s going on and going back through pictures…I hope you enjoy them too!
Dios les bendiga!!
P.S 76 Days until Christmas!
Guatemala Update #2
Well, I have been here in Guatemala now for about 3 weeks!! Time has gone by so fast!! I have survived the elections and Independence Day. Not that there was anything remotely dangerous about them…
To start off I’d like to share some updates from my last update…
I finally did get my luggage on the Monday after I arrived- so it only took 7 days which is unusually long and we figured it was because we don’t really have an exact address. But it turns out they had everything except our town name. Which I CLEARLY remember writing down and telling them but oh well… my luggage is here!
We did end up buying a car. It’s red Isuzu Rodeo 4x4.
We ended up saving money because of the exchange rate and the guy we bought it from not knowing what it was…However, we’ve been having problems with the gears (being shaky and hard to maneuver) and problems getting it started. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. So we are hoping to have it looked at tomorrow!
My washing skills are slowly improving as we still don’t have a washing machine.
And finally Olga, if you remember she is pregnant, has a scheduled C-Section for the 28th of October and will be having it done in a nice hospital here in Chiquimulilla.
So after my last update we have now had 4 seminars.
Some highlights include going to a “turicentro” (which is like a park with a pool and river) and teaching the women from Erik and Olga’s church and then being able to go out with them a few days later to minister to their neighbourhood. We were able to encourage some people who have stopped going to church and saw 3 people saved!!
To start off I’d like to share some updates from my last update…
I finally did get my luggage on the Monday after I arrived- so it only took 7 days which is unusually long and we figured it was because we don’t really have an exact address. But it turns out they had everything except our town name. Which I CLEARLY remember writing down and telling them but oh well… my luggage is here!
We did end up buying a car. It’s red Isuzu Rodeo 4x4.
We ended up saving money because of the exchange rate and the guy we bought it from not knowing what it was…However, we’ve been having problems with the gears (being shaky and hard to maneuver) and problems getting it started. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. So we are hoping to have it looked at tomorrow!
My washing skills are slowly improving as we still don’t have a washing machine.
And finally Olga, if you remember she is pregnant, has a scheduled C-Section for the 28th of October and will be having it done in a nice hospital here in Chiquimulilla.
So after my last update we have now had 4 seminars.
Some highlights include going to a “turicentro” (which is like a park with a pool and river) and teaching the women from Erik and Olga’s church and then being able to go out with them a few days later to minister to their neighbourhood. We were able to encourage some people who have stopped going to church and saw 3 people saved!!
Another seminar was held in a church called Isletta and this is a small church on the way to the beach that you have to cross a river and then ride horse-back to get to. For those of you who know me…I am extremely allergic to horses however, I was able to ride a horse twice without any effect! Praise God! We had 5 pastors show up and then we were able to sit down and have lunch with them.Other than having seminars, we’ve been having a lot of dinner parties. Friday night, we had 7 pastors and their wives come over for dinner so we could introduce ourselves and our ministry and get some more seminar dates set up. We got 9 new ones,all in November because that’s when the kids have their holidays from school and a lot of these pastors want us to teach their young people. And we are now starting up more Children’s ministry stuff. This week we are going to a public school somewhere (I’m not really sure where) and teaching the teachers (who are not Christians) how to teach Bible lessons to their students. Apparently there weren’t enough teachers at this school who are Christians so they had to hire non-Christians to teach the religion and Bible classes. So we are helping them out and bringing Childrens Ministry material to give to them as well.
On another note, one of the things that have been on my heart while being here is teaching english. So hopefully as of this week I will be going to Casa Samuel (which is another orphanage in the area) and teaching some of the children there english! Another idea was teaching english to some of the Guatemalan staff, if they wanted to do it.
So I just want to say thank you for your prayers and support once again!
Dios les bendiga!
God Bless!!
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Guatemala Update#1: Operacion Jabes
Hola a todos!!
Well…I know it has been less than a week since my arrival in Guatemala, but I thought I’d let you all know what EXACTLY I am doing here since it was pretty vague before I left…
So I arrived in Guatemala at approx. 5:30am to find out that they had lost my luggage…AGAIN. Out of the 3 times that I have been to Guatemala my luggage has only been lost….3 times. So you can imagine how thrilling this is. I mean 1st time- I’m ok with it, 2nd time- I’m ok with it…3rd time-not so much!! But I am in constant contact with the airline and plan on getting them soon, even though it’s been 5 days. Ridiculous!!
I was picked up at the airport by one of my former Missionary Training School classmates, Allison and she was also there to pick up Nadine (who traveled with me AND got all her bags) and 2 ladies from Finland who are attending the MTS at Fe Viva. I already know some Finnish words!! Awesome!!
So I got a few hours to hang out with some of my friends who are still down here and people I didn’t get to see all summer and then got driven into Chiquimulilla, where I am now living with Carol Gleeson, the former director of MTS at Fe Viva. Our house is very cute and there was a team here who painted it all nice. I just put up curtains in my room. And the house is a nicer part of town although a little far from everything. But quiet. And we often have friendly visitors. Along with Pastors Erik and Olga Esquite from Guazacapan (10 minutes away) we are part of a new ministry called Operacíon Jabes (Operation Jabez) which is based on Jabez’s prayer in I Chronicles 4:10:
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.”
And what we do is we go to churches that Erik and Olga helped plant in our area (Chiquimulilla, Guazacapan, Taxisco, Esquintla, etc…) and we teach them tools they can use to evangelize. So we are basically training Guatemalans to be missionaries. We have 5 lessons: Evangelism, How to lead someone to the Lord, Sharing your testimony, Street Preaching and Divine Healing. (I teach ‘Sharing your Testimony’). After working with students we hope to take them out and let them practice what they learned.
Today (the 1st) was our first seminar and we went to a church in Campesino which is on the outskirts of Taxisco (15 min. from our house). It was nice going there because it was a church that we had went to last time I was here. Carol and I don’t know enough Spanish yet so Olga translated for us and did a miraculous job!! Considering she is 7 months pregnant.
That’s about it for now. I was going to include some pictures but my chord for my camera is in my luggage and my luggage is…yeah.
Well…I know it has been less than a week since my arrival in Guatemala, but I thought I’d let you all know what EXACTLY I am doing here since it was pretty vague before I left…
So I arrived in Guatemala at approx. 5:30am to find out that they had lost my luggage…AGAIN. Out of the 3 times that I have been to Guatemala my luggage has only been lost….3 times. So you can imagine how thrilling this is. I mean 1st time- I’m ok with it, 2nd time- I’m ok with it…3rd time-not so much!! But I am in constant contact with the airline and plan on getting them soon, even though it’s been 5 days. Ridiculous!!
I was picked up at the airport by one of my former Missionary Training School classmates, Allison and she was also there to pick up Nadine (who traveled with me AND got all her bags) and 2 ladies from Finland who are attending the MTS at Fe Viva. I already know some Finnish words!! Awesome!!
So I got a few hours to hang out with some of my friends who are still down here and people I didn’t get to see all summer and then got driven into Chiquimulilla, where I am now living with Carol Gleeson, the former director of MTS at Fe Viva. Our house is very cute and there was a team here who painted it all nice. I just put up curtains in my room. And the house is a nicer part of town although a little far from everything. But quiet. And we often have friendly visitors. Along with Pastors Erik and Olga Esquite from Guazacapan (10 minutes away) we are part of a new ministry called Operacíon Jabes (Operation Jabez) which is based on Jabez’s prayer in I Chronicles 4:10:
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.”
And what we do is we go to churches that Erik and Olga helped plant in our area (Chiquimulilla, Guazacapan, Taxisco, Esquintla, etc…) and we teach them tools they can use to evangelize. So we are basically training Guatemalans to be missionaries. We have 5 lessons: Evangelism, How to lead someone to the Lord, Sharing your testimony, Street Preaching and Divine Healing. (I teach ‘Sharing your Testimony’). After working with students we hope to take them out and let them practice what they learned.
Today (the 1st) was our first seminar and we went to a church in Campesino which is on the outskirts of Taxisco (15 min. from our house). It was nice going there because it was a church that we had went to last time I was here. Carol and I don’t know enough Spanish yet so Olga translated for us and did a miraculous job!! Considering she is 7 months pregnant.
That’s about it for now. I was going to include some pictures but my chord for my camera is in my luggage and my luggage is…yeah.
Oh yeah and right now we still have a few needs. First of all, we are still in the workings of getting a vehicle. Right now we are depending on tuk-tuks and microbuses to get around. So prayer for that would be good- that we find a good dependable second hand vehicle that has good papers i.e not stolen, and within our budget. Second, we do not have a washing machine right now so we have to do our laundry out in our pila, a big sink in the court yard. And also right now Olga, who is 7 months pregnant, is due in November and knows she needs a C-Section however, they do things a little differently here. Instead of just having a planned C-Section, like in Canada, they wait until you go into labour and then after TWO DAYS when they know for sure you need a C-Section, then they’ll do it. Imagine that!! Anyways we’re still waiting for funds to come in so we can buy a washing machine and be able to send Olga to the private hospital to have a proper planned C-Section. Finally I need MUCHO PRAYER for my luggage to arrive here safely with nothing missing and quickly because imagine how attractive one gets being in a tropical climate with umm…2 changes of clothes….by the way, the temperature right now is 30 degrees celcius. P.S I just checked and it’s 6:30pm.
Gracias!! Y que Dios les bendiga!!
Gracias!! Y que Dios les bendiga!!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Home again, home again
Well...
I have now been at home in Canada for about 2 weeks. I was actually way better prepared than I thought I'd be. It took me like the weekend to readjust and sleep and stuff. Although it is still weird for me to throw toilet paper in the toilet and to drink water from the tap. I still can't do it without cringing.
Going back to work wasn't too bad. I was a little overwhelmed with all the product because we certainly didn't have that much when I left in february and there is also alot of new staff, some that I am still just meeting for the first time. And it's weird for them to think that I have been there longer than they have because they just met me. Oh well, but I'm getting back into it.
Canada Day I had my family over and I showed them pictures from my trip and they got to ask questions and get caught up. I just got off the phone with my grandmother and she said that she noticed that in all the pictures that I was in, I looked happy and she hoped that everyone else noticed too. I love my grandma!
Which brings me to say that...I am going back to Guatemala!!! I leave August 27th and arrive very early in Guatemala on the 28th. And then I don't come back until December 10th. Carol, the director of MTS at Fe Viva, is starting up a new Missions Training directed towards Guatemalans and she has asked me to help lead it with her. I'm very excited and after being back in Canada for 2 weeks, I realize how much I am ready to go back.
I have now been at home in Canada for about 2 weeks. I was actually way better prepared than I thought I'd be. It took me like the weekend to readjust and sleep and stuff. Although it is still weird for me to throw toilet paper in the toilet and to drink water from the tap. I still can't do it without cringing.
Going back to work wasn't too bad. I was a little overwhelmed with all the product because we certainly didn't have that much when I left in february and there is also alot of new staff, some that I am still just meeting for the first time. And it's weird for them to think that I have been there longer than they have because they just met me. Oh well, but I'm getting back into it.
Canada Day I had my family over and I showed them pictures from my trip and they got to ask questions and get caught up. I just got off the phone with my grandmother and she said that she noticed that in all the pictures that I was in, I looked happy and she hoped that everyone else noticed too. I love my grandma!
Which brings me to say that...I am going back to Guatemala!!! I leave August 27th and arrive very early in Guatemala on the 28th. And then I don't come back until December 10th. Carol, the director of MTS at Fe Viva, is starting up a new Missions Training directed towards Guatemalans and she has asked me to help lead it with her. I'm very excited and after being back in Canada for 2 weeks, I realize how much I am ready to go back.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Praise the Lord for widow makers!
Ok everybody I am now in Antigua and it is soo cold!! So, you can all stop being jealous of me now because I have to wear long johns and socks to bed. But luckily the place where I am staying has a widowmaker and thus hot showers. Awesome!
So I'm now officially halfway done my first week of spanish school. It's actually pretty fun. It's not quite as a I imagined it. So far we have been doing alot of stuff that I have already learnt so it's all review but it's really good practice because I have a habit of forgetting things. And my teacher is really getting me to talk because I am awful. I have classes for 4 hours in the morning and then I spend my afternoons and evenings hanging out, walking around Antigua, finding random places in my "Walk Antigua" book to just go and find and of course doing homework and studying. Yesterday actually, I went with the school to visit Museo Azotea which has a Mayan music and clothing exhibit and a coffee exhibit as well. It was pretty interesting and I took some pictures.
I live with a Guatemalan family however there are 6 other students living there from the States and Canada and one from Israel and so it's more like a guest house and not so much immersion but a few of them are leaving this weekend so it'll be better. Plus this weekend my friend Charity will be joining me for the second week and I am very excited about this as I am missing familiar faces. Even though it's very easy to make friends here, but you know, it's just still not quite the same.
Ok well my half hour of free internet is almost up but I just wanted to say thanks again to whoever reads this and to pray for health as I got really sick again this morning and I get tummy aches still in the evenings. Which really sucks.
So I'm now officially halfway done my first week of spanish school. It's actually pretty fun. It's not quite as a I imagined it. So far we have been doing alot of stuff that I have already learnt so it's all review but it's really good practice because I have a habit of forgetting things. And my teacher is really getting me to talk because I am awful. I have classes for 4 hours in the morning and then I spend my afternoons and evenings hanging out, walking around Antigua, finding random places in my "Walk Antigua" book to just go and find and of course doing homework and studying. Yesterday actually, I went with the school to visit Museo Azotea which has a Mayan music and clothing exhibit and a coffee exhibit as well. It was pretty interesting and I took some pictures.
I live with a Guatemalan family however there are 6 other students living there from the States and Canada and one from Israel and so it's more like a guest house and not so much immersion but a few of them are leaving this weekend so it'll be better. Plus this weekend my friend Charity will be joining me for the second week and I am very excited about this as I am missing familiar faces. Even though it's very easy to make friends here, but you know, it's just still not quite the same.
Ok well my half hour of free internet is almost up but I just wanted to say thanks again to whoever reads this and to pray for health as I got really sick again this morning and I get tummy aches still in the evenings. Which really sucks.
Monday, May 28, 2007
The time has come....
The time has come for MTS to end! *tear*
Man alive I cannot believe how fast time has gone! It is unbelievable. But tonight we did reflect a little bit over the past 3 months but not alot and just kinda discussed what we learned and how we have changed and stuff like that.
I mentioned that MTS made me feel well equipped to become a missionary and I felt that the tools we developed has created a new willingness in me to go and tell people about Jesus. And I also never knew how much Jesus makes me smile and I find a new found joy in Him.
But yeah, tomorrow is our grad and it's going to be so fun and maybe a little emotional but it's so hard to focus on that with spanish school coming. I almost can't wait for MTS to be over. Well it's bittersweet...
Plus, I don't think the Belize blog is coming. There is too much to write. Maybe I'll do a photo blog when I get home or something. Sorry about that. And I also got sick a little bit this week and just for the record...I'm almost never going to drink Super Cola again. So I'm going to have to change that...The triune has officially fallen.
Man alive I cannot believe how fast time has gone! It is unbelievable. But tonight we did reflect a little bit over the past 3 months but not alot and just kinda discussed what we learned and how we have changed and stuff like that.
I mentioned that MTS made me feel well equipped to become a missionary and I felt that the tools we developed has created a new willingness in me to go and tell people about Jesus. And I also never knew how much Jesus makes me smile and I find a new found joy in Him.
But yeah, tomorrow is our grad and it's going to be so fun and maybe a little emotional but it's so hard to focus on that with spanish school coming. I almost can't wait for MTS to be over. Well it's bittersweet...
Plus, I don't think the Belize blog is coming. There is too much to write. Maybe I'll do a photo blog when I get home or something. Sorry about that. And I also got sick a little bit this week and just for the record...I'm almost never going to drink Super Cola again. So I'm going to have to change that...The triune has officially fallen.
Friday, May 25, 2007
How much longer can she take it???
Well...at least 2 more weeks.
That's right everyone I will be staying in Guatemala for an extra 2 weeks to attend Spanish School. So instead of coming back on the 2nd of June I will be coming back on the 19th of June.
Yeah so the school is in Antigua, Guatemala. Antigua is like the big tourist city here in the country and it's where all the tourists go and they have ruins and and volcanoes and a really big market area and they have like a million spanish schools. Actually it was totally a God moment that I'm actually going because probably a few days before I was having a hard time really deciding on what I was going to do after MTS was over. I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay and go to a spanish school, or go home and come back here in the fall or go home and take a year of school and come back in the summer and blah blah blah...it was really stressing me out. And then one night I was talking to my good friend Charity (who is actuallly joining me at the school) and I was just asking her questions and then shes like you know what why don't you go for 2 weeks to a different spanish school that everyone here goes to and I'll join you for one and then we can come back here to Fe Viva and then we can fly out together and with one of the other staff members. And so I decided right there I was going to spanish school and so I called my family and asked my dad to change my flight. Then the next day she went to Antigua to book us and it turns out the school was full. So I was absolutely crushed and had nothing to do for 2 weeks because my flight was already changed so I was freaking out. And then Carol, the director of the school was cleaning out her room and found a brochure to this other school and it looks totally awesome and so I e-mailed them and they said that they would be happy to take us!! So Praise the Lord, I am going! And plus while you're there you stay with a Guatemalan family and you can do volunteer work around the city and I signed up for teaching french. So I might be able to get by on the 2 weeks without having to speak english at all.
I'm pretty excited.
Belize update to come....
That's right everyone I will be staying in Guatemala for an extra 2 weeks to attend Spanish School. So instead of coming back on the 2nd of June I will be coming back on the 19th of June.
Yeah so the school is in Antigua, Guatemala. Antigua is like the big tourist city here in the country and it's where all the tourists go and they have ruins and and volcanoes and a really big market area and they have like a million spanish schools. Actually it was totally a God moment that I'm actually going because probably a few days before I was having a hard time really deciding on what I was going to do after MTS was over. I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay and go to a spanish school, or go home and come back here in the fall or go home and take a year of school and come back in the summer and blah blah blah...it was really stressing me out. And then one night I was talking to my good friend Charity (who is actuallly joining me at the school) and I was just asking her questions and then shes like you know what why don't you go for 2 weeks to a different spanish school that everyone here goes to and I'll join you for one and then we can come back here to Fe Viva and then we can fly out together and with one of the other staff members. And so I decided right there I was going to spanish school and so I called my family and asked my dad to change my flight. Then the next day she went to Antigua to book us and it turns out the school was full. So I was absolutely crushed and had nothing to do for 2 weeks because my flight was already changed so I was freaking out. And then Carol, the director of the school was cleaning out her room and found a brochure to this other school and it looks totally awesome and so I e-mailed them and they said that they would be happy to take us!! So Praise the Lord, I am going! And plus while you're there you stay with a Guatemalan family and you can do volunteer work around the city and I signed up for teaching french. So I might be able to get by on the 2 weeks without having to speak english at all.
I'm pretty excited.
Belize update to come....
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Oh the heat....
It is friggin' hot.
So this is the last update before Belize. I hope you enjoy and feel free to e-mail or leave messages while I"m gone. I'll get them eventually.
My Birthday- so yesterday (the 17th) was my 20th birthday. It was actually like the best birthday ever. I am so blessed by knowing the people here. They treat us very good. Anyways so I was woken up at 5am with firecrackers outside our room and they brought my ice cream with an oreo on top that I could eat in bed. It was so yummy! And then at 7 am they threw rocks and mangoes on our tin roof and it was very loud. Then after lunch they surprised me with a pinata and cake and the tradition is that you have to take a bite of the cake without your hands and you just used your face, but then they smash your face into the cake and whatever you touched is your piece. And they had all signed a card and Jasmine made me a journal. Then later that night we went out for pupusas.
Las Lisas- This morning we went to another island called Las Lisas and we went to the school to present a children's program to over 300 kids. If you can imagine. We took another boat and we did our puppets, clowns, Jasmine did her kids testimony and sang some songs and then we handed out some tracts and pencils and crayons to all the kids. It was blaring hot and we had to walk around in our clown stuff. My face was pretty much melting off. But it was super fun and the kids just loved us and wanted to show us around their school and play with us. Then they served us lunch after- fried fish and tortillas that we ate with our hands but it was so good. And this was a little challenging because alot of the kids probably don't go to church and it's not a christian school so alot of these kids were hearing the Gospel for the first time. So we had to be very choosy in the words we used and how we presented things and we had to do the wordless book and tell them the entire story of salvation. But they seemed very enthusiastic. Course it was probably also the first time they have seen white people.
Agua Dulce- Last sunday we put on a church service on an island called Agua Dulce (sweet water) and we had to take a boat to get there and then the chapel was someone's house with a palm treee roof and everyone just kinda sat around. But it was soo fun and the island was beautiful. We did our drama, puppets, the evangecube and Jasmine preached and I gave my testimony. After the service we took our boat over to a family who runs a salt plantation and I know you're thinking like big factory but it's this little hut and they run the water up and do something and then there's salt. I wasn't entirely paying attention because it was hot and I was watching some kid torture a dog. Plus, we had to go through all these mangroves and like through the jungle to get there. It was like the Jungle Safari ride at Disneyland. I was waiting for some hippo to come bursting out of the water. But here's some pictures from there: (sorry that they are all scattered and not nice looking, This is my first time putting pics on here and you will have to tip your head sideways. I hope you don't mind! )
1) This is Jasmine preaching at Agua Dulce.
2) This is a picture of the congregation that morning (mostly kids)
3) This is our boat and with the pastors grandchildren inside.
4) this is one of the pastors grandchildren. She is just so cute I couldn't resist putting her on here.
5) These are some of the mangroves we had to go through. Sometimes they were so low you had to duck.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Off to Belize!!
Hey everyone!!
We are going to be going to Belize for 7-9 days. I'll make sure to update as soon as we get back and hopefully I"ll have figured out how to get the pictures on here!!
Dios le bendiga!
We are going to be going to Belize for 7-9 days. I'll make sure to update as soon as we get back and hopefully I"ll have figured out how to get the pictures on here!!
Dios le bendiga!
Guatemala Update 04-11-07
Well...I hope you have not all forgotten about me
Anyways so time for another update and I feel like alot of stuff happened since I last wrote, but I can't remember it all off the top of my head. Time is going by super fast. But 2 sundays ago we put on a church service for a church fundraiser and they had this huge like church BBQ and there was a pool and a beautiful river that we walked down and we got to swim in it because it wasn't contaminated and we had fried fish with rice and refried beans and tortillas and there were no utensils and so you had to use the tortillas and scoop everthing up in a big handful. It was awesome. We have been working very hard on our puppet shows and bible skits and clown skits so when we leave for Belize next week (WA hoo!!) we can have a program for the places we go.
So more adventurous things...last week we had a work day and we did odd jobs around the compound because it was Holy Week for the Guatemalans and they had 4 days off. So we had to take over the cooking and maintenance. So me and Jasmine got to cut down a banana tree with Machetes. Much to the criticism we got about how bad we were at it. And yesterday we had the day off and so we went into town to get a few things and me and another girl, Alison, was late getting back to the vehicle so we had to take a microbus back. A microbus is like a miniature version of a minivan and they put benches in there and there was 25 people all crowded in this little bus- including 2 people hanging out the door.
It was different being down here for easter though. Guatemalans don't celebrate Easter really, they have Holy Week and its the week before Easter and like everything shuts down and they all go and hang out on the beach. And there are no church services on Easter Sunday! Well some do but mostly not. In Antigua, which is a big touristy towns, they have these big processions and they're like parades and they put car parts so its very heavy and the people where purple gowns to symbolize repentance and you have to pay and then you can help carry this float down the streets. And they have a Jesus figure and a Mary figure on them. It's the Catholic church that puts them on. And then people make these beautiful carpets out on the streets made out of sawdust and they are so colourful and beautiful with like birds and flowers on them all made out of sawdustand it takes them hours to make. And then the procession walks right through them and destroys them. So we got to go see that last week.
Well, I have a huge spanish test tomorrow and so I need to go study. But I hope you guys all had great easter weekends and some time off! Don't hesitate to write back and let me know how things are going for you!
Dios le bendiga!
Anyways so time for another update and I feel like alot of stuff happened since I last wrote, but I can't remember it all off the top of my head. Time is going by super fast. But 2 sundays ago we put on a church service for a church fundraiser and they had this huge like church BBQ and there was a pool and a beautiful river that we walked down and we got to swim in it because it wasn't contaminated and we had fried fish with rice and refried beans and tortillas and there were no utensils and so you had to use the tortillas and scoop everthing up in a big handful. It was awesome. We have been working very hard on our puppet shows and bible skits and clown skits so when we leave for Belize next week (WA hoo!!) we can have a program for the places we go.
So more adventurous things...last week we had a work day and we did odd jobs around the compound because it was Holy Week for the Guatemalans and they had 4 days off. So we had to take over the cooking and maintenance. So me and Jasmine got to cut down a banana tree with Machetes. Much to the criticism we got about how bad we were at it. And yesterday we had the day off and so we went into town to get a few things and me and another girl, Alison, was late getting back to the vehicle so we had to take a microbus back. A microbus is like a miniature version of a minivan and they put benches in there and there was 25 people all crowded in this little bus- including 2 people hanging out the door.
It was different being down here for easter though. Guatemalans don't celebrate Easter really, they have Holy Week and its the week before Easter and like everything shuts down and they all go and hang out on the beach. And there are no church services on Easter Sunday! Well some do but mostly not. In Antigua, which is a big touristy towns, they have these big processions and they're like parades and they put car parts so its very heavy and the people where purple gowns to symbolize repentance and you have to pay and then you can help carry this float down the streets. And they have a Jesus figure and a Mary figure on them. It's the Catholic church that puts them on. And then people make these beautiful carpets out on the streets made out of sawdust and they are so colourful and beautiful with like birds and flowers on them all made out of sawdustand it takes them hours to make. And then the procession walks right through them and destroys them. So we got to go see that last week.
Well, I have a huge spanish test tomorrow and so I need to go study. But I hope you guys all had great easter weekends and some time off! Don't hesitate to write back and let me know how things are going for you!
Dios le bendiga!
Guatemala Update-03-28-07
Hello everyone!
So I know it's been a while, but our internet has not been working. So yeah time for update!
So since I last updated, our MTS group has formed a little band and we have been practicing spanish worship songs so we can lead worship at the churches that we visit and when we go on out outreach trips. We have also prepared a drama as well to present at churches. Right now we have our teacher Carol's friend from the States, Annie down here and she is teaching us how to make puppets. She is so amazing. She brought down sewing machines and all these supplies and paid for extra weight for luggage and she wore all her clothes on the airplane because she had no room!
We have also been swamped by Spanish homework but it's good because I can now go out and understand what people are saying and this is especially good for church on sunday morning because they preach without a translator. And for a few hours each week we hang out with the orphanage kids and it's amazing how much spanish you learn when you talk to them. And they like it to because they can practice their english. But the kids here are absolutely adorable. I'll make sure to take lots of pictures and hopefully send them to you.
We have been hanging out alot at the compound and its actually starting to get boring. So small things like going into town for the afternoon is very exciting. Or going to the pool for a few hours. But yesterday was our first real mission day. We went to a big town about an hour away from here and we hooked up with a pastor there and we went door to door and visited some families that have really been struck by poverty. But they are so nice and they let us come in and tell them about Jesus. And yeah the kids are just soo cute! And then we put on a service for that church and we did our songs and drama and our MTS boy gave his testimony and the people were just really receptive and thankful that we came.
Other than that, it's super hot here, it's 41 degrees celsius in the shade. But I'm actually getting pretty used to it now. At night we don't even turn our air conditioner on and I sleep in pants and long sleeves. So this is long and I'm going to go.
Dios le bendiga!
So I know it's been a while, but our internet has not been working. So yeah time for update!
So since I last updated, our MTS group has formed a little band and we have been practicing spanish worship songs so we can lead worship at the churches that we visit and when we go on out outreach trips. We have also prepared a drama as well to present at churches. Right now we have our teacher Carol's friend from the States, Annie down here and she is teaching us how to make puppets. She is so amazing. She brought down sewing machines and all these supplies and paid for extra weight for luggage and she wore all her clothes on the airplane because she had no room!
We have also been swamped by Spanish homework but it's good because I can now go out and understand what people are saying and this is especially good for church on sunday morning because they preach without a translator. And for a few hours each week we hang out with the orphanage kids and it's amazing how much spanish you learn when you talk to them. And they like it to because they can practice their english. But the kids here are absolutely adorable. I'll make sure to take lots of pictures and hopefully send them to you.
We have been hanging out alot at the compound and its actually starting to get boring. So small things like going into town for the afternoon is very exciting. Or going to the pool for a few hours. But yesterday was our first real mission day. We went to a big town about an hour away from here and we hooked up with a pastor there and we went door to door and visited some families that have really been struck by poverty. But they are so nice and they let us come in and tell them about Jesus. And yeah the kids are just soo cute! And then we put on a service for that church and we did our songs and drama and our MTS boy gave his testimony and the people were just really receptive and thankful that we came.
Other than that, it's super hot here, it's 41 degrees celsius in the shade. But I'm actually getting pretty used to it now. At night we don't even turn our air conditioner on and I sleep in pants and long sleeves. So this is long and I'm going to go.
Dios le bendiga!
Guatemala Update- 03-11-07
Buenos tardes a todos el mundo!! (good afternoon to everyone!)
Well I've been here for almost a week already. After a full day of traveling on monday we arrived in Guatemala approx. 8:30pm and it turned out that only one of my bags didn't make it with us. But luckily I had the other one and Jasmine got both of hers. I didn't end up getting my other bag until friday, which is an unusually long time.
The week has actually been pretty slack. We've had some work projects to do around the compound, my tasks are helping out with extra dishes on monday nights after supper, cleaning the prayer room tuesday mornings and watering the plants wednesday afternoons. We also have classes during the week. So far we have started our spanish classes, and funny story...so we had to take a spanish placement test before we started the class because they are dividing our group into smaller groups depending on spanish abilities. There is a beginner class and a middle class and somehow I ended up in the middle class with one of the other people in my program. One of our leaders, Anthony, teaches the class and it's pretty intense but I'm learning lots. And the other class we've had so far is cultural differences, where we learnt about the difference between hot and cold climate cultures. There was also a team down here from B.C and they were a pretty big team, about 20, so it's been loud and chaotic and they had kids who ate alot of sugar. You can imagine....On friday night they put on a concert/banquet for the people involved with Fe Viva (the missions place) and it was awesome. Saturday was the kids program and all the Casa Esperanza kids (the orphanage kids) were there, plus all the neighbourhood kids came as well. They are all so cute! You can really tell that alot of these kids are poor because they come with tattered clothes and shoes that are too small, or worn out. But they are still enthusiastic and it's awesome. Today after church in the morning we went to the "Hotel Baru" which is a hotel down the street that has a pool and the Casa kids go there every sunday and so we joined them today and it was stinking hot and I got a little bit of a sunburn-which will turn into a wicked awesome tan! I'm pretty excited.
Well I've been here for almost a week already. After a full day of traveling on monday we arrived in Guatemala approx. 8:30pm and it turned out that only one of my bags didn't make it with us. But luckily I had the other one and Jasmine got both of hers. I didn't end up getting my other bag until friday, which is an unusually long time.
The week has actually been pretty slack. We've had some work projects to do around the compound, my tasks are helping out with extra dishes on monday nights after supper, cleaning the prayer room tuesday mornings and watering the plants wednesday afternoons. We also have classes during the week. So far we have started our spanish classes, and funny story...so we had to take a spanish placement test before we started the class because they are dividing our group into smaller groups depending on spanish abilities. There is a beginner class and a middle class and somehow I ended up in the middle class with one of the other people in my program. One of our leaders, Anthony, teaches the class and it's pretty intense but I'm learning lots. And the other class we've had so far is cultural differences, where we learnt about the difference between hot and cold climate cultures. There was also a team down here from B.C and they were a pretty big team, about 20, so it's been loud and chaotic and they had kids who ate alot of sugar. You can imagine....On friday night they put on a concert/banquet for the people involved with Fe Viva (the missions place) and it was awesome. Saturday was the kids program and all the Casa Esperanza kids (the orphanage kids) were there, plus all the neighbourhood kids came as well. They are all so cute! You can really tell that alot of these kids are poor because they come with tattered clothes and shoes that are too small, or worn out. But they are still enthusiastic and it's awesome. Today after church in the morning we went to the "Hotel Baru" which is a hotel down the street that has a pool and the Casa kids go there every sunday and so we joined them today and it was stinking hot and I got a little bit of a sunburn-which will turn into a wicked awesome tan! I'm pretty excited.
Guatemala Update
Buenos tardes a todos el mundo!! (good afternoon to everyone!)
Well I've been here for almost a week already. After a full day of traveling on monday we arrived in Guatemala approx. 8:30pm and it turned out that only one of my bags didn't make it with us. But luckily I had the other one and Jasmine got both of hers. I didn't end up getting my other bag until friday, which is an unusually long time.
The week has actually been pretty slack. We've had some work projects to do around the compound, my tasks are helping out with extra dishes on monday nights after supper, cleaning the prayer room tuesday mornings and watering the plants wednesday afternoons. We also have classes during the week. So far we have started our spanish classes, and funny story...so we had to take a spanish placement test before we started the class because they are dividing our group into smaller groups depending on spanish abilities. There is a beginner class and a middle class and somehow I ended up in the middle class with one of the other people in my program. One of our leaders, Anthony, teaches the class and it's pretty intense but I'm learning lots. And the other class we've had so far is cultural differences, where we learnt about the difference between hot and cold climate cultures. There was also a team down here from B.C and they were a pretty big team, about 20, so it's been loud and chaotic and they had kids who ate alot of sugar. You can imagine....On friday night they put on a concert/banquet for the people involved with Fe Viva (the missions place) and it was awesome. Saturday was the kids program and all the Casa Esperanza kids (the orphanage kids) were there, plus all the neighbourhood kids came as well. They are all so cute! You can really tell that alot of these kids are poor because they come with tattered clothes and shoes that are too small, or worn out. But they are still enthusiastic and it's awesome. Today after church in the morning we went to the "Hotel Baru" which is a hotel down the street that has a pool and the Casa kids go there every sunday and so we joined them today and it was stinking hot and I got a little bit of a sunburn-which will turn into a wicked awesome tan! I'm pretty excited.
Well I've been here for almost a week already. After a full day of traveling on monday we arrived in Guatemala approx. 8:30pm and it turned out that only one of my bags didn't make it with us. But luckily I had the other one and Jasmine got both of hers. I didn't end up getting my other bag until friday, which is an unusually long time.
The week has actually been pretty slack. We've had some work projects to do around the compound, my tasks are helping out with extra dishes on monday nights after supper, cleaning the prayer room tuesday mornings and watering the plants wednesday afternoons. We also have classes during the week. So far we have started our spanish classes, and funny story...so we had to take a spanish placement test before we started the class because they are dividing our group into smaller groups depending on spanish abilities. There is a beginner class and a middle class and somehow I ended up in the middle class with one of the other people in my program. One of our leaders, Anthony, teaches the class and it's pretty intense but I'm learning lots. And the other class we've had so far is cultural differences, where we learnt about the difference between hot and cold climate cultures. There was also a team down here from B.C and they were a pretty big team, about 20, so it's been loud and chaotic and they had kids who ate alot of sugar. You can imagine....On friday night they put on a concert/banquet for the people involved with Fe Viva (the missions place) and it was awesome. Saturday was the kids program and all the Casa Esperanza kids (the orphanage kids) were there, plus all the neighbourhood kids came as well. They are all so cute! You can really tell that alot of these kids are poor because they come with tattered clothes and shoes that are too small, or worn out. But they are still enthusiastic and it's awesome. Today after church in the morning we went to the "Hotel Baru" which is a hotel down the street that has a pool and the Casa kids go there every sunday and so we joined them today and it was stinking hot and I got a little bit of a sunburn-which will turn into a wicked awesome tan! I'm pretty excited.
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