Una Semana con Muchas Actividades!!:)

Hola a Todos!!:)

Last week was a week filled with many adventures! Friday night, I went to visit the albergue, the shelter where Juana sleeps at night. I had a conversation with one of the workers, Rodolfo, about the Bible, because he had it sitting out like he was reading something. He told me that he has so much difficulty understanding the Bible and really wants some help. I asked him if he went to a Bible study. He said that he didn't, but knew that that would probably help him. I told him that we could have a Bible study in the albergue! So, Friday night we did! It was pretty neat as we talked about many things and looked up many passages. His knowledge and faith is stronger than I think he realizes. I thank God so much for this opportunity to share His word!

I have to share this story with you all as well. This is actually a very sad, tear-jerking story, but an amazing testimony of true forgiveness. Eliseo is another worker in the albergue. He is 31 with a wife and 3 kids. Friday night he walked me back to my house as it was quite late. He told me more about his past and his family. He grew up having a very abusive alcoholic father. His father used to just beat his mom in horrific ways. His mom told him that he had six other brothers who were born before Eliseo, but they all died because his dad would hit his mom in the breasts and therefore she wouldn't have any milk to feed the children. They were extremely poor and didn't have the money to buy powdered milk, so the children were not able to survive. Eliseo told me that he remembers numerous times when he used to hit his dad because his dad was hitting his mom. Honestly, it is a miracle that Eliseo is even alive today. Well, 3 years ago this December, Eliseo's mom was killed by his dad, with a machete. Before she died, Eliseo began drinking as well. His girlfriend (now his wife) and his mom used to cry out to God in prayers and tears for Eliseo to change his life, so he wouldn't be a repeat of his father. Well, after his mother was killed, Eliseo gave up the alcohol and the prayers of his mom and wife were answered. Shortly thereafter, his father became really sick, and the doctor gave him numerous medicines to take. Eliseo helped his dad buy the medicines and took care of him in his house. However, it just got to be too expensive, so now his father is not taking anything. Eliseo told me that he believes God is the ultimate doctor and that if God wants his father to get better he will. While all this was going on, Eliseo took his father under his care and his dad is currently living with him. To this day, Eliseo doesn't drink and believes that he needs to set a good example for his children, so they don't have to go through what he had to. He said that his situation is extremely difficult, but he has no other choice, but to take care of his father. His father is still his father. Talk about true love and forgiveness.

This past Saturday, was so adventurous that I am not even sure I can describe it! Many of you know that I was wanting to visit Juana in her village. Well this past weekend just didn't quite work out for her. She needed to work to get the last bit of money that the woman had promised her. So, I wanted to go to a village or another area away from Antigua, to see what some of these other areas are like. I was hoping that I could talk someone into going with me, as I didn't want to go alone. However, I could not talk anyone into the idea. I talked to my teacher about an area called Panajachel. It's about 3 hours away. There is a beautiful lake there, that is made out of a volcanic crater and there are 3 volcanoes, surrounding it. It is a pretty amazing sight. Around the area, are little villages. Every day there is a direct bus that leaves at 7am. However, there is not a bus that brings you back until the next day. I decided to take that bus and grab the chicken buses on the way back as I did not want to spend the night alone.

Once the bus arrived, I was absolutely starving as I only had a banana before I left. So, I went to look for a bakery. I found one, but was wanting more than just bread. So, I found a restaurant and had breakfast there. After that, I walked down the street. There were a bunch of vendors. This happens to be a place tourists like, so you have people trying to sell you everything. The whole time I was there I felt so uncomfortable. The touristry stuff is too much for me! Then, I walk closer to the lake and a guy asks me if I want to go to Santiago. That is a pueblo on the other side of the lake. I thought about it for awhile and told him that I wanted to do it, so I bought a ticket. The boat ride took about 25 minutes. Once we arrived, all the vendors bombard you with everything. I wanted to get out of the tourist spots and into the actual village. It was absolutely amazing, because once I walked out of the touristy area and got in to the actual village, I felt so comfortable. It was awesome because there was no one else around me, but the people who lived there and were carrying out their everyday duties. When I saw some of the homes, my heart broke, as some of the homes, didn't even have metal or cardboard walls, but the people used large rocks to construct their walls. Everyday I am constantly amazed at the level of poverty there is here. I wanted to take pictures for you all to see, but I just didn't feel right as this is a normal way of life here. The people get a little offended and I didn't want to do that. So, I am sorry!

Before the boat was going to go back, a little boy about 10 or 11 years old came to me and asked me if I wanted to buy some jewelry from him. I told him no and that I was sorry, but I did not want to right now. I asked him some questions. He then went to ask me if I had parents and I told him yes. He then told me that he did not. He said that his parents had died and he was living with his aunt. I felt like he wasn't telling me the truth, so I asked him if he was serious or if that was a story he was trying to tell me. I believed that his parents were alive. He told me that yes, his parents were alive. I asked him why he said that to me and he said that his aunt told him to tell people that his parents are dead, so that he can earn more money. His parents actually live further away, but now that he doesn't have school, he is staying with his aunt and uncle in this village, trying to earn money. He then went on to ask me how much I had paid for my boat fare to get here. I told him and he told me that I should have paid a lower price. I then told him how I don't like when people tell me a lie or when people treat me differently and that God doesn't like that either. He told me that to lie is a sin and started to explain further. I told him that he needed to be very careful, because when he tells people that his parents are dead, he is telling a lie as well. He thought about that for a minute and said yes, that is true. We talked for some more and then another gentleman showed up. After that, I needed to get on the boat to go back, but it was pretty neat to see how God intervened in that situation. I pray for that little boy as there are so many like him in his shoes, who are being exploited, so that the family can earn some money.

The final story I will share with you really broke my heart. This past Monday, I went to go visit Juana in the park. While I was there I saw a young girl carrying a child on her back. I asked Juana if she knew anything about that girl, if that was her child or a brother. Honestly, it is hard to tell here because the girls start having babies at 15 or younger. She said that he was her brother. Later on, Juana wanted to go in a different direction, so I walked with her, but only so far.



On my way, I saw the little girl again. I sat down beside her and started asking her questions. She told me her name was Myra and her brother's name was Oliver. She said that her mom was selling vegetables in the market, Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and now that she doesn't have school, she is responsible for her brother on those days. She comes from a family of 8 and is the oldest girl. She is 11 years old and her brother is 9 months. While we were talking, she mentioned the cathedral across the street and that the doors were closed. It was unusual because usually they were open. Later on, they were opened and she mentioned that again. So, I asked her if she wanted to go inside. She said that she did. So, we walked over there and went inside. Immediately we met a person who wanted to guide us around and tell us about the history because behind the church are some ruins. Well, after we get done touring, Myra tells me that she was hungry. I asked her if she ate something today. She said that she had lunch, but not very much. She told me that her mom gave her some quetzales, but in reality it was barely enough to buy anything. I honestly don't know what she could have eaten for the amount of money that she had. I asked her if she would like to get something and she said yes and mentioned the dining room-like places in the market. The food is cheap, but probably isn't safe for foreigners to eat. We start walking toward that area, and pass by McDonald's. Yes, Antigua has a McDonald's! She showed interest in wanting to go inside, so we did. I got her food and then there was the play area. She asked if she could play there. I told her that I would watch her brother as she played. She took her brother off of her back and gave him to me. She played for awhile and then asked me if I had a camera. It was awesome because that day I actually had it with me.







So, she wanted to take pictures of me and wanted me to take them of her! After that, we returned back to the park. She asked me if we could go back another day to play because she wanted to bring her friend, Sonia. I told her that yes, we could do that. I am not sure when, but I will keep you all posted! Praise be to God for this wonderful time of fun and fellowship!

What an Unbelievable Week!! :)

Hola a mi familia!!

This has been an absolutely incredible week. So many things have happened. God is more than amazing!! Usually I am in the city on the weekends, but this weekend I felt like I should not go.

Now, to start with one of the incredible things that has happened... I live in a house with 5 other students. There are two women who work here unselfishly, every day, making the food for us and doing the cleaning.



The older woman's name is Elsie and has 5 kids. Since Carolina passed away in July (the woman who owned the house), Elsie's daughter, Dominga stays here during the night with her daughter, Estephanie, who will be 2 next month. The family is incredible. We have had many good conversations and little Estephanie is just a sweetie.

Anyhow, one of the students in the house is a young man, 21 years old, who has a serious problem with alcohol. Honestly, it is very difficult to find someone here who doesn't struggle with this issue. He came to this house about 2 and a half weeks ago and has bounced from family to family. His purpose for coming to this house was to try and "find himself" and change, so that when he goes back to the States in Dec., he will be a different person. Tardeo goes to the gym and the owner of the gym is a Christian. His name is Giovanni. He invited Tardeo to the church on Wed. night. This was strictly a Bible study, not a service. The study discussed part of the 9th chapter of Romans. There were about 5 people in each group. The study went very well. Tardeo had many questions as he is a non-believer. Now, remember that it was Wed. night (Halloween) and the bars are loaded with people and activities. Tardeo was struggling with the issue of going out, so we went back to the house and talked for about 2 hours about different issues that he is facing. I prayed and continue to pray that God would give me the words to say to him as I feel very inadequate, since I haven't gone through the same problem and I am not a man. However, God is amazing and can work through anyone. Tardeo, never went to the bar that night, thank God. This is a very delicate subject as Tardeo gets bored very easily and when that happens, he wants to drink. However, he is afraid to take a risk or try something different, for fear of failing, so getting him to occupy his time in a beneficial manner can be a challenge. He has an extremely low self-esteem, no self-confidence, and likes the personality that he has when he is on alcohol, but does not want to drink. I hope you all can see why this is a big struggle for him. Thurs. night he also went to the church, but a different one than the night before. One of the guys from the other church, had invited him to go to an Evangelical church. It was very different than anything he had ever experienced as people were singing/dancing/more on the "wild" side. In the morning at breakfast, he was actually singing a song they must have sung that night. He told me that after that service, he did not have a strong desire to drink that night, which was awesome. Now, for you to understand how much of a struggle this really is, on a sadder note, last night, Giovanni invited Tardeo to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, because he had a really good friend who was celebrating 2 years of not doing drugs, and they were going to celebrate that. Tardeo went to the meeting, but got home around 9:30 or so and didn't know what to do. He was bored. He said he had trouble understanding the meeting because everything was in Spanish. Tardeo told me that he wanted to talk, but saw that my light was off, so then went to the bar and drank too much, not as much as he usually drinks, but enough that I would have been in the hospital. Please pray for him as he has a ton of issues to work through, and pray for me that God will direct me to give him the guidance or the words of direction that he needs and that he will open his heart to accept God, and will see how only God has the power to change him. I feel so much like a mom to him, that it is really hard. I am just so thankful that Tardeo is willing to go to church and has the desire to want to change. It will not be an easy road, but with God in him, it will be possible. Tonight he will actually play soccer with some of the guys at the church and then tomorrow he will go to the regular service. I am just incredibly thankful that Giovanni is a Christian and has taken him "under his wing" as well. Just continue to pray for him that he would come to accept God and see how God can do a miracle in his life!

Thursday was an extremely interesting day here. It was the Day of the Dead here, when everybody visits their loved ones who have died and brings them flowers. Well, the Mayans have two very religious villages here that are significant for this day. The school that I go to was going to one called "Sumpango". I had a ton of curiousity in this. The director of the school was going as the "guide" so to speak, to tell us about the importance of this day. He asked me to be the translator. So, he spoke in Spanish and I said what he said, but in English. It was very awesome as God let me do it!! This day is also a day when everybody flies kites and there are contests. Well, the Mayans will go and visit their dead and will stay at the site all day in hopes that their dead will reappear and come back to life. In the past, there was an important "god" who was here, but had suddenly disappeared. They think they have found the place where he may be buried now, but some of the things this "god" used to do were drink rum, and have many women. So, the Mayans will leave alcohol, flowers, and candles/incense at the tombs of the deceased to remember this "god". The mayans are polytheistic, and believe that their gods are in the sun, moon, water, fire, in whatever thing you can see. There are 4 important gods, for love, health, negotions, and safety. That day, they fly kites as a means of communicating with their gods. They will also pray at the tomb, to their loved one, asking that when they die, they will be granted a good after life. It is incredibly fascinating. Talk about an incredible mission opportunity. This is one reason why I want to work in the villages as well as this is where you will find most of the Mayans. Over half of the population here is Mayan and they are also the most malnourished. The kites were of all different sizes and colors. Each color represents something for the Mayans and each drawing does also. Some of the kites were huge, like 16 meters in diameter! There is no significance for the size of the kite, only the size of the string as the higher it is in the sky, the more they believe it is in communication with their gods. I told you how it is hard to find a person here who does not struggle with alcohol, well, the director of the school happens to be one. He is an alcoholic. There were about 20 of us from the school who went and we were supposed to meet at a certain spot before going back to the bus, as the bus was 15 minutes away or so. Anyhow, the director was drunk and was no where to be found. Some of the other students saw him and said that, so another girl and I made sure that everyone knew what time the bus was leaving and that all of us were accounted for. Then, we get on the bus... I am not sure how much alcohol the director had, but seriously he was done for. He had a hard time walking and couldn't finish his thoughts and almost fell over. It was sooo sad. Anyhow, I took the roll to make sure all of us were on the bus and then we left. Then later that night, I saw the director, Jose, sitting outside the tienda that is next to the school, "sleeping". He was pretty much passed out. I pray for God to use me in this situation as I really want to talk to this guy. He needs some serious help. I don't know though if he even knows he has a problem. Just pray for me in this situation as well that God would direct me in this.

I have so much to tell you all... I am sorry this is so long, but I have to tell you this too. After I got back from Sumpango, I went to visit the cemetary here in Antigua. I was just curious to see what was going on. Well, I walk through and see people leaving flowers. For the most part, the people here are not Mayan, so they only left flowers. Anyhow, when I wanted to leave and was trying to get out of the
crowd, I heard someone say "That's mano dura". I turned and looked and I couldn't believe it. This Sunday the people will vote on a president. One of the guys' nicknames is "Mano Dura", because he has talked so much about eliminating the crimals and the delincuents that are here. "Mano" means hand and "Dura" means hard, so "hard hand". This guy used to be a general in the wars back in the 80s that killed thousands of people. He himself probably never killed anyone, but ordered other people to. Anyhow both candidates have major issues against them. The other guy has no personality and has stolen millions of dollars in the past, when he previously tried to run for office and has huge connections to drug trafficking. I saw this guy, Otto Perez and watched him for awhile. I was sooo close to him. He was shaking people's hands as he went by. I felt like I needed to go and see him. So, I went up to him and told him that I hope God would bless him. I think I about shocked him as it looked like he wasn't expecting to hear that. He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and then I left. I don't know who is going to be president here, but I tell you that whoever it is really needs to bring about some positive changes for this country and really needs to look to God to do that. I am not even sure that this guy is a Christian, but I know that if he gets put in to office God will direct him as I felt like God put something over him when I told him that. It was not even me saying that, but God as the Holy Spirit was very present. Please pray that the right candidate will get put into office and will actually be beneficial to this country and will do something good that they aren't expecting.

Well, I think this is enough for now! Once again, I apologize for the length of this, but God does so many incredible things, that it is soooo hard for me to give a condensed version as this is my "condensed" version! Please continue to keep me and all the people God would put in my path, in your prayers as God is in the process of changing peoples' lives, including mine!

It's Been a Long Time!!

Hola Mis Amigos!!

So much has happened since the last time I gave an update, that I don't even know where to begin! Now that things are somewhat more stabilized, I feel like I can give an update! First, my computer was out of commission for about two weeks or so because I couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. I later came to see that I had problems with the Norton Virus Software. I deleted the program and downloaded a new version and my computer was back to normal!! Praise God for that!!

In my last blog, I talked about Juana and how she was supposed to go back to Uspantan, which is 8 hours away from here. Well, when I came back after that weekend, during the week, she called me on the phone. I immediately thought she was in Uspantan, but she told me that she was here, in Antigua! I was sooo surprised, I almost cried! I went to go and meet her after class that day and she told me that she had met a woman who was offering to let her work in her house, washing her laundry, for 20 Quetzales a day (Divide that by 7.6 and that's how many dollars she is making). She would be able to do this for one month. Juana was very excited about this possibility because in Uspantan, she was making 10 Quetzales a day, and was supposed to feed 7 kids with that. However, washing clothes here is not an easy project. Unless you are in the very minute upper-class, you wash your clothes by hand. It breaks my heart because Juana is trying so hard to provide for her family, that she will do whatever it takes to get a little extra money. Her goal with this job is to earn enough money to buy some hens/roosters and sell them and the eggs in the market at home. It would provide her with more money than she is currently making, but she needs to get the animals first. In the meantime, she has 4 children who are in Uspantan, who are now living with her cousin. Juana doesn't like the idea that she isn't home with her children, but she feels she has no choice and this will be better for them in the long run. Throughout the past few weeks, Juana has worked on and off because the woman has had other things come up and hasn't allowed her to work. Then, this past week, Juana has been very sick. I went to see her Thurs. before I left, and she was not looking so good. She had a sharp pain in the left side of her body, which may be from washing the laundry. She had a fever, headache, and other pains. She has nowhere to go during the day to sleep or rest, because the shelter isn't open until 6pm. She pretty much hangs around the park until it is time to go there. Then, to make things even more difficult, she got in contact with her cousin to find out how the kids were doing. Her cousin said that they ran out of food, that they had no more corn in the house. Her cousin doesn't work. She eats whatever she is able to grow on the land. Juana was asking me how to send money up to her cousin, so that she could buy corn. She had the money, but wanted help in getting it there. Her nor her cousin have bank accounts, so that pretty much took care of that idea. Juana said that she can't wait to get back, but will not leave until Nov. 8. because she needs some more money. Please, please pray for her and her family. Every time I see her and her kids, they look thinner than the last time I saw them. I honestly can't imagine what her kids in Uspantan look like. Please pray for me as well, as I want to go back with her Nov. 8. There are so many possible risks involved with this, however, I feel very much called to go. Her and her family are very special to me. I am not sure what God has planned, but I know it is something.

I have been going back to the ministry on the weekends, and to be very honest, there are so many changes going on that it's hard to keep track of what is actually happening. In the midst of the financial crisis, the ministry has decided not to have a school next year. The school year runs from Jan.-Oct., so the school year is officially over and the building is closed. The ministry is also in the process of downsizing and moving. The new building is a couple of blocks down the street, but is big enough to store the stuff from the school and to take one of the current ministry buildings and move it in there. The new building is actually very big. Even though there will not be a school, there will be an education program. Right now, it looks like the program will help kids with their homework and will provide reinforcement. I think the changes that are taking place are very good for the ministry, given the situation that they are currently in now.

Please pray for this ministry as they carry out the work God has for them to do. I also ask that you keep me in your prayers as I figure out what role God would have me play. There are so many different situations and circumstances that have come up, that I feel a strong urging to work with the people in the villages, rather than here in the city. My eyes have been open to alot of things since I have been here, and I am realizing that there are many organizations all over Guatemala and many villages where there is nothing. Every day I read in the paper about some village several hours away from here, where the people are dying from hunger, lack of medical care, the children have no schools, and they just plain don't have access to help. Please pray for me, as my ultimate dream or desire would be to start something in a village where there is nothing. I have no idea how to go about doing it yet, but I am looking into different possibilities. I thought I had a plan figured out before I left, but I am learning more and more how God may have something different in mind. Just when I think I know everything or have things all figured out, is when I realize how little I really know. I will keep you all posted as soon as I find out something. Thank you, thank you, thank you soooooo much for all of your prayers, your help, and your emails. You all mean alot to me!!:)

Me Encontre Juana Otra Vez!!!

This past week is more than I can put into words. Many of you may know the story of a woman that I met when I was here in June, who had two kids with her, but was from an area 8 hours north of here, Uspantan de Quiche. I met her in the park and played with her children. The whole family was incredibly dirty and hygiene wasn´t even a consideration. We really had some good conversation then and I felt bonded to this woman. She told me then that her husband had passed away in a farming accident 3 months ago and had come here to visit the farm. When she was here then, she lived on the streets, outside the police station. Anyhow, her name is Juana, and I met her again last Sunday night. I was walking through the park, when I saw her. It´s funny because every time I go through that park, I think of her and wonder what she is doing. Well, when I saw her, I was so excited. I didn´t have a whole lot of time that night to talk to her, but I saw her the next day in the park. Her situation is incredibly challenging. She now has another child, one month old (Juan). She had her other two children with her (Estephen 5 yrs. & Manuel 2 1/2 yrs.) as well. The families here are very large. She has 4 (7, 8, 10, 12 yrs.) other children at home, so 7 altogether. She came this time to Antigua because Juan was sick with some kind of a skin rash. It was all over his body. Well, she is extremely poor and in her village, they don´t have any public government help, so she borrowed money to come here to Antigua, to go to a Catholic hospital where the cost is minimal. The first few days she was here, she slept outside on the streets or on the benches with her children. After that, someone told her about a shelter that is here, where people can spend the night who don´t have a home. Well, after that, she spent the remainder of her nights there. I got to spend an incredible amount of time with her and the children and got to see where she slept at night. The organization itself is Christian based and the workers are volunteers, from Guatemala. It is very awesome to see that. Life here is incredibly fascinating and the reasoning behind the large numbers of children is intriguing. In her case, I asked her why she had so many children when it is sooo difficult to have a large family here. She said that after her first two sons, her husband wanted a girl, so they kept trying and now have 7 boys! She said that many women in her village have between 8-14 children. It´s hard to imagine that many children, but here it is soooo common. I have honestly never seen so many pregnant people in my life. I asked how she manages to make a living now and how she gets money for food because she has no spouse. She told me that she does work. She cooks and cleans for some people in her village, but she only makes about 10 Quetzales a day, which comes out to a little over a $1. She was telling me the price of the staple foods, like corn, rice, and beans, and you know that this is another case of a family here who is extremely malnourished. Things are cheap here, but not that cheap to support a family of 8 with ample amounts of food. That is all they eat every day because that is all they can afford and they can barely do that. She said that her village is extremely poor. She has no water, no electricity, and the children do not go to school. Last year, when the husband was alive, the children went to school, but this year she had to stop because she couldn´t pay for it. She wants help getting the children to school. I told her that I would visit her in her village, so I can see where she lives and can see the schools for the children. It will have to be in October or November because the school year starts here in January and ends in October. Pray, pray, pray that I can see how I will get there as it isn´t the safest thing to ride on the ¨chicken buses¨ here and the trip is 8 hours away. I would also have to spend the night somewhere. She told me that I can stay with her in her house, but I am not sure how there is even room for the 8 people who currently live there. Juana spent every day in the park, from the time that she had to leave the albergue (shelter) at 5 am. to 6pm when she could return. She was filthy and so were her children. They had no clothes and no food. I thank God every day for the market that they have here. You can find anything you want, with reasonable prices. I thank God for the many opportunities I had to help her and for the many conversations that I had with her. It was awesome, because each day we looked forward to seeing each other. The children were so excited to see me and gave me the biggest hugs when I came. Thursday night, I ended up going back to the ministry, in the capital and had to say goodbye to her. I was originally planning on going with her this time, but she had to stay a day later for the doctor and it just didn´t work out. So, I told her that I would visit her later. She is looking forward to me coming there and I am as well. I have a picture of her and the children and as soon as I figure out how to fix the computer, I will put it on. I cannot put the picture on the school´s computer. I just ask that you all keep her and her family in your prayers. She is a very special woman to me and I thank God so much for the opportunity to see her again. Hearing her story and seeing her live her life is extremely heart-breaking for me because she isn´t a rare case here. That is life for most people here. This poverty is a never-ending cycle and you just need to pray and pray for each person here, that God would continue to bring them hope and a purpose for living.

A Lot of WOW! Moments!!

What an incredible weekend! It was filled with so many moments that just made your heart tingle with warmth! First, I left Antigua Thursday night to return to the city. Friday I spent all day at the ministry and all I can say is "Wow God, You are Awesome!!". We began the day by doing our devotion/prayer walk, where we read part of a Bible passage in each of the buildings that the ministry works in and then end in the squatter's area, by singing and praying. This Friday was different than last Friday in that the children did not have school. There were more children than usual running all over the place. When we were praying and singing, there was one little girl in particular who caught my eye and we "connected" right away. She was gone just as fast as she came. I had no idea where she went. After the group prayed, we split up into smaller groups to do home visits. The group that I went with, was at the other end of the area. We turned down the "street" to see a previous family that had been visited. Right before the house, at the end of the "street" was the little girl, Teresa, that I had seen earlier. She (4yr.) was with her older brother(8?) and her younger sister (2). I talked to the three of them which was absolutely amazing. I can't tell you how precious these children were. Teresa had a joy in her that was just beautiful. While I was with the children, the rest of the group was talking to the woman of the house that they had previously visited. When it came time to share a Bible passage, I opened my Bible to the passage and shared it with the children. They were fascinated with the Bible and kept wanting to turn the pages. After we prayed, we went to the house next door, but noone was there. The whole time this is going on, Teresa holds my hand and follows me wherever I go. The group was going to turn around and go down another "street", but I asked if it would be possible to go to the house where these children live. They agreed without a question asked. The children actually lived at the end of the "street". We knocked on the door and their mom, Maria, opened the door. We introduced ourselves and said where we were from. We asked her if she believed in God and she said yes. We asked her what her god was and she said, "Many things". In reality, she didn't believe in the God of Jesus Christ. The conversation continued for quite some time. We told the mom about the ministry that we have and the activities that we have for the children. She was very receptive to our coming. She has four children in total and there is a father who lives in the home. All I can say is what an incredible blessing for God to have orchestrated us going to her house. After her house, we went to her neighbor's house which was across from hers. The woman there did not believe in God either, but was not open to much conversation like Maria was. I ask that you all pray for these families, that they would come to believe in Jesus Christ and that they can see and understand how much God truly does love them. When it was time to say goodbye, my heart broke for those children and for the families that live here. Most are without shoes, live on a dirt floor, in a space about the size of a bathroom, with no clean water or food. Oh, how I can't wait for our next visit!

After that, we returned back to the ministry center. We had about a half an hour or so until lunch would be ready, so a group of guys, Ms. Carmen, and I walked down to the park. The guys played soccer and I talked to Ms. Carmen. She is an older woman, I think in her 70s, who cleans at the ministry. She lives right in the squatter's area. I had a really good conversation with her. She is a sweet, wonderful woman.

Saturday, was also spent at the ministry. We began the day with a devotion and prayer. Then, I got to work in the clinic with Pablo and Kevin. We had four patients that came in that day. We also put signs out on the ministry doors, so that people are aware that the clinic is happening. Each day truly is a new adventure and you never know what will happen or what you will have to do! I have something fun to share with you. Pablo has a motorcycle and brought it to work that day. I told him how I wanted to ride one, so after we finished that day, he drove me to the mission house. Let me just say that that was quite an experience!

Sunday, I returned back to Antigua. Today was the day the people here got to vote for their new president. This is the first of their voting process. They had 15 candidates who were running, so they were voting, to narrow it down to 2. The results of the winners are in and let me just say that it does not look good. Please pray for the people here, and for the new government officials as they can honestly make or break what happens here.

This is all for now as I am sure you all are tired reading! Have a wonderful day and a blessed night! Know that my prayers are with each one of you!!:)

I´m Back!

I have a few more minutes to update, so I will do my best to make it quick! I need to explain that getting access to the computer is a bit difficult here. I am using the school´s computers and I only have so much time on them and every time I want to get on, they are always taken. So, it is a hit and miss situation. I did bring my computer here, but after school it has been raining and I haven´t wanted to take it out anywhere to find a connection. So, please bear with me as I might be a little slow in the updating!

I have some exciting news to tell you! I am staying at the house that I stayed in when I was here in June! For those of you who don´t know, this is huge to me because the woman who lived there passed away about a month ago and I wasn´t sure if anybody would be able to stay there again. It was a God-directed event as to how this all came about. Last Thurs. when I came here, Manuel and I went to Antigua, to pick up Kevin and Ginny. While we were there we looked for the new house that I would be in, so I would know where to go on Sunday. Well, the house was in the southern end of town, in the boonies. I honestly did not feel safe and did not want to walk there in the dark. It was by a bunch of trees and very little lighting. So, Kevin and Ginny suggested that I stay with them in their new homestay because they knew that the woman had an extra room. I agreed to that. Sunday came and we went to that house. When the family showed us the rooms, mine smelled horrible. There was mold on the walls under the windows. The mold smell was very strong. I knew I couldn´t stay there, but right then, on the spot I didn´t know what I was going to do. I took the keys from the family, but told Kevin and Ginny, I would have to find somewhere else because I would be sick by the next morning. I am very allergic to mold. So, last time when I was here, I met two missionary woman who lived here. I called one of them and asked her if I could stay with her for the night and she was fine with that. She actually had an extra apartment-like building next to her where I could sleep. I didn´t have to pay anything for it. God is awesome! Then, the next morning, I wanted to walk to the house that I stayed at before because I wanted to see if anyone was there. I knocked on the door and the helper´s daughter answered it. I explained my situation and asked if I could live there for awhile. She said fine! I was so excited I could have cried! I went back to Mary´s house and got my things and moved in to my "old" room! Later that morning, Elsie, the helper came and when she saw me, she was so excited and gave me the biggest hug. Those two are amazing. Elsie´s daughter, Dominga, and her daughter now live in the house full time. There are also two students who are from Japan, who are staying at the house. I am just so excited and so grateful to God to be here. When I left last time, Carolina, the owner of the house, told me many wonderful words. Part of it was that her home was my home and whenever I came to Antigua and needed a place to stay, I could always stay with her. Little did I know then, how true those words would be for me now, even after she is no longer here. God is so gracious.

Spanish classes are going extremely well. I am loving every minute of it. Angelica, my teacher, is a wonderful woman. She is perfect for the level that I am at now. This week has been a bit challenging as I have had 7 hours of classes each day. This Thurs. after school we are going back to the ministry for the weekend, so I won´t have class on Friday. I was trying to catch up on my hours that I would be missing. It honestly hasn´t been as hard as I thought it was going to be. I do have to say that by 9;00 at night I am exhausted!

I also want to thank you all for your prayers and concerns for me and the hurricane. Thank God, it has been downgraded to almost nothing, so we won´t have anything to worry about here, except possibly some rain. That is a typical thing though as it is the rainy season here.

Well, my time is up on the computer. I am very thankful for this time to update and let you all know what is going on. I am thinking about each one of you and you are all in my prayers!

The Adventures have begun!!

Hola mis amigos!!

I have alot to update you on! Let me start by saying that I arrived safely into the City and was greeted by Andy, the man in charge here, and Manuel, the bus driver. We drove to Antigua, which was about an hour away and picked up Kevin and Ginny, who were studying. After that we drove back to the city and went to the mission team house, where we would spend the night. As you can imagine, we had a lot of catching up to do!

Friday, we began our day with a group devotion at the ministry center. Each Friday, the staff meets and does a Bible reading/prayer/song, at each of the places the ministry is involved in. It is pretty powerful as we get to walk down to the squatter´s area and sing/pray in the midst of the people who live there. The squatter´s area is starting to get a new look to it. There are political elections coming up next week, so a political party has been busy trying to "buy" votes, by upgrading some of the shantys down there, to concrete block, instead of the aluminum panels. It is quite interesting to see. I am thankful to see that some of the people are getting better housing. That is a blessing, regardless of the way it is happening!

The afternoon, I spent visiting people in the ministry and working with Kevin in the health clinic. Saturday I also got to spend time in the clinic, with Kevin and Pablo, the nurse. We were busy doing a bunch of organization. It was very enjoyable and lots of fun, trying to figure out which medications treat which diseases and which medications are for children and which ones are soley used for adults. I have a lot of learning to do in this area, but it is exciting to see the ministry being able to reach those who can´t afford to see a doctor.

I hate to cut this short, but my time on the computer is done and I will have to continue later! Sorry guys!