Happy New Year!!
Sorry it's been so long since I wrote an update. I'm doing well and having a good time. God has just been doing so much that I have been focusing more on Him rather than writing home.
So I will share what I can about what we have been doing. Though most of the spiritual journey is between God and I at the moment. Well and those that have been ministering to me. It's been amazing to see how God lines things up. Timing, places, people. Just everything. Before this trip I had been praying for clarity as to where He wants me in life. I have been restless with just living in the status quo. He has given me many gifts and I desire to use them to serve Him in everything I do. So He is molding me and directing me as the picture of my future in Him becomes more and more clear. Praise be to God!!! He is sooooo awesome!!!
So I left off the last email right before Christmas. We had wrapped all of the presents that Margaret and I brought down for a family that the Scheminske's are ministering to in Chimaltenango. So on the 21st we drove up there to deliver the gifts. We had a translator with us, Susie. There are 11 all together in the family. We handed out the gifts which they planned on waiting for Christmas to open. Then the story of how the presents came from Scheminske's church in CO to us in WI so we could transport them down. Taking time out of our lives and jobs to come bless a family we never met but knowing we wanted to share the love of Jesus Christ. The parents had gone to church earlier in life but now admitted to falling away. So the Gospel message was shared in a clear and powerful way. It was just amazing. Praise be to God that we had a translator. Then it was discovered that I worked with animals. When people hear that I'm a veterinary technician, in their eyes I'm as good as a vet...lol. So out of the woodwork came chickens, goats, a possum and a cat. For some reason the dogs that were wandering around weren't presented to me. The goats were surprisingly in great condition. The chickens were too... though I have discovered that giving chickens grit for their crops isn't practiced around here. So I have been educating everyone I can. Most of the time the chickens are confined to sand floors so they can't even get it naturally. I guessed the cat's age correctly. Though I was then questioned by the mother why it had it's fur fall out when you pet it. It was a white domestic medium haired cat. She was afraid that it was going to go bald. So I had to explain that cats shed naturally and in the States people will brush their cats on a regular basis so the fur doesn't get all over. That really struck me how there are so many simple things that people aren't educated about.
So after handing out the presents we went to the local indoor soccer half arena. It was the Guatemalans vs the Gringos. Needless to say they whooped us. Though I did score 2 goals!! Then we took turns defending the goal and getting pummeled by balls. I do have to say that despite the fact I couldn't use my hands (thanks to my splint) I didn't do too bad. When the dad would kick though I thought I was going to die...lol. No bruises developed though so it's all good.
Driving home back through Chimalt I was once again saddened by witnessing the red light district. Those poor women caught in that bondage thinking there is nothing better for them in their lives. So many of them hanging out of the doorways are so young too.
The next day I was sick so I stayed at home (Mossman's this time) while Margaret went back to see the kids at Hermano Pedro. So I guess of all days for me to be out of commission, it was perfect.
The next day (23rd) I was feeling much better. I read Matthew 4:18-22. Jesus was calling the first disciples... and the IMMEDIATELY followed Him.
We had a chance to go buy the lumber for the building projects we had lined up. When you go to the lumber yard here, you put in your order and then come back later. All of the lumber is rough cut so they cut it to the size you want and also plane it if you want. They use massive amounts of water during the process so your lumber is soaking wet and weighs a ton. It's all very interesting. It's also interesting to contemplate how long everything takes in this country. In the States we are use to instant gratification. But here, everything is a time consuming process.
Christmas Eve we went to Hope Haven. We are using their woodworking shop since the shop is shut down for the holidays. We got all of the wood cut for 3 beds and 3 desks. They are for the employees of HH who have basically nothing. We stopped in at one house to get some measurements. They are fortunate since they have concrete floors rather than dirt floors. But other than that they are sleeping on vinyl covered mattresses on the floor. After a long day of playing with power tools we went to the Christmas Eve service at church. Their tradition is after the service they serve tamales and fruit punch (traditional with pieces of the fruit in it). Afterwards we went back to San Cristobal with Denny and Phyllis. They have a great view overlooking Guatemala City. We heard rumors of the spectacular fireworks displays at midnight on Christmas Eve. Earlier in the week we had gone down to the marcado in Antigua to purchase a few things to add to the overall display. Fireworks are amazing here. You can get a 19 round repeater that shoots up in the air and explodes into a gigantic explosion. Almost the size of the professional displays we are use to for the Fourth of July. All for around $18. The comes the 10 meter roll of firecrackers for $5. Margaret got these crazy butterflies. You light them and they take off spinning and shooting sparks all over the place. The first one launched and landed safely and successfully. The second one took a much different flight pattern. It veered off of the street, over the neighbor's wall and had a magnificent display of sparks through their garage door windows. As we retreated behind our own wall we saw tail lights. 30 seconds after the flight of the butterfly the owners of that garage.... came home. Whew. So at the stroke of midnight I witnessed more fireworks than I have seen in all of my previous years. Words and pictures can't accurately relay how incredible it is.
Christmas Day we hung out until the afternoon. Then we headed out to the children's home run by the pastor and his wife of the church we have been attending while we are in Guate. Once again I had to check out the chickens. Yesterday at church I gave the pastor, Victor, a set of my animal care books that I have with me. They grind off the tips of the chicken's beaks here in Guate so they don't do as much damage when they peck each other. We met some other great missionaries at the dinner too. It was a giant turkey dinner with all of the trimmings.
The day after Christmas there was no church service so we basically hung out. Read our Bibles and books. Talked and watched football. I'm still reading the book Radical. It totally fits everything that God is doing in my life. We aren't called to complacency in our Christian walk. It has become so easy in America while we are pursuing the 'American Dream'. But we are called to so much more than that. I praise God for the people that He has put in my path on this trip to learn from and watch as they live out their faith.
Monday the 27th I went to the gym to get moving after a weekend of eating and sitting around. Then we went shopping for hardware and screws for our building projects while we were still in the larger city. After wandering around Antigua I will never complain about things that are "not available in Clintonville" at our local Fleet Farm. Our variety and quality is more than we could ever hope for. Later Denny and Phyllis took us to meet Bill at Rosa's Children's Home. He was going there to drop off firewood. So we were able to switch out the bunkbeds she wanted. When she had moved several weeks ago bunkbeds were put up that didn't have storage units that fit under them. So even though I didn't think I would lay hands on them again, we reassembled the bunkbeds we had made last year. It's amazing how light the afore mentioned water logged lumber gets around here after drying out...lol. We also had a chance to hang out with the kids again. Carolina is my buddy since we discovered we have similar names (my middle name is Caroline).
We made it back to Antigua in time to go to the evening YWAM (Youth With A Mission) service. It was great. The DTS (Discipleship Training School) team from Montana led the whole service. It was like God picked every single song and both messages to confirm what He has been telling while I'm here. He is such an awesome God!!! I had a chance to meet the people who are friends of those from my church who are going through the same DTS. They looked very surprised when I mentioned a name that they recognized.
Tuesday we headed out to Hope Haven to work on our building projects. We are getting pretty proficient with the use of tuk-tuks and chicken buses to get where we need to go. On the way over their we stopped at a house where several missionaries live. We had seen Samuel several times without a sweatshirt so we stopped to deliver an extra one we had along with us. He is a young man from El Salvador that is a paraplegic thanks to a random shooting 6 months ago. He is currently working and being mentored at Hope Haven. Since then I have seen him several times and he is always wearing that sweatshirt. Believe it or not. At 5,000ft it gets pretty chilly at night. I'm sooo going to freeze when I get back to Wisconsin in the middle January.
While we were at HH working on the beds/desks our new friend Dot came over. We met her at church and she also is staying at the casa de missionarios. She came over to use a secure internet connection. She was by the door of the shop and yelped all of a sudden. She had been stung by something. Now up to this point the only insects I have observed are mosquitoes and flies. I saw it since she had squished it where it had stung her. What ever it was it was half the size of a mosquito. You could literally see the swelling traveling up her thumb. She was also in great pain. She asked if I would pray for her. As I held her hand and prayed for the Great Physician to touch her since He is the best medical care we have while in a 3rd world country the pain began to go away for her. When I was done I looked at her hand you could actually see that the swelling had stopped. It was like a defined line by her joint where her thumb attaches to her hand. 5 minutes later I went to check on her and you could see the swelling had greatly reduced already. It totally blew me away. The day before she had told me of when she had just been up in the mountains where she ministers. She had been led to a boy who was seizing and unconscious. She prayed for him and within 10 minutes he was alert and sitting up. She is a nurse and figured from the symptoms he had and what his parents told her that he had severe strep throat that had gone septic. Why do we underestimate God's power so much? It's totally what I read in the book 'Radical'. Our confidence in the American Dream has diluted the reality of Christianity and our dependence on God.
So we also made two 4'x6'x12" bookshelves for Rosa's Children's Home. Larry, the one American at Hope Haven, looked at the bookshelves we designed and built. He commented that they look Amish grade and they would be able to set their engine blocks on top without them sagging. Lol. Funny thing is I didn't build them as strong as they could have been. Lol. We didn't feel like dodging traffic to walk to the lumber yard to get more materials. Margaret says it's like a game of Frogger.
Wednesday and Thursday were spent finishing our building projects. One of them was a drawing table for Gustavo. That was interesting building and designing considering the limited resources down here. But I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Friday (New Years Eve) we met up with our friend Dot. We headed out of Antigua to go visit the macadamia nut farm. We were ready for the breath of fresh air that was awaiting us out there. Dot commented that she didn't have enough Q (money) on her for the trip there and back. As we were waiting for the correct chicken bus to come down the road, a lady stopped and asked us if we wanted a ride. We all felt at peace about the situation so we hopped in. Come to find out she was a nurse and a Christian. So then she dropped us off at the driveway for the farm. After touring the farm being talked to by the ultra-liberal earth first anti-Christian owner we headed back out to the road. So as we were waiting for a bus another truck stopped. This time it was a guy that had been at the farm and saw us there. He was heading through Antigua back to Guate. So once again we felt peace and accepted yet another air conditioned ride. He was an engineer that works on machinery for the coffee industry. So in conversation Dot mentioned her sadness that Larry, from the macadamia nut farm, didn't know Jesus Christo. So in conversation he revealed that he didn't know Jesus Christo either. But was interested in Him. Unfortunately we came to the end of our ride too soon and he was on a time line. So we parted ways and said a prayer for him at lunch. We were kicking ourselves that earlier that morning we had cleaned out our backpacks which included the fact we no longer had the Spanish Gospel of John booklets with us. But God knows. He is seeking and we pray that He sends someone in to his path to continue to point him to Christ.
Well... I have more to write but we are leaving now. So I will be out of internet contact until the 12th or so.
God Bless.
Live life with purpose for Him!!!
Em
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From an illegal alien to a native citizen
14 January 2011
Greetings everyone!!! Wow. The last email was packed full of things and this one probably won´t be much different.
As I begin to write this I´m sitting at a bus station in San Pedro Sala, Honduras (and it will be finished back in Wisconsin). I know, I know. You thought I was going to be in Guatemala the whole time. Well.... when God opens a door you have to walk through it.
So let me back up to where the last email left off. New Years Eve. Wow. That seems sooooo long ago. After the trip out to the macadamia nut plantation we were back in Antigua. There we enjoyed a nice lunch together. It was just great having conversation sharing our stories and what God has been and is doing in our lives. Dot was enjoying the female companionship. Then we walked to the square and caught a taxi up to the cross on the hill (think Granite Peak/Rib Mountain size 'hill') that over looks Antigua. It's lit up at night and visible from anywhere in the city. It was fun over looking the city. It was cool considering that at the viewpoint of the cross up on the hill. When you are on the streets in Antigua you can't see any of the beauty that is behind the old crusty run down walls. But when you are up there you can see what is hidden beyond the walls. It's much like how Christ sees us. It also reminded me of 1 Samuel 16:7.
So then Margaret and I caught a taxi down to San Lucas to meet up with Denny and Phyllis again. The way our schedule has worked out we have had a pretty good mix of staying at Mossman's and Scheminske's on our trip.
So New Years Eve there were more great fireworks to be observed out over the city.
New Years Day was just a great day of conversation. I actually had a great time of being discipled by Denny and Phyllis.
Sunday we went to church. It's kind of sad that this is my last Sunday at this church. I definitely enjoy the pastor. I had a chance to give him a set of my books from CVM (both English and Spanish). His wife also took my email address for if they have more animal questions that the books don't answer. After church we stopped at Hope Haven to pick up the book shelves that we made. Rosa's is only one exit from Scheminske's so it worked out well. Plus they have a truck rather than trying to get them up on top of Mossman's luggage rack. So then we finished off the day by watching the Packers beat the Bears!!!
Monday we headed off to Monterrico. It's a black sand beach on the Pacific Coast that Margaret had seen in National Geographic. But also it is the get away for D+P. It was an adventure getting there. I guess there are 2 ways of getting there and we got to experience both of them. On the way back we drove over the bridge. But on the way there we come over the crest of a hill and see this old flat bottom boat with weather worn boards covering the floor. It was powered with an old 25 HP outboard motor. So lo and behold that was our ferry. The pictures I have from that are incredible. But interestingly enough I felt more at home doing that than even navigating the Antigua area of Guatemala. I also had a chance to see quite a number of mudskippers (Gobies) in real life. That was super exciting since they had fascinated me as a child when I was reading all of my nature books and magazines. If you don't know what they are, Google them.
The beach was great. It was a great time to spend with God and digest everything that has happened on this trip already. I got some good Bible reading, praying and book reading time in. Plus the night sky was incredible there. I always thought I could see alot of stars where we live in WI. But I could hardly pick out Orion in the sky because of all of the stars that were within and surrounding him. Amazing. Staring at the sky while listening to the roar of the waves crashing on the the beach just made you feel really small. But to think about how much God cares about ever detail of our life. It was just overwhelming. Psalm 8:3-4
Tuesday morning for some reason my body woke me up at 5:15a. So instead of laying there just listening to the crashing waves outside the walls of my room I decided to wander down to the beach. It was amazing out there. So I was alone walking down the beach as the sun came up. It's great because of where Monterrico is situated, when you are looking out over the ocean you are actually facing just about due south. So we were able to watch the sun rise and set out over the ocean. There were pelicans swooping down over the breaking surf looking for their breakfast. Coconuts, lemons, shells and pumas rocks had washed up over night. Along with an unfortunately plethora of trash. But I also got to see 2 'shooting stars', a flying fish and countless little crabs.
I had a chance to finish reading "Radical" and then started in to "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. I think they were looking at some of each other's notes when they were writing their books. Or else it's just the work of the Holy Spirit :-D Which I also did a Bible Study on that whilst I was laying in my hammock in the shade. We had a chance to do and built alot of things on this trip. But it is great how we also had a chance to spend quiet time with God as Margaret and I both seek His direction in our lives. Also we had a chance to build more relationships this time. Which is what we are called to do. Actually as I was sitting in my hammock I was thinking and praying for the discipleship house my church has just about completed. I pray that it will be used to facilitate many great things for the Lord in our local community.
I had a chance to release a baby sea tortuga (turtle) in to Pacific Ocean. It was a pretty cool. Especially since I am definitely interested in observing creatures in God's creation that I haven't seen before. The individual intricate and unique design never ceases to amaze me. Unfortunately I lost my sunglasses on that beach. The next morning when I realized it we ventured back there. But lo and behold, either Davy Jones or a set of sticky fingers are now in possession of them. This trip is note worthy though because on the way back to where we were staying, we had some traffic congestion in the village. We had the wait for the bovine with very large horns to get out of our way. You just never know what you will experience in a 3rd world country... well technically they have reached developing country status. When we got back Phyllis and I took a horse ride down the beach. It was another great opportunity to observe God's Creation and talk about the deep things in life.
We got back to Mossman's about mid afternoon. We went in to Antigua to get some supplies for the next portion of our trip. When we were waiting for a tuk-tuk to go back to the house I was offered my first weed. The boy who was offering me a 'high time' was only about 16 years old and spoke very good English. He just laughed and walked away when I told him I didn't need weed because I had Jesus.
So at 3am we woke up so we could get ready and in town for the shuttle to pick us up. Then we were on our way to Honduras. At the Honduran/Guatemalan border I discovered how effective everyone's prayers were when we had entered the country several weeks before. Remember we were worried that our luggage would be questioned because of everything we were taking down. So we were praying that there wouldn't be any trouble getting in to the country. The lady who stamped our passports had been on a very animated cell phone call. Well I discovered that saved me from a longer night at the airport. As the border official scanned my passport he had a quizzical look on his face. After scanning it a second time he called someone out of the nearby room. I was then ushered in to that nearby little room. Fortunately that official spoke English because at this time I was separated from Margaret. He pointed to the computer screen to have me verify that my identifying information was correct. As I glanced at the screen I noticed that my status was listed as illegal. After was seemed like an eternity everything was worked out though. What had happened is when I left the country in November 2009 for some reason it never registered in the computer. So their records showed that I had stayed well over me 90 allowed days. So I had to explain all of the travel dates from last year and this year. Fortunately when he asked where I was from in the States we discovered that we had a connection. He had lived in Sun Prairie, WI for 5 years. He also liked to fish in our lakes. So praise be to God without too much hassle he switch my status in the database and let me be on my way!!
Margaret and I spent our first night in Honduras in Copan. Since we had nothing better to do as we waited to catch the first bus out in the morning we went to the Mayan Ruins there. It was very interesting and made the ruins we visited last year look small and insignificant. It's amazing to think that such things were built before all of our fancy heavy machinery. The size and precision definitely impressed me. I also had a chance to see more wildlife. There were many guacamayas (large parrots) and huatusas (cousin of the guinea pig). I didn't see any tree sloths or monkeys which supposedly live in that area of the jungle too.
So we boarded the bus bright and early again to continue our trip farther in to Honduras. When we reached La Ceiba we switched modes of transportation. We were on a 152 foot catamaran for an hour and a half until we reached our final destination of Roatan. There is a children's home Sandy Bay Children's Home/Bayfield Children's Home that we stayed at for 3 nights. Though the we were really only there for 2 1/2 days since we got in super late. Don Shire is the president of the board of directors and had asked me to consider a full time teaching position there. We had a chance to talk to the director for several hours as I learned more about the ministry and the position. I fell in love with the kids and the island and could totally see myself living there. Plus they speak both Spanish and English. BUT... after much prayer and consideration, God has shown me this isn't where He wants me. Though it was a great experience. We also had a chance to experience a white sand beach to contrast the black sand beach we had seen just a few days before. Angel, Norlan, Destiny, Sandy, Danny, Edwin, Yui, and all the other kids definitely will be in my heart for a long time. Norlan is 12 and amazing. He has seen so much in his young life. He saw a man shoot a girl. Been beat up by his alcoholic father who eventually hung himself. He's experienced the affects of violence, drugs, alcohol and illicit sex. But after coming to the home he learned of Jesus and now hopes to become a preacher when he grows up. My 'Pray for China' bracelet started a very long conversation about Christians being persecuted for their faith around the globe. That was a concept he had never heard before and an interesting one for me to explain to a 12 year old. I had a chance to leave with him some of my Spanish Gospel of John booklets I had brought with me. I also gave Orsy (the director of the home) a set of my animal husbandry books.
So we headed back to the mainland on the last ferry of the day so we could catch the next early morning bus back to Guatemala. We got on the bus at 5:15am and didn't get back to Mossman's until 9:15p. There were a couple stops but they hardly counted. Fortunately there was adequate leg room, air conditioning and movies. BUT... staring at that blue chair in front of me got VERY old. Plus the roads aren't what you are use to in the States. They curve up and down the sides of the mountains. Through a plethora of villages with countless tumolos (speed bumps). Oh... and then there is the portion of unpaved roads. On our highway system the trip would probably take half of the time. We also witnessed another situation where God was clearing our way and watching out for us. When we were switching buses in San Pedro Sula we overheard that the buses going in to La Ceiba (where we had just come from) were delayed by a minimum of 2 hours. The cabs drivers were mad about something and had set up early morning road blocks. So at that moment I was glad that we had taken the first bus out. Even though it had meant another wake up call before 4am.
We spent our last day in the country taking one last trip over to Hope Haven. All of the beds and desks had been already distributed to their new owners. I had a chance to pick my present for the youth group too! From their we went in to town to meet up with Wally in front of Pollo Campero. Wally is a missionary that works with Mission Impact. He had seen my carpentry work and was impressed enough that he offered me a teaching position at the school in Santa Lucia. It is an amazing facility that is run very well. The focus is discipleship and education. You can't attend their educational classes without being in their discipleship program. Unlike Roatan, God hasn't given me a definite answer on this one yet. Plus Mission Impact has their roots in Wisconsin :-) So we shall see as God continues to lead me. I do know that I'm open to where ever He leads. He used this trip to let me see how easy it is for us to try and put God in a box with pretty paper on the outside. But He wants us to allow Him to do so much more. So who knows. I'm back in the land of snow and ice getting ready to go back to working with the youth group on Sunday and saving animal's lives on Monday. But even here I can continue to grown in my relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I can step forward in living radically for Him. (yes, I loved that book and it challenged me greatly)
I do know that although it is nice to flush my toilet paper, brush my teeth with tap water and even open my mouth in the shower. I didn't have a moment of homesickness on this trip. Even though it was a week longer than the last one. I felt sad that I had to leave my brothers and sisters that I had a chance to serve with and leave the people that so desperately need Jesus. Paganism is such a part of their daily lives. Wally told us that the trees along the road are painted white because it is believed to keep the insects off. Also he retold of the superstition that is still widely practiced of hanging women's underwear in the avocado tree that has stopped producing. It's believe that it will embarrass the tree in to bearing fruit again. Or even my experience of the lady in the village not knowing that cats shed naturally. Or at the children's home learning that they are actually instructed NOT to give grit to their chickens. But who knows where God will call me to in the future.
So even as I'm being challenged, I pray that each one of you will be too. Where are you at with Jesus? Is He in control of your life or do you have Him stuffed in a little box that fits in to your life with your job, family, house and overall comfortable American life? Are you listening to what the Bible says to be true or are you going along with the socially acceptable attitudes of today's American society? Are you living every day sharing the love of Jesus to the lost and dying world around us? Remember... we are created to serve God, He isn't there to serve us. He also desires that we live life more abundantly.
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. "- John 10:10
Now off to continue digesting everything as I move forward living life on purpose with Jesus at the helm.
In His Service,
Em
