First Week Back

Last week was my first week back in Guatemala, and boy what a week it was.  I woke up at 6am on Monday morning to find the downstairs flooded because of a burst pipe in our hot water heater.  That hot water heater was nothing but trouble from the beginning.  It was always breaking down at the most unconvenient moments.  So, I wasn't surprised in the least to find that the hot water heater was the source of Monday's unconvenient adventure. 
While I was ankle deep in water, sweeping it outside with a broom, the phone was ringing off the hook... the missionaries I work with wanting to know when they would see me, a call from the States from a missionary who will join us later in the year, and Francisco wanting to know how I was faring with the cleaning process.  The carpets were soaked, the food in the pantry was soaked (the hot water heater is in our pantry), and anything else you can imagine was drenched.  And wouldn't you know that there was barely any sun last week.  It even drizzled a coupe of days!  So all my drenched rugs and such took a week to dry out!!!!!
Eventually, the downstairs was cleaned and dried.  And then to tackle the job of unpacking.  Sorting donations from personal items, sorting clean clothes from dirty, and all the while on the phone with the ministry base and checking e-mails in an effort to get settled back into a routine. (and all the while trying to convince Corban not to unsort what was already sorted!)
Tuesday was less hectic... a trip to the ministry base for a staff meeting and to take some of the donations I brought back with me.  Wednesday was a day of errands and shopping.  Getting the ministry running again after a six week break means a lot of shopping for supplies!  We desperately needed a pressure cooker, when I saw how much I had already spent and saw the cost of pressure cookers I made a quick decision to purchase a small one.  Unfortunately, Alfonso and Yoli informed me that it was OKAY but that we really need a larger one.  oooops.  And I thought I was being economical!  Well, we will just have to make that one work for now.  Thursday I was back at the ministry base all morning for more sorting of donations.  And finally Friday!  Well, I need to buy some things from Office Depot.  If I spend a certain amount (which I am sure I will) then I can get free tickets to a petting farm.  Perfect!  So my idea was to take my 2 year old.  Well, it drizzled!  So I stayed home and tried to catch up on office work instead.  Am I caught up?  no.  It seems I never am totally caught up. 
That was my first week back home.  Next week will be full too as we plan to visit homes and take the donations of clothes we have recieved.  Pray for us, that we will have safety and wisdom as we visit and pray for "our families".  Pray for wisdom as we plan for mission teams we will receive later in the year.  And pray for Chrissy, Alfonso, Yoli, and Trini as they get geared up for our first classes of the year.

starting a new year

I have just returned to Guatemala after a quick trip to the States.  It is amazing how 3 weeks away can feel like a lifetime, and yet now that I am back (not even a full week) it almost seems as if I never left.
The whole team is looking forward to a productive year.  Chrissy and Alfonso have done a great job with the home visits so far.  They are applying what Alfonso has learned at the University (he is studying social work) to make files on each family.  We should have a more complete understanding of each family in our programs after this.  Monica's family donated a TON of clothing that we plan to distribute as we visit homes next week.  And it is never too early to start thinking about Mother's day, mission teams, and end of the year events.  We started January RUNNING!
I hope you will pop on here every now and again to see what we are up to and to pray for us.  Each day on the mission field is full of new challenges, and new opportunities to see God at work.