We could not be happier for Clint and we are all so excited to have Holly in our family!
(a little behind-the-scenes wrestling)
What a beautiful weekend all-around...beautiful bride, beautiful weather, lots of darling kiddos & celebration of GOD bringing this couple together!!!
We got to eat lunch in this Guatemala home...love the story of the legacy of the family living for generations for the Lord!
So fun to finally meet Amy after much e-mailing back & forth & me well, I went with the missionary "look"...I had been waiting for a time that I would know for sure that the water wouldn't shut off part way through my shower and I decided to give up on waiting for a time to be assured of hot water. Water, what a sacrifice...is it on, is it going to be hot, is it clean to drink, did they wash my vegetables in it...the 1000 questions on our minds...just for the week, can you imagine living like that? http://buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com/
This is Pastor David, it was a joy to get to meet him. We were unable to attend a worship service at the Spanish church...they were not meeting Saturday because of a day of prayer & fasting & Sunday they were headed to a more rural area for many baptisms...very exciting!
As previously mentioned this is our wonderful driver & translator...Jose...most of his time is spent helping his mom run a missionary guest house.
This is Mariellyn, she works with ACSI, she is like the life-blood of keeping things going in Guatemala for the Child Sponsorship end. She does a fabulous job! And the 2 ladies with her represent Guatemalan teachers at the Christian schools...rural & city...they serve the Lord by serving the kids!
And this would not be complete, without some of our own personal heros...we got to meet up with Zach's foster mom...she & her daughters took AMAZING (like doting on him every moment kinda care) of him until we could come pick him up! She is one of our life's answer to prayer...we couldn't be there with him, we could not have asked for more amazing care & love than she provided. And needless to say...she couldn't have been more thrilled to see him "all-grown-up"...it is the 1st one of the all the babies she cared for through the years that she got to meet later.
This is one of her daughters that had been living at home & cared so much for Zach to...and her husband . And this is the same green couch, where we 1st saw Zach sitting with Dora...and here he is not just a baby anymore!
This is called a "Tuk-Tuk"...it had Brian & both boys & Bethany & Cristina & the driver in it...pretty handy little 3 wheelers
We got around some by boat, the most beautiful Lake Atitlan...it is much quicker to go by boat across the lake than around it...it is a nice ride in the morning...but we learned the hard way not to go across in the afternoon...the winds pick up & it felt like "Jesus Calming the Storm" waters...if you notice the 2 boats above...some how we managed to get about 15 people and all of our luggage and a few drivers in to cross the lake...let's just say we were thankful they had the 2nd boat available...it was to have just been ONE!
And when we say all of our luggage, this is how our family started out...thankfully many of the suitcases were donations...but we still had our share of "stuff"
Taking the van, each town/village along the way had a different "flavor"...it was amazing
Us, when we arrived in Guatemala...it had been about a 2.5 hour flight to Miami & then about 2.5 hours to Guatemala City...we had a lay-over in there, but it really is not that far away & it is on Central Time...so that helped make it "do-able"
We were happy to see Mom & Dad in Miami, several of our "legs" of travel overlapped...so that was a treat
You can see here the stoney road in the village, incredibly uneven to walk on in spots...and lots of BEAUTIFUL things to look at along the way
This little guy had carried this load of firewood on his back, and we thought it was hard for us to walk
And wherever you go, there is someone trying to sell you something...let's just say we ended up with LOTS of little woven bracelets sold by precious children...you can never have enough, right, because they also work well as bookmarks ;) Not sure if the kids in the villages had ever used hand sanitizer before, we were giving out "squirts" left & right & they thought it was hilarious, they could rub it in & then ask for more, they followed us to the boat trying to get more "squirts"
The kids using their feet at Eagle's Nest on a pile of gravel
There are no "drive-thrus" in the villages of Guatemala...so this was one of our 1st stops to eat out-of-the-city...let's just say its not "fast food"...not fast, but very good...this lady was making fresh corn tortillas right by our table (this was a nice restaurant with clean bathrooms, amazing bonus ;)
And all of our travels would not be complete without showing our faithful driver. A wonderful Godly man, who translated not only the language but also the "heart" of Guatemala as we saw it.
This is "advertisement" it goes through the streets shouting things over the loud-speaker.
This I have to say is one of my favorite parts of the trip...several days Ellyana got to nap in a crib & all the rest of the days...she "needed" to be held while she napped because we were on the go...it was a treat...and yes, we are making plans for the bottle to go "bye-bye" now ;)
With a long layover in Dallas, the kids enjoyed just stretching out & watching the airport activities. We were blessed by getting to see more people we know at the airport as we waited to leave again for home...home sweet home...it was a blessing to be back!
It was great fun...joining in a basketball game
Steve & Brian got this room painted
Sitting forever while this little orphan girl just had fun running back & forth giving me crayons & coloring a little bit
Organizing a store room, I didn't end up getting to work that much in here (the reality of bringing a 3 yr that still naps)...but it is a great reminder...if you do "GO"...ask what you can bring...what they can do with what you bring is amazing!
No vacation is complete without shopping & what fun to buy from those who NEED to sell.
We had this idea to paint the girls' nails...took us a little while to realize it but the orphan girls were taking the polish off as fast as we were putting it on, so they could have another chance at the "personal time". For those who left it on, it was fun to see how proud they were coming into school the next day of the special colors they had picked out.
Getting to see the newest precious bundle God brought to the orphanage.
And playing LOTS of soccer with the kids, Brian & the boys got in on lots of this fun. Soccer is the Guatemalan National sport & the Guatemalan kids were good...they were happy to have someone to cheer them on!
It had been awhile since God laid it on our hearts to go on a trip like this (we read David Platt's book Radical a few years back). Not sure how much we "accomplished"... got a few jobs done & hopefully showed love to lots of kids in Guatemala. Our kids were a huge part of this, the connection they made with kids came so quickly it was amazing to watch. And it is SO good for us as a family to see those who do life with less...nothing adjusts your thoughts on the "American Dream" as a trip like this.
Our precious, Gervin, we have sponsored & prayed for him for years! Poor guy had the chicken pox but still came to meet us! He is a sweet boy, what an amazing privilege to get to meet him this side of heaven!
This is our good friend's sponsor boy, Wesley, what a cutie!!! Our sponsor boys go to school together...it is a very rural area, not the best facilities but they are well-loved & taught about Jesus!
Some more of the kids that are sponsored through our church, all just darling!
On Friday we went to a different school & my cousins family got to meet the girl they have sponsored & her mom. They also got to go and see their humble home near the school.
And at the school on Friday was my brother's family sponsor boy...what fun to get to meet him & his class!
God showed up & we wouldn't have missed it for the world!
