Let the baking begin....

last years goodness minus the chocolate chips... as divine as these were , I must say that chocolate makes "goodness" heavenly ... 

Living in a country where gift giving can be a little limited... there is only so much indigenous material one home can hold. Actually, I LOVE the material from here and as touristy as it can be at times my home is full of it too. And so.... with the holidays here ...what better gift to give than the inevitable gift of pounds ..( no one wants to come away from the holidays being the only dieters in January ) and so , as we did last year, we (I ) mostly , will commence to bake our 40+ loaves for gift giving. My absolute favorite topping is a combo of chocolate chip and roasted walnuts..... divine.... and so, let the baking begin !

Happy baking !
M

Pumpkins, fireplaces and travel .... beinvenido Novembre(welcome November)

I feel like I should start off saying... " Good morning America !"...why? I have NO idea. It just feels like it should be a chilly day, leaves on the ground, smell of a fire in the fireplace, pumpkins, fall festivals, oh...the list goes on and on and my "Fall feelings of home in America are pungent today. BUT today it's a sunny 80-ish day, no signs of pumpkins and for sure , NO leaves ! Too funny ! Therefore, I am demonstrating with my own protest to lack of fall weather and listening to Christmas music ALL day ! It's just Grace, myself and the "little guys" here anyway and they all love Christmas music as much as I do and so it won't be a violent protest, just my own to say that I 'm so thankful to be here but pumpkins and leaves and a little chilly weather will always have a place in the Southern girls heart at the first part of November..nothin' wrong with that right?

Speaking of those of us here in Guatemala listening to Christmas music... the rest of my crew , plus my father in law and (according to  Tyler's prayer the other night) the "grey headed people" (I'm sure they would love that..I'll leave their names out to protect the innocent. They ARE from our home town) ...anyway, they are headed home today from installing 50 homes with water filters. Some of the homes were as much as a 5 mile hike up into the woods of the mountain. I can't wait to hear their stories. For now and today I just wanted to see if while I am "protesting" with music celebrating Jesus's birthday (with GREAT JOY) I wanted to see if anyone who stops by here today would pray for travel safety for the team as they drive back. They are in our family car and while the brakes definetly work they are also definetly not the best . They ended up having to take our family car literally at the last minute and therefore, it had not been tuned up. Those of you who have made that trip are probably between shocked, fearful and cracking up......between animals, people, bicycles, motos, tuk-tuks all driving amongst each other ..and I do mean "amongst" in an each man for himself style unique to Latin America, they could use, and I would so love you standing in the gap with me for their safety today !

Muchas gracias de Guatemala !
Mel
* please graciously overlook my spelling ... my spell check is apparently on the fritz and possibly protesting with me today (smile) ...it doesn't appear to be clocking in for duty! 

This morning I woke up at the VERY early hour of 4:45 -ish. This has become a regular thing for me for about the past 8 or 9 months. I get up every morning drink coffee, read the Bible , journal, pray and generally get my brain collected before my 3 " tornados " rise (smile) .... Usually, I have my water that I drink before my coffee (FYI : it takes 2 cups of water to hydrate yourself for every 1 cup of coffee..important info for us high altitude gals addicted to coffee) and I didn't do that last night. So , this morning I wondered down stairs , in the dark, eyes VERY much still closed... took a mason jar (couldn't find my water bottle in the dark) and filled it with water...in theory it should have been clean... it was sitting with the clean dishes anyway.... Slowly, I am drinking my water, sitting under my comfy quilt, warming myself by my lamp (smile..it's cold here in the morning) , my eyes are opening.... i've drank all but the last inch of water in my little jar and YIKES ...there is a WORM IN MY WATER ! YUCK!!!!!!! That'll start your day off weird... I was rushed with thoughts of....was he alone in there? what kind of worm is he? We generally have to deworm ourselves from the food here but we NEVER have to see the worm ! ... YUCK!!! Well, tornado #1 wakes up , aka Tyler, I told him about my worm.. he checks it out....(long pause)..... hummm..... long pause again.... " i think your okay mom for 2 reasons.... he's just a baby and i think he's only sleeping" .... oh!!! okay..... boy, i wish i'd spent the last 2 hours thinking of it like that Tyler.... my stomach would have settled long ago....

No wonder God ask his children to walk in faith like that of a child... if a worm in your glass can be justified because of size and stillness... just think what our REALLY BIG issues in life would look like if we just took a long pause and saw them through the eyes of a child.... we'd probably end up with a really DIFFERENT perspective....

Here's to" baby" worms and only "sleeping" insects in a jar full of potential for your day ,

aks.... the 3 tornados... they appear very calm don't they ? 

Mel

Touching base... we're having a blast and staying busy !

Just wanted to touch base for a quick second. This past Thurs. our family welcomed two different groups of people staying in our home.

Anna is a precious new friend that we picked up at the airport on Thurs. We had met her this past summer on a team trip with Food for the Hungry and she has returned to Antigua for a term of language study . We were blessed to have her in our home over the weekend which at last minute turned out to be a girls weekend... very quiet and lots of chocolate and salsa... David was traveling in the community with our friends Matt and Eli. Since Eli was our boys age , Dave loaded up our two little guys and they headed out with the "big boys" to Nebaj. Although a little nervous ... they were hiking up the mountain to look at a future water filtration project , the future of David being able to work with our boys more often kept me smilin'. (Pics coming )

Today, we are off to check out a childrens museum and a wood oven pizza place in the city. Tommorow Matt and Eli travel home to the states . What a joy to have been able to host them in our home... wanna come?

Just a quick fly by to tell anyone who reads this that you are SO loved by me today ! Honestly.. i just love you ...don't need to know you. Everyone needs to hear that first thing in the morning... in my opinion... Have a great day .... ours is incredibly busy today and should be filled with much joy and i hope that yours is too....

Love and sunshine from Guatemala !
m

Yes ! Here Comes the Sun....

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting( the mud is finally drying and damaged highways are being repaired) 
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
It's all right.. 

That's right... it's a little bit o' Beatles this morning here in Guatemala. Celebrating the beginning of summer here.. yep, that's right .. schools are out for summer break this Friday. Just in time to celebrate "All Saints Day" ( story for another blog) , Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years .... kinda weird huh for those of us who are used to fireplaces, winter coats and the flu shot about right now.... Unashamedly , I leave you with this song in your head for the rest of the day to please remember our country as we recover from our "rain season". We have had the worst season in the recorded history of Guatemala. SO MANY have lost their home, lively hood, hope, etc. David was telling me over the weekend that it has been so damaging that Food for the Hungry is looking into restructuring our outreach to the communities because SO MANY of our families simply will not be able to provide food to sustain their families,...ie, children and elderly will suffer the quickest and most tragically. 

So... coming to the Lord with great JOY for what has been done here in Guatemala, what he is doing in Guatemala, and what is to come here in Guatemala... I leave you with a little diddy from the eight track days... if you don't know what an 8 track is ....well, find it on I Tunes and enjoy! 

* pink is my paraphrase in attempt for it to apply to Guatemala* all in fun....

Sunbathing in Guate (spiritually speaking anyway...i'm actually fixing to start a little CRAZY LOVE Bible study with my older guys... it's gonna be a great day ! )~ M

Welcome to Paradise......

ok... so, we're probably NOT in paradise (that , in my opinion actually will come after life here has fleeted) and every hour is NOT all happy BUT it is with great wonder, joy and awe that TODAY this sign felt appropriate . When I found this sign in a little quiet spot in the middle of nowhere, life to me at the moment was far from paradise and every hour felt like 10 on a treadmill going much faster than my legs could ever move. Today, is exciting! We have nothing going on (that's exciting) ... it's FRIDAY( that's exciting) ... Cooper is no longer in the city but instead only a mile or so from our house now with friends who love Jesus (that's exciting) ... Cooper loves to be independent and loves Jesus (that's exciting )... Jacob is training and stretching his body to lift and be incredibly fit before he leaves for school very soon. He looks great and his dicipline with food and training has left me speechless at times PLUS he loves Jesus (that's exciting ) ... I dyed Graces hair a redish -brown color the other day. This was my first time to even crack open the box of hair color and I didn't ruin it.. her hair looks amazing. She loves Jesus (that's exciting) .... David is dying to have a moto here in Guatemala and I was able to lean over in church this past Sunday and in an instant share with him that I no longer held that in fear.. If he wanted a moto (motorcycle) have at it ..with JOY (that's exciting).... and so , as usual, it is in the little things that God is moving like rushing water in our lives... his grace and vision for our family comes down the river and hits the rocks of doubts , splashes and flies up into the air with a great hushing sound and when it comes down it lands on our lives with a resounding crash of accuracy and intention...... we serve no small God amen? ! And so I leave you with this cozy little sign that I found in the middle of nowhere .... WELCOME TO PARADISE..WHERE IT'S ALWAYS HAPPY HOUR ~ at least in the perspective of eternity and isn't that what this is all for anyway ? !

Rain... and more rain

David, the children and I headed about 2 hours south of our home about 2 weeks ago. The damage to the roads and homes was really aweful then...now, we are just coming out of Matthew and it is only being magnified. Lots of folks are dealing with trouble reaching ministry sites on the outer skirts of the city due to horrible and non existant roads that were fine just 2 and 3 months ago. Please keep the country of Guatemala in your prayers as we stay "a float" for the next 2 months of rain season and then the journey of repairing. 

this is the drive into the place we were traveling to 

can you see the chunk of road missing to the right of the road... this is far to common on the outer skirts of the city right now due to all of the rain that we are continuing to have. Please pray for the safety and refuge of the Guatemalan people as we still have 2 more months of our rain season. 

this is a road and homes about 2 hours south of us. There was so much water in the homes and yards that almost everyone had canoe type (dug out tree) style boat in their homes to use.... we can only imagine the illnesses that are harboring there...misquitoes, snakes, rats, leeches , etc that are multiplying where so many elderly and small children (the most likely to suffer) are playing and resting. 

A Great Visit

last day together.... San Martin...home made bread, black beans, eggs w/  green peppers and onions and lots of coffee 

Grace .... quite silly for so early in the morning.

NO! Don't go !!!! 

okay... you're family is patiently waiting ..... have a safe flight Steph and a wonderful week... Thanks a ton for the visit ! 

 Friend Stephanie was just here for a long weekend and we had a blast ! There are no photos because basically we sat in front of various fire places scattered along at our hotel, ate amazing Guatemalan food, drank tons of coffee and TALKED a TON! We topped off the long weekend by taking Jacob and Grayson to a movie, Frozen..Death on a Mountain. Grayson and I had our heads in Stephanies shoulders for most of the movie as it was really graphic and bloody... (basically 3 skiers get stuck for a week on a ski lift and have to fight off hungery wolves..why did we choose this???????? because we live in Guatemala where if it snows it will be with the Lords return or something and so why be scared very long over it) while Jacob who wants to pursue a medical career in orthopedics and Steph who has served time in the ER profession never missed a beat of it... this morning we drug ourselves to the local bread store for coffee and yes, more delicious food ..this time our company was Grayson and Sarah Joy. We then scooted off to the airport , said our good byes and took a deep breath realizing how much God smiles on friendship ....  I loved it God ~ thank you !

A Great Night

Last night we hosted 3 other families who are serving here in Guatemala in different capacities. These are all fairly new families to us. The Lord has brought them all along our path more closely in the last month or so. We all have older kids the same ages. What a huge thing this has become and we consider it even sweeter because as parents we are all building wonderful friendships to. There were also some children here from families where the parents couldn't come and so in total we had about 30 people for lunch and the last of the crew left our house about 8:30 and we'd started at 1:00....needless to say, we all were a hungry bunch and the food was very secondary.... I had prayed , as did David , that the Lord would begin to use our home here for hospitality and encouragement for anyone and everyone... what a blessing for us to see this begin to happen. We have been serving here for 16 months now and one of the other couples had been here for 16+ years (the husband has been here  a little longer...but as a couple 16 years) ... they have so much going on ministry wise and it was amazing to hear of their vision and the tools the Lord has used to put it all together.... For those of you who have been praying for , especially in the area of connecting and receiving support from around us, Thank you !

So, with all of that being said ...i'm off to start our home school day. We are entering in our second week and things are going so well.... we are so blessed ...to blessed to be stressed yes? yes!

(Sorry , no photo of the group... meant to the whole afternoon but it didn't happen)

So Proud of David

Just wanted to pat David on the back here amongst friends... David had the opportunity to speak at the UN (yes, the United Nations) on combating world hunger on behalf on FH Guatemala. SO PROUD of him !

Apologies (again) and updated photos

 Again, I must start off saying ...so sorry ! Better late than never with our anniversary photos. We had a wonderful time in Antigua, Guatemala. David treated me to a two night stay there in one of my favorite places in the world...so far (smile! ) 

The happy couple ...yes, we're officially 20 years old together.  Gracias Senor para mi esposo. (thank you Lord for my husband! )

coffee...beautiful AND tasty ! 

loved the artwork INSIDE my soup..almost to pretty to eat but hunger won out and it was just as delicious as beautiful. 

I really should have taken a photo of the rig up I had to do to take this photo. I had my camera balanced on creamer and salt shakers , camera on it's tippy edge..me hoping not to breath to hard and hence the camera would have fallen onto the tile floor. Obviously, it all worked out. 

Some pretties from the hotel grounds

All of that beauty for 65$ a night.... gotta love it ! 

This was taken at a coffee plantation where we had breakfast. This precious lady makes tortillas to order...Divine... can anyone with a gluten allergy shout out AMEN with me for CORN tortillas freshly off the grill ....devine!

our beautiful sauces and those delicious tortillas housed in a little canvas baggie to stay fresh and warm....making you hungry?

This was my SWEETEST, LOVEY present .... i bought this sweet puppy off the street from a vendor using some "sock money" that I had put aside for our family to use when the Lord prompted me....for anyone who really knows me , you would know that it was the Lord because I have a deathly fear of dogs.... !!!!! can't say it strongly enough... however, i have now turned over a new leaf and not only own a dog but she is with us all day long in our home.... we named her eslobon . in Spanish that means "missing link" ....who knew that so many of our aches of home could be quenched by a friend with 4 legs ! ...

Have a blessed day! There is so much more to fill you in with....stay in touch~ M

20 YEARS!!!

Today, my wonderful, amazing husband took me for his bride..... never has a greater gift been given to me ! So, what do you do for a 20 year anniversary when you've only lived in a new country for one year... I have NO IDEA and am so excited . The day will be a total surprise. I 'll let you know though with lots of photos hopefully.

Have a wonderful day... i know that we will. Also, it should not go unsaid, thank you for everyone who prays for our marriage as we serve overseas. We are stronger, better and more in love than ever and are certain that we have many to be grateful to for considering our marriage in their prayer time ! Let's all keep it up for each other !

Happy Anniversary David ! 

Happy Birthday Jacob !

Happy 16th Birthday Jacob !

You are dearly loved ! 

Jacob, you can wear dreads well...

 you are handsome....

you are loving....

you are an important part of our family and ministry here in Guatemala ...

and so talented .... thank you for sharing your gifts with us and others.... Dad and I are looking forward to what God has for you this next year....something tells me .... it's going to be GREAT! Happy 16th Birthday Jacob... we love you !

Grass cutting 101

Jacob cut the grass for me this week... he does such a great job and is so patient. We don't own a lawn mower and our yard is so small that we are able to cut it with yard shears. Gotta love that !

Honesty ....

Today, I am sending flowers to myself. I'm sure that I'm not alone in having seasons in life where you hurt deeply, feel lonely and just overall insecure in who you are and what you do as a parent, wife..in my case ... overseas servant of the Lord. I have battled blogging, posting , calling, writing anyone who could give an ear and honestly, sometimes some things in life are just to deep and personal for such a broad scope of expectation on people to understand... David tells me that people are still reading our blog... i wonder who those very patient people are (smile) ... I am grateful for you all... 


And so today I am sending flowers to myself. My flowers represent the beautiful in life. They represent the hope that rises from ashes. The beauty of color that contrast with dark days. They represent life to it's fullest and most profound days that we are given. I am certain that there must be a reason to be in a new country with new EVERYTHING and to recline alone in the arms of those you've been with everyday and the arms of Jesus alone. As I type that .... I have to wonder why would I desire to go anywhere else? 


For so long I think that I have not been able to really cry for the growing pains that we have walked , run , hiked and drudged through. I can't help but think that if I start I may never stop and where is the beauty in that? I read this morning of Jesus crying out to the Lord to let his cup pass from him and yet if there was no other way then so let it be... Lord, I want that to be my greatest victory in trial.... that I would come to the place in life where even though I am dreadfully discouraged, afraid or  alone I would find solace and comfort in the hour that you bring me to total surrender ... that in realizing my cup does not hold for the moment the things of great joy, energy and excitement that i would still accept, drink and rise again to say with confidence .... i don't want this Lord. I don't like this Lord...but if it has to be... so be it. Knowing that my sweet Jesus has flowers and victory waiting for me... and since he is the cultivator of life, the gardener of all roses... I can be confident that EVERY flower in Guatemala has been given to me... How much more beautiful they will be also if I receive them the very day that my savior returns for me and this life is vanished and I am surrounded by the beauty of Jesus that this life has not yet depicted to me ...even in the most beautiful of nature. 

I would covet your prayers for strength in difficult days, rest from the aches of sadness, energy and focus to continue to serve my family when I'd just rather sit down and cry. Thank you for not needing the "what in the world are you talking about " from me. You are all family to me and to us all. It takes a great deal of love, believing and appreciation for honesty to go before the throne for a brother or sister. Therefore, my flowers are for you too today..... if you are aching and needing Jesus to sit with you and hold on to you so that you are not able to run I am praying for you today. If you have been asked to drink from a cup that you know is bitter and unwanted by others and with great confidence you know that your father has asked this of you... drink and know that you aren't alone... loneliness, discontentment, pain and insecurity are not ours to hold onto.... but instead, confidence, strength, contentment in trial and companionship are ours . Choose it!  I am ... thank you for your ears today. May we all see life today as a beautiful bouquet of flowers...the good, bad and the unwanted. 


Love to you all from Guatemala,
m

I've found an art store ! Hurray

This is what I painted to go over Tylers bed. I promise, it's not crooked on the wall. I must have been tilting my head ...luckily it was only while I took the photo and not while I was painting...

This is the one that I painted to go over Eli's bed. I really loved having some projects to work on while David was traveling and am looking forward to throwing some more paint on the walls !
Keeping you "posted",
M

Jumping Around..August Birthdays...so far

Eli wanted a lunch at McDonalds and a McFlurry instead of a cake.. at 7 years old, can you blame him? 

everyone came out to sing..Shrek is the huge, new thing here..hence, the Shrek hats

birthday hugs

they guys..minus Cooper who was dearly missed and in the states 

Me and Grace

Me and the Birthday Boy...so handsome! 

Funny story... last year David turned 40 and had a horrible (no kidding) birthday. This year we were determined to redeem the day. Things did not go as planned and the first part of the morning was a challenge...to top of a rocky morning for the Birthday Boy our van overheated on the way to church and therefore crash and burned on the side of the road (it died on us last year for David's birthday) on our way to church. It did come up for air and managed to get us home. We joked about putting on a sign on the road saying that it was a gift for whoever could afford to keep it bandaged and we were off to get a  new car....we jumped all 7 of us into our trusty Civic and headed to the mall... here it is... the car that David got for his birthday.... well, not exactly... but it was parked in the mall where we had lunch, David pulled out his keys for a photo opp. It was a much needed comical relief.... while we were doing this the 3 little guys thought is was super cool and Jacob and Grace disappeared only to be found once the camera was back in the bag....to funny ! We ARE getting old ! 

Jacob and Birthday boy #1 

more Shrek ears.... 

the Evans men (Birthday Boy #2) posing...... the Shrek ears in the back really set the photo.... don't you think?

Catching Up...starting with our trip to the beach for Fathers Day.

Ahhhhh......a face lift for our blog AND photos ! Not just any photos either but ones of our amazing time getting away for Fathers Day to Monterrico on the Pacific Coast.
photo: David in his MUCH deserved lounge chair totally chillin' 

another shot of the beach... we loved the pool.. you could just look over the edge and there was the Pacific Ocean

the kids loved swimming up to the counter and getting FRESH , JUST SQUEEZED OJ 's .... 

looking up at the sky with coconut eyes... 

isn't the sand beautiful ! It's very rocky and HOT.... seriously used caution with the kids ..sun screen and SHOES

the pool man found this little guy in the filter...hummm....wonder how he got into the filter? I guess he was on the bottom of the pool with our toes ! 

how strange.... round three.... it was just not that long ago when our FIRST three were making the same jump from the side of the pool .... adoption is an amazing journey ...a blog for another day.......hope your day is sunny and full of righteous waves !
love,
M

It seems like I say...

It seems like I say that we're "coming up for air" a lot on here... maybe I just think that a lot. But tonight, it truly feels that way. The summer months have been both a blessing and a fury of things to do and places to go....at least for David and our older children anyway. David has traveled   almost 4 weeks out of the 10 we've had since June. (whew!) Jacob and Grayson have also. They have been to the states on a mission trip and then traveling some here in country with FH. I can remember our pastor having dinner with us and saying "it's wonderful to have company but are you guys sure you're up for all of this ? " At the time I had NO idea what it would feel like to say so MANY hello's and goodbyes. The actual act of everyone being busy was fine but my goodness .... our heart strings resemble something a cat has gotten hold of ...especially after saying goodbye to parents (David's ) and his family's home church the week before last and then our home church last week. When we attended our missions training in Colorado before heading here our leader said this, "you know you've loved well if saying goodbye hurts." .... I pray that everyone who has come our way this summer has felt the love that we indeed have for each of you , your husbands, your wives, your children ...anyone who has come our way OR been sent our way. Our hearts have had so many bandages applied in these last weeks that we could hold up a building (at least in Guatemala - jk) with them all.... Praise the Lord we have our memories to tied us over until we all meet again...either somewhere in God's world or in heaven one.... Eli was praying tonight and made a truely simple but profound statement... Lord, I love you...I've always loved you....and so... I love you Lord..
I loved this because it's just that simple most days... Lord, you have our love because it's just there..it's who we are ..who we were created to be....

From Guatemala...goodnight with love,
Mel
Ps...our signal is still so slow that I cannot post photos.. I'll keep trying (promise)...

Trouble Posting Photos

Uggg... I would feel REALLY horrible that I haven't posted in a month but I'm thinking that summer is like this for everyone.. especially us mom's. Here in Guatemala we are CRAZY busy... David especially. Since the beginning of June , David has had many teams and been gone for several weeks. We are having two teams come these next two weeks and he will be gone again. This is all very new for us and I am struggling at times to keep us with it all... counting it all joy but still adjusting to ALOT of change !

I can't seem to load some of our  photos tonight . I had thought that it would be fun to share some of our photos from July of last year when we'd first gotten here but I'm not having success tonight . I will continue to try to post our current photos .... we took David to the beach for Fathers Day (we are just 2 hours away ) and we had a blast... nothing like a trip to the beach in the states but then again, why should it be? We're in Guate. Black beaches, crabs in the pool filter and hammocks in the shade... great time !
Hoping to share photos soon,
m

Checking In...

Just staying true to my commitment...not much new is going on here... well, that's NEVER the case but I have nothing new w/ photos....BUT I'd thought you'd get a kick out of funny things Tyler and Eli said the other day :

Tyler : (back ground: Papayas are in season and so I am buying them by the pounds and pounds. They are cheap and you need to  acquire a test for them for sure but because they are super easy to grab and cheap we're eating them A LOT! ) Tyler comes into the kitchen the other day and puts his bowl down on the counter ,walks over to me and sighs (BIG sigh..) mom, did you know that small, white, American boys do not like "applepaya" ? .... cracked me up.... don't know where the apple comes from but he puts it in there !

Eli: comes into the kitchen ( can you see a pattern with me being in the kitchen for BOTH stories? -smile) ... he says...mom... i love (pause) i love money. I say : oh, you do? ... Eli: yes, but I can't serve two masters ... (pause...my jaw is flopped open ) .... so , ..... (pause) I will choose Jesus. WOW ! I say: Eli... I think you are going to be VERY rich !

Too funny !

* We have just celebrated 1 one of service here in Guatemala. Sooo thankful !

* We are in for a CRAZY whirlwind of a summer and would be grateful for your prayers and thoughts . David is traveling A LOT and LOTS of folks are coming here... can't wait.

Havin' a great day and hope you are too.

m

What a WEEKEND!

 We have had quite the weekend ! On Thursday night, the volcano closest to our home erupted . It had been raining for a few hours (not unusual.. it's rain season here ) but then neighbors were outside and everyone is looking into the sky.... pebble like stuff was coming down with the rain. Turns out it was volcanic "ash" ( more like finely made black gravel to me)... very bizarre. It had the feeling of a snow storm in the states but it wasn't cold at all and instead of wet clothes there IS black stuff all in our home and in our hair... little tiny pebbles of sand like material... really WEIRD ! Then we received a tropical storm on top of that with no time to recover from the damage caused from the volcano. Many people have died and many have lost their homes. Large pieces of land have disappeared into the earth below surface level... very bizarre.... Most all of this kind of damage has been far from us. We are grateful however, because this storm was being told to us by the Embassy on Friday as a potential cyclone... we really could have received far worse than what we did... I can't imagine needing to evacuate our country but found myself wandering just how that would even happen... our airport was shut down due to the volcano the day before. We have only had to deal with the "ash" from the volcano but then there was massive amounts of water too. Fortunately for us we are on an incline and our home nor the others in our area were damaged. We are grateful to everyone who even had one second of a thought towards our family this past weekend... we actually were able to have a very peaceful weekend among a country that suffered much while we were dry, together and unharmed. Hard to understand how we deserved to be spared from so much so close to our door but except the truth that we just weren't meant to understand it all.....

Much love from the beautiful country of Guatemala... Serving Jesus with you ~ m

How Embarrassing !

How embarrassing that I haven't posted ANYTHING in almost 3 months ! Yikes ! Has that much time possibly gone by ?

Just for the sport of publicly saying how sorry I am , I'll throw out some completely EMBARRASSING stories on myself ... just to bring total humility to the table and then I'll get back to posting often and with photos again. A long one (but hang in there ...it's embarrassing) and then a short one and one super quick one !

EMBARRASSING story #1: David and I went to a local hotel in the city for a Sat. morning date. We were going to have breakfast together and then hang out and swim for a couple of hours...no big deal right? The ONLY thing that I had to do is to switch from breakfast clothes to swimsuit..WELL,.... I headed up to the locker room for my quick switch and noticed at the front of the entrance that there were boxes and "tools".. I thought,... strange... but kept on going... a little sheet rock dust was wafting in the air..is that a saw that I hear? bizarre. But starry date eyed me went through the doors and out popped (seriously) a MAN from the showers ! Relax, I saw nothing... he had heard me coming and popped out his head from behind the divider wall to say in Spanish that he was so sorry. The locker room was under remodeling and he would walk me out...NO NO NO ...no necicito senor ! gracias ! OH MY !!! should have read the sign that was probably posted at the bottom of the stairs...yikes ! My first thought, as I was dying laughing inside, was ...wow! I'm finally feeling culturally adapted because it was funny instead of violating that a man was naked and in the girls locker room... I'm sure that he had no water or shower in his home and hey... i'd jump in there too if I were him ..covered in sheet rock dust... yep! I'd have done the same thing... THIS GETS BETTER..keep reading ! So, I go to the registry office to let them know that men are in the locker room and I need to change for the pool. Where should I go? He hands me a room key looking thing and points with AMAZINGLY rapid Spanish. I nod in total assurance that I COMPLETELY understood what the card was for and walk in the direction of his finger realizing that the direction was the ONLY thing I was sure of ...what in the world is this card for ... I check out the first restroom..no place for a card ...I found an employee who was cleaning the bathroom and asked what this is for... noticing my pearly WHITE skin , she didn't even try Spanish but took me by the hand and pulls me down the hall ( very politely) to the elevator and POINTS inside... OH, I go in there ? .. so, dumb me did... at this point, I'm beginning to wonder if more coffee and conversation would be just as good as sun and water with mi esposo? hmmm.. once on the elevator I take advantage of another WHITE skinned person assuming that she spoke English (notice the HUGE amount of assuming that is going on in this story..hmm) She did speak English.. we compared cards and yes ! this was surely a room key... my word ! They are sending me to a ROOM !!!! I really don't know about things now. At this point David is FAR from me and I don't know what else to do but push through my situation. The elevator stops and opens and I think I had my eyes squeezed shut in fear to what I might see ...yep, just as bad... it was a floor being renovated...naked men? ...possibly...serial killers? ...possibly... Dumb me... I braced myself and kept going....it was almost as scary to turn around. There surely must be someone following me...at least a goofy tv show saying I was on camera..this doesn't really happen to people. I went to my numbered room on the card, popped it in..light turned green, opened the door and ALL of the furniture was covered in white sheets ! I threw the locks on the door and pushed every piece of furniture against the doors, jumped in the shower. I was so scared that I decided to scrap the rule to shower before entering the pool and throw my suit on... I jumped out of the shower and NAILED my rear end on the shower edge, jumped up and threw my clothes on , asked the Lord to forgive me if I killed someone if they walked in or popped out of somewhere and SCRAMMED..... once I met up with David again, I was laughing sooooo hard that I think I added 10 years BACK to my life.. it is so good for me to laugh at myself and in this culture I pretty much am doing it daily ! ...... lesson : read ALL sign when in a foreign country and assumptions can lead to sore rear ends !

EMBARRASSING story #2... David and I needed to quickly shoot into a copy store.. photo copy some things before David needed to catch a plane for the states ... we were in a hurry to say the least. We pull into a shopping center, I glance around, thinking that I've found a copy stored based on two familiar words in the sign..laser and copier.. I dodge in , CERTAIN that they can photocopy Dave's work... When I approach the desk she tosses me a laminated sheet of paper. I am giving her my professional , self assured look of yes, I speak Spanish and it is a pleasure to be in your business space today..glance down and notice that she has given me a sheet of MANY naked people !!!!!! WOAH

Embarrassing #3 .. We were having Internet installed FINALLY after not having it recently for 2 months (hence, the partial reason for not blogging) . The company has a HORRIBLE reputation for taking forever and so when they phoned to say that they were on their way... I was beyond EXCITED!!! I answered the phone and the man said, "is this the home of David Evans ? (meaning to say yes, this is his wife ) I practically screamed... YES! this is YOUR WIFE!!!! Grayson about croaked ! MOM!! You just told that man that you were HIS wife ! .....lesson : breathing and thinking will ALWAYS be one of the most important things we do .... especially in that order and when done BEFORE speaking !

Wishing you all a day filled with much joy and the pleasure of learning to laugh at ourselves.. ,
m in guate !

Work and Play

These are the beautiful women of Nabaj proudly displaying their new business. This is a new experience for them as they develop into small business owners and their families become sustained on their God given talents.   David and I have the privilege of walking them through the development of their business and teaching them to recognize this , the fruit of their labor and most importantly their talent,  as the work of the Lord . 

Candles being made by the women. It is a group effort and everyone contributes.

David spending a day with these ladies teaching them biblical and practical principles of small bussiness.

This is a display that the women made to store the candles before shipping them to markets here in Guatemala and your homes.

Our friends, Matt, Beth and little Eli were able to travel and see the ladies recieve their first income from their hard work. It was wonderful to see their reaction when they realized that not only had they made a profit but they had also paid for their equipment and now own it....free and clear. They sounded like birds chirping..everyone talking at once

Then we were off to the zoo for spotting ( no pun intended) really cool animals. We love the zoo here. It is so clean and the animals are really healthy.

Next, we traveled to a birthday party where we cooked meat over coals and had rice with cheese. 

And lastly, we traveled to Panajachel. We jumped in a boat and headed across the lake for a 30 min ride.  This is one of my favorite things to do.

The lake is very dangerous to swim in but completely beautiful to look at and to ride across. You head

straight for a volcano and then.....

 

a wonderful little village where all kinds of goodies are sold ...you have to be in the spirit of being shark bait though... EVERYONE has a great item and a special price that day...

Thanks for a great day Matt and Beth. Also, we couldn't have found our way without the kids friend Dan. This was a really special day. 

Enjoying the breeze from inside the boat. 

David , lovin' the sun...hanging out with our little guys...precious. Days like this gear us up to get back in the grind of things and we are grateful for the chance to see other parts of the beautiful country that we serve the Lord in.... taking others with us is always a huge perk too.