Day 3... The expected/unexpected

I did not get much sleep at all. There were quite a few buses at the seminary when we got back the night before. Not sure what was going on but the people stayed up all night laughing, talking, and playing music very loudly till around 3 in the morning. I don't do well on very little sleep. Back to church for breakfast and prepare for another day out in Zone 12. We were beginning to work on our leadership book when Matt told us we would not be going out that day. Or at least till we had the OK to.

He then told us that around 5 AM that morning an Argentinian folk singer was on his way to the airport when the car he was in was surrounded by big rigs and repeatedly shot. He was killed and the concert promoter was injured. An anti-political group were the suspected murderers. They were claiming that they would kill a foreigner a day until their demands were met. Everyone of us were speechless and then someone started praying. The name of the singer was Facundo Cabral.

We worked on our leadership books some more and then were allowed to venture out of the church. In the street were kids from around the neighborhood coming in for awanas. The older guys played a game in the cul de sac down the street, much like hacky sack except with a soccer ball.

The guys 'waiting' to see who was gonna get hit by the kick.

We hung out, visiting with some kids from our group. Laura with Carmen (middle). You will hear more about them in another post.

The awanas kids.

We walked a ways down the street to a local park to play games with kids.

These three girls liked me taking their pictures.

After a game of dodge ball, we broke up into small groups to show the kids the Keys to the Kingdom. I was paired up with Colton S. The kids and some adults listened intently and had really good questions. They only know what had been taught to them in the Catholic church. They were listening with open minds, not yet set in their religion.

Later, we were finally allowed to leave our zone and so they took us to the mountains for a cookout. They grilled venison fajitas, um yummo! Unfortunately by this time, the heat had started taking it's toll on me. And in a place where a/c is as rare as ceiling fans, I knew I was in trouble. I had no place to lay down, cool off and rest. I stayed in the shade as much as I could and drank water the whole time. I just didn't want to ruin everyone else's fun. My headache was becoming too much to handle.

Roof top view.

The road leading to our rooms.

The ride back was not good for my stomach. I could only think about getting to lay down. Everyone started to get cleaned up because we had plans to go out to eat and bowling afterwards. I took a cold shower to finally cool down but still threw up.

Group shot.

At Pollo Campero, much like a KFC here. Laura's birthday was coming up so the employees made her flan with a single candle and sang happy birthday. One employee, Jasson, took a huge interest in Laura. He even gave one the pastors in our group his email address to give to her. Not sure that she has emailed yet.

By the time the night was over, my headache had subsided.

Black light bowling in Guatemala (me).

And Bri, trying to bowl left handed, tho she is right handed.

Day 2, Friday 7/8

The morning started off overcast and a nice breeze, but later the sun came out and warmed up quickly.

 Off the bus walking to the church in a zone. Zones are what we would call subdivisions. This zone is also gated with armed guards. There is one way in and out. It used to be the most crime infested zone about 10 years ago. The church came in and now it is one of the nicer places to live. Comparable to Pinnacle for us. The people still live behind the high, cinder block walls and razor wire in this zone. Some have broken glass mortared into the top of the walls. 

 This is the church, also gated with a steel door.

Inside the sanctuary, preparing for our first outing to zone 12. We were not allowed to take cameras so some pictures were taken by Allison, one of our group leaders.

My group included Nathan's friend Brian Swiggart and his youngest son Noah. I had mentioned to Nathan that I did not feel comfortable with Bri being placed in a group without me. I mean, hey, we are in a different country. This means different rules and such. I wanted to be with her just in case. So, she was put in my group. Our first stop was lead by Brian and he used the 'Keys to the Kingdom' as Noah read the corresponding scriptures. We had a translator which helped tremendously. The lady we spoke with was running a business out of the front of her home. It was like a mini mart with sodas, candy, personal items, and produce. She did not seem to want to talk with us but eventually listened. She said she did know who Jesus was but had never accepted Him into her heart. Let me tell you what an experience it was to be there while this lady prayed to accept Jesus as her Lord and Saviour. It was a very moving moment. We asked if there was anything she would like for us to pray for and she said her country and family. We then offered her a Spanish Bible. At first she did not understand that it was a gift and kinda thought we wanted her buy it. I did not understand her language but I could understand her expression. Our translator explained that she could just have it, we did not want her money and then her face showed show much gratitude and took the Bible.

 Above is our second stop at another mini mart, about 2 doors down from our first stop. The lady there really did not want to talk with us because she did not want to lose any customers. We asked if we could take just a few minutes to tell her about our God. She agreed and then other family members came in. By the time we left, 3 family members prayed to accept Jesus and asked us to pray for work.

Looking into the mini mart/ home.

We walked down about two doors down and there was a homeless lady sitting on the curb by herself. Our was the last on this block so she had been passed by. Matt, our other group leader was standing by so I asked if we were allowed to visit with her. One of the translators quickly went to Matt saying something and then came back and told us we could talk with her. Bri showed her the Keys to the Kingdom as I read from the Bible. She was grateful that we visited with her. The translator seemed to think she was not mentally stable and was not understanding what we were telling her. We prayed for her, gave her a Bible and some money. The whole time, residents were walking by looking at us like we were crazy for talking to his woman. I will never know her story but I know her name is Marlene and so does God.

We knocked on several more doors but by this time children were coming home from school and families were preparing for lunch. Which meant no one wanted to talk with us. We drove back to the church for lunch. 

 

 View from the third floor balcony. The black 'tubs' are cisterns for water collection and were found on a few roof tops. The houses were right next to each other with small yards.

Another third floor view looking down at the roof of the kitchen which is separate from the the main building. Directly behind this building is about a 100 foot drop. This zone was built on a plateau that almost completely surrounds the area with one entrance. A lot of these zones are built like this for protection.

Youth Mission Trip- Guatemala

Day 1

Boog graciously drove us, along with Grace and Sophie to DFW Airport (they provided us some in car entertainment). He dropped us off at the same terminal we took Lena to. I have to admit, I was kinda emotional about that. Anyways, we self checked in and waited around for the rest of our group to arrive.

 On our way to DFW Airport.

 Self check. I'm a newbie.

We started thru security where we had to take off our shoes and place everything in bins. I walked thru detection just fine. Waited on my backpack, carry-on, and shoes to come thru. It seemd to take a little too long and then finally they came out. A guy came over and asked if he could search my back pack. Of course I let him. I didn't have anything to hide. I'm sure I can't be the only person who takes anti-diarrheal and pepto on out of country trips. He asked if I had anything breakable or sharp. Nope. He finished up and said he was going to run it back thru the scanner. Nada, so I got my backpack back.

 Waiting to board.

Laura and I had seats close to each other and a lady was nice enough to trade spots so we could sit together. The other seat was occupied by a young guy from Spain. I figured we would be sitting together for a while so why not introduce myself. I am not much of a people person and really don't like talking to strangers, ha. I forget his name, which is typical for me, but he did say he was flying to somewhere in Central America to translate for another mission trip. Apparently he does this quite often. Now that I think about it, I should have got his picture. Oh well, next time.

The plane started moving and taxied over to the runway. It felt really weird then all of a sudden, with no warning, the pilot threw it in gear and we went into blast off mode. Then we were rising. I felt like I was on a roller coaster at Six Flags. Not fun. It really messed with my head and I couldn't focus. I know the guy next to me was thinking I was either crazy or drunk, take your pick. Finally we leveled off only to rise higher to get above the lovely turbulence. These planes do not sound like they are built very sturdy.

 
Right after take off.

The ride went by quicker than I had expected, which was good. The landing was quite unexpected. Since Guatemala City is down in a valley, the planes have to come in high over the mountains then drop real fast to get low enough. The runway was wet as we came to a very abrupt stop. I was bracing myself on the seat in front of me trying to keep from hitting it with my face. After a few check points later we made it out to get picked up. I knew we were riding a bus, but...

 Our suped up, pimped out, Chicken Bus, the Maria Patricia.

 Yea, she likes this!

  With a flat screen TV, based out, and lights. We even got to watch Cars 2. Not sure how??

The trip was a little rainy and crowded. Our driver knows his calling, transportation, if that could be a calling. It's worse than driving in Dallas. We drove to Seminario Nazareno. The armed guard opened the razor wire gate and let us in. We unloaded our stuff and walked down a hill towards our rooms. Then up a flight of stairs, down some stairs, up a really long flight of stairs, into a building, and down two more flights of stairs to our rooms. Yea, I was breathing hard.

  Our room. There were 2 more bunks on each side of me out of the picture.

After getting instructions, we walked back up the two flights of stairs to the main hall to eat and greet.

Being goofy and eating Domino's pizza.

The first night was very long. The shower was ice cold well water, I literally shivered and it was pointless to have shaved. I have never been able to sleep in a different bed other than my own. No A/C, no fan of any kind. An open window allowed some air flow along with mosquitoes (they love me) and lots of sounds. Barking dogs, birds, a rooster at 3 in the morning (no sun yet?) and loud, repetitive popping sounds that I prayed was only blackcats being lit. Oh, and Laura talks in her sleep. 

Guatemala

I guess maybe I should post something from our trip. I really wanted to do it while we were gone but I was advised not to take my phone or my good camera. So I was a little disheartened after we arrived and everyone else whips out their phones and cameras. Oh well, we only had Internet at the church and we were there at random times the whole week. I did take a Sony PSP that has wifi to post on FB when I could get the chance. Problem with that is the PSP doesn't have a 'keyboard'. I had to toggle around the number pad to type out anything and that became cumbersome. (One guy told Bri her mom was so cool cause I had a Sony PSP, ha!)

The next few posts will be from my notepad that I took with me to write down our events and my thoughts for each day. And of course I have to include photos.

Ugh!

I have been attacked today.

Spiritually and emotionally. 

I should have expected it.

On our way to take care of last minute things, I was listening to 94.9 as Bri drove us to Corsicana. I told her before we left that I thought it was a good idea for to drive instead of me. As I was sitting there thinking about all the issues that came up today (such as the dog deciding to eat cat food and then throw up in his box, or not being able to find Rance's shoes before I met my mom to drop him off, feeling guilty for leaving Rance while he may be getting a cold, and some other little things that really started to add up), this song came on at just the right moment:

Of course everything didn't work out as well as I had planned after that, but it reminded me what my focus should be on.

 God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,


Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.



Now faith is assurance of [things] hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

I'm back...

...for a trial run, to see if the unwanted visitors are gone. Spam really stinks. And maybe even some of the kinks got worked out while I was on a hiatus.

As you know, Lena has been gone for about a month now. It has been a bigger adjustment with her leaving than when she first arrived. We all miss soo much. I will try to keep everyone up to date on her and her family, mainly her mom. She has had four treatments now which still make her very weak and tired. Please continue to pray for her health.

It is summer but I have yet to slow down enough to feel like it's vacation time. This summer will more than likely be a staycation. The pool construction has slowed a bit. Right now we are waiting for the ground to be smoothed out and the inside of the pool to be finished, then the fence around the pool. Also, to have the pool filled. Not sure how long it takes to fill +/- 20,000 gallons.

VBS was fun and tiring. Lots of work went into getting everything ready and everyone did such a great job. Problem is, I really dislike taking down the decorations. Not because of the work, but because all the creativity is gone. It literaly makes me sad to see it go. Thanks Kasey for keeping some of it up for a little while longer. 

Soon Bri and I will be headed for Guatemala. I have mixed emotions about this trip. Naturally the thought of leaving behind your children is difficult for most moms. We are travelling out of the country. Not real sure what to expect for that. Just praying everything goes smoothly. Flying alone is a big issue for me. I was in first grade the first and last time I flew. That's over 30 years ago. Yea, gave away my age on that one. I am looking forward to doing our part in helping get a new church started. We will be doing lots of walking. So far the forcast has been high 70's and low 60's and rain the whole time. I went ahead and bought some ponchos just in case. And I plan on using them. Rain or not, I am ready to get out there and walk, visiting door to door. And giving our testimony. So, please be praying for safe travels and lives changed. Hopefully, I will be able to post here or on FB to keep everyone, who wants to know, updated. I am unable to use my phone and it was highly recommended to just leave it at home. I went without it the whole week of youth camp, so I will be somewhat OK doing it there. Somewhat.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame...

It's that time of year again and I am excited!!! Softball was my favorite sport out of everyone I played. So when my kids play now, it brings back memories of my games. Briana started out playing t-ball and Trevor coached her team. I wanted to but I was pregnant with Colton at the time and just did not have the energy. This year is Rance's turn and so far he is really enjoying it. This age is soo much fun to watch. No score keeping, everybody bats, and everybody plays. Just laid back and have a good time, with the exception of some who just don't want to be there. A little bit of crying and lots of playing in the dirt. Rance likes to race to get the ball so he has been moved back behind everyone else to try and give some of the others a chance. He must get his speed from his mom. ;)  

Rance and his new friend Jack. 

Looking like Kinsler. 

Very fast boy! 

Third baseman...my old position! So proud! 

The futures so bright, I gotta wear shades.

Just a little clip of his first game. Sorry for all the background noise, it was very windy.

I had no choice...

Never thought I would have to do this, but with all the spam I get and unwanted visitors, I am posting my blog for invites only. I will do this on a trial basis to see if I can get rid of some followers, I guess you could call them that. In the mean time, if you know of anyone who reads my blog and did not get an invite, please let them know why I blocked it. Nothing personal to you all, my friends, and blogging buddies. I have had some really inappropriate stuff pop up on here and a follower or two who just needs to stay away. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Fort Worth Zoo with Exchange Friends

Lena's exchange group had their last meeting at the Fort Worth Zoo so we packed everybody up and left bright and early Saturday morning. Well, maybe not bright, but it sure was early.

Rance didn't want to touch the snake at first but he finally tried. 

The girls from around the world: Germany, Italy, Poland and some others but I forget. 

Prairie dogs. 

The boys climbing in one side of the bear hole. The bears were all asleep tho as were most of the animals that day. 

Not sure about touching the starfish either. Bri told him it was 'Patrick' so he touched it. 

I decided to try the climbing wall even tho I wasn't too crazy about climbing up that high. It looks easier from the ground. I got about 3/4 up and ran out of spots for my feet. I guess my shoes were too wide. And it was quite tiring trying to hang with my fingertips. Now my shoulders are sore.

Bri recorded it all so I did a little editing for your viewing pleasure.