Most of Guatemala has poor plumbing. Our house has good plumbing, thank God, but we are the exception. In most bathrooms here, you cannot put your toilet paper in the toilet. You have to put it in the trash can. Jamie the Very Worst Missionary talks more about this subject on her blog, too.

Recently I was in a building where I could not flush the toilet paper. I don’t know exactly how to say this, but on the way to the trash can some “stuff” got on my pants. I literally thought, this cannot be happening to me…I tried to wipe it off, but it was not working…and after using paper towels and soap, I got my pants cleaned off.

Now, I am sure you are wondering, “Why is she telling us this horrid story?

1. So you can laugh at me.
2. So you can thank an American plumber.
3. So you can see that sometimes when we go where God wants us to go and do what God wants us to do, it gets messy. God didn’t promise that it wouldn’t be messy, He just promised to be with us.

To be honest, often my Spanish is even messier, but I’m working on it.

“He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:28-31

(Mo)

The other day, Todd and I were walking around Antigua. The streets are uneven cobblestone, everyone speaks Spanish, there are all kinds of people: many poor, some well dressed, some who approached me in the streets wanting me to buy their goods. I passed one store with unrefrigerated slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling. There are no street signs, no street lights and cars do not stop for pedestrians. There was nothing I could see that made me think of home.

I told Todd, if I were here to visit I would say, “It is an interesting place to visit, but I don’t think I could live here.” But guess what, I do live here.

I’ve been thinking A LOT the last few days and I have come to this conclusion: If I look at my Guatemalan house, the view, the yard, the people, the streets, the food, etc… I can be very satisfied. If I compare it to where I lived in the States, which I must remind myself was my home for many years, I am not satisfied.

Why do Oreos have to be expensive? Why do women with children have to beg?
And then the questions get bigger: Why would God call me to live here and let my friends stay in Northern Va.? Why do more churches not feel called to minister to the poor? Why are there so few schools here that kids can only go to school 1/2 day with another group going the other half? Why do they have no textbooks when Loudoun County has 2 sets for every kid? Why does Coke Lite taste different than Diet Coke?

In one week, the biggest thing I am learning is to keep my eyes on where God has me, not where he HAD me. I’m learning to enjoy the Guatemalan things in front of me and not think about the Northern Virginia things behind me.

What is God calling you to be satisfied with? Your current house? Job? Spouse?

My prayer for my own life is Philippians 4:11-13 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Just as a side note, In Virginia I slept in a queen sized bed, here I have a king.
In Virginia, I had a tiny bathtub, here I have a jacuzzi bath tub.
In Virginia, I wanted to learn to speak Spanish, here I am.
In Virginia, I had a not so great view out my bedroom window, here I see a volcano and landscape that can take my breath away.
In Virginia, I wanted to have to rely more on Jesus for the day to day, here I can’t get out of bed with out Him.

(Mo)

This whole day (Monday) has been surreal. Emily woke up at 4 a.m. this morning,sat straight up and said, “I am so excited!” From Josh driving us, to the guy who loaded ALL our foot lockers on a cart, to the lady who didn’t weigh them, to the security guard who said he’d put zip ties on them…the morning could not have gone smoother. Todd got us from gate to gate and after a lay over in Atlanta, we were on the plane to Guatemala.

As we were getting ready to land, the flight attendants passed out immigration forms to be filled out by each passanger. LOL! Those of you from Destiny Church will be proud, I passed out Destiny pens to all the people around me. This older looking Guatemalan man, in a cowboy hat, motioned to Clay for help. He deferred to me and I used what broken high school spanish I remembered to help him out, eventually taking his passport and filling out as much of the form as I could. What struck me was that the form was both in Spanish and English. It hit me that he could not read it. It was then that I looked at Todd, totally choked up in tears and said, “I am so glad we are here.”

I love Jesus and education. And my thought has always been, if I teach people to read, they can read the Bible! so i asked this man to come live with us….ok that is not true.

We made it through the Guatemalan airport and were greeted excitedly by Forrest and Carol. While getting all of our stuff loaded on the ROOF of the car, we talked to an airport employee who wanted to practice his english! He says he is studying at the university.

The ride was interesting, traffic is crazy. Guatemala City was poorer and more crowded, and much sadder than I was ready for and I wondered what people would think when they came to visit. We stopped at Pollo Compero, and got dinner to go. They have one in Herndon but for those of you, like me, who have not eaten there, it is like KFC. When we got to Antigua, we were awed by the sites of ruins that we drove by. Then we arrived home, once again I cried! The pictures do not do it justice. Our home is beautiful. God has given us a place to do ministry and a place to feel safe. The architecture is an added blessing. This house has amazing character, unlike any I have ever seen, with gardens and balconies.

Our stuff was unpacked and we were welcomed by an amazing young guatemalan lady named Wendy. She lives an hour away by bus and before helping in the houses, had never seen a washer and dryer. However, she does know how to weave cloth and that is an art I cannot even begin to attempt.

It is the rainy sesson, and today it poured. Many things in the house feel damp, but was very cool and comfortable with no air conditioning. There is a fire place in the living room and our bedroom. This is for when it gets cold outside, since there is also no heat. Every floor is tile or cement. And we have the Disney channel, in SPANISH!

Forrest and Carol have already been irreplaceable to us and for that we are grateful! Wednesday Estuardo takes us to Price Mart, Friday the kids can go to a youth group event and then next week we start language school!

Is this overwhelming to read? Try experiencing it all in one day!! But God is gracious and we are trusting Him. I promise not to write this much every time, but let me say this….we went around as a family and prayed in each room of our new home and I can honestly say, if you don’t come and at least visit, you will be missing out on an opportunity of a lifetime.

We love you guys,
Maureen

Thanks for finishing out the month of August in prayer with us:

August 21: Please pray for those in Guatemala that are continually impacted by earthquakes, volcanoes, mudslides, and hurricanes (and random sinkholes!)

August 22: Pray for the Church in Guatemala to reach people with the message of Jesus. Help us find a local church in Guatemala that we can call home.

August 23: Lift up Central American Mission (CAM) and Wycliff Bible Translators and their work in Guatemala.

August 24: Pray for our family and friends back here in the states, that they would continue to lift us up in prayer even after we are gone and that these relationships would remain strong.

August 25: Please pray that we would make new friends in Guatemala and that those new friendships would limit our homesickness.

August 26: Please pray for our family of five: our hearts’ desire is that this experience would draw us closer to Jesus and to one another.

August 27: Pray for the teams that will be coming down this next year to work with us in Guatemala.

August 28: Please pray for Maureen, her adjustment to a whole new life, a new school year without going back to the classroom, and to overcome any depression or anxiety.

August 29: Remember to pray that God would use this step of faith to continue to strengthen our marriage.

August 30: Please pray for safe travel as we fly out today to Guatemala at 6 a.m. today! Pray that our bags arrive at the same time we do!

August 31: Remember us as we experience our first full day in Antigua, Guatemala. Pray that we would adapt quickly!

We can’t wait to share with you how God has answered all 31 of your heartfelt prayers! Thanks!