Glimpse In My Door

 I have been trying to talk myself out of writing about grief. Grief is a very delicate subject. Everyone grieves differently due to our nature. What I write on grief is my perspective. What you believe very well may be different and I expect that. The reason grief has been on my mind is partly because in the last two weeks we have had 3 funerals to attend. But grief is not always the passing of a person. One thing that has stuck out to me while living here is we all grieve in the same language and can find comfort in the Bible. Walking to the Cemetery  Some things to consider - Listening and not giving advice unless you know them well, works best. If you give advice, make sure it isn’t just your opinion unless you preface that beforehand. It feels like you aren’t doing anything when you tell the person you are praying for them. I understand. You can ask, "How can I pray for you?" Or is there anything I can help with? If you want to be a safe person – you need to hear others,...

My mind has to many tabs open and words aren't flowing off my fingertips. I have been mulling over what to share for this month's wrap up, nothing will conjure up. Perhaps it is because too much water has gone over the dam since my last post.  So, the following content is in no particular order but has happened in the last month. I hope the next time you hear from me is a bit more put together.  Girls Day Four times a year a couple ladies from church plan a day bringing young girls together from 4 different areas. They plan activities, incorporate memory verses, couple sessions discussing the Bible and share meals. They had 35 girls attend. I enjoyed seeing everyone have such a lovely time together. Tristan had the job of driving us all to Pasaco where it was hosted this year.  El Chal I went to Spanish School with Miss Oberholtzer earlier this year. I got a chance to visit her teach and that was a highlight. She has her hands full but does an amazing job.  Tristan's...

The last month or so I have been mulling over the question, " What is Guatemala like?" I was asked that a couple times and each time I paused not knowing what to say. I still don't I have an answer. To those of you that have answers, please help me. :)  Tristan and I needed to renew our visas so we visited some friends in Belize. We enjoyed our time and being able to catch up on each others lives. We ladies grabbed some amazing coffee one afternoon and then helped the men clean buses that were sold or going be listed to sell.  Coffee Time The other week I was preparing for company. I had mopped my porch and sat down to wait for it to dry. I look up and there was my neighbor lady. She had a bowl with water mixed with laundry soap and her broom with a T-shirt over the bottom of it. She proceeds to mop my entire floor while I watch. She wanted me to know how to actually mop. I wanted to laugh the entire time. My floor was very clean and shiny after the two washes. In case yo...

 This past weekend marked 3 months since we moved to Guatemala. I can honestly say it has been a wonderful 3 months. It does feel like we've been here a lot longer than that though.  We both are finding a new normal since we have moved to our house. Tristan is helping at the clinic and school in Oratorio. He often plays football (soccer) with the students much to their delight. With his daily interaction with the little guys, I enjoy seeing them sidle up to him and chatter away. Tristan can hold conversations quite well since he has been able to speak Spanish with people on a regular basis. He has had a couple devotions in Spanish.  I can't understand any Spanish which makes church services a patience building process. A couple of the missionary ladies will sweetly write notes down for me in English. Then I can read them and get a glimpse into what the sermon is about.  I am teaching Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. I am very grateful I was given this ...

 Last Monday, we had our first night at our home. It feel so good to have a place called home. We are delighted with the house we are able to rent. We have wonderful shade in the middle of the afternoon.  Front of Our Home My Kitchen I am finally able to cook for Tristan and I. It makes my heart so happy.  Cake the Neighbor Lady Made We couldn't have been given nicer neighbors. Our neighbor lady makes and sells cakes. We were gifted one of her delicious Tres Leches cake.  We don't have good water supply where we are living. The water is turned on at night. They allow us to be connected to there water tank so we have water during the day. There are so many God moments and we feel so unworthy of there kindness. The neighbor lady told us we will know Spanish in no time cause she talks like a parrot. (Talkative) We have been invited to there son's 18th birthday party. She says there will be a lot of pastel (cake) there. I believe we will be eating well. School Prep Trist...

We are halfway through Spanish school. I have mixed feelings about it. I am not yet speaking Spanish outside of school other than a few words here and there. We have two more weeks so I am hoping by the end I am more advanced. I am ever so grateful that Tristan can understand and speak it fairly fluently. It makes life easier for me. My School Room We have 6 hours of school a day and then study after school for about 3 hours. Next week we are going try 4 hours instead of 6. After school we usually find a park or coffee shop. Antigua is a tourist town and has a lot of nice places to study. We tried the Starbucks in town and I decided we didn’t need to re-visit. There were so many people there and it made studying difficult. My teacher proudly told me this Starbucks is known to be the most beautiful one in the world. She also said Guatemala doesn’t have good coffee because the best of the coffee gets shipped to the states. Starbucks Courtyard  The Park Near School     ...