Settling In!

Greetings from Guatemala!  First of all, I need to apologize for not updating you sooner.  I feel like this past week has been a whirl wind and we are still trying to get settled.  I need to go back a week and a half ago and share about all the incredible people that made the move go a lot easier than I could ever expect.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have such amazing family and friends.  With the help of meals, painting, packing, encouraging cards,and prayer, we were able to get our home in St. Catharines packed up. (For those of you who didn't know, we rented our home furnished for the year. ) I couldn't believe we were able to fit everything in our garage and attic.  This saved on storage expenses!

I've had mixed emotions coming back to Guatemala.  I have feelings of great joy reuniting with the girls.  Seeing a lot of familiar faces, reminds me of the family we have here.  I am often frustrated and sometimes angry at the site of such poverty.  It just doesn't make any sense!  Why should people live with no electricity and water?  I thank the Lord everyday for these basic yet huge privileges. The first week here was very restful.  We spent a lot of time hanging out with the girls, helping with homework, driving them to and from school and developing conversation.  I am so proud of Matt.  He has picked up quite a bit of spanish and I often find myself looking to him for translation.  I am struggling to learn the language.  I often process my thoughts in Dutch first and even throw a few words in here and there:) The kids and I will continue with the Rosetta Stone program.  This has been great for basic phrases and words.  We have a local friend who we are hiring to tutor us in spanish during his off time with teaching at the orphanage.  This way we can build into this relationship with him and his family and provide a source of income that would not be there otherwise.

We moved into our rental home yesterday.  We borrowed three unused bunk beds from the orphanage and bought a double mattress.  We were thrilled when our friend told us he has an extra fridge, stove and dining table.  God is providing in such incredible ways!   We are trying to adjust into a routine with the kids.  They are thoroughly enjoying the time here thus far.  I started some homeschooling with them this morning, and realized very quickly that I am not cut out for teaching.  I think I will be learning a lot through this as well:)  I give a lot of credit to all the teachers out there for the hard work and investment they make in our children's lives everyday.  We are so blessed to have an education system that fosters great learning, challenge and growth.  I also realized very quickly that girls are easier to teach than boys. At least for me and my kids.

I want to thank all our supporters who are continually praying for us and financially aiding the work here.  All of you are just as much part of this mission.  There are three aspects of missions.  The sending (financial), going and the prayer.  All of which are equally important, so thank you for your part!

Now that we are settling in and have better internet connection, I am excited to share more of what life is like here in Guatemala!  Please continue to pray that we adjust to cultural differences and language barriers as we seek to be His hands and feet!

with love,
Mandy