a full house

 Quietness! I am soaking up these few minutes.  We have a house full this weekend and I love it! Our house has always had a revolving door and things are the same here in Guatemala.  The days are a surprise and we just don't know who will drop by.

Facility at Global Shores

This past month has brought about a lot of excitement.  We welcomed back our friend Kait who will be spending three months working with us at Casa Hogar.  A week later, we picked up mom and dad Wilson who will be joining us for the next two months.  Aside from the already full house, we have our four girls here every weekend visiting.  I am thankful for the extra helping hands to keep up with the house work and cooking.  I has been a joy watching mom and dad experience new things here.  I think they too are quickly learning how inconvenient life is here at times and how many luxuries we take for granted back home.  Our first stop upon Matt's parents' arrival was in the town of Antigua.  We spent a couple of days easing them into culture shock and exposure of the poverty in the country.  It gave us time as a family to catch up and relax.  A little disappointing for me, that the hotel we stayed at had no hot water and I was diagnosed with scabies.  It was actually an uncomfortable stay on so many levels, however I was happy to step out of Jalapa for a few days and have a much needed break.  On our way back home we stopped in to visit friends at another mission just outside of Antigua.  I have never in my life travelled up such a steep road.  I didn't dare look back as the truck chugged its way higher and higher up the mountain.  It was quite the adventure as it over heated and everyone had to get out and walk.  I was the lucky one who was in charge of getting it up the hill.  I felt like the little engine that could.  Matt and I were blown away by not only the structure of the facility but the staff and concept behind it.  It was another reason to get back in that truck and drive to Jalapa and do the work we so humbly do.  Instead of feeling defeated, it gave us hope.  We felt encouraged and inspired.  What I really loved the most was seeing a group of Canadians from a small town in Ontario coming together with a vision and working with the communtity in Guatemala to see BIG change.  It started with years of  building trust and relationship that has blossomed into something beautiful.  For more information, check out Global Shores in Guatemala.

We have started our kitchen renovations at Casa Hogar.  The first thing to come out was the drop ceiling. I was amazed to see the nuns and even the girls roll up their sleeves to get the job done.  It was literally "raining" cockroaches.  We hired a local friend who has worked at the orphanage before  and Eddie's brother in law to cement the ceiling.  As we have been praying, God is working.  Connections we made with people two years ago are surfacing every time we are here and we are thankful for all the help.  The tiles are coming tomorrow and the walls are being started.  Kait is busy working on kitchen hygiene protocol and we are developing a checklist to get things rolling once the kitchen is done.  My prison visits lately have been few and far between as others things are occupying my time.  However, I am going there tomorrow morning to cut hair again.  I am working on translating material for  a bible study that I hope to get up and running the beginning of March.

Matt had the opportunity to visit another missionary who flys into remote areas in Guatemala.  I think he was a little taken back when he showed up at the airport and had to help put the plane back together.
Apparently the brakes didn't work and after much thought, the winds were not worth the risk.  They ended up driving, which made for an adventure in itself. I am thankful for the opportunities to meet other missions and encourage each other in our journeys.  We can learn a lot from each other.

Dad has been busily learning spanish and tries to communicate every chance he gets.  We get a kick out of him trying to say "quetzal".  Mom is a HUGE help around the house, taking care of meals and laundry.  It frees up a lot of my time so I can focus on homeschooling and mission planning.  We have established more of a routine with the kids school and homeschool as well as the classes I teach at the orphanage.

Cleaning out the cupboards

Please continue to pray for strength and better health.  We have all been under the weather with a cold/virus that brought mom to the doctors.  She had quite a reaction to this bug and is on the mend now.  However, it has taken it's tole on all of us and we are tired.  Thank you!