Monthly Archives: July 2015

It has been almost 7 months since we arrived in Guatemala. I wish that I could say it has been an easy 7 months. As I sat watching our children play outside tonight, I realized that the storm has settled in our lives. There has been no more crying for our loss, no more times of anger and frustration, and less yearning for what we once had. And I feel a great peace over my family and I see my children beginning to embrace our new life.

So many blessings have come from our short time here. We have two wonderful church families that God is using to feed us, we are working with children and teachers in a school of a nearby village, we had a successful BIG birthday party for Sarahn and Cooper, and, most importantly, we are building relationships with many beautiful families.

After our birthday party for Sarahn and Cooper in June, our neighbor came to me and said that she so much admired Doug and me for what we are doing. She said that our party was the first party that she had attended with such a beautiful mix of people. We had Americans, Spanish and indigenous. I shared with her that we felt that everyone in attendance was our family.

I have had the honor of cooking with women around their stove, going to the market with them, learning how to cook their food and learning about a culture so very different from mine. I have loved on children and seen the face of Jesus in their eyes as we give them something that seems insignificant to me, but means so much to them. I love this country more each day because of the people that we have met and the beauty that surrounds us.

Not a day goes by that I am not in awe of God’s power and His glory by the beautiful picture that He paints around us. This country and His people have become our home and family. Our hearts have been here for a long time, but it was our flesh that needed to become one.

In our seven months, we have also seen our children grow. Grow spiritually. They yearn for our family devotions and have come to realize that going to the bible has gotten us through our hardest times. There are times when our children’s prayers nearly knock me off my chair. The prayers have become deep and personal. They are starting to get it. Starting to get why we are here and that we are right where God wants us. We are home.