Something I’m Really Excited About

For those of you who follow me on Facebook you know that I am kind of freaking out about our upcoming trip to the States in December. One fried described me as ecstatic. :) Last year we spent Christmas in Bolivia and although we tried our best to make it “our own” it was still extremely difficult to be far away from our loved ones. We chopped down a tree, decorated it, and made delicious homemade Christmas cookies, but it just wasn't the same. Although there are some things I really dislike about Christmas (mostly the commercialization and extreme consumerism), excitement still wins over.

Last time we were in the US (this past June) we had a chance to speak at my in-laws’ church. We shared about what we’re doing here in Guatemala and how we see God working in and through our lives. After the service we stood in the lobby with a little table answering questions, handing out prayer cards, and receiving donations for ANADESA- the NGO I worked with here in Guatemala in 2008 and 2009. We brought some handmade beaded key chains and Christmas ornaments made by the women’s co-operative of ANADESA and we gave them to people who made a small donation. It was through this experience that my mother-in-law, Debbie, had the idea to do what we're going to do in December….

Debbie is going to host a small open-house party at the Katyl’s home in Northeast PA where Dan and I are going to sell handmade, fair-trade Guatemalan goods.   Most of the items we’ll be selling are from ANADESA’s co-operative of 20 women located in Santiago Atitlan just a short boat ride from where we now live. I just visited them yesterday to put in an order and the more I think about this the more excited I get! We will be selling mostly jewelry since that is what people were requesting last time. We’ll have tons of handmade beaded bracelets, some earrings, Christmas ornaments and key chains. I also plan to take some change purses and small bags made out of used Guatemalan textiles. We will have a presentation of sorts that explains more about ANADESA and Mayan Families (where we currently work) and we will be using the profits that we make to make a donation or to buy more goods to sell the next time we come home.

An example of the types of bracelets we'll be selling

Lots of people that come to Guatemala do exactly what we’re doing so I think it’s a good idea. Many people in the US have never seen the plethora of amazing artisan goods here in Guatemala. It’s truly amazing what the people (especially women) here create and how they have passed on these traditions generation after generation. Although it is a little scary since we are investing a few hundred dollars in this venture, I am hopeful that we will have a good turnout and that people will want to buy the products.

For those of you that live in Northeast PA please come out to our open house on Sunday, December 16^th at the Katyls’ home and help us spread the word! (Dan and I plan to create an Evite soon to make inviting people even easier.) I realize that most of our blog readers live in other parts of the country or world so for all of you, please check out our good friends’ online store featuring hand-made, fair-trade Guatemalan artisan products- Las Casas: Make Life Fair. We met Jenny and David while they were working here in Guatemala with Mayan Families and they quickly became very good friends. They have since returned to the U.S. and launched their own business which is like a small scale Ten Thousand Villages. Please check it out and tell your friends! 

I think we can all agree that Christmas is a time of crazy consumerism. I know I have fallen prey to buying stuff I don’t need or even truly want. Why not use your dollars to support a worthy cause? With these products you receive a unique handmade product and you can also feel good knowing you are supporting indigenous Guatemalan women! :) 

Our Nueva Casita

We finally moved into our new place about two weeks ago! It feels good to have our own space even though we really enjoyed our temporary housing and are grateful for the generosity that was shown to us! We decided to put our awesome Flip video camera (a present last Christmas) to use and take you all on a little tour. Please disregard the part where Lucia attacks me. She was just in a playful mood... :)

The best things about our new place:

• Cute little garden with room for Lucia to run around!
• Back porch to sit and relax
• Shower with HOT water and good water pressure
• Oven (a lot of people only have stove tops)
• Guest room for visitors *hint hint* Come visit!!! :)
• MUCH further away from the river (less danger of flooding)

The not so awesome things:

• No internet (I am trying to enjoy being less connected, but it's tough!)
• No microwave- a pain for reheating food, but not a huge problem
• A little buggy at night- Thankfully a friend recently gave me an army supply of bug spray, mosquito coils, etc. Thanks Esther! ;)

Let us know what you think in the comments section below! Want to see more videos? If so, of what? Our town? Our office? Give us some ideas and we'll try to make them! :)

An Update: Housing & Health

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us lately. After my last post I received a lot of encouragement from family and friends and for that I am grateful. Although I still have my moments of doubt and worry like anyone, it is comforting to know that the people we love are holding us up in prayer. Thank you!

Lake Atitlan- majestic as always!

After looking at a handful of places we are happy to announce we found a new place! It's a casita (little house) on the other side of town- about 15 minutes from the center of Pana. In true Guatemalan fashion we only found out about it because of a friend of a friend. (Here a lot of people don't advertise their places for rent. You just have to know someone that knows about it. Interesting, right?) The casita has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a common area, and a small kitchen. It is just a tad bigger than our former place. The best part is that it has its own little yard and back porch! Perfect for Lucia. :) We will be able to leave her outside while we go to work. We are going to sign an agreement this week and hopefully move in next Saturday. Photos to come once we are settled! Hopefully this will be our home for the rest of our time here. *fingers crossed*

I also wanted to give an update on my health as I know it has been a while since I posted anything about that. Those close to me know about what's been going on, but perhaps there are some people out of the loop... After having a lot of stomach problems (see Don't Eat the Potato Salad) our first five months here I decided to see a natural homeopathic type doctor here in Pana. He diagnosed me with having an overgrowth of yeast in my stomach. I was really nervous about our trip to the States in June because I thought I'd be sick the whole time. Thankfully, I felt great most of our time home. Per the doctor's orders I bought a boatload of natural supplements and medicine while in the U.S. When I came back to Guat I did a 15 day cleanse. It was awful! I have never done any type of cleanse (diet or otherwise) so it was really hard for me. I could not eat any fruit (with the exception of Granny Smith apples) or bread (anything with gluten really) or dairy. I broke some rules like having coffee (hey, yeast or no yeast I need my cafe!). The goal was to regain balance in my stomach. Even though it was tough, it really helped! After that I began taking some natural supplements to help support the flora and fauna in my stomach. I try to limit my sugar intake as yeast apparently feeds off of sugar. Praise Jesus that since doing the cleanse and beginning this medicine I have felt 100 times better! I still have moments when my stomach doesn't feel right, but mostly, I feel really good. I am SO thankful as I was starting to get really worried back in May! Thank you for your prayers about this too!

Enjoying some frozen yogurt during
Semana Santa/Holy Week

Hello. Goodbye. Thoughts on our trip to the U.S.

Sushi in East Falls- our old neighborhood :-)

Hello blog readers! It's been quite a while. My apologies! As you know, Dan and I traveled back to the U.S. for two weeks in June. It was a whirlwind of weddings, ethnic food (SUSHI! yum!), long drives, and tearful goodbyes. Yes, one thing Dan and I didn't anticipate was the bittersweet-ness of seeing our family and friends only to say goodbye shortly after. Don't get me wrong, seeing everyone was wonderful. It was awesome finally having that cup of coffee with my BFF, having an Italian themed family dinner, and meeting our friends' newest addition (adorable baby Gabe!), BUT it was really hard saying goodbye after spending only an afternoon or evening with someone or at most, a couple days. We were blessed by the generosity of those we love in material ways (dinners, awesome presents, trips to Target- thanks Mom & Dad!;)), but also by their interest in our lives. Saying goodbye was really difficult especially since we were unsure when we'd be back (and still don't really know). Here are some highlights from our trip:

Enjoying some Ethiopian food w/ Baby Gabe

Greeted by our wonderful friends, Saman & Joel, in Brooklyn NY

Wedding #1- Jesse & Lindsey- what a BEAUTIFUL bride!

The groom, Jesse, w/ Dan. ¡Que guapo!

Another aspect of our trip was the unavoidable reverse culture shock. Keep in mind that we went straight from Bolivia to Guatemala so it had been 8+ months since we were in the States. My culture shock moment came when I went into Target for the first time during our trip. Dan and I were in a rush so I was trying to be quick, but I ended up frozen in the hair product aisle nearly in tears. Luckily, Dan came in to rescue me. (Side note: Dan and I were sharing one cell phone while we were home which was an interesting experience. Very counter-cultural...). I don't know if I can fully explain what was going through my mind in Target. I was overwhelmed by all the options, the advertisements, the bright lights. I was horrified, but also enchanted. As Dan joked to me later, "You can take the girl out of Target but you can't take Target out of the girl". I enjoyed quite a few trips to Target and some other stores while home, but I also had a hard time seeing the excessive consumerism that is very much a part of our culture. Everyone seemed to have so much stuff and I found myself falling so easily back into that dark hole of "I need, I need, I need." Sometimes I miss the convenience of Target, dollar stores, and good Asian food to name a few things, but in many ways I enjoy the simplicity of our life here. As someone who is easily sucked into shopping and consumerism I find it refreshing and challenging to live a simpler life here in Guatemala.

Kennywood Day w/ the familia. I insisted on
this cheesy pic w/ Kenny the Kangeroo! haha

With MK at Liz & Josh's rehearsal dinner.
Purple power! :-)

Wedding #2- Liz & Josh Katyl!!!

Coming back to Guatemala was not super easy for me. I was missing my friends and family. It didn't help that I jumped right back into work and that summer has proven to be our busiest season with multiple visitors and groups each week. Last Friday our friends, Jenny and David, left Pana. They were here for about a year working with Mayan Families. Dan and I were really sad to see them go as they were two of our closet friends here. We got to know them well because they also young, married Christians and we all went to church together. I am pretty sad having to face my office without Jenny each day, but I'm trusting that God will give me the strength to make it through. We have a new employee coming this weekend and another in September so I am praying they are both cool! :) Pana is such a transient place... I met a few people recently, but most are only here for the summer. It's hard to develop friendships when people are constantly coming and going.

Savoring time w/ my bff, Jilly, in Philly
(hey that rhymed!)

Beka came to see me from D.C.!
We indulged in frozen yogurt- delish!

What an amazing surprise! College bff reunion. Kara & Tiff

Gail & I enjoying our reunion dinner at Christopher's

We had to say goodbye to another friend this week- Christine. She and her family are moving back to the US after living here for a few years. She played an instrumental role in our adoption of Lucia and has done us so many favors by babysitting Lucia when we've traveled. We will miss her a lot!

Please say a prayer for Dan as he is going to be preaching every Sunday until the end of September! The couple who run Solomon's Porch (the ministry which has a worship gathering each Sunday that we attend) are in the States networking and raising support until then so they asked him to fill in. Looks like I am a pastor's wife (kind of) for a couple months. Haha! :)

Thank you so much for your support and prayers! Please lift us up as we strive to be content and faithful in our current situation while we also start to explore the future.

My handsome hubby & me at Josh & Liz's wedding

A Heavy Heart

First of all, we have been in contact with most of our loved ones, but I just want to let everyone know that we arrived back in Guatemala safely. Everything went smoothly, but it was very difficult to say goodbye to our friends and especially our family. Maybe at a later date we will share more about our trip home and how it was wonderful, but also difficult. For now, I just want to say thank you so very much for your prayers! We are safe and sound back in our home here in Pana AND reunited with our adorable puppy! :-)

The past couple weeks Dan and I have been trying to adjust back to life in Guatemala. I have to say that for me it has been kind of tough. While I am grateful to have a job and to live in a beautiful place I am seeing more and more the challenges of life here. There are many frustrations within the organization I work for and coming back into them has been hard. The co-worker I am closest with and also the only other Christian in my office is leaving at the end of July. I know it will be hard without her. One of the biggest challenges of returning and going back to my job has been the heaviness of each day. On any given day I interact with many different people- not only my co-workers (foreigners and indigenous Guatemalans), but also indigenous Guatemalan women, children, and families. Everyday my co-workers and I hear stories of families without food and shelter, stories of death, abuse, and oppression. It can be a lot to handle and coming back into this environment after spending two weeks relaxing, having fun, and eating delicious food has been a culture shock of sorts.

While I was home a couple friends asked about Dominga- a 50 year old woman who was dying of cancer and came to our office asking for help. In May I sent an email out to my whole network of family and friends asking for donations and support through prayer. I am happy to report that Dominga had the much-needed surgery we were fundraising for. You can read about it here. (If you didn't get my email and want to read the original story please go here.)

Dominga after her life-saving surgery 

I rejoice that Dominga got the surgery and is recovering, but there are so many other people in need that it's hard not to be overwhelmed. Just this week I visited an extremely poor family during a sponsor visit. I was struggling to hold back tears as I informed the sponsor that the dark, cold, 10 X 7 foot room was the family's home. For this single mother with three young children this small space was her kitchen, her bedroom, and her storage. It was hard for me to not sob as I translated to the sponsor that the woman and her children sleep every night on the cold mud floor and that when it rains water enters the house. (We are now in the rainy season so it rains daily.)

This week I also learned that my Guatemalan co-worker's uncle is dying. I won't go into great detail, but you can read my friend, Jenny's, blog post about it here. It is tragic when anyone dies, but it is especially difficult when someone dies from something preventable and treatable. Please pray for Rodrigo, his family and for my co-worker, Elisa. We sit right next to each other and she is one of the few Guatemalans I have been able to form some sort of friendship with here. If you are able to support her family during this extremely difficult time I know they would be grateful. As the blog post says Rodrigo is extremely concerned about his family and specifically asked Jenny for food for them- it was his last request.

All this to say that my heart is heavy. It is hard feeling useless in the face of such extreme poverty. I want to have care and concern for these families. I want to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. But I also struggle to find balance. I realize that when I come home I need to relax and disengage, but I can't help but think of the family with nothing to eat sleeping on the ground while I lounge on my cushy bed eating popcorn and surfing the Internet. The differences between their lives and mine are oh so great. I think those of you who have done work among the poor whether in the US or abroad will relate with what I am saying- the differences, the heaviness, etc. Hopefully it makes some sense. I welcome your thoughts and would also appreciate your prayers as Dan and I process our time here and begin to think, dream and pray about what's next.

Thank you for reading!

Heading H-O-M-E

Well friends, I can hardly believe it, but Daniel and I will be U.S.-bound very very SOON. The past few weeks have been a blur. All of a sudden I went from counting down the days to "ohmygosh! I better pack!!!". Those who know me well know how much I despise packing...

So while I procrastinate beginning that task I thought I'd write a list of 10 things Daniel & I are looking forward to during our trip:

1. Drinking water from the facet! No purification or filtration required. Also, being able to eat fruits and vegetables without sanitizing them or worrying about crazy parasites. 
2. Seeing all of our wonderful family members and friends of course. Especially celebrating two weddings and a retirement! :-) 
3. Food, food, and more food. We have a mental list of foods we miss including: Greek yogurt, nuts, certain fruits & veggies (brussel sprouts!!!), salads, and almost all forms of ethnic food. Luckily I am sure we will be blessed with many delicious meals. 
4. Being able to flush toliet paper! (rather than put it in a trash can) and HOT SHOWERS! Yes, we have hot showers here, but they are just not the same. 
5. Shopping at some of our favorite stores like TARGET and The Body Shop (ok this is probably more me than Dan).
6. Comfy-ness- couches, carpet, a REAL pillow... all in all cushy-ness that we don't often get here. (ps- my worst packing mistake was to not bring a pillow here. I plan to rectify that this trip.)
7. Good beverages- guess who added this one? ;-)
8. Going to a park or two or three. We don't really have those here. Just plazas and "beaches" and they are full of stray dogs, drunk men, and beggars. Can't wait to visit some of our favorite places in Philly like Kelly Dr.
9. Less bugs!- With the rainy season starting this month there have been all sorts of strange insects floating around. 
10. Modern technology like dishwashers and washing machines. 

Hope this list made you smile! One thing we will be sad to leave behind is our babygirl, Lucia. Luckily, she will be at a friend's house playing with other doggies and getting a lot of love. 

"Yeah I'm a dog model in my spare time."

All joking aside please say a prayer for safe travels. We leave Pana tomorrow and fly out Thursday very early (around 6 am. eek!). We are very excited, but also expect to experience some reverse culture shock. Hoping for good health (for me) and fun times for all. For those that don't know, I went to see a natural doctor recently. I will be happy to fill you in in person if you want to hear more about it (kind of a long story). One of my biggest prayer requests at the moment is that my stomach would be ok throughout this trip and that it wouldn't interfere with our time with loved ones.

Thanks for reading & see you sooooooooooooon! (If you want to get in touch with us please feel free to call. I will have my old phone and number.)

Comparisions

 I wrote this on Sunday- Mother's Day. Hence, why it says "this weekend".

As I was browsing through Facebook this weekend I had a realization... this weekend is full of celebrations. Not only is it Mother's Day it's officially spring and the world is full of graduations, weddings, and other joyous events. As I scrolled through my newsfeed I saw former classmates graduating as doctors and lawyers,  others (young-ins) finishing their undergrad degrees, friends becoming parents,  and others becoming homeowners. It's exciting and a little bit terrifying. Now don't get me wrong, I am very happy with life these days. I really am. But, I suffer from a problem that I am gonna guess many others suffer from too- I compare. I compare myself to others. And to be 100% honest when I see friends having babies and buying houses I think "Oh God. Is that what we should be doing too?". Even though I know it's not. At least not now.

I am learning many things here in Guatemala and one of them is to be present. I feel like this saying has kind of become a cliche lately, but hey I am using it anyway. And I mean it. Dan and I are going home in less than 3 weeks. We haven't been home since we left for Bolivia in October... it has been nearly 7 months and yes, while in the grand scheme of things that isn't that long, it sure is long when you are newly married and in a completely new stage of life having your first long-term international experience together. So needless to say, I am looking forward to going home SO much! I even have a Word document listing things that I want to bring back from the U.S. {but don't worry I am MOST excited about seeing my family and friends. Although food is a close second ;-) } Anyways, I am counting down the days until we leave. It's something that's always in the back of my mind especially since May is a really full, busy month for us. I am realizing though that while it's fine to be excited I also need to focus on the now. I need to do my job and love the people around me and take it one day at a time.

This lesson about being in the here and now and not living in the future doesn't just apply to going home it is useful for the long-term too. People have already begun asking us what's next when our year here is up and although I like to dream about the answer sometimes, the honest truth is that we have no clue. And although I would love for the heavens to open up and give us a sign I would bet on not knowing until January 2013 gets a heck of a lot closer.

I have friends that are professionals, friends that are mothers and fathers, friends that are homeowners, friends that are travelers. There are those that have it all together (or at least seem to) and those that are still exploring and figuring things out. I have to remember, we have to remember, that for now God called us to Panajachel, Guatemala. He opened this door nice and wide and He has been providing for us in so many ways. We have to trust that He will continue to do so. I pray that God would continue to use us as we try to figure things out, but more importantly, as we rest in the peace of knowing we are where we are supposed to be. Even though at times we struggle to understand why we are in this unique, sometimes awesome and sometimes awful town we have to trust that this is the right place for us. At least for now...

Family Portrait {Lucia is wayyy bigger now!}

Our Casa

I realized recently that I took photos of our home forever ago, but I never posted them! So without further delay, here they are. :)

Our little sitting area

Our bedroom. I love the huipile!
(Got it at a local used market)

Where Dan cooks us delicious meals
(This is pre-haircut. He looks a lot less shaggy now!)

We are very lucky to have an oven. A lot of people here (and I am talking about foreigners) do not have that luxury. I always joke with my co-workers that if they want to bake cookies they should come on over! 

Where we share our meals
& store our clothes- the wardrobe in the back.

Lucia's little sleeping area & a huipile from Santiago

I don't know if you can really tell in these photos, but our house is one main room- the sitting area, kitchen, dining area, and Lucia's sleeping spot are all connected. Our bedroom, spare bedroom, & bathroom connect to the main room. It's pretty small, but big enough for us. :) 

Our spare bedroom. Guests are welcome anytime!  ;)

Our lil' patio area

View from our patio- the stream & the river

While I am on the subject of HOME, Dan and I want to say a very belated thank you to our parents (both the Schmitzs & Katyls) for sending us AWESOME care packages back in March. Both huge boxes arrived on the same day and it was pretty much like Christmas. We were shrieking with joy as we pulled items out one at a time. Thank you SO MUCH for your thoughtfulness! :) And yes, I think we have eaten almost everything you sent. Is that sad? Haha.

With all of our A-mazing goodies!

Almonds AND pistachios!?!

Flowers here are available for a fraction of what they would cost in the US. I am loving these flowers I got last week for less than $2! And my new tablecloth- it's material worn traditionally as a skirt (corte). It's so vibrant & peppy. The textiles here are truly beautiful & most of them are handmade- everything from dying the threads to the weaving to embroidery often completed by hand.

Hope you enjoyed this lil' "tour" of sorts! Dan sends greetings to everyone. He has been super busy teaching, working at the restaurant, and learning Spanish. PLUS, he is leading a small group/Bible study that we formed a few weeks ago and filling in for our pastor while he is in the States. You can say a prayer for him- he starts preaching tomorrow! Also, the school where he teaches is performing "Much Ado About Nothing" this weekend and guess who is a main character? Yes, that's right. My husband :) Pictures to follow!