Being Los Padrinos

I started writing this and then life happened! This was from the beginning of December 2012. The school year here culminates the end of November/beginning of December. Although it’s late I still think it is worth sharing about this experience…

A couple weeks ago on a Friday night I ran into my Guatemalan boss, Sandra, in the Dispensa Familiar’s (the Guatemalan equivalent of Walmart) parking lot. She said there was something she had been meaning to talk to me about and please forgive her for talking to me here- in the parking lot, but… I was thinking “Oh my gosh! Am I being fired or something? In the parking lot of the Dispensa!?”. Haha. Sometimes Guatemalans crack me up. She ended up asking me if Dan and I would be willing to be the padrinos for an upcoming graduation ceremony.

At Mayan Families we use the words padrino (for a man) and madrina (for a woman) to refer to the children’s sponsors. Literally, the words translate as godfather and godmother (the plural los padrinos means godparents). The goal is for each student to have a padrino or madrina so they can continue studying year after year. Some very lucky students get the chance to meet their sponsor if s/he comes to visit, but it’s oftentimes luck of the draw.

Although Dan and I work full time in the Education/Student Sponsorship Program we are not sponsors so I was a little confused as to exactly why Sandra was asking us. Even though I didn’t fully get it I figured that it was an honor to be asked so I immediately said yes (without even checking with Dan. Whoops!). The following Monday I discovered that each of Mayan Families’ seven Preschool Nutritional Centers would be having a graduation ceremony for the students moving on from Preschool to Kindergarten in 2013 (as mentioned above the school year here runs January- November). Now if you don’t already know this you should know that Guatemalans love parties! They love parades and really any reason to celebrate so it should have not surprised me that they would have an incredibly formal graduation ceremony for preschoolers.

All the kiddos waiting for their diplomas

Dan and I were asked to be the padrinos for the Mayan Families Preschool graduation here in Panajachel- the town where we live and where Mayan Families is located. We were asked to dress in our finest attire and arrive around 8:30 am to the preschool. On the day of the graduation we walked in and I quickly observed that all of the little ones were decked out in full caps and gowns. And wait, what was that? A wall covered in cut out metallic letters SPELLING OUT OUR NAMES! Lol. Here is a pic in case you don’t believe me! ;)

The backdrop of the graduation ceremony- HANDMADE by the teachers!

I eventually figured out that even though we are not officially sponsors we were acting as representatives for all of the sponsors who for obvious reasons could not be there. We had a pretty big role in the ceremony. We had to walk in with the students in a procession then we sat on opposite ends of the stage until it was time to give out the diplomas. We did that together hugging each student, congratulating him/her, then taking a bunch of photos with him/her. (My cheeks hurt so bad afterwards from smiling so much!!!) We also gave each student a present which included a stuffed animal and big piece of candy- another photo opp. So many photos! Also included in the ceremony was listening to the Guatemalan anthem (twice! It is the longest anthem ever. See here if you don’t believe me), said the Guatemalan pledge of allegiance (well Dan and I listened) and my favorite part- gave our awesome commencement speeches. Yes, we had to give speeches in Spanish in front of all the students, parents, teachers, and other Mayan Families representatives (the director, our Guatemalan boss, etc.)! Too bad I don’t have a video of it. ;) I thought they were pretty inspiring until I heard the Guatemalans’ speeches which were way better. I think we did pretty well though for being extranjeros!

After the ceremony we took some more photos and were served a delicious typical lunch. Oh and I cannot forget that we were thanked during the ceremony and given really sweet presents of traditional fabric woven on a back strap loom!

After the ceremony with our presents

All in all, it was a special, memorable experience and even though I had to chuckle a few times at the formality of it all, it was really sweet of them to ask us to be the sponsors. I hope this is the beginning of a lifetime of learning for all of the students that graduated! :)

If you’re interested in sponsoring a student please see here. I am particularly working hard on trying to find sponsors for University students. If we do not find sponsors for these students in the next week or so they will not be able to study this year. For more info please email me at rachel[at]mayanfamilies[dot]org or my personal email address. Thanks!

And the verdict is....

What is that saying? "Tell God your plans and He laughs" or something like that. I think that is actually what happened up there in the Heavens a few months ago when I declared, "There is no way that I am staying here [in Guatemala] through December! No way!". My good friend and former co-worker, Jenny, may remember me saying this. It was during an especially frustrating time at work.

As many of you know (or may have suspected due to what one friend called my "cryptic" Facebook statuses), Daniel and I have been applying and interviewing for jobs for months now. At times I have felt like an interviewing machine. I was joking one day that I could interview in my sleep! Spanish and English. Individual interviews and joint interviews together. We have been busy and for me, it has been an emotional process. I don't know about other people, but when I interview for a position my mind starts whirling. I start thinking about what it would be like to live in such and such a place, to work with such and such NGO, etc. I envision what our lives would be like- the day to day, the adventures, and the challenges. I think of the good, the bad, and the logistics of how we would get there, how much time we would commit, what our finances would be like. For me, job searching is a complicated process that involves more than just an hour for an interview. It involves my heart, my mind, and considering how it will affect my little family. I say all this to explain where I have been the past few months. While Dan is way more relaxed when it comes to things like this, I tend to be much more high-strung. I am a planner and I like to know what we are doing and when. I often ask Dan on the weekends, "Ok. So what's the plan?". By that I mean what are we doing today?, what do we need to accomplish and how are we going to accomplish it?

Rewind to a couple weeks ago, Dan and I interviewed for a job with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Honduras. MCC is the organization I worked with here in Guatemala in 2008 and it has always been a dream for Daniel and me to work with them as a married couple. It felt a bit surreal to interview with our "dream NGO" and we were relieved that the interview went well. (Interviewing as a couple is a really interesting experience. Imagine doing an interview with your significant other, answering questions side by side! It can be tricky, but I feel like we are getting it down.). After the interview the waiting game began. As someone that is naturally a worrier, I tried my best to keep praying in order to keep the anxiety at bay. I won't go into detail because it'd just be too confusing, but while this process was going on with MCC we were also interviewing with a couple other NGOs here in Guatemala and in other Latin American countries. We were juggling a lot of possibilities and I found it challenging to keep it all in perspective. It was definitely a test of my patience, faith and trust. I kept praying asking God to give us direction, but Dan and I were both struggling to understand where God was guiding. For me, it was difficult to have all of this going on while also balancing work and our everyday lives here. We didn't tell many people here about all of this because the result would greatly affect how much time we have left here and we didn't want to alarm anyone.

Well, on Friday we finally got some clear direction. We were not accepted for the position with MCC in Honduras. The other jobs we applied for did not work out for one reason or another and although we were offered a position with an awesome NGO in Costa Rica, we decided that it is not the right fit for us right now. After receiving the news from MCC, Dan and I both felt a sense of clarity- God is not calling us anywhere new right now or in other words, God is telling us to STAY PUT! Well, surprise surprise! I can just imagine God up there in heaven having a good laugh at my expense. :)

Celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary in August

This was obviously neither the plan nor the answer that we were expecting, but I guess God likes to throw curve balls sometimes. Although our lives are not perfect here in Panajachel, as I posted recently we are finally feeling settled and content. Despite the challenges we face with our current positions, we feel like God is working in and through our lives here and like staying a little while longer is the right option for us right now. Just how much longer, you ask? Well, we don't have an exact answer to that. It all depends on what happens and on which doors open. Right now we are thinking we will stay until spring or summer 2013. We are hopeful that there will be new positions opening up with MCC in Latin America that we may be a good fit for, but at this point we really don't know. Our hearts' desire is to work with MCC, but I am trying to trust in God's timing with that. As I was telling someone recently our "next step" could be something we don't even know about at this point. Time will tell.

So for now, we are digging in our heels and committing ourselves to being here. We are being present and taking a break from looking for what's next because honestly, it has been a pretty exhausting process! We are focusing on work and play, on friendship, community, and our lil' two person, one puppy family. AND we are really looking forward to traveling to the US for Christmas! (Thank you to our very generous family for that amazing present!!!) Thanks to all of you for your prayers during this difficult time! I know it hasn't been easy on our loved ones, especially our immediate family, when we tell them we don't know what we are doing or where we're going. We appreciate the prayers and encouragement we have received from many! And remember if you have been thinking about coming to visit us in Guatemala, you still have time!! ;)

I will leave you with this verse that was shared during our worship service today. It was reminder to me that God is working and continues to work in our lives here even if at times, we struggle to see it.

Remember not the former things,
    nor consider the things of old.
¹⁹ Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18,19 

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! :)

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!

This one time in the mountains of Guatemala...

Hi Friends! I wrote this right after our trip two weeks ago, but was a little slow in posting it. Enjoy!

Friday, April 20th 4:45 am
The alarm clock went off. The sun had yet to rise. With only a couple hours of sleep Daniel and I dragged ourselves out of bed. We quickly got ready brushing our teeth and grabbing our bags. Hey at 5 am you're not worrying so much about how you look! Our plan was to catch a 6:00 am bus, but at such an early hour there are no tuk-tuks (taxis). So there we were at 5:15 am trudging through our pueblo with our backpacks. Thankfully, the bus was there and left on time. (Here bus schedules are pretty sporadic.) After a 3 hour ride full of bumps and curves (thank God for Dramamine!) we arrived in Xela (aka Quetzaltenango). We jumped in a taxi and got breakfast with a new friend. It was lovely minus my intense cold. Unfortunately, I was super congested all weekend and had to make a roll of toilet paper my #1 accessory.

Another hour and a half bus ride and we arrived in San Marcos where we met up with my friend and our guide for the weekend, Nate. We also met a friend of Nate's, Ann, who would be joining us for the weekend. After grabbing a quick bite to eat we were off again. We took another bus ride (a little over an hour I think) to Malacatan. Then, we took a taxi to the border of Guatemala and Mexico. After passing through immigration on both sides we took a short micro (minivan) ride to Cacahoatan. Next was another micro ride to Union Juarez. At this point, I was officially exhausted and the micro ride was anything but smooth. (For those of you that don't know, bus rides here are notoriously awful. There is no way around it with such curvy roads full of potholes.) Little did I know what was coming up- a 45 minute hike in the dark to the town where we'd be staying! I do not jest. How I made it up the mountain I really do not know. Did I mention that we had been traveling for 12+ hours at this point, that I was drugged up on Dramamine, that I was not really wearing hiking clothes or shoes, and oh yeah, that we were carrying our bags!?! And you all know that I am not much of a light packer. Haha. Despite how horrible the journey sounds it was not that bad. Just exhausting. Needless to say I went to bed at 9 pm on Friday night.

With our fearless leader & good friend- Nate :)

Saturday was our HIKING day. Woohoo!!! I definitely had my hesitations considering my last Guatemalan hiking experience (commonly referred to in my storytelling as "The Hike from Hell") and I even considered bailing because I was pretty sick, but after my hubby and Nate encouraged me to go I decided I would. The advantage to this day was that we didn't have our packs with us. Nate warned me that the first part of the hike was "pretty steep". Uh yeah, UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR! I wish I had photos to show you the incline, but I was focusing on not keeling over. Let's suffice it to say that we were pretty much rock climbing up the mountain. Lol!

The steep part on the way down. Nate & Ann taking a rest.

Thankfully, that truly was the hardest part. Once we made it up that part we were hiking on a ridge that had some ups and downs, but nothing as crazy. We hiked for 4 hours or so until we got to a village. We randomly ran into a woman Nate knew while we were hiking (funny since we were in the middle of isolated mountains) and ended up going to her home for lunch. Nate has been working in the region for over four years with Mennonite Central Committee so it was fun meeting people through him. He is well loved by the community! By the time night was falling we made it back to Juan Pablo's- our host for the weekend. We received a serious treat- going into a temascal (traditional Mayan sauna). It was A-mazing for my tired muscles and congestion, BUT the intense heat almost made me pass out. Thankfully, our awesome host, Juan Pablo, was there when I was exiting and kept me from falling over. Lol! We truly enjoyed getting to know him and his sweet family especially his grandson, Freddy- one of the cutest children I have ever met. He was so lovable! They also had a newborn puppy that was precious. :) As I have been so many times before, I was amazed by the wonderful hospitality in this country!

Juan Pablo's granddaughter & adorable puppy

View from Juan Pablo's house. So GREEN!

Our gracious hosts- Juan Pablo & Nate

We wish we could have stayed longer, but on Sunday we had to complete the same journey as Friday, but in reverse! Poor Ann had the awful luck of sitting next to a little girl on our first micro who was throwing up the whole time :( But other than that things went smoothly. We even scored some NUTELLA at a Mexican grocery store! Woohoo! (Oh the little things in life. ;) ) Thankfully, going through immigration went smoothly.

The only bummer was that we were not able to get a direct bus from Xela to Pana so we had to take three buses instead. That makes 5 buses, 2 micros, 1 taxi, and 45 minutes of hiking just to get home! Haha.

A big THANK YOU to our wonderful host, Nate. It was a great trip and we truly enjoyed getting out of Pana and enjoying some of God's creation! :) Thanks for your prayers. We are glad to be back home safe and sound and to be with our puppy again! :)

Juan Pablo's home

Dan & Freddy acting silly

A Few Things You May Not Know About Guatemala....

• It's common to drink pop (soda for all you non-Pittsburgh folks) from glass bottles. And almost everyone uses a straw when doing so. Also, the Coca-Cola here is made with sugar cane instead of high fructose corn syrup and I swear it really does taste better.

• Most of the major grocery stores are owned by Wal-Mart. Sad, but true. Our local grocery store (La Dispensa Familiar) is one of them. 
• Most homes and apartments do not have hot water except for what a friend described as "electric suicidal death showers" a.k.a. widow makers. These little contraptions warm the water as it passes through the device providing steamy showers. It takes a little tweaking to get the temperature and pressure just right, but once you do it's great. Just remember not to touch the widow maker while it's on and your hands are wet or you will get shocked! For all other things (washing dishes, washing your hands, face, etc.) it's all cold water.

What a widow-maker looks like

• Speaking of water, never EVER drink the tap water. We use filtered water for everything- cooking, drinking, even brushing our teeth. We also sanitize all of our fruits and veggies with a special solution. It took some getting used to, but it's not as bad as it sounds. 
• For most Guatemalans, their first language is an indigenous language. Here in Panajachel, most of the people speak Kaqchikel. There are over 20 different indigenous languages. You can see a map of the country and the different languages here. 
• A huge part of Guatemalan culture is wearing traditional clothing. Each region has a distinct style of dress that the women utlize. Although the colors and designs vary, all women wear a traje (skirt), huipile (blouse), and faja (belt). Often, the women make the clothes themselves and spend hours embroidering their blouses. The designs are truly beautiful. 

Naidelyn & Jocelyn two of students sponsored through
Mayan Families. Her blouse is hand embroidered!

• The land of volcanoes, Guatemala has 37! You can even climb some of them, which Dan and I did the last time we were here. 
• There are dogs everywhere. Street dogs are really common and sometimes it's very sad to see. Many of them are skin and bones and usually carry diseases. This is one reason we decided to adopt a puppy here- to save her from a horrible life on the street. I probably see 30 or more dogs a day just going to and from work. 
• Guatemala women are insanely strong. In fact, it seems like all Guatemalans have super human strength! Just today I watched little boys no older than 8 or 9 years old carry heavy bags of cement on their heads. Women commonly carry jugs of water, baskets, and even 100 pound bags of corn on their heads!

Anakleta carrying a bag of corn. She carried it
all the way up the mountain like it was no big deal!

• Guatemala has the lowest literacy rate in all of Central America. I have seen figures as low as 75% and as high as 88%. So far in my work with Mayan Families I have met many people (women especially) who are not able to read or write at all. 

A student at Mayan Families' San Jorge
Pre-school coloring & learning the alphabet.

Hope you enjoyed this {partial} list about the little things in life here in Guatemala! :)

Life in Guatemala- The ins and outs

We are long overdue for a post about our life here in Guatemala. In a way I think our lack of posts is a good sign. We are busy and happy and even though that has left our blog a little empty it has left us with full and content hearts.

I feel the need to share about the ins and outs of our daily life since other than Skyping with friends and family we haven't really shared about it. So here goes....

Our Home
Originally we were living with another girl- a volunteer at the NGO where I am working. At first, it seemed like a good set-up, but eventually we realized that we needed our own space. So at the end of February we moved into our own little apartment. It's equipped with furniture, appliances- including a microwave! and a stove with an oven, WiFi, and a tv with cable. Compared to our place in Bolivia we are living the good life. Lol! Most places here don't have an oven and a lot do not have furniture so we feel fortunate that we found this place. Also, we are thoroughly enjoying having tv since we get some U.S. channels like the main networks and CNN. I am able to watch The Voice which makes me a happy girl. :) The only downside is that we now live on the outskirts of Panajachel (our town) so it takes us longer to walk places. For me, it takes about 30 minutes to walk to work. Not a huge problem, but my nearest and dearest know I am perpetually running
late.

Dan in front of the waterfall close to our apt.

Transportation
I was talking to a friend back home recently and realized something. It is pretty unique that we don't have a car here and we don't need one! Our main form of transportation is our feet. If we are running late or something we take a tuk-tuk (rhymes with fluke fluke) a little motorized vehicle.

A tuk-tuk! Our town is full of them.

That is pretty much it when it comes to transportation in our town. It is small so that's how most people get around. Some people have motos or cars. Also, some use bicycles, but we can walk to everywhere we need to go- the bank, the coffee shop, the grocery store or market. It's awesome right now, but might be a pain once the rainy season begins in June. We will wait and see.

My Job
The catalyst of our move here to Guatemala was me being offered a job with Mayan Families- a local NGO. We arrived with high hopes... dreams of enjoying my job, liking the organization, and overall, being happy here. So far, our hopes are being fulfilled. I won't spend too much time explaining what Mayan Families does, but you can click here if you want to visit their website.

I work specifically with the Education Program otherwise known as Student Sponsorship. The program is very similar to those of other NGOs like World Vision and Compassion International. Individuals (usually North Americans) choose a child and become their sponsor paying a fee every month to support them. Where our program differs is that the sponsorship is focused on education. The donors are paying to send children to school, to provide them with the supplies and tools they need (shoes, books, uniforms, etc.), and overall, to give them the chance of a better future. The other difference with Mayan Families is it's personal nature. The program started out small, but we now have over 2,000 kids sponsored. We still manage to offer very personalized service which is a huge part of my job. Every day I answer emails from donors checking in on their families and asking about their needs. Donors tend to get really involved and many send additional funds for food, medical costs, and other things. Oftentimes, they support not only their student, but the student's family. If a student comes into our office asking for additional support whether it is for a field trip or a doctor's visit we write to the donors letting them know and asking if they would like to or are able to support their student and his/her family. For more information on child sponsorship please click here.

Shot of the volcano from the waterfall by our house

While a huge part of my job is office work- corresponding with donors, tracking payments, etc., I also get the opportunity to go to the field. This happens when we receive visitors, specifically donors who sponsor children through our program. My co-worker, Laura, and I take the visitors to meet their sponsor children and families. We act as translators for our guests. Even though it's hard work (there have been days when I have done 7 or 8 visits and many of the children we support live in faraway villages), I think this is my favorite part of the job. It's amazing to see the North Americans interact with local families and vice versa. It's a really special experience that I am honored to be part of. In general, I feel like I am getting into the groove and feel very blessed to be doing something I enjoy and to work with some really cool people- both foreigners and Guatemalans.

Dan's Job
When we moved here we were hoping and praying that God would provide something for Dan. I am happy to say that God has really answered our prayers. First, Dan began working part-time at a local restaurant geared towards gringos (the Spanish word here for foreigners). It wasn't his dream job, but something that would help pay the bills. This job gave him the chance to meet lots of other foreigners including local gringo teachers. Through connections he made at the restaurant Dan began substitute teaching. There are three English-speaking schools here in Panajachel. They would call him to sub when they needed someone to fill in.

Recently, there was an opening at one of the schools and Dan was offered part-time work. He is teaching English Literature, World History, and Drama to high school students. So far he is really enjoying it and I am very proud of him for jumping in feet first. The work is only part-time, but financially it is definitely a help for us. He is loving interacting with youth here. Also, he's continuing with his Spanish studies and meets with a private tutor 2 hours each day.

The river Dan crosses everyday to get to school.
Dry now, but it'll be full of water in June.

Food
I was shocked to discover upon our arrival that there is a grocery store here! Let me explain... in most Latin American countries grocery stores are not common. Most people get their groceries at open air markets or tiendas- comparable to corner or convenience stores. Actual grocery stores are not common. Some big cities have them, but not little towns like where we live. But sure enough, there is an actual grocery store in our town. Such a little thing, but something that makes life here a tad more comfortable and convenient. We buy some staple foods there, but get all of our fruits and veggies at the local market. It is a huge space full of vendors selling everything from lettuce to cantaloupe to black beans.

Some agricultural  fields by our house- to the right are onions,
not sure what's on the left.

There are also some gringo grocery stores here which are awesome, but problematic. It is cool finding things we never thought we'd find here (Sleepytime Tea!?!), BUT the dangerous part is the prices. They have nearly everything one could want, but some of the prices are insane. For example, it costs over $10 for a handful of almonds! For this reason, we try to limit ourselves when we go there. There are some things we always buy though like multigrain bread for sandwiches. To satisfy our caffeine addiction we visit a local coffee shop where the owner buys coffee and roasts it himself. It's delicious!


The Little{Big}Things
A huge thank you to all of you for your prayers. I am finally starting to feel better! I ended up going back to the doctor who determined I have fungus, yes fungus, in my stomach. Kind of strange, but I was happy he was able to diagnose me with something. I am on a new set of medicine and finally starting to feel like myself. Praise the Lord!

We have been meeting a lot of people as this town is full of gringos. Everyone has a different story of why they came here and why they are staying. It's been interesting meeting all types of people and for me it's been a new experience being "the Christians". There are definitely a lot of people here that are anti-religion or have beliefs very different than ours such as New Ageism. For me, it's been an opportunity to show people God's love and grace. Please pray for us as we continue to meet people and start building friendships here.

A huge blessing has been finding a local English-Spanish church. We were introduced to it by one of my co-workers and her husband, a young couple from Indiana that are also Christians. One of my biggest struggles my last time in Guatemala was feeling alone and isolated so having a chance to worship with others and meet new people each week has been really awesome. We'd like to get more involved with the local church (which is also an NGO- Solomon's Porch). It is something we are talking and praying about.

That's about it friends. We are grateful for your prayers! Please keep them coming. Also, we'd love to hear from you. Now that we have WiFi at home we are able to check email and be online daily so please drop us a line (on here, on Facebook, or via email).

We love you!

-Rachel {& Daniel} 

Holding on to Faith

God’s been teaching me a lot about faith lately. I have been trying to have faith and to trust, but as you may know all too well it’s easier said than done. I have been trying to have faith that God will provide a job for me. That I have skills and knowledge to offer the development world (after a ton of interviews followed by rejection emails one starts doubting this). That coming to Bolivia was a good decision even though it has been filled with a lot of unanticipated challenges. I have been trying to have faith that God has a plan for Daniel and me. That even though some days we feel discouraged, something will work out. In true God fashion God really pushed me to my waiting and trusting limits recently. In the last week or so I found myself struggling to hold onto faith, hope and trust. During these difficult days I found myself clinging to Psalm 46 and taking comfort in it. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble… There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God… God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. –Psalm 46:1, 4, 5. I also found comfort in knowing that lots of people were lifting Dan and I up in prayer and from encouraging emails from friends. Thank you for that.

So, after weeks of searching, applying for jobs, completing interviews, and most of all, waiting, we have some exciting news to share. I have accepted a job with Mayan Families, an NGO working in Panajachel, Guatemala. As you may recall, in 2008-2009 I lived in Guatemala and worked as a volunteer with Mennonite Central Committee. I lived in Santiago Atitlan which is located on majestic Lake Atitlan. Panajachel is very close to Santiago, situated on the opposite side of the lake. It takes about 20 minutes to cross the lake via lancha (small motor boat). Needless to say, I am thrilled about returning to the Lake Atitlan region. Not only is it one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, the people and culture hold a special place in my heart. Since Dan came to visit me twice which I was living in Guatemala, he is familiar with the area too and very excited to be returning. I will be working as the Education Coordinator overseeing Mayan Families’ child school sponsorship program. They have almost 2,000 children sponsored so I am sure there will a ton for me to do. I will be working alongside another woman who I think is American. We spoke via Skype and she seems really nice. Most of the other employees at Mayan Families are indigenous, Guatemalan people- mainly women. I have committed to a one year contract with them. Dan hopes to attend language school (if it is financially feasible) and to find work either part-time or full-time. There is certainly a lot that still needs to fall into place (finding an affordable place to live, Dan finding work, etc.), but we are hopeful that things will come together after we arrive. We feel sure that living in Guatemala will be a better fit for us and believe it will be a better situation for us financially and emotionally. We feel peaceful about the change and it feels great to be returning to a country we know and love.

The hard part of this exciting news is that we will be moving directly to Guatemala. Although we planned on coming back to the States for a short visit, it didn’t work out the way we had hoped. While I was so excited to see familiar faces and indulge in all the things I have been missing (sushi, Greek yogurt, and a washing machine to name a few), we have to accept that it just didn’t work out. We were initially filled with a ton of sadness regarding this, but as the days have gone on we have started to feel better about it. Thankfully, our friends and family have been really understanding. And hey, this is just one more reason to have visitors, right? :) We hope to make a trip back to the U.S. at the end of May/beginning of June for some important family and friend events. We will try to make the rounds and see everyone then. For now, we’d appreciate your prayers as we begin to pack up and prepare for our new adventure in Guatemala. 

Thank you and much love to you all.

-Rachel & Daniel 

A shot of beautiful Lake Atitlan