Well friends there has been a lot of changes in our life lately. And no, I am not pregnant! :-P
Let me fill you in.... Recently, Dan and I have been going through some difficult times financially. Earlier this year Dan was teaching at a local school, but since they follow the U.S. school schedule he finished in June. He continued working at a local restaurant, but it was only a couple days a week. As many of you know I get paid a monthly stipend. It is not a salary, but a small monthly payment- enough for someone to live simply here in Pana. For someone like me who is married and supporting not only myself it is difficult to make it stretch for two people. (Almost all of my foreign co-workers are single and support only themselves.) Due to the difficulty of living off my stipend and some challenges with my current position Dan and I started looking for new opportunities. We began seriously praying about and pursuing other options. It's not that we are unhappy here. We simply thought that maybe God was calling us to someplace new. (For those of you concerned that we are going to be vagabonds all our lives I want to mention that we would love for our next step to be something a bit more permanent- a move that is for 2 or 3 years or more.)
Our first surprise lately was that Dan was asked to fill in at our weekly worship gathering at Solomon's Porch. The couple that runs it, Lloyd and Melanie, are in the U.S. for almost two months. They asked Dan to fill in preaching every Sunday and running the service. (He did this in May for a few Sundays.) He was honored that they asked and excited to have the opportunity. They generously offered him a small compensation for his time and efforts. For us it was really unexpected and a very big blessing.
Meanwhile at Mayan Families as the end of the calendar year draws near I have been talking with my co-worker, Laura, about all we need to get done before December in the Education/School Sponsorship Program. Mention of a need came up for an English speaker to help us check missing payments. When I first learned about the opportunity I thought that maybe Dan would be offered something part-time. Imagine our surprise when Mayan Families offered Dan a full-time position! He is really excited and started on Monday. Interestingly enough we are working side by side (we literally sit less than a foot apart) . Now that is some marital bonding! Haha :) He is also helping with some technical things like teaching some of the Guatemalan staff how to use a Mac computer and making thank you videos for visitors.
The last surprise wasn't really a good one, but I want to share it as it's especially important for those who want to support us in prayer. With Dan being offered a full-time position at MF we were faced with the challenge of finding a place for Lucia to stay while we are at work (previously Dan was home a lot during the day and took care of her). After our original plan of asking a couple of friends fell through we decided that the best option was to keep her in the small patio behind our apartment. (She is still a puppy so keeping her inside all day was not an option. Unless we wanted our house destroyed.) We spoke to our landlord about it and he seemed ok with the idea so imagine our surprise when Saturday afternoon we found a note taped to our door stating that it was time for us to move on a.k.a.- find a new place to live!!! Yes, this is a true story. This is one downside to not signing a lease like in the States... Our weekend was a whirlwind as we packed up all our belongings and wrapped our minds around finding a new place to live. We cannot say thank you enough to Lloyd and Melanie who agreed to let us stay in their home while they are in the U.S. It is only for a week or two as we search for a new place, but we are grateful to have a comfortable place to stay while we transition. Also, we are able to keep Lucia outside while we are at work.
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| Our "daughter", Lucia, during a hike |
So, in a just a couple of weeks God threw our world upside down! One minute we thought we may be leaving Pana and the next God clearly directed us to stay. Then, we unexpectedly had to pack up everything and move!
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| Celebrating Dan's birthday in July |
I am grateful for God's guidance and provision during this tricky time. Please pray for us as we search for a new place to live. We are looking for a place that is affordable, safe, and with a space/yard for Lucia. Also, please pray for us as we transition to working full-time and working together. Pray that God would continue to make His plans clear to us and that we would be willing to obey. Thank you!
-Rachel & Daniel
"Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." -Matthew 6:31-33
