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 

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