Teaching Arryn's English Classes

As some of you may know, Arryn is in Canada right now.  Before she left, she asked me to teach her English classes while she would be away.  I said "okay," but wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into. 

Well, I have to say, it has been a blast!  She teaches two classes per week, Mondays and Wednesdays, and I have been having so much fun creating activities and lessons to teach.  The one class has been really small - I think they heard that Arryn wasn't going to be there, so they haven't been coming - but the other class is a good size.

I re-created the game "Headbandz" to teach vocabulary and practice forming questions.  If you have played this game before you know it can be hilarious and causes everyone to be super goofey!  Well, the same is true in Spanish.  For those of you unfamiliar with the game, basically everyone wears a picture on their forehead and they do not know what it is of.  Everyone else can see it, but they cannot.  They have to ask "yes" and "no" questions to figure out what it is.  Oh my!  It is very funny. 
So, they have had to talk out loud, form questions relevant to the game and practice their guessing skills. 

Tomorrow is my last class, because Arryn returns on Sunday.  I will be sad not to continue teaching them, because it has been so much fun. 

Sometimes Guatemala Is Too Far Away!

Normally, although I am in Guatemala and the majority of my family is in Canada, I don't feel like I am far away from them.  We talk on the phone, via email, facebook and Skype.  Honestly, it feels like I should be able to just jump into the car and drive over to see my kids, parents or my sister and brother-in-law.  But, the reality is, I can't.  This past week was one of those weeks where I felt very far away. 
My nephew Josh and his wife Christa were expecting their third child - a boy - in July.  This past week, Zachary Judah Redekop was born a month pre-mature and he didn't survive.  I cannot begin to understand the loss that they feel and the depth of their grief and I would love to be able to be there - I'm not sure what I would do, or how I could help, but in my heart, I just want to be there.  It is at times like this that I feel really far away.
This is when I have to trust the Lord, and simpy hold those I love up in prayer. 
Feeling far from home,
Karren 

 I am sitting at the kitchen table and listening to the rain pound down on the metal roof. We have to raise our voices to hear one another and Karren reminded me that I had said I would do a blog. This is a rare ocassion because she sets her hand to blogging quite regularily, and I am happy to let her do so. She is a great communicator and takes joys in doing so via this means. However, I will give it a whirl and then let her fix the mistakes and grammar.

 As you can see in these pictures, another rare event is taking place. I have not done any physical labour for quite some time and the opportunity came up to help another missionary with some labour. The ministry our daughter, Arryn, is working with is building a house for personal use and to house teams that come from North America to support their work in San Cristobal. They have been working on it for about two years and are hoping to continue moving the project ahead as support comes in for their vision.

So, I have been trying to go out a couple times a week after Spanish class to put my hand to the shovel and get some good exercise. In Canada, normally you would call the concrete redimix company and order some concrete but here it is mostly done by hand. So I am shovelling some coarse gravel into a sive and then shaking it to retrieve the desired finer sand for mixing concrete stucco. Laboursome. Yes. Upper body workout. Yes. Effecient. Well from a North American mindset...no. But I am not in North America. So I shovel and shake!! I am glad I have a way to change the scenery from the classroom to something a little more familiar.

 The other day when I was out there trying my best to communicate with the abenil (bricklayer)- a Christian brother - he ask me if I was hungry. I hesitated (you never really know what you might be getting into when it comes to food) but cordially excepted his invitation. He opened up what I thought was a lunch box and pulled out his Bible. We both had a good laugh but I think the joke was on me. He opened up the Word and read a scripture - in Spanish of course. Then he pulled out a book with songs in it - in Spanish of course - and ask me to sing with him. After he had sung a few notes I recognized the hymn he was singing and we sang together, "When The Role Is Called Up Yonder I'll Be There" - in Spanish of course. What a blessing it was to spend a few minutes with this hardworking Guatemalan Christain brother and enjoy  fellowship together in acknowledging the Lord in all His goodness.
 Tommorrow it is back to class.
  In Him, Rocky

Another Milestone...Rocky turns 52!

Yesterday was Rocky's 52nd birthday.  For the past three years, we have celebrated his birthday in Guatemala.  Yesterday, we had Spanish class in the morning, came home and did our homework!  Oh man, are we getting a ton of homework these days.  In the evening, although, we went out for supper to a restaurante that serves local cuisine - Panascal.  The traditional dish here in Coban is Kaq ik.  It is a soup with a piece of turkey (and yesterday the gizzard as well!) served with rice and tamalitos (little tamales).  Before they bring you the soup, they serve you chocolate made with real cocoa.  It was quite the experience.  Rocky isn't sure he'd have the meal again, but now he can say, "Yes, I have eaten Kaq ik."  " Si, ya he comido Kaq'ik."  Because we get asked that a lot here. 
Arryn and Hector were here for lunch/supper today and we had a small feast.  We made roast chicken, potato skins and cabbage & apple salad.  Mmmmm!  Hector said he had only seen food like that in a restaurant!  What fun.  Then we played games - Uno and Dutch Blitz.  It is wonderful to be able to speak more Spanish and be able to actually get to know the young man who is going to be our son-in-law in November. 
This time of year - May / June - is an interesting time of year weather wise.  The mornings are hot and sunny, but almost every afternoon we get a rain storm.  The sky clouds over, the lightening streaks across the sky and thunder starts to roar.  Sometimes it rains for only a few minutes, but today it really poured for about an hour and a half.  It was so loud, it was deafening!  Our little house has a tin roof - very common here - and the noise inside was unbelievable.  Then, when the rain stops, it is fresh and clear for the evening.  This is winter in Coban.
Tomorrow we are off to church - trying our fourth church in Coban.  So far, we have enjoyed all of our church experiences, but haven't quite found the right fit for us.  Our first church here was Palabra & Poder (Word & Power); our second was Casa de Oracion (House of Prayer); and our third was Puerta de Ovejas (Sheep Gate).  Tomorrow we are off to Hector's family's church - El Verbo (The Verb based on John 1:1 The Word became flesh - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning).   
God bless you as you continue to serve the Lord and walk the path that He has prepared you to walk. 
Blessings,
Karren