Back In School!

Well, you know what they say…learning keeps you young!  Well that’s good, because for the past two weeks, Rocky and I have been back in the classroom.  There were no teams booked for September and Manny and Cindy are in the US, so we decided to take advantage of the time and hit the books…once again!    

Learning another language (or two) is a challenge when you are 50+ years of age.  Not an impossibility, but certainly hard work.   

Because we often find ourselves in areas where no one speaks Spanish, we decided to study not only Spanish, but also a bit of Q’eqchi’.  Teams often ask us if there is any relation between Spanish and Q’eqchi’ and I’ll let you decide.  Below is a conversation in three way translation:

Hi, how are you?               Hola, como estas?         Ma sa la ch’ool.

Good thanks, and you?   Bien, gracias, y tu?       Sa lin ch’ool, bantiox, ut laa’at?

Good.                                 Bien.                                Sa.    

So, you be the judge.  Our goal is to become more fluent in Spanish and to be comfortable communicating a few basic greetings in Q’eqchi’. 

Living in a country where they don’t speak our mother tongue (English), we know how wonderful it is to have a conversation, listen to a teaching or sing a worship song in English – our heart language.  It is the same for the people here.  When we greet them in Spanish, a language they do not speak, it has little value.  We want to honour and love the people here and we believe that by learning some of their mother tongue (Q’eqchi’) we better do just that.    

And so…vale la pena –it is worth the struggle.  When you think of us throughout this month, please pray that the Lord would open up our hearts and minds and enable us to learn all we can so that we can better serve Him where He has planted us!

Passing It On

     It seems as though every night Rocky and I talk about how blessed we are.  Our kids are all healthy and doing well.  We have an amazing and supportive family.  We have wonderful friends who support us and love us.  We are part of an amazing ministry where we can serve not only the Guatemalans, but also the North American teams who come. 
     We have a car that runs, a roof over our heads, a terrific shower with good pressure, a great bed to sleep in, and when there is electricity we even have air conditioning to cool us off at the end of the day.  And although we don’t have a regular salary, we haven’t missed a meal yet (although I probably should on occasion).  We really are so blessed!
     God continues to provide for all of our needs and more.  As a way of giving back, Rocky and I decided to set aside the special offerings that teams sometimes leave for us, so when we heard of a need, we could respond.  In essence, we want to pass along the blessings that we receive.   
     About a month ago, our pastor’s son was badly burned in a fire.  We were able to help the family out by covering some of their medical costs and provide them with transportation between Chisec and the hospital in Coban (about 1.5 hours away).  
     About a week later, Rocky and Baudilio where showing the Jesus film in Quekchi at a little church close to the mission site.  The pastor of the church commented on how amazing it would be to have a Bible in Quekchi.  We quickly learned that most pastors here study and prepare their sermons in Spanish and then translate them into Quekchi.  For those of you who have ever tried to translate scripture, you know how difficult it is.  So, we ordered a case of Quekchi Bibles to distribute amongst the rural pastors who preach in Quekchi every week.

     Two weeks ago, we were visiting and praying for the sick in Sepalau, and I was inspired, I believe by the Lord, to buy a radio and batteries for a women who has been bed ridden for more than 2 years.  Today, I got to deliver that radio and my prayer is that as she listens to the Christian station, the Lord will minister to her through His Word and worshipful music, and this will affect her spirit and in turn her health.
 

 I think this is putting into practice the scriptural principle of sowing and reaping. 

Remember this:  Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously…God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work…You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, … 2 Corinthians 9:6-11.  (emphasis is mine!) 

God has be gracious and generous with us and so, in turn, we are to be gracious and generous to those in need so that no one would be in want.    

What To Do When Every Day Is +30 Celcius?

I never thought I’d say it…but…I miss the changing of the seasons.  I used to dream about living in a place where it was summer all year long and now I am there.  Sure, some days are sunnier than others and some are rainy, but the temperature varies little.  The variable in the weather is the humidity.  It can range from slightly humid, maybe 60% humidity, to very humid, 90% or more.  But every day in Chisec is a shorts and t-shirt day. 

So, what do you do when every day is +30 degrees celcius?  You begin to dream… and I am dreaming of a white Christmas.  The Lord willing, we will be home this year for Christmas and I have to admit, I am looking forward to the cold.  Strange isn’t it.  Rocky tells me that after a day or two of shivering  I will miss our tropical paradise and he is probably right.  But those first few moments of icy cold are going to be a real treat.