Pictures

Guatemalan Fish Fry...yummm

Learning to make tortillas

Super Bowl in Guatemala

Yea family!

Mountains and Volcanos

Guatemala City

First Time at Pollo Campero (famous Guatemalan fast food chain)

Smoking Volcano

At the wedding with Sumpango in the background

Ready to scare!

Family!

La boda

Marie and I went to a wedding!

The family we are staying with was invited to a wedding and we are part of the family, so we went to a wedding! Our host mom said that the wedding was now international (and very popular!) because there were gringas (white people) there (much less common here in Guatemala!)

Some differences we noticed:
Firecrackers are lit when the "novio" (boyfriend) and "novia" (girlfriend) leave their houses. One (not sure which) leaves first and then picks up the other one and they walk to the church together.
The bride wears traditional Guatemalan clothing with a long veil rather than a white wedding dress.
The bride and groom sat down in the pews for the majority of the wedding.
There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen.
The bride and groom did not smile in their pictures.
Instead of a car processional, everyone walks the bride and groom to their house, which is typically where the reception is.
The reception had a band but no one danced and we all sat in chairs that were placed in rows to eat  a traditional Guatemalan meal and talk.

Marie's favorite comment from the night:
She saw one of her students who greeted her with "Good morning!" even though it was dark outside.

Britta's favorite comment from the night:
"¿Son gringas?" which means "Are you white?"
"¿Habla Inglés?" which means "Do you speak English?"
(I then proceeded to say some things in English for them, which they found very funny.)

 The processional to the reception

 The bride and groom's entrance

 The gringas :)

 Marie, Britta, and our friend

Marie y yo con los esposos

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is called Día de Cariño (Day of Affection) here in Guatemala. The students usually celebrate it in the schools with valentine´s and the youth (remember youth is anyone who is not married) celebrate it, but it is not commonly celebrated among adults. It still is a fun day!

Marie and I made valentines with our students, which was fun. Of course, Marie and I also received gifts from our students. Marie happily received 7 bananas, 1 apple, and 1 orange. I received a plate, 7 or so valentine's of my own, a mug, and a couple cards. :)

School was also done at 11 so that students could participate in various activities. I couldn't tell you what those various activities were, however, because there was a surprise lunch in the principal´s office to celebrate Marie and I coming to teach and a couple birthdays. Fried chicken with papas fritas (french fries), coleslaw, and tortillas. It was delicious!

After school, Marie and I spent some time planning and then we met a couple of our friends to go to a different town. We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into because when they asked, they asked if we would go to sing with them. We didn't know what that meant, but we agreed to go. On the way, one of our friends asked if we would sing. Marie pointed to me and I reluctantly said I would try.

After lots of thinking and searching for a song, we settled on "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. I told him I could try as long as I had the words. So, we went through the concert at the music studio where our friends teacher. A variety of people sang and played instruments. Toward the end it was my turn. My friend was going to play the keyboard and I was going to sing, but he told me he couldn't find the words. "Do you remember any words?" he asked in Spanish. I only knew bits and pieces of the Chorus. Well, I ended up "singing." Marie ended up laughing. End of story. I definitely forgot most of the words and ended up singing "la la la," but hey, it was an effort! Marie gave me a loud applause at the end (thanks good friend!).

Then Marie and I had a blast teaching English classes that night with some of the same people and other people we have come to enjoy teaching and being with! Overall, it was a very nice day!

 Second Grade Valentines

 Fifth Grade Valentines

 Gifts

 Our lunch!!!

All the teachers at lunch

Life at Home

Here in Guatemala life moves at a much slower pace than in the United States, which I absolutely love! I have had time to read, watch movies to learn more Spanish, spend time with the Lord, and enjoy time with the family here.

Meal times are fantastic! Our "mom" is a wonderful cook and never ceases to amaze us. One of our favorite parts about the food here is the tortillas that we have at least once a day for lunch or supper. Marie and I have also been introducing our family in fun and delicious ways to eat peanut butter (it's not a common thing here). Peanut butter with apples and bananas. Mmmmm.....

Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays is also a highlight with pancakes, sausage, some sort of eggs and other delicious breakfast items. It is a feast! I will post a picture soon. :)

We also read the Bible together as a family every night after dinner. I LOVE this time together and treasure it for so many reasons! It is beneficial to listen to the Bible read in Spanish and it is so good to end each day with God's word and prayer as a family. It is a special time that I hope to incorporate in my family some day.

Here are some funny stories from our family:

Marie "took our sister's nose" and said "Got your nose," as I'm sure many of you have experienced. Our sister got a look of horror on her face and said "¡Mama, tiene mi nariz!" (Mom, she's has my nose!). She didn't realize it was a joke. :)

Our sister was jumping on Marie, so Marie said, "Honey, I need you to stop doing that, okay?" Our sister asked her mom, "Why did she call me miel [honey]?"  She didn't know "honey" was a term of endearment and wondered why Marie was calling her the sweet sugary stuff that we eat. :)

Life here is good. We praise God for His faithfulness every day in providing for us and uplifting us. We know that God is always faithful. Continue to pray for our family as we seek to uphold God's standards and will in all that we do!

English Classes

Last week Marie and I started teaching English classes at the church. It is a good thing too because we would have been bored without school on Thursday and Friday (for me anyway...). 

It has been so fun to teach English classes in the church. Three days a week we teach niños (children) and jovenes (youth) 2 1/2 days a week (3 days one week and 2 days the next week). "Youth" here is defined as anyone who is not married, so most of the students in our "youth" classes are between 18 and 30.

The niños are all different ages and levels, so we split the group into two classes. I teach the younger and students with less of an English background, and Marie teaches the older students or students who have more experience. 

The class of jovenes is a blast. We make them do many of the activities we do with the children in the school, songs, games, you name it! The students are so willing to try these activities and seem to be learning little by little. :) 

The other day when we were teaching, the lights went out in the entire church. No fears! All the students had a cell phone, so even though it was pitch black, class continued on courtesy of the flashlight and illumination feature on their cell phones! It's one time teachers definitely don't mind for their students to have cell phones in class. :D It was quite a fun adventure!!

We have also been making videos for our students with pronunciations of words. Have you ever tried saying each letter of the alphabet, the sound it makes, and a word that starts with it while making sure to emphasize necessary sounds mouth movements? Not as easy as it seems. :) Good thing we can laugh at ourselves! 

We laugh a lot in these classes as Marie and I navigate our way through learning Spanish while teaching English. It sure does make for some interesting experiences and stories. :)  For example, the other week Marie told her class, "¡Hasta tomorrow!" Phrases like this are very common in our language these days, but our classes get a kick out of them!

As always, prayers are appreciated as we teach. We definitely have fun doing it though and we hope our students are learning something!! :)

Love and warmth from Guatemala!

He is Already There

"You are not bringing God to [Guatemala]. He is already there."

When I first got to Guatemala, I asked the question: Why am I here?

• I am doing very little different than I would be at home. I am teaching in a school, investing in the church in any way I can, and building relationships with others around me. I even eat better than I do in the United States. There are a few differences (walking everywhere, being surrounded by a different language, enjoying a slow pace of life), but in general my life here isn't much different than it would be in the United States

I wondered why God would call me to a different county if I could do very similar work in my home country where I knew the language. :) Don't get me wrong, I was excited to be in Guatemala, I just wondered why I was here.

Then I listened to the verse, the Pastor shared (fortunately, I knew it well in English!):

1 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV)

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow."

This is where the quote at the top comes in. "You are not bringing God to [Guatemala]. He is already there." I did not bring God to Guatemala. He is here. He is working. He is causing disciples to grow. He has called me to plant and water seeds by partnering with the local church to teach English in the school, but HE is doing all the work. 

We are all called to be missionaries. My question was why God called me to Guatemala to serve His name when I could be touching lives in the United States in virtually the same way. I believe that God called me to Guatemala to learn how to be a missionary wherever I am. God is there, wherever "there" is. I simply need to plant and water seeds and He asks me to. 

You can too. If you are a follower of Christ, you are a missionary. Sure you don't have the title "missionary," but you are doing many of the same things that other missionaries do, simply locally.

As one man put it when asked what he does for a living, "I serve the Lord....Oh, you mean to pay the bills? Oh, to pay the bills I am a lawyer."