Life Lately January 2022

January was a whirlwind month. We spent the first week doing school, packing, and saying our goodbyes.  We returned to Guatemala on Saturday, the 8th, and the following Monday was the college football championship game.  In spite of all the unpacking and getting settled, we were eager to watch the game.  We have a new family that joined our mission while we were in the U.S.  They are working under Send Relief.  They had picked us up from the airport when we arrived and helped us get home.  They too are football fans so we invited them over to watch the game with us.  They are a sweet couple and we look forward to getting to spend more time with them.

 

Our family with the Waldraffs.  They are from Texas and we are from Mississippi but we were all cheering for Georgia that night.

 

We ate pizza and popcorn, and I made this cake for our dessert.

 

They arrived with flowers, which brought a big smile to my face.  I love flowers!

 

 

The following Sunday we enjoyed worship at a local church and then lunch at Pappy's BBQ.

 

It is one of our favorite places to eat.

 

Later that week we had to make a trip into Guatemala City.  We enjoyed a meal at TGI Friday's while there.  That is another favorite place of ours.

 

I most always get the chicken finger BLT and onion rings. Yum!!

 

Ben likes to go there because ice cream comes with the meals.  His favorite is mango.

 

Cruz loves the cookie dough ice cream.  I do too!

 

We built several fires that first week back.  We really missed our wood burning heater while gone.

 

We had a Saturday night game night.  

 

Aggravation is always a hit.

 

We also played SkipBo.

 

The boys got much needed haircuts. 

 

 

 

A photo of Fuego volcano on a drive home late one afternoon.  The orange looking cloud is actually smoke that had just come out of the volcano.

 

The boys have had a few different friends over to play.  This day we had gone to church with these friends from Encounter Academy.  Our families went out to eat lunch together and then the kids came home with us to play.  

 

We attended a Sunday evening worship service at the Baptist church in Parramos. On the way to the church, we stopped to take a picture of the boys in front of the sign.  It says "land of the best beans". 

 

 

Just this past weekend we made a trip to the Chiquimula area. We left on Friday afternoon when the boys finished their Awana class. 

 

The missionary that we were studying in January was David Livingstone.  We took our audio book along and listened to several chapters on the drive there and back. It takes about five hours one way to get there.

 

The Friday evening sunset on the drive to Chiquimula.  This was taken just before El Rancho.  My oh my, El Rancho has grown in recent years!  There used to only be a Sarita's there but now they have a grocery store, Pollo Campero, McDonald's, and Little Caesar's Pizza.  They are finishing construction on a Cafe Barista and clearing another lot to hopefully build something else soon.  We love seeing progress in Guatemala.

 

The next morning Miguel met us for breakfast.  It was great to catch up with him and hear about all his new ministry opportunities.  He seems to be doing really well and staying very busy.  We are very proud of him and the growth that we see in his life.

 

On the way out to the mountains we made a stop by the Lubecks to catch up with them.  They are Chorti Bible translators who helped us greatly when we moved to the Chiquimula area years ago.  We miss seeing them as often as we did when we lived nearby but enjoy visiting when we can.  They are a precious couple and we feel blessed to call them our friends.

 

 

We were then off to hike the trails and make some home visits.  It was good to be out and about again.

 

It was fun to see this adobe house being built.  

 

These are homemade adobe bricks.  Many of the houses in this part of Guatemala, specifically in the mountains, are made from these.  Some have tin roofs and others have thatched roofs.

 

We were fed chicken soup and tortillas at one stop.  We had taken a pack of black beans and bread to have a roadside picnic for lunch.  We ended up eating both while out.

 

We love these black bean flavored chips and always stop to buy them at the gas station near Camotan. 

 

 

After a long day of visiting, we let the boys enjoy some time in the pool when we returned to Chiquimula that afternoon. 

 

That evening we drove around town seeing if it had changed much.  I love this sign at the central park. We ate supper at Burger Pizza Diner and then walked around the Pradera mall. 

 

We let the boys ride these motorized transformers while at the mall.

 

 

 

On Sunday morning we drove up the mountain to Nearar for their worship service.

 

These mountain roads, though bumpy and jarring, are some of our most favorite roads to travel.  

 

It was wonderful to be back with them again.  We spent almost an hour visiting before the service began.  David preached a great message and at the end of the service many shared words of encouragement with us about what we mean to them.   It was humbling to be called their spiritual father and mother.  We do love these precious people!  We hope to return in March for a baptismal service.  They have four ready to be baptized.  What a joy!

And, lastly, click the link to read about our homeschool days in January. 

 

How is it February already?  January definitely flew by.  We are finding our groove again and things seem to be going very smooth.  Thank you for praying for our transition this past month.  We have felt your prayers!