Life Lately April 2025

 Here is a look at some family activities during the month of April.

 

We began the month with a fabulous work trip to Mexico to visit a few of our IMB missionary families.

 

 

We spent a weekend in Quetzaltenango to visit our teammates and attend a retirement party for the Stones.

 

 

We officially have another teenager in our house.  Ben turned thirteen on April 16th.

 

 

David and I enjoyed a morning outing to see the carpets on Good Friday morning.

 

 

We celebrated Easter Sunday with a sunrise service at the cross that overlooks Antigua.

 

 

And, we celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. 

April is always a busy celebration month for us!

 

 

Our homeschool wall decorated for the month of April.

 

Ben is taking an art class this quarter at Encounter Academy.  Here he is with two of his best buds. 

 

 

Cruz had two more dissections to complete for his Biology class.   He dissected a frog.

 

 

He also dissected a perch. 

Thankfully he has a wonderful dad who does not have a queasy stomach and was able to help him with all four of his dissections this year.  I, on the other hand, would not have been able to do it! 

 

 

Cruz began an online driver's ed course.  He will turn fifteen in May, and we plan for him to take his permit test in the U.S. this summer.  The purpose of the course is to prepare him for the test.  Having grown up in Guatemala, he is not very familiar with U.S. road rules and signs. Driving here is a little different, lol.  In addition to the course, we have been taking him out to practice driving. Thankfully, we have an older personal vehicle that he can use to practice driving.  It is a standard, which can be a challenge, but he is mastering it quickly. 

 

 

We are excited about the arrival of May.  We'll not only celebrate Cruz's birthday but also Mother's Day and the end of the school year.  It is also one month closer to our Stateside Assignment!  What we are most looking forward to is an adventurous family vacation trip in May that we have had planned for a few years. We cannot wait to be exploring the great outdoors together!

 

Coming up...

Work Trip to Mexico April 2025

One of the things we love about our role as Associate Cluster Leaders for Indigenous work in Mexico and Guatemala is getting to make on-site visits with the people we supervise. It helps us better understand their lives, struggles, and ministries, and, as a result, we leave knowing a little better how to support them. 

In early April we made a weekend trip to Chiapas, Mexico to visit two of those families.  Here is a look at our wonderful time there.

me and the boys in the cab headed to the Guatemala City airport

I am very thankful that we get to make these visits with our kids.  I think it helps us better bond with the families that we go see.

 

walking through the airport

 

waiting to board our flight

 

arriving at the Tuxtla airport on Friday late afternoon

 

Welcome to Chiapas

 

Welcome to San Cristobal de las Casas

 

We arrived just in time to drop off our bags, and then we headed out to eat pizza with the Richardson family.

 

 

Early Saturday morning David and Clay headed out to visit the Tails.  They recently moved to live closer in community with their people group. They spent the whole day there and returned back just before dark. It was a long day round-trip but a very productive one.  Pray for the Tails and the great work they are doing to reach their people.

 

 

While they traveled, Tammy and I had a fun day in town with the kids.  Here is a Saturday morning picture of the MKs in the San Cristobal Central Park.

 

We thought this dog was funny with his necktie on.  He was roaming around the park.

 

 

After a delicious breakfast, we drove out to a local nature park for a morning hike.

 

Their city in the distance.

 

It was a perfect weather day and so much fun.

 

 

The park was beautiful and peaceful.

 

That afternoon we hung out at the Richardson's house.  The kids played video games, and Tammy and I sat out on her patio and talked. We shared life stories, parenting stories, missionary stories, and so much more.  Spending that one on one time with her was a highlight of my time there.

 

 

That evening when the guys returned, they built a fire, and we roasted hot dogs.  It was a fun ending to our day.

 

 

On Sunday morning we attended church with them.  During the service their pastor called us forward and prayed over us and the work we are doing in Guatemala.  It was a special moment! They have a wonderful church body.

 

 

We had a fellowship lunch at church and then headed out to a different nature park for the afternoon.  We had visited this same park on our last trip there back in 2023 to do rock climbing.  We were happy to get to return again because it is such a beautiful place. 

 

 

 

 

The kids loved playing on the tire swings 

(until Cruz fell and got hurt.  Then the fun ended.)

 

 

 

hiking

 

We went through this cave.

 

wood swinging bridge

 

 

us with the Richardsons

We are thankful for not only our work relationship but also the friendship we have with them.

 

 

Late that afternoon when we returned to town, the boys went home with them to hang out.  David and I spent that time wandering through town.  We visited the market and several shops.  I loved these colorful streamers hanging overhead.

 

We stopped for coffee at a local cafe.  When I noticed that they had creme brulee on the menu, I couldn't pass it up.  It is my favorite dessert and this particular one was delicious!!

 

 

I loved seeing the jacarandas in bloom there too.

 

That evening we all went out for tacos.  The al pastor (pork & pineapple) are my favorite.

 

 

the MKs in San Cristobal

 

our family in San Cristobal

 

us with the Richardsons in San Cristobal

 

We had an early Monday morning return flight which meant we got up extra early to get to the airport. I took this photo of the Mexican flag when we arrived.

 

Ben enjoying breakfast at the Tuxtla airport.

 

flying into Mexico City

 

donuts at the Mexico City airport

 

 

Home Sweet Home

 

The trip was fantastic from start to finish.  We are thankful for our time together.  We are also thankful for the bonding time our kids had. We were all a little sad to leave.  

 

Pray for the Richardson family and the dedicated work they are doing among the Zoque.  Pray that God would bless their ministry greatly this year!