Life Lately May 2026

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

 

The first Sunday of each month local churches do the Lord's Supper.  We were in two churches the first Sunday in May and enjoyed it twice. 

 

In early May David attended a pastor's conference at Lake Atitlan. 

 

 

I enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day celebration. 

 

 

Cruz and his friends have discovered a love for pool and have found a few places in town where they can go play.  These three do a lot together.  In addition to pool and meal outings, they went bowling and saw two movies in May. 

 

 

David made a trip over to the Chiquimula area to make visits. Below are a few of the people he saw while there.

 

 

He was in La Libertad with Nicolas. 

 

He drove up the mountain to Nearar to check on the church and visit with Pastor Rafael and his wife Luz. 

 

He stopped by Camotan to see the Lubecks. 

 

 

Also in Camotan, he visited with sweet Jane.  She runs El Olam school, which is where Cruz attended preschool when we lived there years ago.

 

 

I enjoyed a long lunch outing with my friend Susan, who was back in Guatemala for a visit.  She lived in Antigua for several years but has since returned to the States.  She loves playing cards, and I miss getting to play with her.  It was fun to catch up!

 

For many weeks now Cruz, a few friends, and the youth group leaders have been going out to eat together after Wednesday night youth group.   He loves these outings!

 

 

We had our last day of school on Friday, May 15. That is always a fun celebration day.

 

 

Our night-blooming cereus or sometimes called Queen of the Night cactus bloomed in mid-May. I had been watching it all week knowing that it was getting ready to bloom. The blooms only open at night and last just one night.  By the following morning they close up and die.  They can be as big as 8-12 inches across.  In all, over a three night period, we had thirty-six blooms!  It's a beautiful sight with the sweetest smell.

 

 

 

David and our teammate, Mark, made an overnight trip to Ixchiguan to visit with ministry partners and make plans for our upcoming Indigenous conference.

 

 

On Cruz's birthday eve he enjoyed a meal and outing in town with friends.

 

 

He turned 16 on May 26. 

Here is a look at Cruz's 16th birthday celebration. 

 

 

The following day he got his Guatemala driver's license.  He was very excited! 

 

 

We traveled as a family over to Copan, Honduras to visit with Pastor Nahum. 

 

 

While in Copan, we made a visit to Macaw Mountain to see the birds. 

 

 

Lastly, we ended the month watching baseball.  It was fun to see the Ole Miss Rebels advance to the Super Regionals.   We'll be watching this weekend hoping they advance on to the College World Series.

 

Mother's Day 2026

 Here is a look at my Mother's Day celebration this year.

 

The boys decorated the kitchen and dining room with balloons and streamers.  

 

 

ready for breakfast

 

 

We had a delicious sausage, egg, and cheese casserole. 

 

 

Mother's Day breakfast 

 

 

My homemade cards and some Lindor chocolate was waiting on the table. 

 

 

Every year they get me cupcakes from San Martin.  They are my favorite! 

 

I also get flowers. 

 

 

me and my precious boys on Mother's Day 

 

 

me and Ben

 

 

me and Cruz

 

After church we drove out to Paseo Antigua and enjoyed tacos and quesadillas at Fridas. 

 

 

I love horchata!! 

 

me and the boys 

 

It was a great day! 

I waited many years to be a mother.  I’ll forever be grateful that God allowed me to experience the joy of motherhood. Being a mom to these two boys is one of the greatest blessings of my life.

Life Lately May 2025

 I am way behind on updating my blog!  I will try to get caught up over the next several days.

 

We began the month of May saying goodbye to Gary and Lily Stone.  They began their final furlough before officially retiring later this year.  They will be missed! 

 

 

David and Gary 

 

 

supper with the Stones 

 

 

I had a wonderful Mother's Day celebration! 

 

 

last day of school 

We wrapped up 7th and 9th grade and began our summer break.  

 

 

We took an AMAZING family vacation to Colorado.  While there we visited the four national parks. It was the best family trip we have ever made!  I wrote several posts about the trip that you can see further down on the blog. There are way too many to link!

 

 

Cruz turned 15!!! 

 

  

Ben spent a Saturday morning playing tennis and swimming with his friend Josue. 

 

 

On another day they made a visit to the local arcade. 

 

 

We attended a play at the Christian Academy of Guatemala in San Cristobal. 

 

 

Ben's friend, Kingston, was in the play. 

 

We had a wonderful time catching up with an old friend over lunch one day.  Keturah and her family served many years in Guatemala, and we lived near them for a short season in Sayaxche.  It is in the Peten Department of northern Guatemala.  They were back with a team doing some ministry, and we got to see her while she was in Antigua.

 

I took my computer to a local coffee shop one afternoon to catch up on work reports and training courses. Sometimes a change of scenery helps make me more productive.  Iced coffee and dessert helps too. 

 

 

David and I enjoyed a Wednesday night date while the boys were at youth group.  In addition to eating, we made a stop by a local hardware store to pick out a new toilet.  I took this photo and sent it to a friend as a joke that this was a new first for us.  

 

On another day, I enjoyed a coffee and dessert date with Cruz. Getting to have those moments with him have been special.   

 

 

On one of my afternoon walks, I passed by a coffee farm and noticed the plants in full bloom.  

 

They produce the prettiest white flowers with an amazing sweet smell.

 

Next, I'll share photos from the month of June.  It was a busy one!