Life Lately July 2022

   We welcomed July just like we did June with a visit to a local coffee farm to ride bikes.

 

Enjoying a coffee and dessert break at La Azotea coffee farm.

 

We also did a walking tour of the farm and played on this ropes course. 

 

 

 

One Saturday, the boys got invited to go to Sky Zone in Guatemala City and enjoyed a delicious lunch at Pappy's BBQ.

 

 

We took the girls to the beach to celebrate the 4th of July.

 

We had told them we had to ride a ferry but it was a little hard to explain.  This is a ferry boat that you ride on to get to the beach.  Each one holds two cars.  I think they were a little surprised when they saw it but enjoyed the adventure.

 

They got out and stood on the front as we made our way to Monterrico. 

 

After arriving, we spent most of our time in the pool.

 

But also enjoyed the Pacific Ocean views.

 

 

 

I did not take many photos of our trip.  We had a hamburger and hot dog cookout for the 4th and enjoyed a relaxing time there together.

 

We made a day trip to Guatemala City to visit the La Aurora Zoo.

 

feeding the fish

 

We loved getting to experience the birds up close. 

 

Our family at the zoo.

 

 

We welcomed a team from The Church at LifePark in Mt. Pleasant, SC.

 

 

We had a wonderful time serving together in two communities alongside two national pastors. 

 

 

The team flew out early in the morning and we left mid-day driving to Panajachel.  We wanted to take the girls to Lake Atitlan for one last fun adventure before they left. We enjoyed soaking in this amazing view.

 

 

We took a boat ride on the lake.

 

We visited the Atitlan Nature Reserve and did a zipline.

 

me and Katelyn

 

 

 

ropes course

 

We visited a butterfly farm.

 

 

Our team in Panajachel. 

 

 

Our last day together.  We took this photo before heading to church.

 

For lunch we went to Emily's favorite restaurant in town, Kombu Ramen Shop.

 

My lunch.

 

They left early on a Monday morning.  We were very sad to let them go.  These girls were amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend our summer with them.  

 

That evening we built a fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.

 

The next day we enjoyed a lunch outing with friends to Wilder's Pizza.

 

Mid-week we had the pleasure of meeting a former IMB MK and her family who were visiting in town.  They were working at Casa David which was started by a former IMB missionary that we also got to meet.  We all enjoyed lunch together and they gave us a tour of the building.  

 

They had learned about our family during VBS.  We spent a lot of time during June and July answering emails from churches, meeting teams who were in town, and doing live and pre-made videos for VBS groups. Being featured in Lifeway's VBS this year gave our family a lot of exposure and connections with churches.  We are grateful for the opportunity and thankful for the prayers that have been prayed on our behalf this summer.

 

We made a quick trip to Chiquimula to attend the Lubeck's 60th wedding anniversary celebration.  We are very thankful to have them in our lives and for the positive example they are to us and all who know them. 

 

The last week of the month we spent time getting restocked on groceries and supplies. We also got haircuts and had dental appointments.

 

I also did a lot of baking to get our freezer restocked for the next few months.  I love baking but do not have as much time to do it when we are in school.

 

I have been writing lesson plans and getting everything ready for the new school year. 

Ready or not, we started today Friday, July 29.  Pray for a smooth start and for a wonderful fun-filled year of learning for my 5th and 7th grader.  Pray for me also that I would have the wisdom that I need and the energy and patience that it requires.

 

Fall Break 2020

We took a much needed week off from school last week to enjoy a fall break at the Guatemala coast.  We traveled to Monterrico where we spent several days at a lovely Airbnb condo.  It was very refreshing to be out of the house and get a break from our normal routine.  We spent our days either in the pool or on the sand and spent our nights playing cards and watching movies.   It was a wonderful family vacation!

It is less than two hours from our house to the beach.  I did not realize just how close we were to it from Antigua until this trip.  I feel certain that we will be going back now.

                                                        All loaded up and ready to go.

They were so excited!!

Once we arrived we loaded everything onto this trailer and rode to our room.

face masks for just a few more minutes

We barely got checked in and settled before they were dressed and ready to go swim.  

First stop was the slide.  They spent the majority of our trip in this area.  We immediately spotted another missionary family who had just checked in as well.  We were so excited to have them there with us.  It made our trip extra fun having someone to share it with.  We were there during the week and pretty much had the place to ourselves.  It was wonderful!!

We would walk down to the ocean in the late afternoons and early mornings.  Guatemala has black sand beaches which get very hot during the middle of the day. 

The sunset on our first night.

With these early risers we were out by 7:00 every day.  So much for sleeping in on vacation. 

a morning snack break by the pool

Playing cards on our patio.

Our last night there.

We did not have to check out until after lunch which gave us an extra half of a day to play.  Before leaving we took a few family photos.

We drove a different route on the way home so we could take the boys on the ferry.   They rode the ferry years ago but were too young to remember it.  It is a fun adventure and we definitely wanted them to have memories of it.

Adios Monterrico!  We cannot wait to visit you again!