Life Lately February 2023

David and I began the month in Lima, Peru attending a work meeting.  Our volunteer, Terrie, stayed with the boys while we were away. The quarterly field trip with Encounter Academy fell during that time so Terrie went along to chaperone.  They went to Sky Zone in Guatemala City.

 

Terrie with some of the kids on the van to Sky Zone. We are very thankful for her servant heart! While here she spent several days at the school helping out and really enjoyed her time with the kids.

 

Sky Zone group photo

 

lunch time at Sky Zone

 

friends

 

The only homeschool photos I took during the whole month of February was of a Science experiment that David and Cruz did.  I really need to get back on track with my homeschool posts.

 

They made an edible ocean layer model.

 

It included chocolate and vanilla pudding, crushed cookies, and whipped cream.

 

 

We started Valentine's Day with a heart-shaped pancake breakfast. 

 

David and the boys gave me flowers.

 

I also got a new coffee mug from San Martin.  I love collecting cups from there.

 

That evening we enjoyed a date night to Pasta Nostra.  It is a favorite of ours.

 

We helped kick off a new thirteen week Bible study at the Baptist church in Parramos.

 

The boys ready for the program to start.

 

They will be meeting every Saturday afternoon for the next thirteen weeks.

 

 

singing during the program

 

 

David preached and shared his testimony at the Baptist church in San Andres Itzapa the following night.

 

 

worship in San Andres Itzapa

 

 

beautiful church flowers

 

 

We had some cool nights which allowed us to enjoy a few fires.

 

Game night by the fire.  Ben is a fierce checker player!

 

I look forward to our Friday afternoon coffee dates all week long.  On this particular outing we went to Patsy's.  They were advertising a piña colada cheesecake.  It was delicious! We also enjoyed their frozen coffee drinks.

 

I am continuing to host a mom's group on Wednesday afternoons while our kids are taking P.E. class at Encounter Academy.  Terrie was able to join us while she was here and share some wisdom with us.  This group of ladies brings joy to my heart.  I am thankful for each of them.

 

 

This semester we are going through this study by Gather Moms.  It has been wonderful so far.  In addition to the book there are videos on Right Now Media that go along with each lesson.   I am excited that they will be coming out with a Spanish version soon. 

 

 

A family photo with Terrie before we drove her to the airport to fly back home. We miss having her around. Her two months went by quickly.

 

After dropping Terrie off at the airport we stopped by Burger King in Guatemala City.   While eating, the boys noticed the WiFi sign on the wall.  Cruz pronounced it as "free whiff" and they posed like this.  It gave us a good laugh.

Also during the month of February, we attended the 37th Kekchi Annual Assembly.  We gathered together with our mission family for a Super Bowl party. We attended the annual Intermissions Conference, and I celebrated my birthday. You can click on these links to see blog posts about those activities.

 

Lastly, in my personal study time, I'm ending the month starting this new study by First 5 on the book of Ruth. I love doing their book studies.  We just finished Deuteronomy last week.  I am looking forward to diving into this new one.

February was a full month.  We look forward to seeing what March holds.  

 

Our Visit to Xela

This past weekend we make a road trip to Quetzaltenango to visit with our mission family there.  Quetzaltenango is the formal name but everyone calls it Xela.  It is about a 3.5 hour drive from our house.  We left on Friday afternoon when the boys finished their Awana class at Encounter Academy.

 

Off we go!

We were excited to take Terrie along with us and let her see another part of Guatemala.

 

A gorgeous sunset view along the way.

 

 

Along the way we encountered an accident in the road that set our arrival back a full hour.  We ended up stopping at a Texaco gas station for supper.  Thankfully, they served great sandwiches.

 

 

They had just remodeled the store/restaurant and it was really cute. In the bathrooms they used old gas nozzles at the sink.  It was really a fun sight to see.

 

How about this toilet paper holder?  Very cute and creative! 

We arrived a little before 9:00 p.m. We were tired but still stayed up a while visiting.  We all stayed at the Stone's house.  Their daughter Lindsay was there as well as our journeyman Lauren.  It was a full house but that made it extra fun.

 

The next morning after breakfast Gary took us all on a walking tour of Xela.  We covered a lot of ground in a few hours time.  Their house is within walking distance of many great restaurants, shopping, and entertainment options.  Xela is the second largest city in Guatemala with Guatemala City being the largest.   I was blown away by all that it offered!

 

 

Isn't this wall beautiful! 

 

Everyone had told us to go to Xelapan.  It is a chain bread store that is very popular.  We loved looking at all the options available and left with a bag full of goodies to try.

 

The main reason for visiting was to try the xecas.  Everyone raves about them! We bought several different varieties to try. 

 

Here are the boys helping Lindsay snap beans for supper.

 

Lindsay and the boys.  

She is the Stone's daughter who grew up in Guatemala.

 

The boys loved the Stone's two dogs- Coco and Bernie.

 

Mid-day we headed out to lunch at Cardinali. It is an Italian restaurant that the Stones have told us about for years.  We were excited to finally get to try it.  It was just as good as they had said.  Afterwards we did some more exploring around the city.

 

our IMB mission family at the Xela Central Park

 

Terrie with the group.

 

 

Xela Central Park

 

 

 

David, Ben and Gary

We are very thankful for Gary's friendship, leadership, and investment in our lives over the years.

 

 

We returned home and enjoyed several rounds of cards before supper.

 

Later that evening we drove up to a lookout spot and enjoyed the views of Xela at night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He is growing up so fast!

 

me, Cruz, and Terrie

Terrie is a volunteer here with us for the months of January and February. She is such a joy to have around.

 

On Sunday morning we attended a service at the Stone's church plant.  Here is David sharing during the service.

 

Lauren teaching the kids a Bible lesson.

 

We had a group lunch at the church with everyone before returning to the Stone's house to load up our things.  We drove home that afternoon.   

We had a wonderful weekend visit.  We look forward to doing it again soon.