"Fall in Summer...."

It's different having the seasons reversed here. We wait so long for spring and summer to approach in Seattle and then find ourselves here during the rainy season. Not quite like Seattle rain, though. Monsoon is a better description. The other day, I expected to find Noah's ark resting next to the house. And we find ourselves being aware of the sides of the mountains as we drive back from the local towns. This land is familiar with landslides. We heard recently a towns closeby is experiencing a sink hole/landslide. That would block one of the ways we get to Panajachel, but what they are looking at is a river being created that will rush down the mountain and into other towns. I read this Scripture about a week ago and thought "how true"...
"When you walked at the head of your people, O God, and lived with them on their journey, the earth shook at Your Presence, and the skies poured forth their rain, alleluia. Psalm 67:8-9,20."
Will and I experienced them both, earthquake and heavy rains all in one day. The tremors have felt somewhat mild, but one 'caught my attention' at the dinner table. It rattled the windows and doors and we could see things move. But I remember the words: When you walked at the head of Your People, O God.....Alleluia.

We are settling in with our spanish class....how many ways can you slaughter a language, let me count the ways. We are now fluent in Spanglish. I find myself moving in and out of both languages in my thoughts, but sometimes my brain says "Enough". And that is that. But I love it when I can actually put together a figure of speech or put certain words together to make our teacher laugh. Then, it's all worth it. I read this morning" that our actions have a tongue of their own; they have an eloquence of their own, even when the tongue is silent. For deeds prove the lover more than words". This brings me peace when I am anxious that I will only be able to have a somewhat fluent conversation with a 4 year old the rest of my days. But
I won't give up. And ofcourse, my actions can definitely overcome my babbling.

And so we preservere :) We are developing friendships with those around us poco a poco. We find our biggest challenge at the moment besides learning spanish is dealing with issues that have to do with renting the land to locals. We felt led to give a free year to those leasing the land for growing corn. But we find people cutting wood, clearing land that they have not been given permission to clear, and doing what has probably been the norm for a longer period of time than since we've been here. So I remind myself, the Lord reminds me and others remind me that it's not about the trees or the land but about the people. How will we respond to misunderstanding or simply others taking advantage of us? Isn't that the place where transformation takes place?And that is one of the reasons that we are here. To be changed. And God willing, for the better. The land and trees will remain long after we're gone from this earth and I don't want my life to be about stuff, but my relationship with God through others. May it be so.......

Transition....

Wow-God is Great and continues to shepherd all of us on this journey. We have stepped out of the boat and continue to look straight ahead for God's provision. Diane and I thank you for your fellowship and love. First, the driving journey. Three long days of driving the 2700 miles to the South Texas border in the completely overloaded Subaru Forrester went well and felt like a Lenten journey to me :-) I picked up Glen at the local airport and then the next morning we were angelically spirited through the Mexican border without even an inspection, all in less than 45 minutes-this is in comparison to the grueling 6 hours that Jose and I had last spring. We had three long days of uneventful driving in Mexico(Will only had to pay off Two Mexican police officers on the way) and we arrived at the Guatemalan border and then the spiritual warfare began. The border agency man we hired turned out to be a crack cocaine addict and he promptly abandoned us once he got his hands on our $100 crossing fee. I had to illegally cross the river back into Mexico to physically recover all of my papers including Passport, car title and import paperwork. I had to find the flophouse room where this addict had left my documentation with a landlady and grab it from her. Glen remained to protect the car and valuables from robbery. I then re-entered Guatemala and found the border closed with a border strike and computer failure..WeI pushed through by obtaining a toursit visa, then paying only $40 for the import tax on all of the contents of the car(bikes, motorcycle, chainsaws, etc) and it was clear that We were the ONLY non guatemalan car to enter the country through the border that day. We still managed to make it to Opal House by nightfall and fell on our faces. We picked up Diane the next morning in the Capital on time. Joel Van Dyke kindly walked us through the process of obtaining our permanent resident visas, a process that actually took him three years to figure out, we did in only two steps with him. We also visited Tita in the La Limonada slum and reunited with Merci, our first temporary orphan and met her new baby Blancita. Tita has openend a new school in the other gang neighborhood and we will be helping her out for sure as one of our key partners. Now Diane, Glen and I undertook many projects at Opal House. Without any blueprints or septic plans, we had to unearth whatever septic systems existed for both houses before greatly expanding the guest usage capacity of water/waste and encountering an odiferous backup problem. Happily, after two days of digging, two high quality French designed two stage systems were discovered in excellent condition. We then had all of the 30 year old concrete failing pipes torn out and replaced with new PVC so were good for the next 50 years! We are now ready for many people and the children's home had a new wood door installed with a bible inscribed on it-it's a work of art!. Glen and I retrieved our professional survey used for titling purposes and began some key farm project planning. Glen has some great ideas for development and animal husbandry. Even though it was the peak of the dry season, our fresh water spring was full to the top and two new springs had appeared since last year and we now know extra water exists for irrigation of the farm and future projects. We also got the water tested and all appears good-God is multiplying the harvest on the land!! After Glen departed, Diane and I had two very fruitful meetings. First the local mission in San Lucas was warmly receptive to our volunteer and partnering medical efforts-(After they heard Diane's passionate story, they all just about cried)-they have a hospital, operating room and little or no surgical equipment and they have been praying for a permanent local partner to offer expanded services to the 25,000 local population, like orthopedics/podiatry. They need diabetic extremity services, casting, surgery, etc and we will slowly integrate our services through this 40 year old mission, built on the loving and courageous back of Father Gregorio. We also may plan to develop visiting surgical mission trips there with Healing the Children. Father is a hero the all of the locals and was the one who has promised to educate our children who come to live at Opal house. He is also the only non Guatemalan to ever receive the country's highest honor(the order of the Quitzale) and is the only priest to ever receive it also. Glen was also moved with Father Greg's obvious passion and zeal for the people, when he met him before he departed. Finally, Diane and I had extensive time and talks with experts on the newly created government system of children's home and adoption services(we also spent one night at a new home for babies)-a true nightmare of guinea pig oversight. The rules are constantly changing, no one knows the future, the costs were staggering just to take care of abandoned children and not one home is fully licensed in the country as of this time-you might imagine that Diane and I took a big step back and breathed deeply for prayer and discernment about locking ourselves into a paperwork prison with the government. Even the nearest courtroom was 90 minutes away for constant judge visits. We clearly have heard from God that we will partner with Joel's and Tita's inner city ministries, local rural ministries with our neighbors and even our sponsored child Leivi. None of these can occur if we lock into the government system because no unlicensed person is allowed exposure to children in a government run new orphanage...So for now, it looks we will start out as a dynamic, flexible adaptive home for mothers and children, homeless persons, vacation bible schools, people in crisis-whatever "Opal" God brings us..... Diane and I also spent much time with Samuel Antonio, the newest baby addition to Opal House and he is healthy and thriving, although keeping the whole family up at night. We had so much fun playing soccer on the new soccer net we set up at the children's home and they are truly family to us. I will teach the oldest boy Leonso to drive when we return in May. Pedro loved the walkie talkie I brought for communciation on the farm-He's a real Jefe(boss) now as Guardian-pistol and walkie talkie!

"His ways are not our ways...."

We're back from our 8th trip to Guatemala! This trip is one that will not soon be forgotten! We had our friend Chris and Don back to finish up some tiling projects. They are hard workers and I will find Opal House a little empty without them in the future. They have been an inspiration to me as they don't allow their little knowledge of Spanish to keep them from meeting new friends each time they return. I can be a little shy when it comes to getting to know people and so I need a little nudge to get out their and meet the local community. But Don and Chris have made a 'path' for Will and I and we intend to nuture those new relationships that have been made because of them. Thanks guys :) We love you.....Well, this trip was truly an example of watching God take circumstances that would have otherwise been incredibly bad and turn them out for our good. The guys spent the week shopping and installing the tile for the different casitas; getting them ready for our first family. I was busy one day sweeping the main house for the umpteenth time (dust bunnies procreate at an alarming rate up there...), when suddenly I heard Will shouting for the guys to come and help him because Pedro had been in an accident. Pedro is our caretaker. He and his family live on the property. To make a long story short, Pedro was taking the Honda Passport to the local mechanic. Will was following in our van. Pedro was supposed to make a right turn onto the main road. Instead, he gunned the engine, made the turn too wide and ended up going over a ravine on the other side of the road!!! The Honda turned multiple times and all the while Will is watching this in horror! He saw the Honda in its last few flips before it came to rest about 300 feet below him. He saw no movement and so he ran back to the house to get help....praying all the way. We all took off and followed behind him (I said a loud prayer myself, not knowing exactly what was going on!) Will started attempting to scale down the ravine and was about halfway down when he saw Pedro climbing past him! Will thought it was an apparation! But it was Pedro, and miraculously he was not killed or seriously injured! We couldn't believe it. If you had seen the car yourself, you would wonder how could he have made it out without serious injuries. He ended up with a separated shoulder and some bruised ribs. Will ended up taking him to a hospital in Solola while Chris and I took their kids out to dinner. Needless to say, the whole family was pretty shaken up. But as I mentioned earlier, God took what could have been a tragedy and turned it out for our good. The local community came out to see the commotion and they were saying "Glory to God", because they could see that it was a miracle he came out as he did. They also asked if we needed anything. The children of this local neighborhood had carried the whole back spare tire up the ravine, along with other parts of the car that had broken off, to present them to us and to keep thieves from stealing them. One of the children had the rearview mirror which had hung a rosary. This was presented to Don. It's now displayed in our living room at Opal House as a reminder of God's protection! It was a strange way to be introduced into our new community and neighborhood, but we are so grateful that it happened!

"And they were altogether in one place" Acts 2:1

We are back from our second trip to Opal House this year! This time, as our plane is approaching Houston, Texas on our return, I'm not as excited to come back as is normal for me when I travel overseas. And I take this to mean that my heart is undergoing a change. I feel more and more at home there, especially as we
meet more locals and become friends and neighbors.

I had not planned on going this time but the Lord had other plans for me. And I am SO GLAD I did not stay home. It would have meant missing out on one of my dearest experiences of what 'community' can look like as it did in chapter 2 of the book of Acts. We had two friends from our church join us this time. Don and Christopher came with such enthusiasm to tile and help with the plumbing as we are trying to add more bathrooms and remodel the casitas to create more of a flow for families that will join us in the future.
They jumped right in and did not hesitate to get to know locals around the neighborhood. They re-tiled our kitchen floor which I can't wait to see in October. Will and I had to shorten our trip this time so it will be much like opening a Christmas present when we return.

The highlight of our trip came when we invited our dear friends Tita and Monica (her assistant) to join us for the weekend. Tita is a Christian who opened a school for the children living in the slum of La Limonada. It took great courage and faith to build a school in the middle of a place known for gang warfare. Today, this school has about 200 kids in attendance and it's continuing to expand.

Two of the people Tita brought to us were from La Limonada. Their names are very symbolic of what we desire Opal House to represent. One was a 20 year old young lady who is four months pregnant. Her father drank himself to death, then her mother followed with a drinking binge and was found dead on the beach. This young lady is named "Merci". The other was a baby whose mother has 7 other kids and is so depressed she was neglecting her youngest and just leaving her there in the room all alone. She hadn't had a bath more than twice in 2 months. This tiny baby is named "Grace". So "Grace" and "Mercy" were our first to find refuge at Opal House! This is how God works.....completely amazing.

So Saturday night our house was full! People talking, eating, laughing, working, even crying at times. Our hearts were just as full as our home. And I was happy. It was as if God said "Diane, you wanted a vision of what I have planned for Opal House, well here it is!" And that's enough for me. We may not have all the details but we know it will be built on love. We pray that it will be the heartbeat of God.

This may be the reason it was not as easy to return to Seattle this time. I've left part of my heart there.......

"Psalm 113"

After 17 years the Lord has fulfilled His promise to me! This was the Scripture given on September 24, 1990 and on December 22nd, 2007, the day we signed for the property, this was the Scripture in our daily devotional! God's promise has come full circle! "and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly" (Deut. 1:36) is the Scripture on December 21st as we waited for the wiring of the money to deposit into the bank; the very last business day before the signing....We stand amazed at all that He has done for us. This has been an incredible year of doing what is possible (fund-raising, sharing our story...) and watching the Lord do for us what we knew we could not do without Him (raise $350,000 in 10 months)! On December 23rd we stood outside the house and gazed upon all the land, the guacamole trees, the incredible view of Lake Atitlan and just trembled inside. We understand that this is a great stewardship, but we so look forward to see those children and others who will become, what we hope, part of our family.
We have one family already living on the property. His name is Pedro. He and his wife Josephina have 5 children. We look forward to getting to know them. In the meantime, we are in the preparation stage. We had our first missionary couple and their 2 sons come and help us clean, clean, clean. They were a blessing. Thank you Darrell, Corrine, Ian and Tyler! They continued to make the house a home after we left. We hope as we get the word out that those who have skills like plumbing, tiling, painting etc., will come and share those gifts!
We would like to thank all of you who gave this past year of your time, talents and treasure. We know we could not have come to this place without you! Our hearts are full and we are humbled at all you have done.
May God be blessed with abundant fruit on His table. Fruit that remains................

August 28,2007

"You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done. O Lord, what great works you do!" Psalm 92:4-5a



Buenos Dias!


Well we are heading back to Seattle after a two week stay here in Guatemala. It has been a busy two weeks. We have been in Panajachel to go over the housing and property one more time before December. We had a great time in one of our favorite hotels, Casa Del Mundo. We even enjoyed a ride in the back of a pickup truck with mayan ladies and a baby! Infact, we believe we have ridden every type of transportation available in Guatemala (including a chicken bus) with the exception of a horse or donkey.

The Lord, again, has carved a way through what may have been a crazy run-a-round trying to find lawyers to help us gain guardianship and incorporating in Guatemala. We came in on Wednesday and by Thursday evening we had two choices of lawyers (who work with their spouses on this type of project). Today we are signing the final paperwork! God is forever good to us. We always feel like sheep with an incredible Shepherd when we come here. He always opens the doors and networks us with the people and help that is needed to continue our journey.

Opal House

August 12, 2007

Hello!

My name is Diane Boegel. My husband and I are opening up a children's home and medical clinic in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Please join us as I journal our journey!