Monday, November 3, 2008

"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!

Monday, June 2, 2008

"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.......

Saturday, January 5, 2008

"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................