What it might be like to have an orphanage....

We had our first 2 night sleepover for our kids! Crazy, absolutely like zoo-keeping! Kids running around playing, doing their homework, taking showers, laughing, shouting....I think you get the picture. The showering was the funniest thing. The kids loved it. I'm assuming having warm water for bathing is like a ride at Disneyland. They laughed and shouted, it was very funny and I'll never forget how they enjoyed their new p.j.'s. A huge 'thank you!' to those who donated those p.j.'s. They were so cute on the children. They each got a new headband for their hair. We had story time just like we are used to doing with our grandson, Ryan. We received some beautiful large (and I do mean large) children's books that were very much appreciated. Thank you to Jack and June Bower for that gift! I tried to type out some rules and regs...who am I kidding???!!!! Try, try again. Will and I were exhausted after the second day and I thought to myself 'how on earth did you think you could maintain an orphanage?'. But ofcourse, we would need help, lots of it!
Last night we were invited to one of our worker's daughter's first birthday. First birthdays are a time of thanksgiving and celebration. We missed our guardian's son's first birthday because we were in the U.S. But we got to see what a celebration looks like. We walked into a courtyard with pine tree boughs spread on the ground everywhere. They had set up tenting to keep out the rain. There were benches and lo and behold a band! An eight member band with speakers 7 ft. high! And lots of them. I was worried because we were sitting closeby. I haven't figured out why so many speakers are needed in such a small space but it was the same way in Venezuela. The Pentecostal churches would be very small, but the speakers would be enormous! The music was great, I danced inside a house with the kids but did not have the courage to do it solo outside where the music was being played. There was a reading of the daily Liturgy and lots of prayers and blessings for the family. They had 6 large cakes and they blessed us with dinner of chicken and rice, which is an honor when people do not have much money for their own families. The people were very gracious to us Norteamericanos. For some reason I was a child-magnet. I couldn't help talking to them (I'm much more comfortable with them than with the adults. They are much more understanding with errors in speech). And at the end I had to invite more of them to my little school that I hold on Friday and Saturday afternoons. We're growing out of our sunroom which is where I not only hold the classes but store all my supplies. I so need to get organized and purchase or have cabinets made. I look forward to having my little escuelita (God willing). I see flower and vegetable gardens, parrots, chicks, rabbits, a soccer field etc., in our future. Glen is finishing the children's play area and it's a smashing success with the kids. He even constructed a see-saw from wood. Yesterday the kids were standing and sitting on it for a total of 10 kids! We were concerned that it would not hold up! He also made a climbing rope which they also enjoyed. We are still trying to purchase palm roofing for the treehouse. Glen even made outside balconies for the little house! Amazing. I can only imagine what the adults feel when they see such fine construction for a child's treehouse.
Our lives are becoming busier, much like in the U.S. and that concerns me. I love it and yet I don't want to become unable to enjoy a sunset or sit with others and just chat. I try to stay prepared for the classes even as I am trying out a new method of teaching that is in keeping with the Montessori method. Breathing deeply helps. I thank the Lord for our rich life that even with all it's little frustrations (yes, and big ones too) we are very grateful for having the sense that we are becoming true neighbors here and for the fellowship that God sends our way.......

Reconnecting.....

Back from a two week stay in the States. At about day 2 I felt I was ready to go back 'home'....home?! Yup, up here in the rural mountains of Guatemala, I feel like I am home. How on earth did that happen? Life in the states looks so sterile and feels sterile. The only home we seem to find is with our faith community. And I suppose that is by God's design. We do miss fellowship on a larger scale. We are integrating little by little but at times I find it hard to listen ever so carefully, until my headaches at sermons or dialogue that run too fast. In time, I tell myself, in time.....And the spanish class goes on.
A scripture that has really stuck with Will and I is Isaiah 49:8-12 (from the "Message"):
"God also says: When the time's ripe, I answer you.
When victory's due, I help you.
I form you and use you
to reconnect the people with me,
To put the land in order,
to resettle families on the ruined properties.
I tell prisoners, 'Come on out. You're free!'
and those huddled in fear, "It's all right. It's safe now.'
There'll be foodstands along all the roads,
picnics on all the hills-
Nobody hungry, nobody thirsty,
shade from the sun, shelter from the wind,
For the Compassionate One guides them,
takes them to the best springs.
I'll make all my mountains into roads,
turn them into a superhighway."

What a description of what we feel is going on here....Reconnecting. I pray that we are reconnecting the children with God. Each weekend, we put a story together from the Scriptures or other material focusing on His great love for them. Always a struggle with the language but I trust that some seeds are going out and landing in soil made ready. Putting the land in order is very prophetic. We've stopped the planting of the corn to give the land a rest. Pedro, our guardian planted about 4 acres with his usual amount of fertilizer and he yielded such a small amount of corn. I think the land is just flat our tired. We hope to compost and restore it. We have the word of the San Lucas Mission that they will help us to plant about 10,000 tree seedlings this coming rainy season beginning in May. Just this morning I walked only a portion of the property and tried to imagine what it might look like sometime in the future. Patience. We hope to plant some grass in order to have a play field for the kids. Just let them run in something other than dirt. As for the hungry and thirsty around us and having picnics and foodstands.....well we're opening up our home for our kids to come on Monday and Tuesdays for dinner and a shower and a clean bed in which to lay their heads. One of the children told me she sleeps on a carton and that her back hurts. The 'foodstand along all the roads' is actually quite amazing, in that we have been planning to open a little foodstand near the lookout point at the edge of our property. What we'll sell remains to be seen, but the ideas are building. This may be a future venture for the women who live here. It's not easy creating options for them. They may weave but hardly have an outlet for them as the place is saturated with textiles. We think that we may have a good location to have the women sell their foodstuffs since it is now unoccupied and there seems to be lots of traffic at times. We also have springs that are actually running off into the next property. We hope to capture that soon.
Most of all, I'm grateful that the Compassionate One is guiding us. How on earth could we make sense of all this without Him? My heart is that the children will know that we love and care for them. Their families will continue to be poor, continue to search for work that lifts them above the poverty level. We wish we could 'employ' them all, give to everyone who asks of us (and we hope to if it's in our power to do so....). But we take it one day at a time, one request at a time, one life at a time. And all the while, I find that the transformation that needs to take place is in me. But ofcourse, that's how it works.......

First Puppet Show !

Today we had the children's club and I can't tell you how much I love it, and I know that I'm in my element. Glen made us a puppet stage and the kids have made puppets with these huge wooden spoons that I found in the local market. Today they made clothes for them and some of the girl's puppets look like little Mayan women with wild hair and eyes (probably a little ladina thrown in ! I told them the parable of the sower. I wish you could see the 'puppets' and props I used. It took some imagination to figure some of this stuff out, but I had so much fun. Then the kids went outside with chalk and made pictures re-telling the Parable of the sower and his seed. I plan on staying on this parable for a few more weeks. I'm not going to rush through these stories. Afterwards, we made homemade s'mores!!!!! I made some round little cookies, and had some chocolates that were also round. We gathered around our copper fire pit and roasted those marshmellows ....The looks on all of their faces as we put these sandwiches together! All of this is new to them and they are having a blast! They just hug us and I can see that God is weaving our hearts together. So I thank you for your prayers. Somewhere in my heart I have a little seed of a dream to have a little 'esquelita'. (A little school). I already have the place picked out. But I will try not to run ahead of God........

"I Have Consecrated this house, says the Lord"

Today we broke ground on our new chapel! Amazing, definitely NOT coincidence, but all of today's scripture readings were about temples. Ezekiel 47; 1 Corinthians 3; John 2:13-22! We all felt a sense of wonder now that the chapel has begun. This morning we gathered with our crew and spanish teacher (who are becoming more like family) and prayed for the dedication of this chapel. I suspect this is the first time for some of them to begin their workday praying with their work team.
This has been on Will's heart for some time. I have definitely felt the need for a quiet place of reflection and being alone with God. The vista is incredible, it will be as if we are suspended over the lake! We hope to have a more monastic - type chapel, much like we experience at the beautiful 500 yr. old monastery-turned hotel in the old Guatemalan capital, Antigua. My hope is to bring my children from my kid's club into this sacred space to learn to be present to one another and God in a more worshipful atmosphere. Praying and singing in spanish is next on my list.....if I can just speak, period.

"God is Driving Me Out of My Mind!"

I read this in one of books that was recently given to me and thought 'how appropriate'! I am a muller of thoughts, I am 'up in my head' alot. Plain and simple. And yet that is not where I need to be all the time. That's probably why I am married to a 'heart man'. We really do balance one another.
Well, we have had a wonderful team from Blessed Sacrament in Seattle here for the past 10 days. They are great people and hard workers. Working together is a good test of community. We have been very blessed to have them with us. Glen and Piedad have prepared some great meals for the group and we are also greatful for their hard work. I'm a little concern about the extra bit of fat building around my waist ;) The team helped us finish our workshop with stuccoing the building and painting it a wonderful primary green. It has created a great canvas for the kids and I and others to paint some type of mural. I would love to capture the beauty of nature here. We've had so many butterflies around here and flowers are quite happy in the rainy season. Glen has started the work of a children's playground area, built with the trees around the property. We hope to have a treehouse and jungle gym for the kids that live here and those visiting. Our children's club is doing well. We've had up to 18 children here on one Saturday afternoon. This past week we taught them about David and Goliath and that with God "all things are possible". Gela, one of our team members from Mexico was a riot with the teaching lesson and has brought such enthusiasm and laughter to the kids and adults at Opal House. I have tried to bribe her to stay with us as the official house mother but well, it never works out exactly as you hope! Last night we had Pedro's oldest son's birthday party. Leonso turned 16. Piedad made a big meal of fried chicken (Leonso's favorite) for 20 people. Everyone had a great time and plenty of laughs as Gela guided them in the game of 'gossip' where you try and repeat what has been said to you. You can imagine how that could get crazy with 3 different languages represented around the table. These are the times I enjoy the most. People sharing a good meal and the walls of division coming down. Will and I have had alot of adjustment in our lives and in our marriage as we are learning what it means to be the "Body of Christ" and living in community. But even with some struggles, we still pray and look for God to bring fine wine to His table.........

What question is your life an answer to?

The Women's Club

Will and I started back up again with our spanish lessons. According to our teacher we didn't lose much after 3 weeks back in the U.S. es un milagro (it's a miracle). I had Josefina (Pedro's wife), Samuel (new baby), Piedad (her sister and our new House Mother) and Michelle (her daughter) over for some "women time"! It was great. Oh, Piedad wanted to learn how to use my sewing machine and the rest showed up. So I gave her a lesson on winding and threading the machine and then helped her to sew her new 'falda' (Mayan skirt), which is just a wrap around skirt with a belt. They were in awe (no kidding). I gave them some needles to help them with beading and I gave Piedad a simple thimble which was a new and strange thing for them. Everything I own is new and strange for them and it's a kick in the pants for me to explain it all. The ladies will be making things for me to bring back to sell to some of you. They are excited about that and so am I. I'm grateful to share my life with them!