Hey everyone!
Just a quick post to let you know we have posted some more pictures (http://photos.scottandsophie.com). The last post was not very good because our files were too big and I didn't have time to get them posted. You can find more pics of our house in a new album and then pictures of the kids in another new album.
No news on the job front yet. We're expecting to hear from Mooresville any day.
We love hearing from you all!
Love
Scott and Sophie
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Getting Settled, Job Search
Hello from Guatemala!
We arrived on Saturday night with no problems except a slight delay in Miami. Waiting for us was the Director, Miss Evy, the driver Victor, and one of the boys named Joel. On the way home, we got Pollo Campero, a famous chicken place in Central America. It is wonderful! When we got home we got settled in the house (see the photo link from www.scottandsophie.com). The house is great. It is such a blessing to be able to have more room for the summer than last year. We hear rodents outside and in the walls, but they say they won’t actually enter the house! Aah!
Sunday was church. The kids are so cute on Sundays all dressed up. We had Sunday school with the older kids where Eduardo taught about the dangers of debt in life. The Bible has strong warnings about becoming a slave to others through borrowing and debt. This is an important lesson for these kids, especially those leaving the home soon and going out on their own. Then we had regular church with all the kids. They sing songs and Eduardo preaches. This week’s sermon was out of John, Chapter 7. Eduardo taught the kids about the validity of Jesus’ claim of being God’s son. After church on Sundays is a great time because the kids get to relax, play, and watch TV. It was a good time for us to finish unpacking and getting the house settled. Dinner was a typical Guatemalan fare: Carne Asada (grilled steak), rice, and Guacamole. YUM!
Today, we met with Evy to discuss the teams that are coming, and the kind of things we will be doing. We love Evy so much, she is such a strong woman, and has the heart of a servant. Tomorrow we are picking up our intern for the summer, Joseph. He will be assisting us wherever we need him. He is a student at Gardner Webb University.
As you remember, I had a wonderful interview at Mooresville on Friday before we left. We asked all of you to join in praying with us about this job, that if God did not want us to pursue this job any further that he make it clear. My own individual prayer was that other schools would show interest. When we checked the email today, there was an email from another school that I had an initial interview with. This school was actually my second choice based on the initial interview (Mooresville was my first choice). It was not an offer, but they were asking if I was still seeking employment. I told them that technically, I still was, and asked if they could provide more information about what I would be teaching and the salary schedule. We are kind of in shock, now questioning what God has in His plan for us. We know there are no coincidences for the Christian, so here are our three scenarios we can envision:
1. Our God is not only great, but has a sense of humor. He’s telling us “Not only have I provided for you, but you can choose between your first two choices. Each will be great for him, and you get to decide!”
2. God heard our prayer about Mooresville, and is answering our prayer about leading us to another school and this second school is where Scott needs to go.
3. Satan has heard our spoken prayers and is trying to interfere with God’s plan to lead Scott to Mooresville. We can see Satan using the busyness of our jobs here in Guatemala to place a stumbling block in our process of selecting a school.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE join us in lifting up this situation. We know that God is involved in the littlest aspects of our lives and is surely involved in this one. We pray that God will show us which of the above scenarios is a reality, and continue to lead us in the direction he wants us to go.
We love you all and are excited about the work we’ve begun here! Don’t forget to check out the pictures and leave comments and voicemails via the comments link and the button to the right. We’ve LOVED all the voicemails you’ve already left!
Scott and Sophie
We arrived on Saturday night with no problems except a slight delay in Miami. Waiting for us was the Director, Miss Evy, the driver Victor, and one of the boys named Joel. On the way home, we got Pollo Campero, a famous chicken place in Central America. It is wonderful! When we got home we got settled in the house (see the photo link from www.scottandsophie.com). The house is great. It is such a blessing to be able to have more room for the summer than last year. We hear rodents outside and in the walls, but they say they won’t actually enter the house! Aah!
Sunday was church. The kids are so cute on Sundays all dressed up. We had Sunday school with the older kids where Eduardo taught about the dangers of debt in life. The Bible has strong warnings about becoming a slave to others through borrowing and debt. This is an important lesson for these kids, especially those leaving the home soon and going out on their own. Then we had regular church with all the kids. They sing songs and Eduardo preaches. This week’s sermon was out of John, Chapter 7. Eduardo taught the kids about the validity of Jesus’ claim of being God’s son. After church on Sundays is a great time because the kids get to relax, play, and watch TV. It was a good time for us to finish unpacking and getting the house settled. Dinner was a typical Guatemalan fare: Carne Asada (grilled steak), rice, and Guacamole. YUM!
Today, we met with Evy to discuss the teams that are coming, and the kind of things we will be doing. We love Evy so much, she is such a strong woman, and has the heart of a servant. Tomorrow we are picking up our intern for the summer, Joseph. He will be assisting us wherever we need him. He is a student at Gardner Webb University.
As you remember, I had a wonderful interview at Mooresville on Friday before we left. We asked all of you to join in praying with us about this job, that if God did not want us to pursue this job any further that he make it clear. My own individual prayer was that other schools would show interest. When we checked the email today, there was an email from another school that I had an initial interview with. This school was actually my second choice based on the initial interview (Mooresville was my first choice). It was not an offer, but they were asking if I was still seeking employment. I told them that technically, I still was, and asked if they could provide more information about what I would be teaching and the salary schedule. We are kind of in shock, now questioning what God has in His plan for us. We know there are no coincidences for the Christian, so here are our three scenarios we can envision:
1. Our God is not only great, but has a sense of humor. He’s telling us “Not only have I provided for you, but you can choose between your first two choices. Each will be great for him, and you get to decide!”
2. God heard our prayer about Mooresville, and is answering our prayer about leading us to another school and this second school is where Scott needs to go.
3. Satan has heard our spoken prayers and is trying to interfere with God’s plan to lead Scott to Mooresville. We can see Satan using the busyness of our jobs here in Guatemala to place a stumbling block in our process of selecting a school.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE join us in lifting up this situation. We know that God is involved in the littlest aspects of our lives and is surely involved in this one. We pray that God will show us which of the above scenarios is a reality, and continue to lead us in the direction he wants us to go.
We love you all and are excited about the work we’ve begun here! Don’t forget to check out the pictures and leave comments and voicemails via the comments link and the button to the right. We’ve LOVED all the voicemails you’ve already left!
Scott and Sophie
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Today's the day!
Good morning everyone...
We woke up today and are very excited about our trip. I'd be lying if I said there weren't some nervous feelings going around, but the excitement far outweighs them.
Jeff got up early and is making us biscuits and gravy (Sophie's Absolute Favorite breakfast) and we're just going to visit and circle up to pray over our trip.
We are leaving English (Sophie's hometown), at 10 AM and will be depart around 1pm. We'll get to Guatemala at 6:40pm their time. We ask that you cover this day with prayer as we are traveling!
By the way, don't forget about the "Call Me" feature on the blog. You can enter YOUR home phone number, click Call, and YOUR phone will ring. When you answer, it will be a recorded message from us, and you can then leave a message, just like a voicemail, that we can access through email. We WILL LOVE TO HEAR YOUR VOICES and will give us an extra pick-me-up on tough days!
Love you all!
Scott and Sophie
We woke up today and are very excited about our trip. I'd be lying if I said there weren't some nervous feelings going around, but the excitement far outweighs them.
Jeff got up early and is making us biscuits and gravy (Sophie's Absolute Favorite breakfast) and we're just going to visit and circle up to pray over our trip.
We are leaving English (Sophie's hometown), at 10 AM and will be depart around 1pm. We'll get to Guatemala at 6:40pm their time. We ask that you cover this day with prayer as we are traveling!
By the way, don't forget about the "Call Me" feature on the blog. You can enter YOUR home phone number, click Call, and YOUR phone will ring. When you answer, it will be a recorded message from us, and you can then leave a message, just like a voicemail, that we can access through email. We WILL LOVE TO HEAR YOUR VOICES and will give us an extra pick-me-up on tough days!
Love you all!
Scott and Sophie
Friday, May 16, 2008
WOW WOW WOW
Well, today we were once amazed by the hand of God in our lives. As you know, I had an interview this morning at Mooresville High School. As we drove up this morning, I was not the least bit worried, but then I began worrying that I wasn't worrying! We got to the school about 20 minutes early, we said a prayer together and I headed into the building. I was supposed to meet with the Assistant Principal, but when they came and got me in the waiting room, it was the head principal instead. Something had come up with Ms. Ferguson and she couldn't do my interview. We began the interview with the typical interview questions that I've been asked a hundred times by a hundred different people. The interview was going well and I really liked the principal. Then it took a turn to the crazy...
We began talking about my family, and I mentioned that my dad was an executive minister. He seemed interested and I told him that my grandfather is a preacher as well. He said, "What a coincidence, my son is a youth minister, he is getting the congregational vote on Sunday at his new church in Bloomington called Sherwood Oaks Christian Church." Well...you can imagine my jaw hit the floor and I began laughing uncontrollably. He was obviously curious and I told him that I have been a member at SOCC for over 4 years now. He replied with "You're Kidding." Suddenly all those questions probing into my personal life about my morality and being a role model didn't matter. He even said, "So we understand eachother then!" I noticed his bible on his desk and we talked about different Bible Colleges that our families had gone to. When I told him about Juli and my Mom going to Milligan, he said that he loves the Buffaloes and was going to wear a Milligan shirt to school that day! What can you say to something like that?!!!??!!
The rest of the interview was just great. He told me that I did a great job and that I am at the top of their candidates. He wants to fill the position within the week and wants me to be prepared for a response if they were to offer it to me. I get the feeling that this is going to happen.
So now blog readers...please continue to pray, but lets first and foremost give TONS OF PRAISE that God has worked the way he did. Little did I know how much would happen within 48 hours of the start of our mission trip! God is such a rascal! Now we are praying that God would make it clear if this is the job He has prepared for us. All our thoughts and logic point that this is the case, but we want to give God the time to speak and for us to listen. Please pray that if this is NOT the job for us, that he would make it EXTREMELY evident! I know it will be hard for us to be listening while we are packing the car and flying on planes, so please, please be praying for our discernment of God's will.
We hope you continue to follow our journey which has already been so exciting! We love you all
Scott and Sophie
We began talking about my family, and I mentioned that my dad was an executive minister. He seemed interested and I told him that my grandfather is a preacher as well. He said, "What a coincidence, my son is a youth minister, he is getting the congregational vote on Sunday at his new church in Bloomington called Sherwood Oaks Christian Church." Well...you can imagine my jaw hit the floor and I began laughing uncontrollably. He was obviously curious and I told him that I have been a member at SOCC for over 4 years now. He replied with "You're Kidding." Suddenly all those questions probing into my personal life about my morality and being a role model didn't matter. He even said, "So we understand eachother then!" I noticed his bible on his desk and we talked about different Bible Colleges that our families had gone to. When I told him about Juli and my Mom going to Milligan, he said that he loves the Buffaloes and was going to wear a Milligan shirt to school that day! What can you say to something like that?!!!??!!
The rest of the interview was just great. He told me that I did a great job and that I am at the top of their candidates. He wants to fill the position within the week and wants me to be prepared for a response if they were to offer it to me. I get the feeling that this is going to happen.
So now blog readers...please continue to pray, but lets first and foremost give TONS OF PRAISE that God has worked the way he did. Little did I know how much would happen within 48 hours of the start of our mission trip! God is such a rascal! Now we are praying that God would make it clear if this is the job He has prepared for us. All our thoughts and logic point that this is the case, but we want to give God the time to speak and for us to listen. Please pray that if this is NOT the job for us, that he would make it EXTREMELY evident! I know it will be hard for us to be listening while we are packing the car and flying on planes, so please, please be praying for our discernment of God's will.
We hope you continue to follow our journey which has already been so exciting! We love you all
Scott and Sophie
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Progress on the Job Search?
Hello everyone.
As you can imagine, we are busy getting ready to fly out on Saturday! We are very excited and a tad bit nervous.
Today, as we were driving, I got a phone call and it happened to be from a woman I initially interviewed with back on April 21. She was from the Mooresville School District (North of Bloomington about 40 minutes), and she said they were entering the second stage of the interview process and wanted to set up a time to meet with me. I told her I would be thrilled, BUT, I was leaving the country on Saturday and wouldn't be back until August! I asked if there was any way we could meet tomorrow (Friday), and she said, Sure! So tomorrow I have a second interview with her and the Head of the Science Department at 10:30 AM. If you read this blog before then, please be in prayer for me and the interview!
It is great to see God working. We have known all along that he is going to provide, and isn't it just like God to place this in our lives just 48 hours before we begin our mission trip?! We know we bring him joy when we stay strong in our faith! It isn't always easy, but he delights in the desires of our hearts and we truly are his children!
I'll post hopefully tomorrow to let you know how it went!
Blessings!
Scott
As you can imagine, we are busy getting ready to fly out on Saturday! We are very excited and a tad bit nervous.
Today, as we were driving, I got a phone call and it happened to be from a woman I initially interviewed with back on April 21. She was from the Mooresville School District (North of Bloomington about 40 minutes), and she said they were entering the second stage of the interview process and wanted to set up a time to meet with me. I told her I would be thrilled, BUT, I was leaving the country on Saturday and wouldn't be back until August! I asked if there was any way we could meet tomorrow (Friday), and she said, Sure! So tomorrow I have a second interview with her and the Head of the Science Department at 10:30 AM. If you read this blog before then, please be in prayer for me and the interview!
It is great to see God working. We have known all along that he is going to provide, and isn't it just like God to place this in our lives just 48 hours before we begin our mission trip?! We know we bring him joy when we stay strong in our faith! It isn't always easy, but he delights in the desires of our hearts and we truly are his children!
I'll post hopefully tomorrow to let you know how it went!
Blessings!
Scott
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Weekend and Random Acts of Kindness
Hey everyone! We're fresh off the plane after a fun but EXHAUSTING weekend. On Friday, I (Scott) woke up and left the apartment at 3:30 AM to drive to Indianapolis to catch a plane to Baltimore, MD. You may remember Chris Shreiner from our wedding; well, he tied the knot on Saturday to his longtime girlfriend Charlotte. Sophie had a final on Friday, so had to fly out first thing Saturday. I went and picked her up and toured Baltimore's Inner Harbor in the morning. Then it was back to the church for the wedding. We had a great time at the wedding and reception catching up with old friends. After a long day, we then went to bed, only to get up and out of the hotel at 5:30 AM to catch a train to Washington, D.C! It isn't every day you get the chance to see our nation's capital! It has been probably 15 years since I was last there, and Sophie had never been. We hit the city running and were absolutely beat by 10:00 AM! We decided that to see the rest of the city and still have time to make our plane back in Baltimore, we would finish the city on a tour bus. It was an exciting and relaxing way to see all the sights!
When we got home, we were exhausted, and having missed the mail all weekend, limped to the mailbox to pick it up. Little did we know the gift we had there for us. You can see from the note, that someone gave us an anonymous donation for our trip. No explanation, no name, just a note and cash. 
If you can't read it, it says "Dear Children, God wants you to have this to help. Love, God.
If you can't read it, it says "Dear Children, God wants you to have this to help. Love, God.We were absolutely shocked by this anonymous generosity. I have to admit I was even a little convicted, asking myself if I could give like this person and not want the receiver to know. My mind began working, trying to imagine the motivations of the giver. Had God worked so visibly in this person's life to make it clear that he wanted them to help us? Had someone been praying for us and through strange circumstance been given a blessing like this to pass on?
I will never know the details or the giver, but thank God for the opportunity to search my heart and learn once again how he provides for his children.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Our last Sunday, A Trip to Kansas
Hey folks. I know it's been a long time since our last post. I've been busy trying to get a teaching job nailed down before we leave for Guatemala. As of now, we haven't heard anything back from the public schools I've applied to. Schools seem to move much more slowly than I'd like! But I am not putting any expectations on God. He has provided us with so much and validated every decision we've made so far in regards to this trip, I just know He is watching us and smiling, knowing what His plans are that we just can't even begin to grasp. So please be praying for my job situation! In my prayer time last night, I found this passage from Matthew, and I plan to hold tight to this scripture:
Matthew 6:25-27
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Last week we took a trip out to Kansas to see my Aunt and Uncle; Laurie and Greg, and their two boys Joey and Josh. Laurie and the boys are going to be part of the team coming from their church to Agua Viva this summer! We took an afternoon to meet with the team leaders and then another evening to meet the entire team. This was such a wonderful experience to get to meet the team and give them a bit of an orientation before getting to the home. They had lots of good questions and seem very eager to work. An added bonus was spending the weekend with Laurie and Greg and the boys who have been EXTREMEMLY supportive of our decision to make this trip. It makes it so much easier when your loved ones are there cheering you on! Thanks guys!
Today (April 27) was our last Sunday at Sherwood Oaks until we get back from Guatemala. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to all our friends at church. It made it all the more real that we are really doing this! Tom was great and had us come up on stage for all 3 services and pray for our trip and introduce us to the congregation. We'll miss Tom's sermons and the routine of Sunday mornings that we've become accustomed to! It will be a while before we hear a sermon in English again!
We ask that you continue to pray for our trip and our finances. We've done pretty well, but have not reached our goal yet. We know that no matter how much we raise, God will be able to use it to bless our lives and the lives of the children at Agua Viva.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Al que puede hacer muchisimo mas que todo lo que podamos imaginarnos o pedir, por el poder que obra eficazmente en nosotros, a el sea la gloria en la iglesia y en Cristo Jesus por todas las generaciones, por los siglos de los siglos! Amen
Matthew 6:25-27
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Last week we took a trip out to Kansas to see my Aunt and Uncle; Laurie and Greg, and their two boys Joey and Josh. Laurie and the boys are going to be part of the team coming from their church to Agua Viva this summer! We took an afternoon to meet with the team leaders and then another evening to meet the entire team. This was such a wonderful experience to get to meet the team and give them a bit of an orientation before getting to the home. They had lots of good questions and seem very eager to work. An added bonus was spending the weekend with Laurie and Greg and the boys who have been EXTREMEMLY supportive of our decision to make this trip. It makes it so much easier when your loved ones are there cheering you on! Thanks guys!
Today (April 27) was our last Sunday at Sherwood Oaks until we get back from Guatemala. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to all our friends at church. It made it all the more real that we are really doing this! Tom was great and had us come up on stage for all 3 services and pray for our trip and introduce us to the congregation. We'll miss Tom's sermons and the routine of Sunday mornings that we've become accustomed to! It will be a while before we hear a sermon in English again!
We ask that you continue to pray for our trip and our finances. We've done pretty well, but have not reached our goal yet. We know that no matter how much we raise, God will be able to use it to bless our lives and the lives of the children at Agua Viva.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Al que puede hacer muchisimo mas que todo lo que podamos imaginarnos o pedir, por el poder que obra eficazmente en nosotros, a el sea la gloria en la iglesia y en Cristo Jesus por todas las generaciones, por los siglos de los siglos! Amen
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