Today we miss our dishwasher, but we know that in two weeks we will miss the tub of our Guatemalan dish soap.
Today we miss the smell of our apartment, but we know that in two weeks we will miss the familiar yet still foreign smell of Casa A.
Today we miss good old mac and cheese out of a box, but we know that in two weeks we will miss fried plantains and black beans.
Today we miss the rolling hills of Indiana, but we know that in two weeks we will miss the majestic mountains and volcanoes of Guatemala.
Today we miss all our favorite TV shows, but we know in two weeks we will miss swapping movies with the other Americans here.
Today we miss the comfort and safety of being able to go out after dark, but in two weeks we know we will miss the comforting sound of the guards whistling when they walk by.
Today we miss the faces of friends and family, but we know in two weeks we will miss the smiling faces of Evy, the cooks, the kids, the house parents and everyone here.
Today we miss English, but we know in two weeks we will miss Spanish.
Today we miss carpet, but we know that in two weeks we will miss the familiar tile floors.
Today we miss the USA, but we know that in two weeks we will miss Guatemala.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Pictures
We've added some new pictures for you all. There are some more huepil pictures of Evy teaching me how to put it on and then also me wearing my huepil on Sunday. I was pretty happy because on Sunday morning I got my huepil on correctly after only my first try!! It even passed Evy's approval; all she had to do was tighten it up a tad! Also in there are some pictures of us eating pineapples with salt. DELICIOUS!!!
Sorry we didn't get to edit through these pictures and take out the bad ones! I know that is annoying. :(
Sorry we didn't get to edit through these pictures and take out the bad ones! I know that is annoying. :(
Monday, July 21, 2008
More Validation...
Hey everyone,
We've settled into another week and another team. This large team from Memphis, TN hit the ground running and is working on 3 heavy labor projects. They're doing great.
We wanted to share with you what God has done in our lives which just further validates our decision to come to Guatemala for the summer.
We are preparing to head home in less than two weeks, and just out of curiosity, we checked Sophie's financial statement from IU. When we pulled it up, we were shocked to find out that her total tuition and fees for the year is less than $100! We couldn't figure it out, and so we looked more closely, and Sophie had received a number of grants. She received a small O'Bannon grant for being an outstanding Indiana resident college student. Then we saw a small Federal Pell Grant that she got for marrying a poor graduate student! :) Then, the remainder of the tuition and fees was paid for by the IU Pell Promise award: an award given to outstanding students who qualify for the Federal Pell grant. We were shocked! As far as we can tell, she will keep this award as long as she maintains a 3.0 GPA. It pretty much means a full ride scholarship.
This just served as such a reminder that God will provide for us. We can trace it all the way back to our decision to switch out of the PhD program at IU and pursue the Master's. As someone said, it's just the cherry on top of all our blessings. As we see it, God is blessing us above and beyond what we could ever hope or ask for. Not only did I get an AWESOME job with a 20 minute phone interview, but he's taken care of us in ways we never even asked.
If that is the cherry on top, we got sprinkles too! I got an email yesterday, offering me an adjunct position at Ivy Tech that I had applied for in the spring. We are still considering and praying about this position, but regardless, God has shown that no matter what, he will provide. It really shows God's sense of humor in the whole situation.
It's a lesson to all of us that the Lord will never stop heaping his blessings upon you if you allow him to and listen to his calling.
We've settled into another week and another team. This large team from Memphis, TN hit the ground running and is working on 3 heavy labor projects. They're doing great.
We wanted to share with you what God has done in our lives which just further validates our decision to come to Guatemala for the summer.
We are preparing to head home in less than two weeks, and just out of curiosity, we checked Sophie's financial statement from IU. When we pulled it up, we were shocked to find out that her total tuition and fees for the year is less than $100! We couldn't figure it out, and so we looked more closely, and Sophie had received a number of grants. She received a small O'Bannon grant for being an outstanding Indiana resident college student. Then we saw a small Federal Pell Grant that she got for marrying a poor graduate student! :) Then, the remainder of the tuition and fees was paid for by the IU Pell Promise award: an award given to outstanding students who qualify for the Federal Pell grant. We were shocked! As far as we can tell, she will keep this award as long as she maintains a 3.0 GPA. It pretty much means a full ride scholarship.
This just served as such a reminder that God will provide for us. We can trace it all the way back to our decision to switch out of the PhD program at IU and pursue the Master's. As someone said, it's just the cherry on top of all our blessings. As we see it, God is blessing us above and beyond what we could ever hope or ask for. Not only did I get an AWESOME job with a 20 minute phone interview, but he's taken care of us in ways we never even asked.
If that is the cherry on top, we got sprinkles too! I got an email yesterday, offering me an adjunct position at Ivy Tech that I had applied for in the spring. We are still considering and praying about this position, but regardless, God has shown that no matter what, he will provide. It really shows God's sense of humor in the whole situation.
It's a lesson to all of us that the Lord will never stop heaping his blessings upon you if you allow him to and listen to his calling.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Team Pickup
Hey everyone,
It's a cloudy Saturday morning here in Guatemala. The kids are doing their weekend chores and the staff is nowhere to be seen! :) We are finally back in the office to be updating our blog, the internet is now back up and running. We'll miss our Pollo Campero trips though, they offered a welcome rest from the high energy here at the home.
Today we're heading to the city to pick up our team from Kirby Wood's Baptist Church in TN. They are a large group, 28 to be exact, so we're all a bit anxious about their arrival. They are actually 3 TIMES the size of our last team, so it will be an eventful week for sure. But at the same time, we're excited about getting to interact with Americans again. The kids are too...last night they were asking about the next team and when they found out they were coming today, they were so excited.
Be watching Sunday for a picture of Sophie in her traditional huepil at church. She'll be pretty in pink!
Love you all
Scott and Sophie
It's a cloudy Saturday morning here in Guatemala. The kids are doing their weekend chores and the staff is nowhere to be seen! :) We are finally back in the office to be updating our blog, the internet is now back up and running. We'll miss our Pollo Campero trips though, they offered a welcome rest from the high energy here at the home.
Today we're heading to the city to pick up our team from Kirby Wood's Baptist Church in TN. They are a large group, 28 to be exact, so we're all a bit anxious about their arrival. They are actually 3 TIMES the size of our last team, so it will be an eventful week for sure. But at the same time, we're excited about getting to interact with Americans again. The kids are too...last night they were asking about the next team and when they found out they were coming today, they were so excited.
Be watching Sunday for a picture of Sophie in her traditional huepil at church. She'll be pretty in pink!
Love you all
Scott and Sophie
Friday, July 18, 2008
Back from Vacation
Hey everyone,
It's Friday and we're back in Chimaltenango after a relaxing 3 days in Antigua. The hotel we stayed at was AMAZING! You won't believe the pictures we posted are actually our ROOM but they ARE!
We have updated the photo site, there are a bunch of new albums. Make sure you check them out. The vacation pictures are of the hotel, dinner, and racing around Antigua in tuk-tuks. The Huepil folder is when we went and bought the traditional Guatemalan outfit for women here. Sophie got a beautiful pink one. It was such an experience. Then we went for french fries last night in Puerto Rico, the colonia outside the walls of the home. We took candid pics of the people out and about in the streets. The last folder is updates of the house. This should be of particular interest to those of you who have visited us this summer. The house is really taking shape. Two of the walls are almost completely finished and Waldemar is crafting a gorgeous fireplace.
We'll be updating this week. Tomorrow we pick up a team of 28 people, our biggest yet by far!
It's Friday and we're back in Chimaltenango after a relaxing 3 days in Antigua. The hotel we stayed at was AMAZING! You won't believe the pictures we posted are actually our ROOM but they ARE!
We have updated the photo site, there are a bunch of new albums. Make sure you check them out. The vacation pictures are of the hotel, dinner, and racing around Antigua in tuk-tuks. The Huepil folder is when we went and bought the traditional Guatemalan outfit for women here. Sophie got a beautiful pink one. It was such an experience. Then we went for french fries last night in Puerto Rico, the colonia outside the walls of the home. We took candid pics of the people out and about in the streets. The last folder is updates of the house. This should be of particular interest to those of you who have visited us this summer. The house is really taking shape. Two of the walls are almost completely finished and Waldemar is crafting a gorgeous fireplace.
We'll be updating this week. Tomorrow we pick up a team of 28 people, our biggest yet by far!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Relaxation!
Hey all! Since we dropped off our team yesterday, and the next team doesn’t come until Saturday, we’re spending the next few days relaxing in Antigua. Last night, we ate dinner with Jennifer and Joseph (two Americans working at the home) and we stayed at this amazing hotel called Panza Verde (www.panzaverde.com). Jennifer has to teach today, so they went back last night, but we’re meeting them again today and we’re all staying together tonight at our favorite little cheap hotel Posada don Valentino! We got one big room for all four of us for 40 bucks. It really works out great that we have these few days off because the next two teams are our biggest. Each team is pushing 30 people. It will be a handful to accommodate. Please keep us in your prayers as we work with these teams. It’s hard to believe just two more teams to go. Its’ been a whirlwind of a summer.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Team 5 Report
Today we’re dropping off team 5, led by Keath Butt from Jackson, TN. This was our smallest team of the year, with 5 men and 5 women. All of the women had visited the home multiple times, but the 4 young men were totally new. This team was comprised mostly of college kids from Union University and they spent time working on construction, painting Casa Samuel, painting the interior of the transition house, and added an Eeyore mural to the Winnie the Pooh theme in the baby house. On Sunday, they led worship with Eduardo, and their activities throughout the week focused on the life of King David. They would begin with a drama about a story of David, and then had a relevant craft for the kids to make. Many of the students were quite proficient Spanish speakers, so it was great to see them putting their studies to good use! We’ll miss this energetic and hard working team!
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