Full Steam Ahead!!!

It has been a CrAzY last couple of weeks for us. For our first 2 weeks living at the children's home full-time, it has been non-stop going. Our first week back we had a team come in and put on a Youth Conference for our kids. It was amazing to see how lives were impacted for Christ. The Lord used the speaking and lesson times to really minister into the kids lives. The team also helped us to make a prayer room that will be open for anyone to come and just spend time alone with God. They lined the walls with black paper so that people could write or draw on them. It is now covered with scriptures, prayers, and beautiful drawings. This is a very special place, and I pray that it continues to be used by the kids in the future.

Last week was a fun-filled week of CAMP for our younger kids. The kids look forward to camp all year long, and now I understand why! It was a blast. The team that put on the camp did an amazing job and blessed all of us tremendously.

The LAST week of Language School!

So this past week Jared and I finished up language school. We went to visit an old cathedral and did several other fun activities with our teachers. We also got to hang out with all of our friends that we have made here in Antigua over the past three months. It was a bitter-sweet ending; we will miss our new friends, but we are ready to move to the children's home.

At dinner the other night, Jared had an accident with his beans. He didn't realize that he had put the sleeve of his jacket in the beans on his plate. It was not until after dinner that he noticed it all over him and the table cloth. I (Joy) fell on the ground laughing when I saw it all over him. I don't know why it was so funny, but it made my night.

N.L.C.H (New Life Children’s Home)

I thought I would share photos of some of the kids:
Jennifer is a close friend
Little Kevin is precious!
Julia! Sweet Girl!

Sorry it has been awhile since I last updated this blog. We have been very busy for the past couple of weeks. We spent 10 days at the Children’s Home from September 17^th until the 26^th. It was a much-needed break from Spanish school, although we did practice a ton by trying to converse with the kids! During the week we had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the other staff members and we really got to know each other. After that, we headed back for our last three-week stretch of language school. It has been getting tougher, and we are ready to be at the Children’s Home soon.

The 2nd Dia de Independencia

We got to celebrate two independence days this year. Yesterday (Sept. 15^th) was Guatemala’s Independence Day. The celebration was a little different than back home though. The main festivities for the day included marching bands, marching bands, and MORE marching bands. A parade of marching bands started around 9 a.m. and lasted until 2 p.m. We could have possibly watched 5 hours worth of marching bands. However, we choose not to because, as cute as those kids were all dressed up, they were not very skilled in the art of music.

GOAL!!!!!!!!!

Jared and I had the opportunity to attend a semi-pro soccer game here in Antigua. It was hilarious for several reasons. First, the field was surrounded by fencing and topped with barbed wire. Second, the entire crowd was very intense (let’s just say we are glad we don’t every word in Spanish!) throughout the entire game. Third, every time a player “got injured” (it was usually a FAKE OUT) firemen would run onto the field with a stretcher and attempt to carry the man to the side. It was strange how quickly all the players would recover after needing a stretcher. Finally, a little girl around the age of two was doing laps around the outside of the field on a tricycle the entire time. Oh yeah, the game ended in a tie 2-2.

The Outhouse!

So, we thought we would show you a picture of our bathroom. Okay, this is not our bathroom, but it is really cool! We went to the macadamia nut farm on a tour with our school for an afternoon activity. This was their public bathroom, and the tour guide stated, "This is the most photographed bathroom in Central America!" I thought it would be fun to share!

Jared and I got the chance to hike up to a spot overlooking Antigua (the city we are living in while we attend language school). It was so beautiful to see the city, even though it was a little foggy. At the top of the hill there is a giant cross that can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. One of the students at our school is from Japan, and she gave us a concert with a really cool instrument that you can see in the video posted below.

On a funnier note, the other night we were eating dinner with the family. In the background, the Miss World pageant was playing on the TV. It got to the point in the pageant where they announced the top 15 women. Sandra (our house mom) was barely paying attention until near the very end when they announced that miss Guatemala was one of the final 15 women. Sandra jumped out of her chair and shouted "Increíble!” over and over again while running over to the TV. It was so funny to watch her get so exited about the Miss World pageant, and I could tell she was very proud of her country.