Enjoying Summer

Since we've been back in Oregon, we have been enjoying the last days of summer. We had a play date with our friends the Browns. Neftali and Sheppard ran around in the backyard and the play room, while Solomon and Henry tried to keep up with their big brothers! We also met Melanie and Henry (Sheppard and his daddy decided to take a father-son rafting trip with some friends) at the park the next day, munched on some yummy banana & peanut butter sandwiches, and fresh strawberries and blueberries. Yum!





We also stayed several nights with our friends the Boltzes who live in the country, and Neftali and Savannah played in the cool water of the sprinkler, while Solomon and I hung out in the shade.

Home Sweet Home

We're finally back in beautiful, green, HOT Oregon. What an adventure! The boys and I boarded our first plane (out of Guatemala City) on July 15th at 8:30pm, just after having a healthy dinner of McDonalds hamburgers (hee...hee...). We arrived at LAX at 12:30am, and I discovered that I had to collect our 3 large checked bags and Solomon's car seat, since Los Angeles is the last port of entry for international flights. I was a little nervous about this, especially since it was just me and 2 sleepy boy. But God delivered to me an angel in the form of a young lady named Brittany. She saw us at the airport in Guatemala, and after briefly getting to know each other and talking about our destinations, she insisted on helping me get my bags and maneuver to our "waiting" area once we got to L.A. I could never have done it without her! She helped me get our bags off the conveyor, and helped me push them (stacked high on the "smart carte") to the United terminal (a nice, refreshing walk in the L.A. air).

Unfortunately, since our next flight was domestic to Portland, the ticket booth didn't open for several hours, and the airport certainly does not comfortable accommodate passengers who have to wait. From about 2-4am, I managed to get the boys to fall back asleep. Then I had to move them to another area, since security opens at 4am. But thankfully, an employee helped me push the cart while I carried both of my sleeping sons to another seating area. They were able to sleep about another hour, before I had to wake them so that we could check in and our last set of tickets. Man, it was so hard to do! My poor, exhausted children! But they were absolute troopers. Neftali only got a little fussy, but when he realized we were getting on another plane, he got excited again. They were well-behaved on the second, shorter flight, and we got into PDX at 10:11am. By this time, I had been up for over 24hrs straight...and wouldn't make it to bed until many hours later.

My sister-in-law picked us up at the airport. Curiously enough, I was craving Taco Bell, and it was near lunch time. So we headed to the nearest "border" on the way to the house. :)

I cannot tell you how happy I am to be back in the beautiful United States of America. The air is cleaner, the water is delicious straight from the faucet, and you can flush the toilet paper down the toilet!!! Just the little things in life!

I will be heading to Springfield, my old home town, tomorrow mid-morning. I am excited to get settled for a little while, while I wait to hear back on a few job prospects. We are so blessed to have the amazing friends that we do, as they have welcomed us home, and helped us begin our transition back to 'normalcy' with such kindness and generosity. Thank you and we love you all!

Please continue to pray that the Lord will direct me as I wait for direction and wisdom in the job search. And remember Emilio as he wraps up caring for his Grandma (and making sure that she continues to received good care) and comes home to join us very soon!

Some last adventures

Las Fuentes Georginas


Nefty enjoying another boat ride, this time with his cousin, Chely.


Chely, soaking in the view as we took a tour around Lake Atitlan during her visit.

My husband's cousin arrived for a month-long visit here in Guatemala. We wanted to take her to Xela so that she could see a little of the country. Well, it turned out to be quite and adventure! We made it to Xela without a hitch. But once we got there, the place we wanted to take her (some beautiful hot springs, Las Fuentes Georginas) fell through. Then we went to a hotel that we had been to before. The next day, E and I were going to go get lunch, and the car was completely dead. We had cables, but there was no one around to jump us. So, we had to wait. Finally, much later that day (and after having pizza delivered to the hotel - yum!), a good samaritan passed by and helped E get the car jumped. He and I then went to get dinner. We stayed one more night, and then left the next day to give the hot springs another try before heading to the capital to drop his cousin off. We made it to the springs, and everyone enjoyed the warm water. Then we hit the road. On the way to the capital, the temperature gauge on the car began to rise very quickly...Emilio looked down and it was in the red zone. We pulled over in a good spot...but it was POURING down rain. We thought we'd sit and let it cool down a little. We sat and waited...and waited...and waited. In the mean time, I was thirsty. Emilio was out putting some water in the radiator to try and cool it down. I saw a water bottle under his seat and grabbed it to take a swig. Then Chely asked for some. When Emilio got back in the car, he said, where's the water bottle I had here under my seat? I freaked out! The water I drank was water from a faucet at the hot springs!!! Not purified. I was TERRIFIED. It looked so clear, and tasted SO good. If it had been water from the city, I would have noticed immediately. I was so worried that I was going to get sick. We continued to wait a little longer for the car to cool, but the gauge never went down. Finally, we thought we'd try to make it to a mechanic. Emilio started up the car and we continued on our way. The gauge never went down, but it didn't go up either. I was just praying that the engine wouldn't blow. We were making our way up on the countless hills (in the rain), when all of a sudden the gauge sank down dramatically! Not sure what happened...except that the Lord touched the radiator and had His hands around us. Especially because shortly afterward, we were beginning a descent, and a microbus pulled right out in front of us! We were easily going 40+. Nefty was on my lap. Emilio had no where to go (except off the road into a ditch, or into oncoming traffic). He slammed on the brakes and twisted the wheel just enough to avoid a head on. The bus didn't move. I kept waiting for us to slide into it, especially since our tires are completely BALD, and the roads were wet! But, again, an angel stepped between our cars, and we stopped right before hitting. It was an absolute miracle. The bus driver didn't even get out to see if we were okay. E just drove off. It was amazing. But the important thing was we were all okay, if a little shaken.

We finally pulled into the capital at about 8pm, safe and sound. Talk about excitement. We're here now, and hanging out for what looks like will be the remainder of my time here, so that we can spend it together with Emilio's grandma, and other family and friends.

Oh, and since we've been at the capital, we got a flat tire on the Jeep. Emilio got up the following day to fix it, and discovered that the spare tire wheel rim doesn't fit! He ended up taking the punctured tire (which had 3 holes in it!) to be repaired, and purchased two more used tires. It is yet another miracle that we didn't get the flat while in the middle of the hills between here and Xela - in the pouring rain! We have had one thing after another with this silly Jeep!!! I can't wait to get back to my trusty Toyota! :)

And as far as the spring water goes, though it is certainly NOT like any delicious faucet water in Oregon, miraculously, I didn't get sick. I guess if you're going to drink the water in Guatemala, make sure it's right off the mountains!