New Year. New Things. - January 7, 2016
How was your first holiday season in Guatemala, AJ and Alaina?
Why, thanks for askin' there. Predictably, it was bittersweet. We did get to open gifts with our families virtually via Skype (the Swiss-Army Knife of tools for missionary folk like us). But that didn't mean we didn't miss 'em. We drank ponche and ate paches and tamales (different than the Mexican tamales we're used to...they have bone-in chicken inside, sometimes olives or prunes, they're wetter, wrapped in banana leaves, and never spicy *sigh*), but that didn't mean we didn't miss a Christmas ham. We jovially watched fireworks multiple times from unsafe distances, but that didn't mean we missed the snow (a little). But it was strangely refreshing to be guests, learners, and among those in need of a place to go.
What's been exciting for you guys?
Tell you what, Guatemala slows down like syrup in the fridge during the holidays. It has been exciting to drive without traffic the last couple weeks! Now around mid-January things start to pick up, and there's been some whisperings of places where we might start plugging into slowly over the next couple months. We had a great meal with our fellow (5) TEAM missionaries and we're glad to get to move together with them. Alaina is starting to probe some different clinic & community health ideas. AJ started doing some listening for strengths and needs in Bethania with his pal Abdiel and a friend who has lived there forever, Danilo. Good thing Abdiel was there cause I (AJ) didn't understand near enough of it...back to school, I guess. There's also a Guatemalan "professional" American football team that AJ could help coach (they need it) and open some avenues for relationships that way. So as we get excited about said things and prayerfully consider if and what and when and how, we would love for you to come alongside us in that. Pray that we might have minds governed by the Spirit, not by what we want (like Romans 8:6).
Nice, thanks for sharing, and what's been hard for you guys?
1. Listening to people speak in Spanish. It's just hard to pick up on everything. Thank God for patient and slow-speaking folks.
2. Not working. Alaina misses her job and the babies. AJ misses the Boatwerks flow, coaching, Escape. Some days we feel...purposeless...just going to school and working on Spanish and doing normal things like buying groceries and doing dishes.
3. Big city things. Driving everywhere instead of biking, seeing sooo many unfamiliar faces everywhere you go. Where there is community, it's scattered.
4. Cramming vocabulary and grammar into our brains and mouths. We had a mountain of homework over Christmas break, and now we're back in school again. The struggle is real.
5. Seeing issues, messes, people and knowing how complicated the systems of poverty and government and evil are and thinking, "How can this be helped?"
6. Oh yeah, not seeing YOU.
What else has been going on?
Well, Alaina helped prepare for a friend's baby shower and made an adorable banner for it. So that's pretty exciting. She also enjoys smoothies a lot and keeps this white tile floor clean. Which is quite a task.
AJ continues in his affinity for encountering folks on the street and for crafting food, most notably cakes with rum, cookies, crepes, and spinach-artichoke dip. Trying to keep it healthy, ya know?
Also, we got to have some dear folks over for games the other night, and that felt real good. A special community being built and God reminding us that he likes giving us things we enjoy.
Thanks for keeping up on us. We love you. We're thankful for you. Stay in the Vine.
-AJ & Alaina
thewestys.weebly.com
Why, thanks for askin' there. Predictably, it was bittersweet. We did get to open gifts with our families virtually via Skype (the Swiss-Army Knife of tools for missionary folk like us). But that didn't mean we didn't miss 'em. We drank ponche and ate paches and tamales (different than the Mexican tamales we're used to...they have bone-in chicken inside, sometimes olives or prunes, they're wetter, wrapped in banana leaves, and never spicy *sigh*), but that didn't mean we didn't miss a Christmas ham. We jovially watched fireworks multiple times from unsafe distances, but that didn't mean we missed the snow (a little). But it was strangely refreshing to be guests, learners, and among those in need of a place to go.
What's been exciting for you guys?
Tell you what, Guatemala slows down like syrup in the fridge during the holidays. It has been exciting to drive without traffic the last couple weeks! Now around mid-January things start to pick up, and there's been some whisperings of places where we might start plugging into slowly over the next couple months. We had a great meal with our fellow (5) TEAM missionaries and we're glad to get to move together with them. Alaina is starting to probe some different clinic & community health ideas. AJ started doing some listening for strengths and needs in Bethania with his pal Abdiel and a friend who has lived there forever, Danilo. Good thing Abdiel was there cause I (AJ) didn't understand near enough of it...back to school, I guess. There's also a Guatemalan "professional" American football team that AJ could help coach (they need it) and open some avenues for relationships that way. So as we get excited about said things and prayerfully consider if and what and when and how, we would love for you to come alongside us in that. Pray that we might have minds governed by the Spirit, not by what we want (like Romans 8:6).
Nice, thanks for sharing, and what's been hard for you guys?
1. Listening to people speak in Spanish. It's just hard to pick up on everything. Thank God for patient and slow-speaking folks.
2. Not working. Alaina misses her job and the babies. AJ misses the Boatwerks flow, coaching, Escape. Some days we feel...purposeless...just going to school and working on Spanish and doing normal things like buying groceries and doing dishes.
3. Big city things. Driving everywhere instead of biking, seeing sooo many unfamiliar faces everywhere you go. Where there is community, it's scattered.
4. Cramming vocabulary and grammar into our brains and mouths. We had a mountain of homework over Christmas break, and now we're back in school again. The struggle is real.
5. Seeing issues, messes, people and knowing how complicated the systems of poverty and government and evil are and thinking, "How can this be helped?"
6. Oh yeah, not seeing YOU.
What else has been going on?
Well, Alaina helped prepare for a friend's baby shower and made an adorable banner for it. So that's pretty exciting. She also enjoys smoothies a lot and keeps this white tile floor clean. Which is quite a task.
AJ continues in his affinity for encountering folks on the street and for crafting food, most notably cakes with rum, cookies, crepes, and spinach-artichoke dip. Trying to keep it healthy, ya know?
Also, we got to have some dear folks over for games the other night, and that felt real good. A special community being built and God reminding us that he likes giving us things we enjoy.
Thanks for keeping up on us. We love you. We're thankful for you. Stay in the Vine.
-AJ & Alaina
thewestys.weebly.com