View from the Mountaintop

Close to the top of the mountain sitting under a tree, I look out over the valley below in which nestles the city of Chichicastenango, Guatemala. From this viewpoint, I watch a woman and her two children use a long bamboo stick to knock down coconuts from a tree in their dirt yard close to their house. The house is made of cement blocks and has a tin roof - an upgrade from the adobe houses with tile roofs that their neighbors have higher up on the opposite side of the mountain. The sounds of dogs barking, children laughing, and people shouting to eachother take a few seconds to travel all the way to where I'm sitting, observing. From my perch I can see the winding dirt road cut into the side of the mountain in front of me and hear the slow moan of trucks' engines as they crawl up the steep ingrade. In the valley between these two mountains, on a twisting 'cobblestone' road that runs out of the crowded city, then past the gate of Monte Flor, people walk to the market in town or flag down a 'tuk-tuk' for transportation. This whole valley is filled with houses, people, families...hardly offering any place to go that blocks out the sight and sound of humanity below. As the realization that this will be my home for the next year sinks in, I wonder how many of these people I will come into contact with. Each one has a need - spiritually even more than physically. Each one has a heart that needs love and hope - two things nobody can get too much of. From my mountaintop view, it's easy to see the bigger picture - to mentally travel to houses and homes to connect with people. But it's not always that easy.
A year ago, I was in my room begging God to show me what my next step in life was. He'd placed a burden in my heart for people in need (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) from a very young age. I knew that soon I'd be stepping out to pursue the calling He'd been equipping me for. But where did He want me to go? For a long time, I've seen the needs in my own country, how family and faith are being attacked and destroyed, and I wondered if God was calling me to my own people. Yet, I love travelling and would love to visit the other continents one day. Was He calling me oversees? On a similar note, I've been coming to Guatemala with my family since I was 9 years old and this has become like a second home to me; the culture is easier for me to understand and connect with than many Americans who come down. Was it possible that He'd want me to return for longer than several months at a time? As I cried out, "God, where, when?", He reminded me of "that one time" in Mexico when I was 14 years old.
Our family had stayed in MX that winter instead of coming on down to Guate. and I was having a tough time with it emotionally, cuz it was like starting over again. I didn't know anyone and didn't have the opportunity to make very many friends my age and was wishing that we'd be in Guate. instead. At the end of my pity party - after asking for help with an attitude change - I told God that He could send me wherever He wanted me to go, even if it meant starting over a hundred times.
Last January, He reminded me of that promise. "Did you mean it?"
"God, You know I did."
 "Do you trust me?"
(hesitation) "You've proved Yourself faithful too many times to not trust You."
"So, trust me to take you where I want you to go, but until then remember..."
"Remember what, God?"
"Remember this: I've already put you where I want you. Take the time you have been given, no matter where you're at, to be my hands and feet."
Several months later, after more conversations kinda like that one, I started seriously praying about returning to Guate. for a longer period of time. It was always hard to see the big picture, but little by little over the next year, doors opened in ways that were 'so God!', directing my path down here. Plans are to go home with my family on the first Wed. of March for Joe and Bethany's wedding then come back down by myself on the last Wed. of March, Lord willing.
From my 'mountaintop' viewpoint right now, looking back over the past year, it's easy to see the hand of God, how He orchestrated all the little details. But it's only rarely that we have that kind of view ahead of us. Many times - most times - this journey of life is one step at a time, resting in the knowledge that 'He's got this'. When the questions are there, the tough spots have to be dealt with, it's hard to see what will ever come out of all of it, and when the things we're doing right now don't even make sense or fit into 'the plan' - then is when we take God at His word as "a lamp to our feet and light to our path" (Psalms 119:105). At those times we see His promises revealed in our lives; we see Him as our Shepard (Psalms 23) guiding us where He wants us to walk - each little step and around every turn. Those are the times we grow.                   

We Have Arrived (At Our Final Destination)

Fire crackling in the fireplace. A bowl of fresh fruit on the table. New curtains in the windows. Bedrooms. A house! We are in Chichi. 

And, we've been here for a whole week! I would have updated before now, but very unfortunately, our computer harddrive gave out on us and we've had to get it replaced. Thankfully, it's up and running again, but we've lost all the pictures from this trip that didn't make it online (which means we lost a LOT!), as well as a bunch of music, documents, etc. Such is life! Speaking of life: We said good-bye to the rest of the Tzul family (the name we came up with for the Noriega and Bontrager clan) last Wednesday morning, Jan. 8th.

(Julie had left, the previous day, with Joe and Bethany to do some touristing in other parts of Guate). As we pulled away from Chijoj, then Canilla', one of the boys made a comment that seemed to sum up how most of us felt: "I'm not ready to leave." Nevertheless, we had our last destination to get to and we had to move on. Three hours later found us in Quiche (kee-chay) where we stopped to visit a mechanic with whom we've become good friends over the years. Martin and his wife were as happy to see us as we were to see them; before we left they told us that we always have a place to stop in at their house. 

When we drove into the driveway at Monte Flor, the compound in Chichi, we had to remind ourselves that this beautiful place would be our home for the next two whole months. Up and to the right of the hill, Ron Morin, the founder and director of Manos de Jesus, was waiting for us outside of one of the houses. When Ron had talked with Dad about us being here for two months, he said he'd have a room or two available for us but we might still need to use the bus, as well.

Imagine our surprise when he took us on a tour of the three bedroom house (complete with living room, kitchen, and laundry room) and told us that it was ours for as long as we're here. A real kitchen! And separate bedrooms! After two months of living mostly in the bus, we were overjoyed at this surprise! 

Since then we've taken our time getting settled in (tonight is the first night that all of us can sleep in the house due to the freshly varnished floors that took longer to dry than expected) and have started on several small projects.

Dad and Lewis have been working with several of the guys, putting in the ceiling of Ron's son's house right next door to ours.

I've sewn some curtains for our living room and have started on a big drape for one of the rooms in the dental clinic (located on the premises). 

Joe, Bethany, and Julie got back from their traipsing on Fri., then spent the weekend here; Joe and Bethany flew home on Monday. It was so much fun having them around! The next time we see them will be only a week and a half before their wedding. Wow!

And...I can not conclude this post without showing you a picture of the pizza party we had on Sunday with the other families who work and live here. Pizza...how good can life get?! :)

There's so much more, so many little things, that I wish I could add without having it sound like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, but, not surprisingly, words just aren't adequate. Maybe, somehow, they'll find their way into some of the other stories that will unfold while we're here. Stay tuned! 

Snapshots from Chijoj

So...I actually had internet access twice here in Chijoj, so you get to see these pics before they get outdated. While scrolling thru our cameras I was hit with the realization that we've been having so much fun that we haven't gotten a lot of pictures of the ppl we spend most of our time with! But, what's here is still good :) Early this morning, the two Noriegas who don't live here will be leaving with their families and things will be quieting down around here. Joe and Bethany got here on two days ago and will be staying till we leave for Chichi on Wed.

"home"

a form of baseball is the 'big game' with the lil' kids right now

a visit from Eladia, her boys, and neices  (one of the locals who lived with us for several months in MI when she lived in the states
and is like family to us, tho she isn't a Noriega)

Sunday school

making tamales for Christmas!

I lost track of how many I've eaten :)

we Bontragers can't have Christmas without chocolate covered, peanut butter filled graham crackers! 

Nayo thoroughly enjoying his tamale

people from Chijoj and the surrounding area waiting for gifts and tamales

handing out the gifts

unloading the 350 tamales for the Christmas program 

Billy's birthday is on Christmas day, so we had a pinata stuffed with the leftover Christmas candy  

Diego and Elisa (Quique's kids) had birthdays on the 26th and 28th so we had two more pinatas and cake on the Sat. after Christmas

one Sun. two pickup trucks full of people from the local church went to Ceboyal (an hour's drive and a little over an hour's walking time from Chijoj) for their 'opening the doors' service

that blue building in the distance was our destination 

walking

singing for the watch night service at the local church on New Year's Eve 

we've had visitors on more than one occasion in our tiny 'living room' 

playing 'Go-Fish' with the kids using some cardboard cards that Dad and Ansy made

Julie and Melisa (Blanca's oldest daughter) 

me and Angi (Alva's 5 yr. old - the oldest of 3 girls) 

bonfire time! (I'm not sure which game it is that we're playing here, but we're havin' fun doin' it!) 

singing 'round the fire

Billy's marshmallow (here they're called angelitos - little angels) 

Estefani (Luis' daughter), me, and Melisa on our way to the river with a bunch of the cousins

Angi and Elisa 

Lulu (Blanca's daughter) 

she's such a cutie pie!

Eliseo (or Cheo - Blanca's son and youngest child)

playing 'the box game' with a cup! (one of their new favorite games)

making donuts!

the finished product!!

hiking up the river with Joe and Bethany

almost every evening the 'big kids' come to play basketball. it's the one sport that I've never really liked or been good at but usually the team's are a max. of 5 ppl. and we've had some pretty fun games going here! 

Isaac (Nayo's son) my adopted son (inside joke!) 

part of the crew!
most of these are leaving early Sun. morn. we'll get another one with the rest of 'em before we leave