Endings and Beginnings

Today marks the start of a brand new month, so I thought it appropriate to share with you the new things that have been happening around here.
First, though, I want to share with you a bit more of the heartache side we see and experience here in Guate. I guess what I want to convey with you is the fact that, although we live in a different culture, our people are no different from you. Yes, life might be a bit harder for them in certain areas, but the loss of a loved one through sickness and accidents are just as relevant to them as they are to you. 

Last week, Gloria, Henry, and I were driving from town to a village to pick up one of our sponsored families for the teaching program we had that afternoon. As we rounded the curve, we saw this whole big crowd of people just standing around the bridge. The local volunteer fire fighters were there, but no police. We stopped a little beyond this point and walked back to see what was happening. No one we asked seemed to know exactly how it happened, but the body of a man was lying on the embankment beside the river. He wasn't wet, so we know that it wasn't a drowning accident - we never did find out what happened. We left a few minutes later, while the fire fighters were starting to set up the ropes to go down; the police arrived on the scene as we were pulling out. I couldn't help thinking about a family somewhere who would be going home that night knowing they would never see their father again in this life. 

The second incident occurred just a few days later. A team from the States was here for the week and were working on restoring one of our widows' houses. My coworkers and I were on lunch break when we drove past the house the team was working on. It was a family we were scheduled to visit after lunch, so we stopped to say 'hi' to the team and see how work was going. Almost as soon as we got out of the truck, we found out that the family's uncle had passed away the night before. This family consists of three widows and their children - the mother/grandmother, a daughter and her boy, and a daughter-in-law and her three girls. The mother/grandmother's husband died quite a few years ago during the Guatemalan Civil War. When this happened, her brother-in-law (the uncle who died) stepped in as a father to her young son and daughter. The daughter's husband passed away about 7 (?) years ago, then the son (the daughter-in-law's husband) was killed two years ago in his own home. The women lived in fear of their neighbors for a long time, but their uncle (the brother-in-law) once again stepped in to help watch over them and the children. They were all devastated when he passed away after only a week of being seriously sick. They worry about not having any more men in the family to watch out for their well-being. Never-the-less, their faith in God remains strong! The team restoring one of their houses was able to pray with them and for them before Gloria, Henry, and I came back from our lunch break. When we got back, we once again prayed for their comfort and well-being and were able to spend some time just listening to what was in their hearts. 

These two stories/incidents reminded me of how precious life is, no matter where we are or what the circumstances. Life is too short to take for granted the blessings of loved ones in our lives. We only have a breath of time to hold them close and to love them. 

Our little band "All My Soul" - me, Maddie, Abbey, Rachel 

Now, on a lighter note:
The biggest news is that I have a room mate! Or, maybe 'house mate' is a better term :D Rachel Tracht flew in on Friday and has been adjusting to life here since then. I'm working on quarterly updates about our families, so she is going out on visits with Gloria and Henry this whole week. Next week, we both start a new schedule:
Mondays and Tuesdays - We will both be going out on visits
Wednesdays -  I'll stay back to help with prepping the food baskets in the forenoon and officially teach English to three of our employees in the afternoons while Rachel goes out on visits
Thursdays - I'll go out on visits while Rachel stays back to help with office work
Fridays - we'll both stay back; she to help with office work again and me to teach new recipes to our cooks for when teams come down
It's been fun having her here these past few days and I'm looking forward to the months ahead with much anticipation!
Also, Tammy Huizenga (our overseer of the Bethany Program) and her little girl, Rylee, came down a week and a half ago to stay for the summer. It's been wonderful getting to know her in person and watching the antics of her energetic little bundle of a daughter! Rylee has most of the staff wrapped around her little finger :D 

Most of our 2014 Pray America ~ Manos de Jesus staff 

Another new development is that we are going to be housing all the future teams here at Monte Flor instead of in the mission house in town. It's about a 10-15 min. walk into town to the mission house, and while teams would come tour our campus, there was always a bit of separation between their schedules and the activity going on up here with the rest of the ministry outreaches we have. The Pattersons, our team coordinators, lived in town to work with the teams but this past weekend they moved into an extra house here at Monte Flor. Moving things from town to up here is happening this week, so there's a general stir of change happening everywhere!
Work is also being done on digging a new well on the property. Please keep this project in your prayers! 

Well, there you have it! Lots of endings and beginnings and reminders of the value of life. Thank you, each one, for your continued prayers for me and for the ministry of Pray America/Manos de Jesus.