Thursday, February 28, 2013

Fourth Week!

Following a wonderful weekend, this week has been great. On Saturday, we hosted a big dinner for two families: One was David, whom Rob has sponsored through Compassion since he was a child, and for Marta's family (Marta knows English because she lived in Wausau for two years, one of which with Rob. She was one of the translators for my team two years and I learned so much from her! It was so nice to see her again). It was a great time and I was able to practice my translating skills! Please pray that I will be ready to translate in ten days when the team from Faith gets down here!
On Sunday, we all (Chiquito's, Rob, Curt, me, and Marta) went to Antigua. Marta and I got to ride in the back of the pickup and we spoke Spanish the whole time! Antigua is gorgeous and as the most touristy place in Guatemala, there were a lot of Americans. It was super hot (around 85 degrees, which was made hotter to me because I was wearing jeans to ride in the back of the truck), but super fun! We watched amazing musicians (instruments such as the flute and ukulele) in the square,  walked around, shopped in the many amazing places they have, ate in a giant fast food restaurant called Pollo Campero (think fried chicken) and had ice cream.
We returned in time to make it to church at the Los Olivos soccer field; that particular Sunday it was about offering, so many people bought various food and things to donate that were then sold, with the money going back into Los Olivos. Rob and Oscar said a few words and Marta and I had such a fun time getting pictures from all different angles.
We came back and I said goodbye to Rob and Curt, as they left Monday while I was at school. School has been great this week; we have finished the alphabet and food, and today we started the family vocabulary! We're going to make family trees tomorrow. I can't make things too complicated in class, otherwise the kids won't get it. For instance, I tried to explain Bingo to my kids the other day, that they need a square with sixteen spaces (I drew it out for them) and I went around and there were many students with around one hundred squares in their notebooks. They eventually understood and they are asking me if we can play it every single day, but it took quite a bit of patience in the beginning!
I also started a new part of what I will be doing down here on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays: helping the three teachers from the church who go out to El Yalu for an after school tutoring program. I was told to wait at the gas station at the entrance of Sumpango where Sandra, one of the teachers, would meet me. But she didn't come. And didn't come. I was so scared! I didn't know what bus to take or I should take a bus and all that was going on in my head was Jesus, You are here, You are with me, You will come through. Eventually, someone came over with a cell phone with Sandra on the other end telling me (I think, I was too nervous to concentrate and actually understand all the Spanish) to go into the person's van where we went and picked the teachers up and were on our way! All three of them are so nice! I helped with kindergarten and first graders yesterday; I will alternate helping each teacher one day of the week. The children were so cute! I had so much fun sharing my love with them and doing what I could (or rather what I could understand) for the teacher. I am looking forward to making that a part of my routine for the next two months!
God is so good. I marvel at the things He has done for me and how small the return is that I can give, but I am doing the best I can! I am trying to love everyone and take every opportunity to serve. I have been praying that I can be ready to translate, and He has given me so many opportunities to practice my Spanish! Sandra said my Spanish was good yesterday, I appreciated her encouragement very much. I am learning to depend on God a lot too. Today, I was tired during school (it's very hard to control 35 second or third graders when you're tired) and so I said, as Isobel Kuhn said in the recent book I read about her and her missions in China, "If this be from God, I accept it, but if this be from Satan, I reject it." And more energy came to me!
Well, that is all for now, again, I thank everyone so much for your prayers! God is using me down here in really awesome ways, and I praise God that you're a part of it!

Suzanne

Friday, February 22, 2013

Happy Friday.

Despite having a more difficult day at school today (something about Fridays and me trying to play games that don't work out so well), this week was good! I am continuing to learn how to find my way about Sumpango, I even ran an errand for Karla yesterday! I might find myself out and about this afternoon as well (after perhaps a nap) to look for a place that sells chocobananos (my new favorite snack).
Rob Weise and his friend Curt arrived yesterday and are here until Monday, so that's nice. Sometimes it's nice to get a break from speaking constant Spanish (which, may I point out here, is getting better) and talk in the good old language of English. But I really do enjoy speaking Spanish! It is becoming more and more natural to say something in Spanish rather than English. With that being said, I can't say I'm not nervous about having to translate in March for the team from Faith and another from Highland, but I am trusting that God will give me opportunities to practice and will help me be ready.
I am looking forward to what I think will be a restful weekend (but I could be wrong; I am not told everything that we are going to do which is fine); I will put my head right back up and start another week of school with my students! We will be finishing up the alphabet and accompanying foods.
Thank you so much for your prayer, it helps me so much!

Suzanne

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Feliz dia del Cariño!

I can't believe it's almost Friday again! Time has flown by! I can hardly believe I have been here almost two weeks. Teaching has been fun, I have been teaching my children the days of week, but we took a break today to make valentines (in English of course!). Most of the kids made them for their parents, but I received several too! I have many cute gifts and got so many hugs and kisses today; sometimes I am overwhelmed by the fact that these children can love me so much more than I can possibly love them. God has such unique ways of doing things, all in His perfect way. And I get to be a part of it!
We have an American team of four people from Minnesota staying with us this week, they are doing some sort of homemade jam venture. They are all very nice and I have gotten to do a little bit of translating for them since they don't speak very much Spanish. It has boosted my confidence a lot to be a bit useful with my (somewhat limited) Spanish ability. I am getting better, though! Practice, practice, practice.
Today was an accomplishment too; I took a little walk of Sumpango all by myself! I walked down to the market, past Oscar's parent's house, and I was able to find my way home! I was so proud that I didn't get lost of even step into panic mode the times when I didn't know exactly where I was. It's such a nice town, but it's tricky because there are only square blocks that look the same.
I talked to home today for the first time too! So nice to know how everyone is doing, I miss it, but not the cold. Yeah, I don't miss the cold at all. It is right around 80 degrees consistently here, and it's wonderful! I could (and am) getting used to this.
Since we have this team here, I think I will get to sleep in this weekend, which will be nice. Thanks for praying and Happy Valentines Day!

Suzanne

Sunday, February 10, 2013

The Things I have Learned This Week!

Alright, so I have been here just over a week and I have learned many things! So I decided for this post to write a list of what I now know.

I love this picture! Emily (Oscar's daughter) is on the right with her cousin Gaby! They are cuties.
  • I don't need my cell phone! I realized yesterday that I haven't thought about people texting or calling me in a week! A flood of relief came to me; I don't have to worry about people trying to reach me or getting mad at me when I don't answer for another eleven weeks! How nice is that.
  • Everyone here (or everyone that I have come in contact with) showers in the afternoon rather than the morning. It's interesting; it's as if the day doesn't start until the afternoon!
  • Family is incredibly important. This weekend we traveled four hours to Karla's parents' house to have a baby shower for Karla's sister, Mary. We went to great lengths to keep it a secret and Karla and I got up at 6:00 AM to decorate! It took us seven and a half hours in total but it was worth it to see the look on Mary's face when she walked in to sixty of her girl friends yelling, "Sorpresa!" I also learned during this process how clumsy I am. I tripped, dropped things, couldn't understand what people were saying, and was plain in the way at times. But I think I helped enough to make it worth it! 
  • How to dress in the traditional clothes of Guatemala. I wore a set of Amy's clothes to the baby shower and when Karla came up to ask if I was ready, I said I thought so, but when she came in, all I heard was, "No." I looked good when she was through with me!
  • Roosters do not crow only once. You know how in the movies, a rooster crowing symbolizes morning? Well, here they crow over and over. All morning. Forever. Over and over. Why thank you, yes, I know the day has begun.
  • How a bakery works. The baby shower took place in a bakery and while we were decorating, I got to watch the man make his bread and bake it in a big stone oven! Let me tell you, it smelled amazing. 
  • I can have a cold. I wouldn't have previously thought that I would be able to get a cold in a place where it's 80 degrees and no rain, but it's apparently possible, as I had one this weekend! Good thing I forgot to bring my cold medicine with me to Karla's parents' house. Maybe I'm allergic to something.
  • There are always 3 meals a day. I have had to learn this one the hard way several times this week. We got to Karla's parents around 8:00 and then I decided to take a shower. I had a little snack of my own, thinking that we weren't going to eat dinner that night. I come out, and hear it's time for a dinner of steak, beans, and bread. Similarly, the next morning, when Karla and I were decorating early, her sister heated up some pizza for me. I thought it was odd to eat pizza for breakfast but I was hungry, so I ate it. An hour later, omelets and bread were served. I suppose it would be possibly to avoid these kind of things happening if I knew the language better! But people talk darn fast. 
  • God will make me well. The way there through the mountains was absolutely breathtaking, but not without its winding up and down and speed bumps everywhere. The first about half of the trip, I couldn't sleep and I was afraid I was going to be sick with all the winding and bumps. I cried out to Jesus and he allowed me to sleep and my sickness to go away! I sat there for a good miserable hour before I realized, Duh! I have a God who can heal me.  And heal me He did. 
So that's what I'm up to this weekend.
I begin another week of teaching tomorrow! I am going to teach my students the alphabet.
 Thank you for your prayers and please don't stop!

Suzanne

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

I Did It!

I started teaching today and it wasn't nearly as hard as I was making it out to be in my head. I taught some basic classroom commands (stand up, sit down, be quiet, etc.) and greetings. I have about forty minute classes and I had just about enough to teach to fill up that time. Now let's see if they retained it for tomorrow! School is very relaxed here. It is supposed to begin at 7:30, but it was about 7:33 when we were still sitting in the teacher's area and about 4 minutes past the end of recreo (recess) when they decided to go back and continue the day. Very different from schools in the United States!
I love watching people here; everything is so different! The children all walk to school, many of the older ones holding their younger siblings' hands, some wearing regular clothes and some wearing the beautiful traditional clothes of Guatemala. Olga and I walk by people selling food and trinkets on the street before and after school, many of the children buy snacks on their way to and from school. Everyone says hello (Buenos Dias) to everyone else in the morning, and smiles are always exchanged. These people are very nice!
Guatemalan children are the cutest. All I have been called is seño, which, to the best of my knowledge, means teacher. All the little girls come up and surround me; at one point I couldn't even leave a classroom because I had about a dozen little people holding on to me! Even when Olga and I walked home some little girls from school came and held my hands. I guess I'm easy to spot, I don't think I've seen another Gringa here yet!
Please keep praying! I am so grateful for your prayers; God has taken away much of my anxiety and replaced it with a wonderful calming peace. To Him be the glory forever and ever! Philippians 4:13.

Suzanne

Monday, February 4, 2013

Today was a very good day.

This morning, I went with a teacher from Los Olivos named Olga to school. I was able to watch the way she conducted her class and now I am not as nervous at all! I was also introduced to my classes: I have four classes of second graders and three classes of third graders, and they are cute! There was a school assembly this morning where the Transit Police were informing the students proper ways to be in the streets and afterward I got introduced. Then, at recess (which lasted an hour and a half as opposed to the half hour the schedule said) the real fun began. Little girls of all grades came up to me to hold my hand and touch my hair and just stare while the boys would come up in sporadic groups to say "Como se dice (fill in the blank) en Ingles?" (How do you say..). I had so much fun sharing my love with them.
I came back from school and relaxed a little bit (after five minutes of not being able to unlock the door to the house with my key). I played with Emmanuel for a little while (he is the most precious little boy!) and got ready for what I am going to do tomorrow; I think (with God's help) I can do it!
I absolutely love Oscar and Karla, they are so nice and welcoming! They put me at ease right away.
Keep praying! I need it very much!

Suzanne

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Estoy Aqui!

I am so glad to finally be here! Yesterday was a long day of flights, but it didn't really dawn on me what I had done until I was standing outside the Guatemala airport with my suitcases waiting for Oscar. I had stood about 10 minutes wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into when I saw Oscar and his daughter, Emily (6 years old). They took me back to the car where Karla and Emmanuel (Only the cutest 17 month old in existence) were waiting. I got a very warm welcome!
I love my room and their beautiful home and the country; it is so pretty with the mist and the not sub-zero temperatures! Today was really nice because I got to sleep in since church wasn't until 4:00pm. I played with Emily and Emmanuel and tried to wrap my head around the fact that I will be here for 3 months. There were so many instances when I had to stop and just say, "God, You are so much bigger than my fears, please give me peace and courage." And I pretty much repeated that over and over (paraphrasing, but meaning the same thing). 
Of course Guatemala is different than Minocqua, but the one thing that I thought was funny was the way church works. The service starts at 4:00, so people are there by then, right? Wrong. The singing starts at 4:00, with about five people in the building. But by the time it's over twenty minutes later, the church is full. The pastor had a PowerPoint with pretty much all the points on it; because of that I was able to understand most everything, but if he hadn't had that, I would have understood about a fifth of what he said. My Spanish is so/so at the moment, but I can feel it getting better as I go along! The food is excellent by the way, very different, but so good! Beans, rice, and corn tortillas are the things I have found so far.
I made it through my first day and even drank some coffee! Now to overcome the next challenge: school. That's all for now and keep praying!

Suzanne