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