Another Week of God's Blessings.

What a week! The youth group that came down from Woodlands Church in Stevens Point was an awesome time! I got to serve alongside them, make a ton of new friends, practice my translating skills, and have a ton of fun! Here is what went on in a nutshell:
Friday morning (they arrived Thursday evening) we went out to El Yalú for the day. In the morning, the boys (along with we translators) cleaned up a property that Los Olivos owns there while the girls washed 140 heads of lice from the public school (fortunately, no one got it). After helping out with the feeding program (even though there weren't as many kids there due to a festival and there being no school) and held a VBS. They did crafts, games, and a bible story; I helped out with the crafts while loving on the kids (I absolutely love the kids out there).
Following a rest, that night there was a bonfire of sorts held at the soccer field for the youth of Los Olivos and the Woodlands team. It went until four in the morning! We had so much fun playing soccer and random games. Needless to say, we slept in the next day.
On Saturday we had a soccer tournament for a few hours with the youth which I actually participated in (not touching the ball, mind you, just running up and down the field) and the youth service, which Woodlands led. Saturday was also the day that three Americans from Bethel University in Minnesota who are studying abroad in La Antigua came to help us translate for the week. Anna, Maddie, and Andre were super nice and fun to be around and I loved speaking Spanish to them! It made me very happy that I had arrived in Guatemala the same time they had so I was able to understand and participate in their Spanish conversations. God's timing is perfect.
Sunday brought a great day to us: one that started at 4:00 am, that is. Los Olivos had a baptism service at a water park at the Port of San Jose, which is about two hours from Sumpango. We had to leave early, as we were only permitted to have the service prior to the opening of the park. As soon as it was finished, we had our free reign all day! Aqua Magic is right on the Pacific Ocean, so I spent most of the morning swimming in the ocean with the translators from Antigua and rest of the day playing in a pool inside the park with a few new friends from Woodlands. Everyone got sunburned that day, but on the bright side, I am more tan than I was!
Monday might be my favorite day because we got to work at the soccer field. One group worked on paving the concession area at the top, another worked to clean up the land at the bottom, and the group that I helped Anna translate for painted the walls by the playground. It was such fun work! We first painted the entire wall white and then decorated it! There are now trees, animals, flowers, bumble bees, and mountains in full color! It is so pretty to look at! We even made a tree with our hand prints and initials, so now it is forever in that wall that we painted it! I will go there and take pictures of it to post sometime; it is so pretty. We also had home visits with the Los Olivos youth that night; being the translator for my group was a good time and good practice. We ate dinner with the youth leaders from Los Olivos after the visits and I was impressed at how much the students from Woodlands were practicing their Spanish! I know how hard it was for me at first to do that.
Tuesday was the most physically demanding day of the week, with all of us climbing a mountain with the youth of the church. I was scared for my out-of-shape-ness, but surprisingly I made it with no pain! We hiked through steep hills and dense brush while taking in breathtaking views for about seven hours. The way down was more fun for me because I had some really good conversations with new Woodlands friends I had made. There was a soccer tournament scheduled for that night, but it got called off due to either another activity going on or our lack of energy; regardless of the reason, I think we felt it was the right decision.
Wednesday, the last full day, was a trip to La Antigua. We saw the beautiful city, shopped, and had a great lunch. If we had been competing to see who spent the least amount of money, I would have won with $10 worth of merchandise. I haven't been in the mood to shop lately! I did buy a really cool little painting for next year's dorm room, but that was about it. We also had a blast that night at the youth group home bible studies. It was super easy to translate for my group since it was mostly Spanish to English and we played some fun games! I have posted some of those pictures on Facebook, so check them out!
On Woodland's last day, we went to an orphanage near Sumpango to play with the kids there for a few hours. They were all adorable and went crazy for all the candy that was brought to them. After this time, the team left for the airport and it was incredibly sad to say goodbye to the friends I had just made. Fortunately, most of them come up north during the summer, so I will get to hang with many of them then!
Today has been organizing my room, Skyping with family, having a "desamuerzo" (I invented this word; it combines desayuno and almuerzo, the Spanish words for breakfast and lunch), and watching movies. Monday will bring my routine back for a nice four weeks before I return home. These last few weeks were filled with fun, but they were also crazy, so I am glad to be able to rest and have my routine back for a while.
Thank you so much for the all your prayers! I can't believe how the time has flown by and I come home in a month! Please keep praying that God will continue to use me for His perfect and glorious purpose!

Suzanne

El Obrajuelo, Woodlands, and God's Continued Love

Wow, it has been nearly three weeks since I have had time to blog! So much has happened in that time! God has been so faithful in blessing me and my work down here, and I couldn't be more grateful! Here is what has happened in my life in the last few weeks:
I have continued to go out to El Yalu and help the teachers. Sandra, Eluvia, and Wilma are the nicest women in the world. I feel so comfortable around them! I also love that they make me feel very useful whenever I am there. In some situations where you're supposed to be helping it's easy to feel like you're not doing anything, but not here! They are so loving, encouraging, and grateful at whatever I do. I love feeling like I can be useful; I can now understand over 90% of what they ask me to do!
I was in El Obrajuelo last week. It was a wonderful time with the group from Faith! The only part I didn't enjoy was the weather (the top that I recorded was 99 degrees Fahrenheit), but other than that, it was a great experience! The Lord used our team to build a bathroom in the pastor's house in the back of the church, hold a Vacation Bible School for 120 local children, and pioneer in home visits with the members of the church there. The home visits in particular were an experience for me because I got to officially translate for the first time! The members of my group were wonderful and patient, which helped me not be too nervous. We were able to share God's Word and love with the people there and it was amazing. It was also awesome for me to get a taste of home and a few things sent down to me by my wonderful mother. There was a tinge of jealously when the team left to go home, but it didn't last long. The Lord will not stop using me until I go home, and His work is not complete. Of that I am sure.
School has been wonderful. I continue to be so blessed by my children. The last two days I have been teaching them the parts of the body and they love the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." We must have sung it ten times in each class! I haven't gotten to be at school too much lately because I was in Obrajuelo last week and next week there is no school as it is Holy Week, but that will help me savor so much more the last four weeks I will have with them after break!
The team from Plover is arriving tomorrow. A group of 30 high schoolers is coming tomorrow to serve in Sumpango from Woodlands Church in Plover. I am going to be one of their translators, which I am excited about! Practice is a wonderful thing. I have been praying the last few days that I will be able to fit in with them since I will be around them the whole week. I hope I can make a few friends and be on the same level with them. They will be doing quite a few things with the youth of Los Olivos, including an all-night bonfire, a trip to a water park for baptisms, and youth home visits. I hope I can be useful to them!
Thank you so much again for all of your prayer. I am so grateful for all the opportunities God has given me to serve him and for all the places He reveals Himself to me! Please continue to pray that I would have love with His love, serve with His heart, and press on with His courage. Adios!

Suzanne

P.S. Happy Birthday, Bradford! Can't believe you're 17! Miss you so much!