A Thanksgiving Service

Tonight we went to Thomas Sop’s church. The Boggs started this church 16 years ago. The people have been praying and saving for electricity. This week they finally got it.

Tonight was a celebration for the first service with electricity. When they turned the lights on they set off firecrackers and then everyone prayed a prayer of thanksgiving.

Larry preached and afterwards they served everyone paches. Tonight they were made of potatoes. They are wrapped in banana leaves and usually have a little meat in them.

On friday after class, all the students from the seminary played the teachers in football.

The teachers won... 9 to 8!

{Job is in the gray shirt above}

Tomorrow we are going to San Marcos to Job’s church with the Boggs. We are really thankful for the opportunity to visit all these different churches and see different ministries in this culture. This will be very helpful to us later on.

Las Majadas Outreach

Here's a video we put together of the medical team in Las Majadas. It was a little bloody at times, so you have been warned!

New Gloves and Old Friends

Jimmy found and eye doctor. You cannot make appointments so we went Wednesday morning and waited in line. We had to wait for 4 hours. During that time we decided to go across the hall to the dentist. We both still have cavities that we never took care of in the states. The last experience we had at a dentist in the States really scared me for all future visits.

This doctor was wonderful. She even numbed my mouth for the shot. She kept saying, “You’re so white, you’re so white!” (She was worried I was going to pass out.) It was so cold in her office because nobody has heat so I was trembling the entire time. They all were wearing new gloves, so that was reassuring. (That's what separates the good doctors from the rest in my book!) Jimmy did not get his 2 teeth taken care of because he's a chicken!

This is going to be painful for you guys in the States, but I got 3 fillings for $15. Right before we came here I got a cleaning, X-rays, and 3 fillings for over $500. Here is like anywhere else, there are good doctors/dentists and there are not so good ones. If you find the right ones you will have a pleasant experience and for a lot cheaper price. If you want you can come on a missions trip and get some dental work done while you are here!

My eye doctor was very nice too, but I am glad I brought my previous prescription because his was way off. He initially prescribed -4 something, but He ended up renewing my old one for -6 something. Please pray that the contact companies in the States will except it. My eyes are inflamed from sweeping outside so I have to wear glasses for 2 weeks. I hate glasses. I don’t have any depth perception or peripheral vision. I cannot drive... I tried to yesterday with Linda and she asked if Jimmy could drive to drop her off. I think it is because I kept asking her how close I was to certain things.

Our area still does not have water, but we found out that our cistern holds 4,000 liters. We tried to look in it to see how much was left, but it was too dark. Our property manager said that if we run out we could call the volunteer fire department and they would come and fill it up for 100 quetzales, which is about $13.

Last night we were invited to go over to someone's house for coffee. We really did not want to go because lately we have felt like we have been taken advantage of from people we thought were our friends. Money causes so many problems. When you see that someone needs something you want to help, but then it is no longer a friendship. They start being even nicer to you, not to say thank you, but to get more. Often they stop working so hard for things since you can give it to them for free. When you stop giving them more things they are no longer nice to you. This is just what we have experienced so far, not everyone is like this.

Last night though, our “old friends” ended up being just that... our “old friends.” They did not ask for anything from us. We have not seen them lately and they just wanted some time of fellowship. We were so encouraged because this couple has really been working hard. They have been thinking for themselves and seeking God for His will for their lives. They didn’t take the easy road and then hide behind the statement, “Well, I prayed about it.” They didn’t just tell their plans to God and then flippantly put His name behind it, they actually listened to Him and obeyed.

Not Much Water

I was outside today and all these kids with empty bottles came up and asked me for some water. Evidently our area is without water. We heard that it could be anywhere from 5 to 10 days. Thankfully we have a cistern, but we do not know how large it is. We are living by the “If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down,” rule. We still can buy pure water in the jugs.

The kids that came by were all cousins and said that they all live in the same house with 16 people... so I am sure we will probably see them again tomorrow! I am interested to see how long our water lasts. News of our cistern will spread fast. We feed the dog that lives next door every now and then. She guards our house now too. She did not like all these strangers coming into our gate.

Today I was telling Linda a story about a monkey, but I got a little confused. I call Lucha “Boca Mono” which is monkey mouth (it is really supposed to be “Boca de Mono”), but anyway... instead of saying “mono” I kept saying “moco” because I would put the 2 words together. She was laughing at me (which is normal) and finally told me that “moco” is “snot”... so I was telling her a story about snot!

There is such a thing as Gorilla snot here. It is a gel that guys put in their hair. It has the same consistency and comes in green, yellow, or brown. Interesting marketing tactic.

So Far So Good

While Jimmy’s parents were here, they helped us seal up our home to keep the dirt and mice out! So far it has worked on the mice! We caulked all the holes and got 2 door sweeps. Now we know what to do first when we move into our home in the Petén!

Jimmy’s parents also found us a beautiful rug. There is no such thing as carpet in this country, so rugs make your house really cozy... I think they bought it mainly for the doggies to sleep on!

Fije and Lucha are finally friends... it took a while, but Lucha was persistent!

{“Say what?! You mean I am not going to grow up into a beautiful Labrador?”}

Quick prayer request. My contact prescription has expired, so we were not able to reorder online to have some sent down with my parents. We have not found the type of contacts here that I use, so we are having a hard time finding a doctor that can give us a prescription for those. Please pray that everything will work out soon. Thanks!

A Seminary Down the Road

Jimmy gave his first Greek test on Thursday. Jimmy laughed when he told me that he scared them a little. It was a tough test. Jimmy said that he wanted them to know that they could not just study the night before and pass. I really miss teaching, so I'm a little jealous!

We have learned so much from this seminary here and we are excited about starting one in the Petén. Jimmy wants it to be in Spanish and I want it to be in Kekchi, but that is good because it makes us think everything through. We are always strategizing and planning!

Land right now in the Petén cost 10,000 Quetzales for a cuerda. About 9 cuerdas = 1 acre, so an acre is $12,000. We want to have some type of farm up there so that the students can work for their tuition and support their families while they are in school. There are Kekchi in El Salvador and Belize too.

This is a couple years down the road, so please join us in prayer. We still have to learn Kekchi! I think that we could learn it in a year starting in June, but Jimmy thinks it might take longer. There are no Kekchi language school and we will be learning it in our second language. Please pray that God will line us up with a good tutor.

We created a new Kekchi page on our website with more information about this people group. We are thankful for all the contacts and information that God has sent our way.

Medical Missions

We were thankful for the opportunity to work with one of the Boggs’ medical missions team. We learned about how to prepare for the teams that are coming in May and September. This was an awesome group of doctors, nurses, and willing helpers.

{The lady in the middle is getting a tooth pulled.}

{One sister is comforting the other one. The black on her arm means she is Catholic.}

{The Pharmacy}

{Jimmy translating for one of the doctors.}

{Jimmy witnessing to one of the ladies.}

{Ladies waiting in line}

{A lady wrapping a baby to her back.}

On Tuesday one lady was thinking ahead. She had a hemorrhoid and needed surgery. She told the doctor that she brought her own knife (a razor blade) and alcohol. In public hospitals here I believe you are required to provide all of your own medical supplies. That is difficult for me to even imagine.

{A game of marbles.}

A grandmother brought in her two grandchildren. She said, “They wake up early in the morning before I do and drink ice cold water even though I tell them not to... now look how skinny they are.” This is a common belief here. Cold air and cold drinks make you sick.

{More people waiting in line.}

The mayor came to get a tooth pulled. While he was standing outside looking at all the people coming, he said, “This is a really good you are doing; I think I should go to Jaime’s church.”

{Watching us leave.}

Please pray that this endeavor will bring people into the church and that they will hear the true message of the Gospel and be saved.