From a Dirt Floor to the Suburbs

Before we came back to the States for Jonah and Silas' birth, Bernabe asked us if we would try and find her daughter.

Bernabe is a wonderful lady and a dear friend of ours who lives in Santa Rita. Her daughter Berta was working with a human rights group during the Guatemalan civil war. Due to threats on her life along with other violent events she was given an immediate visa to the States to protect her. Bernabe and the rest of her family fled to Honduras during that time. Over a decade has passed since they have been able to contact each other. All we had was an old address in Louisville, KY. This trip we made it a priority to go through Louisville on our way back to FL.

This afternoon we made it to the address Bernabe gave us. No one was home. As Jimmy was walking back to the van, a car pulled up. It was the couple who lived there and they were very kind to the stranger they found in their yard!

It turns out that they befriended Berta when she first came to the States. She lived with them a while and they took good care of her and got her on her feet in this new country. Thankfully they have stayed in touch with her over the years and gave us a more current address.

We drove about 30 minutes to this new address but sadly no one was home.

As we were driving away a Spanish family a couple doors down was just getting home. We thought they might be friends with Berta's kids, so we stopped and asked them if she still lived there. It turns out that they were relatives of her boyfriend. They said that they had just ran into Berta at Walmart and that she would be home any minute.

We were really excited by this point. We wanted this to work out for Bernabe's sake. About 10 minutes later Berta and her entire family pull into her driveway.

We explained who we were and that we had pictures and paperwork (documents that she had left behind) from her family in Petén. I know that her leaving Guatemala and all the events that surrounded that must have been very traumatic. So here we were... surprise... you now have to process this all in a matter of seconds. She was very kind to us and invited us in.

I cannot imagine her life and what all she has been through. I think it was difficult for her to look at photos of her family. She misses them. All of this took her back, to moments good and bad. She was very happy to hear about all of them. I took photos of her beautiful family to take back with us.

We videoed a message from her to her mom, dad, and siblings. Bernabe and Eulalio have 3 grandkids they have never met. Berta is applying for citizenship this Friday and then she will be able to get a US passport.

God just brought all of this about. We are so thankful and cannot wait to get back to Guatemala to see Bernabe!

One Door to Another

10 years ago this month Jimmy graduated from high school. We ran into a teacher from the Christian school he attended during one of our meetings in KS. He invited Jimmy to come back and speak during in a high school chapel service.

Jimmy said that he thought he had been a pretty good student, but teachers were coming up to him saying that they were so encouraged because if HE can turn out like this than ANYBODY can... what?! They remembered him telling them back then that he was going to be a missionary.

I didn't go with him that day, so there are no pictures, but they asked him to come back and speak for the elementary chapel too.

{This was the only place I could take a photo with the school name in it, it was too cold to walk around and find a sign!}

I went that day. We both got to share about our ministry. It was very important to us, because we were both in elementary school when God called us to be missionaries.

We also got to speak to 3 of the Spanish classes. This was the smallest one because it is Spanish 3 and 4. They understood very well, but in the Spanish 2 classes we pretty much spoke all in English and talked about some of the sayings or words that are unique to Guatemala. We told some of the funny mistakes we have made in Spanish. Things that would never make it on the blog because of my editor! We also got to speak in another Bible class.

One of the teachers during the high school chapel who pastors a church about 30 minutes outside Wichita invited us to present our ministry to his church on Mother's Day. No missionary gets a meeting on Mother's Day! We were very excited about this opportunity. The church seemed very interested in the ministry God has given us in Petén and might come down on a trip soon. We will see what the future holds!

{Pastor Keith Kelley and his beautiful family!)

So all of these opportunities came as a result of a conversation in a church lobby several weeks ago, not bad!

CRAZY ITEM OF THE DAY: During our presentation we talk about the 2 people groups we work with, the ex-guerrillas and the Kekchi. Evidently we didn't clarify during the elementary chapel exactly what a guerrilla was. One teacher came up afterwards and said that she was pretty sure that the younger children think we work with large animals (gorillas)!

Trip to the Zoo

Monday we took the boys to the Sedgwick County Zoo. It is one of the best in the country. We weren't sure how exciting the zoo would be for 2, 1.5 year olds, but they stayed interested the whole time.

Our first stop was the barn.

I think the boys looks so big in this picture. They have grown so much since we have been here. They are not as wobbly anymore. They run, climb, and explore constantly and in opposite directions! 18 months is our favorite age so far. They are a hoot!

They got to feed the goats and sheep. Jonah let that goat nibble his fingers 3 times before he decided he wasn't going to feed him anymore!

Silas liked the penguins.

The penguin keeper in the back of this photo was talking on the loud speaker. Silas couldn't figure out where that voice was coming from. He was looking all around for her.

Jonah liked the turtles and all the fish tanks.

They have a large jungle greenhouse. The boys enjoyed following the path...

and looking for jungle rodents that were hiding in the bushes.

Grandma came too! That is why we got so many family shots!

The boys were funny quietly watching the animals.

I think they felt at home in this muggy greenhouse!

My favorite animal of the trip!

CRAZY ITEM OF THE DAY: Most of these animals lived in air conditioning! Even the African elephants could go indoors and sit under large fans. They are more pampered at the zoo than we are in our house in Petén. That must mean we live in the wild! I miss the heat. It is too cold here!

An Awesome Weekend

Last weekend we visited a church for the first time that has been supporting us for almost 4 years. That never happens. They met us on the field while visiting the Boggs. They have since sent down 2 teams. This is the infamous team that finished the walls on our building in Santa Rita the same day we got kicked out!

{Cookout at the Darby's house}

Saturday afternoon, the Darby's hosted a cookout for those who had been down on a team before. We had the best time and the food was outstanding!

{The entire Darby family!}

We love this church. They are all just real people who we really enjoy being around. They are a newer church plant in inner city Topeka. It's a really cool place. They don't talk about their heart for missions or praise all the things they do to get the Gospel around the world, they are just doing it!

We got to share about our ministry during a church wide joint Sunday school time and then Jimmy got to preach during the main service. Afterwards they had another dinner for the missions committee and all who had been down to Petén before.

{Pastor Tim, Silas loves him!}

We are so thankful for this church and all that they do for the ministry in Petén. They are always a big encouragement to us personally especially on this last trip when we really needed it.

CRAZY ITEM OF THE DAY: The Darby's let us spend the night in their beautiful home. This was Jonah and his crazy legs after he fell asleep that night.

Fun Finds

We have been able to go on a couple dates since we have been back. All of them have included chinese food... because I really miss it and Jimmy is very sweet. He likes chinese food too, just maybe more spread out.

One day we stopped by an antique store. We had only done that once before, but realized we really enjoyed it, so we decided to try it again. We can't take back large items, but it is fun to look for small items that can fit in a suitcase. We appreciate things that don't look like they came from a specific store and are made to last forever.

{Photo found here}

I saw an old Fisher Price barn like the one I grew up playing with. Guess how much...

$80... unbelievable! It was fun seeing things from our childhood or things that I remember from my Grandmothers' houses.

We did find some goodies to take back with us. Here were our finds:

I have a thing for oval frames. This one is solid wood, not a scratch on it, just beautiful. Maybe a print of the boys will end up in there.

I had wanted some vintage looking metal baskets for the open pantry in our forever house, but had decided that was impossible since they are pretty expensive. You know... Pottery Barn dreams on a less than Ikea budget. We found these 5 old gym baskets in the back of the store unmarked. Jimmy went to ask the old man that was sitting by the register. He haggled with him a bit with his refined Chapin skills. The man said, well since I can't get the owner on the phone I'll take your offer. I thought it was a ridiculous offer (in a good way). I said, "Jimmy lets pay for them and run!" That poor old man probably got in trouble.

This was another little find. I might put this little feminine piece in our bathroom where everything else is concrete.

This is a neat thermometer for Jimmy's desk. It is really heavy. This is the last time it will read in the 50's!

Jimmy got me this fan for my desk. So cool. It will probably last forever unlike the pitiful EXPENSIVE plastic fans you find in Petén.

We had wanted some old doorknobs to make into a towel rack. We found some but they were a little high. When we got back to the house I told Melissa about how crazy expensive they were. She said, "Oh I have some if you want them." What?!

They are beautiful too! It will be fun incorporating them into our new home. I was thrilled.

An Exciting Day in Our Ministry

We have been thinking about Santa Rita a lot since we have been gone. Jimmy casually claims we will start up again in there when we get back. Honestly, I am nervous to go back in. We just did a quick drive through right before we left, but I did not get out of the micro. We both want the Bible study to continue.

I was behind on the blog before we left, so I never posted about one of the most important events that has happened in our ministry. It was back at the end of January. Jesús, who has been attending Jimmy's discipleship class each week (he put his faith in Christ soon after we arrived in Santa Rita), taught one of the Bible studies. He sounded nervous to talk to him beforehand, but during the Bible study he seemed at home sharing the Bible with his peers.

{Jesús (21 years old)}

He planned a devo sheet for everyone during the week, came up with questions to ask during the Bible study which Jimmy put on the projector, and even asked Jimmy, "You think it would be ok if I challenged them to go ahead and accept Christ for themselves at the end of it?" So exciting! I loved seeing his passion as he spoke. He spoke on II Corinthians 5, that is the book they had been studying recently in the adult Bible study. It has been very relevant for what is going on in there right now.

Please pray for Jesús, he has been working a job in the capital while we have been gone. Please pray that God does not move him out of Santa Rita just yet. He is the only one in his family who has accepted Christ yet. He may even be the one that God has to take over the Bible study in there if we are not able to get back in. We love these people. They are our friends. Some are Christians now, some not yet.

Easter

Jimmy and I started off the weekend with strep. The boys had some type of virus, but no sore throats. Jonah had an ear infection. Gringo germs almost did us in.

Jimmy's home church had a special Good Friday service where they observed the Lord's Supper. Jimmy's parents watched our sick boys, so we got to go. I was so thankful. This was our first service at our home church and it was a wonderful one, my favorite of the weekend.

Saturday Jimmy's parents' subdivision held an Easter egg hunt. We had been practicing with Jonah and Silas all week long, showing them what to do with Easter eggs... you put them in your basket.

Only thing is, they didn't have eggs at this egg hunt, just candy sprinkled in the grass. I think the boys were a little confused on top of being sick AND it being very cold outside for us who live in sunny Petén. They had fun in their own way though.

About the time they would get 2 or 3 pieces in their basket they would dump their baskets upside down or grab all of their candy in a big wad, leave their baskets and take off running!

Afterwards we gave them a couple smarties, that is when they really started to appreciate the whole Easter basket thing.

One little boy tried to take a piece of candy that Jonah had in his hand. The little boy's dad quickly pulled the boy's hand away and told him no. Jonah looked at the little boy and then reached out with the candy still in his hand to give it to him. Moments like that make you hopeful that your kids might turn out alright! I think being a twin has helped the boys learn to share at an earlier than average age. They still have their moments, but moments like these outnumber the others.

I did not plan out this Easter very well as far as family traditions go since we have been away from home. I do have some ideas for next year. We did find a little Easter board book that we read together every night during the week leading up to Easter Sunday.

It was of the last few days in Jesus' ministry here on earth, why He died, and then His resurrection. It was put together beautifully.

These were the boys' Easter baskets. On the drive from FL to KS we found out that they are VeggieTales fans... at least when they are buckled into a car seat and have no where else to go! We got them some Easter VeggieTales for our upcoming road trips.

They also got a toy each, a pez dispenser, and eggs filled with marshmallows and frosted Mini Wheats. They ended up preferring the Mini Wheats. They had never had those before since we don't have those in Petén.

{I love their little shoes in this picture}

Since the boys were hacking so much Easter morning and dripping with green snot, we left them home with their Grandpa and Uncle Joe who had both gone to the Saturday night service. I was really disappointed to not attend church together as a family, but they would have been rejected by the nursery for sure. I was thankful that Jim and I got to go with his mom and sister. I love going to church in English!

After their morning nap I put their Easter shirts on them and photoshopped their red little noses.

Silas and Jonah both knew what to do with that toy microphone. None of us can figure out how. They held it up to their mouths right away and started talking into it. The only place we know of them seeing a microphone before was at the Kekchi radio station. They must retain everything.

We had our own Easter egg hunt Sunday afternoon in Grandma & G-Dawg's backyard. This is how you hide eggs for 18M olds... it's easy, you launch them off the deck!

By this time they had figured out that the best part is cracking the egg!

{G-Dawg Silas, Jonah, & Grandma}

We had a wonderful Easter. Next year I do hope to do a better job at incorporating why Easter is so special to Jimmy and I in the activities we do with our boys. We are so thankful for this day and that we get to celebrate Christ's victory over sin and death.

Happy Easter Everyone!