Perfectly normal

Veronica knows that if you want to carry a baby, you tie it on your back.
So this is how she insisted on carrying her baby doll to the store.
It's perfectly normal... here in the Mayan part of Guatemala, anyway!

Of course, if you ask this two-year-old to smile while taking her picture...

It's also perfectly normal to cook up some beans for supper,

and stir up some powdered milk to drink.

Looking for Land

So, what does "looking for land" in Chichicastenango look like?  Well, good question.  So far it goes something like this:  Ask EVERYONE you talk to if they know of any land for sale...  the pastors, the stove technician, the lady selling vegetables, the dentist, etc.  So far the answer has been, "I don't know right now, but I'll look into it for you." 

There has been one exception: the dental assistant Ana said her grandfather actually has land for sale!  But when we went to look at it (with Ana, her grandfather, and one of her cousins in our car), it was on a very steep mountainside.  Michael and I had an adventurous hike down the beautiful mountainside following Grandpa (who we thought might be part mountain goat), but it was just too steep to build on.  So we will keep looking.

We have also been going out and driving around (for hours on bumpy dirt roads) to get a feel for the land, since most of it is too mountainous to build on.  We're not just talking steep hillsides, we're talking sheer cliffs.  Usually there are little houses perched up on top of the edges, but we need more land for more buildings, NOT on the edge of a cliff.  We would at least like room for a house with a yard for us, as well as a ministry area including a soccer field, a pavilion, a few class rooms, a sports court, and a playground.

We've found a few nice "rolling hills" areas, but only God knows who owns the land and if they might want to sell or not!  I'm thinking we might take a Guatemalan out with us and start asking around those areas in person.

That's our method for now anyway.  We haven't found the Real Estate office yet!

Raincoats and Boots!

Last year during rainy season, we bought raincoats to keep us dry... 

Well, that worked for the top half,
but when we walked to a friend's house
recently, our shoes got soaked.

So this year, we decided to buy
rubber boots from the market!
Rainy Season, here we come! 

Electric Lines Don't Like Trees

The evening right after we returned home to Chichicastenango from Mexico, we heard a crash outside and the electricity went off.  We could tell that there were lines down right outside our gate, but we didn't venture outside until the next morning.  I called the electric company and other missionaries who lived nearby to alert them of the possible danger of live wires.

The next morning we saw the culprit.  A tall pine tree had fallen in the nearby ravine, taking down our electric lines and landing with its top across the road.

ASELSI is down that road and a lot of people walk by, so they sent workers to clear the way.

Rapidly, the area filled with various workers clearing the road and cutting down other trees and branches that might cause problems in the future.  The guy in the photo below climbed the tree and was using a machete to cut the same branch he was standing on.

The next guy put his ladder on a scrawny tree and used his machete to chop down the upper part of the tree next to it.  Whack, whack, whack!

Then they used an ax to chop down a smaller tree by the road, and it almost fell on a tuk-tuk passing by.

It was quite an exciting morning on our street.  We were very happy that our electricity was restored by mid-morning.

More Adventures En Route to Mexico

Here are some scenes from the main highway in Guatemala on our latest trip to Mexico.  Always interesting!

A detour around the same landslide that
we have photos of in a previous blog post.

Waiting for several minutes for a truck to
park in La Mesilla, the border town.
They were washing the black truck, and
the owner had to go look for the keys to
be able to move it a few feet.

A pile of firewood in the road,
probably recently delivered to this hotel.

A "gas station."
There are about 40 or 50 of these stands
along the way selling coolant and gasoline.
Usually there is someone waving an empty
2-liter soda bottle on a stick.

Finished Homeschooling This Year

We finished our school year!  Now for a couple of months off.

School in the morning upstairs with Mom.

School in the afternoon downstairs with Dad.

Veronica's job during morning schooling.
Hurray for naps!

Rich or poor?

by Carrie Montgomery, age 12

    The screen door slammed behind Megan Henderson as she scurried outside of their house to the waiting car.

    "Sorry I'm late," she apologized hurriedly as she hopped in.

    "Seems like we've been waiting for hours," her younger sister Emaleigh rolled her eyes in disgust. Seeing Mom's frown, she quickly lowered her eyes to her book again. It seemed that Emaleigh was always reading something or other.

    "Watch your tone, Emaleigh," Mom admonished. She turned back to her driving, and soon they turned down the road to school.

    Megan glanced down to her shoes. They were a bit scuffed up, she decided. "Mom, can you buy me more shoes?" She looked hopefully at Mom.

    "No, dear. You just got those a few weeks ago, and money is a little tight right now," Mom explained.

    Disappointed, Megan was quiet the remainder of the car ride.

    When they arrived at their destination, a large brick school, Megan energetically jumped out of the car, her usual good spirits returning.

    The morning breezed by in a hurry, and lunch hour made its appearance. Megan slid into her favorite spot beside her best friend Melissa. Other girls came, too, and soon a lively conversation was going. Quickly, though, it turned to a rather unwelcome subject.

    "Our family got a new pool this summer," wealthy Victoria bragged.

    "Oh, and did I tell you about my classy computer that I got for my birthday?" Ashtyn added, glancing at some of the girls she knew were poorer than the rest. She turned to Megan. "What did you get for your birthday?" she questioned curiously.

    Megan bit her lip, sure that her gift was not half as special as Ashtyn's. "I got a skateboard," she smiled, hoping that would pass as okay.

    It did, but Megan's mind was still troubled by the incident. "Why are we so poor?" she wondered miserably. "It's just not fair," her mind protested further. "Ashtyn and Victoria can have anything they want. Their parents don't say,'Money is a little tight right now,'" And Megan became grumpier and grumpier as her mind continued to dwell on that subject.

    After she got home from school that day, she stomped up to her room and threw herself on her bed. She lay there complaining to herself for quite a while.

    "Megan! Where are you?" Mom called a few hours later. "Dinner is ready."

    Megan trudged into the kitchen and heaved a loud sigh as she sat down. Dad frowned at her, but he did not comment.

    Dinner consisted of vegetable stew, bread, and cheese. Megan scowled at the soup in her bowl.

    "If we weren't so poor," she mumbled under her breath, "we wouldn't have to eat dumb things like vegetable stew." She quickly stopped muttering, however, when Mom raised her eyebrows at her.

    The following Sunday, Dad announced that they were going to go visit Kenneth and Lydia Johnson, an elderly couple that lived nearby. The Henderson's climbed in the car and were off, driving the few miles to the Johnson's tiny cottage. When they arrived, Kenneth hobbled slowly out to meet them.

    "Welcome, welcome," he greeted, his face all smiles. "Lydia is inside, feeling a bit poorly."

    "I hope we did not come at a bad time, with Lydia sick and all," Dad worried.

    "Not at all, not at all. I do declare, we are always glad for company," Kenneth hastened to reassure him as he led the way to their cramped cabin.

    Upon entering the house, Megan was surprised by its barrenness. There was hardly any furniture, save a few of the more necessary items. The worn tile floor and faded walls did not help its appearance any, either.

    They found Lydia lying on a rickety couch in the main room. She was pleased to see them, too. Greetings were exchanged, news was told, and songs were sung. The enjoyable visit passed by quickly, and all too soon it was time to go home.

    As soon as they got home, Emaleigh headed up stairs to her room. Megan plopped down on the couch and picked up a magazine. Soon Mom and Dad joined her in the living room and started reading books of their own.

    "Mom?"Megan asked. She walked over to Mom with a puzzled expression on her face.

    "What?" Mom asked, looking up from her book.

    "Who are these children playing in the dirt? And how can they look so happy if they have to play in the dirt?" She showed Mom the pictures of the kids in the magazine.

    "Well, Megan, those are African children. And as to why they look so content, I think they have learned the secret of being cheerful even when they own so little. Think of the Johnson's. Do you remember how content they were?"

    "Yeah, and their house was really small and their furniture was really old," Megan agreed, nodding her head vigorously.
    Dad joined them on the couch. "Mom and I have noticed that you have been complaining a lot recently about how 'poor' we are," He added soberly. "We have decided that to help you learn to be content with what you have and not be greedy for more and more and more, you should not receive your allowance this week to remind you of those that can be happy even when they live in poverty."

    Megan promised herself when she went to bed that night, "I'm sure this punishment will teach me to be satisfied with what I do have, and not wish for what I don't."