6.23.12

I´m going to write some of what I already wrote to my mom-

I´m having a good time but I´m bummed that I didn´t study Spanish more the past few months- it would have really helped me get more out of this trip.  My vocab is so small.  :(  But the Ruanos are so patient with me, repeating and repeating and...repeating.  I don´t have an ear for the language yet, that´s for sure.  It helps to see it written down, so sometime I´ll have them write down a word that I´m trying to understand in a little notebook I carry around.

Yesterday morning was pretty uneventful, I tried to study some Spanish while the kids did their schoolwork.  I have my 501 Spanish Verbs book, and I am borrowing a English Spanish dictionary.   

At night we went to a concert at this huge church, Fraternidad Cristiana de Guatemala (it´s not the Ruano´s church).  Jose didn´t have a ticket, and neither did I, so we had to find someone who was selling some outside the church (it´s like at baseball games, except the people are selling them for outrageous prices).  It took a long time, but we finally paid 350 Q for one ticket ($50!). I don´t know how much the other ticket was, but it probably was even more.   The concert is for three days, kind of like Awakening Fest.  It´s called Explo Music Fest.  There are speakers and many different bands.  This church makes McLean Bible look like a strip mall...it´s pretty crazy.  The parking garage is five or six levels high. 

Something I really like about Guatemala is that many of the buildings and houses are open air...the climate is so mild.  To me, it´s chilly, so I´m glad that I packed jeans and sweatshirts.  During the concert, you are inside, but there is still a breeze coming through because of parts of the church that are open.  It´s really cool.  I didn´t understand most of the concert- I heard so much Spanish I was sure I would dream in Spanish that night.

We didn´t get home till late and I was sooo tired.  I figured out that it was because my brain had probably been working extra hard because I was trying to understand the Spanish being spoken and sung.  Rossanita can explain things to me in English when I don´t understand, so I´ve been getting by. 

I have to say that Ruanos are awesome! They are so accepting of me and I really do feel at home.  I am so blessed!

Please keep praying for my safety and that I would understand the language better all the time.  ¡Gracias!

Finalmente!

I am finally here!  So excited that I made it safe and sound without any mishaps.  I am really tired right now- I´ve been up since 5 a.m. east coast time which was 3 a.m. their time...so yeah I am muy cansada.  Traveling alone wasn´t too bad at all- I´m so glad that I never got lost or anything.  So relieved that the whole traveling thing is over with!  Yesterday I just had all this nervous energy- not exactly nervous but I was just like ``Let´s do this!`` 

A highlight of the trip- when I was boarding my flight from Houston to Guatemala, the ticket lady asked me if I was traveling alone.  I thought it was weird that she asked me (my first thought was-``Do I really look too young to be traveling alone?``).  She told me to wait a moment and then handed me a ticket with a new seat assignment-1B!  ``In the front,`` she told me with a smile.  I was taken aback, but I thanked her and then rejoiced my way to the plane.  I felt like it was God letting me know that He was with me on this trip, and it was such a nice unexpected blessing.  Thank you God!

When I got picked up from the airport, it was kinda awkward because I´m only supposed to speak Spanish (I told them to) and I couldn´t really communicate to them.  I´m realizing more and more how little Spanish I really know! I feel bad because they really try to help me and I´m just slow.  But it is the first day, I keep telling myself and you can´t expect much on the first day, right?  They picked me up some pollo asado (grilled chicken) from Pollo Compero and then we had to go the long way home because traffic was at a stand still on the main road.  When I got ``home`` I unpacked all my junk in the room I´ll be sharing with Rossana and then they took me to the store to buy fruit.  We bought bananas, pineapple, apples, mangos and another fruit that I don´t know the name of.  It was hard and bitter  I just asked and it was a guayaba.

I played a little guitar with Bryan and Dennis played the drums (thought of you, Keston!)-I hadn´t played in months but it was cool to pick it up and sing some praise songs...music is amazing.  It really is the universal language, as cliche as that is, it´s so true.  I introduced them to Owl City haha.  Ok so I´ll try to go ahead and post this even though I probably could write more.  They want to play Phase 10 with me.  I´m having a great time with the kids even though I don´t understand half they say.  Hopefully it will get better. ¿Hasta luego! 

Only 3 more days!

 I can't believe that it's actually happening- my dream of spending my summer after graduating high school in another country doing missions work.  I'm a little nervous, but full of joy and thankfulness at what I have been able to see God do to work this whole trip out.  He has provided for me in so many ways and I am confident that this is His will for me this summer.  I am going to miss my friends and family like crazy- that is going to be hard for me.  This morning at church, I said my good-byes to as many friends as I could (some I didn't get to- I'm sorry! Here's a hug!).   I wasn't super sad saying good-bye today because I'm just so excited, but I know that Thursday morning going on the plane I'll have to battle some tears- especially leaving behind my precious family and my dear baby sister Holly at the airport.  But this is all worth it!  I am ready.  I get excited as I picture in my mind the first sights I had of Guatemala last October- the familiar and welcoming face of Mr. Ruano, the city, crazy car drivers, even crazier mopeds, the mountains, and the people walking along the streets.

 I have always been interested in Guatemala- both my parents have gone on mission trips there and we have connections with the mission organization Servants 4 Him which was started by my first church.  I will be staying with the Ruano family who I got to work with last October on the week long dental mission trip I went on.

The Ruanos

  Let me do a quick intro to each of the Ruanos, so that you will know who I'm talking about later in this blog.  Doctor Dennis Ruano leads the Servants 4 Him dental ministry, providing free dental clinics in villages throughout the country. I had the privilege of assisting him while he worked on patients in the mountains last October.  Not only is he a dentist, but he is a musician and singer.  His wife, Chochy, is a talented singer as well.  She tours around with her band, singing, dancing and sharing Jesus at evangelistic concerts all over Guatemala.  They have three children.  The twins, Rossanita and Dennis, are 14 and the youngest, Bryan, is 12.  Also in the photo to the left is Mr. Ruano's cousin Jose, who lives with them while attending medical school.  

I'm excited for future posts on this blog, hopefully I will have time to write.  I hope I won't let you down!  Thank you for your interest in my trip and for your prayers, I couldn't do it without you!