Journal #7

Thursday, August 17, 2006

One of the hardest things we had to do to begin our transition into mission work in Honduras was say good-bye to our families. Neither one of us have ever lived farther than 30 minutes away from our families. Once we passed through the security gate at the airport that first morning, I knew that the HARDEST step was behind us.

I have always taken for granted talking to my parents (and others) on the phone. When we lived in Franklin, it was so easy to just call Mom or Dad and ask a quick question and be on with business. Not thinking a thing about asking them anything else. Shelly and I have a different outlook on that now. We eagerly await Monday and Tuesday nights because that is when our families call us from the States to say hello. You can only say and do so much over email. To hear familiar voices (in English) is the highlight of our week.

Shelly’s parents call on Monday and mine on Tuesday. We look like kids on Christmas morning waiting those nights for the phone to ring. We usually talk for an hour or longer asking each other what is going on with the other and what is going on in the worlds we live in. It is such an encouraging time for Shelly and me.

Our families are an encouragement to us and we would not be able to do this if we did not have their support and prayers. This is not something you can do alone. You have to know that God is on your side and that you have people cheering you on even though you may never see them or hear them doing so. We appreciate our families more than ever and have realized that we have taken them for granted for many years. What a blessing they are to our lives!

We have met a new family that is special to us also. It is our host family. God has taken care of us in placing us with Maria del Carmen and her family for these 8 weeks. They are so kind and willing to help us in any way. Can you image dedicating yourself 24/7 to a foreigner who does not speak your language very well and who wants to ask you Kindergarten-level questions about it all the time? This family provides us 3 meals a day, cleans our room every other day and makes sure we have everything we need while here. I appreciate their sacrifice. Even though they are paid to house us, they don’t make us feel like foreigners. We are part of their Guatemaltecan family.

The picture above is our host family. They are (from left to right) Ana Julio (the daughter-in-law), Ana Ines (Tristan's amiga), Maria del Carmen (our mama and owner of the house), Ana Jose (the baby of the family), and Manuel (Maria's son).

We are attending the one and only church of Christ tonight in Antigua. Bible study starts at 6 pm and we are meeting 3 others at the fountain in the park at 5:30 to walk over to the building. We all plan on going to a Mexican restaurant after to have nachos (we were told they were really good by Shelly’s teacher).

Let me challenge you to pick up the phone and call someone who you care about and let them know what they mean to you. Realize the blessing you have right before you as you talk. Have a great rest of the day!

Adios.
Chad