Life of the Wife of "A Pastor in Antigua, Guatemala"

Second Year of CorreMania!

2009-04-27T23:17:00.007-06:00

It was another 10KM in the city, so I thought. What was I thinking.....turns out it was almost 1 KM longer than a real 10KM, almost 7 miles. Members of the IDC Running Club were one of the many participants. There was a 1KM for kids, 5KM and a 10KM. The route actually tooks us by the United States Embassy. However, I did not feel very patriotic to salute my country's flag as I ran by it twice!

This is Jessica and her son Nate. This was Nate's first race ever and he finished the 5k in under 35 minutes with no training! He now has the "running" bug and I am sure he will be participating in future events.

On the route, there are photographers taking candid shots. This is Manolo and I looking all spiffy! This is Manolo's 3rd race with the IDC Running Club. He will be celebrating his one year anniversary of sobriety!! He credits God and his running to keep him focused on being clean. Gracias Dios!!!! He has quoted on Facebook..."just i want 2 write thanks God 4 have a nice and lovely family: IDC DA TEAM (Da Queen, Da Quencita,my Nan)....CHURCH....FAMILY....and friends. like u.... LOVE = GOD"

This is Manolo and I crossing the finish line....our time for almost 7 miles, up hill both ways......1:10!!!

We all had a great time and ended the day with a meal at Wendy's!!!!

Hanging out with friends

2009-03-25T15:41:00.005-06:00

A good friend of mine and her sisters invited me to hang out with them for the weekend. Tonja's sisters, Darla and Rhonda are from South Carolina and came to spend 4 days with her. They were so kind and let me join them for a day and half. It was great to hang out and be myself. Some great talks, laughs and great food. What about that diet???? Oh yeah, the new food plan starts Monday!

A Visit from far away

2009-03-12T15:32:00.004-06:00

On March 6th, Amber came to visit her parents and brings a long a friend. His name is Ben. We had a great time with them both. Along with shopping at the Mercado, picnic in the park, going to church, and venturing to the beach, which is about an hour away from Antigua, we had fun! I am thankful that she still wants to hang out with her parents!

Since the last blog.....

2009-02-15T06:43:00.005-07:00

Yes, it's been some time since I have posted a blog. A lot has happened since December 17th. Let's begin with the updates:

December 18th, Amber totally surprised Mike and I by coming for Christmas. We had been telling all of our friends that we were going to be alone this year for the first time without kids. They all knew that she was coming and had to keep it a secret for over a month. It was a great time for all of us!
January 6th, Alejandra was given her visa/residency! Matt had already been in the states for a couple of months. His plan was to come back to Guatemala on Feb. 25th and get her but decided that was too long. So on Feb. 2nd she made the trip by herself into Fort Lauderdale, FL. being met by Matt, Amber and her friend Ben. After being in Florida for about 6 weeks, they will be moving to Colorado on March 23rd and setting up home.
It's been my dream to do a Marathon in the states. I have completed one in Guatemala and I wanted to see what it was like, so on January 25th I participated in ING Miami Marathon. It was AWESOME! Over 15,000 runners from all over the country gathered together at 5:00 a.m.! It was a lifetime experience.
Last week, my friend, Jessica and I attended a Women's conference in Buena Vista, CO. The main emphasis was on the book, "Captivating, Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul" by Stasi Eldredge. Her husband, John Eldredge wrote the book "Wild at Heart" for the men. The conference was held at Frontier Ranch nestled in the mountains of Colorado. It was a great time of reflection and rest.

Life is full and rich here in Guatemala. In this calendar year, there are 18 mission teams scheduled to come to Antigua. We have a very busy year but good one in front of us. God is good and we give HIM the praise!!!!

Bitter Sweet

2008-12-17T16:30:00.008-07:00

On December 2nd, Matt and Ale left for Guatemala City as Matt was leaving the next day for Florida. He will be gone for 3 months to establish work and a home for when he brings his family, Ale and Koko (the dog). Ale is in the last stages of obtaining her visa to go to the states. The goal is for them to be settled in Tampa Bay/Clearwater Area by the end of March, 2009.

Amber has been in Florida since August 18th and doing great! She just finished her first semester at SPC. As well as going to school, working a couple of jobs, she is extremely busy with the Youth Program at Pathways Community Church.

It struck both Mike and I the other day that this will be our first Christmas and New Year's without the kids. I guess we have to grow up now.

I thank God for my children, Amber and Matt & Alejandra.

My next dream of accomplishment

2008-11-16T20:45:00.008-07:00

A couple of days after I completed the 14th Maya Marathon on October 5th in Guatemala City, I signed up (only on faith) to participate in the ING Miami Marathon on January 25th. This will be my first marathon in the states. Stay tuned for pictures!!!

10 KM in Antigua

2008-11-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Yet, another race......This being my second time to complete this one. However, this year, I recruited 3 more people, Nan, Jessica and Manolo. We arrived early at Central Park on the morning of November 9th to get our pictures taken by the sponsoring company, RunGuate.com. And also pick up our numbers and our token t-shirt. After listening to the Guatemalan National Anthem (which is 15 minutes long), we finally started out on the course. We left Antigua down the famous Arch Street, into San Felpe then into Jocotenango, back into Antigua on Santa Lucia Street onto the road to Cuidad Viaja with a left turn towards San Fransico Church, back into Antigua with a finish in Central Park. It was only a 10 KM (6.2 miles) and we were done within the hour and still made it in time for church. Mike was happy!!!

Ladies Bible Study

2008-11-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

After a year of Ladies Bible Studies hosted by Tonja Johnson, she felt that she needed to step away and let someone else lead the next study. We had done 4 Beth Moore studies up til now. The book, "Captivating" written by Stasi Eldredge came up in discussion for our next study. After a lot of research and prayer, it was decided that we not do this book as myself and Jessica Otto were chosen to attend a conference hosted by Stasi Eldredge in Buena Vista Colorado in February, 2009. In the meantime, it was laid on my heart to led the next study for the English speaking women of the church. The study that we are doing, ironically, is very similar to our mission statement of the church, "Loving God, Loving People". The name of the Bible study is "Getting along with People". It's been a "eyeopener" for all who have been attending. Simple truths sometimes are the hardest.

Never have to worry.....

2008-10-30T19:59:00.002-06:00

I just have to say that I have great friends here. I am often asked "what do you miss most as a result of living here?" Well, I can honestly say that God has put in my life some really dear friends, although one being my daughter-in-law, Alejandra.

The day after my birthday, Tonja, Jessica and Alejandra, whom had made arrangements to meet up with Mike to make a hand off, decided to "kidnap" me. They planned out to have a really fun day by totally embarrsing me in public, by making me stand on the side of the street and hold this poster, "Hey, honk if you think I am pretty!"

When the day was over, I had to sit back and "Thank God" for having such great friends and that we can have a lot of fun together!

The Marathon

2008-10-08T20:27:00.013-06:00

The last 6 months worth of training had finally come for the 14th Maya Marothon. So on Sunday, October 5th, Jessica, Tami, Manolo, and Tom, oh and Matt (our massage therapist) arrived early in Amatitlan. With nervous butterflies in our stomachs, we manage to group our thoughts and begin this major event. Approximately 1500 runners participated. After a long national athem, the race finally began, 15 minutes late.

As we rounded the bend..... this is what we saw, Lake Amatitlan, what an awesome sight!! The magnificence of God was shown that day.

As we saw the beauty of God, we also were able to see how God had changed one of our own runner's life right in front of us. At the beginning of this year, Manolo was battling drugs and alcohol and he had been in a recovering program several times. It was about 2 months or so ago, he began running with us "girls" for just something to do. He was faithful every week to show up and run. He had a specific job....."Protect My Ladies" which is what he did. Whenever there was any danger.....stray dogs....he would protect us!! On one of our long runs, we talked him into

running the half marathon with us.

But on this day, he got to the turn around he decided to run the full marathon. He told me a couple of days later that at the turn around he prayed and asked God for strength to run the full marathon and He answered me! He was so happy!!

A day in the life with the women from San Antonio Aguas Calientes

2008-09-30T13:50:00.006-06:00

The Leadership Council from our home church, Pathways Community in Largo, FL, came for a visit, and three of the wives, Donna, Marilyn and Ruth came along to hang out with me and Jessica. We had the priviledge to go to a small village called San Antonio de Agua Calientes. We were welcomed into the home of a lady named Victoria. She described to us how she saw a need in her town for the women to be able to earn some money for their families. They were weaving beautiful textiles, but other people were buying them and taking them to the Mercado (market) in Antigua, and the women weren't making much profit.

So, Victoria started a co-op. Each lady had to contribute a piece of aluminum, and together, these pieces formed a roof for a small shelter. On this dirt floor, every day, the group sits and weaves.

Victoria described their daily life to us, from grinding rice into milk for a drink called Horchata, to how they balance baskets on their heads so they can carry a lunch into the field for their husbands, to the weaving process, to cooking tortillas.
She taught us about their Mayan traditions, and we acted out a Mayan wedding ceremony (Jessica was the groom!). Then, we all made our own tortillas on their small stove, and sat down to a Guatemalan lunch that had taken these ladies hours to prepare for us. On a side note, this was also a Spanish test from our teacher, Alejandra. Jessica and I have been taking lessons from her for about a month and she thought it would be a good idea to use this event as one of our tests. We were very glad that Alejandra came with us as we were totally lost.

14th Maya Marathon in Guatemala City

2008-09-16T09:06:00.009-06:00

The next challenge....14th Maya Marathon in Guatemala City
On October 5th, Jessica, Tami, Nan and I will be running in the 14th Annual Marathon in Guatemala. This will be Jessica and mine first Marathon and Tami and Nan's 10th marathon but their first in another country besides the US.We have been training in and around Antigua for the past 7 months or so. We have had some challenges but we are looking forward to participating in something that we have been looking forward to since April.

Stay tuned for some AWESOME pictures!!!!

The next chapter....

2008-09-12T08:34:00.000-06:00

On Monday, August 18th, we took Amber back to the states for 2 years to finish her degree in Elementary Education with St Petersburg College. This is a very sad but exciting time for her and for us. She has been a real asset here in the ministry of IDC. She has taught English to so many students, ranging from Kindergarten age to adults. This also includes the Tourist Police officers. Of course, this is a strange thing for Mike and I as now we are "empty nesters" except for the dog, Palomita.

Las Rosas Half Marathon 2008

2008-07-21T07:37:00.007-06:00

I ran another 1/2 Marathon called the Las Rosas in Antigua. For the past several months my friends and I have been in training in preparation for a full marathon in Guatemala City on October 5th. Here I am with my running partners, Jessica and Tami as we passed by the church on Sunday morning. It was a great run even though it included all different types of terrain. I came in at 2 hours and 20 minutes.

"Staying on the right path"

2008-06-16T19:09:00.002-06:00

Psalms 119:1-8

"You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That's right—you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I'd never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I'm going to do what you tell me to do; don't ever walk off and leave me. "

This passage of scripture came to life after my friends, Tami and Jessica, were running one of our routes for our marathon training. We had come across a group of ladies that we periodically see up by La Cruz that overlooks Antigua. We spotted them coming up a different road and asked them if it was a private road and was it safe to go back down on. They assured us that it was not a private road and it would take us down to the bottom of the cross. As we continued down it seemed that the road was getting narrower and just didn't feel right. All of a sudden this black dog came out of nowhere and pretty much scared us to death. Tami and I had pepper spray and began to use it to try and scare off this "big beast".......so we thought. Tami is yelling at us, "don't look at him....just keep walking away and don't let him think you are scared." Well, between me and Jessica we were screaming like "girls". Jessica was huddled close behind me as she didn't have pepper spray.

So the moral of this story......"That's right—you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live;"

Coban Half Marathon May 2008

2008-05-25T21:48:00.000-06:00

My friend, Tami and I made the trip to Coban, 5 1/2 hours from Antigua. We hired a personal driver to take us for the weekend. Over 6,000 participated in this event, doubled from last year. The heat index was over 90 degrees with 100% humidity. Despite the conditions, we still ran the course in 2:31.

If you want to see pictures!!!

2008-05-02T08:45:00.003-06:00

Check out Mike's blog site for some wild and crazy pictures of his ankle!!!
http//www.pastormikeinantigua.blogspot.com/

A terrifying night!

2008-04-29T08:27:00.009-06:00

Last Thursday night, I had gotten home from the gym with my friend, Tonja and was waiting for Mike to come home. He had called me to tell me he was going to Antonio and Sonja's house for a little bit and would be home late. To me late was around 7:00 pm. Well, 7:00 pm came and went and was getting closer to 8:00 pm and he was not home yet. During the last hour, I had been trying to reach him on his cell phone, which he was not answering. I then started to call people that might have seen him that evening trying to track him down. I started with Antonio, the church, Matt and Ale and was just about to call Amber when she returned home from dinner. Kinda of confused on what to do, I went over to my neighbors, Dayle Annand and got her opinion on what I should do, still trying to stay calm. We decided to jump into the car and just start driving around Antigua and try to find Mike. Just about that time, my cell phone rings and it was Mike. I, of course, sternly asked the question....."Where are you????" In his calm voice says....."I don't need this right now, I have been in an accident....." At this point, with all the emotions that had built up finally released and started to panic. The questions were racing through my mind so fast that it was about to explode. So Steve and Jessica (a family from our home church just moved here two weeks before) and Amber and I jumped in their car to go meet up with him. We finally met him at the Hermano Pedro Private Hospital. As we got into the emergency room, Mike indicated that his ankle was probably badly sprained. The attending doctor took off the supports and ice, I took one look and said oh no....that's more than sprained. It turns out his entire ankle was crushed. It required to be surgically repaired. The surgery was the following day and then 3 days of recovering from the anesthetic.

The actual accident was caused by another moto that didn't stop at the stop sign and Mike hit their front tire and then the bikes swung together pinning his ankle between the bikes. He was thrown off to the left side and the bike landed on the right side. The other moto had two people and they were thrown off but seem to get up and brush themselves off and leave the scene. As Mike is replaying everything over and over in his mind, it becomes very terrifying of what could have happen. But thank God that His hand and guidance was in this from the beginning and to the very end.

Now the fun begins……he is to be off of it for 8 weeks, no weight on it as the screws could snap. He will get the staples out May 9th and then soon after that, they will remove the screws. He will be put in a hard cast for 6-8 weeks followed by rehabilitation. This is looking like a 3-4 month ordeal.

Psalm 3:3 (The Message)
But you, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high; With all my might I shout up to God, His answers thunder from the holy mountain.

'CorreMania'

2008-04-14T21:14:00.000-06:00

Where: Guatemala City, Guatemala

When: April 13th

Time: 8:00 a.m.

Distance: 8 KM (which turns out it was only 6 KM)

Cost: Q40

Why: ........because we can!!

A group of 6 of us went early on Sunday morning to the Guatemala City and participated in the first ever race named "CorreMania". There was probably about 400 or so people all wearing bright yellow t-shirts. Usually, at these races, they give you a paper number to pin to the front of the shirt. Well, this one actually printed numbers on the shirts, which required us to wear them. There were no winning categories only random drawings at the end of the race. Unfortunately being on Sunday, we were unable to hang out for the closing ceremonies because we promised Mike we would be back for church!

We had a lot of fun just hanging out and spending time together.
Group shot will go here when I get it!!

2008 Carrera Avon

2008-03-10T09:21:00.017-06:00

On Sunday, March 9th in Guatemala City, a friend of mine and myself participated in this event. There were over 3,000 women and children running theses races, most of them walked the 5K and about half actually ran the 5K and/or 10K.

The Avon Race in Guatemala is a special program that drives the woman to exercise, and to have a very healthful life. It is realized in the month of March, to make a tribute to the woman in the Day the International of the Woman Avon Central America sponsors a 5K or 10K only for women. The Avon Race is part of the program “Caminasta Around the World”, which fight to eradicate the cancer in the Woman.

Being that it was in Guatemala City and we live in Antigua, we had to start pretty early in the morning, 6:00 am. When we finally arrived at the Marriott to pick up our packet, all we could see was a "sea of pink". Most everyone were wearing their pink t-shirt. There were balloons everywhere and it seemed that the women were taking over the city. Once we got to the starting line, which totally reminded me of a 5K race that I participated in St. Pete, Florida, a large stage with more pink balloons and music playing, women and children everywhere. It was really cool to see, husbands and fathers out supporting their families in an event that raises money breast cancer research.

The race started at the Oblisco, down Reforma, a 4 lane road with trees in the median. The morning air was just perfect with a little breeze and some shade made the run a little easier.

Once I got through the first kilometer, I finally got into a running groove and ended my time for a 10K (6.2 miles) at 55 minutes. My friend, Nan came in at 54 minutes. Once we got our goodie bag, which consisted of products from Avon, we made our way back home to Antigua. I needed to be at church by the start of the service. It was a good day!!! Can't wait for next year to participate in it again.

The Wedding

2008-03-05T21:15:00.005-07:00

Yes, it is now official and it was absolutely fabulous!!!

My parents came from Colorado to join in the festivities.

Rock, Walk and Run 5K Winter Haven Florida

2008-02-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, February 20th, I flew to Orlando Florida to meet up with Mike, who had gone out earlier in the week to do some computer work for Pathways Community Church in Largo. We were attending Calvary Baptist Church in Winter Haven for their Mission Emphasis Month. Of course, while there, they had a 5K that I had to participate in.

(excerpt from their local paper)
"Nancy Watkins, 46, was among the adults entered in the 5K race. She had traveled to Winter Haven from Antigua, Guatemala, for a missions conference at Calvary Baptist Church and was given the registration as a gift.

Watkins is no running novice, having taken part in a half marathon back home and a five-kilometer run in St. Petersburg. She ran part of the half marathon in the rain, so the Saturday's weather was not a worry for her."

We had a great time with our new church family!! We flew back to Guatemala the Monday before the wedding on March 1st.

Bridal Shower for Alejandra

2008-02-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Bridal Shower
Come celebrate in the festivities
joining two lives and two hearts,
Matthew and Alejandra

The ladies of the church all got together to celebrate the wedding of Matthew and Alejandra. Her mom, aunt and cousin came over from Guatemala City to join in the fun. We played games, ate cake and opened gifts. And laughed ALOT!

It was good to see that all were having fun! It blessed me to see how Alejandra has just blended well with our family and the church community.

New Year, New House, New Plan

2008-01-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

"... But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:13b-14 (ESV)

Yes, it is a new year and that's when we all make those new year's resolution to be a better person, to be healthy, to do certain things, and the list goes on. Well, for us as a family, we will be gaining a new family member in March, Alejandra, Matt's finance. Oh and we are living in a new house in a new town, Panorama, just outside of Antigua, still within walking distance of everything. Oh, and yes the new plan is to be healthy and do the best we can at whatever we do.

The Family is back together!

2007-12-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

Back in March, Matt went to Florida to study Massage Therapy at Florida Metropolitan University, which he is now a licensed massage therapist. During the course of the year, the months and days slowly rolled by, but yet in the blink of an eye, December 5th was here and he was returning to Guatemala. Yes, he arrived in the arms of his finance, Alejandra. She was so happy to see him, for her it was a long 9 months.

Amber was in the states for 10 days for her 3 month doctor visit and preparation for her next semester of classes with SPC. She arrived back in Guatemala on December 7th.

Mike and I had a few days to experience "the empty nest". The first couple of days, we were just getting used to the fact that the house was empty. Then we found ourselves enjoying the freedom, well, us and our dog, Palomita. However, she was lonely for a couple of days not having Amber here.

This next year will be a new chapter in our lives, Amber wants to return to the states sometime next year to finish her Education degree in state instead of online. Matt and Alejandra will be making a life of their own on Saturday, March 1st. Mike and I will be getting older and stepping into the later of the forties age bracket and gaining more gray hair.

As it says in Jeremiah 29:11.... "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD..." We all will sit back and watch to see how the plans will unfold.

What a rush!!

2007-11-18T15:50:00.001-07:00

Today was the day of the 10K in Antigua!!! Starting out with the lack of sleep from excitement of getting up at 5:30 am to prepare to be a participant and pick up my packet (free" t-shirt). I wanted that free t-shirt!! When they asked me what size I wanted I said medium please.....they gave me an x-large. Go Figure!!

The race started with the playing of the Guatemalan National Anthem, which is about 10 minutes long. After the song, confetti was shooting for everywhere and the race had begun!! About 2,000 runners passed through the streets of Antigua "gracefully" over the cobblestones. In the midst of the runners, the Antigua Ambulance was driving down the road, hopefully not in hopes of someone falling or passing out, but it was comforting to know that they were there if we needed assistance.

This is my friend, Tami. She and I were the only two from the Iglesia del Camino Group. We had a great time together, we bonded as sisters.

At the finish line in front of Central Park of Antigua. Needless to say, I need to relax more, I look pretty stiff!!! And yes, I was on a mission.....to actually finish without twisting my ankles!

I still finished in 1:08:30 and according to the Garmin Tami was wearing, it measured to be 6.59 miles rather than normal 6 miles (10 kilometers).

Saying "Goodbye" is really hard

2007-11-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time to say goodbye again to two very special people.

This is Gillian, 13 months old

She is one of the foster babies that has been part of one of our church families since March of this year. Periodically, Amber would watch her for long periods of time while the foster family left the country to renew their visas. She became a huge part in this family's lives as well as very well loved by all of the members of Iglesia Del Camino. Gillian will be leaving the country of Guatemala to live in Indiana with her new family.

Best of luck, Gillian......

And this is our adopted daughter, Heather, who has lived with us since June.

Heather went back to Seattle, Washington to work for 7 months and raise funds to return to Guatemala. Her plans are to come back in June, 2008 and work along side of Iglesia Del Camino and help with the Mission Teams in driving the van to helping in the kitchen. We will look forward to her safe return to Guatemala.

Can't wait to have you back Heather!!!

Ladies Bible Study

2007-10-29T15:10:00.001-06:00

On Friday Mornings, a group of ladies get together to study the newest Beth Moore series, "Daniel". We have been meeting for about 4 weeks. It is really fun to get know these women and study the Bible together. We all take turns bringing goodies to eat. I am sure that when this study comes to an end, we will come up with something else for an excuse to get together......oh, maybe another Bible study!!!

The Next Big Race, 10KM de Antigua

2007-10-07T19:36:00.000-06:00

So on Sunday, November 18th @ 8:00 a.m. a group of runners from Iglesia del Camino will be participating in the 10KM in Antigua. This will be the first for the church. And yes, we will make it back in time for church!!

The race initiates in the famous “Street of the Arc” (1) in the fifth avenue, lines up towards the “Church of the Favor” (2) on the first street the west, soon doubles on the sixth avenue, way towards “San Felipe de Jesus” (3) soon continues towards the municipality of Jocotenango (4), returning towards the colonial city again by all the famous “Wide Street” or “Street of the Blacksmiths” (5), arrives at the Park San Sebastián (6), continuous on all the Street of the Disappointment (7) until the first street, where Santa Lucia in front of the “Ruins of San Jerónimo” bends by the Tree-lined avenue (8) of end to end, it is lined up towards highway to Old City soon to cross by the paved street of San Pedro the Panorama (9) - Street paved with much shade of trees of very comforting Gravileas for the athletes once passed this street arrives wing Church from the Calvary (10) passing through its beautiful tree-lined avenue towards “the Street of the Steps” (11) until the monumental church of “San Francisco the Great one” (12) where are the sacred rest of Santo Hermano Pedro (13), the first South avenue is taken until the third street orients, where it doubles until the goal in the Central base of Old (14) in front of the Municipality. During the route like part of the challenge that they have the athletes are to run by several types of land, spotted streets (30%) asphalted streets and pavement (70%) and at the same time have the opportunity to know the city and its main attractions.

Meet Palomita...

2007-10-03T14:36:00.000-06:00

This is the newest member of the family, Palomita. One of our staff members moved back to the states in August and needed a place for her dog to go. Well, after sweet talking Mike into letting her come to our house for a short time, we have pretty much fallen in love with her. As of a month ago, she will be staying with us indefinitely.

Okay, so it has been 2 months since last post.

2007-09-21T08:01:00.000-06:00

Well, since the last post it has been an adventure!

A couple of more mission teams came and went

A threat of Hurricane Dean making land fall near Guatemala

Amber went to the states for her routine doctor's checkup

I had to make an emergency trip to Florida to be with Amber as she had a diabetic reaction

A threat of Hurricane Felix making land fall closer than the first Hurricane

Another mission team has come and gone from our home church

And another mission team is coming this Saturday from Calvary Baptist in Winter Haven, FL

Life is full and rich here in Antigua!! COME SEE US!

Laughing in the kitchen

2007-07-27T09:29:00.000-06:00

On this day, we all were preparing to feed over 50 young people. We had two mission teams here, one from Pathways Community Church Clearwater Florida and the other one from North Metro Community Church in Marrietta Georgia. Our kitchen crew were just having too much fun preparing food. We fixed 20 pounds of potatoes, 5 pounds of green beans, fresh pineapple, several loafs of bread, a very large lettuce salad with all the trimmings, and 6 roasted chickens. And for dessert, ice cream sundaes.

And this is Heather, overwhelmed with the food and the anticipation in eating it! And of course, Tonja just having way too much fun!!!!!

And while we are slaving away in the kitchen, Ale is on the phone with her man....Mateo!

Running a Half Marathon on our one year anniversary

2007-07-15T18:17:00.000-06:00

Medio Maraton Las Rosas
(13.1 Miles)
Antigua, Guatemala
July 15, 2007 @ 8:30 am
Central Park

This half marathon was a little more difficult than the last one that I did 6 weeks ago in Coban. The route took us through several little pueblos, San Felipe, Jocotenango, Ciudad Vieja, San Pedro, Santa Anna. This route also consisted of cobblestone roads, smooth pavement, broken pavement, dirt/mud with rocks, not great for your feet and ankles. We also had to contend with all of the traffic. The authorities didn't seem it necessary to block the roads, so we had the chicken buses, took-tooks and cars. At one point, the traffic was in such a hurry that they were not even paying attention to the police officer directing traffic for all the runners and just about ran him over. Even with this terrain, I was able to break my time from Coban from 2:35 to 2:21.

It was a great day! This day is also our one year anniversary moving to Guatemala from Clearwater/Largo Florida. What way to spend it.....running the Panchoy Valley!

(I am pointing up and not making a bad jesture.)

Dinner with Chino & Carmen

2007-06-19T20:57:00.000-06:00

Mike, Amber and I were invited over for dinner one Sunday evening at Chino & Carmen's house. We had steak cooked on the grill, corn on the cob and tortillas or bread. Followed with a raisen flan. It was all yummy!

And yes, we are sitting and they are standing.

Yes, I am going for it again

2007-06-07T07:46:00.000-06:00

Medio Maraton Las Rosas (13.1 Miles)
Antigua, Guatemala
July 15, 2007 @ 8:30 am
Central Park

Cooking for twenty?

2007-06-05T13:35:00.000-06:00

We have come into the "mission team" season. In three weeks, we will have over 30 people come to our house for lunch and or dinners. We are thankful that we have a place big enough to handle these big groups. I have found so many ways to cook chicken!

Just remember....if you want to have a great experience in Guatemala, there's a room with your name on it. Oh, and on the menu is "CHICKEN".

After 7 weeks of training

2007-05-21T17:30:00.000-06:00

Medio Maraton Internacional de Coban
Guatemala City, 1013
Sunday, May 20, 2007 @ 8:00 a.m.

It was finally here!! I was experiencing all kinds of emotions and really wondering what I had signed up for. Mike and I arrived in Coban on Saturday afternoon to a furry of activity.

After locating our hotel, Hotel Virgen Del Rosario , located 2 blocks from Central Park, we decided to walk to the mall where I was to pick up my registration packet. Along the way, about 4 blocks, people came from out of nowhere, tour buses trying to get through the streets, to the police trying to direct traffic. While getting my packet of goodies, a very nice Guatemalan young girl escorted me to all of the booths to pick up my goodies. She spoke no English and in my "SPANCY" I tried to speak to her. She laughed!!!

Anyway, after completing that task, we decided to make our way back up to the hotel to drop off the bag and we ran into the GT Continental Bank Pig Mascot. Of course, I had to have a picture.....

As the evening went on, there was a parade of school bands, and Coco Cola vans. Throughout the evening and night, fireworks went off, loud horns honking, to people partying into the wee hours of the morning. I knew I needed to have a good meal and then a good night sleep if I was to accomplish the incredible challenge. So I went to bed and tried to get sleep.

When we got up in the morning and went to breakfast at Pollo Camperos, several of the runners were in there eating breakfast. At least I knew I was in good company, eating there for breakfast. These runners were all decked out in their running shorts and matching shirts. Okay, maybe I missed that requirement. I had my New Balance shirt with my Reebok shorts.

Soon came time to line up for the marathon to begin. Several helicopters over head.

We were all sure it was the "ESPN" channel covering the marathon.

As we were getting ready, I met some people from Antigua, Isabel & fiance. The course took us up a gradual hill to Central Park down into another little city, Carache and then back to the Central Park down to the new mall and then back up to the other side of the park to the finish line. Mike had strict instructions....MAKE SURE YOU GET MY PICTURE crossing the finish line! Well....he did!!

Okay, you can barely see me, but I did it and feel great about the accomplishment! With only one little blister and some pretty nasty rubs from the sweaty wet clothes. All in all, a great weekend!!!!

A Truck Full of Cows

2007-05-06T19:10:00.000-06:00

Guess where these are going? To the "Big House in the Sky" Then you can go to the market the next day and purchase it for dinner that night! How do you like your steak?

How do you handle whatever comes your way

2007-05-04T08:38:00.000-06:00

Do I need to say anymore????

We say good bye to the "Caminos Baby"

2007-04-20T09:34:00.000-06:00

It is a happy but sad day to see our little guy, Bennett leave Antigua. His adoption is final and he will be leaving this week for Indiana. His little life started out pretty rough and through God's grace he was able to overcome a lot of obstacles. He was born premature and given a long list of health problems and really not expected to thrive. His future mother saw a picture of him and said she wanted to pursue adoption papers. His doctor at the time, said "Who would want to adopt that?" Well, this lady said, "I want him!!!" So the process began....now here it is 9 months later and he is going home. And at this point in time, there are no health issues!

Through some other circumstances, his future parents needed to get back to the states and in the meantime they needed to find a foster home to place him. A family in our church offered to take him until the paperwork was completed. When they received Bennett he was extremely calm and quiet. Throughout a few couple weeks, his little personality started to shine through and through! He came to life. He found his voice and did he let everyone know he was in the room!!! You almost want to go back to the doctor and show him how much Bennett had blossomed. Everyone in Antigua knew and grew to love Little Bennett!

It's been 2 weeks since last blog

2007-04-18T09:11:00.000-06:00

Well, what's been happening here at the Watkins Household has been interesting, different, exciting, you name it.

In the last two weeks:

Easter Sunday Services with over 100 people in attendance
We have been to the city twice in one week
We were invited to two weddings to attend the same day
Regular Sunday Services and Wednesday Night Potluck
Oh, and did our taxes which made Uncle Sam happy
And of course, celebrated Mike's 44th birthday on Tax Day!

Life is full and rich here in Antigua.....why don't you all consider coming down and experiencing it with us for at least a week!!! Got a room with your name on it!

My Next Challenge!

2007-04-09T09:11:00.000-06:00

Medio Maraton Internacional de Coban Alta Verapaz Guatemala on May 20th. It's a run surrounded by the rainforest on a Mayan town with top world elite athletes.

Coban is 210km from Guatemala City, about a 3 hour drive from Antigua. According to the ESPN people they call it the 3H course (hot, humid and hilly). The temperature is about 30 D. Celcius.

So I will let you know how it goes!!

Mike, do we know where we are?

2007-04-04T13:12:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Mike and I had to go into Guatemala City for several things, car insurance office, Immigration office, and of course, PriceSmart and Hiper Paiz. As we finished at the Immigration Office, they said that we could come back later in the day and pick up our passports. We are at the 90 day mark and needed to get them stamped. So we decided to SPEND the entire day in the city. It didn't take long and we had packed in a lot of stuff. So about 3:00 p.m. we headed back to the Immigration Office to pick up the passports. It was also about to pour down rain (we are in the rainy season a little earlier than expected), Mike was going to get wet getting back in the van. We left the city about 3:30 p.m. and on the way home we decided to take a different route, probably not the best decision we made. So we took the San Juan road and thought it would bring us to the main road going out of the city. Well......there was one last left turn that we didn't take and ended up over several ridges on the way to "no where". We had to stop for gas and the gentleman informed us, "you better just turn around and go back the way you came. The road gets worse from here." This little venture took 2 hours and now we are going back another 2 hours to the left turn that we should have made to get on the main road. Moral of this story.....have maps!!!! But all in all, the drive was beautiful!!! Once again, God showing us His handiwork!!!! (The red line is where we went and the green line is where we wanted to go back to Antigua)

Finally got it together!

2007-03-24T11:58:00.000-06:00

The last couple of days we have been getting the "guest room" ready for whoever comes our way and needs a place to stay. We just had a couple of twin beds in the room. We have been looking at furniture at different places but nothing really captured our interest. However, coming down the mountain from San Lucas into Antigua, there is a furniture store of the authentic nature. So a couple of weekends ago, we stopped and looked at the bedroom furniture and ended up purchasing for our room, the entrance way and a small bench for Amber's room. We decided to go back and get the headboards for the guestroom and an end table and a couple of pieces for the office.

Future Sister-in-laws!

2007-03-16T21:21:00.000-06:00

Even though Matt is in Florida studying at FMU in Clearwater, it didn't stop Ale from coming over to our house. Amber and she spent the afternoon looking at different hotels and facilities to have the wedding in February. They were having the time of their lives, laughing and talking about the future. It does a mom good to know that they both get along. We are very blessed!!

Our adopted daughter, Heather

2007-03-14T15:33:00.000-06:00

Heather came to our church through the connection of Matt and Ale. One of Ale's good friends, Lindsey, knows Heather. Heather was coming for 4 months to study Spanish. She was talking to Lindsey on MySpace and asking her if she knew of any churches in Antigua that she could attend. Lindsey knew that Ale was dating a "gringo" and that his dad was a pastor of some small church. So one Sunday morning, Matt walks to church with this girl and took all of us by surprise. Well, once we heard the story, we were thankful for Ale and telling her about the church. Heather has become another one of our kids. Her intention was to study Spanish for 4 months and then work with a christian doctor in Guatemala City translating for mission teams when they come down. In the last several weeks, things are not going as smoothly as she hoped. Mike and I have told her that she has a place here in Antigua. We are her adopted parents in Guatemala.

Our Adopted Kids

2007-03-12T16:38:00.000-06:00

As stated earlier in one of my blogs, we had a group of backpackers from the World Race team come and stay with us for a few days. I must admit that we have fallen for these kids. Mike and I truly felt that these kids were our own. I am really glad Mike went with his instinct and had them stay with us. They were truly a blessing to us and we will never forget them! They have left Guatemala and have gone onto the next country to minister to whoever comes their way. But in the mean time, we are sad!!

This is Emily and Candice making brownies in my kitchen. The girls loved to bake and cook. Oh and drink coffee with flavored cream!!!

Group shot: Amanda, Emily, Morgan, James, Andrew and Candice

God bless you guys!!!!!

Building the house

2007-03-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, our team, couple of members of World race and our neighbor, Brad built a home for a needy family in Parramos, a village about 6 miles from Antigua. This is the picture is two homes on the truck being delivered to the worksites. The house is 16 pieces and a lamina roof. In less than 3 hours, the house was up and ready to be painted. We had some left over blue paint from the church. Part of the team stayed at the first house and painted while the rest of the team went to build the other one. When I went back to check on the first house with the painting, the kids, dogs and ground had been painted with blue paint. And the laughter from the little kids was priceless! All in all it was a fun day!

Team arrived on Monday

2007-03-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

On Monday, March 5th, a team of 18 arrived from our church in Clearwater, Florida. We had a jam packed schedule ready for them as soon as they got off the plane. Of the 18 team members, 5 of them were children, aging from 13 to 6. They were all troopers!!! However, they didn't remember the conversations about how much walking they would be doing.

Tuesday and Wednesday lunches were here at the house. Tuesday we had homemade pizza, salad, tostada and dips, pico de gillo, gooey bars for dessert. On Wednesday, we had BBQ baked chicken, macaroni and cheese from scratch, salad, bread, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (requested by Sarah). As I was preparing the lunch for the team to arrive, our doorbell rang and our new friends (Worldrace team) that we had stay with us for a few days prior to our team arriving, showed up early. Well.....to accommodate them as well, I quickly made some chicken stir fry to add to the menu. All in all we had 27 people here for lunch!! It was fun and we couldn't be happier that God gave us this house just to do this kind of ministry.

It's Official!

2007-03-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Matt proposed last week on MySpace. He thought since they met on MySpace he could propose on MySpace, however, I don't think they can get married on MySpace (hee hee) . They have set a date of February 23, 2008 here in Guatemala with a party/reception in the states sometime later in the year. We absolutely love her and are glad he has chosen such a great girl. “She completes him”. We are off to the city this evening for a dinner with her mom and family.

Matt will be moving back to Clearwater on March 7th for 9 months. He will be attending Florida Metropolitan University studying Massage Therapy. From what he understands the job market has increased by 25% in the last few months. This is also a vocational school as appose to SPC, done in 9 months instead of 4 years. Alejandra has started working for the Marriott in Guatemala City.

Met new friends!

2007-02-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Last Friday afternoon, this team needed a place to stay for a couple of days. They had an exciting experience the night before when one of the team members had been robbed. The next morning they were coming back from the Tourist Police Station (which is across the street from our house), our neighbor Brad was outside trying to connect his TV cable. They asked him if he knew of any cheap place in town to stay for a couple of days. But no, he didn't, but said that his neighbor was a Pastor of a small church, why don't you go and ask him. Also one of the team members remembers coming to a Christian Cafe some time last year and thought they would check there also. So off to find the Cafe and would you believe that the Pastor that our neighbor had spoken about was Mike. So after discussing their needs, Mike gives me a call asking if we could house 6 college age backpackers for a couple of nights. The image in my mind was not of just plain college kids but kids with dreadlocks and body piercings, not a pretty picture. Well, it turns out that these kids are on the "World Race" which is similar to the “Amazing Race” on tv but with a spiritual emphasis. A great way to spread the Gospel!! Their website is http://www.theworldrace.org/ .

So Amber and I scurried around trying to clean the house to get prepared for them. They arrived around 5:00 pm. and of course they were shocked to find out that our neighbor Brad was the guy they talked to that morning. Instantly upon meeting with them they became family. We ordered pizza and sat and chatted with them talking about what they were actually doing on this race. They ended up staying an extra day because they were having so much fun. They left on Tuesday morning and we all were very sad.

"Valentine's Day"

2007-02-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

"Roses are red, Violets are blue....." Yeah, whatever.....

So Mike did something very special for me on Valentine's Day!! We were at the Church Potluck Dinner and he called me up front and presented me three red roses. I, of course, was a little embarrassed but got over it real quick. The three roses signifies "You, Me and He in Love" God, Mike and I are in love with each other. Throughout our marriage, he has only sent 3 roses at a time.

I sent him an ecard from DaySpring, "My heart goes "WOW" when I'm with you." I found the one my heart loves." Song of Solomon 3:4.

We both feel we have been totally blessed to be together as well where we are in our marriage of 23 years.

I subscribe to "Encouragement for Today" from Proverbs 31 Ministries and in one of the devotionals this prayer was part of the reading for the day....

Dear Lord, please help me see my marriage as a sacred thing. May I always understand that being married was not meant to just make me happy but make my character more holy. Help me remember being married is less about having the right partner and more about being the right partner. Shape me into the wife my husband needs and deserves. Help me to pause before I speak so I don’t react out of anger, frustration, or selfishness. Show me how to respect, love and give to this man in a way that honors You and brings joy to our home. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

It WAS a great day!!!! Until....

2007-02-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, this other missionary couple, Jim and Barb, Mike and I rented scooters and motos (Mike didn't rent one as he owns one). We went down to Escuantla which is about 30 Km from Antigua. On the way, we decided to take an off road to Guadalupe. In these small little villages, there are tumulos (speed bumps) and as I was crossing one, lost control of the scooter and crashed it. The left side mirror went into my rib cage, I landed on my knee and wrist. Nothing broken... except I was totally embarrassed and pretty bruised up. Well, with total damages (a couple of scratches on the scooter and mirror broken) we ended up buying the scooter. It was cheaper to purchase then pay the rental fee and damages. I am sure that they saw the "Gringo" coming. So now Amber and I have something to get around town. However, with riding on the cobblestone streets, it is very difficult until the pain goes away, which could be a while.

Indeed it was a great day, riding the countryside, seeing the wonderful creation that God had made and enjoying the fresh air. We enjoyed it so much that we will probably do it again sometime soon. Hopefully, I will watch out for those "darn" tumolos!!

A bus named "Nancy"

2007-02-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

So I am driving down the road from our house to San Lorenzo El Tejar to meet Mike for an appointment. I got behind one of "those" chicken buses and was getting very frustrated that he had to stop every 20 feet to pick up more people. The more they stop, the more money they make. Looking through the exhaust, I caught a glimpse of the name of the bus....."NANCY". I wished I had a camera to take a picture. Okay, I didn't stay mad long as now I know that my name is proudly plastered on the back of "one of those."

A trip up the mountain

2007-01-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

Our church, Iglesia del Camino, has the privilege of working with a little group of ladies outside of Pastores, which is about 3 miles from Antigua. These two ladies have taken upon themselves to educate the kids in their pueblo that are not able to go to school. These families can not afford to send them to school. These ladies have been given a piece of land to farm for their families and are having the children learn to grow crops. It was exciting to see this group of people out clearing the land. Mike ended up grabbing a machete and cutting down one of the little trees. They all clapped!!! The lady in charge, Rita, who is also very much pregnant with her 4th child was almost to tears. All we could do was stand back and be in awe of how in world did we ever get involved with this project. God put those people in our path!

A romantic walk

2007-01-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

One Saturday Mike and I were bored and money was pretty tight that week so I suggested we walk up to the cross from our house, maybe 1 1/2 miles in total. This is us....

A new curtain

2007-01-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

When our home church mission team was here in December, we had a couple of days of VBS at Marco and Ledy's house in San Lorenza El Tejar. The team noticed that the curtain for the bathroom kept falling down onto the dirt floor. A couple of the ladies decided that they needed to have a better curtain, one that is on a rod so that it doesn't fall down. The plan was to purchase some material and make the curtain while they were here for the week and take to them the last day of VBS. Those plans were changed and it didn't get made in that week. Marco and his family came to church a couple of Sundays after that and then came to our house for lunch. While they were here in the afternoon, I went ahead a made the curtain for them and they took it home and hung it. As you can see by the picture they are so happy, even a little thing as a bathroom curtain.....why do we worry for so much??????

Starting Spanish Classes

2007-01-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

It has been on my mind for several weeks now that it is time to buckle down and learn Spanish. I have had plenty of time to get accumulated to the area. Well, starting this Thursday morning, a lady in our church, Sonja and I will be in class learning the language together. She already knows Spanish but wants to have a refresher course. My goal is to have conversations with the Guatemalan ladies in the church very soon. Stay tuned...

So I was asked....

2007-01-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

This last week, Mike and I had the privilege of sharing the vision of the work here in Antigua. Some gentlemen had come to visit from North Metro Community Church in Marretta Georgia. They were here on a scouting trip in preparation in bringing a team in April. I was asked the question...."So what has been the most difficult thing to get adjusted to since we have been here?" Well, I somehow knew that these questions would be asked at some point in time. I actually had been thinking about this for quite some time and I really had to stop and think of "what" has been the most difficult. My first thought was....there's not a really good shopping mall here. Then I thought that was pretty selfish! To be quite honest, I am so blessed to be here and getting to know these sweet people. I really can't say that there has been one thing that has been difficult. Yes, we have has some ups and downs but difficult, no. With the technology we have available these days, we can communicate with our friends and family. Just taking one day at a time!

It was a no go!!!

2007-01-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we thought we were going to go to Mexico and spend a couple of days of R&R.....Plans drastically changed the night before. We went to get the rental car on Tuesday evening and shared with them that we were going to run up to Mexico for a few days. They immediately said that you are not taking this car over the border! I guessed they feared that we would not bring it back, but we could go to El Salvador or Belize but not Mexico! So we scrabbled to try and make other plans. Mike's passport was already 2 days late in getting it stamped which not only do you have the fee of getting it stamped but for each day that you are late you have to pay a penalty. A gentleman in our church, Dick who had already talked to Mike about taking us up to the border as he had already done this process said he would be more than happy to show the ropes. So on Wednesday morning, we jumped on the motorcycle and went up to his house in Chimaltanogo, about 4 miles outside of Antigua up in the mountains. That was a fun ride as it was a little brisk! I borrowed one of Amber's sweatshirts with a hood and one of Mike's jackets....boy did we look a sight! Thoughts of the days to come were running through my mind as we were riding up to the Dick's house. What would we run into? Will we get charged to much money? What if we can't communicate correctly and they take everything we own? All these kind of thoughts were running through my mind as we had heard that it was "dangerous". It was nothing of the sort. We got to the border and walked right into the Guateamala Immigration office, paid our fee (which they didn't collect Mike's late fee) and stamped us in and out. We did take a 1.5 mile taxi cab ride into Mexico and got our passports stamped indicating that we did go into the country. This process only took 10 minutes!!! And all thoughts I had earlier had completely been changed.

Off to Mexico!

2007-01-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, January 10th, Mike and I are off to Mexico for a few days. His passport has expired and needs to leave Guatemala. So this is the place we have chosen to go, Holiday Inn in San Cristobal. It's about 100 miles over the border from Guatemala City and it is estimated that it will take 6 - 8 hours to drive. We have heard that this city is similar to Antigua, lots of history and places to visit. Could be an adventure that we won't forget! Pray for safety. Also Amber will be flying back to Florida on Wednesday until Tuesday, January 16th and Matt will be spending the week in the city pursuing some work options with the help and assistance from Alejandra. This is a good thing!

Matt and Alejandra

2007-01-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

So back in March of 2006, Matt did a search on MySpace to see if there was anyone his age here in Guatemala. This young lady answered him. She is from Guatemala and has been working with Youth With A Mission for some time. They began talking through MySpace and in October, Mike and Matt had dinner with her when they went into Guatemala City. Ever since then.....they have been inseparable. Matt spent Christmas and some of New Year's with her family in the city. Mike and I could not be happier with his choice. She is on fire for the Lord and feel called to be in missions somewhere. She joined us for a VBS event when our team from Pathways was here, and she and Matt really looked comfortable working with the children. Who knows what will happen this year......Just praying God will take care of them and guide them.

New Year's Day

2007-01-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

So there wasn't a whole lot going on at our house on New Year's Day that I decided that we as a family were going to walk up to the cross that overlooks the city of Antigua. Sitting at home all day watching movies can get pretty boring. So why not take some time out and go for a walk....up 350 stairs to the top of mountain! I must say that Mike and Amber did quite well. Matt was in the city with Alejandra's family so he wasn't with us. It was a good relaxing day!!

It's 2007!!!

2007-01-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that we are in 2007! This past year was very exciting for us as a family as well as individually. I resigned from my job of 7 years as the Registrar at Keswick Christian School in St. Petersburg Florida in June. We knew that we were moving to Antigua Guatemala to head up the third campus of Pathways Community Church. But it really didn't set in until we actually boarded the plane on July 15th that we were actually moving to a third world country. These last 5 months have had some good days and some not so good days, but all in all been great!! As we look into this coming year, I am sitting on the edge of my chair waiting to see what the Lord has for us. Come join us in this incredible journey and see how God will do great things!

Christmas 2006

2006-12-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we spent the day just watching movies and not doing a whole lot. Matt spent a few days in the city with Alejandra's family so it was just Mike, Amber and I. I made a pan of cinnamon rolls to take to an open house later in the day. We also spent 3 hours talking to my parents on Skype, a great free form of communication through the Internet. We went to the Open House at Mark and Dayle's house, another missionary family, and played games and watched the football game. Well, we didn't watch football but everyone else did, we're not football fans. When we got home we called Mike's family on Skype to wish them a Merry Christmas. It was a great to day!

Decision to make a lifestyle change

2006-12-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

About 3 weeks ago I finally said ENOUGH and completely put myself on the South Beach plan. So started Saturday, December 2nd. It’s been tough but all in all I feel really good. I have turned A LOT of good sweets and carbs away but at the end of the day, I feel really good physically and mentally. With my mom’s health coping with the whole white flour thing, I thought I would do a test and stay away from it for a while and see how I feel. You know I feel better and am sleeping better. I am not going to lie and say that it’s been easy, trust me it’s not, not with all the good food down here. I am also making commitment to go to the gym at least 4 times a week, which is running and weights. I am also looking for another 5K race to run in Guatemala. Bottom line, I decided that I want to be happier and healther for my family.

How many more meals???

2006-12-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Our home church sent a team down in December. They had all their lunches and one dinner at our house. I believe I have cooked more meals in the last 6 months than I have my entire married life. The weather here in Antigua is very nice almost all year around and we are really blessed to have a court yard big enough to accommodate 20 people. It has been a joy to be able to cook for all the people who come through our home. And thank God for "ALLRECIPES.COM"!!

Wow, we have been here almost 6 months!

2006-12-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

As of December 15th, we have been in Antigua, Guatemala 5 months or so. Wow, where has the time gone? We have experienced a lot of different things during this time from buying furnishings for the house and to learning to buy food in the market and learning to deal with the horns of the "chicken buses" driving by the house. Yes, we have had a few meltdowns but all in all, it is good. God has us here for a purpose, all four of us. It is great having the kids with us experiencing this. They are both taking online classes with SPC this semester. Amber hopes to have her BA in two years and Matt, he is still trying to figure out what direction to take.

First 5K run in Guatemala!!

2006-12-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

December 9th was my first 5K (3.1 miles) run in the country of Guatemala. This race was sponsored by a small Christian School in San Cristobal right out side of Guatemala City. The course was a little challenging to say the least. It was a lot of up and down hills, on gravel, over potholes. But I was determined to break my PR from the last race that I did in St. Petersburg in October. And I was determined not to let all the high school students to get ahead of me. They all had to do it for their P.E. credit. However, when I got to this point in the race at mile marker 1.7 I had to stand and drink the whole cup of water and to literally catch my breath. Coming from Florida that is at sea level to roughly 5,700 feet this is a bit of a stretch. So all in all, did quite well and will probably do it again next year.

A Cool Blessing.....

2006-11-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday one of our ladies in the church called me to see if I could with her to pray for this family. They live just outside of Antigua in smaller village. The living conditions were pretty rough. It made me thankful for my home but at the same time feeling pretty bad for where I live. Once we got inside to the one room home, there laid a lovely lady with stomach cancer. Pretty much on her death bed, however, she was very peaceful. Come to find out, she is the Woman's ministry leader of her church and has been having her meetings at her home regardless of her health. She is truly ready to meet her Father. Where the blessing comes in, is that she was truly at peace and you could see it all over her body. She loves her Lord!! I was so glad that my friend called me and I was able to meet this precious lady. She also gave me a different perspective on life, just live for Him one moment at a time and truly live for Him for people to see Him through you. Joy Williams sings that song, "Can they see Jesus through me" I think of that daily. This precious lady has some concerns, her daughters are not believers. She would love to see them come to the Lord before she goes. But again God knows the future. Thanks for letting me share.....