A few days ago our family celebrated our one month anniversary of living in Guatemala. It is hard to believe that it has already been here a month, and it hard to believe that it has only been a month. It is amazing to see how far we have come in settling in and learning our way around. It is also a little overwhelming to realize how far we have still to go.
One word that has characterized our lives over the last 34 days is “busy.” With the intensity of our language school, the purchase of our van, and the adjustments of life in general we are ending most days exhausted and ready for bed by seven or eight. However, in the midst of the busyness and fatigue, there is an inner joy and peace that continually reaffirms that we are home.
We have also had some wonderful times of rest recently. Last Tuesday evening Dick Rutgers came over for dinner and brought three of his kids. Wanda made some heaping plates of nachos and we had a great night of visiting together. Dick took some time to read a story to Joshua, Kimmie, and Jonathan, and he read slowly so that we would need to invite him back to finish it! The kids are already pestering me to ask them back.
Of course, our favorite times are the hours we spend at Hermano Pedro. These are the brightest moments of our weeks. On Sunday afternoon we spent two hours there and had a blast playing with the children. And speaking of the children, there were two more back, and they are two of my favorites! Roberto is one of the teenagers who captured my heart early on, and both my face and his lit up when I walked into the ward and saw him! Brenda is also back after 15 months away. We had wondered what happened to her and were concerned for her welfare, but she is back safe and sound now. Her smile still lights up the entire ward!
Another huge milestone for us occurred on Wednesday when we finally received our van! The addition of this vehicle is a huge blessing as it enables us to shop in the markets in larger quantities. It will also proved transportation for our teams which begin arriving in two-and-a-half weeks. It drives wonderfully on Guatemalan streets and roads and has a powerful diesel engine that handles the mountains well. (This is an important feature when you have to climb a mountain that makes your ears pop when leaving our town!)
We took the van out for a test drive to Antigua and had a wonderful time as a family. But for some reason the kids didn’t seem to care for my Guatemalan driving. I wonder why…
As I write this Wanda and I have four more days of intensive language school left. At that time, we will take a two week break and then resume classes at a more leisurely pace of four hours a week. We still have a long way to go, but the basic structure of the language is in our minds and our vocabulary is growing rapidly (although we can still only speak in present tense). We can now hold basic conversations with shopkeepers and neighbors as long as they don’t speak to rapidly. “Hablas mas lento por favor” has become a frequently used phase for me! (Speak slower, please!) We praise God for our teach, Alba, who is a Christian with the patience of Job and a great sense of humor. You can tell by her laughter when I speak Spanish!
We appreciate your prayers and support! I pray you have a great week!
Daryl & The Fulps
