You would think with the end of our intensive language training our schedule would be more relaxed. However, the opposite seems to be true. We are busier than ever.
Our classes ended Friday and the whole family got up early on Saturday to head to Guatemala City for a day of shopping. (And yes, I really mean a whole day of shopping!) With the 2 1/2 hours of driving plus shopping for a family of 11 in two different stores the total experience took nearly eight hours. However, we returned with quite a load of food and supplies that should last us until our next trip to the city at the end of this month.
On Sunday we had a wonderful day going to church and spending the afternoon with our Spanish teacher, Alba, and her husband, Cesar, and their four children. They invited us to their home for lunch which was a wonderful Guatemalan dish called hilachas. Their home is a tiny place in a quaint town. Their entire family sleeps in one room with another room that serves as kitchen, bathroom, and dining room. They have so little as far as possessions go, but they are filled with the joy of God! The loftiest king in the largest castle should envy this beautiful family!
After lunch we took their family to Hermano Pedro to introduce them to the children there. They had never visited before and were overwhelmed by what they saw and experienced. We spent about 1 1/2 hours there holding the kids, playing, and feeding them supper. After we left, Cesar told me that God had broken his heart that day. Alba explained that the idea of Guatemalans volunteering in a place like HP is rare. In fact, the concept of volunteering in general is foreign to most people here. After all, when you work for 10 to 12 hours a day for an income that barely feeds your family you don’t usually think about donating that precious time elsewhere.
On Monday we began what will likely be a “normal” daily schedule. Wanda resumed the home schooling of the younger kids. (They took a break during our move and language school with the plan of getting our family on the Guatemalan school schedule which runs from mid-January to mid-October.) And I began to 
tackle some of the large projects that have been waiting, including the purchase and assembly of four sets of triple bunk beds, and the construction of some shelves and a large dining room table. Things have proceeded smoothly (with the exception of an encounter my finger had with an electric planer). My finger is healing now and work is progressing.
Yesterday, Wanda and I walked to a local ferreteria (hardware store) to purchase a few items I needed for the projects. I needed six sanding belts, some washers, some lock washers, and a box of screws. We entered the store and exited 35 minutes later with everything we needed. (Things here in Guatemala run at a very different speed! I laughed and told Wanda that we used to do the grocery shopping for our entire family in that amount of time!)
But God has taught me a powerful lesson in the last six weeks. I have spent much of my life in a rush, speeding from one place to another and nervously tapping my foot when I have to wait. You see, I tend to think that when I am waiting I am wasting time that needs to be spent doing something else that is more important. But since we have moved here, I have had plenty of time to think (while waiting in line) and I have come to a valuable understanding. Each moment of my day that is spent in a line, waiting for service, or sitting in traffic is not a surprise to God. All those seconds, minutes, and hours are not somehow thwarting God’s plan for either the universe or my day. In fact, for some reason, they are a part of His plan and, therefore, not a waste of time at all. God has a reason, although I may not always understand what the reason is. (I am still trying to figure out God’s plan for mosquitoes!)
And this dawning comprehension has led me to another realization…the only wasted moment of my day is the moment that I fail to have His heart and His mind. Even if I spend my entire day waiting in a line, it is not wasted if I do it in Him, with Him and for Him.
Now, let’s go spend our time wisely! Have a great day!
Daryl, Wanda and the Crew
