Now that the Ecklebargers are settled in and no longer need my regular assistance, I am working hard to get caught up on all the things that I have neglected over the last month. At the top of that list was spending time with the kids in Hermano Pedro. I realized last week that it had been over three weeks since I had been there. So, on Friday Wanda, Krishauna and I headed out to hang out with our kids.
We had a great time holding the children and were able to check three of them out for lunch at Pollo Camperos. Elmer, Arianna and Miguel had a good time enjoying chicken, potatoes, french fries and milkshakes. And so did we. I had been so busy with life, I had failed to realize how much I missed all of our kids in HP. I found myself breathing fresh life after a marathon stretch.
Not all of my catching up has been this much fun, though. Office work, which I hate, had been stacking up along with a backlog of e-mails and correspondence that were waiting. I have had to frequently remind myself that everything is important and can make a difference as long as I do it to the glory of God…even office work. However, since I doubt you want to see photos of me sitting at my desk with a forced grin, I won’t bother including pictures of those days.
On Monday Gerardo, Jeremiah, Joshua and I traveled to Villa Nueva. Some friends of ours from the States have a young man named Daniel that they have unofficially adopted who lives there, and he has been going through a rough time. They asked us to check on him and provide him with some food. So, with nothing more than an address for his girlfriend’s house and the awareness that Villa Nueva is a red zone (a government warning regarding certain areas based upon crime and gang activity), we headed out.
Villa Nueva is only about 12 1/2 miles from our house, as the crow flies. We aren’t crows, so it took us about 1 1/2 hours to arrive in the city. The next half hour was spent asking six different people directions and gradually finding our way across town. When we finally found the address, only his girlfriends mother and grandmother were there, and they were very distrustful. It took us 10 minutes to convince them that we were okay and not out to hurt Daniel. Finally, her mother led us to Daniel’s workplace and we had a nice visit. It was quite an adventure!
On Wednesday we celebrated Gerardo’s birthday. This young man has become an important part of our family and life as he becomes more and more involved in our home and helping with our ministry. He now serves as my helper on our 4-wheel drive team, providing excellent translation when my Spanish falters. He also has Jesus’ heart for the people and shows it when he ministers to them. He is currently enrolled as the first student in our Encarga pastor’s training program and will be receiving excellent training from Ron Ecklebarger and ministry mentoring from me.
He turned 26, and our family had the privilege of giving him his first birthday cake. We also gave him a Cubs hat, which he had been wanting for some time. Now that he is officially a Cubs fan, he is now officially a part of our family! We love him dearly. Please pray for Gerardo in the months and years ahead as he prepares for ministry and assumes more and more ministry responsibilities.
Yesterday (September 15th) was Guatemala’s Independence Day. We celebrated 190 years of independence with parades of drummers, floats, and dancers from surrounding schools. They marched through Antigua and to the stadium where they laid the Guatemalan flag on the field. The entire parade was wonderful, although the drums were rather loud. The color, pageantry, and pride in their country was evident, and I am pleased to consider myself a part of Guatemala.
After the parade our entire family header over to Hermano Pedro for about an hour with the kids. (I told you I have some catching up to do.) As always, it was wonderful to have our entire family there ministering to the children. I believe those times are when I love being a father most.
As we walked through the park from HP to Burger King for a family lunch, we got caught in a downpour. (This was a rainy season downpour that you can come closest to experiencing by having your spouse/child/sibling/friend stand on your roof with a 5 gallon bucket of water and dump it on you as you walk out the door.) By the time we made it to the restaurant we were all dripping wet and laughing. After finally finding tables, we ate and dried off. (Actually, we went from dripping wet to soggy like a sponge.)
On the way home we encountered typical roads during rainy season. The photo here is not of a tiny country trail, but of the main road leading from Antigua to Ciudad Vieja, which we have to travel. After a decent rain, this road flows with 6 to 10 inches of water, and a boat or jet ski would be a better mode of transportation than a car or van. I have been told that they are going to get around to fixing that…one of these days.
Well, that’s all for now. Please pray for me as I will be doing a lot of traveling in the next week to catch-up with families in four different villages. I pray that you have a great week!
Daryl, Wanda, and the Crew
