Greetings from Guatemala!
A few weeks into the second semester and we are almost back into the swing of things. It feels as though it was just yesterday we were hanging out with the Nyatsambo family. Ah, those were the good ole' days.
Alas, back to school! This year is an accreditation year for C.A.G. - this means a lot of work. These past couple of days we have had an ACSI representative on campus doing an initial review of our findings and work. We would ask you to lift up and pray for the entire school during this process.
Abigail, Emma and Sara continue to do well. Abigail and her class recently had a "self governance" day whereby their teacher let them run the class. Their teacher said it was, "surprisingly boring" as they, apparently, did a good job getting through the day. Emma returned to her class sporting a cute new doo and continues to enjoy her teacher and classmates. Sara - on the other hand - likely believes she runs the school. She recently asked one of the students if she "wanted to be her slave," in a tone that definitely said it was the job opportunity of a lifetime. (Again, prayers appreciated.)
We are delighted to have Joy's father, Edward, with us until early April. He confesses that Guatemala is not nearly as warm as he believed it would be. The mornings are about 55F and the highs in the day may reach 77F. Now, as I type this paragraph I am aware of a moderate flurry happening in the Northeast so really... we (he) has nothing much to complain about. He muses that in the Northeast you expect it to be cold this time of year and therefore you would dress accordingly. (Remember though, we have no heat in our home.)
Ed has slipped into helping at C.A.G. during the days. We were in need of an adult to supervise our computer based AP classes during a few periods and he agreed to help out. Seems he likes to sit and read and he can do that while they do their work.
I do need to put something out there - our vehicles are in pretty bad shape. Our family vehicle, a 2000 Sienna, just rolled over 241,000 miles and needs a good $300-400 of maintenance to keep it safe and on the road. Our 1996 Mazda, 184,000 miles, should have about the same maintenance. We feel we have reached that point where it is just not wise to put any more than necessary into these vehicles.
We are working a couple different angles to see what is available both here in Guatemala and in the States. Unfortunately it seems buying in the States, shipping, and importing to Guatemala may not be any more cost effective than buying here.
We have gifts amounting to about half of our anticipated need (which will be 9-10 thousand dollars) to replace the Sienna.
We are praying for wisdom and God's leading as we try to figure out what our best plan might be. For now, we're asking for two things: first that you'll join us in prayer for wisdom/discernment on this matter. Secondly, if you will consider supporting this project financially there is a link to the right of the blog site - please notate the gift as for the car replacement.
Thanks so much!
