Christmas with the Widows

Last Thursday, our entire family went to Chiminisijuan for the Widows' Project.  We bought their handmade baskets and then I read them the Christmas story from a Children's Spanish Bible.  Micaela translated it into Quiche for me.  I am so grateful for her and her willingness to translate my Spanish!

 

While I read, the kids helped the moms, grandmas and children make a Nativity scene with stickers. Caleb was helping this cute group of boys.

 

Samuel found a buddy to help as well.

 

Bethany had some cute little girls to assist.

Hannah was keeping her eye out for anyone who might need a little attention.

 

Flor is helping to hand out gifts to the widows.  We filled market baskets with tin coffee mugs, a pot for hot water, spoons, sugar and instant coffee.  It was so fun to shop with Leslie for them!  Praying that the gifts bless them!

 

It was such a fun time and I was so thankful to have all of the help!  Praying that the Lord used my rudimentary Spanish via Micaela's Quiche to touch these ladies' hearts.  They were giggling and enjoying the stickers so much that I am not even sure how much they heard but they were so cute!  May He touch each of them with His deep love.  Merry Christmas!

Newsletter/Christmas Letter

We wake up and go to bed surrounded by the majesty of the Lord’s creation every day.  Our home is in a valley located in the highlands of Guatemala.  We live in a community of others who have come here to serve as we have.  It has been over nine months since we crossed the border between Mexico and Guatemala.  The ministry that we serve with is called Adonai International Ministries.  Its primary focus is medical but it is also involved in agriculture and construction. We have adjusted well and are somewhat settled into the roles that the Lord has for each of us.

Don: Anything medical is Don’s primary focus within the ministry.  He is involved in 5 regular clinics – 4 that meet weekly and one that is held monthly.  He has also been spending much of his time working on our vehicles.  The biggest challenge is finding the necessary parts.  Often the only option means waiting for a visitor to bring what he needs from the States.  Don is also facilitating communication with individuals from the US who are obtaining the necessary, medical equipment for the Expanded Clinic construction project.

Lori: Homeschooling and managing the house take the majority of Lori’s time no matter where we live!  Lori also spends her time handling the ministry’s finances.  Our move to Guatemala has made this job both much easier and much larger! She also facilitates our Widow’s project once a month.  The ministry purchases hand-made baskets from the widows in the program as a way to assist them in providing for their families.  The monthly gatherings also include a short devotion as well as food distribution.

Caleb:  Much of Caleb’s time is spent either studying or worshipping.  Caleb will complete his bachelor’s degree from Liberty University online in December.  He is also in charge of our worship/prayer sets.  He organizes 3 prayer sets each week and one night of worship for the ministry.  He participates in a Spanish worship night occasionally and led a Spanish prayer set when Adonai’s school was in session.  Caleb also tutored math for some of the guys in the college preparatory program.  It is so amazing to watch him grow into the godly man that the Lord has called him to be.

Bethany:  School, music, babysitting, cooking and assisting with clinic fill Bethany’s time.  She is thinking of a medical career so she tries to help in one of our weekly clinics with her dad.  She also enrolled in two online courses that will count for both high school and college credits. She is teaching guitar lessons as well as participating in the worship and prayer sets with her brother.  Her days are full but she eagerly steps into the roles that the Lord has laid before her.

Hannah:  There are so many little kids within our community here.  Hannah has stepped into the babysitter role for many of the families and all the kids love her.  She is working on high school as well as stepping into cleaning and cooking for our family.  She also enjoys the prayer sets.  Her smile and fun personality have been such a blessing!

Samuel:  Babysitting has been a new role for Samuel here.  There are several little boys who just adore him.  He also spends his time playing as well as doing school and chores.  His comic relief often gets us through our days here!

The ministry, Adonai International Ministries, is growing and expanding.  Our family tries to assist with all of the visitors that are coming to help with the construction, the clinics or other projects.  The Expanded Clinic project is amazing to watch.  We are hoping to utilize part of the new facility in early 2016 for clinics.  For more information or to see the progress, go to our blog at allisonfamilyinguat.blogspot.com.  Thank you for your prayers and support!

A Shower Caddy?

We have been living in Guatemala for a little over 9 months.  We are finally feeling settled and at home . . . and then Thanksgiving happened!

First of all, it is not cold here!  This is really awesome . . . but it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving. Or at least Thanksgiving in Nebraska.  On the positive side, flowers are blooming and it is super pretty!

 

Thanksgiving was always a time to have lots of people at your table. My dad used to be the Chief of Police in our small little South Dakota town and he would always invite his police officers to join us. Later we usually had Thanksgiving at our house because Don would have to work on the Friday after.  We would sometimes have some of my family and some of his family.  It was about making the table bigger and having a huge meal together . . . but it never looked like this!

 

 

We had almost 50 people at our Thanksgiving table in Guatemala this year.  The girls and I baked some pies the day before and we figured out how to make homemade French fried onions.  The kids requested the traditional green bean casserole but we couldn't buy the onions here.  It was fun and felt like 'home' to cook together.  Even on Thanksgiving morning it was fun to cook with everyone and share the day together.  However, later the kids all said that they missed being at Meema's house (my mom).  It wasn't 'cozy' - in their words.  Hard to be cozy with that many people!

 

We did manage to stream the Nebraska/Iowa game the next day.  As I was dozing, I mean, watching the game and laying on our couch, I had this thought of 'now this feels like Thanksgiving' . . . until Don had to go to see a patient in clinic. And then the Guatemalan furniture guy from town drove up to our apartment with my Christmas present from Don. (Yes, it was a little early but better than late, right?). 

Today we pulled down the Christmas decorations from the attic.  We had packed one large Rubbermaid with our favorite decorations and brought it in the camper with us.  When we got here we stuck it in the attic right away because Christmas was so far away.  But here we are. 

Christmas will definitely be different this year.  My family is coming but we will be celebrating in Guatemala City since they arrive on Christmas Eve night.  The kids are super excited about some of the things that we have talked about doing, but it will certainly be a different way to celebrate.

As we opened up the Rubbermaid, it 'smelled' like Christmas. We pulled out some lights and decorations and then we got to this.



 

 

My mom, my sister and I all have the same Nativity set.  It is one of my favorite things about Christmas.  It made our apartment feel like Christmas . . . and home!  But I realized that 'home' was not really about the place.  It is about the memories and the people.  The familiar.

 

We are making new memories and traditions.  We are deepening relationships with the people that we are living and serving with.  It is sometimes hard to move forward and accept the changes but it is also such a blessing to experience the new and different.  We feel so blessed to be in this place that the Lord has called us to.  We have our moments of sadness and times of missing our family and friends, but we love the people that we are getting to do life with here.  

 

It is nice, however, to have some 'pieces' of our old life with us. We love having our couch (the kids think it still smells like Bumpa - my dad!  It was his before ours!)  We brought some of our wall hangings from the States as well as comforters and bedding. 

The funniest thing reminded me of 'home' this morning.  Don hung a shower caddy in our bathroom yesterday.  It immediately made me feel like I was 'home'.  Our shampoos, soap etc. have been sitting on the edge of the tub since we arrived. I think that made it feel more 'temporary' like we were just visiting or at a hotel.  The shower caddy feels like I have a place where all of my stuff belongs and that feels like 'home'!

To The Least of These

This last Thursday we spent much of the day traveling. We headed south to the Widows Project in the morning.  The roads to our clinic in Chimisujuan are still muddy and we had to walk the last 15 minutes or so.  It was a great time with the ladies!

After lunch, we were informed of a request for a house call.  An 83-year-old man who is related to three of the men working on the hospital had been sick for a while.  Don saw him once or twice in clinic but he was no longer able to walk.

Leslie packed up her medical supplies and off we went in the opposite direction.  I just tagged along for the ride and to pray!  Housecalls are one of my favorite things to do here!

We drove for a while and then walked the remaining distance - first on a road and then on a walking path that led to their house.  We didn't take any pictures of the house or family out of respect for them and the situation.  But let me try to describe it for you.

The house was made from adobe bricks and a tin roof.  The walls did not meet the roof.  It was in typical Guatemalan style where the rooms (maybe 3) are all lined up with doors to the outside (similar to a stripmall).  They have a fire outside of the rooms for cooking etc.  The room where we found the patient was about 10 x 10 with one lightbulb hanging from the ceiling.  I am not sure how many people lived in the small house but at one point I counted 22 people in the room . . . and then more came in. The floor was dirt although they used pine needles to 'carpet' it.  (Very typical here)  Not sure how to describe the smell . . .   

I stood out of the way while Don and Leslie examined the patient.  Leslie started an IV and they gave him a vitamin injection to try to give him some energy.  He didn't have pain but really didn't want to eat.  Leslie asked him if he knew the Lord and then we prayed for him.  

Yesterday we found out that he passed away.  We knew when we left that he didn't really have the 'will' to live and wondered how much longer it would be.  

These trips are just what I need to adjust my perspective. This is the reason that we are here. Everything else that we are doing is great but sometimes it becomes a distraction from all that is important.  The Lord loves people and wants them to know Him.  May He keep adjusting our perspective to His purposes and plans. Thanks for reading!

Lifegate Men's Team

October marked the second Lifegate Men's team. Their time here was spent with hard work, prayer and fellowship. It was great to see old friends and make new ones.

Projects at the main campus and hospital kept them busy at the start of the trip.

Always ready to lend a helping hand. Here they are changing a tire on our way to clinic. 

Great times of prayer and encouragement all through their time here. 

We finished out the trip helping Joe pour the foundation for his house. 

Such a blessing to have these guys with us!

 

Routine and Mundane

I had this weird thought the other day.  I noticed a rubbermaid with 'rub' marks from being packed and transported in our camper through Mexico.  For an instant, I had this longing to make that trip again, to see new places and to be on an 'adventure'!  It surprised me and then it confused me.  That trip was hard and stressful . . . yet, I have some good memories and those are the ones floating to the top.  You would think that living in Guatemala would be adventure enough!  

I think we all tend to fall into the mundane and routine no matter where we live.  There must be some small part in each of us (maybe bigger in some??) that longs for something new and challenging.  For me, I think teams help spice things up a bit.  Are they are ton of work and require lots of time?  Absolutely!  But I think they help us to appreciate the 'routine' and 'mundane'!!  

So for now, I am focusing on an awesome men's team from Lifegate that is here right now!  (All longings for a stressful trip through Mexico have been squelched!)  

One of the main projects that the guys are working on is replacing the 'roof' on a walkway.  We have a 'pergola' structure that covers a sidewalk from the clinic toward the big house.  The 'roof' was bamboo which was so cool when it was first done.  It is now all rotted and falling down. We would like to have some clear plastic 'lamina' put on top.  It is a project similar to the structure that they build the last time they were here.  

All along the sidewalk are plants and vines.  The guys transplanted all of these canna lily plants before they began the demolition.  They are now sawing boards and strengthening the structure and installing the 'lamina'.  (I don't know what you call that in the States.  It is usually a tin sheet that they use for roofing.  The team is using the same type of a thing but it is plastic and 'see through'.) 

The team has already been a blessing.  Their hearts are to intercede as well as work which is exactly what we need!  They are tackling projects that get pushed aside because of the busyness of our other construction project!  They are so encouraging and uplifting with their words as well.  

They are definitely breaking up the 'routine' and 'mundane' for me this week!!  

Construction Update

I stole these pictures from Duane's facebook page for those of you who didn't see them on there. 

 

These first two are new aerial shots.

 

 

You can see the roof trusses if you zoom in on this one.

 

The workers poured the flatwork for a corridor last week.

 

Plaster on the prayer room walls began a couple days ago.

 

This picture is a few weeks old but wanted to give you a glimpse of the roof from the front. 

 

It is so amazing to see it all take shape.  The Lord is so faithful and so good! It is such a blessing to be a part of this project.

Our Getaway!

One of the pieces of "advice" that we pass onto newlyweds is to continue to date each other.  This was modeled and encouraged to us by some very close friends of ours a long time ago.  They had a very consistent 'date night' every week. 

 

When our kids were young and we had to pay for a babysitter, we did a very consistent every-other-week date night.  Once the kids were old enough to stay by themselves, we changed it to every week.  The kids looked forward to their night alone and if we ever missed it, they were the first to ask 'why'. 

 

Date nights are a little bit more challenging in Guatemala.  We live in a small, rural community with very few options of things to do.  We used to call our time at market together every week our 'date night'.  The fun and newness of market wore off very quickly.  Now it is just something we have to do every week and is not even close to a real 'date night'! 

 

The other day, my friend asked me if Don and I were getting enough time together.  Our pastor asks us every month how our marriage is doing.  All of this led to the idea of a 'getaway'!  We told the kids that we had 6 months worth of date nights to make up and could we leave for 3 days?? 

 

We decided to go to Guatemala City.  There are some more romantic places in Guatemala but we also needed some groceries so the practical side won out!  We began the 5-hour drive to Guatemala City on Wednesday morning.  I originally told the kids that the drive didn't 'count' as part of the date but it was actually such a blessing to have all of that time together in the car!  

 

To be honest, the entire trip was a blessing.  We found 2 movies that were in English (Spanish subtitles) and tried a new restaurant.  We slept in and had some great time taking it slow in the morning over our coffee! 

 

One of the theaters that we went to was in a part of Guatemala City that we had never been in before. We put the address in Google maps and then 'adjusted' the directions to the reality of driving in a city in the 3rd world!  We found this quaint little shopping center and some SUPER clean bathrooms.  Don said the movie was worth it just for the bathrooms!! ;)

 

Here is the theater - can you see the "Cinepolis" sign?  It took us a little bit to find it.  There was no other sign marking the entrance.  

 

 

When we first arrived, there were two high school marching bands going down this street.  We think the high balconies are apartments.  It is almost like a little village within the city.

 

Beautiful sunset after the movie. 

 

 

 

Starbucks!  We did not stop in but will remember this for the future!

 

I tried to take a panoramic picture of the square.  It doesn't really do it justice but it gives you a little bit of an idea.

 

It was fun exploring a new part of Guatemala City. It was a blessing to have 3 days together.  It is always an adventure to drive to the City.  We had a slight issue on the way home.

 

 

Thankfully for me, Don is both handsome AND handy!

 

 

At least we were stopped by this cute little waterfall!!

 

 

We both decided that we need to make this a regular occurrence.  Seeing movies, drinking pop, laughing together and investing in our marriage!  Definitely worth the 5 hour drive!! ;)

Six months in . . .

  We just returned from our VISA renewal trip to Mexico which means that we have been in Guatemala for 6 months!  It seems hard to believe yet feels like it has been longer at the same time.  Here is Samuel sporting his new shades from Tapachula, Mexico!  

Here is my (Don's) attempt at a 6-month recap!  

I have spent a lot of time in medical clinics over the past 6 months.  We have seen lots of the 'easy' tums and tylenol cases as well as some really hard situations.  We encounter a lot of complicated social isses including abuse, rape and incest.  We have also added lots of new kids to our nutrition program. 

Luis and I spent some time under Dr. Heidi's 'school of surgery' as preparation for the roles that we will have in the future with our clinic expansion.

Although we are still awaiting a roof over the prayer room, the prayer sets have continued to increase.  We now have 4 morning sets and 2 evening worship times.  Two of our sets are led in Spanish.  Some of the momentum came as a part of a 72-hour prayer/worship time that a team helped us accomplish in late June.

Lori continues to facilitate our monthly widows' outreach. 

We continue to try to make our family time a priority.  We live in an awesome community with some great people but also try to have some 'alone' time as a family as well. The kids continue to move ahead in their schooling as well as helping out wherever they are needed - cooking, cleaning, babysitting, helping in clinic etc. etc.

The camper that we pulled through Mexico has been 'retired'.  It was used for housing while the Lifegate team was here and now is storing all of the sound equipment until the prayer room is finished.

Oh the memories . . .

As you will recall, we might have had our camper a little bit overloaded!  We have not had any regrets about any of this things that we brought with us - well, maybe the Queen-size electric mattress pad that Lori insisted on bringing! (hasn't even come out of the bag!) 

We were not able to fit much for furniture in the camper outside of two chairs, our couch and our bed!  We have been living out of suitcases for the past 6 months . . . until yesterday.  We now have places to put our clothes!  Can't wait to see what the next 6 months will add to our collection!

The Lord has been so faithful.  We are more than confident that this is where He has called us to be.  We do have some hard days - missing friends, language barriers etc. - but the peace of the Lord is sustaining us and confirming His plans and purposes for our family.  Thank you for your support and your prayers!  We appreciate you all so much.

Malnutrition Issue in Guatemala

As part of his degree requirements, Caleb is currently taking a "Crisis Intervention" course through Liberty University.  A large part of his grade includes a research paper as well as a public service announcement focused on a crisis.  He choose to do both around the malnutrition issues that we see here in Guatemala.

His video was posted on facebook but in case you missed it, there is a link here.

Caleb posted his research paper on his blog. (Click here).  If you are interested, it is a great explanation of some of the issues that we see here in Guatemala as well as the heart of the ministry.

Thanks for reading! You all are a blessing to us!

A Day in the Life . . .



So I have thought about doing this post for a while now.  "A typical week in the life of the Allison family in Guatemala" or some such title.  The reality is that I have not been able to really define what a 'typical week' is.

 

However, I can give you a general sense of how we spend our days . . .

 

Our week really begins on Thursday (because we take our Sabbath on Wednesday . . . or maybe it begins on Wednesday . . .) Anyway, the activity on Thursday differs from week to week (great way to start a 'typical week' post, right??). 

 

One Thursday a month, Don goes to a remote clinic in a village called Cruz Chiche. Another Thursday, Don takes me up to Chiminisijuan to meet with the widows, buy their baskets and attempt to share a devotion. A third Thursday is spent in a second remote clinic in a village called Chumisa (located very close to Cruz Chiche). The 4th Thursday is usually 'off'.  The kids and I generally try to do school on Thursdays (unless I am at the widows or we have a team here etc. etc.).  We also spend our time doing laundry, cooking, cleaning etc.

 

Friday, we have a pre-natal clinic here in Canillá.  Don doesn't really do the pre-natal visits but there are usually some chronic cases as well so he tries to be available.  The kids and I do school . . . and laundry and cooking and cleaning.  Market Day is really Saturday but they start setting up on Fridays so we go in the afternoons to buy our fruits and veggies for the week. 

 

Saturday, is normal clinic day in Canillá.  Don is busy seeing patients until lunchtime. The kids and I do school, laundry . . . well, you get the picture. 

 

Sunday is clinic in San Andres. Don and the other medical people leave around 8:30 am or so.  This is typically a long clinic day so the kids and I occupy ourselves with school, laundry, cooking, cleaning . . .

 

Monday is usually a free day!  I try to catch up on the finances for the ministry and for us personally.  Don works on whatever projects he has going on.  The kids try to occupy themselves because they knew that if they are bored, I will ask them to do school, cook, clean . . .

 

Tuesday is the remote clinic in Chiminisijuan.  Bethany goes with Don to learn . . . and get out of the cleaning the bathrooms which is what Sam and Hannah are doing while she is gone. I try to also catch up on things that are always pending and never seem to leave the 'to do' list.  Tuesday night we have our English worship time as we prepare for our day of rest on Wednesday. 

 

At this point, I should add that we have Spanish worship on Thursday nights and morning prayer sets on Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 5:30 until 7 am. (This will all be changing soon - Monday is changing to a Spanish prayer set held at the Nursing School and Caleb wants to add a Thursday morning set as well). The younger kids also go to a Spanish class one afternoon a week. 

 

Wednesday is our Sabbath. Here is how we spend a typical day off:

 

Playing on her ipod in the chair.

Playing their ipods/phones in their beds. 

This version of 'playing on his phone' includes still in his pajamas and it is almost lunch time. (Sorry about the lack of shirt - wanted you to understand the true sacrifices we have to make around here!!)

 Just so you know that we don't all do the same thing, I have added the 'drawing on the couch while my cat plays with my pencil" option.

 

As you can see, we lead a very glamorous life!!  Actually, we lead a life that surprisingly looks a lot like our lives in Omaha . . . except for the language issue and well, the other differences that come from living in a remote place in the highlands of Guatemala. 

 

All of this changes when we have visitors here . . .

 

I often really wonder if we are making a difference in this place. And yes, there is more to our lives than what I quickly summarized above but we really do spend a lot of time doing the daily 'living' tasks.

 

Usually, I come to the conclusion that it doesn't really matter if I think we are making a difference.  It really boils down to living the life that the Lord has called us to live.  It doesn't matter if that means moving to a 3rd world country or living in a suburb in some big city.  The Lord has plans and purposes for all of us.  The question is really about obedience.  We know that the Lord has called us to this place for this time and season.  We know that we have a role to play (all six of us) here.  We also know that we are here because we love the Lord and want to walk on the path that He has for us.

 

We pray the same for all of you.  We pray that no matter what you are doing or where you are living, you are doing it because the Lord has called you to it.  As hard as it is to be where He has called us to be, it is much more difficult to go our own way, on our own terms, with only our own plans to guide us. 

 

His plans don't often look 'glamorous' but they are filled with purpose and priority. May our eyes always be fixed on Him . . . and when our gaze slips, I pray that we turn once again to all that He has for us.

 

Psalm 119:15  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

I will meditate on your precepts
    and fix my eyes on your ways.

 

 

Update on the Lifegate Team

The last two sets of the 72 hours were held out on the front porch of the house.  It was an awesome time of worship.  Everyone worked hard and finished strong.  In fact, singing and horsing around went on for at least an hour after the 72 hour mark.

On Thursday, we hiked up to the Chiminisjuan clinic and then further up to an outlook over the entire valley.  

We spent time praying over the clinic and the valley.

Thursday night worship was also moved to the front porch.

Things started off with soccer for the boys and volleyball for the girls.

Friday night, the Guatemalan students returned and we had more games and a movie night.  Fun was had by all as they "sweated" and laughed together!

Sunday, the team went to the Home of Life, Guatemala.  It was a time of seeing old friends, making new friends and of course, more soccer!

Early Monday morning, the team started the trek back home.  Once we arrived in Guatemala City, we spent our time shopping, eating and laughing!  We also spent some time debriefing and discussing the cultural issues that the team may experience as they step back into their lives in the States.

We are so thankful for this team.  The worship was incredible, the fellowship so much fun.  It was a very encouraging time for all of us.