Kids Day, Duck Duck Goose, Balloons and Pinatas

Accidents are Bound to Happen -Can you say Frogger?

Okay, a week ago I stopped at the front gate where my pocumchi friend was waiting on a bus. I asked her if she needed a ride. She said not that day but maybe another day. I said great let me know and she invited me to her house on Saturday. Saturday came and went and the next thing you know I am saying to her "Hey why didn't you have me over?" She laughed "Why didn't you come?" I didn't know where you lived" I replied. She said "well maybe someday." I then said "How about today?" She agreed and we were on our way. (sorry, songs pop in my head) I had no idea how far she lived. She told me it took her an hour and a half on foot to get to her house. I really had no idea it would be that far because it takes 20 minutes on foot to get to town for me and five minutes on my moto. Long story to the climax, it takes us a hour on moto to get to her house because she wanted me to go really slow. I get to her house and couldn't stay long because of the sun getting ready to set. Because the roads were so badly made it was a rough ride home. But as I am leaving her town there is a motorcycle with two guys on it and a dog biting at their feet as they drive by him. I decide to go around them so the dog will not notice me. Needless to say, the dog spotted me as I was zooming past the other moto and I shifted my body to the right side of my moto. The dog came at me full force and I proceeded for the ditch. As I knew I was going to crash I jumped from my moto and landed in the dirt. The dog sheepishly walked away like he did nothing wrong. The two guys looked back in disbelief that I wrecked because of a dumb dog. I jumped back on my moto and prayed it would start and it did. With a cracked front end and my front light lose and dangling, dirt on the right side of my body, I am sure I was a sight to see. I made it home in 30 minutes and I was thankful I wasn't seriously hurt. As I sat on my couch when I got home, one of my roommates looked at me very stunned. I was like "What?, why are your eyes big and looking at me crazy" She said in Spanish "Tu pelo es loca?" I guess my hair was a little messed up from the ride back, I didn't care. After playing extreme frogger and surviving the ultimate stage, all I wanted to do was drink my last Dr. Pepper. (Chinese voice) Not takon, when Guatemalan say hour and a half walk means, one hour bike ride with passenger and do it with a stick in hand for dogs.

Reaching our Goals

This year we have decided to have a basketball league. After discussing this, it became evident we needed to look at the condition of our goals. The goals we have right now are not solid goals. They are portable but very broken and almost unusable. To get people to come to our court from the community we need better goals. We need a facility, in which, people will be excited to play on, to reach more people for Christ. Therefore, I have decided the Sport Club will help in this endeavor to construct piping on top of our soccer goals so the goals are strong and secure, yet still portable. Thanks to Brad and Scott (friend here in Guat), we will be starting on the construction for the goals soon. Please pray for the cost to be minimal and we can get this done soon. Thanks for your prayers in helping us get things developed with Sports here. It's been an exciting year so far and we haven't even started.
Many people have been asking me what my needs are down here. I tell them equipment for the public schools and they want me to be specific. Okay, imagine if you will, a school where there is one teacher for three grades, another school 30 kids in each classroom with no PE and minimal recess, and another where the teachers ask the students to take their shoes off outside the door because it tracks mud in the class room from their journey to school in the rain (most of them don't wear socks)the teacher are also the cleaning people. They can't afford PE teachers, therefore, I am starting with nothing to try and bring the light of Jesus and PE to these schools. I am praying to buy enough balls for 60 kids each school in order to have a PE classes. We are going to be teaching Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, Football and Baseball. We are teaching in three schools but our goal is eight this year.
Here is a list of needs: Prayer for strength for our coaches. We could use $500.00 each school to buy balls, cones, nets, bases, bats and shoes. We need $500.00 to buy bibles in Spanish and Pocumchi to give to 8 schools we are praying to reach by June (each bible is about $12.00). These are a few of our goals. If you can help us reach our goals, it would be wonderful to partner with you.

Sports Club - Begins Soon

I am very excited to report I have 10 students from our school signed up to be coaches and they are taking it very serious. This week we did role playing and it helped them understand the importance of not judging a book by its cover. Each kid will challenge them in some way and sometimes there might be issues at home. We had a lot of fun getting out the balls and having them demonstrate their coaching skills.

This year we have amazing news because we were able to get into three Public Schools (because of my Spanish class connections) and will be able to teach them Sports/the bible for an hour. I am very excited about this opportunity and need your prayers as we begin the process of getting organized. We have two weeks before we enter the schools and there is a lot of preparation before March 1st. I prayed for supplies for the Public Schools and just today I got an e-mail from a friend who is going to be helping financially with some of the cost. It's amazing how fast God can work!
Please pray for Juan Carlos, Billy, Jonathan, Pedro, Kimmy- top row and Diane, Karin, Tuti,Morgan and Elisa-bottom row. They will be leading the way in doing extraordinary things for Jesus! Amen to answered prayer!

Internet Dating - On Valentine's Day

Well, I know you would never see a title like this a year ago. But a year ago I wasn't dating anyone. I got back to the States and by the Will of God I got back with my ex-boyfriend Scott. Crazy thing was God still sent me to Guatemala but with just a little bit better technology. I have Skype now thanks to my great friend Kevin Mills. I was able to spend time this Valentine with my sweet guy Scott on the internet. We both have web cams and this makes life a little bit better being so far apart. I want you to know it was an awesome valentine's date and very romantic. Even though we were miles apart God supplied the perfect way for us to spend time with each other and have a little date. I know you are thinking (that's a little cheesy) but I have to tell you it was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Scott has won my heart a million times over. Each day he has grown closer to being the man God has designed him to be and it's awesome to be apart of his growth and strength. I am in awe of how God can bring even an impossible situation into such a perfect time for me to know God loves me.
I am loved and I am thankful.

What would we do without games and balls

So today we took around 80 kids to a families Ranch home for games and to spend time with their teachers. It was really fun to watch them play and enjoy each other. Several people from my singles group back in the States gave me money for new soccer balls and they were put to use today. I also bought a large basketball which we used for kick ball. They call it Kitball (which I think it hilarious). The place we played at was just wonderful. It reminded me a lot of China with crops growing on the mountains. By the end of the day we had destroyed the big basketball with a cactus and we ran out of water. I was in charge of taking photos and just loving on the kids. I think they had a great time. Only a few got injured and most just had plain old fun. I am very tired and need to take a nap! Today reminded me of my lack on energy lately, I will not claim I am getting old!

Survival with the Lewis Kids

Recently, the Lewis's headed to the States for another trip to raise more money. They needed someone to watch the kids for about a week and a half. Note they have five kids (Kimmy, Becca, Jed, Chris and Ahava) and a dog (Poochies). We have had a great time so far. Only ten times have we lost the Chihuahua "Poochies" and of course found him outside because someone left the door open. I have been woken up by crying, only to find little Ahava (the littlest Lewis) had slipped on the steps going up the stairs in house slippers.
No fights so far only fun stories, here is one they can add to their collection. We went to Coban (which is a town about twenty minutes away) to get food and play. Before we left we needed to stop by the market again to pick up onions. As we waited for Kimmy to return with the onions, we notice men with automatic guns and tons of ammunition. While we were talking about how they were probably drug runners or something, Kimmy got back into the truck. Of course, I never notice this and Brad started to drive off. Brad is a character and always does things to annoy people. I thought he was up to his same tricks and was getting angry with him. I told him he needed to head back to get Kimmy. He thought it was funny I hadn't notice and wanted to push the envelope. We turned towards out of town and I asked him to turn around right away. Then I feel this gentle hand touch my shoulder and there was Kimmy in the backseat smiling. It's been an adventure so far and it's been two days.
Please pray for the Lewis's to raise enough money for the rest of the year. Pray for protection for their kids as I am watching them for the next week and a half. What great kids they have raised and such helpers. It's been fun and encouraging for the future.