Segunda Semana

Readers,

I apologize for the possible disorganization of the following post. I haven't blogged in almost a week here in Antigua and a lot has happened. I will often think, 'I need to blog about that!'. Alas, my time online is not as frequent as it is in the States, and I am also trying my darndest to be a better student now than I was in college. Our (meaning me and Darby) new friend Emilio says we are taking it too seriously, but his first language is Spanish, so I am going to continue to be a nerd and work hard at my Spanish studies :)

Praise God that I still really like my family and teacher. I honestly have looked forward to school every day just to spend time with Merle. She has such a light and fun spirit. I am going to continue to study hard though. My first test was today. I did fairly well, but for some reason was not entirely pleased with myself and felt pretty frustrated after. I am praying that I continue to stay positive about it though and just do the best I can in the upcoming weeks.

One of the most interesting parts of chatting with mi maestra is hearing about all that goes on in Guatemala. Currently they are preparing for a presidential election to take place on Sept. 11th (one day after I leave!). The current president's wife actually divorced him in the past year so that she would be able to run. Only a few days ago did Congress eliminate her from the running due to false motives; it has been quite the scandal. Also, Merle is from a small town outside of Antigua and tells me a lot about her family life. They pretty much all live in the same house, and she talks about some of her relatives who leave their children to go to the States - illegally and legally - and they will be gone for 5 years or longer, marrying new women/men and only occasionally sending their kids a toy or some money. She says it's a really sad situation to watch, and I'm just amazed as I listen to what goes on right inside of her house. Being here makes me stop and praise God more often for certain things, and also pray that I am changed to be different at the same time. I guess there is good and bad to each country and culture.

Darby and I have had a really great week though, and continue to grow closer. We have both agreed that school has taken over so much of our time that we can feel ourselves losing some of that crucial, lengthy alone time with God. Please pray that we can find the balance between learning this new language, adjusting to the changes, and keeping our time with the unchangeable God our #1 priority. We did find a great church on Sunday though. The Lord really guided our steps that morning and just when we (with our friend Lindsey) thought we weren't going to find it, it appeared! And the people standing out front seemed to know we were looking for it when they invited us in - it's a bilingual, missionary church right near our school. So perfect and the worship music was wonderful. Also a plus that while trying to find it, or any evangelical church, we stumbled into the most beautiful hotel I've ever seen. It was absolutely gorgeous. Picture below where they hold mass.

We are headed to Semuc Champey this weekend for our first venture out of Antigua. It is supposed to be gorgeous and I can't wait to share pictures. Please pray for our safety though. There are a lot of adventures involved tomorrow and I just hope we will stay safe! Definitely working on my "adventurous side" when it comes to the outdoors. Also, pray for good energy. I have started to feel a bit weary the past few days with everything that's happened.

Thank you so much for your support and I will be posting again soon. Feliz fin de semana!