Missy and I learned a few things last year when we were on furlough.  As many of you recall, it was very fast paced and tiresome for us.  We remembered that there are many more summer hours in a day in the U.S. than there are in Guatemala because of our relative closeness to the equator.  We also learned how important it is to schedule rest times into our weeks because we are constantly on the go.  We’ve also remembered this time around to keep a warm sweatshirt with us because we are not used to the cool blast of AC when walking into a house or store.  These are but a few things we are keeping in mind this time around!

We had been planning to come back this year because we know that we will not see the United States again until 2018, when Missy’s youngest brother graduates high school (woohoo Thomas!).  We are using this time to speak at “new” churches that we did not get a chance to visit last year.  God continues to bless us with audience in front of congregations and bible study groups in and out of the York, PA area and we thank Him for every opportunity He gives us to share with others what He is doing in Guatemala.  If you are interested in where we are speaking, you can see the schedule on the events section of our Facebook page here.

Some folks think that furlough means vacation but in the lives of missionaries, it means reconnecting with people we haven’t seen in a while, sharing what God has been doing in our lives and those we serve, and making new connections in ministry.  We do have planned, however, a few days where we plan on disappearing and taking some much needed time off (no we aren’t telling you where!)

While we are here we are trying to be VERY cautious of the “furlough 15” which is the daunting packing-on-of-pounds that occurs while on furlough. Most of our get togethers are scheduled around meal times and when we are still enjoying the many flavors that America has to offer, we are trying to stick to our accustomed Guatemala sized portions.  So, if we visit with you and turn down seconds, thirds, or dessert (ok, Missy says to be sure you all know SHE won’t turn down dessert, hahaha) it isn’t personal, just us trying to be mindful of what we eat.

We had a fabulously smooth trip here aboard Aeromexico and are convinced it will be our go-to airline from now on.  Aside from their lack of baggage fee and in flight movies you can choose on your own, the tickets were decently cheap (as long as we bought them months ahead of time, which we did).  We thank God for His provision and protection and the enjoyable 5 hour layover in Mexico City, despite Missy almost losing half of a Subway sandwich because customs says the cheese could be hazardous if not placed in checked luggage.

We will be here until mid October and while our schedule is quite full already, we would love to be able to connect with anyone who has not already scheduled time with us.  Please let us know ASAP if you fall into this category.

See you around!

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