I love how God gives us exactly WHAT we need, WHEN we need it, even if WE don’t KNOW what we need!  That’s exactly what happened to me this past weekend.  As you know from my last post I’ve been struggling recently with the effects of Culture Shock.  Thankfully, by the end of last week I was starting to feel a little better!

Then we encountered another “bump in the road” as our cell phones stopped working last Friday.  We took them to the store here in Antigua and they told us what the problem was but that it couldn’t be taken care of here and we needed to take our phones to the store where we originally set up the account. The store we needed to go to is in Villa Nueva a 45 minute drive (on a good day) from Antigua.  This is one example of what I meant in my last post when I said I missed having a car and being able to get to stores and handle things with the ease and quickness we are accustomed to in the states.  Our phones not working also resulted in me having to cancel 2 Skype dates with friends last Saturday because we didn’t have a lot of internet time left on our computer account so I was going to use my phone to Skype.   I was disappointed but I refused to allow my frustration take over again.

We knew we would be heading to Villa Nueva the last few days of March so we weighed the options of getting a taxi and making the trip now or trying to wait it out.  We decided we couldn’t be without our phones that long because we needed a way to call for the taxi when we leave at the end of March.  Thankfully, we decided to make a day of it and spend some time at New Life Children’s Home (NLCH) since we were going to be in Villa Nueva anyway.  Colleen decided to come with us and thankfully, we were able to use her phone to set up the taxi.  The thought of getting to see our friends and all the kids at NLCH helped ease the frustration I was starting to feel again and I actually started being grateful for “having” to make the trip to get our phones fixed.

We got our phones taken care of easily and hopefully will be able to take care of any future things at the Antigua store.  After this we got to spend a wonderful day having time with our friends and the children at NLCH.  We were also pleasantly surprised to find out that it was the birthday for the daughter of one of the guards and he was throwing a big party that everyone was invited to.  There were tons of games for the kids and it was so wonderful to watch them dance around and show off for each other.

The wresting championship contest!!  Don't worry there was no actual wrestling :)

The wresting championship contest!! Don’t worry there was no actual wrestling 🙂

The rockstart contest!!!

The rockstar contest!!!

Rock on Jennifer!!

Rock on Jennifer!!

They had funny wigs to wear which Dylan and I got to try on.

I think we're a little overdue for haircuts!

I think we’re a little overdue for haircuts!

Randy and Jorge having fun with the wigs too!!

Randy and Jorge having fun with the wigs too!!

Before the wig Chiky had fun giving Dylan this new hairstyle...I really think it works for him :p

Before the wig Chiky had fun giving Dylan this new hairstyle…I really think it works for him 😛

They even had a dance contest for spouses which Dylan and I got pulled into.  The husband had to dance for his wife and whichever couple did the best (as judged by applause from the kids) won.  We ended up winning because my hubby is a complete goofball 🙂

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkxsXi7rdAQ] 

Finally, there was the excitement of ice cream and a piñata.

The messier the ice cream the better!!

The messier the ice cream the better!!

Only a few more hits needed and this piñata is gonna explode!!

Only a few more hits needed and this piñata is gonna explode!!

And the candy grabbing frenzy begins!!

And the candy grabbing frenzy begins!!

Melvin was a little to tired to get involved in piñata frenzy but he still got some candy and I got this cute photo of him and his house mom Betty!!

Melvin was a little too tired to get involved in the piñata frenzy but he still got some candy and I got this cute photo of him and Betty!!

All in all it was a wonderful day full of joy, laughter, hugs,

Love those hugs from this sweet little guy, Almado!!

Love those hugs from this sweet little guy, Almado!!

And of course seeing our sweet Chiky ALWAYS brightens my day <3

And of course seeing our sweet Chiky ALWAYS brightens my day!

This little sweetie, Andrea, is new to NLCH this past week.  She crawled up on my lap and just sat there for awhile hugging me...not sure which one of us needed that hug time more but she sure blessed me!!

This little sweetie, Andrea, is new to NLCH this past week. She crawled up on my lap and just sat there for awhile hugging me…not sure which one of us needed that hug time more but she sure blessed me!!

smiles, and just enjoying life with some of the friends and family God has blessed us with here.

It was just what we needed to remind us of all the things we love about serving in Guatemala and it made us even more excited for our return trip to Villa Nueva when we get to spend more time with our friends and family at NLCH.

During that trip we will also get to spend a day with our friend Jon visiting families we serve through the Serving At Risk Families (SARF) ministry.  Then we get to spend Good Friday with Pastor Jorge and his family discussing more about what our ministry will look like once we are done language school and celebrating the beautiful sacrifice that Jesus made for us all on that day!!  The fact that Jesus made that sacrifice for ALL people and that there are so many who don’t know and who have never seen or felt the love Jesus has to offer are the exact reasons we are here.  It was so beautiful to have my focus brought back to that and off all the things that were bothering me about being here.  As I said in the beginning I absolutely LOVE how God gives us just WHAT we need, WHEN we need it, even when WE don’t KNOW what we need.

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2 Responses

  1. Sounds like God had a plan- there was a reason your cell phone
    wasn’t working-God knew you needed a break-it was all a part of His
    plan for you to stop to visit with the children and friends at the orphanage!