My Reading Blog

We once again were blessed to see a different part of Guatemala.  San Marcos is located in the northwest corner of Guatemala in a mountainous region at an elevation of 7,800 feet.  It is a community of approximately 36,000.  It is near the Mexican border and many people pass thru the area on their journey to hopefully "a better life".  They grow produce and raise a variety of livestock and they produce more wool than any other department in Guatemala. Our first and last days were spent in Antigua, which we have enjoyed on our previous builds.  This was no exception.  We visited one of many Jade factories and, of course, I had to purchase my birthday present while I was there.  We viewed the city from atop a cafe and enjoyed the beautiful weather and scenery while also enjoying a glass (or two) of wine.  We toured the Cathedral of San Francisco and Santo Domingo, (which is now a 5 star hotel).  In the 15th century, Santo Domingo was a conv...

This build was very similar to the past two - a block house, 10' x 20' (divided into 4 rooms) with a 3' x 5' bath off the back.  We arrived on Monday at 8:00 a.m. to meet with the family and masons.  The guys were pleasantly surprised to see that the footing had been dug and poured.  The masons were ready to begin laying the blocks.  After prayers, the head mason gave instructions of what they were in need of.  Since the majority of our team were old hands at what needed to be done, we began our jobs. Day 1 - The footing poured Blocks needed to be placed inside of the building, so a line was formed and we moved blocks.  The mason needed some blocks broken in half, so I proceeded to chop and break, then moved on to chipping the ends out of blocks to make "U" blocks.  Several of the guys started mixing mortar for the blocks the masons were laying.  "C" clamps were created out of re-bar, wires were cut to tie the "C" clamps to the re...

It's hard to believe that our Mission/Build Trip #3 is over.  The week went by quickly, we had beautiful weather, an awesome build, a delightful family, super Thrivent and Habitat Team - God was truly with us each step of the way. This year's build was in the city of San Marcos in the Dept. of San Marcos, Guatemala - located in the northwest corner of Guatemala about 100 miles from the Mexican border.  This is at the end of their rainy season and rain and thunderstorms had been predicted for each day.  God blessed us with only one rainy afternoon, lots of sunshine and some clouds, mild temps - low 50's high 70's.  It couldn't have been any better.  Our altitude was about 8000 feet, so the first day was a challenge to not run out of air, but we all survived. Our build this year was for a young family - Benedicto, Laura and their baby.  Benedicto is an 18 year old mason.  He couldn't be at the work site because of his job, but his extended family c...

Earlier this month I wrote a slice about not having delivery of all of our bedroom furniture Disappointment .  Well, last week I got THE CALL.  The headboard, footboard and frame had arrived.  When could they deliver it?  Immediately, I asked?  Well, how about the next day?  No problem. We scheduled it for after 2:00 p.m.  I was at my volunteer job and Hubby was getting ready to go to the gun club for his afternoon shoot.  It was a little after 1:00.  The doorbell rang, the phone rang, Hubby in the shower.  He quickly got out of the shower, ran to the front door as the delivery guys were closing up the truck. They were early - imagine that. They quickly moved the mattress and box, set up the headboard and frame.  A total completion to the bedroom furniture.  Hubby had the bed all made except for the quilt, which we quickly added and Voila .  Smiles abounded our faces and we are so enjoying it.

Hard to believe that a year has almost passed since I was last in Guatemala.  Even harder to believe is that a week from Saturday, I will again be leaving the Ozarks and heading to Guatemala for another - my 3rd - mission/build trip. This time we are heading to San Marcos, which is located in the northwest corner of Guatemala.  We won't know what we are doing until we get there.  We have 12 people going with us (including me and my brother).  Half of our team are going for the third time.  Needless to say, "we're hooked" on helping Habitat build houses and make things better for those less fortunate. After last year's trip, my brother and I both decided that was our last time, but the trip was announced and God pushed us to go and help.  We'll be working with the same Habitat coordinator - Fredy is one of those special people.  A native Guatemalan, who truly loves what he's doing and shows God's love in everything is does and says.  I'm a...

Goodreads summary:  " Mary Ingles was twenty-three, married, and pregnant, when Shawnee Indians invaded her peaceful Virginia settlement, killed the men and women, then took her captive. For months, she lived with them, unbroken, until she escaped, and followed a thousand mile trail to freedom--an extraordinary story of a pioneer woman who risked her life to return to her people." Great book - amazing story of how Mary persevered and defeated all the perils that man and nature could throw at her. Finished:  Aug. 2015

Goodreads summary:  " Sidney Archer has the world. A husband she loves. A job at which she excels, and a cherished young daughter. Then, as a plane plummets into the Virginia countryside, everything changes. And suddenly there is no one whom Sidney Archer can trust. Jason Archer is a rising young executive at Triton Global, the world's leading technology conglomerate. Determined to give his family the best of everything, Archer has secretly entered into a deadly game of cat and mouse. He is about to disappear - leaving behind a wife who must sort out his lies from his truths, an aircrash investigation team that wants to know why the plane he was ticketed on suddenly fell from the sky, and a veteran FBI agent who wants to know it all. From Seattle to Washington, D.C., from New Orleans to Maine, the hunt for Jason Archer follows a trail as complex as the world he lived and worked in - a world of enormously powerful computers, a multimillion-dollar takeover deal, ti...