Going on a beach hunt....

Friday, (March 25th) was Parker's 11th birthday. Usually we plan a really fun-filled theme party, with lots of friends and family. This year we knew that wasn't a possibility, so we decided to plan something special. We asked our local family, Rich and Cheryl Buhre if they wanted to join us on a trip to Monterrico - a beach town on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. They quickly agreed and we made reservations. Let me just say - after the "adventure" we had, Rich and Cheryl may never go ANYWHERE with us again.

Birthday Boy! Poolside cupcakes...nothing better!

Happy 11th!

We estimated that our journey from Panajachel to Monterrico should take about 4 - 4.5 hours. It took a bit longer. We were crazy busy before we left town and I didn't do all the things I would normally do in preparation for a trip to a new place. There is a reason I have earned a few nicknames - Julie McCoy, "the cruise director," "wiki" (as in Wikipedia). I have been known to show up for a Disney vacation with typed, color-coded itineraries. Normally, when we take a trip to a new place, I check out restaurants, fun activities for families, print maps, copies of hotel confirmation, etc. I was never a girl scout - but I come prepared! Well, it's Guatemala - everything takes longer in Guatemala - and my ability to research and prepare is somewhat limited by what info is available on the internet (hopefully in English).

Sooooo...here's the story! We started on our grand adventure a little after 1:00 on Thursday afternoon. We drove down CA-1 to Antigua and then beyond. We have driven to Antigua many times, but never beyond it. We headed for a city called Esquintla, where we stopped at the McDonald's for relief and refreshments. We immediately noticed the change in climate - much warmer and a little sticky - very beachy. Yeah, we must be closer. We continued on to something like an oblong round-about. There was a LOT of traffic, big trucks and little tuk-tuks. We followed the advice of our GPS and took the second turn on the round about. This was our first mistake.

About 20 or 30 minutes later, Lee mentioned that the GPS said our next turn was going to be a right turn, when he thought it should be a left turn. I got out the map and looked to see where we might be. We discovered that instead of taking CA-9 which heads straight to the coast, we were actually on CA-2 which parallels the coast. I said, this is no problem, because there is another road that we can take that heads straight to the town of Monterrico. We find this small road and turn right, we drive for about 20 minutes.....then the road suddenly dead ends at a swamp. It's about 5:30 or so and according the the map we are only 2 or 3 miles from Monterrico, but we can't get across the swamp. Or can we?

Frankly, this dead end startled all of us, and we just whipped around and started heading back to the main road. We didn't really stop and think about how to proceed or ask for directions - mistake #2.

As we headed back to the main road, I looked for an alternate route. I thought I found one, but when we got there it was a dirt road. We started down this road with farms on either side, we came to another dead end and had to make a decision - turn right, turn left, or turn back to the main road. Rich jumps out and asks for directions. It is decided to turn right and keep going - mistake #3.

Lee was getting a little stressed as he knew it would be dark soon and we are lost in the coastal farms of Guatemala. We were not as prepared as we normally are for such a trip - I had no phone number for the hotel, no one knew where we were, if something happened - no one would know. We had no ability to rescue ourselves. We kept driving, kept having to turn right or left, kept asking for directions. Rich had mentioned that we might need to take a ferry across this river that divided us from the coastal road. So he asked several people for directions to the ferry. We followed a guy on a bike to the ferry landing, where we found a sign with a phone number for the ferry driver. We waited at the edge of the river for a small barge to come pick us up. I sat there thinking, "This can't really be happening, it's pitch black outside, we are less than a mile from the beach, and we are going to put our giant car on a boat that will take us across this river. We have asked no less than 10 people for directions. The whole area knows there is a giant Land Cruiser with lost Gringos in it!" This has to be a mistake.

Lee standing at the edge of the river, looking for the ferry.

The barge approaching...

Riding the ferry down the river...

As we waited for the ferry, Cheryl prayed over us, which helped to calm all of us. Later she said, "this is kinda like the game Going on a Bear Hunt. What should we call this game?" Anna Kate said, "How about the Getting Lost in Guatemala Game? or the Going on a Beach Hunt game?" We cracked up! It was the perfect comic relief for a very tense moment.

15 minutes later, the boat shows up, we drive on, the boat takes us down river and drops us off. We drive another 20 minutes or so to our hotel and we arrived safe and sound. Gracias a Dios! Upon arriving, we discovered that we could have taken a ferry from the first dead end road and been there two hours before. ARRRRGHHH!

The view of the Pacific Ocean from the pool.

Utz Tzaba Hotel - tropical and relaxing.

The kids had a blast in the pool with boogie boards!

The ocean was very rough, so we stayed poolside for most of the day!

So what did I learn from this great adventure?

1. I learned it pays to be prepared - bring all the necessary phone numbers and information. 
2. When you get to a dead end, don't panic. Stop to think it through and ask for help. 
3. NEVER take the dirt road!
4. Even though all the safety rules of traveling abroad would say - DO NOT get out of your car and ask for directions - if Rich hadn't been persistent, we would NEVER have found the ferry.
5. The Lord is Trustworthy. Cheryl asked me the next day if I was nervous during that drive. I was tense because it was dark, the driving was a bit reckless and we had little ability to solve this by ourselves. Yet, I was confident that the Lord had 3 options for rescuing us. He could deliver us around the trial so that we avoided it. He could deliver us through it - so that we have a story to share in which he gets the glory. Or he could have delivered us straight into eternity. I was comfortable with each of these methods of delivery. It was a tense experience, but I wasn't scared.

Radfords and Buhres - What a fun adventure! It will not be soon forgotten.

The Lord chose to humble us as we searched in the dark for the right path, yet he delivered us through. He allowed people to give us the right directions so that we could find our way to the light. We had a great adventure, and I'm not sure I would change it. I like that we have a great story to tell. We had a wonderful, relaxing time that followed our adventure. We enjoyed the pool and the beach, the sounds of the surf. Parker had a great birthday with friends and family. Gracias a Dios for your blessing and preservation!

Feathers from my nest....

Hallelujah and Praise the Lord - after 12 weeks - our boxes finally showed up this week. 

It seems fitting that our boxes arrived this week. I reminded Lee that it was one year ago this week that we began the process of packing these boxes and moving out of our beautiful home on Amberton Lane. It was a complicated move. As I look back, I think we culled through our belongings on at least 5 or 6 different occasions. And we still shipped 42 boxes!! All I can say is we were excellent consumers. 

As I opened some of the boxes, it was like greeting old friends. As I opened others, I asked myself, "what was I thinking?" Lee kept saying, "I'm really glad we payed a small fortune to ship that down here. Of course we can't live without this!"

When I saw the boxes, I was amazed we had anything but shrapnel left. These boxes looked as if someone kicked the boxes from Atlanta to Guatemala. The boxes were absolutely pulverized. Take a look...

Not sure what Homeland Security was looking for....but I think they used a baseball bat to look for it!

This is the portrait box....nothing broken! Unbelievable!

It turns out that we lost seven salad plates (my favorite!) and my Kitchen Aid mixer (a wedding gift...sniff). We had some other minor bumps and dings, but for the most part, it all arrived safely. 

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have some of my own stuff around me again. Before I left home, I selected my favorite feathers from our nest in Atlanta. I know it's just stuff, but most of it means something to me. The look and feel of our house has always been important to me. It's part of what creates that indescribable, indefinable feeling of "HOME." Now, I can finally build a nest here that is ours. It has been so fun to feather our nest this week. Here are some of my favorite things....

Books, books and more books....

 

My red dishes...the flower plates are the ones that broke.

New bedding...

Our home here in Pana is truly a beautiful home. But every wall is painted white, with maple colored wood and tan furniture, it can be a little blah. My house in Atlanta did not have a single white wall anywhere, and all the furniture was rich dark woods. We have tons of windows in this house, which brings the lovely green gardens inside. Our neighborhood is like a tropical paradise. Yet - I have missed my reds and golds and browns. I miss the warm and rich tones of home. So -  every time I walk in my room and see this beautiful red bed, my heart just smiles. It doesn't feel like someone else's house anymore, it's beginning to feel like my home.

So after moving four times, three different cities in two countries in one calendar year - it's good to be home!

Sleepless in Panajachel

It's been two months since we started getting plugged into ministry at Eagle's Nest. So much has happened, it's hard to synthesize all that God is doing in us and through us here. We have enjoyed hosting teams from the US, Lee is neck deep in understanding the finances as well as building relationships with the employees at EN. The one facet of this ministry that never fails to crush our hearts: the kids in the home.

Over the last two weeks, we have had three new babies arrive in the home. Tragically, these babies have been abandoned for reasons we cannot begin to fathom. In his mercy, the Lord has allowed them to be placed under our protection and care. It is our honor and privilege to defend the defenseless and protect the fatherless.

Last night, we had the privilege of keeping baby Victoria in our home. Because she has some special medical needs, it was decided that she needs to have individual monitoring until we are fully aware of her individual needs. She has been staying with our ministry partners, the Patlans. They went to Guatemala City for the night, so we got the joy of keeping her for the night.

It's been a longtime since I had a newborn in the house. We believe she is about a month old, but she only weighs about 5 1/2 pounds. Her hands are so tiny; she's absolutely precious. The kids were so excited to hold her and shower her with love. Lee got her in the "baby sleeper hold" yesterday afternoon - she was conked out for a good nap!

I got the night shift. She pretty much slept with me all night. I tried to put her in her bed, but it was very cold and lonely. She definitely preferred cuddling with me on the couch. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep, but I count it pure joy to "suffer" one sleepless night in order to bless this sweet girl.

Hungry girl!

All worn out after her bottle!

"O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart;

you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more."

Psalm 10:17-18

For many reasons, the parents of these children feel defeated in their ability to protect and defend, but the Lord is their defender. Our family gets to be the hands and feet of Christ in the lives of these kids. We are grateful that he has chosen us to stand in the gap. Pray for us as we shepherd these young hearts. Pray for these young hearts to be healed and redeemed by the grace and mercy of their great Defender.