The
end of August will mark the closing of one chapter on this mission
journey and the start of another. It will also mark the 1-year
anniversary of living in this house, and we've just passed my 2-year
anniversary of living in San Antonio Aguas Calientes by a few days.
So, all-in-all, I can jokingly say that the time is right. However,
it's not with a little sadness that I'll be leaving this town. I've
made many good friendships here, some even recently. It's
conveniently located. It's tourist-friendly. Its roads are all on
maps (at least the parts of town that I frequent). And yet, looking
forward to the future is also positive. My new “next-door
neighbors” are people who treat me like a daughter. I'll be able
to visit Antigua (and many of my old friends) pretty much every
weekend. Kaqchikel—the native Mayan language—will ideally become
second, er, third nature to me. I don't really know what the future
will hold for me, though; so I'll take the rest of this to tell you
about this past month.
On
July
22nd,
I
welcomed
a
young
woman
named
Madeline
into
my
house.
She
is
from
the
Ann
Arbor
area,
and
has
a
cousin
who
attends
the
school
where
my
mother
works
(which
is
how
she
learned
about
me
and
what
I
do).
She
has
a
heart
for
helping
people,
especially
kids,
and
has
felt
drawn
to
Central
America.
We
have
spent
the
past
month
allowing
her
to
explore
mission
opportunities
near
Antigua
and
even
took
a
trip
out
to
let
her
see
what
I
do
in
Los
Encuentros,
Solola.
The
first
two
weeks,
she
served
at
a
project
in
San
Felipe
de
Jesus
called
God's
Child
Project.
This
organization
has
many
different
projects
which
it
runs
including
a
malnutrition
center,
a
homeless
shelter,
and
an
after-school
program.
During
her
two
weeks,
Madeline
got
to
experience
each
of
the
different
projects
that
they
have
there.
After
that, Madeline has spent these next two weeks working at a project
here in San Antonio Aguas Calientes called Paso a Paso (Step by
Step). This project is much smaller (and much younger), but it
operates an after-school program as well. However, it offers
additional support to the families as well. The children here
receive lunch 3 days per week. They're offered a safe and structured
environment with discipline. And, most importantly, they are offered
a lot of love. This program could do a lot more if they had a little
more funding, and Ana Luisa, the founder and coordinator, is going to
work to set up a sponsorship program for the kids.
Besides
the work that Madeline has been doing, we've also taken some time out
to see a little bit of the country (nothing I haven't seen before), a
bit of the crafting (we're even learning to weave), a bit of the
culture (we attending a VERY traditional wedding), and a bit of the
food (some of which I have prepared, and some of which I've
commissioned a friend's family to prepare). Right now, she's
learning how to sweep with a spray bottle in one hand. (Sweeping a
concrete floor seems to send very fine cement dust into the air
unless it is sprayed in advance and kept wet during the sweeping
process. This dust then settles on and sticks to EVERYTHING.) She
has also learned to wash clothes by hand. Yes, there are things
which frustrate her now and again, but as I have told her mother, I
believe Madeline will be back.
The care and keeping of a
missionary
I
especially ask for your prayers this month as I start up in a new
place and get situated in the community. I ask for your prayers for
Madeline as she goes back to the States and considers everything that
she has seen and done and asks for God's direction for her life. I
ask for your prayers for Antonella who has been my “guard dog”
over the last two years as we look for a new home for her. (My new
home comes pre-guarded and wouldn't be safe for a new dog who doesn't
know the area.)
My
mother
mentioned
the
possibility
of
her
sending
a
care
package
to
me
in
October.
I
know
not
all
of
you
do
e-mail,
and
I'd
like
to
mention
again
that
I
love
hearing
from
you
and
how
you're
doing.
Also,
for
those
of
you
who
do
use
the
internet
and
e-mail,
my
e-mail
address
is
asimmer@gmail.com,
and
I
have
a
blog
(like
a
journal,
and
it
doesn't
require
you
to
log
in)
at
http://GringaOnTheGround.blogspot.com
in
case
you
want
to
hear
stories
and
get
updates
more
often
than
once
per
month.
Thanks
for
being
you,
for
your
love
and
support.
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