Visits from (US) Friends

This past month we had short visits from two of our friends and supporters in the US.

Joe Turner, a.k.a. Grandpa Joe, was down with a team working with Hope for Home ministries and our friends Daryl and Wanda Fulp.  We met Joe about four years ago when he was down on a team, and he became one of our faithful supporters ever since.  We were so happy that he was able to join us for lunch one day, and get to know our guys.  Thanks, Daryl and Wanda, for making this happen!

Lida Merrill, from Heritage Homes in Rochester, New York has been a long time friend of our ministry.  She had a team down working with Bethel Ministries, and managed to break away for a Saturday afternoon to visit with us, bringing with her Pastor Todd from her home church.  Lida is a wealth of information about programs for those with disabilities.  Her area of specialization is the spiritual development of people with special needs, and ways in which the church can become more inclusive and welcoming to those who may not fit our current programs and facilities.  It is always a joy to visit with her, and it was fun to share our vision for the future and get her and Pastor Todd's feedback.

Finally, Laurie Voss, a long time friend and fellow teacher from Omaha Public Schools, spent a little over a week with us.  Laurie and I taught together for many years at Jackson School, working with mentally ill and behaviorally challenged children and youth.  Working in that tough an environment forges fast friendships, and ours has endured over the years.  Laurie took early retirement this year from teaching English as a Second Language, and wanted to be away when school started this fall.  Coming here was a perfect fit.

Dick and I picked her up at the airport in Guatemala City on Saturday, and we headed for Lake Atitlan for the weekend.  Usually we do a "fun" trip at the end of a person's time with us, but we decided that we better do it first or we might not get it in.  Both Dick and I were ready for a break, and this was a great excuse to take one.

Monday we returned to Antigua, after making a few ministry stops along the way.  (Click here to read more about our weekend.)

Laurie got to spend time with me and my kids at Nueva Vida in Santa Maria.  As a English as a Second Language teacher, she was anxious to spend time with Sandra, our English teacher at the school.  I think they had a good time together.

I know I enjoyed having her in the classroom with me, and the kids did, too.  While her Spanish is not fluent, Laurie was easily able to communicate with the kids, and that meant a lot to them.  I enjoyed having another teacher around (besides our Speech Therapist, Jennifer) who actually understood what I was trying to do.  Was hoping for some suggestions, but Laurie declined.

The rest of our time together we spent doing some tourist shopping, running my regular errands (yeah, I know how to show somebody a good time) and hanging out with the boys.  Laurie taught them to play Farkle, and they enjoyed playing war with her.  They seemed to like playing table games with her more than me, but then, that's no surprise.  Anyone who knows us knows she's the fun one!

Thanks, Laurie for spending your time, money and energy on us.  It was so good to have you here.