The Past 6 [and 1/2] Months, Part 2

Probably the biggest thing during the past six months has been our wedding! Kennet and I got married on August 13th at the beach in Tela, Honduras, and it was such a HAPPY time. 

I did regret not having travel coordinator for guests, and I had to do my best to not let "situations" with my family affect me. It was also difficult for me to have my wedding in Honduras while living in Guatemala, and with sisters being in the US and Rwanda, they couldn't assist me with much. Thankfully, Kennet's family did SO much for me. They helped with ALL the decoration details. All of the decorations for the reception and the ceremony area were all thanks to Kennet's mom. She also helped me to have my dress tailored. In February of this year I went to the US for a family reunion and had one afternoon free to go and find a dress. I found a bridal store with an open appointment at that time and went with my mom, sister Emily, and sister-in-law. I tried on the three dresses that they had in the sort of style that I wanted and went with the one I liked the most. Definitely not how I imaged my bridal dress shopping would go, but since our engagement in August 2016 that was my only chance to get one in the US since I wouldn't be going  back again until long after the wedding. When I think about the little frustrations of the wedding, it is a good reminder to me that the purpose of the wedding was to just get married, and to have as many of our family and friends present as possible. That is what made it pure happiness! For me, the people are the most important memories, and at the end of the day the dress and flowers and decorations don't really have lasting value. 

Now, to people who have yet to plan a wedding, I will say this: if there is one or two things that are really important to you, focus on those things! For me, it was having the full-length video of our wedding, one where we could re-watch the ceremony and hear the words that were spoken. I, however, didn't clarify that with the photographer/ videographer, so now it is something that I will never have. 

But again, I'm thankful for the friends and family who were able to come and the beautiful time we had together. Despite inevitable frustrations, I can say that none of my many literal nightmares leading up to the wedding came true, and my one dream did come true: we are married now!

 w/ my dad and mom, 9 siblings, 3 in-laws, and 9 nieces and nephews

w/ Kennet's parents + 4 siblings

                          

Kennet surprised me with a wonderful and relaxing honeymoon cruise from Panama to Colombia, Curaçao, Bonaire, and Aruba. So much delicious food, time in the sun and the water, exploring new places, and meeting wonderful and helpful people. 

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Now we are two months married, but the wedding feels so long ago. What was my little house in San Juan is now our home, and we are learning how to live together and love each other unconditionally. 

Kennet and I get to work together a lot as he works part-time with the Casa; I love that and hope we are work and ministry partners for life. He always remains involved with other ministries (mostly Haiti and Honduras) and his business from a distance, and occasionally locally here with the youth from the church and with mission teams from our sponsor church in PA, Christ Wesleyan. 

This month we have submitted my application for me to be a Honduran resident (yay!) so I won't have to leave the CA-4 (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador) every 90 days. 

We've also submitted the preliminary paperwork for Kennet's green card, so within the next year and half we should be able to go to the US together! At this moment of my life, nothing excites me more. We just might have a WHITE Christmas next year! 

I also want to go to graduate school to get my master's degree in Midwifery which will be for two years. This is the main reason we want Kennet to be able to have the green card, other than being able to visit our friends and family.

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As I've mentioned many a time, the work with the Casa over the past year has been fulfilling and I've been learning so much along the way (and it has confirmed my desire to study further). Moreover, after a year of dating long-distance while I was in my last year of nursing school, and then part-time long distance during our year of engagement, nothing feels happier for me than to be married to and be able to live with, be with, travel with (most times), my now husband (how long does it take for that word to start sounding normal after one gets married? I rarely use the term 'my husband' because it makes me feel very old!).

Even with this contentment with the great things that we've accomplished with the Casa and of being together, it hasn't been without its difficulties. For one, I feel as though I have done my job of helping the Casa get up and running smoothly. At times I feel very anxious and ready to be able to do more, and I am aware that what is next is studying for the specialty. 
Furthermore, this region of Lake Atitlan is remote and it can be difficult to be far from 'civilization' (grocery stores, home goods stores, clothing stores, advanced mechanic shops, airport). There are those frustrations which are still livable (stocking up on 2-3 months worth of non-perishable food when visiting the city, having to stay 1-2 nights in a hotel in the city while the truck is being repaired, having to leave the day before a flight is to depart, frequently having the electricity and water shut off (and unreliable hot water), not having a dryer, having a half-functioning stove, not having cell service to be able to call family/ people in the US, not easily being able to receive mail), but the most difficult thing for me is not having friends or a community at all. Thankfully Kennet and I are homebodies, can read or watch TV series for hours, and love to be together 99% of the time without getting tired of only having each other. For most people I know, they wouldn't stand this lifestyle. And there are those times I admit that I also feel Iike I cannot! 

I've never been one to get homesick until living here. I expected to feel completely at home, like I could live here forever, the way that I felt when I was in both Antigua and SPS, Honduras. But I've found that I long to be able to stop by and see Kennet's family at anytime, spend time with my sisters, with my friends from nursing school, my nieces and nephews, to have a church community that Kennet and I can connect with. Even though we have each other, on many days I feel that we are so far away from everyone we love... it can be quite lonely. Yet my desires are conflicting, because I don't desire to live in the US at all and I know since a I was young girl that I would live as a missionary.

In my years of singleness, I always daydreamed that as a newlywed I was have a cute little house (which we do), and invite people over for movies, guitar-playing, coffee, baking, to have a space where anyone could come and just be (so many people have done that for me over the years). I have my bookshelves full, anticipating that I would lend books to many a friend. Yet I have found here that I don't want people to come to my house or see my belongings. Being surrounded by this general lack of monetary wealth causes our neighbors to see us more as a bank than a friend. We are frequently asked to loan money, help pay school fees, help get a family member out of jail, etcetera, and that plays a part in the loneliness.

I am thankful that I have married an eternal optimist (we balance each other!) and that together we are learning to take life one season at a time, one day a time, taking full advantage of being a blessing to and being blessed by the people we are with. We are here at this time for a purpose. We don't want to waste any chapters of our lives.

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In my many quiet mornings/ afternoons/ nights (depending on the day) I've been enjoying being a part of a 'book club' with my sisters, as well as listening to a variety of podcasts. For now I'll end this post with my current #1 podcast: Head to Heart by Christa and Lucas Gifford. Other than the book Boundaries, any other book or podcast I had ever read/listened to (in the spiritual/ self-help category) went out the window. The podcast led me to purchase her (Christa Black Gifford) book, Heart Made Whole, which has led me to take her 6-week class based on the book. This process of inner healing through the power of the Holy Spirit, learning how to love myself and be a loving wife is just that- a process! In learning all of this while living far from loved ones, Christa's materials have come to me in the most timely manner. Stay tuned for more!

The Past 6 Months (Part 1)

It's quite hard to believe that we are three quarters through 2017! Yikes... my blog has definitely been neglected! I'm going to give an update on the past 6 months in two parts, the first related to work/ministry, the second a personal update.

The Casa in-country staff is now a grand total of 12, seven staff and five community facilitators, and 3 US-based volunteers. We have been taking great strides, completing our kitchen on the ground level, and daily utilizing our clinic space upstairs for prenatal care and birth attendance. To date (Nov 2016 - Sept 2017) we have 275 patients, 78 of those women already haven given birth at the Casa. Each month we've had between 1-6 references to the National Hospital for high risk pregnancies, totalling 30 to date. Our patients have all come from the lake region, thus far from the following towns: San Pedro, San Pablo, San Marcos, San Juan, as well as a few from the rural villages of San Juan.

Throughout these past eleven months, we have held various educational classes for pregnant mothers and their comadronas (indigenous "midwife"/birth attendant) but this September we have begun two new programs: the first being training 5 community facilitators who help us with postpartum home checkups and newborn education, and the second being a monthly class for the local pregnant women and comadronas as well as those in the 3 rural villages of San Juan. 
Each month we teach the women a different topic about pregnancy, birth, care of newborns, and general health. In the villages, we promote the Casa Materna, provide them with prenatal vitamins, and provide an exam of fetal heart rate and the position of the baby. We encourage them to come to the Casa or a clinic where an ultrasound can be provided at least once before birth to confirm the position and well-being of the baby. 
Our first official class was a success; although we only had a few women attend, I was able to detect a baby in a transverse position by palpation, and I encouraged this mother to have an ultrasound for confirmation being that she is nearing her due date next month. I was very happy to see her at the clinic two days later. She made the effort to come all the way to our facility, with her two little ones, for her prenatal check and ultrasound. Her baby is in fact transverse, so now we are able to provide her with the appropriate exercises and monitor her progress. Two barriers for many women getting safe prenatal care is lack of knowledge and distance to proper care facilities, so we are trying to build bridges to eliminate these barriers.

We are also providing support to our patients born with special needs and special cases such as mothers who want to give their baby for adoption. We are very grateful for the recourse of Centro Maya right here in San Juan. As well I have been consulting with some friends who run a ministry for children with special needs in many parts of the country. We are currently consulting with World Pediatric Project and they are proving to be a great resource. As we encounter new cases, we continue to broaden our horizons and make connections with more people who are helping orphans and families with few resource to find the solutions they need.

It's hard to believe that the Casa is coming up on its one-year anniversary. It began as a dream of my friend Erica, and through the faithfulness of God we have been taking baby steps, helping those we encounter daily to the best of our ability. Our dream is to help as many as we can, and each and every person we can help have a safe pregnancy, birth, and a better quality of life is a gift to us. As long as God is willing to provide the location and resources for the Casa to function, there are able and willing hearts here serving without ceasing; I am very thankful for our dedicated Guatemalan staff and to be able to both learn and teach alongside them.

Please be sure to follow us on social media to stay in touch with us!

Facebook: Casa Materna Atitlan

Instagram: casamaternaatitlan

Website: Casa Materna Atitlan (casamaternaatitlan.org)

If you would like to make a donation to a specific project or patient (via our website!), please do email me at casamaternasanjuan@gmail.com and let us know for how much is your donation and what it is designated for. 

Wait... we are four months into the new year already?! This is crazy... my (once very recently baby) sister Abby turned 21 yesterday, my wedding is coming up in four and a half months (!!!!), and I can't believe I've now been living in San Juan for almost eight months. I thank God for the blessing of the Casa to the families in this region, for those of you who are supporting them with your prayers and money, and for this opportunity that I have to serve here and to learn so much. One of my favorite parts of my job has been learning how to do the ultrasound. There is so much to learn but I am thankful to have the basics down and my newest skill is determining the sex of the baby!

We had 13 births during the month of March and 5 hospital references all with positive results. We have about the same number of births scheduled for April. We currently are serving 130 moms prenatal and postnatal!

As our number of patients grows and our desire to be more regularly involved in the three remote villages of San Juan (Palestina, Panyebar, Pasaquim) grows, please do pray for the finances and the right people to join the Casa staff. 

Our kitchen and wash area is in the finishing stages. We have a very small space that we use for a kitchen right now and no wash space, so we are very excited!

Please do follow us on Instagram (Casa Materna Atitlan) and Facebook (Casa Materna Atitlan) for current updates with patients and projects we have going on. 

This week we had two professors from the College of Nursing (Midwifery Department) from the Univ. of Utah come to visit. They are investigating places for their students to do study abroad and post-grad internships. It was a great visit and I hope that we are able to collaborate with them. I told them I want to be a midwife and they said that they will look for my application... I didn't tell them I'm most likely going to stay on the east coast :)

I am very thankful that Kennet has been able to use his many skills to help in the process of establishing the Casa. As we look forward to our wedding and our life together here in San Juan for a time, we are very thankful that he also has the opportunity to serve long-term with me in this clinic.

This week he actually ventured outside of the crater and visited the beautiful land of Haiti. It was his first time there as well as his first time meeting my brother Jon! They are there with The Hands and Feet Project. If you are interested investing in the future of Haiti, I highly suggest this organization! They work hard at family preservation and care holistically for orphaned and abandoned children. 

I am particularly grateful that Kennet and Jon are on this specific trip for several reasons. One of them being that I see great potential for my brother to use his film skills and resources to support Haiti. He has such a big heart and there is so much opportunity for him there! Another reason is that orphan-care and adoption have always been close to my heart.
I have many friends and family members who are part of my life through the miracle of adoption. There are so many countries represented in my life... India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Romania, China, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nicaragua, the US, to name just some of them. 
As most of you know, I have two little brothers in heaven. I've always wanted a baby brother since losing both of mine, and God did provide that for me through the adoption of my little brother, my little champ, Nathan. 
And you know something cool? A total side note...I was listening to a podcast recently of Christy Nockels. Her husband's name is Nathan, and she shared that the word "nathan" in Hebrew means "to give." Wow. God did give me the little brother I've always wanted. He is the giver of every perfect gift (James 1:17).

One thing that I love in particular about HaFP is that they not only care for orphans, but they help employee kids graduating from their program, and they fight for family preservation. Since I was very young I have wanted to work in orphan care and adoption. In learning about HaFP's family preservation work (as well as my friend Tara in Honduras launching a new family preservation project with her orphan care ministry), I began to be more deeply grateful for the work that I am doing through the Casa, helping mothers and babies survive pregnancy and birth, helping prevent orphans and keep families together.

Kennet will also visit REBUILD globally whom my friend Sarah works with. Another amazing organization fighting poverty through education and entrepreneurship/ job provision (check out the founder's TED talk on the website- very inspiring). 

Kennet's report to me after his first hours in Haiti was quite surprising to me. He grew up in Honduras, a country beautiful country with beautiful people, though ravaged by corruption, extreme poverty, and violence. We now live in Guatemala and in the same type of situation. Seeing poverty day in and day out. 

I have been to Haiti twice back in 2008, but not since the earthquake. My experience there was actually very similar to my experience here in Central America. I know from pictures and my family's stories about how devastated the country still is seven years later post earthquake and now post hurricane, but there is nothing that takes the place of experience. 

After driving two hours southward from Port-au-Prince to Jacmel, Kennet told me that he was "shocked" at the state of the country. He said Port-au-Prince is a complete disaster. There is no order. People just burn trash anywhere and everywhere and dig through it to find food and recyclables. He said that he could see the desperation in their faces. I knew that Haiti was in bad shape from my family as I mentioned, but I was honestly surprised to hear this report from him. He told me, "I mean, it's not like Aleppo, but it's really bad."

When I told my mom what Kennet said, she told me that she calls Nicaragua "first world compared to Haiti."

These conversations have caused me to think a lot... to think about people as individuals, not as a country, a region, or a city. Because to me, suffering is suffering and there's no difference to your suffering depending on what country you live in. When you have no job, no access to clean water, no means to buy school supplies for your children, when your husband beats you and leaves you alone with your young children to fend for yourselves, when you're an orphan living in an overcrowded government facility being abused sexually and physically, when you are living in a tent in a refugee camp, having fled for your life and having lost everything...more than anything, when you don't know love and you don't know your purpose for existence... This suffering is everywhere and I don't believe that it is fair to label countries or compare them and leave it at that, because we miss the individual. 

I understand the larger picture and that Haiti is more in ruins economically and that the government is maybe more corrupt than other governments. And that compared to a war-torn country it is in much better shape. And on the larger scale we can rate countries based on such things as safety, employment, incomes, access to education, etc, but I don't want this to cause me to miss the individual. The need for food and shelter and safety and family and more than anything, to know the love of God is equal everywhere you go.

In March, a fire was set by some teenage girls living in a government-run facility for orphaned and abused children near the City of Guatemala. Some of them began to protest/escape due to the horrid living condition and abuse. When they were locked up after trying to escape, they set fire to the mattresses and very sadly 40 girls died in that fire. (Christianity Today wrote an encouraging article  about the government turning to Christians for help in the area of orphan care after this incident, but what a shame that these precious girls had to die in order to begin to get the attention needed!). This suffering is the same suffering that the children that Kennet is with this week in Haiti would be experiencing had they not been in the care of The Hands and Feet Project. Countries and cities may have labels, but don't forget the individual. 

It may sound crazy at first, but there are some people in the United States, for example, who are suffering more than some people in Haiti, for example. Why? As I mentioned before, the difference is knowing the love of God and having a purpose in life.

It doesn't matter where you live, remember that you can do your part to help someone in need. I think at some point everyone is "that" person in need. Remember a time when you were in need and someone gave you an encouraging word, a place to stay, or fulfilled your need in some way. If you are grateful that they were wiling to help "just one," remember that you too can do the same. It doesn't matter where you live. We all need to know Love (1 John 4:8).

Happy 2017!

      Happy 2017 from my home to wherever you are! I spent the holidays visiting family in both Honduras and Nicaragua. It was a wonderful time albeit far too many hours of travel! I am now back in San Juan and we have exciting plans at the Casa as we begin to do community education with the families and comadronas (indigenous birth attendants) and continue with prenatal care and deliveries. 

      To everyone who has supported this work, words cannot express how deeply grateful I am. On a regular basis I see very poor families, many single mothers with little to no money to provide care for themselves or for their babies. Recently, I accompanied a mother to the hospital for an emergency c-section, and I am so grateful for each one of you who help provide medicines, transport, and baby clothes, to name a few things in a case such as this.
      If you haven't see our website, please check it out at casamaternaatitlan.org. You can donate to our ministry directly from there and learn more about our work.


      As I begin 2017, I've been thinking how the more life I live, the more I see the beauty of it and at the same time the pain and injustice of living in a broken world. The more I see the need of our Savior, the only source of true joy, peace, and hope. Everyday I see my need for strength to live in a way that honors God, to be sincere in asking for forgiveness and in the ability to forgive others. As I share life with others.. listening to the story of their lives and experiencing my own life, I am daily more grateful for the whole gospel and for God's great mercy. Because of the LORD's great mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness (Lamentations 3: 22-23, NKJV).
      For my whole life, music has been of great comfort to me and it has always brought me closer to God. One of my favorite albums of all time, lyrically, is When I Was Younger by Colony House. As I listen to it now, I want to share one of the songs with you called Moving Forward (the whole record is worth a listen!) I hope that you find encouragement in it as you begin the great adventure of a new year!

I found life and I found laughter

In forgiveness, I found rest

On the shoulders of redemption

I found hope when hope was dead

I could lose it in a moment

So I dare not close my eyes

I'll watch fear fall with the sunset

And see hope rise with the tide

And when the pain is true

Sometimes the troubles prove that

I'm alive

My eyes are open, my heart is beating

My lungs are full, My body's breathing

I'm moving forward, I found my freedom

I found a life that gave me reason to live

As this dusty road now settles

And I see what lay before 

Every tear that held a broken dream

Is now shattered on the floor

And now bursting forth in splendor

Are the blossoms of second tries

Because dreams that bare the mark of love

Are dreams that never die

Sometimes life can feel so unkind

But sorrow won't define me

Sorrow just reminds my soul

I know the sorrow

I know the heartache

I know with fear comes a tragic heartbreak

But I'm moving forward

I found my freedom

I found a life that gave me reason to love

Inauguration

INAUGURATED!!

We finally reached our long awaited dream of inaugurating and opening the Casa for service. On November 10th, we had a beautiful ceremony and people from near and far who have been an integral part of the Casa came to celebrate this beautiful day. Our general director Dr Erica came from the US along with her sister Monica who is our financial director. Pastor Immer and Shirley (director of missions) came as the representatives from Christ Wesleyan Church, our church sponsor in the US. My parents also came as a huge surprise to me!! They were here for my birthday as well as the inauguration, and it was so fun to show them around San Juan. It was so beautiful for me to see so many people come and to have those who came such a long way from the US here to celebrate this day that we worked so hard to achieve. 

THE FIRST WEEKS

We have begun our prenatal clinic services at the Casa and are receiving new patients each day. Although we are still attending actual births in-home, we are excited that beginning 2017 we will be able to start attending births at the Casa. Lesbia and I work with our three birthing assistants (Joel,  Wendy, Johana) who come on a rotating basis. We are getting down a smooth system as we work out all the details with administration, documentation, etcetera. We are so fortunate to have Merlyn as a wonderful and very detail-oriented director of administration. 

It has been wonderful to also have Kennet in town these days helping with on-going projects such as the website creation, the kitchen plans and the outdoor lighting plans we have for the Casa, to name a few. 

Johana and I are learning how to use the ultrasound machine with Dr. Jes which is a huge blessing for us. We had a wonderful ultrasound donated to us and we are very thankful for this opportunity to be able to learn this skill and provide our patients with the highest quality of care. Normally the cost of an ultrasound in this area is too expensive for the average family to pay. We are now able to better detect problems which need referral to a specialist earlier in pregnancy, thus decreasing the risks of having complicated deliveries. 

EMERGENCIES IN CHILDBIRTH COURSE

Last year, Lesbia and Wendy received a wonderful class on emergencies in childbirth and helping babies breathe from a midwife from the US who volunteers with Faith In Practice. This organization travels all over Guatemala doing these trainings, since this country has one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates. This year, they returned to our area and Joel, Johana, myself, and Kennet were all fortune to receive this class. Upon completion we received and entire birthing kit, complete with an Ambu. Praise God for His faithfulness in bringing wonderful people who are collaborating with us and helping us provide the best services possible! 

Every so often Dr Jes hosts a teaching about perinatal care. This last class we had she taught on gestational diabetes

MY CASA

My little casa is coming along nicely. The grass in my yard is growing as well as the flowers (and weeds…). My kitchen is almost complete now and I am able to cook almost anything! Although I do not have a full-sized fridge, nor do I have measuring spoons, measuring cups, nor baking dishes, I somehow was able to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for the Casa staff and their families (18 people!). I made roast chicken, sweet potatoes, homemade mac n cheese, and baked green beans. I made chocolate chips cookies, and although the absolute easiest thing to make, they were definitely the favorite food among the guests! This year although I missed my family, I am extremely thankful to have spent my first Thanksgiving with Kennet, for this opportunity to work with such wonderful people. I can truly say there’s no place I’d rather be. 

One evening after church recently, one of the youth leaders approached Kennet and I and asked if we would come to a young adults gathering and share our testimonies and how we are serving God here in San Juan. I was able to share a little bit of my story and what I am doing now, and Kennet also shared about himself and taught about using our gifts and talents to honor God. One of my favorite things is to listen to Kennet teach the Bible, and we are both thankful that the youth leaders want us to be more involved in their activities. 

Prayer Requests 

-Collaboration. We have potential for collaboration with other health care facilities in San Juan, so I am praying for smooth collaboration efforts and agreement as we navigate how and and in what ways we will work together to serve each other and reach more people.

-Reaching the aldeas (remote villages of San Juan). One of our dreams is to reach the remote places that have no healthcare access. Many of the families that live here have many children and their parents cannot provide enough food and clothing for all of them. They cannot afford medicine or any type of healthcare even if it were available to them, which it is no. Although we are taking steps to reach these people now with education and bringing them to our clinic monthly, we first need a van as a means of transport. Our dream for the future is to have a Casa in aldeas. For now we keep praying and moving forward one step at a time.

-Spiritual Ministry. I am praying for our spiritual ministry to grow at the Casa. From my own experience with my friends here and with patients, unfaithfulness among spouses, domestic violence, alcoholism, and drug abuse  

Update from San Juan!

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 

-Galatians 6:9-10

Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

-1 Corinthians 15:58 

Ministry 

I now been back in Guatemala for about a month and am settling in for the long haul! July and August were filled with great progress with the Casa, and after spending a few weeks in September back in the US and Honduras with family and friends, I am now back and have moved into a beautiful little house which I am renting from a friend. 

We are preparing for our inauguration of the Casa on November 10th! Just 12 days away. We have been working this month preparing for the ceremony and inviting over 100 guests. I am so thankful for the continued collaboration with Saving Mothers and the Guatemalan Ministry of Health as we prepare for the opening of the Casa. 

As we prepare for the inauguration, we are putting the things together which are necessary before the opening. I have continued to meet with Jes from Saving Mothers, with the Ministry of Health, and the municipality of San Juan as we work to have everything prepared from a legal standpoint. We have also been getting last minute equipment set up and I am happy to say that we nearly have all that we need from a clinical standpoint. We have also been preparing the outside of the Casa, cleaning out the garden, leveling the driveway/parking area, and painting the the outside of the building. While we painted the trim a sky blue, we hired a local painter to do our logo.

It feels like a slow and long process, but I am so grateful to work with a great team of people for such a worthwhile cause and that we are near to providing perinatal care and education to those who are in need!

New paint job for the Casa! We are thankful for our new friend Bernardo who did a wonderful job with the logo. 

Working on the parking area and gardens.  

Saving Mothers/ Casa staff meeting. 

While our patients will pay a fee to help cover the costs of their healthcare, additional funding for the Casa is critical at this time for the continued functioning of the Casa. If you are interested in financially supporting the work of the Casa and/or receiving my fundraising newsletter, please do email me at annaghaas@gmail.com. 

I am so grateful to each one of you who take the time to read about my life in Guatemala, who pray for me, and encourage me from near or far. I could not do it without you!

Personal

My tiny house is surrounded by coffee and avocado trees, as is the Casa (about 7 minutes walking distance from my house). Everyday I collect fallen avocados, and have eaten them with corn tortillas for 1 or 2 meals per day for about a month now. I didn’t think I would ever get tired of avocados, and being that they are so expensive in the US I rarely ate them. But let me just say, if you are in need of an avocado fix, please come visit me- I have plenty that I’d love to give away!

For the first time in my life I enjoy drinking coffee black. The local coffee is so fresh and has no bitter taste. Guatemala is one of the top countries for producing coffee, and this region produces especially quality coffee.

My house is slowly coming together. I am also very thankful that Kennet found me a vehicle for a great price! A 1987 Toyoto pickup that is perfect for my needs right now (namely moving my life from Honduras to here :)) Kennet helped me plant grass and flowers which a growing slowly (but surely.. I think). I have a bed and a closet that Kennet made from his own imagination (having never made one before) so I am very proud of him for that! I have a make-shift kitchen with a tiny fridge, a rice cooker, an electric skillet, a magic bullet blender, and very importantly (and yes, the first kitchen appliance I bought)- a Swirlio. I am hand-washing and line drying for the time being as I am buying all of my home appliances in Honduras for cost effectiveness, so once a month Kennet with bring me some appliances until I have everything. I will never again take for granted these beautiful things that I once thought basic necessities. No, they are something that most people in the world will never use and I am so grateful to have them and to be able to bless others with them.

         Dogs. I have been missing my dog Acey a lot these days (he passed away shortly before moving here). San Juan is overrun with stray dogs and I would love to euthanize all of them and clean this town (and all of Central America) of these poor skin and bone sick dogs, but there are a few dogs here that are filling my need for a dog while I wait for my own, including the three newborn pups of my neighbors' (one of which I almost adopted when she got lost and ended up at my house). For the time being I've befriended Dolly and Tyson which I kind of consider my own anyway since they belong to my "San Juan family."

L-R clockwise: Tyson, Dolly, and the three new pups (bottom L I almost took as my own)

     I have workout routine that Kennet and I created which I try to do about 4-5 days a week, running from here to San Pedro (the next town over), and then doing sprints, pushups, lunges, squats, carrying Kennet on my back, etc, on the road entering the San Pedro which I have duly named “The Hill of Death.” It is a horribly steep hill that the tuk tuk taxis even struggle to climb. When I feel like I am close to death, which usually only takes a few minutes, I then run back home. I basically have a love/hate relationship with that hill. 

     I have been attending Bethel church here in San Juan. The pastor is very kind and I learn a lot from his teachings. Being that Kennet (when he's in town) and I are the only ones there who regularly attend who are not local San Juaneros, it didn’t take long for the pastor to know us. One weekday evening we helped out with an evening service outside. Even in the rain they did not cancel! They are faithful to share God's word.  

     One of my favorite parts about when I lived in Honduras was meeting missionaries and learning about their work and collaborating with them. I have already met a couple from San Pablo and a lady in San Pedro and I look forward to how our churches and ministries can work together. 

     On the weekends it's very fun to explore new places around the lake. A couple weeks ago we went to a beautiful place called Jaibalito with Jes and some new friends who are temporarily living in the area! Jes has been a great help to me not only with the Casa but also in great places to have fun! This is the view from the hotel/ restaurant. 

     Kennet joined a San Juan soccer team and every weekend I enjoy watching the team play. The majority of the team consists of the family of Merlyn and Lesbia, my two co-workers who I consider my family here being that Lesbia houses me for the first 3 months of my life here. We've won 5 of 6 most recent games! 

And on a last note, I'm glad they do not celebrate Halloween here. One, because I don't want to say that I hate Halloween, but I strongly dislike it. And living in a place alone where many times at night (like tonight!) there is no electricity and I venture by the light of my iPhone, I am glad there is no mischief night/ Halloween presence here!

    As always, I would love to hear from you, and stay tuned for more updates!

Steps in a New Direction

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.

Proverbs 16:9

The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him.

Psalm 37:23

The last week of August held much change and excitement for me. Not only did I get engaged (story to come!) but my plans to move to Honduras changed into plans to live in Guatemala, to stay in this tiny, beautiful village of San Juan La Laguna, to continue this wonderful work at the Casa that I have been blessed to be a part of from the beginning stages.  

While I was finishing what needed to be done in San Juan before I came back to the US for two weeks (before my anticipated move to Honduras), my boss called me and told me that they are actively looking for someone to fulfill my position as a full-time paid position. It came as a surprise, even though I knew that the job I was doing wasn’t only necessary for the beginning preparation of the Casa, but also necessary once the Casa would be open and functioning. Because I had my plans to be in Honduras, I didn’t consider staying at this time, although I did daydream about coming back in the future and playing a role in nursing and maternal/child health education once I held a midwifery degree. 

Kennet had come to visit and help with the Casa when I first arrived in the beginning of July and as we rode the lancha (boat taxi) one day from San Juan across the lake to Panajachel, we took in the beautiful scenery, the uniqueness of each village, the massive volcanos and the tiny fishing boats, the immense height of the mountains and the depths of the lake that we floated upon, having an average depth of 720 feet and a max depth of one 1,120 feet. We talked about how fun it would be to live here one day if the opportunity ever would arise. It was exciting to think about but I didn’t let myself dwell there; in my mind I had many opportunities in San Pedro Sula and connections with many people throughout the country of Honduras. I have close friends there who are like family to me, Kennet and his family are there, there are churches there that I love and have have been looking forward to reconnecting with. 

Fast forward two months to when my boss called me, and I was in a conundrum. I so badly wanted to stay and continue what I was doing here in San Juan and have this amazing learning experience in this field of work that I’m so passionate about, but it was completely out of line with my plans and I felt in that moment totally under qualified (how God uses us so profoundly in our inadequacies). In talking with Kennet about all of this, he encouraged me to make my decision not based on selfish reasons but to think about where I would be of most service and gain the most experience with the skills that I am building and the anointing that I have been given. 

After a very short time, much shorter than I anticipated, it became clear that I should stay. After I told my boss, I felt a sense of peace and joyful anticipation for the year to come. I don’t know how long God will have me there in San Juan (maybe one day we’ll have a Casa in Honduras or another beautiful country!). This experience for me has been a reminder to remain open daily and to listen to God’s spirit within me, not remain stuck in my own ways of thinking.

It officially begins the first week of October, and I will have a mix of responsibilities at the Casa, including working with Lesbia as a nurse and birthing assistant, the liaison between our team in San Juan and the US, the overseer of daily operations, and fundraising/ donor relations. 

I thank you, dear friends, for taking time to be a part of my story from wherever you are. Your prayers are powerful in my life, and thank you for what you are doing to support what God is doing in me and the Casa Materna.

I do have a few prayer requests at this time of transition:

- God's hand would be upon every person that comes into the Casa and that we would have ever-growing wisdom in every decision and action we make 

- As I make my home in San Juan and continue my long-distance relationship with Kennet that we grow in our relationship with God and each other

- A conference I will be attending in Naples, Florida, this weekend where I will be able to reconnect with old friends and share about what I am doing in Guatemala