Week Two!!

Week two!
Two things before I tell you what’s going on…  the town is called Lacamá…took me two weeks to get that right. Also, we are the FIRST group of missionaries to ever stay in Lacamá with them. Some people have come to help but stayed elsewhere, but we are the first people to actually live in their community with them. Pretty cool.
This week was very much like week one, except we have gotten a little more used to our environment and surroundings. We are still doing construction at the church, though we are now making concrete. We are still eating many of the same meals, though luckily no more “mac and mayo.” And we are still playing with the kiddos, though now they’ve pretty much conquered their fear of El Leon, and seem much happier to see me (but yes, I still chase them).
We’ve also started playing soccer with some of the local men in the community, and though it may come as a huge surprise, the gringos are holding their own! It has been so fun to play with them…there is just something about sports and physical activity that provides a bond, especially between guys, better than most other things. Unfortunately, playing at 6,000+ feet of elevation (and literally on top of a mountain) gets you winded pretty dang quick, and even more so when playing against quick little Guatemalans.
I also think reality is hitting us a bit, as far as the physical nature of this trip. Many of the other racers have had some stomach problems and other ailments that have not necessarily been extremely terrible, but definitely a big hindrance. Also, even though our hours of sleep are plenty, none of us are very well-rested. We could be in our sleeping bags for eight hours, but it feels like about five. One reason, of course, is that we have been doing construction and playing soccer all day. However, there is another reason…a reason much more sinister, much more diabolical even… noisy animals! I don’t know if the American public has been lied to for so many years or if the Guatemalan roosters just didn’t get the memo, but roosters do NOT only crow at dawn. Pretty much any time of day OR night is good for them, it seems. Ridiculous. And in Lacamá, roosters are all over the place…including approx 30 feet away in a cage outside, living with a couple turkeys who feel their opinion must be heard too. Of course, if the birds weren’t bad enough, there are the dogs that bark and bark and bark and bark and bark. There might even be more dogs than roosters, and they are even dumber than dogs in the U.S. They bark at EVERYTHING. Sheesh. All I have to say is thank goodness for earplugs.
On a more positive note, a couple days ago we got our ministry assignment for next month in Nicaragua, and we are going to be working at an orphanage!! Our work could include a garden project, some construction, preaching and evangelism, and of course playing with and taking care of the little ones. I’m so excited about it, and very aware of how often the First Testament prophets, as well as Jesus himself, commanded us to take care of orphans. We will be working with Team Hot Mess, whose leader is Christine Keeling – the one person I knew before the World Race! She is an incredible woman of God, and when this journey is over I guarantee she will blow the minds of her family, friends, and everyone who knew her before the Race. Can’t wait to work with her and her team!
Please be praying for us as we come to our last week or so of work in Guatemala. Pray for health and rest, as several of us are struggling with physical ailments. Pray for all the WR teams, that we would continue growing in unity and love as a family. Pray for the hearts of the people we come into contact with here in Guatemala as well as next month in Nicaragua (and also Costa Rica for Team Increase!). Lastly, please pray for the financial support to come in for our team, since several of us still have quite a ways to go. Last time I checked I still need about $3,500, and I know there are some racers in much more dire straits than that.
Thanks to everyone reading this! Your thoughts and prayers are felt by all, and we thank you and love you from the bottom of our hearts!