A Swiss Family Robinson Weekend

This past weekend Audrey and I went on a trip to Semuc Champay.  We had a really great time, but it was an interesting experience to say the least.  

We left Friday afternoon around 2:00 and finally arrived at our destination around midnight.  It was a super long trip on a pretty uncomfortable little van.  We were really happy to finally arrive.  However, when we got there we found out that we were staying in an ecological hostel which basically translates to the following: we slept in a hut you had to climb a ladder to get up to, the bathroom and shower was in a separate hut, and there was no electricity.  Hence the title...A Swiss Family Robinson Weekend.

The next day when we woke up and could finally see where we were, we realized it was going to be a fun trip. The area was really beautiful, and we booked a tour for the day to see some of the sights around the area.  The tour started off with a hike up to a look-out point to see some of the beautiful natural pools.  When we got to the top, it was absolutely gorgeous.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything quite like it.  We couldn’t wait to get down to the pools and start swimming in them!  The pools were just as much fun as the view made them look.  The water was crystal clear and it was so nice!  There were even little rock slides we got to go down from one pool to the next.  It was really fun and a brand new experience.  In the afternoon we got to relax a little and take an intertube ride down the river.  After that came the most stressful part of the day for me.  Part of the tour included going in a cave.  This wasn’t your typical cave experience.  Each person in our group got a little candle and the guide had a headlamp.  However, the worst part was that there were parts of the cave where you had to swim!  It was super creepy and kind of tough while holding a candle in your hand.  It was definitely a new experience, and Audrey really enjoyed it so I’m glad we got to do it.  However, I don’t think I’ll be doing that again.  Ever.  After the cave we trapped a tiger in a pit and Ernst wrestled an anaconda in the river.  Okay...that part is just a joke but I needed to keep the Swiss Family Robinson theme going.  The rest of the night was spent having dinner and meeting some interesting people from around the world.  It was a really great day.

On Sunday we woke up bright and early and made the long trek back to Antigua.  We made it back safe and sound Sunday afternoon around 4:30.

The weekend really was a lot of fun, and I’m so glad I had Audrey there to experience it with me.  Actually, I’m just really glad she’s been on this entire trip with me.  I don’t know what I would have done without her.

Please keep as both in your prayers as we’re only in Antigua for 10 more days!!!  Woohoo!  I’m so ready to be back in the DR.  Pray that we’ll learn as much Spanish as we possibly can and please continue to pray for our safety and health.  I love and miss you all very much!

A Brief Update on Life in Guatemala

It’s been a few days since I’ve written so I thought I’d give all of you a little update on some things that have been going on here in good ole’ Antigua.

Monday: I got super sick.  It was not a pretty sight and I spent pretty much the entire afternoon hanging out in our super blue bathroom.  I think I might have eaten something that just did not set well with me.  Luckily, it only lasted one afternoon and it was over.

Tuesday: I was still feeling a little weak from the day before so I spent the afternoon relaxing at our little house.

Wednesday: Audrey and I decided to go on a trip with the school to climb a volcano called Pacaya.  We were given very little information besides what we needed to wear.  It was about a 45 minute drive to the volcano.  When we got there we were told it was about an hour or an hour and a half hike up to the top.  Well, to make a long story short, the hike ended up being about 2 hours, I was definitely not up to it after being sick on Monday and had to ride a horse half of the way up (how embarrassing), and it literally poured rain the entire time we were there.  By the time we got to the top, we were soaked to the bone and we couldn’t see any of the lava or anything because we were in the middle of a cloud.  I’m sure Pacaya would have been cool on a better day, but needless to say, it was not a good experience for us.  Oh well...we do have a really funny memory and we got a good laugh about me riding a horse up to the top.  Haha.

Thursday: We decided to brave another adventure with the school and went up to Cerro de La Cruz, a little area that overlooks all of Antigua.  This ended up being a great decision for us.  The view was absolutely beautiful with the volcano in the background, and we really enjoyed getting to see all of Antigua.  It was a lot of fun, and we got to take lots of pictures!

Friday: Audge and I made plans to go to Coban with the school, but the trip got cancelled due to lack of interest.  So, instead we decided to enjoy some of the fun things Antigua had to offer!  Audrey and I went out for a night on the town in Antigua.  We found a nice little restaurant that had some yummy non-Guatemalan food and afterwards we went to cute little coffee shop in the Central Park.  When we left the coffee shop it was dark so we took a tuc-tuc (these cute little cabs that look like miniature cars) back to our house!  It was a super fun night, and we enjoyed getting to experience some of the fun things about Antigua.

Saturday: Today has been a pretty relaxing day.  We went to the gym, walked to the Arch and toured the ruins of La Iglesia Merced which was hands-down the most beautiful church we’ve seen so far, went to the market, and now we’re back at our new-found little coffee shop in the Park.

This past week was a pretty good one and we’re excited to see what the next one has in store.  As always, check out all of the pictures from our little adventure on Facebook!  Love and miss you all very much!  

A Little Visit to Panajachel and Chichicastenango

This past weekend Audrey and I decided to go on a trip with the school to Panajachel and Chichicastenango.  We got to see so many beautiful sights and experience so many fun things and meet so many new people.

We left bright and early Saturday morning for Panajachel.  Our group was very eclectic.  It included a mother and son named Elin and Joel from Quebec, a girl named Imogen from England, a girl named Verana from Germany, a man named John from Colorado, and our guide named Hector.  That’s one of the cool things about this school.  We get to meet so many people from all over the world.  It’s a good reminder of how amazing our God is.  He created all of us so uniquely and he loves each one of us just the same.  

When we arrived in Panajachel we got checked in at our cute little hotel and then went to a restaurant that was on a huge beautiful lake called Lake Atitlan.  The lake is surrounded by three beautiful volcanoes.  We enjoyed spending time with our group and taking in all of the beautiful sights!

After lunch, our group got in this sketchy little boat and headed across the lake to a little town called Santiago.  Santiago was really interesting.  Our guide, Hector, took us to see some of the religious things in the city.  I think the thing that touched me most was going to the Catholic church.  While I know that there are things I don’t agree with or don’t understand about the Catholic faith, it was touching to see the devotion that some of these people have to God.  After touring Santiago, we headed back across the lake to Panajachel.

Saturday night was my favorite part of the trip.  Hector took us to a restaurant where they tried to give you a Guatemalan cultural experience.  They served Guatemalan food, they played the marimbe (a native Guatemalan instrument), they wore typical Guatemalan dress, and the owner came around various times throughout the meal to give us some cultural lessons about Guatemala.  The man who owned the restaurant was so nice, and he was so passionate about Guatemala and the culture.  It was a really fun experience, and I’m glad that Hector took us there.

On Sunday we got up and left Panajachel to head to Chichicastenango.  Every Sunday in Chichicastenango there is a huge open market.  We got to spend the entire morning doing a little shopping and buying some gifts for our friends and family.  It was a really cool experience but a little stressful as well.  The streets were super crowded and people were kind of pushy about getting you to buy things.  Anyway, all in all it was a good experience, and I’m really glad we got to go.

Traveling has been a lot of fun and it’s a good break after having class for 5 hours every day.  This week Audrey and I are going to an active volcano, an area that overlooks all of Antigua, and to a place called Cobán where there are beautiful lakes and pools of water.  We’re just little world travelers!  Please keep us in your prayers as we travel across Guatemala and please pray that we will be safe and keep learning lots of Spanish!

Check out pictures from our adventure on my Facebook page!

Mi Casa Es Tu Casa (My House is Your House)

I am finally at Language School in Antigua, Guatemala.  This past Tuesday I packed up my things in the Dominican and took off to language school for one month of intense study of the Spanish language.  I met up with Audrey in Miami and we flew into Guatemala City around 8:00 PM.  Both of us were a little nervous because we weren’t sure what to expect or how this month would be, but so far everything has been wonderful!

The people who work at La Union have been so helpful and they are all so nice!  When we got here, there was a sweet man named Ruben and a girl named Elisabet who picked us up at the airport.  They had cute hand-made Guatemalan dolls for us with our names on them.  They took us back to the guest house where we are staying and helped us get settled in.  The people at La Union had decorated our room with balloons and more dolls.  It was so sweet and really made us feel welcome.  

The next morning Estelita, our cook and housekeeper, welcomed us with breakfast and coffee.  She cooks three meals for us every day and makes sure our house is nice and clean.  She’s a great cook and a great person to practice our Spanish with.  She is so sweet and such a hard worker.  She leaves her house every morning at 5:30 AM to walk to our house to work all day.  It’s about an hour walk!  We already love her, and I’m excited to get to know her better.  After breakfast, she walked us to school for our first day of class.  

I have class every morning from 8:00 to 1:00.  My teacher, Gloria, is super sweet and such a great teacher!  She is so patient and really helps me with things that I am struggling with. The instruction is one-on-one so I’ve already learned so much and I’ve only had three days of class!  The first day seemed kind of long, but since then it’s gotten much better.  Gloria is an excellent teacher, and I’m really glad that I have her.  Hopefully at the end of the month I’ll be a fluent little Spanish speaker.

After class on the first day, the school gave us a little walking tour of Antigua.  Ruben, the guy who picked us up from the airport, took us on our tour, and it was so helpful!  He showed us a bunch of cool places and a bunch of really useful places, too.  Now we feel much more comfortable about being here and getting around.

The school offers lots of fun activities every afternoon and on the weekends.  Audrey and I are going to try to take advantage of as many of those opportunities as possible.  Today we went to a jade factory and got to see how they make the jade rocks into jewelry.  It was really fun, and our guide, Eduardo, was precious.  He was so passionate about his work.  This weekend we are going on a trip with the school to Panajachel and Chichicastenango.  At these places there is a beautiful lake we get to take a boat ride on and a textile market!  The textiles market is huge in this country.  There are so many beautiful fabrics and bright colors.  We’re excited to see what kinds of neat treasures we can find.

The motto for La Union is “Mi Casa Es Tu Casa” and they really do live up to their motto.  They have made us feel so welcome and we already feel like we are a part of the La Union family.  I was really apprehensive about coming to Guatemala after being in the Dominican Republic for three months already.  I really do miss all of the people there and the team, but I am so excited to go back with this experience and hopefully with a better grasp on Spanish.  Please keep me and Audrey in your prayers as we are away from the team and trying to learn Spanish.  I’ll do my best to keep everyone posted on our exciting adventure!

Check out my Facebook album for some pictures from our trip so far!

Manna Christian School Students Selected

After a lengthy application and interview process, many activities with the spring break groups, and much prayer and consideration on our end, the students for Manna Christian School have finally been selected.  We are so excited about each one of these students and the potential that they have to learn and grow and become spiritual leaders in this country.  

Twenty-two students are going to be a part of our school the first year, with three of those twenty-two only being involved with the discipling and English aspects.  Those three students are older and further along in high school, but they were kids we already had really strong relationships with and that we wanted to be involved in some way with the school.  

I wanted to write to tell that the kids have been selected so that you all can start praying for each of them by name!  They are going to need constant prayers and support from people like you because this school year is going to be drastically different from anything they’ve ever experienced.  Additionally, be praying that God will open up their hearts to a relationship with Him.  As I’ve said many times before, that’s the entire purpose of the school, and if we fail in that, then the school is not serving its purpose.  

I’ve included each child's name below.  Thank you in advance for your prayers for these wonderful people who mean so much to me!

Girls:

Carolina

Elisa

Estefany

Graisy

Ibelca

Jailinne

Keren

Rosmery

Boys:

Anderson

Angel

Ariel

Bebo

Carlitos

Carlos

Cristopher

Elio

Leandro

Nataniel

Ranger

Renecito

Tony

Wilson

The Adventures of Bean Boy and Bean Girls

Last week Chad and I got to take Rosmery, the oldest girl who lives at the Children’s Home, to Puerto Plata for dinner and a movie courtesy of her sponsors and family in the United States, the Beckham’s.  It was so much fun, and I was so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this and spend some more time with Rosmery.

We started the trip off by going to La Sirena (a big supermarket kind of similar to Walmart) to buy some supplies to make beans for the Easter Egg Hunt we were having the following week.  Here in the Dominican Republic, the week before Easter is called Holy Week.  One of the traditions is to prepare this dish known as “habichuelas con dulce” or “sweet beans.”  To make sure our Egg Hunt fit the Dominicans’ expectations, we had to serve sweet beans so we went to La Sirena to buy all of our supplies.  We bought A LOT of stuff to make these sweet beans and Rosmery helped us out with all of it.  She’s not really a fan of the beans, and so she kept making fun of us for getting all of this stuff.  Then somewhere throughout the entire process we started referring to Chad as Bean Boy and to ourselves as Bean Girls.  When you’re buying 10 pounds of beans, 10 pounds of sugar, and various other items to put in a massive quantity of beans, you have to make jokes about something.  

After the bean purchasing, we went to the resort where the movie theater is.  We ate a yummy dinner at Pizza Hut, walked down to see the beach, and even got some fake tattoos while we were waiting for the movie to start.  Rosmery chose a Dominican made movie called La Hija Natural which was interesting to say the least.  The movie was fun as well as all of the conversation and critiques afterwards.

When we finally made it back to Bobita, Rosmery and Keren, another girl who lives at the Children’s Home, spent the night at my house.  We stayed up watching Mary Poppins until all of us finally fell asleep.  

I had such a wonderful time with Rosmery.  She is such an incredible girl, and I really feel like our relationship was able to grow more that day.  Rosmery is going to be a part of Manna Christian School with our discipling program and with the English classes.  She only has one more year left of high school, so she will continue studying academically at the local high school for her final year.  Please keep Rosmery in your prayers as she completes this final year of high school, becomes involved with Manna Christian School, and transitions out of the Children’s Home to study at the university level.  I know the Lord has big plans for her life.

Stay tuned for more adventures of Bean Boy and Bean Girls...

One of the many ways we found to amuse ourselves before the movie started, grinding up some coffee beans.

Rosmery wanted me to take her picture with this really cool surf board.

Our awesome tattoos!

Bean Girls and Bean Boy

Ministering with Mary Poppins

I’ve written about this before, but I love how comfortable the kids at the Children’s Home feel about coming into my house.  A few weeks ago, the kids had been over playing at the house after church one Sunday afternoon.  All of the boys were there, and they wanted to watch a movie on my laptop.  I figured once I told them the options they would change their minds pretty quickly.  I have two movies here.  When in Rome (a major chick flick) and Mary Poppins.  Well, I definitely didn’t expect this, but they were all apparently dying to watch Mary Poppins.  I got the movie set up in my room and they moved all of the chairs from my kitchen table into my bedroom and put them in a neat little row.  The five of them piled into four chairs, and we spent the rest of the afternoon watching Mary Poppins in Spanish.

Once again I am amazed at how the simplest things can entertain and amuse them.  I love that there was no complaining about how small the screen was or how they couldn’t hear it very well.  I love that there was no complaining about what movie we watched.  They simply wanted to be together and spend time doing a fun activity.  

I love those kids very much, and I pray that activities like that will continue the entire time I’m here.  Whether it’s watching Mary Poppins,  playing countless games of Clue  or Mouse Trap, or drawing on the white boards and playing in the cabinet, I hope they will always see my house as a fun place that they are always welcome.  

Baby Connor

After months of waiting (9 months to be exact), Connor Evan Aldridge is finally.  He was born on Monday, April 18, 2011 at 9:20 AM in Santiago.  He weighed 8 pounds and was 19.5” long.  He is absolutely beautiful, and I am so glad that I got to be at the hospital when he was born.

Chad and I left Bobita the Sunday before he was born.  We went to Santiago and got to have dinner with Evan and Rachel and her parents as well as Norm and Kevin.  It was so fun to get to spend this time together the night before Connor was born.

Early on Monday morning, we all got up and went to the hospital to wait for Connor to get here.  They had scheduled a C-section so we were expecting Connor to arrive pretty early in the morning.  As Chad and I waited with Rachel’s parents, a woman came in who was waiting for her daughter.  Her daughter had come in for an emergency C-section and it was a month before her due date.  The mother was extremely worried and was crying.  She was all by herself so Ms. Joyce, Rachel’s mom, went to sit by her to comfort her.  It was so sweet to see these two soon-to-be-grandmas taking care of one another.  We found out that the woman’s daughter had the same doctor as Rachel so we knew it might be a little longer before we got to see Connor.  Anyway, not long after that, the doctor came out and told the woman the baby and her daughter were fine.  We were all so excited for her, and she was grateful to Ms. Joyce for being there to take care of her.  I was really glad we got to experience that.  Well, it probably wasn’t thirty minutes later and the nurse came out to ask us if we had clothes for the baby.  We all said, “Our baby?”  The nurse said yes and then said we could come back and see Connor!  We couldn’t believe he was finally here, and it had happened so quickly!  I guess he was just ready to be here.  

We got to spend the rest of the day getting to know Connor and holding him.  He really is one of the most precious babies I’ve ever seen.  I’m so happy for Evan and Rachel, and I’m so grateful that Connor is healthy and a part of our lives.  I love him so much, and I’m glad I get to be Aunt Jill to sweet little Baby Connor.  

An Update on Carlos from the Texaco Station

A while ago I posted a blog about a guy named Carlos who worked at the Texaco Station in Rio San Juan.  I had met him there and invited him to church, and he ended up coming the following week!  I was really excited that he came and excited to see where that would lead.

Well, about a month has passed since my first interaction with Carlos, and things are still moving in a really positive direction.  Carlos has been at church every opportunity he has had the chance to go.  He works every other Sunday, but when he’s not working, he always comes to church.  One time when he was there I was able to talk to him a little more because Chad was with me to help translate.  Carlos told us that he’s always been a Christian, but a few years ago he kind of went through a wild phase.  However, now he’s back on track and searching for something.  He’s just not sure what yet.  He loves God, and he’s enjoyed coming to church and getting to know all of us.  Carlos really is an excellent guy and I pray that he will continue to stay interested in growing and furthering his relationship with Christ.  

Please keep Carlos in your prayers.  I haven’t been able to have much communication with him lately, but Ronald, our minister in Rio San Juan, told me he was at church this past Sunday (we had a church service at the Children’s Home) which made me really happy.  Pray that he will continue to stay interested.  Pray that he will continue to form relationships with all of us.  Pray that he finds what it is that he is searching for.

A Lovely Week with Levy

The final spring break group was a high school group from Levy Church of Christ in Little Rock, Arkansas.  We were especially excited about this group being here because most of our groups this summer will be high school groups.  We felt like this group would be a good representation of how our summer groups will interact with the prospective students from the school.  Levy did not disappoint us.  They were an absolutely phenomenal group, and the way they interacted with our prospective students was exactly what we hoped for.  

One of the things I found most impressive about this group was their VBS.  It was apparent that they had put so much planning and thought into each and every aspect of it.  The kids loved it, and I even had fun participating!  The theme was Jesus walking on the water.  They had an incredible skit, two really fun and unique crafts, a ton of new games, and an organized, systematic way of getting kids from place to place.  The VBS was a true success, and I was really proud of this group and how much work they did to make it as great as possible for these kids.

With the Levy group came Jordan Crow.  Also while the Freed Hardeman group was here, Audrey Parker had arrived to spend a few weeks.  Both Audrey and Jordan along with Glenn Weaver who came with the Freed Hardeman group are moving here this summer.  We all interned together this past summer, and it was so much fun to get to spend this time together as well.  I am so excited for each of these people to be here, and I pray that God will bless them as they continue to prepare to move here in the next few months.

God truly blessed us with some amazing groups over spring break.  It was so much fun to spend time with them and get to know them better.  I am so thankful that God prepared each of these groups to be a part of the work here.  They were such a blessing to the kids, and such a blessing to our team here.  Thanks to all of the spring break groups for three wonderful weeks!

One of the many fun games the group played at their VBS.

Soap dolls were one of the great crafts the kids got to make.  They loved them!

Great skit guys!  It was so creative and fun!

The bracelets were also a blast.  The kids are still wearing them around.

Sweet Audrey.  I can not wait for her to be here!!!

Jordan is such a great guy!  I know he's going to do great things when he moves here!

The entire Levy group.  Thanks for a great week guys!