My espanol is not improving!

I know its only been a week, but the fact is it is frustrating not being able to speak Spanish. It has not mattered too much because I am living with 3 other kiwis, but its difficult having to rely on others to do the talking for me (maybe I am frustrated that I cannot say all the thousands of words I need to say everyday haha). Despite this it has been a good first week here. I am feeling settled and enjoying being here. We have had a fairly quiet week here at home adjusting to our surroundings.

We have been out a few times with Betty shopping for various things which has been fun. At home Caroline and I read, play duets on the piano, help with some vacation bible school prep and 'facebook' :). We also try to go for a walk each day. At first it was a little nerving as there are many security guards around carrying huge rifles! Its now becoming such a normal thing to see massive guns everywhere! I am not sure if it makes me feel safer or not! I try to read my spanish books a bit each day but I have decided I have never learnt how to study effectively so it is proving to be difficult challenge as to the best way to take it all in.

On Thursday we went up to camp with Graham and Betty, about a 45 min drive away. It was a beautiful clear day and we got a magnificent view of some of the surrounding volcanoes. Camp is where we are going for the week tomorrow afternoon to help with the vacation Bible School. We helped with a few things at camp during the day, went to a market then had dinner at some friends place before attending church that night at the local village. All I really know is that Graham's sermon was on Revelation 18..I didn't really catch the rest.

Guatemalans are so friendly, polite and loving! I love them! We always feel so welcomed wherever we go! Today our friend Andres (whom I met last time I was here in Guatemala) took us to a Mayan museum (that is built on/next to Mayan ruins). He was a great tour guide, and is very knowledgeable about Guatemala's history. We then went to a big fancy mall! It was fun to look around and we love trying Guatemalan candy and treats. Andres brother Emilio and Dad then picked us up and we went to look at Latin Americans biggest Christmas tree. It is very impressive! I didn't have my camera but will go back another time to take pictures. The funniest moment of the day was when we were driving along a fairly busy 3 lane road trying to find a park. People are running alongside both sides of the car shouting 'parque! parque!' meaning park. I was surprised that no one was run over! It cracked us up (well Caroline and I anyway) cos it sounds like the are swarking like a bird! It sounded like 'Cuckoo, cuckoo'! A classic Guatemalan moment for me that was so normal for the others. It was such a fun afternoon!

Tomorrow afternoon after church we are heading up to camp. Would love your prayers for the leaders, for the kids and teenagers that are going to hear God's word, for my spanish, and for Caroline's health. Patience for me too please! With my spanish and all the frustrations that come with that! Thank you for your continued support, prayers and encouragment. I appreciate you all!

Chimaltenango markets

Random cd/dvd store 

Guatemala we are here!

It is a pretty creative title I know, it flows from the previous one right?

So Caroline and I are here in Guatemala! And we are already in love with this place (well I already was from my last visit 2 years ago). We connected in Dallas fine and had no problems with customs when we arrived in Gutemala. Graham and Betty picked us up and we got to our home for the next 2.5 months around 9.30pm on the 18th of November.

The weather here is just perfect! It is not too hot but just right so we are able to hang out in shorts and t-shirt all day. We just stayed around home on Saturday which was nice as Caroline is quite tired from jet lag! Our dear neighbour Dilmah then brought us over lunch which was delicious! She then took us to the annual Christmas parade that celebrates the start of the Christmas season! It was the coolest Christmas parade I have ever been too and Caroline and I particularly like all the marching bands (gave Putaruru College band a run for its money) and the food we were surrounded with. We tried these yummy wafers spread with caramel -  delicioso! Was a good introduction to Guatemalan culture!

Sunday morning we went to church. Caroline's espanol is going very well..mine on the other hand is something to be desired. I am so glad Caroline is here to interpret for me, though soon we are going to stop with that so I don't rely on her. The people are so friendly and loving and patient with the fact I don't speak Spanish...yet. We had lunch back at home with the falconers family and some friends from church which was nice. I am feeling rather stupid not knowing Spanish! Then our new friends Marisol, Emilio and Rudy took us to Antigua, the old capital of central America. It is a stunning city! The buildings are Spanish colonial buildings and are so colouful! We went to an old nuns home (nunnery?) which was cool to look at something so old. Our tour guides then took us to a hill over looking Antigua (I need to write down all the place names we went too) which gave us a stunning view of the city and surrounding volcanoes. From there we went back down to Antigua and looked round some markets and ate some good Guatemalan food. It has been a great start to our stay here!

Christmas parade with our neighbours

One of the many cool floats!

Antigua

The old nunnery

Caroline and I at the old nunnery ruins

Overlooking Antigua

Central Park in Antigua

Guatemala here I come!

I cannot believe that tomorrow morning my stay in Minneapolis is over. If you have not already read between or even on the lines, I have loved loved loved my time here! It feels so right to be here. Yea that sounds pretty cheesy but it is so true. The only thing that can console me right now is knowing that I will see the Johnsons again in 3 months. Mer and I booked their flights together last week! I am so excited to see them again and to show them my home ground!

It has been a great week spending more time with the family, friends and seeing the things on my must do list. Spent time in various parts of Minneapolis and St Paul seeing the sites and treasuring time spent with people I am blessed to have in my life.

So tomorrow I fly out at 10.30 and have a layover in Dallas where Caroline and I will meet at our departure gate! Its not every day you can say to someone "See you in Texas!". We then arrive in Guatemala City 8pm Friday night and the Guatemala adventure begins!

Pomegranate & orange bubble tea from the Tea Garden

My American Home

Minneapolis skyline from 50th bridge

Minnehaha parkway

Packers vs Vikings

Lake Harriet

My American Family

10 reaons why I love Minneapolis

1. The amazing Johnson family
2.  Great American (plus non-American) friends
3. The lakes and the parkway system
4. The food (tea garden, chipotle, DQ, Meredith's food)
5. Fall - it is so beautiful here (in fact all 4 seasons are)
6. Downtowns skyline
7. Uptown
8. The Mall Of America
9. The houses
10. Hope Community Church

There are many more things I could add to this list, but this is the top 10!

Let the good times roll!

Time is just going so fast! In some ways I feels like I was just here last week in MN, in other ways I know I haven't and there is so much I want to do still in less than a week!

Caught up with my friend Annalise on Thursday for coffee in uptown (my friend who I ran into at the lake). It was so good just to hang with her and catch up on each others lives. Mer actually originally introduced us way  back when I first came to MN. Meredith was very good at finding friends for me!

I am just love hanging out with the kids again. They are just so precious and I have missed them a tonne! Issac and I like to play soccer and wrestle, Gigi (Gracie) and I have done some piano practice together and Matty and I play whatevers going.

Went to Issac's class on friday morning as his class was reading books they had written to their parents. It  was so cute! Then the big news is I went to Target in the afternoon. I had a list of things I needed to get and I ended up buying a few more things than I needed. Target is just the greatest! It has everything that you could ever need or want and at great prices too!

Friday night was the best! I went out for dinner with friends from my old small group and wow was it good to see them! We went out for a lovely dinner in St Pauls then we went back to Liz's for dessert. Liz had made some chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing with peanut butter m&ms! So good!

Went for a walk round a beautiful neigbourhood with Liz Saturday morning and saw the governors mansion. Went to Gracie's pianno recital, for a run round lake Harriet with Mer and took a trip to the MOA with Stack.

It felt so good to be back at Hope Community Church this morning! I love so much about that church: the music (pretty unique to Hope), the people, the pastor, and the building!

This afternoon was the family road trip in the Sprinter van to Cannon Falls, a small typical American town about 40 mins from home. All the Johnson family, Laura (their German exchange student) and I piled in the van and boy was it fun! Keith has decked out this sprinter which he uses for work plus they use for road trips. It is so cool! It has recliner chairs and a TV! It cracks me up! I am not enjoying the fact that I only have 5 more days left in MN...

Annalise

Downtown Minneapolis

Piano practice

The worlds best ice cream!

Fall leaves

With Matty at the neigbourhood park

Back of the house

Dinner with friends

Family road trip

 Laura and Mer

Thee Sprinter

Blessed birthday!

It was just the best timing to be in Minnesota for my birthday! Nothing could have been better! I went for a run around another of my favourite lakes, Lake Calhoun and lo and behold I run into a friend of mine Annalise! That is crazy in itself but what is even more bizarre is that she no longer lives in Minnesota and is just here for the week! I could not believe it when I heard someone calling my name. We were planning to meet up anyway but it was so crazy that we actually bumped into each other! I was smiling and laughing the whole way round. I also followed a path to look at Lake of the Isles for you Nina! Its still beautiful :)

Mer and I then went to the Mall of America. I was very privileged to have Mer come with me as she does not often go to the MOA. It was just as big as I remembered and after an hour we had only gotten round the bottom floor! We then had Chipotle for lunch (only the best mexican takeout). True to America, we shared a burrito and were full! Target was next on the list and I prounced "I was home" when I walked through the doors. It is only the best department (not sure if that is the right word) store  that originated in MN.

Best cookies with pumpkin cream cheese!

Lake Harriet

                                                                             

   Lake Calhoun

Running around Lake Calhoun 

Between Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles

Birthday celebrations were next in order! Keith and Grandma Rosemary made me the coolest birthday sign! A bunch of friends came over and it was so good to see everyone again! Thanks to all that came, I loved seeing you all again! Americans sure know how to make you feel welcome and loved. I felt so spoilt! Birthday cake was velvet cake (or as Isaac calls it - violet cake)! Just the perfect day!

Grandma Rosemary (Keith's Mum) and I

Mer and birthday cake!

Minnesota

I am home in my beloved Minnesota and I still cannot believe it! It feels so normal yet weird. I truly feel like I have come home to my second home. I have missed this place so much!

All my flights went well which is good, including the long 9 hour wait in LA airport! Arrived in Minneapolis last night at 11pm. It is just so good (understatement) to see Keith, Mer, Gracie, Issac and Matty. They of course have welcomed me in with their extremely loving selves. I love being a part of their family!

Got up this morning at about 7.30 and just loved seeing the kids again! Even though Matty probably doesn't remember me, he certainly isn't showing it!

Went for a run around my favourite Lake Harriet this crispy morning with Mer and her friend then had a couple of American grocery shopping experiences which is always fun (Costco and another random one). Besides that I have just been relaxing and chilling here at home and playing with the kids.

Thanks to all who have been praying for me! I am not jet lag which is great! I prayed that I wouldn't as I didn't want to lose a single minute of time here in MN.

Reunited!

Thats all for now folks...

My Beautiful Nana

My beautiful Nana passed away to be with her precious Heavenly Father late Wednesday night aged 88. She leaves behind her husband (my Grandad), 10 children and their spouses, over 30 grandchildren and a handful of great-grandchildren.

Not only did she leave behind people, but she left a beautiful legacy. My Nana was faithful! Faithful to her  Jesus, her husband, her family, friends and her heavenly Father's work. She was a faithful prayer and a hard worker. Every single year I would receive a birthday card from her with beautiful words, often with a Bible verse. With over 30 grandchildren, she still took the time to write to us each.

Earlier this year she had a hip operation and I sent her a card. To my surprise she sent one back! I can just imagine her writing to all these people who had wished her well for her operation. Her heart for the lost, for those that don't know Jesus was highlighted in what she wrote:

"Actually I had quite a good time in hospital talking with people. There are hungry and ignorant souls everywhere". She had compassion for those that didn't know Jesus. She wanted others to know Jesus like she did, especially her family. "I pray often for the other grandchildren that they may have a real fellowship with the Lord. The need is great 'Cilla. God is able to reach each one of them and waken them to see their need for salvation". I am so thankful that Nana prayed for me!

I am grateful that I got to spend time with her this year before and after her operation. I remember saying to Mum how beautiful Nana still is at her ripe old age. Mum said it was because her beauty came from the inside. That is so true! She truly was beautiful inside and out! She really did shine like the stars!

I loved Nana's sense of humor! She truly made me laugh. I was helping her sit down at the table for lunch when I was visiting her a few weeks after her operation. She jokingly said I didn't really need to help her as she wasn't dying in an old folks home yet! I am sure her humor helped her to live such a long life.

Unfortunately I won't be able to make it to her funeral on Monday as I will be on my way to America. It hurts to know I won't be able to join in the celebration of Nana's beautiful life that was and will always be an inspiration to me. There will be many stories of how she touched many many lives. But it helps to know she is partying with Jesus in heaven!

I love you Nana and I cannot wait to see you again! xx