Christmas in Guate

Thank you to so many of you who have prayed for us! We traveled many miles during our short furlough, and now we have safely returned to Guatemala. We arrived here in the capital around 1:30 PM on the 24th. We then bought the necessary groceries, dropped our things off at the house, and then headed to Sumpango for a Christmas Eve service. It has been great to reconnect with folks from the church who have also been praying for us! I gave a testimony on Sunday of all that we did during furlough and also shared some things that God has taught us.

*Here are some photos I just loaded on facebook from the months November & December 2008.

Happy 9th Anniversary!

Scientists have discovered that the longer people stay married, the more they begin to look alike. Maybe we'd better start putting name tags in our underwear!

Happy 9th Anniversary, Sweetie!
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Today, Mindy and I celebrate 9 years of marriage. We are dropping the kids off at some friends' house and spending the day together... alone... or at least kind of alone, considering all of the other people in the mall, restaurant, etc. I am very thankful for a wonderful, talented, beautiful wife who puts up with all of my nonsense. She even ministers with me and willingly went with me to serve in a third world country. God must have known what He was doing when He put us together!

Mindy's "Top Ten Things We Enjoyed About Furlough"

My wife, Mindy, recently wrote this for our newsletter.

As we end our time in the States and prepare to return to Guatemala, we can't help but take a few moments to reflect back. Here are some things that made our first furlough fun:

Top Ten Things We Enjoyed About Furlough

1. Eating a delicious, homemade meal after several days of fast food on the road
2. Meeting someone who has been praying for you by name every day for years
3. Having your 6-year old ask why there aren't any guards with guns outside his grandparent's neighborhood
4. Seeing old friends again, sharing prayer burdens and rejoicing in what God has done
5. Telling the same story time after time and getting blessed yourself
6. Staying with "perfect strangers" and leaving four days later as "dear friends"
7. Wearing the same clothes every Sunday morning and feeling great because nobody knows
8. Missing an undergarment and hoping it was left in a hotel and not in the last missions apartment
9. Seeing someone give to meet a need that was never even mentioned
10. Watching your ministry video for the 58th time and crying because you miss the people and can't wait to get back

*This list appeared on our December 2008 newsletter.

Only Two Weeks Left Of Furlough

Our first furlough has been wonderful! We have traveled over 25,000 miles in the past few months, visiting friends and churches all throughout the southeastern United States. It was great to reconnect with friends and prayer partners, and we loved being able to report back to faithful supporters.

We fly back to Guatemala on December 24, Christmas Eve. People hear that and then question me, "Why are you going back on Christmas Eve?" "What about your family?" they ask. Well... my wife's wish was to be home in Guate by Christmas, and the cheapest day to fly is the 24th. Our kids will be able to be in their own beds 12 nights in a row before they return to classes again at CAG (Christian Academy of Guatemala). Like I already mentioned, we are returning HOME.

*Coming tomorrow, Mindy's "Top Ten Things We Enjoyed About Furlough"