Settling in is never easy. But yet still Enjoyable.

It has been a very quick three weeks here. I literally someday's feel I might get nothing done but then I reflect on all that has been accomplished and I am left amazed. Then I think man...three weeks has really gone by that fast.

But it is not easy, in fact, it has been very emotional at times for Natalie and I. We different feelings and challenges we have never faced before in our life. And though we could avoid it all by just not being here, but then we think about it more and it gives us ALL THE MORE reasons to be here. I mean if someone does not help who is?

I am challenged with effectiveness. It could be my results oriented mentality or it could be my impatience for what I see as idleness. Sometimes I feel like people don't want to change and my flesh wants to quit and move on. When the going gets tough it is always easier to downshift and avoid the problems. It breaks my heart when we hike the mountains to help one family while the children from several families walk in our paths looking for the same help from us. I want to help them but right now their are only so many resources and I wonder how long can we continue to help one family until they DESIRE to learn to not be dependent and eventually breaking the cycle of poverty.

It is a challenging fact of life that sometimes your help will be abused though. But either way we continue to fight the good fight, not just for ourselves, but as intercessors for those that are weak.

RENITA

It has been quite a few weeks and though I have endless things to talk about I am going to keep it short for all those reading.

I want to focus this blog on a little girl we have been involved with almost everyday in one way or another. She had an operation more than a year ago that was supposed to help support her back. It did the opposite, and now we have to remove what was done and then WAIT for more money to come in to pay for it to be done correctly.

It is costing $2,700 U.S.D. to remove the bars and is expected to cost equal amounts to redo it correctly. Despite all the trials we have to give praise to God for the Helpers at Porch de Salomon and Juan 10:10 for providing financially, people to help with travel to the hospital, and most importantly people who care about her condition...in all these trials I believe Faith is being produced in all of us.

If you would like more information about this situation and/or help support her financially please contact either myself at GJAnnillo21@aol.com or Natalie at Naomi9000@yahoo.com.

Thanks Everyone.

What we've been up to...

Well the first week has not been your usual set back, relax, and get to know the place type of week. It has been a balance of both. We have been around town getting to know the streets and their beats, the shops and their crops, the places and their faces, and most of all what needs to be done.

We have been thrown into the whole project in sorts....meaning that, Lloyd and Melanie are leaving the 20th for Thanksgiving in Florida. That means we have to begin to understand the flow of things around here. For that reason, that is why I am just now making sometime to sit down and update a little...nonetheless check email!

We just read a beautiful letter from our sister-in-law Deanna that touched us and really appreciate our time at home all the more. Now we are here and we have begun by working alongside with teams working on Angelina (cocinera-the cook, at Porch de Salomon). Currently it is a one bedroom, bathroom/kitchen place with 6 people living there. The work has included a slow process of mixing concrete by hand, laying stones, filtering sand for concrete, leveling dirt, and many other tasks. It is slow but very rewarding work.

The easier work includes getting familar with the operations of the cafe, Porch de Salomon. This cafe is run as an outreach to the community. Every month they operate over the budget but yet feel compelled to keep going because of the stream of outreach it creates. While this is going on we are also working on a possible merging of Juan 10:10, located in Santa Catarina (approx) 30 minutes by foot away from Panajachel. Last night we met with Jim Guffey about this and it was good for us because it was for the most part just a time to fellowship with other Believers while discussing some really good "what if" questions.

I will try and get into a regular habit of updating so it can be reported and read at bite size pieces.

We have some things you could be praying for us about...

Lloyd and Melanies trip back to the states, Lloyd's mother is sick with pancreatic cancer.

Creativity in outreach, I feel God prompting youth ministry

Settling into our new place and finding honest tiendas (stores)

Strong Leadership in Porch de Salomon, Juan 10:10

Unity for Natalie and I as we make decisions together.

I love you all,

Jeff

We have arrived!

I finding difficulty in where to begin with this post. Maybe it's because so much has happened and it has been a tremendous journey thus far.

But I want to go back to our being delayed in Texas. First off, I think that was a great blessing in disguise. It was an oppurtunity to spend more time with our families and for all of us to have a better understanding in what was about to happen. I believe we all reached out a little more...to our families, to our surroundings, to situations. For me personally I realized that we really do have to make the most of everyday. I sometimes think that when my life is somehow surrounded by the mundane I just tend to think that "eventually" things will change and I hesitate to really move forward with full force.

What I am talking about is this massive remodeling project my mother let me take on. I completely remodeled her bathtub. Taking out the old one, changing some plumbing, creating some new framing for the new tub, laying sand for support, and then....well, there was never supposed to be, "and then". But being delayed allowed me to finish the project. I guess you could say I never wanted to lay the tile for purposes being that I had NEVER layed real tile. Of course, you want to do it right but I think most would agree that when you do it for your mom you want it done RIGHT!

Sometimes though I have to be moved out of my comfort zone. I believe that when we are challenged and moved beyond our comfort zones the reward is much richer when we reach the end and succeed. The learning process really becomes a lesson.

Here are some pictures of the project. I want to Thank my in-laws, Kathy and Carlos, for allowing us to stay at their place while we waited for our departure. We want to thank Natalie's brother's and sister for their encouragement and Teeny who really did a backflip in mid-air in supporting us finacially. We want to Thank Adam for his wonderful gift also. I don't even know Adam very well but he really did reach out to us and I am so grateful for that. I want to Thank Jay and Carrie for making the time out of their newly-birthed relationship to come and see us, time and time again. I want to Thank Jonathan, for bringing Mia down to come see us! I will never forget us jumping on the trampoline and her shouting, "Mas Pecans, Mas Pecans".

For all of you making this possible we know the list goes on and on. We hope that you will be blessed by following what is happening here through this website and how the Gospel is being lived in our lives and the Guatemalans and Mayans.