Pictures of our world!

The adventure begins. A snack time at the Houston airport. Sharing our inspiration candies during our 6 hour layover. Hard to believe this was almost 3 weeks ago already!
Sunday lunch! Leftovers and chips. Not quite like home...we miss sweet corn...but good all the same!
Casa Cinco (House 5), our home (one of 8 condos in our complex. The carport entrance leads into the living room/dining room. Behind the red brick wall on the right is the maids quarters (large storage area for us) and a opening where our washer & dryer are located. Above those are the walk through closet and master Bathroom. The balcony comes off the master bedroom and if you were 10 feet tall you would have a great view of the city!
Maria Luisa, our maid, and her big helper! She is a God send in this new world of cleaning in a foreign land. And she is very patient with us and our lack of Spanish knowledge. Our best Spanish teacher!

Enjoying a little TV time in the living room. The stairs in the back ground lead up to a landing on the second floor that has our computer and leads to a bathroom and our bedrooms.
Our new vehicle...an Astro van. Purchased from the director of the school and has a long history of great traveling in Central America. Such a blessing and can haul anything...including a complete triple bunkbed without even taking the frames apart!
The second car...our rented Tercel...kind of comes with the condo and works great for our need to get Aaron to school. Also handy to have 2 vehicles when one is in the shop for days if not weeks at times!
Across the drive from our condo. The green wall in the backgound completely surrounds our place and is great protection with the extra security of razor wire all along the top. The kids have loved collecting pine cones and playing with their new buddies, Mynor & Maria Estella out front.
Essentials of life in Guatemala...bug spray, binoculars & Fantasy Football magazine. Aaron was invited into the school league a day or two after we got here...very homey!
Welcome to the Christian Academy of Guatemala.
The administration building which houses the staff offices, the library that is rumored to be the largest collection of English books in Central America...we're still checking on that..., and the chapel (their old gym) that will be where Amy will be teaching drama 4 afternoons a week (45 mins on Mon & Tue, and 1 1/2 hours on Wed & Fri).

The beautiful new gymatorium. All PE classes are held here and the play will be performed here as well.The soccer field & rec area. Soccer is huge here, as it is in most other places in the world. We are excited to take in some of the excitement!

The is Aaron's classroom. It is on the second floor of the secondary building and airy & well lit. He has 22 students and will be teaching English, Math & Social Studies (the Eastern Hemisphere) and Home Room. He also has 8th Grade English as well. He is excited to get started.

The elementary playground, including lunch pavilion and clubhouse as well as your typical swings & slides. The elementary building is on the right and the Administration building is on the left.
The Klanderman kids love to play. In the background, back & to the left is the home of the Wirrells. They are in charge of the maintenance of the school and have 2 boys who attend CAG and one who graduated a few years ago. Charles is a man of all trades & Petra is going to help watch Lily during the afternoons while Amy teaches. Delightful folk. The brown building on the right houses the security system for the school...a vicious German Shepherd who patrols the grounds at night. This is the preferred form of security in this area of Guatemala and very effective.
This is heading down the boulevard (literally) in typical traffic. Rush hour would have about twice as many vehicles. A few things to note...The van ahead of us is a taxi, many times you will see people holding on standing on the side in an open door and they stop very frequently. Two cars ahead of that is one of the infamous Chicken Buses of Guatemala. Public transportation at its smokiest and for the natives only. Buses carrying "gringos" are often targeted for robberies...some of the teachers at school had to lay on the seats when they tried it one day. I think we are just going to enjoy our cars. Lastly notice the motorcycle in the left lane...yes folks this is delivery. You can get pizza, chicken and even Mc D's delivered right to your house. Life is good let me tell you. Pizza Hut is located about a block up on the right.
Our grocery store...Pronounced "Pice" (like nice) not "Pi-ees" which means country in Spanish. The Paiz family sold their chain to Walmart last year so most things you can get in the states are now located less then a mile from our home in Guatemala. Truly a gift from God!

Last Tuesday we went to the Children's Museum with our new friends the Larimers and Osborns. They had a giant ball area...right up Lily's alley.
Maya in a bubble. Everyone loves bubbles!
Outside at the children's museum they have a whole city built small scale complete with vests & uniforms and little cars. Here is Caden & Camden waiting at a red light. Lots of fun was had!

A storm coming in over the city. This vantage point overlooking Guatemala city is about 50 yards from our front gate. One of the few open lots in our area. The clouds cover the mountains on the other side of the city but you get the idea. It is beautiful here and we hope you enjoyed this little glimpse.