Answers for Questions....

Thanks everyone for some great questions...Here are some answers via Amy...Aaron may have more to add later.

Besides family and friends for answers: What do you miss the most?
*We miss walks on the beach and Outdoor Discovery Center, watching the sunset, having a variety of things to do, being able to go places and not be worried you will get lost. We miss traffic laws, watching TV shows we missed on the internet, 84 East (Italian Restaurant), falling leaves & autumn colors, our cat, wearing jeans & turtlenecks, understanding what people say as you greet them, knowing what is rude or funny, and having resources to use (like who has what skills and who is willing to do what and where stuff is.)

What did you take for granted the most in the US?
*Freedom. Freedom to roam where you want, mostly being safe wherever you end up. Space to walk or ride bikes. Being outdoors. Maps! Carpet! Changing of the seasons.

Even though you have awhile to go... what will be the first thing you want to do when you get back to the US? *Besides visiting our family who has moved around the country...Go camping.

What food (besides Jif :)) do you miss most? *Pudding, Crescent rolls, Frozen Bread Dough, Cool Whip, Cottage Cheese (this is definitely not Aaron writing).

Do you receive alot of our local news (Hamilton, church,school,Holland, etc)? *None, except what people e-mail us.

Are you able / can you vote for US issues this November? *Could have, should have, would have...In all our adjusting here, we missed the deadline for absentee ballots. The process then would have still been iffy at best but we are out of time for this election.

What is your cure for homesickness?? *There is no cure for homesickness. We cry a bit, vent frustration a bit, e-mail/skype more, pray more...but mostly what gets us through, quite pleasantly most days, is we pour ourselves into what the the Lord has provided us with for that day. Some days it's sick children, some days it's getting to know people we have met better, some days it's school, school, school, and some days it's cleaning and groceries. What ever it is that the Lord has placed in our way that day we treasure it...for you just never know what tomorrow may bring. It was only one short year ago that God placed it on our hearts to be here...things move quickly and through all of this we've learned to treasure whatever opportunities arise. One other constant that has helped us is to keep our Sundays sacred. Worshiping God no matter where in the world you find yourself on a Sunday is a great source of comfort and renewed strength in our lives...just as it was at home in Overisel. It is so good to meet with God's people, to share in God's word (even if it is by video that we do on Sunday nights), and to be challenged to go out and live like God wants us to...not pining away for something that is out of our grasp right now, but where you are in that moment...what is God's purpose for you right now. It truly has been a lifeline we have been clinging to and enjoying to its fullest.

Do they have different fun Guatamalen (sp?) games there that your children are learning at school? *Not yet. We honestly live in a very American society here but we hope to learn more as we venture out further in our area. We have been enjoying Basketball here as the high school season just finished last week. The rules are a little different and the officiating slightly biased toward the Guatemalan schools but overall it has been good...just so weird to be watching during the summer season instead of dead of winter! If we learn any new games we'll pass them along.

What will you miss the most about Guatemala? *So far just as in the states, it will be the friends we work & play with here. Other than that cheap pineapples, these little vanilla cookies that are to die for, fresh tortillas any time of day, Maria Luisa (for more reasons than just cleaning), the ability to make it through a day without being tempted to buy stuff (commercialism is way more rampant than even we realized before we came), good service and clean restaurants at McDonalds, the challenge of learning a language while being immersed in it, hearing testimony after testimony of what God is doing in lives daily (should be in the US too...not sure what's up with that)

what are some things you didnt expect? *How American the city is. In Guatemala City there is a 3 story mall (food courts consisting of BK, Mc D's, Pizza Hut, Sbarros, Dominos), our local grocery store has pretty much everything a person could want (except what I listed above), we are eating mostly the same as we did in the US, the difficulty of travel, the busyness of life yet, how much we would miss fall, how high we are and the view of the city that we have from our housing area.

What is the weather like, always rainy? *Weather is always 60's or 70's. Usually sunny in the morning, turning to rain about 3ish (or whenever I have to run into school). It is very humid (ask anyone with an open bag of potato chips...an hour or two and they are mush...or any gum that doesn't have a hard outer coating...liquefies within a day), but without heat so it even feels a bit chilly if the sun is not out. The "rainy" season is over in a month and then I'll share about that...apparently December is the most lovely month here. We'll see.

eatin good? learning new recipies? *Yes & No. I still do most of the cooking and if we eat "Guatemalan" it's at a restaurant, or out at the market and I honestly don't know the word for recipe in Spanish and even if I did, they would rattle it off and I'd still have no idea what they said or how to make it. We have had a chance to make fresh guacamole and use some veggies we don't have in the states but there's still time and I'll pass those along as I learn.

Thanks for the questions and if there are more things...let us know...and when we get time we will share a little more with you. God bless...At His feet, Amy