It’s been an unsettling couple of weeks here – in our family
and in Guatemala. The government is all
in an uproar with the president being impeached and then arrested for
corruption (Google it if you are interested in reading all about it). There have been protests and demonstrations
for months now. Our school was closed for
safety reasons the day of the big protest last week, the one that the whole
country participated in to oust the president.
Sunday was primary election day and it was crazy. There were riots all over the country. We could hear the one in Magdalena from our
house. It was in font of the school, which
was the voting location. We went to
church in the morning but were advised by friends to stay in and not
leave. On Monday morning when we took
the kids to school, there were fires still burning, presumably ballots, and
police at the schools. We also saw truck
loads of police with riot gear throughout the day. It was slightly nerve wracking and makes us
sad for this country and how it’s been taken advantage of.
On August 10th, we got the keys for the Project
for Hope property and it’s been non-stop ever since. LONG days working, making repairs, cleaning,
etc., and getting the place clean enough to move into which we did, a week ago
Saturday. It doesn’t stop there
though. There is a tremendous (I am not
exaggerating with that adjective) amount of work to be done here. Right now, we are working on our leaky roof,
getting internet, a working well so we don’t have to pay for water, and laundry
hook-ups for the Nortons. Not to mention
cleaning and gardening this soon to be oasis.
The place was vacant for several years, which gifted us layers and
layers of dust/dirt on every surface imaginable. I will write more about this endeavor
later.
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| giving Pete some love |
With all the changes in our lives since the property and the
boys starting school, Kendy ,aka Baby Gurl,
is all outta sorts. She doesn’t
know if she’s coming or going. She’s 4
and in her short life, her world has been rocked many times. She’s gone from home at birth, to an
orphanage shortly after, back home, to another orphanage and then here with
us. I am sure in between those trips to
orphanages she was placed in foster care too.
So, something like moving to another house takes her back to a place and
feeling she can’t express with words, just actions – crying, screaming, etc.,
when things feel out of control for her.
When are things out of control for her?
When it’s time to eat or get dressed or go to bed or go somewhere. So let’s just say all day. It’s “Toddler Insanity” all over again. She’s not been sleeping well and gets in our
bed most nights. Everyday I tell her over
and over that we love her, we will never, ever leave her, this is her family
and she will be with us forever. I was
happy this morning because she was able to tell me that she missed our old
house. That gives us something to go on
and something to talk about. As for Angela, she’s a trooper and takes it
all in stride. Her feathers aren’t ruffled
quite as much and she’s able to talk about her feelings most of the time.
