One Week

Inside home of family of 7

Stove

Small stove inside

Dirty pila (sink)

Bed with dirty toys and covered in flies

Holly and Jed

Lunch

We've been here a whole week!! The first couple of days were good, the next couple of days reality set in a little and the last few days we have been settling in.  It will take some getting used to being strangers in a foreign land and the shock of poverty.  The poverty we saw today was unbelievable.  It begs the question "How can people live like this??"  Our team (Johnson/Schmidt/Steed) set out to visit two 12X12 families in Magdelana (the village we live in).  We looked like a parade of gringos as we walked through the village.  It's kinda funny because I am not someone who likes attention drawn to myself and that's all I get when walking down the street here.  Anyway, we got to the first family's home which is almost done. (Photos of outside stove and room for family of 7).  They're a sweet family and their current house sits on a small piece of land with huge avocado trees.  They sell the avocados and the father sells firewood for income.  He travels up the mountain with his oldest son and a horse to collect wood to sell in the village.  They live in a shack and are so greatful to God for blessing them with a concrete home.  They never dreamed they would ever have a home like they are getting.  Their poverty was pretty "normal" for what I have seen so far but the second family we visited really disturbed me.  They are a young couple with an 18 month old and a baby on the way. They live in a "room" that is the size of a full size bed and a small space for a "stove" and a few belongings (photos of bed, dirty pila and inside stove).   It is a room added onto a small shack that a couple of other family members live in. It was absolutely filthy and was infested with flies, outside around the pila and inside covering the bed - a dirty stuffed bear hangs from the roof for the baby to play with.   I can't imagine trying to sleep with flies all around.  The mom said something about the baby being sick alot and I didn't know what to think.  Part of me wanted to clean things up and maybe teach the mom how to be sanitary and get rid of those flies but you just can't walk into someone's  home and take over.  I wonder what makes people "ok" with living like that.  Another shock for me was the remains on the roof of a mountain cat they caught and ate.  That did not sit well with the cat lovers in our family.  We have alot to learn about poverty.  If everything works out, they will get a new home and maybe there will be an opportunity to share some housekeeping skills this young mom.

On a lighter note, we will begin Spanish lessons in a week.  That is something we are all excited about so we can communicate with the people around us.  It's tough not speaking the language.  Chris got the boys a TV to help them with their Spanish.  I almost cried when we found the Food Network in English.  Not that I can get very many of the ingredients to cook that good stuff but it was nice to hear our native tongue.

We are excited to be here and feel blessed to be a part of what God is doing for "the least of these."  We are looking forward to getting to know more of the 12X12 families and being able to pray for them as many of them desperately need it.  They aren't any different that we are, they just live in a different situation.  Thanks to each of you back in the States who pray for us, support us and are with us in spirit.  It means more than you will ever know. 

Something Familiar

We've been here almost 7 days already and it's been a challenge.  In trying to adjust to life here we have all been on a quest to find something familiar.  Things familiar bring comfort and a sense of security.  There is very little familiar here.  A huge challenge for me was to go grocery shopping.  I knew I would miss my Publix but I had no idea how much.  I loved the manager.  I would ask him where something was and he would walk me to it - the man knows where every single thing is in that store.  It was no nice.  But here, the grocery store is a guaranteed mental and emotional breakdown all at once.  Some things look the same and are but some are not and it's hard to tell.  For example what I thought was half and half turned out to be sour cream.  The box said "Half Cream" and it came out looking like solid cream and tasted like cream and was ok in our coffee but it was sour cream which is not sour here.  I got plain yogart without azucar (sugar)  to make a sauce for meat but it turned out to be sweet anyway.  The bag of regular Doritos (same exact bag only in Spanish) set my mouth on fire.  It's kinda funny but not when you want things to be normal and familiar.  Not only do I need to find basic things but I also have to do the currency conversion (8:1) at the same time to make sure I am not paying too much for something.  There are a few "American" things here that are in English and are exactly the same like Kraft cheese but it costs more than twice what it would cost in the states.

Life here is raw and dirty not pretty and clean like in the US.  We saw a lady feeding some dogs raw chicken and passed by a butcher shop that had the head of a cow sitting on the counter. It's eyes were open, ears perked up and a man was petting it - not kidding!  It might not be long before our family is vegan.

Yesterday was good.  We spent the morning in Buena Vista and then went to a fast food restaurant for lunch in a nearby town.  When we got back 31 boxes of familar arrived to our door - our shipment from the US.  Last night everyone slept well with our pillows and blankets from home.  It is nice to have familiar things around the house.  It could not have come at a better time.

We Are Here

We arrived safely yesterday and without any problems or delays.  Pete did great and went through customs without being quarantined or us having to pay any taxes (they told us he was too old - he's 7).  We had a very warm welcome from our friends here and our joy has returned.  It's so beautiful here and the weather is nice and cool. 
Today we are going to a celebration for one of the 12X12 houses build for an older couple.  We are excited about that.  Don't know what we will do the rest of the day but we have a lot of unpacking.  The belongings we shipped 2 weeks ago have arrived and will be delivered Tuesday so we can begin to get settled a little bit and the boys can resume school after a 2 month break - Yay!
We will update more later.  Thanks for all of your prayers!!!

There are no words

I've started to blog several times in the last couple of weeks but trying to put it into words was hard.  I still cannot believe we are going - even as I sit in a hotel at the airport in Miami.  There are alot of people wearing shirts that say Jamaica and I kind of feel like we are going on vacation but not really.  It is a very strange time to say the least.  The last couple of weeks have been sad but the love poured out on us has been comforting.  We will miss every single person in our lives and appreciate all the love, help, and encouragement each of you have brought to us.
Tomorrow is the big day.  We fly out at 10:25am.  We are looking forward to arriving in Guatemala and getting a feel for what our purpose is again - it's been lost in all of our heartache these last few weeks.  The boys are excited to meet their new friends and Jed is looking forward to seeing what this Guatemala is that we have been talking about for so long.  The plane ride is a bonus too.
Stay tuned - our next update will be from Central America!

Open Doors

Those of you who have walked this journey with us know that we have a short list of items that we asked God to handle for us to confirm that this was where He was leading us.  The last open door we have been waiting for is our house to sell or rent.  After trying to sell it since July with little success we decided to pursue the rental option.  This would require a refinance to get our costs in line with what we could rent the house for.  We started the process in early November and waited, and waited, and waited.  The mortgage company was so backed up with requests that the appraisal wasn't completed until December 23rd.  In the meantime the foreclosures were piling up around us.  Just before we left in December the house next door to the right sold for 65k less than our mortgage balance.  On the other side of us two of the next four houses are in forclosure and for sale.  We needed an appraisal that showed a 90% LTV ratio for the refinance to be approved. All in all it wasn't looking so hot for the Steeds - unless God had a plan.  This past Monday night around 8:30pm we finally got the call, approved! Tuesday we listed the house for rent and in the past 5 days we have shown the house 7 times and we now have a renter pending an application approval.  What a difference a week can make! Thank you Father for your faithfulness, open doors and your perfect timing.  Now to begin walking through these open doors...

On a Farewell Tour

We left the day after Christmas to travel north to visit some old friends, meet some new friends, and spend a few days with family.  At the end of each visit we've had to say goodbye.  And the next couple of weeks will be full of goodbyes.  It's just plain sad. There are so many people in our life that we see on a regular basis and it's hard now knowing when we will see them again.  It's hard to let go of them (you).

One of the reasons for our trip (to travel by car 15+ hours away from home with 3 'spirited' boys) was to visit a church in New Jersey. I will be honest and say I was not all that excited about the drive (going so far and being stuck in such a small space with the above boys).  I love to share what God is doing in our lives but preferably closer to home where we can get a babysitter.  The pastor and his wife are friends from way back that we had lost touch with and now God has crossed our paths again.  I really did not have any expectations of our visit other than to share our hearts and  be worn out keeping our boys in line.  What we got was overwhelming love and encouragement from our friends and a church of people we have never met.  It was overwhelming to say the least. It was an amazing 4 days and at the end we didn't want to leave. I love that God knows what we need and He meets them in ways we never expect.

Now we are in a full run to get alot done in the next 3 weeks.  We have to get rid of our furniture, find homes for 4 cats, get the paperwork all set to bring our dog (Pete) with us, say goodbye, pack our belongings, sell our van, rent our house, get shots, say more goodbyes, buy plane tickets, get our life's paperwork in order, travel to South Florida to ship our belongings and visit with friends and family for more goodbyes.  We need prayer for all of these things to happen and for the time to be peaceful.

Target Date of Departure - February 1st

The waiting game is over it seems.  We are aiming to leave around the 1st of February.  We are in the process of putting our house up for rent.  All the doors are opening without our effort.  For example, Chris's car will be SOLD tomorrow.  Someone asked to buy it today and the amount they will pay is the exact amount we owe on it.  CRAZY!!  I love it when God goes beyond what we could ask or imagine.  We were imagining being lucky to not have to pay alot out of pocket when we put it up for sale, not to mention having to try to sell it.  This whole process of leaving and following God has been so effortless.  We live in a  world where so much depends on our efforts but when God leads us to follow Him, the effort is all His.  All we have to do is follow.  A neat example of that is found here.  There is a part that says "read the story here".  Click that and you will be blown away.  Through this journey we are learning how BIG God is.  I said that in church on Sunday and it seems like such a small word but it's the one that comes to mind when I think about what He is doing. He is bigger than any giant we can ever face in this life. 

What are we doing now?  Soaking in every second we have here with our friends and family and trying not to think about leaving them.  We will be traveling north to Philadelphia after Christmas to see old friends and visit a church who will be supporting us (another crazy, effortless story for later).  We are selling furniture and gathering things we will need to take with us.  I am looking forward to the day where I don't ever have to see another Rubbermaid tote bin.