Got Gas?

Well hello there people. Hope everybody is doing good. We have been very very busy the past week with our ministry work and helping the others with the flood damage. It has been raining now for the past three days but it is not very hard rain so the water is not rising too much. Our friends did move out of their house and are now living BEHIND us in our Colonia. But I reckon thats good to go and won't be weird. Moving them into the house reminded me of the many times we had to move while I was growing up! Hate it! But their house is nice and safe. Important! Does it ever seem like things are moving very fast and you aren't ready for them? Nothing more...just a question. Soooo the other day I was working in the village. We were preparing a part of the ground for Luke's group coming next week. We had to pound the dirt down to make it hard and packed. And we are working in a third world village. So Chayo has this tree stump that has been cut so that there are circles of the stump that weigh a lot. He then makes handles, or poles really, to nail to the sides of the tree stump. We then have to pick up the tree stump by the poles and use it to pound the dirt down until it was good and hard. There were several times that they gave me CPR and revived me that day. It was so hard and HOT!!! All the teachers would ask me if I had took a bath in my clothes b/c I was so wet with sweat...I sweat just like my dad. But the funny thing was after we spent around 10 to 15 minutes making these man powered machines they were dying to try it out and see how it worked! CRAZY!! They thought it was neat they made them and they were working. Chayo, after watching for 30 minute, couldn't take it any more and left and came back with a bunch of cut wood and poles to make his own so he could join in the "FUN!" I told him that I would be happy to loan him my machine! But he wanted his own. They next day my shoulders were very sore. I didn't workout my shoulders this week on the weights...but with the tree stump crusher. They think it is crazy how much I sweat and many times they will work extra hard and fast to see if they can sweat like I do. But they never get there. Pretty funny. I could barely get my brothers to finish half their jobs while working construction together before I had to go and finish it for them and these guys try to out work you and think it is fun and neat to use thier machines and sweat like the gringo. Well....there you go.

Daniel

What a mess!

Well as yall know, there are many here that had barely anything and now have NOTHING!! I have been cleaning up mud and water with them for the past two days and it is horrible. The water flooded these homes in a matter of minutes...some, seconds. It happened very fast. One family that goes to our church barely had time to rush into the next room to get their infant baby and while they were trying to leave, the force of the water caused him to drop the baby into the muddy water. The frantically went under looking for the baby. Praise the Lord he found the baby but cut his feet and hands wide open in the process. He and the baby had to spend the night in the hospital. The water entered the houses that are still standing over my head. And the mud is still inside the houses up to my waist! Like Brandi said, the other houses are in pieces or floated off down stream. All these people's clothes and house items are gone, if not my water, damaged totally by the mud. We were finding their things in the mud piles as we were shoveling it all out. Our church here is AWESOME. I think I saw just about every one of the members there helping these people from morning until dark. The church is trying to raise food and clothes for the people too. Our friends lost everything! One of the girls, Jenny showed me here "closet" ,which was a rack hanging on a piece of plywood, where she had her shoes. There was one shoe left! Not one pair...one shoe. Bless her heart. At the beginning they were being very strong and even laughing and joking but when they lost their strength from working all day and night they started crying. This family, who has lost everything, is also organizing with the church the clothes drive and making sure all the other families have food! I couldn't believe today when I saw them working inside their muddy house separating and organizing the clothes to give away! And using their house to give out the food to the other families! WOW Made me think about Katrina in New Orlands...WHAT DID THOSE PEOPLE DO?? SO pray for them. I know God is going to take care of them. They are setting such a huge example for us and reminding us how blessed we are and how more content and servant like we need to be! Something funny...While we were cleaning the houses out...some of the guys from the church were all together working in this particular house, which is no different than all us guys working together somewhere, and someone found a wooden snake under the mud that really moved and looked real. Well they threw it on this guy and he started screaming like a girl and jumping around. Then he looks at the guy and yells NO! Everyone kind of started to laugh but quickly stopped when he yelled no. Well you know us!! I started laughing so hard b/c I couldnt get that image out of my head and then everyone started laughing so hard! Then he eventually started laughing as well. Then they all just waited for someone new to come in and help so they could have their next victum. So funny! And I dropped my cell phone in the mudding water!! Dang it! But it is a cheap Nokia and still works! ha I also had two really questionable women yelling at me and trying to get my to look at them or hug them or kiss them. One of them even grabbed my arm when I walked by with a wheelbarrel full of mud soup. When our friends Nancy and Jenny saw this they got furious and told me to go work with the guys in the house to get away from the crazy women...You know...I dont blame the women here...bless their hearts...just not use to such good looks and glory! LOL! I can only imagine the things being said about me now from you all who are reading this! LOL but thats hilarious! So we are still having fun but working hard during this disaster. And if any of yall want to give to this family, contact my mom and dad and they will put what you can give in our account and we can give it to our friends to buy their things they will need! Pray and obey! Well.....There you go.

Daniel

Flooding in Chiquimula

The past day has been a very hard one for many families in Chiquimula because of flooding. Last night, there was a huge storm, and a river, that is usually just filled with rocks instead of water, overflowed and flooded many houses and stores and streets. Two of my best friends, one of which takes care of Levi and Mary Kathleen in the mornings, had their house flooded last night and they lost everything. Beds, washing machine, stove, clothes, ect., are under water and mud. Daniel is there now doing what he can to help with the clean up, but there are so many poor poor families that only have tin roofs for a house and they lost their house and all! A mother and a child were killed on this street as well, and I know in other places, more people have lost their lives. We ask that as you are reading this that you please pray for these families and that God will show His amazing mercy towards them.

Oh the love!

HAHA I appreciate my loving crazy sister for her support and for Mme Jo's good email encouraging me through my difficulties! I am serious when I say that...OK, but I thought it was funny that I got so much compassion and sympathy from yall after that email! Thats awesome! Too bad it doesn't work with Brandi! HA But I feel loved...a small warmy feeling deep inside!
I had a good day today! I get to stay home in the mornings with the kids on Mondays b/c I go to the village in the afternoons to preach to the men. Well at one point...Mary Kathleen cried for 30 minutes b/c she didnt want to take her knap and then after that Levi was peeing and accidentally pooped while peeing. So then he crawls up onto the toilet and gets poop all over the toilet and his shirt!! Horrible! So I took him outside to give him a bath in our "pila." It's like a huge sink made out of concrete with two sides around a deep bowl. So he's singing and dancing as I am washing him and then he has to pee again!! SO I told him to go to the end of the concrete and pee in the grass. SO I set him down off the pila and he takes off running...and since he had soap all over him I reckon it felt weird on his legs so he was running very bow-legged. And he has the biggest muscular legs! It's crazy how big his "hambones"are. I call them ham bones so he will tell me sometimes not to tickle my hambones daddy! And his butt is soo big...dont know where he gets that? One of the teachers here asked Brandi why Levi was still using diapers b/c she thought the bulge in the back of his pants was a diaper and not his butt cheaks. Hilarious! So he stops running and starts peeing with his blinding white huge butt facing me. And then ran back in the same way just laughing. So we got that messed cleaned up and then he likes to "break dance" on the floor to one of his favorite movies now, Robots. Then he goes outside and acts like he is a ninja with these two sticks beating somebody up. And he is very serious while he plays ninja! Dont bother him during this time! But he is so precious and fun to play with! Of course I am still tickling him until he passes out but I am quite good at reviving him now. (Easy Kathy) And Mary Kathleen will just talk to you for about 2 minutes straight without stopping (I know where she gets that from!) and knows exactly what she is saying...no one else knows but she puts a lot of facial expressions with her stories!! Hilarious! So I had a really good time with the kids and played and laughed and cleaned crap! But wouldnt trade it for nothin! ANd then the men at the village crack me up. I am giving them memory verses to remember each lesson and they are so excited about learning Bible verses. But I do give them candy if they can say it. Chayo came in and started looking over the candy and knew exactly what he wanted and when I asked who wanted to go first he started right off with the verse and then said, "That one!" pointing at the mini-snickers in my right hand! It is funny. They show up and start practicing their verses with each other and eyeballing the chocolate. I have a good time with them. They are learning soo much and God's Word never returns void! So Lord willing His Words are sinking in and changing thought processes and lives! Pray for the men. And I almost hit a truck head on coming back home in the rain on the mountain! But we wont talk about that. Im here so, There you go.


Daniel

Been better days

Hello. I hope everyone is doing good and keepin on keepin on. I want Leigh Cron to know that if you comment on these things I usually say something back on the same blog. Didn't know if you knew that or checked them again to see what I wrote back to you. Well I got a little overwhelmed this past weekend with all the things going on here that I felt was piling up or "my" responsibility. For example...our truck is not doing very good. We have had to put a lot of money into repairs and it still continues to mess up and need more work. After ever visit to the "wonderful mechanics" we have here I think that maybe this will be the last time we will need more work and money in this truck....THEN the next needed visit comes around rather quickly! So I am feeling pressured to make a decision on the dang wonderful truck and this decision involves money that really is not available...but the other side involves money in the repairs that really isn't available for that either. So we just spent 4,900 QUETZALES which is a little over 600 dollars to fix something that just got "fixed" less than two months ago that cost little over 200 dollars. And it is still making squeeky noises now. And then when this happens the people here all of the sudden need to borrow and use the truck all the time. Now I know that the situation only made it seem like I never saw my truck b/c it was being used by other folks but it was only a couple of times a day. Then the check engine light comes on in our car that we bought for Brandi after I put new sparkplugs in and thought I took care of the problem. And there are some things happening here that we don't agree with or think need to change more than disagree with and it all mushes together to make a dang bug headache and burden on your back! But God is faithful and GOD promises that he will always be with us and take care of us. I read in Hebrews in the 11th chapter about the people in the Bible and their examples of faith. And it says that all these people endured hardships and problems but they remained faithful for the majority of their lives and were recognized as men and women of faith. And then it says even though they did not get or see themselves the promises and rewards promised to them. They only saw them from a distance. And then chapter 12 talks about God disciplining us b/c he loves us and teaches us things for our own good. Their faithfulness teaches me and shows me that the greater reward for me is still to come. It says that if I live here as if I am from here then I will always think about where I came from and have opportunities to go back there and leave the will of God. So I know there is better things from me to come and this little petty truck problem doesn't mean a thing for me and God will provide for me needs like the ram stuck inthe bush for Abraham. I just have to keep on keepin on and keep my focus on God. If I truly believe that God will reward me if I diligently seek him then that is what I will do, diligently seek and do the things he desires and trust in his ways that lead me to abundant life. We are soo blessed to have vehicles here in Guatemala to get us around and do our work here. And I am glad God has given us the opportunity to share our blessings with others even though sometimes I am gritting my teeth when I say "yes." And besides that...our neighbor brought us a gift today from her mother...it was a meal that was still alive and crowing! We have to murder a live rooster and cook it! HA It ain't everyday that your friend says I have a gift for you and holds up a live chicken. Poor Brandi...I wll have to take pictures and post them so everyone can laugh. We went visiting to invite the men in the neighborhood to come to our house Tue. for a Bible study but only got two houses done and two bags full of bananas and peaches and plantains. HA They are soo friendly and hospitible here when it comes to visiting and it doesn't matter when you show up b/c it WILL be unannounced but they will get gifts out and sit down and talk to you like you are the best thing to show up that day. So we will try again to finish tomorrow and maybe stock up for the month on fruit! But remember...something else God showed me in the village...The "trees" will look ugly and BARE for a season! But only while they are preparing to be FULL of leaves and flowers the rest of the time!! God is good!! There you go!

Daniel aka The Hertz Man

What's up Folks?

Hello there people. I have had some very interesting stories to write about but no energy. But I will try and share a few of them with you now. First...I love being a dad b/c now I get to tickle MY son to the point to where he can no longer breathe and laugh at him! HA I remember when dad use to hang me upside down and tickle me to where I couldn't breathe. And he would hold me down and do the same. Well little Levi is as ticklish as I was and he cracks me up laughing and losing consciousness....haha just joking on that one. But sometimes as I am tickling him I feel bad b/c I can remember the PANIC feeling when I couldn't breathe when dad did that to me...but then I get over it and keep ticking him! He is so fun to play and hang out with. He is growing up so much and talking so good. It's weird to be able to have a conversation with him now. The other day I had to spank him for something and then about 10 minutes later our friends, Jenny and Nancy, came over and Levi quickly ran into the room and said, "Look at my boo boo on my boody" and dropped his shorts and bent over in front of them! I laughed...and NO there was nothing on his boody from the spanking. That was the first question MOM asked me when I told her that story. And little miss priss is just that. Gets her way with everybody here b/c she has blonde hair...I wonder where that came from quite often myself...and is very cute and precious with the people. I think she knows that too. But she and Levi play very good together now and it's fun watching her growl and chase Levi around the house until he gets tired and pushes her over. HA But again...I have been working on that dang hole all this week and yesterday I had a rough day! FIRST...I was walking down the back side of the ministry on the "cliff"...those who have seen the ministry or been there can fully appreciate this...with a five gallon bucket full of water. Well, while I was taking my first step onto the straight down hill of course my foot slips out from under me. I think I heard that funny "slip sound" that you hear on movies when I slipped. But instead of me slipping and falling or sitting down I pass a tree on my way down and decided to grab that tree with my arm and the bucket of water still in the other hand. And my foot continued to slide down until I was pretty much lying down on the side of the hill. Well I got up and laughed but as I continued down the hill these little girls started laughing and saying in spanish, "You can't do it!" I grabbed one of them and pushed them down the hill! HAHA Just joking. But they did laugh. And I got the worst strawberry rash on the inside of my arm all the way to my arm pit. THEN I was trying to knock down a board inside a block box. Well dern Mr. Jorge didn't tell me that it had nails poking out of it and as I hit the hammer on the board the nail that was sticking out went straight into my ring finger on my right hand and blood started gushing. Then he said, "Oh yeah Daniel there are nails there. You need to be careful." I reached over and hit him in the head with the hammer. HA just joking again. But he did say that. Weirdo! So That was yesterday and today went better. But Jorge did ask me when we pulled into the ministry, "Do you have you band aids ready?" Pretty funny. We did throw rocks at each other behind trees yelling like girls. Sometimes we remind myself of my brothers when we would work. A lot of playing and work mixed together. FUN! OK...There you go. Later


Daniel

God's Dress

I have been reading in Exodus about how God rescued the Israelites from slavery, led them THROUGH the sea, and gave them manna and quail from the sky and water from a rock in the desert. After God does all of this, He tells the people to remember what He has done. He asks them to not put yeast in their bread during Passover, He tells them to save a piece of the manna that He gave them, and He tells them to write down the things He has done for them on a scroll and talk about them so they won't forget. He says this because He knows that when we go through tough times, we start to doubt if God is out there and if He is going to help us. Right? We doubt the fact that God is ALWAYS faithful and that He loves us. So, I want to write something down that God did for me that I will always remember. God gave me a dress. (It is a lot prettier than it looks in the picture.)

One night, I was very over-whelmed, and I felt like I had no one that truly cared about me and that the weight of the world was on my shoulders and that I felt empty and that I always gave and never received...yeah, I was really over-whelmed! (Women, come on. Please tell me you have had these feelings before!) Anyway, Daniel and I had a fight too (about how I wanted the other side of the bed and he wouldn't give it to me and that before, he would have given me what I wanted because he loved me.) :) Ok, I was really bad! I'm sorry, and it is embarrassing to say these things, but I have to tell you to prove to you how much God loves us. Ok, so we are up until 3am because of my little break-down, and Daniel had to go to a Men's retreat the next morning...at 5am! (Wow, I feel so bad just writing this!) So, the kids and I were by ourselves that next day, and my Pastor's wife randomly calls me and tells me she wants to come by, and then she tells me that she has been thinking about me. She said that if she was ever out shopping and saw a dress that she liked, God would tell her, "That dress is for Brandi.", and that she couldn't buy another dress until she bought one for me! God had been telling her this for three days, and this specific day, right after I had my break-down, she calls me and tells me that God wants to give me a dress.

So, we went shopping, and she took me to several stores. She made me try on dresses until we found the perfect one. She told me that God is the owner of everything and He always wants to give to His children. That day, God opened my eyes to the fact that He loves me so much and that He knows how I feel and that He cares...constantly. Even if I act tacky...He loves me so much, and He wants to give me good things and fill me until I overflow.

There is one of my remembrances of when God did something EXTRA amazing in my life. You will probably see this dress on me for years and years to come! Daniel has made fun of me because I want to hang the dress in a plastic bag so nothing bad happens to "God's dress". ;)