This week's prayer request

Boy, not having internet has put a crimp in my blogging! Thanks for being patient and checking back often!

I have a prayer request for this week. We are currently hosting a team from California who will be doing evangelistic programs for kids in different locations throughout the week. My request is for open hearts and receptive spirits for those who come to the programs. Being Holy Week, the focus is on the Gospel and the Resurrection. Our programs will involve skits, music, games and crafts. We hope to see over 600 kids this week and would love to see God's hand at work. Please pray with us!

Maria
jcoker@caminternational.org

Why did the chicken cross the road?

We still don't know but it seemed she was hitching a ride. It went like this:
We were driving through Solola, with its narrow and steep streets, when a chicken wandered off the sidewalk and into our path. Johnny, already going slow, stopped, honked, then began inching forward. I expected to see the chicken on one side or the other but she didn't appear. A man down the road (in front of us) kept staring back at us. We didn't know why until about halfway down the block, the chicken jumped off the front bumper and was scooped up by a man and hustled back up the street! We still don't know if he thought we were stealing her!

Maria
jcoker@caminternational.org

Uh-Oh

Yes, Big Bird fell sick on us in the middle of downtown Guatemala City yesterday. She is currently recuperating at the taller (repair shop) and should be able to come home Monday, we hope. Meanwhile, we are staying with the Lohrenzes and spent the last 3 days having a yard sale to help them get rid of things. Hope your weekend was better!

Maria

jcoker@caminternational.org

Announcing...

I am happy (thrilled, overjoyed, and all around giddy) to announce that I have a washing machine! After living two years doing laundry wherever it was possible, I now have my own washer! We had bought a gas dryer secondhand and finally got that set up too. After returning from the States to find an inch of dirt on everything in the house, it was wonderful to wash clothes on Wednesday. I washed and dried 5 loads, used almost all of the water in the well and a bunch of gas. I never had that much fun washing clothes before! And all before I remembered I had to cook lunch (gas stove) for 20 people the next day! It all worked out - lunch was cooked and I had clean clothes. It's amazing what a little cleaning will do for your frame of mind!

Hasta luego,
Maria
jcoker@caminternational.org

Victoria and Macario's wreck

For those of you that have met Victoria and Macario (the Bible Church in Panajachel), they had a wreck Monday the 5th, while on their motorcycle. They were hit by a truck carrying block. Victoria was knocked off and broke her leg, Macario is a little banged up but OK. The doctors are waiting on the swelling to go down before they put on a cast so she is bedridden at present. We visited today and they were well cheered up by the gifts that were sent by the Mentor, OH, group! Thank you for thinking of these folks!

Maria
jcoker@caminternational.org

We're Back!!!

I knew I had not blogged in several weeks, but I didn't realize it had been so long! Since our last blog posting, we have been to the States for doctor's visits, mission conference, rest and relaxation. We spent a glorious two and a half weeks in Decatur, Alabama, being pampered by the members of our home church! It was great!

On our return to Guatemala, we "hit the ground running"! Immediately after arriving, we met with a Canadian woman whose husband had had a stroke while they were here on a workteam. There was no hope of recovery, short of a miracle, so her time was spent sitting at his bedside waiting. He has since passed on to be with the Lord. Please keep Lois in your prayers as she learns to live life without her partner and deals with the details of her loss.

After returning to the Camp, we found 4 of the lamina (roof sheets) had blown off in a windstorm while we were gone and need replacing. Thankfully, rainy season has not started yet! We were also about a half inch deep in dirt inside the house and everything has had to be wiped down or washed. The kitty was skinny, as she didn't eat well while we were gone, but purrs constantly now that we are back! We also spent last Friday visiting 6 - 8 churches around the Lake, introducing ourselves and setting up for future projects. We certainly need a 4WD vehicle! Many of the roads we were on couldn't technically be called roads!

Yesterday, we had a group of teens from one of the area churches visiting and having an outing at the Camp. We joined them for part of the time and had great fun teaching them to throw a Frisbee! It was a beautiful day with lots of sun! I now have lots of sunburn!

Hasta luego!

Maria

jcoker@caminternational.org