"My Power is Made Perfect in Weakness"

Do you know a doctor who has gotten sick and had to be the patient?  How about a physical therapist with an injury? It is very hard going from being the one with the knowledge and control to being the one needing the services. This is the situation I find myself in right now. 


In the states, I was a teacher. I liked what I did, was good at it, parents and students liked me, I was creative and I felt smart and confident. 
I was also a Northern Virginia mom. I chauffeured my kids around and got theme where they needed to be all while driving in my Honda Pilot. Without me they were often trapped to the confines of our own neighborhood. 


But then I moved to Guatemala. 


I've gone from being a teacher to a student. I am finding spanish school difficult and am often questioning my intellect. I talk childish spanish and often get my verb tenses wrong. The other day my teacher was calling out large numbers in spanish and I had to write them.  I got a few of them wrong! This is an activity I did with my 5th grade students while teaching place value, and here I am, like a 10 yr. old student, writing out my numbers and not fully succeeding. It is humbling at best.


In Guatemala, I do not drive and I never go anywhere alone. I have been stripped of my independence. 


These are not bad things in and of themselves as I am liking my life in Guatemala. These feelings are also not unique to me, as I have talked with many amazing women here who feel the same way I do. But I am finding that God is using these experiences to strip me of everything that I clung to as my identity. 


So, as God peals away, layer by layer, the "Self" I am full of,  I am encouraged by 2 Corin. 12:8
"But he [Christ] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."


This is what God is working on in me, what is He working on in you? I would love to hear! 

I've Learned A Lot These Past 17 Years

Katey visiting Heather in California

17 years ago, on December 2nd, my first born child, Kate Elizabeth (Katey) was born.
I can't believe it has been 17 years. Of course, as her mom I have taught her a lot of things in those years, but that will never come close to how much she has taught me.

"Miranda" and "Lizzy"

It took years and many doctors visits to get pregnant, so before she ever was born I learned how to wait on God's perfect plan.

Rachel and Amanda "protesting"
on our front lawn

She has taught me how not to be so self centered, not just when she was a baby who needed me to meet her every need, but also as a young woman who often thinks of others above herself (except when it comes to Reese's... LOL)

Joy, Taylor and Katey
Best Friends since 3rd grade

She taught me what a devoted friend looks like, as she is the most faithful person to her friends that I know.

I learned early on that if she threw a tantrum, it was NOT all about me and how embarrassed I was.
I was so concerned about how I looked when she refused to go into her favorite ballet class, that I missed the fact that she was running a fever!

I learned how to rely on God as I saw her do so faithfully when she was in third grade and I was sick with breast cancer. From when I had cancer till a few years ago she would not spend the night away from home, but when she finally left home for a week it was to go to Guatemala on a mission trip. And when I anxiously recieved her call, I was floored when she said she did not want to come home, ever!

Katey helping with a camp in Guatemala

I have seen her live with integrity and she has taught me to do the same, now if she could only get me to stop cussing.... (just kidding, I have not been cussing in Guatemala)
She has displayed a servants heart serving our home church in so many ways, I couldn't begin to count them or even match them.

Katey and Rachel...enough said

She has a creative eye and computer skills that surpass me by miles.
In her, I see a strong quiet confidence and security in the Lord.
She has listened to more sermons on line than I have heard in a life time.

She swims faster than me, grew taller than me, comprehends more spanish than me, she's a great babysitter and an even better big sister.

My kids eating at MonoLoco in Guatemala, where we now live

She is not perfect, but is amazing.  Many may say that behind every good kid is a good parent, (ok, maybe nobody says it but they should) but I know the truth, so much of who she turned out to be had little to do with me. So as I reflect on these past 17 years, I am happy with how much I've grown. Ok, so maybe I still need to grow in the area of it not being all about me.

Katey and I

Black Friday

Friends, I have shopped me some FINE Black Friday sales in the past. This year the one TV channel we get from the states has been letting me know of the bargains. Kohls opens at 4:00 a.m. Target opens at 5:00. I've been joking with a dear Guatemalan friend that we are going to start Black Friday here in the market! 


Of course I had to explain what it was first. Yes, it is true, Black Friday has not made it to Antigua, Guatemala...

In reality, a lot of things have not made it here. Good schools, access to a dentist, clean drinking water, safe stoves and homes for widows are all things that have not fully made it here.  Sometimes even living here I forget...I offered to lend a movie to a dad the other day and he said, I'd love to borrow it when I get a dvd player! Well educated teachers tell me that they don't make brownies because they don't have an oven.


And as I watch the hilariously annoying target lady run down the isle with a parachute on her back, I think to my self, not too long ago, I shopped on Black Friday and had no idea or just tuned out the needs of so many people.


But God is not letting me do that any more. If I were home this Friday I just don't think I could watch people fight over a camera or an mp3 player, when I know people here who can't afford vegetables or meat.  I'm not passing judgement, I am just sharing how God is rocking my world.


So, what if.....
For every store you go to on Black Friday, you also buy a water filter. 
Or you don't go to any stores and instead buy a house for a widow. 
What if, as a family, you decide to buy dental equipment. 
Or instead of a ski vacation you go on a mission trip.
It is radical, I know. 


Servants 4 Him has a gift catalog that will allow you to do just that!


Six months from now the clothes you bought your kids won't still fit. The iTunes songs will be old news, the camera will have broken and the earrings lost....but impacting their world view is a gift that will last a lifetime.

 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, 
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 
giving thanks to God the Father through him.” 
Colossians 3:17

Thanks for Giving

Thanks for giving. from Todd Erickson on Vimeo.

Unexpected Ministry

We have been here in Guatemala for a few months now and we are working hard to learn the language.
In my mind, ministry would not really start until we learn the language enough to communicate in Spanish. But, in school, we started making friends. We found out that many people are not here in Antigua permanently like we are but are here to learn the language before moving to their permanent destination.

Since we are in our permanent destination we are one step ahead of those in transition.
Our wii, skateboard and american girl dolls are already here, we have lots of space in our home, we have everything we need in the kitchen to whip up a good meal, and we have internet.

As we started meeting people, we realized that this was not the case with other people. Many are in transition homes or live with a Guatemalan family. Some don't have space, others don't have internet, and others don't have friends nearby.

That is when God showed me that opening my home to other language students, cooking for people, letting people wash their clothes here, use our internet and come for dinner was a ministry.

I know that God has us here to impact the people of Guatemala and to change our lives as well, but now I know that he also planned for us to have a ministry that lets us speak english, eat foods from the states, play with our wii and bless people at the same time.

One family said their daughter had not had a friend to play with in four months.

One couple said if it had not been for us they probably would have already gone back home.

One couple asked us to host a birthday party because they did not have enough room.

God is amazing that while he is molding us, changing us and teaching us how to reach out to a country that is totally foreign to us, he is using what we do  know to minister to others now.

What unexpected ministry is God using you to do?

The Learning Curve

I used to teach 5th grade. The first year that I handed out locks for their lockers, I was in for a shock. I gave every kid a lock and the combination and said, "Go put these on your lockers!" Five minutes later, half the class was crying. Come to find out, they had never opened locks before. By my last year of teaching, I had "Lock Opening 101" down to a science. No tears and 10 minutes in, they all had their locks opened. It wasn't that I didn't know how to teach them how to open a lock, it was that I didn't know I needed to.

Last Friday was Clay's birthday. Wendy, our maid, has become a member of the family. We invited her to stay over for the birthday celebration, which included spending the night since it would be too late and dangerous for her to go home after the party.

Today she told me that on Saturday morning she had a cold shower. Now, had she been home, this would have made sense, because they do not have hot water in their house. But she was not at home, she was at my house and we do have hot water!

"Why?" I asked her and she proceeded to explain (in spanish).

She turned on the hot and it was very, very hot, so she turned it off. Then she turned on the cold and it was very cold, but she figured she could handle very cold better than scalding hot. She then proceeded to take a cold shower.

With a very puzzled look on my face I asked her why she didn't turn on the hot and cold water at the same time. At that moment, this adorable 25 year old Guatemalan young lady looked at me and said, "You can turn on the hot and cold water at the same time?"

After saying yes ten times and I'm sorry twenty times, I took her over to the kitchen sink and showed her how you can adjust the temperature, to which she replied with a big smile on her face, "I'm going to do that the next time!"

It wasn't that I didn't know how to teach her to use both the hot and cold water, it was that I didn't know I needed to. Boy, do I have a lot to learn!

So, you wanna go back to Egypt

I've been sick in bed for 4 straight days. I have not felt good at all. I have not had enough sunshine, conversation, good food or human interaction and today I reached my limit!

(It did cross my mind later that there are people who are in this situation for much longer than 4 days, but that is for another blog)

So I marched downstairs and told Todd, and anyone else who would listen, that I wanted to go home. I want to drive my car, I want to shop at Safeway, I want to eat a salad at Blue Ridge Grill, just to name a few things. Todd's response was, (in a calm, unconcerned tone) "You will be fine once you get out of the house tomorrow. You get the same way when you are sick and cooped up at home in the states." (Ok well that might be true, but that was NOT the sympathy I was looking for.)

So, I headed back upstairs and spent an hour on the Vera Bradley Website for a little "Window Shopping Retail Therapy". That ended with me being frustrated that I couldn't have anything shipped here anyway...

So I grabbed my devotional book and opened it up and I promise you, this is what it said,
"Sometimes my little kingdom totters, my family convulses and my mind staggers to the edge. Then I must be still and know that God is God.....I must avoid running back to Egypt for help.
Egypt looked formidable but her looks were decieving. She had glamour but no strength.
It is not a sin to have an Egypt, it's a sin to rest on Egypt instead of God."
"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in him." Nahum 1:7

...and He knows those who take refuge in him....Boy does He ever!


****in case you are unfamiliar with the story, after years of the Isrealites begging God to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians, God finally uses Moses to lead them out of slavery and Egypt. But of course, as they were wandering around in the desert waiting to get to the promise land, they were not happy. The people started complaining that they wanted to go back to Egypt, where they were slaves, but it was familiar. You can find the story in Genesis and Exodus in the Bible.

Avergonzado Means Embarrassed

Paiz is the grocery store where I feel most comfortable. I like their meat, there are items I recognize, and it is well spaced and not crowded. I am happy when I shop there. It is far away and inconvienant, but a treat none the less.

Todd took me there this past Monday. I had not been in 2 weeks and was unsure when we'd be going again. This week and next I am having people for dinner.....so, what do you think I did? That's right!! I shopped my heart out. I did not buy things I did not need, I did not buy a lot of american food, but I did buy quite a lot of ground meat. I can freeze it and it was on sale! I bought chicken, I bought pasta, I bought spagetti sauce, you get the idea.

Well, when I got up to the check out stand it quickly became obvious that we were buying more than most people. The check out person and the bagger were snickering, the people behind us were annoyed.

As we were leaving the store both Todd and I were agitated. On the drive home we discussed how we were embarrassed at how much we bought. The weird thing is, it wasn't an excessive amount for a store in the states. It was to feed more than just our family, and it wasn't out of range for our budget. But we are learning that when you live in a place where many people are poor and hungry even a trip to the grocery store can be uncomfortable.

We eat simplier here, we eat out a lot less, we now eat left overs, our kids complain less about what we are having for dinner. God is teaching us so much, but as was obvious, we still have more to learn. I am not sure what God wanted us to learn on Monday but what I did learn was that we need to go to the store more often so as not to embarrass ourselves!

Don't Judge A Book by Its Cover

1. The creme filled cookies here have about as much creme as an Oreo AFTER I have licked out the creme.

2. Some restaurants here look sketchy, and then you enter in and there are beautiful courtyards with year- round outdoor seating and delicious food.

3. Some TV shows aren't good in spanish either.

4. The doctor's office looks old fashioned and very third world, but the Dr. was professional, well-informed, spoke enough English and charged me the amount of my co-pay at home.

5. Just because something was good the first time you bought it doesn't mean it will be good the next time you buy it.

6. The ruins and landscape around here are beautiful.

7. Clouds can hide a whole volcano.

8. Worship is just as meaningful in Spanish even if you don't know the words.

9. Mamas everywhere love and worry about their babies.

10. The areas of my old home town that I thought were sketchy don't seem so scary to me anymore.

11. For many people, hot water is a luxury. And so are dishwashers and washing machines.

12. Most of the red and white "do not enter" bars that you find at a toll booth, are manual here.

13. I think all mayonnaise and corn oil should come in a bag with a spout on it, like I get it here.

14. Most people in the world eat to stay alive, in the States, many of us eat for pleasure. This fact changes my attitude about left-overs and repeatedly eating the same foods.

15. People here consider themselves Americans! So you don't say, I am n American, you say I am from the United States.

16. You should bargain in the artisan's market, but it is not really about the best price. This is their livelihood.

17. Motor Vehicles... drive it like you stole it (thank you Ricky Bobby).

18. Pedestrians....imagine you are playing Frogger.

19. Subscribing to the blog Antigua Daily Photo is a must.

20. I don't want to go home but I desperately want people to visit.

Don't Flush That!

Most of Guatemala has poor plumbing. Our house has good plumbing, thank God, but we are the exception. In most bathrooms here, you cannot put your toilet paper in the toilet. You have to put it in the trash can. Jamie the very worst missionary talks more about this subject on her blog too.
So recently I was somewhere where I could not flush the toilet paper.  I don't know exactly how to say this, but on the way to the trash can some "stuff" got on my pants. I literally thought, this cannot be happening to me....
I tried to wipe it off, but it was not working...
after using paper towels and soap, I got my pants cleaned off.
Now, I am sure you are wondering, "Why is she telling us this horrid story?


1. So you can laugh at me.


2. So you can thank an american plumber.


3. So you can see that sometimes when we go where God wants us to go and do what God wants us to do, it gets messy. But God didn't promise that it wouldn't be messy, He just promised to be with us.


To be honest, often my Spanish is messier, but I'm working on it. 


1 Corinthians 1:28-31 

"He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

Oreos or Chiky Cookies

The other day, Todd and I were walking around Antigua. The streets are uneven cobblestone, everyone speaks spanish, there are all kinds of people, many poor, some well dressed, some who approached me in the streets wanting me to buy their goods. I passed one store with unrefridgerated slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling. There are no street signs, no street lights and cars do not stop for pedestrians. There was nothing I could see that made me think of home.

I told Todd, if I were here to visit I would say, "It is an interesting place to visit, but I don't think I could live here."

But guess what, I do live here.

I've been thinking A LOT the last few days and I have come to this conclusion: If I look at my Guatemalan house, the view, the yard, the people, the steets, the food, etc... I can be very satisfied. If I compare it to where I lived in the states, which I must remind myself was my home for many years, I am not satisfied.

Why do Oreos have to be expensive? Why do women with children have to beg?

And then the questions get bigger. Why would God call me to live here and let my friends stay in Northern Virginia?
Why do more churches not feel called to minister to the poor?
Why are there so few schools here that kids can only go to school 1/2 day with another group going the other half?
Why do they have no textbooks when Loudoun County has 2 sets for every kid?
Why does Coke Lite taste different than Diet Coke?

In one week, the biggest thing I am learning is to keep my eyes on where God has me, not where he HAD me. I'm learning to enjoy the Guatemalan things in front of me and not think about the Northern Va. things behind me.

What is God calling you to be satisfied with? Your current house? Job? Spouse?

My prayer for my own life is Philippians 4:11-13 "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Just as a side note, in Virginia I slept in a queen sized bed, here I have a king.
In Virginia, I had a tiny bathtub, here I have a jacuzzi bath tub.
In Virginia, I wanted to learn to speak Spanish, here I am.
In Virginia, I had a not so great view out my bedroom window, here I see a volcano and landscape that can take my breathe away.
In Virginia, I wanted to have to rely more on Jesus for the day to day, here I can't get out of bed with out Him.

School Supplies Needed

This time of the year many stores are having sales on back to school supplies. While you are shopping for your family, would you consider picking up a couple of things for our kids as well? We need scissors, crayons, markers, small calculators, sharpies, gel pens, tape, notebooks, pencils, erasers...basically if your kids needed it, these kids probably could use it. 

Another thing is black, navy or tan pants for boys up to size 12. (Used is acceptable) or money to purchase things 

here. Our school year runs from January to October. So now is the time to start thinking about collecting things. 

You can contact: Barry@Servants4Him.org who is one of our board members and he lives in Purcellville, Va. 

He'll figure out how to get it and then will send it down with a team. Or if you know Randy Barrett from Destiny church, he can find people to bring stuff this fall. 

Student Sponsorship Program- from the Servants For Him Newsletter

Servants 4 Him has had a very successful Student Sponsorship Program for several years in San Pablo la Laguna, now we are ready to begin one in Santiago Zamora. The cost at this time is: 

$100 per child to start to provide the school uniform, materials and the basics to begin the 

school year in January 2011. 

Then, the cost is $15 per month per child & a year commitment. 

At this time we are unable to assign a specific child to a sponsor, however, you will receive updates on the children. 

We have a list of children waiting to be helped with their schooling. We want to be able to provide for 

as many as possible. The children will attend a private Christian school. (I, Maureen, had originally said it was a public school but i was incorrect)

We also have a couple of High Schoolers that would like help as well. Their costs are about $100 a month. 

Would you prayerfully consider helping our children stay in school? Send your donations to 

Servants 4 Him- attn. Scholarships: Santiago Zamora 

PO Box 597 

Hamilton, VA 20159 

Today We Moved to Guatemala!

This whole day has been surreal. Emily woke up at 4 a.m. this morning,sat straight up and said, "I am so excited!" From Josh driving us, to the guy who loaded ALL our foot lockers on a cart, to the lady who didn't weigh them, to the security guard who said he'd put zip ties on them...the morning could not have gone smoother. Todd got us from gate to gate and after a lay over in Atlanta, we were on the plane to Guatemala.

As we were getting ready to land, the flight attendants passed out immigration forms to be filled out by each passanger. LOL! Those of you from Destiny Church will be proud, I passed out Destiny pens to all the people around me. This older looking Guatemalan man, in a cowboy hat, motioned to Clay for help. He deferred to me and I used what broken high school spanish I remembered to help him out, eventually taking his passport and filling out as much of the form as I could. What struck me was that the form was both in Spanish and English. It hit me that he could not read it. It was then that I looked at Todd, totally choked up in tears and said, "I am so glad we are here."

I love Jesus and education. And my thought has always been, if I teach people to read, they can read the Bible! so i asked this man to come live with us....ok that is not true.

We made it through the Guatemalan airport and were greeted excitedly by Forrest and Carol.
While getting all of our stuff loaded on the ROOF of the car, we talked to an airport employee
who wanted to practice his english! He says he is studying at the university.

The ride was interesting, traffic is crazy. Guatemala City was poorer and more crowded, and much sadder than I was ready for and i wondered what people would think when they came to visit.

We stopped at Pollo Compero, and got dinner to go. They have one in Herndon but for those of you, like me, who have not eaten there, it is like KFC. When we got to Antigua, we were awed by the sites of ruins that we drove by. Then we arrived home, once again I cried! The pictures do not do it justice. Our home is beautiful. God has given us a place to do ministry and a place to feel safe. The architecture is an added blessing. This house has amazing character, unlike any I have ever seen, with gardens and balconies.

Our stuff was unpacked and we were welcomed by an amazing young guatemalan young lady named Wendy. She lives an hour away by bus and before helping in the houses, had never seen a washer and dryer. However, she does know how to weave cloth and that is an art I cannot even begin to attempt.

It is the rainy sesson, and today it poured. Many things in the house feel damp, but was very cool and comfortable with no air conditioning.

There is a fire place in the living room and our bedroom. This is for when it gets cold outside, since there is also no heat.

Every floor is tile or cement. And we have the Disney channel, in SPANISH!

forrest and Carol have already been irriplaceable to us and for that we are grateful! Wednesday Edsuardo takes us to price mart, Friday the kids can go to a youth group event and next week we start language school!

Is this overwhelming to read? Try experiencing it all in one day!! But God is gracious and we are trusting Him. I promise not to write this much every time, but let me say this....we went around as a family and prayed in each room of our new home and i can honestly say, if you don't come and at least visit, you will be missing out on an opportunity of a life time.

we love you guys,
For us all,
Maureen

Here we are Lord, so if you can’t find anybody more qualified, send us…

In one week we leave for Guatemala. We are moving there as a family to work with Servants 4 Him.

Now I have a certain image of what a missionary family should look like and act like and we don’t fit the mold. In some ways that is good, in other ways, lets just say He’s still working on us.

Sunday our campus pastor spoke on the tongue. He is a Godly man who has the gift of encouragement. He said how he could not even bring himself to say the word…c.r.a.p. and even then, he spelled it.

After church, Clay jumps in the car and says, “O crap”.

I started in on him. “Were you in the service today? Did you hear the message on the tongue? Did you hear Pastor Rob say he couldn’t even say the word crap? And you jump in the car and the first word out of your mouth is crap! DO NOT SAY CRAP!”

“Gosh mom, I just said it once, you just said it three times in like 30 seconds.”
At this point I am thinking about hurting him and if they arrest me I’ll just start a prison ministry.

I am positive that most families got in their car and NO ONE said the word crap after the sermon on the tongue. I am also sure that they would all be more qualified to be missionaries in Guatemala. However, we are the ones that are willing to go, so God is going have to continue to mold us.

As I spend time in God’s word and I looked at Isaiah, where he says, “Here I am Lord send me,” it amazes me that in the verses before hand he confesses his unclean lips.

Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah's Commission
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Even the book of James ties the tongue and serving together;

James 1: 26-27
If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

So, all I can say is, we may be willing but, Oh Cr... er... SNAP, we have our work cut out for us!!