Christmas Poem

Its the month before Christmas and all through the casa
Not a creature was stirring, well maybe a cucharacha

The stalkings were hung on the wall with care
But wait a minute, what do I see there?

I see three, where there used to be two
Looks like there is somebody new

This Christmas we're proud to announce
That our family is growing, ounce by ounce

You see come round July, smiling parent we'll be
There will be a new baby for all to see!

Merry Christmas from the Cojons!

A New School Year!

We are well into the first semester at CAG and so much has happened already! I have some awesome classes this year and am enjoying getting to know each of the students. The first week of school, basketball practices also began and shortly into the third week we had games already! We have a lot of new girls this year trying their hand at basketball for the first time. It has been a joy to work with them and to watch them grow and learn.

Each day is a new adventure and I praise God as I see him working and protecting us and our school community.I am continuing to learn day by day how much I need to rely on him and stop trusting in my own strength.

The situation in Guatemala continues to be rough as our "rainy season" has had very little rain. The farmers in the different regions of Guatemala are suffering greatly and the president has declared what is like a state of emergency asking other countries to help out with food for the thousands who are starving. This Saturday students from CAG will help package donated food that will be sent out to help those families. Rainy season ends in October and we'll beheaded into one long dry spell until next May so the situation doesn't look like its going to get any better anytime soon.

As I write this, Edgar is working hard on a seminary paper/project in the other room. He will be finishing up the semester at Seteca the first week in October. After that he has a few projects lined up with the church that I'm sure will keep him busy as well as taking a few 4th semester classes to get ahead on some things.

Praises and Requests:

• We have seen God protection over us and our community over the past few weeks
• Edgar's music ministry is growing and expanding and we are excited to see what the future holds for him
• A wonderful new group of teachers this year to meet the needs at CAG

Please pray for:

• The Guatemalan food crisis
• For peace on our streets and for the safety of those here
• For God to touch the hearts of people to provide the support we need to continue our work

If you would like to know more about our ministry in Guatemala or are interested in supporting us check out our website http://cojonmissions.webnode.com/ or email me at lugarensol@yahoo.com

The Klandermans

Check out this article about a family who came to CAG last year.
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/09/family_sees_life_through_diffe.html

Overflowing

"Cada manana al despertar, y por la noche al descansar, agradezco tus bondades a mi vida por todo lo que me permites disfrutar"
As I write this I am listening to Edgar's worship team sing this song by Jesus Adrian Romero. It's a simple song that sings of being thankful for God's blessing in the simple rhythm of our day. Sometimes it is easy to forget to be thankful, sometimes because there are so many difficult things happening that you cannot see anything good and sometimes just because our lives become so routine that we forget to look for God working. This year I believe we experienced a little bit of both. I completed my 5th year at CAG, a great year with lots of successes but as I have become more comfortable there you being to go through the motions without challenging yourself to do more. Edgar continues to enjoy his studies and grow in his music.
Towards the end of the year we started to look around and wonder, where is God. Guatemala has entered a time of increased government corruption, violence and pain. I don't even want to listen to the news anymore because its all bad and only causes me to be depressed. Where is God? Why isn't the growing church in Guatemala making a difference? The answer I found is that God's right here battling it out with us. And what a refreshing realization that has been. So we've learned that with waking every morning you look around for God's blessings and rest in his abiding love. It sounds kinda cliche but its really not. You can be at peace in the middle of a war. You can have joy in the midst of sorrow. So is the cup half full or half empty? I borrow this from a close friend - its overflowing.