Oh No He Didn't

This past weekend, we enjoyed a long-overdue getaway to Lake Atitlan. It is the deepest lake in Central America and is shaped by three volcanoes.
We swam, canoed, read, ate, and just relaxed together as a family. The surroundings were breath-taking.
And peaceful.
Until Jackson decided to share his wildly entertaining personality with the other guests.

Steve & I were sitting by the pool taking in the view of the lake and keeping an eye on Jack, who was splashing around in the hot tub. The quiet moment was interrupted when Jackson suddenly stood up and announced LOUDLY, "Dad, I just peed in the hot tub."
Whaaaat????
And again.
"DAD, I JUST PEED IN THE HOT TUB!"
I jumped up, not quite in time to stop him from announcing it AGAIN. LOUDLY. I told him I'd take him to the bathroom. At this suggestion, he replied, "I CAN'T STOP!"

At this moment, all of the other guests, who'd been very politely pretending that they couldn't hear our sweet little boy could not hold it together any longer, and everyone completely erupted in laughter.

Steve managed to get Jackson out of the tub while he (Jackson) was in mid-sentence informing everyone that, "It's weird, because the hot tub doesn't smell any different now."

More wild laughter.

We hustled him off to the restroom, and joked with the other families that we were pretty sure we wouldn't have to share the hot tub for the rest of the day. All was quiet again, and everyone went back to their reading and relaxing.
Until Jackson ran back to the pool and let us all know, "I didn't have to go anymore."
Surely our proudest moment as parents.

Well, This Was a First

Building houses is something that our teams do here. A lot. There's always a huge need for decent shelter for families, since many of them live in conditions that Americans would call slums.

Two weeks ago, a team from Georgia was here and built a home for a family of 4 living together in one room. And not a very big room at that. Our people constructed a much bigger, more sanitary structure that would keep out the rodents and insects and keep the family safe from the elements. The family was so touched by all that was done for them that they decided to make a special gesture of gratitude.

Now, this is not abnormal. Typically, a family who is receiving a home does not have much to give monetarily, but they will do things like buy drinks for the team or maybe share some treats. But this time was different.

The young woman of the family announced to our team that, to show her gratitude, she was going to change her son's middle name.

To Steve.

As in OUR Steve.

When Steve heard this, he was a little bit in shock, but he quickly recovered and posed for a picture with his new namesake.

Good thing "Little Steve" didn't seem to mind much either.

Two Years

Two years ago today, we landed in Guatemala....two very tired adults, three extremely excited children, and 27 suitcases containing all of our wordly belongings.

Much of that day is a blur to me, but I do remember lunch at McDonald's (and wondering at the fact that a Happy Meal could cost $20-some dollars...it didn't. It was Quetzales). I also remember finally settling down into bed for the night, and being shocked when said bed began to move across the floor. And then the walls moved. And everything else. When I realized, Floridian that I am, that this MUST be an earthquake, I decided that we'd probably made a mistake and should head back to the States.

The last two years have been full of incredible highs....and incredible lows as well. I think the best way to describe the adventure we've been on is to compare it to marriage and parenting. Some days you love it and can't imagine anything better. And some days, you ask yourself, "What was I THINKING?!" You know there's a bigger picture and you hold onto that even when the daily minutiae seem like they will overwhelm you.

Last night at dinner, each person in the family shared their bests and worsts of the past two years in Guate. Some were funny, some were poignant. But the bottom line was this: we all feel great peace and great fulfillment in living our lives for a purpose and trying to live in a way that reaches beyond our own needs and wants to help other people. That's not meant to sound arrogant in any way. It's just that, on those difficult days, we find comfort in knowing that we're doing exactly what we're supposed to be doing right now.

Lest I make us sound TOO spiritual.....when it was Jackson's turn to share his "worst," it didn't take him long to announce that it was this: "missing shopping at Target." Have to say, I'm right there with you buddy.

I Can't Say it Better Than This

CS Lewis:
There is a stage in a child's life at which it cannot separate the religious from the merely festal character of Christmas or Easter. I have been told of a very small and very devout boy who was heard murmuring to himself on Easter morning a poem of his own composition which began 'Chocolate eggs and Jesus risen.' This seems to me, for his age, both admirable poetry and admirable piety. But of course the time will soon come when such a child can no longer effortlessly and spontaneously enjoy that unity. He will become able to distinguish the spiritual from the ritual and festal aspect of Easter; chocolate eggs will no longer seem sacramental. And once he has distinguished he must put one or the other first. If he puts the spiritual first he can still taste something of Easter in the chocolate eggs; if he puts the eggs first they will soon be no more than any other sweetmeat. They will have taken on an independent, and therefore a soon withering, life.

Bloom

We've been terrible bloggers this year, mostly because, to be honest, it has been an overwhelming year so far for the Ottos. We've faced the death of my Grandma, Jackson's surgery, sickness, difficult situations in the lives of some friends and family, and well, just plain life in another country.

Here's how I'd summarize the last few weeks:

1. Grandma. I already wrote about her in my last post, but it always surprises me when I think about her and remember, "She's not here anymore." I'm glad she's happy and strong again....but I'll always be sad that there's one less person like her on this earth. I miss her.

2. Jackson. This boy does not do anything half-way. His surgical experience began with him leaping up onto the gurney, ready to go. Everything went just as smoothly as it could have, for which we are unendingly grateful. It's still a wee bit stressful to have your little guy go under the knife in a Guatemalan hospital. I'm still amazed at the peace we had as we made the decision, though, and the incredible gift God gave us of sending my mom down that very week.

3. Mom. I can't say enough about this. Except maybe I can, because if I start, I'll just end up blubbering. Ah well. We enjoyed almost 3 weeks of relaxing, laughing, talking, watching stupid movies, being tourists, talking, spending hours in the hospital, coffee-drinking, cooking, talking....just doing life together. And this house is way too empty without her.

4. Sickness. Before we moved here, we rarely got sick, rarely went to the doctor, never had a serious medical situation. Since we've lived here, we've experienced an onslaught of illness and injury, and while they've all turned out well, it takes its toll, especially these last few weeks.

5. The, um, interesting way things roll here. Let's just say that we've felt the earth move, literally, underneath us. Nothing, absolutely nothing at all like what people in other places have been through, but very! exciting! especially in the dark. Although the kids think it's quite fun to run outside at 2 a.m. in their pajamas. What's so wrong with that?
Then there are the "usual" challenges like: having the water go out for hours on end, power lines blowing up and blowing out some of our electronics (nothing valuable...thankful for that, too), and even just the general chaos around town as Easter season kicks in.

The bottom line is that, despite the stress and plain craziness of the last couple of months, we are all here, we are all healthy, we're all not only still speaking to each other but still loving each other.
I've actually gotten to see my kids step up and pitch in to help when I was sick. And they've simply blown me away with the gentle, sweet way they've taken care of their brother after his surgery. So, I don't know if I could honestly say that I'm thankful for the difficulties, but I am thankful for the beautiful things that those difficulties reveal, the things that you hope you are planting all along and that, when given the chance, really do bloom.

Grandma

My grandma passed away this past week. I have felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude when I think about all of the memories of my childhood that involve her. She was a huge part of my growing-up years, and that is precious to me.
She was the type of person who never sought the spotlight, although she could have. She was a very gifted seamstress and baker, and won accolades for both of those things, yet she never bragged about them. She let my grandpa do that for her, which he was more than happy to do.
The part of her legacy that I am most grateful for is the way she valued family. Even as they got older, she and my grandpa would load up their car with goodies for us and make the long drive from Florida to South Carolina to visit. The whole point of their trip seemed to be to shower us with love....and lots of candy. They succeeded.
I was blessed to live near my grandma again a few years ago when we moved back to Florida. I remember trying to take her out to lunch or breakfast, and she would forever insist that she pay for the meal. In fact, the very last time we saw her, in December, she was pretty upset with us when she realized we had paid. We got away with quite the coup there.
I think my daughter Shelby put it best when she looked at a picture of Grandma today and commented, "She doesn't even need her walker anymore. She can run now and not even get tired." Yes she can. And that is the dichotomy. So happy for her that we would never wish her back here, and yet sad for us to be without her love, her quick sense of humor, and her yummy cookies. I love you, Grandma.

What We Do

Because I tend to be the blogger in the family, and because my main ministry IS to my family, that's what I seem to write about...the day-to-day joys and struggles of life in Guatemala.

But I thought it would be good to blog about some of the other things we've done this year.

When we knew God was calling us here, we also knew that this was something that would need to involve our whole family. We were passionate about the fact that it wouldn't be just a "job" that Steve would go do, but an adventure that would involve each of us. And it has been just that.

The main thing we do here is help bring mission teams to Guatemala, and to host them while they're here. Steve is with the teams from the time they land in Guatemala City until he takes them back to the airport a week later. Well...he does get to come home for some sleep. He's very good at what he does, because he is excited about it, and other people catch his passion. His heart is to take people out of their comfort zones, to show them the need that exists around the world, and to pray that they leave here changed and ready to serve the body of Christ in a new way.

Because I homeschool, our kids are able to join the teams on different days. They've been able to go to the malnutrition center to love on the kids there. They've taken part in VBS outreaches, they've helped build houses, and they've climbed volcanoes. I don't know yet what fruit this will bring in their lives, but I am so thankful that they've gotten a glimpse of a world so different than what they've always known in America.

I've also gotten to join in with some of the activities, and I've gotten to be an assistant in the kitchen, where we cook meals for all of the teams. The best part of this is just chatting with the team members and hearing their stories.

I'd have to say that my favorite parts of ministry this past year were participating in the worship team at church and teaching English classes. I taught a group of 20 students who were very eager to learn English. If they can do this, they can get a much better job, so they were very motivated. And they were just plain fun! We shared a lot of laughs together as they learned new English words and I made many mistakes in Spanish, which they found very amusing!

When I reflect back on 2009, I am reminded how God is so huge, so in control, so purposeful and personal in our lives. He is writing a story that we never could have imagined. He is so loving that He allows us freedom within that story, and yet He will check us and guide us when we would choose a way that would not be for our best. I don't always get it, but I can look back and see His hand all over it. And when I see that, I know that the ending will be better than my wildest dreams.