Well……..I’m still in the restaurant business, going on 5 months here. Things are good, little by little the clientele is picking up and we are getting people to know who we are.
We have live music two nights a week and are planning a Halloween bash for the 31st complete with costume contests for children and pumpkin carving!
Also, I’m planning on coming home November 20th to be with my family for Thanksgiving and Christmas if I can swing it….
So…………..I bet you’re all wondering what I’ve been up to lately. Well I’m back in Huehue and though I’m no longer working as a missionary I’m happy to be home and always open to opportunities to serve the Lord here.
The exciting news is I’m opening a café! My dear friend Chema and I have rented a little spot about a block from central park and are opening a little artsy café with live music and art exhibitions. We’ll be selling coffee, sandwiches, pizzas, cakes, pies etc… mostly american style food with a few typical dishes thrown in. I’m really excited to get to be creative and have something to cultivate. Besides, I’m sure most of you know I love to cook so this a super exciting opportunity for me.
Two big things to pray for! 1. I got typhoid fever about a month ago and am mostly recovered but still a bit off and tire easily.
2. We are trying desperately to get our sanitary license and environmental study done so we can open as soon as possible.
Other than that everything is great, I’m headed off to Mexico this week to renew my visa, as almost 3 months have passed already since I came back to Huehue. What a whirlwind.
Also, last week I got the opportunity to translate for a medical mission team from Tennessee. Their clinic was set up in Suculque, a beautiful mountain community. What a blessing to get to be a small part of that.
Well folks, check out my photos and if you get a chance to pass through Huehue come visit us at Revolution Café
Hi friends and family,
My sabbatical time is coming to a close and I will be heading back to Huehue on Sunday, April 17th. Some really good things came out of this time and I am thankful for them. I got some rest and got to spend a lot of really quality time with my family and some of my close friends. I was able to go to Jennifer and David Jackett’s wedding in Austin, and even caught the bouquet!
The Lord really used this time to convict me of some relational sins and prejudices that I was holding on to and I was able to forgive and ask for forgiveness in those situations.
However, not everything is roses and sunshine. Through this time I prayed, sought Godly counseling, spent time in the word and read books on how God guides us trying to divine what God wants me to do in the next steps.
Although The Village Church and Greater Things Ministries had told me that to continue with their support I had to move to Guatemala City I just did not see the Lord leading me there. There are several reasons and I am happy to talk to any of you that question my reasons for returning to Huehue, but that is where my heart is telling me to go.
Based on that decision, I have lost the financial and spiritual support of the church and Greater Things Ministries. I am hurt and saddened by this but I know that sometimes it is time to move on and I understand their reasoning.
Upon returning to Huehue, I will be living with the Rivera family in my old neighborhood Minerva. I am going to try to find a job teaching English at least part-time to help supplement my dwindled support income.
As for ministry, I will not be working at the mission house anymore as the missionaries there do not want to go against the churches decision and support my being in Huehue. Therefore, I hope to reinstate and reconcile lost relationships at the Fundacion Salvacion orphanage, work at the local special needs home and get involved with a local church.
Please pray for me, I need lots of prayer and guidance. I understand that I can’t really call myself a missionary anymore but for any of you that are still interested in helping me financially, I would be so grateful. If you have any questions please email me at kahlua28@juno.com
Hey friends and family, just to let you know The Village Church has asked me to come home on sabbatical for awhile to rest and get refocused on what the Lord has me doing in Guatemala. I’ve been here since Feb. 1st and they’ve asked me to stay for 8 to 10 weeks so, it looks like I’ll be around here until mid-April.
Last year was a really hard year and I lost focus on what God had for me in Huehue. The Village has asked me to move to Guatemala City upon my return to Guatemala to work with Casa de Libertad, a church in GC and the orphanage Fundaninos. I still feel that the Lord has called me to Huehue and so during this time I am trying to seek where the Lord wants me and what he wants me to do. I really have felt that He was calling me to work on reconciliation in Huehue with Fundacion Salvacion, an orphanage where we worked in the past and to be more involved with the minsitry that Linda Devault and Lynnann Murphy are doing with the mission house, Primer Amor. Working with kids and teams has always been a passion of mine and I’m really missing being involved in what they’re doing right now while I’m in the states.
Please pray for me and what decision to make, if I stay in Huehue I would have to raise all my support again from scratch and while I know the Lord always provides for us it is still a daunting task after four years of not having to do that.
If you’ve got any questions about what I’m up to or just want to say hi please email me at kailah@strandconcrete.com or kahlua28@juno.com. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks so much for the support and prayers over the years.
So, I’ve been out of pocket for awhile. I’ve moved out of the mission house and am living with Carlos and Mayra Ruiz and their 4 month old baby Carlitos and Nancy and her 7 year old daughter Briyit all the way across town in Minerva. I really like the new house, have a lot more space too myself and my Spanish is certainly improving. However with the rain and a few road closures the drive seems infinitely long from Minerva to the other side of town, it’s really only about 10-15 min.
I’ve been super busy lately but good. I’m teaching English 5 days a week at a local English Academy. I have a class of 3-5 year olds that meets four afternoons a week. A class of 4 college students that meets 2 mornings a week and a class of 3 adults that meets for 3 hours on Saturday mornings.
I’m still studying voice and piano on Fridays and Saturdays and just finished up my midterms about 3 weeks ago. I did really good on three of my midterms and ok on the fourth one. Apparently time to study is escaping me.
On Wednesdays I’m helping Carlos and Mayra teach bible classes in a public elementary school in Zaculeu Ruinas. The kids are so tiny and sweet. There are about 9 different classes and we spend about 20 minutes in each class teaching a short lesson and doing a craft or activity. The kids are really receptive and welcoming and it has been a really good experience so far.
In two weeks we have a team from The Village Church coming down to Guatemala City to work with fireman in the captial. Scott, Daniza and I will be going up to stay with them a few days on May 15th and then I will be heading out for Texas on May 18th.
My little sister is graduating from highschool the first week of June so I’m headed off to Chicago for a few days to see a friend and then the rest of the time I will be in Texas with the friends and family.
Just to inform you why I haven’t updated this blog in forever, I am really overwhelmed right now. I am teaching two different classes at a local English academy. I have a class of 3-5year old kids that meets four days a week and a class of university students that meets twice a week. Besides that I am still studying voice and piano and music theory etc… I have 4 exams next Friday which today I realized I am, at this point, absolutely unprepared for. Also, sometime in the next week or so I am moving out of the mission house to a house across town to live with Carlos and Mayra.
On Sunday the axle on my car broke and took 3 days to repair and about $400. Needless to say I’ve had a headache and stiff neck for about 2 weeks now. Pray for me please, I need renewed strength and God’s ever faithful provision.
Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.
This morning we had two 5.5ish earthquakes about 50 miles northeast of Huehue. Shook us up a bit but we trust in the Lord. Pray for safety and no more earthquakes.
Two Dora the Explorer cakes I made for my friends Sheny and Otto’s daughter Lucia’s 2nd Birthday. Never doing this again! 
Today Scott and Daniza brought a male parrot home to live with us. I’m a little scared of him but he seems to be mostly friendly and likes plantains. No name yet, but I’m rooting for Professor Green
Well folks,
I am back in Huehue once again and ready to tackle the new year. I had a wonderful visit home, mostly spending time with my family and my closest friends. I really enjoyed getting to visit The Village’s new Dallas campus and getting some community.
I flew home to Guatemala for very cheap on New Year’s day thanks to my dad’s frequent flyer miles. What a blessing! I arrived home on Sunday in Huehue to find my house mates Scott and Daniza Wiseman home from Christmas traveling and the whole house without water. The water problem was finally resolved today after 4 days and Scott bathing in muddy water and several Guatemalans climbing down our well.
This week I am registering for music school, paying bills for the mission house, trying to get my insurance and taxes and all that other fun stuff taken care of before life gets really busy again. I start school sometime around January 20th (I think, ha ha) and then our first team arrives on January 30th. So, there is little time for puttering around and emails and blogs and bills are calling.
I was talking to Scott yesterday and he was reflecting on how the economic crisis gathered more of us believers towards Christ in 2009 and I just wanted to remind us to depend on the Lord, He has always taken care of us and always will. I know my family in particular can say He is faithful and His mercies are new everyday. With that in mind, let us boldly step into this new year trusting in Him who has called us according to His purpose.
with love, Kailah
Kailah's Blog 