SNAPS!

When we were in Guatemala Tita would do this snap thing when something was really great or she was excited. She would hold her elbow up, hand close to her ear, and snap back and forth with her fourth finger and thumb very quickly, all the while shaking her hand. It was so fun to watch and well, impossible to do. If I could have done that Guatemalan snap thing, I would have ast Saturday night.
About a month ago David had this wonderful idea to raise money for our friends down south. It began there and with the love and support so many, we were able to raise close to $3000. That is a lot of money in Guatemala. A small family there can eat for $1 per day and a good day's wage is $10 per day.
Phil and I have talked so much about our experience in La Limonada this past summer. How well we all worked together...How each of us had something wonderful to contribute...How that can only be from God. It is the true picture of the body of Christ. This last Saturday night was just the same. A lot of the Gutemalan crew was there. Other friends that weren't on the trip, barely took a break from their hard work! People gave money, food, time and wonderful items for the silent auction. I feel really proud and thankful to know such amazing people!
Thank you, Lord!

Application Station

My friends, Dawn and Bob, giving food to a man eating from the trash. Two very giving people.

My sophomore year of college, Sara and I led a freshman girls bible study. Since she was an education major, we were forever doing fun, creative crafts....One of which was the infamous "Application Station" on a wall of our Holcombe dorm room. It was a space (complete with a little train and rick rack trim) to write out something we would do related to what we had learned that week. Oh, how I wish sometimes I had a wall like that in our home to remind me to live out the things I have learned! I mentioned earlier that we have really tried to apply lessons learned in Guatemala. Here is how...

-I recycle. I have for a long time, but try to recycle much more. So much more, that I have actually been cited by the recycle Nazi in the form of notes in my bin for trying to recycle too much. Grumpy!:O) When I recycle it reminds me of our friends in Guatemala, digging through the dump for things to recycle for money...money to live.

-If I can't recycle it, I try to reuse it again (which I never did before). Take yogurt containers (#5), for example... They can't be recycled here (so says my note) so I reuse them as Tupperware. I think of the 3 abandoned boys, how they used those types of things as cups.

-We try not to waste food at home, in restaurants, etc. It reminds me of people that don't have food to eat in Guatemala and here in my own town. This only fuels my constant discussion with Phil about a deep freeze. We don't need one! We live 3 miles from Sam's for goodness sakes. We have stuff in our freezer from 1945, we don't need more of that! Maybe one day he will concede. Perhaps it is part of the hunter/gather DNA

-I try to turn off the lights more, not waste water....etc. This brings me to a big idea swirling around in my little head....That is, if we all just help other people, we become thankful and thoughtful about our own resources, THUS we become more green. It doesn't take perching in a tree for weeks, walking naked in the streets, running your car on old french fry oil...just being kind to our bro or sis. What an idea...GO KIND, that is what I say! The rest will follow.

-I've tried to buy the kids less stuff. I admit, I have used toys in the form of bribery for a sane grocery trip. And I'm not judging, Moms gotta do what they gotta do. It is just that I grew up with lots of stuff and am so bad about thinking I always need to buy something for the kids when we go to the zoo, aquarium, or wherever. Phil has helped me realize that the trip is the fun part. Time and attention is more important that stuff. I think of the kids in Guatemala that didn't have much at all and they were happy, just playing and being loved.

-We are slowly going through our things...decluttering. We feel heavy with all the stuff we have. More to keep up with, clean, etc. We are considering selling our house too. Maybe for something smaller. Now, we have 2 rooms we barely use. It just feels wasteful.

-This last one, it's the hardest for me... surrendering my schedule. It is what I long for, but a constant fight with my type-A, spreadsheet loving self. Today I had plans to work and catch up on things. This morning, I prayed, "God, let this day be for you." Well, maybe I should have said, "after my stuff...okay?" Because when Phil told me of a homeless woman that needed help, I knew that I had the day open for a reason. I felt God saying, "This is my day. Do you mean what you pray?" And so I got nothing I had planned done, but was blessed to spend time with this woman. I learned from her. A wife, mother and accomplished woman that just needed a little love. Don't we all sometimes, just need a little love?
Guatemala, was no doubt transforming. The people are what made it that way. My great friends David and Becky were serving this woman too. David devoting much more time than I and Becky hopping on line, getting information. These friends inspire me! The whole reason Phil knew of her was because they were all 3 at a breakfast, discussing plans for continuing our work in Guatemala.

1 Corinthians 4:2 says: "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." I believe this...To whom much is given, much is required. It is our blessing to have. My challenge, and I pray yours, is to live bigger than you, your house, your stuff, your life. Let God use you, your gifts, your talents, your resources, your time. It is our blessing to have.

Mexico

The Beach...it feeds my soul. We booked this trip before we went to Guatemala, so I wasn't sure how it would be traveling some place luxurious after spending week in the ghetto. It was great, really. I found myself thinking so much about the people working at our resort....taking time to know them and visit. I loved talking to guests from Spain and Italy and seeing Addie play with their children (even though they couldn't communicate well with words). I'm super sensory, so I love the sounds of Spanish being spoken, the palm trees blowing and the waves crashing. I love the smells of the ocean, Mexican spices and limes. I love the bright colors of the water, the buildings, the the tropical plants. I love the breeze on my face, while reading a book and wiggling my toes in the sand. I've been to this part of the world many times and I never get tired of it...It feels like a real heaven on earth! It made think of Psalm 84:10..."Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere..." I think the real heaven will be wonderful!

Guatemala

People have been so sweet to ask about our trip. It is hard to sum up a whole week of life changing experiences in one word..."Great" hardly does it justice. It was beautiful, heartbreaking, overwhelming, hopeful and so many other things. I have taken trips like this before, but never as a mother and wife. I dare not say my perspective is more mature, just different. Perhaps I was just more open to God and the experience? I feel like God taught me a lot about Him, myself and others. Like...

-People, at their core, are not so different. They all have basic needs and really just want to be loved.
-We are spoiled rotten here in America and don't appreciate it!
-I do have a passion for Latin cultures. I can see the tread of it all through my life.
-Guatemala never got the "Don't mix water and electricity" memo!
-God can use you in ways you never expected and it can be so fun! You just have to have an open heart.
-A slight variation on the Spanish word for "cool" means diarreah....Yikes!
-A person can live on the average household trash of an American family. How embarrassing!
-God cares for us! Protects us! I really experienced this on our trip.
-God Is always working pieces of life together to make something beautiful, even if we only see a bit of the work.
-I'm thankful for hot showers and that we can flush our toilet paper in the U.S.
-$1 US dollar can feed a family for a day in Guatemala. A good day's wage is $10 US dollars.
-I'm brown on the inside...or so Dwayne and Phil say.:O)
-There are LOTS of kids that need love!
-Prayer is really powerful! I had sort of forgotten that.
-I have a new respect for our friends serving in our military. We are blessed to live where we do and have people who will fight for our freedoms and to help those who are oppressed.
-A shotgun or automatic weapon doesn't have to appear awkward or threatening. Thanks to different colors and loose handling, it can be carried with the ease and style of a large handbag.
-Guatemalan people must like "good wings" because we saw a Hooter's franchise next to where we ate one night!?
-I'm really thankful to be married to Phil. For lots of reasons, but mostly because of his heart for God, us and helping others. I'm super proud of the work he did in Guatemala!

A few things I didn't expect....
I was so excited to see so many different people in our group working together for one purpose. A microbiologist, students, a coach, an engineer, a landscaper, a counselor, a graphic designer, and electrician, a personal assistant to a millionaire and the list goes on...each person on the trip had a unique and wonderful contribution. It was a true picture of the body of Christ. Phil and I have talked to much about how we are better for knowing each person on the trip and the people we met there in Guatemala. I feel like I learned something and really appreciate some quality from each person. It is just a huge blessing I never expected. We have all missed each other terribly...called and sent emails since we have been home and already have plans to meet as a group for dinner. Phil and I had a hard time adjusting home. We ate Mexican food for two days and spent the whole first day in just a haze, hugging our babies.

We also were so thankful to meet the people living there, in Guatemala...Tita, Ingrid, Edgar, Eulalia, the Castros, Mama Carmen, David, Juan Carlos and many more. They live their faith out each day and make personal sacrifices to do that! Ingrid sharing the gospel with a man while directing/translating a big construction job, Tita writing the plan of salvation on her leg when she didn't have paper. It was so inspiring to see our Guatemalan friends caring for people others have forgotten and giving God all the credit. I learned so much from them!

I'm so glad I was able to have this experience with Phil. It has been a long year with so many things keeping our attention. This trip made us both realize what we love about one another and
gave us a renewed perspective on God, family and life. Since we have been back, we have reevaluated lots about our lives and have tried to apply some of the lessons learned in practical ways. I'll post more about that later.

We were one of 3 groups that went down to that area this summer. They are hoping to put a water purification plant in La Limonada. We are praying this happens. If so, Phil wants to do what he can to help with that project. Either way, we are hoping to go back again. God willing. We really just are praying that our businesses will be profitable and will run well on their own, so we can do this sort of thing a lot. Then, take the kids when they get older.

And thanks friends....the Burghart kids, the Gano boys, Cristie, Colleen and Grams for sending wonderful things with us (for the kids) on the trip. Since Tita has to pay such huge taxes on packages received, taking things down via suitcase is really the only way to get extra supplies from the U.S. to her. We were able to take more than 1000 lbs. of medicine, toys, clothes, personal products, baby items, school supplies, etc...
And thanks to all of you who have prayed for us and our trip. It wasn't the safest place, but I never once felt in danger. We could feel God's protection over us!

Here is the link to pics...

http://picasaweb.google.com/philswope/Guatemala2008JulySwope

*not pictured are all the guns we saw being wielded around by "officials." For some reason, my group would not allow me to photograph these people.:O)

Like A Shoe In A Dryer....

That has been me for the last year or so, clunking around in the world of small business...not quite sure of my place. I have recently realized (with Phil's help and a great book called Cure for the Common Life) that maybe my spot is really more HR (people) related and not small business operations. I should have recognized this when I first met with one of my professional mentors (a CFO) and explained my definition of cost at the store as "actual cost with a splash of overhead." Don't get me wrong...I don't regret working for free, nursing a baby while learning quickbooks and most importantly supporting Phil. It has been a journey. Some people say if your marriage can survive building a house, a marriage can survive anything. I'd like to change that to say, "working with your spouse". All components of small business are more complicated when you have to snuggle with your coworker/boss at night. Phil and I have grown closer than ever though, shared dreams, and have a greater appreciation for one another....and for that I'm so thankful! My time at the store has given me a new perspective on business profitability, management, and marketing...things I never learned in any of my business classes. So, with an AMAZING hire to run the store and increase services, I am free to pursue my HR passions. Upon Phil's urging (okay, constant nagging), I emailed the bank (my former employer of 8 years) one morning and by lunch I was talking with my old boss about projects and when I could start. This time around I feel much more free...I will be working on less time sensitive projects (that sound inspiring and impactful). No blackberry, no minimum hours for benefits. I'll be able to help people and keep my skills sharp in the meantime. I will work 9-4 two days a week there and 9-4 one day a week at the store. Helping customers at the store (my favorite job there) and serving as Catbert for our 9 employees. And, of course, still have lots of good time with my babies. I feel blessed. So blessed to have a husband that loves me and cares about my dreams. Blessed to be able to work a bit and be home with my little ones.

So Long My Favorie Yoga Pants

Addie has been on a real rhyming spree so I decided to make a rhythm of my own....

So long my FAVORITE yoga pants.
You used to help me bend like a willow with ease,
Now I mostly wear you while cooking mac and cheese.
How I loved your stretchy material.
Your flared bottoms made my legs look imperial.
Now you have holes and that isn't good.
I will look trashy when I'm walking in the hood.
So long, boo hoo!
I'm off to target to replace you.

THANK YOU!

Thanks to Grams for handmaking 15 taggie blankets for the kids in Guatemala!!! And Thanks Gano boys for saving all your happy meal toys for the kids....I know they will be a big hit!

A Weekend in The Big Easy

This is my first trip to New Orleans as an adult...a work trip really, but I was able to spend a little time soaking up that fun french-quarter culture. I loved the artsy spirit, the gorgeous architecture and fabulous music! When I wasn't in meetings, I spent time in a beautiful cathedral, praying(sort of a tradition of mine when I travel), window shopping, and just meandering along. I had no idea it was so humid there! One walk from my hotel to downtown and I looked like I could be on Good Times or Welcome Back Kotter! I was really glad I didn't pack the Chi and towards the end of the trip sort of loved my curly, crazy hair.

My favorite seafood are hush puppies, so I did not partake in raw oysters or craw fish heads. I did, however, eat a tasty mufalata in a 300 year old restaurant that used to be the governor's house and supposedly a refuge for Napoleon. Classical music, a beautiful courtyard and sweet tea... I can't think of a more relaxing lunch!

I had hoped to get to the fine arts museum, but just ran out of time. I had really hoped to do a lot more...catch up on kids blogs, get my email caught up, knit a blanket, create a plan for world peace...Why do I always think I can do a month's worth of work in 3 days!? Oh well! I did get lots of sleep...more sleep than I can remember on great linens, with feather pillows. I had time to exercise and got to pee by myself and had time to put on real eye make-up. BTW...Anna, I'd love to know your secret for a good smokey eye!? I also had time to read a new book by Max Lucado. A swell guy, I'm sure, but not my usual read. I must say...I feel as if that book was written just for me! With so much going on, I have struggled to find my sweet spot in life...the things I know that God has created just for me to do. And what I discovered was that he has made part of me just to give...give to my family, to friends and even to strangers. This is one thing that really brings me joy! A realization brought home in the TSA line in the NOLA airport. There I spotted a big eyed curly haired girl with a mask and a cancer shirt. I felt God nudging my heart to give her mother some extra cash I had from the trip. My joy, really. So I did and told her that we support St. Jude and I will be praying for them. And then trough the security line I went. Later, to my surprise, they found me and said thanks and I got to meet Hannah, who is 4, like my Addie. Here is her link:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hannahtheriot

Will you pray for my new friend?

Wishing God's rich blessings on you!
Shan

Great Deals and Stuff....

Well, it just so happens that our local Disney store is closing (one of many closing per corporate it seems). Sad news, but great deals! I was able to buy over 50 small stuffed animals (Mrs. Pots, Balou, T-rex and more) for 100 bucks! This is just what the Dwayne has told us that the little ones love....small stuffed animals. And I totally bought out the $2 shirt wrack at Wal-Mart (regularly marked $5).
I'm no philanthropist, in fact, the people checking me out at those stores probably think I'm OCD! Gift giving is one of my love languages (thanks Tara!) and I just love the idea of blessing those kids with clothes and lovies.
I forgot I sold our old luggage in the garage sale I decided to have when I was deranged and super pregnant, so I've been wondering where we were going to round up two extra huge bags. Well, God had it figured out. On the way to Sam's Saturday, we found 2 HUGE suitcases with wheels for $1 (at a garage sale). One smelled a little like boy funk, but a good wiping with lysol wipes made is smell spring fresh again. We will just leave those bags, so there is less to bring back home.
We also bought a bag of "jewels" for Addie for 25 cents. She looked like Mr. T going to Sams, but had so much fun. Later, when I was going though everything I found this beautiful art deco pin with a real diamond. How fun! I think I will take it to our of customers and get it appraised...just for fun. I have to have my ring checked and cleaned anyway. I figured I'd have to a wait a few minutes while they get the graham cracker cement out of my diamond setting!

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE everyone going on the trip?! It is a diverse group and I'm so looking forward to learning from everyone.

And I found the cutest little travel games....travel scrabble (like a small book) and a tiny boggle game (smaller than my i-phone) for the plane. I'm so excited!!! Phil will be a captive audience with limited technology available.:O)

More Exciting Details...

We had a trip meeting this past Saturday and here are some updates....

-We saw pics of where we will be staying and working. We will be staying in a nicer, safer part of town and leaving the ghetto (where we will work) before dark.
-I think there are 19 of us going.
-We can pack 200 lbs of luggage, so it is our personal goal to pack 150 lbs of stuff to give away and 50 lbs for our things. I have been washing gently used toys, stuffed animals, and clothes. I'm going to buy or collect things for any remaining extra room in our the bags. Mama Carmen is a friend there. She is 70 years old and has adopted 50 kids!! She also runs a place for childcare for 30 kids for single moms. What a saint! It would make my heart feel happy to leave some of Addie and Ryan's nicer things there with them.
-Guatemala is a hugging place...Yeah for me, but of course this make Phil a little nervous.:O)
-Shorts aren't acceptable culturally...When Dwayne was telling us that, I was really thinking...YEAH! I feel like it is a ministry in itself for me not to wear shorts. We also need to wear clothes toed shoes because if sanitary issues. Apparently there is a river of sewage that goes through the place we will be working and when it rains a lot, well you can imagine.
-We also saw pics of places we will be working and the local people we will be working with. Tita's school building is salmon colored stucco building in a sea of shacks. She wants it to be a bright place among the poor!
-We will be helping at a food kitchen run by an American. They serve lots of meals for the homeless there, the youngest Dwayne and Peggy have seen there is a baby 8 days old!!!
-We will also be helping people convert their bathroom/kitchen room to be separate. Yikes, I can't imagine cooking and using the bathroom in the same 4X8 space!

I can't believe we are so excited about going! I will really miss Ryan and Addie, but I know that our time there will be such a blessing.

Will you please pray for our trip?

Things that Feed My Soul

Phil says I do too much for others and often forget to do things for and think about myself. This has actually been the source of quite a few arguments and let me just say...I hate it when he is right! So, I have been thinking a little more about me and what I like. Here are a few things that God uses to feed my soul....
1. Naps with Addie on Friday afternoons
2. Ryan laughing so hard his dimples show and he hunches over
3. Phil making me breakfast in bed
4. A pedicure (made especially fun with my pedi-buddy Jody)
5. Organic spring mix, fresh lilies and heirloom tomato plants from the farmers market
6. The windows down/sunroof open in the car, singing along to the new Sara Groves CD

A Dangerous Place

A sweet woman from Guatemala came into the store this week. She was mailing some documents home, to Guatemala City. We talked a bit and when I told her where we were going there this summer her eyes got big and she said, "That is a dangerous place! Don't wear jewelry!" An interesting perspective from a native! I'm glad my mom isn't a blog reader!!! It doesn't worry me though, just reminds me how much more we need to pray and ask the Lord to go before us.
I'm ready Lord! Where you lead me, I will follow!

Great Things

Are happening in Guatemala now. A group went down last week and here are just 2 of many wonderful stories:

During a medical clinic in an area called the “other side” of La Limonada more than 100 people were served. It is very different from the area around Tita’s school (where we will be), though only a 10 minute walk away. The faces of the children on the “other side” are sad, there is more crime and more gang activity. In the medical clinic and much goodwill was brought to the “other side” through this outreach. A lady by the name of Mercy, who is the sister of a gang member, worked in the clinic all day helping where needed. At the end of the day she said that she wanted to invite the Lord into her heart and accept Him as her Savior!!

Several members of the team along with some La Limonada residents began a project to put a roof on the home of Luis. Peggy met and prayed with Luis more than a year ago. At that time he very seldom spoke and never smiled. Since then Luis has accepted the Lord and he is always smiling and talking. As the project progressed, a new home emerged from the rubble of what had been Luis’ home where he was exposed to the cold and rain. Now he is protected from the elements before the start of the rainy season and for the first time in his life of 50+ years sleeping in a real bed!

Life is Busy!

Life busy and hectic and crazy (especially when you have 2 kids, 2 small businesses, 6 employees and more dirty laundry than you can shake a stick at)! Most everyday I start with a long prayer in the shower (well, that is my excuse for using most all the hot water anyway). And it goes something like this..."God, please help me live in each wonderful moment you give me. Help me be open and ready to go where you spirit leads...."
Then my day really starts! And I'm sure most of you can relate...There are meals to make and lunches to pack. There are children to love and keep reasonably clean. There are activities, like gymnastics, bible study, story time. And meetings, emails and calls. And a marriage to nurture. And all day I've been too busy to even notice the cheerio glued to my shirt with slobber, let alone a need someone else may have.
So, when Phil and heard again about a trip to Guatemala City to help those less fortunate that us, we looked at each other and at the same moment said, "Let's go!" It really didn't seem like a sacrifice to ditch our fancy Mexico plans. I feel so grateful that our hearts want the same thing. We sort of long for a simpler life, with less stuff and a chance to bless others ...that is the reason for our businesses. We want an adventure and we want to teach our children that we are blessed and have a wonderful opportunity to share God's love and our talents with those who don't have as much. It will bring us closer to the Creator and make us better people in the process.

Life is a Journey

A man I really respect has told me several times, "Life is a journey." He knows me well and at first my type-A self was frustrated with this thought. I have a list!! I need to check boxes!! A journey implies that at any given moment boxes will be empty and I might not even be able to specifically identify those boxes to be checked!

Thank goodness for his guidance! And I am so thankful God is patient with me! I have come to embrace this idea...something to learn, ways to grow...guaranteed! As long as I breathe! A full journey, that is what I long for. This blog is about specific things but random thoughts too. I don't take myself too seriously (just look at this blog address), but I love the idea that we can share thoughts, ideas and prayers.

BLESSINGS TO YOU!