Santa"Paws"

I wanted to take the opportunity on this post to promote our favorite pet supply store, Happy ReTales. We love this store! The best part about the store is that all of their proceeds go directly to their no kill shelter, Happy Tales Humane. Also, the majority of the products they sell are homeopathic/organic/all-natural.

A couple Saturdays ago, Happy ReTales had their Christmas open house. As soon as we had heard about this event we marked it on our calendar. They had free pictures with Santa, free human treats and dog treats, and free nail clippings. Of course while we were there we had to buy stocking stuffers for Martini. If you have a dog or cat you should go by and check it out.

Martini with Santa

Guatemala Part 4

We started Sunday morning out by heading to the church for bible class and worship. Instead of a normal bible class, the church asked if we would teach an overview of the personal finance classes that were taught at the seminar. Once class was over we had time for a quick coffee break it was time for worship to begin.

Bible Class

Worship

Worship was absolutely amazing. The entire service was in Spanish. Fortunately for us the church uses an overhead projector so we were able to sing along. Even though we were not able to understand everything that was being said you could definitely feel the presence of the Lord. What a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

At the very end of the worship service, the children of the church presented each member from Otter Creek with a gift. We were given a painting to show the church's appreciation for the work we had done over the previous couple of days. A particular quote was written on each painting in Spanish, it says "You never look more like God than when you are helping others." The quote was based on an amazing short story by Charles Swindoll called "Are You God?". What an incredible gift to receive.

Mike and I receiving our painting.

The Painting

This is a picture of us with Mikka. She is the daughter of one of the couples that helped out with the seminar. She was also the child that presented Mike and I with our painting.

After worship and the presentation of the paintings, the church prepared and served lunch for us. The lunch was incredible. There was one odd thing that was served at lunch. It was actually our beverage. It was drink made out of lima beans. Weird, huh? It tasted like watered down hot chocolate. It really wasn't bad. Once we were finished eating, we said our goodbyes and it was off to spend the afternoon in Antigua.

Here are some of the pictures we took during our time in Antigua. What a beautiful city!

After we had shopped and ate dinner in Antigua Steve and Magda picked us up. We all headed back to Casa Emaus to pack and go to bed. We had a very early flight the next morning.

Our trip is definitely one that we will remember forever. The people that we encountered were all so loving and so happy despite the obstacles they had to deal with every day. After this trip Mike and I really took stock of the important things in our life. It was nice to be able to slow down and take the time to help others. In the spirit of Christmas, "It is always so much better to give than to receive."

Guatemala Part 3

Saturday ended up being a very emotional day for me. When we decided to be a part of this mission trip I had no idea how I would be effected. For the most part Saturday morning was really laid back. After breakfast we headed to the church to be available to do one-0n-one sessions. We knew that due to work schedules not a lot of people had signed up, so we weren't sure what to expect. Since this was the first time we had been out to the church during day light we enjoyed getting to look around the property. There was also time for Magda to tell us about the kidnapping of their daughter and how they we able to use that event to testify about the power of prayer and how great God is. Mike and I are relatively new to Nashville/Otter Creek so we did not know anything about their story. If you ever get the chance to hear the Shermans speak about their experience(s) in Guatemala you will truly be blessed by what they have to say.

After Magada was finished talking with us, one of the male members of the church asked if we would sit with him and help him with his personal budget. Cayce headed up the session with Magda as the translator while Montayne and I sat in on the session. Who knew that a 45 minute session on money would have me in tears. This was truly a story of someone who trusts in the Lord and was not willing to sacrifice some of his monthly tithe in order to pay off his debt faster. He told us that "everything he has is from the Lord, so how can he take away from someone who has given him so much"

You always hear about the poor countries. Sometimes you get to see how the less fortunate live. But it is rare to actually sit down with someone and see their detailed monthly budget. This situation was heartbreaking in so many different ways. It makes us really appreciate what the Lord has blessed us with and it also made Mike and I reassess how we spend our money. It was very difficult to come back to a country where people tend to be so irresponsible with their money after being in a country where most people have so little.

The Church

After we were finished with our one-on-ones we went to grab a bite to eat before starting the Saturday night seminar. This portion of the seminar was similar to the Friday night portion. We had a 1 hour class, dinner, and then the final 2 hour class. As you can see from the picture below the Saturday seminar was a little smaller than the Friday, but we still very happy with the turn out.

Saturday Seminar

Church Kiddos

After the seminar was finished there were still families hanging around to work on their personal family budgets. To pass time everyone started playing Tic-Tac-Toe. Who would have thought that a bunch of people in their 20's and 30's would have enjoyed writing X's and O's on a board.

Tic-Tac-Toe

Once we had wrapped everything up at the church and the last of the families had gone, the group grabbed a bite to and headed to bed.

Guatemala Part 2

Friday morning we all loaded in the van and headed to a poorer area of town located next to the garbage dump. Our first order of business was to visit one of the schools in this area. The reason why we were visiting this particular school is because they have started a program called "Micro-Finance".

In a nut shell Micro-Finance is a loan program based upon peer pressure. The loans are given out to women to help them start their own businesses. The program is very detailed so I will try to give you an overview of the way it works.

1. The school groups together about 10 women that need loans to start their own businesses. The women figure out how much money they each need to start their business.

2. Once the amount of money for each individual person has been agreed upon by the entire group, they all sign a contract saying they will pay a certain amount every 2 weeks and on that contract they have to list something as collateral (ex. TV).

3. The school will give the money to the women to start their small businesses.

The interesting part of this program is the peer pressure part. If someone misses a payment they have 9 other women knocking on their door to lovingly find out the reason why payment is late. Each group of women becomes its own caring community. The success rate for this program is amazing. In the past few years that this program has been established only 2 people have faltered on their loan. It seems to make everyone be accountable for what they have been given.

The School

Micro-Finance Meeting

After our visit was finished at the school we took about a 30 minute walk through the slums. It is a small area of Guatemala City that holds approximately 250,000 people. The reason why this area holds so many people is that it is located around the dump so the people can scavenge for food, clothing, items to sell, items to recycle, and items to build their lean-to's/shacks. The walk was truly eye opening. We weren't able to get any pictures of this area for two different reasons. The primary reason is that we didn't want the people to think we were making a spectacle out of their lives, the second reason was that we didn't want our camera to get stolen. You hear all the time about the conditions in certain areas around the world, but it is completely different when you walk through it.

Once we were finished in the slum area we all headed to Antigua. Antigua is an old coastal city about 30 minutes from Guatemala City where we were able to eat lunch and do a little bit of shopping. I will post more about Antigua later.

After spending a few hours in Antigua it was time to head to the church to start our Finance Seminar. The plan for the Friday night seminar was to have a general opening session then break out into 3 classes: Personal Finance, Computers, & Business/Marketing. Once everyone picked which class they wanted to be in we had a 45 minute session, a short snack break, and then the second 45 minute session began.

Registration

Welcoming Session

Marketing Class

Computer Class

Personal Finance Class

All in all the first day was a success. There were lots of questions and a lot of interest was shown in the areas that were being taught. Before we left for the evening each class announced that we would be available the next morning to do one-on-one session with individuals that had questions pertaining to their particular class.

Once we left the church we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed back to Casa Emaus to get some sleep.

Guatemala: Part 1

I have been wanting to post about our trip to Guatemala, but things have been so crazy. Now that I have the time it looks like the trip will have to be broken into a few different posts. So please, bare with me. I will post them all eventually.

A few months ago an announcement was made in church about a mission trip that was being put together. The trip would be a 5 day trip to Guatemala City. The primary purpose of the trip was to work with a local church helping the community with everything financial: personal family budgets, business plans, marketing for personal businesses, etc. As soon as the announcement was made Mike immediately knew he wanted to go. Since Mike is a financial advisor this was right up his alley and I knew my strong suit would be family budgets. Thankfully we have jobs with flexible schedules or should I say flexible bosses, so within just a few weeks we had everything in order and were ready to go to Guatemala.

The Thursday before Thanksgiving we boarded a plane for Guatemala City. The trip was headed up by Doug Sanders and Steve & Magda Sherman (Magda is from Guatemala and Steve lived and worked in Guatemala the majority of his life). There were 8 people total from Otter Creek that went on this trip. Once we all arrived in Guatemala City, we loaded in a rental van and headed to "our place of rest." We stayed at Casa Emaus, a Seminary ran by the Mennonites. It was like a hostel, and Mike and I were lucky enough to have our own room and bathroom:) The Seminary fixed and served breakfast every morning and in return we were asked to wash our own dishes. Not a bad trade off.

The Group

The Courtyard at the Seminary

Breakfast

Eating Area

This was one of the walkways at the Seminary. The flowers

hanging from the ceiling are orchids.

After getting settled at the seminary our plan for the evening was to go to Magda's sister's house for coffee and snacks, eat dinner, and have a meeting at the church to finalize all plans for the seminar.

Once we arrived at the church, we met with the ministers and other members that would be helping us head up the seminar. One thing I can definitely say about Guatemalan people is that they are warm and loving. Every time we would arrive or leave the church it was a sea of hugs, kisses, hand shakes and to top it all off... smiles galore. After meeting with the church members Thursday night we had a better feel of the Guatemalan culture which in turn gave us a good sense of how the weekend would go.

Thursday Night Planning Session

Once the planning session was over we headed back to Casa Emaus to get some much needed rest.

House For Sale

Just wanted to let everyone know that we have finally decided to sell our town home. We are going to try to sell it "For Sale by Owner." We are not sure how that will go, but we are not above listing with a realtor (eventually) if necessary. So spread the word if you know of anyone looking to by a 2100 sq ft home. Also, please feel free to direct anyone to the blog posting if you think they are interested. Here are a few teaser pictures. We have all the pictures along with detailed information in PDF form so it can easily be emailed.

Artichoke Spinach Lasagna

Here is my latest favorite vegetarian recipe from allrecipes.com:

Artichoke Spinach Lasagna


cooking spray
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5 oz.) can vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 (14oz) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 (28 oz.) jar tomato pasta sauce
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (4 oz.) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes, or until onion is tender-crisp. Stir in broth and rosemary; bring to a boil. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach; reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce.
4. Spread 1/4 of the artichoke mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with 3 cooked noodles. Sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese over noodles. Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with artichoke mixture and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle crumbled feta on top.
5. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.