Greetings from Kansas once again! I had fully intended to do better at keeping this blog updated over the past few weeks, but due to a variety of reasons that didn’t happen. It was one of the most exciting Central America trips I have taken…and I am so grateful for God’s protection, care, and faithfulness. There’s too much to say in one post, so I’ll try to write more about it in a later post as well.

I left KS for Guatemala back on May 8, a bit earlier than planned, as the baby that I was going for was making signs of appearing sooner than expected. Usually, when going to that spot in Guatemala, I would need to fly into Guate City, take an overnight bus up to the northern Petén area of the country, catch another bus to head 4 hours to the town of El Naranjo, and from there catch a ferry across the river and drive another half hour or so, or take a boat from that spot….alot of traveling, to say the least! But since we felt time was crucial, I had the fun privilege of getting flown up to the town of El Naranjo by James, a pilot who works for the mission. This eliminated hours of travel, and after leaving KS at 6:30 am, I arrived at the destination that afternoon around 4 pm.

View of Guatemala City from the small plane's window

The plane on the small runway in El Naranjo

It was lovely to be back in Guatemala with some of my dear friends there! As we waited on baby’s arrival, I enjoyed time catching up with them, and getting a further glimpse of their life. A few days later, we headed out to a small town about 4 hours away, where we stayed awaiting the birth. This allowed us to be within half an hour of a hospital should complications occur. Little Alex José arrived on May 19, after a lovely first-time labor. One of my good friends, Ashley, who works as a nurse in a nearby clinic, was my assistant for the birth, and it was a special treat to get to work with her!

Little Alex a few days after birth

His first Sunday!

I ended up staying with Alex’s family for about a week after his birth, going with them back to the little village where they live….then when I tried to return home, things got interesting, as a result of several natural disasters that occured the weekend I tried to travel….but more pictures and those stories will come later!!

In closing, a big thank you to all of you who were praying for me, and kept in touch. It was an incredible opportunity, and dream come true to spend the time in Guatemala helping with a delivery!