I would like to announce that today I officially decided that my due date must be earlier that what I have been told.  There is absolutely NO good reason why I am so big at only 26.5 weeks.  Unless, it's the uncommon amount of bread that is so readily available in this country.  Or possibly the little illusion that all Guatemalan's seem to have about what is bread and what is cookies.  Our sweet spanish teacher brings 'bread' for us every morning she comes to our house to teach.  Let me tell you....it is NOT bread.  It is a very wonderful sugar cookie that is just about the perfect food when dipped in coffee.  By calling it bread, it somehow gives you permission to eat as many as you want.  I mean, really, breads are at the bottom of the food pyramid...so eat your heart out.  Unfortunately it seems to have made this baby grow by leaps and bounds!!  Just so it leaps and bounds right out when the time comes!!

Below is a picture of the belly, and how it has made my cooking a bit more complicated!!

On another note, we had our very first healing retreat for women in Guatemala this past weekend!  There were 10 wonderful orphanage workers that attended.  As soon as the women arrived we duck-taped a large rock on eack one of their hands.

 
 

 They didn't know the reason why, but it was to represent a hard heart.   A hard heart makes so many things difficult, especially being open and ready to do what God asks of us.

Let me tell you, God showed up during this retreat.  These women were so open to what new things God wanted to do in them.  There was repentance, deliverance, worship, wailing, dancing, rejoicing, laughing, manifestations of the Holy Spirit and so much more!!  There was one little man who worked there who said he saw the presence of God during one of the sessions we had!!  I feel so excited and refreshed by seeing the work of God so evidently in people's lives!!

However it was rather grueling as we had three, 4hr sessions on Saturday.  This fact, left this pregnant woman with very swollen feet and hands and some very uncomfortable heart burn.  BUT it was so worth it!

I would invite you to send up a prayer for these lovely ladies.  A prayer that what was planted in their hearts during this weekend would NOT be snatched away by the enemy.

There was a lady that prophesied over me during the weekend.  Of course it was in spanish, so I'm not exactly sure if I got the translation correct....but she prophecied that my baby would be a 'propheta'  (a girl prophet) and that she would clearly know the 'derecha de isquierda' (right from left).  I claim those things for this little life growing inside!!!

How wonderful and blessed it is to have sisters in Christ from every tribe and nation!!  To God be the GLORY!!



Pregnancy in a 3rd World Country

This funny title of my blog says it all "Waves of Nausea." Welcome to the emotional, physical and psychological roller coaster of pregnancy in a 3rd world country!

Our family took a giant leap of faith and moved to Guatemala, an underdeveloped country in Central America, January of this year. We moved here to help little chldren, orphans who have been abandoned and abused. Statistics tell us that of the world's 100 million street children, 40 million of them live in Latin America. There are more startling statistics about abandoned and abused children than you want to know. We had to get involved and help them. To see our mission to orphans and learn how to get involved, check out our website www.WeHelpChildren.org

Amazingly, soon after our move to Guatemala, I got pregnant. Surprise Cindy!

Getting used to the strange sights, smells and experiences of an underdevelped country is alot to handle. But try doing it in your first tri-mester of pregnancy, and you too will get "waves of nausea!"

One experience I will share happened not long ago. We were on a family trip one evening, and my husband was driving our small Volkswagon car. It was raining and cool that night, as it is here in Guatemala being the "rainy season." All of a sudden I got sick, really sick. I needed to upchuck suddenly, so leaned out the window. My astute husband pulled the car over so I could open the car door and throw up closer to the ground. However, at that exact moment another car in a far lane drove through a puddle....and SPLASH....right in my face. Wow. Need I say more?

I hope you follow along this roller coaster journey of pregnancy and missionary work! Please tell your friends about this blog too.

Love to you from Guatemala! 
Cindy

Ps - Please comment below with your own ideas, experiences, prayer needs, etc. I would love to hear from you! It encourages me.