Let's see...in the last two weeks, we've had a bike accident, Spanish lessons five days a week, an adventure in the city, and yesterday we received word that a missionary and her son were killed in Paraguay. I'm not going to rehash the bike accident, other than to say that we are healing well. Bill needs to do more rehab on his shoulder, but he's working on it.
Our Spanish teacher is coming up to the house, rather than us going to Antigua, because of the fuel cost and also the fact that her husband is doing some roof work for us. Yeah, I know. I will say that I am a klutz of the first water (as those of you who love me know) and Bill doesn't do heights. The spans between the beams are about four feet, and I'm not sure that the lamina (corrugated tin) would hold either of us. Cesar is much smaller than we are, and also can use the money!
Julie and Norberto Kurrle worked for Missionary Ventures, International in Paraguay. I wasn't able to meet her before she and her son went to live with Jesus Christ, but from everything I've read, she was a woman of God who touched all who knew her. I have read probably five different blog posts, and several more tributes to Julie's character and love for all. It's really impacting me, especially as I read how the accident happened. In the US, if a vehicle doesn't have taillights, it's ticketed and pulled off the road until it is fixed. In Central and South America, if it's running, it's driveable, whether or not it has lights. We have come across many vehicles who don't have taillights, and may not have brake lights. It's scary. All of a sudden, there's a vehicle in front of you that you didn't realize was there because there were no lights. This is what happened to the Kurrles. The truck in front of them had no taillights. Norberto went to swerve around it as he realized it was there, and a car in the oncoming lane hit Julie's side of the car. Norberto and their newly adopted daughter survived, but Julie and Timmy did not. Please pray for healing, and for peace for Julie's family. They know she and Timmy are in Heaven, and now they will have to rebuild a life without them.
I love you all, and I'm glad you're a part of my life, and I know I don't say that and "thank you" nearly enough!
God Bless y'all!
Lisa and Bill
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Accidents happen....
Well, the beginning of Semana Santa (Holy Week) wasn't quite what we expected. Bill and I ride the KLR 650 that belongs to the mission into Antigua (about 8 miles of twisty road) every weekday for Spanish lessons. With gas at almost $5 per gallon, it makes so much more sense to ride than drive.
Yesterday morning, we were in Antigua, and heading down the main street into town. We were in traffic, as always (work starts at 8:30 in most places, and it was 8:10) and this car pulled to the right side of the road, going slowly. Bill moved to the left and just as we approached his rear bumper, the car made a left hand turn in front of us without using his blinker. We were not going fast, (it doesn't pay to go fast on cobblestones) and we started sliding as Bill tried to avoid the car. We went down low side, and slid probably 15 ft. Bill had his left shoulder rolled back as we slid, with his knee dragging the ground. Bill's head just missed the concrete base of the light pole. I was able to avoid everything but the light pole. The bike slid into the side of the car with it's front tire. No, the car didn't try to avoid us. He didn't even slow down, and Bill made eye contact with him as we connected.
Someone helped me get the bike off Bill. I have no idea who it was. Then I grabbed my phone and started making calls. Our director, Randy, was 40 minutes away. I called our pastor's wife, and Mike was there within 10 minutes. He called the insurance company for us, and then called the assistant pastor to come and translate.
Antigua has a group of people called PMT, and they are like reserve officers. They do a lot of traffic detail. Several of them showed up, and soon the "real" traffic cops showed up. The man who caused the accident spent an awful lot of time trying to blame everything on us. The bomberos(EMT) showed up and checked Bill and I over. Bruises on our left hands, Bill's shoulder is strained, and his knee...it looked like a 15 lb shot put by the time we got home. We were able to witness to the bomberos while we waited for the insurance guy to arrive.
We waited, and waited, and waited. Our insurance person arrived, and started to sort the whole thing out. Eventually, we told him to pay the man for the damage to his car (we never did see his insurance person) since it wouldn't raise our rates. The insurance man cut him a check on the spot. The pastor rode the bike to the church and called his mechanic (they both ride KLR 650's as well) to come get it. The damage (gear shift and handlebars replaced, fairing reattached) will cost us approximately $65 to repair.
We'll be back on the bike as soon as it's repaired. God blessed us in innumerable ways yesterday. He is good all the time. Most accidents don't turn out nearly this well. It's obvious to us that God had His hands all over us yesterday.
God Bless y'all!
Lisa
Yesterday morning, we were in Antigua, and heading down the main street into town. We were in traffic, as always (work starts at 8:30 in most places, and it was 8:10) and this car pulled to the right side of the road, going slowly. Bill moved to the left and just as we approached his rear bumper, the car made a left hand turn in front of us without using his blinker. We were not going fast, (it doesn't pay to go fast on cobblestones) and we started sliding as Bill tried to avoid the car. We went down low side, and slid probably 15 ft. Bill had his left shoulder rolled back as we slid, with his knee dragging the ground. Bill's head just missed the concrete base of the light pole. I was able to avoid everything but the light pole. The bike slid into the side of the car with it's front tire. No, the car didn't try to avoid us. He didn't even slow down, and Bill made eye contact with him as we connected.
Someone helped me get the bike off Bill. I have no idea who it was. Then I grabbed my phone and started making calls. Our director, Randy, was 40 minutes away. I called our pastor's wife, and Mike was there within 10 minutes. He called the insurance company for us, and then called the assistant pastor to come and translate.
Antigua has a group of people called PMT, and they are like reserve officers. They do a lot of traffic detail. Several of them showed up, and soon the "real" traffic cops showed up. The man who caused the accident spent an awful lot of time trying to blame everything on us. The bomberos(EMT) showed up and checked Bill and I over. Bruises on our left hands, Bill's shoulder is strained, and his knee...it looked like a 15 lb shot put by the time we got home. We were able to witness to the bomberos while we waited for the insurance guy to arrive.
We waited, and waited, and waited. Our insurance person arrived, and started to sort the whole thing out. Eventually, we told him to pay the man for the damage to his car (we never did see his insurance person) since it wouldn't raise our rates. The insurance man cut him a check on the spot. The pastor rode the bike to the church and called his mechanic (they both ride KLR 650's as well) to come get it. The damage (gear shift and handlebars replaced, fairing reattached) will cost us approximately $65 to repair.
We'll be back on the bike as soon as it's repaired. God blessed us in innumerable ways yesterday. He is good all the time. Most accidents don't turn out nearly this well. It's obvious to us that God had His hands all over us yesterday.
God Bless y'all!
Lisa
Friday, March 16, 2012
Solar lights and more....
Oh what a great week! Even though I started out with a migraine on Monday (darn cold front!) we packed a ton into 4 days. The gym, a trip to the city, Spanish lessons every day, and to top it off, we installed two solar bottle lights.
The solar bottle lights are so ingenious. A two-liter bottle, filled with filtered water and a splash of bleach (to keep the water fresh); a piece of corrugated tin (called lamina here), silicone, tin snips, and a power drill with a hole saw is all it takes. The drill isn't necessary, but lots easier!
Many of the houses the Guatemaltecos live in are made of corrugated tin. Walls and roofs both are lamina. Construction is done piece meal as funds are available. Many of the houses don't have windows because believe it or not, even at 15 degrees latitude North, it gets down close to freezing. I think we saw 35 degrees this year.
If you don't have windows, then you don't have light in your house. Electricity is dangerous, expensive, and not always available in Guatemala. But...you do what you have to. In the typical Guatemalan house, the idea of an electrical code is an imaginary, fleeting thought.
This week, we installed two solar bottle lights in our friends' house. They have 1 window and it's not in the kitchen/bath. So...we made a difference for them. It'll save them money, and I won't spend my nights worrying about their safety. Check out the pics below!
The solar bottle lights are so ingenious. A two-liter bottle, filled with filtered water and a splash of bleach (to keep the water fresh); a piece of corrugated tin (called lamina here), silicone, tin snips, and a power drill with a hole saw is all it takes. The drill isn't necessary, but lots easier!
Many of the houses the Guatemaltecos live in are made of corrugated tin. Walls and roofs both are lamina. Construction is done piece meal as funds are available. Many of the houses don't have windows because believe it or not, even at 15 degrees latitude North, it gets down close to freezing. I think we saw 35 degrees this year.
If you don't have windows, then you don't have light in your house. Electricity is dangerous, expensive, and not always available in Guatemala. But...you do what you have to. In the typical Guatemalan house, the idea of an electrical code is an imaginary, fleeting thought.
This week, we installed two solar bottle lights in our friends' house. They have 1 window and it's not in the kitchen/bath. So...we made a difference for them. It'll save them money, and I won't spend my nights worrying about their safety. Check out the pics below!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Never boring....
Whee! Since my last post, we've taken 18 more days of Spanish lessons, ridden the KLR 650 15 of those days (plus a couple of extra trips) and felt like the wind was going to blow us away more than once. We have trees that are well over 50 ft. tall all around us, and they sway like there is nothing to stop them from falling over. In some cases, they do fall. On the way home from church today (we had the mission pickup, as the wind was gusting well over 40 mph) we came around a curve to cars stopped in the road. A tree had fallen onto the power lines and snapped a power pole in two. The tree, the power lines and the pole were all in the road. One lane was completely blocked, and the other was partially blocked. As we were waiting to take our turn at skirting the debris, the lines arced together and exploded, not once, but twice. The vehicle that was two places ahead of us hit reverse in a hurry! We cautiously skirted the debris, and saw the police arriving as we went around the next curve in the road. Had it been any longer, we might not have gotten through for several hours.
I know we've described the power situation here many times...but it is flat scary! They pull the lines by hand, and if a new meter is installed, the line is just strung along all the others, and across, and on top of....so entertaining. Power outages are common here...I wonder why! :) The power was out when we got home today from the tree falling...even though that happened several miles away.
We are busy with our Spanish lessons. No one ever told me learning a new language in my forties was going to be this hard! We are both making good progress though. Vocabulary is more a case of memorization, and the structure? Don't get me started. I will learn it though. I have to in order to do the work God has called us to do here in Guatemala.
I think I hear the oven calling me...chicken enchiladas tonight. YUM! I'm gathering typical recipes from Guatemala now...look out...you may find that I ask you to buy a cookbook! :)
God Bless y'all! Keep us in your prayers, and if you are able to contribute financially to the work we are doing here in Guatemala, please go to www.mvi.org/donations fill in the appropriate information, and then click the field coordinator box and write in "Rileys" in the blank.
We love and miss y'all bunches!
Lisa
I know we've described the power situation here many times...but it is flat scary! They pull the lines by hand, and if a new meter is installed, the line is just strung along all the others, and across, and on top of....so entertaining. Power outages are common here...I wonder why! :) The power was out when we got home today from the tree falling...even though that happened several miles away.
We are busy with our Spanish lessons. No one ever told me learning a new language in my forties was going to be this hard! We are both making good progress though. Vocabulary is more a case of memorization, and the structure? Don't get me started. I will learn it though. I have to in order to do the work God has called us to do here in Guatemala.
I think I hear the oven calling me...chicken enchiladas tonight. YUM! I'm gathering typical recipes from Guatemala now...look out...you may find that I ask you to buy a cookbook! :)
God Bless y'all! Keep us in your prayers, and if you are able to contribute financially to the work we are doing here in Guatemala, please go to www.mvi.org/donations fill in the appropriate information, and then click the field coordinator box and write in "Rileys" in the blank.
We love and miss y'all bunches!
Lisa
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Drama in Guatemala!
Have you ever started a year out thinking it was going to be great, and then things decided to go sour? Thank goodness we have a God who is bigger than all these issues Satan keeps throwing in our path! I started the year in a cast on my wrist. If you've never broken a bone, you simply can't imagine what a pain in the neck it is to do anything you would normally do without thinking. I found myself washing dishes a whole lot less (I dislike doing them anyway!) fixing things to eat that didn't require the motion of rolling my wrist, and showering with a trash bag on my arm. Oooh...do you know how hard it is to put deodorant on without using both hands? Drove me crazy!
So we were muddling along with my cast, and I had about 7 days to go before it came off. We had been working with our immigration lawyer to get our residence visa applications complete and in process before our 90 day stamp expired. In Guatemala, and I'm sure in other countries too, you come in on a tourist visa and you get a certain length of time. For Guatemala, it's 90 days. Before that 90 days expires, you have to go to Migracion and get a second stamp for another 90 days. Before that second stamp expires, you either have your visa application filed with Migracion, or...you leave the country. We thought everything was a go. Background checks, (fingerprints were $110 a piece!) marriage license, birth certificates, the application, translations, the works. This is a process that had we known what we were walking into, we would have gotten all the paperwork from the States before we left! Mainly because the paperwork has to be certified by the State you are from, as well as the nearest Guatemalan consulate. Yeah. The applications go to Migracion, and 5 days before our stamp expires, I got an email. Seems that Migracion took exception to a misdemeanor Bill got 22 years ago. Didn't matter that he hadn't been in any kind of trouble since...they saw the word guilty on it, and refused his application. The lawyer told us that since the application wasn't accepted, we needed to leave Guatemala for at least 48 hours. We started scrambling. Checked out flights, bus trips, you name it. Because we don't own a vehicle here, we couldn't drive to Mexico or Belize. We had to go another way. Bill is totally not a fan of long bus rides, and it looked like the shortest trip was at least 12 hours. So we bought tickets to Orlando, FL. No Disney, no Universal, just us going to Orlando to get out of the country. Did I tell you that AC is virtually non existent in Panama? Hot, humid Panama? Yes, we went to Orlando by way of Panama! We didn't have time to leave the airport and sightsee, but what I saw from the plane showed that Panama is a beautiful country!
We spent 4 days in Orlando. While we were there, we met with staff at Missionary Ventures, our sending organization; we went to a CMA (Christian Motorcyclists Assn.) meeting, went to a missions fair at First Baptist Orlando, had dinner with MVI friends twice, and went to church in Tampa. All in all, a fast and furious 4 days. We are back, and settling back into the routine of school every morning and studying every afternoon. I will get this, I swear I will!
Now we need to find a lawyer to help us get Bill's misdemeanor expunged from his record. He is eligible, and since it's been 22 years, it shouldn't be an issue. But in order for that to happen, papers have to be filed, and the courts recommend that a lawyer do that to ensure it's all done correctly the first time. Time is important in this case!
We are trying to raise funds to pay for Spanish school at this time. Any and all donations will be accepted and greatly appreciated. You can go here and make an online donation. Fill in your information, click the box for "field coordinator" and put "the Rileys" in the blank. If you want to mail a donation, send it to: Missionary Ventures, International, 5144 S Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32809. Put a note in saying that your donation is preferenced for the ministry of the Rileys.
God Bless y'all, and please keep praying for us!
Lisa
So we were muddling along with my cast, and I had about 7 days to go before it came off. We had been working with our immigration lawyer to get our residence visa applications complete and in process before our 90 day stamp expired. In Guatemala, and I'm sure in other countries too, you come in on a tourist visa and you get a certain length of time. For Guatemala, it's 90 days. Before that 90 days expires, you have to go to Migracion and get a second stamp for another 90 days. Before that second stamp expires, you either have your visa application filed with Migracion, or...you leave the country. We thought everything was a go. Background checks, (fingerprints were $110 a piece!) marriage license, birth certificates, the application, translations, the works. This is a process that had we known what we were walking into, we would have gotten all the paperwork from the States before we left! Mainly because the paperwork has to be certified by the State you are from, as well as the nearest Guatemalan consulate. Yeah. The applications go to Migracion, and 5 days before our stamp expires, I got an email. Seems that Migracion took exception to a misdemeanor Bill got 22 years ago. Didn't matter that he hadn't been in any kind of trouble since...they saw the word guilty on it, and refused his application. The lawyer told us that since the application wasn't accepted, we needed to leave Guatemala for at least 48 hours. We started scrambling. Checked out flights, bus trips, you name it. Because we don't own a vehicle here, we couldn't drive to Mexico or Belize. We had to go another way. Bill is totally not a fan of long bus rides, and it looked like the shortest trip was at least 12 hours. So we bought tickets to Orlando, FL. No Disney, no Universal, just us going to Orlando to get out of the country. Did I tell you that AC is virtually non existent in Panama? Hot, humid Panama? Yes, we went to Orlando by way of Panama! We didn't have time to leave the airport and sightsee, but what I saw from the plane showed that Panama is a beautiful country!
We spent 4 days in Orlando. While we were there, we met with staff at Missionary Ventures, our sending organization; we went to a CMA (Christian Motorcyclists Assn.) meeting, went to a missions fair at First Baptist Orlando, had dinner with MVI friends twice, and went to church in Tampa. All in all, a fast and furious 4 days. We are back, and settling back into the routine of school every morning and studying every afternoon. I will get this, I swear I will!
Now we need to find a lawyer to help us get Bill's misdemeanor expunged from his record. He is eligible, and since it's been 22 years, it shouldn't be an issue. But in order for that to happen, papers have to be filed, and the courts recommend that a lawyer do that to ensure it's all done correctly the first time. Time is important in this case!
We are trying to raise funds to pay for Spanish school at this time. Any and all donations will be accepted and greatly appreciated. You can go here and make an online donation. Fill in your information, click the box for "field coordinator" and put "the Rileys" in the blank. If you want to mail a donation, send it to: Missionary Ventures, International, 5144 S Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32809. Put a note in saying that your donation is preferenced for the ministry of the Rileys.
God Bless y'all, and please keep praying for us!
Lisa
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Hope this isn't the start...
of something ugly. Honestly, I believe it's just an indication of my ability to coordinate my brain and my body. :) The last time I broke a bone, it was January 1, 1999. I ended up with a compound spiral tib/fib break, which kept me from walking on it for 4.5 months, and in a cast for 6.5 months. This one should be much easier...a break in the big bone in my wrist. My right wrist, of course, and I'm right handed. It's supposed to be in a cast for a month. It isn't slowing me down too much, except for sleep. That appears to be the time when my hand swells the most and aches. So I toss and turn. Here's a pic of me sporting my new decoration...
Yep, it's been an interesting week. I broke my wrist Monday evening, and we started language school on Wednesday. That's another thing...we spent the money we had put aside for language classes this month on my accident. FRUSTRATING! We will figure it out somehow, because I believe that the Lord wants us here and I know He will provide. If you would like to contribute to our mission, please go to this link www.mvi.org/donations and fill in the information. Make sure you scroll down to the space marked "field coordinator", click that and write Rileys in the blank! It's tax deductible, and MVI will send you a receipt.
God Bless y'all!
Lisa
Yep, it's been an interesting week. I broke my wrist Monday evening, and we started language school on Wednesday. That's another thing...we spent the money we had put aside for language classes this month on my accident. FRUSTRATING! We will figure it out somehow, because I believe that the Lord wants us here and I know He will provide. If you would like to contribute to our mission, please go to this link www.mvi.org/donations and fill in the information. Make sure you scroll down to the space marked "field coordinator", click that and write Rileys in the blank! It's tax deductible, and MVI will send you a receipt.
God Bless y'all!
Lisa
Monday, January 9, 2012
Visas in process...and language school to start!
Wow...it's been a busy week. We had a team come in last Thursday night from Austin, TX. What a great bunch of people. They went northwest to Huehuetenango, where they are doing construction work. They'll be back on Wednesday night, and we'll house them overnight and send them on their way home to Texas. This team is the first we've seen since November, and they brought us mail! (Ok, so imagine that you only get mail once a month....that's where we are!) In the mail was the last piece of documentation that we needed to start our residential visas for Guatemala. This is an expensive process. All together, our costs are over $1000. That's a huge chunk of money...but necessary for staying here. Otherwise, every 180 days you have to leave the country for 72 hours.
In the meantime, we start language school this week. This too is necessary to survive down here. If we don't know the language, how are we going to minister to the people? We have managed to use broken English and very broken Spanish to get by so far, but we are feeling like we can't go any farther, nor can we be a success at our jobs without Spanish. Rosetta Stone was mentioned, but the Guatemalteco dialects use words that aren't the same as Mexican Spanish. Language school looks like it is going to to cost us about $3,300. That is a huge amount of money, and we need to raise it in the next three months.
Our next team will arrive on the 21st. They'll stay overnight, and head for Nebaj. What a beautiful place! They'll be up there just over a week, and then come back to spend a few nights with us before heading home. This team is working with MV Canada.
The next team after that is due in February 5....love having teams here and being able to serve them! Truly, I can't imagine being anywhere but here, doing what we are doing!
Vaya con Dios, amigos!
Lisa
In the meantime, we start language school this week. This too is necessary to survive down here. If we don't know the language, how are we going to minister to the people? We have managed to use broken English and very broken Spanish to get by so far, but we are feeling like we can't go any farther, nor can we be a success at our jobs without Spanish. Rosetta Stone was mentioned, but the Guatemalteco dialects use words that aren't the same as Mexican Spanish. Language school looks like it is going to to cost us about $3,300. That is a huge amount of money, and we need to raise it in the next three months.
Our next team will arrive on the 21st. They'll stay overnight, and head for Nebaj. What a beautiful place! They'll be up there just over a week, and then come back to spend a few nights with us before heading home. This team is working with MV Canada.
The next team after that is due in February 5....love having teams here and being able to serve them! Truly, I can't imagine being anywhere but here, doing what we are doing!
Vaya con Dios, amigos!
Lisa
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