Click HERE to see a video of our first week in Antigua
After many months of praying, planning and preparing we finally arrived here in Antigua Guatemala. It has definitely been a big adjustment in many ways. But, I think we are finally starting to settle in to a new life style and routine.
We feel so blessed by the apartment we are staying in. It’s in a safe neighborhood and has great views of the three volcanoes that surround Antigua.
Antigua is such a unique town. It’s a mix of just about everything. It has ancient Spanish ruins, 17th Century Churches, cobblestone streets packed with people, cafes, restaurants, street vendors and tons of interesting nuances. Driving the streets here is definitely a unique experience…
A few highlights of our time here in Antigua:
1) A few nights ago we got to climb onto the roof to watch Volcan El Fuego erupt!
2) Being blessed with great “Espanol maestros”. The kids are loving their teachers! (I feel like I am drinking from a firehose).
3) Praying in a hammock in the cool Guatemalan morning breeze is about as close to heaven as one can get.
4) Connecting with some amazing missionaries who have such incredible hearts for the beautiful people here in Guatemala.
Lessons learned:
1) We take so much for granted in the US like: grocery shopping (we miss you Publix!), safe drinking water (still haven’t found it), and traffic laws (I actually appreciate them now!). All these simple things are so much more complicated here.
2) Montezuma’s revenge is unavoidable. As many of you know, Michelle is a “germaphobe”. Even with her insane precautions with the water, all of us have experienced Montezuma’s fury and have continued stomaches issues.
3) The sun sets extremely fast here in Antigua as we are in a valley. We took an Uber ride up to a beautiful overlook and got stranded in the darkness. In a matter of 20 minutes it went from light to completely dark! With no cell service and our Uber driver leaving us stranded – we were thankful to meet an amazing couple from Guatemala City that rescued us! All 7 of us crammed into their little… I mean very little car. Poor car! They dropped us off @ the town center. Guardian angels in disguise?!
Thank you all for your encouragement, prayers and support! We love you all.
God bless you all! You are seeing examples of his majesty up close abd personal!
Thank you! To God be the glory. My parents set a great example for me to follow… and God patiently waited for me to have the courage to say, “Yes.”
Great video Matt. Such a colorful city. We still be praying that Montezumas Fury quickly goes away. Thanks for the update.
Thanks for the updates!! What a beautiful and challenging adventure! All the best!!!
Love seeing this and hearing about your journey with God!
The best is yet to come!!
Thank you for reaching out, you show God’s work in your daily life as a family.
Thank you for sharing Tumacelli! It looks AWESOME there. We miss you guys and we are praying for you. You’re doing good stuff bro, good stuff! Hello to all the M’s 🙂
God Bless
Matt, You are such an inspiration. I love getting your updates, pictures etc. The pictures of the volcano erupting were an amazing indication of God’s wonders. I admire & respect the enormity of work you & your wife have put into preparing your children. They are truly blessed to be sharing in this journey with you. God bless you in all that you are doing to share God’s love!
Judy Major
So good to hear the Lord is blessing you (except for the water!) as you and your family endeavor to learn a new language in a new place in order to serve Him and deliver His message to the beautiful people of Guatemala.
Praying for blessings every step of your way.
What an amazing week and it was great to read all that happened. You all know how exciting I am for you!
Do you have Essential oils with you?
If I sent you some, would they get to you?
I have used them while traveling to Costa Rica, and Dominican Republic, and found them to be extremely useful for so many things.
My chiro used them in India, and was the only one who had no issues while there.
You can email me about this.
God watch over Matt and his family as they go forward with you on this journey! Keep them safe and well and let them learn quickly! Amen. 🙂