Plane tickets changed!

(James)  Our flights got changed so now we will go strait to Guatemala and not stop in Miami.  Now we don't have the wake early instead we can leave after lunch.
I am happy we are not stopping in Miami because it will take longer to get there.  My dad said, we will get there around dinner time.  I think I will eat a taco and go strait to bed because of the long day of packing and being on the plain.  I'm kind of scared about going but I know the lord will watch out for me.

Working and Marching/Resting and Dancing

(Jeana)  Do you ever sit in church and think, "he's like talking directly to me."  Or, sometimes, "no way, I can't do that."?  Well, yesterday it was both for me.  Pastor Pete was preaching about resting in the finished work of Christ and that living a life for Christ is more a dance than a march.   You know that you are totally pathetic when you are full on mentally fighting the words of the sermon right there during the sermon.   No way can I be resting and dancing -- I have to have 3 months of working and marching in order to make a difference on the campus in Guatemala.  Work, work, working and march, march, marching -- that is my intention -- my wound up, anxiety filled, muscles tensed view of the way it has to be.  That sermon must not apply to this particular situation . . .
Well, then we met with the Outreach Leadership team at Bent Tree.  A short time of sharing and prayer with incredible warriors for The Kingdom.  And, through that time with seasoned missionary types and the words spoken the sermon started to sink right in . . . it's not all about how much fixing, painting, planting, hammering, cleaning, building, etc. that we are able to complete.  There is so much more wrapped up into this trip and if I/we are working and marching too much we could miss some of the blessing laid out before us and for us.

Typing with, Wil

(Wil) 10 days before departure...

I am writing to you today to tell you about my Eagle Project I am trying to finish down there.
I have 2 more signatures that will have to get signed off on before I can start and I have to get them signed of before I leave...
Out of all the people in my family I think I am the least excited to go.  My mom keeps telling me, and other people, that I don't like change.  I think the hardest part will be getting used to things we don't have there that we take for granted to day,  the dishwasher,  dryer,  air-conditioning,  communication...
When I get back, hopefully I will be speaking some Spanish.
Until then I will be praying about it, and packing for it. 

Please reply to this post iff you have any questions.

Hope to type to you guys soon,
Wil






Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.

Ground was broke for Casa Patsy July 2010. This video shows the first 18 months of construction.

called

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.       James 1:27

Airline tickets!!!!

(Sarah and James) Hello blog followers!!!  Yesterday we got our flight tickets James and I are so excited. Our trip is just around the corner!!  We are franticly trying to get everything ready so that the last few days won't be too stressful.  We leave on April fourth early in the morning, we stop in miami and will be there for seven hours.  Plenty of time to go have lunch at the beach. ;)  Then we get back on the plane and arrive in Guatemala city around dinner time and will stay there for too days to get all the appliances, furniture, supplies and everything else we might need.  After that we will go to house of hope just in time for easter lunch with the families and game of fut'bal(soccer)

Our biggest prayer request is that our pets will have a safe place to stay for a month or so, also, Wade and james's passports have not come and we are leaving for Missouri this Monday.

-sarah<3
-James:)

fun yes, but not all

(Wade) I think that going to Guatemala is going to be fun because I have never been out of the country  before and I will have a good time.  Also, I think that it won't be all fun and games because I believe that it will be hard too. So I think I just have to put my BEST foot forward.

Mountains every morning

House of Hope Campus ~ Casa Patsy is located behind the (school) building on the right

Pictures of "Casa Patsy" ~ Our New temporary Home

LIsts, lists, lists

(Jeana)  No matter what I am doing these days, my mind is making, checking, remaking lists.  Lists of things to be done before we go, lists of things to bring, lists of school issues to be tackled, lists of appointments to be made, lists of appointments to be canceled, and the lists go on . . . and on.
Not out of worry or anxiety, just in task master mode and control mania mode the lists just hum on and on throughout every day/thought.  Unfortunately, my mind is on autopilot in list making mode when it should be on autopilot in prayer mode.
I even find myself making lists of "my last time to do this" before I leave things.  This is my last time out to the Eustace house, is this the last box if Keurig coffee cups that I will buy, is this the last time I  will have the oil changed, is this the last hockey game I attend, is this . . .  fill in the blank because this list is more quickly growing longer as each day passes.
 It is tragically funny how the mundane is allowed to occupy so much time and energy.  It is the absence of the mundane, never ending time munching city life tasks that makes the trips to Guatemala call so loudly on our lives.   The feeling of serving a purpose greater than ourselves.  Serving alongside the tapestry of souls that God has called out to the mission field, even if for such a brief time . . .

details details

The list of to-do's in preparation for the journey is long. We are thankful that doors have continued to open and no major obstacles have appeared. Probably the biggest thing facing our task list is to secure the flights. We are still looking for some AA miles ;)
Steve wll have to do some back and forth for work so he won't be able to stay with our family for the entire journey, but we are thankful that hp is accomodating this opportunity utilizing vacation and being able to work via long distance internet from house of hope.

Miles request

If you have any AA miles that you would consider sharing with us, please give us a call.

Time to Dance

Dear friends, We are filled with excitement that we 'the Anderson family' have been called up to step out of life in Dallas and dance with the Father. For a considerable length of time, our family has felt the building call to step up and serve housesofhope.org with our hands and feet. The time is now....well the time is actually April, May, June. For 3 months we will be living in Guatemala and serving this orphan minsitry as it prepares for a blessing of growth and rejuvenation. We are excited about the opportunity and we will do our best to keep this blog updated to provide a window into this brief journey.

During our time, we will be living in Casa Patsy. This is the newest home at housesofhope.org in Zacapa Guatemala. Our goal is to finish up this home with fixtures, plumbing, electric and furniture and prepare it for 12 orphan children to be rescued and raised in their new home with a lovng mother and father. There will be much much more we hope to do while we are there. There is no shortage of duties and needs. Please join us in prayer as we seek to bring honor and glory to Christ whom we serve.