The Bellers Blog

A Whirlwind weekend

2009-06-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well...As the dust from the whirlwind begins to settle, I suppose it is time to add another entry and talk about what is currently going on in the Bellers lives.
This past Friday in the afternoon we learned that school in Guatemala was going to be closed for several weeks due to Swine Flu. By mid afternoon we learned there were 12 new cases after they made the announcement to cancel school. By the evening we had talked with Michael Beene and come to a mutual agreement that it would be best for us to come home to the states since we had already had our tickets and a team of interns from Times Square Church were there and would be able to take our stuff back. Michael told us a local lady would be able to take over for us should they decide to re-open school and a couple (Tom & Arlene) that is adopting a baby will be staying there as well. So, on Saturday we packed up our apartment. On Sunday we sold our truck. Then we flew out early Monday morning...So there was our whirlwind weekend.
Thinking of Proverbs 20:24 "A man's steps are directed by the Lord." it actually felt more like a sprint!
What next?! Well, I am planning on getting my culinary training and have a couple of options ahead. For Melanie she is thinking about going to school. This is all very new, and we weren't exactly planning on any options until October when our 1-year commitment was over.
So, please pray for us as we continue to walk forward, and thank you for all our prayers and support.

Pizza?

2009-05-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago the kids informed us that they no longer wanted to eat beans and pasta--they wanted pizza and hamburgers! In an effort to increase their food experience, we pinched a few pennies and started feeding them some of their "requests."

In the beginning they liked it, but after a few weeks they decided American food was not for them. One night when we gave them pizza they just sat there staring at it, refusing to eat. They finally told us they had reconsidered, and would prefer rice, beans and eggs! Of course, they still had to eat pizza that night, but since then we've gone back to the basics. Evidently their stint at trying other types of food didn't last very long!

Serving them a dinner of scrambled eggs and refried beans.

Mom Makes Tortillas

2009-05-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Audelia began making tortillas for dinner. My Mom, being the inquisitive woman that she is, decided she wanted to learn how. I told her how to ask, "Can I help?" in Spanish and Audelia started giggling and said, "Yes."

Tortilla making is really an art and our girls make it look so easy. My mom found out that its more difficult that it looks, but she caught on fast. Here's a few pictures of the Tortilla Making Lesson!

My Parents Visit

2009-05-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

My lack of updates can be blamed on my parents coming to visit Guatemala! It's been a great week and a half so far. We've showed them around several parts of the country, driving up to Tikal last weekend (when the kids were up the mountain). It was a long drive, but the Mayan ruins were well worth it.

Back at the dorm, we've started a weekly movie night with the kids. Last week my mom suggested that we make popcorn for them too. Since there are no popcorn poppers here, we did it the old fashioned way: in a pan on the stove! The only popcorn sold here is microwave popcorn, so we bought a bunch of that and cut the bags open, the put it in the frying pan. A big job, but the kids really liked it. Unfortunately I only got a couple pictures of the process and none of the kids eating it!

The next day one of the boys (Antonio) came up to us and said, "I need more popcorn." We laughed and asked him if he really NEEDED it and he shook his head seriously and said, "Yes!" So we decided that it was a hit with the kids.

Rain & Flooding

2009-05-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

The rainstorms haven't let up since they started last Saturday night. Each night we get a ton of rain with lots of wind. Because of this the roof has not been fixed properly and each time it rains, there are more leaks in the house.

Because of the rain, our water is also much dirtier. The rain stirs up the river so we get lots of dirt and bugs in the water, and it's so bad you can't even see the bottom of the tank. This is usually the water the kids drink, so now we've purchased them purified water, which cuts down on their already small food budget. We really need our water situation to be resolved!

Rain Storms

2009-05-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a torrential downpour of rain for a couple hours. Unfortunately we were driving home and the visibility on the road was terrible! I had to pull over 3 different times and wait for the rain to let up because I couldn't even see the lane or the edge of the road.

Upon arriving home we walked inside to see not just one, but SEVERAL leaks coming through the ceiling. We went through each room to inspect the damage, moving furniture and one of the only working laptops that had been directly under the dripping water. (Of course!)

We decided it was best to check the roof and found ankle deep water pooling in several areas. It was still drizzling a little, but it seemed like the worst of the rain was over. So, we got brooms and a dustpan and began "sweeping" the water off the roof, over the side of the wall. Tom and Arlene came upstairs as well, and the 4 of us worked tirelessly for quite some time before we finished. It was a good bonding experience for us and we had some good laughs as we worked.

Report Cards

2009-04-28T17:20:00.001-07:00

This past week we went to the kid's schools to collect their report cards. Unfortunately, their results were not positive. Although they are well-behaved in school, their grades are very low. One student barely passed 3 classes and failed the rest. Our youngest, Audelia, made the best grades...and got a 93 in English. Maybe we'll stop our Spanish classes and use her as our translator!

Starting tomorrow they will have a tutor come to the dorm every afternoon to meet with them and bring up their grades. If you think about it, pray that the kids work well with the tutor and that they will understand everything. They were very unreceptive to the idea of having a tutor, so we think they might be embarrassed by it. We're hoping they will take advantage of it rather than waste the opportunity.

We're also teaching them basic computer skills. The simple things we learned in grade school are monumental tasks to them...for instance, how to print a document. On that note, if anyone has a decent quality computer or laptop they'd like to donate, please let us know. There's a short term team coming here at the beginning of June and it can be sent with them.

4 Adults, 8 Teenagers, 1 Baby and a Chicken

2009-04-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

For the next few weeks we'll have a couple living with us. They are adopting a baby from here and are in the process of completing paperwork. They already have the baby living with them and she's a cute little 10-month-old from the same mountain as our kids. Tom & Arlene are so sweet and they're a great addition to the dorm.

The other addition from last week is something not quite as cute and sweet! After youth group one night, one of our girls, Audelia, came home with a little gift bag. We asked her what she got at church, and she responded by opening the bag and thrusting a little chick into Ant's face! LOL. It was a pretty funny moment because he was turning around at the same time she was showing him, so he practically kissed it! (He also didn't expect her "gift" to be anything LIVE!) The girls thought that was hysterical, and giggled all the way home from church. Evidently Audelia got the gift as a prize for participation. She is one of the kids that got saved last month.

So, for now, we're a family of 14. :)

Help with Spanish

2009-04-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were asked to take a survey at the local grocery store. After answering all the questions (with Pablo's help!) we began to leave. As we got into the truck to drive away, the guy who took the survey ran out to stop us.

He asked if we could please help him study English for a test he had that week. We agreed to meet up with him the next day and after a few hours of work his English shaped up a bit.

We've now decided to meet up with him weekly: he helps us with Spanish and we help him with English.

Trip to New York

2009-04-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

Our students had a week off school for the Easter holiday so we took a quick trip to New York to see our loved ones and friends.

It was a whirlwind visit! We ran from office to office at TSC and then from place to place meeting up with friends for quick (but good) chats. Of course, it wasn't complete without a springtime walk in Central Park, lunch at Pam Real Thai and browsing the aisles at Whole Foods! (Sometimes I laugh when I think about what places are important to us! If only they would open a Whole Foods in Guatemala City!)

It was so refreshing and fun to see people and get caught up. My sister Amy was in town as well as another old friend I hadn't seen in a while; they both made it even more fun to spend a week in New York.

We arrived home to 2 kids with chicken pox, but no other earth-shattering events...thankfully. This is rare in Guatemala!

No pictures this time, but more to come later on!

Our Kids

2009-04-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Thought you guys might like to see some close-ups we took of the kids.

Rosa (with her sister Audelia)

Mariano

Cesar

Antonio (affectionately nick-named "Chewy")

Norma

Francisco

Alfredo

Audelia

Friends Come to Town!

2009-03-25T14:26:00.001-07:00

A couple days ago the short term team from Times Square Church came down. Their ultimate destination was Rio Dulce, but our dorm is on the way there so they stopped in for about an hour.

It was so great to see everyone and also to open up all the goodies our friends sent us from New York. Ant & I both felt it was a little like Christmas with all the stuff!! (Thanks to everyone--you made us feel so loved!)

The TSC team left 2 guys here for the week to do carpentry work and finish up some loose ends around the place. The girl's side of the dorm was quickly turned into a workshop and they've been busy ever since.

As the days progress we're seeing drawers, bathroom vanities, bunk beds and other stuff appear from the pile of wood and screws that were originally there!

The moment we've all been waiting for....

2009-03-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

These past couple of weeks have been very difficult for us...At times unbearable...There have been a plethora of things that have gone wrong and many struggles within and without... The thoughts of how are we gonna make it have happened more than once a day in the past week...
We took the students yesterday to their youth group meeting they have on Monday nights. Mind you, none of our students are Christians, so we're not to sure how they like to be forced to go to church twice a week...
Then it happened...
We found out that 2 of the students went up for the alter call to receive the Lord as their Saviour! The Youth Leader had asked the Young Adults if they were not one of God's sheep and wanted to be, to stand up and to come to the alter. Michael and Rocky told us, in the 20 plus years they have been here they have never ever heard of anyone ever standing up and responding to an altar cal.
As we sat in the car and cried and prayed while they were in church at the altar, I felt the Lord just say to my heart: Even with all of the of hardships and sacrifices we have made here that it will be so worth it...

Why did we come down? What is our ultimate goal here?
It's to see the plan of Jesus fulfilled in these kids lives, to see them saved, in love with God and running after Him with all their hearts.

If you have time, go and read the first post I made on our blog.

A Day in the Life of the Bellers

2009-03-09T19:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we drove to the capital early in the morning to pick up our friend Pablo. He's here for a month to help us learn more Spanish! We are so excited to have him here since he's also fun to be around!

On the way to the Guatemala City to retrieve Pablo we had a little situation. There was an electrical wire stretched across the road (like a clothes line) and we didn't see it before it hit the truck. The wire scraped up the front driver's side and literally sliced off the entire side-view mirror! It was a little scary, and we were lucky to have just been stopped at road construction, so we weren't driving very fast. We think it can be fixed easily...just have to find a trust-worthy place around here.

While driving home, we found out that our friend Nathan also had a minor accident on his motorcycle. Since the hospitals in Zacapa aren't too nice, he didn't want to go there for stitches. So when we got home I cleaned and bandaged his leg and foot so it would heal. He's starting to feel better and it looks like things are healing nicely.

That night the kids returned from the mountain, so we cooked for them and rushed them to church for the evening...then came back home and prepped food for the next morning's breakfast.

Ant also had to pump more water into our tank...there's a new pump that is connected to a secondary "water tank" of sorts. The new plan is to pump water from the tank on the ground to the tank on the roof.

We finally crashed after a loooong and tiring day! We've learned that our lives can go from extremely boring to extremely chaotic...and sometimes in mere seconds!

Our Water

2009-03-06T16:39:00.001-08:00

So...our water situation still needs a permanent solution. We currently have a water tank on the roof of the dorm and it is refilled daily. The "water guy" comes in the morning and pumps more water into the tank from barrels in the back of his truck. (see above picture!)

One day the water ran out completely, so Ant decided to clean the tank. Good thing he did...we don't really want to tell you what all was floating around and stuck to the bottom! Needless to say, it was definitely not the cleanest water to be cooking, drinking, or bathing in!

Please pray we get hooked up to city water soon!! :)

The Dentist Comes

2009-02-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday a dentist came with his family on a short term trip. They are regulars with the Beenes and Guatemala and promptly set up camp on the girls side of the dorm to begin work on the students.

Audelia, one of our girls, had no cavities! But some of the boys had quite a bit of work to be done. Teeth were pulled, cavities were filled, proper teeth-brushing was explained. Overall a productive and busy two days.

Missions Run

2009-02-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

It was a warm day in December- thankfully; because Times Square Church was throwing a 5K fundraising event in Brooklyn for Missions. We had a lot of fun, and ran till our hearts couldn't run anymore (well, mine at least)

After it was all said and done, and we had finished, Lane announced that they had raised a little over $1,000! The next announcement was that is was for us! The Bellers! WooHoo!!!

We felt so incredibly blessed and happy by this, this price rang in our ears because when we had been down in October that's how much a bed cost.

(Lane organzied the event)

Well, fast forward to today. The things we had ordered for our room finally came this week. We ended up getting a bed, a wardrobe, a love-seat, an armchair, a coffee table and two nightstands- all for the cost of what was raised on the Missions run! God so far exceeded our expectations and caused an increase to the use of the money.

Thank you everyone so much for donating to the Missions run. It has really helped life down here feel just a bit more homey.

Chiquimula

2009-02-12T15:39:00.002-08:00

The students had off from school yesterday- apparently there was trouble with the bathrooms. So they closed them

We thought it would be really fun to take them to the next town over, Chiquimula (pronounced Cheeky-Moo-La). It's about 20 minutes away, and they have a lot more than the town we live in. They all seemed really excited to go. It seems it was a first for them, it would continue to be a day of firsts for all of them. We went to the mall, which isn't a bad sized mall... But we don't understand how it can stay in business since no one really shops there.

We told them we could split up and meet in an hour, but they all wanted to stick with us, which we thought was really funny and cute. When we walked past the escalator we found out that had never been on one. So, of course we had to take them on it. It was an adventure for them and they all were giggling.

Then we haaad to take them in a elevator- which they all seemed nervous as I shuffled them in.

(they all held on to each other and the railing)

After the mall, we went into town- where the locals actually shop. I thought they surely wouldn't want to continue with us, so asked if they wanted to split up, but it was a no again, they wanted to stick with us. Which is so different when we first took them to the market here in Zacapa. They didn't even walk with us, and the boys kept running away! So, we just strolled around and sat in the their "Central Park' for a little.

(this is Fransico-he made me take his picture next to this)

A pretty laid back day, with a bunch of laughs and a nice bonding time.

Beans

2009-02-09T15:21:00.001-08:00

Every week Anthony soaks and cooks a huge pot of beans for the kids. They are used to eating tortillas and beans often...in fact, in the mountains they sometimes eat only tortillas for meals. Here they have refried beans and tortillas for lunch.

Before cooking the beans they have to be sorted. This process is a bit tedious...we pick out rocks, sticks, and finally, BUGS.

Yes, there are little flying bugs in the beans. They eat very small perfectly round holes in the beans. I tried to take a picture of the holes, but they are too small!

Sometimes when sorting, the bugs just fly out out of a bean...almost out of nowhere...and

always surprising!!!

Here's a few pictures of the bean process!

Guatemalan Stuff

2009-02-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

Odd type of fruit...and ROCK SOLID!

kids play freely in the market streets.

women all over Guatemala carry huge loads on their heads.

baby sleeping in the bustling marketplace.

their version of the ice cream truck!

MUTINY!!!

2009-02-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

The first day the students came back this week (this past Sunday) They ALL came to us in the evening and handed us the money we had given them for school supplies and bus fare... And told us they were leaving! They had gotten in trouble the week before and been spoken to by two teachers...They didn't like the way they were treated by one of them. So they were gonna leave...Just leave, forget about their education. A few of them are even in their last year. So, they were going back to a life of hardship on the mountains with no education and no future. As we sat and they were telling us this, I just felt it was just the enemy. God had given them such a great opportunity, it was so clear they were just giving into lies. We called Michael and Rocky; and after talking to the students for over an hour they decided to stay. It's so hard to understand why they would choose going back to the mountain. They mostly live in stick huts there, and this a beautiful dorm with running water and windows and doors. It's such a vicious cycle of poverty and mis-education.
Since then things with the students have been better. There are still problems with communicating and many frustrations on their parts because we don't speak their language and we enforce rules, something that is totally foreign to them. A lot of the time we think they are making fun of us though and complaining, but we won't know until we learn more Spanish.
One thing that is a bit hard to understand is where they get money for cell phones and other things. They feel we should just give them money for anything they want since we are American. They don't seem to understand that we don't have any money to give and think we are just being selfish.

Some prayer points:
More money for school supplies, and the many many various things they need to have for a "free education" including computers and internet.
To learn the language quickly
And GRACE!

"Tell 'em what they've won Johnny"........"A braaaand new car"

2009-02-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

Well, it was a huge event for us...We bought a new truck! This is my first car (not Mel's) and I feel so blessed that it is one that God has provided!

We went to the city yesterday morning to pick up our truck that we had ordered last week...It is an Nissan '08 Navara.

This vehicle is SOOO necessary here. It will be used for things such as: going to the market, shopping for the needs of the dorm and taking the students around and to church. We want to truly thank everyone who donated towards this! It wouldn't have been fun carrying 25lb bags of rice, beans, sugar and corn meal all the way back to the dorm weekly.. :)

There is only one thing I am totally bummed about..I wasn't the first to drive it..ha! It's a manual and I haven't driven one since I was 14....so.... I couldn't drive it home!

Tortillas

2009-01-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

Every evening one of the girls makes a TON of tortillas. They eat them with every meal, so she makes extra to stock up for the other meal times.

This is Rosa making them...somehow they have this talent to pat them out by hand so they are perfectly round and all the same thickness!

One day when we ran out of tortillas before lunch and the girls weren't around, I tried to make a few tortillas. I followed what I saw them do, but it is MUCH harder than it looks! See my stack that looks as thick as pancakes!

Ice Cream

2009-01-29T14:55:00.000-08:00

Last night we took the kids to get ice cream in town. We think they were pretty excited about it...we told them ahead of time what we were doing, and in the car on the way there the girls were whispering and giggling in the back seat. So...ice cream is a big hit with kids no matter what country! :)

The Students Arrive!

2009-01-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

On Sunday the students arrived! They walked down from their homes in the mountains after having to wait several hours for the rain to stop.

When they got here we gave them a tour of their rooms and the rest of the house. Rocky explained how to use a toilet, that they should brush their teeth and wear deodorant daily, as well as how to lock and unlock their doors.

When they walked into the bathrooms and saw their faces in the mirror, they began to smile and stare! It was adorable how they just kept looking and giggling and didn't want to leave the mirrors!

After that we prayed with them and explained the basic rules of the house--turn off lights, no dating, curfew, etc. with Rocky translating for us. Then Rocky left and we had our first meal with the kids.

Mealtimes are very quiet. The kids don't talk and we keep trying to figure out if its because they don't like the food (*insert from Ant--I have never had anyone not like my food!) or if it's because they're just shy . The first meal had no tortillas (we're not Guatemalan enough yet!) so after lunch we went to the store and bought a 50 pound bag of corn meal so the girls could make tortillas for each meal.

After lunch the boys said they needed paper for school...or so we thought. After driving into town, we figured out they needed scissors to CUT paper, so we drove to a different place. The the boys said they needed to get their HAIR CUT and that we should come back in two hours. Needless to say, the communication barrier is quite a real challenge, although humorous!

We took them to church later in the evening. When we arrived at the door, the girls walked in with me, but we turned around to find the boys gone! Anthony went back outside and saw them running down the street! So he followed them...only to find them washing their feet down the road. We weren't really sure why they did it, other than maybe a tradition they've had, but it was a funny moment for us!

Preparing for the Student's Arrival

2009-01-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

Before the students arrived we shopped in the market for food, hygiene products, pots and pans...everything necessary to take care of 6 kids...on a budget! The market is like you would expect--crowded and dirty--but there are some great deals on bulk rice and beans, vegetables and more. Here are some photos of our experiences.

After coming home, Anthony began to prepare a meal to be ready when the students arrived. As he cut up the chicken he encountered something we don't normally see in the States. Chicken feet! He was, however, able to get past it and continue with lunch!

Before the cooking began we had to purchase propane to connect to the stove. After drilling a hole through the cement wall, it was able to be hooked up and work!

Construction Progress

2009-01-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to give you an update on how much the dorm has changed in the last two weeks.

When we arrived there was no water, no sewer book-up, none of the doors were hung, no front doors existed, kitchen cabinets weren't complete, kitchen appliances weren't hooked up and not all the plumbing was done. The floors were covered in construction dust, and several rooms had wood and tools in them. Then the "floor guy" came and sanded down the stone floor for 5 days...and there was even MORE dust that covered not only the floors, but the walls, cabinets, windows, beds, bathrooms, etc. As you can tell, this was a far cry from being done!

For the past two weeks we've been running errands, working with Nathan on the construction and cleaning of the dorm, buying stuff for our room, buying hygiene products and food for the kids, making beds, fixing plumbing problems, installing cabinets, staining doors, and the list goes on!

In the midst of the busyness we'd had a few moments to celebrate our 2 year anniversary and my birthday. Very different from any other celebrations we've had before! Both times we ate dinner at the nicest place in town--The Stable LOL!!

Today we sit in our new home, amazed that so much got done in such a short time. There's still a long list of things to be completed, including a permanent water solution. Please pray for that!

To the City and Back

2009-01-22T20:01:00.000-08:00

We went to Guatemala city by bus this past Sunday. We took a bus in, and thankfully this one wasn't infested with roaches like the last one!

We had to go into the city to buy furniture for our room and a truck. Sounds simple enough...right? Wrong...You know how there are those crooked car salesman that we all have an image of in our minds...Well...Imagine one speaking only in Spanish and not being able to understand anything he is saying...It was a huge headache and a lot more difficult than one would imagine. But our truck should be ready sometime next week...They have to make it..or something like that.

Did a lot of walking around the city and carried everything back to the hotel we were staying at. We even ran into some Mt. Zion alumni, which was really great. They ended up helping us out a lot which was a HUGE blessing.

The day we left the city (Wednesday) we had hired a flat bed truck to carry everything back. I drove with the movers to help load the truck...And was supposed to go back to the hotel to do the rest of the errands with Mel..."Supposed to" being the key words...I told the guys (in Spanish) that I needed to go back to the hotel, they answered back (in English) "okay"..As we past the hotel, I was like, "I need to go back to the hotel".."Okay"...So, we're driving...driving...and I'm just thinking they are lost (because it can be a bit difficult to navigate around the city)...And told them again..." I need to go back to the hotel"..."Sure, okay"...Then, I noticed we were driving back to Zacapa (where we live- 3 hours away from the city)...I then said, "Okay, stop! Are you taking me to Zacapa?! I need to go back to the hotel to get my wife and go back later to Zacapa". So, there I was, 2 minutes later...dropped off on the side of the road, having to get a taxi back to the city..Not a fun ride, with the driver singing along to some song saying "I want boys" in a very bad falsetto voice with the music blasting and being charged more than I agreed on. But I can only argue so much in Spanish :)

And lastly our bus ride back to Zacapa...It seems our bus rides always seem to have a theme..Whether it be..the smell of car fumes and nausea..To roaches..To insane drivers...This one was the smell of the bathroom right next to us..Good times...Good times :)

P.S. This last picture is a bus vendor...she sells tortillas with chicken and beans...the works...right from her basket!

Fried Chicken

2009-01-17T21:04:00.001-08:00

Anyone who knows Anthony knows he's LOVES chicken. We've been seeing this place with a huge line of locals every night and finally decided to try it tonight. It was actually awesome!

Weekend Update

2009-01-16T21:18:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys--

Just wanted to upload a few pictures!

our motel

the shower

make-shift cereal bowl

unfinished dorm room

cabinet work

our anniversary, January 13

unfinished dorm room

Zacapa hospital

2009-01-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

We went to the Mountain after our last blog. I helped Nathan cement some steps leading up to the apartments in Pinalito. The next day was church. As I was sitting there I just thought as people shared and sang; how simple life is here and when you have absolutely nothing...That Jesus is truly enough.

Later we drove back down the mountain to stay in a "Hotel" in Zacapa. There is no hot water, and we have the occasional "little friends" drop by.

We finally got to see the dorms...And there is still a lot of work to be done. Doors aren't hung...The sewer isn't done (therefore..no water) Kitchens aren't complete, they need more tiling, stoves and fridges. The floors also need to be polished. And they have begun on the second floor..So we have started to help finish some of this. This is why we are staying in the hotel nearby.

So, that's where you...yes YOU come in...We need your prayers for this to get finished for when the students come down. They will be here on January 26th!!!

We're not exactly sure what we will be doing in the next few weeks. As we are learning, you really need to be flexible here. We still need to get a truck...And a bed...and a ton of others things to make it feel like home here.

Please...Keep us in your prayers :)

The Adventure Begins

2009-01-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

As Anthony said, we did arrive here safely. However, there's a little more to the story! It took 17 hours! After waiting at the airport for about 3 hours, we got on a bus to Zacapa.

The bus was very slow and didn't even pull out of the "station" for an hour after we loaded. Luckily we were both so tired we fell asleep for some of the ride!

We were only told to get off in Zacapa, but neither of us knew exactly where. And there's not a marked bus stop area. After several hours of riding, the bus stopped near a sign that said Zacapa. We jumped up to get out but the bus started driving again.

We ran to the front and told the driver (in our broken Spanish) that we needed to get off. He proceeded to BACK UP down the highway in the opposite lane. (Evidently that's safer!) When we got back to the sign we realized that it wasn't the bus stop, just a sign that said Zacapa was close by! We then sat down again...while the entire bus laughed at us dumb Americans! We were finally dropped off on the side of the street in the dark. Thankfully Nathan was there to pick us up! (Nathan is a missionary that works for the Beenes.)

After that ride, we checked into a small hotel and crashed for the night. We drove up the mountain to Pinalito the next morning and stayed until this afternoon. We helped Nathan with a few miscellaneous things he was doing and drove back down the mountain today.

We hope to eventually catch up on all the sleep we lost during those last few weeks in New York! Hope you all have a good night too!

We're Here!

2009-01-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

Well, this is going to be quick...Just want everyone to know we got in safely and are staying the night in Zacapa. We will then drive up the mountain to Pinalito and stay there a night. So we might not have internet there.

If you would like to keep in touch with us more, just email for our screenname so we can talk or instant message in Skype.

LOW LOW PRICES

2008-12-17T14:33:00.000-08:00

So, we bought our tickets today!
We leave for Guatemala on January 9th!
AND...get this....We got our tickets for $179! ROUNDTRIP! Yes, on Travelocity, they are having a special. Just click on "flexible dates" if you plan on coming to visit ;) (be sure to let us know when you are coming so we don't double book) You can travel now through November...But I don't know how long this sale will end.

New Support Method

2008-12-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys--
For those of you supporting us financially, you are now able to give via the Times Square Church website, and it's pretty easy!

Create a user account on the donation page. In the 'Donate To' section there is a line that says: Missions-Give Toward Someone's Trip. You can type our names in the 'Missionary First and Last Name' section and it will go directly to us.

And a big thanks to everyone for the support that's already come in!

The Packing Has Begun!

2008-11-25T08:26:00.001-08:00

We started packing our apartment this week, and it was surreal. It's hard to imagine our lives in New York being over and us arriving with only our suitcases in Guatemala!

I'm somewhat nervous yet excited for the huge changes coming our way. As with anything else, we'll have our challenges but I'm certain they will not outweigh the excitement of this new season.

We'll keep you posted on our packing progress!!

Anthony's trip with the interns in April 08

2008-11-18T14:06:00.000-08:00

Rio Dulce

2008-10-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

We went for a couple of nights to Rio Dulce- which is about 2-3 hours from Zacapa. And is where the building project that Melanie is overseeing will be.

(About to go under the bridge- the town of Rio Dulce is to the left)

( We went exploring in this cave)

("I think we need a guide")

The dorm in Zacapa

2008-10-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos of the dorm we will be living in:

The first one if the inside of the first floor and the second one is where the second floor will go.

Please pray for a speedy finish of the dorms so they are livable as soon as possible and for the funds for Faith In Action to be able to complete this project.

A Welcome Home

2008-10-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

We're baaaaaaaack!!!

Last night we got home around 11:30 and found our interns had decorated our apartment! We were so surprised, and thought that it was hilarious that they labeled EVERYTHING in Spanish!!

(Our front door)

(What we walked into)

(They were ALL hiding in the bathroom)

They had even baked brownies which we devoured while hanging out.

Thanks everyone for welcoming us home
Love Mom and Dad ;)

Still Alive

2008-10-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys...yes, we're still alive even though we haven't blogged in a few days! For those of you who know Michael and Rocky Beene, you'll completely understand that every waking minute with them has been extremely busy! We've been from San Pedro to Zacapa, on the Rio Dulce river, and are back in Guatemala City--and all in the past 6 days!

We've seen our new home, gone to visit the general area where Mel will oversee the construction project, looked for a truck to purchase, looked for mattresses and other household items, went to the local stores to see what's available and much more! Now we all know why the Beenes drink so much coffee! They need it to keep up their energy!

Our shuttle from San Pedro to meet up with the Beenes was LONG and DANGEROUS! The driver was the worst we've seen, including all NYC cabbies! And on top of that he shoved about 14 of us in this tiny van, throwing our luggage on the roof. There was so much weight in the van that the back was about 6 inches from the street!

Unfortunately the internet connection isn't that great so we'll be posting more photos once we get to a better location. We fly home to NYC on Wednesday and will try to upload!

The Market

2008-10-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

(wisquil- a vegetable, that the lady told us was a fruit. It was good though, tasted like a potato)
(the smell of raw hanging meat- not my favorite)

(I'm a giant here)

(Need to make some veggies? No pot, no problem, we have it all!)

Today was our day to roam the market place. I couldn't help but think of my friend Elizabeth who loves markets and always has great pics! This is a simple ode to her :)

Their market here closes around 12pm, so you have to get there early for all the good stuff. They sell everything; The expression here is "From needles to computers".

Saturday Hike

2008-10-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning started early. By 8am we had already met up with our guide to hike the Nariz de Indio...a nearby mountain. According to locals, the mountain looks like the face and in particular nose of an Indian.
Several other students from the school showed up to hike as well, and we enjoyed finally meeting some nice tourists!
As we walked toward the mountain it seemed kinda small, then getting closer it looked huge. That didn't deter us, and we started the hike, encouraged to see that it was only a 'medium' in the difficulty scale.
Two and a half hours later, after scaling the almost vertical mountain, our group finally huffed and puffed our way to the top! The view was entirely worth the effort, and we took tons of pictures while recovering from our exertion!

That night we continued our quest for a good restaurant. We’ve found two that are VERY good. However, we’ve been surprised at how many Thai and Asian restaurants there are here, especially since there’s NO Asian population! We can’t quite get into the idea of eating pad thai while living on a Guatemalan lake…somehow!

To tired to think of a cool title :)

2008-10-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

( a weird bug in our doorway- its dead now)

Today was a lazy day kinda, after cafe en la playa, nosotros caminamos para it started to lluvia...Entonces, we sat en el hotel...(are you liking my spanglish? hehe) But we went for a walk after to explore more.

After school we went to this really good restaurant ( although the service was sooo slow) We ate dinner for like $12!!!

I am really starting to feel worse as time goes by, I have a nasty cold and can hardly breathe through my nose....

That's it for tonight, it took about 30 minutes just to upload those pics on this slow wifi we have here..

Ocho de Octobre

2008-10-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

This morning we relaxed outside and read our books. After a while we wandered around and discovered this adorable little "restaurant" with some great coffee and very cute decor. (Of course we stopped for cafe con leche en la playa!)

After my much-needed caffeine re-fuel we walked into town. In the mornings there is a decent size fruit, vegetable, meat, etc. market right next to a large Catholic church. We explored a little but decided that we should probably come again another day...and much earlier!

While walking back to get ready for our 1pm class we passed two little girls heading home from school. I asked if I could take a picture of them after which they quickly became our best friends, asking for "otro! otro!" (another picture)! Their names are Flores and Antoinetta, and they happily grabbed my hand while we walked down the street!

Going to bed at 9 each night you would think that we'd be so rested, but the 5 hours of class can really take it out of you! By the time we're finished for the evening I'm somewhere in a confusing land between English and Spanish. I think this is how Spanglish came about!

More tomorrow! Buenas Noches!

Day # 2

2008-10-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

Our second day of class was much less eventful than our first!

This morning we relaxed a little, did our Spanish homework and ate our budget lunch of chicken-from-the-can with crackers! lol.

At 1pm we started another long day of class. Our teacher is really great, and we've decided that the teacher makes a world of difference. He has lived his whole life near San Pedro. He also attended seminary for a few years as well as worked construction and other jobs before becoming a teacher. He now teaches children in the morning (en la manana) and Spanish in the afternoon (en la tarde).

Down the block from our hotel is this funny sign. One of these days we will to walk through the bushes and discover what is REALLY back there!

Tonight we walked into "town" and found a good Italian restaurant. I know you're probably thinking, "why are they eating Italian in Guatemala?" but there really aren't that many options and this place looked good from the outside. Lucky for us the food was pretty darn good--the pasta would give some of the NYC restaurants a run for their money.

That's all for tonight.

The Adventure Begins!

2008-10-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

This morning we left Antigua to go to Spanish school in San Pedro. By 8am we were on our way in a small bus with a few quite unfriendly (sorry Andy & Millay!) English folk. After a 3 hour drive we were just dropped off at the end of the road...Ahead of us at the bottom of a steep hill there were several boats...one of which was to take us to the other side of the lake. We didn't know what to do, and kinda just stood there looking stupid, trying to figure out who to speak to and which boat was ours. Finally a random guy (the "captain") came over and told us to get on the boat if we wanted to go.

It was a small boat that was already filled with people. Mel and I just looked at each other as they threw our luggage on top of the boat and told us to get in. Even though the boat looked full, we squeezed in among blankets, pressure cookers and several locals and took the 30 minute ride over. This was when we knew we were in over our heads!

We finally arrived in San Pedro (in the rain) we got into a taxi to go to the school. During school we had originally planned to stay with a family to help further our Spanish immersion experience. At this point...we totally chickened out! Looking at our surroundings and thinking of having to share a bathroom and live in a room of someone's house just was too much for us, so we opted to stay in a small hotel right next door to the school.

(view from our room)

(our room)

By this time it was lunch and then time to start school. (We will be taking classes together from 1pm to 6pm daily.) It went very well, and we really like our teacher, Francisco. He is about 21 and speaks Mayan, Spanish and English.

(schools this way!)

(here is where we to our class takes place)

After school we scoped out a pretty good place to eat and are now finally "home" in our hotel enjoying some nutella for dessert and trying to warm up a little. (We had no clue that it would be rainy and cold...Mel luckily has a sleeping bag that she's been wrapped in for about an hour!) We are hoping for warmer weather tomorrow!

And I have a sore throat now- some prayer would be nice :)

Guatemala: Our First Day- Antigua

2008-10-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we landed safe and sound in Guatemala City this morning. We took a taxi to our hotel in Antigua, and had the day to just wonder around and check out the town.
My first thoughts of the town, were, "Wow, this is a city of walls...Everywhere you go, its walls and walls" But then we got to see what was inside all these walls... And I was just amazed at how beautiful everything was. There were lush gardens, masonry and artwork. I guess I was judging this town (book) by its walls (cover). It makes me think of how we can judge people just by their outward appearance or sometimes the facade they can put up..But inside there is a treasure longing to be discovered and if we would value the worth of someone, as God does, we could see past the walls, and see the heart...yearning to be seen, touched, appreciated and loved...Today, I looked past the walls.

He owns the cattle on a thousand hill

2008-09-25T21:24:00.001-07:00

So....Today we had an anonymous donor who donated $10,000 to our vehicle fund for Guatemala!

Isn't God just awesome?!

Meeting's

2008-09-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month we met with the Pearce's from Empower Ministries http://www.emintl.org/ and the Beene's from Faith In Action http://www.fiaministries.org/. We met to discuss a project that Melanie will be overseeing in Guatemala (this is in addition to what we will be doing with the education program in Zacapa). It is a missions base that Empower is building for Faith In Action on the Rio Dulce River. It was a really good meeting and great plans were discussed for the future development of that area.

As I was sitting there, I was just amazed at how big God is! Just hearing how God is reaching out to these people because of His great love for them was overwhelming. It was so humbling because of how good God is regardless of anything that we can offer.

Intensive Spanish School

2008-09-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone--

We are going to Guatemala in a couple weeks and will be taking an intensive Spanish course for a week and a half! We’ll have 5 hours of class a day and will also be living with a family during this time. This way we are forced to learn! I’m a little scared…but I think it will be a fun challenge!

The San Pedro school was strongly recommended by the Beene's. Here’s a couple pictures of where we'll be.

After that we’ll spend some time with Michael and Rocky and take care of any other details. We'll send an update when we get back!!

All the Details!

2008-08-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Who Are We: Anthony and Melanie Beller. We currently work at Times Square Church in the Music Department. Melanie is the project manager, coordinating CD recording and administrating various other projects. Anthony works in copyright and licensing, making sure we have the legal right to use music. In addition, we oversee an internship program designed to equip and train young people after they graduate Bible college.

What Are We Doing: We will be dorm parents for a group of 17-22 year olds that have come down from the mountains to attend trade school in Zacapa. The mountain children have school up to sixth grade, after which they are destined to simply return home. No future, career or dreams are in sight as they grow up. They share land with their siblings, all of whom struggle to survive as they support their own families and children. Since only land has value, many siblings become enemies, each vying for the “inheritance” of property. The opportunity to learn a trade gives great future to these young people, taking them out of their comfort zones and opening up new possibilities for life.

Where Are We Going: From Manhattan, New York City, to Zacapa, Guatemala. This is a small town located at the base of some mountains. Guatemala is located in Central America, and borders El Salvador, Belize, Mexico and Honduras.

Why Are We Going: We want to make a difference! See previous posts to read about details!

Over 20 years ago, Michael and Rocky Beene moved to Guatemala, founding the Faith in Action ministry. We will be working for them, helping to achieve their goals and fulfill the vision God put in their hearts. For more information, please visit: http://www.fiaministries.org/.

For many years Times Square Church has worked alongside Michael and Rocky; sending short term missions teams as well as funding to build a bridge, buildings and more. For more information please visit: http://www.tscnyc.org/.

When Are We Going: We have committed to 1 year: January-December 2009. After this time we will consider staying longer or returning to the U.S. Our last day of work in New York will be December 23, 2008.

Support: In order for us to live in Guatemala, we are raising support. This means that your generosity is what enables us to have food, clothing, air conditioning and more!! We plan to use the funds wisely, and hope you will trust us to be the physical extension of your giving.

We have met with the Beenes and the Missions Department and compiled a budget. These amounts have been based on previous missionaries' needs and have also taken into account the specific responsibilies we will have.

MONTHLY HOME EXPENSES
Groceries $400
Necessities $200
Health Insurance $200

MONTHLY TRAVEL EXPENSES
Gasoline $350.00
Car insurance $40.00
In country travel--river, city, mountains, etc. $150.00

YEARLY TRAVEL EXPENSES
Airfare to and from the U.S. for reporting and fundraising purposes $2400.00

TRUCK
$27,000.00

Donations can be made via chech to Times Square Church, and in the memo line: The Bellers. You will be tax receipted by donating through Times Square Church.

Rosetta Stone

2008-07-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Our Rosetta Stone language course's came in the mail today!

Please pray we learn Spanish quickly. It would be really nice to be able to speak to the people we are going to be living with!

"The Foolish Things"

2008-07-03T16:51:00.001-07:00

So, I got a phone call from one of my sisters (one of the twins that lives in Florida) last night. She had a story to tell me. While at her job at a restaurant, one of her tables was made up of two young couples. She said towards the end one of the guys had called her over and said "do you have a brother?" And she was like, "Yea". The young man then started to talk about the Lord, and say how he felt that God was about to do some amazing things in her brothers life. She was kinda like, wow, random ( I hadn't spoken to her in a while). But he was also sharing scriptures with her and she said it was really good. She couldn't wait to talk to me to tell me about it.
As she was telling me, I knew it was God and that it could only do with Guatemala! How cool is God that he would use this random stranger?
(my sister is unsaved)

"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence".- 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

"Mel's Perspective"

2008-07-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

For about a year and a half now I’ve felt that something was going to change. But I haven’t really had an idea of what that change would be. I figured it would be a different job or something else along those lines. Whatever the opportunity, I knew that God was going to open a new door for us to walk through, and I strongly felt that we would know what that was before June.
So when Anthony emailed me from Guatemala I was cautiously excited, and very curious to hear more. About 20 minutes after I received the email, Anthony called me. He asked me what I thought of his email and said he wanted to give Michael and Rocky an answer while he was still down there! Of course we waited to commit to anything for sure, but he did tell them that we’d think and pray about it.
When Anthony came home a week later the first thing he said when he walked through the door was, “why isn’t the apartment already packed?!” and then he laughed…but he was half serious. I think he was 100% sold on the idea before he even flew home! I, on the other hand, wanted to figure out the practical side and be certain this was something we could really get on board with. (You know how opposites balance each other!)

The next few weeks were a whirlwind—we stayed up late and talked about Guatemala and what we would do there; we emailed Michael and Rocky almost daily, asking every question we could think of! We did research about the country, looking at maps and learning basic facts about the people. We figured out how much money we’d have to raise and put a budget together. We talked to our families. And we realized a few things.

For one, it was at the right time. We had just committed to oversee the internship program here at the church through December, and the Beenes needed us to come in January.

Secondly, many practical questions were already answered. We had no house, no car, no apartment lease, no kids and no bills.

Lastly, it answered the prayers I had been praying. God was showing us the next step for our lives.

In 2005 I went to Guatemala on a short term trip—we went to plant avocado trees and install stoves for the locals. It was during the rainy season, so the road up the mountain was washing out. Our truck couldn’t make it all the way up, so we got out and hiked to the old mission in Matasano. The Beene’s hadn’t lived there in years, so the place looked deserted and very rustic. Come to find out, there were very few sheets and bedding, so our group slept on chairs, the floor, and a couple girls even shared a twin mattress! There was no running water, minimal electricity and definitely no AC! We woke up early in the mornings to begin the work day. We left with a few shovels and as many avocado trees as we could carry. After a few hours of hiking we came to the first hut. We spoke to the family through a translator, explaining that we were from the Beene’s and would plant their tree for them. Then we dug a 3 by 3 by 3 foot hole in the ground and planted the tree. For some families we planted more than one. The families were so poor; and the kids were so cute. They would hide by the side of the hut and watch us dig, then run away when we tried taking pictures of them!

Besides the avocado trees, we installed brick stoves. Because they cook over a fire inside the huts, smoke inhalation is a huge problem. Babies’ lungs are compromised after a few months of life, and they begin developing other health problems as a result. The stoves provided proper ventilation so the smoke would go out through the roof rather than fill up inside the hut.

Since there isn’t one main “village” we hiked for hours to each individual home. And since it rained every day, we remained water-logged almost the entire time! One kid sent his laundry out to be cleaned, not thinking that they line-dry everything. The next day we saw all his clothes hanging outside on the line—during a torrential downpour! He finally resorted to wearing a rain coat as a shirt because he had nothing else!

It was a wonderful trip and I never “roughed it” or laughed so much in my life!

"All Things New"

2008-06-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

So, here we are with our first official blog. Not sure of how to do things and how this all works. It kind of makes me think of the new chapter in our lives:

Well, it all started a couple of months ago...We were having devotions in the office and someone was sharing on how they had just got back from India and God had spoken to them using the scripture in Luke where Jesus told Simon to launch out into the deep and let down the nets for a draught. As she was sharing I felt God speak to me and say this is the Beenes (a family of Missionaries in Guatemala) and as the first part of their ministry was toiling, with them not having a great catch that God was going to cause them to catch a great multitude of fish. I thought this was interesting and actually quite random at the time.

It was then a month later that I went on a trip with the Interns of TSC to Guatemala, to help the Beenes with a project they are working on in Zacapa by laying down tile and painting a new dorm.

The first part of our trip was in the beautiful mountains of Pinalito. The Beenes had wanted us to meet the villagers we were doing the building project for down at the base of the mountain. It was a Saturday afternoon and a couple of us were trying to learn some Spanish songs. As time went on, more and more people joined us. It turned out to be an awesome time of prayer and worship.

The presence of God was so sweet and so strong. I remember looking out of the window on the mountain side and seeing the little village and as I was praying, God said to me "This is where My heart is." My immediate response was, "If this is where Your heart is Lord, I want to be where Your heart is." During this spontaneous time of prayer I noticed on the wall a mural of Jesus in the Boat while the disciples were pulling in a multitude of fish. The second portion of our trip took us to the base of the mountain to start work on the dorms. During this time the Beenes asked if we would consider being the dorm parents. I knew immediately my answer was YES! I think everyone on the trip realized it at the same moment too; that this was perfect and this was God. But of course needed to talk it over with Melanie and pray about it! Our team finished the trip by laying tile and painting in four rooms.

About a week after returning home I opened my Bible to start reading, and just happened to open up to Luke--Jesus telling the disciples to launch out into the deep. As I was reading, I thought, "Wow, God, why is this story in scripture popping out to me so much, what are you trying to speak to me?" The next part I read was "and they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink." Then God said to me, "This is the Beenes and they are calling to you and Melanie to come help because the catch is going to be so great." I was blown away and I suppose in a bit of disbelief asked God, "Wow, is this really You?" The next verse I read was, "And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him." I then thought, "this is exactly what Mel and I would have to do...Forsake all to follow Him." And from that moment I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that God was calling us to launch out into the deep--Guatemala.

We then told our leadership and they were all in agreement that this was God, which was a confirmation to us. And to seal the deal (as if there could be any doubt) we met with Pastor Carter, he told us that God had spoken to him a few months ago that we were going to be Missionaries!

So, here we are "All Things New."