Valentine's in Guatemala

Due to all the silliness surrounding the container and our trip to the Ixcan, we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day a day early this year. Today (Tuesday) is our day off, so we had the whole day basically together, anyway.

As I say that, Heidi actually went into town this morning to do some grocery shopping for both the trip and our visitors from the US who are coming in to meet the container. Matt did some house cleaning and some work in the courtyard. Heidi's (surprise) present to Matt was a trip to the local greenhouse to buy some more plants for the courtyard. Matt's (not-so-surprise) present to Heidi should be completed in the next few weeks (a bathtub).

We had a nice surprise visit from our Irish friend, David, who lives just up the road. He will be going to Guatemala City on Thursday to pick up Ernest and Connie Braren and two friends who are coming with them to meet the container. He's going to borrow one of our trucks for the day so the kids who live with him can get to school while he's gone to the city to get the Brarens.

Our grey truck is spending a few days in Canilla without us. Duane Ficker called the other night and said that the frame on Aaron's truck broke and that he was stranded in Quiche. We loaned him our grey truck (the better of the two) for a few days because we were just here in town today and Heidi will be just a few minutes down the road tomorrow.

The latest news on the container is that we still don't know when it's coming in. Clearly, it didn't make it here today and probably won't be here tomorrow (Wednesday). The good news is that it might not make it until Saturday. If the news by tomorrow night is that it looks like a Saturday or later arrival, we're going to both leave for our two day trip to the Ixcan. We'll be back in time to meet the container. The only downside is that we won't be here for the first day and a half to host the Brarens, but they've hosted themselves before and we're leaving a well stocked fridge! Besides, we'll be back on Saturday and they'll be here at least into the middle of the next week. We'll have plenty of time to hang out!

We spent a pretty long time with the ultrasound machine and Baby Bell today. Before the ultrasound, it was clearly a 50-50 proposition for boy or girl. We're a little more sure after the peek today, but our child was taking after Daddy and being a little rebellious. His or her legs were closed about 95% of the time, leaving us with only a few glimpses. And at 17 weeks, the differences are noticeable only when you get a good look. So we are about 60-40 now. We'll make the announcement when we know more like 90-10. Like us, you can wait!

Our Valentine's Dinner was a bit of a gamble. There is a local restaurant that we've seen but never been in. It's beautiful but we seldom see anyone inside. So we rolled the dice with our stomachs and tried it out. Heidi had steak and Matt had the house special, which is a mixed meat platter. Don't get your mouths watering, this is Guatemalan steak, not the Outback, but it was pretty good. Total bill, including a pretty generous tip, just under $20. Pretty expensive for this part of the world (one reason we think our stomachs are safe), but quite reasonable by American standards.

Wednesday, Heidi is at Buen Samaritano and Matt is at home, preparing for a possible trip to the Ixcan. We will hear from Jacob on Wednesday afternoon when to expect the container and we leave at 4am on Thursday if it's a go. Please continue to pray for everything to work out to the glory of God!