Posts Tagged ‘family’

Dropping Off Bryan at College

Tuesday, September 11th, 2018

dropping-off-bryan-at-college

Dropping off Bryan at college a couple of weeks ago was more emotional for me than I thought it would be. I kept thinking of more things that were vital in life that I hadn’t mentioned yet. My mind was working overtime in trying to think of anything he might encounter and how to navigate it smoothly.

Like “always check your pockets before doing laundry. If there is a tissue, it will explode all over your laundry in the washing machine like sticky confetti and is very hard to get off.” There were a bazillion things like this that were racing through my head, including relationship advice.

corban-university-dorm-room

It’s almost like you’re on your deathbed and you only have a few remaining words before you die. You want to make them count because that’s what will be remembered. So I told Bryan that he was a man of honesty and integrity, and that I was so proud of him. Then I tried really hard not to burst into tears.

corban-hallway

His dorm room was simple but modern. When we met his roommate, we found out he was an outgoing homeschooler. All the faculty and students seemed friendly. We found three students singing a Veggie Tales song in the common room, which included a ping-pong table.

davidson-common-room

Couches and a stone fireplace were also included in the common room, which you can partially see in the family picture at the bottom of this post. I played ping-pong with Alan while the kids played other games.

top-of-davidson-dorm

Corban University has many stairs to climb throughout the day, so it’s impossible for someone to live here without getting into shape. My son’s dorm is the closest one to the huge building with classrooms and the library. The cafeteria is at the bottom of the mountain. I didn’t count how many stairs are on campus, but there are many, many stairs.

corban-gym

This is the gym, where there was a fair with booths including all the different activities available on campus. My daughter and I liked the theater booth the best because there was a sword, a lantern, and a costume.

parents-drop-off-kid-at-college

When we hugged good-bye, there were no tears because I was glad to leave him at such a great Christian school. The faculty had more than proven themselves through all the workshops and casual conversations we had with them throughout the two-day welcome. The food from the cafeteria was fresh and full of variety. It’s one of my son’s favorite things about college.

corban-university-drop-off

Though it was an emotional time for me, it was good. The entire family got to see where Bryan would be going to school, where he would be sleeping, and what his life would be like in the coming year. This will help as we pray for him, that God will make him into the man that He desires him to be in the upcoming years of study.

Tour of Panajachel, Guatemala

Monday, August 28th, 2017

tour-of-panajachel-guatemala

Another highlight of our trip was our tour of Panajachel, Guatemala. Growing up as a missionary kid, my family used to go to Panajachel once or twice a year to rest. The mission had a property that could be used for missionaries and other Christian workers. I loved this time we had as a family–without television and phones–to connect through conversation and card games.

Tour of Panajachel, Guatemala (video)

We ended up going on another boat ride to Santiago, which is right across the lake. This was the only lake town I ever visited as a child, so it was fun to go on the longer boat ride a few days before with my friend Christie’s family. Each town is unique and beautiful in its own way.

Guatemala is famous for its volcanoes, and Lake Atitlán is surrounded by them! Here is a picture of my family in front of a volcano:

family-panajachel

The lake reflects the blue of the sky, and it is tranquil until the late afternoon winds. As a child, I would sit on an inner tube, waiting for a boat to come by and make some waves.

lake-atitlan-guatemala

Through the clear water on the shore you can see pebbles and rocks, which is why we wore flip-flops when entering the water. When I was a kid, I would collect different-colored rocks and seashells along the shore.

rocks-at-panajachel

We walked through Panajachel and realized that the town has grown in size and become more commercial, especially along the lake shore. It used to be that there were no shops on the shore of the lake. Now there are several rows of shops and restaurants crammed along the entire length of the shore, sometimes on stilts.

market-panajachel

Each of the places we stopped had many booths filled with typical Guatemalan cloth and souvenirs. Shopping at Guatemalan markets is fun because you are able to bargain with them about the price. If you have white skin, people think you are rich, so they start the price higher than what they are expecting you to pay. If you think the price is too much, you can offer a more reasonable price.

panajachel-panorama

When leaving Panajachel, you must stop along the mountain and take pictures because the natural beauty of the area is breathtaking! This was a wonderful conclusion to our Guatemala Adventure!

Did you miss our previous Guatemala Adventure posts?

  1. Our Guatemala Adventure
  2. Río Dulce Boat Ride
  3. Tour of San Felipe Castle, Guatemala
  4. Tour of Tikal, Guatemala
  5. Tour of Flores, Guatemala
  6. Tour of Cobán, Guatemala
  7. Coffee Plantation Zipline Tour
  8. Meeting Our Compassion Child in Guatemala
  9. SETECA Seminary, Guatemala
  10. Tour of Antigua, Guatemala
  11. Lake Atitlán Boat Ride

To follow my MK posts and musings, like my Missionary Kid page. And if you love to read about missionary kids, buy the book!

Tour of Cobán, Guatemala

Monday, July 24th, 2017

tour-of-coban-guatemala

My family went on a tour of Cobán, Guatemala by complete coincidence, since our original plan was to go to the location of my boarding school in Huehuetenango. There were mud slides blocking the roads, making the way dangerous, so we decided not to go to Huehue. Good thing, because the next day, there was a large earthquake there that killed at least a dozen people.

coban-market

On the way to our alternate destination of Cobán, we drove on a street that suddenly ended. If we had kept driving, we would have fallen off a cliff and into the river! A previous earthquake near the beginning of our trip had collapsed the bridge. We took a ferry across the river:

When we arrived in Cobán, we saw that it was a lively city with a busting market. People didn’t even bother getting out of the street for the traffic, as you can see in the video.

coban-farmacy

I had never been to Cobán, so we had to ask what the main sights were. The hotel people told us that the Spanish church with lots of steps overlooks the city and is a beautiful place to go. As I walked down normal streets, I was reminded of my childhood, since the Latin flavor of the surroundings is so nostalgic to me.

coban-street

There were a LOT of steps to the top of the hill where the Spanish-style church is located. It’s great for exercise after being in the car for many hours, since we had just driven from Peten.

steps-to-coban-church

And this is the view at the top of the steps!

view-of-coban

The video shows you a short tour of the medieval-style Spanish hotel where we stayed. For some reason we didn’t take any pictures of the hotel. It had a courtyard in the middle, reminding me of where I used to go on retreats with my Pioneer Girls group, growing up.

I hope you enjoyed our tour of Cobán, Guatemala. Stay tuned for our coffee plantation zipline tour, coming up next! If you don’t want to miss any posts in my Guatemala Adventure series, follow my Missionary Kid page!

Tour of Tikal, Guatemala

Monday, July 17th, 2017

tour-of-tikal-guatemala

Come on a tour of Tikal, Guatemala with our family! This was the most exotic place we went in Guatemala. Driving to Petén (the north area of the country where Tikal is located) took us 11 hours instead of 9 because of traffic and mud slides on the freeway. Speed bumps also slowed us down in the villages. By the way, all the vehicles–including buses and motorcycles–drive twice the speed limit that’s posted.

top-of-tikal

The ruins of the temples that look like pyramids in Tikal are breathtaking. These ruins are surrounded by green jungle growth, moss, and trees. The steps of the “Gran Jaguar” are so eroded that visitors are no longer allowed to go up. The temple opposite the “Gran Jaguar” has public wooden steps at the back that prevent further erosion of that second temple.

It was at the top of this second temple where we got our family photo taken:

tikal-family

Here is the view from the top of the temple:

tikal-ruins

Many stones (almost like over-sized tombstones) are located at the bottom of the pyramids. The etchings on these large stones are a mystery. I happily told my kids this was a Mayan library.

tikal-stone

As we were walking through the jungle, we saw wild monkeys swinging through the trees:

tikal-monkey

For all my children, seeing the temples of Tikal was one of the highlights of the trip.

Video Tour of Tikal, Guatemala

If you don’t want to miss any posts in my Guatemala Adventure series, follow my Missionary Kid page!