An Anniversary to Remember

Our house in Escuintla

It tuned out that our 38th anniversary occurred while we were moving from Guatemala City to our new area, Escuintla. On July 31 we went to the new house to clean it and then to receive many of the furnishings that the Church is providing for us. (We pay $100 per month as rental for the furnishings.) A pickup load came in the morning and we expected more coming in the afternoon. No one had come by 4:00 PM so we decided something had come up and they would not be coming till tomorrow. We took off to return to Guatemala City for our last night there. After we had gone down the road for about 20 minutes, we got a call and more furniture was there waiting to get in. So we made the next u-turn and headed back to let them in. That day we received a stove, fridge, washer, dryer, desk, armoires, beds, and chests of drawers. We had asked for two twin beds as we were not sure that the room was big enough for a kingsize. As it turned out, we could fit both twins together to make a king. But it was sure easier to get the twin beds up the steep, narrow stairs. That night we spent our last night in the Capital after packing our clothing and food in readiness for the next day.

Next day we borrowed the mission pickup to move our clothing and personal items. The couch and matching chairs arrived later in the morning. We worked to get everything in place and assemble some of the kit furniture. The cable company came and did the installation. As the house is new, they had to run cable from the pole to the roof and down through the walls. We got the house into a semi-livable state and spent our first night there. It didn’t help when Jo discovered a large cockroach on the bedroom ceiling as we were getting ready for the night. With the use of a jar and some insecticide, we got him cornered and out of action. It was amazing how much energy he still had while covered with insecticide spray. Fortunately, we have only found one other, small cockroach in the house during the first 10 days. Jo squished that one.

Living Room

The following day was our anniversary and we continued getting things put together and arranged. We had the help of one of the local branch presidents who is a Church employee in building maintenance. He helped us get the washer and dryer set up and a multitude of other challenges. That evening we spent some time shopping for a few small  items we needed and, at the end of a long day, were able to have an anniversary dinner at a really good Mexican restaurant. We reflected on how, 38 years earlier, we were doing much the same thing, after returning from our honeymoon trip, when we set up our first apartment. That time we had mostly gifts and loaners for furnishings. This month we are furnished with rented furniture that we won’t see again once we return home. Our furnishings, like the house and car, are all new since we are not replacing anyone in this assignment. That night we finally had someplace to get most of our clothing hung up or put away.

Dinette, Front Door and Kitchen with Fridge that wont fit in the Kitchen!

We brought the dining set back with us from Sololá the following Sunday. The couple there did not have room in their apartment for it.

Kitchen - believe it or not, we can work together in here.

Because the kitchen is so small, the fridge had to go in the dining area which meant there was not enough room to have the dining table out on the open floor so it is against a wall with just two chairs.

By the 10th we had our shower water heater installed and were able to take the first hot showers. We are now finally feeling like we are in our home for the next 13 months.