Dios te bendiga.

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Hi! It´s a beautiful day in Antigua, and I hope that you are able to enjoy some sunshine today. As always, I am enjoying a short break from class. Yesterday, I had a test on Nivel 3, and today I got a new book so that is very exciting. Also, Edna made us banana pancakes served with chocolate syrup so I feel it will be a good day. She has made them often since we told her of our love for them. A very healthy start to the day...

The weekend at the beach was really fun, though a little different than what we expected. The beach is gorgeous with black sands and huge waves. I read before we left that it is a bit dangerout to swim in the water, but I had no idea how crazy it would be. Alisa and I enjoyed fighting the waves though I injured my back from one fall. The undertow was so strong it would knock you over. Our hotel was about a five minute walk from the beach, but you could still hear the waves from there, and I loved it. One small problem was the intense heat. It is crazy the difference of a short drive from Antigua to Monterrico. The heat increase is tremendous. Also, the spoiled travelers from the US could not have fathomed a room in the heat without air conditioning. The boys at Monterrico were also a lot more vocal, and it was a bit uncomfortable walking to our hotel at night so we did not open our windows. Also, over the beds were mosquito nets because there were so many bugs. Needless to say, we did not sleep well- or long. At ten til 6, Alisa said, ¨it is almost six, we can get up!¨ So we did, and we were out with the fishermen bright and early. It was perfect because the sand was not too hot at that time, and we had some great moments of peace. There weren´t many people in Monterrico at all, but there were very few there that early. We decided to leave that afternoon after hours of playing in the water. It was really fun and funny as I fell often. We both were completely covered in sand. Black sand... we were definitely looking hott.

It was good to be in Antigua for a weekend night, and we were glad to return to eat some tomales made by Edna. We met two other US travelers at dinner in Monterrico, and we ended up being on the same shuttle back to Antigua. We all left a bit earlier than expected. They were interested in staying at Edna´s so we brought them home too. It was fun to have some new guests at dinner as there are no new students since the Israeli boys left.

Sunday, we went to Parramos in the morning for church. We were planning to stay for their special service celebration at 2 for ¨Accion de Gracias¨and their new ceiling. As a result of this huge celebration, there was no early service so Alisa and I were five hours early. It was so great though because we got to know Barnabe, Nirma, Anthony, and Keyla- the pastor´s family so much better. Alisa and I helped the women make a tea for that night out of tea, rose, sugar, and pineapple (which by the way was amazing). Then, we played with Anthony and Keyla and other kids from the church. When Casey Jo and her family were there, they taught them the game ¨Bubble Gum¨so it was really cute hearing them sing the song in english without really knowing what they were saying. The service was almost three hours long but fun. Although, I was a bit relieved when Nirma came and got us to help serve the meal for the hundreds of people from two congregations that were there. The whole day was so much fun, and we were able to eat lots of tasty food. I got to experience my first tomalito which is made with the same corn mixture as tortillas but with a different form and texture. I am so blessed to know the people of the church and to experience their lives for a little while. We are hoping to go visit a night this week as Barnabe always welcomes us for any day. They are so sweet.

Now, back to class. Hope you all have a great week. With love, Steffi

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