And no, I really don’t want to talk about it!!
So it has been more than a month since my last mini update because I am not so tech savvy as to use my phone in this way!
Here are some December highlights:
Burn the Devil day
It’s that time of the year again– the time to come together as a family to burn the devil.
I always remember December 7th as Pearl Harbor day, but I seem to forget every year until firecrackers, bombas, church bells and other explosive sounds remind me that the 7th is a big deal in Guatemala!
This tradition, like many has grown and shifted slightly over the years, but the idea is to burn away all the evil from the year before in preparation for the virgin birth. This makes way for the catholic holiday the feast of immaculate conception. I’m not very familiar with this one as I’ve only witnessed it a handful of times. La Quema del Dieblo officially marks the beginning of the Christmas season. So, Pre December 1st Christmas decorators and Post December 1st Decorators are both wrong– the decorations go up only after you burn the Devil!
This celebration takes place big and small across the coutnry. Large ones like Antigua, or zone 6 of Guatemala City draw huge crowds as the devil burns. In towns and villages everywhere, families bring out brush and create a bonfire where they place a pinata devil, many are spiced up with some firecrackers strapped to them. Many families clear their home of garbage as part of cleansing out the evil, and burn the trash as part of the bonfire.
If you want to read more about this tradition, here is an inciteful article explaining more detail of the origins, and how this is celebrated.
Check out the following blogger to learn more about this and other traditions:
Christmas Cookies
Batter mixer
Batter tester
Clean up crew
And the decorators included everyone!
Look at that tasty art!
Christmas caos
Christmas cuddles are always extra special
The Chapin family took a trip to the mall- I think they were impressed!
Everyone loves Tia Terry– add some christmas PJ’s and this pile up is quite festive!
No caption needed o.O
Papi Daryl helping Humberto open his gifts
Snow ball first– Just saying, the adults creamed the kids!!
Hike to the waterfall
A group of the Jovenes squished in a hike between christmas and new years. The hike was to into the mountains surrounding our Vally town, and to see the waterfalls. They graciously allowed my older bones to join along! The views were staggering.
Mimi’s hospital stay
Some of our little ones are quite fragile, and can take a turn very quickly. Little Nohemi is one of these. Her microcephaly leads to several other health conditions, and at this point, much of her care is more palliative in nature. On Saturday the Dr checked her out, as did I. By Sunday, she was breathing so poorly that she was hospitalized with bronchial pneumonia!
It is never fun to see a baby you love so sick. But God showed us what an exceptional team we have here- Each nanny or volunteer that took a turn did so with great sacrifice, and with so much love. These hands and hearts are some of the most exceptional I have ever known. I praise God to be part of such a team.
A happy update- since her recovery, we are actually seeing more expressive emotions from Mimi. She has been sharing smiles fairly frequently now that were rarities even in November.
The Brubaker’s big little miracle
The youngest little Brubaker was born a little sooner than planned– Surprise! I can’t come close to sharing as her parents would however, so here are their words–
It is a great encouragement to read about all God has already down in this tiny life. Their full post can be found in the link below.
