Hello family! I am writing to you from Antigua, Guatemala. I have already been here for a week, and the country is just as I remembered it to be in January - filled with beautiful colors, delicious food, impeccable mountains, kindhearted people, and a warm welcome. In Antigua I am attending language school to become proficient (prayers please!) in Spanish prior to Honduras. I have classes Monday through Friday from 8am to 12pm for the next five weeks. In the afternoons we will have opportunities for various excursions, volunteering, spending time with my host family, and building community among our missionary class. I have spent the past week in the presence of two of the other girls, and they are absolute delights! I am honored I have the blessing of working alongside of such wonderful women. During my second day here, I had already created a goof of myself. I was trying to say “when I was a little girl” and it came out as “when I had a little girl” in the sense of giving birth to a child. But hey, that’s what language school is for, right? And we all got a good chuckle out of it, which always makes mistakes worthwhile. This past week, I have attended classes in the mornings, visited numerous cafés, did a mini hike to overlook the city, watched a parade, spent time with new friends and my host family, ate at great restaurants, sat on a rooftop and enjoyed the mountains, read Harry Potter (finally) and books about faith, and have just enjoyed being in the beautiful country.
So far, you all have raised over $10,000 for the mission in Honduras! Thank you for being so generous, loving, and encouraging during this time of transition. I am beyond grateful, and God is so good. I am thrilled to continue learn, eat yummy food, meet new people, and enjoy the culture. But most of all, I am eager to serve and glorify God. While all of the other things are fun and bringing joy into my life, He is the ultimate reason that I am here. Always feel welcome to shoot me an email to ask questions, say hello, or to offer encouragement. I know I will be thrilled to receive word from the U.S.! Saying “see you later” to many of you was difficult for me, but I know that the surpassing joy and strength of the Lord is what will sustain me until we meet again. And I hope you can rest in Him as well. Con amor y gratitud, (With love and gratitude), Dayelle ——— For those of you who have been asking, here is the information from the missionary coordinator for sending mail to Finca del Niño, my final destination in Honduras: Usually mail is sent to and from the Finca via visitors and missionaries who are returning to the United States for vacation, which had been the most effective way. If there is someone from the United States who wants to send mail, they can email me (allison@farmofthechild.org) and I will give them the contact information of any visitor to Honduras. They can usually send letters and potentially a small package if the person travelling has room in their bags. There are many visitors travelling to and from the Finca from April-August and then a couple more throughout the year. We also have mail sent to the Franciscan sisters’ convent in Trujillo. It takes about a month to receive mail from the United States, but it is still an option if someone would like to send mail during the time of year when there are few visitors to the Finca. Here is the address: Finca del Niño - Dayelle Duerwachter Apartado Postal #110 Trujillo, Colón Honduras, Central America If you would like to donate to my fund to support with the costs of travel, language school, a monthly stipend, and other expenses, please visit my page at http://www.farmofthechild.org/dayelle.html and click “DONATE NOW.”