Our Guatemalan Journey

New Blog

We are now have a new blog over at: www.joshandbetty.com

New Blog

Since we are not in Guatemala any more, we have changed our blog address to:

http://blog.joshandbetty.com
OR
http://joshuascottfamily.blogspot.com/

On the move AGAIN.

While we are waiting to find the property the Lord has for us, we decided the duplex life was not exactly for us. So we moved in to a rent house that fits a lot better.

Our address:

236 Shelly Lane
Lindale, Texas 75771

We are still alive!!

When I looked and saw how long it had been since I posted.... I was ashamed. :-) We are doing very well. We are anxiously awaiting the birth of baby #6. We are so excited to see what God has in store for this little life.

A lot has happened since our last post. We have moved to the Tyler, Texas area and are excited to be what God is doing here. It is so fulfilling to know you are where God wants you to be. A lot of prayers have been prayed by men of God over the years. We feel like we are "enter into another's labor". It will be reward to see the Lord consider to reveal Himself as we follow Him.

Our temporary address (while we look for a more permanent location) is:

Joshua and Betty Scott
16995 Loring Lane
Lindale, Texas 75771

Also here is an updated family picture:

I will post more soon... hopefully,

Josh

Labels: tyler, update

Finally an Updated Picture

Well just so this blog does not die on the vine. Here is an updated family picture.

Christmas / New Years Letter

A YEAR OF CHANGE
When we got back from

Guatemala

in December of 2005 we decided that the spacious 900 square foot home we left, had grown to0 small for the large tribe we brought back with us. The boys and Joelle had all grown and the newest addition was on the way. The Lord graciously provided through my Dad. He offered to build us a house at his cost. Two weeks before Stephen was born we moved into our new home. We are still close to family, but have a little bit more room to stretch out.

In May, Betty’s dad became very ill. The illness moved very quickly and we flew down to Mexico along with Betty’s sister and brother-in-law to be with the family. We were so thankful that shortly before we returned to the States and after much prayer Art seemed to be recovering. Sadly, several months later he slowly began to worsen and on November 6<^th he entered into his reward. We have been sobered and challenged by the nearness of eternity. It is our desire to live lives that really count and run the race left to us to run.A YEAR OF JOY

A YEAR OF JOY
This year the words of the song “…He gives and takes away…” have often run through our minds. While we have grieved over the loss of Betty’s dad, we have been overjoyed at the arrival of Stephen Martin Scott on October 6^th. He weighed 8 lbs, 2 oz and was 20 ¾ in long. We named him Martin after our dear friend James Martin who has been so influential in our lives. Stephen’s life verse is: 2 Timothy 2:3-5. The combination of his names means: One who wars against spiritual darkness through the power of the Holy Ghost to the end that he might receive the victor’s crown.

We pray that this New Year the Lord will make Himself real to us and each of you!

Josh, Betty, Abel, Abraham, Joelle, Nathanael, and Stephen Scott

Guatemala: Slow Reconstruction Process Criticized

Guatemala, May 20 (Prensa Latina) The beginning of the raining season in Guatemala raised the tone of the criticism to the local government because of the slowness of the reconstruction works 7 months after the devastating course of Hurricane Stan.

According with data from an audit by Accion Ciudadana organization, presented here this week, reconstruction works goes slowly, particularly dwelling construction for damaged people.

The report published by the local press denounced that more than 8,000 Guatemalan families have not been relocated yet, although the Congress decided to distribute 200,000 dollars for reconstruction of 150 municipalities, but almost 50 percent of them are not in the list of the most affected.

Only 32 percent of the works has been made up to May 15, 13,000 families are without a home, there is lack of water and food, and the situation is getting more serious with the upcoming of the raining season.

Weather predictions said the winter will be intense in Guatemala, and this represents a high risk for the 15 damaged departments.

The National Coordinating Office for Disasters implemented a yellow alert this week in 8 departments in the south and west of the country. tac/car/mmc

Back Home - Long Time No Post

Well even though I never blogged about it we are back safe and sound. We had Joelle's dedication this past Sunday. I will post some pictures shortly.

More later.

Give Clean Water to Guatemala Today!

Dear Friends and Family,

As you probably know, Central America and Southern Mexico was hit hard by Hurricane Stan. The devastation has claimed many lives, families have been fractured, homes have been decimated, crops were destroyed, and complete towns were covered in mud. As Guatemala begins to regroup and move towards recovery, one of the biggest needs is clean water. Some friends of ours, Forrest and Carol Kendall, are ready to meet this need. Their ministry, Servants 4 Him, provides low-tech highly effective water filters. Normally, these filters are made of concrete, but to aid in quickly getting clean water to the hard hit areas as quickly possible, Servants 4 Him is building a plastic model. These plastic filters cost about $8.00 each. Each filter can easily provide water for a family in need.

If you are interested in helping please go to http://www.hurricanestanrelief.org . On this site, you can see pictures of the devastation, I also will be updating the site with information on the relief efforts. Most importantly there is a secure online form where you can give to this effort online through PayPal. If you would prefer you can also send a check to:

Servants 4 Him
P.O. Box 597
Hamilton, VA 2015

Make checks payable to Servants 4 Him and write: ”Hurricane Stan Recovery” in the memo line.

Every donation will go completely to helping those who need it most.

God bless you all,

Josh and Betty Scott

Guatemalan Update #7 - WE ARE OUT!!

Dear Friends and Family,

At long last we are out of PGN which is the last Guatemalan court that has to give approval for adoptions. We still have some waiting to do, but this was the biggest hurdle (we think!).The funny thing about us now planning to go home is that we are also planning and thinking about coming back. We are not sure all what the Lord has planned for us here, but we have learned to love Guatemala and her people. The Lord has blessed us with opportunities to serve and learn many things. I know we will never be the same.

We are so thankful for those who have written to us and those who have called. We have missed you all. Even though I have been back to the States several times they have been such quick trips that I have not had any time for visiting. We look forward to catching up with all of you. It is exciting to know that God is at work EVERYWHERE - while He is changing and working in us, HE is doing the same with you all.

We have had a lot of fun family times. We spent some time in Panajachel for Labor Day, just goofing around and being a family. I have had some opportunities to preach in Spanish, and even participated in a baptism service. This next month we plan on visiting some more orphanages that we have made contacts with.

Like I said I had a crazy quick trip to Dallas, Chicago, and back. To tell you how crazy it was, here is a quick account: I got up at 4 AM - left for the airport - landed in Dallas at noon - had meetings for the rest of the day - drove home for dinner with my family - went to Walmart - drove back to Dallas went to bed - and so ended Tuesday and Josh was TIRED. Wednesday, I woke up - went to staff devotions at CAM - had meetings ALL day - went to dinner - came back to the apartment -packed up my stuff - went to bed - and Josh was TIRED. Thursday got up at 4 AM - flew to Chicago - had meetings all day - went to bed - and Josh was TIRED. Friday, morning meetings - went sightseeing that afternoon saw the original YMCA, went to Moody Bible Institute and the museum for DL Moody - had 4 inch thick Chicago pizza for dinner -ode the subway, and then..... Josh was TIRED and went to bed. Saturday, yep you guessed it..... JOSH WAS TIRED. I flew to Dallas - went through customs - flew back to Guatemala. I got home about 8:30 PM. All of that to say, if you wonder why I have not been making social calls when I have been home --- all of my CAM trips have been like this or worse :-)

We love and miss you all. Keep praying!

- Josh, Betty, Abel, Abraham, Joelle, and Nathanael

Abramham is SUCH a sweet big brother.

Joelle looking at her Daddy!

Nathanael LOVES giving kisses. (Daddy likes getting them!!)

Look at the this - 4 teeth and too many curls.

Josh - In Chicago in front of Moody Bible Institute. I had to fly to Chicago for a conference with CAM.

Independence Day - September 15

Betty and the boys.

Baptism service at Chimaltenango

Some of the boys from Brother Baker's church.

My cute little red head.

Terraced fields

Josh and Abner

Abel, Abraham, Zach, and Matthew

Saying goodbye to our friends, Rob and Shannon Hastings, Directors at the Higher Grounds coffee house. It is amazing I could like Rob so much even though I HATE coffee!

Joelle has learned to wave HI!!!

Mommy and the *twins* !

Abraham decided to take a nap. Very good timing.

Abel loved the boat ride on Lake Atitlan.

No we did NOT stay in prison on our visit to Las Buenas Nuevas. Everyone has razor wire around their property.

Lake Atitlan is gorgeous!

Daddy and Abel playing "Our Game".

Joelle likes chocolate :-)

She is beautiful - I know I am a *little* biased!

Being a photo model is hard work. Balancing on the edge of a flowerbed takes a lot of skill.

My little princess. Joelle at 20 months.

Sleeping Nathanael and his cute mama.

Guatemalan Update #6

Dear Friends and Family,

First off, I want to apologize for for not writing sooner. The last e-mail we sent out was in June. When I look back there was a lot that happened, but not so much that we could not have written. Thank you for your calls, and e-mails but most importantly your prayers for us.

A couple of songs by song writer Robin Mark have really captured the cry of our hearts lately.

Lord Enlarge Our Vision

Lord enlarge our vision and increase our faith May
we stand securely in the words You gaveWe can reach this world and we will win
this landAnd walls will tumble down, walls will tumble down

O Lord there is a price to payI know I have a part to playNo part too small, no price too high We're not satisfied 'til we standIn Your promised land

There's a light that's shining on this western shoreAnd it blazes brighter than it did beforeWe can send Your light through all this landAnd see Your kingdom come, and see Your Kingdom come.

Be Unto Your Name

We are a moment, You are forever Lord of
the Ages, God before time We are a vapor, You are eternal Love everlasting,
reigning on high

Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty Worthy is the Lamb Who
was slain Highest praises, honor and glory Be unto Your name, be unto Your name

We are the broken, You are the healer Jesus, Redeemer, mighty to save
You are the love song we'll sing forever Bowing before You, blessing Your name

Life has really taken on normal feel. (I guess it should after almost 8 months). One thing that we have not been able to shake is the incredible need here for true Christianity, we are still seeking HIM to enlarge our vision. I am sure that you all are wanting an update on more than our favorite songs so here is a brief update on all of us.

Nathanael
There is almost nothing that Nathanael cannot accomplish. He is our earliest walker, has two teeth and is an incredible joy.

Joelle
Joelle is a lot like a flower that never saw the sun. Everyday she is doing better, healing more, and learning what being in a family is all about. I never would have believed the amount of emotional hurt that could be inflicted on a child in 12 months. Praise the Lord that HIS love is breaking through. Her adoption is finally seeming to start moving. We are hoping to be home in October (hopefully 2005).

Abraham
Abraham is turning into one of our biggest talkers. He was slow to start, but is trying to catch up quickly. (He has good example in his Daddy.) He is so helpful and the babies LOVE him. He is growing like a weed and loves being read to.

Abel
One of the funniest things as a parent is that raising your children is almost like raising yourself. I have never met anyone who is more like his Daddy than Abel. We think alike, we like and dislike most of the same things, and we LOVE being together. God has such plans for our children and we are thankful that God is raising Abel up to be a leader. Abel, has an incredible memory and as we have devotions every morning he is learning Ephesians 4 probably faster than any of us.

Betty
Of course, Betty stays VERY VERY busy, but she is the "happy mother of children". Some of you have e-mailed and she keeps trying to get a second to sit down and write those e-mails but that second never comes. I have never loved her more, she is the best friend and best mother that we could have. She has been counselling a friend of ours and the Lord has really used that situation to cause us to strive all the more dilligently to keep our marriage strong and to pour into our relationship with the Lord.

Josh
I have continued to be blessed with work to do. I have started working with CAM International, a missions organization based in Dallas. It has been such a blessing to use the skills God has given me to serve the team there. I went to Dallas for a few days in August and will be going back in several weeks. The bad thing about these trips is that there is no time to visit. I fly in work my head off and fly home (to Guatemala that is). I have been blessed with the opportunity to be able to preach at a church about 45 mins from Antigua. Preaching in Spanish has been a fun experience. I am thankful for all of the doors that God is opening for us.

Well that is a little bit about us here in Guatemala. We are so thankful for our faithful God who can move in our lives here and your lives back home. Our Internet connection has been much better lately and as such my IP phone has been working great. You can call us anytime and it will ring here in Antigua :-) We have also updated the blog with a ton of new pictures. The address is: http://volcanoland.blogspot.com/ I have also uploaded some short video clips to: http://www.resonantmedia.com/downloads/public/FamilyVideos/ I will probably start putting more videos there so if you are interested you can check back for more.

We are so thankful for your prayers and concern for all of us.

Because of Jesus,

Josh, Betty, Abel, Abraham, Joelle, and Nathanael

P.S. Please forward this to anyone you feel would like to get an update from us. Since I have been here I have lost some e-mail addresses due to some computer problems. If you know anybody who would like to be added to the list please simply have them shoot us an e-mail. Thanks.