Well, I love Guatemala.   I love the people. I love the culture and the colors. I love the doors on every single home. I love the tiny convenient stores and cobblestone roads. I love the coffee and traditional, homemade Mayan outfits.                         I’m even in love with living with 18 other people and the packed “chicken buses” (However, I do miss my daddy, clean water, my own bathroom, and washing machines more than I ever imagined).   Today we went to a new church. It was all in Spanish and I...

We're halfway through week 2 in Antigua and we're still going strong! Today my small group was supposed to go volunteer at a daycare where the children of the market workers go. That fell through so instead we went into the square in Antigua and did some "Ask the Lord."  Heather W. and I broke off and walked around trying to see where the Lord would lead us. Hearing God speak to me is something I've been working on and praying for. I desperately want to hear His voice. So for a while I was feeling discouraged. We were having an amazing time talking to people...

PHOTOS For some reason, photos won't load on this blog. I'm uploading as many as possible to my flickr account, so check it out at the link above! I'm really struggling to find words to write this blog. This last week has been such a mix of emotions: excitement, frustration, happiness, sadness and pure joy.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week we all took off our "normal" ministries to help out another ministry. We spent the days hoeing and raking a field that will eventually be a community tomato farm to help families get out of the poverty cycle by...

               Day three in Guatemala was amazing! We began our day in a hospital in Antigua that cares for men, women, and children with cerebral palsy. We’d been there before with our Spanish-speaking contact, but today we went alone. So I was called on to translate during our entire tour of the hospital! I was both nervous and excited to take that on; thankfully I understood basically everything and was able to translate effectively!                 We turned a couple...

01. Our first glimpse of Guatemala! // 02.The view from our front porch So. We’re in Antigua, safe and sound. We are staying in a house (with TWO bathrooms and a kitchen! Wooooo!) that our host Louis, his wife and twin girls have graciously allowed us to use for the next two months! They’re so great… we absolutely adore them! They’re our “mama y papa” for our time here and have welcomed us into their lives!   03. Our side porch // 04. Some really gorgeous flowers in our yard Yesterday was a really awesome day – we toured 3 of our 4 ministry...

Ahh. Friday, the best day of the week. I get to hold my precious child, but it was so much more than just holding a parentless child; it was a time of joy and worship. As I cling to her, I could feel His arms around me, I could feel my own emotions disarming.  I walk into her room once again; she stares at me with wide-open eyes, but avoids any contact with me. It feels like a test of affection, one I have done many times in my 22 years. I just sit on the bed and wait for her, our eyes lock and they seem to finally brighten. I pick her up, and we go outside. I sing and dance...