Live and Love

Seeing the home of three of the girls who now live in Mimi's House was an eye opening experience. After driving over three hours on mountain dirt roads we arrived at their childhood home. We went inside with Evelia, Julessa, and Marium and their mother, grandmother, younger sister, and many cousins. When we first say the house it was no more than a tin and cinder block house of the side of the road. However, when we went in we were surprised at how fair the hose went back. Their mother was delighted to welcome us into her home and it was defiantly an eye opening experience. Though the house was larger than it seem it was fair from anything you would call hospitable. A "house" in Guatemala would not be considered a house in the states and it breaks your heart to see it and how they live. The mom gave us a delicious sweet bread for our trip and we said goodbye to the girls. It was a little sad even with them coming back on Friday. I miss the girls already.
Most of the other girls have also gone home this week since they have a week off from school. It is just Paula and Lupa here at the house which leaves me without any roommates this week;(. The house is a little quite without them. Rachel and Chad are fellow interns and they are leaving on Thursday which is quite sad. They are heading home after three weeks of service so tomorrow is their day. We leave in the morning for Antiqua and a place with tons of pools heated by the volcano. Pray it doesn't rain!
We took the girls home yesterday, we shop tomorrow, and today I helped make chicken coups. Let's just say by the end of the day I could pass as a Guatemalan by my skin color.
I hope everyone is having a great time at home. I miss home dearly but I know this is we're I'm suppose to be. Pray for God to reveal to me what I need and to grow me into the person I will become to better serve his kingdom. Thank you all for your support!

Location:Guatemala

Climbed a volcano today and it didn't erupt!

Mount Pacaya was really cool. Rode up on horses and then walked across the lava rocks. The we walked down the mountain through the horse poop and on volcano ash. Trying to post some pics. Wish me luck:) Also the Calavary group have been amazing. They alone have changed my life. They reminded me so much of home and always have a willing heart. Thanks Calavary Baptist from Daniville y'all were amazing:)

end of the work week

The work week is over and we have completed two houses and a week of VBS. Meeting the families was really awesome. The family that moved into the house I helped construct was an old, really old, couple. They have lots of family and were living in a tiny cornstock house. The situatiuon was really sad.
Today we also ran a store to give away supplies for the kids and the homes.
We also had a vet who has been with us this week working on some of the village animals. Although one of the small children was having a horrible tooth ache that Fransico, our vet, gave some pain meds to. Got of love village medicine. Of course what's really sad is that once he helped the one boy many more came. This village could really use some doctors. In some pictures I hope to be posting soon you will see kids with scabs or whte patches on their face and body. Since their is no doctor nearby (not that they could even come close t affording it) no one know what's causing it. A doctor came a long time ago and dropped of some ointment but to no improvement. It really sad when a mother comes up with her young and only asks for lotion.
Hope to post more soon including some pics so stay in touch.

first days

Day 1: Meet the people. We arrived safe and sound and headedout of the aiportt to meet Manuel and Edgar. They loaded all the luggage in the back of he truck with my luggage balanced on top. I can honestly say I didn't expect it to make it to Mimi's House. When the truck arrive my suitcase was indeed not on top, it was now inside. I don't know if they pulled over to fix it or it fell off and they put it in the cabin and I don't really want to know. I met the CRI group and my fellow interns. I was really impressed with the house and the people who run it. It's really pretty here. Day 2: Site seeing. We went with one of the two group here to Panajachel. I went on a boat ride and had some of the best nachos EVER! Though it did rain there at the end. Then we went to a coffee house where I had overly foaming hot chocolate (as in all foam no liquid) and amazing Oreo cake. Then we went to a great steak house. The only downside was that this group was from North Carolina and ouwerent likely to forget it Day 3: Went to a work site and helped build a house. It was kinda funny as we had to keep redoing our work. All went well and now to bed:)

I'm here

Arrived safe. At Mimi's house. More soon. :)

Patience is a Virtue

If you have known me long you will probably recognize "patience is a virtue" as one of my favorite phrases. Well, apparently I am incapable of being patient on planes. God definitely taught me about how my schedule isn't always his schedule. This lessons was of course taught by an 90 minute delay and 30 minutes of sitting on the plane because we were off-balance. Well God got his lesson through. As for flight it was a really small plane with no room (and of course I got the sit next to the toilet) and a lot of turbulence (like going up the beast at kings island). Well this went well but the real test will be tomorrow on our flight to Guatemala.

What?! 46 again???!!!

Well, no one could every say travel is easy, espically on an airplane. A week ago planes seemed cool and exciting, but today they seem a lot more like your evil high school principle. Stricked and ridge (for our safety of course) they make packing very difficult. My checked bag must be 50 pounds or less. My carry on must not exceed 45 linear inches. Well my checked is holding steady by my count at 48 pounds. The carry on is an unwavering 46 linear inches (we just can't get rid of that one inch!). This is hard. (And yes I knew it would be but still packing stinks). Well I do have a nice duffle for the trp home so I won't have to worry about packing effectively. I fly out tomorrow. I know God is with me, I just hope it isn't in his plan to have lost baggage. Please keep my travel safety and the safety of my luggage (I like clean clothes(: ) in your prayers for the next two days as I travel. I want to thank you all for your support. I have been overwhelmed by the amount of prayer and financial support I have been receiveng from you all. You are all amazing and I pray each night that God will bless each one of you.

The DL

Ok guys so here is the info on my trip. I will be heading down to Guatemala this weekend with a local church group and one of my best friends Megan. When we arrive me and my friend Megan will begin our seven week internship. We will be staying with the Greene family who run CRI. The Greene family started Catalyst Resiurces International a few years ago and opened a girls home called Mimi's House. Mimi's House is a family style home and takes in girls who are orphaned or abandoned. We will be working closely with the mission groups that come down each week as well as getting to know the Greene family and the other members of CRI. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing but I'm excited to find out. I hope you all will keep me and Megan in your prayers as well as our families.

Thinking. Well that's dangerous.

Maybe what makes going away so hard has nothing to do with the travel, but with the loss of company. Whe we are at home we feel safe and cared for. Even in hard times there always seems to be someone around. Yet when we travel far way on a call from God all the sudden the world seems empty and far away. It adds stress to the lives of not only the traveler but to the family and friends of the traveler. Learning to focus that sense of loss into something productive may be the hardest thing. I hope I am able to accomplish that when I get to Guatemala. I hope also that my family will be able to turn there loss into God's gain. Don't let fear or sorrow hold you back from doing God's work.

Almost Done with School

I have two more days of high school. Graduation on Friday, party on Saturday. College advising this Tuesday and all that needs to happen before my trip will be done. Then I can focus on preparing my mind and body for Guatemala. Almost there.

Hotel Reservations

Me and my dear friend Megan are flying out on Friday, June 15th and staying a night in Houston before departing for Guatemala. I have just booked our room at the hotel. Pray that all will go well with the reservation when we get there because it was a little hectic making the reservation. You saved money if you were a ChoiceRewards member. Well I didn't really qualify. So I booked the more expensive room, only then it made me a member. So what did I do? I cancelled the reservation and made a new one. Lets hope all will go as planned:)

Getting Ready

I have started this blog to keep my friends and family informed about my experiences in Guatemala. I will be leaving in a mere 63 days on a 6 week journey. I have been preparing, shopping, and making packing lists for months. Thank you for all the support I have received from both family and friends. I can't tell you how much it means to me.