I need the Lord more than ever now. I am scared that my time here has only reiterated the fear and pain that the girls have already experienced. I am here, I am now involved in their lives, and then I leave. I don't want to be one more person who leaves them. I hope that the Lord is using me, and that the girls will know that I love them. Most of all I hope that God will sink deep into their lives and they will know that He will never leave them. Please pray for them!
It's a lot of fun when teams come down because it gives me the chance to see more of Guatemala when they're here. The group of 6 came from Chicago & they were a fun crowd! Last Saturday we went to Villa Nueva and went to a coffee farm! Those of you who know me probably know that coffee is my middle name :) so it was pretty fun! Yes, I bought more coffee. After that we all went to Antigua and went shopping. Melanie (She's a cool girl from Washington who is going to be here for two years working with the girls in the Independence Program. It's been so much fun hanging out with her for the last 3 weeks!) and I walked around and got coffee and I bought a hammock! This crazy vendor was determined to sell me one... I thought I was just asking his prices... but Melanie went head to head with this guy for me and got me a great deal! I've always wanted a hammock, now I just have to decide where I want to hang it! The next day we went to church and then went to a Mayan cultural presentation. It was a very interesting experience, haha! We made tortillas, most of ours were muy feo, but they tasted great! We ate rice, chicken, and pepian (it's a soup which I am determined to learn how to make) and it was good! After that the ladies taught us about the Mayan people and traditions and then I got married. They showed us what a Mayan wedding is like and I got volunteered to be the bride. So, in a matter of 15 minutes I was engaged, married, and had 6 kids (only one was strapped to my back though). Afterward, we all agreed that it wasn't legally binding, and I didn't say "I do" so I'm pretty sure I'm still single. That lady didn't look legit anyway. It was pretty interesting though! On wednesday we went to Zapote and then we drove to Pacaya (one of the active volcanoes in Guatemala) and I climbed it! It was an amazing hike and I was blown away by the beauty of God displayed in that mountain. There is a huge amount of lava that has covered the cone and we got to walk around on some of it. It was an eery feeling to feel the heat that's coming from the volcano. I didn't feel very safe. I was reminded of the verse in Job that talks about God telling the waves how far they are allowed to go. The Lord designated that mountain to spew lava and He tells it how far it can go. Pacaya obeys the Lord. It was so beautiful and yet scary at the same time. On friday I got to go to Monterrico, which is on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. It's really pretty, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't ready to leave when Sunday rolled around! It was hot, humid, and mosquito-infested like Alabama in August... with no air conditioning or sweet tea. So yeah :) It really was pretty though, and I got to swim... no wait, I got spin-cycled in the ocean & survived! I thought it'd be a good idea to swim out past the spot where the waves were breaking. Needless to say, I lost. That ocean is really powerful! There is sand everywhere, and just like I keep finding reminders that I went to Monterrico, I hope to leave Guatemala and find reminders everywhere that I came here and grew and that I am not the same person as I was 3 months ago.
This is getting really long, but here are a few things that have happened in the past week or two:
- Yesterday, Doris chased me with a dead bird, she thought it was hilarious
- I ate beans for all 3 meals yesterday (and liked it, haha)
- There's a little hole-in-the-wall place in San Lucas where you can get the most amazing pineapple banana smoothies (here they're called liquados) for 5Q! (that's less than $1!!)
- I'm becoming a podcast junky (Francis Chan, Louie Giglio, Andy Stanley, and Steve Bateman are a few of my favorites!)
- I'm planning on getting a masters in art therapy in the next few years
- Here are links to my latest pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046095&l=5aacd&id=41804036
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046926&l=c70ac&id=41804036
Thank you for your prayers, I hope to see you when I get back! May God bless you in incredible ways!
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