Week 1

I've been here over a week and am really enjoying it! I'm helping with the 1st/2nd grade class everyday. There are 4 little girls in the class- Isabel, Aldi, Candy, and Carlita....

Here's precious little Carlita!! Hearing her laugh just makes my day!

Isabel is on the left(isquierda :D) and Candy is on the right (derecha :D) 

This is Aldi! She is lots of fun & has such a cute personality!!

Here's Isabel, she was my first friend at the Oasis! She is so loving & likes my camera!

I already love them so much, it's almost like they're my little sisters! It's so much fun being with the little ones, and it's also been good for my spanish to be in the class! It's so nice to be with all the girls (34 in all), because they don't mind how bad my spanish is or how many times I ask them to repeat themselves. I'm learning a lot from them. I've heard some of their stories & it's heartbreaking. It's so hard to believe how people can abandon their children. I am so happy to say that these girls are loved and cared for here, but it's hard to comprehend what they've already gone through. The Lord knows, and He is in control. He is faithful and good, even when we don't understand why things happen. 

It's so beautiful here. I can see 3 volcanoes from the Oasis, and the sunsets are amazing. Here's a picture of Agua. It's hard to describe, I'll have to take more pictures. I've enjoyed the food...except for this tamale thing we had for lunch the other day. It was some part of the chicken, bone still in, inside some dough stuff, wrapped in a corn husk. I got quite a little surprise when I cut into it, haha! The fruit is so good, some of the best pineapple I've ever had! It is sort of cold, which I wasn't expecting. I've been wearing long sleeves everyday! The bugs aren't bad, except for the fleas- yuck! They like me but the feeling isn't mutual. I'm just glad there aren't mosquitos up at the Oasis. I'm not a fan of malaria. 

I'm still just trying to take it all in, sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm actually here!  

For future reference: The Oasis is the specific Kids Alive site where I'm working. It's located in San Lucas, Guatemala. The website is www.kidsalive.org, check it out!

I've been here two days and I'm loving it so far! Patricia (the principal of the school at the Oasis), Julia (an intern at the Oasis from England, she's lots of fun and her accent is great!), and I went to church this morning and I was happy to find out that the sermon was going to be translated for a group that is here from Ohio. The pastor welcomed the congregation and then asked if there was anyone there for the first time. Most of the Guatemalans had no problem standing up and introducing themselves to the crowd of people, but I wasn't going to if I didn't have to. I asked Patricia if I needed to stand up, but by that time it was too late. The pastor had already spotted this white girl in the crowd and pointed to me and made me stand up, haha! I'm not blending in very well!! 

I am really enjoying being here! The weather is so beautiful and I am surrounded by mountains. Last night I looked up and saw more stars that I've ever seen before! Instead of pigeons or those little black birds that cover the power lines at home, there are bright green parrots. They are really noisy. I am not in the Alabama anymore! 

This week I'll be getting to know the girls, helping out with the Kindergarten/1st grade class in the school, and helping get ready for a donor dinner that Julia has planned. The girls call her Julian, it's pretty funny. I think the girls are going to call my Catty, but some call me Caterin, which is so cute. I am so glad to be here, thanks for praying, encouraging, and supporting me!!

Julia just told me that she made a website for her friends in England to donate money to the Oasis. So, if you're interested, here's the web address: www.justgiving.com/theoasis. If you look at the website, the two little girls in the picture are Aldi and Maria! Like I said before, Julia is British, so it's set up in pounds. When you get to the payment part it asks you what country you're from and you can change it to the US. Just thought I'd let you know about it!

Hopefully I'll be able to put some pictures on here soon! 

I'm finally here!

I made it to Guatemala safe and sound today, praise God! I got very little sleep last night, my flight left at 6:05 AM. Funny thing happened though, two of the cast and the crew from MythBusters (one of my favorite shows!) were on my flight out of Huntsville! I got to sit by Kari (the cool red headed chick), haha it was was a fun way to start my day. Then from Houston I flew to Guatemala City! We went to the Oasis (that's the name of the children's home and school campus) and I got to meet the staff and all the girls. There are I think 34 of them and they are precious! I am so thrilled to be here, I can't wait to get to know them better. I am just blown away by this opportunity that the Lord has given me. Like I said before, I got very little sleep last night, so I'm going to bed! Thanks for praying for me, God is so good!

T Minus 2 Days

I leave in 2 days, wow! I'm trying to pack, think of all the little things I'll need, and say goodbye to many dear people. One of my best friends just had a baby, and it's hard to believe that the baby will be almost 5 months old when I see her next. I'm feeling such a mix of emotions! Lord, be the balance.

 

I'm hopping on a plane at 6:05 AM (whhheeeew, that's early) on Friday and should be in Guatemala by 12:30 PM! I'll have to write more later, my mind is a little too jumbled to write coherently right now... Guatemala, here I come! 

 

One more thing: I got an email from Patricia (one of the staff who is running the school at Kids Alive Guatemala) and she asked me to be praying that the school curriculum and materials would be ready soon. School started back up this week and you can imagine how hard it would be to teach without the books and materials you need. Please pray for the teachers, the girls, and Patricia as they go through their first week of school. 

Yes!

It's official!! (or at least a little more official in my mind) A ticket has been purchased, and it has my name on it! I'm leaving for Guatemala on February 1st! 

Hopefully the first of many! What a dumb title...

This is my first official post, hooray! I'm doing my best to get ready for Guatemala...writing a support letter, telling people that I'm going, thinking about it, praying about it, filling out paperwork. Will I ever actually get there? Life slows down for nothing and no one. It's definitely exciting though! 

My journey to Guatemala has come from years of thinking, praying, and other trips that I went on through high school and college. I was able to go on mission trips to the Bahamas and Toronto with the youth group at First Bible, the Dominican Republic with my high school senior class, and another trip to Moldova with First Bible in college. I knew I wanted to spend some time serving in a different country after I graduated, and after working at Pine Cove and Gull Lake I knew I wanted to work with kids. I started looking for opportunities sometime around my senior year at Samford. I've emailed and talked with tons of missions organizations over the past couple of years. After I graduated in 2006, I spent a year up at Gull Lake and loved it. It was my first real job and I was so blessed to be able to do it! I moved back to Alabama at the end of August to pursue the missions/children's home thing again. I was able to spend a week in Guatemala with the Cokers in September(what a huge blessing they were!!!), and since then I've been working towards going back. I've finally been accepted as an intern with Kids Alive International in Guatemala!! I'll be at a home for girls that I visited during my trip in September. The Lord's timing is the best, and I guess now is when He wants me to go! I'm leaving sometime in the end of January...no date yet...but I am going! I'll be back in mid-May. I'm nervous and excited and a little antsy and still not fully comprehending that I am really going. I can't wait to get to know the girls. I'm so excited about getting to know the Lord in a different culture. I'm nervous about going to a new place...again. I know the Lord will be faithful and provide people, encouragement, and all the little things I need, but I'm also nervous about leaving relationships behind once again. I've been amazingly blessed with opportunities to work and serve and make wonderful relationships all over the country, but no matter where I am, I am away from someone I love. This can be so draining. I am forced to trust Him and ask for help. I praise God for this!! 

I'm starting this blog in hopes that I'll use it when I'm in Guatemala, and if people want to they can read about what's going on and pray. I will need prayer, this I know for sure! I'm slowly finding out what I'll be doing there, but I think I'm going to be working with the younger girls(preschool age). I also hope to be an extra hand for the staff and house parents to make their lives a little easier. I don't know much, but I know that the Lord is big and He knows what He's doing and He'll give me what I need when I need it. He has always been faithful and always will be! 
I guess I'll wrap this up for today. Happy New Year!

"O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago." Isaiah 25:1