Life here in San Pedro, Guatemala in a house with 19 people definitely gets interesting. Random dance parties happen. Spontaneous worship happens. I’m not shocked anymore to find myself brushing my teeth in the bathroom while someone’s on the toilet and someone else is in the shower. It’s easy to get caught up in this community. These 19 awesome people. This family. But today, yet again, God stepped in and reminded me of the larger community we’re called to be a part of. We’ve dubbed our newest unofficial ministry “San Pedro Evening Ministry.”...

What did we do this weekend? We went on a 14 mile hike. On a HUGE volcano. At 5 in the morning.   Exercise and silence with 19 people at 5 am is not exactly my idea of fun, but nonetheless I ended up there…and I am actually glad I did it.   Considering this would be such a huge challenge for me and it was exactly one month from my Uncle Dan’s next brain surgery, I decided I would do it for him. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease just a few years ago and has been one of the most encouraging and inspiring people I have ever met. So, I threw on my...

It was Sunday night, we were about to hear our ministry assignments for next week, and I was stoked. That was, until found out I would be doing manual labor for a week. I walked into our room, ready to have a serious talk with the Lord. To show him how disappointed I was, I even started tearing up. "Are you serious, God? Why?" —-I have a plan. "But the work's hard, it's…" —-Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these… you did for me.      Matthew 25:45 He began to mold my heart of stone into...

Yesterday, I was reflecting on our lives here and I started listing all the things that happen here regularly that we don't find too strange anymore, but y'all back home probably will. Regular things that aren’t regular back home. 1. Taking a shower in constant fear of being electrocuted. Just Google “Guatemalan shower heads”… 2. Squeezing into school buses that already contain at least 65 people. Not that I counted or anything. 3. Dipping dishes into bleach after washing them because the water is so contaminated. Because that doesn't defeat the...

This trip has been amazing. Every single part of it has been different than what I thought it would be. Normally, I would have been disappointed the entire time, and honestly I was in the beginning, but this year I’ve learned that life is never what you expect and regardless of what happens, Jesus is faithful every time.          I’ve never been comfortable in any type of medical situations. Nevertheless, I ended up in a cerebral palsy orphanage being challenged and stretched in crazy ways. I started out timid, but now I’m feeding blended...

The last two days we went back to hoeing dirt, and it was hard work, but I wouldn’t say I was as uncomfortable as when I danced with grandpas at the “grandpa house.” I have never really danced with a guy my own age, so when 75-year-old Oscar held out his hand and started moving his hips faster than I could follow, I was a little uncomfortable to say the least. The live band playing a gigantic xylophone played for a couple hours and by the end I wouldn’t say I would want to dance with a bunch of grandpas again, but I did have a new friend (One who would give me a...

It’s so crazy how the Lord blesses us when we lay down our expectations—when we open up our hands and let the Lord take all of our own desires and dreams. This past weekend, I found myself needing to let go of expectations, still. Like many of my teammates, I had many expectations for this trip that were not being met. I had dreams of little children running into my arms. I had desires to connect with the people of Guatemala and make life-long friends. I had expectations to learn Spanish, and to learn it quickly and easily. And again, the Lord asked me to give these up to Him....

Today I found myself in a chapel alone with six wheelchair-bound kids with cerebral palsy. How I ended up there alone, not sure. I sat on the floor between two of them and held their hands. They all just smiled at me and laughed. Their joy quickly rubbed off on me. So I began to pray for them, or rather, praise God for them. I thanked God for creating them each just the way they are.             Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Luke 12:7 I realized during my 20 or so minutes alone with my babies that they are...

Last Sunday the pastor walked up to the pulpit ready to begin his sermon. Knowing he was only going to speak in Spanish, I was debating whether to channel all my attention and translate in my head or relax, sit back, and let the Spanish roll right over my "gringa" head. Before I could decide, the translator took her seat right beside me, and soon I knew why.  The sermon was on loving God as our heavenly Daddy, a topic I rarely consider but one that carries such importance. And while the translator continued to speak, my mind went back to our ministry of the last few...