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...

you can find more photos on my flickr account. A few months ago, I bought a bracelet from a store called MudLove that has the simple word “abide” written on it. At the time, I didn’t realize that this bracelet would speak so much truth into my life.   As you can probably sense from our blogs, this trip has not been what we expected.  For me, many things have exceeded my expectations and some things have just been different than what I expected.   Ministry is one of those things that has just been different. Until my expectations weren’t met, I...

At training camp, they told us to toss out all expectations. Left unmet leaves us still seeking, unsatisfied in where we are. I thought I didn't have many. Easy surrender because I thought I was open to anything.  That was before two weeks into the trip and I'm standing in the middle of a dirt field with a hoe and they keep saying we have to do the whole thing. The second morning of all day hoeing, I realized I didn't do as good of a job surrendering as I thought.  With each sling of the hoe, I let the frustration grow. How is hoeing a field ministry? How is this...

We have now been in Guatemala for a couple of weeks now, and I can say that our time here has not been how I imagined it would be. As I settle in to life in Antigua, I find myself feeling more at home each day. I love Antigua- it is such a beautiful place. I am surrounded by eighteen wonderful teammates and I have so enjoyed doing life with them. But not every day is pure joy and perfection, as you might imagine. I have experienced joy and excitement, but also frustration and even a bit of sorrow. But through every whirlwind of emotion I experience, God has been teaching me so...