Saying Goodbye So Soon.

"Above all, love each other deeply. Love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:8-10

Precious boy I got to know all week in Jocotenango.

Saying goodbye has never been as easy thing for me to do. Saying goodbye to your new family is even harder. People that have become the closest to you, shared experiences with you, learned with you, grew with you, and most all SERVED with you. So these pictures are from our last two days here..showing you just who these people are here that I now call my family!

The interns with Amed, our Buckner Guatemala Director/grandfather for the trip/awesome guy/Wizard of Oz

Over the past couple weeks, the danger here in Guatemala has seriously increased. Friday morning, Amed contacted the corporate office in Dallas to discuss his concerns for our safety here. Because election season is well in swing, lots of riots, violent activities, and dangerous situations have begun. Due to the unexpected circumstances of the safety in Guatemala, we have been advised to go home early and cut our time short here. So, this morning, we were each given our special, new itineraries in our own personal envelopes at our very own conference. Felt so official. Our full summer intern, Sarah, has been relocated to Honduras for the rest of the summer and we were all surprised to see she is leaving tomorrow! The rest of the gang...we leave Monday morning to fly back home.

With Betzy, only the best Guatemalan girl you could ever know.

As we have been handling this news, it has been tough. It is never easy to hear that you have to cut your time serving short. It's hard. But, we all understand that Buckner is so great in looking out for us and they are just worried about our safety. I so very much appreciate that. Buckner has been so fantastic in watching over us this past month and helping us with our every need. We all our understanding together that THIS is God's plan and this is the story He wants us to tell. 

Mario! My new best friend!

Buckner is such an incredible organization and I have really been able to see that now working in Guatemala. I have been able to minister to people I did not think I would or even to people that I did not realize at first. Here, in Guatemala, Buckner is so well respected and known. It is always uplifting to explain to someone what we are doing here..Just now, about 10 minutes after I ordered room service at our new hotel for the last two nights, I received a call from someone who works here at the hotel. He called just to ask me what exactly I was doing for Buckner, what Buckner does, asking me so many questions about Buckner. He went on and on how great it is and how he loves how the community centers are placed in such needed places. Then, he asked me how I got employed and how he could get employed there! How awesome is that?! I then had to explain to him how I was only a volunteer intern, not an employee. But, I told him the contacts that he needed and how to look into it. Buckner has a lot of connections with the hotel so he knew exactly who I was talking about. I just felt like that story was worth sharing and it made me realize that I really have spent the last month helping this country of Guatemala. And that makes my heart happy and brings me more peace in my heart with having to leave this place early. 

All of us interns with our precious friend, Betzy!

These past few weeks have been absolutely incredible. And I want to thank each and every one of you for your support, prayers, and love. This experience would not have been the same at all without each of you and your encouraging words. This experience has been the most life changing for me and I have learned so much about myself, who I am, what my passions are, and just how I want to dedicate my life to serving. I have learned how to serve and how to be a part of something bigger than just me. It has been so amazing to see God working the past few weeks and it is amazing to think of everything we have done here. This has been so much more than anything I ever expected and I am so very thankful for it. Since we are now the last group of interns for the year and serving with the last mission trip of the year (due to these safety reasons), it is so comforting to know that even though I have made a small footprint in this country, Buckner will be here everyday still serving the people of the country. And that brings ease to my worries. I hate to ramble on and on...as I know I do that so many times to most of you anyways! But, I want to take a minute to thank the people that have been so amazing this entire time here in Guatemala....

Balloon Popping Game at VBS.

To those of you in the U.S.- Family..thank you so so much for letting me come here. I know that you have had your worries and now I know that you had reason to be nervous! But, I just don't know how to thank you for your support and love while I have been here. Even though I have told you that I am not excited to come home, please know I will be so ready for a good hug when I see you and have missed you all so much! Thank you for letting me go after my calling and spend time ministering here in Guatemala. To my favorite Guatemalan Pen Pal...you know who you are. Thank you so much for just listening to me as I tell you all my never ending stories day after day. Your friendship has meant so much to me these past few weeks and I am so thankful for you and your huge heart. To Lauren...your letters have been more than encouraging to me! You have no idea how much I look forward to reading them every morning. And you somehow planned each of them perfectly and I have so much loved each verse for every day. You are perfect. To all my friends...thank you so much for being so encouraging and so loving this entire time! 

Family. With our favorite boys..Mario, Carlos, and Guillermo. Love you three so much.

To my new Guatemalan family-There are way too many of you....but each of you has meant the world to me and I am so sad to say goodbye in just two days. Team..we are saying goodbye together. Betzy...you have been such an inspiration to me and we are all so thankful for you and your servant heart. You have done so much more for us than translate. You have been such a strong support system, friend, and sister in Christ. Guillermo, Carlos, and Mario...you know we love you. You all have been so much fun and this experience would not be anywhere near as great without the three of you. Your smiles brighten up the room every time and your friendship has meant the world. You have become family to us and we always look forward to spending time with you. We can always depend on you three for laughter, support, hugs when we need them, guidance, and smiles. 

With Amed on our last day together!

Again, thank you so much for keeping up with me! I am pretty sure this will be my last post since tomorrow is my last day here and will be very busy living it up here in Guatemala one last time...but I will be back in the United States on Monday and will hopefully seeing most of you very soon! Thank you so so much and I hope you have felt like you are a part of my journey...because I have most certainly considered you all a huge part of it. 

A Desperate Call For Prayer.

One family lost two family members today. Please pray for this family...

"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! For I have overcome the world." -John 16:33

I want to start this out by saying we are all safe here. And we thank God that we are. And I would also like to start out by telling you that today, we witnessed something so tragic that nobody should ever have to see in their lifetime. I would also like to start this out by saying thank you to my family here in Guatemala. The visits and support tonight have been over-the-top and we are so thankful to have each of you looking out and caring for us. That being said, we are praising God for his power over our group of interns right now.

Today, at the CTC site in El Cerrito, we experienced a tragic accident. I will not share all of the details because it is so much to grasp right now..At this site, there is a steep hill as the entrance of the place. A big, moving type truck was pulling up the hill to leave. Just as it reached the top, it slid backwards, turned...in its path, hit a taxi (stopping the truck from rolling all the way down the hill to all of us below), hit a tree...and hit a woman and her baby. Both were killed. As bystanders at the bottom of the hill, we are all distraught and shaken up tonight.

Minutes before this, I was taking a group of the kids from one building to the next, this road was in my path. As I reached the second building, I helped translate for one of the North Park Team members. She wanted to give a beanie baby to this sweet, little girl in a lavender shirt. So, I stand there with her and converse with the mother of the child and the team member. As the mother and daughter walk up the hill, I start to walk into the building with the rest of the group. Seconds later, they are hit.

Our fearless intern, Kaitlyn, runs to the scene because she is certified in emergency first aide so she is on it right away. She tends to the little girl, finds a slow pulse. Once she notices she is bleeding out, she finds the intestines of the girl hanging out of the body. Immediately, she knows the girl didn't make it. Please keep her in your prayers as she cannot get this image out of her head and was most certainly the most effected by this in our group. The ambulance shows up literally no more than 60 seconds after the accident and takes the victims.

Immediately, word spread to the community and everyone came rushing. We hurried inside to keep the children that were there occupied by singing songs and playing all the games we could think of at the time. We come to find out that this is the second time an accident like this has occurred and the community has been requesting a walkway for the mothers and daughters to walk safely for some time now.

After the son of the mother who had passed came back to the scene with some friends, we knew that it was time for us to get out as quick as possible. Problem is.. we are waiting on new buses to pick us up as ours are in the parking lot with no way out. All of the sudden, Amed (the director of Buckner Guatemala) came running down the hill for us to get in a bus and get out fast. So, we followed his instructions with no doubt!

When we finally got home tonight, we find Amed waiting for us at home. He was waiting for us to check on us. He lets us know that earlier this morning, he had been looking at the statistics of how dangerous the political situation is in Guatemala right now and he was concerned for us and already made some calls to the office in Texas. He advised us to leave earlier than we expected to (which is July 2). If he has instructions, we follow. So, now, we are discussing how to make these new plans. Then, he goes on to explain that he was thinking that before the accident and then this happened...he was like a comforting Grandfather today as he hugged us, talked to us, and looked out for us. He apologized for his country...that almost made me cry. This country has meant so much to me the past three weeks and to hear him say that broke my heart.

After our conversation with Amed...began our night of phone calls, emails, and visits. Our family here has been more than supportive tonight and we love so much that we have them in our lives. To just have shoulders to cry on, stupid jokes to make us laugh again, and a comforting phone call checking in means so much.

I did not want to share all of this to scare you, but instead to ask for your prayers and let you know what is on our hearts right now.

There is nothing I know more to do in a situation such as this than to pray. And as I have been talking to God all day long, I have felt his presence and his comfort in our group of interns as we take the next steps tonight. Tonight, I ask for your prayers. I ask that you pray together or alone, out loud or silently...whatever you prefer. But, I ask most of all, that you pray wholeheartedly. I ask that you pray for the community of El Cerrito, Guatemala as they experienced this tragic accident today. I ask that you pray for the family of the mother and daughter that passed away today. I ask that you pray for the country of Guatemala as they face so many dangerous situations everyday. I ask that you pray for our group of interns as we are all emotionally unstable right now and looking to our God now more than ever. I ask that you pray for peace, comfort, and strength for anyone who was affected by this today. I will be sure to keep you updated. Thank you so much for your love and support. You have no idea how much it means to us.

Every sweep counts.

Today, I received such an encouraging email from my Grandparents. Grandma always goes out of her way to uplift others and encourage us. She shared a powerful quote with me that reminded me of my whole experience here when she said:

People may forget what you said.

People may forget what you did.

But, people will never forget how you made them feel. 

With this quote, Grandma reminded me that no matter what I say or do with the people that I minister here in Guatemala, it is how I make them feel that matters. And I was reminded of the times where I come to difficult situations and God has given me my strength. There have been so many times during my month here where I have so much depended on God that I know all of my strength and courage only comes from him. When I first walked into the orphanage and had to grasp that there were over 800 beloved children orphaned, I was immediately filled with peace by God knowing that He placed me there to love on these kids and show them that He loves them. When I spoke with one teenage girl and found out she had been raped, my heart was broken but at that same moment, I was given the courage and strength to not be torn up for her, but to simply cherish those moments I had with her and show her what love is. This quote that Grandma shared with me made me also remember that even though my Spanish may not be perfect and even though we may not get to every activity we had planned during the day, it is the feeling these children get when they know we are there solely to love on them and care for them. What matters is that they know we are spreading God's love to them. What matters is that they know what we mean when we hug them. What matters is that they know we care.

A hand hold can mean everything to her...

Thank you so much to those of you who have been constantly following me on this journey. You all have encouraged me so much and I always love hearing your kind, sweet, loving, encouraging words day to day! You have been so loving and this experience would not be the same without all of you.

Today, we worked for the Buckner office here in Guatemala City. They are opening up a new Advocacy Center for girls who had been raped/abandoned/abused. It will be a safe home for them to live temporarily and is located conveniently in the city. When we walked around this home, we got to see just how big it is. This place is going to serve so many girls who need a safe haven. We had the opportunity today to be the first to really go in there and work. We started the cleaning portion of what needs to be done on the home. It was a big project and we could tell that the second that we opened this huge door to the courtyard of the home. It is so cool to me that we get to be some of the first to have a hand in serving the girls that will soon be able to live there and escape. Nothing a little sweeping, good pump up music, and some scrubbing can't handle...

Kaitlyn and I were brave and took on this challenge of cleaning up the courtyard! Before...

...And After!

Recently, we have been able to spend time with Amed, basically the Boss of Buckner Guatemala. Until just yesterday, we had only heard his name. We had heard such great things about Amed, the super nice, down to earth, selfless man who leads all of Buckner Guatemala. We started referring to him as the Wizard of Oz..you know how it's someone you hear about but never meet until the end when you start to wonder if they really exist or not? That is what we thought of him! Now, that we have met him and gotten to spend time with him, we are so disappointed to only have 9 days to get to really know him and his story! Today at the site, I got to hang out with him a little more when he tried to play tricks on me showing me the "haunted" areas of the house we were working in! It is so cool to know that a man like him is changing his country and serving the people of his country and I have gotten to work alongside him here! Such an honor.

I have been overwhelmed with joy throughout this entire experience.

Please keep our team in your prayers still as we have the North Park Team here until Monday and then we work with our last team on Monday! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Rainy Season.

It has officially hit here in Guatemala! I have never seen so much rain pouring down the mountains here. As we drive up and down the mountains, I just see rivers of brown water flowing so fast it looks like it can take out anyone in its path. Crazy sight to see. I was told it was rainy season here, but I did not believe it until today. Wow, what a sight.

Interns hard at work learning how to make tortillas.

Good news..NORTH PARK HAS ARRIVED! We have our new team of eight here for the week and we already love hanging out with them! They are from Abilene Texas and most of them have actually been here more than once already. So, it is really nice to hear their stories and listen to them share their experiences. Clearly, this place has kept a piece of their heart and God has used them already in tremendous ways in the years past. So, we are excited to see what He has in store for the group this week with us.

Precious boy at the Jocotenango CTC

Flexibility repeatedly has been key for us in this experience and this week is no different. Originally, we were supposed to be returning to San Jose Pinula every morning this week and working at the City of Children orphanage in the afternoons. But, there has been some unsafe political activity in that area...a lot of these incidents took place this weekend and it still remains too unsafe for us to return. Since the election is coming up in the Fall, these types of things are not uncommon. I am so sad that I will not get to return to the City of Children again before I leave in just 10 days but I know that God has given us even more opportunities in these other communities we have been reassigned for the week. From this experience, I have learned to put my trust in God and fully depend on faith. That has probably been the most changing experience for me, learning to fully trust in ONLY Him. Here.. I have my insecurities and I have my doubts, but never am I worried because I know that I have my Savior on my side every step of the way.

Welcome!

The city we have been called to minister in.

We are loving our time with this group so far! They came prepared. Awesome. Yesterday, one of the workers at the CTC came to us and said instead of just thirty, we are actually going to have seventy kids this afternoon. Alright! Everything went so smooth and all of the kids had so much fun! We also got to have some older kids so it was so much fun to hang out and play with them for the afternoon! So we did the same with three groups...a bible story, game, and craft. Figured out if I participate in a game, I am without a doubt, always the target. That made it even more fun! Before that, we sang a few songs and had a puppet show...puppets, definitely not a strength of mine. I got very few laughs. But, the day was so so fun and it makes me so excited to keep working with them. Last night at dinner, we also had some fun learning how to make tortillas! We each got our turn making tortillas just like a pro! Here are some pictures Betsy took to document us learning!

When you move, I'll move. I'll FOLLOW.

It has been one crazy weekend. Oh goodness. I will spare you the details of these adventures..but I can say that we are happy to be home and in bed tonight. We have had a fun filled, adventurous weekend that is for sure.

With my two favorite boys at VBS on Friday.

On Saturday, we had the opportunity of returning to the City of Children orphanage. In the morning and the afternoon, we got to just go and play with the special needs toddlers. It was the best thing we could have done with our Saturday that is for sure. Whenever we go to City of Chilrdren, we normally have lots of activities and a schedule to follow. This time it was different and I loved that. We had no planned activities, no schedule to follow, no teams to keep track of...just time to play and hold these babies. When we walked into the home for the special needs toddlers, we were of course immediately greeted by all of them jumping all over us, hanging onto our legs, trying to get our attention. What they did not understand was that they did not need to fight for our attention. We were there for the sole reason of loving on them. We just wanted time to hold them, hug them, play with them, and care for them. Never do we ever have the chance to just hold them and give them the love of another human.

I became the official Rainbow artist at VBS learning about Noah's Ark.

When I was there and seeing their conditions, it once again broke my heart. You probably think I am the most emotional person for telling you how many times I have almost cried the past two weeks..sorry! To see that these babies sleep on uniform cribs, no sheets in sight, bugs flying around, and just plain white everywhere. They have caretakers but not enough for each child of course. And I have learned that the love of another human is of the utmost importance to a child in their upbringing. They need to feel your touch, your heart beat against theirs, and hear your voice. We were not allowed to bring our cameras in...I wish I could just show you how special and cute these kids were. They were so desperate for love and so full of personality. I loved every minute with them. The more opportunities I have with special needs children, the more I hear God hinting something to me. He has given me the gift of being able to touch their lives and given me the love that I have for them. I would not be surprised if working with special needs children is in my future.

Let me just say...Pizza Hut is AMAZING here. And they have these fabulous desserts! SO GOOD!

Today was quite the adventure. All I am going to share is that we went to church just like normal. After church, we went to a "water park" with Israel (one of our translators), Krista (the Long Term Buckner Volunteer here), Maggie (one of the Buckner girls that lives with us) and Guillermo (our Driver and friend). The highlight of the day was certainly being a part of a baptism. Baptism is an amazing thing and to be a part of one in Guatemala means so much to me. I am so very thankful that the church considers us family enough to invite us to that special event today. Today, the Pastor was at the water park with us and said to us "IgleCafe is your family church now!" That was so sweet and thoughtful of them. They all want us to be their family and are starting to recognize us each week. We even got to hang out with them at a "water park" instead of just the church building... so cool! After a long, fun day of bonding, we are back home all ready for bed and very excited about our North Park team coming tomorrow! It is four couples.. so we are very excited to have some parents for the week! We miss our families!

Power of Baptism.

This trip has really been an eye opening ministry experience and I am so very thankful to be here. While here, I have made such awesome friends and I feel like in order for you to fully understand my experience here, you have to know these people. So, from now on, I will try to share with you just a little bit about them!

Guatemalans really take Politics seriously...someone had some fun with a paint ball gun.

 Recently, one of my friends here has really been on my heart and I want to share it with all of you. This is just a reminder to me how you never ever know whose life you are influencing just by that relationship. So, Guillermo, if you are reading this, know that we love you so much. Guillermo started out as our driver. The first day he drove us, he did not tell us he spoke English. So, a couple days later, he drove us again and asked one of us if we were the girl with the story about... clearly showing he spoke English and never said anything! As we tell him everyday, SNEAKY SNEAKY GUILLERMO. As the days go on, Guillermo becomes more of a friend to us than a driver. Then, more a brother than just a friend. It is amazing to me to see just how well you get to know someone in this kind of experience in such a short amount of time. When the Mother/Daughter team was here, Guillermo became our friend, someone we felt we could confide in and talk about just about anything with. This past week, when it was just us interns, we got to have Guillermo show us around his city, Antigua, and share his stories with us. We have gotten to joke with each other, bring up serious conversations with each other, ask relationship questions, laugh with each other, and just understand the faces that we make across the room. He has become family to us interns and we are so thankful to have a cheerful, happy person pick us up each morning.

Guillermo and I at the Coffee Farm.

The most amazing thing for us to watch happen through Guillermo is how God is working in him. There is nothing like sharing the love of Christ with another person and for us to have that common thing with Guillermo is so exciting. And right now, it may not seem like a big deal. But, it is very big to us and means the world to us just to have someone like him with us everyday. Everyday at our sites, we have lots of kids. And all of the boys immediately gravitate to Guillermo and his contagious energy. Every morning, we start by reading a devotional out loud. We spend the beginning of the car ride reflecting on that and discussing how God is working. One morning at the beginning of the week, he turns around and asks, "Can I listen?" All of us immediately respond with "Of course!" So, we sit and read the devotional together before we leave for the day. There, we see a little something. Then, today, he comes to pick us up for church in the morning..he is not normally our driver on Sundays. So, we were surprised. Then, we asked if he was coming in with us to church, he said yes. And that made us so excited! He came to church with us and that meant the world. Just to know that he was there with us listening to the same message, singing the same songs, learning about our same God. Amazing. And I cannot wait to see how God continues to work in him these next two weeks with us.

Guillermo showing off his American Girl Grin Pins!

Please keep our team in your prayers this week as we work with the North Park Team! Yay! Gonna be a very busy week... but I will try my best to keep you posted! Thank you so much for all of your support and love! Your words of encouragement always mean so much!

Finding God in the everyday happenings...

Overlooking Antigua

In my morning devotion yesterday, I read inspiring words on just what I needed. Oswald Chambers shared, "I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it. If I will do my duty, not for duty's sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ."

The Famous Arch of Antigua

Love. Kaitlyn and I sharing our fabulous coffee.

The Famous Fountain in Central Park. It was made like this to encourage women to breastfeed their babies way back when. 

These words were what our team needed to hear as we hit the halfway mark through the week. This week, we have found ourselves getting caught up in the everyday routine we have going. Our activities are repetitive and we know exactly what to expect.. very unlike most mission trips. We are starting to realize that God is right there in front of us.. even if it isn't one of those 'aha' moments. God is present in our everyday actions, even if it is not super thrilling, exciting, extravagant or tear jerking. We know He is here and working in us and that brings comfort to us. Our actions here are to glorify Him and serve Him. It was awesome to be reminded of His love and how it is everywhere, everyday, at any point in time. I always figured and experienced that it was easier to seek after God in situations that you are unfamiliar with, exciting, new activities, new places, new people.. but when you are getting yourself used to the same lessons, games, people, and places, God wants you to find him. He wants you to seek after Him like you never have before. And this week has been that kind of week.

Sarah, Jordan, Me, and Kaitlyn by The Cross!

Pretty church in Antigua.

All of the girls (Betsy, our translator included!) under the Arch.

This week, we are working in the community of Jocotenango. It is right outside of Antigua, a historical city in Guatemala. In the mornings, we have one class of students. Then, we have had long lunch breaks where we normally get to explore a new historic site of Antigua, new coffee shop, or just walk and explore a little bit. Then, in the afternoons, we have another class of students. About 60 kids each day.. we are teaching them about God's love for them, reminding them just how special they are.

Our favorite game

Alleluia. This group of girls was precious.

There is one instance this week that I do keep thinking about and I want to challenge you to think about it too. Right when we walked into our morning group one day, we start to unzip one of the bags of supplies and a boy turns around to us saying in Spanish, "We want our stuff!" Then, I asked our translator if he said what I thought he said and she nodded her head yes and started to laugh. We then went on to talk about the perception of Americans in the eyes of the Guatemalan kids (or any other group of kids in a country such as this). Then, I realized something that really bothered me. To these kids, they think of Americans as white people who come down, shower them with toys, candy, gifts galore... then leave. They don't remember them as believers who have shared with them a love from Our God, they don't remember the Bible stories shared, they don't remember the relationships or faces of those people. It is the "stuff" they remember. Broke my heart. That is our reputation in a place like this. I want nothing more than to break that stereotype. I want these kids to know that I am here FOR THEM. I am here to invest in them, love them, play with them, teach them the Word, remind them of God's love, SERVE them. Not to just give them some toys and leave. I was not okay with that statement that boy made and have not forgotten it.

Because He loves us.

Photo credit to Kaitlyn Whitley, our talented Photography major on the trip.

Luckily, that same boy who said that comment returns to the CTC every afternoon for another session... so I get to see him. I have taken this opportunity to invest in him and really get to know him. I have gotten to play soccer with him, color some pictures with him, talk with him, love on him. I want him to know that I care about him and am representing all believers in my actions. I want him to know that I care about him and won't forget him. Yes, I get to give him some fun presents still, but I also get the chance to show him so much more than that about what is important to us. God has given me the chance to change that stereotype these kids have of Americans. And I know this was God working, giving me this opportunity to change a life.

GLORIA DIOS

I want to challenge all of you that take trips like this one, mission trips, anything... to break that stereotype. Do not let the kids remember you just as an American who brings them presents. Be remembered as someone who demonstrated the love of Christ to all you came in contact with. Be remembered as someone who invested in the kids, loved on the kids, made an impression.

Cheesin' hard.... while Frappin' hard. Good day.

Sarah demonstrating animal charades

This was too funny. They put up to six clips in my hair during VBS without me noticing.

The kids have been such a joy this week and we are lucky to have such a great group of cute, energetic, lively, and loving kids all this week. Our next group arrives this weekend and we are SO PUMPED! All of our friends here are becoming more like family to me and it is so weird that I am already halfway done with this experience! Thank you so much for all of your prayers and constant support! This would not be the same experience without all of you!

Hebrews 12:1-2

And it says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." 

Kaitlyn and I with our Driver, Eric. We had to wear our matching Ray Bans one day! 

So, since my last post, we have..... experienced the bargaining skills of the market, walked Antigua, dressed up as Batman, said goodbye to our Mother/Daughter Team, washed our hair with shampoo for live, and learned everything there is to know about coffee.

Janet, my ADPi sister! What a small world! I got to spend the week serving with one of my sisters. 

Ready to model our Batman attire.

I have been here for over a week and cannot believe it. Part of me feels as if I have already been here for months and the rest of me feels like this is all a dream. It is still hard for me to grasp that I am actually in Guatemala, but it is settling in. On Friday, we worked with the Mother/Daughter Team again in Jocotenango playing games and handing out lots and lots of fun toys. It was really just a fun last day of service getting to spend time together. We really loved this team and already miss them!

Mother/Daughter Team

Carlos, Sarah, Guillermo, Me, Jordan, and Brittany

Christian, one of the precious boys in Jocotenango on Friday

Saturday. EXPLORED ANTIGUA. We went to a coffee farm.. so cool. I can honestly say that even though I would not consider myself a coffee drinker, I have a lot of respect for the drink. There is a lot of work that goes into making the perfect coffee. Did you know the perfect coffee bean is red when you pick it? I had no idea. And the coffee farm was absolutely gorgeous. We got to ride on these safari looking vehicles and go through the entire farm. After that, we went to the Jade factory and learned about our Mayan Protectors. Mine is No'J, the woodpecker. Sounds protective, right? All in all, it was a very fun day full of fun activities with the group on their last day. 

The view from the coffee farm entrance

The Market. Oh, what an experience. So on Saturday at the Market, we decided the smartest thing to do was record all of the lowest prices we could get the items that we wanted. Then, on Sunday, we went back and did some hard core bargaining. Hey, I got everything I wanted at the price I wanted so clearly that is a great strategy! Do that next time you are at a market! It was so much fun to bargain with my team and use our skills together. There were actually two booths that the people knew Buckner and were both Christians. They each gave us gifts.. a bracelet and a bookmark. That was so sweet! And they gave us super great prices! When our Translator told us that they were Christians, you should have seen our faces light up! It was just so comforting to meet them and share that instant connection. 

On Sunday, I started to feel discouraged and I know I shouldn't have. But, after a week, our team was getting really sick, a little fatigued, feeling a little homesick, sad to say goodbye to our first team, a little frustrated with issues... so I woke up that morning just not in the highest of spirits. But, as I opened up my letter that I thought was from my best friend Lauren, it was actually from Nick. Immediately, by his words, I was encouraged and eager to pray for our team as I sat there waiting for church to begin. One of the wisest people I know, I knew that his words were exactly what I needed to hear that day.

He said so many things that encouraged me but one part that stuck specifically was "I know that often times on mission trips, we feel as though if we're not doing something all the time, we are missing opportunities. But, in reality, take some time and allow yourself to be filled with the Holy Spirit. There is a saying that 'God whispers in the U.S. but shouts overseas' and I do not want you to miss out on that. So don;t be too much like Martha and forget to spend time with Jesus. It's better to serve him filled with the Holy Spirit and do half what you expected than to do everything you expected and forget to acknowledge Him." (Sorry Nick for quoting a huge part of your letter! Hope you don't mind!) This is so true for me and I hate that. Every time I go on a mission trip, I am always centered on activity by activity, always keeping busy. I realized that there are so many times where all I need is my quiet time with God, to take those moments out of my day and glorify Him because He deserves my time. So, from that point on, I told myself that I need to take my time to be still. I know that is a huge struggle for me and my busy everyday life, but I will make it a practice while I am here just to be still in His presence and remember that everything that I do should be wholly in Him, for Him, acknowledging Him. I know that this is a weakness of mine. And I am on this trip to grow...so this is one area I will strive to grow in during the next three weeks.

Found the red coffee beans through the fields! That was a challenge!

Just having some fun with my camera.

Gorgeous view.

This weekend has brought many prayer requests to my attention for you all. First, our team is all taking turns being sick. We have sinus infections, head aches, stomach aches, sore throats, possibly fleas and lice.. you name it, it is going around our area of bunk beds. So, please keep our health in your prayers. Also, this week, we are on our own working in Jocotenango. We will be doing VBS activities for two groups of around 30 children each day. So, please pray for our patience, energy, and flexibility as this week progresses. Lastly, please pray for the upcoming team coming this weekend. We are already so excited for them and hope they get here safely!

Mom, I am teaching you how to make these right when I get home! They are so fun and so pretty!