una semana:one week

I cannot believe that one week from right now I will be on an airplane flying home. It is a weird feeling. The past few weeks have flown by, but at the same time, they have seemed like an eternity! I can't believe that I haven't seen or touched my family in almost 15 weeks, that is a weird thing to think about! I am trying to prepare myself for the emotional stress that I will experience when I come home, but I know that there is not much I can do about the "re-entry" process into the North American culture. Knowing that Christmas will be fully "shoved" into my face when I get home will also be hard to cope with. Christmas here is much more focused on the peace and hope of Christ in one's life...it's not about gifts here. Nevertheless, we have had a couple celebrations here to welcome the Christmas season.

My roommates and I went to a big fiesta in Parque Central last weekend and got to experience what the Antiguenos do at the commencement of the Christmas season!

Yesterday our whole group had a huge Christmas party at Paul and Bev's house! It was full of cookie-decorating, tree-decorating, and a Santa Claus piñata!

Enjoy this lovely video that we made at our party! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afxJVY9qQmc

Blessings during this Christmas season! See you SOON!

-J

Just another little update

Hola amigos! I hear that most of you are enduring the first decent snow of the season...you can feel free to have fun in it for me because I don't miss it! I prefer the snow and warmth here in Guatemala. I haven't been keeping you as up-to-date because I have been trying to cut down on paying to use the internet at different cafés. So, here is a little bit of an update on life.

#1: Today is day 85, which means that we have 15 days left here. It is unbelievable how fast the time has gone. I am trying not to focus on how excited I am about going home because I want to enjoy my last 2.5 weeks here, but it's really hard not to think about all that is to come when I get home.

#2: We got a friendly little package last weekend from some wonderful friends back at SAU. They had sent it at the end of September and it was being held in Guatemala City by customs and last Friday we were finally able to retrieve it! The girls wrote each of us a little rhyming note and sent us some treats: tea, gum, chapstick, water flavoring, toilet seat covers (haha), and some other fun things! After getting that from the post office, we were able to go to Price Mart which is like the Costco of Guatemala and a few of us just walked around eating samples. I also bought a HUGE jar of peanut butter for Q39 because I just was craving peanut butter so badly. We spent the evening at the mall where the rest of the group saw the latest Twilight movie (I was not going to put myself in that theater, you couldn't pay me). Papa Paul (the new name for our fearless leader) took us to Pollo Campero for dinner.

 Merry Christmas from Miraflores mall! :)

#3: Saturday was a BEAUTIFUL day and we headed to Monte Rico which is a wonderful, black sand beach on the Pacific Ocean. It took us just over two hours to get there, but by the time we got there, the sun was shining and it was absolutely stunning. We placed our orders for lunch and hit the beach! We played in the waves of the ocean, soaked up some rays, and walked the beach while our feet were burning from the hot sand. We had a lovely lunch and spent more time in the sun, laid in hammacks, played with baby sea turtles, and saw a school of sting rays. All in all, it was a wonderful time at the beach!

 Playing with baby sea turtles!

The view from the hotel we spent the day at

#4: Sunday was our HUGE Thanksgiving dinner as a group. Not only did we have two 15lb. turkeys catered by a Canadian restaurant, but Paul and Bev cooked up a storm with all sorts of Thanksgiving foods. From mashed potatoes to green bean casserole, we had it all! We spent time eating dinner and dessert (pumpkin pie with coffee for me!) and just relaxing and talking. It was a day of fellowship and food and remember all the wonderful things that we can be thankful for!

Well there you are, don't expect too many more posts, but I will try to keep you updated on the last 2.5 weeks! Have a lovely day enjoying that snow, talk to you soon!

-J

Thanksgiving blessings.

¡Feliz día de acción de dar gracias!
Happy Thanksgiving from Guatemala!

I am sitting here at our coordinator’s home in Antigua, Guatemala with so much to be thankful for! Although I am not home with my family and some REALLY good home-cooked turkey, I cannot imagine being anywhere else in the world.
Yesterday was the birthday of one of the guys in our group, so we got together today to celebrate and eat cake. I can tell you that watching the Lions lose to Green Bay in Spanish did not make it any easier, but I must say that I didn’t expect much more either.
I feel like we often take for granted the things that we have been blessed with, so I am going to take a few minutes to spew some of those things that I am thankful for. Thank you, Lord, for:

-A loving family. God has given more than I could have asked for in a family...and that’s all I can even say because words are not enough.

-An education. There are so many people in this world that will never have an education like the one I have received. I am blessed with knowledge and the ability to learn.

-Health. People all over the world are plagued with sickness or poor health and although I have my bad days, I am so blessed to be a healthy young woman.

-My study abroad. Guatemala is a place where God’s majesty reigns and I couldn’t be more grateful to have this opportunity to be forced to learn and grow...even when I don’t want to.

-Spanish. Although I’ve been frustrated lately with my classes, God has gifted me with the wonderful ability to learn another language and I look forward to where this gift leads me.

I hope you all take time to realize what you are blessed with in this life. Yes, there are times when we feel like things are crashing down around us, but God is always near and He walks with us in this thing called life...don’t take Him for granted today. Be with the ones you love and tell them that you love them. Give thanks and live.

what are we living for?

I want to tell you all about what I learned today in my Spanish class...

Yesterday and today my Spanish teacher, Sabina has been away from class because she has a herniated disc and needs to rest. Both days I have had different teachers, but today I learned some very valuable life lessons from my teacher, Alvaro.

Alvaro is a 47 year old teacher, father, and husband who lives in Jocotenango, Guatemala (just outside of Antigua). Alvaro has four children from the ages of 23 to 16. Three out of his four children (the three oldest) have special needs. They were all born with a genetic disorder called: Ataxia - telangiectasia. This has left his three eldest children wheel-chair bound and with many special needs. Before I knew any of this about his family, Alvaro greeted me this morning by telling me that he is perfectly well and is always doing well. If I would have know Alvaro's life situation before I met him, I would not have expected this response.
Throughout the entire class time, I learned about Alvaro's life circumstances. His daughter, age 19, has already had cancer in her ovaries and is sitting at home, at 90 pounds, with two tumors growing in her abdomen. The doctors have told them that there is nothing more they can do because her body cannot handle the taxing chemo/radiation treatments. Alvaro kept telling me, "Es la vida, Yennifer." He kept saying "gracias a Dios" and other statements of that nature which makes me believe that he and his wife have more faith than I could imagine having in such heart-wrenching circumstances. Not once did Alvaro look at me with a saddened face, but he consistently had a smile on his face knowing that his children are a blessing.
Alvaro showed me an article that his wife wrote four years ago in a local magazine (accompanied with a picture of their precious children). The goal of the article was for his wife to empower other mothers of children with special needs (many of which are single mothers). In her article, she writes about always seeing her children as angels sent from God and always wearing a smile on her face so that her children know that they are capable of great things and that they are loved beyond measure. His wife has now had to stay home with her children and attempt to educate them at home because the "special needs" schools here don't do much more than crafts with the students. They were frustrated with the system here and learned that their children would be better educated at home.
Alvaro kept telling me about his youngest son, age 16, who does not have the disability. He talked about how much he has had to mature in his life because of what has happened around him throughout his life. He told me that his son wants to go to chef school so that someday, he can help support his brothers and sister. What sixteen year old is that mature?!
Alvaro kept telling me that it seems like a rough life, but for them, it's completely normal and he has done it for over twenty years! The saddest thing is that they don't receive help from anyone. There are several organizations around Antigua to help poor families or families who have children with special needs. But because Alvaro and his family have a "nicer" home (it doesn't have dirt floors and they HAVE to keep it very clean due to the kids' disabilities), the organizations will take one look at their house and say, "No, we can't help you because you have what you need." How horrible! Just because they take pride in what they have and work to take care of their family doesn't mean that they don't have needs! Alvaro continued to reiterate to me that if he doesn't work, he and his children don't eat.

In my opinion, this is a great lesson that many people need to learn. Look at a man like Alvaro, see that he has worked his butt off to provide for his family, half of which have special needs! If we could teach this lesson to people around the world, we would live in a much better place. Yes, Alvaro has been given a life that many people will never encounter and one that many people would never want to deal with. But with his positive attitude (and my guess, faith), he has learned to be an honorable and respectable man.

Next time we go complaining about something in life, let us take time to think about Alvaro and his family and give thanks to God that we have been given the life we have.

-J

climbing a volcano = life's newest adventure.

Today I did something that most people probably can't say they have done: I climbed a volcano. In fact, this is the volcano that erupted a year and a half ago, leaving most of Guatemala City covered in ash and many people in surrounding towns without homes. A handful of people died last year on this volcano, so naturally, I had my reservations. But, a girl from our group got in touch with a popular travel agency here and set it up and 16 of us headed out this morning at 6am to climb el vólcan Pacaya.

We finally arrived at the starting point and paid to rent walking sticks for Q5 (about 70 cents). We were also offered bags of marshmallows to roast at the top, so one of the guys purchased a bag for us to share. We started hiking up the mountain/volcano just after 8am and it was harder than I expected. You have to remember that we are at over 5,000 feet in altitude and while I am in decent shape, I still struggled with the thin air and continuous volcanic ash/sand. Needless to say, I got my workout in today! It was a great hike and the guides were really helpful and considerate about stopping to give us breaks.

It probably took us about an hour and a half to reach the big crater that Pacaya erupted from last year. The main crater, at the very top, we were unable to get to, but we wondered around at the top for about an hour...playing in warm volcanic rock/sand/ash and attempting to roast marshmallows (which didn't work that well, but it was fun to try). There were several steam holes where we could feel the heat coming out and some of our group attempted to climb up a bit higher, but didn't really get much of a different view. It was really neat to see the different rock formations that the lava had produced last year...but kind of scary to think that I was walking where it erupted just a year and a half ago! It was definitely the most adventurous thing I have done in my life!

Everyone in our group was safe; however, there was an injury in the other group that came with us. One of the girls from the other group was running down a little hill and slipped in the volcanic ash (which is REALLY easy to do) and ended up cutting her leg and head pretty badly. They had to make a makeshift stretcher and as we left the top of the volcano, they had to carry her down through LOTS of volcanic sand and rock, down a VERY steep hill. As we followed (with my slight fear of heights), we came to the realization that we would be going down the side of the volcano on a different path that went down the very steep side of the mountain and through, no joke, a foot of volcanic rock and sand. Yes, we were lava-rock surfing, as I called it. Trust me, I didn't stop praying the entire way down!

Once at the bottom, my shoes and pants were absolutely covered in volcanic sand and when I took my shoes and socks off, my feet were completely black...but it was SO worth it! I can say that my body is sore and I am tired, but I am really thankful for the really cool opportunity to get a beautiful view of God's creation and do something that I probably will never do again. If you ever have the chance to climb Pacaya, do it...no matter how nervous or scared you are, it will be the adventure of a lifetime.

That's all for now. Keep it real, folks!

Love as always,

-J

To my family.

My dear family,
While I sit here in a café in a foreign country, I am forced to be kind of a "deep thinker." There is not that much I want to say, but I want you to hear me out for a short little bit.

Living here in Guatemala has forced me to think about my life and I am come to the realization that I have everything I could ever ask for. Here's what I want you to know: I love you all with my whole heart. We all have our differences and we all make mistakes. We may disagree and get frustrated with each other, but that doesn't matter because we are family and in this life, that is all that matters. The world will try to tear us apart, but we must cling to the blessed family that we have been given because we have more than we could ask for. Tell each other you love each other and don't be afraid to disagree, but always be accepting of each other and love each other no matter what. Don't take our family for granted because there are people in this world that would give anything to have what we have.

I love you.

-J

Halloween/Día de los Muertos/Illness

Feliz Halloween from Guatemala...sorry it’s a little late! Halloween isn’t a major celebration here in Guatemala, but because Antigua has so many tourists, it is a bit more popular. And since La Unión is the greatest Spanish language school in all of Antigua, they put on a huge party for all of their students. All of the families bring a comida típica to pass (typical food). There was great music (Manuel was a DJ for something like 15 years before he started working for the school) and contests for the best costumes. Five friends and I went as a human clothes line and “pinned” ourselves to a piece of twine with other clothes pinned on in between us...so creative, right?! We almost won the contest, but were satisfied when other SAU students won first and second places! It was really fun, but at the same time, this is when I started to not feel well...I didn’t want to do anything to crazy that night so while my closest friends went out and about the city, I spent some time with some other people at a little café near our house and was in bed before 10pm.

Tuesday morning I woke up feeling worse for sure. I took my temperature and had a low-grade fever, my entire body ached, and my throat was practically swollen shut. I was not going to let this get me down though, because it was a big day! The school was taking all the students to the big festival de los barriletes (kites) in Sumpango. This festival is a big deal for Día de los Muertos because a tradition here in Guatemala is that the children make and fly kites to usher in the spirits of the dead. At the festival there were TONS of people and beautiful, HUGE, handcrafted kites made from tissue paper. They have a competition and there are children flying kites all over the place. It was definitely a good experience and I am glad I went, but since I wasn’t feeling well, the four hours that we were there felt like an eternity and I was surely ready to go home. By the time we got home, I was not doing well. The fever had spiked again and I was miserable. I

was sick as a dog for all of Wednesday and Thursday with a fever, horrid sore throat, etc. (you get the awful picture, right?). I started taking antibiotics on Thursday and began to see an improvement. Friday morning I woke up thinking that I wouldn't make it through all of my Spanish class, but I did it! I kept on with the antibiotics and Friday I didn't feel the "greatest," but I certainly felt better and was actually able to do things out of the house! I felt SO trapped in that house for over 48 hours continuously, I was so thankful for sunshine and fresh air! It's always harder to be sick when you're away from home, but it certainly teaches one to be patient in affliction...just another lesson that I have learned here in Guatemala.

That's all for now folks, enjoy the cold weather in Michigan and I will enjoy the 65 and sunny weather here in good ole Antigua :)

-J

**Again, check out Facebook for photos :)

Attempting to catch you up on my life here...

Well, it’s official that I have begun to stink at keeping you all up to date with my blog! And for being a bad blogger/informer, I deeply apologize. However, I have my reasons. The main reason is that we don’t have internet at our house anymore and I have to pay to use the internet at any café, so it ends up getting kind of pricey. And sometimes when I do go to a café, I forget to even post a new blog! HA! That and I’m living in an awesome country and don’t want to spend all of my time on the internet. ¿Comprenden? There is a lot to tell you, so prepare yourselves!


There has been a lot going on here in Guatemala in the past few weeks, but I am going to focus on the past week because it has been pretty cool!

Last Friday after classes, we headed out for another exciting city: Panajachel. It was a little more than a three hour drive through the mountains (yes, rather nerve-wracking) and we eventually got there safely at about 4pm. The view was well worth the scary drive since Pana is a city over looking Lake Atitlan, the deepest lake in Central America. The lake has over 34 miles in circumference and is surrounded by at least 3 different volcanoes and quaint little towns. We checked in at our hotel and had the rest of the afternoon to wander the main road where vendors are trying to sell you every little piece of clothing and every little knick-knack. Different people had different experiences, but the man I remember most told us we were wasting his time if we weren’t going to buy anything and he practically pushed us out of his “store.” Talk about rude!
For dinner, we headed to Solomon’s Porch. Solomon’s Porch is a restaurant/bar ministry started by a former lawyer and his family from Florida. They have a heart to reach the people of Pana and they made us a delicious dinner and showed us a slide show of their ministry. They work with groups to build homes, pass out food, reach out to addicts, etc. It’s a really great ministry (feel free to Google it and find out more)!

Saturday morning we woke up early for breakfast and headed across the giant lake by boat with all of our luggage to a little city called San Juan. We pulled up to a rustic hotel overlooking the lake where we would be staying that night. After leaving our stuff at the hotel, we headed into the city to a coffee cooperative. This coffee cooperative was started in 1979 and now has over 110 members. All of their coffee is organic and we were given a tour of most of the plantation. It was beautiful! If you are a coffee drinker, you had better get online and look up the process of how coffee is grown/processed because I now have a MUCH greater appreciation for each cup of coffee I drink! We learned about different types of coffee plants, what they need to grow, how they treat them, etc. After the tour, we got to taste the coffee in whatever form we wanted (cappuchino, latte, americano, or espresso), and yes, it was absolutely delicious. If you have never bought or drank organic coffee, you have to start now...it will change your life! The people at the cooperative wanted us to learn a bit about the Mayan culture, so they had me and a guy from our group dress up in the traditional Mayan garb! It was fun to see what it would be like to wear their clothes, but I am definitely bigger than the traditional Mayan woman, that’s for sure. My arms barely fit in the sleeves of the top.
Finally, they made us a delicious traditional meal of chicken, vegetables, and rice...with corn tortillas of course. It was a really educational and fun morning!

That afternoon we headed to another cooperative, but this was a women's cooperative. There is a little store in San Juan called La Lema and the women that are part of this cooperative make and sell everything that is in the store. They use all natural dyes from different plants and flowers. All the colors are somewhat pastel-y because they come from natural sources. There were scarves, pot holders, purses, table cloths, etc. Eventually, each of us were paired up with a teacher (a mayan woman who is part of the cooperative) and after a demonstration of how they dye their threads, they began to teach us how to weave our own scarves! It was really interesting to see what these women do all day, every day. I now understand the patience and sheer determination it takes to make just one scarf. Trust me, that would not be my career of choice, but this is how these women feed their families and survive day to day. After a few errors, and a lot of help from my teacher, I was able to finish my scarf...I felt so accomplished! Because I had such a great appreciation for this cooperative, I invested in their business and bought a purse and a change purse for Q.110...which ends up being not even $15. I was proud to support their cause and give what I could to their work.

After a busy Saturday, we had the rest of the evening to relax at the hotel...where we discovered and killed some HUGE spiders! The staff at the hotel made us dinner and dessert and we just relaxed the rest of the evening. The most exciting part of that night was watching three of my peers calling bats and trying to take pictures of them, talk about hilarious. I was laughing so hard that I wanted to puke, but it was such a great night in wonderful company.

Sunday morning we woke up and after breakfast we headed out another town on the lake, Santiago Atitlan. As we pulled up after about 30 minutes on the boat, we saw that the beginning of the town in under water because the water level is so high. They were having to build docks on top of docks in which to park the boats. We got off the boat and had some time to explore the city and have lunch. Again, another place where vendors are trying to make a living and will attempt to sell you anything and everything for really cheap. It’s also interesting because in many of these lake towns, the people don’t even speak Spanish, but are trying to preserve their Mayan languages. As we made our way back to Pana on the boat, the waves on the lake started to pick up and we were definitely starting to feel a little shaky. Let me just say that I was definitely glad to be back to the shore!

That afternoon, I was ready for some alone time, away from the group so I stayed in my room at the hotel and took a nap and did some reading. Sometimes, we just need to let down away from the people we’ve been with for so long. For dinner, we went to a beautiful restaurant called Sunset Café that overlooks Lago Atitlan and we watched the sun go down behind the mountains and volcanoes.

Monday morning, we headed back to Antigua taking a different route and were able to stop at a lookout point to get some beautiful photos of a beautiful lake. While it was a really fun weekend, full of fellowship and learning, I was glad to be back home in Antigua.

**Check out Facebook for pictures...it's easier to upload them all there :)

Keep it real folks

-J

what the sun can do to a person.

After almost two weeks of continuous rain, we finally awoke on Thursday morning to a beautiful blue sky and a brilliant sunshine! All I can say is...PRAISE THE LORD!! The girls and I were already in a good mood when we woke up! Sitting at the breakfast table, we were all happy and giggly with smiles on our faces, ready for the new day! Kylie and I walked out to go to class to be greeted by birds chirping and the warmth of the sun on our backs. What a beautiful morning it was!

Friday was also a fun day because there was lots to do! After my Spanish test (which I got a 94% on), my teacher and two other students with their teachers went to a botanical garden/greenhouse thing. It was really neat and we got to get away from the classroom setting and see some of the cool things that grow here in Guatemala.

 Kayla and I with our maestras.

 There were lots of  cool signs all over the garden!

The weirdest flower I have ever seen. 

Friday afternoon, the school took a group of students to a macadamia nut plantation outside of Antigua. The great thing was that Paul (our leader) wanted us to go and so he paid the way for those of us who wanted to go! We went with the two drivers from the school (I always ride with Reuben because he has great music and he's just so cool!) and it took about 20 minutes to get there. At the beginning, a guy from the school gave us some information about the macadamia nut/tree: 

-It only takes 2 years to grow/mature here in Guatemala when it normally takes more like 7 years

-The roots are 7x the size of the tree, making it very durable during earthquakes

-There are two shells over the nut, providing great protection

-The macadamia nut is VERY good for the skin

-Much more! 

We got to see how they sort the nuts and the processes they use (which are completely natural and 100% organic at that farm!). We got to taste some nuts, chocolate, and use some oil/lotion made from the nuts. It was a really neat experience and I am really glad I had the chance to go! 

 A person could go nutty there...hahahaha :P

A VERY ecological bathroom...and surprisingly clean!

Welcome!

It was a really fun day yesterday and I was really grateful to God that He let the sun come out for us! Now, I am hoping that the rainy season stays away. 

This morning I was able to sleep in a little bit (does sleeping til 7am count as sleeping in?) and we had yummy breakfast sandwiches before Kylie and I headed out for the market to get some shopping done! I am almost done with all of my shopping for other people (Christmas gifts/birthday gifts, etc.) which will be nice to have all that done! But it's really fun to shop here because there are so many fun things that I want to buy for people! One of the purchases today was a handmade headband that I bought for myself...isn't it cool?!

I hope you are all doing well at home! I miss it a lot...I will definitely be ready to come home in December. But for now, I am trying to enjoy my time here because we only have eight more weeks here, isn't that crazy?! From here on out, the weeks are going to start going by faster and faster because we have more plans! Next on the list: Panahachel and Lake Atítlan next weekend! Can't wait! 

Much love and hugs to you all :) 

-J

just a tid bit of an update on life.

¡Buenas tardes a ustedes! (Good afternoon to you all!)

I hope this post finds you well and missing me of course! :) I apologize that I have not been very up to date on my posts, but we haven't had internet in our home for over a week now...which makes it difficult to get on the internet often. But I certainly learning to enjoy time without Facebook and I am definitely not wasting time sitting online doing nothing with a purpose. Here's what I've been up to in the past few days!

Last weekend: We had the weekend free so my friends and I went to the market and shopped a bit on Saturday. I got a lot of the things I needed for gifts, but I have a few more people to buy for, good thing I still have 8 1/2 weeks here! Thankfully it wasn't raining when we went to the market...since it has been raining for about a week and a half straight! (Needless to say, I am tired of being wet and finding mold growing on my possessions!) We spent more time this weekend at the home of our coordinator because we had a lot of free time! On Sunday we went to a Mexican restaurant called Frida's and I ate some very delicious Enchiladas Verdes!

On Monday, I started my two weeks with a different Spanish teacher. Sabina left for her vacation in the United States and for now I am working with her niece, Sara. At first, I was a tad nervous for a new teacher, but it has turned out to be really interesting and a good change! Sara is really sweet and we have a lot in common so it makes it easier to talk about things. Sara has a daughter who is only about seven months old, so we talk about her and my niece and nephew a lot. I am learning that change can be a good thing! Another change that took place on Monday was that we moved into the main house! There were three girls who had made a reservation to stay in the apartment in which we were living and the school had us move into the main house (although, we just found out the girls aren't staying!). It's actually been a really wonderful thing! We have less space, but I can already see that the relationship with our homestay family is getting better! It's so fun to have little Sofia (the granddaughter of our housemom) hanging out with us more!

 The view from our little balcony! :)

 

Sofia and I in our new room...it's going to be a blast because we are best friends now! 

Yesterday (Tuesday) we took a little field trip (and the day off from Spanish classes) to go into Guatemala City again. Our first stop was the U.S. Embassy to learn about how things work there and a little bit more about international relations, etc. It was really neat and they were really good at informing us and answering any questions we had. We also learned that one of the ladies that has worked in the embassy for years is good friends with Dr. Betty Overton-Atkins who is a dean at SAU...such a random connection, but she talked very highly of Dr. Betty! The downfall to this was that it took much longer than expected. 

We were supposed to be at a school in a suburb of the city called Mixco because one of our students is going to do her student teaching there. We ended up getting lost and took almost two hours to find the school...needless to say we were all hungry and tired of being on a bus! 

After we spent a little bit of time in the school, we headed to Casa Bernabé, aka my other home!! I was so glad to be getting there, but we had to stop for food since it was after three and we had not eaten lunch yet! We ended up getting to CB two hours later than expected and weren't able to stay for long. I was really disappointed that we didn't get to stay longer and visit especially because there weren't many kids outside and it was raining. We had taken some candy for the kids, so I ended up leaving it with Jill so she could hand it out for us. It was so good to be back there and see how things are going, I wish we could have stayed longer, but I am just praying that the Lord provides another way for me to get there for longer before we leave in December! I was reminded how much I love that place and all the questions of what to do with my future came rushing back to me. There are so many options, but I just want to know what God wants for my life. I am praying that he clearly reveals himself to me in His timing. 

The traffic leaving Guatemala City was horrific and we ended up not getting home until 8pm...it was a long day, but the Lord taught me patience, flexibility, and blessed me with assurance that He has everything under control! 

Today we have 8 1/2 weeks left! I can't believe how the time has flown by! I am enjoying my time here, but I certainly miss my family. I am learning a lot, growing a lot, and learning to stay warm! It's been rainy for over a week and I am certainly ready for some sunshine...but for now, I am enjoying my new scarf that I bought during class today because I was so cold! 

This beauty cost me just over five bucks :) 

Today I am encouraged by some song lyrics and I hope you are too...

"So with all my heart and all my soul
With all I am, Lord, I will follow You
You took the cross, You took my shame
Restored my life, now I live to worship You

Without you, I am nothing..."

-Hillsong United

My apologies for the long-windedness...

-J

giving thanks and living selflessly.

With a lot of free time on my hands, I am able to sit and ponder a lot about life here in the beautiful city of Antigua, Guatemala. There have been a lot of things on my mind lately about life in general and I just want to share some thoughts.

Living in a foreign country for an extended period of time teaches us to appreciate what we have. If you've done any missions works, you understand this. I've come to appreciate many things while I've been living here in Antigua and I am realizing how much the good Lord has blessed me with. I look around me and everywhere I look there is brokenness and sadness. People outside of the United States dream about living there and for a better life. I have the life they want. No, I'm certainly not rich...but I am blessed beyond measure. I am learning faster and faster what it means to be thankful for what I have at my lovely home back in the States. Don't get me wrong, I love my house-mom here. I appreciate every meal she cooks for us and every time she puts clean sheets on our beds. And, every time she greets us with, "¡hola nenas!," I find myself smiling. But it's not home. God has given me so much at home and I realize it every day that I spend here. My goal for when I get home is to start to live more simply and selflessly and tell those I love how much I appreciate them.

I want to live selflessly...and I want you to join me. It's hard. Really hard. But it's completely worth it. Think of the way Jesus lived, the way he gave his life for our rottenness. It's hard living in close quarters with other people and it's hard working with those we don't agree with...but we have been called to love those people even if we would rather leave them alone in their bitter lives. I need to be reminded that I am always a servant of the Lord, and that means that I am always called to be a selfless missionary. It's going to be hard and I know that, but I need to remind myself that I HAVE to do it. And when I can't seem to do it, that's when I MUST rely on Jesus Christ because without Him, I can do nothing.

For now, I ask that you pray for patience. Patience to let God take care of my frustrations and patience to hear from the Almighty God about what is to come.

Waiting and striving,

-J

oh, what is to come?

This evening, after a Skype-date with some friends, I realized that my time at Spring Arbor is coming to a close. This is scary. As I look back on my first year at Spring Arbor, I realize that I have come so far. I have experienced a lot and grown a lot. I have cried, I have been frustrated, I have made friends that will last a lifetime.

As my friends and I were talking on Skype, I realized that many of them will be back together on campus next semester while I will be taking on student teaching and living at home with mom and dad. This saddens me and places a feeling of deep loneliness on my heart as I think about how much I will miss that place and miss out on more of my senior year on campus. I know that SAU has changed me for the better and that God had me in that special place for three short years, but he had me there for a reason.

So, as I sit here while all my roommates are asleep, I think...oh Lord, what is to come? The future seems like the biggest black hole I have ever faced. Yes, once I get through student teaching (which seems like a rather daunting task right now), I will graduate from college. I will be a college graduate and like many college graduates, I will be asking: WHAT NOW? I don’t want to be doubting myself and I don’t want to be wondering “what if?” God doesn’t want us to live like that, because his plan is perfect. While I may not know what exactly is to come, I know that God knows. Many of my friends have serious significant others and big dreams of doing great things, but I can honestly say, “I don’t know about anything.” While this seems frustrating to me, I was reminded last week by an older friend that it’s okay to not know. God doesn’t always make things outstandingly clear...he wants us to fumble around a bit and learn to completely rely on him when things seem uncertain.

I do know one thing, I want to live my life furthering the kingdom of Christ. While I may not know exactly what the future holds, I am reminded that every moment is a moment for me to worship the King, a moment for me to share His hope and his love, a moment for me to serve Him and his children!

I invite you to join me in embracing every moment of life, even when things seem unclear and frustrating. Join me in encouraging those around us who are struggling. Join me in learning to completely trust in the Almighty God. I don’t know what is to come, but God certainly knows and He will reveal it in HIS time.

changing our perspective.

Hola Amigos! 
This past weekend our group took another weekend trip to Guatemala City. I was really looking forward to getting away for the weekend, especially since I wasn't sick this time! Here is a breakdown of what we did this weekend. I hope you are able to see and understand the importance of changing our perspectives.

Friday we started our weekend with a trip to FAFG (The Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala). This is an organization that has been doing a lot of work with discovering the bodies/skeletons that were put into mass graves during the 36 long years of civil war here in Guatemala. It's amazing to think that just fifteen years ago the civil war ended and that there are still families that are mourning the deaths and losses of their parents, children, friends, etc. FAFG has discovered and identified over 4,000 bodies and right now they have 1,492 boxes in their laboratory that they are working with. It was amazing to walk through the rooms in which they store all these boxes and know that inside those boxes are the remains of human beings that unjustly lost their lives. We were able to learn a bit about the processes of identifying people, etc. It's really a fascinating process and I think it takes a special person to be able to work with these skeletons. Check out their website to learn more information: http://www.fafg.org/.
That same night, at our hotel, as a group, we watched the movie "El Norte." I highly recommend this movie if you are interested in the struggle of people living in Latin America. Although the cinematography of the movie wasn't the greatest, I realized how coveted the United States of America are. The movie was about a brother and sister who lost everything during the internal conflict in Guatemala and they had nothing left to do but try to get to "El Norte" or the U.S. because they thought that life would be better there. Yes, people who do not live in the U.S. have a skewed vision of life in the United States, but I am realizing that anything is better than life in poverty after losing all that one has. So often in the United States we talk about all the illegal "aliens" and how it has become such an issue, but we must realize that these people are willing to risk their lives for something better...even if it's the hardest thing in the world. My perspective has changed a little bit. I now realize that I live in the best country in the world. Yes, we have our own problems and there are lots of issues...but people around the world will give anything (including crawling miles and miles in a deserted sewer full of rats) just to have something a little better.

Saturday morning after a rather delicious breakfast at the hotel buffet (which will be ironic after reading a little more), we loaded the bus and headed to the National Cemetery in Guatemala City. It's rather interesting here because here in Guatemala, they bury their dead above ground. In addition, they regularly visit the cemetery, bring flowers, and celebrate birthdays and celebrations with the dead. It was really interesting to see the various different "grave houses" (if that's what you want to call them) and how some of the rich people had HUGE ones and the poorer people only had a small resting place in a crypt.

 The tomb of the founder of Gallo beer.

 Typical crypts. Rent is paid and if it's not continuously paid, they just remove the bodies...

As we walked through a part of the cemetery, we came to a very steep cliff. As we looked out over this huge gorge, our eyes feasted upon the Guatemala City Dump. With hundreds (and I mean it when I say hundreds) of vultures swarming over our heads and a strong stench meeting our noses, we were able to see a dump the size of 24 football fields. Each day, there is an equivalent weight to 35 Boeing 757s of garbage dumped into this dump. Over 60,000 count on this dump for survival. There used to be people (especially street kids) living in this dump, but a fire killed several people some years ago and the government began to enforce that people can not live there. We stood looking over the dump for about a half an hour and it really opened my eyes to the poverty and desperation in the world. Yes, I have done plenty of missions work and traveling, but somehow, this was different. Ironically, we went to a very up-scale mall afterward and it was absolutely ridiculous to see the difference. Guatemala has one of the largest socioeconomic gaps in the world and it was very evident that day.

 The dump...men working to find something of value...often working 7-14 hours per day

“In the States, people recycle because it makes them feel good about themselves and it is good for the environment. Here people recycle as a means of survival”.

After our experience of great irony and contrast, we had the option of watching the movie “Reparando.” Since I like to learn and had plenty of free time, I seized this opportunity and I am SO glad that I did. This movie was produced by a Christian American who has a burning passion for the people of Guatemala. I HIGHLY recommend this movie if you want to be inspired, if you want to learn more about Guatemala, or if you want to feel the tug of the Holy Spirit to do more.
https://www.reparandomovie.com/
www.scottomoore.com

On Sunday, we had the opportunity to go to a mega church in Guatemala City, Casa de Dios. The pastor, Cash Luna is apparently rather well-known here in Guatemala...but is sadly known for the “health and wealth” gospel. I went into the service thinking that everything that I would hear would be bad or “blasphemous,” but I did not encounter that. I was rather excited to hear some of my favorite Spanish worship songs and was rather encouraged throughout the service, especially to see that hundreds of Guatemalans were worshiping the same God that I was. However, I was reminded that we must always be cautious about what we are hearing and trusting. Some doctrine is theologically wrong, but this is when we should pray for those who are preaching it. Cash Luna is a sinner just like me, but the Creator of the universe has saved me and has the ability to save him. 

My new perspective: we can learn something from every little experience we have, the thing that matters is what we do with it in the end.

My challenge for you: Do you need to change your perspective on something in your life? Try looking at it from another angle and remember that you have been blessed beyond measure.

sorry for the wait.

I know, I know...it's been a week! While this seems rather uncharacteristic of me, it is also a good thing because this means I am feeling better and have more fun and exciting things to do than just blog (no offense to y'all). And yes, I am feeling better! Thank you to the good Lord up above for allowing someone to create Cipro because it certainly did the trick. Thank you, also, for your prayers...God does heal. Now, I just hope I don't contract a crazy sickness later on during my time here.

There is so much to talk about since it's been a week, but I will try to stick to the most exciting things!
I would say that the highlight of my week last week was going to the orchid exhibition here in Antigua. The national flower of Guatemala is the Monja Blanca which is a type of orchid and there was a great orchid exhibition in town last week! There were hundreds of different orchids in the exhibit and my teacher and I went with a bunch of others from the school. It was really fantastic! Here are just a couple photos (check out my Facebook for more):

Awesome, huh?! 

Friday was also exciting because I didn't have to take my Spanish test. My teacher's printer wasn't working at home and the school's computers weren't reading her flashdrive...so I was "salvada por el impresora" as she said...or, saved by the printer! We were able to spend a lot of the morning in conversation about a lot of random things, but mainly about her troubles in getting a Visa to go to the States. Her daughter is 1/2 estadounidense (United States-en) and the father of her daughter is from the States. They have been wanting to go visit the States, but Sabina is having a hard time obtaining a Visa and she has concerns about her daughter traveling alone with her dad. It was quite an interesting conversation! During the break on Friday, we celebrated all of the August and September birthdays with pastel y pan de banano (cake and banana bread)! It was so delicious and a lot of fun!
Friday afternoon, our entire group has a little field trip to a nearby town called San Antonio Aguas Calientes. While there, we were able to meet in a little Mayan store run by five different families and learn about some of the traditional customs of their culture...like weddings! They showed us how they make some of their textiles and also showed us the traditional dress and customs of a Mayan wedding. Did you know that in the Mayan culture, the male's family pays for everything?!?! I am totally getting married here! We also were taught how to make tortillas (which is harder than it sounds) and how to grind coffee by hand. We ate a traditional Mayan dish called Pepían and drank some of the strongest coffee I have ever tasted....slightly bitter for my liking, but it still tasted good!

 Two guys from our groups with two girls from another group in traditional Mayan wedding attire :)

The tortilla that I attempted to make into a circle...seriously, it's so much harder than it looks...

This past weekend we stayed here in Antigua and did a little exploring. On Saturday I spent some time at the gym in the morning...which has really helped to eliminate any emotional or physical or mental stress that I might be feeling. After lunch, some friends and I went to the mercado de artesanías (artisan market) to do a little shopping. All I can say is that it's really funny to watch my friends barter. I made a few purchases for my family and continued to "scope out" some other things that I will be interested in getting at a later date. I just have to keep in mind how much space I will have in my suitcase when I return home...it's hard because I just want to buy everything (confession of a shopaholic, hehe). 

Sunday we went to church at Paul and Bev's church and then had lunch with the rest of the group at a really cute little restaurant called "Epicure." I had chicken cordon bleu which was delicious. Some friends and I sat with Crystal (the SAU program assistant) and her husband Brandon (whose mom is also a labor and delivery nurse) who have lived here for a while. It was really neat to pick their brains about life and hear their stories. It's fun too because Crystal and I have a cool relationship...she reminds me of my own sister a bit! Sunday afternoon was spent playing Scrabble at Paul and Bev's house...I have learned a lot about that game since I got here and I am determined to beat Paul once before I leave! It WILL happen! 

Sunday evening, I went out to dinner at a restaurant (and satisfied my pizza craving) with some girl friends. It was a fun evening, but also slightly nerve wracking because it's dark and a little creepy at night here! But, I am getting a little more adventurous. But don't worry, I never go out at night alone! 

I have now started my fourth week of Spanish lessons! I can't believe how fast this is going...but I am also missing the fall season at home! I love this country and I love this language, but I know that I will certainly be ready to see (and touch) my family! That's all for now...sorry it was long winded! I hope you are all being mightily blessed by the Almighty God! 

Finding peace and assurance in Christ, 

-J

Sometimes, we just gotta let it out...

I apologize ahead of time for this post...it's probably a little more emotion than most of you would care to hear. However, this is my way of getting out what I'm feeling inside...and right now, it's what I need most.

If you remember from my last post, I have not been feeling the greatest. Yesterday, Sunday, was a little bit better than Saturday, I was definitely feeling much better. However, I woke up this morning feeling more than "down in the dumps." My stomach still is feeling weird...it's not horrible, but not good either. I've been living on a diet of water, saltines, soup, bananas, and Gatorade for a couple days now, and it's kind of getting old. I have had my fair share of experiences with stomach issues and I know my body very well...I am not about to put some rich foods on that over-sensitive stomach. But it's not just the physical ailment that is getting to me. I am an emotional mess.

Being sick and away from home is hard. Much harder than I had anticipated. I expected to get sick at some point while I was down here. But I figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal, I would get it over with and be done with it. Well, I've been proved wrong and I can see that God is teaching me to put all my trust in Him...completely. This morning, I woke up and was not doing well emotionally. I don't know what happened, but it took everything I could to not fall apart this morning at breakfast. By the time we got back to our little apartment, I was sobbing...uncontrollably. Not feeling well and being away from home has pushed me to being more than homesick. I want nothing more than to be at home right now: in my house, in my room, in my bathroom, in my bedroom. So, because I was so unstable emotionally, I decided that I should stay home from Spanish class and rest...and that is just what I did. However, I learned that being alone and not feeling well is worse. I watched a movie and tried to rest, but my mind continued to go to: "Oh my gosh, I am going to be here for over two more months. How the heck and am I going to do this? Twelve more weeks?! That's impossible." You can only imagine what this will do to someone who is already homesick and struggling emotionally...if you can't figure it out, let me tell you that it makes me even more anxious and overcome with a defeated feeling.

So, needless to say, today has been much more difficult that I had expected when I woke up this morning. Don't get me wrong, Guatemala is a great place. Antigua is a really cool city and I am here with some really great people. However, when I don't feel well, I want to be at home. I have decided that I am turning off Skype for a couple of days. I have discovered that talking with my family and seeing them over Skype is making this homesickness worse. I need to find my strength in the Lord, not in humans (even though I love them very much). I know that God has me here for a reason. I know that every day has been planned long before I even came into being. I am trying to rest in his peace and assurance, but it is much more difficult than I thought. What I ask of all of you (those who actually read this), is that you be praying for me. I ask that you pray for a supernatural healing and strength that I have never experienced before. I know that right now, only God can bring me up out of this emotional pit. Only God can bind Satan from attacking and causing a spirit of sadness and replace it with a spirit of overwhelming joy. People keep saying, "oh, you can do it, Jennifer!" But, I am saying that only through God the Almighty Father can I do this. Sure, I have twelve more weeks, but God has each and every one of those months, weeks, and days planned out for His glory.

One more thing you can be praying for: I have been in contact with an organization down here about volunteering. They are called "Nuestros Ahijados." There are two options for me to volunteer: 1) Working to contribute to their English curriculum in their school; and 2) Feeding malnourished children at their malnutrition center, Casa Jackson.
I know that God has the perfect fit for my talents.

Petitioning prayers and lifting my eyes unto the hills,
-J

The past few days

I apologize that I haven't been on top of blogging for the past few days...there is a lot to tell! I will start with some random happenings in the past three to four days.

Wednesday: After Spanish class we went to an organization just outside of Antigua called "Nuestros Ahijados." This organization is really awesome and does a lot for the people in need in the outskirts of Antigua. They do everything from schooling to feeding to human trafficking to domestic violence to free health care for those who are a part of their organization. The children who go to school there get accepted based on two things: 1) They have to be of very low socioeconomic status, and 2) they have to be able to get to school on their own. The girl who gave us our tour was an American and was very passionate about what their organization does. One of the really spectacular things that stood out to me was their "open door policy." Every office has an "open door" policy, unless there are private meetings going on. This means that the kids can come into their offices and learn how to answer phones or use the computer...a skill they would probably never learn otherwise. During our tour, a little boy came up to Megan (our guide) and she carried him around for the entire tour. They don't want to reject the kids when they want attention because they may not be getting any other attention at home. Their goal is to show those kids love and affection. I don't know what God has in store for me in the area of volunteering, but this is definitely an option. It was a really neat place and I can see the impact they have on the people involved.

Moving on to Thursday: After Spanish class and lunch, Kylie and I decided that we wanted to explore the city a little bit instead of sit around for the afternoon. So, we headed for the market with our hearts set on buying some movies. [Don't tell, but several vendors here sell pirated movies...and they're SO cheap]. We found the one that Paul recommended to us and I bought two movies for Q.25 which ends up being about $1.55 per movie! I bought Larry Crowne and Morning Glory. Kylie and I also splurged and went to Yogen Frus (a frozen yogurt place) and invested in some delicious smoothies. That evening, after studying for Spanish, we watched Morning Glory with our housemate, Allison who left on Saturday. It was a great little noche de chicas. :)

Friday: During Spanish class, I had my second test. It was hard. It was all about the irregular verbs in the present and preterite tense and I had to conjugate...A LOT! I was rather frustrated because my mind just couldn't function and I eventually left some things blank...my teacher got frustrated that I did that...oh well. After my test, I got to play Scrabble with my friend and his teacher. It was definitely a challenge, but really fun trying to think of words in Spanish...but I did use a dictionary for help! :) Rather soon after class, we packed up and headed out of Antigua for Guatemala City. We started out at the Archeological Museum in the city...it was really cool to see some of the really detailed stuff that the indigenous people made a looong time ago. I would put some cool pictures up, but it takes way too long...so check out my Facebook page for some neat pictures! Friday evening we were able to check out a mall near our hotel...it was an interesting experience because their malls a fairly different than ours - definitely not as packed with things and people. That night our entire group went to a REALLY cool restaurant called Kacao that was fairly close to our hotel. IT WAS SO COOL! Again, check out the pictures on Facebook.

Saturday: Saturday could have been a really awesome and exciting day...except, I felt like I was dying. I woke up in the middle of the night with horrible stomach cramps and was having stomach issues throughout the night (you can figure that out on your own). For breakfast that morning, I missed out on an awesome buffet at the hotel and stuck to toast, a banana, and tea. As we headed out for the day, I felt tired, and just plain "yucky." Our first stop was the National Palace which was incredibly beautiful: constructed over a four year period from 1939 to 1943. I would have enjoyed this experience ten times more if I had not been experiencing the WORST headache of my life. I can honestly say that I thought I was going to pass out. Thankfully, a friend gave me a bottle of water in hopes that I wasn't dehydrated. We made our way to the National Cathedral where a mass was going on, but it was also really beautiful. One of the most interesting things about it were the posts that held up the fences outside of the church. These posts were engraved with the names of over 200,000 people who died in the civil war that ended just fifteen short years ago. And those names were only the people who were actually recovered. We went to lunch at Pollo Campero, but I didn't eat anything because I felt so awful. But I tried to stay hydrated with water and 7Up. We headed to the mercado (market) and I was feeling really bad, trying not to puke the entire way there. Paul was nice enough to take me to a nearby cafe and bought me some tea. I tried to talk with him and keep my mind off of it, but it was rough. Once we left Guatemala City, it ended up taking us two hours to get back...and I tried not to toss my cookies the entire way back. I felt really weak and tired the rest of the afternoon and not feeling well made me want home more than anything else. It was a really rough evening. I have never wanted so badly to be at home in my own bed, with my mom taking care of me. I needed to sleep so badly, but I didn't want to sleep all evening and then not sleep through the night. I did some journaling to keep my mind off things and continuously prayed for God's presence and peace when I felt so horribly. We eventually watched a movie (Larry Crowne) and that was nice because I was able to keep my mind off of how I was feeling physically and emotionally. To be sure that I would sleep well, I took two Benadryl and was in bed by 9:00pm.

Sunday: I awoke this morning praising God for ten hours of solid sleep. I also awoke with a bit more appetite! Mom always taught me that this was a good sign after having the stomach flu. I ate some crackers and drank some water to see how that set in my gut. I was able to be productive and do some journaling again this morning and really reflect on what I am doing here in Guatemala. I decided to start a "read through the Bible in 6 months" plan and have a goal to actually have it done before I get home in December. I think this will be a really good challenge for me and keep me focused on my God instead of the daily frustrations I may feel from living here.
We met up as a group for lunch today at Las Palmas (a really neat restaurant here in Antigua...one of many) and I was actually feeling hungry, but a bit nervous to eat too. I decided I would order what sounded good to me and eat a little bit and save the rest. I ordered Spinach Lasagna and didn't eat half of it. My stomach has seemed to be doing alright this afternoon/evening, but I'm trying to take it slow. I definitely know what my body needs and I am not going to risk anything...if you know what I mean.

I am realizing that this semester is not going to be all fun and games. Yes, there are going to be some really cool experiences. But yes, there are going to be some days that are much harder than others. I am learning to lift my eyes to the hills, to my God, because from there, my help is going to come.

We have been here 19 days already...81 days left.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me <3

Sorry for being long-winded,
-J

Always learning to trust.

There’s something called trust...and I struggle with it a lot. I know that probably sounds cliché and that everyone always struggles with trusting God, but I swear, it’s ten times harder for me. I like a plan, I like structure, I like being able to control things. Throughout the past two weeks, I have learned that I can’t always have things my way. God has different plans and his plans are forcing me to trust in Him. Yes, the Bible is loaded with scripture that talks about trusting in the Lord, not being anxious, and casting all our cares on Him...but it is so much harder than it sounds (which, I am sure all of you have figured out!). There are already many things this semester that I learning are out of my control, but I know that God has a plan that will bring the glory to Him and Him alone.
Here are some things in which I am learning to trust in the Lord:

-Safety: Sometimes I feel unsafe here because the men aren’t the most respectful of women, but I know that God will always protect me (but don’t worry, I’m not careless either). There was also an earthquake here today. It was the first earthquake I have ever felt and I was a little concerned, but again, I am reminded that the God of the universe is holding me in His hands.

-Free time: I have a lot of free time here in Antigua and I often times find myself somewhat bored. I know that God has something great for me to do and I just need Him to reveal a special volunteer opportunity where He will use me to serve and further His kingdom. I need to take this free time and use it to sit at His feet and bask in His glory. God’s timing is always perfect, even when I can’t seem to see that.

-Getting better at Spanish: Right now I feel as though I am not making much progress with Spanish. I know that I am definitely learning things, but I feel like I’m not speaking it any better. Again, God knows what I will learn and what I know already. He will prepare each day and show me ways to better learn the language. God will guide Sabina to show me and teach me in the perfect way. I trust that God has placed Sabina in my life for me to show her the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. The Lord also knows that I am going to have three weeks free at the end of this trip because I will finish my 15 credits in 12 weeks instead of the full 15 weeks. God knows that I need something to do during that time, whether it be volunteer work, providing me with more Spanish lessons, or going to visit Casa Bernabé...He will provide me with the perfect thing to fill that time...no matter how frustrated I get in the meantime.

-The relationship with our house mom: Chiqui is precious. She received the nickname Chiqui when she was little (from her grandmother) because she was so small. She is so sweet, but also seems to have somewhat of a wild side...she always asks us if we are going out dancing or partying, haha! However, we only get to spend meals with her and she doesn’t even eat with us which makes it difficult to truly establish a relationship. I praise God because tonight at dinner we were able to have a little more conversation with her, but we are still trying to establish the relationship, especially because we live in the “guest house.” I know that God will surely provide a way for all of us to connect with her. I pray that He gives us the opportunity to take her out for ice cream or out to dinner. It has only been two weeks, so we continue to trust in His timing.

Trusting is hard. But God knows that it’s hard and yet He continues to love me...even when I don’t trust in Him. I pray that I can be reminded each day to trust in Him: when I’m homesick, when I don’t feel well, when I feel unsafe, when I get frustrated with the language.

Dios...él sabe. <3


-J

Cerro de la Cruz

Aleia, Kylie and I took a trip with the school yesterday up to Cerro de la Cruz. It is basically an area cut out of a small mountain that has a huge stone cross that overlooks the colonial city of Antigua. Our "guide" Manuel was telling us a lot about what the cross symbolizes for the city of Antigua. Seventy-five percent of Antigua is Catholic and while there is a great influx in the past years of evangelical missionaries, there is still a HUGE prevalence of Catholicism.

It was quite an experience going up the mountain. We left from the school and it only took us about thirty minutes to get up to the cross, but this hike included going up in elevation by taking several hundred stairs. Needless to say, we were panting as we were going up....I blamed it on the 5000 ft. more in elevation than we have in good ole Hartland, MI.

Once we got there, the view was absolutely breathtaking. I will let you see for yourself:

Y'all should come to Antigua just for this view...

-J

The Best Things.

¡FELIZ DIA DE INDEPENDENCIA! HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, GUATEMALA!

The past few days have already been a whirlwind. This is just a picture of how fast the rest of our trip is going to go. So much has been happening the past few days (since my last post) so here are some of the best things that have happened.

1) My Spanish teacher calls me “Jennifer Lopez”...but just imagine her saying it in her little Guatemalan accent. It’s so cute. It’s like her term of endearment for me. :)

2) Sabina (my Spanish teacher) and I are starting to have a little more relaxed relationship. This is really nice since the first two days I just wanted to cry because I was so overwhelmed by having a “harder” teacher.

3) Yesterday, two of my roommates and I were able to go on a trip to Guatemala City to see a fútbol game. For those of you who aren’t Spanish pros, that means soccer! The game was between Guatemala City and Monterrey, Mexico. The three of us paid Q200 each for transportation and admission into the game...that’s only about $26!! After paying for some pizza at the game, we ended up paying a total of around $35ish. Can you imagine doing something that big in the U.S.? It certainly wouldn’t be that cheap!! It was a really neat (and tiring) experience and I am really glad I went! It was really fun to see the “student section” or something similar jump and chant throughout the ENTIRE game. Here are some of the other experiences that came with going to the game:

-I was able to interact a little with people from Iceland, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada
-I was able to inhale a very large amount of spoke since the guy from Switzerland smoked in front of us through the entire game
-I was able to sit in a minibus for over three hours just to get to the game [we left La Unión at 4:30pm and didn’t get to the stadium until close to 8:00pm]
-I was able to witness a girl puking in the minibus on the way to the game
-I was able to rock out with my good friend Jen and our driver (Ruben) to songs like: I Want It That Way [Backstreet Boys], Don’t Stop Believing [Journey], and other great songs that are SO old but Ruben is so proud to have :)

4) This morning there was a HUGE independence day parade throughout the city of Antigua and my teacher agreed to take me since we didn’t participate in the activity yesterday. It was SO fun! All the schools have put together bands and dancers and they practice for months and months for the parade. It was a really neat experience.

5) I was able to Skype with a group of my friends from SAU the other day...it was just so wonderful to see their beautiful faces :)

Well, just a little taste of what’s been going on here! There is so much to come! I hope you are enjoying the stories I tell you all! Life here is different (for example, I get to see volcanoes erupt), but so wonderful. But as always, I do miss my family!

Stay tuned for more to come :)

-J