Joyfully, I lift my voice in praise to Thee!

This week I began working with the WONDERFUL Buckner Honduras Interns!! These girls are so amazing and I could not have been more blessed.  They instantly made me feel so at home and welcome here.  I have had so much fun working with them the last few days!

Me, Mary Elizabeth, Caitlin, Sarah, and Kimberly outside of the orphanage we are at in the afternoons.

For the last month, these girls have been teaching English in the CTC and a local school.  Mary Elizabeth and Sarah teach English to about 25 young adults while Kimberly and Caitlin are teaching to about 40 elementary school kids.  This week, I joined Mary Elizabeth, Sarah, and Karla (our translator/friend) in teaching their young adult English class. For the past 4 weeks the students have been singing the praise songs "Joyfully" by Kari Jobe and "Starry Night" by Chris August as a way to practice their English. Tuesday morning was the first time I got to hear them sing, and I was blown away by how tanglible the Holy Spirit was in that tiny classroom. It wasn't that their voices were great or that they had their English down perfectly; It was the fact that in that moment I got a glimpse of what heaven would be like. Voices from every nation coming together to worship our One Lord. I had a huge smile on my face the whole song as I watched 25 of my peers passionately worship God in a language they were just now learning. It just reminded me of how big our God really is, that every day people all around the world are praising and seeking Him. It amazes me too, that although I had just known these students for a few days, I instantly felt connected to them because we were all united under Christ. It's moments like that where I can start to comprehend how huge and powerful the entire body of Christ really is!

 

Here we are with all the students on their last day of English classes.  We had a goodbye party on Thursday and it was so amazing to see how much the students LOVED Sarah, Karly, and Mary Elizabeth! They decorated the classroom with balloons, made a huge cake, brough home-made burritos for everyone, and had tons of snacks and food to celebrate the last month.  Coming in at the end of the class, it was neat for me to be able to see how much of an impact Sarah,Karla, and Mary Elizabeth's love had on their class.

Me with Daniel, Nelson, and Guillermo playing the guitar during the party.  Everyone in their class was SO musically talented.  They all sang, played guitar, bass, drums, piano, everything!  These boys were amazing at guitar so I had them teach me a few songs :)

Karla, Mary Elizabeth, and I in front of the class.  Karla was their amazing translator this whole month!  They were so sweet for letting me try my hand at teaching English.  I wrote the Bible verse on the board for that day and then let them take over the rest.

Caitlin, Kimberly, and our other translator Luis were at the elementary school.  They taught the kids how to sing 3 different songs in English and their recordings of them are adorable!  I admire those three for having that much patience while teaching such a huge class.

In the afternoons we went to an orphanage to hang out with the kids there.  On my first day, some of the girls there were doing hair and nails so we got pampered by them!  Here are the results of our stylish new hair- dos:

Cute right?

This week has been so much fun getting to hang out and serve with the Honduras team! First of all, I was amazed at how much English all their students knew in just one month! It was also very obvious what an impact they'd made in the orphanage already because all the kids just adored and respected them so much. I've really loved getting the chance to encourage these interns as I've seen all the places where they work! I know that sometimes you can't see that you're making any progress where you are because you're only taking tiny steps forward every day. But I hope they realize how much they have meant to their students and the kids. Just seeing their work has encouraged me to pour out Christ's love like they've been doing because now I see how Christ's love really can radically change any situation.

Goodbye Guatemala, Hello Honduras!

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow you

So today I had to say goodbye to all my friends in Guatemala.  Although I was supposed to stay there until August 6th, I had to leave today for safety reasons.  Their elections are coming up in November so political violence has increased these past weeks.  I am going to miss everybody so much!  Here are some final pictures with all my Guatemalen family :)

Mario, Me, Carlos, Kaitlyn, Guillermo, and Olivia

Out last day of VBS in Jocotenango, the CTC we worked at most of the trip.

All the girls!  We LOVE our translator Betzy!  We were so blessed to have her help us out these past 3 weeks.  She became such a good friend to us!

Kaitlyn and I with one of our drivers, Eric.  He was so sweet!  Everytime we got out of the car and said thanks he would say "OK." or "You.. are.. welcome!".  And he would great us with a "what's up ladies!". 

Krista and I in front of a YUMMY icecream shop named after me :)  I loved being her roommate for the past few weeks!

Celeste, me, Suzy, and Maggie on my last day.  I loved living with them!  We always had fun trying to communicate in our broken Spanish/English.  They are SUCH sweet and funny girls and I loved getting to hang out with them at night!

Today is pretty bittersweet for me.  I'll miss everyone in Guatemala, but I am so excited to be here in Honduras! I'll be with Mary Elizabeth, Sarah, Caitlin, Kimberly for the next week here in Tegucigalpa.  They have been here all summer teaching English classes and working at the orphanages.  Then Mary Elizabeth and I will be on our own here for one week until we go to San Pedro Sula with the second group of interns in July.

The sudden change of plans really put things in perspective for me.  I think we all often make our schedules and count on having that exact amount of time to do what we plan to do.  We find comfort in knowing exactly what comes next.  But, if this summer has taught me one thing so far, it's that many times God has something totally different planned for me than I expected.  I'm not saying it's bad to make plans, but we just can't get so hooked on those specifc plans that we're resistant when God decides to change them. I also realized how much I take time itself for granted.  It's easy to put things off or not give it your all when you think you have unlimited time.  But I realize now how important it is to focus my heart on Christ each morning so I can follow Him and not miss out on his plan for me that day.  Just because I don't think something is important or don't see how I can be useful, doesn't mean I get to waste that time. There's a reason that He gives us each another day, and I'm determined now to seek after Him constantly so that I don't waste it! 

 I'm excited to start serving with this new team of awesome girls, and I thank God for the time he gave me with all the wonderful people in Guatemala!

Who you love, I'll love
How you serve I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you
I will follow you

Taco, Taco, Taco!

Hello everyone! This week, my team and I got to lead the VBS classes by ourselves, and the title of this post pretty much sums up that experience.  No, we didn't eat a lot of tacos (although we did get to chow down on some authentic Guatemalan food), but we did sing a lot of children's songs, test out our Spanish, and learn about finding joy in the little things.  Here's some picture's showing what we did everyday!  We were working in Jocotenango, a city right outside of Antigua.

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)
Starting off the day with a few fun songs. We sing “The Frog Song” a lot and for about three days I was singing “taco, taco, taco” during one part instead of “canto, canto, canto”… our translator Betsy kindly corrected me

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)
This week the Bible story was Noah’s ark so we had the kids decorate bookmarks with rainbows, animal stickers, and rainbow crosses. One of the kids with the finished product!

(photo by Brittany Watson)

Such sweet eyes!

(Photo by Brittany Watson)

Handing out candy after craft time. Probably saying “Ohhh muy bien! Quieres un dulce?”

Next is game time! We have a few of our favorites we like to play everyday...

(photo by Brittany Watson)

The t-shirt  relay race game!

Some of the girls waiting patiently for their turn.

(Photo by Brittany Watson)

(photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

Playing a game like sharks and minos!

 

(Photos by Kaitlyn Whitley)

Playing animal charades to go along with the Noah's ark theme!

On our lunch break we had some time to sight-see in Antigua.. so beautiful!

(photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

The hill overlooking all of Antigua with a volcano in the background.

(photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

All the girls (including our translator Betsy) under the arc in Antigua

(photo by Brittany Watson)

Beautiful view of the streets of Antigua!

So that's been our week summed up with a few pictures! But the most important thing our team has learned this week is how to see God in our day to day routine.  We had new groups of kids every morning and afternoon so we did the same lesson every day. While we're thankful we got the chance to love on so many kids, about half-way through the week we found ourselves getting too caught up in our routine.  Thankfully, in our team devotional on Wednesday we read this by Oswald Chambers:

"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."

We were reminded that God is always near us and in everything we do even when we think it's just small details of life. On mission trips we often expect huge, life-changing moments everyday, but sometimes God chooses to work differently.  This week I've started to learn how to seek and find Christ in those every-day moments. I'm learning to trust that God is going to work in the hearts of the kids long after we've left. That even though I may not see any instant changes everyday, everything we do now is all part of God's plan for those kid's lives.  Again, I am reminded that this summer is not about what I get out of it or how I feel.  Each day is not just the same old routine, but provides me with two new opportunities to show God's love to these children and I can't take that time for granted.

First week here! (Part 2)

On Wednesday our first team from Buckner arrived! About 30 mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and granddaughters joined us, and we are so thankful that they are here! One of the main things we have done these past three days is get a chance to pamper the mothers/daughters of San Jose Pinula.  We massaged their hands, gave them manicures, brushed and styled their hair, decorated cookies, and made flower jewelry with them.  It was such an honor to get to serve all these women and teach them about how much they're worth to God.

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

One of the girls with her hair done and the tissue flowers we all made together.

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

Brittany painting one of the mother's nails.

In the afternoons we traveled to the City of Children orphanage home and spent time with different girls there.  There are a total of about 800 kids living in this one orphanage, and, to be honest, I was not prepared for the effect it was going to have on me.  On Wednesday we set up the same stations and got a chance to pamper about 200 of the girls there.  It was hard not to get emotional thinking about all the times my mom and I had done that same kind of girly girl stuff together.  It's just difficult thinking about how those girls will never have that same kind of bond as I do with my mom.

Each afternoon we also spent time with some of the special-needs girls there.  I quickly formed a bond with one of the girls, Erica, when she insisted on painting my nails after I painted hers.  She ended up painting about half of my hand with magenta polish and was just laughing hysterically the whole time!  The next day I saw her again and we got the chance to make fruit-loop necklaces together.

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

Putting her necklace on.  A few minutes later we took it off so she could just eat the fruit-loops.. that's my kinda girl!

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

Erika!

We also all had a big dance party towards the end of the day.  So much fun!

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

These girls wore me out! 

Yesterday, after working with the special-needs girls again, we got to spend some time with the little kiddos in the playground!  Check back tomorrow for the rest of this blog!

First week here! (Part 1)

Hello everyone! So it's officially been one week since we arrived in Guatemala and so much has happened!  First of all, welcome to our home here (ours is the one with the brown door)

Photo by Olivia Artusa

It's kind of like a town home, and we live here with 3 other girls our age from Guatemala City, along with one long-term volunteer Krista.  The first few days here were spent getting settled in and becoming aquainted with the city.

Yummy sweets from a nearby bakery! They definitely use way less sugar in everything here.

We are addicted to these desserts!  Fresh fruit drenched in chocolate... delicious.

Monday we started teaching our VBS lessons to kids in San Jose Pinula, a nearby town about 1 1/2 hours away.  Buckner has a community transformation center in this town which offers things like counseling, computer classes, affordable healthcare, english lessons, and more.  We got the chance to hang out with kids from the town's school for two days! Basically, each day started off with teaching the kids a few fun songs, telling them the Bible story for the day, making some crafts, then just playing games and having fun!

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

Teaching them our favorite songs! They are very sweet to put up with my broken Spanish instructions.

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

Using my favorite go-to Spanish phrase: "Cuantos anos tienes?".  When I had them guess my age they said 30 or 40... great haha

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

The kids LOVE bubbles!

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

Helping the boys put together the memory verse for the day.  It amazes me how eager and excited they are to learn!

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

Teaching the kids about creation.  Afterwards we had them pick their favorite day to color a picture of.  Again, I was so amazed at how much they remembered and learned so quickly!

(Photo by Kaitlyn Whitley)

Walking into the school in San Jose Pinula.  So many sweet kids!  We had a blast getting to hang out with some of them.

Right off the bat, my team and I were overwhelmed with how much joy and laughter these kids had to share with us.  We learned very quickly that sometimes it doesn't matter how much Spanish you know as long as you're willing to run around, act crazy, and laugh with them. It really is the little things, like hugs and smiles, that go a long way.  Already God is teaching me that He is more than just an emotion.  What I mean is that I don't need to hype up God and put on an awesome performance when teaching the Bible story.  The more I remove all that fluff emotion, the more I can get to know Him genuinely so that I can genuinely share his love. And these kids are such a great testimony to what genuine love and happiness look like!

Our new home!

So after a long day (starting at 3 am this morning!) our team has finally made it to our home for the summer in Guatemala! We are going to be staying in the Buckner home with another long-term volunteer, Krista, and three other women about our age who work at Buckner and go to college in Guatemala.  We're staying in a quieter part of Guatemala City, and our home is quaint and comfortable.  We even have our own kitchen!  So hopefully we'll be pros at cooking traditional Guatemalan cuisine by the time we leave :)

Although we are very thankful to have such a comfortable place to stay, something my team and I talked about this morning is how important it is to have our comfort be Christ, not material things or familiar places.  The passage in Luke 9:51-62 shows a man who does want to follow Christ, but only after he finishes doing some other things first.  I think a lot of times we put off going someplace Christ wants us to go because we're seeking comfort from things other than Christ.  For instance, we might say we'll go to another country, but only when we have the language down perfectly.  Or, we might say we'll move to a different state, but only when we have enough money to buy a nice house there.  But look at the apostle Paul!  All throughout the book of Acts he is recorded spending a few months in one place, then a few years in another, and so on.  To him, his comfort doesn't come from where he is, or his high-tech hiking shoes (cough cough chacos), or the familiar food he gets to eat.  It comes from Christ.

Now, I know that when I leave Guatemala I'll be going back to my home in Plano.  But what if I wasn't?  It's easy to put up with change when you know you'll be going back to your normal routine eventually.  But what if I was called to live my life constantly moving from place to place in order to do God's work?  Would Christ be enough of a comfort and shelter for me, or would I break down because I rely too much on other things? Thinking about this made me realize what other things in my life that I actually have let take the place of Christ as a comfortor.  I mean, there have been countless times when I've grown too attached to possessions, people, or habits in hopes that they would provide the comfort I needed.  But I don't like relying on temporary hope and fickel paths to happiness. I want to learn to live with my eyes locked on my steadfast Lord, trusting in His guidance and love while letting all other idols of comfort fall away.

And just in case you all were in need of some Jesus comfortin', here is a passage from the daily devotional we did today:

1 John 4:18 "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.  If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love."

2 Thessalonians 3:16 "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation.  The Lord be with you all."

"I want to be central in your entire being.  When your focus is firmly on Me, My Peace displaces fears and worries.  Let trust and thankfulness stand gaurd, turning back fear before it can gain a foothold.  There is no fear in My Love, which shines on you continually.  Sit quietly in My Love-Light, while I bless you with radiant Peace.  Turn your whole being to trusting and loving Me."


We start working in the orphanages on Monday so I'll be sure to let y'all know about that!

Currently Listening to: God of the redeemed by Bethel Live http://youtu.be/V-tGEaXLJUI