Happy New Year!

 

"The Old Year's death knell and the New Year's welcome. He comes like a carrier with a sealed parcel for every one of us. Would we wish to break the seal and peep in?" ~ Charlotte Tucker

What will your package hold this year?

Hop on over to my other blog to see:
http://believetoseehisgoodness.blogspot.com/2015/12/new-years-welcome.html

Highlights from Guatemala

Our Friday class at the Deaf School - PC: Brittni Moten

     It's hard to believe that I've been home for over 5 weeks now. Not quite as long as I was in South and Central America, but close. Time has just flown by: being back home, getting into the swing of "normal" life, new adventures, tackling LOTS of editing, and enjoying my family. I wanted to write this post SO many times, but...... well, never mind. It's happening now. :)

     Flying into Guatemala City was a fun adventure. A non-stop flight from Florida made for a long time sitting, but how awesome is this? I got to spend that time sitting next to two teammates from last year: Lizzie & Gabi! (Lizzie was also in Ecuador this year - loved spending that much time with her!!!)

PC: Sarah Gramm

     Guatemala City proved to be cool and pleasant. And very much Americanized compared to Ecuador. I spotted at least 10-15 American businesses including Wal-Mart and Sherwin Williams. Also, lots of McDonalds..... a somewhat upper-class restaurant there. Here we are outside the airport waiting for our ride:

PC: Ashlyn Ours

     A two hour drive took us to our "home" for the next 2 weeks: Jutiapa. For the next few days we worked in the Deaf School there that's run by the Summerville Family. "Escuche mis manos" (Listen to my hands) is their slogan. So much fun working with these kids and adults. We all received sign names too - mostly given to us by the students.


Working on photography with some of the girls at school - PC: Brittni Moten

     On Saturday we had a brief break and went to swim in the River. Such clear water - crystal and cold! But very refreshing on a hot day.

     Sunday church was amazing - so different when geared towards the hearing impaired. Then the second week we spent running a children's program at a local church. Boys in the morning and girls in the afternoon. This is a little different, but we followed this schedule due to the schools in the area: girls in the morning, and boys in the afternoon.

David & Goliath

Photography Lessons

Prayer Time

Game Team

PC: Brittni Moten

PC: Brittni Moten

     We wrapped up our stay the following Monday with a trip to Volcan Ipala..... where we got to SWIM in the lake at the top of the volcano. It was a long hard hike to the top, but definitely worth it!

     And finally, just a little something I remember about each of those who served with me in Guatemala. What an amazing trip it was - I loved working with these people!

John: Great job leading! I loved linstening to your prayers, and your passion is amazing. And learning sign language.... made me a little jealous at your ability to pick it up so quickly. ;)

Ashley: Conquering the unknown. And braiding your hair - I loved getting to know you and see your love for the kids!

Gabi: SO glad we got to work together for a second year. You were amazing in your translating - even when your voice was giving out. Love your heart girl. <3

Emma: Your quiet strength and gentle smile. Your photography lessons were amazing and I loved how you kept adding things to make them so clear. It was awesome being on photography team with you. :)

Yoni: Your love for the kids. And our conversation that Sunday afternoon - made my tedious job of editing move much faster. :)

Liz: Translating - you were working it like a pro! And that night we stayed up talking about missions.... loved it. The 6 weeks we spent together this year will always be one of those "highlight" memories!

Brittni: SO glad I got to meet you. I love your testimony and your passion for Christ. God has such an amazing plan for your life! It was such a joy just to be with you for this trip.

Sarah: Staying up late to work on your Spanish..... totally amazing. And always your love for the kids shines so bright. I can't believe we got to work together again - hopefully only the 2nd of many times. ;)

Ashlyn: Your love for the little ones. So many memories of you holding them. And photography.... of course. :)

Yoel: Working your hardest to nail that Spanish. And this picture - one of my favorites from this trip.

Lizzie: Our third trip together. Our friendship grew in Guatemala and I'm so thankful. And to think: we didn't even know each other just a little over a year ago!  Words fail me here. Love you girl.

Julia: What a joy to get to know you - I loved watching you translate (in both Spanish and Sign Language). We would not have made it without you and Luke. And our photo session? A super big highlight of the trip. Love you Julia!

Luke: You were so fun to be around. From dishes in the kitchen, cooking, and doing photography team translating and group skits. Franc is definitely an awesome memory. Many blessing on your year ahead and starting college!

Mr. & Mrs. Summerville: Thanks for an awesome stay! The food was delicious, I loved Friday night ice cream, the touring around Guatemala and working in your school. And our conversations, living life with you and hearing all about the deaf community. It was an amazing two weeks.

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Never Doubt That a Small Group of Thoughtful, Committed People Can Change the World. Indeed, It Is the Only Thing That Ever Has.

 

 

Wrapping Up Ecuador

GE Ecuador Team 2015

On our final day, I was assigned to wrap up our Ecuador trip for the GE blog. And while I do intend to blog & post pictures from my trips to Ecuador and Guatemala, I decided to go ahead and post this now:

      Here it is, the last day. When this trip started we wondered what would happen.... how we'd respond...... how God would work this year.  And now we know. It's history. A part of our history - a history we lived and experienced. Many aspects of this trip were the same as in years past..... many aspects were different. We worked in places we'd been before..... and we paved roads of ministry in areas that were new to us. We had team members who'd come before..... and those who'd never been. We renewed old friendships in Ecuador..... and made new ones. It was a good trip.

     One of the things that intrigues me most when going on a trip is all the different people we meet. So many faces. So many personalities. Different appearances. Varied skin tones. And all of them have a story that is uniquely theirs.  We were privileged to see them, know them, work with them and love them. And many times, we were tied together by our love for the Lord. Pastors, translators, kids, teachers, helpers, cooks, fathers, mothers, camp directors, students, counselors, and so many more..... all working for Him. Each one with a purpose (given by Him) for being there and joining together in the work.

     This trip was by no means easy. Many times we had little sleep and thoughts just didn't want to process as they should! As is so often the case, we had health issues. And then those tough moments..... whether we're home or far from it, we each have our own particular struggles or insecurities.  But regardless of the hardships, looking into the eyes of a young child who loves you puts it all into perspective. And you remember why you came: to show them Christ's love. A love far greater than we could ever manufacture.

      At trip's end we find ourselves faced with going home...... be that a welcome thought, or hard to come to terms with. So many faces and friends..... some we may never see again on this earth. And that is SO hard to walk away from. In the end, we know we followed Him. We went, we loved, we taught, and we saw Him work. We leave the results in His hand. And we are so grateful for all the memories that were made in the process.

And to top it off I wanted to add something about my teammates. Working with a team this large is one of the unique opportunities we encounter in Ecuador. Learning to build relationships is a lot of work - whether at home or in a foreign country. So thankful for the team we had this year. And now a little something I remember about each of you:

Lizzie: Your laugh makes me smile every time I hear it. And your ability to communicate deep truth on story team: awesome.






Photo Credit: Micah C.

Tommy: Seeing you at the airport when we first flew in..... truly made it feel like coming home!

Katrina: I so enjoyed our first week together on craft team 2..... and your energy with the kids on Equipo Amarillo.

Photo Cedit: Meagan W.

Martina: Working with you the first week was awesome!! And I loved your sweater. :)

Morgan: my small team leader all three weeks. I loved getting to spend all that time with you! A favorite memory: prayer times in Carapungo. :)

Eddy: your enthusiasm for life and most especially the kids. (O yes, and Pooh exercises!)

Photo Credit: Meagan W.

Ari: your tender heart towards the street kids and your passion for Ecuador is so palpable. Serving with you a second year was special.

Michaela: your no-nonsense way of stating facts and flowers in your hair. The chance to spend 3 weeks with you in Ecuador again this year was so exciting!

Danny: Your devotions; looking out over my class and seeing you sitting with the kids. And that skit at camp with the horn in your pocket...... ingenious.

Hannah: doing hard things, sharing that cellphone incident with you (not necessarily a good memory!) and just loving on the kids. This picture is a favorite. :)

Photo Credit: Meagan W.

Ashley: you totally look like a native. :) And your inner strength after a really rough day was inspiring to see.

Braulio: My fellow Thunder fan! And being able to work with you as our translator in Otavalo was great.

Grace: sharing a bed..... you didn't kick me once (and I hope I didn't kick you!) And running across that cool swinging bridge together.

Lydia: our conversation and prayer time that night in Otavalo - a special memory.

Kelly: the way you could communicate so well in Spanish, your sweet gentle spirit - and having someone else tall by my side. :)

Laura: your heart for scripture, selling cakes from atop Phillip's shoulders.... and being on craft team with you the second week.

Hayden: yeah..... the whole shrunken head thing. :P   Plus sharing a room with you, and can I say again how much I love your hair?

Photo Credit: Meagan W.

Martin: One of the highlights of camp week was having you for our translator! And the face paint - you made us look awesome.

Joseph: your energy on Equipo Morado. And running in the relay for me when I didn't feel well. :)

Meagan: can I say how much I enjoyed having another photographer along?! And having you as my seat mate on the bus - I love how our friendship grew on this trip!

Rachel (#2): the way you just jumped in and joined the team that final week - and your energy for camp..... you were amazing!

Andrea: your sweet counsel, our talk on the beach and that final night in Quito.

Photo Credit: Meagan W.

Phillip: your quiet strength of character. And your competitiveness: all those trips to jail during Capture the Flag...... I still laugh about that. :)

Photo Credit: Meagan W.

Lily: So wish we'd had more time to spend together, but our late night talk on Friday almost made up for that. Thanks for seeing my heart. <3

Micah: your leadership and devotionals. And the snot-bunny skit - good times. (Maggie may have gotten a little carried away - but she had good reason. Someone (with a double personality no less) kept dousing her with water.) ;)

 

Kevin: I will always remember you lying there being doused by Danny in the Good Samaritan skit! Kudos for taking (so graciously) all he did to "help" you out!

Liz: logistics, new places, and speaking truth. And playing the dragon. Perfecto. :D

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Never Doubt That a Small Group of Thoughtful, Committed People Can Change the World. Indeed, It Is the Only Thing That Ever Has.