Perfect Timing...

So I'm been a little sad the past couple of days. Since Christmas is over and I've really been able to fully focus on Guatemala I've realized that my departure date is coming up way faster that I was expecting. I leave on January 3rd which is in 5 days. If you were sitting next to me on my couch looking at all my Guatemala stuff scattered all over the floor and not packed yet you would understand why that is such a scary sentence to type.

Anyways like I said earlier I've been getting really nervous and sad as the day approaches. The main thing that I am nervous about (you know besides having to learn and speak in Spanish) is being away from my family and friends. I have been fortunate to grow up in an amazing supportive bubble that is made up by my family and church family. I get sad everyday that Guatemala gets closer thinking about how I am going to do without being surrounded by them like I am used to.

This leads me to why this blog is called perfect timing. Today was my last day of work, so the youth staff took me out to lunch to say goodbye. At lunch they gave me a journal that they made filled with notes from everyone I love. If you look at the picture below you will see how the journal has so many notes in it it doesn't even come close to closing. I was toying around with the idea of taking a 2nd carry-on and after seeing the journal we all agreed the extra bag may be necessary. Every page is labeled with a date that I'm going to be in Guatemala for. Some days have an envelope that says "when just one note won't do" and on those days the envelope has several notes in it. There are letters in it from staff members at the church, family, and youth (can't express how excited I am to read these notes... It will be just like having my very own personal workcamp mailbox everyday!!). I can't even imagine how long it took Sedonia (hopefully this makes you smile when you read this since you love shout outs :) ) to put it all together. It was just what I needed to pull me out of my depressed state that I was slipping into. What a beautiful gift to be able to read a special note from someone I love everyday I'm gone.

I know I am blessed to have such a strong support system here that will be lifting me up in prayers while I am gone. If you are reading this and you were one of the people who wrote me a note please know how much it truly means to me. I know that with this journal if I start feeling a little sad all I have to do is open it up and read a couple of notes from loved ones and it will brighten my day. Thank you all so very much!!

Meeting Mary...

So a couple of weeks ago I got an email saying that a teacher from the school in Guatemala was coming to Houston for Christmas to visit her dad. I jumped at the chance to meet her and worked it out for her to come to my church yesterday and do a presentation for the church staff about Guatemala. It was amazing to get to actually talk face to face with someone who I will be working with while I'm down there.

Yesterday morning I went to pick Mary and her father up to bring them to the church. After talking to Mary on the phone for about 20 minutes and driving around in circles I finally spotted her standing on the corner. I really believe that if she wasn't wearing her traditional Mayan clothing I wouldn't have found her. Me not knowing the part of Houston she was in combined with her never having been here before and therefor having no idea where she was wasn't a great combination. Luckily I was finally about to find her.

When Mary and her father, Tomas, got into my car she told me how this was her first time to visit the United States. Her father had moved to Houston from Guatemala 9 years ago and she hadn't seen him since. I loved listening to her talk about her life in Guatemala and how the getting a job at the school really changed her life.

When we got to the church we walked around and I gave them a tour. It made me laugh when they both took out their cameras to take pictures of the sanctuary. Mary kept telling me how beautiful it was and said that it was her first time to be in a church in the States. I told her that to me it was funny that people would take pictures at my church and around Houston because I don't think about it as a touristy place. She then said that she always laughs when people from the States take pictures of things in Guatemala. When I was there in August I took pictures of everything. Even their grocery stores. It would probably make me laugh a lot if I saw someone taking pictures in HEB. :)

After the tour it was time for Mary to do her presentation. She talked for about 10 minutes about the school and Salud y Paz. She said how at 21 she was proud to have worked at the school for the past 3 years as the first grade teacher. Mary also talked about how opening the school in her village was changing the lives of the children there. She expressed how they are always in need of scholarships for the students.

On a side note to sponsor a child at the school it cost $550. If you are sitting at home right now in anguish because you can't decide what to get me for Christmas what I really want is for you to sign up to sponsor a child. I promise if you do I'll send you lots of adorable pictures of your student. What could be better than that?? Let me know if you are interested or contact the director of the school at Janet@saludypaz.org

Ok... Back to Mary. She did an AMAZING job talking about Guatemala. She talked about how getting a scholarship herself to learn English is why she is now able to teach at the school and give a presentation like this. She was most proud of having her father be able to be there to see her talk about the school. She got emotional at the end while talking about how special it was to be here to spend Christmas with him.


It was a blessing to have met Mary and to have her speak to the staff here. I am always thankful to them for allowing me to take the Spring off and go to Guatemala. It is great to know that they now have a better idea of where I will be working while I'm down there. It is also a blessing to know that when I get to Guatemala I will see at least one familiar face.