On Sunday we had our monthly Youth Worship at the Refuge. Every month at Youth Worship we ask the youth to bring their Mission Banks filled with change. We collect the money and donate it around the world to different organizations and locations in need. We had decided to designate the November and December Mission Bank collections to go to the school I will be working at in Guatemala. We told the youth this before hand and it was cool to see them bring their filled banks to church and ask me questions about Guatemala.
We showed a slideshow from my mission trip to Guatemala and then I talked for a few minutes about why I want to go and what I'll be doing when I get there. Even though I strongly hate talking in front of people and often have to be forced into it I really loved telling the youth about Guatemala. It felt special sitting on the stage looking at all maybe 150 of them and explaining why I feel this calling to spend some in mission in Guatemala. I also showed pictures of where I'm going to be living and working. Again... special.
Also not going to lie I really loved the moments after I talked when so many of the youth came up to me and hugged me and told me how much they are going to miss me. Sometimes when I think about moving to Guatemala I get sad thinking about how much I am going to miss the church and especially all the amazing youth we have. I always say I have the best job ever. I get to come to work everyday and just be filled with love and laughter. They really have no idea how much I am going to miss that.
I am attaching the slideshow that we showed the youth. These are pictures of my mission trip in August. Also at the end there is some video of 2 different presentations the school put on for us. This is not the school where I will be working, but I have already talked to the principle about coming to visit the kids... so adorable.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thanksgiving and Guatemala thankfulness.
Every year I have 3 Thanksgivings and they are each my favorite.
My family starts Thanksgiving Day by going downtown and serving the people who live in Houston's Forth Ward. This morning we were trying to figure out how long we have been doing this and came up with maybe 15 years... probably longer. We wake up early and prepare all the food at our church then head to Rose of Sharon Baptist Church where we make about 150 plates to hand out. Every year I am reminded how thankful I am to have this family tradition. I told the minister of the church who I have known my whole life that I am moving to Guatemala to do mission work and he reminded me that I told him when I was little that moving overseas to be a missionary was my dream. It was a great moment that I'm thankful for.
My second Thanksgiving is equally as amazing. We always celebrate Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family on Thursday. We gathered at my grandfather's house (I live in the garage apt, so kinda my house too) and ate a great meal together. My dad's side of the family all live within about 2 minutes of each other, so we grew up ridiculously close. Our family gatherings are always filled with lots of love and laughter. I am very thankful for them.
Tomorrow we head up to Longview to have our third Thanksgiving with some of my mom's side of the family. We will drive to Longview, celebrate Thanksgiving with my grandfather and my mom's aunt, uncle, and cousin, then drive home all in the same day. It is exhausting, but absolutely worth it. This Thanksgiving is also filled with love. I am very thankful for the Longview gang.
Here are some things about this Guatemala Adventure I'm thankful for...
Having a family that fully supports my decision to go to Guatemala.
Friends who understand why I want to go (I've learned this is rare).
The support of my church... all of the youth I love so very much.
That I work at a place that will allow me to take off 5 months to do this. Trust me I know how special and rare this is and could not be more thankful.
The friends I work with. They are going to have to pick up my 'slack' while I'm gone, but yet they are so very supportive.
The people who work at Salud y Paz for giving me this opportunity and for guiding me through the process so far.
And as always whoever is reading this blog. :)
My family starts Thanksgiving Day by going downtown and serving the people who live in Houston's Forth Ward. This morning we were trying to figure out how long we have been doing this and came up with maybe 15 years... probably longer. We wake up early and prepare all the food at our church then head to Rose of Sharon Baptist Church where we make about 150 plates to hand out. Every year I am reminded how thankful I am to have this family tradition. I told the minister of the church who I have known my whole life that I am moving to Guatemala to do mission work and he reminded me that I told him when I was little that moving overseas to be a missionary was my dream. It was a great moment that I'm thankful for.
My second Thanksgiving is equally as amazing. We always celebrate Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family on Thursday. We gathered at my grandfather's house (I live in the garage apt, so kinda my house too) and ate a great meal together. My dad's side of the family all live within about 2 minutes of each other, so we grew up ridiculously close. Our family gatherings are always filled with lots of love and laughter. I am very thankful for them.
Tomorrow we head up to Longview to have our third Thanksgiving with some of my mom's side of the family. We will drive to Longview, celebrate Thanksgiving with my grandfather and my mom's aunt, uncle, and cousin, then drive home all in the same day. It is exhausting, but absolutely worth it. This Thanksgiving is also filled with love. I am very thankful for the Longview gang.
Here are some things about this Guatemala Adventure I'm thankful for...
Having a family that fully supports my decision to go to Guatemala.
Friends who understand why I want to go (I've learned this is rare).
The support of my church... all of the youth I love so very much.
That I work at a place that will allow me to take off 5 months to do this. Trust me I know how special and rare this is and could not be more thankful.
The friends I work with. They are going to have to pick up my 'slack' while I'm gone, but yet they are so very supportive.
The people who work at Salud y Paz for giving me this opportunity and for guiding me through the process so far.
And as always whoever is reading this blog. :)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Salud y Paz, VIM, GBGM, and Jury Duty
Oh man oh man get excited because today I have Jury Duty which means I have ALL day to write as long of an entry as I want! I have been sitting on the same wooden bench since 9:00 this morning and now at 2:38 there is still no end in sight. Supposedly the second trial is going to start around 3:00, so if I get chosen to serve on the very important stop sign violation case please accept my apology now for most likely ending this entry mid sentence.
I thought while I am just sitting here bored out of my mind I would explain what organization I am going to Guatemala with. When I was there in August on the last day of the mission trip we stopped by a clinic and school called Salud y Paz (Health and Peace). In the past the mission trip has gone there to do dental treatment and also construction work. Even though we didn’t work at Salud y Paz this year we still stopped by on our way to Antigua to drop off some supplies that we had left over. We only stopped for about 20 minutes, but while we were there we took a tour and watched one classroom of children practice a dance they were learning. I also took a picture with the Salud y Paz sign right before we were on our way out. Who would have thought that a mere 5 months later I would be moving to Guatemala to work at this school.
When I got home from the mission trip I started exploring my options and worked hard to figure out what exactly I should do. My dad helped me out and actually found on a Methodist website that Salud y Paz had an opening in the school and was looking for a new volunteer. After sending some emails back and forth to Janet (who is the director of the school and actually the one who gave us the tour while we were there) I realized that Salud y Paz was sponsored through the United Methodist Church.
Knowing that Salud y Paz was associated with the United Methodist Church made it that much more exciting and appealing to me. To work at Salud y Paz I needed to attend a training through VIM (Volunteers in Mission). The only training I could attend before I leave for Guatemala was in October in Boston. It was an amazing weekend filled with laughter and great conversations that affirmed to me that I had made the right decision. I am a firm believer that laughter is the best and quickest way to bond with anyone and I am glad that I experienced it with several people I met at the training. I learned that weekend all the things I need to do before I leave (which is still intimidating to me) and all about GBGM and VIM. Here is the quick version (I hope this is right). GBGM (General Board of Global Ministries), which is the biggest of the 13 agencies of the United Methodist Church, is broken up into 3 parts: United Methodist Women, UMCOR, and VIM. Then VIM is split into 2 different groups: Individual Volunteers and Mission Trips. All (or maybe most) of the mission trips that go out of the Methodist church are VIM trips and if you want to be a missionary or volunteer overseas through the United Methodist Church then you are commissioned as a VIM Individual Volunteer. (Note that if for some reason you are about to take a very important test on all this or if you are about to bet your life on this information being 100% accurate you should probably look it up on your own seeing as I am recalling all this from memory.)
Just in case you can’t concentrate on what you’re reading because you’re still wondering if I’m going to be picked for the second trial I wasn’t. Me and 8 other annoyed as well folks are still sitting here. On the other side of the room 2 guys are talking about how the room smells like a mix of bananas and beef jerky… gross. The last trial starts around 5:00. Hopefully we will be sent home before that.
Anyways back to Guatemala… Finding out that Salud y Paz was associated with the United Methodist Church was just the first of many signs to reaffirm to me that this is the perfect place for me to be. Another amazing sign was being told that a girl around my age who works at the clinic was actually looking for a roommate. It is very comforting to me to know that I am going to be living with someone who has already gone through everything that I am going to be experiencing once I am in Guatemala. Also when I was at the training the VIM staff could not have spoken any higher of Salud y Paz or the volunteers already down there. When they heard that I was going to Salud y Paz each one of them expressed how it was a perfect fit knowing my personality and how much I was going to love it. I have been emailing back and forth with Janet (director of the school) and Heather (my roommate) and have always been comforted by their words. When I think of what I am worried about it always has to do with being away from my friends and family (my comfort zone) and never to do with Guatemala (you know unless I am freaking out about having to learn Spanish).
Ok… we have a 30 minute break coming up and I think I am going to run to Starbucks. I don’t think it will be very helpful if I fall asleep during a trial if I ever do get picked, so I better get some coffee in me.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The road to Guatemala...
I guess I need to explain why I am going to Guatemala in the first place. You see if I'm being honest I never had any interest in going to Guatemala. What I did always have was the desire to travel anywhere and everywhere I could. I am that girl who has a world map in my apartment with a few green pins in it marking the places I have been (my after college backpacking trip actually makes Europe look pretty impressive) and tons of red pins marking all the amazing countries I hope to travel to. I often dream of just traveling around the world experiencing different cultures and taking photographs of everything I see. (This dream is why about once a month I buy a $5 lottery ticket. I won $200 once in college... it was an epic day.)
Another desire that has been developing in me throughout the years is the desire to serve through Christ. I was born into an amazing Christian family that taught me from a young age the importance of loving God and serving through him. I grew up around a family of several Methodist ministers and strong Christian women and knew from a pretty young age that I loved mission work. My father is the Youth Minister at our church (it is pretty funny typing that because again if only my mom is reading this she probably knew that already), so I was always active in our youth program. For one of my VIM forms I filled out a couple of months ago I had to count up the number of mission trips I have been on and I am pretty sure I have been on 33. Pretty impressive for a 25 year old, but it is only because of the church I grew up going to and now work at. Our youth program does an amazing job of instilling the importance of serving and I am most grateful that I grew up learning that lesson.
Now get excited because here is where those 2 maybe random points come together. For the past few years I have been having this deep desire to go on an international mission trip (traveling plus serving... told you it would come together). Through my job at the church I do a lot of research of different countries that are in need or just different organizations that our youth can donate to. One main mission focus we have lifted up to the youth the last couple of years is Haiti. Since the earthquake we have held benefits, donated to, and supported Haiti through UMCOR. When I heard last year that my church was going to go on a mission trip to Haiti I was in. It was the opportunity I had been searching for. I was going to be able to experience what we had been teaching our youth about first hand. Unfortunately that trip to Haiti got canceled because the leaders were worried about the team's safety. Now that wasn't going to stop me, so I found another Haiti trip to sign up for through another church. 2 days before we were suppose to leave for Haiti that trip also got canceled. After that I signed up for 3 more Haiti mission trips and one by one they all got canceled. I was upset and mad because I had this desire to go serve and wasn't able to.
I know you have been waiting for it... This is where Guatemala comes into the story. :)
One day at work I was complaining that I wanted to go to Haiti, but couldn't find a team that was actually going (which I'm sure my coworkers could tell you how annoying I probably was with all my constant Haiti talk) and I heard about a mission trip to Guatemala through my church. When I first heard about it I wasn't too interested because honestly I had my heart set on Haiti. However the more I heard about it and met the people who were going I decided even though it wasn't what I was originally looking for I would go. Honestly I just remember thinking it's better than nothing and I was tired of getting emails about canceled Haiti trips.
I won't bore you with all the details of that Guatemala mission trip (at least not in this post), but to put it simply it was life changing. I was surrounded by great people and just fell in love with the culture. By probably the second day I remember talking to Tammy on the bus about wanting to move there. I felt so close to God that week and realized that I was never meant to go to Haiti (or at least not now). Sometimes I picture God sitting in Heaven saying "Really Kelly, stop signing up for all these Haiti trips. I'm going to cancel them all until you get the point" and it makes me smile. He obviously knew that I was meant to be in Guatemala and that going for the week would instill in me the desire to be there longer to serve.
The day I got home I knew I wanted to go back as soon as I could. I got to work finding a place to work and live and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly and easily it all came together. Maybe I will wait until my next post to explain all about Salud y Paz and VIM. I just realized how ridiculously long this post is. You get a gold star if you actually made it to the end. :)
Another desire that has been developing in me throughout the years is the desire to serve through Christ. I was born into an amazing Christian family that taught me from a young age the importance of loving God and serving through him. I grew up around a family of several Methodist ministers and strong Christian women and knew from a pretty young age that I loved mission work. My father is the Youth Minister at our church (it is pretty funny typing that because again if only my mom is reading this she probably knew that already), so I was always active in our youth program. For one of my VIM forms I filled out a couple of months ago I had to count up the number of mission trips I have been on and I am pretty sure I have been on 33. Pretty impressive for a 25 year old, but it is only because of the church I grew up going to and now work at. Our youth program does an amazing job of instilling the importance of serving and I am most grateful that I grew up learning that lesson.
Now get excited because here is where those 2 maybe random points come together. For the past few years I have been having this deep desire to go on an international mission trip (traveling plus serving... told you it would come together). Through my job at the church I do a lot of research of different countries that are in need or just different organizations that our youth can donate to. One main mission focus we have lifted up to the youth the last couple of years is Haiti. Since the earthquake we have held benefits, donated to, and supported Haiti through UMCOR. When I heard last year that my church was going to go on a mission trip to Haiti I was in. It was the opportunity I had been searching for. I was going to be able to experience what we had been teaching our youth about first hand. Unfortunately that trip to Haiti got canceled because the leaders were worried about the team's safety. Now that wasn't going to stop me, so I found another Haiti trip to sign up for through another church. 2 days before we were suppose to leave for Haiti that trip also got canceled. After that I signed up for 3 more Haiti mission trips and one by one they all got canceled. I was upset and mad because I had this desire to go serve and wasn't able to.
I know you have been waiting for it... This is where Guatemala comes into the story. :)
One day at work I was complaining that I wanted to go to Haiti, but couldn't find a team that was actually going (which I'm sure my coworkers could tell you how annoying I probably was with all my constant Haiti talk) and I heard about a mission trip to Guatemala through my church. When I first heard about it I wasn't too interested because honestly I had my heart set on Haiti. However the more I heard about it and met the people who were going I decided even though it wasn't what I was originally looking for I would go. Honestly I just remember thinking it's better than nothing and I was tired of getting emails about canceled Haiti trips.
I won't bore you with all the details of that Guatemala mission trip (at least not in this post), but to put it simply it was life changing. I was surrounded by great people and just fell in love with the culture. By probably the second day I remember talking to Tammy on the bus about wanting to move there. I felt so close to God that week and realized that I was never meant to go to Haiti (or at least not now). Sometimes I picture God sitting in Heaven saying "Really Kelly, stop signing up for all these Haiti trips. I'm going to cancel them all until you get the point" and it makes me smile. He obviously knew that I was meant to be in Guatemala and that going for the week would instill in me the desire to be there longer to serve.
The day I got home I knew I wanted to go back as soon as I could. I got to work finding a place to work and live and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly and easily it all came together. Maybe I will wait until my next post to explain all about Salud y Paz and VIM. I just realized how ridiculously long this post is. You get a gold star if you actually made it to the end. :)
First Post
Oh man I know this is the day you have all been waiting for. The announcement that I will be keeping a daily (maybe but let's face it probably not) blog while I start this new adventure is probably the best news you have heard in years!! And yes I am kidding... or just think extremely highly of myself. Actually I will be pretty impressed if more than 10 people keep up with this blog. I would bet money that my mom and grandfather will check it daily (again sorry there may not always be something new every day) and that my dad will look at it every once in awhile just to make sure I'm still alive. Other than that I'm not too sure who will look at this.
But to whoever you are who is reading this I'm happy that through this blog you will be going on this journey to Guatemala with me. Hopefully this blog will be a fun way to write down stories and share photos and videos of everything I am experiencing in Guatemala. I promise that some days I will be through the roof excited about living in Guatemala and others you will probably be able to tell that I am sad and extremely homesick as I type. (I'm an emotional person... whatever.)
Either way I hope you enjoy. :)
But to whoever you are who is reading this I'm happy that through this blog you will be going on this journey to Guatemala with me. Hopefully this blog will be a fun way to write down stories and share photos and videos of everything I am experiencing in Guatemala. I promise that some days I will be through the roof excited about living in Guatemala and others you will probably be able to tell that I am sad and extremely homesick as I type. (I'm an emotional person... whatever.)
Either way I hope you enjoy. :)
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