Summer recap.

Get excited because the wait is over! I know you all have been checking my blog every day this summer and that the fact that I haven't been keeping it up has caused you to cry quite a bit. Well if that's the case (and I'm sure it is) today is your lucky day because I'm back!

I am flying back to Guatemala tomorrow morning (or should I say in about 8 hours), so I thought it would be a good time to write a post about this summer. It has been an over the top hectic but wonderful and possibly life changing summer. I told you to get excited.

When I came home in May I was home for a few weeks before we left on our High School Workcamp the first week of June. This year we went to Brady and had an amazing week working around the town at various organizations and spending countless hours laughing and worshiping God together. I could not have asked for a better final Workcamp (on staff. I am still hoping to come for for it this summer).

The first few days I led the group that worked at The Haven which is the women's battered shelter in town. Here is a picture of the Haven crew. Just such a great group!

For the final workday I had a smaller group that worked at Casa Care. The girls worked inside painting the bathroom and I worked outside with the boys pulling out dead trees and bushes in the flowerbed. This was also the day that it decided to pour all day, so we could not have been muddier. Examples: 1. I was working on pulling the root that I am holding in the following picture for awhile and when it finally came out I went flying backwards and slid in the mud. 2. My foot sank so far into the mud that when I tried to pull it out my shoe came off and it took the boys a couple of minutes to find it. We were beyond gross, but I love working with this group of guys so much!

This is my cute small group. :) Be impressed I made our shirts.

On the last night we have a Workcamp dance where the objective is to look as ridiculous as possible. I really love this picture of my dad and me at the dance. :)

One of my favorite moments from Workcamp was the night that Guatemala was our mission moment. Each night we lift up an organization or place around the world that is in need and this year Guatemala got to be one of those moments. I explained to the youth what I was doing down in Guatemala and what my role at Salud y Paz is. Then I showed them a little video that I had made with pictures and footage of my time down there this spring. Next I told them what the money that they raised is going to do for Salud y Paz and how they are changing lives. Then came the part where I started crying. I thought it was important for me to explain to them why I felt the call to quit and leave my job at the church to move down there. It was incredibly difficult for me and after a few minutes I couldn't stop crying, so after trying to talk while choking back sobs I just gave up and said that I was done. It was good that I got out most of what I wanted them to hear. I know that I made the right decision, but thinking of not being able to hang out with the youth and staff everyday kills me. I can't begin to describe how much I am going to miss all of them. They hands down make my life better. 

After a week of cleaning up and resting after High School Workcamp we had our Middle School Workcamp. I got a stomach bug, so I missed the first couple of days. However, you better believe I made it to the Middle School Workcamp Dance! The Summer Staff set up a photobooth. Enjoy. :)

The dance was Tuesday night then on Wednesday afternoon we flew to Africa. My family went on the church mission trip to Kenya and I loved every second of it. There is no way for me to describe in detail everything that we experienced on the trip, but just know that it was a once in a lifetime experience and something I have been dreaming about since I was little. The first week we were in Kenya we worked in Maua at a Methodist Hospital. One of the projects that we worked on was building a home for 3 aids orphans. My dad lead the team and I helped finish the house the last 2 days. I loved that this was something that we worked on as a family. Here is a picture of us by a "Kenyan Ladder" (know that even though it looks sketchy at one point 3 members of our team were standing on it).

While we were in Maua one day we helped out with a 'bush clinic' with some of the hospital staff. It was amazing to me how much their rural clinic reminded me of the rural medical clinics we do down in Guatemala. We drove out to a village and set up the clinic in the school. I mentioned to a staff member that I would love to sit in with the doctors while they see the patients and then was surprised when I actually got the chance to do so. I sat with a doctor named Ivan and we saw about 300 patients. By the end of the day I could diagnose malaria and fungal infections. The patient I remember the most was a little baby who came in with his mother. One of the other team members came into the room and told me that their was a baby waiting in line with "a head larger than normal". I told Rilee to make sure that he came into my doctor's room honestly because I was curious. When they came into the room I couldn't believe it. The little baby's head looked about 3 times as big as it should. I couldn't understand what Ivan and the mother were talking about then all of a sudden they the mom and baby got up to leave. When I asked Ivan what happened he said that she was just there because the baby had a runny nose. Then I asked about his condition. I can't remember the name of it, but Ivan started explaining to me that the baby was born with water in his head and that over the past 5 months (that's how old the little baby is) his head has grown and has continued to fill up with water. He said that if he didn't have a surgery soon he probably wouldn't make it to his first birthday. I asked him if they could do the surgery and he said that they couldn't do it at their hospital and that the baby would have to go to Narobi. I asked if that was going to happen and he said no because it was too expensive. When I asked how much he just kept saying that it would be too much and that I shouldn't get involved.

When I heard that I left the room crying and found my dad. I asked him if there was anything we could do and he suggested that I talk to Stanley (who was hosting our team). I then talked to Scott (who was our team leader) and told him that I would be interested in paying for the surgery if we could figure out how much it was. He helped me talk to Stanley and we finally figured out that it was only going to cost 25,000 shillings which equals to about $300. A part of me is thankful it is so cheap, but another part of me is infuriated thinking of that doctor who told me that it was too much and not to worry about it. I know that $300 is such a different amount to me as it is to the people of that village, but to think of that little baby dying because he couldn't get a surgery that only cost $300 is ridiculous to me. Luckily we were able to donate the money and the little baby is in Narobi with him mother right now getting ready for surgery. I know absolutely that I am not the one who saved that little baby's life, but that God was just working through me to advocate for him. I hope that in the future there are other teams that will speak up for the patients that they meet and be able to give a little hope when they don't think there is any.

 After our week in Maua we went to Nakuru and worked at an orphanage. And by work I mean play with the adorable children. Here is a picture of me with Bruna aka Doha. We had a layover in Doha on the way to Kenya and for some reason I kept calling this precious girl Doha. What can I say? If you look like a Doha I'm going to call you a Doha. 

Next we flew to Masai Mara to go on a safari for a few days. I absolutely loved it. We were so close to so many beautiful animals and got to see so many amazing new things. I have to tell you Lion King is pretty accurate. I mean I never did see the animals singing or dancing (they must have been on break), but I was constantly amazed with how all the different kinds of animals would hang out together. Besides the mean big cats. I guess if you're the guest who shows up to a party and starts eating everyone you stop getting invited. I took this picture of the van in front of ours. Look at that giraffe just chilling on the road!

This picture is to prove that we went into Tanzania. Part of the nature reserve was in Tanzania, so one day we drove across the border. Here is the stone that lets you know you have entered another country.  Also like I mentioned earlier we had a layover in Doha on the way which is in the Middle East which is in Asia, so I am not a 4 continent girl!

Africa was an amazing trip and it was the first time since I quit my job and decided to stay in Guatemala that I have thought about another option other than wanting to work at the church once my Guatemala time is up. Don't get me wrong I very well may move home next August and be devastated if I can't just pick back up at the church. However, being in Africa made me open my eyes to the possibility of serving there after Guatemala. Who knows if it will come to anything, but I got the same feeling about Africa that I got from Guatemala. Maybe that is where I am suppose to be next. No matter what at least it opened my mind to other options. We'll see.

After being home for about a week we left to road trip up to Pagosa Springs, Colorado for a camping trip. The youth group started going on this trip 20 years ago, and we determined that this was my 16th year to go on the trip. Normally the trip is just for our college gang, but one of the perks of being the youth minister's kid is that I got to go on trips before I was legal. It also helped that my grandparents live in the same town that the group camps in. I love Colorado and can't imagine a summer without going. Here are a few pictures from the trip. First this is the group that worked at the Refuge the past couple of years. Duh I'm going to miss them.

Since Grandmommye and Vernan live in the same town we spend part of the time hanging with them. Parker's birthday is on July 29th which is always when we are in Colorado. We celebrated with cake and icecream at their house.

 

This picture was taken on one of the hiking days. This day we hiked Piedra Trail and when I say hiked I mean we walked for about 25 minutes until we got to the river and then proceeded to sit on this rock in the middle of the river for about an hour. Then we played 42 and ate our lunches then walked back to the bus early so we could go to the coffee shop in town. What an exhausting day!

 

Overall this summer was a beautiful one. At times I complained that it wasn't the relaxing at home summer that I wanted before moving to Guatemala for a year, but at the same time I wouldn't change anything. I would write more, but it is almost 1:00 and I have to wake up at 5:30 to get to the airport for my flight. I'll write another post once I get to Guatemala and settle in. I am meeting a team at the airport and will travel with them to Pana. It is a Free to Smile team that will be staying in Pana and setting up rural dental clinics in the surrounding villages. Check back for more details later. :)