Better late than never

As promised, here are some pictures and reflections from Guatemala. I'm still learning so much about myself and about God from this trip. I am so thankful for the time that I spent and the people that I met in this beautiful country.

Journal entry from the first night:

June 24, 2010

"Huddled on the tiled rooftop of La Portada Dorada I can feel that God's provision is as plentiful as the rainfall on this stormy night. The thunder points to His power and judgement while the lightning is a reflection of Jesus' presence lighting our way.
Our first full day here has come to an end and I am exhausted, dirty despite the fact that I just showered and so in love with this country already. Coming in without any expectations has helped greatly, especially because the city is far more beautiful than I could have imagined, the food far better and the fellowship already much more rich.
I shared today what a comfort it was to realize, before I left, how broken I am. It's no secret that the people we are preparing to serve are broken and poor but no more so than I am. It has been an amazing blessing to be able to realize that and give it up to God before coming here.
I am not expecting to be healed or made whole, just like I am not expecting to fix all the problems of Guatemala while here. I am trying to trust in God as much as possible to transform me as He wishes and be in a place of vulnerability where that can happen."

S. Carey "All We Grow"

If you are a fan of Bon Iver or just enjoy beautiful yet fragile music, then this album is a must-listen.
Thank you to NPR for the free preview, I cannot wait to get this album.

First Listen: S. Carey, 'All We Grow'

Blueberry picking

In honor of Hayden's last day in town:

There was some force-feeding,

lots of hand-holding,

and plenty of romantic moments.

Ahh nothing beats the little "ping" berries make as they fill the bucket :)

My dearest friend Hayden left early this morning to begin her first year of college at Wheaton, all the 2,073 miles away in Illinois.

It was so difficult to say goodbye and to imagine only being able to interact electronically until Thanksgiving; thank goodness we're already so Skype savvy.

Regardless, I am so excited for her and the adventure that awaits her in Wheaton. I admire her courage so much, I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to be the first of our friends to leave!

I feel so blessed to have been able to share this past year with her. To laugh through dances (see above), endure numerous classes, share joy in small group (on location and at home, see below), establish a love for teen pop stars, and form a deep, deep friendship which I cherish greatly.

This girl makes me more strange than I ever thought was possible, and smile more than I thought I was physically capable of. She has such a bright humor and sharp wit..I envy the pants off her.

This is the most amazing (second) family I could ever ask for. I am going to miss my Biebs so much, but I know that God has amazing things in store for her. Love you Hayden!

These words of Donald Miller's are really resonating with me during this season in my life. He is amazing:

“I’ll tell you how the sun rose
A ribbon at a time…

It’s a living book, this life; it folds out in a million settings, cast with a billion beautiful characters, and it is almost over for you. It doesn’t matter how old you are; it is coming to a close quickly, and soon the credits will roll and all your friends will fold out of your funeral and drive back to their homes in cold and still and silence. And they will make a fire and pour some wine and think about how you once were … and feel a kind of sickness at the idea you never again will be.

So soon you will be in that part of the book where you are holding the bulk of the pages in your left hand, and only a thin wisp of the story in your right. You will know by the page count, not by the narrative, that the Author is wrapping things up. You begin to mourn its ending, and want to pace yourself slowly toward its closure, knowing the last lines will speak of something beautiful, of the end of something long and earned, and you hope the thing closes out like last breaths, like whispers about how much and who the characters have come to love, and how authentic the sentiments feel when they have earned a hundred pages of qualification.

And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you, about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn’t it?”

— Donald Miller (Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road)

Dios le bendiga

Back from an amazing 8 days in Guatemala...

Re-entry has been a little bit difficult so far but know that there has been continued journaling and catching up on sleep in the hopes of easing the process.

I'm hoping to share some pictures and stories/journal entries throughout the week.

Until then, these are shots I stole from someone else on the trip