Lent

Lent... lint... lend... Lindt truffles?!  (these are thoughts that come across my mind)

Honestly, for the longest time I thought lent was this “Catholic” thing and therefore never explored the topic that much---it was not in the Baptist vocabulary that has been forever implanted into my mind.

However the past couple of years I have been challenged to take a look a look at my relationship with Christ during this time…to maybe commit to reading the Bible more, praying more, or maybe even memorizing verses.  Pretty much I understood it as a time to refocus on the most important relationship that anyone could ever imagine.

We have a new chaplain/counselor at our school, whose name is Kylie.  She recently sent us an email about lent and what she/people often desire… here’s a paragraph from it.

I am looking for a relationship that goes both ways. I am looking to connect again with the God I once fell in love with. I need to hit reset. I want to erase years I have pushed Him away. I want to know that He still loves me despite confusion, question marks, doubt, stupidity and my distraction. I want to be a little kid around God again, not caring what the world around me thinks, trusting him, being joyful and knowing I can curl up in His arms. I want to be able to vent to Him and scream and complain and be honest and cry and know that He hears me. I want to sense Him leading me, comforting me, healing me, giving me joy. I want to start seeing all the gifts He’s been giving me all along that I have become blind to… or even ungrateful for.

This really resonated with me.  I do want this.  I want to be renewed.  I want to fall in love all over again.  I want to grow.  I want to be more like Jesus, and less like a sinner. I want my faith to be so strong, that no small doubt is able to enter my mind… defeat truth… and then take over.    

I love Guatemala.  I love teaching high school science.  I love living in the same city as my fiancé and working with him. However, there are others things that I love that are not within reach right now…physically speaking.  I love my parents. I love my family.  I love my best friend that I met when I was 5.  I love my grandma that lives 5 houses down from me. I love my church. 

But God has me here.  I say that right now in this moment as I write this with 100% confidence, but I will be honest and say that sometimes I doubt that.  When I start to miss my family, Satan enters my mind and tells me how easy it would be for me to change where I am.  He also makes me question… am I right by being here? I am thankful for new friends here, but I miss those friends that are pretty much like family… who just know everything about you. And between you and them…. you have like a million inside jokes.

I miss my church.  I miss the familiarity of Summit and all the awesome people I met there.  I miss Powerpoints and studyguides to go with the sermon…. a sermon that always had some kind of organization to it.  I miss not having to translate and then “digest” thoughts and then apply.

But God has me here.  And even though to some that doesn’t sound logical to all… He does.  Not only has He given me a desire for the country and culture of Guatemala, He has given me a passion for my students to know Christ.  He has for some reason, placed me in the odd world of high school education…. but I love it and I am beginning to understand more of why He has me there.

I know God doesn’t need me to change lives, but gratefully, I have seen how He has led me to a place where He is changing lives.  He tells me He can use me to help in this plan.  He tells me over and over that my weakness is perfect for His power---it will be least expected and therefore a clear sign of Him. He tells me just to wait and see what else He has up His sleeves. He tells me I can’t even fathom it.  He tells me He is the Way and Truth, even though others may disagree. He whispers to me all day, “Trust me” even though it seems like so many other things are yelling at me trying to get me to believe lies and to doubt.

So what does this have to do with lent?

I have decided that for lent… I am going to give myself a little challenge.  A little challenge that will help me in these times of doubts.  A little challenge that will help me see God and re-fall in love with Him.

Starting March 5^th, I want to take a picture everyday of my life here in Guatemala.  The picture must be something that makes me smile and say, “I am so glad God has called me to serve Him here.”  The pictures might be of “small things” but I believe God is in the small and big.  So it might be my favorite Guatemalan snack, my favorite class at school (just kidding! I don’t have a favorite class… I’m not suppose to right? ), or my favorite tienda….. but reminders of why I am thankful to be here. Reminders of why God does have me here in Guatemala this year. Reminders for those times when His whispers of truth seem to be drowned out with lies.  

I am not doing this to “prove to myself” that God has called me here. God doesn’t need to prove Himself to me.  He calls, I answer.  That’s faith.  But because He is such a gracious God, He has left little reminders.  He doesn’t have to prove why I should follow His plan… it’s enough that He is God and Creator.

When I was younger, my mom use to leave little notes in my lunchbox telling me she loved me.  Did she have to do that?  No, but she just wanted to remind me—just like God wants to remind us of His love and plans for us.

I know God loves me.  I know God has called me here.  Sometimes I don’t believe both of these things 100%, because my faith is the process of getting deeper and deeper.

Doing this picture thing is just a way for me to focus on God around me… to focus on how clear it is that He is alive and active all around me.  A way for me to just enjoy Him.  A way for me to be more grateful.  A way for me to focus on truth, and defeat lies and doubt.

Pictures to come soon. 

  

October!!? Where did you come from?!! (Oooops... wrote this but never published :/)

It’s so hard to believe that we are in October!!! Crazy!!! This is the last week of the quarter. One sure sign of this is that ALL my students have been asking what their grade is in my class.

 

In a nutshell, things have been going great!  I still love teaching high school, and I feel that I am very acostumbre to everything here in Xela.  I now that it rains just about everyday, I know where to get good hot chocolate, I know the “normal” sounds of my apartment from the “not so normal”,I figured out how to light our oven, I know where to buy tortillas, I now what I’m suppose to do during an earthquake (that doesn’t mean I’ll do it… but I do now know :D)… all these things and more. Yep. I’m pretty use to everything.

Here are the big events that have happened since the last time I wrote:

1.       I felt my first real earthquake.

I have felt tremors before, while being here. But NOTHING like I had experience.  It was a Friday evening. I had come home from school, and was just relaxing before going out to meet Devin and our friend Rafael from Toto for pizza. I thought I would catch up on some guitar playing.  I was sitting on the couch in my apartmento located on the fourth nivel just strumming and singing away.  Minding my own business… And then it happened.  Everything started shaking, even me.  CDs and candles fell from a bookshelf, our TV and other things came closer and closer to the edges of their locations.  For the first 7 seconds I just froze, holding onto my guitar for dear life. Watching everything shake.  At second 8 I put my guitar on the ground, because I thought maybe I should do something.  Run? Jump? Lay on the ground? Crouch under a table? Try to catch the microwave, TV, or water container… each getting closer and closer to destruction…..

 

But I just sat there.  And then it was over.  And then there were a lot of aftershocks. 

2.       We finished the story of Tamar in my elective class.

The girls LOVED this story.  I was very encouraged by their essays on what they had learned.  Many girls wrote things like :

                “I learned that God has a plan for everyone, including women.”

                “I learned that God really hears our prayers.”

                “I learned that I don’t need anything or anyone..including a man. I just need   God.”

Here’s an excerpt from one girl’s essay J

 

We are about to finish Rahab.  The girls don’t like  her as much because she is older. But they still love the love story associated with that.

 

3.       Student Fair

Student Council hosted a fair to raise money for Spiritual Emphasis Week in the Spring. I took participated in 2 events.  I originally signed Devin & I up to put our faces in pie to find M&Ms. Upon learning this, he then signed us both up to be pied.  J 

Students paid Q5 to play the find the M&Ms in the pie game against various teachers.  Devin & I never one. I lost my focus the second round because of the taste of the whip cream… It was literally whipped cream. No sugar L 

There was also a fundraising competition where everyone was to give money. When certain amounts were reached, certain teachers were pied.  I really thought I got out of this one, as the “money” thermometer was not rising.  I was priced at Q600, but was then put on sale for Q500.  (But we all know I’m worth way more than that.) One of my seniors, somehow, was awarded the honor of pieing me.  He thoroughly enjoyed doing so.

 

4.       Regresamos a Llano Largo!

Devin and I journeyed back to the hot side of the country, to visit our host families we met during the summer of 2010.  It is so cool that we can just go and visit them J  Though it was hot, I loved our time there.  Even though I haven’t seen my “Guatemalan sister & brother” in a year, it’s like we never skipped a beat.  We were back to goofin’ around, being loud and obnoxious, and acting like true brothers an sisters.

We had churrascos… Oh. So. Good.

 

5.       Mexico.

This past weekend, a group of teachers took a trip to Mexico.  We do not have our 2 year visas yet, so we only have 90 days in the country.  Therefore we left, and then got another 90 J  It was a fun trip! I had some yummy enchiladas that made me think of Las Palmas.

6.       Toto

Devin and I have still been going to Toto on Sundays for church.  It has been so awesome to see Lucia and kids every week! 

 

Sorry for being soooooo late on the update J  I’ll try to do better next time! 

 

Orientation, Moving In, and First Days of School

 I am now officially living in Guatemala!

 The principal from the school picked me and other teachers up from the airport to start our 4 hour drive to Xela.  We stopped at Burger King for lunch that day.  I arrived in Xela that night and stayed with a host family.  Betty was very welcoming, like many Guatemalans here.  I woke up the next day, ate breakfast, and went to meet the rest of the new teachers and administration for Day 1 of orientation.  Betty also packed me a lunch to take that day.

The first day we got a tour of Xela and then we were shuttled to the school.  .  The rest of that week we would have workshops in the morning  on various things like the history of IAS, cultural awareness, and of course how to turn in our lesson plans. In the afternoons we were given time to work in our classrooms.  Ohhhhhh booyyyyyy…. was my classroom a mess when I first saw it.  New high school classes were added and my room (the science lab) was re-modeled.  With that being said, everything in the room last year was taken out and put in boxes.  Once the floor was redone, walls painted, and new science tables brought in, those boxes were then returned to the room….and they were waiting for me.  

I went through all the boxes and organized the new science lab.  My cabinets and storage areas are probably more organized here than they ever were at BCA, since I had to put everything away. (Shout out to Jessica Manning for cleaning out my cabinets from last year :) Once the lab was organized, I added some personal  touches with posters and little decorations.  I of course added my “Carol Never Wore Her Safety Goggles” poster.

The prison bars on the window are in now way a reflection of the atmosphere of my classroom..... despite what some students may think or say.

My first weekend here, a group of us went to hike a mountain called “La Muela”…. the molar.  It was a fun climb and very beautiful! 

This is how teachers get ready for the first day of school in Guatemala.

School started on Tuesday, August 14^th.  There was a school-wide assembly to welcome families back, introduce new teachers, and to begin the school year off with prayer.  After the assembly, my bunch…the high schoolers, went to a room to sign up for electives.  Once electives were chosen,  first period began.

First and second period were short that day, so my time was limited with the freshmen and sophomores the first day.  I had a planning period, then the seniors and juniors. I had a fabulous first day, even if the majority of it was just reading over syllabi.  The students, thus far, are very respectful and polite.  When entering, every students greets me with "Good Morning, Miss" or "How are you, Miss."  Upon leaving, "Have a good day Miss!" or if it's the period for lunch "Have a nice lunch, Miss.!" I have really enjoyed these high schoolers.  I'm excited to get to know them even more during this school year.

My elective class on Women of the Bible has also been off to a great start!  There are 8 girls in my class, 7 of which are freshmen. The other young lady is a senior.  I’ve really enjoyed my time with these girls already.  On the first day we read the genealogy of Jesus. (Exciting I know).  I asked the girls if they noticed anything after I attempted to read the genealogy aloud, using correct pronunciation on all the words.  They noticed right away that the 5 women I had just said we would be studying, were in the lineage of Christ.  We are studying Tamar first.  We have used the Bible to learn her “family tree” better, and the girls have just finished reading Chapter 1 of Francine Rivers book.  The girls are already hooked.

Last weekend Devin, Chris, Megan, and I went to church in Toto.  Chris and Megan are married, and live in the same apartment building as Jess & I.  Chris teaches at the IAS, and Megan is here serving as a nurse in outside regions of Xela.  It was so great seeing our friends in Toto, and knowing we will see them on a weekly basis.  Lucia and her family were also at church.  (Lucia and her daughter are the two ladies that got saved while we were here in June.)

I moved into my apartment with my roommate Jess, my second day here in Xela.  It is very nice!  We’ve really enjoyed it.  We think we have the best apartment in the building!

Prayer Requests & Praises

1.       Thank you to those who have been praying for me.  My departure from the States didn't quite happen how I had imagined, and I don't necessarily have all the answers to why things happened the way they did...but I'm not suppose to.  I do however know that God has been, was, and is with me.  I know He has, is, and will continue to carry me through.

2.     Last blog, I requested prayer for my transition from teaching elementary to high school. That was something I was pretty nervous about, but God took away my fears and worries about it.  I know I've only been teaching high schoolers 6 days now, and I am no way saying that "I have arrived."  But I am saying that I laid those worries before God, many times, and asked others to pray about this as well. And God has worked in my heart and taken away that anxiety.  He was using this situation to prove that to me to depend on Him for everything. "The removal" actually happened about 5 days before the first day of school.   Pray that I would continue to go to God about every frustration or worry, and that He would be the one that equips me. Pray that he would not only equip me to teach high school science, but more importantly, in the process of teaching minister to these students.  May all I do be because of Him, not of me.

3.       Community among the teachers.  Please pray that all the teachers at IAS, especially us new ones, would find community.  It would be very hard for someone to come here after being involved in small group, accountability, etc.. and then be here and not have that.  Luckily, with modern technology, we can still stay connected to those we had at home… but pray that we would find it here amongst each other.  We, the female teachers, are in the works of beginning a weekly Bible study.

4.       High School Students.  I ask that you pray for the school in it’s entirety from board members to students, but because I know the high school students better… I ask that you pray specifically for them.  They are a talented, warm-hearted group of students.  Pray that they not only grow academically, but spiritually.  Pray that they not only know Christ in their minds, but they come to know Him in their hearts.  Pray for their relationships to grow in Christ. Pray for the juniors and seniors as they are thinking of “next steps” after high school.  Pray that they seek God’s plan, and not try to just fit God in their plan. Pray that God would use them to do great things for His glory in Guatemala or other places in the world.

Thanks for reading!

 

Just a little eruption I saw on the way to school one day.

Hi, I'm Miss Mashburn...a High School Science Teacher in Guatemala

Two weeks from now, I'll be in Guatemala.

This is not a one week mission trip, and it even exceeds the 2 month trips I have taken. I will be living in Guatemala.

Where:  I will be residing in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. It's about a three to four hour ride from the airport in Guatemala City.  It is also called Xela (pronounced Shay-la... I encourage you to call it this because it is easier). The weather there is pretty nice!  Highs are in the 70s, and lows can be in the 40s-50s--all year long.  Seasons don't exist there like here--there is a rainy season and a dry season.  (Though, I feel like North Carolina had a rainy season this year!!!!)

Job:  I will be teaching at Inter-American School in Xela. It is a Christian school that goes from pre-K to 12th grade.  Next year there will be 170 students enrolled in the school.  The school was originally founded to serve missionary families, providing their children with an American-style education.  Over the years, more and more Guatemalans began attending the school. Today the vast majority of the students are Guatemalan.  Because it is an American-style school, all reading, writing, and speaking are done in English! Even the teaching!  The calendar is similar to the States, meaning school starts in August and finishes at the very beginning of June. 

I will be the official high school science teacher. The McInnis of Guatemala for all you NRCA people! (Shout out to Mrs. McInnis for putting up with my shenanigans for 3 years in high school and helping me prepare for this position!)  I will be teaching Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Science. One class of each.  I'm really excited to get the chance to teach high schoolers, and to continue studying a subject that I have always had a knack for ;)

I would love to have this poster for my classroom.  It was always hanging in my high school lab.

                                                      
I will also be teaching an elective class on Women of the Bible.   I will be using Francine River's Book A Lineage of Grace.   This book is actually 5 mini books.  Each about a different woman of the Bible, and all are in the lineage of Christ.  Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheeba, and Mary. I'm assuming it will be an all-girls class :)  Even though I do love science, I am probably most excited about this class!!!  I feel as though it will be like a small group for high school girls disguised as a class. I'm excited for the opportunity to get to know some of these high school girls more and to encourage them in their walk with Christ through our study. (Special shout out to those who donated money for buying these books and Bibles for this class!  I have 10 books, & 10 Bibles!  Thank you so much!)


It's a really good book!



***Important Disclaimer***

It is false to assume that all students attending a Christian school are true followers of Christ.

It is false to assume that all parents sending their students to a Christian school are followers of Christ.

 

This is very much true at IAS, as well as Christian schools in America..  yes even those in North Carolina. This is even true of Liberty University, and I'm sure they would not be offended for me to say that.   And I don't mean for the previous statements to offend anyone else, but to make us aware of the desperate need of Christ in the lives surrounding us.
There are students at IAS who need to accept Christ as their Savior. There are others who have already done so and need to  be challenged, encouraged, and discipled---they need to grow in their relationship with Christ, as we all do.  All of these things can happen through  the sharing of the Gospel and the Word of God. I am thankful, that once again, I can do that openly in my classroom.    Any class. Any period. Any lesson.  I can begin every single class with prayer. When discussing science things, I can reference the Creator of the Universe...The Designer of all these things we will be studying.

What a true blessing that is... one that no Christian school teacher, including myself, should take for granted.

Romans 1:16a For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,

 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 

Church:  Remember Toto? Totonicapán. It's a small city about 40 minutes away from where I will be living and teaching.  This is the area where I was just at on a missions trip with Devin's church.  I also was here last summer for about 3 weeks.  I plan on going there on Sundays to attend church and visit with familiar faces. I'm really excited to continue friendships that have already been formed there! It will be so cool to see these people on a more regular basis. I'm also really excited to visit Lucia (the lady who just got saved) and see how her and her family are doing.

Living Arrangements:  Upon arrival on July 31st I will be staying with a family arranged by the school. The day after I should be moving into an apartment!  I will be living with Jessica, the official 3rd grade teacher.  This will be her second year at IAS.  We will have a stove, microwave, and refrigerator.  2 bedrooms, 1 living room/kitchen/dining room, and a bathroom.  There's no heat or AC.  (Remember the temps in Xela? Not really needed anyway)  The apartments are fully furnished too.



Here's the view from where I will be living!

Food:  There is a grocery store within about a 10 minute walk of where we will be living. Cooking will happen often.  (Small group girls... I'll let ya know if I come across recipes to add to the infamous "cookbook")  Eggs, beans, and tortillas will be common menu items as they are popular & inexpensive in Guatemala.. not to mention good!  I will have to pack my lunch for school everyday...so everyday I will miss Jennifer Downey & Anna Sexton :( Xela also has a McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and Wendys.  (McDonalds delivers there!)  There are also many restaurants in the city that would be fun to try too :)

This is a breakfast I had in Xela last summer, overlooking the central park :) 

 Also... as of now.. .I plan on going Crystal Light Peach Mango free.  I don't want have to have to pack enough to last until December...I'll keep you updated on how that's going.


Closing Comments:

Well... That's all I got for now! I will have orientation August 1-12th, and school starts on the 13th!

Prayer Requests: 

• traveling on July 31st
• getting prepared for the school year (especially the change I will experience going from teaching elementary students to high school)
•  the hearts of my students (especially the young ladies that will sign up for my elective class)

Next update will be from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala!
Thanks for reading! Dios le bendiga!


Mission Trip With Okies & Kentuckians... and a girl from Tennesse

I think I had some people worried and maybe even confused, because I was in Guatemala a little over a week ago.  But don’t worry, I’m back in ‘Merica now.  I went for a 10 day mission trip with Devin’s church in Oklahoma and a group from a church in Kentucky.  For lack of my vocabulary, it was an amazing trip. I think it is really cool that Devin’s church has been going to serve the same area for 4 years now.  Relationships have been formed and continued.  It was so great to see familiar faces in Guatemala, especially because I got to tell the “nos vemos pronto/We’ll see ya soon” and mean it… not just like a year… but a month!  I also loved the gringos I went with.  It’s amazing how mission trips make people bond in lightning speed.  I especially loved (this is serious not sarcastic) sharing a room with 3 girls for the majority of the trip, as it made me feel like that is what having sisters would have been like. 

The Roomies: Whittles, Jamica, Me, & Steph



Our team of 29  worked alongside a church in Totonicapan. (This city is about 40 minutes from where I’ll be teaching in August.)  We went to different communities in the area and held Vacation Bible Schools.  There was a group of people who held a sports ministry, where their  goal was to form relationships with the youth and point them to Christ or encourage them in their walk.  We also had a stellar group of men who constructed a roof for a pastor’s home.  We also delivered bags of food and household items to people in need.  We would visit and talk with them as well, in hopes of sharing Christ, praying for them, and encouraging them.  The food and items we deliver will run out, but Christ will not.  We wanted to encourage these people to seek the Bread of Life and the Living Water.

The whole team singing "Victory In Jesus"

This is probably the coolest thing I saw that happened on the trip:

Last summer Devin introduced me to a family that he had met and always spent time with on his travels to Toto.  I had heard so much about them before even meeting them. Lucia, Luis, Brian, Vilma, Sonrida (Please know I probably butchered the spelling of their names).  Lucia, is a single mom as her husband was killed a few years ago. She is very poor and in a nutshell, life has just been very difficult for her and her family.  She also was unsaved. 

 I loved spending time with her and her family last summer.  She was always so generous to me & Devin when we visited.  The best coffee I had in Guatemala came from her house, because it had real cow milk.. I mean straight up from the cow warm milk… we think?  But anyway she was always very thankful for us coming to visit and play with her kids and anything given to her. The only catch is that she didn’t really get why we and the church were loving on her.  It was much, much, much more than just doing a good deed or feeling good about ourselves---it was to point her to Christ.  And she at the time did not know Him. 

Hangin' out with Lucia's family last summer

Short-term mission trips are hard because the people are blessed by your presence, but as missionaries we want them to blessed by the presence of God—not our presence.  The food, the gifts, the VBS, the visits from gringos… those that can’t go on forever, but the love of Christ can.  We can not be everything they need, but Christ can.   All those other things are just done to point to the One—the Only One—who will never fail us and who can be our Everything.

(Step off soap box).
Back to my story, one day our team of 29 was divided into different groups to deliver bags of food and household items to homes in need. During our visits we would be sharing Christ and praying with them.  I was in a group with Pastor Efrain and we went to Lucia’s house first. 





Brian & Lucia

I was SOOOOOO excited.  I didn’t know until we literally were at her front door that we were going there.  It was so great to see her and the kids.  All of us gringos were quickly welcomed into her small, one-room home and treated like royal guests.  Everyone had to have a seat and she had to make sure everyone was comfortable.  It didn’t take me long to get comfortable because Vilma was on my lap and Sonrida cuddled up to my side. 

Pastor Efrain started speaking to Lucia, telling her why we were there (though she already knew because she has heard this so many times).  He mentioned that he knew her life was difficult but that she needed to seek Christ and teach her children to do the same thing. 

While Efrain was saying all this I quickly noticed the change in Lucia’s face because it’s one I had seen before on her face and many others (both Guatemala and America).  She zoned out.  Looked to the ground.  She was hearing the words with her ears but not her heart.  It was a look and mood I remembered seeing from her last summer.  She wasn’t being rude, she actually kept saying “si, hermano” and “es cierto”… but I think that’s just something people do there to be polite.

I started praying for her.  For her heart to finally open up to Christ. 

Lucia started talking and sharing about her life and the latest difficulties she had faced.  And they were grand.   After explaining all these things for a while, I remember her saying something along the lines of “I have no one, but God is with me.”

Yes, my jaw dropped.  And I re-played her words in Spanish in my head to make sure I had translated correctly. 

She started crying, so I figured I had heard her right.  And by the look on Efrain’s face I was sure of it.  I kept looking at him trying to read his Spanish mind for even more confidence that I heard correctly.

I had. And was ECSTATIC!  Poor Vilma.  I took out my joy on her by squeeeeezzzzzziiiinnnggg her as the Spanish conversations continued. 

Next thing I know Lucia and her older daughter, Rosa, got down on their knees and accepted Christ as their Savior.  Lucia, even in the midst of all her trials & pain, had realized that God was there and will be there for her.  She realized all that Christ had done for her, and how she needed to give her life to Him.

Praise God for not only sending Jesus to be Our Savior, but for seeking us when we were lost.  For wanting us, even when we wanted to run away.  For loving us, when we wanted nothing to do with Him.  For accepting us as sinners, and loving us as His Children.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst,
    a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
    he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

I’m really excited to return to Toto (in less than a month) to visit Lucia and see how she is doing.  Pray for her as she is new in her faith.  Pray that she would be a spiritual leader in her home and community.  Pray that she would continue to lean on Christ, through her difficulties. Pray for her kids to follow in her footsteps and accept Christ as their Savior. Praise God for his great works!

Praising God in Guatemala!  Had so much fun worshipping with new friends!  Special shout out to "my band!"  (Girl in the red beside is playing a ukulele!  How cool is that?!! That's Jessica... the girl from Tennessee ;)