Well helllooo there. :) Hope this blog finds you well.


I must say that I have been dreading this first blog but before you get all in a tissy, (uh, yeah, don't do that...) let me just explain.


I think everyone who goes into a trip like this one to Guate goes in with expectations even if they try their best not to. Some people are real optimistic and some try to be as pessimistic as possible so they couldn't possibly be dissapointed. So I of course had some expectations of my own. Its hard to even put them in words but I'll try my best. I think I expected to really encounter God in a new way and I expected to just learn a lot about love and how we as Christ followers are called to love and what that best looks like with a language barrier and extreem cultutal differences. I expected to find joy in the little things and contentment in all things.


Now what I got was much different. And I still don't really know what to do with it all.


First of all, let me say that the joke of the trip was that we were winning at Disaster Bingo. If all the spaces on a bingo card where disasters or things that could go wrong on a trip, we would have gotten a bingo. Without a free space. We kept saying we were going for black out. Now, I am not joking here. We faced a errupting volcano (one that we climbed a week before it errupted... I mean, we poked the lava with a stick, that's how close we were) and then we had a tropical storm. (Oh Agatha...) and that storm caused flooding, mudslides, and collapsed houses. Also, there was a massive sink hole in Guatemala that swallowed (yeah, swallowed) an entire building and threatened several others. In addition, we had a girl get very very sick and so she was hospitalized for two nights for a severe intestinal infection that had been causing her to throw up blood. That same girl also had her wallet stolen later in the trip. I'm not even joking, this all happened. And I'm not even counting the drama between the team members and missionaries that can only be expected when a group of kids stick together for three weeks.


But even with all this craziness crammed into three weeks, we were able to hang out with some of the coolest little boys and play some awesome games of soccer with them and then we met some of the cutest little kids at a couple of orphanages and I think my heart is still there in Guatemala in little Maria's hands.

I think with all that I experienced while I was there, the one thing I was most certain of was that God was in control and had a plan the entire time. And it certainly wasn't our plan. But even this was something I already know and I hadn't yet forgotten it. With all the stress of the trip weighing down on my shoulders, I most often found myself not so much as barrying my face in the shoulder of God as some might expect, but rather with His arms around me, just leaning on Him for support. It was almost effortless, like He was the one holding on to me, keeping me close, and supporting me when I didn't even think I needed it. I was blessed by His faithfulness, love, grace, and about a zillion other attributes that He possesses.

I think I also expected to learn a lot about love but I can actually sum up what I learned pretty simply: God wants us to love not like its the only day you get but love like you have only minutes left. I think I will spend some more time on this thought in another blog but that's what I learned about love from little Maria.

And as far as joy and contentment, I must have dodged all that like raindrops because while I wasn't so much as anxious or stressed, I just wasn't content. I was a little restless in all that we did and it was a little draining.
I think I also learned a lot about being a leader. And about failing. But since this is already a novel, I'll save those for another blog as well.

But I will close with a few more thoughts.
I am very thankful for the experience that I was blessed with in Guate. I adore my team and the missionaries and all the people we met there. It was a good three weeks even with all the craziness but words cannot express how thankful I am to be home safe and sound and enjoying some summertime.

And last but not least, since I keep talking about her, let me introduce you to Maria, my little Gautemalan orphan that I serisously considered smuggling home. I was blessed enough to be with her for a couple of hours one morning and she stole my heart.


 
What more can I say? God is good. :)

Yeah, so I was just building up anticipation by not blogging for so long... yeah, that's it.

:)

Ok, no I am a total slacker and I admit it. Or rather, I should say that I have had entirely too much to do in entirely too little time. My B, everyone. My B.

But here is the deal: I finished my last college undergrad classes and finals. I participated in commmencement ceremony. And I moved out of my apartment and back home. Goodness it has been a crazy week. Or month. Or semester. Out of control.

But yes, Guatemala is the next thing on the list and one that is now taking up a lot of my time. We will be heading out late Sunday night and wont be back until June 7th. 22 days of fun. Its going to be incredible, I just know it but we still have things to figure out before hand.

Will you guys join us in praying for a few specific things? First, money. The team is all paid for but we have a few fees that we all are paying out of pocket for so please be praying that we all can find the money to pack our baggage fees and travel expenses and the like. Also, safety and travel smarts are definitely needed. We are actually getting on a total of 5 planes to get to Guatemala and back so just airport safety is needed but also as we tavel around Guatemala and do all the activities and work, please pray that we are wise and safe as we run around. Please pray for the hearts of those we will encounter, both nationals and our missionaries as well as anyone we meet while we are traveling. My prayer is that their hearts would be opened to the Lord and that we as a team can be a light and a testimony to our God. And also the hearts of our team. We are all a little nervous and anxious at this point and not really sure what all to expect so please just pray that we can trust the Lord and be flexible and just willing to do whatever we can while we are in Guatemala.

Thank you all so much for following this and praying for us and supporting us. God is so good and He is blessing us with so much and I can't wait to go and experience what He has in store for us. And yes, don't you worry, I will be sure to tell you all about it when I get back. Thanks again and God bless!!

Larissa

Hello out there! Just a quick update:

We are doing really well as a team overall. This week before spring break has been a little stressful for some but a little break here is going to be so good for all of us.

Last Sunday we were blessed by the Residence Life staff here on campus when they put on a Rock Paper Scissors tournament and gave us the proceeds. There were some intense refereeing and battles but it was a wonderful time to hang out as a team and just laugh at the intensity. Some of the girls on the team made some incredible goodies which we gave away for a donation also. We ended up making a little over $100 which will get us one step closer to our goals.

We are also buying plane tickets today which is a huge step. We are just so thankful that we have the funds for these tickets. God is providing in beautiful ways for us and we are so thankful for that. We are moving in the right direction and people are continuing to bless us financially as well as emotionally and prayerfully in their support. Thank you to all of you who are reading this and are included in that group. If you still feel called to give, check the little blurb over on the left here --------> and you can get some more information for that donation.

Thank you all for reading and keeping us in your prayers. God is doing some big and beautiful things in our group and we are just blown away again and again by His grace and faithfulness.

Praise God and to Him be the glory! :)

I want my life to make a difference. I want to leave this world a better place. And I want to enjoy doing it.

Is that so much to ask?

I think to accomplish this, it comes down to finding how my purpose, that is God-given and God-fueled, is combined with my heart-filling and joy-giving passions and talents. So, yes, I am once again talking about how I can combine my education degree with my desire to get out there and experience the world and take it in through the lens of my camera.

With a lot of grace and by His will alone, I will be able to get out there and change the world, if only for one soul.

This all comes from the fact that I have spent this last week preparing for a paper that I had to write for my missions class that is all about teaching overseas. Basically I spent the entire week looking at beautiful places and hearing about incredible opportunities and doing all I can not to look at plane tickets to these places. It was really good to do some research and look at both the pros and cons and the hurdles I will have to overcome in the next few years. It was such an exciting thing to look into further but it has also required me to really dig deep, spend some quality time in the Word and prayer and really try to attempt to understand the Lord's will for my life.

I think the jury is still out on that last little bit because I honestly have no idea if I will actually get the incredible opportunity to go teach in another country but the possibility is still very exciting. I think the conclusion that I am coming to now is that I need to grow where I am planted and let the Lord mold, grow and prepare me for all the work He has for me.

My prayer now is that I won't be so antsy to get out and go and see but rather that I can be content and joyful in serving right where I am. I am looking forward to the next few years in my life and all the learning I will be blessed enough to experience. I praise God for the work He has done in my heart and will continue in the next few years and I am excited to see what He will do with my willingness to go and serve the Nations.

Pray for me... :)

Hello there. Here are some pictures as promised.

But first, I need to do some prefacing. : )

So every year, CCU2theWorld, the mission organization at my university, does an awarenes event called Bowl For A Buck. Basically, we rent out a bowling alley, fill it with way to many people, and bowl like crazy. Each missions team has two lanes or so and they sell tickets for their lanes. The teams decorate and dress all crazy so as to represent their country and culture and it is just an all around crazy night. We chose to go as Mayan warriors with facepaint, jungle hair, and bright colors. Prepare yourself. : )

The following pictures are worth a zillion words. But because some of them are a little odd, I'll give you some captions for reference. Just know we had a wonderful time bonding and hanging out as a team. And we used a lot of soap and water as well as bottles of conditioner later that night.

To the pics!

So, I am a really REALLY big fan of black and white. Like, big bold patters like zebra skin, or black with white polka dots, or a big bold floral pattern; it’s all great. I love black and white photographs and nine times out of ten I will like the black and white version better than the color version of the same photograph. In fact, even though I see every picture I take in color through my camera lens, in my head it translates to black and white. Yeah, I'm a big fan of black and white.

So, yeah. Why is that important?

Perhaps it’s because that isn't life. Life isn't a crisp, bold pattern with defined lines between what is right and what is wrong. If you think about it, most aspects of our lives aren't black and white but are a dance somewhere in the gray. I find myself searching and wishing for black or hoping to end up in the white and yet all I can find around me is gray.

A good black and white photograph has a wide range of shades of gray but it also has to have strong blacks and strong whites. It’s kind of a beautiful description of life, if you don't mind going deep into this metaphor with me. A good photograph is a solid, balanced combination of all three elements, with no one overpowering the others. And if that is a good metaphor for life, why am I so desperate to find my way to the black or white?

This whole thing stems from my desire to truly know who I am, where I am going, and what it all means. These are no easy answers to find and I hate to say it, but I may just be looking to answer these questions for the rest of my life. But as I coast through my senior year and start to prepare for the next season of my life I have this desire to be in the black and white. I want solid, definable answers to these questions and an ocean of other ones. I want to be committed to some choice as to what I am going to do and how I am going to do it. Not in the sense of putting on blinders and barreling down the path I choose, oblivious to the other open doors the Lord has laid beside the path but in the sense of having the peace in knowing that I have truly sought the Lord and made the decision I think He is calling me to make and then trusting Him with the rest. I am ready to jump and follow Him anywhere but after Guatemala, I don't know where He is leading me.

I think taking one day at a time could be a great way for me to just calm down and wrap my head around this whole thing but that philosophy is just not sitting well with me as I look to graduate and get finances in order. Where does the Lord want me to go now? What does He desire of me? What is His will in my life here in the next season? Which path do I take, the black one or the white one?

Or do I just continue to dance in the gray?

I haven't the faintest idea. But will you dance with me?

Oh hey everyone. Larissa here.

(Ha, who else would it be?)

Here is the quick (yeah right) Guatemalan update:

* We are now eleven people strong. We gained another girl, Michelle, who is a doll and I think she will fit in rather nicely with the crew. So that makes 3 guys, 5 girls, Lindsay our staff leader, and Arika and I. Solid, solid team.

* We have been focusing a lot of getting to know each other and building trust as we let ourselves be vulnerable. Its a struggle sometimes but everyone is pretty amazing and God has taken them down such beautiful paths to bring them to this place. Its pretty incredible to see each individual and then see our potential as a team. I think God just may do some incredible things with us...if He wants.

* Our main focus is going to be shifting from so much team bonding (which we will continue, of course) to learning as much as we can about Guatemalan culture and fundraising. We have decided that we are raising funds as a team rather than as individuals and it will be very interesting to see how that all works. The team came to the decision themselves to pool our funds and I think the Lord will really provide if we are all using every resource we have.

* As for fundraisers, we are going through King Soopers grocery store and buying gift cards that people can load money onto and for everything they buy, we get 5% of the money. So, if you are a shopper and King Soops and you wouldn't mind putting money on a gift card and then using that to buy your groceries, let me know and I'll hook you up and you can support us financially as you shop. This will be the first of a couple fundraisers so I'll let you know more when we get things nailed down with the next money makers.

* As far as the cold hard facts go, we are about half way to our plane ticket goal of $6,000 and we have to have that money in by Friday. Please be praying for these funds so we can get those plane tickets and take the next step on this awesome adventure.

* This coming Thursday night my school is having an event called "Bowl-4-a-Buck" where my missions department rents out the bowling alley and everyone comes to bowl and support all the mission teams. Each team has a couple lanes and they dress up and decorate their section like their country so its always a crazy, crazy time. I am going to try to bring my camera so I can snap some pictures and post them for you guys. So stay tuned for that.

Uh, yeah, that is all I can think about right now. Some specific things we could really use some prayer for is finances, good plane tickets, and a deep desire to better understand what the Lord is teaching us today. We are doing a lot of preparation in our heads but the most important prep is in our hearts. Thanks so much for reading this and for your support, it really means the world to me.

:)