My Guatemala Family (:

So tonight we had my going away party with the staff. It was a blast. Mrs. Hannah cooked chinese and made chocolate covered strawberries. It was the sweetest and I felt SO loved. We played Mafia and Signs and just laughed and enjoyed the company. It's strange to think I'm leavin tomorrow, gosh I'm gonna miss these guys.

This post is exactly the title, meet my Guatemala family (: This post is just for them, a thanks and I love you.

The Scotts- Oh Sir Andrew and Mrs. Hannah, what to say what to say. Ya'll really are like second parents to me. You have been for the past 4 years and I couldn't love and adore ya'll any more than I do. From nightly Mafia games to waking ya'll up for candles to serious life talks, ya'll really are the best. You both have made me feel so at home and that I could come to ya'll for anything, which I have. Ya'll give the best advice and have always treated me like an adult and wth respect. Through the years that has meant so much. I always knew I could come crying and be met with hugs, some AMAZING food, and lots of good bonding time, all of which I have taken advantage of several times. Thank ya'll for everything, you really do mean the world to me and I'm counting the days till we can be together again. Love you both! Hugs hugs (:

The Gardners- Ya'll have just recently come into my life and I'm so grateful. Who woulda known we'd have to come all the way to ChiChi to find people that live legit 5 miles away. Ya'll are the kindest and sweetest people and I adore your children. I love your faithfulness and perserverance. You truly are special people. You also have made me feel like I could come talk to ya'll and ask for anything if I needed it. I can't wait to see ya'll over Christmas and I love the fact that we'll be so close. Mrs. Kristen, you became my "out in the corn mom" haha always making sure I had medicine if need be and was all sunscreened up. Thanks for "adopting" me (: Love all 4 of you!

All 3of my "Moms"! Including Sonia, my Guatemalan Mama (:

I told ya'll you'd get your own, so here it is my chicas (:

Leah(left)- Hey sweet girl! So I'm gonna miss you like crazy but you know this. We have grown so close over the past 5 weeks and I'm gonna miss our coffee dates and late night gossips about the teams. Haha. You are so mature and gentle-hearted. Always ready to jump in and work your hardest. I love that about you. I'll also miss our Spanish speaking adventures! When you come to the states, we'll go to Starbucks and talk so nobody'll understand (: Love you!

Jenna(right)- Hey baby girl! Wow will I miss you and our "sleepovers". You have been the comedic relief throughout my trip and you have been a constant source of light. Thanks for all the card games and for being my little tag along. I loved being on jobsites with you, you always kept it interesting. I promise to let you ride in the back of my truck when we're in the states. I love you girlie! Keep it real (: Haha

My Big Brothers(no picture)- How do I even begin? Ya'll are awesome and are exactly your titles, my big brothers. From motorcyle rides to and from work (always remembering safety) to teaching me dirty Spanish. Haha. What would I do without ya'll. You're always keeping extra eyes on me and keeping me laughing, constantly. I love ya'll so much. See ya in November and yes I promise to come bearing beef jerky (:

So here we are...

So here we are, my last full day. I didn't post last night because we had a huge power outage, like all of Chichi was without power. Scariest thing ever. But it stinks cause I really wanted to post yesterday. It was my last day out in the field and it seemed like I should pay tribute to that somehow. So I'm gonna do it now. I'll post again tonight cause it's another special one but right now, I just wanna reconize Guatemala as a whole...

Hola Guate (:

 Oh what to say about these 5 weeks with you. It's been rejuevenating, challenging, fulfilling, and so much more. I came to you so burned out, exhausted and ready to give up. Your mountains and people embraced me and nursed me back to my full potential but not without time and many personal challenges. This trip for me was so much more than just about serving and working. It was about falling in love with you all over again. I'll miss drinking coffee on my porch, my prayer chapel, my daily walks to town, your dust, your smells and your people. Thank you for allowing me to watch your sunrises and ride through your countryside. I've worked through your rain and fallen asleep to the same. You've always known just how to center me right where I need to be. I had so many issues lately that I've needed to work through and I'm forever grateful God sent me here to do it. He knew this would be the best place for me, around people I love and in the place I belong. You are sending me home sad to leave but ready at the same time. You've prepared me for what's to come and I know that I always have you to come back to. You'll always be home. And I'll always love you for the place you hold in my heart. I'll miss you.

Hasta luego,

Katarine

Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad,

So you don't know I'm doing this but I decided to write you a note from Guate specifically for you two. I don't give ya'll enough credit, I know this, but I really wouldn't be here without you both. Throughout my life you have supported me, cheered me on from the sidelines, and quietly been the wind beneath my wings. I love you so much for that. And I'm sorry I don't tell ya'll enough. Every day that I'm here I wish ya'll were too. Even though ya'll know I believe God sends me here alone evey year for a reason, there are still moments when I just need my Mom and Dad. It's in the simple moments, like walking through the market, talking to Kique, or even when I just have a really bad headache. It's those times when I just say to myself "Gosh, I just wish they were here". Ya'll have allowed me to spread my wings and leave the nest probably earlier than you've wanted to at times and I respect you so much for it, I know it hasn't always been easy. I also thank you for the times you've helped me, allowed me to make my own mistakes and for the times you've let me fail. It's in those times I've grown the most. And when I look back on them, I still see you there, never truely leavig my side. In 3 days I'll be home with you and I know ya'll are ready and I am too. Thank you for supporting my passion here and for understanding why it's so bittersweet to leave. You've never once challenged it. Thank you for putting up with my tired skype calls, the aggrivated ones and even the nights I didn't call at all. I know every kid says this and I'm sure they are right in their own respect but I really do have some of the greatest parents out there. Ya'll are the best and I love you more than ya'll will ever know. Thank you for everything!

And remember, no matter where I go in this world or what I do, I'll always be your baby girl (:

Love Always,
Rinnie (Momma)
Little One (Dad)

6 days left.

To be honest, I struggle with how to start this. I have had so much going through my head and heart today that when I sit here and try to get it out, I have no idea where to begin...The past couple of days have been rough, in more ways than one. I can't says it's been one particular thing or mutiple. The reality of leaving is hitting me and the reality of what I'm going home to is also sinking in.

Change is occuring all around me, all the time. And that won't get any easier in the coming month.  I'd like to think I handle it well, when in essence I know I don't, at all. The truth is change scares me, I'm a control freak and I know when I get home things will start happening that are well beyond my control. And the fact that I can't do anything about it makes me want to run so far in the opposite direction. People I love are gonna leave, I will stay, and life will go on. I know this, in my head, but my heart still wants so badly to hold on to everything I have just the way it is.

Not to mention this year will probably one of the hardest years of my life. Life changing decisions will be made, I will have to say goodbye to people I love, and I will be expected to do it all with a smile on my face. If I can confide in ya'll about something, my faith that everything will be ok...well it's dwindling. I just don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, I know it's there, I just wish God would send me a sneak peak.

So my prayer request from ya'll is this: I need guidance, I need rassurance, I need comfort. So please think of me when ya'll are bowin your heads at night.

I have 6 days left. No more church days and 1 more market day. Am I ready to come home? Yes and no. I miss my family, friends, and my boyfriend more than anything but I know the second I leave here that hole in my heart will once again be empty.

I'm sorry the past few days have been bland. I am constantly reminded of it. So again, I am sorry. I'll try to do better in my last remaining days.

“The key to change... is to let go of fear.”

Hershey's Kisses!

Main Events of the Day:

• Got to be the group cordinator for the day
• Babysat
• Saw Night at the Museum 2
• Found Hershey's Kisses at the Dispensa!!!!!!
• Bought a lot of Picomas
• Rode in at least 5 different Tuk Tuk's
• Met the team I'm going home with
• Staying at Monte Flor alone tonight

Yeah pretty full day...

Becoming a Local

It's amazing how being in a place for an extended period of time changes your status from a tourist to a local. I've been here for a month and I'm truly starting to experience how that feels and it feels great.

Tourist: foreign visitors who come to see popular sites and attractions... but are often side-tracked by even simpler things... (a telephone pole, a school bus, a bird, a sandwich) signs of their attraction towards native features: accessive photographing, pointing of fingers

A Local: a person who lives in a place frequently visted by tourists, knows all the local spots (cafes, clubs, restaurants, a person who gets asked by tourists for directions and is annoyed considerably by them

*Thank you urbandictionary.com for the definitions.*

Today I began to see and feel how I fell into the latter. Taking the team through the market today, I was showered with gifts and people were calling my name and I was getting great deals. The owner of the cafe I frequent knows me now and market vendors don't hound me in the least. My friends in the market help me and we can talk about life and family and there's no feelings of resentment or that I don't really care. I hate that it's taken me a month to completely get to this point considering I leave in a week. But I do feel like it'll be different when I come back in November. Like they'll remember and maybe still not treat me so different. I finally feel like I'm sinking into their culture and their lives and I'm loving it.

Daily Shout Outs

• Matt- 1 week! Almost there!
• Mom and Dad- Missing ya'll!
• All my family and friends- I'll be coming home to ya'll soon! Get pumped!

Lo Siento

I'm sorry my posts have been bland but honestly nothing to exciting has happened. It's been raining and cold but 'tis the season. We've been buliding building building. Tomorrow is market day and then my half day off. It's crazy to think this week's almost over and only 9 days till I'm home. But anyways if anything different or exciting happens, I'll make sure to report.

Love and miss ya'll!

Internet Insanities...

So internet has been crazy difficult the past couple days considering all our storms and such. The past 2 days haven't been all that eventful. Yesterday I skyped into church which was fun. And the rest of the day I just relaxed and caught up on rest. Today the new team came in, my last one from Michigan, and I think they're gonna be a fun one. We ate lunch, toured Monte Flor and went to a feeding program. The evening ended with being cold and soaked to the bone (thank you rainy season) and some great BBQ sandwhiches. NowI'm settling in for a movie and a good nights sleep.

Only 11 more days till I'm home, bittersweet.

Daily Shout Outs

• Matt- I know you're having fun in S. Dakota and I'm so glad. I love you and miss you! Less than 2 weeks!
• Mom and Dad- Miss ya'll like crazy. I know it may not seem like it sometimes, considering my tired and irritable self at the end of every day but I really really do.
• Nana- I miss you so much. And I found out today that Mr. Ron is exactly 3 weeks older than you. Small world. Haha.

A day off (:

Today was just that, a day off. Slept in, ate cereal, watched my TV shows, talked to my boyfriend and didn't change into "real" clothes till after noon. It was renewing. It had been a full and long week and Saturday was a welcomed retreat. Tomorrow will start way earlier than need be but it should be fun. Then a new week will start, my last typical work week, considering my last will be full of preperations to come home. For all of those who miss me, 2 weeks from today is all I have to say (:

All the plates and dishes bought for the Girl's Home with Mom and Dad's donation!

After a year of hardwork, sweat, tears, and prayer. It's finally done (:



3 Teams Down 2 To Go

I'm exhausted so I'll only be posting the past 2 days in picures. Sorry about yesterday, the internet was down...

*For the record, we're laughing.*

Widow Stoves

Good Stuff (:

So much to say...

So the past couple of days have been kinda bare in consideration to my blogging but it's not because the days aren't full, they are, I just am too tired at night to write or I have so much to say that I don't know how to put it all down. So I guess I'm done puttin it off, tonight's gonna be a long one...

Yesterday was the 4th of July and I'm hoping you all had a blessed holiday full of hamburgers, watermelon and lots of fireworks. For my Carolina folks, I heard it was a little rainy (: For everyone else, I hope you had plenty of sunshine and warmth. For us here in Guatemala the day started like any other, cold, dreary and rainy. Now for those of you who don't know, the 4th is my favorite holiday so my heart was going out to ya'll a little extra yesterday. But we didn't let the day pass without celebration. Last night we gathered with other American missionaries in town and had our own little 4th of July party, in the 60 degree weather and the hurricane rain and all. And let me tell ya, it was a blast. But that got me thinking, about missionary communities and the people that were surrounding me.

Acts 2: 42-47 reads

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts ..." 

If you can imagine a long table full of typical "American" food (as typical as it can get in a latino country), hands reaching across eachother, the low roar of the many conversations occuring, children yelling and laughing, and at least 2 dozen people gathered for the sole purpose of community then you have witnessed a small part of my holiday evening. At one point I sat back, just to observe the scene I was a part of and it hits me. This is what it's all about, this is what Jesus intended, this is love. This is what that bible verse is all about. It was so beautiful.

Every week these people warmly welcome teams with open arms to worship and have fellowship. They give them a place to belong, even for an hour or so, in a country where we can be such outcasts. They give them refuge from the outside, a place that can be sometimes scary and heartless. I've always said that if I could fly down to ChiChi every Sunday just for church, I would. And I stand by that. I have never been in a place so full of the Spirit. It's refreshing to sit in a simple room, with no fancy sound equipment, no fancy graphics, and to know that everyone sitting next to you is here for the same reason, fighting the same fight. It really is like a family. The closest knit family possible. They share heartache, fears, happiness, successes, but most of all they share the unknown. Here, in a foriegn country where you're lucky to speak a little of the native tongue and mighty blessed to find Pepsi products, the unknown is the scariest and most rewarding thing missionaries face. After all, it's what we're here for.

So as I sat back in that chair and watched people I have grown to love over the years or even just weeks I was filled with gratitude and humility. I was thankful that they welcomed me and allowed me to be a part of their missional family. I was humbled to see all these people that had given up their lives in the States to come and serve a lost people. I long to return to this one day, except maybe a little more permantly (:

So here we are, today. It rained all day long, even stormed really bad at one point. We went to the local school with supplies to pass out which was a blast and something new.

The night ended with lots of laughs and good bonding time with the "fam". It's amazing how many moments I have that are so bittersweet. This place has my heart and is such a part of me. In so many ways it saved me. It breaks my heart to know my days here are numbered and dwinding but all good things must come to an end. I just hope through my actions and works, I can give back to this country and these people a fraction of what they have given me. I love you Guatemala and I always will (:

Daily Shout Outs

• Matt- Happy Halfway Day! You are the best, I hope you kow that. Thank you, for everything and you know what I'm talking about. I love you, what more can I say.
• Mom-I had a horrible headache today, it made me miss you so much.  

Happy 4th of July America!

Need I say more? Happy holiday everyone!

Short but Sweet (:

Cutest kid ever, totally wanna take him home. He'll sing for just about anything (:

3 weeks left...

 Me: TAMMY, they have pictures of me and my cow.....

Tammy: Just remember . . . cows in the mountains of Guatemala "only speak Quiche"!!! You saying "move off the road" WON'T work!

Me: Yeah, well somebody coulda told me that BEFORE the cow starting plotting my death! Haha.

What a great day (:

So today I pretty much just chilled out. I worked on a lot of paperwork and finished up Modern Family and talked to my wonderful boyfriend. It was much needed considering I have a feeling this next week will be a pretty draining one. But I'm excited all the same.

Although today was good, it was kinda hard. Maybe cause I'm about halfway through my trip or cause I just had way too much time today. But I was missing home a lot. Missing my Mom and Dad, Matt, my friends, heck even the Carolina heat. I was missing my bed, my pillow and blankets, my cats, my own shower, and my truck. To be honest, it was kinda frustrating. Not to mention I reconnected with an old teammate of mine today, it really made me miss my gymnastics. But oh well, enough of that. It was just a little rough patch I had to get through but all is ok now. Just thought I'd share my struggle.

Tomorrow is Sunday, church and market here we come. Plus, I get to meet the team which I'm excited for. I can't wait to do a little more shopping and speak more Spanish. I'm learning so much and I really do feel like I'm getting better which is awesome!

"We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life"

Daily Shout Outs

• Matt- Only 3 more weeks babe! Love you!
• Mom and Dad- Missing ya'll like crazy!
• Dawn and Madison- Thanks for all ya'll do! Keep up the hard work!



For
My
Mom
(:
Love
You
!!!

Scalloped potatoes with ham (:

Best dinner ever, just saying (: Haha

Today I interviewed my last 5 families for Bethany Christian Services and it was a blast. Lots of laughing, blessing, and joy. What more can you ask for. We traveled around doing that literally all day and got to hand out things in the process. I just love days like today. They remind me why I love these people and this place. It makes me fall in love all over agian.

Then we came back to Monte Flor and I helped straighten up the girls home a bit and then went to shower and change and such. I also proceeded to watch another like 3 episodes of Modern Family. This is becoming a problem. No joke. Then we had the best dinner (hence the title of the post) and had some nice fellowship, as always. Afterward I DID MY LAUNDRY (hehe Mom) and floded it and put it away. Haha.

Now I'm soin this and will probably watch more Modern Family and begin to settle in for the night. It's another end to a blessed day and I'm excited to wake up to what tomorrow will hold. One thing's for sure, I'm sleepin in (:

Oh and please continue to pray for my ankle, it's really becoming a bother. Thanks!

The purpose of life is a life of purpose.
- Robert Byrne

Daily Shout Outs

• Matt- Thanks for being you, I love you for it (:
• Mom and Dad- I missed talkin to ya'll today! Love ya'll!
• The Element- Thanks for a great week! Hope ya'll made it home safe and sound!

**Special Post**

So Tammy and I were in the back of the truck today and we were discussing our "States" cravings. Just thought I'd share mine, just in case any certain folks who might be picking me up at the airport wanna help me out. Ahem ahem I'm just sayin. Well here it goes...

1. SWEET TEA (McDonald's perferably but any will do)
2. Salsaritas (ironic I know, but the queso people the queso come on)
3. Dr. Pepper
4. Chick-Fil-A (waffle fries!)
5. KFC (I have no clue)
6. Kraft Mac-n-Cheese
7. Ranch
8. Iceberg Lettuce
9. Mint Chocolate Chip ice-cream
10. Ice cubes

Yumm...... (: