Home

It is amazing how being away from Guyana for only a few short months has my mind wandering there again. My college dorm room is surrounded by pieces of Guyana; there are pictures all over the walls and surrounding my desk, a Guyana flag proudly hangs on my wall. I think about Guyana each and every day and long for the day when I will be allowed to return.

This year, my sister will be joining the team, and it is the biggest honor ever to be able and introduce her to a country that basically feels like home for me. I am so ready to show her absolutely everything, not hiding anything, the good and bad and the ugly. She has no idea what she is getting herself into, but I do, and I am so excited for her.

Just a few weekends ago, it was "Orphan Sunday", a day specifically set aside to remember those who many forget about. To me, they are unforgettable. Everyone of them has a unique, and usually extremely painful story to share to anyone who will just take a few short minutes to listen to them. Sometimes this means not getting the job done, or not finishing a project on time, but the longer I have been to Guyana the more I begin to realize that listening is really the most important thing that I can do. Without pausing from painting or building or whatever else we are doing there, I would have missed so many important details of those children's lives. I would have never known that Reshma and Rolisha are in love with ballet, and I would have never known that Naresh has dreams of coming to the United States. I would have never heard the stories of the orphanage workers or of anyone at all.

I am realizing more and more that this season of my life is simply about listening, to those around me and even to those who I have never spoken to before. It is important, and you really begin to understand people for who they are.

I absolutely cannot wait to return to Guyana this summer!

Home Sweet Home

As I am sure most of you know by now, we got home late last night safe and sound into Wilmington. One of the CCHS coaches picked us up and delivered us all to our respective homes!!

Being back is wonderful yet difficult all at the same time. I slept wonderfully in my comfortable bed last night but still couldn't help but think of the many we came across in Guyana that will not be afforded that opportunity.

I miss it. alot. I hope and pray that one day my dream comes true, and I will be allowed the glorious opportunity to live in Guyana. It was a little easier leaving knowing that the God who holds the universe and holds me so close is holding each and every one of those precious children in Guyana tonight!!

Thanks to everyone who was praying for us and most certainly prayed us home. Our trip was so successful, without a doubt, because of each and every one of you.

Until next year!!

Lauren

Day 6: Joshua House

"Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes."

-David Platt

        This quote is definitely one that is hitting home right about now. It is our last day in Guyana, and we spent a majority of it at Joshua House. The kids at Joshua House are different than the ones at Hope Home. Because of the lack of funding and staff, Joshua House children are beyond excited to see us to the point that it is almost scary sometimes. We oftentimes find ourselves holding on to walls or each other to keep from falling down. When we walk in, we are rushed by a sea of smiling faces. Those faces are the orphans, and because we know their names, have seen their faces, and have held them in our arms, they have become unforgettable. Before I went on my first Guyana trip, when I heard the word "orphans" back home whether at church, school, etc, I never had faces come into my mind. Now, when I hear "orphans" I see little Nakise or Paul at Joshua House dancing in their upstairs common area to familiar American songs. I see Reshma, Naresh, or Rolisha at Hope Home holding my hand ever so gently. I see the new 3-month old baby or the 2-year old twins staring back at me from their cribs at the Red Cross orphanage. I see so many more familiar orphans from Guyana, and my heart strings are tugged on so much more than ever before because I have realized that the word "orphan" means more than commercials on TV or someone else's experience. They are real and they do exist. More than anything they just need to be loved.

At Joshua House today, we once again made wonderful sock puppets for all of the children to enjoy and even turn into "monsters" to attack us with : ) After the craft, we turned our craft room into a dance floor and danced the day away to some familiar American tunes. Pat and Derrick were especially great dancers!! The children loved to watched them and quickly joined in. Other team members did alot of painting work throughout Joshua House, and Gladys, the owner, was thrilled to see it completed.

Many of us are back at the hotel now. We find that it is easier for the Joshua House children if we leave in separate groups instead of all at one time. We will spend our last night in Guyana at our favorite restaurant, the Brazilian restaurant. SO GOOD!!

We will be heading out tomorrow to make our return to the U.S. Our flight from Guyana leaves before lunch, and we should be in the States around 3 p.m. give or take : ) Please pray for travelling mercies for us and an easy transition for Josh and Tessa as their dad/grandpa will be returning to the U.S. with us.

Thanks for all of the prayers you have said on our behalf while we have been away! Much love to you all : )

Day 5: Homeless Shelter and Street Feeding

Well our Internet has returned... Barely :)

We have had a very packed day today but a fruitful one at that!! We began our day at Houston Methodist Church and enjoyed a beautiful service there. After church, we were gifted with sponge cake and soda... a much needed and enjoyed refreshment :)

After the service, we made our way to the homeless shelter. There we set up a table and handed out shirts, flip flops, soap, toilet paper, and a bag of other toiletries. They were definitely much appreciated, and we were glad to provide!

We left the shelter and went to the Red Cross orphanage. It was a quick stop. We dropped off baby items and had a chance to hold some of the very tiny babies. They just recently got a new 3-month old baby girl who was absolutely adorable. We left there as enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Oasis. We were even able to get milkshakes :)

We then returned to the hotel to get prepared for the street feeding. We loaded the vans and hit the streets. We went through two huge pots of food today very quickly!! At one point, we stopped for what we thought was just a random stop so a few of us could switch seats. As we got out of the van, a small child who was living in a tony shack saw us and called out an gathered his friends. They all came running across the street to get food and Gatorade, and Andy escorted them back to their homes. What a God thing! We certainly know now that the stop was definitely not just a random event.

We are now all back at the hotel waiting for a wonderful pizza dinner!!

Internet Down

Hello everyone! A wreck in the city caused a downed powerline which was the source of our Internet at the hotel. We have been told not to expect Internet back while we are here. I am at an Internet cafe now :) If Internet does return, I will gladly do blog updates. If it does not return, I will catch everyone up between flights when we return to the States. We have had a great day today already. We have been to church, gone to a center for the homeless to pass out shoes,shirts, and toiletries, and have also stopped by the Red Cross orphanage for a visit. We are at lunch now and will be doing a street feeding this evening! Thanks for your continued prayers!

Day 4: Joshua House and Phoenix

Today was another wonderful day in Guyana!!

We did our devotional last night so that we could get an extra hour of sleep this morning. It was MUCH needed, and when everyone came down at 9 a.m., we were all refreshed and ready to go. We had breakfast out this morning at Roti Hut, a Guyana favorite.

We then decided that we could wait no longer to go to Joshua House so Mr. Butler agreed to let us stop by for about an hour to see the children. We were greeted with many hellos, smiles, and HUGE hugs. Some of the hugs were so big that we had to hold on to other team members so that we did not end up on the ground : ) It was so great seeing so many of the children that we have watched grow up over the years. They remembered every single one of our names and quickly learned the names of our new team members. Clement commented when we were back in the van that Joshua House was "full of nothing but love" and that while there, he couldn't help but fall in love with the children that he met. We brought a basketball to play with and also enjoyed playing frisbee with the children and playing on the swingset that was built for them a few years back. The children also love with Miles "heists" (throws) them into the air and when I turned around I noticed a line of kids ready for their turn. Michael came down from upstairs in the orphanage to tell us that the boys had decided they wanted to wrestle him : ) He was a bit outnumbered! We are anxiously awaiting our return to Joshua House on Monday!!

After leaving Joshua House, we went to Phoenix which is an inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. We went to bring them flip flops and other collected donations and to hear many of their stories. We were moved by what many of them had to say. Over and over again we heard tales of how much they all had and how now they were starting over because they had lost all of it because of their addictions. Derrick, a member of our team that was born in Guyana, shared his personal story. He spent many years living as a "junkie" on the street and through the help of Phoenix has now been clean for over 13 years and is living an exciting and productive life with his wife in the United States. Many members of Phoenix were definitely moved while listening to what Derrick had to say. We also got a special treat at Phoenix! A few of the members were taking care of two tiny puppies and a kitten that at been born there, and they allowed us to pass them around : )

We enjoyed a lovely lunch at Popeye's in the city and then spent the next few hours shopping at various stores and the open air market. We will leave later to head out to a location near the beach to celebrate Josh (Derrick's grandson)'s 10th birthday party. We are very exciting and so is he!!

Thanks again for all of your thoughts, prayers, and comments!! They mean so much to us : ) Pictures are below from the day:

Miles getting loved by the children!

Swinging!

Some more Joshua House kids!

One of the Phoenix puppies (I can't get these to rotate... sorry :) )

Katy and the Phoenix kitten!

Day 3: Plastic City

Today was yet again another incredible day in Guyana!

After breakfast and a meeting with Angie (a missionary from NC that works in Plastic City), we boarded our van to spend the day there. Clement, Katy, and Gina went back to Hope Home today to finish painting and plumbing work!!

Plastic City was an incredible and extremely eye-opening experience. It was a new place for all of us so much of our time there was truly taking in the community. PC is different than any other place I have ever been in Guyana. The homes are built out of some wood and other materials that builders have available to them. The structures are not necessarily "sound" but serve their purpose as a home for many families.

It started pouring as we made our way to the other side of the canal within PC. The bridge to cross over is nothing more than pieces of wood, worn from many feet crossing, overlapped to form a kind of foot bridge. In the rain, it definitely a scary experience but definitely one that I am sure we will all remember. Our first project was to clean and re-paint chalk boards that the teachers use for their daily lessons. The children loved helping us with that, and it provided much needed shelter from the heavy rain we experienced today. Angie took Pat, Miles, and I to walk the "jetty" and to invite those that live on it to come to a community health fair she will hold next week. The jetty is a small stone walkway (you can fit about two small people side by side) that leads from the main area of PC out to the ocean. The homes along it are built high on stilts because the houses are literally in the water. When we made it all the way to the ocean, we saw many happy faces, some sitting on the tiny walkway talking and others swimming.

After we got back to where everyone else was, Angie brought us our lunch that had been cooked by a local. It was by far the BEST meal we have had while in Guyana. We were served chicken curry, raisin rice, a spicy pasta salad, all kinds of fruit, and homemade passion fruit juice. These foods are your typical Guyanese meal, and it was beyond delicious!!

After lunch, we loaded back in our van and headed down the road to a primary school where a community vacation Bible school was being held this week. Each team member was given a certain age group to work with, and Miles and Michael attended the teen class. I was assigned to the preschool age group and when it was time for the children to play in the courtyard area at the school, I ended up holding a little baby that was there with his sister. While holding him, I did much observing, and it was so great to see our team at work. I saw Mr. Butler teaching a group of 13 year olds and Mrs. Butler overseeing; I saw Andy making one of the preschoolers laugh hysterically. I saw Miles and Michael engaged in their lesson right in the middle of all of the Guyanese teens. I saw Pat greatly enjoying her group of girls and boys. Everyone had a place, and everyone was truly doing what God had called them to do on the trip.

We said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel. We will be going to a wonderful Chinese restaurant tonight as a team!!

Thanks for your continued prayers and support : )

Reviewing the lesson for the day before on the solar system!

Miles and I with our new friend Safraz in front of a nicer PC home!

Team picture (minus Gina, Katy, and Clement B. who were at Hope Home)

 

  

Left to Right: Mr. Butler, Mrs. Butler, Pat, Clement G., Michael, Miles, Andy, and me

Day 2! Hope Home and Feeding Program

Today was yet another very successful day in Guyana!!

After devotions and breakfast, we stopped by Ruimveldt Children's Home. We had clothes and medicine to drop off, and we wanted to see the children! We were blessed beyond measure by the kids. After holding them, talking to the bigger ones, and touring the orphanage (which might I add was beautifully cleaned by the ladies who work there), the children began to sing for us and we joined it. It was an absolutely wonderful time of praise to our God who has carried us throughout this entire trip so far and will continue to!! We said our goodbyes and made our way to Hope Home for our last day there.

We arrived at Hope a little before lunch and began the same jobs we held yesterday. Today, we had another team from Texas join us at Hope as well. More hands are always a great thing!! We finished sock puppets and helped the other team do their craft project as well. We also brought out some drawing paper, markers and crayons which were a huge hit! I have lots of new pictures to hang in my dorm room back home : ) Unfortunately, the goodbye was inevitable and when it came, we made sure to give lots of hugs and reassured many sad eyes that God-willing, we will be back next year.


After leaving Hope, we quickly made our way back into the city, picked up the food, and headed onto the streets to feed the homeless men, women, and children. Feeding the homeless is always such a moving experience for everyone involved. Just a cool story... we were given two HUGE pots of food to feed the people with and, at first, were having a hard time giving it away. We started asking Derrick if there was anyway we could save it until we made it to another feeding on Sunday. He instantly told us to stop worrying and that God always provides for His people. About that time, we pulled up to our last stop with an entire pot of food left. We opened the door to feed what we thought was going to be about five or ten people and instead, a gigantic line grew. In one single stop, we gave away the ENTIRE pot of food that before had.+taken us the entire afternoon of feeding to get rid of. God certainly had His hand in that experience.

Tomorrow, we will be making our way to Plastic City which will be a first for all of us. We are anxiously awaiting what God has in store for us there, and the many new people that will forever become part of our hearts and lives.

Once again, thank you all so much for the thoughts and prayers that our continued to be said on our behalf.

Here are a few pictures from the day!

Some of the finished sock puppets! 

Two of the children enjoying some ice cream!!

Reshma and I!

Day 1: Hope Home!!

Hello everyone!!

Today has been a day filled with much excitement, fun, and hard work. We left early to head to Hope Home, an orphanage about an hour from where we are staying, and were greeted by all of the little ones we love so dearly!!

Tasks were quickly assigned and to work we went! Katy painted a mural with Gina helping entertain the children who wanted to help. Derrick, Mr. Butler, Michael, Miles, and Andy all worked on painting a gazebo. Mrs. Butler, Pat, and I spent the afternoon helping groups of children make sock puppets for the skit they will be performing tomorrow. Clement is doing desperately needed plumbing work at the orphanage. Everyone found something they love to do and did it well!!

The children at Hope are, once again, so inspiring. Their laughter is contagious and their gentle spirit is something to wish for. Personally, they have shown me all that life has to offer because even in a less-than-ideal situation, they know how to love deeply and truly embrace life in a way that I have not even grasped yet. It's amazing who God can use to work wonders in one's life.

We will be heading out shortly for dinner at the Roti Hut (SO GOOD!!) and then attending a Wednesday night service at a church of an old friend. Thanks for continuing to keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Pat and Gina on the way to Hope! 

Making sock puppets!

Lunch break!

Joel

More sock puppets!!

Safely in Guyana!

Just a quick update for everyone back home...
Our day of traveling began bright and early this morning! Our wonderful driver, Karl, delivered the team to the Wilmington airport safe and sound, and there we met up with Pat and Gina. After checking all 16 foot lockers of donations in as well as our own personal luggage, we boarded our first plane to Atlanta, spent a little time in the ATL airport and then flew to Miami. Thankfully, Delta agreed to check our bags all the way to Guyana even though we were taking two different airlines. Praise God! (We learned last year that lugging that many foot lockers is no fun :))
After our last American meal at Chili's, we boarded our last and longest flight to Guyana. We landed and had the easiest time we have ever had going through customs. The Ministry of Health escorted us through!! We have greeted all of our old Guyana friends, unpacked, and are heading to bed!!

Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers!

One Last Guyana Meeting!!

Last night, the 2012 Guyana team had their final meeting. We met at Pine Valley UMC and began packing. Three hours later, all of the lovely donations from so many people made their way into foot lockers that we will be delivering to various orphanages. We received all kinds of children's clothes and shoes as well as adult-sized flip flops that we will give to the homeless during our street feeding program. We will also be bringing various kinds of children's medicine and toys!

 Below are a few pictures from last night's packing meeting:

Finished crosses to be given to the homeless of Guyana!

Gina, Pat, and Mr. and Mrs. Butler sorting through our clothing donations!

Thanks to Hayes Twisdale from NCSU for our T-shirt design this year!

Derrick and Michael packing and weighing boxes of flip flops!

We were commissioned this morning at PVUMC's Bridge service and are anxiously awaiting what God has in store for each of us as we go to serve Him and His people of Guyana. Please continue to pray that we will have safe travels and a smooth trip through customs once in Guyana. We will be leaving Wilmington around 7 on Tuesday morning and should be in Guyana by 11:30 on Tuesday night. 

Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support!!

One last thing: If you would like to leave comments for our team while we are gone, you can do so below (click where it lists the number of comments). We will be able to get them while in Guyana!!

Heading Out!

I'll never forget a quote that my best friend once shared with me a few years back while we were both discussing our hearts for international missions...

"Those who have God and nothing else have no more than those who have God and have everything."

It always helps me put into perspective exactly what we are about to go do. I am not there to fix anyone or anything but simply there to come along the Guyanese people and lavish the love upon them that God has so graciously given to me.

Reading in my Guyana journal tonight, I came across a letter from one of the little girls I have had the pleasure of getting close to there. She told me "No matter how hard things get in life. Keep on trusting in the Lord and He will deliver you." To me, this completely personifies the Guyanese people I have had the pleasure of meeting. She is in one of the worst situations that I could imagine, yet she is encouraging me to look to the Lord. How powerful and moving!

I am anxious to be over in Guyana again... to see my beautiful little orphan friends, to hold some precious little babies, to talk to the homeless men and hopefully learn even more of their stories this year. I hope and pray that God uses me, as well as the whole team, to reach these people.

I also pray that God breaks my heart for the things there that break His. That isn't always an easy prayer, but it is one that has radically changed my life for the best. I have learned that His eyes are FAR different than mine, and His perspective is one that I certainly do not ever want to miss out on: )

 I will be doing the team updates each night (and depending on the internet, hopefully some pictures) for friends and family to see!

Thanks for your continued prayers and support. We head out bright and early Tuesday morning and should be in Guyana by Tuesday night!!!

IT IS FINALLY HERE!!

Dollar Tree Blessing

In the midst of a crazy day, Miles and I decided to end it by going to start purchasing the flip flops and medicine we always bring to the people of Guyana.

On the streets, the homeless men often lack any kind of "slipper" (what they call a shoe!) so we do collections and purchase rubber flip flops of our own. We went to the Dollar Tree in town and were having fun selecting flip flops and just enjoying the moment. We went down another aisle to look for medicine and although we went down the wrong aisle at first, it proved to be a blessing in disguise.

"They must be going on a mission's trip," a kind woman remarked to her young daughter. Then she turned to Miles and I, "Are you?" We then told her we were which prompted her to ask where we are going, when, and what we would be doing down there. We answered the questions and finally made our way to the next aisle. We got all the medicine the store had to offer and with our huge cart of flip flops and medicine, we got in the shortest line I could find. The line happened to have the same kind woman who had asked about our trip earlier in front of us with her young daughter and baby.

A conversation began again and then she told us to place ten of our pairs of flip flops with her stuff because she felt led to buy ten for us. "It's not much, but I just feel led she said!" After thanking her profusely, I told her that it definitely was alot! It was ten homeless men who would now have flip flops; it was ten more bottles of children's cold medicine we could now buy because someone else bought ten pairs of flip flops.

She asked our names, and I never learned hers.
Whoever you are, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
 I pray blessings over you and your two sweet children.
I just know that God will bless you so much for being so willing to buy shoes for homeless men in a foreign country that you haven't even had the pleasure of meeting yet.
I wish more people were like you.
What an incredible example for your children!

Some of the precious homeless men and children of Guyana

A New Face of Guyana

There are very few things that will convince me to make the drive from college back home- my incredible boyfriend is one, and the other one is Guyana, anything and everything Guyana.

We had the incredible pleasure of meeting a missionary who grew up on a farm in North Carolina and who now serves in Plastic City, Guyana. She is an inspiration to me, and we will be working with her in Guyana in July so she took the time to share with us what we will be doing there.

From the small glimpse of Plastic City I got tonight in a little seafood restaurant at the beach, my heart already began to break. She slowly told of the poverty that exists in Plastic City:

-It is called Plastic City because traditionally that is what their homes were made of; Angie says now they are more like drift wood and cardboard (anything that floats down the Demerara River which is 50 feet from their homes)
-The government is not in support of the community (the people are squatters) so we are not allowed to help "improve" the community because the government wants them on their own land.
-There is no electricity in most of Plastic City (only 3 houses out of 120 have an "in" with the electric company and have rigged their own)
-There is no running water so obviously no indoor plumbing or any other modern conveniences
-In order to get water, they must walk a quarter of a mile to a "pipe" and carry it back for their families.
-120 houses, 200 children within only 90 of those houses, and extreme poverty

What does this mean to me? All I can see is hope rising. Hope is rising for these people, and I firmly believe that with people like Angie in place, they will slowly be able to get on their feet and start a "government- supported" life.

In Plastic City, we will be spending most of our time with the children and some time helping to hopefully obtain a resource center for Angie's ministry. Currently, school lessons are just taught out of a house, and they would love a center to call their own! Angie says that the children would seriously sit for hours just to listen to someone read to them. God has a plan, and I have no doubt they are in Plastic City for a reason, and so is Angie.

I absolutely cannot wait for July. I am so ready for God to break my heart for the things that break His. That's scary sometimes but so very worth it.
I can't wait to see the old children and make new friends.
To spend hours reading to the little ones if that's what they want.
To dance and sing.
To be silly at times and serious at other times.
To learn what it means to not be allowed to openly talk about God in Plastic City. In the other areas of Guyana that I have been to, it has been allowed, but this community does not openly embrace Christianity. While this makes me so thankful to be able to do that on a daily basis in the U.S., I am ready to learn how to show Christ differently and subtly.

But most of all, I'm ready just to simply try and love them like God loves me, and to love like crazy.

           

El Salvador Recap Part 2

So after all of the sight seeing was over, the next four and a half days were spent doing the hardest work I have ever done up to this point in my life. Although incredibly long and tiresome, it was work that changed my life and made me truly appreciate the life God has given me more than ever before.

We made our way into the community in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador and stepped out of the van into the heat that literally took your breath away for a few seconds. Our translator flung open the van doors and said, "Good morning everyone. Bags go in the building for safe keeping, grab your gloves and a wheelbarrow, and follow me to the worksite". We did as we were told for the next four and a half mornings. One of our team mates even commented on our walks to the site that she sang the "Holes" theme song in her head every morning! : )

Our work site consisted of one lot that needed a foundation laid and one lot with a foundation that needed a house built. We had four and a half days to do both, and I personally doubted it would happen, but with God, it did. Because of the overall poverty of the community, all tools were man made. We had an efficient assembly line of people:
People bringing wheel barrows to the sand
People shoveling sand into wheel barrows
People delivering the sand to other people using this sand to make concrete
People pouring the concrete mix onto the lot
People using weight paint cans attached to wood poles to stomp every inch of the concrete mix into a foundation
Repeat process all day until 4 p.m. : )

I have never sweat so much in my entire life or felt as wonderfully exhausted as I did after a work day there. At night having a tiny little mattress and no air was completely unnoticed because we were so exhausted.

As far as building the house, we spent an entire day in an assembly line with small tin buckets containing concrete that we handed to workers sitting on top of the frames. They poured the concrete to make the walls of the place that some family would soon call home- a complete new chance at life!

Completed the walls in a day!

The workers at the site are some of the most inspiring and incredible people I have ever met. They worked 10x harder than we ever could have, every single day for very little money and no lunch. You see, buying their lunch would have costed them an hour wages and an hour wages means no dinner on the table for their families that night. When they learned they weren't getting lunch, we began consolidating the huge portions we had been given so they could eat too. They deserved the lunch way more than we did.

The three head workers and three of the most inspiring men I have ever met. You can't see in this picture but the man in the middle had nothing but dress shoes to wear to work every day. The shoes were falling apart. Needless to say, we left the work site on the last day all in socks, and the workers have sweet new shoes!!

I know full well that being an El Salvador for spring break is exactly where God wanted me to be. He revealed so many things to me while there. He also confirmed to me more than ever that life is about way more than just going to college and getting a good job and making a ton of money. Life, for me at least, means stopping on the side of the road in a foreign country to feed homeless men,women, and children. It means wanting to give up a spring break to serve alongside of some of the most joyful Salvadorians you will ever meet and helping to give them maybe a little hope. It means, yes sucking it up and embracing college, but it also means wanting to have a career that serves people and maybe doesn't make the kind of money those around me expect me to make. It means spending a week every summer in Guyana, where I want to live, fixing boo-boos, hugging and loving as many little orphans as I physically can, building homes for people to escape the drug cartel in El Salvador. It means truly taking the time God has given us and living it for Him and the people He cares alot about. It means simply learning how to love people, expecting nothing in return yet finding absolutely everything as a result. 

The whole team!!

Stopping by the school for hugs and good-byes on the way out on our last day in San Luis Talpa!

El Salvador Recap Part 1

With as crazy as life can get, I do not think I will have time to give a day-by-day entry of my trip, so I figured I will at least give an overall summary in a two-part post for those of you who wanted it!

We were told to be at the student center at 3 a.m. to begin our adventure! So, instead of sleeping the night before, two of our teammates cooked authentic enchiladas in Chelsea's apartment (we got smoked out : )) and talked about what was to come. Chelsea's apartment is only about a half a mile from the student center so we had the great idea of walking there... until 3 a.m. comes and Raleigh was experiencing the worst thunderstorm I have seen here yet haha. Needless to say, we woke up Chelsea's roommate who thankfully agreed to take us all. We piled everything four of us would need for a week into her tiny car, stacked on top of each other, and met the other 15 members of our team.

The bus picked us up and off to RDU we go! We flew to Miami and then after an hour of catching our breath and eating, we were off to El Salvador! When we got there, we waited for about an hour in customs and then walked outside to meet our translator for the week and load vans to get some lunch. I have never been more excitedly terrified as I was when I got out of the airport. Because our group was so large, we went through customs individually and walked through the airport exit doors alone. Hundreds of Salvadorians were surrounding the gate, and I'll admit I thought right then and there I was going to have a panic attack or something :  ) Right before I turned around to head back into the airport to find a team member, I see our group leader, Adam's, hand sticking out above the crowd. I have never been so excited to see someone's hand in my life!! Orsy, our translator, began picking on us from the beginning (and trust me, it did not stop throughout the week!).

We drove into the city, had lunch at a street restaurant and then headed to the place we would call home for the next eight days!! A beautiful, ocean-front, bright orange house!! We honestly were not expecting accommodations like this so when we got here we were in awe. We put our bags down quickly, changed into bathing suits, and into the ocean we ran.

Home Sweet Home!!

We were given the weekend off to adjust to the intense heat and to do a little sight seeing! Our Sunday consisted of going to an English church service. The church seemed to be a hub for missionaries and because I did not expect to even go to church on Sunday, it was even more refreshing! The church was BEAUTIFUL. It was held in a triangular building with an all-glass front that perfectly framed El Salvador's volcano. After church and lunch at another street restaurant (where we tried the Salvadorian staple food, pupusas, for the first time!), we headed to hike the volcano. It was probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and now I can officially say I have seen a volcano first hand : ) Even more confirmation for me that God is so incredible and powerful and the best Creator to ever be!

Group at the volcano park :) 

Volcano crater

We ended our wonderful afternoon by zip-lining a Salvadorian forest. The tallest course was over 30 stories high and although I am TERRIFIED of heights, I did it anyways (maybe a little bit to prove to Miles that I could do it!) 

Zip lining!!

I promise did more than sight see : ) Monday began our work week so I will post about our work site and project soon in a Part 2!

Slowly but Surely...

To everyone anticipating my El Salvador posts, I promise I will get them up eventually (slowly but surely : ) )

Here's the post from the way down there:

"In times of chaos and confusion, we know Your sovereign still."


 Having no Internet access, I figured I'll type on my phone and post them later. We are up in the air somewhere between Raleigh and Miami. The excitement is building as I am starting to realize more and more that I am actually going to El Salvador!! Ahh. I can't even believe it right now. 

I pray that God teaches me more this trip than I ever could have imagined and that my eyes are opened to things I never thought possible. 

Work doesn't begin until Monday so we have until then to chill and do a little exploring. Today will most likely be a beach day and tomorrow will be zip lining. Miles would probably say right about now that there is no way in heck I'll get on the zip line but I'm hoping that I'll have enough courage to do it! (P.S. I DID IT!!!) I was told that it's the longest zip line in Central America, and it took a helicopter to complete its course. 

I'm hoping and praying everyone is doing well back home. With the temporary new addition to our family of little Landyn, I'm positive everyone is staying super busy back home; maybe even more than they want to be ; )

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. You are in control of this great experience and for that I am forever grateful!! 

Thanks to all of my friends and family who are praying my way through this whole process. I can't wait to share my experience when I get back!! Love you all :) 

Home

I am back from the trip of a lifetime, trying to adjust to the time zone change and lovely school that likes to slap us on the face every once in a while.

I have many posts to come. God's hand was so present the whole time, and I am so thankful for my new memories.

I think my team mate, Liliana, has perfectly captured my emotions for tonight...

"Now that I came back to the routine, I miss El Salvador so much. I miss the people, the food, the culture, the work, our teamo supremo, the beach being our backyard, late night talks/reflections, laughter, bonding time, the weather, watching the sun set, jamming in the vans coming and going to work, not being aware of the time, no worries, no stress. I miss absolutely everything. I love and miss El Salvador♥"

El Salvador

In less than 24 hours, I will be on my way to El Salvador with a group from my college!

To say that I am excited would be an understatement. Thanks to a huge collection of tests and paper, I have hardly had time to pack this week, and I am thankfully just finishing. Only thing left is to clean up the after math... my dorm room : )

The process for this trip has been such a blessing to me in and of itself. Within a month of going to college, I submitted the application to go on an Alternative Service Break trip and was selected. I was then placed onto a team going to El Salvador and partnering with ( GET THIS) the only Christian organization my college was working with for spring break.

I accepted the invitation to travel knowing I had no money to pay for it. Once again, God provided like He always has and always will. Through two big donations coupled with some other donation from friends and family, I almost had all the money to go!! Then... right before the last team meeting, I'm checking my email in English class and read "Our scholarship donor has selected you! The rest of your trip is paid for."

WHAT?! I almost broke down right then and there in English class. God is incredible!! He blows my mind away on a daily basis. Just more confirmation that when you follow Him and go where He wants you to go, great and mighty things happen!!

I am so ready to experience a new culture, new people... and from what I hear, INCREDIBLE food.

I pray that God will break my heart for the things that break His and open up my heart to be attentive to not only the large things He will show me, but the small things that would probably go unnoticed if my heart is not tuned into what He has for me there.

In the chaos and confusion of life the past few weeks, I started to doubt this trip because my body and mind were tired and all of my friends were gearing up for a week of doing nothing. I know now, after all of the confusion has been cleared up, that there is nowhere else I would rather be this week then in El Salvador learning more about a different group of people that God loves. All power and glory be to you God.

Use me to serve Yours!

Guyana 2012

The dates are finally set for Guyana 2012.

This July, I will be back where I belong, God-willing!

We are taking on a new project this year, and a new area of Guyana. I can not wait to meet new people and make memories that last a life time. It will be a bit sad not seeing the old crew as much, but I am resting in the fact that I know God has a plan and that He is in control. His plan is good all the time.

Beautiful little Guyanese girl : )

The People of Guyana

I had to write a paper for English about Guyana so I figured I would put it here as well!

After a week of planning and anticipation to receive my dad’s permission to go on the trip of a lifetime, it all boiled down to one moment. “Dad, can I go to Guyana for ten days on a mission’s trip? I’ll be super careful, I promise.” With a smirk, I was told I could go if I could pay for it. Three days later, money in hand, I received his permission to go on a trip that would change my college major, career plan, and my life. We arrived in Guyana, South America extremely late at night and made the one-hour trek to the city we would be staying in for the next ten days. On the way there, I witnessed the worst living conditions I had ever laid eyes on as the people had relatively no access to clean drinking water, no sewage system, and no way to purify food. We drove by little huts made of cardboard and whatever else could be found where families were forced to live with many relatives and even friends that had no means of securing other housing. The next day proved to be no different as I met members of various orphanages all around town. The “they are extremely sick or have a rare condition with basically no chance of survival because there is no help here” story became all too familiar. I knew right then and there that I wanted to be the one to change the response to that question. The CIA lists Guyana as “high” on the degree of risk for infectious disease scale. Guyana also only has approximately 372 registered doctors in the entire country, and ranks 68th on the list (out of all countries in the world) for highest infant mortality rate (CIA). Clearly, their lack of essential environmental items that we take for granted in the United States is making its way to the forefront as we see it claim too many victims.



The story that stood out to me the most is one that is nothing extreme or spectacular, but one that left an imprint on my heart. Hope Home, the orphanage we spend the most time visiting, houses around sixty children, many with special needs. Our task for the week was to put up a type of barbed wire fencing to protect the children because break-ins had become very commonplace. The barbed wire was stored in the room the children were not supposed to have access to, but unfortunately, Reshma managed to get in and step on the wire. She probably needed a tetanus shot and stitches, but because the only legitimate hospital for miles had recently been burnt down and she was scared of the scolding she might get for wandering somewhere she was not supposed to be, she simply walked around on it until she finally got the courage to show it to me. My only solution was a Band-Aid and some Neosporin I found in our team’s first-aid kit. Had I been medically trained, I could have easily stitched it back up to prevent infection that likely ensued after we left.


When I returned home from Guyana, I was burdened by the enormity of the problem I had witnessed and wanted to do anything I could to help. The entire experience was enough to convince me that the medical field is the place for me. So now with a biology major I am hopeful to continue on to P.A. school and eventually return to Guyana to help right the wrongs society has placed on these precious people.


At the end of all my thinking, I came to the conclusion that people today feel the problems of society and even environmental issues we have discussed in class are far too large to slowly be handled one person at a time. In all reality, however, isn’t that what starts revolutions and movements that change the world? In the words of Dr. Seuss, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.” (Inspirational)

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