Just One at a Time...

Bob Pierce once said, "Don't fail to do something just because you can't do everything." These are wise words to anyone overwhelmed with the magnitude of human suffering in our world. We are not asked to help all of them at once, just one at a time. - Richard Stearns

Travel plans were confirmed today.
April 12th through the 21st, I will get to go back!

Planes, RVs, vans...
It will be a long travel journey, but one well worth it.
I can't wait to go back to those people.
Acceptance, love, humility, gratitude.
They teach me more than I could ever teach them.
I want God to break my heart for what breaks His. No matter what that means.
That's scary to me. It will hurt; I will not want to leave because a huge chunk of my heart belongs to those people. He will sustain me though.
Exactly how He sustains them every single day.
Like Bob Pierce and Richard Stearns have said, I can't fix everything.
Just one orphan, one widow, one homeless person at a time.

I have no doubts that when I get back, my heart will rebreak all over again.
All I will want to do is go back. I will have to be patient and wait which is really NOT easy for me.
So what does that mean...
It means I love them with everything in me, with love like Christ, the entire time I'm down there.
I play whatever silly games they want to play; I go out of my comfort zone to join in their dance parties.
I try and remember everything that happens and everything they say to me.
I have them write me more letter to read when I'm thinking and praying for them.
I have the sweet feeling of sheer exhaustion the whole way back to the states; it's such a sweet feeling because I know I gave all my energy to the people of Guyana.
I tell them that they belong; I love like crazy...

2 months.

Two months, and I'm back where I belong.

Luke 6

Luke 6: 45-49.
i am strong in Him.
by His strength, I cannot be shaken.
this is something beautiful to rest in tonight.

Amer-indian People

     While we were in Guyana, we took a boat ride (well, a few boat rides) to this beautiful little Amerindian village in the Amazon interior. After a terrifying run-in with the military, we were left there to explore and get to know the people.

There were no roads.
There were no cars.
There was very little technology.
No air conditioning.
Only thatched roofs.
Poisonous snakes that bit a little boy while we were there.
Military miraculously in the area to help him.
There were monkeys as pets.
The wives were usually left alone because their husbands had to seek work off the island and could only return on the weekends.
Alcoholism among the men ran rampant.

The thing about this village is all they had was each other. They simply knew how to love authentically and just be there. It was so encouraging to me to see how they had next to nothing but lived like they had  everything in the world. I need to learn how to live like that here...

I wasn't working on the particular medical project that day so I got the opportunity to just explore and love on the people there. We walked all over that island. We saw all of the huts; the places where the children play and too many little neon blue lizards : )

I met a girl there who was about 15 or 16 whose dream goal was to get to the United States and become a doctor. She was absolutely brilliant; she blew me away with everything that she knew. Had we had more than a few hours there, I would of really wanted to know how in the world she learned all of it. I really hope that somehow someway she gets here and fulfills that goal. Unfortunately, we won't be going back to that village this April, but I pray that God leads people to her that have the ability to help her fulfill this dream. I hope that somewhere down the road I see that little girl, grown-up and a doctor, back in her village helping her people. I believe she can do it.

One of the nicer houses in the village, and one of the cutest kids : )

Typical housing...

Thankful Thursday!

I'm thankful for polka-dot dresses and a beautiful orphan's smile in the midst of extreme poverty...

Why Guyana? Part 2

So I got the yes from Dad, but I still needed the money and to overcome a few fears. I prayed and prayed that God would provide the money and upon sending out support letters, I had enough money to go in a little over a week. I was thrilled!!

The next problem... I was terrified of planes. I didn't even like going into airports. I knew, however, that if Guyana was where God wanted me, I would just need to face that fear. My boyfriend and his family picked me up the day of, and we drove two hours to the airport. The whole time I was praying that I would be able to get on the plane and not be scared. When we got into the airport, I was fine. We went through security and even as we were waiting to board, I was okay. I assumed that once we actually got on the plane, I would freak. Thanks to God and Miles, I was perfectly calm. I actually really enjoyed flying! God is so incredible : )

After finally getting to Guyana, I was ready for the adventure. Surprisingly, I didn't get car sick like I usually do on the bumpy car ride to the place we were staying. The boat ride down the Amazon didn't scare me like I thought it would. I was able to eat more meat than I usually do without getting sick! God calmed all of my fears and anxieties so that I could truly enjoy my time there. Fortunately, my parents were willing to let me go again so spring break while my friends are on their senior trip, I'll be seeing my Guyana loves again!! I can't wait!

Why Guyana? Part 1

I just realized that I never really explained "Why Guyana?" Part of this journey is how I got there! Plus, the story is kind of funny : )

Ever since eighth grade, I had watched tons of my friends go on foreign mission's trip. The one the church I was going to at the time sponsored a church in the Dominican Republic, so every summer I would ask my parents if I could go. Their answers were usually "yes" because they knew I was too terrified to do anything like that to begin with. Obviously, a few years had passed, and I really felt like God was calling me to go somewhere. I really thought it was going to be Belize, but long story short, my parents said no and the trip ended up falling through. So I kept praying...

About this time, my boyfriend, Miles, threw out the idea of Guyana. I think he figured I would say no because I was terrified of a lot of things the trip would entail. My answer was a little different. I said that I would go if my parents would agree. There's the catch. Neither of my parents have ever been on a mission's trip, and my dad doesn't really like me even leaving my city. I knew, however, that if Guyana was where I was being led, God would answer my prayers. So I walked into the kitchen, "Dad, I really want to go to Guyana this summer... Can I go?" And Dad says "Yes!". I was shocked and almost 100% I was hearing it wrong. DAD SAID YES!!!