When our plane first flew over Guatemala, I was stunned by the pure beauty of the mountains and the lush, green nature. When we landed I immediately witnessed the culture change and saw how differently they lived then I do. As we drove through the towns and up the mountains to Chichicastenango; I saw the houses, the trash, the stray dogs, and the poverty at every corner. But my heart didn’t break. I saw the desperate needs and hopelessness in so many lives. I was expecting to feel so much emotion and heartbreak going to a third world country. I get emotional watching documentaries or...

If I had to rate the trip off of the first two weeks, it would be a soft five. If I had to rate it on the last two weeks, it would exceed the scales. The first half of the trip was kind of empty, dark, challenging, and all around kind of unfulfilling. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling disappointed. I was not feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit and although we were serving, I didn’t feel Him filling up my cup. I brought it up in our small groups and it seemed like everyone else felt the same way. So that day I pleaded that the Lord would intercede, find ways to use...

I feel like a small town celebrity. Even walking home tonight from getting 10 minutes of crap wifi one of the teachers from the school I am volunteering at stopped her moto to say hi to me and exchange updates on the past few hours. I have a new ‘Abuela’ down the street that no matter what hour she’ll pull me into the house for a prayer and to for sure feed me. I will say that her tortillas are the best I’ve ever tasted. Mí Abuela is someone who will take every opportunity to dress me in the traditional Mayan clothing and improve her English and improve my...

I feel like a small town celebrity. Even walking home tonight from getting 10 minutes of crap wifi one of the teachers from the school I am volunteering at stopped her moto to say hi to me and exchange updates on the past few hours. I have a new ‘Abuela’ down the street that no matter what hour she’ll pull me into the house for a prayer and to for sure feed me. I will say that her tortillas are the best I’ve ever tasted. Mí Abuela is someone who will take every opportunity to dress me in the traditional Mayan clothing and improve her English and improve my...

This month has been a drastic leap towards faith + trusting Abba’s plan for my life. Each day is a fast in itself, I fast from the daily comforts of home, friends, food, + the security of the norm.  In that God has grown me, he tore down my flesh + built me back up into a woman who has learned to throw her heart into what he asks of her. Me + and my team spend our days in the schools teaching the children the love of Jesus. We learn from them just as much as we teach. The children have shown so much resilience + joy, as they take on new tasks and are eager to welcome us. I love...

I literally fell down. After saying goodbye about five times and inching towards the door, one of my preschool students ran up to hug me. I was trying to leave, but one blink later a stampede of kids swarmed around and embraced me tightly. They squeezed me so tight that my knees eventually buckled. All of the kids continued to hug me as I was lying on the floor and wouldn’t let me up. They were relentless and simply didn’t want me to leave. Sometime in-between regaining my strength to get up and saying my final goodbye, I began to see that the love these kids have for me is a...