It's raining stickers!!!

Greetings from Guatemala! Oh my goodness!! Once again, I need a new
word for thank you. The English language really fails us sometimes...

Last week my parents came to visit and got to experience a good mix of

my everyday work/family life:  Mere hours into their first day in Antigua and

they were riding in the back of a pickup truck and shortly thereafter in a chicken
bus.  We had pepian (a traditional stew-like dish) with my Guatemalan family and
an impromtu trip to Puerto San Jose to see the black sand beaches.  Probably my
best memory was after a long day of traveling to visit beautiful Lake Atitlan, we

decided to ditch dinner plans and sacrifice the avocados that we had intended to

use for the Super Bowl (which, as a side note, turned out to be in Spanish..thus, muted...

and instead of the famous advertisements, the commercial breaks were dedicated to

update the world on what was going on in the REAL world of sports...futbol.)  (And I

digress)  Long story short, we ate guacamole for dinner and drank wine and it was
wonderful. 

  

I'm must warn anyone else who is thinking of visiting:  It is very unlikely that you

will be able to travel with just a carry-on...at least on the way here.  Also within the
first 12 hours of their trip (including a pretty full night's sleep) my parents unloaded
over 100 pounds of....well....

stickers, scissors, stamps, etc!!!!!

My mission partners from the following churches are also supporting those with whom I work by donating
materials that will support the work that we are doing with the teachers.  A huge, heartfelt
Guatemalan 'gracias' goes to the faithful and generous members of:

First Presbyterian Church, Bonham
Crossroads Presybterian Church, Blue Ridge
New Shamrock Presbyterian Church, Clarksville
First Presbyterian Church, Deport
Pine Grove Presbyterian Church, Clarksville

We are working with 4 public schools now.
When I solicited the supplies it was 3---we've already formed a new
partnership! So, exciting things are happening here and I'm so glad that
so many wonderful people can be a part of it.  The teachers here were
 encouraged knowing that people that they didn't even know wanted to
share, and support them.

Also, thanks to another generous-isimo (really, really generous...in Spanglish)
contribution by the Crossroads congregation, I am now less than $250 way from reaching
my final fundraising goal and with monthly contributions from some FPC family
members, I expect to meet my final fundraising goal before the deadline.  What
an amazing gift.   I am learning so much here. As it is often in the mission field,
I feel I am receiving more than I can possibly give.

Another thanks to some friends and supporters, Brandon and Mandy for sending
me some great reads! I recently read the book "Crazy Love" and the sneak peak of
"Forgotten God" by Francis Chan.  One thing that spoke to me is how sometimes we
 can be trying to discern God's will for our lives...but sometimes we make it more difficult
 than it has to be. All of that discernment can end up being paralyzing! I know that I have
 found myself 'fearing' that I would make the wrong move and 'miss my call'. (Maybe that's
 why I almost missed the YOUNG part of the young adult volunteer program :)

The good news that I'm discovering is that we already have been
called. We are called to love. Jesus gives a pretty good
definition of what that looks like in Matthew 25 when he addresses the
"sheep and the goats" saying that those that love Him are those who
fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, invited in the stranger,
etc. So... we don't have to wait for a burning bush to make the next
move in our life--we just have to love, love, love our neighbors, near
and far.