My heart and my body in two different places
People always say that your first mission trip is life-changing and you always compare every trip after that to your first experience. I have been blessed enough to go on an amazing trip to Costa Rica for my first trip and then to Nicaragua for my second.
I started off my Nicaraguan trip telling Lindsay that I didn’t feel like God had given me a heart for spanish-speaking countries and how I would like to go to Vietnam or Africa next year. Two days into the trip, God had completely changed my heart. He gave me a love for these people like I never could have imagined. Just thinking about the Nicaraguan people as a whole, puts a smile on my face. They make everything about the city of Managua seem beautiful. I have a desire for nothing more than to serve them with everything that I have in me.
The beautiful children come to you with a smile that reaches their eyes and arms ready for a long embrace. They are so desperate for love and so eager to return it 10-fold. Karla and Gabriel especially touched my heart. They have the biggest smiles and hearts that I have ever seen. Their need for love was so clear in their every action. Both of them came to say goodbye on our last day of clinic and my heart could have exploded with the love and sadness I felt as I embraced each child as they clung to me. It makes me sad but determined when I think about what they have to go back to.
I pray that in times when they feel they have no hope they can remember the week we spent together and know that there is. I pray they could know the difference they have made in our lives and how I wish I could take all of their burdens as my own. Mostly I pray that one day they are able to realize that they have a heavenly father who can and is willing to do just that.
Saying goodbye to Gabriel and Karla
1 comment August 19, 2008
Hasta Luego!
So tomorrow begins the ending of a great week…
Monday I got to go see an Amos Lee concert that was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a long time!
Tuesday was my ever amazing small group. Only God could have put together something like it! All of the girls are so open, so encouraging and challenge each other! We are all going the same direction in our walk with God and I am SO honored that God would use me as an administrator of sorts for the group. These girls never cease to amaze me and I am sad that we won’t be having group next week!
Wednesday was first Wednesday and there is nothing like it! It wasn’t praise and worship the whole time but a pastor taught us how to praise God mentally, emotionally and physically. Very cool! Plus I got to sit with some people from my mission trip!
Tonight is dinner with my baby and my parents! Should be a good time! Also finishing packing! I will have all of the right stuff this time instead of mostly the wrong stuff!
Then tomorrow I leave for my mission trip to Managua, Nicaragua! I am beyond stoked! I can’t wait but I still don’t feel like it is tomorrow! And not only do we get to see Nathan and Amber again but I am going with two of the most wonderful people I know, Bill and Rheagan! So on that note, adios! Pasa bien, fin de semana! (My spanish isn’t great, I apologize!)
2 comments August 7, 2008
I wanna shout out!
I am not a huge concert/show fan but last night due to Matt’s misfortune, I had the WONDERFUL opportunity of going to an Amos Lee concert with my good friend, Rheagan. I have to say that although I was excited about it, I never could have imagined how amazing the concert would be (It had to have been good if it inspired me to write an actual blog!)
We were probably about 5 feet away from Amos and got to savor every head bob and eye contact made while enjoying the harmonious melody of his soothing-to-the-soul music. He was on stage for 2 hours and I would have skipped my whole night’s sleep if given the opportunity to listen to and watch him perform all night! (A big statement for someone who LOVES their sleep!)
Favorite things about the night:
- Getting to hang out with Rheagan! That’s always a great time!
- One song that had lyrics stand out to me more than usual was Shout Out Loud. Because I’m big on people watching, I think the same thoughts that he writes about in this song. It’s always a cool feeling to connect with one of your favorite artists on that level!
- This was literally the first concert I’ve ever been to that I didn’t want it to end sooner than it did!
- Amos’ humbleness exuded from him in everything he did and said!
- Every one of his songs is amazing and sounded even better in person than on CD (I didn’t think that was possible!)
- My Malibu and Pineapple was very good
- EVERYTHING! The whole night was just amazing! I will definitely be going to see him again.
- The opening band, TBD didn’t show up
I bet they were going to be good… oh well! Still a very memorable night!
Amos Lee at the Music Farm
3 comments August 5, 2008
2 AM IHOP
Bill and I at IHOP at 2 AM in the morning!
Bill and I finally made it to IHOP at 2 in the morning! We have been planning to do this ever since it became a 24 hour restaurant! So we (I) finally sucked it up and stayed up SUPER late! It was definitely busier than we were expecting and there was quite a lot to see… like the drunk/almost passing out “Boyz 2 Men” as Bill called them. They were my favorite There was also a girl next to us who had lost some sort of “competition” and was trying to decide whether or not to become a stripper. The only loud table was a group of drunk high schoolers. The one that was most odd to me was the older couple maybe in their 60’s who were sitting there talking and eating like it was 10 in the morning. How do they do it! All in all a great experience, although I did get a little cranky when Bill woke me up during the pre-IHOP movie
7 comments July 23, 2008
