This world is not my home

I've been home ( In Alabama) for two weeks. It's crazy. I can't believe that I've gone to Guatemala for six weeks and have been back for two weeks. To say that I miss Guatemala would be the biggest understatement I have ever made. I miss the people. I miss the creation. I miss the smell. I miss the food. And most of all I miss my family and my home there. I'm going to try the best I can to tell you a little bit about my trip now that I have had a little while to step back and gather my thoughts..hope some of this makes sense!

I never thought that in six weeks a place could feel like home. The day before I left Chichi to head to Antigua and then back to the states, I was talking with my family about going home and being back in the states and how I was excited to see my family at home. My mom there looked at me and said "you will always have a family and home here now" It didn't hit me then how true her words were. I felt so much at home there. I'm not saying it wasn't hard adjusting at first. Every night I would thank God for getting me through another day and helping me grow and learn to lean on Him. It was one of the most amazing feelings in the world. My life, my world, was totally engulfed by God. I could see him, I could feel him, I could taste him. It was amazing. For the first time in my life I realized what it means for God to be everywhere and to truly experience that. I am 22 years old and for the first time in my life I feel like I felt God the way I should feel him everyday. What I experienced that I thought was extraordinary should really be an everyday thing. My prayer is that I will continue to embrace being in his presence daily! Here are some of the ways that I experienced the Lord

I met 11 of the most amazing friends I will ever have.
I am not exaggerating! These people are awesome! I am so amazed at God's plan and just how awesome He is that He brought us all together on the trip. Each person was unique to the group and I love each of them so much! I feel like there are so many things that I could say about these people and the reasons that I love them that I would be sitting here for so much time typing..(and crying because I miss them) that I don't think I would be able to write anything else when I got done. God revealed Himself in different ways through each of my friends and I am so thankful that they were there! Thank you Jesus for my wonderful friends and I pray you bless them everyday. Thank you for allowing me to meet this part of my family. Becca, Marah, Michaela, Phillip, Lindsey, Haleigh, Abbey, Amber, Molly, Zach, and Meredith..y'all. are. awesome.

The people that make up health talents...they rock.
Seriously. The doctors, health promoters, and other staff made my day, every day. They were all always so happy and willing to help and allow us to learn what it's like to be like Jesus. I love the examples that they are and how they have changed my outlook on how I want to be a nurse and how I want to treat patients and just the encouragement that they were. From everyone who was involved in getting us to Guatemala, orientation, and the clinics..every single one of them were amazing! They are all wonderful people and the Lord blessed me by allowing me the oppertunity to get to know them. I learned so much about medicine and missions and love and prayer and life and Jesus from them. Another amazing part of my family.

My families.
I stayed with three different families during my time in Guatemala. My family during language school was so kind, and even though we only stayed with them for a week, I could not have imagined a better family to stay with. They were so helpful and patient with Haleigh and me and I think we both learned so much from them. (Haleigh was my roommate in Xela..it was so much fun! Love her!)

My family in Chicacao was so great! I saw God living in them and through them. They were so patient with me and my mom/sister (she was only 28 so she was more like my sister than my mom) was so friendly and kind and taught me so much while I was there. She loved to sing and she was always so happy that I was there and always wanted to make sure that I was happy. She told me that she prays for me and was so thankful for the time that I got to stay there. She had two little boys and a lot of nieces and nephews that would always come over to play. The girls liked to watch Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty too, which I was totally ok with :) (in spanish of course). This was where I finally had to stop and really think about why I was there and really started to experience life as a missionary and I found my self totally wrapped up in the Lord. I began to notice him everywhere! We went to church everyday in Chicacao  and I began to pick up some of the sermons and the songs and really felt like the Lord was speaking to me (if I couldn't understand the sermon, I could at least follow along in scripture). It was truly amazing. I honestly can't put into words how much this family means to me.

My family in Chichi was absolutely wonderful! It was a completely different experience than that at the the coast. My family was much larger and spanish was their 2nd language too! We didn't watch tv as much and we tended to spend a lot of time in the kitchen around the fire. They would teach me kiche (their language) and I taught the kids how to play ERS. We played almost every night. It was so beautiful there. I walked through a corn field to get pretty much anywhere I had to go. It was just so open and fresh. They are so kind and they too were very patient. The girls taught me how to make corn tortillas (which is a lot harder than it looks) and tamolitos. I enjoyed the simple and layed back lifestyle there. The family just loved to sit and talk to me and spend time with me. I saw the patience of the Lord in them and they reminded me so much of Gods unconditional love. My dad worked for health talents and would go to the clinics with us and he was just an amazing man. My mom had the sweetest smile I have ever seen. One of the little girls in the family, Sara, loved to sit in my lap and she would always rub my arm or my face and she love to give hugs! She was such a little cuddle bug! And she was not very happy with me when I had to leave the last day. Another one of the little boys held my hand after I slipped and fell one night the whole way back to the house. They were just an amazing family. God blessed me so much by allowing me to become a part of their family. As I write this I know they are just finishing up dinner and heading to sleep. I pray they have sweet dreams and know just how much they mean to me..which is more than I could ever say.

The clinics
Wow. Where do I start? I saw God work in so many ways during my time in the clinics! It truly was amazing! As I said earlier, all of the doctors were awesome! They are all such great men and women of God and were such a great example of how I want to live and work as a nurse and how I want to show God to my patients. And the patients were amazing too! I loved getting to talk to them and help figure out what was wrong and help find a way to make it better some how. I LOVED praying with the patients. Even though I could only pray in English it was awesome to know that God heard me and heard them as they prayed with me and that prayer and God was what brought us together! He is SO wonderful!

My five..I couldn't have made it without you:
I hated splitting up from the other group after orientation, but I loved getting to know the five other people in my group during the clinics. We were there for each other and we just learned what it's like to be brothers and sisters in Christ and to work together for his purpose. God used each of you in so many ways and I love learning and laughing and talking about poop with y'all :) If I say anymore I might cry..so I'm going to be done now..y'all rock!

This was how Guatemala became a home. It has been really hard adjusting back to my life here in America. It doesn't feel like home did when I left. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I don't feel at home in my house or with my family, but life here is very different now. I am very different now. But then I remember that this world is not my home. My real home is in heaven and there I will have my WHOLE family with me..what a glorious day it will be!

I know that this is not super detailed and I would LOVE to talk about my time in Guatemala and share more experiences anytime! But hopefully this is a good overview of my experience and what God did!

It´s been a while

Words cannot describe what I feel right now, but I know that I will never be the same again! God has changed so many things about me and has revealed himself in so many ways! I cant wait to share with everyone when I get home!

Just a few things that I´ve learned

I believe that I have seen a small picture of what heaven is going to be like here. Worshipping the same God with brothers and sisters that speak a different language and live in a completely different world is truly amazing. Again, words cannot describe!

I have learned that God crosses all boundries and can reveal himself in things as small as a childs smile or the smile of a grandma..it is so comforting

Rain on a tin roof is my new favorite sound to fall asleep to

Rain really is a good thing.. :)(if you know country, youll get that..if not, sorry) 

And that God is here and he is so real..I feel him everywhere! it is the most amazing feeling in the world!

I love it here and I cant imagine doing anything else right  now!

talk to you soon!

love,
Liz

Movin out :)

Today we leave language school to head out to orientation! Then clinics start after that! Yay! I am so excited!! So since I last posted, I learned to salsa dance...so much fun! We learned this lift..pretty intense, and after class Haliegh and I showed it to our Japanese friend that lives with our host family..we pretty much dominated it..it was hilarious! Yesterday, we got to visit las Georginas, which are the hot springs about an hour outside of Xela. It was ABSOLUTELY beautifu! And it was so much fun! God is so creative! I love it! The mountains were so pretty up there! I am enjoying my time here so much and I can't wait to tell you more about it! Talk to you soon!

Love,
Liz

¡Estoy en Guatemala!

Hey y'all! I made it safe and sound to Guatemala on Saturday! It´s been such a great experience so far! I miss all of you so much, but I am having so much fun! I probably won´t be able to update this every week, but I will try to update as much as possible!

Saturday was a very long day. We got to Guatemala city around lunch-ish, but did not get to the city where language school is until around dinner time (give or take a few hours). I was so overwhelmed that day to see God already working. Our team clicked immediately and we all get along really well! I love my new brothers and sisters, they are great! I am staying with Haleigh and we have gotten to know each other really well and she is just a great girl and so much fun to be around! Our host family is awesome and the food is delicious! I have not had anything that I don´t like :)

On Sunday we went to the local church here in Xela. This is my favorite experience so far. It was like a little glimpse of what heaven was going to be like. I absolutely loved the worship and the people are all so sweet. In Guatemala it is custom to greet people with a hug and kiss on the cheek. I love it! It makes you feel included and loved. You also do this in leaving as well. (Don´t be surprised if I kiss your cheek when I get back)

Monday was the first day of language school. My tutor´s name is Ana Elizabeth..crazy, right? She is very sweet and she told me I knew a lot of a little spanish (haha) After language school we went on a tour of the city. There are so many beautiful buildings here and it was very interesting to learn the history of the city. After the tour, most of us went to a cafe in what used to be a bridge back in the 1800s. It was really cool! I had choclate con leche which is like really rich hot chocolate..or heaven in a cup..it is SO good! The group is continues to grow closer together and great friendships are being made! I love it..God is SO good!

Hopefully, I´´ll post a few more times during the next few weeks to keep y'all updated!

Love,
Liz

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

My flight leaves in about 8 hours and I'll be headed down to start what will be one of the greatest adventures of my life! I am beyond excited!! I cannot wait to see God work in amazing ways! I am so thankful for everyone's love, support and prayers! I will try to keep this  updated as much as possible while I'm gone! Please continue to keep the team in your prayers! Talk to you soon!

Joy

There are so many times that I think this life is complicated. There are so many times that it seems so hard, and I just don't understand. I don't understand what God is doing, or where he is taking me and those that I love. My heart has been completely flipped upside down over and over the past few weeks, almost like the feeling you got when you were a little kid rolling down a hill. Right now I'm in that recovery stage where everything is still spinning and I'm trying to find my bearings again. I have seen God move mountains and I have seen Him to continue to say wait. I have felt His arms around me and I have felt completely lost and confused. He continues to lead me down a path that is requiring more and more trust in what He knows and what I don't know. And for me that is very, very frustrating. Jesus says in John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled, Trust in God, trust also in Me" And again in John 16:22 "So with you: now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice and no one will take away your joy". These two passages really healed my heart this week. They are challenging me to the core because there have been so many times over the past few weeks that I have just wanted to hide in the corner and give into the worry and the fear of not being in control. But in all of this I have seen joy that no one can take away. I have seen dear friends get the wind knocked out of them and still have joy. I have seen a community of believers lift up the name of Jesus, even when it seems as if there is no hope left. Amazing, sweet, joy. This week I got to be a part of a  group of college students, along with other believers build a house for a disabled widow. In one week. All glory to God! I was so excited and encouraged by the new friendships made with brothers and sisters from Montgomery and the strengthened friendships that had already been made in UCM. As hard as the work was and as tired as we were, there was pure joy. And none of it would have been accomplished without God. I am so thankful for the confusion, for the constant roller coaster of emotions and seeing the opposite ends of the spectrum in a matter of 24 hours. It truly has made me realize that there is joy in everything, that we can trust Him. And that because of Him no one can take away the joy that we have. Thank you Jesus! You rock. I'm not really sure if any of this makes sense, because really what I am writing about doesn't really make sense..at least not in this world, but that's the beauty of it. It doesn't have to.
That's all for now

Love,

Liz

Peace (not so) perfect Peace

     Peace. Peace is something I was without for a long time. I finally really came to realize it in the last couple of days.I  finally understand what peace really is (I think) . Or maybe, what it isn't. It isn't having everything together and enjoying life. It isn't feeling warm and fuzzy, even when everything imaginable is going wrong. It isn't being able to stay calm when you really want (or need) to just scream. Peace is not a gift that is all wrapped up nicely with a pretty little bow for us to unwrap and use whenever we feel stressed, alone, uncertain, or scared and make us feel better. Peace is so much more than that. It's messy. Peace is letting go , which is never neat and tidy. Peace is stripping yourself down, past the pride, past the hopes, past the dreams, past the past, to expose your heart to yourself (because God already knows your heart) and accepting the love that He has for that little imperfect heart. Peace is thanking God even when you're not sure what you're thanking Him for, but trusting that he has something planned far better than anything we can imagine. Peace is a continual presence of God in every moment and recognizing that He is in control of that moment, no matter if it is the happiest moment of your life or the hardest thing you have ever had to face. Peace is knowing that you are never in it alone. Peace is breaking down and letting God fill the empty spaces in your heart that you have been too proud or to scared to relinquish control over.

     I got my acceptance letter in the mail today to go to Guatemala this summer! I am BEYOND excited!!! But I honestly thought that if I got chosen I would be soooo scared. Don't get me wrong, there is a little fear inside of me trying to convince me I should stay here and spend my summer at home where it is normal and safe. I honestly think that if God had not started reveal this peace to me, I might have talked myself out of applying and even out of going period. But peace is about being scared. It's about trusting God even in your fear. It's about expressing your concerns with God and knowing that he is taking care of them, even if you can't see it and even if you can't feel it. Peace is trusting God, without an answer from him. We are His. He is sovereign. He's got our mess. This is the peace that I have. Beautiful, messy, imperfect peace.