SO MUCH GOODNESS

HI I realize it's been forever since I last blogged; so much has been happening here!

My family and Mack came down with the Family Team from Canada!! (YAAAYY) I was so overwhelmed and incredibly excited to see them! They all left within the past week, and while I was sad to see them go, I'm more than happy that they were able to experience a bit of Guat with me.

A few weeks ago, our team hiked up the mountain across from the school into a field of avocado and macadamia nut trees. From the mountain we could see the school, our houses, El Tizate, and all its surrounding towns. Kat explained that whenever she hikes up to the field, she realizes how small she is. When we're at our homes or at the school, our problems seem massive. Like my little petty concerns are just that. Little and petty. And God sees so much more than what I see, so I need to trust in the fact that I see 0.0000001% of my life, but God sees 100%. So that was challenging, and I'm still figuring out how to trust.

We've finished 3 out of 4 VBS with nearby towns. To be honest, I was dreading VBS. I do not thrive in chaos. I like things to be under control, and I find it difficult to lead with love, rather than pure authority. But at that to say, I've been loving VBS. It's been really great getting to know all of the kids and pastors and pastoras.

We survived Canada Day! (yes, I realize we were a little late, but that's a minor detail). Every summer, the Canadians run a day-long event at the school, involving tons of red and white, beaver tails, mini sticks hockey, water balloons, tug of war, dogsledding, and ENGLISH. Since so many of the kids will never have the opportunity to travel outside of Guatemala, much less to Canada, the English teachers decided to bring Canada to Guatemala. It's a super fun day for the kids, and a chaotic, mostly fun, sometimes patience-testing experience for us. (again, another reminder that this trip is not about me. I seem to need to be reminded of that often)

YO we climbed a volcano! This was my third time climbing Volcan Pacaya, but it's still stunning every time. It's kind of active, but hasn't erupted since 2014.

This weekend, we're off to Lake Atitlan for some much-needed chill time. I'm so thankful for all the children I've been blessed to meet and hug and play with, but it gets rather exhausting after 4 weeks.

-A few people on our team aren't feeling 100% health-wise, so pray for us in that please and thanks!

-I'm excited to come home. But I want to remain present here. So pray that I would keep my mind focused on being here now, rather than being in Canada in a couple weeks.

PS these are just my trusty iphone 4 photos; I haven't yet figured out a solid way to get my photos off my camera to post them (I left my mac at home, so blogging is rather difficult). In a couple weeks when I'm back in Canada, I'll upload my photos. 📷👌🏻