Day 9 - Saturday - Homeward Bound!

This volcanoe is visible from the airport lobby leaving Guatemala. I never could get anyone to tell me the name of it. I hear there are two active volcanoes in Guatemala, which is why jade is the stone of the country. We left the hotel at 4:40 am after a pastry and yogurt breakfast at 4:15 am. We had a layover in Houston for 6 hours...needless to say, we played a lot of games. Great fellowship. I just can't explain how loving these people are. Arrived at DFW a little after 8 pm... My parents, Parker, and my dog Copper all waiting for me! My eyes filled with tears as I hugged my baby boy for the first time in too long! He was happy to see me, and was trying to take care of me by attempting to pull my luggage off the carousel. It was a bit heavy! Haha! 

There isn't a paragraph, much less a paraphrase to summarize this trip and experience in my life. I will never forget it! I couldn't wait to see my family but at the same time...I can't wait to go back. There is something special about missions that I now understand. I learned a lot about appreciating what we have. We are blessed just to be Americans. The natives reminded me with their kind and humble spirits, "it's not about having everything you want...it's about wanting everything you have." Thank you to my new friends from the mission that walked this journey with me. Thank you to all friends reading that have played a positive role in my life. Thank you to Pam for connecting me with Bil. Thank you to Bil for finding the funds through Gods blessing for me to go this year. Thank you to Brett for your encouragement along the way. Thank you to my parents who have never stopped loving me and are truly my best friends. Thank you to Parker for always being my number one fan! And last but not least, thank you Jesus for not just showing me the truth, but loving me and sacrificing your precious life for my salvation. Thank you Lord for the bridge in which communication to the Father is found, and eternal life is claimed. Thank you for saving a wretch like me. 

Day 8 - Friday Afternoon - Guatemala City

Eventually we made it to Guatemala City were we checked into our Hotel rooms! Clean showers and a real bed never appreciated so much! We walked to a nearby restaurant while fighting off street vendors that borderline harass you for a $3 sale. Lots of laughs at the restaurant, and Maria picked up our whole tables tab without us knowing it!! Sweet lady. She is the one who prayed over me in Spanish after my "experience" haha. Love her. John, Nicole, Luke, and I shared a taxi to the market where we shopped for our families. The smog in the city is almost unbearable. After we returned, I took a short nap and almost skipped dinner because the bed was just that comfortable. Dinner was nice, at a local steak house, La Hacienda Real. I got a filet AND a sirloin, a potato, corn on the cob, bread, salad, broth soup...and yes, apple crumb cake. This is the answer to how you gain weight in a third world country! 

Need a wheelchair back to the hotel! Lol

Riding in...

Ahhh! Bed at last!!

Our living room suite at The Clarion Suites

Our view from the 9th floor

Nicole and I...she was my roommate and the dental hygienist on the mission.

Big bad John, at the Mexican restaurant we all ate at for lunch.

Wall art

Riding in the taxi...on the way to shop at the market downtown.

Shops at the market.

Ummmm...yes, that is a McDonald's delivery motorcycle. Haha!

Emma, Meredith, myself, and Bethany...these young whippersnappers keep me laughing and make me feel young again!! Haha, maturity is a choice! 

Dinner at La Hacienda Real

Cathy and the angel :)

Beautiful fountain in the center of the restaurant. 

Day 8 - Friday Morning - San Raymundo

Today, we left the compound for the first time in 8 days. We headed to downtown San Raymundo, were we made a stop at the local shops and the historical Catholic Church. It was absolutely magnificent and beautiful. It remains opens still, for service and throughout the day for people to come and pray. It was built in the 1800s but has been restored trough the years. 

Pastor Clint loading onto the bus.

Myself, Francine, Glory, and Sandra 

San Raymundo Catholic Church

Details among details inside

The altar 

Life size dolls in dress to portray different biblical characters were throughout the church.

In the city, religious monuments were placed sporadically throughout the square.

This huge tree was centered in the middle of taco stands, vendor shops, etc.

Street view.

This is their 3 wheeled taxi, hehe

Beef!

Local arcade

Outskirts leaving the town... This is a convenient store. Notice the armed guard.

A group of homes...

They lined the sides of the mountains.

Better homes were fortunate enough to have walls made concrete.

But most were tin.

Approaching Guatemala City, still many small villages to pass through.

It is heartbreaking, but a positive I thought of is that they must see the most beautiful sunrises/sets, storms... Silver lining. It is truly all about perspective. That is what these people taught me. 

Day 6 - Wednesday

I fought a migraine all day again. We ate fajitas for dinner and I am feeling much better. The team collectively thinks it may be the altitude coupled with dehydration so I'm gulping down the water!! I got really home sick this morning, missing my son like crazy! I saw 8 patients before lunch and then the whole clinic got slammed and ended the day in the 20's again for US Exams. The clinic had a good day...mid week, they say it's normal to "hit the wall". I put a puzzle together with a boy named, Chevrillos or something and he was a HOOT! I have a video of us and he just gabs my ear off en Espanol. The private school, Morning Glory that is in the compound too, is practicing their band for a parade. Their drill team was dancing along on the basketball courts as the band played Katy Perry's "California Girl" and "gandum style" which to me is weird because they are not just secular songs...they are pop songs that do not agree with Christianity, but none the less...it was entertaining. Video of that also!

I'm trying to understand him...and he spoke faster than most adults I met. Very intelligent young man.

Chevrillos was mad at me bc I could not pronounce his name correctly ... After the third time. Ha!

And, it rained A LOT this afternoon...which made for a great night to turn in early and hope for better health and no headache tomorrow!

Day 7 - Thursday

June 20, 2013 - I will never, ever forget the spiritual experience that happened today. I know it changed my life and my heart. It's very personal, the details, and at this time in my testimony I am reluctant to broadcast it on an Internet blog...but what I am not reluctant to report is that the Holy Spirit moved in me after prayer and praise, and the end result was a broken shell of me. He broke my heart, so he could restore it full of His love. I knew this trip would change my life, and now I know it has changed my eternity. I have Victory in Jesus and I have left this world behind, finally. I can't wait to start my new life...spiritually and in Mt. Pleasant with all these wonderful people. 💖 

A sweet family that will be moving the US soon.

Bonnie reading about Christ to the children. 

Doc Clint Davis, our pastor and clinic patient coordinator. 

Brothers Sanchez and Vasquez ... The bilingual evangelists that prayed with me earlier that day (that particular photo is funny, but embarrassing to share haha)

Dr. Ingram (OB/Gyn) and his nurse/translator Sandra.