Dr. Amy

So again it has been awhile since I posted anything. Sorry to all of those who check everyday to find nothing. We just got done with an amazing medical team from Journey Church in Jacksonville. We got to see a lot of patients and give out a lot of medicine. There are so many sick people here that cant afford to go to the doctor and if they can afford it, then they cant afford to buy the medicine. The doctor taught me how to do a bunch of different things so that after he left I could help people out too. They also left us a ton of medicine. I learned how to take blood pressure, listen for infection in the lungs, feel if a baby is dehydrated, check for ear infection. He also taught me to give different medicines. I am sure some of you are quite worried by this, but we figure that nothing I give them will kill them and most have no other option. So I just pray and ask God to help me. Also I can consult with other people. I enjoy all of the medical stuff, it is fascinating and i know that it truly helps people.

Being a woman in Guatemala.

I dont have anything that exciting to write about, but I want to try to be more faithful at updating my blog. One thing that has really struck me lately is how the women work here and how my life would be different if I was a women born to a poor guatemalan family. My life would be completely different. I would probably be married with children. I would do tons of physical labor everyday. Why the women here suffer in a way that I will never know. Why was I born in the US?

I see women walking down the road with 50lbs of wood on their heads. They walked up the moutain 2 hours to bring it down so they can cook food for their family over an open fire. The only time I have cooked over and open fire is camping and that was "fun."

Even the clothes they wear are uncomfortable. I have worn the typical clothes that these women wear everyday. You cannot move. It is hard to sit and I couldnt reach things. The skirt itself weighs like 5lbs, it is so heavy and tied so tight to your waist.

The women here are strong and they work hard. They get up at the crack of dawn to serve their families. They have so much courage and fight so hard. Why I had a different life given to me, I will never understand. I know that it makes me think twice about complaining about anything that I have to do. I have been given so much and didnt do anything to deserve it.

Taco Bell

This is Guatemala's version of fast food. Super Tacos Bell. Its fast, but it will probably go through you just as fast.

Oil Change

I really needed to get my oil changed and I thought that at this one gas station that they had that service, so I went in and asked. The guy at the counter told me no. I was on my way back to my car when one guy came up to me and pointed across the street at the shadiest repair shop that I have ever seen in my life and told me that I could get it changed there. So I drove down the street looking for another place, thinking that there was no way that I would ever let those people work on my car. Well I turned around because I couldn't find any other place and decided to go ask the shady place about oil changes. They said that I could sit in my car while they did it (mind you parked on the side of the "highway") and that they only charge for the oil. The service is free. So I sat in my car and this really nice guy changed my oil. He was done in 15 minutes and it cost me about $25 with good oil. I couldn't believe it, I think I will always go back there. In Guatemala there are some things that are very strange, but they turn out to be really great. Like the fact you can sit in your car just pulled off to the side of the road and they will change your oil on the spot.

Well I hope that people are really reading my blog, I have made a new goal to write once a week. It is really hard when there are teams here but I am going to do my best. I am now back in Guatemala. I had a great welcoming committee when I got back. All the missionarys' kids came running out screaming "AMY AMY, we're so glad your back!" It felt pretty special.

In Costa Rica it is safe to drink the tap water whereas in Guatemala you will get very sick if you do. It is a very horrible problem for many of the poor people here cause they cannot afford purified water and so they have to drink the contaminated water and are constantly sick. So it was nice to be able to go anywhere in Costa Rica and fill up a water bottle or not worry about if the ice is safe to have. I got so used to being able to drink it that when I got here I went to go fill up my glass from the tap. As I am walking to do it, I remember that you cannot drink the water. I had gotten used to and forgotten about not having readily available drinking water. It is amazing how much easier and helpful it is for the people. I hope that someday Guatemala could get safe drinking water for its people.

It feels quite cold here and I have been having to wear sweat pants and a sweat shirt to sleep at night. I have no heat and it gets pretty darn cold. I know all you fellow northerners think I'm whining but imagine spring or fall without heat. I know, I know, there is no comparison to 5 months of snow. But let me tell you that it really sucks to take a barely lukewarm shower in the morning when it is so cold.

I am pretty much back into the swing of things and looking forward to going and visiting some of the families that I missed in the community. I am soon going to go visit sandra, the one that I took to the hospital to have her baby. I am excited to see them and how the baby has grown.

I look forward to visiting Costa Rica again. I feel blessed that God has allowed me to go see another country and that I can go there and help with teams and be a part of the ministry that goes on there. Part of my heart is with those people now and the struggles that they have. It is a different sort of poverty. There are so much drugs and alcohol abuse, single mom families, prostitution, and heartache. People there suffer in a different way. Many of them dont have food or money like here, but even worse their families are torn apart by different sins. Of course there are lots of families that stick together and help each other out, but there is lots of pain. Here in magdalena there is a lot of alcohol abuse as well, but it isnt to the degree as in costa rica. Most people here struggle just to eat 2 tortillas and walk a miles to get contaminated water. Families arent as torn apart here, but it seems that there is more domestic abuse--men beating their wives. It is hard to explain the differences, there are lots of similarities... the biggest one being they all need Jesus. But that is what we all need, even when we think we have it all.

Jacksonville

I spent the last week in Jacksonville, Florida. It was mainly to become an official member of 6:8 Ministries. I had an interview with the board; it was mainly just to meet them and for them to have a chance to see that I wasnt crazy. They did accept me so now I am official staff. I had been working with them for 6 months, but it is nice to actually have met the board. It was also a great excuse to got to the states and see friends.
I went to Journey Church. It is a church that has come down to Guatemala lots of times and feels a calling to help the people there. I spoke at the church. I walked in the door and it was fun to see so many people that I knew. It is a fairly small church and I had met a bunch of them on the trips. I then spent the week hanging out with them and just getting to know them better. It was a great time of fellowship and being built up by fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. They were so good to me and made my trip so enjoyable. I was able to go to Sea World. I experienced a restaurant called Chick-fil-a for the first time. Let me tell you they need to get those in the north of the US. I also got to go to Walmart. I bought things that I need but couldnt find the same exact thing in guatemala. Stupid things like hair gel, shampoo, clothes, and other general things that I used to use in the states. I obviously dont need (maybe hair gel) any of those things, I can make do with what they have in guatemala, but it was a nice treat to have the United States stuff that I am used to.
I hope to be able to return to Jacksonville soon. I feel like I have friends there even though I only have known them for a short time. Thanks everyone at Journey! You guys are Awesome!

God's Provision

I am currently in Florida right now... with more information to come about why I am here. I wanted to share some experiences in Costa Rica before I forgot them.

The other day I went to the capital of San Jose to hand out sandwiches to the homeless. It was a really neat expierence. I overhead one guy talking to another saying that the sandwiches were such a blessing from God because his stomach was hurting because he hadnt eaten in 2 days. I really thought that it was amazing that almost every person say thanks and God bless you. It was as if they knew that we were doing it in the name of Jesus. That they know that God provides for them when they have nothing. It was just a time that I began to reflect on the fact that God really will provide all I need. These people literally wait on God everyday to provide means for them to live.

On a lighter note.... A funny thing that I saw in Costa.... If any of you start to complain about mowing the lawn with your self-propelled or riding lawn mower think again. I saw a lady sitting on the ground cutting her grass with a pair of scissors! Imagine how long that must take. I couldnt believe it.

Costa Rica

I am in Costa Rica again. I have enjoyed being here with fellow missionaries being refreshed and fellowshiping. I have had a chance to relax and see more of the ministry that goes on here. Today I went to a little town called Aurora. We brought food and diapers to a family of a handicapped boy. He was miraculously healed by God 4 months ago and is now able to walk. He is 6 years old and now runs like he could always walk. It is truely amazing to see him and know that God healed him after never walking in his life before and the doctor telling his parents that he would never walk. The teams here in costa rica have always gone to pray for this family. They are really poor and needed help. It is crazy because I think that a lot of times christians dont really believe that God heals people. I mean, no one would deny it, but that we truely think that it happens.... I am not sure. I saw it first hand. Also we went a visited a woman who used to be a witch. Her house recently colapsed and she was living at a neighbors house. She had nothing and the little bit of stuff she had was stolen recently. Her life was changed one day when she went to the doctor and not only was healed physically but her heart was changed as well. Jesus changed her life that day. She used to curse people and brew potions, now she praises Jesus. It was a good day of meeting costa ricans that have had there lives changed in a huge way by God.

A day in the life of Amy

We have a team here right now, and we went this morning to the Down Syndrome. It was great, the kids got to paint on canvases and the team really enjoyed it. In the afternoon we build a chicken coop and gave it to a family who really needs help financially.

But the big part of my day came after the chicken coop. I was sitting down to eat dinner when I got the call. Sandra was in labor and needed me to drive her to the hospital. (I had talked with her before and told her that I would since she had no car and would have had to give birth in her house, which she did with her other 5 kids). I get to the house and this woman is in serious labor. We (sandra, her sister in law and I) jumped in my car and I ask her how far apart are her contractions, she tells me the are one right after the other. It is about a half hour drive on a good day. I dont know if gringas are whimps or what but she was hardly making any noise, just grunting and grimacing every once and awhile. She was obviously in pain. (oh and when the contractions started she decided that she would make tortillas and clean the house before teh baby came) About half way to the hospital she informs me that her water just broke (mind you all over my front passenger seat, lovely). I am just trying to drive as fast as I could because I knew that if I didnt get there soon, I was going to have to deliver a baby in my car. We finally make it to the hospital, but at this point she cant walk. We look around there is no one in the emergency where you drive up, you have to bring the patients in. I ran inside and got the wheel chair and we wheeled her in. They put her on a bed and checked her and started asking her questions like: what is your full name, your age, your religion, are you married. I was about to scream this lady is going to have a baby NOW... what are you waiting for! They finally check her and are like oh she is fully dialated. They told me we cant bring her back until we have her information and chart. Then they completely stripped her naked and made her put on a gown. Then they wheel in the gourney. It is at least 8 inches taller than the bed and doesnt lower. They tell her, get on but be careful not to push cause your baby might come. SO she has to get on her knees and move over. Then they finally take her back. So we began to wait. We couldnt go in with her. They told us to check in 20 minutes we asked and they said wait. We asked again an hour later and they said they didnt know. Then I went back in there told them we had been waiting two hours and so they went to check on her. They told us that it was normal but they didnt know if it was a boy or girl and that we couldnt see her. They said to go home and maybe at 11am we could pick her up tomorrow. I have a telephone number that I have to call to find out. So all of you reading this: be thankful. It was absolutely nuts. The good thing was that it wasnt in her house and supposedly her and the baby are fine. Tomorrow I am going to go pick her up hopefully.

So that was my day. Crazy. But it was great to be able to provide a clean and safe place for her to have her baby. So many babies die in child birth or right after here and many could be prevented with the right treatment. It is neat to be a part of such a big event in someones life. I never knew I would do something like that, it was a good expierence. (I would give birth here)

Carolina

I would like to tell you about a woman that I met about a month ago. Her name is Carolina. I met her while we had the medical clinic. She came in with her three daughters, which had various aliments. What really broke my heart is when she began telling us about her struggles. She began explaining how her husband beats her and tells her that she is worthless. He tells her that he is going to find another wife, accuses her of having affairs, and in general is super controlling and doesnt show love to his daughters. The most heart renching part is when she told me that she no longer wants to live, that she just wants to commit suicide. We talked some more and I decided that I needed to continue the relationship with her.

I went to her house and prayed for her with a team. It was all girls and it was really amazing to hear more of her story. We prayed for all her problems that day.

I returned to her house with the next group and she told us that her husband was a little better and that as a family they had started going to church. What a miracle! She also looked so happy, I could tell that something inside of her had changed. Also that same day she began to tell me more of what happened to her. She was raped by her step father at age 7, her mother then rejected her and so she went to work in Guatemala City. She met her husband and married young. She married the first man that "loved" her. I believe she has never experienced real love. I pray that she finds it in Jesus. She also told me that her she had to leave her daughters with another family so she could work. Her daughter was raped by one of the sons in the family. The cycle is continuing. The last thing that she wanted for her daughters was for them to experience the same thing she did. Are you asking yourself, how is this all happeneing to one family, I did. There is no happiness, no joy, life is hard, what sort of future is there? I know that their only hope is Jesus. How can I show Carolina his love? What do I say? This same day we had brought just a little bit of food for the family, maybe a weeks worth. She began to cry and tell me that she had told her daughter that she had no food and could only give her 1 quetzal (12.5 cents) to buy some bread (which is 4 little pieces here). Jesus gave them food that day. Carolina told me that she now knows that God hasnt forgotten them, that he is providing for their needs.

Today I went back to visit Carolina and her kids. We brought them some food. She again told us that she had no lunch today because there was no food. It amazes me every time how God guides us to the families that need help, and reminds them that he cares for them. Carolina shared with me that they have no running water in their house. It would be so easy to install (but costs about $75 to hook up). They dont even have that kind of money. It only costs $1.50 a month for water here once it is installed. Water, something so simple we take for granted. God displayed his glory in providing for a family today. He never forgets us, never.

You maybe wondering why I shared this somewhat bleak story. I dont write here much, probably partly because most stories and things that I see are depressing. This story is the reality of many if not most families here. Some have different struggles, but all are so profound. It is not fun or cheery to write about, but I want you to pray for these people. Especially Carolina. She needs love, she needs Jesus. I hope that she sees him in us.

You know just some normal stuff... a hot waterfall... drinking coconut milk.

A little update

Well it has been quite some time since I have written a blog update... when teams are here, it seems like I have no other time left in the day to do anything but be with them. But we had a great week with a team. We got to make a playground in Buena Vista. We painted an existing court, put up basketball hoops, and put in a swing set. Kids love it. There is also a building on the property and the community leaders told us that we can use it if we fix it up. It needs a new roof, a new paint job, and new windows, but it will be a great place to do community events. With this last team we were able to clean up the inside a bit and paint the outside. We hope that with a future team that we will be able to put in all new windows and fix the roof. It will be such a blessing to have an area where we can hand out food, or shoes or just hold different events.

My friend is here visiting and I had this past weekend off so we decided to go to Rio Dulce. It is near the Carribean Sea so it was close to what most people would consider paradise. It was a great time to get away and relax. It was hot, but we swam a ton, got to see a castle, go to hot springs, and took a boat ride.

Coming up, we have a good week with a team planned and I pray that God will bless the time and use it to bless both the team and guatemala. Then right after we have two more teams and so it will be a busy month, but it is always exciting to see God move especially in the hearts of the team. Pray for them as you are reminded of Guatemala.

Milo (pronouced mee-lo)

Here is me and the kitty.

I have good news... my scabies are pretty much healed. The scratching is basically over now and you can hardly see the bites. I never want to do that again. The other good news is that I rescued a kitten, he is probably about 6 weeks old right now; he is pretty tiny. I didnt really want a kitty but he was running around in the street almost got hit by a car and so I felt bad. Slowly I am beginning to like him. I never had a cat growing up and I dont really know what I am supposed to do with him. He sleeps right next to my face on my pillow, which is really sweet, but he also bites alot. I think that he might be teething.
Since last time I wrote I had another team here. It was a team of 14 girls from the University of Florida. It was a great time. They were all just a few years younger than me and it was fun to interact with them. God did some awesome things both in the team and the community. At the VBS in Buena Vista that the UF girls ran, kids raised their hands saying that they didnt even know who jesus was and by the last day they were raising their hands to ask Jesus to forgive their sins. It was incredible to watch kids learn about Jesus that had no idea who he was. They were soaking in everything. I am looking forward to more groups coming and showing Jesus love to these kids. I know that continued relationships, and most importantly, Jesus will change that community.

I know that I just posted yesterday but I just had to write about what happened today with the medical team. We had a great day and saw a ton more patients. The local police have been helping us maintain order with all the people that are waiting in line. We just dont want anything to get out of hand. The police have volunteered their time to us and told us that anything we need, they are here to serve us. It is great to get support from the local government. I was talking with the chief of police and he was just inquiring more about our ministry and what we do. He said I know that you are here because of Jesus and that he died on the cross for our sins and he loves us... but why are you really here. I tried to explain our hearts and calling to guatemala. It was such a great conversation and that he knew we were representing Jesus without us saying even one word. Later he had the entire group pray for him.

Scabies

Well I have another team here with me in guatemala again. They are a group of medical professionals from Florida. They brought a ton of medicines and are really going to help a lot of people. You may not believe it but they have already seen about 250 people, and that was just this afternoon. It was incredible. They are so organized with all they medicines and how they flow the people through the different stations. I had the privilege of interpreting for a doctor and she was so great with the people and really cared about what was wrong with them.

As we are sitting there seeing patients, one was telling us about how she has a rash. The doctor thought that it might be bed bugs. I have thought that I might have bed bugs because my arms were bitten up, and so I showed the lady my arms to show her that I have it too. The doctor looked at my arms and smirked a little bit. I was wondering what she was thinking, and then she asked me if I had them anywhere else. I showed her my wrists and my fingers and told her that on my stomach and thighs I had the same thing. She told me I had scabies. I got the heebie geebies. The are little mites that live under your skin. I am still freaking out a little as I write this. God sent this team and sent them prepared because they were able to give me the three pills that I needed to get over it. (they came here to help the people of guatemala and they ended up helping me tremendously) I have to wash everything and get rid of the ones that are living in other places than under my skin. This is gross. Is this suffering for the cause of Christ? Life is just harder and filled with things that you really dont want to ever have to deal with in your life. God is good and provides what I need when I need it.

Being Blessed!

We have a group here now from Journey Church. They are the ones that are donating all the funds to build the houses. (if you havent read about the 12 x 12 project go to www.deepstreamguatemala.com). The group is made up of 6 guys from the leadership team of the church. They have come here to serve and in doing so have served us. Most teams that come, we minister to, but this team I feel has ministered to us more. They gathered around our staff and prayed for us, spoke truth into our lives, and built us up. It was an incredible time of feeling the holy spirit move and work in our lives. I personally came out feeling refreshed and filled with joy. So now I am going to sound a bit shallow but they also brought me some of my favorite candy from the states, sour patch kids. (let me tell you... it means a lot)

They also have been building the Taj Mahal of chicken coops. This thing is huge and will be really great for a family to recieve. I have certainly felt the Holy Spirit throughout the time this team has been here. They are an incredible blessing to the community and us as well, they have been spending time praying for and visiting families. Handing out candy to kids. It just has been a great time with them.

I miss spoke when I wrote the last time saying the team was from mississippi, they were actually from Alabama. It was a great week, I enjoyed the team. They gave away 4 chicken coops with 15 chickens and 50lbs of food for each coop. We chose 4 really needy families and their reaction to the coops was so humbling. All of the women cried when we told them about it. Could you imagine someone coming to your house and you being brought to tears over a chicken coop? It means so much to these women. They will be able to raise the chickens and either sell them or eat them. Our hope is that they take well care of the chickens and that they can sell them when they are grown and then use the money to buy more chickens and feed. It is supposed to be like a little business that eventually gives them a little profit and some food.

This team also donated a months worth of food to 5 families. They bought them staple foods like rice, beans, corn, oil, and some vegetables. I really enjoy seeing the teams reaction and the family's reaction. Both were crying and showing each other love. It was beautiful. The church acting like christ. I love seeing both the guatemalans and the northamericans (and me too!) are changed by God at the same moment.

I am back in Guatemala now and it feels pretty good to be back home. I missed guatemala when I was in costa rica. (in case you doubted it, I really do love guatemala, haha) It was great to see another country and learn more about another culture. There spanish is a little different and it was fun to learn some new costarican slang. There was a team in costa rica when I was there so I spent lots of time with them and didnt do anything turisty. I hope to one day go back and lie on the beach and maybe go see the sea turtles. They have a ton of them there and supposedly it is really cool to go watch them all hatch.

Tomorrow we have another team coming, I am pretty sure they are from Mississippi. The will be here for a week and they want to provide chicken coops and chickens to some local families. So they will spend time building and hanging out with the guatemalan families that will recieve a coop.

There is much to be done to prepare for them so I better get going.

Costa Rica

Hello everyone,

Sorry I havent written in awhile. It has been busy here for me, because we have had our first two teams and it is alot of work to prepare for them and then I spent the whole day with them while they are here. God has been working in so many ways here and it has been amazing to see how God has touched lives here through the teams. On friday the last team left and it was a team that came here with 3 massage therapists. They gave free massages to the people of the villages where we work. It was amazing to see how it really blessed everyone. They guatemalans in these villages work so hard, they carry things on their head (imagine a load of firewood for two miles, or wet clothes or babies on their backs). Their bodies are tired and sore. We also were able to see a boy that probably has some form of cerebal palsey. His legs and arms are so atrophied that he can no longer walk, lift his arms or even sit up. They think that he is sick so he must lay in bed but really he needs to get out and move. The therapists were able to massage him and give some exercizes for him to do. The child might die unless the mom is able to help him recooperate. We were able to pray for the boy, his name is esvin. I am hoping to go and visit the family and continue a relationship with them.

So in other news of my life... I am going to costa rica! I leave tomorrow. I was invited to go see how 6:8 Ministries (the ministry that we are partnering with to do teams) runs teams in Costa Rica. They started their ministry three years ago and God has blessed it greatly and we are going to try to have the same thing happen here in guatemala. It is an great blessing for me because I have never been there. It will be interesting to hear their spanish and to learn about another culture. (I hope that I get a little time to relax too!)

Alright I need to go because I have to pack for tomorrow but I am going to try to get better about posting on here. Thanks to all you who read and pray for me. My mom says that some of you check everyday. Thats awesome.

Mi feliz Cumpleanos

I wanted to share my guatemalan birthday experience with you all. I was woken up sunday morning by my host sister pounding on my window to come open the door. I, in my sleepy self and not thinking it was my birthday went and opened the door. There was most of the family to give me a good morning hug, light off fire crackers, and give me flowers. It was really sweet of them. Then, I went to church and their tradition is that they have people with birthdays stand up in front of church and sing to them. The whole church lines up and gives hugs to the person who has the birthday. So there I am with the never ending birthday song and every person in the church gave me hugs. It was pretty crazy. Then I spent the whole day with the team and at night they had bought me a pinata. It was my first pinata ever. We had a great cake and they sang for me in two languages. It was a nice birthday and it is always fun to celebrate it here.

I have enjoyed this team so much. They are a great group of people and fun to be around. It has been really special to see them serve and how they bless the people here and how God has been changing and touching their hearts. They have like 3 more days here, tomorrow we have our excursion day and will be taking them to antigua to see a little more of guatemala.

I just wanted to write to you all and share a bit of what has been happening in the last weeks here. God has been amazing and seems to show up before us and have everything planned. He truly is opening doors and making all steps possible. These last weeks have been mainly preparing for our first team that comes in one week. I am sooooo excited to meet them. They are from florida. They are the ones who have provided the funds to build the houses. I look forward to meeting them and showing them the houses and the lives that they have changed.

Some specific things that I have done have been related to the sports camp that we will be holding on the 28th and 29th of march with the group. I had to go ask the mayor of Magdalena permission to use the court. It was pretty scary, everything is so formal here and I was scared I was going to offend him and be exiled from magdalena (not really haha, but truly I was nervous). It went so unbelievably well. He decided not to charge us anything to use the court, and said thanks for helping the community and that anytime we need anything to talk with him. I was so happy to have that relationship started and look forward to see where that goes. He isnt a christian but it is really nice to have his approval and backing in what we are doing.

Another blessing has been the school in Buena Vista. We went there to talk with the principal to see if when we had groups if we could come and teach arts and crafts, maybe english and give out lunch. It turns out that the principal is a christian and has been praying for someone to come and teach bible classes to his students. (in a public school!) We will call them morale classes, but they are specifically for teaching the bible. It was so amazing, he welcomed us with open arms and is giving us as much time as we would like with the kids. Our first event will be with the group and we will go to the school, give a message, play with the kids and give them all a lunch. There are about 415 kids total in the school.

Another answer to prayer is that we now have a local guatemalan family working with us. They came to us and said God has touched their hearts and they want to work with our ministry and serve God. It is great because he is basically the youth pastor and teaches the kids at church. He is going to go at least 3 times a week to the Buena Vista school and teach the bible classes. It is nice to have a local to teach and get to know these kids and we will have on going ministry in that school. I think that Kerrie and I will end up teaching english at the school for one hour a week as well, but we arent sure yet. Please be praying for Carlos and Theresa, the new couple working with us. They are giving up everything for God and living on faith that he will provide for their needs.

All in all I am loving it here in Guatemala. My heart is so happy to be here. There are things that are hard but they are overwhelmed by the blessings and the amazing things that I see happen everyday.

I have arrived

So here I am in Magdalena, at an internet cafe. The sun is shineing and crazy music is playing in the background. I am typing on a crazy keyboard that has keys in different places than US ones. I have had a good time so far. I have only been here for about a day and a half. I had a good overnight flight, my bags all came, and now I am rested up and ready to start my life here.

Today I bought a cell phone my number is 001-502-4640-5575. Yes there are 8 numbers in guatemalan phone numbers.

Well I need to go cause I have to pay here by the half hour and my time is up (and this keyboard is driving me nuts). I will write more soon.

I am no longer la Senorita del bus

Today was my first day off from work. It feels good to just have some time to sort things out and to rest at home. I definitely have lots of things to do before I leave and I only have 10 days left here in the US. The one thing that feels like the greatest challenge right now is selling my car. I just hope that someone buys it soon so I can move on and concentrate on something else (like packing, maybe). My room is a disaster and I need to get it organized and most of the stuff in the suitcase.

I also feel like I need to do some mental and spiritual preparation before I go. I have lots ahead of me and I will need God to be there every step. Even praying for little things like making sure that my bags get to the Guatemalan airport alright (ok its a huge thing, where will I ever find shoes or clothes to fit me there?).

So now I am spending my days with Tasha (the dog) packing, relaxing, freaking out, and praying. I have lots of people I want to see in these last days and I know that more than anything these are special days to spend with people I care about and wont see for I dont know how long.

Commission To Every Nation

February 2009
Dear Friends and Family,
As you can imagine, the last six weeks have been busy as I’ve been preparing to serve in Guatemala!
One of the many exciting things the Lord has done was lead me to an organization called Commission To Every Nation (CTEN). They are an amazing ministry serving missionaries and helping them in managing contributions (ECFA) and providing resources. Perhaps most importantly, they will provide pastoral care for me, by keeping in contact with me, serving as a source of information and guidance, and visiting me. After much prayer and discussion, DeepStream and I will partner with CTEN. My ministry in Guatemala will not be different; I am still working with DeepStream. This arrangement will allow me to put more time and energy into serving in Guatemala. I am very grateful for the guidance CTEN has provided as I start out in this new adventure for Christ. You can read more about them on their website: www.CTEN.org
CTEN provides several options for supporting me, including automatic direct deposit, donation by credit card or check and online giving. They will faithfully send you a tax deductible receipt for every donation. Any donations already made to DeepStream will be forwarded to my account with CTEN. I have enclosed a new commitment card with the CTEN address for you to use. Even if you have already returned one to DeepStream, please return this new one to CTEN.
Please continue to pray about how the Lord may be calling you to support my ministry. Above all else, please commit to pray regularly for me! I trust that He will bring the right group of people around me for support.
I especially ask for your prayers since my departure date is coming soon. I still feel called to leave for Guatemala on March 1st, but am still in need of $3,000 in start-up funds and $1,000 of monthly support. Please pray that I will arrive safely and that the move will go well. Also pray for the teams that will be going down to serve in Guatemala on a short term basis. Our first team arrives in March. Pray that God will work in their lives and use them to bless the Guatemalans they serve. Pray that God will give me His wisdom and strength to serve both Guatemalans and North Americans effectively.
I am blessed to have you as part of our team and know that God is going to do great things in and through all of us! I would love to receive updates from you as well; whether by email or written letters. It will be so encouraging to hear from you - both as I prepare to go and once I get to Guatemala!

CTEN's Address:

Commission To Every Nation
PO Box 291307
Kerrville, TX 78029-1307

I have a plane ticket!

I am officially leaving for Guatemala on March 1st. I am so happy to finally have my ticket and be preparing for a specific date. I bought the ticket in faith that God will provide for all my needs. I currently have about half the support that I need; God has been so faithful. He is so present in all of my preparations, and I am blown away by how He ordains every step I take. I know without a doubt this is exactly what God wants for me.

I am so excited to see what He does in Guatemala, I know that I will be forever changed. God is so good.

3 Weeks Left

I have about 3 weeks left to be here in the US. It brings up many different feelings. At times I feel like I am going to explode unless I get to Guatemala soon, and other times I feel sad that I am leaving people here in the US. I have been spending these last days just hanging out with friends, trying to soak up the last days that I have left. I am also working still, and it is so hard some days to find purpose and meaning there when I know that I am leaving to do something that I am much more passionate about and I feel makes a difference. I am still so happy that I am able to finally go after praying for 4 years about it. God is faithful and has brought me through the journey of getting there and will continue with me on the journey of being there.

I am now just waiting to see if I have enough financial support in. This is a test of faith as I need support pledged monthly in order to go. God has been providing and I am trusting that he will provide all I need. It is encouraging to see that people are backing what I do and actually believe and trust that God is doing work through me. I cannot wait to see what God does through our work in Guatemala. I know that lives with be touched and hearts changed.

Please pray for me in these last weeks. I am going to have to say good bye and start a new way of life, and it will all happen over only one month. Much change will come for me. Pray that I get the money I need to go. Pray that God gives me safety and health. Pray that my transition goes smooth. Pray that God changes my heart, teaches me, and makes me more like him. Pray that I might know how to love.

My Support Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

I really don’t know how to begin because I cannot put into words how God has been working in my life recently. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that he would give me a ministry that so perfectly matches a need to my strengths. Over the last several years, God has allowed me to be blessed and changed by the people of Guatemala. Now, I have the privilege to dedicate my life to serving them in Christ’s love as a missionary with DeepStream in the position of Teams Coordinator. As this opportunity unfolds before me, I believe that God is calling me to step forward in faith by being in Guatemala by the end of February. As I prepare to leave, I want to let you know about the work I will be doing and how you might participate in God’s work in Guatemala.

Many of you know that I love Guatemala and have felt the call to work alongside its people since I studied there in 2005. Through my experiences in Guatemala, God changed how I looked at the world, gave me a love for its people and a passion to help the poor and work for justice. My heart breaks for the malnourished children that run barefoot, for the women who are abused by their husbands, for the youth with no future, for alcoholics with no way out. I desire to participate in alleviating some of this suffering.

Addressing these challenges can seem impossible, but I believe that with God’s help and willing servants, lives and communities can be changed. By partnering with the community and its leaders, we seek to minister in ways that do not create dependence and that are respectful of Guatemalan culture and the communities in which we have been invited to serve. DeepStream’s current projects are homebuilding, working with an orphanage, and offering sports camps, with plans to build a house a month for families in Magdalena and surrounding communities.

DeepStream also strives to change lives by hosting North American teams to work on these projects. We hope that as the teams work alongside Guatemalans and live in the community, their worldview will be challenged and their hearts will be changed. By experiencing the warmth of Guatemalans and seeing joy and generosity of those who have little material wealth, teams will be challenged to reflect on their lives and make a difference in their communities at home.

In my role as Teams Coordinator, I will remain in the community of Magdalena, living with a Guatemalan family and attending the local church. This will allow me to serve as a liaison between the community and teams. My responsibilities will include preparing for the teams, providing orientation and language training, interpreting, accompanying teams to ministry sites and working alongside them.

Though you may not yet be part of one of the North American teams going to Guatemala (I hope you will be someday), I am inviting you to be part of my support team. I believe that some of us are called to go and some of us are called to be the means for others to go. In addition to having people contribute financially, I need people to pray consistently for me, for Guatemala, and for the lives we seek to touch through our ministry. Prayer is desperately needed because without the Holy Spirit nothing lasting will be accomplished.

Please consider being a part of God’s work in Guatemala by praying and/or providing financial support. If you can participate, please return the enclosed card as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for your prayers and financial contributions. They are greatly appreciated.

Living by His grace,

Amy