Finishing Up

After spending my whole summer in Guatemala, these months are finally coming to a close. I am heading back home on Tuesday, August 1st! It has been a summer full of being challenged, learning, and growing.

Over the summer, I worked with 6 teams from all different locations (plus a team made up of my brother and dad). I learned a lot from both the Americans and Guatemalans that I was working with on a weekly basis. My job basically consisted of doing anything a team did. I did lots of translating in conversations, worked on relationship building, prayed with patients in the hospital, went on many home visits, helped with work and construction projects, and even went on a few trips to Panajachel and Antigua. I went to Guatemala City (a 4-hour drive) on nearly a weekly basis to pick up teams from the airport or bring them back.

I was challenged to not only be outgoing in English, but also in Spanish, as I was put into many new situations with new people on a daily basis. When I was younger, if you would have told my family or me that I would do this one day, we all would've laughed (I was pretty shy. And by pretty shy, I mean extremely shy!).

As my posts have shown throughout the summer, God has been teaching me a lot about missions. He's opened my eyes to see the negative and positive aspects. He has put a passion in my heart for missions, especially for the Guatemalan people. He's given me patience and energy throughout a very difficult and busy time in my life. He's brought me comfort, peace, and provision when I've most needed it.

God has also shown me other lessons throughout this summer too, and not necessarily ones I would have expected. He's taught me more about giving, patience, forgiveness, conflict resolution, self-control, and working with people of all different types. It's been hard, yet rewarding. I have been able to visit old friends and make lots of new ones too. I've connected with people of different ages, races, genders, and professions. God has shown me more of the plan He has for my life and has given me determination to follow Him in that.

So as I go home Tuesday, I will remember this summer. When I go to Baylor later this month, I will remember this summer. And as I go on with life, I will remember this summer. Because even though it wasn't easy, God was faithful. He had His hand in my summer. And for that, I will always remember.