The Good Things

Today was one of those days, you know, the one where...

...you wake up 8 minutes after you should leave for work and 7 minutes before you must leave for work...

...you make good time on I-4 until hitting bumper-to-bumper traffic for miles and call work to say you don't know when you'll be there...

...your gas light comes on while at a standstill on the interstate, with who knows how long until you can exit...

...you stare out your window after in hour in traffic, contemplating if it's socially acceptable to pee in the median on the interstate, because you drank a whole bottle of water thinking you'd be at work already...

...your whole body starts quivering in physical pain as you try not to pee your pants after finally making it to the exit...

...you arrive at work an hour and a half late after spending two and a half hours getting to work when it should have taken an hour...

...you arrive at your location at work only to find out half of your cashiering technology doesn't work...

...your day finally gets better until it starts pouring while walking to your car...

...you drive home, soaking wet, for an hour in the rain...

you know, that kind of day.



But you know what? I've been doing a really great job at thinking more positively lately and being thankful for the little things every day. 

I'm thankful I woke up today in my own bed.

I'm thankful my car started.

I'm thankful I have a job.

I'm thankful for bladder muscles that work. 

I'm thankful for gas station bathrooms. 

I'm thankful I have a cell phone.

I'm thankful I have a job that allows me to make people smile every day. 

I'm thankful for warm showers.

I'm thankful I serve a God who cares enough about me to help me not pee in my car and who gets me to and from work safely. 

I'm thankful for today.



This song came on the radio twice while I was on my way home tonight (88.3 in Orlando and 106.1 in Lakeland) and I think it went well with my day today...

Every good thing comes from the Lord. We shouldn't take these little things for granted!

Broken Heart in Training

They warned me.

They said I might cry...and they were right.

They said I would pray for them....and I sure do.

Student teaching is hard, and I'm not talking about the lesson planning or even the teaching.

I go to school each morning and walk down the halls past such precious children. 

Some don't have loving homes.

Some don't own warm clothes.

Some can't afford Valentine's cards.

Some misbehave to get attention.

Each one a life I can make an impact on and that's what keeps me going. 

This week has been hard as some of these realities really sink in. 

I have one homeless student who I love dearly, but who my heart breaks for. The fact that my kindergarteners are worried about not having Valentine's cards because "mom doesn't have money" makes me so sad. If only teachers were allowed to adopt kids...my apartment has plenty of room to spare!  

I just want to cry because I love them all so much. My heart just breaks when I hear of other students in my building bringing drug wrappers, knives, and other things to school. Or those who have trouble listening or misbehave for attention. If only I could spend a few minutes with each and every student and show them all the love of God through my actions. 

Last week I was able to spend some time working one-on-one with a student from another class. One whose name is known around the building because of his bad behavior. He didn't want to do our 100th day painting activity while the other teachers were around, but once they left and we were doing 100 exercises together, he listened so well and he was so funny telling me he was working on his "packs." By the end of our exercises he told me he had "two pack" abs. :) Then I let him pick a Spiderman video to watch until he was picked up by his teacher and that made him so happy, he sat in SILENCE until it was over. Just that short time made me so happy that I could really impact a student by giving him some positive attention. 

Seeing kids from other classes in the hallway start to recognize me and give me hugs just makes my day! I even have a second grade friend in a regular ed classroom who thinks it's fun to tell me "Hola" and "Gracias" because I'm a bilingual teacher. :)

I know God is preparing me for the lives I will impact the rest of my life. This is just a taste of what my life will be like as I get a new set of students each year to love on and pray for. I know God made me with this heart for a reason, and I couldn't be happier. 

So I may sit here in my apartment by myself, crying over and praying for my students, but that's what I was made for and I wouldn't have it any other way.

:,-)

Isaiah 1:17

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ Learn to do right; seek justice.
    Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
    plead the case of the widow.

Life Saver

This year I have been to two different countries, met many new people, experienced new cultures, foods, and languages.

I made a difference in the lives of others... but it didn't stop there.

Today I got an email that could change someone's life forever.

Sophomore year a team from the National Marrow Donor Program came to Olivet to sign people up for the registry. I was thinking about joining, but I ended up chickening out.

Lest year they came back to Olivet and I thought about it even more and decided there was no reason for me NOT to sign up. If I am a healthy individual who is capable of giving someone LIFE, why would I say no?

I've received several emails over the last few months, reminding me to keep my contact information up to date and some news about the Registry. So when I see a new email in my inbox from "Marrow Registry" I usually don't think much of it. 

Today the subject line read "You are a possible marrow match."
At first I thought it was a simple marketing email to keep me interested in staying on the registry or for new people to join, instead... It MEANT it. 

Somewhere in the US someone might need ME to give them a chance at LIFE. 

At first I was kinda nervous, but throughout the day I've been getting more excited. Maybe God put me on this earth not only to travel the world and impact lives with my actions and my words, but maybe God put me on this earth to save someone's life with the body and cells that He gave me.

So I've completed the first steps. I told them I was still interested in donating and I filled out the health questionnaire. Now the waiting game begins. 
Will I be the one this person needs? For now, only God knows the answer, but pretty soon I may receive a YES!

If you aren't on the Be The Match Registry, I encourage you to go to marrow.org and find out more information on how YOU could save a life!

Prayers para mis niños

Last night during revival Scott Daniels was talking about how God is greater. 

Greater than ALL things.

And it immediately reminded me of the wonderful stories I've been hearing about God working in my friends lives both here in the States and abroad. God as a healer, an encourager... so many wonderful ways God chooses to reveal Himself in our lives. It reminded me that God is greater than ANY situation that me or my friends face and I started thinking about my kids in Honduras. 

God is greater than any situation they may find themselves in, be it poverty, abandonment, abuse, or anything else. 

God is greater. 

When I went back to my apartment I came up with a plan. For about the next month, I will dedicate each day to pray for a specific child from el Jardin. I think about them all the time and have been praying for them, but this will be different. I will post their name on my phone as a constant reminder of that child. Their face, their smile, the precious memories I made with them this summer. And I will be in constant prayer for them throughout the day. 

Today was Day 1. 

Expect the Unexpected!

This summer I learned a lot of "missionary lessons," one of them being to expect the unexpected.

We had a few crazy things happen to us throughout the six weeks I was there, more than I can even remember, but here are a couple for you to enjoy!

1. Always have a Plan B... C... maybe even D...

After our second week we decided to go a nearby hotel to swim in the pool. Unfortunately there was a wedding going on, so we had to leave. For our Plan B we decided to go to a natural spring-fed pool to swim, but when we got there it was very small and the few people that were there were staring at us and it just didn't seem like a very good idea. So for Plan C, we settled on going to a hot spring area where hot water randomly flows out from a pipe sticking out of a mountain by the side of the road. When we got there a man was trying to wash his truck and really got a kick out of our truck full of Americans laughing and squealing at the fact we found hot water! That was our first lesson in being prepared for anything!

Trying out the hot springs for the first time, next to the guy cleaning his truck!

Enjoying our first hot water in two weeks!

2. Don't expect to get much sleep

Our next unexpected adventure occurred that very same day on our way home from Nico's soccer game. 
A new political party was forming and we found out the hard way that their presidential candidate was holding a rally just a couple blocks away from the orphanage at the soccer fields we always hung out at. There were people EVERYWHERE!

Traffic along a typically quiet road
(including an ambulance in the background)

Hundreds of people at the campo

That night we had trouble falling asleep as the people partied all night long with fireworks, horns, and cheers. 
The next day on our way to church the thousand or so attendees were all leaving the field at the same time and created a ridiculous traffic jam that resulted in us walking into town for dinner and missing church. 

Traffic on our walk into town

It was definitely a lesson in patience and again, expecting the unexpected!

3. Kids do crazy things

I never thought I'd be able to say that I've seen someone with hot pink hands!

On one of our very last days with the kids, Ana Gabriela came to the program with her hands dyed BRIGHT PINK!

Ana's dyed hands

Ana with her dyed hands

When I first saw her walk in I thought she was wearing gloves or something, we all soon found out that she had been painting something at school using an organic paint with natural ingredients that dye your hands if not washed off in a timely manner. It seemed to us that she may have let it sit on her hands on purpose due to the even color on her hands all the way to her wrists! Edwin Emil also had some pink on his hands and arms, but his looked more accidental. 
This was one of those unbelievable moments that just made us laugh!

Ana Gabriela's pink hands

There were many more funny and unexpected events that happened this summer, but Ana's pink hands was definitely one of the most memorable! :)

Overall we have learned to adapt to changes and go with the flow, because on the mission field, you never know what will happen next!

Videooooos :D

Here are two videos that summarize my mission trips this summer! 

Enjoy! :)

Paraguay:

Honduras:

Time Flies + VIDEO :D

I can't believe I've been home for over a week! What's even crazier is that I'll be driving to school next week for my SENIOR YEAR! Time certainly is flying!

I'm doing a presentation at church about my summer mission trips so I'm preparing some pictures and videos to show.... Here's a look at my time in Honduras. :)