October 13, 2009

Hola from Guatemala,
Just a quick note to say 'hello'- I arrived in Guatemala safely and am now in Antigua, Guatemala. Today, I will be going on to Xela, where, hopefully, I will be getting settled into my home for the next few months.

MY plans for my time here include living with other volunteers in a 'co-op'- From what I have seen of similar places, most of the people living there are American, Canadians, and Europeans. We live for cheap and all volunteer in the community in some capacity-There are also house chores and responsibilities. I will be volunteering through the same organization that is providing the housing. They specialize in getting people connected with various organizations, mostly NGO/NPO (Non-governement org/ Non-profit's). They have connected me with Primeros Pasos, which is a clinic, close to Xela. I am hoping to work with Vanderbilt's Global Health Scholar, who is there to start a clinic serving women and children in the are. This is really exciting for me to get the chance to work with this group, as I plan to apply to the Global Health Scholar program also when I return to school next year. Scholar recipients receive a grant to start a clinic in a medically under-served and developing area of the world.

Global Health Scholar Program- http://www.hopethroughhealinghands.org/index.cfm?Fuseaction=GetInvolved.Home&Page=GlobalHealthScholars

Entremundos--http://www.entremundos.org/en/index.html

Primeros Pasos-- http://www.primerospasos.org/main.html

I also will have a cell phone while I am here, so if you have a great international plan, you can call me anytime! (Here is my correct #, I gave some of you the wrong 1st 3 #'s- sorry!)
Mi #- 011-502-5338-3565

While I am in Xela, I need prayers for discipleship, strength, serenity, faith, safety, wisdom and a voice that is guided by the will of God

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!!

Remembering my Grandmother

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -John 3:16

My grandmother, a woman of great faith, begun her struggle with dementia a few years ago, but she never lost her loving nature and beautiful smile. I returned back to the US 14 hours before she died on September 20th at 6am. One of the last memories that I have of her, before I left for Central America, was when she would close her eyes and recite Bible verses- John 3:16 seemed to be a favorite of hers. Now her suffering and pain is over and she is with God. She was an amazing blessing in my life and a living reminder of love's imperative.

Xela, Guatemala- Aprendiendo Espanol

WOW! Xela (aka. Quetzaltenango) was a wonderful experience!- I so glad that I let my friend, Stacy, talk me into paying extra to study Spanish where I really wanted to. I studied at Sakribal Spanish School for almost 3 weeks. Their Spanish program included living with a family as part of the full immersion objective. My three weeks were full of plenty of salsa dancing, futbol games, wonderful food, new friendships and, of course, learning Spanish.

These are pictures from two of the "charlas" that I did with the health team. We did one in Miguel Christiano, Nicaragua and one in Chunco. In both cases, the children learned about a health topic and then get a chance to demonstrate the skill that they are taught- In these cases, the skills were proper hand washing and tooth brushing. We also handed out soap and toothbrushes. I realized that most of the kids don't have access to water. Most of the families in both of these communities collect water from rainfall to use in the home. These children are such a joy to work with, very sweet and attentive! I hope to develop more health education classes for the children.

Safe in Nicaragua

Here are a few more pics from the Costa Rica adventure. Steven and I arrived safely from Costa Rica to the Amigos for Christ house in Chinandega, Nicaragua. We took one of the local buses and I was really nervous about the trip, but we ended up being surrounded by a group of kids that had just finished serving with the same organization, Amigos! I couldn't believe it- I was also reading and I found the scripture "The Lord will guard you as you come and go, both now and forever." -Psalm 121:8. I felt at ease, even when we spent almost 3 hours waiting at the border to process our paperwork. There were so many times in Costa Rica that I felt more vulnerable than I ever had, just at the mercy of the kindness of others. Backpacking was an amazing adventure and I am so glad to have good friends to share the experience with.

¡pUrA vIdA!

8-2-09
¡Hola! from the rich coast-Costa Rica!!! For the past 2 weeks I have been bouncing around Costa Rica. I thought I would jump start my move to Nicaragua with a few weeks of fun. Today has been my favorite of the whole trip-My brother, my friend, Robin and I went to Tortuga island. It was absolute paradise and we got a chance to soak it in for a few hours. Imagine white beaches and crystal clear water-pretty much the stereotypical Costa Rica postcard scene. Absolutely gorgeous! I felt a tinge of guilt, but not for long. Currently, we are staying in Montezuma- I have been to Calhuita, San Jose, Allejuela, Jaco and next we are planning to go to Samara, Tamarindo and Liberia- all before we set off for Nicaragua, where I will be settling in for a long stay. It will be comforting to lay my head in the same place for more than 2 nights and I am looking forward to beginning the work in Nicaragua.