Blah

Feeling slightly defeated today and yesterday.....don´t know if its homesickness, feeling lonely, missing people at home, or just because I´m physically sick. Not very fun to feel this way when I feel a bit like an island anyways. That has always been a struggle of mine- accepting help and closeness with people...when the truth is we were made for relationship and community. May God open my heart to the people around me at this moment so that not only am I able to help them with their physical needs but so that we both can be reached in our emotional-spiritual needs.

This was one of my devotional readings this morning from Grace for the Moment:

¨Don´t panic¨

-Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised.- Heb 10:23

Your disappoinments too heavy? Read the story of the Emmaus-bound disciples. The Savior they thought was dead now walked beside them. He entered their house and sat at their table. And something happened in their hearts. Ít felt like a fire burning in us when Jesus talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us.´Luke 24:32.

Next time you are disappointed, don´t panic. Don´t give up. Just be patient and let God remind you He´s still in control. It ain´t over till it´s over.

Last night was Betty´s birthday party, and it was really fun. We had it at the church, and they had a visiting preacher come in for a revival type service. After church, we served dinner and cake to more than 100 people I´m guessing. It was a really big deal for them....apparently turning 15 is like the ´coming of age´ year. I was the photographer and took pictures of everything they kept pointing to. We are gonna go to the mall, about an hour away, one weekend soon to print them out. After the party, we went to the village square where they had some really weird carnival games set up for the weekend supermarket. It was quite odd playing foose ball in the middle of a little village in Guatemala while a Brittany Spears remix blarred over the radio. Just weird. It was kind of painful to watch them spend money on those carnival games that are rigged so you have about a 1/100 chance of actually winning, but I think they really had fun. With how hard they all work, I know they were so excited for a reason to celebrate.

They had family come in from Panajachel (about 3 hours away) for the party, so instead of their being 10 of us in a 3 bedroom house, there were about 25 last night. I didn´t have to share my bed with anyone...thankfully, but there were almost a few less Guatemalans in the village this morning. I don´t know how these people do it! We went to bed at like 11 then they were up again at full swing by 5am. One of the little kids won a trumpet toy at the carnival and decided to play parade up and down the hall this morning.......like I said, there were almost a few less Guatemalans in the village this morning! :)

But I just got a call from Karla (my old family´s pregnant sister) for a party at their house this morning. So, when I leave there, I´m going to take a Tuc-tuc (their version of a little taxi thing on steroids) to her house for a couple hours. Then around 5p, Dr. Lux from the clinic is picking me up for the surgery brigade. I´m not sure who I will be dorming with at the clinic or what shift I will be working yet. The Guatemalan nurses want me on their team in which case I´d work either a 12 day or 12 night shift each day, but I think I´m on team U.S.A. in which case I´ll work either 7-3, 3-11, or 11-7 (cue Kenney Chesney song, Shift work.....)

I know I joke around a lot, but I am feeling pretty disappointed-defeated today. Asking for your prayers! You are in my prayers constantly. Miss you.