Sfter thoughts...

I came back from this trip feeling different from any other trips before...almost having a closure on feeling lead to go to Guatemala every single year. My heart is still there and I love the country, the kids, all of it but something changed while on this trip. I missed my boys at home more than ever which made it very hard. Also, the good thing was that all of the kids that I go see every year, were doing great! The orphanage looked great and the kids all seemed well taken care of and loved actually. I don't know if I will ever stop completely but at least for a couple years, I think we will be sending funds to people we know who are doing work there and of course letters and emails with pictures but not actually traveling. We found things out on this trip about how dangerous Guatemala really is and that I have been blinded all these years. With all of that said...the trip was wonderful and we did get to do many things and love on a ton of kids which is why we went! Shawn did great and I think feels that he would like to return sooner than I so we'll see. We did both connect with one little girl named Margarita....so sweet and would come up and give us both huge hugs with her beautiful smile! Saying good bye to the kids in the orphanage wasn't that hard either because they had visitors there who brought about 6 pinatas for them!
The last two days, we were able to spend getting to know a family who ownes a coffee farm near Lake Atitlan. That was a blessing because their 13-year-old son is coming this Saturday to stay with our family until December! The family was so sweet to us and it was good to see a different side of Guatemala...not the poverty but people who have alot and also give alot back to their community.
I am going to post a few more pics but next week I will make a slide show and post that with more pics.
Thank you everyone for praying for us and writing encouraging words...it was a blessing to read the comments on here and facebook.
I feel like I am leaving so much out but there is too much to write!

Our First Day In Xela

Today was awesome...and exhausting! We first woke up and went to find another hotel. Then we drug our heavy suitcases up a tall hill to the other hotel. After getting settled, we first went to visit Jeffery and Jenny who are two sibling that used to live in the orphanage and now live with a pastor and his wife and kids along with a few other kids as well. Those two kids are so special and it is so good to see them in such an amazing situation. On Monday, the pastor and his wife will go to court with the two to have them declared legally abandoned so that they can legally be their parents! We spent about and hour there and then took them with us to eat lunch. After lunch we walked a long ways to the SOS home hoping to see two boys Juan and Esvin. Juan was at school but we did get to see Esvin and a few other we knew which was great! Tomorrow we will go back in the morning and spend more time there with >Juan and Esvin. We had just enough tooth brushed to pass out to each child in their little home. After that, we took the two for ice cream and then their dad came to get them. We rested for about 10 minutes and then were off to the orphanage. The director wasn{t there so at first we weren{t going to be able to come in but then one of the care takers I know came and said we could for a while. We got to go love on the babies and some of the girls and then the boys hortly also before it was bedtime. It was so funny because all of the boys just want to see my pictures of diego and then also of some of the kids we saw when we first got here. There was a mob around the caretaker when he was looking at all of the pictures! Tomrrow, we go to the SOS home first and then the orphanage for the enitre day. The pastor that Jeffery lives with is going to pick us up at 6pm and take us to their house...the church...for service and then back to our hotel after. Jeffery told us today that he wants to be a pstor when he grows up and Jenny wants to be a teacher. These kids had no chance before and now they do...God is so good!

So, yesterday we were able to go help out at a daycare that Buckner runs that is for the single mom's who are in their housing program. There were 8 little ones and three of them came from the baby home (orphans) and all had disabilities. After about 4 hours of that, we went to the baby home near by and only stayed for about 30 minutes. It was beautiful to see these kids in such a good home and being taken care of. When we were done there, we went to the Buckner Warehouse to help load some boxes of dried veggies to take to the homeless in the dump. That was the best part of the day. The man Amed who works for Buckner goes to the dump every single Monday to help serve them food but most of all to minister to them. I was so afraid to go because I knew they would be on drugs and it would smell bad and I can't stand any bad smells lately but I was truley blessed to have gone and same with Shawn.
We pulled up and unloaded the food into a small room where all of the people come on Mondays to get their food and here a Pastor minister to them. It started with worship and then the Pastor read the bible. Before any of this started though, the pastor went arond with a plastic bag and collected all of the bottles ofglue, pieces of cloth with glue. and any other drugs. It was exactly like so many movies I have seen that had made me sick to my stomach. More than half of the people who came where high and that is what broke my heart. You could look into their eyes and see nothing...saddness...they are all so lost. We helped pass out trays of food to them, took some pictures with a couple and watched one dance for a while. We also went into one of the "homes" at the dump. It was by far the worst situation I have ever ever seen. Amed is such a special man to minister to these people even when he knows they don't hear him and cannot pay attention to what he is saying...he still goes.
Today...! We got picked up at 7am and didn't get home until 7pm...it was a long but amazing day. We first went to an ADP office in our sponsored children's commmunity. We met some of the board members who are ladies from the community and looked around the office. Then we went to Gilma's house. I was car sick by the time we were there but after walked 15 minutes to get to her actual home, I was fine. The roads weren't even roads...piles of hard dirt I would say.
Her house was beautiful! It was only her mom and her there and then they also invited her aunt to join us. I don't have anough spcae here to tell you all how great it was to be there with them and how sweet they both were. The mom at one point started crying and was thanking us for the last time we gave them money. She said it came at the right time because she had no money to buy clothes or anything for her daughter and she didn't know what to do. It broke my heart, our little gift of maybe $150 was such a huge blessing for their family. Gilma was adorable, asked me quesions like when were we going to come back again! She showed me the dresser they bought with the money I sent and the clothes she was wearing were from that also. We brought gifts for all of them and they were so greatful! I will stop writing about it now because this would go on forever but honestly...it was the best part of this trip so far.
Next we went to Oscar's home. I was able to go last year with Angela as well so it was neat to see his family for the second time! Oscar was much more comfortable with me this time too. Angela, he asked where his "Tia" was! We asked alot of questions about their water, their home, school, what their biggest needs are and so on. It was another great visit and once again, I left feeling that they blessed Shawn and I so much.
Now we are back and both ready for bed at 8pm! Tomorrow we will take a bus to Xela (about 4 hour ride) from 8am-12pm which will leave us time to still visit the orphanage in Xela and the SOS home too! PLease pray for safe traveles!
BY the way...Shawn is amazing!

No Reyna...No Wilber

Well, we did find someone to go with us today, our good friend Laly. She too said it is very dangerous but that she would go anyways so we took a taxi. That part was pretty amazing in itself because I had to remember how to find their house and tell them how. I cannot believe I remembered how to get there but I did. I never felt in danger any of the previous times of going to that area but today I did..a little. There were many guys hanging out in the alley and very loud music and people looking at us...it just didn't feel good today. We asked a lady in the alley if Reyna and Wilber lived here and she said they do not live there anymore but the mother-in-law does and they still visit her. So...we knocked on the door and the mother-in-law answered. She is the same lady who has lied to me two times before about not knwoing who I was asking for or not knowing where they were. She told us that Wilber is doing well and is working in the market but does not live there anymore. She said she has not seen Reyna in one year which would say that when we asked last year, she wasnot telling the truth. She said she thinks she is in a Boarding School which of course costs money which they do not have. Basically we left her with my cell phone number and Laly's as well and I also gave her two photos. One was of Wilber and his mom with me from last year and the other was of Rena and me from 3 years ago. We told her that I have gifts for Wilber and to please have him call me but we did not get a call today and to be honest, I do not expect to get one.
I feel heartbroken in one way but I think I also kinda expected tis as well. All I can hope is that with all of the prayers for this sweet girl and for me to return and look for her year after year, that someone maybe her brother will tell het I have been coming and God will bring someone to help her situation. I feel frustrated because I feel like we have waisted two days waiting to go find them and now we are in the same spot...nowhere. I think Shawn and I will both feel better when we are in Xela at the orphanage.

Teen Girls/Boys visit

Today we had the pleasure of being a part of the opening of a new facility for teen girls here in the city. A very sweet man named Amed who works for Buckner International picked us up at about 3:30pm and took us to the new home. We walked in and saw two girls, Maggie and Vilma who I have known for the past 5 years! Also, two boys Angel and Carlos who are new to the home but I have knwon them for years as well. They all used to live in the orphanage that I went on my first mission trip. It was so good to not only see them but see them all in such a great situation. Buckner is an organization who helps children all over the world and other than just bring mission teams into homes, they have built their own homes for some of the older kids as well. They teach them about God, give them good food and a nice place to live, love them, and give them an education also. The kids are all doing so well. I think it was nice also for Shawn to first see kids in a "better" situation than what we may see next week in Xela. One of the best parts of today though was that I asked Amed if we could get another teen boy into one of these good homes here in the city. The boy is Juan and he lives in Xela. He turned 18 this year and will have to leave the orphanage he is in. I have known him for 5 years and he is a very sweet boy. He only has his mother and I think some siblings also but has only seen them one time in the past at least 5 years. Juan is a very special boy with a good heart...all I did was asked Amed and he said Yes! He needs to talk to other people about it but we are meeting again this week to talk about it further. This will give Juan and chance for a future and to live a good life learning about God.
Please pray for us to find Reyna and Wilber. We have one friend who said he would take us to go look for them and he is not giving a straight answer as to when. We really want to go tomorrow and we need someone to go with us because it is a dangerous area.
I am going to try to post pics tomorrow but I cannot find my cord right now for the camera!

We're finally here!

Well, we made it to Guatemala City yesterday at 11:15am! Our flight was great other than not sleeping at all and a good friend Romeo came to pick us up from the airport. First we got into our hotel and then Romeo took us to buy a cell phone and to eat. We came back and tried to sleep but I had a hr\ard time still...Sahwn got some sleep though. It's really hard because I wanted to get right out there and look for Reyna and Wilber but we have to wait for someone to take us because it is a dangerous area. So...while we are waiting we will go grocery shopping today for the families that we sponsor and then later this afternoon, we get to go visit the Teen Boys and Teen Girls homes in the City that Buckner has put together. A friend who works for them, Amed, will come get us and take us to a devotional that they are having at 4:30pm. He said they are having it in celebration of a new facility for them so it is exciting to be able to be a part of that! Plus, there are a couple girls and a few boys who I knew from the orphanage that are now living there we will get to see. I am really praying that we can look for Reyan and Wilber though also...we are praying about to to see if we feel that it would be OK to go alone if Romeo does not have time to take us yet. Please pray for our safety and just to be able to do God's work today!

Three more days...!

Well, only three more days until we leave for Guatemala! We are all packed and ready to go.
When we get back...actually 5 days after we get back from our trip, we will have a 13-year-old boy named Javier come stay with us for two months. Javier is from Guatemala and we will get to meet him and his family while we are on our trip. This is kinda like an exchange student program but he will not be going to school here for credits and it is a very short trip. Our whole family is very excited for this. It will be much different from what I am used to because he comes from a loving family and I only know orphans from Guatemala really, he won't be starving for my love and attention! And Diego is happy to have someone from his country come to our house.
I am so stinkin excited to leave on Thursday...but at the same time, I have been very sad thinking about leaving my boys. I don't know if I have ever felt so sad about it but I feel that our family has gotten so much closer since Shawn and I got married. The first day we will arrive in Guatemala City around 11:30am which is great because it leaves us the entire day! A good friend from Guatemala is going to pick us up from the airport and we will have dinner with a few friends that night. I am hoping that after dropping out bags off at the hotel, that Romeo will be ready to go look for Reyna and Wilber. My thought is that we need to do that first thing in-case there are things that we need to do in the time we have there to help them.
It is really hard to plan this trip because we just don't know what will happen. If we don't find those two siblings, it will change our whole trip and if we do find them and the mother allows us to help them, that will change our whole trip.
I guess thats the great things about knowing God...it is not up to Shawn and I and God already knows what will happen and He is preparing us for it.

Last fundraiser...

This weekend we are having a HUGE yard sale for our very last fundraiser before our trip. It was supposed to rain all day but we only got rained on as we were starting to set up and the it was clear the rest of the day...thank you God! And the weather didn't stop anyone from coming, we had people coming all day long and were very busy! Shawn's wonderful Aunts Lisa and Rachelle came to help and also his cousin Kyle. We had items donated from so many people but most came from Lisa and Rachelle...and we had a ton of stuff! The sale was a success with a total of $380 for the first day! Half of everything we raise is going to support Shawn's Aunt Lisa's Breast Cancer Walk next weekend so we are praying that we make that amount tomorrow as well...

Our Faithful God...

I am having a really hard time even knowing how to write the things that happened today down.
Today when I went into work, my team that I work with had decorated my desk for my birthday and left me a card. The card had $10 and then also some tooth brushes...all for us to take to Guatemala! I was so touched. Next, another lady at work came up and gave us a check for $40...Next, another person from work gave me an envelope with very encouraging words and a check for $20 for the trip! At this point, I was in tears already off and on all day. Then Shawn and I got two emails at different points of the day asking us to meet with two different people.
Shawn's team that he works with had been saving for us and donated $600 for our trip! I was crying so much when I went back to my desk, I could hardly work at all. To think that at that point, we would only need to do one more fundraiser and we would be done and that this small group of people would do such a huge thing for this trip.
About 25 minutes after that happened, another person from work called me and asked me to meet her in the hallway on my break. She said that she wouldn't normally do this but God had been putting it on her heart to give Shawn and I money for our trip and the money she was waiting for (tax return) just came in today (my birthday;-)and she gave us $500 for our trip!
Last Saturday we only had $65 for our trip saved and today...not even a week later...we have the trip paid for! God is so faithful when you follow what He calls you to do. Shawn and I are seriously so blown away it has been hard to stop crying or think of anything else for so many reason, because it takes the stress away from doing all of the fundraisers, because we have had so much confirmation that this trip is God's will, because so many people have such amazing hearts and they all get to be a part of this trip with us! Thank you so much to everyone who gave or prayed for us and this trip! We are so excited to see what things God has planned!
Now, any other donations we get from other people or what we raise from our yard sale will get to be used for us to bring things like socks, school supplies, our sponsored children and their families, and also whatever may come up while we are there. Praise God!

God is so good...

I am amazed all the time at how many blessing get poured out on our family when we don't even deserve it. After our Bingo...and the money donated by Shawn's aunts...we went to the bank after work Monday to deposit the money so we could buy our tickets for the trip. We had to decide if we should by them yet or not since we don't have all of the money to pay for the rest of the trip but we decided that we knew God would provide it and we would go ahead and get the tickets. We joked at the bank that we needed to pray that the tickets went down $100 to save money...when we got home and got on to look at tickets prices (which have not been under $630 for at least 6 months) the tickets were down $200! We saved $400 on our plane tickets which will now cover our hotel! I was so excited, shocked, happy, and very thankful to God! We stepped out in faith to buy the tickets and God provided us with a good deal to help us pay for other parts of the trip.

It was also great because it felt like such a huge confirmation to us both that we are doing God's will and we are supposed to be on this trip.

Well first of all, thank you so much to those who came and supported our Bingo fundraiser! Shawn and I felt very discouraged at the beginning of the evening because only three of our friends came but my wonderful mom invited some friends as well and some of them came too. We ended up only having 13 people come to play Bingo which was very disappointing...at first!Part of the way through the night, I looked over and a very good friend of mine Andrea came walking through which was a complete surprise to me! She didn't come to play Bingo but she drove about 30 minutes to stop in, donate, and just encourage me...thank you Andrea.It is so hard sometimes to figure out if the things that are happening or not happening are because of God or due to letting Satan in but as soon as Shawn and I start to think that maybe God doesn't want us on this trip, something happens to remind us that this is what we are being called to do and that we need to stay focused on God and not what we think or what we want. God can do great things with very little. With the 13 people that showed up to our Bingo...we raised $485! Now if you consider that it only cost $10 per person to play, God really used the people who came in a big way!Thank you again to everyone that came and prayed for this night!

Our letter to Family and Friends

Dear Family & Friends~

Shawn and I have some exciting news that we wanted to share with you and ask for your prayers!
We will be traveling to Guatemala this year to share the love of Christ with the children there. We will be leaving September 25th and returning home on October 2nd. Here are some of the things we will be doing while we are there…
~ We will get to meet our two sponsored children in Guatemala and their families and see the work World Vision has done.
~ We will get to visit a Teen Girls Home and a Teen Boys home in the city. Many of the teens there are kids that I have known for a few years from the orphanage and are now in a better place.
~ We will also be looking for two siblings who have been taken out of the orphanage by their abusive mother and try to get them placed in a home. On my trip last summer, I was able to find the boy Wilber, but the mother would not tell us where his sister Reyna was. Reyna was very badly abused in many ways by her mother and we are praying that we can help her out of the situation she is in.
~ There are two orphanages in a town called Xela that we will visit as well. One of them is called Hogar Temporal (Temporary Home) the place that I adopted my son Diego out of and the other one is called a S.O.S home where children have to be on a waiting list to get in there because the care is so much better.
The reason why Shawn and I both feel so strongly about going to see these kids is because they have nobody else. Can you image for those of you who have your own children, them never being hugged or showed affection? When Diego came home, he told me that the caretakers that he was raised by, never once hugged him. Or imagine your children being sick or scared, hungry, sad, alone, and them not having anyone to comfort them or just show them love? Most of the kids that we will be visiting have been abused in some way or another and have never been shown love. That breaks my heart. When God took me there for the first time in 2004 and even the second, I had no idea what good I was for them or what I had to offer. Then I realized that God is love and if all I can give these kids is unconditional love year after year, then that is what God called me to do.
Shawn has the same heart to help those in need and to give hope to the hopeless and that is why we are going. To serve them, love them, help them, and tell them about our wonderful God. That is what they need most is to know there is hope in Jesus Christ and that they are very much loved by Him.
This letter is to ask for your help in any way that you can. We need to raise $3000 for the trip and are doing fundraisers throughout the entire summer. We have a carwash scheduled almost every weekend so if you are interested in helping out just let us know. If you feel led to give financially at all, everything is a huge help and very appreciated no matter the amount. And most of all, prayer! Please pray for us while we are planning the trip that we are following God at all times and pray for our safety on the trip as well and for God to use us to help the kids in Guatemala.

Fundraising for our Trip

All summer so far, Shawn and I with the help of others, have been doing car washes to raise money for this years trip to Guatemala...but they have not went too well. So...our next fundraiser is going to be a BINGO night where we will also have items to raffle off and a bake sale as well! I did this to raise money to help pay for adopting my son and it went very well and was alot of fun! The BINGO night will be August 15th at 6pm. We have less than two months to go and we still have not even got our tickets but for some reason, we both feel that God will provide the money just in time and we're not too stressed about it. Two of Shawn's Aunts and his Grandma are also trying to help out and will be having a huge yard sale to help raise funds the same weekend so we are praying that we will be able to get our tickets in another week or so!!

Our sponsored children

Shawn and I have 4 sponsored children through World Vision and last year I was able to meet one of them, Oscar and his family! It was a wonderful experience and this year we get to visit Oscar again and also meet another one of our children Gilma who lives in the same project area as Oscar in Guatemala.

We donate $30 a month for these children while World Vision works in their community to help bring them up to being self sufficient. We get to send letters back and forth to each other and we also get to send extra money for the family to use for what ever their greatest needs are. Oscar has been able to buy shoes, clothes, a bed, a dresser, and some school supplies also! We can't wait to visit them again this year!

My wonderful husband and I on our Honeymoon...

Visiting the kids in the SOS Home in Xela.

I met Reyna in July 2005 on my second mission trip to Guatemala. I fell in love with her right away and we were inseparable the whole trip. Reyna was 10 years old when I met her and on one of the nights our group was there, with the help of a good friend translating, she told me her story of abuse that brought her to the orphanage. Her mother had broken both of her arms at different times and had tried to "sell her to men". A neighbor had taken her and her brother from their home when their mom was away and brought them to the orphanage where I met them in Xela, Guatemala. I had never heard such a horrible story from such a little girl and my heart was forever broken by it. On that trip, I also got to know her brother Wilber and all three of us became very close. I went back with four other friends in November to visit the kids at the orphanage again and got to spend more time with Reyna and Wilber! I went on another mission trip in July of 2006 and that was the last time I saw Reyna. I was crushed to find out when one of my good friends traveled there later in 2006, that Reyna's mother had came and taken her home again. I was able to get the address that her mother had given the social worker in the orphanage and when I went back to Guatemala to adopt my son in May of 2007...we went looking for them. We found the house after searching down many alleys in terrible neighborhoods in Guatemala City. My friend Pablo went to the door (the house was all sheets of tin put together) with me and spoke to the lady who answered. She said she had no idea who Reyna and Wilber were yest she continued to ask me why I was there and how I knew them. I knew she was not telling us the truth but had to walk away feeling hopeless to find her. The next year though...my best friend Angela went back again with me along with a good friend from Guatemala Romeo. When we went down the alley this time, there were kids playing and we asked them if the two lived there. They told us yes...they both lived there! After being told to come back several times to have them still not be home, the time finally came to see them! I saw Wilber and his mother walking up the alley to see us! It had been two years since I had seen Reyna or Wilber and there they were...but only one of them. The mom said that she hadn't seen Reyna for few years and had no idea where she is. Reyna and Wilber's mom was carrying a tiny baby and also had a three year old daughter with her. The three year old daughter was one of the children who told us that Reyna lives there. It was so frustrating to not get the truth and not be able to find out how Reyna was or what kind of situation she was in. I tried to ask Wilber but he would quickly look at his mom and not answer. My heart broke for her and him also but there was nothing we could do but love on Wilber and tell him how much we loved Reyna and him. This September, Shawn and I are going back to look for them again and are praying to be able to help in some way.

Shawn and I decided today to start a blog about Guatemala so that we can share with our family and friends our hearts for Guatemala! I have been going to Guatemala since 2004 and have been there 7 times now and am absolutely in love with the people there...especially the kids! It began with me being called to go on a mission trip with my old church and turned into me going on trips with just a few friends to continue to love on these kids all year long. In 2006, I felt God calling me to adopt a 10-year-old boy named Diego while I was a single mom of two boys already. I put all of my faith in God and He allowed me with the help of many others, to raise over $20,000 in one year to pay for the adoption! Diego has now been home with our family for two years and is 13.This year, God also blessed me with an amazing husband who shares my heart to serve in Guatemala.On each trip, God allows my heart to be broken just a little bit more and gives me even more love to pour out to the people there. Each year, I get to visit some of the same kids I have been seeing for the past 5 years and also fall in love with new kids!That is the reason for the trips, to love on these kids who have no one else. God calls everyone to serve the poor and to love them and this is how He has called us to do that. I wondered on my first few trips if I was just being selfish to go on these trips because I love the kids so much that it is a joy to go but last year, God showed me that I was wrong. God provides the funds each year and allows all of the planning to fall into place because He wants His children to be loved on and taught about Christ.This year Shawn will be coming with me and it will be his first trip! He is so excited to meet the many kids I have told him all about...especially Reyna and Wilber.