The G word

Goodbye.....in certain circumstances this can be one of the hardest things to say. Today I was faced with the hardest goodbye that I've had in my life, thus far. Never in a million years did I think that it was possible for a group of children to take over such a huge place in my heart...but it happened. In seven short weeks these kids have been the highlight of every week for me. I anticipated seeing their smiling faces every day that I was there and in return they never failed to put a smile on my face. 

La Yaguita was by far the poorest area that I spent any time in, but I was happier there than any other place. The pure joy of the kids and the kindness from Pastor Ramon, his wife and the teachers was just so overwhelming and it seriously gave me such a huge perspective of my "rich" life back home. I felt so selfish so many times while I was there and every single time it was like God saying "see, if those who have less than you can trust me, why can't you?" Talk about a kick in the stomach. 

I'm so far from having everything in my life figured out, but knowing that God has it all under control and really does have the PERFECT plan makes it so much easier. This seems like an easy concept to grasp, but it takes a little longer for some of us and I thank God for allowing me to experience the things that I have, which have opened up my eyes so much more! 

There were so many things in this city I just wanted to "fix."  Whether it was a little kid who was running down the street with no clothes, an old woman working herself like crazy to provide food for the grandchildren she had inherited or soooo many other things that would break the heart of almost anyone who witnessed it. I just wanted to fix all of it. Obviously this isn't logical, but it just frustrated me even more that so many of us waste our money on absolutely pointless things, when we could be helping others who NEED the little things that are so convenient to us. 

I became really good friends with one of the girls at school and was talking to her at lunch today. I asked her if she needed anything before I left. She said no. I knew that was a lie, so I asked her again. She told me she needed a new pair of jeans because most of hers were ripping (which I knew to be true) and she didn't have any good ones. I also asked if any of the kids really needed anything. She told me that Orlin's shoes were falling apart and that his mother bought his brother new shoes but would not buy him any. This infuriated me. I understand not everyone here has access to multiple pairs of shoes, but why would she buy his brother extra shoes, and leave Orlin with none?... I sat very frustrated for a few minutes before I handed my friend a few dollars and asked her to specifically use it for her jeans and Orlin's shoes. She looked at me kinda stunned for a minute. I could tell she wanted to cry, but she slapped my arm and told me I was crazy and that I couldn't do that. I ran out of the room before she could say anything else about it. Although this seemed like such a small thing to me, it was soooo far from small to her and that's what I wish people could see. Even the smallest bit means the absolute world to them. 

My afternoon ended with the class singing me a song and giving a big card, in which they had all signed and written notes to me. I admit that I cried and I didn't care. I only hope that some day they can understand the huge impact that they've had on my life. I will never forget them and I will cherish each moment that I had with them! 

Much love,

Rachel :)

Blogging is not my strength..

Hello everyone! First off, I can't believe it's already November 10th... Where did the year go?! I also can't believe that I only have one week left in this amazing country with all of these awesome people. These experiences will go on with me for the rest of my life and I will never forget these people. They have had a greater impact on my life than they will ever understand. 

Anyway, I'm a week out from heading home and I can't believe it's almost over. My time here has gone by so fast and although I'll be thrilled to see my family, I can guarantee that saying goodbye to all of my new friends next Sunday, will be very tearful. The thought of saying goodbye to all of my sweet children in La Yaguita is by far the worst though. Seeing their smiling faces is the #1 highlight of my week and leaving them is going to be a major struggle. So, prayers for a productive and awesome day Wednesday would be much appreciated. 

So much has happened the last couple of weeks and I don't know how to even get it all out. So. Here are a couple of high points!

To say the devil wants to knock me down would probably be a pretty fair thing to say. I started feeling sick two weeks ago, but just figured it was nothing. A couple of days went on and I felt worse and worse. I finally went to the doc and they told me I just had a bacterial infection in my intestines and gave me some medicine for it. 5 days later I felt even worse, so we went to another doc where I found out I have a parasite in my intestines that is causing all of this. Fun right? Not exactly. Thankfully it is nothing compared to what it could be and hopefully it will be gone soon. On top of that I have come down with a massive head cold. So, I think sickness is his choice way to try and get to me. Perhaps it's because I'm usually known for being an absolute wimp when it comes to sickness or any sort of pain. I appreciate his valiant effort at trying to keep me down, but so far it hasn't worked and I'm thankful nonetheless. 

A medical group from Florida came to La Yaguita and I got a chance to spend the day with them, which was a blast! It was kind of nice to have some fellow English speaking people around for a day, ha! They did a wonderful job and I'm so thankful that they were able to help out so many of the kids and their families, that I've grown to love. 

I've managed to form a pretty good relationship with the sister of one of the girls at church. She is not a Christian and had never come to the church before, ever! She was very slow to warm up to me, but we've become pretty good friends since then and I've taken every opportunity that I can to talk to her. She has asked questions about the church and different things and I'm always more than happy to talk to her about it. I casually told her she should come sometime and she said she would think about it and I left it at that for the time being. The last thing I wanted to do was push her the opposite direction and I knew there'd be more opportunity for conversations like this. For two more weeks she said nothing about it and never came to the church. I was over at their house last night, before church and told her she should come to the morning services today. She asked me what time they started and said she would probably be there. Her sister was doubtful that she would actually come and after years of trying to witness to her older sister I could understand why she didn't have very much hope. It was two minutes before church this morning and she had still not showed up, so I went and sat down. No sooner had I done so than I felt a tap on my shoulder and there she was. I must admit I was slightly shocked. She had never stepped foot in the church, for all the years that her sister had been attending. Her sister called to me from across the room and when I reached her she thanked me. I asked her what for and she told meat if it wasn't for the fact that I had kept talking to her sister about in my time here she wouldn't have come. I take none of the credit. If I had anything to do with it, it was totally God through me. Although she still has a LONG way to go, I can't but be hopeful that maybe even that small seed will light something in her heart and that she will realize how important a relationship with God is. I must say that seeing her there was definitely one of the highlights of my trip though!

This trip has taught me so much about myself and I realize so many things I wish I would've done differently in my past, but I thank God for His overwhelming grace. Lord knows I don't deserve any of it and I'm blessed to be here serving Him for these few weeks! 

Unfortunately my NyQuil pills have kicked in and my pillow is loudly calling my name. Can't wait to see all of you people back home sooooo soon! I love getting messages from you all and your prayers have meant more to me than words can explain!

- Rachel xoxo