Another week has passed here in Xela. This was a big week for this country; it was Independence Day! It has been a bundle of parades, fireworks, parties, fairs, and hullabaloo. Guatemalans do Independence Day to the max. Thursday night, the friends and I, attended the infamous Independence Day fair in town. This consisted of lots of shopping, rides, food kiosks, and lots of people. We even got up the courage to ride a rickety ride that dropped us from about 200 feet in the air. Needless to say, we survived. We DID however have to pay to use the bathroom. They shoulda paid me to use that thing.
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| At the fair, we ate at Luna's Grill. These were the mascots enticing people to come in. |
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| Some rides at the fair...sketchy. |
On Friday, the school had a holiday for Independence Day, which means teacher road trip! We traveled to Antigua (yes, that is extremely close to Volcan de Fuego, the one that forced thousands to evacuate). Antigua was just as alive and exciting for Independence Day. Ten teachers from school rode on a bus together Friday morning. We arrived around lunch time and did plenty of shopping and sightseeing. We had an absolute blast! We toured a Jade museum which is something Antigua is famous for. We also toured a Bread shop (orange chocolate bread...why didn't I think of that?). AND we walked through a Chocolate Museum.
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| Our mob of gringos in Antigua. (from the left: Megan-2nd grade, Sarah-middle school Math, Sean-HS Math, Liz-Spanish, ME, Devin-MS Bible/English, Aaron-PE/Resource) |
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| My 3 great friends at the gorgeous McDonald's in Antigua. |
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| This is our whole group, all teachers from IAS. |
The next morning we climbed up Pacaya, which is an active volcano about an hour outside of Antigua. I cannot even begin to describe this experience. We got to see Volcan de Fuego explode a little bit in the distance while on our hike. Everywhere we looked was just endless mountains and views. We also reached a point that was just dried lava rocks everywhere. It was incredible! We got to roast marshmallows and make smores on some hot rocks. We were such small, fragile little people in this huge mass that God created. SO awesome.
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| Our group in the volcanoes! |
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| Liz and I making smores :) |
Yesterday at church, the pastor talked about Freedom from Depression. He read about when Jesus was about to be arrested and even Jesus struggled with depression. In that moment, Jesus wanted to die rather than go through what He was about to go through. He cried out to God and asked Him to take the cup from Him. It was an incredible perspective He presented, in a way I had never heard before. I continue to struggle with the fact that the God is always with me. Never once did we EVER walk alone. He never leaves us; never forsakes us. Such an overwhelming thought. I struggled with depression a lot in college and I've almost forgotten how difficult it can be. I'm so grateful that depression is a past memory in my life and He continues to walk this journey with me. My God cares about the small things and loves me so much. My class' memory verse last week was John 3:16. I take advantage of the words in this verse because it's repeated so often. I loved hearing the interpretation my young kids got from it. God DIED for us. He loved us and wanted to be with us. Now we get to be in heaven one day because He died. If you ever want your faith to be renewed step into a classroom or hang out with some kids :)
Life is still good. I LOVE my job. Even when it's hard and I'm putting in 40+ hour weeks. I love laughter with my friends. They encourage me and challenge me to be more godly just by being godly themselves. God is faithful and is at work here. Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for energy and patience, and that time with my Savior would be a priority. All is healthy and well. Hope you are having a blessed week :)
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| Love these people. |
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