Back to B-town

As many of you know, I am back to Bloomington! Classes begin tomorrow and I am excited to see what this semester holds. Say a prayer for Mike and me as we get settled in to our crazy semester. We will not only be working hard on our classes, we are also both leaders in multiple student organizations, we are trying to get more involved in a local church, we are seeking out premarital classes/counseling, I have a graduate assistantship, we will be on the hunt for jobs, and we'll be planning a wedding! Things just might get a bit busy.

Pray that we keep our priorities in order and make time to ENJOY this season of our lives.

Keep in touch and I will post new pics of new adventures soon!

Working on a MRS! Haha!

Sunday, August 9, 2009
A very happy couple...on a very special day!


We were all grins from ear to ear!

Who knew that cheek muscles could get so sore!

That's right! Mike and I are officially ENGAGED! He proposed to me Sunday afternoon at a park near the river. There are pictures of us by the river on Mike's camera, so hopefully I can post them soon!

Isn't the ring gorgeous!
He did a wonderful job....the proposal...the ring...the prayer and thought that went into it all. I am so blessed.

Mi colega favorita...

This is my very best friend in all of Guatemala, Blanqui Ordonez. Blanqui helped with both the June and July teams by taking care of the house and helping with cooking. She has the most beautiful heart and it was such a blessing getting to know her and hear about what God is doing inside her.


This is Blanqui with nuestra gorda, Adriana. Isn't she precious! She looks just like her mommy!
Me, Blanqui, Adriana, and Blanqui's sister Gabi.

I have only talked to Blanqui a few times since I've been back but I trust that God will keep our hearts close and that he will bring us back together some day. Say a prayer for my favorite colega as she determines what God is calling her to do with her life.

Traduccion: Esa es mi mejor amiga de Guatemala, Blanqui Ordonez. Blanqui ayudo con las dos jornadas en junio y julio, por cuidar a la casa y ayudar en la cocina. Tiene un corazon muy bonito y era una bendicion conocerle y aprender lo que Dios esta haciendo en ella. / Aqui estamos con nuestra gorda, Adriana. Que preciosa! Es como su mama!/Blanqui, yo, Adriana, y su hermana Gabi./ Solo he hablado con Blanqui algunas veces hasta que regrese, pero tengo confianza en Dios que El va a mantener nuestros corazones cercas y que El va a reunir Blanqiu y yo algun dia. Por favor, ora para mi colega favorita por que ella esta tratando de determinar lo que Dios quiere para su futura.

Mi hermanito!

Guess who I got to see?!?! Cristian!
For those of you who don't know, he is the little boy who stayed with us during his surgeries in the U.S.
Now he is studying to be a computer science engineer! Can you believe it!?! It was such a blessing to get to spend time with him.

Here is a quick picture from our trip today to Antigua....SO PRETTY!

And just for kicks, here is a picture of Ronald McDonald by his fountain. The McD's in Antigua is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! It was really weird, but really pretty. Check it out! Ron is livin the high life!

La Playa!
Bienvenidos to the beautiful black-sand beaches of Guatemala! It was absolutely beautiful!

During the drive to the beach, I took a lot of pictures of the beautiful clouds. God has made SUCH a beautiful world. Even here where there is a lot to be sad about, there is still so much for which God deserves PRAISE!

This is the shower house next to the pool. They had a gorgeous house there and it really made for a nice vacation!

Seidy and Victoria had a blast playing in the pool! I worked with Seidy and she got pretty brave with her swimming.

Running to the beach!

This was the pathway to the beach from the house. It was very close.

And here are the black sandy beaches! I had never seen black sand before and it was SUPER hot! You could only go barefoot if you were walking on the edge of the water so that the water cooled it off.

I know it looks peaceful, but don't let this picture fool you. Victoria was having a WILD and crazy time.
Seidy with her pink sombrero which kept flying off her tiny little head. Adorable!

This week we are preparing for the next team which gets here on Sunday! There is a LOT to get done and only a short time left before they arrive, so we are working hard. Once Sunday comes, I will be staying at a different house where I won't have internet access. So, if I don't post or respond to messages for a while, it is just because I haven't had a chance to bring my laptop to Judy's house. I will be sure to post again as soon as I have the chance.

Say a prayer for this next team as we prepare!

Dios te bendiga!

PINATA!

Jorgito, the son of Judy's housekeeper Isabel, turned 9 on July 25th. Here are a few of the FUN pictures from his birthday.

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS, JORGITO!

Jorge with his brand new bycicle!

The life cycle of a pinata:

1. Alive and well. Meet Clifford, our big red pinata!

2. Running from all bat swinging children.

3. Attacked by said bat-swingers:


4. Se murio. Pobre Clifford! (He died. Poor Clifford!):

Clifford was a good pinata who lived a full life (of about 36 hours in Judy's house) and left lots of candy for everyone. :)

As you can see, we had a LOT of fun at Jorge's birthday party and everyone had plenty of candy and laughs!

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Coming soon -- pictures from my trip to the beach this past weekend! Stay tuned!

Panajachel

Yesterday we spent time in Panajachel. Unfortunately it rained like CRAZY, so we were mostly cooped up under a shelter in a restaurant trying to stay dry. We still got some CUTE pics though!

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Seidi and Victoria looking at the rain.

Gracie (who very much resembles Dora the Explorer).

Waterfall coming down the mountain in Panajachel.

Tuc Tuc! These little death traps are EVERYWHERE! haha.

Happy Father's Day!
I will share more pictures soon. This week is mostly preparation for the next team which arrives July 4th and 5th. They are mostly medical students from Pikeville College who will stay two weeks (until about July 18). Once that team is done and wrapped up...I will be on my way back home! I get back on July 25 with pictures, stories, and hopefully some new recipes to share!