Wow, we sure have come a long way!
This past week we have been celebrated so well by all of our ministries.
We threw our teachers at Cani (the school we have been working at) a lunch and they were shocked at our kindness because no other team had served them like this before. Which was sweet and kinda sad. We sat with them and told them our hearts for their school and for each of them individually. My team didn’t always feel like we were making a huge difference, or really even helping at that school but one of the things we got to do was observe our teachers and leave them encouraging notes. We really got to know our teachers which was a pretty sweet opportunity. We stood in front of our teachers and told them things we loved about them! We left that school feeling filled up from getting to serve them. The next day each of the kiddos wrote us letters and the teachers gave us big hugs saying we each had a spot at Cani if we ever wanted to come back. Incredibly thoughtful, we left feeling appreciated.
Our school that we’ve been putting on at the base was a hard one to say goodbye to. For the past two and a half months I was working with one student, David. He is eight years old, illiterate, and didn’t know the Spanish alphabet when we started working together. It has been incredibly special to see him grow and learn in a new language (and even the one he’s been speaking his whole life). I’m hopeful that he’ll get into a good school that will take the time he needs to teach him well. This kid is hungry to learn! The last day we threw a fiesta involving relay games of concepts we learned throughout the semester and s’mores over a fire on our front porch. They learned how to make the perfect s’more and once they were full they made more for our friends who were home.
They grew over these past two months, and so did we.
Finally, we deep cleaned the kitchen we had been working at every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, feeding littles before their school day. This ministry was so special to me because not only did we get to serve and love on kiddos, my team got to spend a lot of quality time together to talk, dance, and sing. We kissed the heads of a lot of sweet children and sent them off to school, for the last time. Then we walked over to the smoothie stand we always went to on our early mornings and hung out with the ladies who make us banana pineapple strawberry smoothies. They were always good & always a dollar (can’t beat that). I will miss our early morning walks and all this culture has to offer.
And I will miss the tostadas.
We have come a long way friends! Guatemala was the sweetest way to end the race. Which just brought me to the beginning of a totally new race. The beginning of a new season that starts the second I step foot back in America.
Saying goodbye to sleepovers every night and community 24/7 is going to be hard, like really hard. But it would be so selfish to keep all these amazing people to myself a second longer. It’s time to go. It’s time to be apart so we can grow and learn new things. Am I ready for home? Am I ready for America? Am I ready for culture that’s way way different than the ones I threw myself into for the past 9 months? Probably not, but I think that’s okay. The Lord is making me ready. I also think that comfort looks a lot different to me than how it did when I left. And I’m thankful that being comfortable isn’t enough for me. Can’t wait to see what’s next 🙂
THANK YOU FOR CARRYING ME THROUGH THIS RACE, my supporters, fam, and friends! And thank you in advanced for loving me though this next transition into a new season of life. It’s crazy to believe that this is the end.
Can’t wait to hug you in 10 seconds! See you on the 7th, A-town!
Emma
