Happy Thanksgiving everybody! It’s hard to believe it’s already half way through November and I’ve been in Guatemala for 75 days. Two of my teammates and I compiled a list of 75 things we’re thankful for.
Yesterday for thanksgiving, my squad made a huge thanksgiving dinner and we all got to eat outside! We got to eat most of the traditional things, and got to add some new ones. It was hard being away from my family, but it was awesome to spend it with my second family.
Hope you all had an awesome thanksgiving!
We are thankful for:
The beautiful people in Guatemala!
Community of believers
Gods endless love
God teaching us new things everyday
This life we get to live
Can cans (Guatemalan cookies) YUM!
Leadership that constantly pursues the Lord (best leadership ever!)
Our awesome families at home- we love you guys!
Constant laughter
The trials on the race so far that have already grown us so much
Talking to sweet babies on the chicken bus!
People that pray for us at home
Empanadas- our favorite dinner ever!
Teaching sweet kids English everyday
Our ministry hosts Angel & Elsa
The beautiful views on our way to ministry everyday
The worship we get to have a few times a week with the whole squad
Living with lots of other girls to share clothes with- so you basically have a whole closet.
Finding Christmas donuts ahhh
Google translate!
Hand sanitizer (no more salmonella for us)
Playing pato pato ganso (duck duck goose) everyday in class and seeing the kids joy that comes from playing it
Our favorite breakfast- eggs and beans!
Peanut butter- a necessity on the race
Our Halloween candy we’re still eating
Going to a church where they have a service in English!
Guatemalan volcanoes that somehow remind you of Colorado but not really
Experiencing God healing people
Getting to know the awesome ladies that cook for us and calling each other mom and daughter
Deep conversations with friends
Little girls that want to put flowers in your hair
Guatemalan coffee!
Laughing in a chicken bus because there’s no way it can fit more people and suddenly they pick up 10 on the side of the road
Wifi so we can talk to the people we miss so much at home
Being 2.5 hours away from a beach (Colorado peeps understand)
The different ways God speaks to everyone
How God never wants to stop teaching you things
13 cent chocolate covered bananas
Kids in English class that really do want to learn (even if they just want to learn to say I love you to their boyfriends)
The ladies and young kids we walk by and say hi to on our path to and from the bus everyday
The ability to use public transportation to get anywhere you want to go
Getting to practice my spanish (even if I mean to say I have an older sister and accidentally say I have a fatter sister)
The way God turns every tragedy and every heartache into something
Community living- it’s messy and sometimes frustrating, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world
Warm showers( wasn’t expecting to have one of those for a year and I get one every day)
Basically having sleepovers with your best friends for 9 months
Our sassy ministry host, Elsa that is trying to get me to marry her 30 year old son
The Guatemalan people that always let you come into their house and pray for them even though you’re a weird gringa girl that they don’t know
Having people around that want to know you and your story
Mentors that come from unexpected places that teach you things you’ll never forget
Serving a God that wants to absolute best for you and fights for you to have that
Living in a place where vulnerability is an everyday thing and amazing stories are shared
Our gal pal Claudia that works at the ice cream store that now knows our order because we go there so often
The ability to get to know my English class students and having 30 new friends
The opportunity to come on a once in a lifetime trip and learn knew things and grow in my relationship with the Lord
Coffee shop dates in Antigua on the weekends!
Cramming 6 people on a chicken bus seat- it’s an adventure we’ll never forget!
Climbing a volcano!
Eliza- A sweet girl in our class who made us all bracelets
Drinking coffee and seeing the mountains each morning
Having a class of thirty boys
Friends with international plans
Empanada Tuesday’s
French toast Monday’s
Faking it til you make it when someone is talking to you in Spanish!
Having birthday cake 4 times in a month
Dancing in the rain
Weekend vacations to the beach (and friends with sun screen)
Tampico— the best 30 cent orange juice around!
Friends who double as photographers
OCD teammates who volunteer to clean the bathroom
Saturday morning dates with Jesus
Choosing laughter when you need a barf bag on the chicken bus
Silent dance parties in the field
Having a community that asks how you are and really wants to know
Bunk mates who write you notes (Bri Smith)
Travel day snack sharing
Learning how to wash clothes in a pila
Saying “Buenas” to each person we pass
Our ministry host feeding us each day
The joy of everyday life on the race!
