I've been at home all weekend.. it's been nice.... I'm sure my mom doesn't like it when she asks me questions about Guatemala that I don't know... which seems to be most of them... ooops.. Hopefully she isn't too stressed out and I can somehow answer all these detailed questions.

It's weird being surrounded by old people-- and when I say old people I'm just referring to the fact that at Liberty I am with 18-23 year olds.. So even if your 25, its like being around older people.

My lunch today was so amazingly good.. nothing new.. just old stuff that I hadn't had in a long time. Vegetables-- the southern way.... soft, mushy, and gushy.. yummmmmm.

So apparently theres like 13 days left before I go to Guatemala.. John Brown, time flies.

I've begun poppin my pills so I don't get malaria or typhoid.. something like that. It was suggested that I eat Activia or yogurt to regulate myself? Ate some of that today..

Someone asked me today why I wanted to Guatemala....there's so much I could have told that person... but I knew that wouldn't really understand and I didn't feel like they were looking for that real answer.. but maybe I should have.. I dont know... but here's why I am going.
Let me just be selfish for a minute:

I want to see places. There's more to this universe than North Carolina and Viriginia. Other countries exist besides America. I love where I live, but I wanna see other places as well. I am proud to be an American, and I feel blessed to have been born here-- I really do-- but I want to see outside too.

I believe in missions. Missions doesn't just happen overseas. It happens where every God's people go. It happens at our schools, work places, and in our community--but it also reaches to the nations. I think its cool that I am going to see a completely different type of missons this summer. I am going into a brand new culture, and brand new language--just trying to show Jesus to some of these people. I already know there will be Christians in Guatemala that will show me Jesus in a way I have never seen. People that literally have nothing, but claim to have everything in Christ. I'm not going to Guatemala to show people how they should live, but who they should live for. I already know I'm going to be learning a thing or two. from these people... or three.. okay-- at least ten or more. Bottom line...God is already working in Guatemala.. and I'm going to witness it.

Language... I don't know when or why or how.... but for some odd reason I like Spanish? Maybe it has something to do with going to Las Palmas so often when they first opened. Maybe I liked the teachers who taught Spanish in my school alot? I don't really know...I just love the language and the culture fascinates me. I am excited to take it all in --though I'm sure it is going to be overwhelming at times..perhaps more than the Southern culture.

But really... not to sound cliche... the doors to this trip, I believe, have been opened. Not just opened-- but propped open, a mat place in front of the door, lights bordering the frame.
You see, when I first looked at Liberty (when I say first looked, I mean when I actually considered it and didn't instantly refure it like I did for a while along with my fellow high school classmates) I noticed that the school took a 2-month trip to Guatemala. I was interested in Spanish, as I still am, and I just thought the trip was really cool. I wanted to go after that point.. not my first summer in college but maybe the second of third...

Semesters went by...Last year I thought I would try a smaller trip before just throwing myself out there in the third world for 2 months. Mexico sounded like a good alternative, but swine flu did not allow this trip to happen. So last summer, I was missiontrip-less.

I was planning on trying to go this summer to Mexico... Then life happened...it happened rather quickly? For some reason, I discovered that with the way classes were offered, I would not be able to graduate on time...YIKKESS indeed. The situation became rather sticky... The biggest frustration was that the classes giving me the problem was Spanish!

I think I thought of every way possible to graduate on time.. switching my beloved Spanish concentration to history (barf), summer school, taking classes while student teaching (not possible)... everything... all these details gave me a headache.... then I remembered... Guatemala. I immediately went and talked to the professor heading the trip-- to see if this woudl work.

I don't want you to think that the sole reason I am going on this trip is so that I can graduate on time-- I believe that is how I got on this trip-- but now why..
the why is actually rather simple now that I think about it.

I'm just a 21 year old tryin to follow God... wherever and whatever that might be..

This time, I think I'm being led into this door that says Guatemala, with a rug in front of it that says Bienvendios!, palm tree lights hanging around it, and inside I hear Spanish music.....
Vamanos