This Pilgrim's Journeys

My heart looks down through the clouds And sings my love for these people. Step by step my heart grows lighter As the sun touches my skin And the dry wind brushes by Tickling my nose and eyes with dust. Each smile I see, each worn but hopeful face Makes my heart sing louder. I inhale the beloved smell, Taste the colorful culture on my tongue Sampling each and every glance. Each time a little hand touches me Or a skinny, tanned arm goes around my waist My heart leaps and dances with joy in the midst of its song. Though the song continues loudly At times it is mixed with tears When my heart is squeezed too tightly. But then as the farewell approaches My heart pulses in pain and sinks, Down to the depths of my stomach, poisoning it. But still, it sings the song of home. Every day away, amidst the painful drone Of untouchable life Still my heart sings this song No matter how deeply it has to hibernate Or how quietly it must be sung, It d

I woke up tired and sad in a room empty except for packed suitcases and a few things on my bedside table. The kitchen staff made us breakfast at 7 - fruit, bread, banana and blueberry juice, beans (that were actually not bad), scrambled eggs (with tomato in them, pretty tasty), and plantain slices. Then our group hung out as Miranda and I wrote in our journals.  It was a nice time.  We had a lot of passport checks and a group photo before we left.  As we drove out the compound, Miranda was holding onto both Kyle and I. Then, the airport.  We got through faster and with more organization (as usual, since it's not a US airport).  Once through everything, we went and got food and used the bathroom, etc.  We had a nice amount of relaxation time before our flight.  We basically had the same seats as on the way to Guatemala, except for a couple of people.  I almost fell asleep before we even took off!  We arrived in Miami at 6:30 on the dot (US time). The Miami airport is a night

No running that morning, it was our day of rest!  It was nice to sleep til 6:50!  Miranda and I did breakfast. Church was indescribable - at least, to  many American Christians, indescribable in one way, while I mean it in another!  It was awesome and powerful, with a very heavy presence of God.  The Spirit was heavily at work in that place.  Worship was long, as usual, and it didn't take long before I could feel His Presence in that room - it didn't matter that I was singing in Spanish and didn't understand most of the words I was singing, because the Spirit was still there and I was moved by it.  (Just more evidence that it is not the music that moves hearts, but the Spirit that works through the music.)  People started falling over in the presence of God, and there were many deliverances - including Delmi.  Ryan pulled Miranda and Miranda pulled me and we went up thinking we were going to pray healing over her eyes, but it turned into a deliverance (thankfully, Shar

Hey, Miranda and I got to sleep in until 6:15 that morning... then  we went running, of course.  At 7 Ryan, Miranda, Kyle and I went to the grocery store to buy stuff for breakfast because we were out of a lot of things, but the first one wasn't open...so...we went into the parking garage (which had no lights on yet, so it was very dark) and went up to the new grocery store, but that one also didn't open until 8 (which is when breakfast was scheduled for).  So we ended up going to McDonald's and buying everyone an egg Mcmuffin and a hashbrown and took them back.  Besides that I ate a piece of peanut butter toast and oreos dunked in coffee (it was so yummy!). then we headed to Antigua, with Karen and Linda.  We found a parking spot and split into two groups: our Akron group and Colin and Karen and Linda, and then Brian and the rest of his group.  We went to the market that we went to last year with all the different stands. Within the first 5-10 minutes I bought a beautifu

That morning we had to get up at 5:20 for our run - so early!  Oh well, we had a good 5 hours and 10 minutes of sleep, right? ;) Then we joined Ryan for a little worship before breakfast, and then did breakfast. We went to Gethsemani to pick up supplies and Jodi and Delmi.  We went to a school and did our skit and the rest of our routine.  there was an adorable little boy - and the girls were so cute in their little blue and white checked pinafore dresses.  The kids were so excited to see the craft/school supplies we had brought them.  Then we walked up the street (up the hill) to the other school where we did the same stuff. The kids getting ready to sit and watch The ending of our skit The school audience up the street Colin giving his testimony Then we walked down the street (and hill, haha!) to the childrens' home.  First we saw the girls' house, which was built pink and blue into a palace, with a courtyard with a pumpkin carriage.  It was the most

Miranda and I woke up at 5:30 again for our run.  I already wasn't taking in 100% of breath before we started...so when our four laps were finished, we were exhausted!  It was extra quiet and peaceful that morning. It was hard to believe it was Thursday already. :(  A week in Guatemala goes WAY too quickly!  Miranda and I did breakfast again - I really actually enjoyed doing breakfast almost every morning. First we stopped at Gethsemani to pick up school supplies.  We had quite a pile of stuff, which got piled into the van on numerous laps.  We went to a very rural school - Public School Yalu - about a half hour away.  They are extremely poor there, and they ran out of government funding.  It was my favorite school, even though it also broke my heart the most when I saw the terrible condition of the school and some of the children and though of the millions of dollars my high school is spending on putting in turf fields just to play sports games...it made me angry to think abou

My day started out with a run with Miranda, of course.  It was rather nice to be up and outside before everyone else is around, because it was so quiet and peaceful.  Then we were all ready to do toast and/or bagels for everyone (Akron COB people eat toast, Mt. Zion Road COB people eat bagels). Then we headed to Gethsemani.  We had two groups of younger kids - we did a song, then the evangecubes, then Hallelu-Hallelujah (both in English and Spanish....Gloria a Dios!).  In the second group, I saw a little girl and I just stared, because it looked just like Madelin from last year - and she saw me and kept looking at me, too.  Finally I went over to her and asked, "Madelin?"  She nodded.  I asked her if she remembered me and she smiled and nodded again.  I was so happy!  I had Miranda take a picture of us and I gave her a bracelet. The MZRCOB group doing the evangecubes The volcano that we could see from the window - how beautiful!! The kids praying - these kids

I slept very well that night.  Then Miranda and I woke up at 5:50, got ready, and went for a run - four laps around the compound, and then a cool-down walk.  I can't believe I actually went on a run voluntarily!  We could definitely feel the lack of oxygen. Breakfast was as usual here - whatever you want that we have!  Miranda, Ryan and I made toast and helped get yogurt and stuff out.  I burned my hand on the toaster oven (not a bad one, it didn't hurt like at all after). We stopped at Gethsemani so that we could pick up our guide to our work site (Oscar). We headed closer and closer...and finally stopped at that same spot on that little road in that cute little town.  We walked through that metal door and down that wonderfully familiar and beautiful path that we once chased giggling children on, laughing.  Yes, the same work site as last year! Sadly, we were there in the morning before the kids were back from school, but at least Juan was there!  Kyle, Miranda and I were