After school ended in June, I returned to the states to visit friends and family. It was wonderful to have the quality time I had with each person, even if it was short. Here are a few pictures to sum up my summer in the US.
Upon my late arrival to Dallas, I was met by Mama Mary and taken to a hotel with one of the best showers I had had in a long time. Mama Mary and I caught up a little then headed to bed. She treated me to breakfast the next morning and off I went to Little Rock to see my family! I was so excited. I had a suspicion that they would all be there...and they were...all dressed the same! It was great to be hugged and kissed by all of them...even my brothers :)
It was fun to be home and spend time with my family for a few days before I left for Rene's wedding! It was so much fun to have some time with Rene', Adam, her parents, her brother, and the BRIDESMAIDS (aka suite-mate reunion)! Let's just say we were the funnest group of girls you could have asked for.
After a brief stop in Atlanta to worship and catch up with a friend, I headed to Chicago to help with the kids (5th through 8th grade) at TeachBeyond orientation. I had the pleasure of working with one of the best teachers I have come in contact with and some great kids. We talked about their expectations, identity, trust, being observant, and saying goodbye. We acted, laughed, sang, journaled, researched, worked through obstacle courses, and laughed some more. The kids even wanted to make a parody to the Veggie Tales song "God is Bigger Than the Boggie Man". They entitled theirs "God is Bigger Than the Culture Shock." They did a great job, and we even showed their to the adults. Heather and I decided to make t-shirts with them, and included the title on the shirts. It was a joy to learn from them and from Heather. I loved every minute of it!
I also met some new missionaries while I was there, and am anxiously waiting for one of them to show her face here in Bolivia. Praying for that visa!!
It was then back to Atlanta for a week with my familia de Atlanta. I was blessed beyond measure by my friends there. I could truly write a blog about how humbled I was by their love and generosity. God brought on the shock and awe of his provision!
My first Saturday in Atlanta my friends put together a fundraising dinner for me. I had friends that took time away from other events in their lives and some that drove long distances to support me at this event which raised a little over $1000. WHAT!??!?! If that is not enough, the next day I was shut-your-mouth-and-say-thank-you-humbled with the gift of a new computer from a supporter along with a shopping outing the next day. HOLY LORD IN HEAVEN...what was HE doing?
HE LOVES ME!! He was providing for me above and beyond anything that I could have ever done. Whoa!
My friends are amazingly, wonderful and I could have never made it through this past year without them. They knew what I needed when I arrived in Atlanta...baseball, fireworks, quality time, good food, and worship. Yet one of my favorite things to do with them is worship. I was brought to tears, and reminded of how much I miss worshipping with them as I stood with hands raised listening to their beautiful voices. What a joy it is to have friends that I can freely worship the Lord with! I love that I had (still have) a community that I can truly call brothers and sisters. I love and miss them dearly!
After my visit to Atlanta, I headed to Memphis for a wicked fun 60th birthday party of some dear friends that I consider family. Before heading to the party, I was reunited with family that I had not seen in 6 years, my brother, Daniel, and his family, at the hospital. On July 4th, I got a text saying my niece, Haley, had had another seizure and was in the hospital on the ventilator. The hospital that was taking care of her just happen to be within 10 minutes of the party.
My dad and my niece, Hannah, met me in the parking lot. It was amazing to see that the little peanut that I remember had grown into a beautiful young lady. Come to find out she is hilarious too! Finally making it to the room, I, at last, laid my eyes on the strong and amazing young lady that I had prayed for so much. My heart broke to see her in that bed, but I found joy in the fact that I was seeing her. Over the next few days I watched my brother and sister-in-law be some amazing parents to both Haley and Hannah. I spent some great time with Hannah in the waiting room. It brought joy to my heart to reunite, to witness healing, and to see the growth in my brother and his family, and even reuniting with "family" at the party was a blast too!
At the beginning of the summer, my plan for the next week was to fly to Arizona for a intensive institute with TeachBeyond. I knew when my niece went into the hospital again, there was no way I could have focused intently, so I let them know that I was deciding to spend my remaining time with my family.
During the last three weeks of my time home I took my nieces and nephew to the park, went shopping with my mom and dad, watched baseball, took a road trip with Jordan (my sister-in-law) and her 4 children, caught up with old friends, celebrated birthdays, ate some good food, enjoyed visits of friends passing through, watched more baseball, and tried to prepare myself to come back to Bolivia for another year. There is not a day that goes by that I do not miss my family and friends, but I am so grateful to God for the quality time and love I receive from each of them.
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| Haley and I |
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| Hannah and I |
As I look back on my time this summer, I thank God for opening my eyes to the things/people I have been missing, to how they/I have grown, and for loving me even when I am not looking at Him. The night before I left, I went to give Jensen, Gintry, Georgia, and Jude one last kiss goodbye even though they were already in bed. As I was hugging Jensen in his dark room, he asked me to turn on the light. I asked why, and his response was "I want to see your eyes."
As I started thinking about this desire to see my eyes, I realize that this is what I want from God. I want to see His eyes this year. His eyes are on the righteous, His eyes examine me, His eyes are on those who look to His unfailing love...My prayer is that I continue to desire to see His eyes. This summer He saw what I needed and went above and beyond. I pray that I can see his needs here and go above and beyond. Give me light to see your eyes, Lord!
