time of death: 7:42 p.m.
i am currently in mourning. i am mourning denny, the perfect man. he is dead. i cried. literally, tears. tears rolling down my face.
but on a happier note, MEREDITH AND DEREK!!!!!!!!!!!! she had better chose him or i will cry again!
omg... i havent updated in forever. im sorry! not that anyone really cares, but whatever.. let me see, i dont really know when the last post was, but somethings that have happened are: MEXICO!!! omg. that was amazing. this is what i wrote in my thank you letter to my church for paying for half of the trip : I, along with members of First Evangelical Covenant Church in Grand Rapids went to an orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico--a small town close to the border of Mexico, near McAllen, Texas. It was one of, if not the best, experiences of my life thus far.
The Orphanage, situated about 25 minutes outside of the city of Reynosa, was called Pilar de Esperanza casa hogar, which means pillar of hope orphanage. We drove over the border every day, leaving at 7a.m. in order to arrive at the orphagage by 8:15. We worked until 3, at which time we held a VBS program for the orphans and the children from a nearby village.
The Work projects consisted of cement work, plastering drywall, and lots of painting. I have never been so happy and willing to work-- the rewards were truly amazing; I developed new friendships with new people, Americans as well as Mexicans; I improved my Spanish speaking ability; I experienced a different culture; and most importantly, I strengthened my relationship with God.
This being my first mission trip, I didn’t know what t expect. I honestly didn’t think it would effect me as much as it did. I thought, ‘yea, I’m doing something good and helping other people’ , but I never expected the deep emotional and spiritual aspects of what I experienced. After only a week, I was completely attached to the people at the orphanage, especially the kids, I wanted to take them all home with me and show them a life where they could have so much more, as they were so underprivileged and yet they greeted us every day with huge smiles. Needless to say, there were many tears shed on my part when it was time to go!
I am ultimately, exceedingly grateful for what I am blessed here in the United States. The poverty I witnessed was almost overwhelming. The quality of life is so inferior to ours… the work we did seems so miniscule in the midst of everything that still needs to be done. But what made it worth it, to me at least, was how grateful and blessed the Mexicans were by any act of kindness, big or small. The whole experience was very humbling.
The last night we all ate together in the orphanage, one of the ladies that worked there, hermana (sister) Sarah sang holy, holy, holy to us in Spanish and told us how much she loved us and how we were all brothers and sisters in Christ. It was so moving- this woman, who had hardly known us for 5 days, who lived in a completely different country and culture than us, even in her simple, broken English, was expressing her love to us, and at the same time demonstrating Christ’s love. It really opened my eyes and reminded me That Chist’s love is blind to race, affluence and tongue.
yea, and hopefully, me and ashleigh will be going and staying at that orphanage for 4-6 weeks this summer!! i cant wait!!!
also... spring break( no big deal... sat home and watched korean dramas on youtube), prom, which was fun but definately overrated...
OH! and theres guillermo!! hes coming for next year!!! im excited!!
well, that was a little overview... so much has happened! if i remember anything else really improtant, i will definately post it!!
but on a happier note, MEREDITH AND DEREK!!!!!!!!!!!! she had better chose him or i will cry again!
omg... i havent updated in forever. im sorry! not that anyone really cares, but whatever.. let me see, i dont really know when the last post was, but somethings that have happened are: MEXICO!!! omg. that was amazing. this is what i wrote in my thank you letter to my church for paying for half of the trip : I, along with members of First Evangelical Covenant Church in Grand Rapids went to an orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico--a small town close to the border of Mexico, near McAllen, Texas. It was one of, if not the best, experiences of my life thus far.
The Orphanage, situated about 25 minutes outside of the city of Reynosa, was called Pilar de Esperanza casa hogar, which means pillar of hope orphanage. We drove over the border every day, leaving at 7a.m. in order to arrive at the orphagage by 8:15. We worked until 3, at which time we held a VBS program for the orphans and the children from a nearby village.
The Work projects consisted of cement work, plastering drywall, and lots of painting. I have never been so happy and willing to work-- the rewards were truly amazing; I developed new friendships with new people, Americans as well as Mexicans; I improved my Spanish speaking ability; I experienced a different culture; and most importantly, I strengthened my relationship with God.
This being my first mission trip, I didn’t know what t expect. I honestly didn’t think it would effect me as much as it did. I thought, ‘yea, I’m doing something good and helping other people’ , but I never expected the deep emotional and spiritual aspects of what I experienced. After only a week, I was completely attached to the people at the orphanage, especially the kids, I wanted to take them all home with me and show them a life where they could have so much more, as they were so underprivileged and yet they greeted us every day with huge smiles. Needless to say, there were many tears shed on my part when it was time to go!
I am ultimately, exceedingly grateful for what I am blessed here in the United States. The poverty I witnessed was almost overwhelming. The quality of life is so inferior to ours… the work we did seems so miniscule in the midst of everything that still needs to be done. But what made it worth it, to me at least, was how grateful and blessed the Mexicans were by any act of kindness, big or small. The whole experience was very humbling.
The last night we all ate together in the orphanage, one of the ladies that worked there, hermana (sister) Sarah sang holy, holy, holy to us in Spanish and told us how much she loved us and how we were all brothers and sisters in Christ. It was so moving- this woman, who had hardly known us for 5 days, who lived in a completely different country and culture than us, even in her simple, broken English, was expressing her love to us, and at the same time demonstrating Christ’s love. It really opened my eyes and reminded me That Chist’s love is blind to race, affluence and tongue.
yea, and hopefully, me and ashleigh will be going and staying at that orphanage for 4-6 weeks this summer!! i cant wait!!!
also... spring break( no big deal... sat home and watched korean dramas on youtube), prom, which was fun but definately overrated...
OH! and theres guillermo!! hes coming for next year!!! im excited!!
well, that was a little overview... so much has happened! if i remember anything else really improtant, i will definately post it!!