Home, SWEET, Home!

Yes, I am finally here! My plane was delayed an hour - after we were already sitting on it :( - but I finally got in a little after 11. My dad picked me up from the airport and it was SO good to see him! :) I missed everyone so much!

It was sad to say goodbye to Guatemala, but I was ready to be home too. It sure doesn't seem like it's been two whole weeks, but it feels really strange being home too.

Just wanted to let everyone know I got home safely and am doing well!

I'll try to post another longer update within the next couple of days!

Meg

Most Likely My last Update

Well this is most likely my last post until I get home from Guatemala! (If that wasn't obvious from the title...). Yesterday and today were two more awesome days of drama ministry, and today was our very last. We performed the drama 3 times today!! And we were told that at one of the schools we had an audience of 800! Isn't that incredible!? And practically everyone raised their hand to receive salvation! Totally amazing!
I'm pretty tired, making me kind of glad we're done, but it's still so sad!!
At the beginning of the trip, the days seemed to go by so slowly, but now, it seems as if the whole thing just flew by! I really can't believe I've been gone for 12 whole days! Man! :)
One thing I thought was funny - yesterday and today, when we just had our time to play with the kids, I got out my face paint, and I was practically mobbed! The kids LOVED it! I can't even tell you how many hearts and smiley faces and cat faces (to look like my drama makeup) I painted! My hands were getting tired!
So, tomorrow we have a free day, and we won't be told any plans until tuck-ins tonight (when leaders come into our rooms), so I guess it's still kind of up in the air. On Sunday I fly out of Guatemala around 10 I believe, and arrive back in Miami somewhere around 2:30 because of the time change. Then I guess I'll just be hanging around the airport until I leave for home at 8:15!
I still can't believe that in 2 days I'll be home. It's going to be so different...but in a good way :)

Thank you everyone for your comments and support during the entire trip. It means a lot knowing I had lots of people at home thinking about me and praying for me.
This truly was life-changing, and I can't wait to share it with you guys!

Love,
Meg

I got to meet Nely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone!!
so i know I say this a lot but I really don't have much time today! I got sick yesterday (but please don't worry because a lot of people had the same thing) and I'm feeling mostly better today.
We only had half a day of ministry today at a cancer hospital, which was cool because we got to perform the drama for only adults today instead of kids, so I think they understood better. And a couple teammates and myself got to pray for a man who had throat cancer who could barely speak. It broke my heart!
When we got back, I got to meet the little girl that I sponsor, Nely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you can see by the title of this post, I was pretty excited! It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO incredible, I can't even describe! I will tell you guys all about it when I get home!\

Only 4 more days! Tomorrow is a work day, Friday is our last day of drama ministry, and then Saturday is a free/shopping day.

Miss everyone, and can't wait to see you all!
Love,
Meg

Day 8!

Hey all - another amazing couple of days!! Yesterday (Sunday) was a free day. The morning service was amazing, and afterwards a group of us walked to the market with some leaders during free time. I learned how to bargain a little, which was hard for me because I'm not very persuasive and I'm bad at arguing. Haha...but a friend helped me. :) In the evening, we got to choose two seminars to attend, which was neat. I went to Spiritual Gifts and Prayer. They were really cool and eye-opening!
Just a random thought - the meals have been pretty good, which is nice.
Today, we had plans of where to go for our ministry, but God completely altered our plans. We ended up first at a school where we performed the drama then had some time to talk/pray/play with the kids there. Afterwards, there was a local man (who in some was is associated with our team I think but I don't know how) who recently got some land to build a church on, so we took the bus out to the land and spent some time praying over it that the money and supplies needed to build the church would be provided. Afterwards, as we were walking back to the bus, we happened to pass an orphanage, and there happened to be some Americans who worked there who happened to notice us walking by, and the orphanage's computers happened to have just shut off so they couldn't have computer class, and they happened to ask us to come in and perform. TOTAL God thing. So we got to play a little with the kids and perform the drama. But the best part - we got to pray over two little girls in wheelchairs, that they would be blessed and healed. And I really feel like God is going to do great things in their lives.
So, since everything today was sort of unexpected, we didn't get to eat lunch until after 3 oclock on the way home. Yeah... 7 1/2 hours without food doesn't go over so well. BUT, we are being stretched, right?
So I've been journaling a ton and I can't wait to fill everyone in in person. I wrote out my testimony and gave it to a leader so I will be able to give that in a few days.
OHHH - and I get to meet my sponsored child on Wednesday!!! (Well, technically it's not definite yet, but if everything works out...I'm SO excited!)

Thanks everyone for the prayers.
I really will be changed.

Love,
Meg

The Best Two Days in Guatemala!!!

Hey everybody!! Guatemala is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! We made it here safely and got to the hotel around 8 or so on Thursday night. The next day, we headed out early to visit a village on a lake to minister. The bus ride was about 3 hours both there and back and we had an hour boat ride. We walked up through the village, played and talked with kids, and we performed the drama and many people accepted Christ!! It was sooo cool. Today was even BETTER!!! We went to an orphanage and spent about 5 hours there, and since I'm on a time limit here on the computer, I can't even come close to describing how completely amazing and mind-blowing it was. We got to meet the kids, we performed the drama, then had time to play and talk. I used my handy spanish card to talk with 3 little girls about the drama, and then I got a translator and was able to pray for them and their family. It was so incredible, I can't even begin to describe! We got to play with each other and I took lots of pictures and got many hugs. After PBJ lunch, we got to do some work. I ended up sweeping and helping to snap a HUGE carton full of green beans for the people.

Like I said, though, this cannot even begin to describe my day. You guys will all have to talk to me in person about it. Just hugging those kids and seeing the smiles on their faces has already changed my life. I know that I'll never be the same!

On another note, the hotel is very nice, so don't be worried about that Mom! :) Things have been a little rushed and I feel very disorganized living out of a suitcase, but it's alright. Sadly, one of my roommates woke up sick this morning (throwing up), soo I'm hoping not to catch that. What I'm thinking is that maybe she had a sip of the water by accident. But I'm taking digestive and respiratory stuff so I think I should be good.

Tomorrow we have a low-key day at the hotel, which I'm very much looking forward too! I think that we get to go to a couple of seminars of our choice. So far I've been very careful about sunscreen, and I have avoided sunburn, unlike many of my teammates. YAY!

I've gotten to know some people really well, and everyone is just oh SO nice! I love being around so many people who have the same kind of goals in mind as I do.

I know I've said this a billion times, but this blog cannot describe in the least what I'm doing and feeling right now. I can't wait to fill you guys in in person! For everything that happens though, all glory goes to God! Love you all so much!

~Meg

ps. - If there are typos in here or something didn't make sense I am very sorry. I'm on a time limit here. :) I'll update as soon as another opportunity comes up!

And We're Off!

Today is my last morning sitting in Miami!!! My time to be all ready in the lobby is 12:15, and from there, we're flying off to Guatemala! I can't believe it's already time to go - these three days have gone by so-ooo fast! We did so well with our drama training yesterday, and we finished up an hour early! It has all come together and it looks so amazing when we perform it! My team has some really talented actors.
Anyway, right now my biggest concern is trying to pack my suitcase under 50 lbs again. In a little while I'll get to weigh it, and I'm hoping for the best. :)
Verrryy early tomorrow morning my team heads out early for a two hour bus ride and a small boat ride to go to a lake where we will have our first day of ministry! I'm nervous, but so ready to lead people to Christ!
I will update as soon as I can, but no guarantees when that will be...;)
Thank you everyone for your prayers!!
Love you!

~Meg

Miami!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I made it to Miami!! (If there are a bunch of typos in here, it's because this keyboard is really weird.)
Anyway, yesterday was such a rush. After a few flight delays I got in around 6 and basically went straight to FUAGNEM (fired up and going nuts every minute), which is our evening service. It was amazing! After that, we had auditions for the drama, and I got the part of a Kat! (Which basically means I'm really tough, and I get to "beat up" innocent people. :) Yes, imagine me being the tough one. Ha ha!
I've gotten to know my roommates and we had about 7 and a half hours of drama training today. I know it sounds crazy, but it's so much fun and totally worth out! Our team got through the whole thing, and we got off an hour early for some free time. We had our costume swap today, and of course the Kat costumes ran out before I got one, so I got to go digging through the box of leftovers. But it actually worked out perfect, because there was a lot more to choose from!!! Tomorrow, we'll be practicing in our costumes! I can't wait!
Well, right now it's 6:22 and i have about 40 minutes until FUAGNEM. I'm definitely being stretched in new ways, but it's totally worth it.
I miss everyone!! Comment if you have time! :) Love you guys!

4 DAYS

Yes, 4 DAYS and counting!!! I can't even believe that in 4 days I'll be in Miami already training for the drama. I remember when I wasn't even counting down yet!
Well, I've had some trouble with getting the weight of my large suitcase under the 50lb limit and with fitting things in my carry-ons, but I think I've finally got it all worked out!
I am SO ready...
To be stretched.
To serve.
To see God do amazing things.
:)
I'll update as much as possible! (No guarantees on how much that will be.) ;)

~Meg

Never the Same!!!

Isaiah 6:8 says:

" Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" "

That was my response when I felt God's calling to go to Guatemala this summer to spread His word and His love.

Never the Same - That's the overriding theme of this trip. It's organized by Susie Shellenberger, editor and founder of Susie Magazine, and a missions organization called Big World Ventures.

I'll be updating this blog during the trip as often as I have the chance so that everyone can see what we're up to and how things are progressing! Since I won't have much of a chance to call people, you guys can follow my adventure here! I also posted the link to the main blog set up by the organization over in the links section which will contain updates too.

First, for those of you who haven't heard, let me tell you a little more about the trip. It lasts from June 28 - July 11, two whole weeks!! There will be about 250 teens and leaders going, all hoping for a time of adventure to spread the word of Christ. We'll be divided up into teams of about 30 students and 10 leaders each. For the first few days of the trip, we meet in Miami, where we will meet our teams while learning the evangelistic drama "Spellbound: Toymaker and Son." (I'm going to post videos of the drama from a previous trip so that you can have an idea of what we'll be performing for the people.) From there we'll head to Guatemala, where we'll be ministering in different villages and towns and performing this drama which is basically an analogy to the gospel. We'll have time to talk to the people there, pray for them to accept Christ, give our own testimonies, do work projects, and play with the little kids. I'm SO excited for all of this! If you want to find out more about the kinds of things we'll be doing, this is the link to the main website for the trip. This is the link to a page that tells about what an average day will contain for us while we're down there.

While I'm down there, (if everything works out) I'll also have the opportunity to meet the little girl that I sponsor! Her name is Nely, and she's 8 years old. She lives just outside of Guatemala City, so if the cost is reasonable she will be brought to the hotel, and I'll get to meet her and spend about 3 hours with her! What an amazing opportunity!

I can't even explain how thrilled I am that God has called me to this amazing opportunity. I am so psyched to spend two whole weeks with fellow believers serving our King with everything we have! I'll get to spread the love of Christ to those who have never heard it.

Right now, there's only 15 DAYS to go until I leave. I've done about half of my supply shopping, but I've still got a long way to go and lots of things to do.
Your prayers for my own trip and preparation and for our entire missions group are greatly appreciated! :)

All Glory to God!
~Meg ♥

Spellbound: Toymaker and Son - The Drama