I am Here! Yo Estoy Aqui!

Hello!

I am finally here in Guatemala and I am overwhelmed by the faithfulness of God. On my way to the airport Thursday morning I remember thinking "I am really at peace about this." I hadn't really cried even though I have been told that it is better to cry before I leave because it means I will cry less here (who knows if that is really true.) When I got on the airplane though I felt alone for the first time and I will admit that I did cry. I had my Bible on my lap and I was just exhausted. I finally realized that it is just me and God now - He is the only one I have in this new place I am living that I can rely on. I read this verse as we were taking off: "Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father's house. Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord." Psalm 45:10-11. God reminded me that he has called me to this place. He has called me to leave my people and my family. I am here as a light for him and I hope that I will be beautiful before him.

After meeting my new family, I settled into my room. The family I am staying with includes two children: Alejandro who is 5 and Jacqueline who is 10. Alejandro is so fun to play with and he constantly hugs me and kisses me which brightens my day like you wouldn't believe! My days have been full of learning and adventure already. On Friday we went to school for the first time and I got to be blind folded and hit a pinata. It was so fun! They had the pinata tied to a string and were able to move it back and forth in the court yard. We directed each other using directions in Spanish which was good for learning but it was also just fun to yell out "Arriba Arriba!" Yesterday, I hiked with a few other students. Our guide was one of the house parents whose name is Luis. His two sons came along as well and their names are also Luis. It was really funny to say "Hey Luis" and watch them all turn around. We laughed quite a bit and we were in awe of the beauty of the country side. We looked down from the mountain and were able to see all of Antigua and the surrounding villages, including ours which is San Juan Del Obispo. Needless to say my journey has been incredible already. My house parents are very patient with me when I try to communicate with them and they are very good at correcting me when I say things wrong. I am already speaking better Spanish than on Thursday morning and tomorrow is my first real day of class.

Please pray that I would learn Spanish quickly and that I would continue to seek God daily. It is hard to have quiet time here because there is always something to do. Please pray that my time with the Father would be rich and that I would grow in Him more and more everyday. I am so grateful for all of your prayers! They have been felt! Please also lift up the family I am living with: Damaris, Romeo, Jacqueline, and Alejandro.

Muchas Gracias!

Rachel