Because a thing seems difficult...

"Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it is impossible."

-Marcos Aurelius

These first five days have truly been days filled with firsts:

• first time leaving my incredible friends and family for seven weeks
• riding a plane alone
• actually being picked up by someone holding my name on a sign in the air port, I kinda felt like a movie star :)
• visiting Guatemala city 
• seeing a police officer standing outside a store armed with a shotgun for "protection"
• carrying a 65 pound suitcase up three flights of stairs...
• Eating pizza in Guatemala city that is served by the meter
• driving five hours packed in a van with 8 strangers to Panajachel (home for seven weeks) 
• wittnessing Mayan ruins and a mayan ceremony that was meant to bring rain
• being dropped off and moving into a home with five complete strangers
• having to speak spanish 90% of the time 
• seeing God's love through incredible children who are facing physical and mental ailments and still managing to be happy and content
• eating some variation of rice and beans for every meal on with tortillas 
• not having electricity for a day because the city needed to "conserve" 
• taking an electric shower... yeah.. which sounds more like a capital punishment than a way to get clean
• drawing closer than I ever have to God 
• experienced poverty like I never have before 
• being surrounded by God's blessings of a beautiful lake and mountains 
• and lastly.. appreciating the little things more than I ever have before

While I would love to be able to tell everyone these first couple of days have been wonderful and the best trip ever, I would be slightly stretching the truth. Being this far from home and knowing I still have six weeks to go is a very hard concept to wrap my head around.  I keep using the word "different" to describe this place to my family because that is truly the best word for it.  Everything about here is totally different than in the U.S.

One of my best friends favorite book of the bible is James. During these first five days I've gotten the chance to read through this book, and now I get an idea of why he likes it so much. James 1:2-8 says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double- minded and unsustainable in all they do."

Hearing this passage read to me for the first time in a while floored me. It was one of those moments in my life where I truly experienced God and right at the perfect time. Throughout this passage, I started to understand that everything about this trip is so much bigger than me and my earthly emotions/ plans. While I know that this journey is currently very trying, I know that I was placed here for a reason and that God has a plan for me even if I cant see it right now. That being said, I ask for your prayers that I will seek God in everything without doubt or fear as I continue on this trip and I hope to update you on more things soon! 

love, Lindsay