My First Day in Guatemala

Okay so after a hellacious delay in the airport, we are all finally here at the mission house and have finished our first day at work. We left for the Little Rock airport, anticipating our flight at 4:45 pm. Well it turns out that our plane had "mechanical failure", and by the grace of God, they caught it before we were in the air. This cancelled our flight. Luckily, the lovely people at American Airlines found us another flight into Dallas that night, then gave us food vouchers, and a hotel to stay in. Yes, all fifteen of us. The next day our flight was scheduled to leave at 4 pm. Due to more "mechanical failure'', we didn't leave untill 6 pm. By the time we arrived into Guatemala City, we were exhausted, but every single person slapped a smile on their face. :) When we finally got to the mission house in Chimaltanengo (City of Sheilds), we were exhausted and starving! Well, our lovely cook, Mrs. Louise, was prepared with burgers and all the fixin's for about 30 people! When we woke up this morning, we split up into three groups: dental, orphanage, and construction. I went on the dental team (no suprise there). Dr. Dozier, his son Jackson, and Mrs. Carol were also on the team with me. I helped sterilize equipment, assist the Doctor, and keep the children occupied in the so called waiting room. I bonded with children from the ages of 4 to 12, on a level I never experienced before. Even with the language barrier, I knew their names, how old they all were, and all of their individual personalities. I painted the girl's fingernails, played jump-rope with them, and blew bubbles for them to chase. The trust the parents exibited towards me absolutley astounded me. It was the love of God that brought us all together. Also, these children were some of the toughest patients I have ever wittnessed. This 7 year old girl got 4 shots in her mouth then had 2 extractions and didn't even bat an eye. I have so much to learn from these people. Later in the day, we all went as a group to one of the local churches for a food distrobution. We served 76 people with food and shoes for their family. Some of the women kissed me on the cheek and I saw tears running down their faces in appreciation. It really made me step outside of myself, and realize God's immediate path for me. Please pray for this beautiful group of people. :) God bless you.

Don't Drink the Water.

5. When the well's dry, they know the worth of water.

- When everything is gone, and you have nothing, you realize what is really important.

- When I lose sight of what is important in my life and I get my priorities messed up, I stop myself and reassess my life. When my grades started to drop because of my excessive work hours, I quit my job. I realized that by keeping my grades up I have a better chance of getting into a good college and being able to make a good living for myself later in life. I didn't need my minimum wage job to be able to buy excess clothing for instant gratification.

-I completely agree with Benjamin Franklin. I can personally relate to this quote, and I believe that saving and being smart with money benefits the economy, benefits your wallet, and benefits your life. Keeping your priorities straight and being frugal with your budget can help everyone, both instantly and in the long run.