Half-way Home

So, Guatemala 2010 has come to a close. It's almost like it never happened. It came and left so quickly.

This year, I wanted to come back home and have bigger, better stories to share. I wanted to say that God topped what He did last year.

Don't get me wrong--God did AMAZING things this summer in Guatemala. He took almost half the amount of students from last year, and still worked through us in amazing ways.

There were almost 3,000 salvations.
Over 15 miracles.
The hearts and minds of the teens were changed.
And thousands of people will Never be the Same.

I'm going to be completely honest here. I had some big expectations for Guatemala 2010. And as I found in Miami, I began to compare the way that things were this year, with the way things were last year. And it was completely different. And I was disappointed. I had a lot of leaders come up to me and ask me if I was okay. "Smile more, we want to see that beautiful smile of yours." They kept saying. I didn't feel myself looking sad, but I guess I was.

This year, I come home with a few things. A few lessons God has and still is teaching me. These things I am very greatful for, because they're things that I know I had to work on...I just kept kicking them under the rug.

I got out of my comfort zone. On the trip, the Lord presented me with over 15 opportunities to pray with people and share the gospel with them. No, not all of them accepted his sacrifice, but I took the chances He gave me to step out of where I wanted to be, to do what He wanted me to do.

I apologized and forgave my mom. I'm not going to go into a whole lotta detail on what was going on...but to sum it up, things were really messy between us. There was one night where Susie gave a message about smashing the things that were between us and God. The things that were holding us back from really living it out for Him. I had been praying about it, and really felt that God wanted me to recognize a lot of things in my relationship with her. I smashed a whole lot of things that had to do with her. After the service, I was walking to my room, and she pulled me aside and told me that she smashed a whole lot of things that had to do with me. We both cried and said sorry. I know that this will take a lot of work between us to fix things up, but at least I know we're both on the same page, and things can only get better from this point on.

I'm learning how to fall in love with God. Too often I base my relationship with God on how I'm feeling. How much I get out of the worship, if the pastor's message really hits me...etc. On this trip, He's been teaching me to rely, love, worship, and adore Him no matter how I'm feeling. It's not at all about me, it has EVERYTHING to do with Him.

I'm learning how to die daily. This one is similar to the previous one. I'm learning to get rid of my expectations and wants. I'm learning to give my all to God no matter how I'm feeling. I'm learning to start my day, everyday, off with Him, and love and seek Him. I'm learning that He really does care about everything I care about. And I am learning that He has my best interest, and that I can present my requests and wants to Him, knowing that He does care about those things.

I could have a lot more to post...but this is it for now. I really do want to thank you all from the bottom of my toes to the top of my head for all of your prayers and support. You guys helped make this all possible. Everyone got a little bit something different out of the trip. Last year, my eyes were opened to a new world, and this year, things were more focused on my heart.

I think I wanna go back to Guatemala next summer. Actually, I know I want to. And I know I need to. I just need to find a way to get there. Hmm...we'll see what God has planned. C:

I'm at my grandparent's house right now in Florida, I'll be home on Friday, so hopefully this weekend I will be able to upload all 800 some of my pictures on Facebook, and then post a few of the related ones on the previous blog posts. So you might wanna check back in for those, and take a look if you want. C:

Much love to everyone, I can't wait to get back home.

Aubrey