Never The Same 2010

Looking Back

2011-06-01T20:44:00.002-04:00

so, I know it seems like I'm being a total copy-cat...but it just feels appropriate that I add something one last time on here too.

To say this year hasn't changed me would be a lie. And, truthfully, all of those changes basically started about this time last year. Going on NTS was a complete God thing, as was meeting so many awesome people from that one random click of a mouse that brought me to this blog. It feels a little strange not counting down the days with our asorted objects we scrambled together at the last minute to post on here. I still remember the picture where I wrote the 7 backwards. yeah, I graduated this year. haha

Going on NTS was probably the best thing I could have done at the time - it really opened my eyes to who God really is and allowed me to form lots of great friendships. I sort of found myself on the trip, and that really has helped me overcome obstacles in my life since then.

This summer I'm not going to a far-off country, but will be staying close to home except for a week when I go down South. It's different, but I'll be busy getting ready for college stuff (taking online classes this fall semester since I really was a junior in HS this year) and visiting colleges around me. But, I'm hoping to drive up and hang with some buddies too. :)

So, there really isn't much more to say. It was an honor getting to know you all as our adventure in Guatie unfolded and I wish you guys all the best. Keep strong and never settle for the low-end of God - He's got big plans for each one of you.

Hope ya'll have an awesome summer

Signing off,
Lexi

2011-05-31T20:50:00.003-04:00

Hey there everybody, so i'm just going to go ahead and copy aubrey. haha.
Well, first off i just wanted to thank you all for everything you've done whether it was just reading our blog and praying over this trip before, during, or even after; or if it was supporting us; or even just thinking about us; i just wanted to thank you all for it. your care has meant so much to all of us.

well... I absolutely can not believe that we are mere weeks away from the time we left for Guatemala last year. It totally blows me away that it was almost exactly a year ago that aubrey, lexi, and I were all preparing both physically and mentally to embark on that great adventure. I'm totally with aubrey on what she said though... a lot has changed in the past year.

As I ended out last summer, I was already feeling God's calling to move on to something new... I just had no idea what it was. For a few months I searched and searched and searched (With a boatload of help from aubrey too) for a mission trip that I felt God was calling me to but no matter how many trips we found, nothing gave me the heart tug that I was waiting for. So i kept on praying and during that time, God started telling me to focus more of my attention on the home front. So this summer, I'm going to be staying home (for the first time in my life) but hopefully I'll be able to find something worthwhile to do. haha.

So yeah... that's just kinda whats been going down. next year I start with the great college search, harder classes, varsity football (practices have already started), National Honors Society, FCA, and much much more. haha.
Well, thanks again to all of you guys. I'm sure I stand for all of us when I say that if any of us find a new trip over the next year or anything like it, we'll be sure to post the new blog link(s).

-Tyler

It's been a while...

2011-03-15T14:15:00.001-04:00

So it's been quite a while since anything has happened on here.
A lot has been happening since December, and God has been doing some pretty amazing things.
I had really wanted to go on a mission trip to Swaziland through my church, and applied, had an interview, and really expected to be able to go. I thought I was really qualified for the trip, and would be a really awesome asset to the team, and I was really wanting to go on an extremely challenging mission trip, and truly experience God. But for some reason, that I can't really explain other than it was God that must have not wanted me to go, I didn't get accepted. And I'm okay with that...I just don't know right now what my plans are for this summer...cause right now I don't have any.

Also since December God has answered a HUGE prayer and has blessed me with a job...with a bit of humor involved. I go to a private school, where I pay for my own tuition, with a bit of financial aid...but being only 16, that large financial burden isn't just pocket change...so I needed a job before January to be able to pay for my Senior year and graduate. I had applied to well over 30 places, and I never got an interview. I had never really wanted to work at fast food...and swore I would never apply there...especially McDonalds, but I caved as time was drawing closer. Well God definitely pulled through at the last minute, and gave me the job at McDonalds. It's not glorious by any means, but it's bringing in the money that is needed for school, and I have had many opportunities to witness to my co-workers.

Now, I'm really just pouring a lot of my time into school, trying to keep my grades up, and starting to focus a lot on college. I'm going on a college visit this Thursday and I get to stay with Tyler and his family this weekend, which I am really excited forC:

I'm really praying about opportunities for ministry this summer, and trusting that God has a plan no matter what. I know that something will turn up in time.

What are you guys up to?

Everyone Has a Story

2010-12-20T14:33:00.005-05:00

I know that everyone has a story. Everyone has a testimony. Whether you're proud of your past, or you go from day to day, wishing that it never happened, it's your story, and the choices you made then, made you who you are now.
I have a story.
You have a story.
That guy that you can't stand to be around...he has a story.
That little orphan girl that you met on the mission trip...she has a story.
For a while I was afraid of sharing my story. I was afraid of telling people about my past, and the things that I had done, and the decisions I had made, because I wanted to make sure that it was all in my past before I really went on to talk about it.
But I know that's not what God wants for me.
I've found that telling your story gives freedom. It's this kinda release that brings an instant relief.
So...what's your story? Where has God brought you from? What has He been teaching you this year, as it begins to come to a close? What kinds of things has He been revealing to you, and how are you going to make a difference in 2011? Is there something you can do to make a difference in someone else's life so that they will Never Be the Same?
I'm praying for all of you. I hope that you are all doing well. Best wishes to the fundraising efforts, for those of you who are going on adventures this summer.
Merry, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
Looking forward to hearing from you ALL,
AubreyC:

Hey Everyone!

2010-11-23T11:03:00.001-05:00

Once again, its been pretty quiet out there!

How's everyone doing??

Is the Lord leading you to go anywhere next summer of 2011?

Love and blessings,

Aubrey

Just to shake things up…

2010-10-22T16:25:00.002-04:00

It’s been kinda quiet on this blog…and that’s depressing. So, since I miss my team, Guatemala, and all of you “others” that read this blog, I decided to share some photos from this summer. Unlike Aubrey, I didn’t go back and add all of my pictures into my posts from NTS because I am sooo not that patient with blogger. Go read Aubrey’s posts and be amazed! =)

Feliz Dia de Independencia

2010-09-15T17:56:00.001-04:00

Guatemala. A country of striking features and a strong indigenous culture, Guatemala's natural beauty and powerful identity stand in stark contrast to its past and troubled present.

Mountainous, heavily forested and dotted with Mayan ruins, lakes, volcanoes, orchids and exotic birds, Guatemala is one of the most beautiful countries in Central America.

Its indigenous population, the Maya, make up about half of the population. Mayan languages are spoken alongside Spanish, the official tongue. Many Guatemalans are of mixed Amerindian-Hispanic origin.

Full name: Republic of Guatemala
Population: 13.4 million (UN, 2007)
Capital: Guatemala City
Major languages: Spanish, more than 20 indigenous languages
Major religion: Christianity, indigenous Mayan beliefs
Life expectancy: 67 years (men), 74 years (women) (UN)
Main exports: Coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits and vegetables, meat, petroleum, cardamon

President: Alvaro Colom

On September 15, 1821, the Captaincy-general of Guatemala (formed by Chiapas Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras) officially proclaimed its independence from Spain and its incorporation into the Mexican Empire, which was dissolved two years later.

Happy 189th Birthday Guatemala!!

Continuing to Lift This Country Up

2010-09-05T18:37:00.003-04:00

Hey Guys,

Earlier this week, another heavy rain hit Guatemala, which caused a few more landslides. As of today, 38 people have died. I don't want this to be a super depressing post, but I'm gonna let you know what happened if you would like to continue reading.

Also, I think that I am going to keep posting things up here on the blog, even though our trip is over. Maybe it'll turn into a prayer wall for Guatemala. Maybe it'll just be good to know what's going on down there sometimes. Maybe it will be a good outlet to share thoughts. Maybe it will be a good way for some of you to keep in touch and see what's goin on in our lives. Or maybe it'll be cool to look back someday and see the growth that has happened in our lives, as the Lord continues to break our hearts for the lost.

Earlier today, I was talking to my friend who was on my team this year in Guate, and he reminded me of something that I thought about during Agatha...maybe...just maybe one of those people that died, might have been someone that we had the opportunity to lead to Christ. That because of our faithfulness to God's calling-maybe at least one person doesn't have a sad ending today. I mean come on...how cool is that??

I just wanna ask right now for continued prayer over Guatemala. For the people and families effected by this, and also just for the people that surrendered their lives to Christ earlier this summer. I think it's easy to come back home and forget to lift them up.

Please feel free to share what's goin on with you. What you're thinking about what's posted, any thoughts, or how we can be praying for you.

Love and miss you guys. (US and Guatemalan team)

xoxoxo,

Aubrey

_____________________________________________

NAHUALA, Guatemala — Torrential rains from a tropical depression caused landslides that have killed at least 38 people in Guatemala — some of them rescuers trying to save people already buried under a wall of mud.

In the village of Nahuala, about 200 rescue workers searched through mud and rocks for bodies Sunday after two slides in the same spot killed at least 20 along a highway leading northwest of the capital toward Mexico. Another slide closer to Guatemala City killed at least 12.

Suagustino Pascual Tuy, a Nahuala police officer, said he and several others rushed to the highway with picks and shovels after hearing radio reports of the fallen earth, which had buried two pickup trucks and a bus at kilometer 171 of the Inter-American highway.
Pascual Tuy said the crowds were able to rescue several people alive including his nephew, who was driving one of the pickups.

"He is in critical condition, but thank God we were able to get him out alive," he said.

Pascual Tuy said people were still digging through the rubble when the mountain above them began crackling. He shouted a warning, but moments later the second slide buried a number of rescuers. Pascual Tuy ran for his life and the slide only caught his legs.

"The mountain was making noise like an earthquake, but people wouldn't leave," he said. "They were being
stubborn and didn't get out."

Regional fire department Maj. Otto Mazariegos said at least 50 people are believed to be buried.

"Under the earth there is a bus that carried we don't know how many people, and there are those who tried to help the victims of the first slide," Mazariegos said.

Rescue crews have recovered 20 bodies from that site, said fire department spokesman Jose Rodriguez.

A few hours earlier, a landslide at kilometer 81 of the same highway partially buried a bus, killing 12 people.

Pascual Tuy said there have been several landslides along the highway in the last year, and authorities knew of the danger.

"Last year there was a landslide there, 15 days ago there was a landslide," he said. "But now a big one came."

President Alvaro Colom visited the area Sunday and said the following day would be declared a national day of mourning.

Speaking Saturday, even before news of the second slide, Colom said, "It is a tragic day. Today alone 18 people have died, 12 buried by a hill when they traveled in a bus." Four children and two adults died in slides elsewhere, he said.

The president told officials to close the highway.

"There are several hillsides that are loose and could fall. So we ask the population to not go out, to avoid moving along the highways," he said.

Heavy rains from Tropical Depression 11-E have pelted Guatemala for days, unleashing mudslides in several areas, cutting highways and prompting officials to evacuate thousands of people.

Guatemala 2010

2010-08-29T17:37:00.001-04:00

Aubrey…these are for you!

2010-07-16T10:52:00.002-04:00

Luis is SUCH a cutie! You could see in his eyes how much he loves you. =)

Just had to share....

2010-07-14T16:27:00.001-04:00

Love ya both!!!

Half-way Home

2010-07-13T22:57:00.000-04:00

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

Home

2010-07-12T11:50:00.003-04:00

Holy Cow. I can't believe I'm home already. As I was standing in the airport, my mind kept telling me that I was going to Guatemala, not leaving. thats how short this trip felt. But anyway, heres my travel day.

So saturday night we had team time until around 12:00 (midnight). From there, we all went back to our rooms but some of the team had to leave at 2:45am for the airport. So anyway, I stayed up until 2:00 with the other people that were gonna leave early.

(Aubrey's note-THANK YOU TYLERR!!!!)

when they left at 2:45, I helped clean up some rooms that were left a complete mess and then just kinda walked around because I didn't want to wake up my roommates. finally at 6:00 everyone got up and then we left by 7:30. From there, the rest of the day flew by. we got to miami after a 3 hour flight. From there, we said goodbye at baggage claim (which is always the hardest part of the trip.) and then my group that was leaving that day went to get our bags checked in. after saying goodbye to the others that were going to different terminals, heather and I went to our terminal where we met up with Lexi. for the next like 5 hours we just chilled, talked, played card games, ect... and then we boarded the plane for the last time.

around 12:45 we landed in Philadelphia, met with my family, and then headed back home. the last time i looked at the clock before i fell asleep was about 2:30am.

Its pretty hard to describe what it's like to be home now. I miss guatemala and my team so much but I have to remember that i have a whole other life here at home. but now it's time to take what i've seen and learned and apply it to everything here.

so i guess you could say that this is the beginning of a whole other adventure...

the adventure of our lives.

-Tyler

Friday and Saturday-Aubrey

2010-07-10T10:04:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, we did the drama 3 times, and broke the pb&j rule for lunch and had Pollo Campero again. Definitely one of the best days of the trip.

Tyler, Ashley, Logan, Tim, me, Josh, Ranfis, and Sergio all sat at a table together. I am really going to miss hanging out with all of them. We had such a blast together.

We first did the drama in a park, then in another park on a basketball court, and then we went to the market again. Very sketchy group. A whole bunch of drunks were yelling at us the whole drama. Thankfully, the police showed up.

It has been a blessing though to have a peace from the Lord this whole time even in potentially dangerous situations.

A praise that i want to lift up is my friend Ashley that I mentioned earlier. Since the last post about her, she has not reported any pain. Praise God right?!

Yesterday alone, our team had 41 salvations. Just team 6! As a total there are 2447.

Today, a few of us are going to go out to lunch and the market with Josh and Ranfis. At 3, we are going to have team time and our birthday celebrations, and then at 5 our team is going to perform the drama for the hotel staff.

I have lobby time for my flight tomorrow at 2am for San Salvador and then Miami. Thankfully, I have not once gotten sick on the trip. I have been completely drained of energy, but God has completely provided me with all that I have needed to get through daily.

So, this trip is almost over. I can't believe it. Today is our last day. This is just something that I have waited for, for so long, and it's basically over. I wish that I didn't have to leave.

8th grade-God called me to foreign missions.

10th grade-God called me to central America.

11th grade-God called me to Guatemala.

Are YOU guys ready for us to come home and Never be the Same?

Wednesday-Thursday (Aubrey)

2010-07-09T23:16:00.001-04:00

Once again, I have been bad and haven't been updating this as much as I should be...I am SOOO sorry!!!

Wednesday we had a short ministry day in order to be back at the hotel on time to be able to meet our sponsored kids.

After breakfast and team devos, our team loaded the bus to head to Central Park in Guatemala City. It is such a beautiful location. On one end, you have the Guatemalan Palace, and the backdrop for our drama was a beautiful old Catholic church, and there was a large fountain in the middle. Pigeons swarmed all around and vendor's bells rang loudly. We performed our drama, and about 18 came to Christ. After we performed, we blasted the Spanish Reggaeton and ran through the park chasing pigeons and taking pictures of the scenery.

Soon after, we loaded the bus to go back to Antigua. Once we got there, I changed quickly into the shirt that Luis gave me last year and headed to the FUAGNEM room to wait for the kids to arrive. Some of us blasted TobyMac and POD and kicked a ball around. After a few minutes, the kids arrived. I recognized Luis immediately, and ran to pick him up and hug him...he's grown a lot since last year. C:

He was dressed up very nicely, and came with his mom Susie and little sister Angela Nicole. He gave me an adorable bag with a stuffed animal in it, and a box of letters that he wrote by himself.

We got our pictures professionally taken, and it got printed off for him to take home. I gave him his gifts and he quickly changed into the jersey I got him and took his new ball and asked me to play with him. My mom gave Susie a few sentimental gifts including a new Bible, a Hiper Paiz gift card, and her first cross necklace.

I gathered a few more Compassion kids, including Lexi's girls and we played a game. Mom bought us all icecream and we ate that and cooled down. After the icecream, we all began to play "fruit tag". It's basically the same as tag, but if you're about to be tagged, you can hit the ground and yell out a fruit and not be it.

Tyler and Lexi both joined us for that. After playing for a while, Luis and I played a little more soccer and then went inside to play marbles. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time before they had to leave. We all prayed together, and then said our goodbyes. We were crying as they left. I am really going to miss him.

Yesterday, we went to lake Atitlan. It's a 3 hour bus ride and a 20 minute boat ride to the village in Pana. For some reason, the only road that was big enough for our bus to get to the lake was closed. After a few minutes of prayer, we were able to get one of the "Chicken Buses" and head down the winding roads. We were seriously swinging down those roads at about 50 mph when the speed limit is 25. Oh, it was so great. We finally got to the bottom and unloaded our stuff, and walked about a mile to the lake. We got on the boat and I headed up to sit on the roof. Lake Atitlan is by far my favorite place in Guatemala. It is so awe-inspiringly beautiful.

Once we hit the shore, we unloaded and began walking towards a village, eating our pb&j. It was a steep upbill walk towards the area, through sewage streams. We performed the drama twice, and many kids came to Christ. After those, we got back on the boat, and headed home.

I'm sorry that I'm running out of time for the post for what happened today...I will do my best to update that tomorrow.

Much love, and thank you all for your prayers...I'll be home soon. I kinda wish this trip didn't have to go by so fast though...I am in love with this country.

2010-07-07T18:53:00.021-04:00

I will first start off this post by apologizing for not posting more often. I have been SO busy recently, and being on the computer hasn't been on the top of my list. But hopefully I'll be able to catch up a little here. C:

On Sunday we had team time and worship as a group. Apparently, I have been singing really loud because my voice is almost completely shot. A few of our team members headed to a local chain for lunch-Pollo Campero. It was pretty good. They had awesome hats like the ones they have at Burger King, and we all got one and headed to the market. We figured that people already stare at us-what's a Pollo Campero hat going to do? C:

So we went to the market and hung out there until 4. I went to a seminar about prayer, and learned a lot about how to talk to our Father. After that, I headed to dinner, and then to another seminar with Jed Johnson about how to become a weapon used by God. I really have been learning so much here.

Monday, we started our ministry days back up. We first went to an orphanage, and hung out there for a while, then began our drama. After that, we gathered up in the chapel there, and handed out a bible to every child and wrote their names in it. After that, we hung out with them for about another hour. We then went on the bus for lunch. Yummy pb&j. C:

There is a girl on our team named Ashley. Recently on our trip, her stomach disease Gastritis has been acting up. It puts her in a lot of pain. She has been SUCH a trooper though, pushing through our drama, fighting back tears. During lunch Monday, i saw here come up to the front of the bus, crying. I stood up and began to pray for her. Some of our leaders came up as well, and we all came before Christ and literally cried our hearts out to Him. We prayed for close to an hour. Towards the end, the rest of our team joined. Ashely is still in excruciating pain. It hurts me to see her have to deal with this. Please lift her up in your prayers. We know that God will allow His will to be done, and have given him our complete trust in this situation.

After we prayed, we went out to a school a little further out. There were over 200 kids there. They were so adorable and so much fun to play with. The school was on the side of a beautiful mountain. We were literally standing in a cloud while we performed our drama-it was incredible.

After the first drama, we put the kids into lines and began to pass out toys. I blame that idea on Ray. Haha. Even though they call him the "Fearless Leader" I have to say that it was not the brightest idea. Kids were basically mobbing us. It was really funny to see everyone try to get the kids into "una fila".

After that, we wanted to get a team picture. But being surrounded by a bunch of adorable kiddos, we couldn't help but include them.

We decided to do the drama again there in the school courtyard. The whole village was around the school, and a few people chose to come to Christ after that.

Tuesday, we began with an hour drive to a new area. It was a really sad location. It was a very small community, set up for tourists, but none were there. As we went around to the different stores in the market to invite people, we walked around the shore of a lake that the community was built around. It was gorgeous. Ranfis, Zoe, me, and Ray saw a dock that went out a little way into the lake and was totally covered in slime and algae. So we had a few races to the end and back, it was so much fun.

We picked our location and performed the drama. I went out into the crowd and began to pray and talk with the people. The most common request was the people's businesses. I then ran into a lady that was VERY pregnant. She is due today actually. She asked me to pray a blessing upon her and her soon to be baby boy. I prayed and then after asked her if she had a personal relationship with Christ. She said no, and I explained what it meant to get into one. She became very excited, and accepted.

After that, we went to a church, and performed it again. After, we went to the crowd and began to talk again with people and get the info of those who accepted. A lady came up to me and conveniently Samuel (translator from the soup kitchen) was available. She asked what we were doing and why we were getting people's information. She hadn't seen the drama, and so I explained it to her. She excitedly surrendered her life to Him with her two children.

As of yesterday, the salvation count is 1180.

I just got back from meeting Luis again. As it was last year, I can't put my feelings into words. We played soccer, a sweet new version of tag, and got ice cream. And he taught me how to play marbles. He brought his mom and little sister Nicole with him, as well as a lady from Compassion that helps in the student center translating the letters. It was so nice to see them again. I also got to meet Lexi's kids, who were both beautiful girls.

Today, we had a really short ministry day in Central Park in Guatemala City, because we had to go back to the Hotel for the Sponsored Kids. 18 at that site accepted Christ. It was a beautiful location too, a large fountain in the center with the Palace and a Catholic church in the background.

Once again, I am really sorry for not posting more often. I know I promised I would. Hopefully these next few days will cool down a little.

Tomorrow our team is going to Lake Atitlan. I can't wait, I loved that last year, it is absolutely gorgeous.

HOLY COW!!

2010-07-07T18:26:00.003-04:00

Ok, so yesterday our team went to an extremely poor area. Seriously. Open suage (yes I know I spelled that wrong but I am writing on a spanish comp and it doesnt tell me how to spell it right) EVERY WHERE.

We got a ton of people to come and watch after bagging beans and rice again. We did the drama (yes in the you know what), but I have to tell you God moved mountains. Our team did AMAZING and people just broke down in the audience. Women with cancer came for us to pray over them and they left with renewd hope in their hearts. We then made a quick decision to do the drama again at a school with their permission. It was a high school and there were over 500 students there to watch us. HOLY COW. They REALLY liked it and some came to the Lord. =D

Today we went to an orphanage and played with the kids after doing the drama for them. The orphanage was started by a missionary family 14 years ago. Will post more about this place later.

Then we came back from there and met our Compassion kids!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!! Kendra and Maria were SOOOO CUTE!!! I also got to meet my roomates kids and Aubrey's Luis! haha we all had such a great time and I bought ice cream for everyone who came with my two kids. Both of their mothers came and both cried as they told me how much the sponsorship meant to them. Before they left, we all prayed and it was really amazing.

Going to go talk with my momma now on the phone and will be going down for dinner following that.

Thanks so much for your prayers and I will try and post again soon!!!!! (Aubrey is posting right now next to me!) =D Tyler has been a bad boy....haha

Love you all!!

Guatemala Day 2 (team 6)

2010-07-04T09:55:00.005-04:00

Well just to get started, we woke up and had breakfast at 7:00 yesterday. From there, we were to team time at 7:45 and then got to the bus by 8:50.

That morning, Ray, our fearless leader, had told us that he was ditching us because he had to prepare his lesson for that night at FUAGNEM (Fired Up And Going Nuts Ever Minute) So anyway, we got to our drama site which was a church probably a block from the park we performed at on the first day. From there we split into groups of around 10 and walked throughout the neighborhood to invite people to come to the drama.

When we got back, Aubrey started up the Cupid Shuffle and later Cha cha slide and then the Hoedown Throwdown. After completely embarrassing myself trying to dance to the Hoedown Throwdown, we started the drama. Afterwords, we had one of the girls from our team share her testimony and then I told what the drama was about and prayed for anyone that wanted to accept Christ.

After that, we got back on the bus because it had started to pouring down rain. (it's been doing that a lot recently, but this is pretty much the hardest rain I've ever been in.) So we were sitting in the bus waiting for the rain to pass when one of the girls on our team stood up and told us that she was suffering from a disease where her stomach produced too much stomach acid but her family wasn't able to afford the correct amount of medicine so she had been in horrible pain for the past few days. So we all gathered around her and prayed for healing. I'm not sure what it was, but I could totally feel God moving through us. It was crazy. I'm not sure how shes feeling now but i'll talk to her later today. :)

So from there, our other leader Brenda decided that we wouldn't do the drama because it was raining but instead, we would walk door to door to ask people if we could pray for them in the markets. So I took a group of around 10 people and our translator, Ranfis and we started to walk. after a few stores/houses, we got to this store with a 16 year old guy running it. We started to talk with him, and he asked us to pray for his family because they were going through a hard time. Then we asked him if he knew Jesus. He said kinda so we asked him if he wanted a relationship with Him and he said yes. We prayed over him and he accepted Christ.

I ran back to the bus, grabbed a Bible and ran back. We all signed it, and Ranfis wrote a little note in it. Just as we finished giving him the bible, the rain stopped. It was almost as if God had only one purpose for that rain, and that was for us to talk to that kid (his name was Jose) Talk about divine appointments. :D But to make it better, when we walked back past his store to get to the bus, we saw him sitting down, reading his new Bible like there was no tomorrow. holy cow.

So we got back to the bus and prepared for one last drama. After performing that last one, we talked with some people and then jumped back on the bus and headed for the hotel. When we got back, we ate dinner and then had a bit of hangout time before FUAGNEM. after that, we had some more chill time where we practiced a new drama that I was invited to participate in. So, yeah... that was pretty much my day.

P.S. Aubrey just finished up her last post. :)

Guatemala Day Two!

2010-07-03T18:54:00.002-04:00

Hey everybddy!

Today my team headed out to an orphanage to do the drama and play with the kids! I have to say, it was SOOO MUCH FUN!!! Those kids are adorable and we smuggled some into the bus and drove away. {Mom...get those adoption papers out}. ;D

Anyway, the kids loved the drama and had a blast showing us around their "houses". We played a big game of soccer with the bigger kids and blew bubbles with the younger children. They all were so sweet and seemed so happy in their situation. Totally amazing.

Not sure what's going on tomorrow...but once I am home I will post more about each day we were here. Just don't have enough time on the computer!!!

Keep praying for health and unity for our team!

Going to dinner pretty soon! YUMMMM!

Blessings from Guatemala!

Guatemala Ministry Day One-Aubrey

2010-07-03T09:51:00.002-04:00

(This was written on 7/2/10)

Yesterday, eight people from my team and a few from others headed to the Miami airport around 1:30 for our flight to El Salvador. We got there 3 hours early to give us a little extra time to get through security, and then still have about an hour to kill.

Once we got to El Salvador, we had a50 minute layover, and so being a bunch of teenage girls-we took a bunch of pictures C: I think I already have about 200 of them.

On our flight to Guatemala City, I sat next to a pastor and his wife who were headed to a prison in Mexico to preach. We got to talking a little, and he told me that it was a missionary from the States that first planted the seed in his heart to accept Christ. He thanked us profusely for the work we were about to do, and prayed for us. Once we got to Guatemala City it was dark, and we could only see the city lights, which was beautiful.

We got through customs thankfully very quickly and headed outside to catch our bus. We usually have translators that come to pick us up, and some of the ones I missed the most were there-Samuel, Liz, and Jorge. Samuel was the translator last year that pushed me in front of the first lady.

So I got to catch up with them, and introduced them to my mom. Soon after, our bus pulled up, and we loaded up to head on about a 45 minute trip to get to Antigua. I sat next to an alumni from last year, and we both screeched with the excitement of being back.

Tears began to fill my eyes as through the darkness I began to recognize certain things. I miss this place. More than I thought I did. I remember coming home last year and remaining to be homesick for Guatemala. Well, I made it. I'm here.

Not sure yet what our ministry day looks like. Just finished breakfast, and we'll head to team time around 8.

Found out last night too that Ranfis is a translator on my team. That made me super happy.

__________________________________________________________________________________

(After Ministry Day re-cap)

Our team did a drama twice in a park (7/2/10). I got to pray with a teenage guy. He didn't accept Christ, because he said that he felt a lot of pressure from his friends, and was afraid that they would make fun of him, but was extremely open to the idea. I gave him a bracelet to remind him that I would be praying for him. I saw him go back to his friends and they saw it. They looked at it for a while, and I felt led to go bring them some too. With my broken Spanish, I told them that I would be praying for them, then shared a bit of the gospel with them and said "Dios le bendiga" and walked away. As we loaded the bus, they made eye contact with me and waved goodbye.

We decided to do a third drama in the market nearby. As we got to the healing scene, the tape went dead, so we started to improvise dancing around the stage. About 5 minutes later, it started working again, and we started it back up. When Jesus was being nailed to the cross, it started pouring down rain. And I mean POURING. It was incredibly epic. Huge water droplets, intense lightning bolts, and booming thunder.

We ran into the market, with roofs only made of bed sheets which were dripping down rain. The floors were flooded. I saw a guy there and took Ranfis up there to pray with him. He said he was a Christian, but he was falling from his faith.

I then began to pray with him and thanked God for His provision, deliverance, and love. After I said amen, I looked up, and tears were in his eyes. He told me that he had been in major debt, and was about to lose everything. He said that he no longer prayed, because he didn't know how to.

I told him that it wasn't about eloquence-it is a cry out to God that comes from your heart. He thanked me for that, and gave Ranfis and I a big hug.

I believe that God caused that rain storm to allow us to be able to reach out to the people in the market. There were 3 other salvations from the market that day. As of today (Friday) there are 86 salvations. The firstr ministry day! Praise God! We are all exhausted, but we know that the Lord will continue to do incredible things with us if we continue to be obedient.

Guatemala Day One

2010-07-02T18:10:00.003-04:00

Hola Amigos!

The 13 people from my team (Team 3) landed at 4:50PM Guatemala time. There was a lot of traffic towards Antigua and it took us 2 very LONG hours to get there. When we arrived, we got our room keys, amazing fresh juice, and a fabulous dinner. Holy cow I could have gone back for thirds. haha

Our ministry day was to help bag rice, beans, and sugar for a church community. We then did the drama and talked with the locals afterwards. The kids are SOOO cute. ugh i love them to death.

We then ate our super awesome PB&J sandwiches and went to a different location. 18 people came to the Lord through our drama and we had fun playing with the kids.

Well...its almost time for dinner and I'm running out of time on here!

Will try and post again soon!!

Keep praying for the Teams!

2010-07-01T08:40:00.002-04:00

So this is my last day sitting here in Miami. It's crazy to think that this first part of the trip has gone by already.

I know Lexi already posted today, so I'll try to keep this short and sweet. I'm sitting here right now drinking the incredible AirBorne, trying not to get sick, as a few team members already are. My voice is pretty much almost shot, but that's just from singing to our King with all that I have. I can't believe I almost forgot how incredibly intense and amazing our worship time is here.

Just about to head to breakfast, and then finish up packing. I leave the hotel here at 1:30 and fly to El Salvador at 5:30 with a layover, then head to Guatemala. I'll probably get there around 10pm our time, but with the time zone difference, arrive around 8. Only 10 of us are heading out on that flight, so I guess we're the leftovers ha ha.

God has just been so great in bringing our team together. Our drama practices went smoothly, and I think it looks great. I'm the phototgrapher, and so I get to wear the incredible tacky shirt and suspenders. Oh yes, it's attractive. C:

After our last drama run-through today, our leader, Ray, had a (not so) brilliant idea to play a game with the team. It's called Knot. You get in a big circle and grab each others hands and create a big knot and try to undo it. Yeah, after 45 minutes of stepping on toes, twisting in ways bodies should not be twisted and sweaty hands, we gave up. Good job Ray. C:

So anyways, that's basicilly the jist of what's going on now. I will do my best to post at LEAST every other day when we get to Guatemala.

I love and miss you guys. Hope everything is going well there. Please continue to lift us up in your prayers for health, safety, and that God would open the hearts and minds of the Guatemalans, and enable us to break out of our comfort zones.

xoxo,

Aubrey

Adios Miami!

2010-07-01T08:02:00.003-04:00

Wow! Two and a half days in Miami have flown by. They were hard, but still totally awesome days. Team 3 is sooooooo amazing and we have some pretty talented actors on our team! As the princess, I get thrown down and hit a lot in the first half of the drama...so some of my arm muscles are feeling some pain. haha

Today all of us leave for Guatemala! My team was split up into 3 different groups. Vera and Chris (the prince) left already for the airport and then 13 people from our team (including myself) are leaving for the airport at around 12:30 this afternoon. Then the rest of our team (about 3o something people) are flying out later tonight. On my flight, there will be another team...so it will be fun getting to know some new people! =)

Please be praying for everybody's health and safety as we fly to Guatemala today. Please pray that everybody will be attentive to their leaders and be a light in the darkness during our travel day. Thank you all so much for encouraging us all!

I'll post most likely tomorrow after we get back from our first mission day in Guatemala.

Vamos a la Guatemala!!!!!!

Miami: Day Two

2010-06-30T17:28:00.002-04:00

Well, Last night we were told by our leaders that we had the earliest breakfast at 6:45am. So, being to obnoxious morning person I am (haha) I woke up at 6:00. So I managed to drag myself out of the pullout couch and took a shower, then had a devotional, and then finally got down for breakfast. And so the day began...

First things first, I have to say that my roommates/guys on my team are awesome. There's seven of us (six in one room and two to a bed) but we've managed to get along amazingly.

Anyway, so we got on over to team time at around 8:15ish where we did some name learning games and then split up into our pods. from there we went to around two and a half hours of drama training (she let us out about half an hour early because we were more than far enough along) Then we went and had lunch (tacobell) and then went back to drama training for another four hours (we were scheduled to practice until 6:00 but she thought we were doing great and let us go) and so thats where I am now. Just waiting for dinner. haha.

But holy cow, I love being the toymaker's son so much. At the beginning of the drama I help to create the world and then towards the end I heal a few broken toys and then am crucified. Holy cow I haven't been this sore or bruised since beginning of wrestling season. haha. I go absolutely flying accross the stage when the cats (aka roman soldiers) beat me up. Its so fun but really is kinda painful. haha.

Well anyway, I have to get going in a minute but I've got a few prayer requests for ya'll. I know just about all of us are very sore and even more tired so prayer for awesome rest and restoration would be fantastic. oh and also that our team would continue to bond and grow closer to each other. Well, we leave to hotel for Guatemala tomorrow around 1:00pm so one of us will probably post before then.

-Tyler

Miami Day Two!!!

2010-06-29T18:35:00.004-04:00

{ok...so I wrote this post and actually posted it Tuesday I believe...but something with the computer here messed it up and I was told by my mom that it never posted! So...even though ty did an amazing day two post, here is mine! haha}

Hey everybody!

Miami has been AMAZING!!! Team 3 is the best (sorry Ty and Aubrey) and everybody is so nice. We have been training all day for the drama we will be doing in Guatemala and everybody is a bit tired. BUT...we still have FUAGNEM (fired up and going nuts every minute) in a half hour...so very excited about that.

My roomates are so cool and we have all gotten really close. We went through the whole drama today and have it pretty much all down. Dress rehersal is tomorrow all day with the team. I got the princess part, Aubrey got the photographer, and Tyler is the Toymakers Son. Pretty awesome!

Our whole team is like one big family already and we all have fun joking around. My roomates and I have agreed to hold each other accountable the whole trip and I know others from our team are doing the same!

Miami is REALLY HOT and Guatemala is going to be super humid too. I can't wait to go back!!! =D

Miami: Official Day One

2010-06-29T01:10:00.001-04:00

Heeeeeey! So today was the day that all of the rest of the students came in.

I woke up around 6: 30 to be able to pack my stuff up and check out. I headed down to one of the rooms to help with checkin for the people who came in with early flights. Worked there until 2:45 ish. It was a long day.

Around 4, I got a text from Tyler saying that he and Glenn were headed to the hotel. That was my cue. I guess I didn't think my whole plan out...didn't exactly consider the fact that I could get in a lot of trouble. I had 2 cans of silly string. I saw Tyler come in, and pretty much emptied a can on him, only to have him get the other one and dump it on me. Kinda made a mess. So that was a great way to welcome him, "Here, grab a broom and help clean up!"

It was okay though. A few people gave us strange looks, but it was really great.

I totally wish Lexi would have come in with him though, I thought they were on the same flight! So it ended up that SHE found ME and attacked me with a huge hug. And then gave me another one from Mrs. Samter C: It burned a little with my sunburn from yesterday, but it was totally worth it. I seriously love that girl.

It was incredible to be able to see my friends from last year. Tears of joy streamed down my face when I saw some of them. I also have been putting names to faces for the friends on my team. We're going to have a great time together.

We had our first FUAGNEM tonight, and Susie talked. I love the way she interprets scripture, and makes stories that occurred thousands of years ago, become completely relevant to 2010.

After FUAGNEM we grouped off into our teams, and got to know each other a little bit. After that, we had our drama auditions. That lasted for a little over an hour. We're in training with team 5.

Tyler got the Toymaker's son, and I am the photographer. Yeah, that means I get to wear suspenders, a spiffy tacky shirt, and some kind of huge sun hat. It's going to be SO incredibly fantastic. C;

I just got done making the powerpoint slides for our language training tomorrow. The girls are just hanging out in our room giggling now...oy.

Our day starts bright and early tomorrow at 7 with breakfast, and at 7:45 a team meeting, and at 8:30 the drama training will begin. Whoo hooooo!!!! This is going to be so much fun! 10 hours a day, after only 2 hours of sleep!!! C: YESHHH!

So, that's what happened today in a nutshell. I would really appreciate your prayers for health, energy, and patience. You all are wonderful. I love you. Thank you SOOO much for your support.

With love,

Aubrey

zero

2010-06-28T05:54:00.002-04:00

zero.

صفر.

Нула.

Nula.

nul.

Nolla.

zéro.

Sifari.

אפס.

शून्य.

null.

ноль.

cero.

Nula.

noll.

Sıfır.

Holy Cow...

Zero. can you believe it?! we've been officially counting down since around day 144. we thought we were getting close at day 30. Now I'm sitting here on my computer at 6:07am thinking, "holy stinking cow, todays the day." God has been working in so many ways in the past few months. Now we must begin to walk forward and be willing to do as God calls us. I have not quite three hours until i leave this house. Not quite three hours until my world is turned upside-down.

Guatemala Never the Same 2010.

Here We Come.

Miami: Day Two

2010-06-27T18:39:00.001-04:00

Hey Guys!

Okay, so Meg, Lexi, Joy, Tyler, Carrie, Julie, Molly, Sheena, and Heather- I am SOOOOOOOO excited to have you guys get here tomorrow! I am looking forward to seeing Tyler again (AHH Friendanniversery Tuesday!!!) and meeting the rest of you for the first time!!

...and attacking Tyler and Lexi!

Today was great. We went to the Miami beach with a few of the teens from here, for 3 hours. I did wear sunscreen, but unfortunately I still got epically sunburned. It's been fun to hang out with the chickas and chickos.

Anyways, that's pretty much all that happened today. I hope you all have safe travels here, and I can't wait to meet you all!

Much love,

Aubrey

2010-06-27T16:33:00.002-04:00

OHMYGOODNESSITISONLY20HOURSUNTILWEFLYTOMIAMI!

*crazy squeal dance*

alright. that is all.

{silence}

2010-06-27T06:22:00.002-04:00

What am I supposed to call this post? No words in the whole dictionary can describe what I am feeling today. "Wow, gee whiz, holy cow, awesome, apoplectic, and OH MY GOODNESS" really don't cut it. So, I'm thinking silence is a good word, because there are no words.

Wow...the reality of leaving TOMORROW is crazy. On a plane to Never the Same. Hey, that kinda rhyms! Kinda. YES, thats now gonna be made into a song for the plane. haha

Can you tell I'm a little excited?

(Aubrey, we all love you and can't wait to see you in Miami tomorrow!!! Kinda nervous what this whole 50ft away attack is supposed to be, but the excitement of seeing you far exceeds the small worries I have! =D )

Hello Miami!

2010-06-26T21:11:00.000-04:00

Hey Guys!

Just thought I'd do a quick post letting ya'll know that mom and I made it to Miami safely. Our flight from Dayton was delayed an hour, but thankfully we still had enough time from our layover in Atlanta that we made it on time.

Got on the shuttle from the airport to the hotel here with Jaime Jamgochian and a few other leaders. Elaine sat right next to us on the plane, so it was good to catch up with her a little. She was a leader on our team last year, and she is the language trainer/counselor on the trip.

We came here around 4. Met up with Susie, Beth Becker (team 5 leader), Vera, Wendy Bruce (team 6 leader), Steve Goley, and Ray (team 6 leader too). Pretty sweet cause Susie remembered my name. And there's a lady here writing the story for the magazine and she already interviewed me for the Bibles. (YES Tyler and Lexi, I mentioned you guys, and she wants to meet the both of you!)

Checked out the Bibles and tracts. They're awesome. Like, seriously, these things are freakishly AWESOME! I love them.

Mom and I went out for dinner around 5, and went to some place next door. It's pretty good, and we got to talk to our waiter about the trip a little. Mom was reading a text from dad, and shouted YES or something like that right as he was putting her food down, and she kinda scared him. It was hilarious. He didn't speak much English, so when we were trying to explain things, he just nodded his head and made funny facial expressions.

Good times.

My roommates and I have been hanging out most of today. They're pretty nice. We watched the Spanish channel for a while, and tried to figure out what they were saying. Then tried to catch lizards out by the pool, and played cards. I already got 8 bug bites. Oh well. haha. Not sure what we're going to do next. Probably just hang out some more. Leaders are in training now, so we're kinda bored. Trying to figure out what we're going to do tomorrow.

We'll find something. C:

Hope everything is going well at home. Love you all, and can't wait to meet you here on Monday!!

Goodbye Ohio...

2010-06-25T11:58:00.000-04:00

So, this'll be my last post from Ohio for a while! I can't believe that I leave tomorrow. It still feels like it's at least 2 weeks away. I haven't completely grasped the fact that it's in less than 24 hours!

Things recently have been pretty tough. Just making it to Miami would have been a success. But I know that God has some divine plan for my mom and I both to be going, but even still, that is not set in stone until the plane takes off tomorrow morning with us on it.

Even within this past year, I must admit that God has not had complete control of my life. At youth group on Tuesday night, my pastor said something that really kicked me in the face.

"The places in your life that you are most unsatisfied with, are the places that you have not given up to God in complete surrender."

I find that to be completely true. I also find that there are a lot of areas in my life that I'm not satisfied with. I'm not happy with the way things are going. Which means that I have a lot of areas that I need to give to God, even if it's the third or fourth time, and really let it go.

Cause I mean come on! This is GOD we're talking about! Why would I in my right mind not want to trust Him? He has given me EVERYTHING I need, and more! He has blessed my life so tremendously, that I cannot even begin to describe how incredible He's been to me. I don't understand sometimes my own stupidity in wanting to hold on and control my own life, and not wanting to trust God when I know that He has my absolute best interest.

I'm sorry, I digress, this isn't much about Guatemala anymore. I'll get back on topic.

Where was I?

Oh yeah, so tomorrow I leave. I'm completely packed, and I hope that my suitcase is under 50lbs, because our scale broke. And I really need it to be under 40lbs, cause I need to save room for the Bibes.

(Okay, I am REALLLLY excited about these Bibles!)

I'm gonna make a few more bracelets today (Just realized I NEVER posted that video...sorry) and try to make a CD for Lexi and her team. I bought some schweeeet Spanish Reggaeton Christian music to play at our locations. Last year, we played music, but it was in English...and I thought that was kinda pointless, so I bought some great stuff off of Itunes yesterday. C:

Your prayers are greatly appreciated for safety and smoothness of travel, and then of course for the rest of the trip.

I hope you all have a blessed Friday, and I will see some of you...in Miami.

WHOA

2010-06-24T16:39:00.004-04:00

PA just got hit with some CRAZZZYYY storms!! Holy cow. I have never seen a storm like that in my whole life!

I had just gotten finished talking with Aubrey and told my sibs to come inside from swimming after I saw these huge black clouds coming over our house. We went inside and I started to do some laundary. Suddenly, I heard this loud bang outside and looked out the mudroom window to see that the sky had turned jet black and winds similar to those of a tornado. My sisters screamed from the kitchen and my mom and I ran them downstairs to the basement. We ran right back up to go get my napping sibs and stored them all in the basement bathroom. I have to say...it was pretty intense.

While my mom went upstairs to get a phone, I asked my sisters why they had screamed and they told me that when the winds came (seriously...out of NO WHERE) it picked up their heavy play house in the backyard and carried it about 10 feet into the woods behind it. {Later my mom checked it out after the storm had died down. It was torn to shreds.}

A part of our roof on the deck was ripped off and tossed really close to the basement screen door. I'm not kidding when I tell you I was worried the windows were all doing to burst. Thats how fast the winds were here. A neighbors tree fell directly in the middle of the road, blocking cars from getting into the development. Hopefully, it will be cleaned up pretty soon.

Oh...and our mail was soaking wet. Thanks mail person for leaving the mail box completely OPEN. We are truly grateful for our non-readable letters you delivered. ;)

5!!

2010-06-23T09:21:00.003-04:00

The number 5 + random chance that my name is on there = totally amazing picture. haha holy cow I can't believe I found a # 5 cake with my name on it. :D Not sure what the "Thanks U" means...but who cares? I thank you all for being 100% awesome. there ya go!

6 mas dias {no words}

2010-06-22T07:23:00.001-04:00

So…as most of you well know from talking with me, I am BEYOND pumped to go on NTS in just SIX DAYS. I seriously could write all those fun words up here…but none of them could describe what I’m feeling. “Awesome” and “oh my goodness” just don’t cut it. Its just totally God and I’m so excited.

Can’t wait to see you all {whether at the airport or in Miami}. Aubrey, I CAN’T WAIT!!! haha don’t hurt us too badly though. ;D

7!!!!!!

2010-06-21T06:31:00.003-04:00

So much to pack with so little time to do it. ;)

2010-06-19T19:33:00.000-04:00

Nine*Nueve*devět*ni*negen*yhdeksän*neuf*neun*εννέα

Bibles, Bibles, and...MORE Bibles!

2010-06-18T11:14:00.000-04:00

Hey guys!

Sooooo yesterday I ordered the Bibles! We had a total of $500 raised! How incredible is that?! God is SO great, and I know that He is going to do some awesomazing things with these.

Right now, 162.9 pounds of Bibles are being shipped to Miami.
120 Bibles.
30 Tracts.

There wasn't enough money to buy another case, so I went ahead and purchased some tracts that have Bible stories in them. They're made for kids, and were $3 for 10. So, I took $9 and got 30! I'm rEALLY excited for these!

(Lexi-you and your team will get 18 Bibles from the money your parents donated)

Much Love to everyone!
10 Days!!!

T-E-N

2010-06-18T07:14:00.000-04:00

11 days. good.golly.miss.molly

2010-06-17T07:04:00.001-04:00

12!!!!!!!

2010-06-16T09:34:00.001-04:00

can you guys believe it? Only 12 more days!!!

Aubrey...

2010-06-15T17:08:00.002-04:00

I really think talking to you did something to me. Now I can't remember a whole lotta stuff. =D

So, I asked my mom to make something for todays number {13}...and she did. And I came on here to put it up for all you awesome people to see and I TOTALLY forgot that Ty had already done one. And to make it worse...I even commented on it. So Aubrey, you are no longer alone and I actually think you passed it all onto me over the telephono. ;)

(and guess what? I have whats-the-name-of-that-song stuck in my head now. SEE I can't even remember the name of it now!)

So, here is the number {again}...but hey, it just gets me even more excited!

13 more days! {11 for Aubrey}

13... holy cow

2010-06-15T05:18:00.002-04:00

2010-06-14T11:03:00.001-04:00

Okay, so it's Chinese, but we all get the point. C;

2010-06-12T18:27:00.003-04:00

2010-06-09T12:31:00.000-04:00

Oh, and-

20 mas dias!

2010-06-08T14:01:00.001-04:00

Are You Ready to be Never the Same?

2010-06-08T11:39:00.001-04:00

I found some of these video clips on YouTube from the trip last year. I think they're great. They gave me goosebumps. I am so excited to go back. To hug these kids. To love on them. To show them the love of Christ. To help them to Never Be the Same too.

OOOOOK, this one is just for fun. Cause I thought it was hilarious...Jaeger Ackerman, Aaron Winter-Hartley (a part of our blog last year) and Jed Johnson...LOL! Crazy children. Jed is a leader on my mom's team this year...hah! C;

This was a skit that was done in Guatemala by some of the students. To be honest, the only person I remember is Glenn Hartranft (Jesus) This is really moving.

Sorry about all the vids. I got a little excited when I found these. There's still one more, but I'll add that a little later. C:

Drama

2010-06-08T09:47:00.002-04:00

This is the drama we will be training for in Miami, and performing in Guatemala:

21 Days

2010-06-07T13:59:00.000-04:00

3 Weeks

21 Days

504 Hours

30,204 Minutes

1,814,400 Seconds

2010-06-04T19:55:00.006-04:00

Well, friends. Here we are. 24 days to go until we all meet in Miami.

For some of you, I miss you dearly. For others, I am beyond excitement to be able to meet you for the first time.

Recently, we have gotten our team lists. I am on Team 6 with Tyler, and Lexi is on Team 3. While it stinks that we're not all together, I know that God has a great plan for the entire trip.

Not a whole lot of communication has gone out so far with our team, so I typed up everyone's email into my contact list, and sent out a quick message this afternoon. A few people have already replied, and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone before we get there.

I have everything I need for the trip...with the exception of supplies. Hopefully I will get those things soon.

Thankfully, things in Guatemala have slowed down. Things aren't as peachy as we would have liked them to be, but once again, God has a plan for it all.

A couple days ago, when Lexi posted the Psalms, it reminded me of some verses that I had read in my devotions recently.

Psalm 43:5

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.

Psalm 44:4-5

You are my King and my God,

who decrees victories for Jacob.

Through you we push back our enemies;

through your name we trample our foes.

Psalm 46:1-2

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea

Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 55:16-17

But I call to God,

and the LORD saves me.

Evening, morning and noon

I cry out in distress,

and he hears my voice.

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the LORD

and he will sustain you;

he will never let the righteous fall.

Psalm 60:2-3, 4-5, 12

You have shaken the land and torn it open;

mend its fractures, for it is quaking.

You have shown your people desperate times;

But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner

to be unfurled against the bow.

Save us and help us with your right hand,

that those you love may be delivered.

With God we will gain the victory,

and he will trample down our enemies.

Psalm 62:5-8

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.

2010-06-03T20:54:00.002-04:00

ok, so when I was making this...the words really WERE much bigger and they really WERE in the middle of the blue square. Seriously. I mean, come on! Look at the color variation! And may I also remind you that writing on Word Paint isn't as easy as it looks. ;)

haha oh well

A way to help

2010-06-03T06:23:00.001-04:00

Hey guys…my mom passed this onto me and mentioned that I should post it on here. This could be a way to help these people with the money we have raised.

----------------------------------------------

“Hey guys I am sure you are all aware of the devastation in Guatemala and like me want to do something to help. One of my Best Friends Vanessa Robichaux who left for Guatemala the day before the Volcano Eruption. She planned on spending a month in the Panajachel area of Guatemala helping by handing out shoes and school supplies to many different people in need. Well after being in Guatemala two days she and her children had to be evacuated from the apartment they rented because of flooding. She has posted many pictures on her Blog and Facebook of what she has witnessed these last few days. Let me tell you this girl is my hero. I am such a wimp I would be crying and trying to figure out a way to get home, but not Vanessa she is digging her feet in deeper trying to help these families that homes have been washed away. Even though her living situation is not the best right now and she is having to collect water from a water truck and treat it herself just to take showers...she is not going anywhere. She will be down there and I know she will make sure these families get some housing as soon as possible. Its crazy to think about but there is no Disaster Relief from the government like there is here in the USA. There is no House Insurance like here in the USA. Most of these families still owed the bank for not only the house but the land that is now totally GONE! Now they have to try to still re pay the bank for NOTHING all while trying to find housing to keep their families off the street. They have lost all their belongings and have no roof over their heads. Please consider helping one of these families. I know they are hoping to get housing for them for at least the next two months. It cost’s $40 per family per month. We have already decided to pay for one of the families rent for at least the next two months so that’s only 39 families to go!”

Please go to
http://heart4children.blogspot.com/

On the right side towards the bottom is a DONATE button..you can use PayPal or a credit card.

Also here is the post from Vanessa about this on her FB account. If you are not already a FB friend with her, you should add her she has posted quite a few updates and pictures of the destruction and the people trying to clean it all up.

Vanessa Robichaux <http://www.facebook.com/vanessa.robichaux> REALLY needs you guys help. We have identified 40 families in San Antonio Palopo that have lost everything & are living on the streets!! The average rent is $40 per month and we're hoping to find donors to help house these families for the first two months!! PLEASE consider giving at heart4children.blogspot.com If you... need to mail it in for a tax receipt please message me!!! Please spread the word!

Thanks
Candy Murnan

Also PLEASE pass this along to anyone you think may be interested in helping!

--------------------------------------

Hope Rising

2010-06-02T13:42:00.001-04:00

"It may look like it's impossible to fix, but we've done it before."

– David de Leon, spokesman for the Guatemala disaster response agency, talking about the giant sinkhole in Guatemala City caused by Tropical Storm Agatha.
Another note from Ranfis-

"Well everything is getting better now. The volcano is back to normal and the rain finally stopped, so now its time to re-build everything. It didn't erupt again. And dont worry, we're ok, We dont live near the volcano so nothing happend around where we live. But still I'll let u know if I read something new about it. Thanx for the prayers."

2010-06-01T19:31:00.003-04:00

Psalm 20

1 May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!
Selah

4 May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!

6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.

9 Save, Lord!
May the King answer us when we call.

Letter From Ranfis

2010-06-01T15:32:00.001-04:00

Hey so I just got this email from one of my friends Ranfis who lives down there. It's not loaded with information, but helps. Good to know they're safe.

"Oh yah, thanx for asking... its crazy around here right now. I was not here in Guatemala for the weekend when all of this happend but the storm was pretty serious u know?... I was reading in the newspaper that at leats 109 ppl died because of that storm and with the volcano lots of ppl that lives nearby lost their houses so yah...tough times. I just came back home and everything seems to be better now but still keep praying for our ppl. And well I'm not informed about any specific way to help but I guess that clothes and food is always good since as I told many ppl lost their homes. I'll keep u informed if there's anything new within the next couple of days. And thanx again for asking I really appreciate that, is always good to hear from u and I hope eveything is ok with u as well. Take care shortie. Bye."

Thanks for the prayer support guys. Keep it goin...there's still a lot of progress to be made.

I also heard from another one of my friends, Hubert, and asked him about the situation in Villa Nueva...where Luis lives. He told me he was there on Sunday, and it's really bad, at least among the poorer parts. It's torn up really bad, and there's a lot of damage. I'm not sure what I expeced to hear him say, but that wasn't it. Please continue to pray for the people of Villa Nueva, and the safety of Luis and his family [a mom, 2 sisters, and a brother].

Much Love,
Aubrey

Volcano Eruption

2010-06-01T14:02:00.001-04:00

Hey guys...this didnt' hit the news yet, but Pacaya started erupting again today.

I just recieved my team list, t-shirt, and costume assignment. Keep praying

2010-06-01T13:18:00.003-04:00

http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?start=0&topicId=450424

Pictures

2010-05-31T22:09:00.001-04:00

Two girls use a plastic to cover themselves from heavy rains caused by tropical storm Agatha in Patulul, Guatemala, Saturday, May 29, 2010.

A sinkhole created by tropical storm Agatha covers a street intersection in dowtown of Guatemala City on Sunday, May 30, 2010. Torrential rains brought by the first tropical storm of the 2010 season pounded Central America and southern Mexico, triggering deadly landslides.

A boy uses a plastic to cover himself from heavy rains caused by tropical storm Agatha in Patulul, Guatemala, Saturday, May 29, 2010.

A man tries to use a public phone in Palin, south of Guatemala City after an avalanche triggered by tropical storm Agatha hit the village on Sunday, May 30, 2010.

People look at the Madre Vieja river during heavy rains caused by the tropical storm Agatha in Patulul, Guatemala, Saturday, May 29, 2010.

A truck evacuates residents during heavy rains caused by tropical storm Agatha in Patulul, Guatemala, Saturday, May 29, 2010.

Residents try to pull a tree trunk from El Jute river to prevent it from damaging a bridge in La Libertad, south El Salvador , Sunday, May 30 ,2010. Torrential rains brought by the first tropical storm of the 2010 season, Tropical Storm Agatha, pounded Central America and southern Mexico, triggering deadly landslides.

A man carries a child under heavy rains of tropical storm Agatha in Patulul, Guatemala, Saturday, May 29, 2010.

A child walks over mud and broken trees as he carries his belongings in Palin, south of Guatemala City after a mudslide caused by tropical storm Agatha Sunday, May 30, 2010. Torrential rains brought by the first tropical storm of the 2010 season pounded Central America and southern Mexico, triggering deadly landslides.

A man uses a plastic to cover himself from heavy rains caused by tropical storm Agatha in Patulul, Guatemala, Saturday, May 29, 2010.

A boy refuses to walk over the debris in Palin, south of Guatemala City after a mudslide caused by tropical storm Agatha on Sunday, May 30, 2010.

The hole in Guatemala

2010-05-31T20:16:00.002-04:00

(CNN) -- At least 115 people have died after a tropical storm battered Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador over the weekend, officials in those countries reported.

Guatemala was hit hardest, with at least 92 deaths, 54 people missing and 59 injured, emergency officials said. Nearly 112,000 people have been evacuated and more than 29,000 are living in temporary shelters, Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said in an address to the nation late Sunday.

The devastation has been widespread throughout Guatemala with mudslides destroying homes and buildings and burying some victims. At least nine rivers have dramatically higher levels and 13 bridges have collapsed, the nation's emergency services said.

In the northern part of Guatemala City, the downpour created a giant sinkhole that swallowed up a space larger than the area of a street intersection. Residents told CNN that a three-story building and a house fell into the hole.

A local newspaper reported that a private security guard was killed when the sinkhole opened up, but authorities had not confirmed the fatality. Residents said that a poor sewage drainage system underground was to blame for the sinkhole. A similar hole opened up nearby last year, they said.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing I thought of when I saw this picture was that this hole represented the hearts of the Guatemalan people. Their hearts have been opened…the hearts that have been searching for the truth. Everyone has a hole in their heart when Jesus has not yet filled it…perhaps its the countries way of saying “OK God, I need you now.”.

This is an emergency...

2010-05-31T14:36:00.002-04:00

2010-05-31T12:01:00.003-04:00

(CNN) -- At least 106 people have died after a tropical storm battered Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador over the weekend, officials in those countries reported.

Guatemala was hit hardest, with at least 83 deaths, nearly 112,000 people evacuated and more than 29,000 living in temporary shelters, Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said in an address to the nation late Sunday.

The devastation has been widespread throughout Guatemala with mudslides destroying homes and buildings and burying some victims. At least nine rivers have dramatically higher levels and 13 bridges have collapsed, the nation's emergency services said.

Classes have been canceled this week throughout the nation.

In Honduras, where 14 people have died, President Porfirio Lobo declared a state of emergency Sunday.
Nearly 3,500 people have been evacuated from their homes and nearly 3,300 are living in shelters, the Honduran emergency agency said Monday. More than 140 homes have been destroyed and another 700 have been damaged, the Permanent Commission for Emergencies reported.

The situation in El Salvador, where nine people died, was improving Monday, officials said. The rain stopped Sunday afternoon and river levels were beginning to diminish, officials said. Classes nationwide remained canceled, however, until further notice.

More rain was possibly forecast for Monday, though, and Salvadoran officials said they were closely monitoring the situation.

Agatha was demoted from a tropical storm to a tropical depression Saturday night and lost its status as a depression Sunday evening.

It was the first named storm for the Pacific hurricane season. The Atlantic hurricane season starts Tuesday.

More Updates on Guatemala

2010-05-30T22:20:00.002-04:00

I am sorry if some of this stuff repeats itself...I am just pasting it from the news onto here. Today has been a tough day in Guatemala though...not less than 5 hours ago were only 15 people killed...read it now:

"GUATEMALA CITY — The remnants of a tropical storm dumped more rain across Central America on Sunday after killing at least 73 people and raising fears of further mudslides in three countries.
Agatha, the first named storm of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season, slammed into the Guatemalan coast near the border with Mexico on Saturday. The Guatemalan authorities reported 63 people dead and at least 24 people missing. More than 74,000 people were forced to flee their homes.

At least other 14 people were believed to be dead in the town of San Antonio Palopó, 90 miles southeast of the capital, after a huge mudslide engulfed an entire neighborhood.
“There was a mudslide that wiped out homes, trees and everything in its path,” said a man who gave his name on local radio as Luis. “We have found 14 bodies, and we think there are another 8 to 10 beneath the mud.”

Nine people were killed in neighboring El Salvador and more than 8,000 were in shelters, President Mauricio Funes said.

One man in northern Honduras was killed when his home collapsed, and emergency officials warned of possible mudslides from saturated hills.

Rescue workers scrambled to restore communications to towns and villages cut off by landslides, and other people were feared dead in those places. The storm lost strength overnight as it crossed Guatemala’s western mountains, but emergency workers warned residents to expect heavy rain for several more days.

Swollen rivers burst their banks and a highway bridge near Guatemala City was swept away by the floodwaters. Sinkholes opened up in the capital, where many neighborhoods remained without electricity.

More than three feet of rain fell in parts of Guatemala, President Álvaro Colom said.
“Many places are cut off, but it appears the weather will improve a bit today and we will be able to airlift supplies to those places,” Mr. Colom said at a news conference. “The road network is badly damaged.”

The intense rainfall is causing concern over the condition of the coffee crop in Guatemala, the region’s biggest producer, as well as in El Salvador, where the rains fell heaviest in the main coffee-growing region.

Meanwhile, a volcano that began a major eruption on Thursday about 25 miles south of Guatemala City is close to some of the country’s most prized coffee plantations.

National coffee associations in Guatemala and El Salvador said that poor communications had so far left them unable to determine the extent of any damage to their crops.

Central America’s mountainous terrain and poor communications in rural areas make it especially vulnerable to heavy rains. Hurricane Ida caused flooding and mudslides in November that killed at least 150 people.

Guatemalan officials warned that the flooding from the storm could be worsened by ash spewing out of the volcano, which has blocked drainage systems.

The volcano’s eruption has closed the country’s main international airport, and aviation officials do not expect to finish cleaning ash and debris off the tarmac until at least Tuesday.

The volcano remained active on Sunday, but the intensity of the eruption appeared to be diminishing, civil defense officials said."

President Colom Calls for International Help

2010-05-30T15:35:00.004-04:00

"San Salvador, El Salvador (CNN) -- Six people have died in El Salvador as a result of rains associated with Agatha, a tropical storm that killed at least 12 people and left 22 missing in neighboring Guatemala before it was downgraded, the Salvadoran government said Sunday.

The government issued a red alert, the highest warning level, which shut down schools and opened up shelters for families in the affected areas, President Mauricio Funes said. More than 100 families have sought shelter.

In Guatemala, the storm damaged more than 3,500 homes and forced the evacuation of more than 61,000 people, the nation's emergency office said Sunday.

Residents in southeastern Mexico also were bracing for Agatha, which was downgraded to a tropical depression after grinding through Guatemala on Saturday and early Sunday. The government's National Meteorological Service predicted torrential rain for Chiapas state, intense downpours in Tabasco and strong showers in Quintana Roo. Four other states were predicted to receive moderate rain. Strong winds also were forecast.

Swollen rivers and mudslides were a concern.

In Guatemala, mudslides four children were buried in a landslide outside Guatemala City, the nation's capital. Four adults were killed in the capital, disaster officials said. Another two children and two adults were killed when a boulder, dislodged by heavy rains, crushed a house in the department of Quetzaltenango, 125 miles (200 km) west of Guatemala City, officials said.

Guatemala is already under a 15-day state of calamity because of Thursday's eruption of the Pacaya volcano, which killed at least three people. At least 1,800 people had already been evacuated to shelters. The volcano also shut down the capital's international airport.

Ash from the volcano that covered city streets and other areas mixed with the heavy rain, forming a goo that caused many drainage systems to clog.

Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said damage from Agatha was probably worse than the destruction caused by Hurricanes Mitch in 1998 and Stan in 2005, both of which devastated the Central American country.

"The country is suffering a great tragedy, this attack by nature," Colom said from the Guatemalan emergency agency center.

Emergencies were reported in all of Guatemala's 22 states, called departments. The worst, Colom said, was the Pacific Ocean port of Champerico, which is isolated.

"We have no way of getting there to help the public, which is in danger because of flooding," Colom said.
The president said he has asked the international community for help.

Agatha is the first named storm of the Pacific hurricane season. The Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1."

Source for Story

Hey Ya'll Newsflash-That international help...it's US.

A Possible Blessing in Disguise

2010-05-29T23:45:00.001-04:00

So, by now, most of us are aware of the eruption of Volcano Pacaya, which overlooks Antigua, Guatemala.
Click Here to watch a documentary video of the eruption.
As I watched that video, and listened to the sounds the volcano made, I cringed. I felt like it was the enemy laughing at us. I know that is weird. I get that erupting volcanoes won't make a pretty sound. But guys, I literally got goosebumps, and I feel uncomfortable, as I am sitting in the most comfortable chair in our house.

Right now, as I am typing this, there is a huge storm happening in Guatemala.

Agatha comes two days after the Pacaya volcano began erupting, blanketing Guatemala's capital in ash and destroying 800 homes. Officials expressed worry that Agatha's heavy rains could exacerbate the damage.

"The tropical storm was centered about 105 miles west of Puerto de San Jose, Guatemala, and moving toward the northeast at 7 mph, said the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for a stretch of coastline from El Salvador to far-southern Mexico, and the hurricane center said Agatha is expected to make landfall on Guatemala's coast late Saturday or early Sunday.

Forecasters said its pounding rains and gusting winds were already hitting the coastline by late Saturday afternoon.

Agatha was expected to dump from 10 to 20 inches of rain and as much as 30 inches in isolated areas of Guatemala, threatening dangerous floods and mudslides.

Guatemalan disaster relief spokesman David Leon said officials worry that the rains could exacerbate the damage down by explosions from the Pacaya volcano.

Heavy rain from Agatha also hit San Salvador, El Salvador's capital, today.

Two children and two adults were killed today when rains generated by Agatha dislodged a boulder that crushed a house they were in. The deaths happened in the department of Quetzaltenango, 125 miles west of Guatemala City and outside the area affected by Pacaya.

A TV reporter was killed by a shower of burning rocks.

Airport officials told reporters Saturday that the airport would be closed for the next five days.

In El Salvador, authorities began evacuating hundreds of families in areas at risk for landslides and flooding, suspending fishing and tourism along the Pacific coast.

Five days of steady rainfall has already swollen a major river flowing through the capital San Salvador."

Eight of my best friends are going to San Salvador in 22 days, on a mission trip through our youth group. Twenty-Two days.

Guys, I have no idea what to say. This post isn't to freak everyone out. It is to make you aware of how powerful the hand of our enemy is. But, I must remind you at the same time how much MORE powerful the hand of our God is.

Tears are streaming down my face, as I am being ripped to pieces to see the country I love facing such trials. Prayer is required.

Please pray for Luis. I have no idea how this will be effecting him. His location is 20 miles south of Guatemala City-in the heart of this disaster.

Pray for the people. Pray that God would soften their hearts, not harden them in this time of need and suffering. Pray that lives would be spared, and those in leadership positions would be quick to make wise decisions.

And finally, pray for us. Ask God to reveal His will and mission to us. Us being our team of students, leaders, Susie Shellenberger, Kathy Gowler, Steve Goley, Caleb David, and the rest of the Big World Staff.

We are going to Guatemala in 30 days. This is not going to be all fixed by then. We will have work to do. 2 weeks is not enough, but ask that the Lord would use our service to make some kind of difference in the lives of the Guatemalan people.

I titled this post "A possible blessing in disguise". Reading what I just typed, I don't yet feel how it could be a blessing. But as I have cried, and prayed to our Father and Provider, He has given me a peace. I feel as though this is make it or break it time for us as believers. It's time to show what we're made of. This is something I have never faced before. It's a new challenge. But I feel like this could be the perfect staging for Christ to do something epically huge. Please, join me in prayer.

This year, in Guatemala and in our lives...we will

Never

The

Same.

Could cause a problem....

2010-05-29T20:18:00.003-04:00

Hey guys

I just found out that Guatemala's most active volcano (also most active volcano in Central America) erupted Thursday afternoon, spewing ash over Guatemala City and the whole southern part of the counrty (most likely including Antigua). 800 homes have been destroyed, and over 1,600 people have been evacuated from villages. 1 person was killed and several children are missing.

Guatemala City's International Airport has been shut down and people are expecting another eruption in "the coming days". The volcano has not stopped spewing ash and lava.

This could seriously become a problem for Never The Same.

just playin around....

2010-05-28T17:00:00.000-04:00

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!! =D

Wow

2010-05-26T08:33:00.003-04:00

I just can't believe there is only one month away till NTS. I mean, I remember counting down the number 84...and now we are up to 34! Has 50 days really gone by that quickly?

Each day brings even more excitement and yesterday I caught myself starting to lay out all of my stuff I'm taking to Guatemala. =) Too cool

I can't wait to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a country that has not experienced His love. I can't wait to hold orphans in my arms and meet my two sponsored kids. I can't wait to breathe in the sights and sounds of Guatemala and be put out of my comfort zone for the glory of God. I just...can't wait. It's just that simple.

Yesterday I practiced some face painting on my Guatemalan sibs. ;) I haven't done it in a while, but I want to be all ready for NTS.

Bibles...Once Again

2010-05-25T11:55:00.001-04:00

Wow. So in the previous post, Tyler talked about the Bibles that he found with his mom...and I'm pretty sure that these are the Bibles we're going to end up going with, instead of the Zondervan Beginner's Bibles.

Click Here to take a look at them.

I just got off the phone with a very nice lady, Jeanatte, and she gave me some great information about our question of shipping.

Since we have $400, we will be able to purchase close to 100 of these Bibles. [They are about $4 in each case of 10 ($39.90).] But, Tyler and I were wondering if it would be better just to ship all of them straight to Guatemala, or to distribute them to people/teammates in Miami to transport.

We are going to have to distribute them in Miami. Jeanatte told me that with international shipping, the rate is about $7 per pound, and 1 Bible=1.3 pounds. So, 10 Bibles would be $140, instead of $39.90.

(And since I'm nice, I'll do all the math for you) With our $400, if we shipped to Guatemala, we would only be able to purchase 43 Bibles.

So, final answer is that we will somehow purchase the Bibles, and send them to our hotel in Miami. Once I get to Miami on the 26th, I'll take them, and hold onto them until the rest of you guys come, and we'll just figure it all out from there-distributing them among us and our teammates, trying to stay under the weight limit.

Does this make anyone else MORE excited? (never knew THAT was possible)

35 days.

Mas Biblias

2010-05-24T06:29:00.004-04:00

So yesterday, before I resumed my search for cheaper spanish children's bibles, i took some time to ask God to help me out and to provide if it was His will. A few minutes later, I got on the computer and began looking around. Then my mom told me about International Bible Society. I went on there and in the middle of the page we found a children's spanish bible for.... $3.99. holy cow. haha. so far we have raised about $400 for the bibles. with that $400 we could buy 100 bibles! holy cow!!!! :D we're still working on finding out the rest of the info on them but holy cow God provided so much. :D so yeah, just wanted to update you on that. :)

-Tyler

38 days....yesterday =)

2010-05-23T16:42:00.000-04:00

So...HAPPY 37 DAYS! haha

2010-05-21T22:14:00.002-04:00

2010-05-21T19:13:00.000-04:00

So, this isn't exactly an update, and it's not exactly what some of us want to hear...

I called Zondervan today. I talked to a very nice lady named Shelly, and asked her about the Bibles. She had a funky New Jersey accent. She informed me that discounts (30%) were only available with the Bibles if we purchased them in crates-but didn't know how many were in a crate. Shelly then told me that she didn't know much about the Spanish products, and that I needed to contact their office, which I guess is in another country.

So she gave me the 800 number, and I called it. And there was no answer. So I left a message after listening to a 5 minute voicemail in Spanish...I really hope those people speak English.

So we'll see what happens. I'm probably going to be sending an email to the President/CEO tonight, just to see if we can't make any more progress.

Passport!!!

2010-05-20T20:01:00.002-04:00

OK, I am so excited because its only 39 more days until Never The Same...but I am REALLY happy today because my new passport FINALLY came. AHHHH THANK YOU GOD!

Oh my goodness, I started to get so worried that it would not come in time because we got it done in April and then there had been a problem with something, so we had had to send some more stuff out the beginning of this month. I just gave it all to God and He totally worked it all out. So awesome.

Thanks to all of you who prayed for my passport to get here. =D

La Biblia Para Principiantes

2010-05-20T17:34:00.004-04:00

When we go to Miami (in 40 days), we will be given the opportunity to purchase $2 NIV New Testament Spanish Bibles. Last year, God used one of these Bibles to transform a life. God used one of these specific Bibles to transform a life.

While these Bibles are important, our main focus while we are down there are the kids. These Bibles are too complicated for them to understand, and, it's just the New Testament.

My mom and I have been emailing back and forth with a few of the translators from last year, and have been asking them to look around in Book Stores to see if there are any kids Bibles down there. They haven't found any. Kids Bibles are rare-and they are needed.

You guys have probably heard of "The Beginner's Bible". I had one growing up, and my little brother has one now too. They're awesome. We found online a Latin-American version of the Bible. A problem though: they're $16 each. I had originally said that they were $11, but those were the Bibles that we found on Amazon, and there are only 8 of them. And I would love to get more than 8 Bibles.

Tomorrow I am going to call Zondervan and ask for more information about them, and see if we could work a deal to get a bit of a discount, or something.

So we really support. Tell everyone, get the word out. I have a HUGE goal of 50 Bibles. At the $16 price, that's $800. Remember, with God, all things are possible, and It's Kinda Fun to Do the Impossible

Oh Yeah...42 days.

2010-05-18T14:53:00.002-04:00

Feliz Cumpleanos Luis

2010-05-18T14:47:00.005-04:00

Today is Luis' 8th birthday. Craziness. I started sponsoring him when he was 5, so it feels like he is growing up SOOO fast.

I am really proud of him. In the last letter I got from him, he wrote his name for the first time. I can't wait to see him again this summer. This one's for you bud, Happy Birthday.

45 mas dias

2010-05-16T06:55:00.002-04:00

SO, this is yesterdays number at the concert (which was totally amazing). Our numbers rocked and I’m thinking we could be the most creative people ever. ;)

3 Shades of Blue opened for Superhero. They did awesome! haha Austin was crazy as always. =D

I don’t think a lot of people ever listened to Superhero before last night. I thought they were pretty good! The guitar player right below was AMAZING! Oh my goodness could he play.

ANNND Superhero had seen all the guys dancing and told them all to come up onto the stage to have a dance off. The beginning part was probably the best....and of course I missed that part. But I have the other half on here and Tyler's crazy moves. ;)

The awesome guitar player (whose name I know not) told my mom to come up. She was all excited to dance, but then when she saw how crazy the guys were…she decided she just wasn’t feeling it. =)

47 days…yesterday

2010-05-14T08:37:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I epically failed with doing the number of the day at Hershey Park yesterday with my Physics class. I brought the number, myself, a camera…but never took the picture. Seriously, I got into the car to go home and was SO MAD. There must have been those guys dressed up in chocolate goodness (Hershey Bars) all around the park, but was I looking out for them. NOOOO. So, I apologize deeply, because it would have been awesome.

Anyway…I may just be able to do an awesome picture this weekend because I’m going to this concert on Saturday. There are two bands playing, but I’ve only listened to one once and never the other one. I think one band has a 3 in its name…but I’m not 100% sure. ;)

So, I’m bringing the number 4 with me, and I’m sure I’ll just bump into somebody who just happens to have a number 5 as well.

Storm Runner (a.k.a – best ride EVA)

50 mAS dIAS

2010-05-10T15:46:00.002-04:00

God's got your back...

2010-05-08T17:54:00.004-04:00

In the good times, we will praise Him. In the trials we will praise Him. Basically...we will just keep praising Him.

54 days!!

2010-05-06T16:28:00.002-04:00

53!

2010-05-05T06:24:00.002-04:00

2010-05-01T20:53:00.001-04:00

God is Able

2010-04-30T19:46:00.002-04:00

Hey guys! I hope you are all having a super fabulous week. =)

Could you all be praying for something? For the missions trip we needed to send in a copy of our passports and I had to get a new one last month. Well...it still has not come back and I REALLY NEED IT or I can't go. Which would be absolutely terrible.

So, please be praying that it comes next week sometime so I can send it in!!! =)

Thanks!

--------

Awesome fact:

Aubrey comes home tomorrow!! GAH! I can't wait to talk to her and have her put some totally amazing countdown pics up here...because I am starting to get out of ideas. =D

59!

2010-04-30T18:06:00.001-04:00

60

2010-04-29T17:16:00.002-04:00

61

2010-04-28T17:26:00.002-04:00

62

2010-04-27T08:16:00.002-04:00

63 mas dias!!

2010-04-26T16:49:00.002-04:00

Broken Walls

2010-04-25T21:11:00.004-04:00

God moved again tonight. He took another big step forward, showing me who He truly is and how big He can make Himself.

One of the leaders got up this morning in church and announced that we would be having a worship sesh somewhere in the church. BUT he said that he only wanted kids that were willing to share their hearts and truly dedicated to come.

So tonight we met in a stairwell in the church. all the lights were turned off except one blue light luminating the cross set in the corner. We had been singing for probably and hour and a half when Pat stood up and announced that God had given him a vision for this group of people. That we would all stand together and be ligit with each other.

One by one, our walls came crumbling down as we shared what was on our hearts and the prayer requests we had. Bit by bit, my heart that had been shattered so many times from the many assults by the devil was pieced back together as I watched my brothers and sisters come together. Then, someone very dear to me took his turn. I have never heard him share his heart. But here, he stood and announced that God had been working in his heart and was completely changing him. I was able to add in a few of the things i had seen God do in him, but then he did the complete unexpected. He announced to the whole group how things between us had gone sour. This was something he had kept between us for years. I couldn't believe that he would announce it like that. Then, I heard God whisper, "See, I have been working. Don't give up hope. I Am here."

As if the night couldn't get any better, i had been having so many doubts about whether i was accepted by the leaders in the youth group or if i was just another "annoying freshman." God silenced those fears as some of the senior leaders began to encourage me and come around me.

Holy Cow

This only makes me more and more pumped to see what Gods gonna do it Guate. It's gonna be HUGE.

-Tyler

64

2010-04-25T21:10:00.003-04:00

Day 66

2010-04-23T20:58:00.002-04:00

Haha, ok, so even I have to admit, this is REALLY COOL. ;) My parent's friends came over tonight for dinner and taught my dad how to use his new remote control helicopter. Somehow, it ended up being the number of the day...so enjoy the video and go ahead and laugh when I get "run over by a helicopter".

My dad (the newbie) =D

Mr. Daryl (the pro)

2010-04-22T19:40:00.002-04:00

67!

2010-04-22T17:44:00.002-04:00

68 more days...

2010-04-21T17:38:00.004-04:00

What Satan Fears Most

2010-04-21T08:32:00.001-04:00

What Satan fears most
Is a man on his knees;
Not vast marching armies
With great weaponry.

He knows he can stand
Against the power of men;
To engage us in battle
Is mere sport to him.

But a man on his knees
With his head bowed in prayer
Is something quite different
To the prince of the air.

For when he sees us in prayer
To our God most high,
He knows we have seen
Through his devilish lies.

That's why Satan fears most
A man on his knees;
And we'll keep him trembling
If our prayers never cease.

by John McIntosh

mmmmm

2010-04-20T08:35:00.002-04:00

Wow. This is Somewhat Embarassing....

2010-04-19T17:36:00.000-04:00

71

2010-04-18T15:22:00.002-04:00