Guatemala Photo Blog

Hi, I'm back from Guatemala. It was a wonderful experience. I've put together a photo blog of some highlights. Please enjoy...

The first part of the trip found us visiting different churches in the villages around Lake Atitlan. Here is a view of the lake from one of the villages, San Antonio

This is a picture of the village of San Juan. The Mountain is known as Face Mountain. If you look closely it is the face of a mayan man according to the villagers. The highest part is his nose and the dent on the left is his eye.

This is a photo overlooking San Pedro. This was the main village we stayed in.

The main ministry of the team was putting on VBS type children's programs for both churches and schools. The programs involved songs/skits/crafts/dramas/games. They are singing a song here for a school in San Pedro.

while the team was busy working, the leaders (Maggie, Gary, myself) were busy being silly with local children and eating frozen chocolate bananas. Guatemalans love their chocobananos. I dedicate this picture to my lovely friend Sarah B.

Maggie and I also found an amazing restaurant in San Pedro owned by Israeli people. It served awesome Fallafal(sp?) and Hummus. I'm craving some even mentioning it right now.

There were some lovely views around the lake

a local fisherman. the boats they use are so unique.

After 2 and 1/2 weeks of ministering and children's programs, we decided to head across the lake to Panajachel. While there I got to meet up with my friend and former World Race squadmate, Caitlin. She was leading another team through Guatemala, and they decided to join us for a zipline experience. It was such a blessing to see her and spend some time together.

hey look what I found... Hotel Shalom. I know isn't this a lovely picture? This is the hostel Team LESS stayed at in Panajachel last year. Caitlin told me I should hug the air, I guess so it's like I'm hugging my team. If I were good at photoshop I'd just photoshop my team in. oh well...

After Panajachel, we left the area of Lake Atitlan and headed to Antigua

While in Antigua we visited the Cappucinas ruins, an old convent. Some of the team also spent a day hiking the Pacaya volcano.

the team eating at Pollo Campero one of our last nights.

Overall the trip was amazing. The eagerness of this team to share God's love, and the boldness they exhibited in prayer was such an encouragement. Through their songs and prayers and joy and love for the children and people in Guatemala, I know many lives were blessed including their own and God was glorified. Thank you to all of you who supported us prayerfully and financially.

Late Saturday night, we flew into Atlanta, Ga from Guatemala for a short debrief and a couple of days later I found myself on a Greyhound bus to Chattanooga, TN to visit my friend and college roommate, Julianna. The Greyhound was quite an experience, but I'm thankful to have some time to catch up with Juli and relax before I head back to Houston. She is a wonderful hostess. Pray for me as I might have to brave another Greyhound to get to Houston if airline tickets continue to stay so expensive.

Juli and I overlooking the Tennessee River

You have been given Today

I am so thankful for good writing. The kind of writing that makes you want to read aloud, because you want to hear the words not just see them. You want to experience them, taste them. They are so beautiful and meaningful and alive. Words that awaken your soul and make you feel as though God has created those words solely for you; for your ears to hear, for your mouth to speak, for your eyes to see. Writing that offers hope and peace, that leaves you praying the book will continue because you don't want it to end. Writing where you find yourself inspired to pick up a pen hoping that your writing could one day impact someone on that same level.

Shauna Neiquist, author of Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the extraordinary nature of everyday life and hopefully soon a number of other books, inspires me in such a way that I find myself eager to pick up a pen and tell my stories. If only I could tell them as beautifully as she does. She is honest and raw and wise and funny and has often times left me thinking, "You, too?" As she described my heart, my thoughts, and even at some points my life with her words. Tonight, it was such a blessing and surprise for me to show up at Ecclesia and find that she was speaking, and as always God used her words to offer me hope and healing and joy and ignite my love for Him. I encourage you to read Cold Tangerines, as you will be doing yourself a favor. Below is an excerpt, and trust me it only gets better.

____________________________________________________________

On Waiting

I have always, essentially, been waiting. Waiting to become something else, waiting to be that person I always thought I was on the verge of becoming, waiting for that life I thought I would have. In my head, I was always one step away. In high school, I was biding my time until I could become the college version of myself, the one my mind could see so clearly. In college, the post-college "adult" person was always looming in front of me, smarter, stronger, more organized. Then the married person, then the person I'd become when we have kids. For twenty years, literally, I have waited to become the thin version of myself, because that's when life will really begin.

And through all that waiting, here I am. My life is passing, day by day, and I am waiting for it to start. I am waiting for that time, that person, that event when my life will finally begin.
...

But this is what I'm finding, in glimpses and flashes: this is it. This is it, in the best possible way. That thing I'm waiting for, that adventure, that movie-score-worthy experience unfolding gracefully. This is it. Normal, daily life ticking by on our streets and sidewalks, in our houses and apartments, in our beds and at our dinner tables, in our dreams and prayers and fights and secrets - this pedestrian life is the most precious thing any of us will ever experience.

I believe that this way of living, this focus on the present, the daily, the tangible, this intense concentration not on the news headlines but on the flowers growing in your own garden, the children growing in your own home, this way of living has the potential to open up the heavens, to yield a glittering handful of diamonds where a second ago there was coal. This way of living and noticing and building and crafting can crack through the movie sets and soundtracks that keep us waiting for our own life stories to begin, and set us free to observe the lives we have been creating all along without even realizing it.

I don't want to wait anymore. I choose to believe that there is nothing more sacred and profound than this day. I choose to believe that there may be a thousand big moments embedded in this day, waiting to be discovered like tiny shards of gold. The big moments are the daily, tiny moments of courage and forgiveness and hope that we grab on to and extend to one another. That's the drama of life, swirling all around us, and generally I don't even see it, because I'm too busy waiting to become whatever it is I think I am about to become. The big moments are in every hour, every conversation, every meal, every meeting.
...

Today is your big moment. Moments, really. The life you've been waiting for is happening all around you. The scene unfolding right outside your window is worth more than the most beautiful painting, and the crackers and peanut butter that you're having for lunch on the coffee table are as profound, in their own way, as the Last Supper. This is it. This is life in all its glory, swirling and unfolding around us, disguised as pedantic, pedestrian non-events. But pull off the mask and you will find your life, waiting to be made, chosen, woven, crafted.

Your life, right now, today, is exploding with energy and power and detail and dimension, better than the best movie you have ever seen. You and your family and your friends and your house and your dinner table and your garage have all the making of a life of epic proportions, a story for the ages. Because they all are. Every life is.

You have stories worth telling, memories worth remembering, dreams worth working toward, a body worth feeding, a soul worth tending, and beyond that, the God of the universe dwells within you, the true culmination of super and natural.

You are more than dust and bones.
You are spirit and power and image of God.
And you have been given Today.

God, Rid Me of God

I've recently been introduced to this amazing website The Work of the People: Visual Media for Worship and Mission. Here is a video I found there of Peter Rollins, author of How Not To Speak of God, discussing how GOD is beyond our definitions and imaginations.

In case the video doesn't show here is the link: http://www.theworkofthepeople.com/index.php?ct=store.details&pid=V00560

An Update and Guatemala Ministry Opportunity

I have now been back in the USA for nine months since completing The World Race. While I can't say it has been an easy adjustment, God has been faithful. Since September, I have returned to work with First Presbyterian - Kingwood as a student minister to middle and high school students. Alongside this, as of February, I have started on a career path to becoming a middle school teacher starting in the Fall of 2009. My desire is to work with at-risk students in the lower income schools, and empower students and challenge them to use their education to not only improve their lives but the lives of those in their city, state, country, and world. While I do not have a job lined up yet for the Fall, I hope to have one within the next month. If I do not, the job search will have to continue long-distance.

As of a couple of weeks ago, I have decided to sign on with Adventures in Missions, yet again, for another adventure. This time it is for one month and I will be leading one of their Ambassador Mission Trips. These trips are designed to give high school students the ability to share God's love with those outside of their normal community, and hopefully gain a greater understanding of God's love for them and all people as they seek God's will in their life. As a leader, my responsibility will be to disciple, encourage, serve, and simply or not-so-simply 'be there' for the students as we seek God's voice and join in alongside with what He is doing in the community. We will be located in the city of San Juan de Laguna, Guatemala from June 19 - July 19, 2009. I am very excited to be returning to Guatemala, as I have so many fond memories of the country and its culture from The World Race. It will be great to be there as those on the team explore the country and discover the beauty of the culture themselves.

As with all AIM trips, the cost of the trip must be raised. I am needing to raise $1,500 for the month, and as of right now I have nothing. I have calculated that if 6 people would give $25, 10 people would give $50, and 5 people would give $150, I will reach my goal! Please, prayerfully consider being a part of this ministry either by becoming a prayer partner or by making a one-time, tax-deductible donation. You can click here, Support Me!, and donate on-line right now or you may mail a check to Adventures In Missions. If writing a check, please make check payable to Adventures in Missions and write on the memo line, Appealed by: Lindsey McDonald

Mail checks to:

Adventures in Missions

P.O. Box 534470
Atlanta, Ga 30353-4470

Thank you for your time and prayers. Please be praying for our team as we prepare to leave this next month. Also, please be praying for the people we will meet while in Guatemala and pray for God's will to be done and His kingdom to come.

Victory Over Death

Recently, our high school youth participated in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine. I was asked to do a write-up for the church newsletter about the event, and today when I saw the newsletter my article was the front cover. I was very surprised to say the least.
So instead of coming up with something new to write here about my experience with and hope for the Famine, I thought I'd share what I wrote for the newsletter.

_________________________________________

High School Students Fast During 30-Hour Famine

During Holy Week, the High School student's of First Presbyterian Church of Kingwood participated in World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine, an international youth movement to fight hunger.

Starting Thursday, April 9 at 12 p.m. until 6 p.m. Friday, April 10, thirty-two students and leaders chose not to eat in order to experience what is estimated 153 million children around the world feel everyday -- hunger pangs. According to World Vision, each day, over 29,000 children under the age of five die from malnutrition or preventable disease. This is equivalent to one child dying every three seconds. That is an overwhelming statistic! Every time we count to three a child dies unnecessarily.

The purpose of the 30 Hour Famine, though, was not to make us feel guilty or hopeless or even to count our blessings. The hope is that as our community becomes more aware about the issues facing others in the world, we will seek to know how God wants us to respond. We worship a Loving, Active, and Just God who through Jesus’ death and resurrection is bringing about redemption throughout all of creation, and He invites us to partner with Him in this process through the Holy Spirit. This is one reason why we decided to hold the Famine over Easter weekend. At Easter we celebrate God’s victory over death. It is necessary to remember that God has already won, and one day His Kingdom will be fully revealed and everything will be made new.

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create, no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old… They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox... They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain," says the LORD. - Isaiah 65:17-25

Until that day, as people who love God it is necessary for the Church to trust that God’s “Kingdom can come and His Will can be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10), and to respond accordingly.

Soles for a better world

The last few years, I’ve realized I am very picky about my shoes. I used to be a shoe fanatic buying new shoes all the time, but then I realized I wouldn’t wear them. I’ve always seemed to have one pair that I prefer to all the rest and solely wear those. I’m a one-shoe kind of person. It seems once a year or every couple of years I will find a pair of shoes I love and wear them all of the time. I think I first started doing this in college when I discovered Chacos. They were very similar to the ones pictured below, but the straps had a green and blue design. I believe I wore my Chacos for 2 years straight. You can wear sandals during the winter in Texas.

Those Chacos lasted me at least 5 years until I recently gave them up, because I haven’t worn them in the last 2 years. They gave me shin splints or at least I blame them for the shin splints. After my Chacos, my next shoe was a slip-on green canvas shoe by BC. Oh how I loved those shoes. I wore those for at least a year and a half, and they were great for winter or summer. It was difficult for me to leave them behind when I left for the World Race. I feared they would get thrown away or worse claimed by my sister along with the other apparel I left behind.

Sidenote: While on the World Race my shoe of choice for the year was Crocs.

I started in these:

4 months later switched to these:














Crocs are a great shoe to travel the world in if you are wondering... lightweight, waterproof, and comfortable.

I remember on the World Race sometimes the girls would start talking about clothing we missed from home, and I would always think about those green canvas BC shoes I left at home. I honestly don't know why looking back I was so attached to those shoes, but when I came home in August, I was ecstatic to find them waiting for me. Here's a side view from one of the last times I wore them. The edges were supposed to be fringed, but probably not that much.


Of course I remember my mother’s reaction when she saw me wearing them again. One of, “Seriously? I think you might want to invest in some new shoes.” They were pretty worn out, I’ll admit, but they were so comfy and green (well actually they had faded to more of a yellow-green).

I began a search for a new pair of shoes. I wanted something similar to the BC shoe, but from an organization socially and environmentally aware. After a few weeks of searching, I found the organization Simple. An organization dedicated to making sustainable, eco-friendly shoes made from recycled materials. Searching their site I found the shoe that I was hoping to wear for at least the next year. A "green" slip-on, and I mean green in color, of course, as well as by environmental standards. By the way my favorite color is green, hence, all the green-colored shoes, so far.

Those shoes have served me well these last 8 months, but for the last few weeks. I have realized the shoes do not fit me anymore. I keep walking out of them. I guess I have worn them out or stretched them out, and now sometimes I will be walking down a street only to have to back up and put on my shoe again. It’s pretty embarrassing. Especially, when cars are waiting for you to cross the street or people are walking close behind you.

The last few weeks I have been on the search again for a new pair of shoes. This time still wanting to buy from a socially conscious organization I went with TOMS. If you don’t know about TOMS for every pair of shoes you buy, a pair of shoes is donated to a child who can’t afford shoes. It is such a wonderful mission, and the shoes though simple, are comfy and come in fun, unique colors and designs. I have actually been debating on getting TOMS for the last 8 months. There are so many different designs I was having a difficult time deciding on which ones to buy, but as of Friday I settled on these. I know they aren't green, but maybe it's time for a change.
So this is my shoe for the next while. I'm still getting used to them. They are definitely the brightest shoes I have owned, but they are fun and support a wonderful cause.