Hello. Goodbye. Thoughts on our trip to the U.S.

Sushi in East Falls- our old neighborhood :-)

Hello blog readers! It's been quite a while. My apologies! As you know, Dan and I traveled back to the U.S. for two weeks in June. It was a whirlwind of weddings, ethnic food (SUSHI! yum!), long drives, and tearful goodbyes. Yes, one thing Dan and I didn't anticipate was the bittersweet-ness of seeing our family and friends only to say goodbye shortly after. Don't get me wrong, seeing everyone was wonderful. It was awesome finally having that cup of coffee with my BFF, having an Italian themed family dinner, and meeting our friends' newest addition (adorable baby Gabe!), BUT it was really hard saying goodbye after spending only an afternoon or evening with someone or at most, a couple days. We were blessed by the generosity of those we love in material ways (dinners, awesome presents, trips to Target- thanks Mom & Dad!;)), but also by their interest in our lives. Saying goodbye was really difficult especially since we were unsure when we'd be back (and still don't really know). Here are some highlights from our trip:

Enjoying some Ethiopian food w/ Baby Gabe

Greeted by our wonderful friends, Saman & Joel, in Brooklyn NY

Wedding #1- Jesse & Lindsey- what a BEAUTIFUL bride!

The groom, Jesse, w/ Dan. ¡Que guapo!

Another aspect of our trip was the unavoidable reverse culture shock. Keep in mind that we went straight from Bolivia to Guatemala so it had been 8+ months since we were in the States. My culture shock moment came when I went into Target for the first time during our trip. Dan and I were in a rush so I was trying to be quick, but I ended up frozen in the hair product aisle nearly in tears. Luckily, Dan came in to rescue me. (Side note: Dan and I were sharing one cell phone while we were home which was an interesting experience. Very counter-cultural...). I don't know if I can fully explain what was going through my mind in Target. I was overwhelmed by all the options, the advertisements, the bright lights. I was horrified, but also enchanted. As Dan joked to me later, "You can take the girl out of Target but you can't take Target out of the girl". I enjoyed quite a few trips to Target and some other stores while home, but I also had a hard time seeing the excessive consumerism that is very much a part of our culture. Everyone seemed to have so much stuff and I found myself falling so easily back into that dark hole of "I need, I need, I need." Sometimes I miss the convenience of Target, dollar stores, and good Asian food to name a few things, but in many ways I enjoy the simplicity of our life here. As someone who is easily sucked into shopping and consumerism I find it refreshing and challenging to live a simpler life here in Guatemala.

Kennywood Day w/ the familia. I insisted on
this cheesy pic w/ Kenny the Kangeroo! haha

With MK at Liz & Josh's rehearsal dinner.
Purple power! :-)

Wedding #2- Liz & Josh Katyl!!!

Coming back to Guatemala was not super easy for me. I was missing my friends and family. It didn't help that I jumped right back into work and that summer has proven to be our busiest season with multiple visitors and groups each week. Last Friday our friends, Jenny and David, left Pana. They were here for about a year working with Mayan Families. Dan and I were really sad to see them go as they were two of our closet friends here. We got to know them well because they also young, married Christians and we all went to church together. I am pretty sad having to face my office without Jenny each day, but I'm trusting that God will give me the strength to make it through. We have a new employee coming this weekend and another in September so I am praying they are both cool! :) Pana is such a transient place... I met a few people recently, but most are only here for the summer. It's hard to develop friendships when people are constantly coming and going.

Savoring time w/ my bff, Jilly, in Philly
(hey that rhymed!)

Beka came to see me from D.C.!
We indulged in frozen yogurt- delish!

What an amazing surprise! College bff reunion. Kara & Tiff

Gail & I enjoying our reunion dinner at Christopher's

We had to say goodbye to another friend this week- Christine. She and her family are moving back to the US after living here for a few years. She played an instrumental role in our adoption of Lucia and has done us so many favors by babysitting Lucia when we've traveled. We will miss her a lot!

Please say a prayer for Dan as he is going to be preaching every Sunday until the end of September! The couple who run Solomon's Porch (the ministry which has a worship gathering each Sunday that we attend) are in the States networking and raising support until then so they asked him to fill in. Looks like I am a pastor's wife (kind of) for a couple months. Haha! :)

Thank you so much for your support and prayers! Please lift us up as we strive to be content and faithful in our current situation while we also start to explore the future.

My handsome hubby & me at Josh & Liz's wedding