An Update: Housing & Health

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us lately. After my last post I received a lot of encouragement from family and friends and for that I am grateful. Although I still have my moments of doubt and worry like anyone, it is comforting to know that the people we love are holding us up in prayer. Thank you!

Lake Atitlan- majestic as always!

After looking at a handful of places we are happy to announce we found a new place! It's a casita (little house) on the other side of town- about 15 minutes from the center of Pana. In true Guatemalan fashion we only found out about it because of a friend of a friend. (Here a lot of people don't advertise their places for rent. You just have to know someone that knows about it. Interesting, right?) The casita has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a common area, and a small kitchen. It is just a tad bigger than our former place. The best part is that it has its own little yard and back porch! Perfect for Lucia. :) We will be able to leave her outside while we go to work. We are going to sign an agreement this week and hopefully move in next Saturday. Photos to come once we are settled! Hopefully this will be our home for the rest of our time here. *fingers crossed*

I also wanted to give an update on my health as I know it has been a while since I posted anything about that. Those close to me know about what's been going on, but perhaps there are some people out of the loop... After having a lot of stomach problems (see Don't Eat the Potato Salad) our first five months here I decided to see a natural homeopathic type doctor here in Pana. He diagnosed me with having an overgrowth of yeast in my stomach. I was really nervous about our trip to the States in June because I thought I'd be sick the whole time. Thankfully, I felt great most of our time home. Per the doctor's orders I bought a boatload of natural supplements and medicine while in the U.S. When I came back to Guat I did a 15 day cleanse. It was awful! I have never done any type of cleanse (diet or otherwise) so it was really hard for me. I could not eat any fruit (with the exception of Granny Smith apples) or bread (anything with gluten really) or dairy. I broke some rules like having coffee (hey, yeast or no yeast I need my cafe!). The goal was to regain balance in my stomach. Even though it was tough, it really helped! After that I began taking some natural supplements to help support the flora and fauna in my stomach. I try to limit my sugar intake as yeast apparently feeds off of sugar. Praise Jesus that since doing the cleanse and beginning this medicine I have felt 100 times better! I still have moments when my stomach doesn't feel right, but mostly, I feel really good. I am SO thankful as I was starting to get really worried back in May! Thank you for your prayers about this too!

Enjoying some frozen yogurt during
Semana Santa/Holy Week

Change. Change. Change.

Well friends there has been a lot of changes in our life lately. And no, I am not pregnant! :-P

Let me fill you in.... Recently, Dan and I have been going through some difficult times financially. Earlier this year Dan was teaching at a local school, but since they follow the U.S. school schedule he finished in June. He continued working at a local restaurant, but it was only a couple days a week. As many of you know I get paid a monthly stipend. It is not a salary, but a small monthly payment- enough for someone to live simply here in Pana. For someone like me who is married and supporting not only myself it is difficult to make it stretch for two people. (Almost all of my foreign co-workers are single and support only themselves.) Due to the difficulty of living off my stipend and some challenges with my current position Dan and I started looking for new opportunities. We began seriously praying about and pursuing other options. It's not that we are unhappy here. We simply thought that maybe God was calling us to someplace new. (For those of you concerned that we are going to be vagabonds all our lives I want to mention that we would love for our next step to be something a bit more permanent- a move that is for 2 or 3 years or more.)

Our first surprise lately was that Dan was asked to fill in at our weekly worship gathering at Solomon's Porch. The couple that runs it, Lloyd and Melanie, are in the U.S. for almost two months. They asked Dan to fill in preaching every Sunday and running the service. (He did this in May for a few Sundays.) He was honored that they asked and excited to have the opportunity. They generously offered him a small compensation for his time and efforts. For us it was really unexpected and a very big blessing.

Meanwhile at Mayan Families as the end of the calendar year draws near I have been talking with my co-worker, Laura, about all we need to get done before December in the Education/School Sponsorship Program. Mention of a need came up for an English speaker to help us check missing payments. When I first learned about the opportunity I thought that maybe Dan would be offered something part-time. Imagine our surprise when Mayan Families offered Dan a full-time position! He is really excited and started on Monday. Interestingly enough we are working side by side (we literally sit less than a foot apart) . Now that is some marital bonding! Haha :) He is also helping with some technical things like teaching some of the Guatemalan staff how to use a Mac computer and making thank you videos for visitors.

The last surprise wasn't really a good one, but I want to share it as it's especially important for those who want to support us in prayer. With Dan being offered a full-time position at MF we were faced with the challenge of finding a place for Lucia to stay while we are at work (previously Dan was home a lot during the day and took care of her). After our original plan of asking a couple of friends fell through we decided that the best option was to keep her in the small patio behind our apartment. (She is still a puppy so keeping her inside all day was not an option. Unless we wanted our house destroyed.) We spoke to our landlord about it and he seemed ok with the idea so imagine our surprise when Saturday afternoon we found a note taped to our door stating that it was time for us to move on a.k.a.- find a new place to live!!! Yes, this is a true story. This is one downside to not signing a lease like in the States... Our weekend was a whirlwind as we packed up all our belongings and wrapped our minds around finding a new place to live. We cannot say thank you enough to Lloyd and Melanie who agreed to let us stay in their home while they are in the U.S. It is only for a week or two as we search for a new place, but we are grateful to have a comfortable place to stay while we transition. Also, we are able to keep Lucia outside while we are at work.

Our "daughter", Lucia, during a hike

So, in a just a couple of weeks God threw our world upside down! One minute we thought we may be leaving Pana and the next God clearly directed us to stay. Then, we unexpectedly had to pack up everything and move!

Celebrating Dan's birthday in July

I am grateful for God's guidance and provision during this tricky time. Please pray for us as we search for a new place to live. We are looking for a place that is affordable, safe, and with a space/yard for Lucia. Also, please pray for us as we transition to working full-time and working together. Pray that God would continue to make His plans clear to us and that we would be willing to obey. Thank you!

-Rachel  & Daniel

"Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." -Matthew 6:31-33

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

A unique day in the life of Daniel

It has been a while since you have seen my words here. And I apologize for that. While I attempt to get back into the swing of things with blog writing, I want to share with you a blog post I wrote just over a month and a half ago (right before we left for the States). A story about a day in my life that took place around 2 and a half months ago. Even though my life in Panajachel is somewhat different currently with school on summer break, I feel that it sums up what life was like for me here for pretty much my whole time in Pana up until a month ago. Hope you enjoy it:

Written May 30th,

            My schedule here in Guatemala became pretty crazy since the last time I wrote, and I have barely been able to keep up with everything. I think my business and just the direction my life has gone here has made it hard to write. I will attempt to express what I mean by all of that in a story of a Sunday a few weeks ago. A story that basically sums up a lot of what my life in Panajachel has been like.

            I woke up early on Sunday May 6^th with a feeling of anxiety uniquely mixed with happiness. Anxiety because at 2 pm I had to give my first sermon in years, and had yet to finish it. Happiness because despite all of the craziness this day was going to bring, I had been looking forward to it for a long while.

            The stress came from my rustiness in sermon writing, as it has been a few years since I needed to produce one, and therefore was struggling to find the right words. Writing a good sermon always takes time and a lot of patience as one attempts to find the words to make the message balanced with being Biblically sound and culturally relevant. The greatest struggle here, in this context, was the context itself. The services are bi-lingual, which meant I would have a translator for my whole message. Also, I was preaching to a wide variety of people, gringos (foreigners), Latinos, and a few indigenous Mayan women.  A small group, normally not exceeding 30 people (generally around 20), but that did not change the fact that I had to somehow find a way to give a sermon that everyone there could connect with. However, I refuse to water down any message I give. What is the point of giving a message that makes someone feel good for an hour but does not teach anything? At the same time, there is no point in giving a message that sounds more like a lecture coming from a professor, with great detail and data with the average listener not being able to connect with. This was a major challenge for me, which is why I was still working on the sermon the day I was to deliver it despite already spending many hours on it.

            When preparing for this first Sunday, Rachel, feeling the stress coming out of me, asked me an obvious question (with a little frustration behind it) that I should have but did not have an answer to: “Why did you agree to do this?” This question was not about me doing a sermon or not, it was about if I should be doing it with all of my other commitments. Teaching at the school everyday, working a couple nights a week at the restaurant, having Spanish class almost every day of the week, and of course, spending time with Rachel and Lucia, when all put together gave me little free time for anything. She had a right to be frustrated at me for doing this when I barely had time for everything else.

            I finished the sermon to the level I felt comfortable with around noon, and gave the sermon at 2. It actually went way better than I thought. The sermon was about how our value as individual humans does not come from the world, but from God. We looked at how Jesus found value in disciples that the world discarded as sinners, or poor and low class. I felt it reached all levels.

            This Sunday was particularly unique for me, and not only because of the sermon. Right after the service, I had to rush to the school where I was teaching, to be in a play. The whole weekend I was involved in the play since I was co-teaching the drama elective. When I say I was in the play, I mean that I acted in the play. They needed a teacher to be in it, and thinking it would not be a big deal, I agreed to do it. Well, it ended up being a big deal. I did not have a small role, and learning lines was quite a challenge, but Sunday was the third night of the play and it was going very well. The play was an adapted version of “Much Ado About Nothing”, and even though it took up quite a lot of time, I loved doing it. I also bonded with some of my students from it as well. Oh, side note; my character was an old man, so my beard, eyebrows, and hair was all painted grey. It was a sight to see.

            Once the play ended, I ran to the bathroom, washed all the paint off my entire head, changed, and ran to the restaurant for the night shift. I think I arrived home around midnight completely exhausted.

            This leads me back to the question from Rachel: “Why did you agree to do this?” In all honesty, I did not have an answer, which bothered me for a little. But once that crazy day was over, the answer revealed itself. I wanted to do something I was good at, something that mattered. I wanted, and in a way needed, the reminder that I have skills and abilities to offer the world, and the people of Panajachel and Lake Atitlan.  Living in a country where you want to work and grow, but cannot speak the language adequately enough to do so, can easily lower a person’s confidence. I have wanted what Rachel and I have talked about for years now, doing international development, building a life together, and growing into a community. Working at a school and restaurant were not part of the plan. I felt like I was just treading water at those two places, not moving forward. Leading a service, being able to write and preach, would allow me to feel useful, as if I was moving in the right direction.

            I was partially right; leading the services the past month was the right move. I did grow and was able to lead the service with some good thoughtful words, feeling alive as I did it. But I was wrong in the belief that I was just treading water. Sometimes it is easy to feel stuck in one place during a slow process, and living here learning Spanish is exactly that. Learning Spanish has this way of making every moment of accomplishment met by many situations of failure to understand the language, and therefore feeling like you accomplished nothing. But I can safely say that my Spanish has improved incredibly since we moved here, and I know that I will continue to improve every day. 

            I know why we are here in Guatemala, but sometimes it is important to live in the reminder that we need to progress into our expectations and desires, instead of thinking they will happen over night. In most cases, such progress never happens at the speed we want. For me, this progression comes through learning Spanish. In a way, I feel it might be the most important task I have undertaken in the past 10 years of my life. While it is hard to handle at times, the baby steps I have taken are starting to show and it is encouraging. Yes I might have jobs in fields that are not my future, but they have made it possible for me to continue to pursue my desire to learn Spanish and grow in this new culture. And because of that, I am grateful for them.

And now for your viewing pleasure, a few photos of me as Leonato with my white beard and all :)

 Me looking all regal, look at that professional make-up job!

 This is for my acting portfolio, showing off my angry acting abilities.

 A good time was had, accompanied by many laughs.

A Heavy Heart

First of all, we have been in contact with most of our loved ones, but I just want to let everyone know that we arrived back in Guatemala safely. Everything went smoothly, but it was very difficult to say goodbye to our friends and especially our family. Maybe at a later date we will share more about our trip home and how it was wonderful, but also difficult. For now, I just want to say thank you so very much for your prayers! We are safe and sound back in our home here in Pana AND reunited with our adorable puppy! :-)

The past couple weeks Dan and I have been trying to adjust back to life in Guatemala. I have to say that for me it has been kind of tough. While I am grateful to have a job and to live in a beautiful place I am seeing more and more the challenges of life here. There are many frustrations within the organization I work for and coming back into them has been hard. The co-worker I am closest with and also the only other Christian in my office is leaving at the end of July. I know it will be hard without her. One of the biggest challenges of returning and going back to my job has been the heaviness of each day. On any given day I interact with many different people- not only my co-workers (foreigners and indigenous Guatemalans), but also indigenous Guatemalan women, children, and families. Everyday my co-workers and I hear stories of families without food and shelter, stories of death, abuse, and oppression. It can be a lot to handle and coming back into this environment after spending two weeks relaxing, having fun, and eating delicious food has been a culture shock of sorts.

While I was home a couple friends asked about Dominga- a 50 year old woman who was dying of cancer and came to our office asking for help. In May I sent an email out to my whole network of family and friends asking for donations and support through prayer. I am happy to report that Dominga had the much-needed surgery we were fundraising for. You can read about it here. (If you didn't get my email and want to read the original story please go here.)

Dominga after her life-saving surgery 

I rejoice that Dominga got the surgery and is recovering, but there are so many other people in need that it's hard not to be overwhelmed. Just this week I visited an extremely poor family during a sponsor visit. I was struggling to hold back tears as I informed the sponsor that the dark, cold, 10 X 7 foot room was the family's home. For this single mother with three young children this small space was her kitchen, her bedroom, and her storage. It was hard for me to not sob as I translated to the sponsor that the woman and her children sleep every night on the cold mud floor and that when it rains water enters the house. (We are now in the rainy season so it rains daily.)

This week I also learned that my Guatemalan co-worker's uncle is dying. I won't go into great detail, but you can read my friend, Jenny's, blog post about it here. It is tragic when anyone dies, but it is especially difficult when someone dies from something preventable and treatable. Please pray for Rodrigo, his family and for my co-worker, Elisa. We sit right next to each other and she is one of the few Guatemalans I have been able to form some sort of friendship with here. If you are able to support her family during this extremely difficult time I know they would be grateful. As the blog post says Rodrigo is extremely concerned about his family and specifically asked Jenny for food for them- it was his last request.

All this to say that my heart is heavy. It is hard feeling useless in the face of such extreme poverty. I want to have care and concern for these families. I want to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. But I also struggle to find balance. I realize that when I come home I need to relax and disengage, but I can't help but think of the family with nothing to eat sleeping on the ground while I lounge on my cushy bed eating popcorn and surfing the Internet. The differences between their lives and mine are oh so great. I think those of you who have done work among the poor whether in the US or abroad will relate with what I am saying- the differences, the heaviness, etc. Hopefully it makes some sense. I welcome your thoughts and would also appreciate your prayers as Dan and I process our time here and begin to think, dream and pray about what's next.

Thank you for reading!

Heading H-O-M-E

Well friends, I can hardly believe it, but Daniel and I will be U.S.-bound very very SOON. The past few weeks have been a blur. All of a sudden I went from counting down the days to "ohmygosh! I better pack!!!". Those who know me well know how much I despise packing...

So while I procrastinate beginning that task I thought I'd write a list of 10 things Daniel & I are looking forward to during our trip:

1. Drinking water from the facet! No purification or filtration required. Also, being able to eat fruits and vegetables without sanitizing them or worrying about crazy parasites. 
2. Seeing all of our wonderful family members and friends of course. Especially celebrating two weddings and a retirement! :-) 
3. Food, food, and more food. We have a mental list of foods we miss including: Greek yogurt, nuts, certain fruits & veggies (brussel sprouts!!!), salads, and almost all forms of ethnic food. Luckily I am sure we will be blessed with many delicious meals. 
4. Being able to flush toliet paper! (rather than put it in a trash can) and HOT SHOWERS! Yes, we have hot showers here, but they are just not the same. 
5. Shopping at some of our favorite stores like TARGET and The Body Shop (ok this is probably more me than Dan).
6. Comfy-ness- couches, carpet, a REAL pillow... all in all cushy-ness that we don't often get here. (ps- my worst packing mistake was to not bring a pillow here. I plan to rectify that this trip.)
7. Good beverages- guess who added this one? ;-)
8. Going to a park or two or three. We don't really have those here. Just plazas and "beaches" and they are full of stray dogs, drunk men, and beggars. Can't wait to visit some of our favorite places in Philly like Kelly Dr.
9. Less bugs!- With the rainy season starting this month there have been all sorts of strange insects floating around. 
10. Modern technology like dishwashers and washing machines. 

Hope this list made you smile! One thing we will be sad to leave behind is our babygirl, Lucia. Luckily, she will be at a friend's house playing with other doggies and getting a lot of love. 

"Yeah I'm a dog model in my spare time."

All joking aside please say a prayer for safe travels. We leave Pana tomorrow and fly out Thursday very early (around 6 am. eek!). We are very excited, but also expect to experience some reverse culture shock. Hoping for good health (for me) and fun times for all. For those that don't know, I went to see a natural doctor recently. I will be happy to fill you in in person if you want to hear more about it (kind of a long story). One of my biggest prayer requests at the moment is that my stomach would be ok throughout this trip and that it wouldn't interfere with our time with loved ones.

Thanks for reading & see you sooooooooooooon! (If you want to get in touch with us please feel free to call. I will have my old phone and number.)

Don't Eat the Potato Salad & Photos

I learned a valuable lesson this week: don't eat the potato salad (in Guatemala). In fact, don't eat any type of salad made with mayonnaise. Why? you ask. It's simple. Refrigerators are not common here so oftentimes when food is made it sits for hours before being eaten. This is generally, not a huge problem, but does become problematic when things like mayo are involved.

This past week I was asked by my boss to go to a lunch at a local school. Even though I didn't really want to go I felt obligated. She couldn't go so she asked me to go in her place. I had the passing thought that maybe I should find a way out of it since my stomach is so dang sensitive, but I couldn't really think of a good reason (other than "hey, my stomach is really sensitive...") so I went. Oh how I wish she would've given me the above advice before I attended the lunch. Yes friends, I am sick once again. Did I mention that I just finished another round of Cipro (a very strong antibiotic) last weekend!?! To give you a little glimpse into my world I'd like to explain exactly what Dan and I do to stay healthy and avoid getting sick when it comes to food and beverages....

First off, we only drink filtered water. We have a water filter that we have to clean manually once a week. We received it from Mayan Families and it is awesome because it saves us a lot of money since the alternative is buying purified water. That can get very pricey. BUT when I am not at home I almost always drink purified water which luckily, we have at my office. There are times when I make an exception and drink filtered water, but only if I am at someone's home where I feel 100% confident that they clean their filter regularly and properly. There is a very specific way to clean it and just seeing that someone has a filter does not ensure that the water is safe to drink. At least not for me. 

Next, Dan and I sanitize all of our fruits, fresh herbs, and vegetables. What does this involve? It means that every time we go to the market we bring home everything and take turns putting it in a special sanitizing solution- filtered water plus disinfectant (a liquid solution we buy at the grocery store). It takes a while to clean every single thing we buy, but we do it. The only exceptions are things with peels like avocados and bananas. Even if we get something from the local grocery store that says it has been washed I sanitize it to be 100% sure.

On my 26th Bday w/ my FUNFETTI cake
{made by my wonderful husband}

Last, but not least, we are EXTREMELY careful about what and where we eat. This means absolutely NO eating on the street. There are tons of little food stands that sell tacos, french fries, ceviche, etc. Some people swear by them because they are so cheap, but honestly, most foreigners get sick anytime they eat from them. Even if the workers try to be clean there really is nowhere for them to wash their hands, dishes, or utensils so even if what you consume is delicious, it is almost certainly not sanitary.  

Each time I get sick I get more and more strict about what I will and will not eat. In the beginning I was a little more relaxed about it. I would buy snacks from the local woman who sells in front of our office. Oftentimes, people say "if it's cooked it's ok" with the idea that the germs/bacteria/etc. are cooked off. Well, I have news for you. That is not always true. I am at the point now where I really avoid eating things while I am out unless I am at one of the few restaurants where I am sure I will not get sick from their food. I don't buy homemade ice cream or chocofrut (fresh fruit covered in chocolate) for fear that the utensils used or the hands serving it are not clean. Even at bars I will not order a mixed drink like a mojito unless I am sure that they sanitize the mint that they use.

This all may sound a little extreme and maybe it is, but you have to understand that I have been extremely sick FOUR TIMES in less than 4 months! I have been to the doctor and taken extremely strong antibiotics four times. Sometimes when I tell people here (foreigners) that I don't want to eat something for fear of it making me sick I feel really judged. Whether they say it directly or indirectly it's something like "Oh come on. Lighten up!". I am at the point now where I figure everyone has their own prerogative. Everyone's body is different and some people are just fine drinking questionable water and food off the street. And if you want to do that it's fine with me. I am not going to criticize someone for their choices so I hope others will not criticize me. Trust me when I say I have a very sensitive stomach and that I have to be really, really careful about what I eat.

I didn't mean for this to be a venting session, but I guess that is what it became. I just wanted to explain why I am frustrated that I am sick yet again when I really try to take precautions against getting sick... I'd appreciate your prayers as we are traveling home 11 days from today and the last thing I want is to be ill while we are in the States. As my friend mentioned to me today it takes a while to get over these stomach issues- oftentimes a week or longer which is another reason why I am bummed out about being sick right now. Please keep me in your prayers and I will keep you posted!

On a happier note I was looking for a platform (other than Facebook) to share photos and I stumbled across Shutterfly's personal sites. I would like to start posting photos on there instead of Facebook because it is a bit more personalized and private. Please click this link if you want to check it out. You have to create a Shutterfly account (if you don't have one). Then, you have to send me a request to see the site. Once I approve you you'll be able to log in and see the photos. It all takes less than 5minutes so please check it out and let me know what you think! I have posted one album so far- my 26th Birthday.  :)

A sneak preview of photos from our new site!

Thanks for reading & have a great week! :) We look forward to seeing many of you so very soon!