Following the Leader: November 2015

Wow! What a month it has been! It went by fast, as always.
This month was kicked off by going to my first Guatemalan baby shower :D it was so fun!
It was honestly the funnest and most entertaining baby shower I have ever been to. There were so many games, it was great- and as always, Lydia and I were the only white people! We are used to it by now haha. Please keep Helbert and Barbara in your prayers as their baby girl is due in November.

The first week of October was a week of goodbyes. The training interns of IGNITE class 9 were finishing up their training and getting ready to head home for 10 days before going to their country locations. We had a special service for them called "commissioning night." Everyone gets all dressed up and we encourage them and send them out. It is always a blessing and it was crazy for me to look back and realize I went through the same thing a year and a half ago.

We celebrated my birthday this year and went to Lake Atitlan on a little vacation. It is one of the most beautiful places ever. I love it there and it was such a blessing to spend time with my family, Lydia and Kelli before we all parted ways.

Once we got back from the lake, it was time to finish out our last week at school. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we handed in the final grades for each class and spent time with all of our students. I can't believe a year went by so fast! These kids have learned and grown so so so much! And the most difficult classes ended up being the ones I was blessed by the most as students stood up thanking me for my patience and investment in their lives. I was shocked! God works miracles! It was sad and hard to say good bye, but I will see them in January and I am really looking forward to it! And they will be in my prayers and I know God will continue to work in their lives.

I attended my last kids club for the year! It's just super cool to see these faithful kids come every week and I know that I will see them next year. Please continue to pray for the kids programs that go on every week. God is working in their lives and growing them and strengthening them every week.

Well, I left Guatemala with Lydia on October 19, and we arrived in Peru that night. We were there in Lima serving with Calvary Chapel Koinonia. The team we are with are from Rochester, NY (where Lydia grew up).

We have been welcomed into the church here. We are doing projects around the building, we have been doing fundraisers for the church, we have done kids programs and gone to the home bible studies. We made the meals for a women's dinner and a men's breakfast. We went to a new church plant location. God is using this little church in a BIG way! We have been so busy, doing so much. It has been a really sweet time.

Please pray for the church here. It is such a community. Pray that they would keep that unity and be built up. My prayer for them has been Ephesians 3:14-21.

Peru is BEAUTIFUL! We had the opportunity to go to the beach and I was just a little stoked...! I got to surf and it was so much fun! The people from the church have been showing us around and wherever we go we bring tracks and try and evangelize. God has set up divine appointments and we just walk in them.

It has been a great month- really :) God is good and He is teaching me a lot. Mostly just showing me how much He loves me. And as I pursue to know Him, He constantly reminds me that He knows me so perfectly. It's mind blowing and comforting. I love knowing Him, I love following Him, I just want to be where He is.