Here in Guatemala, our team starts each morning with a devotion. This morning, I shared a little bit about our fundraising “saga.” As many of you know, we asked for help raising money for this trip. I hate asking for money. But a good friend reminded me that fundraising isn’t about writing a great letter […]
Tag: Eliza Martinez
Day 2: Back with the Boys (Nate)
At one point in the morning commute, we had 16 people in our 14 passenger van, several backpacks, a wheelchair, and a large suitcase. Oh, and we followed a pickup truck towing a cage with 2 lions and their cubs most of the way to the Community Center. Awesome way to start the day! I […]
Things are always changing in Guate.
As I was sitting in the front seat of the van this morning, I realized that, after seven trips, parts of Guatemala have become very familiar to me—the friends we see, the van we ride in, the volcanoes we pass, the communities we drive through, the routes we take. They’ve become so familiar that they’re […]
Saturday with Orphans (by Nate)
Usually, I think of Saturday as a relaxing and restorative day, but I realize that relaxing on the weekend is a luxury not everyone can afford. Today, a woman who cares for the younger orphans shared with us that she works Monday through Saturday at two jobs to take care of her four children. Oh, […]
Guatemala Day 1-Foreign Exchange (by Rachael)
As is usually the case in Guatemala, today tested the limits of our emotional and physical strength. I. Am. Exhausted. We started the morning by visiting one of the Compassion projects on the outskirts of Guatemala City. There are currently 200 kids who participate in the after school/weekend program. 50 kids still need sponsors. Interested? […]
Headin’ Out
This time tomorrow, we’ll be in Guatemala! Nate and I are heading to Chicago this afternoon to enjoy a nice birthday dinner (Happy birthday, Nate!), some shopping at IKEA (Nate’s request, not mine), and a good night’s sleep before our plane takes off bright and early tomorrow morning at 5:40 a.m. We’ll be traveling with […]
A day like no other-Guatemala Day 2
Nate and I have been on a Jon and Kate Plus 8 kick lately. We don’t have cable, but every once in awhile we catch an episode or two online. For those who don’t watch, during the opening credits, Kate says something about how, with two sets of multiples, she could “very well lose her […]
The Power of Stories–Guatemala Day 1 (Rachael)
In my opinion, there really is no better way to start a trip like this than with a visit to the babies’ home. At the home, we got to see precious Mili (she is a beautiful 3-yr-old who was found in a dumpster when she was just a baby), and Celeste (Celeste is blind in […]
Uncommonunity (by Nate)
The other night as we were packing up the bags for our trip to Guatemala, I looked through some of the gifts that people have given to their Foreign eXchange kids. They’ve just been gradually filling up our utility room as people have given them to us at church every week. Rachael’s been the one […]
Foreign eXchange
For those of you interested in hearing more about “Foreign eXchange,” read on for details. Then comment or email if you have questions or would like to get involved. For those of you who have already signed up, keep in mind that we need your letters a.s.a.p., and we’d like to have your gifts by […]