Funding and Heading Out!

Dear Generous Friends and Family,

I am overwhelmed by God’s provision through you all! Here’s how it happened: the day I was officially accepted to the internship, I found out I had two weeks to raise the money… yikes! Unsure, yet attempting to have some faith, I turned to my friend and said, “Do you wanna witness a miracle? Just watch and see. I gotta trust this will happen because God wants to prove He will come through.”

And you all were SO generous to me! The exact amount arrived in the mail on the day I needed it. Crazy timing. No. A sign that God had His hand all over this, and He was working! Things like this have been happening in these weeks leading up to the trip. I haven’t even left yet, and God’s been proving Himself so much already!

I found a verse that describes how I feel exactly…
Philippians 4:18-20
“But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received… what you provided—a fragrant offering, a welcome sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Here is my official blog website (I’m not sure how you’d be reading this blog if you didn’t know the blog website already, but just in case): http://guatemalagrace.blogspot.com/

You can click to “follow” me, so you will receive email notifications each time I update my blog. I am told that the clinic has wireless, so I hope to keep you all updated as much as possible with pictures and stories about what I’m learning and what God is doing! And I would love for you to follow along and comment my blogs.

Also, I have a skype account. I can’t promise I’ll use it much, but my skype name is gracielou982

Just finished packing it all up. 6 weeks in a single suitcase and carry-on. I leave OKC at 9:25 a.m. Sunday morning (Happy Father’s Day, Daddy!), stop off at Houston, then land in Guatemala City at 1:15 p.m. As far as a time change, Guatemala is one hour earlier than Oklahoma.

This is what I know about Guatemala during the summer: 95 degree weather AND 95% humidity because it’s the rainy season... Wooftah! I’m looking forward to getting to know my host family and speaking only Spanish. I’m getting excited to treat patients and learn more about healthcare and the human body. I’m anxious to see what God will do through me and to me in the next 6 weeks.

I am extremely blessed to have another girl going to Guatemala with me - Macie Mills, who just finished her first year at Baylor Dental School. We will be the only Americans for about 3 hours around us, so it will be good to have each other to speak English and maintain our sanity somewhat! 

I’m not sure exactly what all I’ll be doing, but this is what I do know: tomorrow I will go from the airport in Guatemala City to a nearby town, Antigua. Supposedly, Antigua is gorgeous and has beautiful weather! I will stay with Macie at a host home there for one week, attending intense one-on-one language tutoring at Christian Spanish Academy in order to improve my Spanish. Then, we will head toward the coast, to the main clinic in Chicacao (pronounced “Chica COW.” Yep.) We will stay there the rest of the time (5 weeks).

I am super excited, and I will hopefully let you all know more once I get there! I appreciate all your prayers for health, safety, and faith.