lessons from toddlers? mmhmm.

well i guess since i'm no longer a new college student i have no reason not to update this thing. i don't know about Emily but no one read this anyway haha. but i'm going to type out some stuff anyways. i've been at northwestern for almost a semester now and that has been hmmmm interesting. i won't go into that right because i'd rather not throw a pity party for myself at the moment. what i really want to talk about is work. yep work. i work with toddlers ages 14 months to 2 1/2. this has been crazy fun because if you know anything about child development then you know that a 14 month old baby is very different from an almost 3 year old. the make up of my class is crazy! currently there are 11 children that i help care for and teach 2 times a week. first i want to talk about Mckenna, the 16 month old spitfire that has recently stole my heart. Mckenna is a screamer. oh yes. literally without exaggeration half of my time spent with her she is screaming. it's gotten better as she is now successfully spitting words out of her little mouth and finding out that i react better when she uses them. it's very exciting for me as i always return to my dorm from work with my ears ringing but hopefully this will only be happening for another month or so as she is well on track to being fully verbal woo! Mckenna gets a lot of care and attention from me personally, because i am a firm believer of giving constant consistent love to children i do this for Mckenna by holding and hugging her and sitting in the rocking chair with her after nap to snuggle as she wakes up, while some of the other teachers would prefer not picking her up so she learns independence. i don't buy into that so much, i think if a child asks for love she shouldn't be denied. another thing i get to provide Mckenna with is snack. actually i give aaalll 11 of them snack, at the same time, which has a lot of crazy stories that can be expanded on but i won't today. children love to be fed and i just happen to give the best meal, SNACK! as a result i am pretty well-liked haha. there is a point to this rambling i promise just bare with me a little longer i really like talking about my kids hah. Mckenna has recently brought something to my attention. i've been working with her for 2 months now, holding her, hugging her, dealing with her constant screaming, feeding her.... she's well-provided for.  The interesting thing is she still will doubt this by screaming with her tray is empty or ramming her head into my legs and wrapping her arms around me and crying until i am finished with what i am doing and can pick her up. this honestly gets crazy and loud and sometimes can test my patience. i often find myself thinking "child, wow, calm down, haven't i always met your needs in the past? what could possibly make you think that i'm not going to provide the care you need now?" which caused me to think how often we doubt God. like little Mckenna i will often find myself being dramatic and upset when i don't feel like i have everything i need right in front of me RIGHT NOW. That's absolutely insane when i look at all God has provided for me! No wonder we are referred as God's children because quite frankly my behavior often times models that of a child. God has given me the essentials and then some, i am blessed beyond belief. It up to me to trust that fact and move forward and bless others. so lessons from toddlers? yes definitely!

God our Father

This has been a crazy week for me and it's not over yet! i move into my dorm on friday! wow! I feel like i have been waiting for this moment for ever and i am so ready for it. the goodbyes are terribly hard. It's a real test of faith for me to let go of people i love when love has been such an up and down thing for me. Going through my room has been emotionally draining. i keep EVERYTHING. looking through my old journals and notes brings me to tears. There has been so much mercy and grace in my life and it's overwhelming. I hope i am forever reminded of that.  One thing i am bring to my dorm is a cross the girls at christo viene made. holding that cross that was made by their own hands sends me through a whirlwind of emotions. I have spent a lot of time since i've gotten home looking at picture of the girls and sobbing. I can't even describe how badly i just want to get on a plane and run to christo viene just so i can hold those little girls and never let go. Leaving them is honestly the hardest thing i've ever had to do, i love them so much it hurts. I think about myself, sobbing over these girls, and instantly am reminded of God our father. How little my love is for these  girls compared to His. If i, a sinful human, can sob over wanting to be with and care for a little girl, how much more does God long for us to spend time with Him and let Him take care of us. It's a wake up call, at least for me, to let go and fall into the arms of the Savior. It's time to let Him love me.

p.s. i am praying about going back to bolivia not only next summer but this coming winter. if anyone else would want to pray that God's will would be revealed to me, i'd love that :)

Peace, love, and bubble gum 

Elizabeth

Julio

Ok, so I figured that since I am officially a blogger now I should probably blog, you know, to keep up with my status.  I guess it doesn't matter as much since I think we currently have a count of 0 readers, but that's ok because we have one year.  In which I hope to write at least a few more times.  Favorite part of Bolivia trip for me would have to be hanging out with the Ebeneezer boys.  They were sooo much fun to play with.  I remember Julio the most because he was always running.  Once he stopped and you turned around he'd be off again and the chase would commence.  Well, other than running he also peed in the middle of the park which led to Roberto peeing in the middle of the park...I must say that I couldn't help but laugh at the expressions of two other of our group members when they realized what their charge was doing.  It was also funny when Julio decided to kiss one of the group members on the cheek...I thought it was kind of cute and I got it on camera (hehehe).  Of course then Julio decided to look at the pictures I was taking and I think he was pleased because he landed a giant smooch on...my camera?  He was incredibly fun to hang out with and I hope that maybe I will be able to see him again!
-Emily

What We're All About

Well, I just want to say that us girls are just two simple people.  One from the city and one from who knows where!  Anyway, we are blogging because we are hoping on raising support and prayers from people such as yourself.  Before we ask for any of these things we simply want to inform you what we're up to.  Well, we are both Christian believers seeking to please God and follow His path of righteousness.  We also want to follow Mark 16:15 "Go out into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."  Ok, so we're not preachers or anything, but we do have remarkable gifts that the Lord has blessed us with.  Elizabeth is one who can connect with any child she comes across and she has a heart of passion when it comes to loving and caring for these children.  I am blessed with the gift of worshiping and a heart for service work.  Elizabeth will have to tell you more of what she feels called to do for I cannot speak for her, but I can tell you about myself.  First off, this past summer we were able to go to Bolivia for a missions trip.  We stayed for about 2 weeks just doing some service work and hanging out with the kids.  We weren't there to preach (which is also an important work), but we were there to show the kids God's love.  He used us to show them that even though they may seem alone at times that He is there and He loves them.  I'll probably go further into when I have my notes.  Going on, we were only there for 2 weeks and when it was time to go we felt this thought creeping into the back of our heads..."It's not over here and we're going to come back...we aren't really saying goodbye..."  That is what I felt anyway.  We want to go back and continue God's work in Bolivia next summer, but we definately need prayer and help.  So, please pray that it is God's will for us to go back and in the meanwhile we will keep you updated on how things our going and how God is working in our lives.

P.S.   I probably will write more than Elizabeth.. :)  
-Em

Hello!

Elizabeth here,
This blog is going to be used for Emily and myself to let you know what's going on with our Bolivia trip.
We would love your support and prayers and we will keep you updated on this epic planning of the trip.
Emily will probably write more than me but hey you never know
God has already been providing for me by.... 1. giving me a job and 2. taking care of my tuition for this year.
I feel like God has answered my prayers and calmed any doubt i had about this trip being possible.
My God is a God who provides.