In Bolivia and loving it

Alrighty so I've been in Bolivia about 2 weeks now and God has already done a ton. I'll try my best to sum up the highlights but if I had to say what i've learned in a single sentence it would be that God answers prayers and God provides what we need.

God started to show me this first when about a week before leaving for Bolivia an envelope with $300 in it and my name on it was outside my door. I still have absolutely no idea who gave me the money but i had needed it for this trip. Pretty insanely obvious example of God's provision right there.

When I got to Bolivia and i thought about going back to the girls' home i was so nervous. I was nervous that the girls wouldn't remember me especially a little girl named laura. I was so worried she wasn't going to remember me or not like me anymore and therefore absolutely shatter my heart to pieces. This, however, was not the case. God really protected my heart because when i got off that bus, saw her, and shouted her name she came running into my arms and could not get enough hugs from me. wait what? you want to see a picture? well ok...  just look to the right and you'll see me and laura. this year i practiced my spanish enough that i can actually understand most of what the kids are saying which is a blessing. In fact some the older girls warn each other that i can understand everything they are saying which i find hilarious. however, i do still freeze up when i am around spanish-speaking adults so um i'll have to work on that.

Another way God seriously worked in my life was through relationships with the kinetic team i came down with. i could go into a lot of detail with this but i'm going to sum it up by saying God knew that i needed to be loved by people and He used this team to love and care for me in ways that pretty much blew my mind. saying goodbye to the team at the airport this morning was way harder than i expected and i reacted way more emotionally than i thought. 

i realize i really haven't said that much but i don't want to be on the computer all now typing if you want to know more just send me a message and i'll tell you stories buuuut now on the present situation and the future for my next month here in Bolivia and cover some prayer requests chicka yeah prayer requests. for the next two weeks i will be living with 3 amazing girls right next door to my favey fave missionary. I am really really really excited about this. As far as what i will be doing i will be at a couple different orphanages and be tagging along with my favorite missionary Heather. again, i am very very excited about this :)

and now prayer requests

1. The Ministry. Pray for the ministry that will be happening with the orphans and Bolivians. Pray for God's love to show through my actions and that I never take my eyes off of Jesus throughout this month or really ever i guess.  and that there can be a ministry as roommates and neighbors where i am staying.

2. Health. I have had stomach issues for 5 days now and i am really really ready to just be better and be able be fully active and eat whatever without feeling awful later. 

3. Safety. safety in the house we are staying in and safety while doing ministry.

4. Growth. I would really like to keep learning and growing in my walk with Christ while i'm here.

5. Discernment. To figure out truth and lies and fight off the lies in Jesus' name with the word of God

Yep i'm going to stop typing now. But know that i miss all my friends in the states and i appreciate your prayers and support!

Thee pre-trip update and prayer requests

With less than 2 weeks until my departure to Bolivia I figured this would be a good time to post my prayer requests for the trip. I'll be there for a little over 6 weeks. It's crazy to think about all the thing God has taught me this summer already just being at Northwestern. I've been beyond blessed with some amazing roommates that God has used to teach me things and help me grow. Thinking about leaving them to enter into this next part of summer is hard, I'm pretty happy in this little apartment with these girls. I'll miss them that's for sure but I'm so ready to love on these wonderful children and people in Bolivia. So let's not ramble now and get down to business. 
1. Pray for comfort as I miss my friends this summer. There are a couple friendships in particular that it's going to be hard to be without consistent contact as they provide encouragement and accountability in my life. Pray even more as I miss my kids at church, that I would not worry about them not having someone consistent who knows what they need to feel safe. That my shy little kiddos will find comfort in the other volunteers this summer. and that they would remember me when i come back...i know that one is a little selfish but these kids have my heart.
2. Pray for Protection. physically but more so spiritually. I've already started feeling attacked with lies and discouragement. The mission field is a battlefield and my story is something God can use and the enemy doesn't like that at all. Pray that my past isn't used as something to keep me stuck in fear. Pray that i remember who my God is and who i am in Him. There's a chance that i could experience healing on this trip as well pray that it isn't prevented.
3. Pray again for my heart. My heart will be broken for these children there's no way around that. I am going to want to pour absolutely everything i have into these children.  Pray that i always turn to God to restore so i'm never running on empty and i can show the love these children deserve and need. 
4. Pray that my eyes are always open to God's work. I want to be able to see His provision and sovereignty throughout this trip. I want to keep a journal these 6 weeks. Last year i think i only journaled about 5 times in 2 weeks and what i did write is awesome to look back at and see what God did and taught me. I definitely want to be more consistent with it this trip. 
5. Pray for openness. If there is an opportunity to do ministry other than what is planned and i'm comfortable with I want to be obedient to God's call. Pray for courage to follow through if i feel God's call. 
I feel like there's so much more i should be saying but since i will actually be able to write in this blog while in Bolivia i will be able to add and update as much as i'm able. so if you want to continue to pray for me throughout you can follow me on this blog that i will try to keep updated with as many prayer request, praise reports, and wonderful things God shows me. Thanks in advance for all your support!

my big God, His big decision.

First off if you didn't know i went to colorado for a weekend over spring break and i saw this...

the picture obviously doesn't do justice to how awesome it really looked but this was taken up on pike's peak. it was crazy. in the picture the stuff in the very back isn't very clear but in real life it was vivid, bright, and beautiful. the higher we got the more i kept thinking...wow my God made this. my God, who i have a personal relationship with, made this. it's like knowing a famous artist or celebrity only better. i know the one who made this. crazy, right? i think so. the whole experience was mind blowing and i recommend that everyone visit a mountain because it gives an amazing perspective of the Lord. plus just looking at all those huge mountains made me realize just how big my God is, i take comfort in that for sure. 


next thing i have to say is that i have decided that while i am in Bolivia, Christo Viene is where i will serve at. the only thing i have to say about that is Psalm 37:4 which reads "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart". this is totally where my heart is and am blessed that God has called me there this summer.    :) now i just need to get my support letter out fast, so if you're reading this and are thinking to yourself, "gee i really would like one of elizabeth's support letters", you should let me know and i'll send you one.


and i'm going to leave it at that so i can get back to what i'm supposed to be doing now, homework obviously.

Officially Bolivia-Bound!

After literally months and months of prayerful consideration i have finally decided to plan for a 2 month(end of june to end of august) Bolivia mission trip this summer. Oh how my heart jumps at just the thought! I have such great peace to finally know what God wants me to do this summer and what an amazing honor for Him to choose for me to serve in wonderful Bolivia. With this awesome trip to look forward to comes something that i am not gifted in---preparation! let's be honest, by nature i'm a disorganized slob! it comes with my carefree attitude, which in it of itself is a blessing when it comes to missions...but i need to be organized in order to get to Bolivia. hmm actually to show that i can be semi-organized i'm going to now make a list of things i would LOVE prayer for in regards to this trip. 

1. Organization. there is going to be a lot of things i need to get done to prepare for this trip that need organization. it will be a HUGE challenge for someone like me who struggles just to keep her room clean. yikes. add the preparation to my struggle to stay motivated and organized with my classwork and you've got yourself a real messy situation! 

2. Funding. God has already been awesome in this area. Because this trip has been on my heart since august of last summer i have been living on a tight budget so i could save for this trip. i am not far from already being fully-funded as far the plane ticket goes. The only fundraising i will need is for the general cost of living while i am in Bolivia. 

3. Discernment of where to serve. Yep i still don't know what i am going to be doing in Bolivia. I know where my heart is,an orphanage called Cristo Viene where i fell in love with some little girls last summer, but i want to be open to where God calls me to. That could very well be at Cristo Viene, but i need to make sure that it's God's calling not my own emotional attachment that puts me there. 

4. Spanish. I do actually know quite a bit of spanish and am very much in love with the language. i DELIGHT in speaking it. oddly enough, even though i know spanish and like speaking it, i do get what i can only identify as 'stage fright' when i have to use the language. i'm not exactly sure why but everything gets jumbled in my head when speaking to someone in spanish. it's weird and will hinder my ability to successfully communicate in Bolivia. I plan on starting to exposing myself to more spanish and practice more to build my confidence. Prayer in regards to that being a success would be great!

5. Attacks. I have experienced so much freedom in the Lord recently and satan would love to tear that down and use it against this coming trip. Let be honest again, i have a past and it's messy one that does love to continually haunt me. Pray that i own the freedom that comes from Jesus Christ and the past stays the past and does not hinder the preparation or the ministry in Bolivia. 

6. Bolivia. Pray for the wonderful missionaries already serving in Bolivia! 

I will add more as the trip gets closer because there is a lot of prayer needed for the actual trip. anyways i will probably actually start using this blog now to keep myself organized and whoever wants to know updated!

Thanks in advance for all your support.

~Elizabeth

and in case you haven't seen this picture, which is basically impossible, here is my favorite picture from my trip last year. this is very much my heart.

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