Whirlwind Weekend

What a weekend it has been…

On Friday, we went to pick-up our passports from the Guatemalan immigration. Just a little background on the process:
1. After 30 days of being in Guatemala, you have to take your passport to immigration to get a stamp to stay longer.
2. You can either wait the entire day to get your passport, or drop it off and pick it up a week later. We chose the latter of the two.
We dropped off our passports and had one of our Guatemalan staff members go pick them up, but he couldn’t because we weren’t with him (even though immigration originally told us that wasn’t a problem).
So we, the three of us, returned a week later (meaning our passports had been at immigration for 2 weeks) and we were told to come back at 3. When we returned at 3, we were told that the man who signs them wasn’t there. We waited patiently, along with other Americans, but out of the 8 that waited for passports only 3 received them.

On Saturday we had our Champions In Action league. We didn’t have volunteers show up this week even though a few confirmed their attendance. We are still in the process of expanding our volunteer programs and really utilize people that want to help their country. It’s been a process, but once we iron all the wrinkles we will have a strong program in place.

What a week!

If I haven’t said it already, I love Guatemala! We had a couple roadblocks at first, but what extended overseas trip doesn’t have any problems! Work at Transactel has been challenging, but rewarding by meeting new people and sharing our faith! During the lunch periods, everyone from all different departments goes to either the 5th floor Cafeteria or the 7th floor Dining Area to have lunch. Lots of people, that work in Transactel, have been asking about us because they think we are prospective clients. So when they find out that we are actually employed by Transactel, they are eager to talk with us! This allows the opportunity to talk about Champions In Action! We have been able to talk to so many people about Champions and get suggestions for soccer fields around Guatemala because people are so willing to help especially when they know that we are helping their country!

I’m excited that Valentine’s Day is coming up! I know in the states it’s been advertised more than it is in Guatemala, but regardless of my location, I’m really excited! I’m thinking of getting some cookies for the guys and little candies for my co-workers! We don’t have any pans to make cookies and plus it would be a little obvious…so, after work, I’m going to buy there really delicious cookies from San Martin and surprise the guys the morning of the 14th with yummy cookies! Stay tuned!!

Week 2 and STILL going Strong!

We have officially been in Guatemala for 2 weeks! We are still getting settled into our house, but we are moving the items from the old Champions office into the house tomorrow! This is such an exciting time to be with Champions In Action because we are meeting new organizations and people who are interested in OUR organization!

We completed our first week of work at Transactel! Whew, what a long week it has been. We work Monday-Thursday 7am-5pm (which really isn’t THAT bad). Joe and Jake are working with agents and evaluation their level of English through their telelphone conversation with clients. I am working with a group of 10-14 people that are at a level 6 English to get them to a level 8 English within 5 weeks! It’s actually a true blessing that we have been given different job descriptions than we though before coming down! We all though we were going to work as agents, taking call, but the company wants us help train their agents to speak English.

Our trip to and from work is quite exciting! In the morning, Bill, from our Champions In Action staff puts us up outside the gate of our community and drops us off at 7am. In the evening, one of the company drivers takes the 3 J’s (the title we have been given at work) plus other visitors of the company to their final destinations! On Wednesday, we met 3 people who had flown into Guatemala for the day to help agents in their account. All three were from Texas and were worked as executives in their account that Transactel handled. We befriended the driver and he told us that he could take us to see one of the volcanoes! How exciting!

We have also had a lot of people excited about Champions! We are going to have a meeting at the house soon and invite people over who are interested in volunteering with Champions! So far we already have 5 confirmed interested volunteers!

Nos encanta Guatemala (We love Guatemala!)

When we first came to Guatemala we stayed with a mentor because our house was still in the process of furnishing. When we met our landlords (and neighbors), I felt so blessed to have someone living right next door to us that were such sweethearts! They are Christians and have such a kind heart! They are originally from Bacelona, Spain and moved to Guatemala after the husband worked in Mexico with pharmaceutical companies 46 years ago. She has a 25 year old daughter who is moving back from Spain in 2 weeks and she speaks Spanish, English and French! Yay!

We have been learning Spanish really fast! I have lots of broken sentences, but the main thing is that they are sentences! Whenever we say something incorrectly, the Guatemalan team corrects us! It also helps that Joe (one of the team members) quizzes everyone at night and definitely lets us know whenever I’m not saying something right, ha! The quizzing helps us learn Spanish and the Guatemalan team learn English!

Guatemala!

Bienvenido Guatemala! What an exciting opportunity to be here! We arrived last night in Guatemala City and were greeted with happy smiles from the Guatemalan team for Champions In Action. Our flight was delayed 30 minutes, but we actually didn´t arrive in Guatemala until an hour after we were supposed to. It was nice to arrive later because we could enjoy the lights of Guatemala while driving through the city to our next destination.

When we arrived in Guatemala, the boys sat down to watch the game while I organized my clothes and practiced Spanish. It´s such a nice feeling to be able be with friends working toward the same goal and to be able to have fun together. Initially I started to feel a little left out with the “sports talk” and “bro time,” but it´s good to focus myself into conversations! …it´s help with the melancholy personality which is good because I want to challenge myself to talk more and this opportunity will be PERFECT! I was really encouraged reading a passage from a book before I left for Guatemala! The book said, “It doesn´t matter whether you plan to marry a man or intend to maintain a friend but the integrity to a woman is very important. If a man should sees you as a Godly Woman then when he is looking for a future wife, he can compare the new woman to the one he knows because YOU have set a Godly example.” What an encouraging passage! It definitely changed my perspective on being the only woman in the house!

This weekend is going to be very busy getting the house together along with starting to implement the projects we were assigned by Champions! I can´t wait to get started while learg Spanish by ease dropping into everyone´s conversations!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! …I’m officially 5 days late on my post! I’m glad that I waited because exciting things have happened since the 1st of the year! I officially told my class (letter included) that I will move to Guatemala in a week. My class didn’t quite understand what I was telling them, but I had positive reactions from the parents that I told. One parent gave me a red leather journal for me to write about all my experiences in Guatemala. I was thinking that I would write about my experiences, thoughts, questions and testimonies and give it back to the girl for her first overseas experience! I’m still thinking about it!

I have a week until I leave for Guatemala and I haven’t packed anything! My last day at the center is Friday the 6th, so I can spend all day Monday and Tuesday packing then Wednesday moving boxes! …I think that’s a good plan!

Oh, about the New Year. I never set ‘New Years Resolutions,’ because I usually forget them by the second week of setting them. However, if I did have to set one, I would really like to deepen my relationship with Jesus! I have been extremely blessed this year living with 4 different families! And I have nothing to complain about; however, I find myself feeling sorry about myself. That is going to change when I redirect my focus and concerns on the things that breaks the heart of our heavenly Father. I’m excited to see where I am this time next year!

The Importance of Family

Merry Christmas! …well belated Christmas! As I reflect on what is important, I realize that friends and family are a great blessing!

I recently made a decision to move to Guatemala in January for a 6 month internship. I was excited about the opportunity; however, I wasn’t sure how my family felt about the decision. The months between my decision and visiting my family, I spent praying about the reaction of my immediate family. I spoke with my mother and brother and they were excited about the decision! The only person who I hadn’t spoken with was my grandmother! After spending time in pray (and waiting an additional 3 weeks), I broke the news to her and her reaction was not what I expected: she was excited for me to go!

During the Christmas break, I told my cousins, aunts and uncles about my big move! It was like a scene from a movie. Everyone sitting around a table when one member of the family stands to make an announcement. Feelings of uncertainly crowd the mind of the announcer of “good” news as all eyes are anxiously anticipating these important words. As I spoke to my family, I was surprised that everyone was excited for me to move and began a new journey in my life!

Praise the Lord for His love and blessings!

Isn’t It Funny?

“Isn’t it funny now that happens?” I was reminded of a famous phrase my friend Barbara said to me around this time last year, but the quote is appropriate at this moment as it was in the past.

It’s funny how situation after situation we find ourselves bringing our problems and expectations to the Lord knowing that “this time” we have NO idea how to handle the circumstances. Even though the Lord has always taken care of us in the past, we are certain “this situation” will be quite the challenge Him. However, isn’t it funny that He always brings a resolution to our problems and circumstances. When we feel like He isn’t paying any attention, He reminds us that He does love and care for us.

A few months ago, I moved in into a house with a husband and wife from my church only to learn that in a few weeks the couple would transition from Ohio to Saudi Arabia. I thought to myself, “God, you’re kidding me. I was just on my knees crying to you about what I need and how I don’t know what to do….” Wait, this prayer sounds a little selfish. Instead of focusing on the things that I DO have I chose to cry about the things that I DIDN’T have. As I realized my lack of appreciation, the Lord was going to show me that he had everything under control.

Two months ago, I was driving home from Michigan (my home state) back to Ohio and instead of enjoying my drive, tear flooded my eyes as I thought about my life. I was unhappy with everything I could name, but the worst was I felt that the Lord had forgotten about me. In that moment, can remember the Lord speaking very clearly to me saying, “”Jeanyne, the day you said ‘yes’ to me is the day you said ‘no’ to yourself. You said ‘no’ to your hope, dreams and ambitions and instead said ‘yes’ to the things that I have set aside for you.” Obviously I’ve realized that my life belongs to the Lord, but “isn’t it funny,” that something so simple was made into something so difficult and took a reminder from the Lord to bring revelation.

After the chat in my car that night, the Lord has began to open doors in my life. I’m moving to Guatemala in January to work, gain experience and knowledge working with a different culture. Student loans and bills are affordable to pay (despite not working a high income job) and my friends and family have been supportive of my decision to travel internationally.

I can see the Lord looking down on me saying, “…and you thought I wasn’t going to take care of you, isn’t THAT funny.”

God? GOD?!

Have you ever wondered, “God, where are you?”

I woke up this morning, looked at the clock which read 4:07am and was consumed with the the same thought. As I proceeded to pray, tear flowed continuously as I told God how I truly felt. As a recent graduate, I have been unable to find a job in my career field despite the dedication and efforts I spent, all summer, filling out applications, cover letters and completing resumes.

In addition, I have been blessed to have a personality where my words are few (in a conversation setting), I keep to myself, quiet, reserved, “go with the flow,” etc (I think you get the picture). Because this personality is so non-confrontational, it tends to do more damage that good. Please, do not mis-understand my personality and think that it’s bad. I believe everything good come from the Lord and due to this personality of being a quiet and reserved person I am a good listener. I enjoy meeting with my friends and hearing about their lives and offering advice with necessary and appropriate. In addition, I’m such a analytical thinker that I process things before I say them, so this personality isn’t a curse. I love the person that I am; I just want to be the best person that God has called me to become. Back to my story…

I woke up asking God to show himself in my life. I’m solely depended on God to be my helper. He’s the one I turn to when I need to make a decision, and I was feeling like decisions weren’t being made and unhappiness was beginning to set in. However, I was reminded of the last time I spent really meditating in my bible…ouch, it was a while ago. Also, was I really turning to God? Or did I carry my unhappiness out by watching a few seasons of ‘The Office?’

God has a plan and purpose for each one of us. We have to be willing to put the time into him, so that He can pour into us. If God seems distant to you, take a second and re-evaluate the choices and time you’ve made to spend time with Him. If you draw ‘nigh’ unto God, He will draw ‘nigh’ unto you!

BGSU Graduation!

Into the Unknown

The reality of graduation hasn’t hit me yet. I know that in 2 months I will be walking across the stage, taking my diploma and beginning the next stage of my life, but I’m not sure what that is going to look like right now. Sometimes I find myself getting worried about where to live, money, friends, job, etc. but I have to remind myself that the Lord has my life in His hands and he knows what I’m supposed to do.

Recently, the women of Impact have started a ‘Lady in Waiting’ bible study based upon the book called ‘Lady in Waiting’ by Jackie Kendall and Debby Jones. This book is designed to assist non-married women to becoming ‘God’s best while waiting for Mr. Right.’ This book has truly opened my eyes and made me realize that I need God more than anything! Throughout the chapters, the book refers to the story of Naomi, Ruth and Orpah (story found in Ruth in the bible) and how both Orpah and Naomi were married to Ruth’s sons, then both men died and so Ruth’s daughter’s in law returned to her. Ruth encouraged both daughter’s in law to return back to their familiar lands and family. Orpah returned to her family, but Naomi stayed with Ruth venturing into the unknown. Naomi didn’t know what type of territory she was going into; all she knew was that she was going to trust in the Lord.

As the months leading to graduation continue to approach, I pray that I do not get anxious, but trust in the Lord for His direction, purpose and will for my life! If he did it thousands of years ago for a woman named, ‘Naomi,’ maybe he will do it again for a woman named, ‘Jeanyne.’