Back so Soon?

Wow, I am totally in awe of how our God works. When I left Chiapas this summer I didn't know if I'd ever be back. Well, I'm going back this March with my friend Bethany to visit some amigos who live there.

This trip kinda fell into my lap. Someone offered to pay for over half my plane ticket. Then my dad gave his blessing for me to go. And when I asked time off of work, it was no problem getting people to work for me. Again, wow.... So here begins a new adventure for me and Bethany. Are we up for the challenge? I think so :)

Just another amazing scene. Breathtaking for sure!

Mexico Pictures

This past summer I had the privilege of spending 6 weeks in Mexico. The first three weeks were pretty much the same as my last trip. We traveled to the jungle two times and spent the rest of the time at the missionaries' house helping with projects. I stayed three extra weeks for language school which proved to be invaluable! I learned so much that I would never have been able to learn in the States. The Lord also blessed me with being able to visit two dear amigos who first inspired me to go to Chiapas.

The team's first week was spent in the jungle. We were high in a mountain region so it wasn't nearly as hot as you might expect with Mexico. We had an interesting mishap on the way to our destination. We weren't even out of San Cristobal when our accident happened. Nathan, the missionary was driving the Yukon around a mountain curve when a tiny car also came whipping around the curve and smashed into our trailer we were pulling. Everyone on our team and our vehicle was fine but the people in the other car were pretty banged up. This unexpected accident delayed our trip an entire day.

We finally got on the road again and continued to the village we planned to stay at. The village we were gonna camp out at the whole week was the equivalent to Hicksville USA except very primitive, without running water and hardly any electricity. There were even horses running around! And there was a community well! Needless to say, the girls on our team were pretty excited at the idea of hanging around waiting for our spouse just like Isaac and Rebekah's story in the bible. Of course it didn't work out like that but it never hurts to try, right? :)

The kids are just precious!


Our hosts' kitchen. We installed a smokeless stove so they won't have to breath in the smoke all the time.


The smokeless stove.


Our bathroom for the week. Oh.my.word. I have never been as thankful for flushing toilets or even just for a toilet seat as I was after this jungle trip!


And that is all the pictures my amazing internet will let me upload for the night so I'll sign off for now. Just wait, more pictures to come! :)

Los Baños

Have you ever taken something for granted until it was gone? I'm sure all of us do this at one time or another. It's amazing how little things in life, amenities I should say that we have here in America, are taken for granted. The one I think no one really thinks about is indoor plumbing, including running water and flushing toilets.

This year, my team went to a village that is very remote. All the villages our team visited last year had relatively good plumbing and sometimes even running water. This village did not. They had a community well that the ladies and young girls visit daily to carry water to their house.

The "bathroom" our team used was an outhouse. A legit outhouse. I never really thought that we'd not have access to at least a toilet seat. This outhouse was easy to find becuase even though it is located a ways from our host's house, the smell is unfortunately very easy to follow. Us girls always took at least one other person with us to guard the outhouse because the door was very easy to see through. I am not meaning to be graphic, I'm just telling you what life really is like for some people. There really was no toilet seat at all. Just a big raised up hole in the ground. I must say, one good thing about using the out house is that my lung capacity improved greatly during the 5 days we were in the village :) We stopped at a Walmart on our way home, and my friends and I were freaking out about the fact that there were actually flushing toilets INSIDE!!!

My bathroom buddy Brittney and me in front of our lovely outhouse. We are grinning sweetly but were actually holding our breaths for the picture :)


Just a thought: next time you visit the bathroom or turn on your faucet to get a cold drink of water, think of all those people who aren't able to do that and pray for them. We need to be thankful for all the little things that we take for granted. God has so richly blessed us with indoor plumbing but something I learned in Chiapas is that it isn't a necessity to have that. It's just an amenity. Believe me, I'd much rather have indoor plumbing but it's not something that I can't live without. But at any rate, praise the Lord for my flushable toilet and kitchen faucet!!!!

Mexico, Florida, and Home Again

I'm convinced that with each passing month, time seems to go faster and faster. Yes, I've been back in the States for almost a month, and am just now getting around to posting on here. Life has been crazy!

July in Mexico passed with language sessions, trips downtown to the market, helping the missionaries, and visiting old friends. Before I knew it, the time had come for me to return to the States.

I left on July 14th to meet up with my siblings and some friends in FL where my newlywed sister Katy and her husband Jason are now living. We spent about 10 days there helping them fix up the house they are staying in, going to the beach, and just hanging out and having fun. What a blessing! Here are some of the pictures:

After about 7 hours of traveling, I was warmly welcomed in Orlando by my sister, brother, best friend, brother in law, and 3 friends!!! It was such a wonderful thing after being gone for 6 weeks to come back to people who know me inside and out. I love them! This is me and Jenny.


On the escalator on the way to baggage claim



Katy and Jason's house before we got it cleaned up. The guys installed flooring, painted and primed, and fixed up the living room and dining room.


Danny and Jim hanging out the laundry. I thought it was funny so had to snap a picture of these two :)


Jenny, me, and Ryan at Sonny's BBQ which by the way is one of my favoritest restaraunts!



Me and my happily married sister, Katy on our way to the beach


We went to an ocean side restaraunt one night for dinner in time to watch a gorgeous sunset. God is so amazing to paint those colors in the sky!



The guys got a little bit too much sun on the beach :)


Jacquie, Jen, and I on the plane ride home trying to look angry which wasn't too hard since we got less than one hour of sleep the night before! :)


Now that I've been home for awhile, people have been asking me the inevitable question "When are you going back to Mexico?" The answer is, right now I don't know that the Lord will take me back there. Every year after a mission trip, it seems I go through the same old thing where I don't know what step to take next. It can be frustrating. I'm sending out applications to a few different schools so we'll see what the Lord does. For this year, I am taking classes at the community college and working about 35-40 hours a week which is SUCH a blessing. My bank account was in need of some help :)

Thanks for all your prayers and support. I still haven't gotten the team pictures yet from Mexico but when I do, I'll definitely post them. Dios les bendiga!

Kid's Programs

While our team was in Chiapas, we did alot of ministry. One of the main ones was putting on kid's programs at the different villages we stayed at while installing the water filters.

The programs were comprised of songs (in Spanish of course) like "quien es el rey de la selva", "Tengo gozo, gozo en mi corazon", and other favorites. We then did a simple craft with the kids along with a lesson to go with the craft. Then there was a skit. We ended with a game or two or three... The programs usually weren't too long.

There are so many kids in the tiny villages all over Chiapas. Their lives are so different from my own. Even the poor kids here in the States aren't nearly as poor as the poorest in Chiapas. Yet they are so happy. They're still kids! I noticed in Papua New Guinea and Mexico that the kids are similar to the ones here. They still have fun and laugh and are goofy. Kids are kids.

Jacob and Steven doing a skit with Grace translating


Doing a program in the Ch'ol jungle. We were interrupted by an authentic jungle downpour.


Playing a game with the kids in Llano Grande


Leading in some songs on a very hot, sticky afternoon in Ch'ol


Doing one last skit before heading back to San Cris. I was a cry baby in named Maggie. The kids love the skits.

Special Talents?

Lately, I've been struggling with the fact that I don't have a college degree or any "claim to fame" as of now. It's humbling because how can God use me if I don't have a degree in something? Most mission boards require at least a year of bible school which is good. But right now, I don't feel the Lord leading me in that direction. So now what?

This Sunday I skipped Sunday school because I have a nasty cold. It was nice actually to really focus on the Lord. During my personal devotions I was reading in 1 Corinthians 1 and the last few verses of the chapter really caught my eye beginning with verse 26:
"For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the FOOLISH things of the world to PUT TO SHAME the wise, and God has chosen the WEAK things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised GOD HAS CHOSEN, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence--- that, as it is written 'He who glories, let him glory in the Lord'."

How cool is that? The Lord does use people with doctorates but He also uses people who can't even read or write. There is a saying "God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called". What a comfort! If He has called us to do something, He will enable us to complete it.


For the picture of the day, I thought I'd include one of Nathan and the team crowded around a map of Chiapas. He was showing us where he is already working and how many more people groups there are to be reached.

The need is huge for people to commit to taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth. People NEED to hear the Gospel. And it's not an option of whether or not to share. Jesus commands us to Go to the uttermost parts of the earth with the Gospel. Just some food for thought.

My Support Group

Hey All,

I was thinking (scary thought, I know) that for all these months of this blog, I haven't really mentioned what an amazing support group I have at home. So this post is dedicated to the wonderful people at home who cheer me on, pray for me, and care what's happening in my life.

As some of you know, my dad is the pastor of a small independent Baptist church out in the country. I was born and raised in that church and the people there truly are family. They have watched me grow up and (hopefully) mature. They were right there for me when the Lord first laid on my heart the desire to go to the foreign mission field. I am so incredibly blessed.

Here's the whole group at the airport to pick me up. Please disregard the girl holding the roses (which her darling brother bought-- awwww!)
Ok, so my point is that I look awful in this picture. I thought that since Mexico was only 1 hour time difference as opposed to 14 hours time difference in Papua New Guinea, it'd be no problem readusting to the time. Um, WRONG!!!!! There were many factors working agaisnt me that I hadn't counted on. Like me getting sick, the whole team camping out for most of the night when we should have been sleeping(I think I got 2 hours of sleep that whole last night), saying goodbye one by one to each of my dear teammates. That about killed me! The travel wasn't too bad. It was only 12 hours from start to finish as opposed to the 48 it took to get home from PNG. Let me tell you, it was very encouraging to come home to this group of people. Such amazing family and friends. I love them all.

Hope you all have a blessed Easter. Remember why we celebrate isn't because of chocolate or the Easter Bunny or a big elaborate dinner, it's because our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ died for us. He DIED for us that we might LIVE through Him. Think about that for awhile....

April Happenings

Hey All,

This is horrible-- we are well into April and there have been no posts! For that I apologize. Life has been busy and hard this past month. Our beautiful black lab, Gretchen, died. She was 12 years old and was my bestest friend growing up. The adjustment has been hard.

A few weeks after she died, the "companion" of my grandma died. He was the deacon at our church and played a key role in leading my grandma to Christ. He is sorely missed.

These past months I've been in a funk. About 6 months ago, some things happened
and ever since I have harbored such bitterness in my heart. It affected relationships with my parents, siblings, and others. My heart was so ugly. Guys, bitterness DEFILES. It is awful and feels awful. Don't get trapped in the pit of it.

As for Mexico, it's less than 2 months away! It's exciting!!!!! I will be down there 6 weeks. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store. I will be doing another 3 week trip like last summer then staying 3 more weeks to visit some amigos and help the Terrells with another team that is coming down.

My sister Katy and her fiancee's wedding is so close! They will be married May 28'th. I can't believe it. She's all grown up **SOB**

Here's the happy couple on Christmas Day, when he proposed. Katy is marrying a godly man. They are young and life isn't going to be easy but their marriage is founded on godly principles so they will do well. I love my sister!!!!

My Village

Hey All,

Llano Grande was the first village our team visited after arriving in Chiapas. We were all nervous I think, not knowing what to expect or exactly what to do but the people there made us so welcome and gave up their homes for us to sleep in. They gave us food even though we brought our own and taught us so much.

It wasn't so much the place that drew me, but the people there. One family in particular took me in and accepted me and all my language short comings. They treated me like their daughter and sister and friend. They don't have much in material possessions but they make up for it with an abundance of love and happiness. Some days, I miss those people so much it hurts. They became my family and I can't wait to return one day and see them again.

Llano Grande is in the mountains so the view is stunning


The house we stayed at was very nice by Mexican standards. There was a shower and toilet inside the house for the guy's house. The girls had to use an outhouse.


The kitchen we used to cook in was separate from the house and made from mud. It as definitely an adjustment learning to cook with no stove!


The bathroom us girls used. To the left is a cistern we used to flush the toilet. There was no running water so we used the bucket to flush. Plumbing in Mexico leaves much to be desired.


Some of the girls slept in hammocks while the rest shared double beds. It was an experience for sure!


I spent every possible moment with the people, learning Spanish and building relationships.


With two very dear ladies. The one on the left is the mom and the one on the right is Marvel, the daughter in law.


Olga, the other daughter in law asked to braid mine, Hannah's, and Amy C's hair.


The ladies tried to teach me and some of the others to make tortillas. Not hard, right? It was extremely difficult! I did not get the hang of it at all. Those ladies are champions for all their hard work!


Me and Meli, an extremely helpful and friendly eight year old who loved to teach me Spanish and other things.


My beautiful hermanita (little sister) Saili. She is so precious to me. This little girl will grow up without a daddy because he did not want the responsibility of taking care of her. He is missing out on a wonderful opportunity. She will grow up with men in her life. Her grandpa, uncles, and cousins. But it is not the same as having a daddy of her own.


David, Eden and Me with part of my wonderful family. I will never forget them and all they did for our team.

Modes of Transportation

Hey All!

Today's post is about transportation in MX. There are so many different ways to get around. Our team used the Yukon and Pathfinder mostly and taxis but also walked. Here are some pictures:

Rachel, me and Steven riding in a combi which is a truck with a tarp over the bed and benches to ride on. Usually, the Mexican people stuff themselves into 'til it's overflowing. Guess there aren't too many traffic laws there :)


The Pathfinder heading up an incredibly steep hill on the way to Llano Grande. If you look close at the road in front of it, there is a scrape. That's from the Yukon, which went up first!


There is an overabundance of punch bugs in San Cris. Our team enthusiastically played the punch on the arm game everytime we saw one, which was every few minutes it seemed.


Passing on jungle roads can be tricky. This is the Yukon and a combi that just barely squeezed past. We were all unconsciously holding our breaths 'til it got past I think.


On the way out of Ch'ol, Nathan asked if anyone wanted to ride on the roof. Chyeah! Eden, Amy K., Jacob, and I had a really good long talk about our dreams up on that roof. One of my fondest memories.


David and Amy K. with Julie. This is somewhat typical of a Mexican car. They don't just stop because there are 5 seatbelts, they will keep cramming people in. Poor David :)


Mountain roads have alot of falling rocks. These were already on the road when we drove by thankfully. Word to the wise: Use caution when driving in the mountains of Chiapas! :)


We did alot of walking to the market in downtown San Cristobal. It felt nice to actually walk and not drive everywhere for once.


Of course no post about transportation would be complete without a picture of a burro :) Contrary to popular stereotypes, not all Mexicans ride burros. There are cars and people do use them regularly. Hard to believe, I know :) We didn't actually ride this guy, just took a picture for everyone to see an authentic burro.


The roads in Mexico are at best like a seasonal highway here in the States. The cities have nicer roads but once you're out in the jungle, they are pretty interesting to drive on sometimes. They were better than the ones in Papua New Guinea however.

I hope you all have an amazing day. Keep seeking after the Lord. Blessing to you all!

Construction Projects

Hey All,

I am slowly, oh so slowly posting more aspects about my trip. It's only taken 7 months to do. When the team wasn't in the jungle, we stayed at the Terrells' house in San Cristobal. Nathan has been building a third story onto his home for awhile. They summer teams that come and stay with them live downstairs in an apartment and he and Julie and their girls live upstairs in a small 2 bedroom house. The addition will include more bedrooms and living space which will be a huge help.

There were several projects we worked on while in San Cris. There was a painting team consisting of some of the girls. The living room needed painting so our team bought the paint and the girls painted it over a couple of days.

Another project was to scrape some putty (I don't know another word for it) off the downstairs windows and to reputty them. Hannah was in charge of that project. I had the priviledge of working on the roof with the guys. Construction in MX is very different from in the States (not that I have experience with either but from what the guys said, it is different). My job was cutting wires and bending them for the guys to use to tie walls together. I eventually learned to do that, too.

Another project we worked on was hanging the garage door. That took all afternoon! Nathan, Jacob, Amy K. and I worked on that. It was a very interesting afternoon to say the least complete with lizards and dead scorpions. Nathan sent me to get a door stretcher for him and Jacob to use. I went and looked in the toolshop for it but couldn't find it so he told me to go ask Julie what it was. I went up to the house and asked her and she was like "Oh Abby, those guys are so mean. There is no such thing as a door stretcher..." Well, how was I supposed to know! :)

The girls hung a sign to keep people (and dogs) out of the living room



The painting team: Katie, Amy C., Amy K., and Rachel


Cutting wires for tying walls together


Me and Jacob in what will be the hallway.


Hanging walls was challenging sometimes especially figuring out how to fit them and cut them correctly for corners and the furnaces and closets.


Me tying walls together. Christopher, the team leader, didn't let me do too many outside walls for fear I would fall.


Pete, the electrician of the group trying to figure out how to wire the place with no instructions.


Hanging the garage door, a very dirty job for sure!


The guys got sick of working I guess and decided to goof off instead :)


I had never worked construction projects before and it was very fun learning to do things. What a blessing for us to be able to help the Terrells! Just a fact for everyone: When you are overseas, don't expect things to work like they do in America. Maybe we do have a better way of doing things, but the nationals have their own way of doing things, too. Construction might be delayed ovver and over for various reasons. God sure does teach patience! Blessings to you all!