Leaving on a Jet Plane

I'm flying to Guatemala on June 22!

A Good Shot...or Not

After going shooting on a piece of undeveloped land with my friends today, my experience and my friend LB's observations have led me to develop ten reasons why you should not hire me as a bodyguard:

1. I find picking daisies much more intriguing than playing with guns.  Let's focus on the aesthetics, not violence, people.
2. My arms are too weak to bear the weight of a rifle for very long.  This rules out the military (or a job as a sniper) as a career, I'm pretty sure.
3. I'm tired of shooting any gun after about two shots.  Really, 20 rounds in one magazine?  Yawn.
4. The stench of putrid gunpowder burns my nose and is highly distracting.  Can I protect anyone else when I'm worried about polluting my own lungs?
5. I much prefer lying in the grass and cloud-watching than shooting up targets when in a field.  Wordsworth, you are such an inspiration.
6. I quickly lose interest in analyzing the accuracy of my shooting when there are periwinkle butterflies floating around the targets.  I heart nature.
7. I'd like to keep my hearing, thank you very much.  Wearing big bulky ear protection doesn't fit my sense of style.
8. Shooting pistols almost makes me cry.  Seriously--it was a good thing I was wearing sunglasses.  It would be hard to defend anyone if I were crying at the same time.
9. My interest in learning to shoot is purely literary.  My mind goes more quickly to how I could name the parts and describe a gun than it does to using it in defense.
10. It would take me about five minutes to reload.  Last time I checked, bad guys don't usually agree to time outs.

Sure, I hit the bull's eye a couple of times (out of 200), but today confirmed what I learned last time I went shooting:  I sure have a strong distaste for it.  I might even despise it.  I pray I will never need to shoot a gun in real life.

Car Wash

After our little come-to-Jesus meeting on Tuesday, I was suddenly feeling qualms about our class service/learning project: a car wash to raise money for a local women's recovery center. 

That day, my students were discouraged, and even though we had been planning the car wash for over a month--talking about materials, making posters, and assigning tasks--they still were not convinced it was actually going to happen.

This negativity prompted an impromptu field trip.  They needed to visualize what we were doing, I decided.  Off we traipsed to the front of the school where we'd wash cars and share space with the plant sale; then on to the roadside, where we would hold signs; finally, back to the garden to appreciate the hard work of the volunteers who were working in tandem with us.

Thursday, the attitudes were markedly better. Excitement buzzed in the air.  Some students brought in soap, buckets, and sponges; others finished the signs and eagerly volunteered to sit in the cafeteria to advertise.

Today, as I scrubbed and hosed down cars with my students, I was so proud of them.  We had a steady stream of cars for two hours, and my class and other senior volunteers worked diligently to wash, rinse, and dry the vehicles.  I am so pleased with those who chose to follow through.  Granted, we had a few no-shows that I'll have to address this week, but those who were there really made it work.  Several people who stopped by were impressed that these seniors of 2010 were giving up their time for a selfless reason: "Usually car washes are for the baseball team or some other school group," commented one man.  "But it's really cool that you all are donating everything to the Hope Center."

I can't wait to hear my students' reflections in class and in their blogs this week!

Unmentionables

The bride, a good friend from work, sat up front on a yellow streamer-decorated chair.  She sat opening gifts, commenting on how much she loved them and how excited she was to receive them.  And then came the one.  You know, the one that is meant to make the bride blush. 

Out of the simple white gift bag with a few ones sticking out teasingly over the edge, my friend pulled a thong.  Then came the leopard print lingerie, matching top and bottom.  All had several ones and fives pinned to them.  We chuckled and joked and measured the degree of redness in her cheeks.

Meanwhile, a little three-year-old boy ran in and out of the room, chasing his friend.  He firmly clutched the rubber band of a giant balloon, one that had been decorated with a smiling face, square ears, and a mustache that gave the boy unending amusement.

As my friend pulled out this bridal shower present, the boy stopped in his tracks.  His eyes grew large, and his lips opened into a wide smile.  He looked at the adults in the room with a look of mischief, glancing back and forth between the gift and the adults.  We women seemed to draw in a collective sigh, not sure how this delicate situation could be explained.

"What do you see, honey?" queried his mother.  The room grew silent, ready to pop under the pressure.

The boy hardly missed a beat.  With one more glance toward the bride, he gave his excited answer:

"Money!  Did you see the money, mommy?"

Laughter.  Love wise mommies and innocent children.

Support Update

I just met with Kerry, the missions pastor at First Alliance, this afternoon, and found out that the Lord has provided $770 thus far!  Thank you so much for your faithfulness!  Many people have also committed to praying for me and encouraging me, and I am extremely grateful for your commitment.  I am so blessed to have friends and family who love and support me.

I am still hoping to leave in the middle of June, but I have yet to purchase tickets.  My roommate and I are officially out of our rented place on Monday, June 14.  I hope to be on my way by the middle/end of that week.  Thanks for your prayers regarding timing!

This weekend I look forward to another stick-shift driving lesson with my friend.  Hopefully I will soon catch the gist of transferring from the clutch to the gas in a smooth motion so I don't stall out as frequently!  Pam has highly recommended that I purchase my own vehicle for my time in Guatemala, and since most of them are stick-shift, I am receiving lessons to that end.  Steve told me there were some relatively cheap new cars--one for $5,000--that I plan to look into purchasing for my time there.

Happy Mother's Day

What a lucky girl I am to have such a wonderful mother!  We're two peas in a pod in so many ways.  Love you, Mom!  Since the fam was in town, I was able to be with them for Mother's Day lunch at Saul Good.  Great meal, great restaurant, better company.

My awesome parents

Siblings!  So glad Tina and Davey were in town

Backseat beauties (always a hoot to ride with three full-sized adults in the back seat)

Birthday

Okay, so my birthday can get better. :)  Thanks so much to my roommate and best friend for throwing me a surprise party with friends and family--many of the people I hold so near and dear to my heart were in one room tonight!  What a blessing.  Plus, my parents bought me a camera since my old one died last fall...which means I have pics to upload!

Great friends (and some yummy pies to boot!)

My dear mentor

My brother--great support

Me & the Tuesday Night Dinner Boys

The Sassy Sisterhood (Minus a couple of members--love you gals!)

Las Tres Amigas--My lovely friends and me (see my red shoes?)

I am so blessed.  Looking forward to spending Mother's Day with my mom.  More pics tomorrow with the fam, I hope!

Today's Thoughts

It's my birthday!  My family is coming down! It's sunny outside!  Can a girl ask for more?

Thought of the week, via our dear friend C.S. Lewis and his book The Weight of Glory in A Year with C.S. Lewis: "No man who values originality will ever be original.  But try to tell the truth as you see it, try to do any bit of work as well as it can be done for the work's sake, and what men call originality will come unsought."  Hmmm.  Time to be intentionally me, I suppose.

La Senda update:  Found out that the well is broken at La Senda and has been for a couple of days.  Stinky bodies and no flushing toilets--pray that it gets fixed soon so home life and school life can be restored to normal!