Post Trip Thoughts

I got home yesterday from Guatemala...and various thoughts are running through my mind as I deal with unpacking, laundry, cleaning, and "decomposing" from the mission....

...although I love being in my own home with my own family and pets, I have feelings of guilt of being surrounded by so much "stuff", knowing how children are living in Guatemala....

...I feel good about what we did, but I wish we could have done more...although we fed over 1,000 children by the end of the week, I can't help but feel that there are thousands more who probably need us even more.....


...I am so blessed to be able to jump on a plane and leave Guatemala without having to deal with Visas and paperwork and government...we never realize how much FREEDOM we have to travel until we talk with native Guatemalans who tell us of their struggles to be able to leave the country....

...I am very grateful that I did not get sick on this trip...I had a brief 18-hour spell where I had some stomach/digestion issues, but it wasn't major and it passed rather quickly. For the first time in ages, I was able to enjoy the city of Antigua, Guatemala, feeling healthy.

The rooftops of Antigua, Guatemala....

...Once again, I am impressed by my fellow missionaries on this trip. The people I worked with were amazing, and I felt humbled to be in their presence as they ministered to the children.

...Now that I am back home, I have to deal with scheduling my surgery on my cancerous moles...One mole, on my neck, is right on my carotid artery...how the heck can they excise that one further when it's so close to the artery??? That has me a little nervous.... The other mole is on my left hip - and it STILL hurts, after 3 weeks of being cut off. The thought of going in for a further excision has me anxious about the pain....

...Kansas City is HOT in the middle of July. I'll take the cooler temperatures of Guatemala any day.

Peace.