As many of you know, I'm going on a mission trip this summer with Hope of Life International. I've decided to start this blog as a way to keep track of my time down there. I'll be gone June 8th-July 13th, and since I'll be gone for so long, I figured a blog would be an easy way to keep everyone updated rather than trying to recount everything for everyone when I come back. I will have internet down there so I'll try to post every few days or so, what I've been doing, some pictures hopefully, etc.
So a little about the trip. I am going with two friends from JMU, Kasey and Rachel. Originally, I had wanted to go on a mission trip to either Guatemala or the Dominican Republic through Intervarsity at JMU over spring break, but after talking to my mom, we decided that it wasn't the best choice for me at the time. Then a few days after I came home for Christmas, Kasey posted about going to Guatemala during the summer and wanted someone to go with. I messaged her right away and she told me all about her trip from the summer before and the organization and a bunch of other details. After talking to my parents and getting the go ahead, I started the application and sent it in in the beginning of February. I was approved to go in March.
Hope of Life International is an organization that does many things. It was started as just an elderly home but now has a compound of over 3,000 acres with a baby rescue center, special needs home, school, orphanage,
hospital, baby house, Tilapia farm, greenhouses, and small villages for
Guatemalan families to stay. Their mission is to "minister the spiritual, physical, and educational needs of the impoverished
people of Guatemala.” It is located in Rio Hondo, which is about 4.5 hours outside of Guatemala City. You can find more information about them at www.hopeoflifeintl.org.
Right now, I'm not positive what I'll be doing down there. I would like to work in the hospital and the baby rescue center. However, even though the hospital opened last year, the government needed more paperwork to be filled out or something like that so I may or may not be working there. I really hope it works out though. Right now, he has me down for the special needs home and elderly home. Both I'm sure would be great, they're just not my first choice, especially since I do not speak a word of Spanish. Since I'll be there for a little more than a month, hopefully I'll be able to work in many different places.
I'm still raising support to make the trip less expensive so if you'd like to help in any way, send me an email or something and we can set something up. Aslo, if you could pray us three, that would be fantastic. It's going to be a difficult trip so we need all the help we can get.
Thank you!
Ruth
