Then tonight as I climbed into bed, I saw a note I received three and a half years ago. I'm so glad I held onto it then, as it's been such an encouragement to me. The note was from a very dear friend at my college who had spent most of her summer in Nicaragua the year before I spent mine in Guatemala. She sent me the note early in our senior year, just weeks after I'd returned back to the U.S. The part that amazes me says this:
"Your time in Guatemala has prepared you for what God has awaiting for you. You touched many this summer, and you have an experience that will forever be a part of who you are! May you be blessed by that and blessed that God has so much in store for you!"
Did I mention my friend wrote this note before we'd really even had the opportunity to talk about my summer? I truly believe that those words were not just from my friend, they were from the Lord. Though my first two years living in Guatemala were spent nearly 5 hours away from the children's home I love so much, I praise the Lord for those years and the experiences I had in Xela. I had opportunity to experience the culture and learn the language in more real ways than I ever could have, had I first moved right to the city.
And now, here I am, a half-hour drive from the kids that mean the world to me. Even in traffic, I think I smile each time I drive to the Home, just because I'm still so amazed that God has finally opened the door for me to be close enough to do that. Not only that, He's granted me a peace in driving to and from the Home. I've still hardly ventured out around the city--and certainly not on my own--as the thought of getting lost and dealing with all the traffic here makes me rather uncomfortable. But, the Lord has been good to me and made the trip to the Home one that I typically enjoy.
What a true blessing from the Lord to feel at home this Christmas. :) There's so much more I could say about it, but I'll save that for another blog.
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