The Great Departure

Tomorrow I leave for Louisville, Kentucky for a week of orientation before my year in Guatemala. For those of you who don't know,  I will be spending the first five weeks in Antigua in language school with the other five volunteers.  This is good, because, though I minored in French, my Spanish skills are rather lacking.  As in, I can say feliz navidad and a few other key phrases.  Talk about sink or swim.

After the first five weeks I will be moving to San Juan Ostuncalco, a Mayan Mam town about 15 minutes outside Quetzaltenango (the second largest city in Guatemala).  I will be involved with the organization CEIPA (Centro Ecuménica de Integracion Pastoral, www.ceipa-ac.org).  Ceipa generally works to support children who have had their childhoods disrupted because they’ve had to work.  I will likely be working with elementary school aged children, though I don't know exactly what I will be doing with them, yet.

My second placement will be to support or give some classes in the Mam Center (which provides secular education for adults, and they’d like to have English classes) or the Mam Seminary (which provides theological education for pastors, and they’d like to have a Psychology class).

Of course, at the moment all of these tasks seem rather daunting.  Terrifying would actually be a better word.  Though I am extremely nervous, my anxiety does not even begin to compare with my excitement.  I feel ready for this adventure, and I am excited to see where God is leading me. 

I would like to thank all of you for your support , for now though I must return to my packing which I have cleverly left until the last minute.