I am returning.

And so the countdown begins; exactly two months from today I will be returning to Guatemala. I cannot express in words how excited I am to be back at Fundaninos Orphanage, but here are a few of the things that I am looking forward to:

Boarding a plane with my good friend Megan. Flying above the over-crowded, unorganized cities. Walking around in 80 degree weather without humidity. Passing brightly colored buildings. Driving through narrow streets with zero traffic laws. Being lost in conversation because I don’t know Spanish. Watching God’s children sprint up to our van before we even get out. Smiling faces on both the staff and the beautiful kids. The look of recognition when some of them remember me from the first trip. Chasing the little ones around the playground. Making bracelets with the older ones. Hearing the sass that some of the girls come out with. Witnessing the love the directors have for all the children. Changing a baby’s diaper. Watching God redeem each and every one of those kid’s lives.

Simply writing this creates in me a small desire to pack up all of my things and just move there tomorrow. Those little Guatemalan children have my heart and I think it might just burst with joy the moment I step off the van.

Community. It's a big deal.

If someone were to ask me for one piece of advice right now, I would have to say “Community is everything.” Recently, I’ve been pondering the amount of influence others have on me and if having a community is even important to daily life. The answer can be found through cause and effect situations. For example, if all your friends are going to a wild party planning to get wasted, would you go? Or what if they all decide to volunteer their time at a soup kitchen, would you go? The people you choose to surround yourself with have a much larger impact on you than you might think. Your community can either build you up or tear you down. It can pull you farther from God or it can push you towards Him. The outcome depends on who you spend quality time with. From the beginning of time, we were created to be in relationships with others and to form a community of believers. This was not just for fun. On the contrary it has great purpose. We are stronger together; we are bolder together; we are more successful together. Community not only offers encouragement in spreading and living the Gospel, but it also provides a support system and an accountability group.



Along with surrounding yourself with a community of believers, I must say that we need to be conscience and careful to be an uplifting member. Just having friends is not enough. The devil will still attack a group of believers and if we are not careful, his success can manifest in crude language and jokes, bad attitudes, judgmental and destructive comments, etc. A good community can easily be tainted if we are not constantly reaching for the higher standard that we are called to. Hebrews 10:24-25 states “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”


You cannot live the Christian life alone. First, you must have a relationship with Jesus; He is your guide to life via the Holy Spirit. Second, you must have a community of solid believers that you intentionally live life with.


Community is everything. Don’t take the quality of your community lightly.