Unfortunate Mishap...

So. I had a fairly nice camera, a Canon something or other that had pretty neat features and settings. And over outreach in Guatemala, I learned how to use it and what most of the settings were for.

The weekend that I got back, my purse and all of its contents (including my camera) were soaked in brake fluid...

Alas, my camera is ruined. I don't think that it's still under warranty, since I've had it for three years. The lens won't even open. it's really sad.

So! If you hear of someone who's selling a fairly nice camera for cheap, or upgrading their camera and needing someone to take the old one off of their hands, please let me know! I would like to be able to take pictures so I can communicate better with you, since you're not here with me. Thanks! :)

Love you!

Justine

Huge Update! :)

Sorry for the long wait, ya'll :)

This past week of class was Financial Seminar. We learned the biblical basis on why it's okay for missionaries to ask for money and how to best go about that... we are to view it as "friend-raising" instead of fundraising. It was a very insightful week... God really spoke to me about tithing and really holding the money he gives me with an open hand...ready to give it when he asks.

Anyway, really busy, full week.

Last weekend I helped staff a mini SST (this used to stand for Summer of Service in Training, and now we just use the acronym... it's not called that anymore :D). It was really neat! I had the chance to get a taste of what I'll be doing this summer for my outreach, and I didn't really hate it, so I'm encouraged! It's going to be a good summer!

Maybe you're thinking, "wait... I thought she was going to Germany for outreach." well... I thought that too. But I realized that I hadn't actually taken time to ask God where he wanted me to go.

When I got back to the base here in Texas, I just felt uneasy about going to Germany, and then I heard that there were only 3 girls helping staff SSTs... so I thought I would take a little time to talk to God about it.

I had a little time of worship by myself, and then I just felt peace... that I knew that no matter where I decided to go for outreach, God would use me and provide for me, and it would all work out. I was outside, and as I began to look around at the ponds and sunshine and trees, I got more and more excited about being in Texas for the whole summer.

One of the many ponds on the base :)

Okay, here's the important part. Bear with me, because maybe you won't think this makes a whole lot of sense, or that it's a very solid reason to change my outreach, but I have to tell you... I *know* God spoke to me.

So I was sitting on cement that's got all of these little rocks in it, and there were two dark rocks, one closer to me than the other. And as I looked at them, I started to think that the one furthest from me could be a penny. It looked like maybe it was... calcified? or something... there was that white/teal stuff on it... in the shape of a head, i thought.

So I was thinking, okay. this is what we'll do. If it's heads, I'm going to Germany. If it's tails, I'll staff SSTs. And if it's a rock, then I'm a moron and I'm done with this whole thing. And I stopped and asked God if it was okay, and he said yes.
So... I walked closer, and it *was* a penny. and it was definitely tails up. So I flipped it over to look at the other side, and the whole other side was completely white, so you couldn't even see the head! :)

So... I'm going to staff SSTs. :)  And I'm actually really excited about it! I really enjoy working with youth. Rightly so, since my major in college is Youth Ministry :) And I love being able to speak into their lives and share my life with them and encourage them, because High school and Middle school can really suck. And I've had really bad experiences every time I went to camp, so I want to be moral support for those kids! :) haha.

So... I think we're up to speed now :) If there's anything that I forgot to cover, or something you would like me to write about/you're curious about, shoot me a message or an email or something...

Praying for you as I fall asleep... may God bless you this coming week!

Justine

So much!!!!

Hello Everyone!
Long time, no post... I know. very sorry... it's been quite busy here lately...
Quick updates that I will get into later hopefully:

- I received a very generous gift toward my school, which was totally led by the Lord! Thanks to everyone who is praying and supporting... you are all amazing! I'm so grateful that God has blessed me with you!

- I have changed my outreach... I'm going to staff the SST's this summer (high school summer camp program). We will be leading the students through a very condensed mini-DTS, and an outreach phase, which will be to Chicago, Houston, or Haiti. (I'll try to write about how God spoke to me about this change next week sometime...).

- I'm helping staff a mini-SST for a youth group this weekend, which is why i'm so pressed for time right now  :) I have to pack still, and i have class in 15 minutes... haha :)


Well, more later! But I wanted to write a quick overview so everyone knew what was going on! Love you all!

Justine

Newsletter is Done!!

Good news everyone! :)
My newsletter is finally, completely finished! I was having trouble getting it printed and looking good. Trust me, it was worth the wait ;)
Hoping to hear from all of you... please, email me, facebook me, call me... i want to know what is going on with all of you as well!
If you're reading this thinking, "yeah, she's just saying that," or "She's not talking about me," I actually am talking about you! Really. I know that you are praying for me and being interested in my life, and i want to return that! I want to pray for you and be connected with you, even if I don't see you :)

So! God sent bad weather at just the right time! I was supposed to work tonight, but I'll be making a list of addresses and sending out newsletters tomorrow! Praying that my letter finds you well :)

~ Justine

New Haircut! :)

Newsletter!

Howdy Folks! :)

I just finished an outreach report newsletter, just for you! If you're reading this and you would like to receive a copy, please email me your mailing address or comment below. It's really sweet looking.. i'm proud of it! :)
Here are some of the pictures that will be on it:

Playing with kids at Tierra Nueva daycare

Blowing bubbles at Casa Shalom Orphanage

Giving my testimony at a church

Acting out the story of Elijah and the widow

Cute kids at Tierra Nueva daycare

Piled in the back of a van

Catching bubbles at Tierra Nueva daycare

Performing the Clincher drama at a church

Home Sweet Home...

It's so good to be back home :)
Nice to see so many familiar faces, and thank you so much for being interested in my life, people! :) I would absolutely love to tell you about my time in Guatemala and Texas, but I don't want to push it on any of you... haha :) so if you want to hear stories, please ask!!

Guatemala was wonderful and warm... it's currently sunny here at home, but there's at least a foot of snow on the ground and a biting cold breeze.
We spent our last week in Guatemala at Puerto Barrios and Livingston... beautiful areas! very hot, very humid...lots of fun creatures that like to sleep with you (cockroaches, small lizards, fleas, mosquitos... etc.). We were able to put on a few services at local churches, worshiping with them and offering prayer at the end. Wow! there is power in unity and prayer!
I was also able to translate pretty well by this time... even translating English prayers into Spanish! ... God is so faithful. He literally gave me the words. it was so good.

My favorite, favorite thing was the last children's ministry that we did... we went to an orphanage, and the next day we went to the area school that the orphan children attended. While we were at the orphanage, I met a girl named Katherine. I did her hair for her, and we just sat and talked for awhile. And I felt this prompting to give her my promise ring (it's a silver ring that says "true love waits"). So... I did. It fit her left ring finger perfectly, and i explained what the significance was. and she was so happy she almost started crying... she hugged me so hard! and she wouldn't leave my side after that. :) We also bought all of the kids Happy Meals from McDonalds, because we wanted to bless them, and they hardly ever eat meat. They all ate their french fries slowly, one at a time. it was precious.

So the next day we went to the school and were pleasantly surprised to see those kids again with their classmates. And we were able to hold an assembly with all of the kids, and share some funny clown skits with them, which was so fun... doing the clown skits was one of my favorite things! And Katherine came to me and gave me a huge hug, and showed me the ring :) It was so sweet. I love that girl. She's only 14, but you can see wisdom beyond her years in the carefulness and jadedness of her eyes... she's been through a lot.
That same day, a few people on our team were invited to climb a coconut tree and throw some down for us to eat. It was so cool! we had to use machetes to open them and drink the milk... it was pretty good! :)

All in all, outreach was great! I really got to experience God's heart for the nation of Guatemala. Everywhere we went, I could feel God's love for the people we encountered. It was so amazing.
Now that i'm back, i've started working at a factory 50-60 hours a week, because here's my next step:
~ God is calling me to do School of Evangelism!! :)

This is a huge undertaking, and a big step of faith, because I have to raise $6,000... This Month!!  I'll be working as much as I humanly can, but I can't do this alone. Please be in prayer, that God will speak to people about supporting me...pray that he'll speak to you about how you can help! Whatever you do, please pray!!! I'll be sending out newsletters in the next week to keep people updated, and I'll do my best to keep this blog updated as well! :)

Thanks everyone! love ya!

Clown Skit!

The Clowns! (minus Andrea)

The Final Stretch....

Wow... I can't believe we'll be leaving Guatemala for Texas in 8 days. This outreach has gone by so fast! I have loved the time we have spent here in Guatemala City!
Tomorrow we are leaving here to spend a week in Puerto Barrios, which is on the coast... hopefully we'll get a chance to hang out at the beach. I'm pretty tan now, but it would be nice to just relax at the beach :)
We have spent time at a lot of really cool ministries:
YWAM Guatemala, Casa Shalom, a soup kitchen....etc.
We were really able to be fairly consistent in our ministry because we got to return to the same places every week, so we really got to know the people we were hanging out with. 
The places that affected me the most were definitely the orphanages... wow! What precious children! If I had the means, i would be coming home with like, five kids. Each time we went to an orphanage or the garbage dump, i spent time with a precious, darling little child, and it broke my heart to leave them. The kids from the garbage dump were really dirty and starving for attention, and some of them were so emotionally wounded... I spent 2 hours trying to get this little girl to smile, and she had been hurt so badly by someone that she barely looked at me, and at some points she looked like she wanted to smile but she didn't know how. :( I finally convinced her to let me pick her up and swing her around, and she told me she liked it and wanted me to do it again, but you couldn't tell that by her face. Then I told her she could come sit in my lap, and she was really really hesitant... it was so sad. I told her i was her friend and i wasn't going to hurt her, so after awhile, she let me set her in my lap. She was sitting up straight and rigid for a full 15 seconds, and then she relaxed and leaned back against me, and eventually started petting my arm. That was one of the best moments of outreach!! I got to show that little girl that someone does care for her, and that God loves her. wow... still really makes me cry :)
There was a 1 month old little boy that i met at an orphanage, named Diego. His face had little white bumps scattered on it, and he had a few crusts on his head...i wiped him off as best i could, and just held him for three hours. He fell asleep, woke up hungry, i fed him and burped him, then he fell back to sleep. and he was the most precious little boy with the sweetest little baby laugh, and he was really ticklish :D I just prayed over him the whole time, that God would be preparing a family for him and keeping him safe... he was so sweet.
Before this outreach, our team was praying, "God, break our hearts for what breaks yours."
and he did. :) and we will never be the same!

Soup kitchen serving line :)

My friend from Tierra Nueva Daycare :)