I’m leaving again for Guatemala on Thursday for a quick trip to continue the work our church and our brothers and sisters have started with some a bunch of strong, beautiful, brilliant orphans.  The weeks and days leading up to the trip are full of details, things like budget, schedule, emails, packing, and other mundane tasks.  But in the midst of that, my mind starts filling with images of children, locations, and a hundred memories of laughing and crying.

When we drove up to the Wisconsin for vacation as a child, we’d get so excited when we would pass certain landmarks on the journey, indicating that we were getting closer and closer to our destination.  That’s how I feel getting ready for Guatemala.  The sights, sounds, scents (good and bad) come back faster and faster the closer I get.

We’ll be doing some life skills training with the boys, working on things like hygiene, cooking, proper greetings, and the like.  We’ll be visiting the toddlers we’ve grown to love, bringing them toys and smiles in their new home.  But I’m also looking forward to the look on Tomas’s face when he sees me again, the delight in the eyes of the special needs kids when they receive a small gift, the chance to sit with the boys and put our heads together to work on a craft, and the chance to put my hands on them with a prayer and a touch of affection.

I’ll be blogging throughout the trip, as will my friends Shawn and Nate & Rachael.  Stay tuned.