Canaries!!

Canaries!!
Loving on my Canaries (Fall 2013)

Sunday, July 28, 2013

I'm here!

I made it to Miami! The drive wasn't bad...just hit a little rain around Port Charlotte. But, I do think they should rename Alligator Alley to Dragonfly Drive! Never saw any alligators but my car is covered in dragonflies now...they were everywhere!

Anyways, I'm just getting settled in at Ron and Cynthia's house tonight. Tomorrow I'll start working in the Orphans Heart office...can't wait!

Thank you all for your prayers! :)

Love always,
~Rachel~

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

A New Adventure

Today was my last day with Noah (the little boy I nanny) until I return from Guatemala in November. I can't believe how much he's grown since I started watching him a year and a half ago! He is so smart (only 21 months old and can count almost to 10, recognize several letters when he sees them, and definitely has the biggest vocabulary I've ever heard from such a young child!) and he is growing up so much. I'm going to miss seeing him for the next few months. When I return he will be 2 years old and potty trained (I hope!) and he will have a new baby sister! I can't wait to meet her and see how he is as a big brother when I get back!

Realizing this today made me think of all the things I'm going to miss while I'm gone. Tonight will be the last Wednesday night church service I attend at my church; tomorrow will be my last shift at Electra (the gym I work at); Friday will be the last time I babysit Ava and Aubrey (the 2 little girls I watch every Friday) and the last time I see my dad and his wife; Saturday will be the last time I see most of my family for 3 months and the last time I see my little sister until Thanksgiving or Christmas; and Sunday will be the last church service I attend at my church and the last time I see my mom and several friends (and my dog and cat...my bed won't feel quite the same without them to snuggle with. Poor little Peanut is already starting to freak out because of all the suitcases I have packed). All of these things will be here when I return in 3 months, but I will miss them all so much while I am gone.

That being said, I am so, so excited for this new adventure God has laid out for me! On Sunday I will get to see some great friends in Miami and on Monday I will begin working at the Orphan's Heart office. I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing every day yet, but I am sure that I will love it! I will get to spend time with some friends I don't often see. I will get to meet many missions teams that are headed Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, Tanzania, and Uganda! I will get to hear stories of what God is doing in all of those countries! I will get to make many new friends. In September I will get to meet the intern I will be with in Guatemala, and I'm sure we'll become great friends; interning with someone creates a special bond. Then I will get to return to Guatemala, the beautiful country that I love so much, and be reunited with some friends that I have there. And I will get to see the many kids that have already stolen or will be stealing my heart. I will get to help lead mission teams in doing God's work in the lives of those children and the nannies that care for them every day. I am going to have an amazing time getting to do so many things that I love doing and I can't wait!

It will be hard to be so far away from everything I love, but I know that there is a great place for me in Miami and in Guatemala where I will learn so much and get so much experience and where I can help be the hands and feet of Christ! God has provided me with some amazing opportunities in the past and I am so grateful for the one He has provided for me now. Though there are many things I will miss from home, there are even more things that I will love while I am away and I know this is the place God wants me to be.

Please keep me in your prayers as I head off on this new adventure. I'll keep you updated here :)

Love Always,
~Rachel~

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Update...

Just a quick update on what I'll be doing this summer/fall...

In just 16 days I will begin my internship journey! Beginning July 28th I will be spending 8 weeks in Miami where I will be working in the Orphan's Heart office. I am so excited for the opportunity God has provided for me to be involved with Orphan's Heart in a new way and get to know all the members of the Orphan's Heart family :)

On September 20th I will meet my fellow intern and on the 21st we will head to Guatemala where we will spend 6 weeks with 6 different teams caring for the many children in the malnutrition center! I can't wait to see all the familiar faces and meet the many new ones!

Thank you all so much for your love and support! I'll keep you updated here :)

Love Always,
~Rachel~

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

God always provides!

As you know, I have been working on raising $3500 for my internship to Guatemala. Recently I sent out an email to just about everyone in my contacts list asking for support. The list included the director of Orphan's Heart, the amazing organization I will be travelling with to Guatemala. He got my email and called me to tell me of a way that my internship could be completely covered! Praise God!!!!!!!

I'm not going to go into all the details here, but it is so awesome how God always provides for our needs! I mean, I always had complete faith that God would provide the way for me to go to Guatemala as He always has in the past. I figured it would be from donations as it usually is, hence all my fundraising efforts. Little did I know, He had a much more amazing plan to cover my trip to Guatemala and I couldn't be more excited!!

This is such a fantastic opportunity for me to be a part of the Orphan's Heart organization that I love so much and I am so thankful that God showed it to me. And to everyone who has been supporting me and praying for me, your prayers were heard and they have been answered! Thank you all so much!! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me as I go to work with some amazing people to spread His love to the nations. I'll keep you updated here :)

Love Always,
~Rachel~