It's been a whole month already?!

Wow! I can’t believe I’ve been in Guatemala for an entire month! On one hand, it kind of feels like I’ve been here forever, but on the other it feels like I only just got here. Crazy how time works that way, huh?

Anyways, we are wrapping up the school year here. At one school we are giving final exams this week and our last day of school is Friday. At the other school this is review week and final exams are next week. There’s a lot going around here on with the end of the school year arriving: grading notebooks and homework, ensuring everyone has all of their assignments in, reviewing all the material for the final exam, etc. I’ve also got my online course and I’m getting ready to move (I’m moving from the hostel I’ve been in to an apartment this week!), so I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy.

I’ve been attending a church here where I have met some really great people! There is a program there that trains young adults from the United States in ministry and missions that is coming to an end for many of the students I have met. They will be finishing their training this week and then heading to various countries to serve for the next 6 months. There are 18 students who will be spread out across Uganda, Kenya, Cambodia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. I will be praying for them as they go out to serve the Lord in these countries, and I would like to ask you to lift them up in your prayers as well.

Here are a few other things you can be praying for:

-Pray for the students during this last week or two of school, that they are all prepared for their final exams and are able to focus and do their best in each of their classes

-Pray for all of the teachers as they give the final exams and wrap up the school year

-Pray for the teachers and volunteers that have this month off, that we would all use our time well and that those who are travelling will stay safe and healthy

-Pray for all of the teachers and volunteers as we prepare lessons and workshops for “summer school” that will begin in November

-And pray for me for discernment and direction

Thank you all so much for your continued prayers, love, and support! I am beyond grateful to have such a wonderful support system! You all mean so much to me and I cannot thank you enough J

Love Always,

Rachel

Independence Day!!! (And Week 2 Update)

Today is Independence Day in Guatemala, so, naturally, we had a parade at school! All the kids came dressed up and ready for the parade. Each class had a different ethnic group they were representing and their outfits reflected that group. They were absolutely adorable! Here are a few pictures:

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Getting lined up and ready to go!

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It was a fun, but exhausting day! Now I'm ready to shower and take a nap!


So I've been here in Guatemala for 2 weeks now and it's going so well! I'm now splitting my time between both schools run by Niños de Guatemala. I love getting to be a part of the English program in both schools and seeing the differences and similarities between the two schools. But, with over 300 children attending the schools, I have got a LOT of names to learn! I'm thinking about breaking out the masking tape and a sharpie and labeling them all until I can remember their names, haha!

My online TEFL course is going well. It's a lot of work, but I'm enjoying it so far. I'm hoping to finish up be the end of October, so please keep me in your prayers for that!

If any of you would like more information about what I'm doing or how you can support me, please contact me via Facebook or email me at RachelinGuatemala@gmail.com.

Thank you all so much for the love and prayers!!
Love Always,
Rachel

P.S.  I am still fundraising so if you feel led to donate, here are some ways you can do so:

1- Donate via PayPal using the Guatemala Fund Donation link here on my blog.

2- Donate at VolunteerForever.com/volunteer_profile/rachel-froelich.

3- Donate via mail (message me on Facebook or email me for my address).

4- Purchase any Mary Kay product from my mom (Lisa Freeman) before September 30th! 25% of proceeds will go directly to support my trip to Guatemala. Visit the Facebook page for the fundraiser here or visit my mom's Mary Kay page (www.marykay.com/lisalfreeman11) where you can place an order or contact her directly for more information or with any questions you may have.

As always, you can keep up with my fundraising progress and trip updates here on my blog. And, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Love you guys!!

Week One

Hey guys!

So I've been here for a little over a week now and I'm having a great time! I've moved into a different room in the hotel where I'm staying. I'm now downstairs where I have a much larger room and a reliable internet connection!

I've been working at the school with the English class since Friday and it's going really well. Currently, as the assistant, I am helping the primary teacher give the lessons and keep the students engaged. It's not without its challenges, but that comes with the territory of working with children. The kids are really sweet...and I might already have a few "non-favorites" (shh...don't tell anyone). This week I will also begin working with the other school run by the same organization where my friend is the English teacher. I will be splitting my time between the two schools so that I am able to assist the teachers at both schools. I'm really excited to be able to work in both places and get to know all of the kids. I can't wait to see how God is going to use me here!

Recently I began my online course to become certified in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). It's going really well so far and I hope to have it finished within the next 2 months, so I'm going to be pretty busy! Once I am finished I will not only be certified in TEFL, but I will also have a special certification in Teaching Business English as well as Teaching English to Young Learners which I am very excited about!

Thank you all so much for all of your prayers and support! Here are a few things you can be praying for me about:

• That God places me exactly where He wants me to be every day and that I will grow closer to Him throughout my experience here
• That everything continues to go well in the schools
• That I will stay motivated to finish my online course quickly
• And that I raise the remaining funds that I need to get me through December

Thank you again! I am so blessed to have you all in my life. :)
Love Always,
Rachel

P.S. If any of you would like to donate to help me raise the remaining funds, here's how you can:

1- Donate via PayPal using the Guatemala Fund Donation link here on my blog.

2- Donate at VolunteerForever.com/volunteer_profile/rachel-froelich.

3- Donate directly to me via mail (message me on Facebook for my address).

4- Purchase any Mary Kay product from my mom (Lisa Freeman) before September 30th! 25% of proceeds will go directly to support my trip to Guatemala. Visit the Facebook page for the fundraiser here or visit my mom's Mary Kay page (www.marykay.com/lisalfreeman11) where you can place an order or contact her directly for more information or with any questions you may have.

Please keep me in your prayers over the next four months! I'm sure I'll need them :) Thank you all so much for your love and support! If you have any questions at all about my trip to Guatemala or what I'll be doing, please don't hesitate to ask! You can leave a comment or contact me via Facebook.

You can keep up with my fundraising progress as well as my trip updates right here on my blog.

Love you guys!!

Is this real life?!

As I write this blog, I am looking out over the beautiful mountains surrounding Antigua from the patio outside my room. Did I just type that? My room. I have a room! Is this seriously my life right now?! I can hardly believe this is really happening!

Well, I just wanted to let you all know that I made it here safely. I got to meet some missionaries from Florida that were on both of my flights with me. They are going to be working in Antigua at a ministry center where they have some childrens' programs and interns from the states who are learning to be missionaries. And they invited me to come visit sometime this week while they are there!

My room has a great view! My doors open right onto the patio that looks over a little courtyard. And I have a view of the mountains and Agua (a dormant volcano) from my bed (when the clouds aren't covering them). I've got a little tv, a dresser, a comfy bed, and a desk made out of an old sewing machine...how cool is that?! But, this is only my temporary room. It is very nice and I love the view, but a room that is twice the size downstairs is opening up in a few days so I will be moving to that one. I'll miss looking out from my bed and seeing the beautiful plants and mountains, but I'm looking forward to a larger room where the wifi actually works (right now I have to go onto the patio to use it and as it is currently my only means of communication that's kind of a pain). And I can always come upstairs to the patio when I want to see the view.

Well, my computer battery is running low so I have to go back into my room to plug it it. But here are a few pictures of where I'm staying:

My keys!

My bed

Desk!

It's a sewing machine!! (well, it was)

View from my room

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Panorama of my room

Sitting on my bed, this is what I see (it was much prettier before the clouds rolled in)

Panorama of the patio area

Cool table outside my room...

...made from an old sewing machine and an old door!

I'll update you all again soon!

Love Always,

Rachel

P.S. I'm still fundraising so please keep me in your prayers!! If you would like to help support me, see my previous blog post for details. Thank you!!

So long, Florida!

So, I've just finished packing. That was quite the ordeal! It's so hard to know exactly what I'll need for 4 months and manage to get it all packed into 2 40lb suitcases. But, I did it! I even had few pounds to spare, and if you know me you know that's a big deal! I probably still over packed like I always do, but at least I'll be prepared! :)

I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow! It still doesn't quite feel real. Maybe it'll hit when I board the plane to Guatemala alone for the first time. Or during my layover in an unfamiliar airport. Or maybe it won't set in until I'm actually there without the familiarity of the same hotel I usually stay in and the same people I'm usually accompanied by. I don't know when it'll finally set in that I'm really doing this and I'm actually going to be on my own in Guatemala for the first time, but I know that when it does God will be there. He will comfort me when I'm scared and give me strength when I'm overwhelmed. He will give me love, hope, and joy every day that I hope to pass on to everyone I meet. He'll be right by my side every step of the way and I can't wait to see how He changes me through this experience!

Even though I don't know exactly what I'll be doing over the next few months, I know God has it all planned out for me and He will be with me always.

I'm getting ready to head off to Guatemala in the morning, but I am still in need of donations to cover all of my living expenses while I'm there. If any of you would like to help, here's how you can:

1- Donate via PayPal using the Guatemala Fund Donation link here on my blog.

2- Donate at VolunteerForever.com/volunteer_profile/rachel-froelich.

3- Donate directly to me in person or via mail (message me on Facebook for my address).

4- Purchase any Mary Kay product from my mom (Lisa Freeman) before September 30th! 25% of proceeds will go directly to support my trip to Guatemala. Visit the Facebook page for the fundraiser here or visit my mom's Mary Kay page (www.marykay.com/lisalfreeman11) where you can place an order or contact her directly for more information or with any questions you may have.

Please keep me in your prayers over the next four months! I'm sure I'll need them :) Thank you all so much for your love and support! If you have any questions at all about my trip to Guatemala or what I'll be doing, please don't hesitate to ask! You can leave a comment or contact me via Facebook.

You can keep up with my fundraising progress as well as my trip updates right here on my blog.

So long, Florida!

Love Always,

Rachel

Flight is booked...one week to go!!!

I have officially booked my flight to Guatemala!!! Only one week to go!!

Woah. I just booked a one way ticket to Guatemala. One. Way. No scheduled return date. Reality is setting in. This is actually happening. I can't believe it! It has felt somewhat like a dream that I am actually going to Guatemala long term, but now that I have scheduled my flight, it all feels more real. I am so beyond excited!! (And maybe a little nervous, too.)

Now that I am officially Guatemala bound, it is more important than ever that I raise the rest of the funds I need to live in Guatemala for the next 4 months. I would like to ask all of you to pray for me and consider donating to help support me. If you are able to donate even a small amount it would be greatly appreciated. Every little bit helps! If you aren't able to donate, I ask that you please keep me in your prayers! I know God is in control and He will take care of everything I need.

For those of you who would like to help support me, here are several ways to do so:

1- Donate via PayPal using the Guatemala Fund Donation link here on my blog.

2- Donate at VolunteerForever.com/volunteer_profile/rachel-froelich.

3- Donate directly to me in person or via mail (message me on Facebook for my address).

4- Purchase any Mary Kay product from my mom (Lisa Freeman) before September 30th! 25% of proceeds will go directly to support my trip to Guatemala. Visit the Facebook page for the fundraiser here or visit my mom's Mary Kay page (www.marykay.com/lisalfreeman11) where you can place an order or contact her directly for more information or with any questions you may have.

Thank you all so much for your prayers, love, and support!! I'm so blessed to have you in my life. If you have any questions at all about my trip to Guatemala or what I'll be doing, please don't hesitate to ask! You can leave a comment or contact me via Facebook.

You can keep up with my fundraising progress as well as my trip updates right here on my blog. Thank you again! One week!!!!!

Love Always,
Rachel

17 days!!!

Getting close!!! Only 17 days until I leave for Guatemala!!!! I am so excited for this amazing opportunity and cannot wait to get there!

Thank you so much to those of you who were able to make it to my fundraiser!! Your love and support means so much to me! Also, a big thanks to everyone else who has donated toward my trip and all of you who are praying for me! I am blessed beyond words to have all of you in my life!!

I do still have quite a bit of fundraising to do. I have raised $1956 of the $5500 that I need. So, I need $3544 more to meet my goal. It's a huge number, I know, but I also know that the Lord provides and He will provide everything that I need! I ask that you please join me in prayer that God will provide everything necessary for me as I prepare to leave for Guatemala.

If any of you feel led to support me, here are a few ways for you to do so:

1- Hire me! I am available to babysit, pet sit, bake, clean, run errands, etc. I am totally willing to work to earn the money for my trip. I am available just about any time between now and August 30th.

2- Donate via PayPal using the Guatemala Fund Donation link here on my blog.

3- Donate at VolunteerForever.com/volunteer_profile/rachel-froelich.

4- Donate directly to me in person or via mail (message me on Facebook for my address).

Thank you all so much for your love and support!! Check back here for updates and fundraising progress (see Guatemala Funds Raised on the right hand side of the page).

Love Always,

Rachel