I am so amazed by all the support I have from my family and friends. It is just crazy knowing that people are thinking of you from Western Canada through the continent to Guatemala.
My heart has been full of excitement these last couple of weeks. I have confirmed my desire to return to Guatemala, to the children and to some of my best friends.
Since August I have been looking for different jobs to do this year or different opportunities I could take to help out. Each time a lead would come and I would feel like “Yes, this is perfect for me!” The opportunity would vanish and though I was not listening as well as I could have, I know God was telling me “No Ella, I have something else planned for you this year.”
Spending this summer in Guatemala on the internship program really changed me.

It is amazing to me, as I spend more time here I feel like I am watching life go by from a by-standers point of view, I notice much more. I see the girls rushing around worrying about if they have the "right" dress for a party, I am just thinking about the woman all over the world rushing around worrying if their child is going to starve, if they have enough rice for the next meal.
Being in Guatemala for 5 weeks has really opened my eyes to many things such as people, the many different types and the interactions with others.
-Work, you don't know what work is until you see 1 woman trying to care for 11 babies and clean and cook at the same time or seeing an old man carrying what seems like a million pounds of sticks down the road on his back.
- Compassion, seeing all the teams work with the kids.
- Most of all, Love and friendship. The friends I have made these weeks are great and will be everlasting, I love them all so much and cannot wait to see them again.

I have thoroughly adjusted my life because of this, It made me re think my life, question my thoughts, and judge my inner self. All things that I think needed to happen long ago.
I have been praying a lot lately. Asking god to tell me his wishes, to let me know exactly what he wants from me and what he wants me to do with the new found part of me I have gained from Guatemala. I know He put this desire burning in my heart for a reason. I know I belong there. So as I prepare to make a journey back down to the wondrous smells, air, volcanoes and people of Guatemala I ask for your support, prayers, and best wishes.

My Guatemala

Have you ever had an un quenchable urge to be somewhere else? Felling like you need to pack up and leave because you a made to live somewhere else?
I belong in Guatemala. I feel quite homesick to be honest. Though people wonder how it is possible to be homesick for a country you don't live in, it is. I feel it. My gut wrenches and I feel so sick whenever I think about Guatemala and how I'm not there. I feel such a strong pull to that country it is un imaginable.
I miss the air, the smells, the amazing people there and the children. Oh the children. Their little faces ingrained in my mind. Burning like a flame just waiting to get more air, to be able to flare up and become a huge fire. I hear their voices calling and I can still feel their weight in my arms as I carry them around and love on them.
I don't know what to do with my life here. I need them. I need to be there for them.