Summer in review

I looked through my photographs from the summer, and I picked out a few that I would like to share with you. Each picture represents a part of my summer that sticks out as memorable. They are a summer review. I often take pictures so that I can hold on to specific memories, but life is filled with countless others that are equally special (we just don’t always have the camera ready.) In the next few months I want to share a couple pictures that I did have the camera for.

My summer was spent in three locations: Mexico, South Dakota, and Guatemala. In each location, I had the great privilege of serving God’s precious children. Because of the work that I do, I am constantly learning new things about my job, my life, and my Father in Heaven. This summer was no exception. I feel that I gained a new passion for what I do, but I am also left with many questions.

I sat in the home of Mary Wright a wonderful lady who lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Her smile and love for telling stories was always a high point of my day. As we worked to try and fix her house, I wondered about what it would take to fix her community. A community where racism is still alive, and Native Americans are mostly ignored.

In Mexico, I got to spend time with my friend Pastor Valente Sobrevilla, a man who sacrificed a comfortable life to start a church in a border community. Where most of us would see a broken neighborhood, Pastor Valente sees hope.

And then in Guatemala I served with missionaries who are literally fighting for the future of the children of Guatemala. Their dedication is truly making a difference in a country where it is rare for a child to even go to high school let alone graduate.

I feel that God is preparing me for more to come. From now until the new-year I will be sending some of the pictures along with brief stories of what I did this summer. I hope you will enjoy the stories as much as I enjoyed them.