On the ground:
Every day, I’m reminded what a deep privilege it is to walk alongside our incredible ladies here. To listen to their struggles and celebrate their victories, to witness the first heartbeats with new parents – it’s truly a gift.

While I was away, one mom brought her baby for us to meet. He was 6 months old, and when asked what brought him in, his mom shared that everything was great. But she knew we were a safe place to come, so she decided to come for advice on how to begin with solid foods since her first baby struggled so much. Our God is so good, and we just GET to be a part of His amazing work here in Guatemala. There’s so much joy in serving this community!

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Our wedding journey was certainly an adventure in cultural blending! Marrying someone from a different background meant navigating two distinct mindsets about everything from timing to traditions. It was a beautiful, sometimes quirky, dance of bringing two worlds together.

What truly stood out to me amidst the planning complexities was the incredible unity God forged between us.

His family, for example, couldn’t quite fathom why my family needed detailed price estimates for things like hotels and shuttles in advance. And my family, in turn, found it hard to imagine planning a trip without meticulously knowing all the costs upfront.

Different cultures, different expectations!

But incurably, we could both understand each other in these ways even as others could not!

The challenges of planning our wedding across these two worlds didn’t divide us; instead, it grew us closer and strengthened our bond. It’s an experience that continually shapes how I connect with the beautiful diversity we encounter in our ministry in Guatemala. Every step of our journey, personal and professional, feels like it’s preparing us for the next, teaching us to embrace and cherish cultural differences with an open heart.

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Weddings in Guatemala are simply different: you simply don’t get to choose or control the details. Your wedding follows the mold of all that were before. So it felt like every attempt to organize or do something a little different was met with confusion and resistance, leaving me frustrated and overwhelmed. I couldn’t plan what I desperately needed to plan.

But the Lord knew what I needed!

My beautiful army – my family and friends rallied together in the most incredible way. They made our paper signing lunch beautiful. Seeing everyone come together, working tirelessly to bless us, filled my heart with an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude. It was a powerful reminder of how God works through the hands and hearts of those we love.

I praise God for His timing in two stories to bring them tougher in just the right way at just the right time. Much of family was able to travel for the wedding, and many more were able to watch online. While dating and engaged, local church culture strictly prohibited any time together without a chaperone, so simply painting our house alone is such a privilege.

Prayer Requests:

We ask that you continue to pray for the two of us as we create a strong foundation for our future family. These prayer are powerful and precious to us!

As the two of us work to make the house into our home, and I am so grateful to finally get to work along side my husband. Please pray for financial provision to match our new needs, even as we praise the God who provides everythign in every way.