Matt and Liza were married in Geneva, Ohio, at Liza's parents home. I was amazed by the detail and preparation that went into their big day. I cannot express enough how much I love these images! Matt and Liza made a beautiful couple. This is only a small glimpse of their big day.
Just a little preview of an incredible engagement session...more to come! :)
Shawn and Alicia tied the knot on May 31, 2014, in Kalamazoo, MI.
Nicole and Jake's engagement shoot was shot in South Haven, Michigan. I absolutely love this couple and have had the honor of seeing them grow together and their love unfold. When I first met Nicole, I knew we would be lifelong friends. It didn't take long for me to recognize that Jake was such an important person in her life. Congratulations you two, I can't wait to see what your future holds!
This past spring break, I had the privilege of going on a missions trip to Chichicastenango, Guatemala. From the moment I learned about the trip, I knew I wanted to go. My friend Madeline was asked to lead a team by Pray America, an organization that has established themselves in the heart of Chi Chi. The entire process of preparation for this trip was very overwhelming. I remember multiple times panicking at the financial cost of the trip, along with getting school work and priorities finished before departure. Despite the worries I had for this trip, God went above and beyond my expectations for this trip. It was life changing, motivating, and simply incredible.
Meet Madeline Murphy, our team leader who organized and brought us 8 girls together for the trip. Words cannot express how much respect and love I have for this girl! Without her hard work and dedication, we would not have been able to go to Guatemala. She is inspiring, beautiful, and the love of Jesus simply radiates from her. I am so blessed and privileged to have spent a week working alongside her doing missions.
We finally arrived in Guatemala after 2 days of extensive traveling. It was another 3 hours to get to Chichicastenango, but we were so excited to arrive!
Arriving at the mission home where we stayed in the heart of ChiChi! Such relief and anticipation for the week! This is my amazing team!
Back row from left to right: Kelsey Newsome, Melanie Badyna, Mellie Versola, Madeline Murphy, Rachel Gibbs, Hannah Goble.
Front row from left to right: Nicole Gonzalez, Grace Mirzeler
Words cannot express my gratitude to all the people who so graciously gave me support for this trip! I would not have been able to go without the help and prayers of each and every one of you! This trip changed my life completely. Below, find an album of photographs of pictures I took during the trip. They range from fun mini shoots I had with my teammates, to the children and people of Chi Chi that stole my heart. I took far too many photos to upload them individually, so please click through the album for pictures and moments that are very dear to my heart. Below is a post with more information about what we did and saw!
When we first arrived in Guatemala City, it was such a relief to get away from the cold Michigan temperature and land in such beautiful weather. We were greeted by our leaders Lance and Lauren Patterson who are missionaries with Pray America. It was a three hour drive to get to Chichicastenango. Just driving to the mission home was a culture shock in itself. Everything was different from back home. The roads were crammed full of people, and they seemed to have their own system of driving that worked. There were many times as we were driving that we thought we would crash or get in an accident, but the drivers in Guatemala are extremely experienced. Many of the girls on my team felt carsick as we winded up higher and higher in the mountains. The scenery was beautiful, and we saw how different Guatemala City was compared to the other towns and villages. Guatemala City was modern with many stores and resources readily available. Chichicastenango was further into the mountains, and the people there are much poorer. Many of the people are farmers or have small businesses that they run during the market days.
Chichicastenango has the biggest market in Central America, and the mission home for Pray America was directly in the heart of it. We walked through the market on Sunday to Monte Flor for church. It was a different experience than anything here in America as the people came up to you to sell their items wherever you went. Many families had little children also selling goods, and it was very hard to see grasp that the quality of their items were sold for less than half of what they were worth. The people of Chi-Chi are incredibly talented and make everything from scratch. It amazed me to see the hammocks, blankets, jewelry, and more all hand stitched or crafted. We had the opportunity to barter with the people in the market and buy beautiful goods.
Pray America employs Chi-Chi people for various reasons including cooking, driving, and building. Our team became very close with the employees, and would often help the women in the kitchen cook while attempting to converse in broken Spanish. However, the language barriers did not stop us from bonding with these women. One night of the week we had the opportunity to bless them by helping with dinner and dolling them up. We did their hair and nails, and they were so gracious and took lots of pictures for their families.
The majority of the week had a fairly consistent schedule. Each morning we would wake up and have devotions, and breakfast would be served at 8:00 a.m. Our team of girls was then split into two groups, each going to a different project site. Each team made a widow’s home and installed stoves at the sites that Pray America had organized. We had the help of the Chi-Chi employees of Pray America, and we became very close to them as we spent all day together. Our transportation was in the bed of trucks, and it was such an incredible experience to drive and see the beauty of Guatemala. Most of the people we served lived high in the mountains in rural areas, so sometimes the drives would be long and very rough. We had the opportunity when serving these people to also pray for their families and tell them about Jesus as well. One of the girls on my team shared who Jesus was for the very first time to a family that lived very high in the mountains. We attended three feeding programs where the children came with their siblings. Many of them would take one bite of their food and then pack up the rest to take home to their families. The children would walk long distances back home, and it amazed me to see some young as 6 or 7 years old taking care of their siblings and even babies. We found out that the majority of the people we served lived on about 80 cents a day. The widow’s home my team built graciously gave us snacks and drinks, spending over a weeks’ worth of wages. They lived in a small house with a tin roof and a dirt floor with no electricity and a limited amount of running water. That was a very defining moment on the trip for me as I had to grasp the poverty they lived in, but still accept their gift of thanks. Many of my teammates and I cried after leaving that family. Even though they had absolutely nothing, they still gave the little that they had.
I could say that this mentality could be found everywhere in Guatemala. The people were so humble and beautiful inside and out. They blessed me with every interaction that we had. The trip was life changing and I still think about the people and their huge hearts every day. I was baptized the last day there in Guatemala in the most beautiful river high up in the mountains. Such a defining moment in my life and faith was made in Guatemala, and I can say that the country has still stolen my heart. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity, it has changed me forever.
