A Thousand Words Isn't Enough.

No matter how many times I look at the images on my computer taken by my hands (and from a few friends) I can't fathom them. Images of dirt, blazing sun, wire topped buildings, trash piles larger than cars, children bathing in the midst of the trash - these are what I've been looking at tonight.

I'm speaking at Mosaic, my church's college ministry, on Thursday night. It's not something I normally would do. I don't speak. I don't even speak up in class when my grade is dependent upon it. The whole idea just freaks me out. For some reason, along with being slightly distracted, I agreed to speak about my international mission experiences this Thursday night. I believe I will be focusing on Mexico and Nicaragua.

I've been trying to get some pictures together to show. Pictures that can show what it is like, but all my pictures pale in comparison to the real heartache and situations that I have seen in these countries.

I'm good at having my mind on several different topics at once. I'm great at compartmentalizing and becoming numb to things. These pictures though, I can't become numb to. To become numb to them is to deny the reality that these situations are truly going on in other places and in a way right here at home too.

Now I can't get the pictures out of my head. Although my tears are gone, I can feel them lurking, waiting for an opportunity to escape.

I don't know what else to say. These pictures kind of cause a loss of words...

If you want to see my Nicaragua pictures from Summer 2009, click here.
If you want to see how God reminded me of La Chureca in the fall, click here.

nineteen. twenty. twentyone. twentytwo.

nineteen. unseenbeauty:learningsomethingnew

twenty. unseenbeauty:thelittlethingsthatmakeyoulaugh

twentyone. unseenbeauty:cookingexperimentsgoneright

twentytwo.

sixteen. seventeen. eighteen.

sixteen. Taco making. I've talked about this a bit before on the blog. Counselors, youth and Dan preparing tacos to hand out to day laborers to show them Jesus' love.

seventeen. Read the quote. Living it this semester. unseenbeauty:encouragingquotes

eighteen.

thirteen.fourteen.fifteen.

thirteen. Breakfast.

fourteen. Studying outside in winter is kind of chilly.

fifteen. Gabby's facial expression expresses my love of studying right now.

*Pictures were taken on actual days and being posted today. That is all.

twelve.

Twelve, or as I'd like to call it "Mother Knows Best" or "Should Have Listened to Mom". I'm back up at school, but I didn't need to pack my mousse to bring with me as I had some up here. I reassured Mom on this when I was questioned. I washed my hair and started looking for the mousse. It was no where to be found. Mousse was not an option. Craziness was about to be. Thus, my hair was straightened for the first time in quite awhile. It is really weird to not have a mess of curls on my head. Plus, it's hard for people to recognize me. It's like I went on winter vacation and came back a different person... unseenbeauty:change

eleven.

unseenbeauty:uniqueness

ten.

unseenbeauty:thejoyofboardgames