The end of 2022 was a time full of celebration and joy! We had a huge Friendsgiving celebration (seriously, we ended up renting tables and chairs to make it happen), a Girasol Christmas party, my family had a wonderful time together during Christmas, I got to ring in the new year in Prescott (watching the boot drop, obviously), and the beginning of this year has been a hectic and joyful time. A large part of my job is sad and heavy, but the truth is that we rarely talk about the absolutely hilarious and fun parts of serving. So that's what this blog is about.
- At school we've been doing the regular school stuff, but I've also gotten to see my students make comical Animal Farm Political cartoons, sing revolutions songs, and write cheesy love poems. Sometimes we work really hard and my students are forced by their evil teacher to take tests and memorize vocabulary. But sometimes we laugh so hard no one can breath, sometimes we go on tangents, and sometimes it is Spirit Week and we wear fun costumes. I absolutely love teaching at OCS. It brings me joy, goals to be met, and a sense of accomplishment. I love my students dearly, and enjoy being their Youth Leader too. We had our Valentine's Banquet last night, so that meant that my actual job included making a huge pot of spaghetti, wearing a costume, and planning a Murder Mystery. It was a lovely evening of funny accents, ballroom dancing, and dramatic accusations of tomfoolery. What more could I ask for in a job?
-At Girasol we have spent so much time painting nails, that I am now becoming somewhat capable of painting designs. At our drop-in center, we paint nails and have the girls model their manicures for everyone. We play Jenga and my favorite days include squeals of laughter as the tower tumbles. We've had some fun conversations about embarrassing moments, favorite movies, and hair fails. The Christmas party happened without me this year (which was very sad for me, but also encouraging to know that I can be gone and the team can continue with the regularly scheduled activities). The drop-in center was packed; standing room only. They played games and opened gifts, and the video I received was filled with so much chatter and laughter that it was impossible for me to decipher who was speaking and what was going on. How wonderful is that? We had a volunteer New Year celebration in January. The leadership team was reflecting on how much our team has grown. We ate yummy food and played two truths and a lie and strengthened our friendships. We all got team shirts to start off the year, too. It was so incredible to see.
- At Amanecer Jewelry, we have celebrated the birth of a new baby- so that meant we had a baby shower and games together. They've created some beautiful new designs, but the hilarity that comes from trying a new design time and time again, only to have to undo it at the end and try again has built camaraderie and friendship- which is one of our primary goals. We count that as such a wonderful blessing and success.
- As for me, I got to celebrate Christmas with my family in Arizona. My siblings are loud and obnoxious when we get together, so we spent many days laughing and making my grandparents' house way more chaotic. We saw snow; we sledded in the snow. We saw so many friends and family members we hadn't seen in years. We ate tons of grandma's food. It was an absolute blast. The time off was wonderful, and it prepared me to hit the ground running. I have been doing counseling conferences with my mom this month, helping prepare future mentors for Amanecer, as well as preparing woman at a birthing center ministry in town for their jobs. I am also busy getting ready for Missionary Kid Camp which will be in less than a month.
So yes, we have prayer requests, there are plenty of heavy and hard days, and there are so many sad and difficult things that have happened in the past few months. But I genuinely believe that the positives, the successes, the joys are talked about less but are worthy of remembrance, too. These are just a few of the wonderful moments.
Last thing: Girasol launched a website! On the website you can read more about what we do. Each team leader will be writing a blog about themselves so people can get to know us. Each leader and volunteer will also be writing a blog about our experiences, stories, and impactful moments working. We are so excited about it! I did the first blog, and I've also already posted the get-to-know-me piece.
Scroll through some pictures of all the shenanigans below: