Yo voy a Guatemala

Sometimes life has a way of throwing serious curveballs. Last Friday my internship, which had been in the works for about 6 months, fell through. Turns out they wouldn't be able to pay me. With only 3 weeks to find a placement and very few options available to me I called the coordinator at the school of social work to give her the bad news. She quickly confirmed that the prospects did not look good at all. As we said our goodbyes with little resolution to my dilemma, she asked if I spoke Spanish. You all know the answer and the call ended.

The question intrigued me. I was at work at the time and I just couldn't get it off my mind. In our next phone conversation I asked the coordinator if there was a placement where Spanish was required. I explained that I spoke Italian, that the languages were quite similar, that I had taken a Spanish class, and that I felt that I could pick it up rather easily. She explained that there is a local family here in Provo that opened an orphanage in Guatemala City, Guatemala several years ago who generally recruits interns from BYU for summer placements. Recently they decided to purchase land near Lake Atitlan (one possible location of the Waters of Mormon) in the highlands of Guatemala for an additional orphanage location. The whole process went much more quickly than they had anticipated and they were ready for an intern as soon as possible. They had just called BYU to ask if there were any interested students.

Thus, misfortune met opportunity and the official decision was made today. I had very little time to make this decision, but with significant contemplation, fasting, and prayer I feel comfortable to move forward despite my concerns. I am both excited and uneasy all at the same time! I will truly miss the summer in Utah, I was looking forward to good times with family (my brother comes home the 26th of April from his mission), 5K runs, Zion Nat'l Park, and a host of other summer activities I love. There seem to be more obstacles and concerns than there are reassurances - chief among them the fact that I don't speak fluent Spanish or really feel totally competent in what I am doing in social work - but I decided to not be governed by my fears. Whether or not this once-in-a-lifetime chance is an orchestration from Heaven or merely coincidence I will not attempt to guess, but I look forward to a wonderful opportunity to serve the children of Lehi! Pray for me!