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Where in the World is Lindsay's Dad?

There are lots of reasons to love my dad. A few reasons to be absolutely annoyed by him, too - but lots of reasons to love him.

One of my very favourite things about him is also one of things I aspire to grow in my character: the way he gives to the people around him. Sometimes it's small stuff, like inviting a family over for lunch, or organizing a 'guys night' for a friend who's hurting, or calling after a snowstorm to see if I need him to stop by and dig out my car. And sometimes it's big and crazy - like his missions trips. Two years ago, my dad organized a group of men from our church and travelled with MDS to rebuild homes after the forest fires in California. Last year, he spent time in Guatemala City with Compassion, visiting homes of kids who are sponsored by people in Niverville and building a brand-new kitchen for a local church that runs an after-school program that feeds and educates hundreds of local children.

And right now, he is again in Guatemala - this time, almost 8 hours north of Guatemala City, in a tiny remote village that was in desperate need of a couple of classrooms. Their team of 20 people (including Gloria and Crystal) has been dealing with extreme heat and heavy manual labour, but the stories that have been trickling in are incredible. Their work - and the care packages they brought with them from Niverville - is so very appreciated by these people. And as always, I think it will be the volunteers who walk away the most changed and encouraged.

I'm looking forward to all their stories and pictures. In the meantime, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. They aren't in the safest part of Guatemala, and they're working hard to finish the projects they've started this week. And the transition home is always hard, too - fighting against readjusting to our overwhelmingly shallow and materialistic lives.

Says the girl who works in advertising... :)

Labels: Family, My Friends

posted by Lindsay @ 11:41 PM