Destination Paradise

more pictures!

2010-04-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

These are all from either the ranch or Los Cedros...

From CINAFE to Nejapa

2010-04-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well we finished up our time in the CINAFE orphanage with ice cream in celebration of Hilary's birthday. It was a beautiful place and wonderful and smart young kids. From there we've spent the last week floating in and out of a few different organizations visiting Crystal Rey, Los Cedros and even venturing back up the hill to El Crucero to teach a few days. The last two days have been spent camping at a friends ranch about 15 minutes outside of Managua. It is a gorgeous place with hike-able land as far as the eye can see. Kara and I have spent the last two nights sleeping under the stars atop "Mt Siani", as we so lovingly call it...the stars seem touchable and the sunrise in the morning glows across the acres and acres of rolling hills that flow below us. Waking up at 5:30 has never been so rewarding.

We move tomorrow to an area called Nejapa, where we will be working with Pastor Michael. It's going to be a VERY busy week, full of painting, teaching and LOTS of kids. We'll be running a 3 day VBS (vacation bible school)at the end of the week,with an expectancy of 150 children...we preparing for more even more..
Keep us in your hearts and heads as we move in to one of our most challenging weeks yet!

ALSO...

2010-04-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that the rest of tuition fee's got paid off!! Someone generously decided to pay for the remainder of my balance, and it has been SUCH a weight lifted from my shoulders...

Now all I have to pay for is my internship!

Feel free to pray and contribute towards that for me!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the last 4 months. My words can't thank you enough!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Good bye El Crucero, hello big city!

2010-04-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

As our time up on the mountain in El Crucero came to a close, we realized two things: 1. We have been so blessed to have had more space than we know what to do with...and 2. The weather down in the city will not be ANYWHERE NEAR the coolness of the mountain.

SO. The guest house we're staying in now is bout 2 minutes from the center of the city, right across the street from a bakery, coffee, Subway and a grociery store. It's about 3 times smaller than our last home and a way warmer, but we love it all the same. This week we well be painting in the morning and working in an ophanage in the afternoons..

Time is flying by and leaves us with only have 3 1/2 weeks left here! I am enjoying the beauty of the country and the delicious food. At the same time, I am VERY MUCH looking forward to my internship (which is still yet to be decided). I know that these nexr few weeks are going to go quick, so i'm trying to suck everything in and enjoy this short time in my life.

I love and miss you all!

Home Sweet Home...for at least 2 weeks

2010-04-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

I'm Here!

2010-04-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well we've got the first week under our belt! There was no school this week, so we spent most of our time helping out with general maintanence around the school. The picture i posted is from the last leg of our journy to Nicaragua. It was a loooong bus ride, but the country side was so beautiful that i never wanted it to end!
Next week the plan is to work with a medical missions team that is traveling around to a different town every day. We are all looking forward to getting to meet knew people and see more of the country. We have been MORE than embraced by the local church and community, and feel so privilaged to get to serve them as well as serve along side them.
I promis i'll post more pictures as upload them to my computer!
I love and miss you all sooo much!
Be praying for provision for our team and great internship opporunities!

Day 2 of a 3 day tour

2010-03-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

Well we're here in Honduras for the night. We got into San Pedro Sula around 3pm and had the rest of the afternoon and evening to eat some YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY food and check out the mall. We catch a bus tomorrow morning at 5 which will take us all the way to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua! Our first 2 weeks will be spent in a guest house at an orphanage/school, helping and serving in any way we can.

If you'd like to creep on us and our journy thus far, heres a map that shows where we've come from and where we're headed! We started in San Pedro, Belize and from there went to Punta Gorda Belize, where we stayed the night. Today we traveled from Punta Gorda, through Guatemala (which is SO beautiful) into Honduras!

Only 3 DAYS left!

2010-03-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for not updating this blog as frequently as i initially wanted to. I CAN NOT believe that i leave for Nicaragua on Tuesday! These last few weeks at the base have been so great, but I am very ready to be out in a new place serving and putting into practice all that i've learned over the past 3 months.
The ride to Nicaragua is a 3 day trip that includes a lot of buses and water taxi's. There are only a few solid plans for what we're going to be doing when we get there, so a lot of our trip will be simply seeing where the need is, and going there. I think most of our trip will be spent roughing it...i'm not sure where the line is drawn for what is "roughing it" and what isn't, but either way, we are all super excited!

I got the chance to go diving last weekend at a place called Mexico Rocks. It was such a sweet experience. We swam down around these huge coral heads that had the most beautiful colors and the most fish i've ever seen in one place at the same time. I would love to get certified some day.

Good news on the eyeball front...Thanks to some rather expensive contact solution, my eyes have been feeling like a million bucks. THANK YOU JESUS.

I still have about a $1000 left to pay, so keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

I miss you all and hope everything at home is going well!

Only 3 weeks left!

2010-03-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe lecture phase is almost over! We have our last sail this afternoon, to a place called Mexico Rocks. We've been in Belize now for about two weeks. The first week was spent in a harbor called Cucumber Beach...it was...not our favorite place. The bugs were out in full force and we found it extremely hard to stay entertained on our afternoons off. Luckily, we got to the base this week and got to meet all the divers! The base is incredible and all of us sailors are loving the fact that we get lunch cooked for us 6 days a week and the occasional offer from a diver to use their REAL shower..this is the life! Last night Kara and I got to switch beds with Hillary and Alysa(the other two girls on our outreach team). I got to wake up for the first time in 2 1/2 months, roll out of bed and hop in a warm shower! It's amazing how much we take for granted, and how just a little time of being stripped of it makes us appreciate it all the more.

It's hard to believe that in 25 days I'll be with 3 other girls (and our leader, who is also a woman) in Nicaragua. All 4 of us are so excited to experience a new country and new people. From the sounds of it, there are no set plans for where we're going to stay or what we're going to be doing, which i don't mind one bit!
Be praying that the rest of my funds will come in!

Support!

2010-02-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

February 16, 2010

Hi everyone!

It's hard to believe that I've been here for over a month now, and that lecture phase is half over!

There are only six of us students on board; five girls and one lonely boy. They are all, wonderful and come from all over the U.S.

We are slowly learning what makes each one of us tick, and how to function adequately in such small community living.

We have had some amazing speakers these last six weeks that have talked about some life changing stuff. I'm learning that even though none of my “expectations” are being met, God has bigger and better plans for me during this stage of life.

It has been amazing to get see and experience a number of the islands that surround Roatan. I am looking forward to getting to see much more in the coming weeks.

We spent some time in an island group called the Cayos Cochinos, serving the local people group called the Garifuna. Our time was split between two villages; East End and Chachahuate. We had the opportunity to teach English and help a local doctor at the clinic. It was an awesome experience and a needed break from boat life.

So, what's next? There is about a month and half left of the lecture phase, and then we are off to outreach! I am looking forward to the near future, but i am still in need of financial support. I still need $2110.00, which covers the lecture and outreach phases (I reached my goal of paying over $5k when I came, hurray!). This is the last part of the school fee that I still need to raise.

Please prayerfully consider supporting me in this journey. Your support has been a big part of getting me here and has allowed me to have these incredible experiences. Without you (or without you taking part in Gods provisioning) a lot of this wouldn't be possible. Thank you SO much for all your prayers, and keep

em' coming!

If you would like a tax receipt, you can give through Mosaic Church, Bellingham online giving - https://ssl.charityweb.net/mosaicnw. Or, you can send a check directly to Mosaic at PO Box 5505 Bellingham, Wa 98227. Put a note in the envelope stating the money is for me and they will be sure I get it.

Humbly,

Lael Atkins

Cruisers

2010-02-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

DEFINITION: males and females ranging anywhere between 35 to 67+ years in age, who lasso their Dingy's together in the middle of the bay, creating a pod like structure. They are capable of consuming larger than life amounts of alcohol and will gladly share any beverage or snack with you as long as you are willing to listen to their life story...they will often congrigate at a local resort to play a riviting game or two of Mexican Train. They are wonderful people!
There's a Super Bowl party tomorrow that the Cruisers are throwing at FI. We're planning on making some treats and bringing the party...which is one of our spiritual gifts as a team...as well as dancing and dance parties...which have been started at FI.

Next week we're sailing to a small island just off the mainland to help out in a medical center. It'll be so good for all of us to be able to get off the boats everyday and just go serve. We're all super excited work and help anyway we can.

I still need support, so be praying for that and internship opportunities!!

Guanaja

2010-01-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

The good news is..i didn't get sea sick on a 7 hour sail...the bad new is...i got a nasty sun-burn and was officially given the title "Lobster girl" the remainder of the week. The island we anchord at is called Guanaja, about 30 miles from Roaton. It was a beautiful place with the most beaufiful people on it. Chris spoke this week about World View, which was great. We're back to FI (as its so pleasantly refered to by all on board) for this coming week. It's beginning to feel like home here. I think all of us are glad to be back after a long sail, although it still feels like i'm moving just sitting here on solid ground.
I can't believe its been almost a month already! Only 8 more to go! if i can pay for it.
i miss everyone! hope all is well

No sleep!

2010-01-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first full and complete sunny day yet! We had pretty much the entire day off so we just kinda bummed around the boats. The sky was really clear for the first time since i've been here, so i slept out and up in the sail cover. The sky was practically overflowing with stars, and it felt like i could just reach out and touch them. It got to the point were i was forcing my eyes to stay open, because i just couldn't get enough. I kept wishing i could share it with someone i love, but the longer i watched the less i needed someone else there. It was one of the most incredible experiences i've ever had. Simply irreplaceable.

RRRRRRROATAN!

2010-01-10T13:14:00.000-08:00

i'm here! including me there are 6 students; Becky, Mary, Brittany, Kara and Luke... We went snorkeling on Friday along the reef (which is increadibly clear and beautiful) where we got to see 2 cute little turtles and swam through a school of electric blue fish.
So far that has been the only really sunny day thus far, and it was just enough to wet my appitite any temperature over 80. A pretty large storm rolled in yesterday so sleeping last night was a little rough, but we made it. The first speaking arrives today, and i couln't be more ready. I think we all have a little bit of cabin fever and are ready for lectures to get underway.

Flight number 1

2010-01-07T04:15:00.000-08:00

I made it to Houston!