Wednesday, March 2, 2011- Day 69

I cannot begin to thank you for all your prayers. I am feeling so much better. I was going to post last night but I was so tired when I got back from class. I went to work Monday and let me tell you, it was a struggle. I did not feel well and it was storming so bad Monday morning. Thankfully we did not have any severe storms pass over us. Monday night I had a Guatemala meeting at our leaders house. It was the first time that I actually met the people I will be traveling to another country with and spending seven days with in a foreign country. They were all really nice but I did feel a little awkward. It is no secret that I look incredibly young. You may not know, but I am so insecure about looking so young. I know, I know, I will love it when I am older. When I was in my 20's I did not mind it so much but now it is just ridiculous. The part that gets me is that people tend to make a BIG deal about how young I look. So, any time I am going into a new situation I feel weird about my youthful appearance:) What made Monday night awkward was the fact that I am the only one in my age group. The team is made up of young, unmarried high school/college kids or people who have high school/college kids. They were all so nice and nobody made a big deal how old I actually was. There were a few surprised looks when I said I had three kids. It was a good meeting and I am looking forward to getting to know my team better. There were a few "yikes" moments when those who have gone before started talking about the extreme heat and a scorpion bite that one member received on his first trip. We were also told to be prepared for a four hour bumpy bus ride once we land in Guatemala City. They said the roads are terrible over there and if you have a bad back you will need to sit toward the front.  I would be lying if I said I was not a little nervous. I have said this before but this trip is way out of my personal comfort zone. The mission part is not out of my comfort zone but going where I do not know anyone really scares me. Anyway, I was warned that I would be in a constant state of sweatiness and that God was going to change my life.

Yesterday I felt even better except for my jaw. It was really hurting! I was in the middle of teaching and I said something and my jaw made this horrible cracking sound. My kids all yelled "Gross Mrs. Riggs! What was that?" It has progressively gotten worse and this morning I could barely open my mouth. The up side is that I have lost three pounds in the past few days because I could not get my mouth open to eat. I called up my chiropractor and he got me in this afternoon. My neck was all messed up and it was affecting my jaw. The muscles in my face and neck are also all knotted up and causing the pain. I am praying that this clears up before Saturday. Last night was class and then school today. I have got a lot accomplished but I still have a lot to do. I determined today to just do what I can. I will be boarding a plane Saturday morning whether it all gets done or not!

Well the kids are getting restless so I better get start thinking about supper. I will share more tomorrow, but March 3rd is a hard day for me. It is filled with many broken dreams and my emotions have been getting the best of me the past few days.