July ’12 Highlights (Photo Blog)

   As I am down to my last few days in the States, I want to share a few of my highlights from my time here:

   My first stop was to Huntington to visit the Jicka family. Mike was my youth pastor growing up and he and his wife Rachel were such a huge influence in my life (pictured left with Mike and Rachel). They were the ones who really taught me what it meant to have a real and daily relationship with Jesus. I remember when both of their children were born and spent so much time babysitting them when I was in high school. It's crazy to see them so grown up! I loved spending an afternoon with this wonderful family, hearing updates on their life and ministry, and sharing about all that the Lord has been doing in Nicaragua. 

   Of course my favorite part of being home is time with my sweet niece and nephew! I miss Cosby and Clover so much when I'm in Nicaragua and I just love being with them when I'm in the States. Clover has grown up so much! I'm starting to get to know so much of her personality now. Cosby and I are best friends. Seriously, I adore this kid! I just can't get enough of them!!

    I am so thankful for over 20 years of friendship with Amanda! We have been friends since we were in kindergarten and I am so thankful that we are still friends after so many years. Every time I am in the States we get together for Mexican lunch, coffee, or potato breakfast. I love our times getting together and catching up on everything that has been going on in each of our lives. I also always get to spend at least one evening hanging out with her lovely children. I love that we are always able to just pick up right where we left off. I know that few people have friendships that have lasted over decades. I'm blessed that I have two; Steph we missed you this time! 

    One of my usual favorite stateside days is my sleepover with my cousins Stacy and Amanda and with Amanda's children Emma, Katelynn, Sophie (all the girls pictured left at our sleepover). Every time I come to the States, I have a sleepover with these sweet girls. I just love my family and that we cousins sincerely enjoy hanging out together. This time I spent time laughing and playing with the girls- Emma (6), Katelynn (3), and Sophie (1), catching up on life with Amanda and Stacy, and laughing for hours as we took ridiculous pictures on my computer.

     I was blessed to be able to spend time with so many of the King College girls some of whom I hadn't seen in YEARS. It was so good to reconnect with so many ladies that were such a big part of my college years. First, I met Mel for lunch and coffee in VA. I had three days just hanging out with Bev and then we traveled together to Roanoake to have a reunion dinner with Costa, Bev, Nicole, and Amanda. I also was able to meet Amy for coffee in NC. It was so good to have time with so many of my friends from college. My time at King was so precious to me and I was so thankful to be able to reconnect with these wonderful ladies.

    Every July the Huffman family (my mom's family) has a 3-day family reunion in Lewisburg, WV. I know that most people say that three days with family seems like a lot, but to us it never seems like enough! We have a huge extended family as my mom is one of 8 kids. It's always so much fun to have everyone together (some of the family pictured left eating lunch). We have three days full of whiffle ball, cookouts, laughter, sharing family stories, swimming, and just enjoying being together. It's one of my favorite parts of the year. One of the reasons I have always loved this family reunion is the fact that there are four of us girls who are about the same age and have always been close friends. One of my favorite parts about the reunion is spending an entire weekend with Amanda, Kristin, and Stacy (pictured right with the girls). We have had years of family reunion stories of water balloon battles, hotel pranks, girls' nights, and other ridiculous fun. I just love being with my family! 

    After my family reunion, I hit the road for a 3-week road trip. First stop was down to Gainesville, GA where Adventure in Mission's office is located. The main purpose of my trip was to gather employment certification paperwork for my residency, but it provided a great opportunity to spend some time being poured back into by the Adventures staff. I loved staying with the Lengkeek's, spending some time praying with and speaking into Whitney's Project Searchlight group, sitting with different members of Adventures staff talking about all that the Lord is doing in Nicaragua, and just being a part of that community for a few days. I am so blessed to be a part of an organization that is such a community of grace and that longs to build the Kingdom in every way possible.
   
    I was also able to spend a great deal of time with my lovely Kiatera sister, Katie Rowland (Katie and I pictured left). Katie was one of my World Race teammates. I loved getting to spend an entire day in her apartment drinking amazing iced americanos (thanks Katie for breaking out your barista skills!), lunch date, catching up on life, and talking about all the exciting doors that the Lord has been opening in each of our lives. He's doing BIG things and I can't wait to see where He is leading each of us. I just love her heart for the Lord and for sharing stories of hope through media arts. She is doing such incredible things for the Kingdom!

    My second stop was Atlanta, GA. I lived in Atlanta from 2005-2008 (the years between graduating from college and moving into full-time missions). The last time I was in Atlanta was in August 2009, right after my World Race journey. I was so excited to be able to revisit this city that I love and to spend some time with some really amazing ladies while I was there. I stayed with my friend Tracy, spent an entire morning with Lily and her daughter Augustine, and had family dinner with my ex-roommate Sarah and her family. My days in Atlanta were filled with heart-to-heart chats with some of my favorite ladies, tons of cappuccinos (thank you Tracy!), delicious food, residency paperwork, and a trip to Shakespeare Tavern to see 12th Night. It was such wonderful few days!
 

  Pictured left: Sarah and her two children
Pictured above right: Tracy and me
Pictured below right: Sweet morning with Lily and Augustine

    I left Atlanta and then joined my family at Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. My entire family came together for this vacation. We had such a fun week together! I loved having a whole week of uninterrupted family time! My parents, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, niece, and I spent the week relaxing at the beach, playing in the pool or sand, and enjoying family dinners. (Clover and Cosby pictured right playing in the sand). I had planned to spend quite a bit of time journaling and processing at the beach, but everytime I hear Cosby's sweet voice saying, "Aunt Lisa come and play with me." I know that's all I want to do!

    After a week at the beach, I packed up my car once again and headed to North Carolina. First to Raleigh to visit the Pratts and then to Hendersonville to see the Willinghams. I spent the night with Johnny and Marissa Pratt (from my World Race squad), met their beautiful daughters- Ansleigh and Cosette, and spoke about my dream for the foster home with their small group. I am so excited to see what the Lord is going to do as we partner together in this venture. Then I went to Hendersonville to stay with Ashley and Jake Willingham, who I worked with during my first five months in Nicaragua. I was thrilled to be back together with them and to meet their baby boy, Grayson. Also, Whit came down and I was able to spend an entire day with Ashley, Whit, and sweet baby Gray(pictured left with Ashley and Whit). It was just what my heart needed! I am so thankful for these beautiful ladies and their lovely hearts! We had long chats about our hearts, coffee dates and outings with baby Gray and then finished the day attempting to take their old jeep out through the orchards. It was a perfect end to my 3-week long roadtrip. 

    And of course the purpose behind my trip to the States this time and the reason for all of the traveling was so that I could get all of my stateside residency paperwork (pictured right with all my paperwork- praise Jesus!). The search for this paperwork took me to Beckley, Charleston, Gainesville, Atlanta, and DC. It was a great deal of work, but a major barrier crossed in obtaining my Nicaraguan residency. I still have several more steps to take once I am back in Nicaragua, but I am now one step closer to obtaining residency. Once I have my residency, I will be able to move forward in my dream for the foster care home, begin construction on the home, and begin working with Mi Familia. Keep praying for me as I walk forward in this dream.