Indianapolis Fire

Last night, well this morning, I got off work around 3:30am and started heading home as usual. I didn't get far from the hospital and realized that something was wrong up ahead - an orange glow and some smoke and glowing particles drifting from the glow and what looked like spraying water. I continued on my way home, but trying to get a better look at what was actually burning. Within seconds flames were shooting up into the air above the surrounding 3-4 story buildings with huge thick black smoke billowing from the blaze. It must have started around 3AM or a bit earlier - emergency vehicles were already on the scene and more arriving by the second. I was having a hard time differentiating where the fire was at due to the density of structures in the area surrounding the fire. All I could tell was that it was huge!!! I called back to work to see if they had gotten any notice for a disaster response . . . if the fire was in one of the 4-5 large apartment/condo buildings then the hospital would need extra help and being only a couple blocks away I could have gone back in . . . but they had not heard about anything at that point. As I was driving about 2-3 blocks away there were smoldering pieces of debris falling on the road. Here are the photos that I tried to take with my phone - they aren't very good, but give you an idea of the enormity of the fire!






Reports are that nobody was hurt, the fire was in a new construction site and they were able to keep it contained to only that site. That I must say is the amazing work done my the fire men and women who were working through the night, after more than 9 hours they were able to get the fire down and just dealing with the remaining hot spots and smoldering areas!!!

missing guatemala

today is just one of those days that i'm really missing guatemala. i don't understand it and i don't know why - all i know is that i was brought to tears last night thinking about those precious faces, and wondering what i can even do to make a difference . . . the difference and the hope they are looking for is only found in Jesus! anything that i have to offer can't even begin to touch the deep needs that are in their hearts and that they face on a daily basis. and isn't it so american to even think that they have something that needs to be fixed? sometimes going back there seems so far away, and then i see a photo or a memory flashes into my mind and i feel like i'm just away from home for a little while, waiting to go back. i don't know what it all means, but today, as much as i'm missing guatemala, i have a peace that i'm right where i'm suppose to be.
on a lighter note, i ran out of my guatemalan coffee =( horrible, i know! thankfully i have a contact who is currently in guate and will be bringing me back some of the good stuff soon! but, until then i have to survive on something - so i decided that i would buy "Casi Ciello" which is a guatemalan coffee that starbucks sells. i've never had it, but have always wanted to try it. normally i wouldn't spend that much on coffee, but i had a gift card and it would cover basically the whole amount, so i thought it would be ok. problem - i went to 3 different starbucks and they were out of it, apparently it's seasonal and they won't be getting anymore, i called around to about 3 or 4 more stores and gave up when they all said they were out as well. still needed more coffee though . . . so i went ahead and walked down to the starbucks and used my giftcard to buy the regular coffee from antigua, guatemala =) i can't wait until tom. morning when i get to see if it's any good!!! i was so happy on my walk back to my house, funny how such a little thing can make me so happy!!!

March is here . . .

I'm so excited about the warm weather that we have seen a few days here and there here in Indy! It's given me an excuse to get out of the house for a few minutes here and there to go for quick walks or jogs! Let me just say that I love love love my apartment and it's close location to work and school!
March is going to be full of continued assignments and course work for all 12 credit hours that I'm taking at IUPUI, assisting 2 professors as a TA, work, days of orientation and classes for the emergency room, and planning for my summer internship. Work allowed me to go down to part time, not sure if that will go into effect during the month of March or not until April. Regardless I will be thankful for the little bit of extra time that working less hours will give me . . . hopefully no more late assignments!!!
The summer internship is still in the planning and approval stage, but looks like it is coming together in ways that only God can do! IUPUI has a partner university in Mexico and they have talked about different diabetes prevention programs. A group of us are putting together a grant proposal for a diabetes prevention program focused on 4th graders that can be implemented both in the United States as well as in Mexico. My internship would be a "feasibility study", which means going to Mexico and working with the faculty to on this program. The grant will cover my travel expenses as well as other aspects of the program, so I'm praying we get the grant!!!
I wanted to post photos and don't have too many new ones, but there are some I realized that I haven't posted that are kinda fun . . .

These first 3 photos are from my quick visit to Chicago in January:
The new PGM building

This was taken at my friend's baby shower

Enjoying fondue with the Nottingham Girls (minus 1)

I was recently able to see some photos that somebody else took in Guatemala this summer,
this is some of the team that I worked with:

and this brings back a fun memory of helping to translate some truths from the Bible to this mother of one of the VBS children.