Last week Home!!!

This week has been quite amazing! Christmas Eve spent with my whole family was great. I loved being able to see everyone before I left. : ) Christmas day through Wednesday my parents, sister and I went to Lincoln City and stayed in a beach house for a few nights. Awesome time to spend together right before I leave. My sister was able to stay the whole time also. It was great to see her again. I don't get to very often.
Thursday night... Hmmm, let's just say I have amazing friends and girls in the youth group and from Young Life. They put together a surprise going away party for me! I loved it! Went in for a meeting with Ben, the youth pastor, and end up getting kidnapped and taken to The Rock for a surprise party and video they made of them saying memories with me, my favorite jokes, and time we spent together. It was great. : D I love it.
Yesterday a few of the girls and I went to Vancouver for one last girls day. Love my girls so much. I will miss them like crazy! Today my mom and I went to REI and got a few last minute things for me and some things for her. Also last day for Olive Garden... Can I just say, YUM! : ) Love you mommy!
Update about Belize adventures...I get to go to Guatemala!! I am going to be apart of the Hiking team going to remote villages. Not exactly sure what we will be doing, but you better believe God's love will be spread.: ) I cannot wait to use some of my Spanish. It is going to be quite an adventure.
I have been more on the excited side instead of the emotional side lately. Trying to keep it that way since I know I will be coming home soon. I can't wait to be able to share stories from Belize, I know I am going to have so many. God has given me this opportunity, and now the opportunity to go to Guatemala, where I used to want to go, and I will be able to test out my Spanish, which is always exciting for me! Haha. I
ll try and blog again soon!
Love From Far and Near
Amanda

Pills, Bags and Busy.

Well, things are still going pretty well. No big hick ups or bumps in the road. Got my medicine last week for my trip. Finished my Typhoid vaccine pills and Sunday I have to start taking my Malaria pills. I have to take those once a week my whole trip, plus 4 weeks after I get back. Should be fun, hah.

Today was also my last day of work! I am going to miss my kids from work and coworkers a ton. I got a couple gifts from moms of kids. Lots of hugs from them. Love them very much. : )

I have done so much shopping for Belize. I will be taking down 2 suit cases with me. I have soo much I have to take. One of the weirdest things I have to take is laundry soap, cause I have to have a specific type that can't be found in Belize. So 2 suit cases to carry all my things and and everything that I need for 5 months.

I took everything off my walls so my mom can paint while I am gone. My room is gonna be so empty! I leave in 11 days. Wow! So excited and nerve wracking. I am looking forward to it though. I am also looking forward to Christmas! Last time for me to see all of my family together before I leave. I love them all very much. :)

I will try to figure out how to start an email list for weekly, or every few weeks updates.
Love from Near and Far,
Amanda

Mattew/Mateo 28:19-20

This has been one of my favorite verses ever since I learned and memorized it in quizzing. : )
¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
                                      Matthew 28:19-20

¹⁹ Por tanto, vayan y hagan discípulos de todas las naciones, bautizándolos en el nombre del Padre y del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo,²⁰ enseñándoles a obedecer todo lo que les he mandado a ustedes. Y les aseguro que estaré con ustedes siempre, hasta el fin del mundo.^"
                                      Mateo 28:19-20

Sitting at EB : )

Well, I keep forgetting to blog. But not too much to blog about anyways. I am just sitting at EB: ) Love this place. Bought my plane ticket for Belize! No turning back now, all cards are in play. Went shopping and found skirts. Yuck, skirts, but I gound a couple cute ones on sale. Bought some other things that I needed for my trip. Finally got my packing list from Melissa. Did some good discount shopping. : ) I have been Facebooking with a girl named Madison form Belize. I am so excited to meet her. She has helped me so much, just answering my random questions, prayer and encourament.
Aaahhhh and 25 minutes later I continue, couple Erin and Kelsey from youth came and chatted for a while. I am definitely going to be missing my girls that is for sure. I love them all so very much. Also Katlynn and Joslyn! My parents have been so supportive and I give a huge thanks to them for everything they have done for me and all the support hey give : ) I love them very much. Can't wait for Christmas to spend time with them my sister and her friend. Some good family time before I leave.
One step at a time I am getting ready for this adventure God has set my life path to. So excited for this!
Love from Near and Far,
Amanda : )

Pampered Chef! Also Donations!

Thank you to all who helped out and ordered items from Pampered Chef! I earned around $200 after all was figured out. I am super excited for this! My next step is to get my airplane ticket bought so this will help me very much with that. Thank you sooo much to all who helped me : )

Also I have had a few people give donations already. Cannot explain in words how blessed I am by everyone. Especially my Nonny and Papa who have helped me out a lot. : )

My Parents and I are going to be going to a travel agency soon to get flight tickets. Super excited but very nerve racking. Melissa in Belize has not replied to my email in almost a week. Nothing unusual but makes me even more nervous. Your prayer support is much needed and loved, that I stay strong with what I feel God is calling me to. So far the beginning of this journey has been quite interesting. Yet also exciting! I just keep taking one step after the other.

Love from Near and Far
Amanda Larson

Getting Ready!

Okay, so first blog on here. How exciting!
Well as everyone knows by now, I am leaving for Belize January 3rd till June 7th. I am super excited and can't wait. Though at the same time totally nervous. So far I have just been doing what I can to get ready to leave. cleaned out my closet, went and saw the doctor, called the travel clinic, set my dentist appointment and I have my hair appointment tomorrow. : )
Fundraisers have started also! My mom planned a Pampered Chef party for this Sunday. If you are interested in ordering anything let me know, 20% of the order money goes towards my trip fund. I have magazinesIi can get to people and online ordering is up and running now to at www.pamperedchef.biz/melodywheeler. Melody will be running the party. She's pretty awesome : )
While I am down there I will be living in Jacintoville which is 8 miles West of Punta Gorda. So I will be on the Southern tip of Belize and close to the beach!
I will be working in an orphanage the whole time I am down there. There will be rotating shifts of preparing and cleaning up meals, watching the children, doing homeschooling, office work, and putting the kids to bed. My days will be starting between 6:30 and 8 each morning and ending between 4 and 8 at night. Every morning we will be having devotions for an hour in the morning and I will be having assignments and papers to write. No idea what they are for but I guess it will be worth it. That must be what I get for not going to school : P
I don't know exactly where I will be staying myself but I am pretty sure it will be in the orphanage itself.
Well, don't know what more to write about, have a goodnight everyone.
Love from Near and Far,
Amanda