Mississippi Summer 2026

For the past few years we have been spending a few weeks of our school summer break in Mississippi.  The boys strongly desire it, and we have been trying to provide that for them.  Their time with us here in Guatemala is coming to an end much faster than we would like.  We realize that in just a few short years they'll be moving permanently to the U.S. We hope that by making these summer visits back home that it is helping them put down some roots and deepen relationships with family and friends there. It’s just another way to help prepare them to launch and transition well. 

Here is a look at our visit home this summer. 

 

We left Guatemala on a Saturday afternoon. Our excitement was high!

 

 

A beautiful sunset greeted us in Atlanta. We had a twelve hour overnight layover there and didn't fly out until the next morning.

 
We arrived in Jackson, MS on Sunday morning which also happened to be Father's Day.

 

 

We headed straight to Crystal Springs where we joined David's family for a delicious Southern Sunday lunch meal. It was great to see all of his family at the same time.  We especially enjoyed seeing baby Lake who was just two months old when we returned from our Stateside Assignment in December.

 

visiting my mom 

We had a meal with my family members at the local Mexican restaurant the following night.

 

We enjoyed several visits with the Browns while home.  Here we are having ice cream at Dairy Freeze in Crystal Springs 

 

Ben 

 

Cruz 

 

I love getting to be home for the annual Tomato Festival.  This was the 30th year for it. 

 

 

During the festival, we always enjoy the Friday night street party with the Browns. 

 

 

me and my longtime friend Malinda 

 

Another thing I love about summer visits is getting to celebrate the 4th of July in the U.S.  It was especially memorable this summer because it was the 250th celebration. 

 

 

We spent the day with David's family.  Here we are that evening at Lake Copiah getting ready to watch the fireworks show. 

 

We enjoyed a Sunday lunch meal with David's sister, Robin, and some of her family. 

 

David and Robin 

 

Robin and the boys 

 

 

us with sweet Lake 

 

 

We spent most of our Sundays and Wednesday nigths at our home church, Harmony Baptist, in Crystal Springs.  Here is Cruz serving as a greeter one morning.  

 

 

We went one Sunday morning with my mom to her church.  They were having a special 4th of July service that included a hamburger and hot dog cookout afterwards. 

 

us with Mr. Thurman at church 

 

We always enjoy getting to see our former youth ministry students and their families.  The Johnsons have us over every time we are home.  We love catching up with them and our kids hanging out together.

 

Ricky was another former student.  He came to visit us one evening.  He brought pizza, and we watched a U.S. soccer game together.  

 

 

Cruz upgraded his learner's permit to a regular driver's license while we were home.  He enjoyed a lot of driving freedom on the trip.    

 

 

He started a pressure washing business with his best friend, Jude.  They went door to door asking for work and ended up getting several jobs.  It kept them busy on the hot summer days and provided them with a lot of spending money for the days ahead.

 

 

They even had work t-shirts made.  

It was a fun learning experience for both of them.  

 

 

When he wasn't working, Cruz spent many days playing golf with his friends from Brookhaven at the Wolf Hollow Golf Club in Wesson. David's uncle gifted him a set of clubs, and he was thrilled to get to use them. 

 

 

Here is Ben on an afternoon there at the driving range.

 

 

David and Cruz went on a frog grabbing night outing.  That was a fun adventure! 

 

 

We made a visit to Oxford to see David's dad.

Here are three generations of Whites. 

 

 

Us with Mr. Harold and Jodi 

 

David's family

 

 

Another thing I love about summer visits is getting to attend the Miller family reunion.  This is my dad's family.  Now that he is gone, I like attending to represent him.  It is fun to see everyone and catch up in person.  This is me with two of my cousins. 

 

me and my mom

We enjoyed several outings for shopping and meals. 

 

I especially enjoyed a day outing with David's three aunts.  We had a lot of fun and laughed the whole day.  We started with a lunch meal at Mama Hamil's in Madison, and then spent the rest of the day visiting thrift/ antique stores along Hwy. 49. 

 

 

Another fun day was spent with my friend Malinda.  We had lunch at Aplos in Ridgeland and then spent the afternoon shopping. 

 

Enjoying one last meal with the Browns at Arturo's in Crystal Springs before we left.

 

I didn't get photos of all that we did, but this is a good overview of our time there.  It was fun-filled, and we made some great memories. 

 

Life Lately June & July 2026

Hello blogger world!  I took a break during the summer and will try to get caught up in the days ahead.  Here are some random pictures from the months of June and July. 

 

In early June David preached at a special Father's Day service at the Baptist church in Jocotenango.

 

We met this sweet family from Maine and enjoyed visiting with them over coffee at a local coffee shop in town.  They were in Guatemala on vacation.  We love opportunities like this.   

 

 

A highlight of my June was watching the college baseball playoffs and World Series tournament.  Of course, we cheered on Ole Miss until they lost.  

 

We all had dental cleanings.  This was the view while we waited to see the dentist.  Not a bad sight!

 

 

The boys attended Camp Guamiski, which is a summer camp for MK's living in Guatemala.  They love this week!   

 

 

While they were at camp, David and I spent some time in Guatemala City doing annual medical checkups.  What a pretty view from Zone 10. 

 

 

A highlight of our city time was having lunch at Del Griego.  We love gyros!  We also enjoyed a meal at P.F. Chang's.  It is a tradition while they boys are at camp. 

 

 

As soon as camp ended, we flew home to Mississippi for a few weeks of summer in the South.  You can read about that HERE.

 

 

We returned to Guatemala mid-July and then just three days later flew to Peru for a work meeting/ training. 

 

Landing in Lima 

From the Lima airport, we had a two hour bus ride to our location.  Peru's Independence Day was coming up so that meant we saw their flag flying everywhere.

 

This pretty much sums up the area.  It was dry, dusty, and brown. 

 

A highlight was the alpacas and llamas that roamed the property where we stayed.  We loved seeing them every day. 

 

 

 

While we were at our training, Cruz enjoyed spending the week with other high school TCK's whose parents serve in the Americas.  This annual retreat is one of his favorite things!  This was his second year to go.  You have to be fifteen to attend, so next year Ben will get to join him. 

 

Cruz with some of his friends at the retreat. 

 

They loved dressing up for an evening meal.  They also had a hoedown and a decades night. 

 

We are thankful for the way the IMB invests in our kids! 

 

 

We returned to Guatemala with one week left of summer break.  I spent most of the week getting ready for the new school year.   

 

Here are some photos of our classroom this year- 

 

I bought this wall decoration because it reminded me of Colorado, which I greatly love! 

 

 

 

We started back on August 3.  I'll share about our first day of school in an upcoming post. 

 

 

The boys spent the week catching up with friends.  They both had sleepovers.  Ben joined a friend to see the new Spiderman movie.  Cruz enjoyed a workout with a friend and a visit to a coffee shop.  They both joined friends at locals pools for a day of swimming.  They had a busy social week!  On this particular day we enjoyed lunch with friends at a local coffee farm.  This is Ben with his friend Josue. 

 

A cute planter at the coffee farm.

 

Overall, it was a fun summer, and I'm a little sad that is has come to an end.  But, new adventures lie ahead, and we are fully embracing what fall has to offer.  What am I most looking forward to?  SEC college football!!!  Football season is my favorite season of all.