Guatemala, Part 1

Many of you already know that Ben and I spent last week on a missions trip in Guatemala City with the student ministry from our church here in Texas. We were partnering with Fellowship Guatemala, and primarily went to build relationships with two church plants down there. We were so blessed by our trip, and found it difficult to leave all our new friends behind!

I’ve opted to post my journal entries along with the appropriate pictures so that I don’t have to retype a lot of things. J I hope you enjoy reading about our trip as much as we enjoyed being there!

Sunday (7/21/13)

It is so strange to be leaving on a missions trip almost exactly one year after Haiti. What is even stranger is that I’m going to Guatemala instead of returning to Haiti. God alone knows what He’s doing!

Two weeks ago, we had the send-off prayer service at church. Last week was spent frantically packing. Yesterday was relaxing. I went to bed around 10:00 p.m., but woke up almost every hour sweating.

I got up and showered at 4:00 a.m. and then had some hot cocoa before leaving with Dad and Ben at 5:00 a.m.

We were the first ones at church (aside from Pastor D.) After praying together, Ben and I rode with other team members to the airport.

We arrived safely and checked in (it took quite awhile.) Security was smooth, thankfully. We arrived at our gate about 1 ½ hours before departure. I got a breakfast sandwich at Burger King and a mango smoothie. We read, ate, and played a game called “Signs” before boarding the plane.

Hanging out at the airport.

On our flight to Houston, I finished my devotions, journaled, and read for awhile.

We landed safely in Houston and headed for the bathrooms. I got left there by accident. L I was trying not to cry and reminded myself that I’m an adult now. Thankfully, the others hadn’t made it far. It’s just funny how I’m always the one who has trouble with bathrooms on missions trips!

Some folks ate snacks during the 20 minutes before our flight. We boarded and I sat next to a friendly Indian businessman from Dallas. I read some during the flight.

I started talking more with the man next to me. His name was J and he was extremely interested in the details of our trip. He asked how to donate and I pointed to Pastor D who was across from me. Mr. J pulls out a wad of $100 bills and gives one to Pastor D!!! Pastor D started talking with him. It turns out Mr. J is a Sikh. That spurred on an interesting spiritual conversation.

Both were very respectful of each other. I prayed that God would work through Pastor D and open Mr. J’s heart. I got up to go to the restroom, and when I got back, sat in Pastor D’s seat. He talked with Mr. J the rest of the flight. I truly believe it was a God-orchestrated meeting.

It took us a long time to get through the Guatemala airport. We all had to use the bathroom, collect our bags (some were hard to find), and go through customs. Somehow, Ben, Pastor D, and I got stuck at the back of the line.

The view in from the Guatemala City airport.

Outside we met A and our driver, E. Our bus was as colorful as a Haitian tap-tap! We drove to the mission house. The mountains are beautiful and remind me of Haiti. Except Guatemala City is much more modern.

At the house, we were greeted by A’s wife G. She is so sweet and their 3-year-old daughter is gorgeous! The house is nice and spacious. I’m sharing a room with two of the Moms on our team.

We ate a delicious lunch prepared by M, the cook. We had amazingly moist chicken, tortillas, and salad.

Our delicious lunch!

After lunch we unpacked and settled in. We practiced our music for the church service that we were going to later that night. Pastor B showed up around 4:30 p.m. with his wife O. They seem really nice!

We left to go to the new church plant around 5:15 p.m. It meets in a hotel pavilion, which used to be a dance hall. About 50 Guatemalans came, which was great!

We were profusely welcomed by everyone at the church. The service started with singing. We sang about 6 songs, most of with which I was familiar. Then Pastor D preached while Pastor B translated. He used the story of Mr. J as his primary illustration. He preached out of Colossians.

A, Pastor D, Pastor B, and G at church.

After that, our group sang “You are Holy (Prince of Peace)” and “10,000 Reasons.” Then they did offering. At the end, Pastor B called our team forward and they prayed over us. At least four people prayed while everyone else prayed under their breath.

We sang one final song and then church was dismissed. We stayed around and visited for quite awhile. I met a nice girl named C. A couple of little boys were being quite the flirts. J

C, myself, C, and H after church.

We rode on the bus back to the mission house. A lot of the people from the church came over for dinner. The Dominos pizza was so good!

Enjoying dinner at the mission house.

Then we just started winding down for the night. I chatted and journaled for awhile. I just skipped the shower and went to bed around 10:30 p.m.

To be continued . . .