First few days in Guatemala!

What a wild few days! God has already moved in such profound ways and I am so expectant for what’s next. Here’s a short(ish) recap: on Monday (18th) we left AIM base in Georgia at 5:00am to head to the airport for our 3 hour flight to Guatemala City! We arrived in the afternoon and Hannah and Philip from AIM Guatemala picked us up, we stopped for a late lunch, then headed to base! We had a quick meeting then just got to relax and hangout together – played basketball and soccer, sat and chatted, some napped, and then met some of the women at the base with Beauty for Ashes, the women’s ministry, and all ate dinner together. On Tuesday (19th) we had an orientation in the morning to learn more about the base, the community, Guatemala, and our ministries. We spent the afternoon hanging out together and then a kid’s soccer team showed up for practice and some of us got to spend time with the kiddos! We ate our last meal together for a while as a squad for dinner then had to begin our “see ya laters.” Our squad is split into 4 teams with 4-6 people in each team. We do this to better serve our ministries and to serve in different areas. Three of the teams, including mine, are within about an hour of Antigua, and one team is about 8 hours away in Poptun, Peten. It’s crazy how hard and emotional the sending offs were having only known each other for just 2 weeks – we have truly become a family and I am beyond grateful for this squad. The teams near Antigua will likely get to see each other throughout our time in Guatemala but we will not see our team in Peten until our debrief in November 🙁 Please be praying for each team as we adjust to the community, grow closer to each other, and that we serve our ministries and hosts well! Yesterday (20th) was my team’s first full day in San Antonio Aguascalientes at our host home! We are staying with a wonderful family who is part of the ministry we are serving and have welcomed us for the 1-2 months we are here. Our hosts are such a blessing – the mother has offered to make and serve all of our meals and OH MY, she’s the best! We also get beds! PTL! We are so blessed. Our house has a terrace that we have already spent a lot of time on where we can see all 3 volcanos in Antigua! They are Agua, which is inactive, Acatenango, which is dormant and we plan to hike in a few weeks, and Fuego, which erupts/smokes every 15-20 minutes! Yesterday morning (20th) a friend from the ministry walked us around San Antonio to show us around and then we headed to Hope base in the afternoon to help clean up and a few of us sat in on the Beauty for Ashes bible study where we discussed the attributes of God. Then we took the chicken bus to Antigua to Serve Hope, which is the coffee shop part of the ministry, to go to the prayer room where we spent a couple hours in prayer and worship over our families. This morning (21st) we woke up and hopped on the bus to Antigua to the prayer room for another time of prayer, this time praying over Israel – that the Spirit would move in the nation so they would receive the Gospel that is Jesus Christ (more on this later). Now we are just sitting in the shop, writing blogs, sharing what God has already done, talking with friends. As I am writing this, I Thank God by Maverick City Music is playing – I can’t help but thank God for all that’s happened and all I get to share with you! Tonight we have worship night!! This is where the whole ministry started, with Worship Room (you can check them out on Facebook)! The service is held in the coffee shop and the community, volunteers for the ministry, locals, pastors, missionaries, everyone is invited to come together to worship the Lord!

The Lord is ACTIVE here. This ministry is so beautiful. Our ministry host, Jeofrey, started this ministry with Worship Room and expanded to created Hope to serve the community of San Antonio by serving and ministering to children and families. Him and the team have a heart not only for the community but for each other and the church. There is such an emphasis on discipleship and personal growth in relationship with the Lord – how can we share what God is doing if we aren’t allowing Him to move in our own lives? I see their passion for this mostly in the prayer room. In the prayer room is just my team and some of the volunteers for the ministry where we just pray together and individually, read Scripture, worship through song, and just intercede for each other, our communities, and the nations – it is such a beautiful picture of what the Church is and is called to do. Our host is heading overseas next week so please be praying for him as he shares the Gospel to unreached people and creates ways for Guatemalans to minister to the nations. God is moving in the Church here, giving this people a heart for the nations. Be praying for them as they prepare for what’s to come. Please be praying for a friend of ours here to get her visa soon so she can be sent out!

I also want to share a praise! This week I got a check in the mail to my parents’ house with my tax return from TWO YEARS AGO that basically covers the rest of my funding!!! God is so good!! Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support – I wouldn’t be able to do this without y’all.

How can you be praying for me?

Pray for my team – that we grow close to God and each other, that we handle conflict and differences lovingly, that we serve our ministry and hosts well, and for safety and rest!

Pray for the girls on my team, the squad, and our leaders who are not fully funded – that they would be encouraged and fully rely on the Lord that He will make a way.

Pray for our ministries and hosts.

Pray that we can be a vessel of God’s peace and love and encouragement in the Church in Guatemala.

Pray for Sarah, Kiley and I who are the squad logistics leaders who plan travel days and debriefs for the squad, that we would work well together, not allow stress or anxiety in, that we would allow the Spirit to plan these things for us, that the Lord will provide us lodging and connections to allow this space of peace and rest and connection for the squad.

If you have any questions or want to hear more, download WhatsApp and text me at 9132317650! I will have Wi-Fi at my house and can chat in the evenings and weekends!

Not sure if this will show up in the correct order but I’ll explain the photos! First (potentially) is our squad at the AIM Guatemala base! Next is Jeofrey and I on the chicken bus (which thankfully was not that full). Then we have a photo in the prayer room last night. Next is a photo of my team in front of a coffee shop. As a team a couple weeks ago we had to pick a team name. Collectively, we all felt God leading us to create a safe space within the team that feels like a home – where people can come as they are, share their stories, grow together, and create a home wherever we are. As I was reading more into this, the Hebrew word Bayit was put on my heart – it translates to home or house and is used all throughout Scripture. It can be used to simply describe a room, building, or shelter, it’s used in the OT for the name House of God or a home for the sick, it can also be used to describe a people or a part of the body. We also wanted to include unity and grace in our ‘home’ and team name, so we chose Shalom Bayit – which means House of Peace. On our tour of our new town, tears filled my eyes and chills were all over my body when I saw the name of this coffee shop that is next door to Hope ministry base. God is so cool. This team was put together and placed here by the Holy Spirit and this was God just confirming that. SO FUN! God is so kind to us. Next is a photo in Serve Hope coffee shop where the prayer room and Worship Room are located. Also, here’s a photo from the roof of our house where you can see the two volcanos Acatenango and Fuego as it went off! Last is just a photo of my girl Sarah and I at base! What a gift she is to me!