Day 7...hasta manana

Last night in Guatemala. I think I can say for all of us that there are mixed feelings of happiness and sadness about going back. Most of the day was spent driving and talking about what we have learned on this trip. Other than that it was a great day of saying goodbys to Guatemala and the people there. Please pray that we will be able to use out experiences here and apply changes to our lives.
Brooke Graumann

As I write this, everyone is tucked into their beds. We are leaving tomorrow morning at 4am. We are so thankful for the opportunity we have had this week to serve the Lord in another part of the world. We are so very excited to share it with all of you. We wanted to say thank you for all of your prayers and support over this past week. We all feel as though you were an important part of this trip and could not have accomplished anything without your prayers. Please continue to pray for us over these coming weeks as we process what the Lord has taught us through this experience and work to apply it in our lives. Also, please ask these students about their time and what the Lord taught them on this trip. Thank you again!

Day 6 - What a Week!

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" -Matthew 6:21

We had another incredible experience with the kids today. It was difficult leaving them behind, with their many sonrisas (smiles) and joyfulness. A few days ago, Trent asked the kids if they could think of any hard things they were going through in their lives, and not one said anything. It was impacting to see the level of contentness shared by these kids who seem to have so little. Sometimes, based on their attitudes, it seems as if they have so much more with so much less. It's a good reminder that happiness is not based on things of this world.

After the last kid's club, we trekked down to where some of the electricity poles will be placed and attempted to hack apart large chunks of concrete- not an easy task, we discovered. One of the two groups had to repair all three of their tools on the spot...multiple times. There was also a Guatemalan man who carried the generator all by himself to the bottom of the mountain to try to power the pump from the spring. It was amazing.

It finally rained, after Steve's numerous exhortations, and God's timing was again perfect. We had just enough time to load up, shout some goodbyes, and throw a tarp over the top of the truck before the skies opened and doused us with a good, heavy Guatemalan rain. So we all got to use our rain gear after all!

Our dinner in Xela tonight was at a steak house. There we talked about our day and received a homemade gift from the village (Los Mendes) that we worked in all week. We are packing up and headed to Guatemala City tomorrow. Thank you for all of your prayers.

Ellie and Fiona

Day 5...Another Busy Day

So thankful to be on this amazing trip. God is so good and I feel like every experience here brings me closer to God and His love and plan for me. Visited a new school today and we were able to teach them about God and how He is the Creator. Had fun playing games and making crafts with all of the kids today as well. Took some pictures of some kids holding up their crafts and they thought seeing themselves and their craft on the camera was the best thing ever. All the believers here are so passionate about their faith and it is a great encouragment. Having so much fun!!! Thank you all for your prayers.
Spencer

Hola. Things are going pretty well here... Today was the hottest day so far, but near dinner time there was some serious rain (really the first rain we've experienced). Today we did a kid's club in a new village and then went back to the village from yesterday to finish up the eye check ups for the adults of the village. It's great being with the people and being able to help them see better. We also got to go to the church service, which was an awesome experience. Although we weren't able to understand any of the words spoken or sung, it was wonderful to know that we were all there worshipping the same God. So please keep praying for us tomorrow! Thank you.
Julia

This trip has been an amazing experience and we only have a few days left. The views of the Guatemalan mountains are stunning. The weather has been beautiful (hardly any rain), and we've met some wonderful people. But the truly amazing thing is how God is working in the lives of the students on this trip. They are excited and willing to serve, they're getting along well with each other and they have great attitudes inspite of a few minor sore throats and upset stomachs. All in all, we're very pleased with how everything is going and we're looking forward to getting home and sharing more about this great adventure.
Thanks for all the prayers.

PS. To all the parents: You have wonderful kids who should make you very proud! It's a joy to be down here and serve the Lord with them.

Steve

Day 4... It finally rained.... a little

Today we went into the village and did a kids club. All the kids are really cute and they love playing games. Later in the day we did an eye clinic for the kids and were able to give several of them eye glasses. Overall I think the eye clinic went really well. The plan is to do a clinic for the adults tomorrow. Please pray that we'll be able to help the people who need glasses. It was a good today (and it finally rained:)

Ashley Graumann

During the kids club it felt like a little bit of a rough start. The kids were still fairly shy and it is still difficult to communicate. Later in the day though, Morgan was able to connect with them and she was able to get them to enthusiastically sing the songs that we were struggling to teach them. The majority of the group did some manual labor, hauling rocks down a cliff, which was a little difficult because we felt that the villagers were not communicating with each other so we were getting mixed directions, but we managed to get all of the work done. There were some ups and downs but it was all enjoyable because of the One that we did the work for.

Trent Graumann

Day 3 - "We've Got a Serious Problem"

"We have a serious situation...." This morning Trent revealed to the group that he had only brought one pair of pants for the whole entire week. Way to go Trent!!! Thankfully Steve was able to loan him a pair of paints, but Trent was the center of the jokes today.

In the city and village, we have seen animals on the side of the roads half starved. It was definitely a culture shock. People gather their drinking water from the rain leftover that has drained off of the roofs. In all of the farmlands that we have seen, trash is everywhere and is clearly shown to be normal in their society. There is also so much pollution, the cars that drive by leave the smell of exhaust, and it is very strong. In the village that many of us saw for the first time today, the mountainous landscape is absolutely stunning, and we are overwhelmed by God's glory. As we traveled through the village we saw vast amounts of lush farmlands and gardens all along these mountains.

As far as people go, they are so genuine and compassionate. The men translating for us have gone out of their way to drive us for hours on end so that we may speak to people about the glory of God. In everything that the people of Christ do, they do it as a representation of the Lord. The very first thing the people did when they met us is greet us with open arms, and pray with us. As we gathered in a circle to pray many members of the village joined us and I think we were all a little confused when they started praying different prayers simultaneously. Their prayers are so genuine, these people talk to God as their best friend, mentor, and provider. While they were praying, there was an older woman praying in maam, a variety of people praying in Spanish, and we were praying in English. They are so thankful that we have come to share the good news, and it is so cool to see their openess to listen to the Word of God.

After our prayer time, we traveled up to the school where we would be sharing the Good News with a group of 60 children. These kids were so welcoming and open to having us come to their school. Some were shy at first, but after a few games of tag and duck, duck, goose, they were quick to reveal their bright smiles. Even though we didn't speak their language and they didn't know a lot of Spanish, they didn't think of language as a barrier. They asked how to pronounce words in English and loved the fact that we were spending our time with them. By the end of the day, we were able to realize that they impacted us more then we impacted them. In their eyes they showed hope, in their smiles you could see their geniune personalities, and in their open arms they taught us how easy it is to love one another just as Christ has loved us.

Please pray for open hearts of the people we share the Gospel to and that the kids would have a geniune curosity for our Lord.

Gracias por este dia, 

Hannah and Emma

Day 2....The Rabbit Express

Wow today was amazing. We first started in the van and rode in the van for 5 hours. When we first got to Xela we went to our hotel. It's very nice and we are thankful for our rooms. When we went to go get dinner/lunch, outside the resturant there were huge slides. Me and some other people went to go check the slides out. I met a very cute little girl and she became my friend. It was hard to say goodbye but I enjoyed the few minutes I had with her. We had a very eventful grocery trip but I won't go into details!!! I feel like God has given us an amazing start to this great opportunity. Thank you sooooo much for praying for us,
Morgan Drost

Everyone has had a lot of fun so far. Flights were generally good, turbulance was actually a lot of fun (although there are some who would definitely disagree). We had lots of time to connect with the other teammates and get to know them better. The long car ride felt incredibly short; there were so many amazing things that we got to talk about (fellowship, things we were reading in our Bibles, who the most impactful person in our lives was, etc). I am so excited to see what God has in store for the rest of the week! We have not gone into the villiage yet, but it will be exciting to see how God will change everyone's lives through this trip. Please be praying for the safety of the team and that God would do amazing things this week.
Emily Graumann

Travel Day 1!

As we are waiting to take off to Guatemala, or Guamalatala as Steve calls it, we are itching to share the Good News. So far, we have found plenty of Starbucks and talked to many new people. There was a group of girls from Mississippi who we met and
they told us that they are going to Guatemala as well. Please pray that we may let His light shine through us, and for safe travels!