Hola! Just wanted to give you some information about my whereabouts this month. I am currently in Peten, Guatemala serving at Hearts in Action, located in the Mayan jungle. More on that in a second.
Earlier this month our squad was together in Antigua, Guatemala for a few days. It was a wonderful time of exploring a beautiful city, reconnecting and receiving insight from squad members and leaders, and recharging as we headed into month two. I also had the opportunity to hike up a volcano and roast marshmallows from the lava heat. It was definitely a memorable experience!
This month our entire squad and leaders (31 people) are living and serving together. We arrived at our ministry city on the 10th and met with our host, Suzanne. She and her husband, Mario, started Hearts in Action. This Guatemalan branch is located on a 600 acre property that is part of the Mayan biosphere, protected land. The Jungle School kids are on a break, but if you’re interested, you can read more about the school at their website: www.heartsinaction.org
This month started out with a lot of manual labor. Upon arriving, our squad helped dig granite-like rock that is used in merchandise for their microbusiness, Itza Wood (part of an effort to make The Jungle School self-sustaining). We also helped chop branches and prepare logs from trees that had fallen in the jungle after a big storm they had a few weeks ago.
As part of our day, we took a guided trek through the jungle. Our guide was a boy who had grown up in that part of the jungle. With machete in hand, he led us through a narrow path lined with prickly plants, slippery rocks, and fallen trees. There was also no shortage of monkey cries, swinging vines (Tarzan style) and scorpions. Not gonna lie, I was freaking out most of the time, but it was awesome!
Our squad has been divided into smaller teams here at the ranch and have been rotating and tackling various jobs each day. A few of the jobs are:
- The jungle team – has been helping to clear parts of the jungle that are overgrown and ant infested, make repairs and build an obstacle course for teams they host in the future
- The kitchen crew – is helping the hard-working cooks to clean, organize and prepare our meals daily
- The Office Team – helped assemble and get donor appreciation letters ready to mail and prepared elements for a conference that is going on now, The Great Commission
- The Great Commission – a two week conference to help train those with a desire to become missionaries with a focus on youth ministries; there are over 50 people in attendance (in addition to our team) from all over central America (Guatemala, Equador, Mexico, Nicuragua, Costa Rica, Honduras).
- Creative team (aka: grounds keepers) –The first day we picked up brooms and began sweeping while we waited for instructions. But turns out there is a lot to sweep and scrub around the property, so they kept us on the task; while we have also been able to work on some creative projects, each day has looked a little different
- We have also been helping in the carpentry shop and worked alongside other staff in accounting, production, planting avocado trees and other plants, painting, building projects and outreach to the surrounding communities.
This past week I’ve had the chance to help in the office with some grant writing for Hearts in Action and some HR and administrative tasks for Itza Wood. Also, mom you’d be proud, I’ve been helping to sew some aprons and merchandise that will help support the Jungle School.
Our days have been long and sometimes tiring, but I am really enjoying my time here. There are so many good things happening here, and I hope to share more when we get some free time. This is definitely a unique experience to be a part of and there is a clear purpose and vision in the work that’s being done. They are seeking to continue growing in order to foster education, provide jobs for locals, and bring more people to know of Jesus’ love. The long-term goal is that this ministry would be self-sustainable and run by the Guatemalan people, allowing Suzanne and Mario to continue spreading their passion for Jesus and this type of work in other countries.
