I realize I am long overdue for an update on what’s been going on. Its hard to sum up all that the last several weeks have held, but I’ll do my best!
I hit my 90% funded mark on April 12th, which meant that I could begin signing paperwork to officially come on staff at Adventures in Missions, as well as begin planning my travel back to Guatemala. My plan was to leave from Anacortes and go straight to Guatemala, but, as per usual, plans changed!
On April 23rd, I booked a last-minute (free) plane ticket to Atlanta using frequent flier miles. I was still in America waiting on paperwork to be completed, and wanted to attend the wedding of two of my friends from my World Race squad. I flew to Georgia on the 24th, attended their wedding on the 25th, and then was able to fly to Guatemala on the 28th.
[Some of my squamates and I at Georgia and Bryan’s wedding]
The whole trip was completely unplanned and last minute, but it was such a gift. I was able to see many friends I haven’t seen in a year or two, as well as visit the Adventures in Missions home office for a day. It was wonderful to meet some of the staff of the long-term department, the people who have been praying for me and encouraging me through my whole fundraising process.
So, I arrived in Guatemala on the 28th of April and hit the ground running! Our coaches, Tom and Joanne Rowell, were in town visiting our staff. Tom and Joanne’s role in our base is to be an emotional and spiritual support for us as we live and serve overseas. It was a great week getting to know them better and show them around Guatemala!
[Tom and Joanne Rowell!]
After their visit, I began my ‘job,’ which is Social Media Coordinator. I’ve been spending the last few weeks learning about things like branding and marketing. I’ll be working alongside our office in Georgia to effectively get the word out about what the Lord is doing through our ministry here in Guatemala.
A couple of weeks ago, we had a World Race team come to live with us for the last two weeks of their ministry. Hosting teams at our home is one of my favorite things we do at our base! I love getting to know people, meeting where them where they are at and getting to love on them while they are in the midst of the craziness of the World Race. Their last day with us is tomorrow. Its always sad to see teams leave, but I’m excited to continue following them on their journey!
[Worship night!]
We held a Spanish worship night at our house last week. It was amazing to see our living room filled with so many people from so many different walks of life! We even had some friends travel 3 hours from Lake Atitlan to be able to attend. Healing and hope was restored, and one man even accepted salvation! We hold these worship nights once a month, and they seem to get better every time!
Since my departure from the base back in December, we’ve begun lots of incredible new programs and projects. We held our first missions conference a couple of weeks ago out at Lake Atitlan. We have several more conferences coming up in the next two months, and those conferences will be leading into taking Guatemalans out to the nations.
[We called Bob Goff and had a nice chat!]
The base has also begun doing art therapy at a local children’s home with the hope of starting it up at more children’s homes in the future. We recently completed fundraising to do a shoe drive with an orphanage here, which will include shoe shopping and outdoor games in our backyard. It will be great to see the kids get out of the environment they are used to and get to have some fun!
In the coming months, we have several short-term teams coming. I will be helping to lead one of these teams, which is a group of 50 or so high-schoolers. We’ll be doing ministry in a different part of Guatemala with a new ministry contact. I’m excited to see what all the Lord has in store for that time!
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the ministry I’m involved with! I am still looking for two more financial partners to contribute $50 a month to my funding. Please let me know if you feel led to become one of those people!
