… We are spending a total of three weeks doing street ministry in Guatemala City, and we are already at the end of our second week. This has been my first exposure to street ministry and it is absolutely amazing, God’s given me a heart for a target population that I never thought I would be passionate about.
My next blog will include pictures and stories dedicated to the wonderful individuals I am interacting with this first month.
For now, I’d like to share with you our typical weekly schedule so you have a better idea of where I’m at and what I’m doing in my daily life with my team.
Monday:
In the mornings we visit a central plaza called La Concordia, where we work with an older group of street youth, both men and women. Most of the groups we visit are made up mainly of young men. In the middle of the plaza is a great space to play futbol in which is what we usually do with this group, or play Uno or checkers (also referred to as Dama, I lose every time I play, they have different rules on the street).
In the afternoon/evening we visit a group of street youth near Super 24 (a gas station), when we work with this group we usually play games like Mexican Bingo or Uno. I’ve also been able to do/teach origami with the different groups. The other night when we visited them we had a dance party using music off my iPod and travel speakers.
Tuesday:
In the morning we visit a group of children behind the bus terminal in the market place, where children/families also live. We tutor them with worksheets, read to them, and play games. The hygiene of these children is not good. I saw a child come out of her house and pull down her drawers to take care of business right in front of the door. There is lice galore, so I’m very careful when braiding the little girls’ hair, and all of us women wear our hair up every day with hair coverings, bandanas, etc.
In the afternoon we visit another group of street youth – mostly men, at a corner called La Cason; it is one of my favorite groups to work with, I’ve connected with the individuals here. We visit this group twice a week, once during the day and once at night to play futbol.
Wednesday:
In the middle of the week we conduct Kids’ Club at two different locations, one behind the bus terminal/market place where we tutor, and then at the city’s local dump. There are many kids that join, and they are in great need of love and care. We sing songs, tell Bible stories, play games, and provide quality attention and affection.
And this week in the evening on Wednesday we also played futbol at the Tank, another location (an enclosed area where another street group lives). They are very good and actually have their own street teams and challenges. They beat us to smithereens but we still enjoy it immensely.
Thursday:
We have the mornings off on Thursdays. Then in the afternoon we visit a home for battered women and children. When we’re there we split up into groups to work with the women and children; we share a message, a Bible story, have a planned activity, and then just engage in general conversant and play, building relationships. These women and their children have left abusive/unsafe situations and are learning new skills to be able to take care of themselves an their children, and learning to live a more healthy lifestyle.
In the evening we visit La Casona for night ministry to play soccer in the street. Evening ministry is by far my favorite, the men come alive during soccer as their endorphins kick in and the solvent that they huff all day leaves their system. It’s been the easiest way for me to engage and build relationships with these individuals.
Friday:
In the morning we visit the bus terminal to play with the kiddo as well as help them with hygiene (cleaning, painting nails, braiding hair, etc), and/or visit another street group near the area on 5th Avenue.
In the afternoon we visit the street group at the Tank to spend time in relationship/interaction with the individuals there, usually through the game of soccer.
All the groups we’ve worked with have been so welcoming, so friendly, so loving, so respectful. They have opened my eyes. They bless us just as much or more than we bless them. The Voncannon’s have a lovely ministry with diverse groups through the Street Revolution. God is at work here in Guatemala City.
*More to come soon with pictures/videos, heart issues of these individuals. They have a story to tell, and I want to share it with you.
Keep us, our ministry host/family, and these groups in need in your prayers.
THANK YOU! So blessed to be here serving and loving others for the Kingdom.
