It was our first week of ministry for February. After a 5 day debrief in Antigua most of the squad was itching to get back out to the ‘mission field’ and do the Lord’s work. This month my team is partnered up with a team of 6 girls called ‘Wrecked Warriors’. Together we form an incredible team of 14 that is willing to do whatever is needed of us.
As we waited at the compound our ministry host pulls up in a tiny Toyota pickup truck. He doesn’t speak much English but is full of joy and laughter. We all cram in the truck and drive about 20 minutes out of town up on a mountain range that is a little bit outside the city.
When we get to the site we are told we need to clear all of the brush in the field so that we can level it. Sound pretty similar to a lot of the work we were doing in Honduras last month! The problem this time is that we have no equipment today. No picks, no hoes…not even gloves. The pastor’s solution is to make a couple fires and we spent the day pulling brush out of the ground with our bare hands and burning it in piles all over the field. Never a dull moment on the World Race.
Despite the interesting start to our week of ministry it really was a great week. We spent the first three days up on the mountainside leveling part of the mountain so that children can gather there for Sunday church. We were literally moving mountains for the Lord! Although it was tough work there were some awesome things that came out of those couple days:
· There is now a smooth area on the mountain to host local church and Sunday school for kids.
· We had an incredible view and were able to just enjoy the Lord’s incredible creation.
· The two teams spent a lot of time in fellowship together while working and at the end of the week we knew each other all so much better.
On Thursday we had the chance to go to a school another 15 minutes past our worksite, one that is sponsored by the organization our ministry hosts work with. We didn’t know exactly what to expect but when we arrived we were asked to provide a message or program for the kids. After looking through their library we found a story of Noah’s ark in Spanish and put together a quick skit that the kids could also interact in.
Not only was the skit a huge success, but it also allowed us a chance to share about who God is. The kids left with a memorable experience and we left reminded of how the Lord can use all of us even when we don’t feel equipped for the situation. We also had the chance to spend some of their recess time with them playing soccer and all kinds of games out in the yard…a great reminder of the easiest language for children to understand….love.
Friday we were back on the mountainside working at a different location. We wrapped up our week by removing boulders and stumps from the ground to clear room for a new road that was going through church property for a youth center. It’s always refreshing doing ministry work that we can tangibly see how it will be used by the locals we are ministering to.
During this month we get the entire weekend off, and we took advantage of that on Saturday by going down to a beautiful lake called Atitalan. We started our morning off by baptizing a couple members of the squad…a beautiful moment.
The majority of the squad then went out on a relaxing boat ride where we were able to swim, visit some hot springs, and just enjoy the incredible views while hanging out as a squad. It was such a great reminder of God’s beauty and also a chance to relax and enjoy some of the time we have to all just hang out and grow closer together.
I’m not sure if the pictures will do the lake justice, but it was one of the more beautiful lakes I’ve ever been to. I might have to look into some lakeside real estate after the race!
This week my team is serving the squad be being on cooking and cleaning duty for the week. We also have a lot of tasks around the compound to take care of, but some of the squad is sick so I have been on ‘doctor duty’ and take people to go see the doctor and get medicine they need. It’s definitely an experience considering my lack of Spanish!
Thank you guys SO MUCH for the prayers from back home! Please keep praying for health and safety!
Love all you guys
