After three weeks, the lightbulb in my brain that flashes blog ideas has become a bit dimmer. By now, the novelty of sharing stories of these incredible kids wears off (not to fear, many more stories will come at the end of the month), God’s work in my life this month isn’t quite ready to be rolled out into the public and quite frankly, the pressure I put on myself to write a thought-provoking, game-changing blog is exhausting.
And what do we do on the Race after five rewarding yet exhausting days of ministry?
…ADVENTURE DAYS!
Yes, ministry takes up a chunk of our time here in Guatemala but we are blessed by breaks! We have one day a week for Sabbath and one day a week for adventures. So, just as my body and energy need a reset once a week, I figure my writing could use the same.
Right here is where I remove the pressure to create a life-altering blog and simply invite you into an Adventure Day on the Race! (Sorry, my Sabbath Day is between me and God; but they’re pretty rad so I encourage you to take one if you don’t already!)
I’m 3 weeks into this 44 week journey and am quickly learning that burnout is a very real thing; even more quickly am I realizing how important Adventure Days are. To take an emotional and physical break from the Orphanage is SO important, getting to know this awesome team on the side of a Guatemalan volcano is next level and SHOOT, other countries are freakin’ breathtaking! Why journey around God’s creation if we aren’t going to take time and experience it?!
Guatemala is breathtaking. We live in Chimaltenango, a more residential part of the country (I can guarantee we are 6 out of the 9 Americans living in this city) so our adventure days allow us to visit the more touristy parts of the country. In just a little over three weeks, we’ve done the following:
– Ridden at least a dozen chicken busses
– Walked through the Mayan Ruins in Tecpan
– “Glamped” at a lakeside hostel on Lake Atitlan
– Strolled through the streets of Antigua (happy to report, with a cup of Dunkin Donuts in hand)
– Hiked up the side of active volcano
– Roasted marshmallows from the heat of said volcano
– Ministered to fellow hostel guests while teaching them to play cornhole
– Made friends with dozens of stray dogs (despite the warnings of, well, everyone)
– Taken our fair share of jumping pictures, confirming our tourist label to every onlooker. (Update: being a tourist is FUN. And wearing a fanny pack is FUN.)
And best of all, I adopted Kevin (pictured below). For just 20 Quetzales at the Antiguan Market, Kevin is the seventh member of our team. Keep an eye out for his Instagram account once we teach him about the boundaries of social media.
Kevin’s Initiation AKA his SIMBAAA moment
Every day of ministry gives my team and me life; it’s why we’re doing what we’re doing! But our sweet Father knows that our hearts crave adventure; adventure that creates some of life’s sweetest memories!
So without further ado, enjoy Adventure Days in pictures!!!
Exploring our wonderful “hometown” Chimaltenango
Becoming one with the Mayan Ruins
Swimming in Lake Atitlan, the 13th Wonder of the World!
Mike, the owner of one of Guatemala’s best coffee shops. Meeting locals and hearing their stories is so rad.
The hostel that made me feel like I’d won a reward in a Survivor challenge
Just roasting some ‘mallows on an active volcano
