Wednesday morning we were told to just wake up when we wanted and the sleep I got was the best I’ve had since the start of launch. I woke up around 6:30 and took a hot shower {I’m telling you…livin in paradise} then drank some coffee and organized my tent a little before breakfast. All I can say is packing cubes are my best friend. Buuut everything still kinda explodes in your little space. There is only so much you can do. Every night it has rained and I now have a puddle that’s living under my footprint but so far there ain’t been any leaks so I reckon this is okay?
I ended up not bringing a bowl so I have used my coffee mug for meals when bowls haven’t been provided. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – having the skills of Josh {the chef} this month will be very beneficial. Every night, a team is in charge of cooking for the entire squad. We haven’t done this big ol task yet but we are up next week…so keep us in your prayers on Tuesday night.
My morning devotional on Wednesday reminded me God is always with me – no matter where I am. Of course, I couldn’t have asked for a better one because right after that around 9:30 we split into 2 groups, each with a guide who only speaks Spanish, and journeyed into the city for a tour. As I was walking, that feeling of travel and explorin finally hit. It’s something you can’t explain, but it’s the reason I’m currently in my 23rd country. I’m still amazed I get to do this.
The walk to town isn’t far at all and I can’t wait to get to know it and find all the little neat places that make Quiche, Quiche. There are little coffee shops placed in the streets just waiting with lattes and wifi. My team decided as a group to give up screens with the exception of blogging this month in order to really live in the moment. But I’m sure this will still be a place I will wanna frequent.
The weather here reminds me of fall aka my favorite time of the year. If you sleep in your sleeping liner and sleeping bag then it’s the perfect sleeping weather, and the sunshine during the day makes tank tops a perfect option.
We have only had 2 days of ministry so far and they have both been fabulous. Yesterday we went to a senior center. The kicker? Not one lick of English is understood there. Oh, and my team? Yeah, we don’t really speak Spanish. Mrs. Adington would be ashamed. Oops. Buuuuut the beauty of the matter is that we still had the best day. Language barriers can’t stop us. I danced with 2 very handsome men, we helped serve them breakfast and lunch, we played games out on a mountain overlooking the city, we stuffed and hit a Spongebob piñata, we laughed, we played soccer. Smiles are universal.
Today we helped at the fire department because they needed us to paint. They failed to mention that we would be hanging from ropes. Yes, we are figuring all this out with the google translator on the volunteer’s laptop sittin on the bumper of the fire truck. So they broke out the harnesses and carabeaners and I strapped the GoPro to my head and down we went from the roof of the 3 story building. {Thankful I semi-paid attention to the very important knots this summer during rock climbin 101…}
We are learning that ministry doesn’t just have to be verbally sharing the gospel but it can be as simple as acting out God’s love to His people. The people here are so amazing and although we may not be able to learn their stories, that’s okay. Life wasn’t given to us to be easy. Oh how boring it would be to just drink tea all the time and netflix… {even though that is a life luxury that is pretty darn fun..} I’m glad there is a language barrier because it causes you to dig deeper and try harder. It makes you happier when you understand one of the string of words they are spittin out of their mouths. It makes you appreciate the beauty of body language.
I’m currently in Guatemala. The next 11 months are gonna be one for the books y’all.
