It is difficult to summarize a year. I think it is actually impossible. Because only God knows all that was accomplished. But I have had it on my heart to let you know a little of what the year held for the Guatemala Base. Here are some highlights and lowlights, a few pictures and some descriptions. Thank you for being a part of this adventure. I would love to hear from you.
In 2013, Rebekah and Kristen made friends with Claudio and Alida, a married couple with a little coffee shop in Antigua. We soon all became friends with them. Together, we had dinners, watched movies, worshipped, learned the bible, and had many laughs. They were even baptized as a couple at Lake Atitlan, which prompted about 15 young people watching on a nearby hill to get baptized in that moment also.
In 2014, they closed down their coffee shop, and began to work with Children. They work and volunteer at a Children’s Home with about 30 cute little kids. From infants to a few teenagers. We have joined them at the home, playing games with the kids, singing songs, and going on adventures outside the walls. We went camping with the two oldest teens, their first time in tents.
A World Race Gap Year team we hosted, Team i68, spent many weeks at the orphanage, serving the staff and children. It has been so great to see our friendship with Claudio and Alida evolve. And also how God eventually connected it to a Children’s Home where we could all get involved. If you can, say a prayer for our friends. They’re special to us.
In 2014 we saw many people come, and many people leave. It was an exciting day on January 20th, 2014. The excitement in the air was almost tangible. That last week of January, all 26 of us Americans, some old staff members, most brand new, piled into vans and drove to Lake Atitlan, where we spent a week worshiping together and beginning our relationships. Because we were now so large in numbers, we split up into two homes, one at Lake Atitlan, and one in Antigua where I would return to and lead.
During the first 6 months it became apparent to many team members that Guatemala would not be the place for them to for the remainder of the year or long term. This resulted in many goodbyes for our base and ministry. This was very difficult at times. There were many tears of joy, but also tears brought on by the difficulties of this. By years end we would be a team of about 7. Much of our year was adjusting with this large change of people, including our leaders. Deep down what made these changes hard was because we cared. We all cared for each other. The base was and is full of people that are all people of love. And to say hello and then goodbye to each other and the country and people, was a little of what made its impact both high and low, and deep in our hearts.
2014, was a year of deepening a few friendships. With Adam and Vilma, two awesome friends of ours who live and work at Casa Aleluya children’s home, this was the case. I don’t have a lot of guy friends in Guatemala. But Adam is one of them. We hang out not only for ministry, but to have fun and enjoy life. Even though he’s an Alabama football fan, we can make it through a 24 hour car ride together. We drove to and from Nicaragua together, somehow by God’s grace, making it safely. I look forward to more friendships, for my team and I as we live here.
The girls on our team have begun to really develop more and deeper friendships with people here in Guatemala. Drew and Cindy and their two boys have been an especially great family to come to know. We have spent worship times with them, celebrating Thanksgiving, and beginning to serve a little in their ministry, WeHelpChildren.org.
A few final memories:
-We successfully planned and went on our first Missions trip with Guatemalans. Kelsey and Angela went with 5 of our Guatemalan friends to Honduras for a week and a half.
-We hosted a 3 day leadership retreat, 2 World Race groups for teachings/sessions, dozens of visitors and family members, and hundreds of folks through 2 week short team trips over the summer.
-We gave away more donations this year (shoes, toiletries, clothes) to our neighbors, friends, and others.
-We hosted Easter and Thanksgiving celebrations, feeding and gathering with our friends.
-We made plans and did scouting trips, for our new programs we’ll implement in 2015 (Beauty for Ashes, Center for Global Action, and new Children’s Homes and Mission trip destinations).
-We were able to be in a discipleship relationship with a dozen or so Guatemalans, and train them in Missions.
These are all just a few things I wanted to let you know about. 2014 was a very active year, with many ups and downs. I ended the year a little more tired than usual. But also more rested in God because of the new dependence and strength I needed from him.
Personally, I went through several sicknesses, including a difficult typhoid bout. My grandfather and uncle passed away. I had many friends come and leave the base here in Guatemala. I led a high school missions trip to Puerto Rico, where my family still lives. My sister moved to a different state. Leading this base, group, stretched me in vast ways. And I spent some fun and quality time with family at home, and friends also, 4 of whom got married.
With all of this, I look forward to 2015. I am glad it is a new year. And with it I’m sure many unforeseeable adventures that only God knows about.
Thank you for being a part of 2014 if you prayed, wrote, thought about us, gave money, gave time, and hoped for our success. All of this belongs to the Lord, to God. It is His strength, His love, His ways, that bring success and gives strength for the failures and fires.
Thank you for reading, and God bless you!
Noe
