I realized the other day that I haven’t written a blog about any of the ministries I’ve been working with while in Central America. So this blog will kind of sum up all the work my team did and I’ll add in some memories of my time in this beautiful part of the world for 3 months.
G u a t e m a l a – Chichcastenango
We worked with, Juan and Evelyn, an AMAZING couple with an amazing story. Their ministry was called New Generation. Their focus is on raising up the next generation of kids in Guatemala to follow God. God chose the perfect couple to oversee this ministry. They just get it. They are after God’s heart and want so badly for the next generation to have what they have been given by God: a passion to serve Him.
Memories:
(Please please please don’t take these memories as complaints, I look back on each of these memories with a smile on my face and lots of laughter.)
-We made friends with the tourist police and would teach them English and play sports with them a few times a week.
-I gave a duck a bath. It was so dirty and I felt bad for it.
-We ran out of water every few days and the only time you could get a shower was at 5am.
-Our bathroom didn’t have a door, it was just a shower curtain connected to the rest of the boys house. It was more than a few times that I kicked the boys out of their house so I could take care of business haha.
-“Bombas” aka really loud fireworks went off throughout the night and day. At first we thought they were gunshots..
E l S a l v a d o r – El Tunco
The world race does this thing called Parent Vision Trip (PVT). Parents who want to/able to can come experience the race for a week with their world racer. Everyone who participated in PVT stayed in Guatemala to do ministry with their parents. Everyone else (i.e. me and 13 other squadmates) went to El Salvador for a week of Ask The Lord ministry. For me this week was a time of rest, reflection and a chance to build relationships with some of the people on my squad who I haven’t gotten the chance to get to know very well yet.
Memories:
-We had worship on the beach and it was so powerful to hear and see God’s creation as we worshiped Him.
-I learned to surf and have a few scars to prove it.
-I turned 23 and had TWO birthday cakes to celebrate.
H o n d u r a s – Siguatepeque
In Honduras we worked with Ignite Ministry. The ministry was founded by an American woman,Melissa, and her Honduran husband, Sergio. They have 6 beautiful kids who became like little brothers and sisters. We were so blessed by their family for the month. We lived with a few former YWAM volunteers who made our month one of the best yet. Esa and Denis- I’m looking at you!
Throughout the month we went into schools and gave presentations on diet and nutrition to the students and their teachers. We also got a few blisters on our hands when we worked on their land in the mountains and in their banana tree and coffee bean garden.
Memories:
-We had a Paris themed birthday party for one of our host’s kids, Shuey, and had an awesome dance party.
-We hosted a girl’s night for the middle schoolers and got to hear so many stories of redemption, forgiveness and grace.
-I taught about the different voice types even though I’ve never taken a music class in my life.
-Our hosts washed our feet and gave us pedicures as a thank you, it was so sweet!
N i c a r a g u a – Esteli
We worked with a ministry called Pastors for the Kingdom. We went into schools and helped to teach English and served lunch to the students, attended church 4 times a week and built relationships with the youth from the church most nights by playing volleyball. We had a lot of down time this month because our host, Pastor Louise, has been focused on his wife who finished chemotherapy during our last week with them. We got to meet her a few days before we had to leave because she had been in Costa Rica getting treatments. The downtime allowed me to reflect on the ways I have grown during the past 11 months and reminisce on all the memories I have made.
Memories:
-The water turns off at 8:30 every night, so if you forget to brush your teeth or wash your face before then you had to wait until morning.
-Instead of going to teach at a school, our host took us to swim in a river. #blessed
-We had to give our opinion on immigration during an English class…it was interesting.
-We helped elementary school students pot plants, they were so proud of their work!
I know for sure I’ll be back in Central America, hopefully as a fluent Spanish speaker!
