showing grace in guatemala

august 4-15th, 2017

The unforgettable little dates above mark the time I spent on my very first mission trip. I am beyond thankful for what this amazing country showed me during my time there, and I look forward to returning and witnessing so much more through God's amazing grace! I hope you all enjoy and maybe even aspire to go on one yourselves!

day 1~ guatemala city

I will never forget that first breath I took stepping off of the plane after landing in Guatemala City. We all remember having to acclimate our breathing at some point in time in different places, getting used to insane humidity (or lack thereof). It was the refreshing kind of humid you only like when it's somewhere far away from home. Its exhilarating and somewhat horrifying all at the same time. The little airport was welcoming in some ways, but it definitely wasn't America (this became something I wold later learn to love and admire). Being the ill prepared person I tend to be, I realized I had yet to convert my money and could practically hear my mother sigh from 3,139.2 miles away. This realization was extremely frustrating yet made me laugh at the same time. After holding my team back for a few precious moments while I got that situated out, we were on our way. For dinner that evening we went to THE cutest restaurant called "L'osteria Saul" in downtown Guatemala City. It was the most romantic, little utopian styled restaurant. I am now forever convinced that if I am not proposed to here, there is absolutely no way I am saying yes.

After being seated, my team and I learned the true struggle and art behind legitimate language barriers. Ordering from the sweet waiter was a funny yet time consuming task. One of my close friends on the trip Tiffany Bogy, and I eventually decided what we wanted to share and ordered in what probably seemed like the most awkward way possible. It took around three minutes of awful Spanglish to finally get it across and then a little while longer to get our laughter under control. In this moment we could all look up and see the huge Central American sky above us and finally relax a little. This was the first (and far from last) time on this trip, I smiled and realized how amazing God's grace truly was. There I was, with 11 other people I barely knew, in a country far from home enjoying a few of the simplest things life has to offer: good food and even better people.

day 2~ guatemala city - nebaj

Waking up early is always so much easier in a different country, wouldn't you agree? I am absolutely convinced that I am missing everything while I

am asleep. This morning, we met our amazing translator, Keila. She is by far one of the most selfless and inspiring people I have yet to meet. We spent this day in our little passenger bus, driving eight hours from Guatemala City to Nebaj. This sounds painful I know, and physically it was. It's an eight hour drive on a curvy road with a lot of 180 degree turns and even more potholes. On the brighter side of things, NONE of that even compared to the beauty outside and fortunately, I spent that full travel time staring out the window. Once we finally arrived in Nebaj, we checked into our precious little stay place; the Boxbolandia. Side note; we saw thousands of stray dogs on this trip, and the

only pure bred that we ever saw was the sweetest yellow lab- definitely over 10 years old living here with the owners!

day 3~ nebaj - pexla grande

Today was the first day we spent in a village, our first one being Pexla Grande. From the moment I saw the little community I fell in love, and that is where my heart still resides today. I have yet to think about anything else since I have been home. Pexla Grande was about a 30 minute drive from where we were staying in Nebaj.

I truly had no idea what to expect as we were coming up to the village. Until you see it in person, you really

can't interpret it to its full meaning just from photos.

It taught me that simplicity can actually be extravagant and beautiful in ways you would never imagine. These people made everything out of nothing. I have yet to meet more innovative and established people as cultured and content as they are. Proverbs 20:13 states, “Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.” These people are a PRIME example of what that verse is stating. There is so much this world has to offer that we have yet to acquire. Simple skills, like the ones they practice here, are the most beautiful forms of art, representing true clarity and integrity.

When we arrived, all of the children were lined up on the hill, making a path for us to walk through as we made our way to the building where they would present their welcoming ceremony to us. It made me tear up on the spot, but of course being only the first day, I forced myself to pull it together. At the ceremony, the community leader spoke while our wonderful translator Keila told us everything he was saying. After this, we stood for Guatemala's national anthem and then watched the childrens perform the pieces that they had put together. Once introductions were finished, and we were made familiar with where we would be working and spending most of the week, we drove back to Nebaj.

day 4~ Pexla Grande

Tuesday was our first official full day working in Pexla. Our day schedule was perfect because it consisted mostly of being able to hangout with the kids and get to know the community members. Before we came, we brainstormed tons of different ideas for games and activities to keep the children involved. Luckily, we had absolutely no problem doing so. They were so eager to be involved and wanted our

complete attention, which we were all more than happy to give them! We started our VBS with the story of the good Samaritan and performed a little skit to demonstrate and give the kids a better idea of what the story was about. The story, found in Luke 10: 30-37, expounds the true values of being a good neighbor and helping others. Our lovely Tiffany, read the story aloud, while the rest of our team played a part in acting it out. Keila, our wonderful English to Spanish translator then explained to the children the significance of what we were acting out.

The story is about a man who was walking from Jerusalem to Jericho, and is stripped of his clothes and all of his belongings by a couple of robbers. They left him half dead in the street, taking all of his personal items with them. It then talks about a priest waling by and ignoring the man, and again with a Levite. This happens multiple times, until eventually the Samaritan comes by, and has pity for him. He helps heal his wounds and takes him to an inn keeper, who also comes to his aid. Moral of the story is that they find enlightenment and joy in helping others. The story is notorious for being known for loving you neighbors and those in need.

day 5~ Pexla Grande

We spent this day focused on having a ton of fun with the kids and really nailing our vacation bible school. It was a bitter sweet day, knowing we had to leave but also knowing we would return in two days for the going away ceremony put on by the villagers. I was surprised to find out that praying in front of a room full of 3rd graders was actually

a really intimidating thing, even if they don't understand a word you're saying. Keila gave me a wonderful opportunity in doing so, and I am very thankful for that. Even if what they repeated back to me didn't make 100% sense to me, it was still pretty cool to witness.

This was the day I was able to do my very first home visit. I decided to tag along with Shane and Abbey to theirs, immediately glad that I had decided to. Home visits are an opportunity for members of churches to actually meet their sponsor children and their families. It was so unreal to see how big of an impact a church can have, no matter how far away. We met a boy named Jacinto, a sponsor child at Faith Chapel. His mother spoke very little Spanish so we also had our Spanish to Ixil translator, Eduardo, come along. They told us all about their family and explained the life they lived there in Pexla. They were a few of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life and I'll be forever thankful I got to know them.

day 6~ Xix and Antigua Xancua

l never fully understood how cultures could differ so drastically until this day. The villages we visited were all so different from each other, yet so close in distance! The first village we visited after leaving Nebaj, was the village of Xix. This village was about the same distance from Nebaj as Pexla, but in the opposite direction. In Xix, we were able to see one of the donated stoves from Faith Chapel be installed in a local home. This is one of the gifts from the program ​​called 'Increase Christmas' implemented at Faith. It was the most amazing thing to see: how something like a stove can create so much happiness in a family like this. After we finished the installation, they taught us how to make homemade corn tortillas. We need A LOT more practice (to say the least). After we were finished in Xix, we made our way a village called Antigua Xancua. It was a precious little village located close to a gorgeous hillside. In previous years, a few of our team members had worked on a project to install a water tank here that provided

running water to the village. Once in this village, our team split in half. Part of our team went on the final home visit for the trip, while the other half, including me, hiked up the side of the hill to the water tank. It was a breathtaking view, and so satisfying to see the progress of a project our church completed.

After finishing in this village, we made our way back to for our final night in Nebaj.

Day 7~ Nebaj- Pexla Grande- Antigua

I woke with an extremely heavy heart on this Friday. It was the day that we would say our last goodbyes to the families in Pexla Grande. We woke up, packed our bags, and had our last cute breakfast in Nebaj. Side note: I remember

before I left on my trip, people constantly telling me not to eat the fresh fruit while I was down there, but if I am being honest, that was like 99% of my diet. I have yet to be sick, so I can promise you I will continue to do it again and again.

As we left Nebaj for Pexla, I would catch myself starting to tear up. It was funny because we hadn't even arrived at the village yet, and we had hours before our goodbyes would even take place. I think that during this drive to Pexla Grande, is when I whole heartedly accepted the fact that I was head over heels in love with this place. I had surrendered myself to these people, and with that, their culture and country. I wanted nothing more than to give myself to them, and do everything I could to help. The amusing thing, is that I tried my best to teach those amazing kiddos about Jesus, but truth be told, they taught me and showed me so much more about Him than I ever could have.

As we arrived and made our way to the going away ceremony, I took a little more time than I usually would have to just look around, and take everything in. I knew there was a chance I wouldn't be back for a long time, and even though that broke my heart, I wanted to make sure I would remember it all. These sweet little children asked over and over if I would be back the next day, it destroyed me having to tell them no. I did make a promise I would be back though, and that is one I will not break. After endless pictures, and having my

hair braided a thousand times over, I said goodbye to my new little friends. Leaving them was an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I had literally never felt the heartache I experienced that day. This feeling always sucks, and most would agree that avoiding it as much as possible is definitely recommended. Not to offend anyone, but no boy, or any other individual in my life for that matter, has ever made me feel the love/ heartache I felt on that day. It was the purest form of love that anybody could experience. It was a holistic love of no comparison: we gave ourselves to each other. It didn't matter that we couldn't understand each other, speaking was the least of our concerns. I left that village feeling 100% sure that they had taught me more than I could ever teach them.

From here, we began our long drive to Antigua. On the way, we stopped at a gorgeous in- home restaurant called "The Ranch". It was exactly what it sounds like. The prettiest little restaurant, literally in the middle of nowhere. The service was impeccable and I know we couldn't have asked for anything more.

Day 8~ Antigua

For our last full day, we played tourist, and explored the gorgeous city of Antigua. Our hotel was absolutely stunning, but nothing in comparison to how gorgeous this city was. We started

our day with breakfast at our pretty little hotel. Never before had I seen a volcano erupt with my very own eyes, but I suppose there is a first for everything. It was a very small one, thankfully, and it was mostly just smoke, but I still have to admit it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. After breakfast, we made our way to a local coffee plantation. Being the coffee obsessed person that I am, I loved every second spent there. Our fascinating coffee tour was followed by a zip-lining excursion that I most definitely will not forget.

I am so lucky that I was able to be a part of a team like this one. It am 100% convinced that the people put on that team for a reason. Every second we enjoyed together proved to me how capable our God really is. He is a relational God, and mostly definitely one that knows how to put people together. I could not thank the members of this team enough for what they taught me on this mission.

Our beautiful day in Antigua eventually came to an end, and we returned to the USA the following day. That was a very bittersweet experience for me. I couldn't wait to tell my friends and family about all that I experienced, but couldn't help asking about what time next year we would all be returning.

**I now know when this will be, and spend a solid 75% of my days praying the time between now and then flies by.