We step out of the van and the view is indescribable.  You see palm trees and beautiful mountains… Then you see trash. In this valley, everything is garbage. The road is lined with shacks where the people sit and keep their stuff during the day, we had passed all their houses on the way there. There are children running around and playing in the trash. They are beautiful and they are so excited to see us but their surroundings were astonishing. These children were beautiful yet they ate and played in the garbage. I got to know one mother fairly well and I prayed for her toothache. I...

  As a team, we have individually been reading through John and discussing one chapter each morning at breakfast. Yesterday as we were discussing John 7, we noticed something interesting.   “Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.’” 7:16   “… I am not here on my own authority. He who sent me, however, is truthful.” 7:28   Jesus was continually pointing back to God the Father. As He is an equal part of the Trinity, He could have easily and rightfully accepted the glory for Himself....

This is what a team ready to work looks like!    Praying for one another.   Mark making friends.   Meg getting messy.    

Sometimes, God may send us to do some pretty uncomfortable stuff. Take Guatemala for example… 1. Heat and humidity totaling about 115 degrees each day. 2. Zero air conditioning and limited fans. 3. Corn flakes for breakfast EVERY SINGLE DAY. 4. Rice, beans, chicken, and tortillas for every other meal. 5. “DON’T USE THE WATER!” 6. Getting frogs stuck in your hair (thanks, Kat). 7. Getting sick every week from the influx of bacteria that surrounds us. 8. Never being alone. Ever. (Sorry, introverts) 9. Brain-aches from translating every thought into Spanish. 10. Giving...

Guatemala for less than a week and God is already breaking me. Proving to me that He is all we need and He is sufficient no matter what. Serving comes natural to me and I thrive in the unknown, always ready for something unique and extraordinary to come my way. I thought that this trip would be just like the rest but I was extremely wrong. God has pushed me, taken me out of my comfort zone, and opened me eyes to the unthinkable. Not only are hearts being molded and changed in the people here, but my heart is also being broken and transformed. My first ministry experience was going to the...

On Thursday of this week we went to the city dump (aka the basurera), a place where 80 children and their families call home. Our hosts, Paul and Hilda, have a long term ministry at the dump. They feed the families lunch each Thursday while showering them with love. This was our first day of ministry while in Guatemala so we were all anxious and excited to finally begin serving as a team. I had some preconceived expectations. As a social work major, many of my classes are centered around poverty. I’d seen pictures in textbooks, read a plethora of articles, been shocked by...

Today makes one full week of life in Guatemala, and my goodness a lot of life has been lived. Though I’ve only been here a short while, I’ve fallen in love with Guatemala and slowly but surely, Guatemala is becoming much more than just a country to me. Guatemala is waking up to roosters every morning. It is drinking the freshest coffee I’ve ever had and eating wonderful meals made by our sweet cook, Maria. Guatemala is hammocking in the front yard with my team and having my water bottle as an extension of my body. It is sweating more than I ever have in my life and being...

We made it to Guatemala!  Exhausted but so happy to have made it! Karin at the Honduras/Guatemala border.   We can’t wait to share more!

The Guatemala team arrived in Honduras and has since crossed the border into Guatemala and is currently with their host and getting settled into their housing for the summer.    The team will spend the coming days getting introduced to their ministry, coming to know the culture, and finding a routine for the summer ahead.  They will be finding internet in the next couple of days so that they can communicate home and share more about what their days and weeks will look like.  Until then, we wanted to let you know that all is well.  Hope that you’re as excited...