Wow ! Quel beau pays, je suis dans la ville de Panajachel et cest merveilleux. Ma premiere semaine sest deroule a merveille et je continue de servir Dieu du mieux que je peux avec mon equipe. Lequipe avec qui je suis est fantastique. Jai eu la chance de travailler en collaboration avec des gens dune autre equipe, de un peu partout dans le monde provenant de lAfrique du sud, la Nouvelle-Zelande, Les Etats-Unis, etc… Je suis completement beni detre ici avec ce peuple afin de leur venir en aide. Merci Seigneur, tu es fantastique !!!

This is Panajachel, Guatemala, and I am not lying when I say this picture does not nearly do this town justice. Pana borders Lake Atitlan, the largest lake in the country, and is surrounded by towering volcanos. (Note: I cannot figure out how to type an apostrophy on this keyboard, so apologies to all abreviations). My team of 16 arrived in Panajachel last week, and it is already starting to feel like home. We have been working with Ben Meijer and Mi-Reto ministries, serving the community through manual labor and outreach, but the coming weeks will bring new opportunities. Here are some...

Week 2 in Guatemala. Wow. I can’t believe we’ve only been here two weeks. It only took a couple of days and it feels like life has always been this way. At the same time though, time is flying by. Before we know it we’ll be on our way home, although I don’t want to think about that just yet.  We have done some crazy things this past week. We have gone to a “Old Folks Home” (literally translated Home of the Ancients), performed programs for kids at the school by where we live, a children’s hospital, and at a church in the jungle. ...

Nos levantamos muy temprano para poder llegar a tiempo a un pueblito pequeño a las afueras de Panajachel. El plan era compratir el amor de Dios por medio de dramatizaciones y juegos con los niños y las familias que perdieron sus casas debido al desbordamiento del rio. Al llegar a ese lugar los niños se nos acercaron asombrados, la mayoria de ellos eran entre las edades de 3 y 12 añitos; sus ropitas y caritas estaban sucias, algunos de ellos sin zapatos, mientras ellos vagaban por las calles sus padres trabajaban, pero lo que mas me conmovio fue la necesidad que...

Daily ministry can be a roller coaster of experiences. A couple of days ago we went to a children’s hospital to sing songs, share Bible stories and dramas, and just try to spread love. Although it is hard to see children suffering, the part that broke my heart the most was as we were leaving. Walking out of the hospital, we immediately saw and heard a woman sitting on the ledge across from us weeping.  Our ministry contact and I went over to talk to her and pray with her. As we listened, we found out that her 4-day-old granddaughter was critically ill and in intensive care. While...

Panajachel Guatemala.  I am so excited and blessed and happy and PUMPED to be here! Since I arrived last Tuesday my heart has been fit to burst and I am hearing the Lords voice so clearly and ready to take on any challenges I am faced with.  At least, thats what I thought.  It´s so easy to say how ready you are for what´s to come, and how excited you are to face your fears and overcome challanges, but when you come face to face with a…. lets call it potential CATASTROPHY your true colors WILL shine through. Friday morning we were getting ready for our first...

The Holy Spirit is moving in Panajachel. As a team we arrived two o'clock on Wednesday morning. After catching up on some sleep and assessing some of our construction projects a group of us headed to a local internet cafe so we could let our friends and family know that we were alive.  While we were there we met the owner of the cafe.  After talking to him for a little bit we learned that his name was Victor, he was thirty years old, and he was from Honduras.  As we began to explain why we were in Panajachel, we could see the curiosity build in Victor's eyes. He was...

For months I have been praying that my faith in Christ would be like that of a child and that God would be revealed to me daily in Panajachel.  Within 5 days of being here, God has gone far beyond answering those simple prayers.  Here, the simplicity of my faith and understanding of God's love is much greater than I could have ever asked for.  To me, this city brings life.  A joy and abundant amount of satisfaction than any other place.  With its colorful beauty and rich culture, it is almost like I've stepped into a dream.  I no longer need to be...

Woofta is about the only word running through my head right now!  Yesterday, my team, the Global Challenge crew, and people from Mi Reto, hosted a camping trip for the children of the church and children of a small village.  We rode up the mountain in the back of a pickup, packing 13 people in the small truck bed.  We arrived at 8 in the morning and played with the children until 10 at night!  We had a great time loving on the children, talking with their parents, and sharing the Gospel.  Some of my teammates and I met a woman named Estella, and she...

Yesterday we did a prayer walk, and then split up and did some house visits.  It was really good to get to invest into actual relationships with the people of our community… My group saw a woman outside washing her clothes on the pilla, and we offered to help.  She was so confused/ecstatic that we wanted to do her laundry… So, she and her daughter taught us how, and I played with the three little boys.  The house was filled with laughter the entire time… Even with the little Spanish I know, I was able to have a great time with the children.  The...

Guatemala. I’ve been here a total of three full days and there are four things I am sure of.  One, I am now aware of the feeling of constant sweating and one of the worst things that can happen to you is to have the power go off at night, thus killing your fan and one source of relief.  Two, driving in Guatemala means doing whatever you want, whenever you want. Hey, it’s only a ton of metal flying around…how dangerous could that be? Three, ice cold water is a rare and precious gift, something worthy of praising God for (And something you can buy...