HRHS Team has Arrived!

We safely arrived in Guatemala city yesterday morning!  Praise the Lord!  

The start to my day was frustrating; well on my way to the airport I realized that I had left my cell phone at home.  As a leader and temporary guardian of my students, this was an essential item.  So, I was the last to arrive to the airport which for a moment was frustrating, but I came to see it as the beginning of the many things God will teach me on this trip.  I then had to throw away most of my toiletries at security and was starting to understand that nothing was going to go according to “plan” for me, and that was totally okay.  

God is in full control and for that I am endlessly grateful.  Everyone arrived healthy and our flights were even early!

(All of the students on the team waiting excitedly in Houston to board the plane to Guatemala City)

 

(Some of the team at the airport in Guatemala City ready to head to Lake Atitlan)

Gary and Ed (our team leaders from Adventures) welcomed us at the airport, then we loaded all our bins and luggage and headed to Antigua for lunch.  A short three and half hour van ride later we arrived at our hotel in San Pedro.

Our whole team has been amazed by the beauty and culture of this country.  Spending time traveling from town to town allowed us to witness the different way people live here.  It is obvious this lifestyle is very different from ours in America, and I hope that we can learn from it in tangible ways that will transform our daily lives.  

Once in San Pedro, we ate dinner at a little local restaurant called Nick’s Place.  Not only was this place beautiful as it is right on the waterfront of Lake Atitlan, but the pizza and smoothies we ate were delicious! I think that we’ve been spoiled in terms of food; I feel too comfortable, but I know God will challenge and grow me in the ways he desires.  The music was fun. As a team we danced around Nick’s Place and onto the dock where God drew our attention to His creation, yet again.  The stars were abundant and glowing. The intricacy in the sky was unlike anything I have every seen before.

At dinner we met Pastor Antonio and his wife.  Through broken Spanish and English, we communicated about the ministry there.  During this exchange, I was shocked to learn that there are more than 10,000 people in town (San Pablo) and only five churches.  This encouraged me that being comfortable wasn’t something to feel guilty about, because that isn’t the heart of missions.  The heart of this journey is to share, celebrate, and honor Christ.  What a blessing it is to serve the Lord.

Now that we’ve all had a good night of rest and breakfast, we are off to spend the day with the children of San Pablo.  I am thankful to be here with my students and I can already feel God’s presence and work within our team.