*** Blog written by Mandee Berry
I am currently writing this post with the sound of echoing laughter of the team while they sit on the rooftops of our accommodating Antigua hotel called Posada San Vicente… and watching as a volcano spits out lava in the night sky.
The image of the dark Guatemalan night mixed with the bright colors of the volcano truly is a huge blessing to be able to see. As I reflect over the time we have spent since Sunday, the thing that mostly comes to mind is the direction of the Holy Spirit on this trip. In seeing how much the Holy Spirit was a part of the guiding and leading up to the trip, I should have suspected nothing less.
Monday began with a test of our public speaking. Pastor Antonio was able to get us one hour on the public Christian radio station in San Pablo, that reaches the area around Lake Atitlan.
It was incredible to see almost everyone on the team step up and be ready to share why their faith is their own. Some shared verses and we all joined in worship led by Lindsey, Haley, and Odice. Lindsey and Haley also shared a song they wrote themselves, with the radio audience.
This experience was definitely one that I will not forget. The best part about it was that not only did it create stronger bonds within the team, but also it directly helped the people of Guatemala. We quickly learned that after someone from the team had shared their testimony a Guatemalan called into the station to tell them what an impact the story had on them.
Monday afternoon was exciting. We were able to experience something that was out of our comfort zone. It stretched us and revealed something valuable to each of us. We participated in what Adventures calls an ATL (Ask The Lord).
This was a process that consisted of the whole team taking an individual thirty minutes with the Lord asking Him for what he wanted the day to be like. Many of us sat in hammocks, some on the roof, and others waterside. After the thirty minutes was up, we came together and shared some of the things that we felt God placing on our hearts. These bits from prayer were mostly not specific. We heard things such as a restaurant or a certain area of town. After we all shared, we found what we had in common and we broke into groups. Those groups set out with the words we had received and began to allow God to lead us around the city. It was truly amazing to see how many of our things were very different but God had them all tied together for a greater purpose.
On Tuesday morning we boarded a boat and went across the lake to Santiago. There we were guests at a local public school. We had the opportunity to share who Jesus is to kids who have never heard of Him before. That fact in itself made the whole morning worth it. It was the first time that our group worked as a fluid body. With the previous places as practice, we found ourselves going through the motions of what we had prepared. The songs we sang captured the attention of the kids more than they ever had before. It was incredible to see their response with so much life. It was clear that we were able to feed off of their excitement and get excited simply to know that they were excited. After songs, we performed our skits that explained who Jesus was and that invited them to a relationship with Him. We ended with salvation bracelets for all the kids. Lindsey and Odice left their guitars for the school. It was awesome to see the appreciation that sincerely came from the heart of the principal.
The walk back to the boats also stuck with me. With that being our last day of planned ministry, we carried with us many leftover hygiene bags to hand out. We gave them out to men, women, and kids that we saw in the town. The smiles on their faces made everything feel so surreal. We were able to bless these strangers in a tangible way that they will remember and that will hopefully remind them of the tender heart of our Lord.
The rest of Tuesday was a bit of an adventure. Our lovely tour guides took us to experience true Guatemalan fun on a zip line by the water. It was, once again, beautiful.
This morning we woke up before the sun and headed for a three hour car ride to Antigua. Here we were able to see the ruins of the town as well as the local markets. For me, this debriefing day was much needed. It is often difficult to jump right back into life after being in a place like we were.
Tomorrow will begin with another early morning, up before the sun. Our bus picks us up at 3:00am and it is off to the airport. Although I am incredibly sad that this adventure is coming to a close, I cannot wait to see the ways in which God is going to use this trip when we come back home. It has been an incredible and life changing experience.
