Antigua

Today was an interesting day to say the least:) The enemy has seen that our team has had a fulfilling time here in the Lord and he does not want us to have victory in Jesus! Today we traveled into the city of Antigua to go shopping and we stopped at McDonald's in the city to have lunch. At lunch, one of our team members Lauri passed out and she was rushed to a local public hospital in Antigua. She is back at the mission house and is struggling with nausea and feeling weak. Please keep her in your prayers as we travel home tomorrow as it will be a long day coming back to the states. We have also had sickness in other team members so please keep us in your prayers!! On another note....Grace (team member) was robbed!!! Her license, credit card, and money were stolen. Hey , good thing credit cards can be cancelled, driver's licenses can be replaced, and its just money!!! It was definitely an eventful day! We are going out tonight for dinner with the missionary's and their families. We are all just going to enjoy our last night here and pray that the enemy will not defeat us!!! Keep us in your prayers, we are in desperate need of them! God is in control and he will care for all of our needs! It has been a wonderful time here in Guatemala. We all have grown in our relationship with the Lord and have experienced new things that have given us insight into the culture, people, and ourselves. Guatemala has proven itself to be a beautiful place and we are all coming back strengthened in our walk with Jesus!!

Aldea El Cuntic

Today in devotions we all talked about the significance of Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Then , they played a song by the worship artist Jason Upton, the lyrics were so powerful and meaningful so here is the link if you want to check it out:)http://www.lyricsondemand.com/j/jasonuptonlyrics/nosacrificelyrics.html!! It is so comforting to know that we have a God whose thoughts and ways are higher than ours and his plans for each of our lives are individually in his hands. After devotions, we headed out to the village of El Cuntic. We set up as always in a local church and divided into our stations. It was our last day doing ministry and it was bittersweet. We all enjoyed our time and a blog does not do justice to the stories we have heard and the things we have seen. We all have had an individual experience but our time here , (I think I can speak for all of us when I say), has brought us closer in our intimacy and walk with God. After the clinic, we headed back to the city and had a wonderful meal together as a team. We cannot believe that time has gone by this fast, and we are so grateful to the people of the Guatemalan ministry team for taking us in and treating us as a part of their family. The Lord has been so faithful this trip and he has blessed us ABUNDANTLY and TREMENDOUSLY! We are excited to go to Antigua tomorrow and be able to relax on our last day here in the country of Guatemala! Hasta luego (See you later:))

Village of Acatenango

This morning we woke up and ate breakfast as a group and participated in devotions with the Guatemalan ministry team at the mission house. We then headed out to the village of Acatenango which is 7,000 feet above sea level, in the mountains, and near a farming community. It was much cooler in the mountains which was a nice break from the heat in the city:) We set up the medical clinic in a local church and everyone on our team was assigned to a different station (Pharmacy, Kids, and Counseling)!! The people of the village were so enthusiastic to see us and the people of the church were so kind and welcoming. For lunch, the women of the church served us a Guatemalan meal of carrots, squash, corn, potatoes, and meat in a tomatoe soup. After lunch we worked at the medical clinic for a few more hours before packing up to head back into Guatemala city. Today we saw 86 patients and 9 came to accept the Lord. Amazing stuff!! It will be another early night tonight as we travel to another village in the morning. Thank you again to all who are praying and for your encouragement. You all are blessings!

The Village of El Astillero

Today was a GREAT day! After waking up and having breakfast we engaged in devotions, worship, and prayer. This morning we reflected on the sovereignty of God and how majestic and incomprehendable it is that he has chosen us as his servants to spread his message of truth and through it all glorify his name. We traveled 2 hours outside of Guatemala city to the village of El Astillero. It was muy caliente (very hot)!! We brought fans and surrounded each station with the fans to keep it somewhat cool. We were 100 ft. above sea level and near the equator which made the temperature and humidity very high. We set up our stations as we had previously done on Saturday and we set to work! We saw 128 patients today and 12 accepted the Lord as their personal Savior!! The stories of these people's lives are absolutely unbelievable and it makes you so grateful for the privileges and blessings the Lord has given us in the States. We broke for lunch in the village which we brought ourselves and then after lunch more patients came to the clnic. On our way back we ran into some heavy rain! In Guatemala they have two seasons, rainy season and dry season each lasting 6 months. We arrived in Guatemala on the day that rainy season begins but so far have not had rain until today on the journey back to the misison house. We were grateful that the rain began after the clinic because the mud and bugs would have been having a field day!! Tonight we will have dinner and debriefing and then another early morning tomorrow as we head out to do another medical clinic in another village. It is an Indian village and we will be in the mountains 7,000 ft. above sea level. We are all having a wonderful time together and the team has become so unified, praise the Lord! We have had some memorable moments such as Grace (team member) saying "goodnight" to a Doctor (buenos noches in spanish) and instead saying "buenos nachas" which means in spanish (good butts). As Wayne (another team member) says, "We certainly do not have a lack for personality on this team".....how diplomatic of him:) So thank you for your continued prayer and encouragement! We love reading your blog comments and are so excited to share with you the inspiring stories of our ministry here! P.S. Happy Birthday (Feliz Cumpleanos) to Kristin who celebrated her birthday today!

Casa para ninos aleluya

This morning we started off with breakfast and left for a church about 30 minutes away from the mission house. The churches' name was Vida Real (Real Life). It was very similar to North Point church in worship and preaching style. The church provided our team with headsets that translated the English version during the service. It was neat to see the Spanish words on the screen during worship but hear the English translation on the headphones. Service lasted about two hours and then we left to go to lunch and were treated with ice cream afterwards, or in Spanish helado! Afterwards, we came back to the mission house and got ready to go to the orphanage. The orphanage was started by a couple from Louisiana who came to Guatemala on a vacation and saw the desperate need to place children in a safe and loving environment. Since then, the orphanage has flourished and it is amazing to see how God always provides for their needs. We went this afternoon to the orphanage and were greeted by a multitude of children!! The orphanage houses 475 children, with only 15 staff and only one of those being Guatemalan! While we were there, there was another team from Mobile, Alabama serving. It was an incredible sight and the children hang onto you and are desperate for love and attention. We took a tour of the orphanage and were shown where the children go to school, sleep, and eat. They told us that the children stay for as long as they want, while getting an education, and learning about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We then went into a center called Los Angelitos (Little Angels), this was a place where babies who are abused or who were found on the street are placed. It was an incredible experience to be able to hold and comfort these children. They were so full of life and energy and it was such a blessing to be in their presence and convey to them that they are special and loved by not only us but by their heavenly father. Not only did we shower them with kisses (besitos), we received many as well:)! I think each and every one of us wanted to take a baby home with us and stick it in our suitcase:)....but unfortunately that is illegal! Now we are back at the mission house, getting ready for dinner, Domino's pizza tonight!!! Tomorrow we venture into another village about an hour and a half away to set up the medical clinic again. They say it will be 20 degrees hotter than where we are now and it is already in the 80's and humid at the mission house. So pray that we will keep cool tomorrow and stay hydrated in over a 100 degree weather! Thank you to everyone in the States for your continued prayer and support. We are all doing well and feel so unified and blessed to be in this country and see what the Lord has for us each and every moment that we are here. Buenos noches:)