How are we to justify a missions trip that leaves us the same when we get home? This week has been an incredible experience that has displayed the power of God at work in Guatemala, but there will be no lasting change among my classmates, our chaperones, or myself if we are not intentionally pursuing a relationship with Christ this week and the weeks to come. In many ways, one week mission trips are characterized as a spiritual high. The focus of a trip like this, and nature of certain experiences draw us closer to God. All the while, we may not have even opened his Word, and listened to what He has to say so that we can truly be changed when we are brought back to our own reality. This gives us a false sense of growth and leaves us wondering, “What happened?” when we are kicked off our mountaintop.

While we sit on a mountaintop this week, both literally and figuratively, the team is working through a devotional that is aimed at drawing each one of us closer to God. Each night, we have taken a few passages and discussed their implications for us this week in Guatemala, and at home in Pennsylvania. It has been a great blessing to see how God is working through my class and teaching them more about Himself. My desire is that all of us would take this attitude of service home with us. Just tonight, we discussed what is means to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). The conversation quickly turned to the intimate nature of the relationship that God desires with us. The passage states that we are called to “walk humbly with our God”, rather then walking “toward” God. Many eastern religions preach a pursuit towards a cold, distant god. The God that we pursue desires an intimate relationship with us, and walks along with us as we humbly pursue him. We have seen our intimate Father work through us, both as we love on the kids here and pursue him through this devotional study. For most of us, this trip has had a tremendous impact and has had an entirely life changing experience. As we leave prepare to leave the question will be, “What are you going to do about it?” How are we going to pray fervently for God’s power to be more evident in His world through the Gospel?  How are we going to be more intentional in our engagement with reaching others?  What do we need to do to walk more humbly with our God?

Greetings, SenGo Parents,

We wanted to keep you in the loop regarding what is happening down in Guatemala City. As you can see from our pictures, all has been going well on the ministry front. The kids are having an amazing experience.

Amidst the whorl of ministry, we have continued to monitor the most reliable sources of information available to us: CDC, WHO, US Embassy in Guatemala, US State Dept., & United Airlines. Mike Parker, the Executive Director of Clubhouse Guatemala, is also here and has been an amazing help as we consider the safety of our team and what our plan of return to the US should be.

After checking with United Airlines, we are unable to secure an earlier flight home for the size of our group. Therefore, we will continue as planned to return as scheduled to the US.

We have been dousing the kids in hand sanitizer and continuing to pray that our sovereign Lord will travel with us, carrying us through airports and airplanes and whatever else we may encounter.

Please pray with us for the following:
1.  That we would remain faithful in completing the work the Lord has here for us to do.
2. That everyone would continue in good health – we have been blessed with health so far!
3. That our travel plans will proceed as scheduled without any customs or border issues.
4. That the team and our families and friends would be at peace, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

A post and pictures of today’s ministry will follow later tonight.

Trusting in Christ,

Eric Lewis
Anna Urquhart
Erin Chaboya
Dave Swift

Thoughts by John & Jack.

From John:

The weather was beautiful today.  In the beginning it was so cool, and later on it became very hot.  One of the hottest days I think so far, but also the coolest.  Even though there was intense heat, the clubhouse children had so much energy.  We played soccer, frisbee, and “correras” or “races” with the children.  While we were playing frisbee with a few children I was observing the area of the playground.  It was pretty beat up, there was trash everywhere, and most of the swings and other structures were made out of metal reebar (even though they were put their by Guatemalan Government).  As I was looking around the whole playground, right in the middle of where we were playing I saw a small yellow flower.  Just one.  And wherever the kids ran past the flower, they never stamped it out.  Its color was striking on the dark background of the dry and parched dirt.  How could a flower grow in this hot, dry weather?  This put a thought in my mind.  It was a spiritual symbol of Christ’s love in the dry land of the spiritually, and physically, poor. 

God’s love is so powerful that sin and death can never dry it out, it is ever lasting and can never be stamped out by evil.  The color yellow was also fitting: happy, energetic, lively, and loyal.  God’s love stays with us, it does not leave, and it brings a smile to everyone’s face.   It is also the living water.  It is available in the most spiritually deprived areas, the dry and desolate lands.  It is our true nature, and we should believe it and spread it to others.

From Jack:

Saturday evening was a wonderful evening. The night was dropping to the 60’s and the boys in our group had a fabulous idea. We created a game on the first night in Guatemala called Quetzal Ball. Its a fabulous game that involves the speed and pace of basketball but with some odd twists. For example, in the middle of the courtyard, there is a well that used to hold water. One quetzal player may step into the well(aka: the Quetzal Hole) and attempt the difficult five point shot. This game has given us such joy and laughter by almost wrestling with the basketball in the Quetzal Hole, or by making the most whack shots that leave each other gwacking at what we just saw. If your wondering where I’m going with this, I’m getting there. This game is fast paced, time consuming, and thrilling. In fact, this game requires so much energy to play, we have not been able to play the past few days. We have had such a great time with Clubhouse and the school that by the end of the day, we are all so tired and just want to kick back and relax. I have lost almost all energy to play this game, but it was all worth it. At the end of the day, the laughter I hear from the children at Clubhouse and the school puts a smile on my face. So the energy I expend in Quetzal Ball can wait for another day, and I’ll spend the energy I still have left giving kids piggyback rides and playing the other fabulous game of soccer.

From Cassie:

Today we were at the public school playing with the children all morning, and then walked around the corner to the church to make and deliver some food packs. We then finished off our day by playing in the local park with the children from the Clubhouse program before heading back to the team house for an amazing Guatemalan meal. To say the least, it was an amazing day! It was so much fun playing with all of the kids and talking with those in the community, and even with a language barrier, communication was not as difficult as I had personally expected. It amazed me how gracious and generous the people of the Bethania community are! One little girl in the school who did not want to leave my back all day had been sucking on one small lollipop and in her generous manner, offered to share. Another small girl had only one small bag of chips for her lunch, yet still wanted to share them with me. I was slightly surprised that I was not heartbroken for all of the impoverished people we encountered, but as I continue to think about our day, I’m realizing that I don’t feel bad for them because even though they lack materially, they are still so thankful and happy for the lives God has given them. I strive to learn from these people as we continue to interact with them as the week continues. In our devotional for today, one of the passages was Zechariah 7. In the middle of the chapter, it talks about fasting, eating, and drinking not for ourselves but for the Lord. This was a good reminder for me personally that even though we are enjoying most of(if not all) of the things we are blessed enough to do during this trip, it is not about our personal gain, but all for God’s glory. The most impactful things I’ve learned so far on this trip are 1) it is not necessary to feel guilty for the material wealth God has blessed many of us with, but it is very important to be thankful for it and to use it for the glory of God, 2) we are no better than these impoverished people and need God’s love as much as they do, and 3) we need to hand these people over to God and trust that He will care for their spiritual and material needs because we cannot change all of their lives just in a week of serving them.

 From Kierra:

Community is defined as “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” After only three days in this beautiful country I’ve gained a whole new perspective on the idea of community. The people of Guatemala have redefined what it means to be a part of a community, and it extends far beyond geographical boundaries. As our team waited in local public school courtyard this morning, waiting for the children to arrive for recess, I never thought there was a place where you could walk into a completely foreign atmosphere and feel so at home. However, after only a few hours playing and getting to know complete strangers, their hearts of gold became abundantly apparent. The minute the doors opened and the kids came running out, they overwhelmed me with genuine joy as they embraced each and every one of us with hugs and kisses without even for one minute treating us like the outsiders we clearly were. I never could have imagined being surrounded by such love almost instantly regardless of language or cultural differences.

There were a couple experiences that really stood out to me from today. After playing with children for hours at the school we got the opportunity to deliver packs to local families through Clubhouse Guatemala. The first house my group visited was a humble little home in Bethania with a beautiful family of five. I was introduced to their young son, who was also a part of Clubhouse’s program. Experiencing the home and broken city they live in and then chasing him and his friends around for hours afterward through the streets and the park, I realized the joy these communities maintain is unmatched by anything I would have seen in the United States. This boy wasn’t being held back by his lack of material things, but instead indulged in the joys that come from something only God could provide through his infinite love. Not only did he show me he wasn’t ashamed of what he was missing in his life, but he showed me he was rich in many areas that I could only hope to obtain. The community I got to see was consumed in spiritual wealth and surrounded each other in accepting and loving on everyone, even strangers. God truly surrounds these people with something greater than money and wealth, He shows us what it really means for a community to be defined as a people of love and passion for the Lord.

From Alex:

After saying our “¡Hasta Manana! (see you tomorrow)” to the energetic and loving kids, we walked our way around the corner to the Sembradores Church, a local branch of the main campus located in Zone 6. Pastor Fernando Jr. delivered us the goods that would be needed to put into a bag. Soon after a quick replenish with coffee, we created a line to fill the bags with love and food. Although we were tired from playing with the kids in the school, we knew the delivery of a single food pack was more important than our fatigue. Therefore, we put the essential needs in a yellow grocery bag, such as spaghetti, rice, sugar, cooking oil, beans, toilet paper, toothpaste, and a nutrient drink that could replaced as a meal replacement. After packing 30 bags, we split into 4 groups with each having 2 packs and dispersed into the narrow streets of Zone 7.

My group, chaperoned by Mrs. Chaboya, visited 2 families, and one of the families lived in between two buildings. I was surprised that 4 family members consisting a mom with 3 sons, were living in a room size of a closet. They greeted us with big smiles as we filled their bedroom. We asked some questions about their daily lives, and the mother replied that everything is going well yet two of her sons were sick from cold. Therefore, I asked what we could pray for and she requested to pray for her kids and especially for her hands as well because she had to pay visits to the doctor’s due to her injury. So we talked to the Lord for healing and the continual love that the family have been receiving.

What jolted me the most was after our prayer when the mother spoke to us. Speaking from heart, she chatted that everything we need is provided by God and don’t ever worry about being empty-handed because God will fill us with more than we ever need. Moreover, she complimented us with joy that we are such blessings to her family and told us to continue the great work that God has assigned because we will be blessings wherever we go. I was truly astounded and moved. Being in a situation where the living is harsh in a compact area, they were so happy that we came and were content that God’s presence was in their hearts. I felt so convicted and guilty because I lived under many different roofs, all provided with warm food and high-quality goods, yet I have complained about many things in life. Not only was I greedy but I was starving of spiritual fruit of God and I craved for their joy with God. What an amazing day it was to not deliver the food and love of God but to receive the spiritual fruit and light of Him.

Before we left for Guatemala, the only word that popped up in my head was “poor.” However, that is the last word that pops up in my head when I think of Guatemala now. Guatemala is BEAUTIFUL, such beautiful weather, scenery, and most importantly, people. When we first arrived here, I became happy instantly because of the weather. Then the next day, seeing beautiful landscapes and being in Antigua made me even happier. Everyone was so welcoming and I did not see a single person that looked mad. Even though Antigua was full of people, everything and everyone seemed so chill. When we went to the market to shop, everyone was very friendly. The thing that surprised me the most was the love people had for Jesus. I bought A LOT of things at the market with A TON of discounts only because they knew that we came to Guatemala for the missions. It was really nice to see how they talked about Jesus constantly, and how they thanked us constantly for doing the missions.

Therefore, I was extremely excited to go to the church and interact with people. When we first walked in the church, I was a little nervous because talking to people is not my favorite thing to do and especially talking to foreigners (how ironic). However, I decided to become brave and sit next to this couple. I started the conversation in Spanish so I was very proud of myself. I explained why we came to Guatemala and our plans for this coming week, and they really appreciated us coming here. Throughout the service, the lady gave Kierra and I some candies, and they kept looking at us to make sure that we were doing okay. My favorite part of the church was worshiping. Singing in Spanish was kind of weird since I could not understand anything, but it was fine since we were singing for the same purpose- to praise God. The pastor talked about Galatians, how there are only two religions in this world: religion of the spirit and religion of the flesh. Galatians seems to be the theme of our time here so far. We talked about Galatians during our devotion last night and that was the main verse at the market as well. After the service, I once realized how friendly the Guatemalans are as a lot of them hugged us and and wished us luck.

After lunch, we went to Bethania Zone 7 to do a prayer walk and to see places where we will be working for a week. We first went to the playground and prayed. We prayed for the community, program, church, school, children, and families. There were three kids playing in the playground so I started talking to them. Their names were Andrei, Anthony, and some J name that I can’t pronounce. Andrei was 10 and the others were 12 years old. They got super excited when we approached them and they asked us a ton of questions. Once we left the playground, we walked to the church where we will be “chilling” at. The church was the size of the bathroom at our school, yet even in the tight space, people were full of compassion and love for others and for God. It was amazing to see the passion they had for the Lord which they expressed through their worship. In Bethania, there was no “middle class,” just the poor and the wealthy. It was amazing to see how there were both poor and wealthy living right next to each other in the same community. We went to a mall in Bethania and when we were talking to the poor people, they didn’t even know it existed. I’m very excited to serve and spread Jesus’ love by loving the people around me.

-Jimin

After a long day of travel on Friday, it was good to sleep in our bunk-style beds even though our bodies are still set to Eastern Standard Time. I think I was so excited to get some Guatemalan coffee that I woke up Saturday around 6:00 (CST) to find a group of guys outside Dave and my bedroom on the balcony watching the sunrise!
Everyone got ready for a great day of playing tourist in Antigua (one of the oldest cities in the Western Hemisphere), getting acclimated to Guatemalan culture and finding some cool gifts as inexperienced hagglers. We toured La Azotea coffee plantation and stocked up on some liquid nectar. The coffee here is SO GOOD… Even the “cheap” coffee is good! It’s the volcanic soil that takes the acidic edge out and leaves a wonderful, earthy… Sorry! I digress! Did I say the coffee was good?
Anyway, some of our alumni shared with our seniors some things to experience while in Antigua, one of which was the tacos at Tacool. Here’s some quotes to summarize their taco-experience.
Sunshine said, “Last year’s seniors talked about these tacos because they’re the best tacos you’ll ever eat. I was like, ‘Okay’ and then I ate them. They’re right. They’re the best tacos I’ve ever had.”
Cassie replied, “I’m going to struggle going to Chipotle at this point.”
After lunch, we walked thru the ancient cobblestone streets and took some pics at the iconic arch where we appeared to have added some college guys on spring break to our team (see photo bombers on the left). We hit the market and haggled for some local gifts, then enjoyed a wonderful dinner at La Estancia steak house before returning home.
One of the pleasures as a chaperone is our team time in the evenings. We sing, share thoughts from the day and spend some time reflecting on God’s Word. This year, Ethan Gerard wrote a 6-day devotional for us! Day 1 was from Luke 4 when Jesus spoke in Nazareth and how He stayed on mission, even in His hometown. We also shared our thoughts on how we can take the things we learn this week and apply them to our other 51 weeks in the States. It was an hour of thoughtful dialogue by our team, which was encouraging to see!
Today, we get a taste of Heaven by worshipping with our brothers and sisters at Sembradores Church. Remember, we are now 2-hours behind you because of Daylight Savings, so we’ll do our best to post earlier. Blessings!

Mr. Lewis

We are at the mission house and just waking up to our first day in Guatemala. Today we’re headed to Antigua – one of the oldest cities in the Western Hemisphere. Be prepared for lots of pictures tonight!

After a brief delay at the Newark Airport, we are getting ready to board and will be on our way to Guatemala! See you soon!