Then stick around for the service as it is University Sunday with many of the trip members will be helping LSF lead the service. Truly a Sunday not to be missed!!

This was my second time going to Guatemala, but like the first, it changed my life forever. Walking into the school the first day of VBS I walked past my class and was happy to see several familiar faces. It was even more amazing that they all remembered me as well. They knew my name and they were happy I came back. Day two was harder because that’s when the kids started asking when we were leaving and if I would come back again. It broke my heart to tell them we only had three short days together, a total of about nine hours. I assured them we would come back again in two years and tried my best to make the most of the time we had. Each of these kids holds a special place in my heart, but as any tripper will tell you, there is always one who stands out among the rest. Last trip my husband and I became particularly attached to one boy named Carlos. We were told long before this second trip that Carlos wouldn’t be at the school this time but it wasn’t until our last night in Puerto Barrios that we found out why. Pastor Paz told us that Carlos was abandoned by his father when he was a child and then several years later his mother found an opportunity to come to America and took it, leaving him behind with his grandmother. His grandmother is able to support him financially, but Carlos lost interest in his education and no longer attends school because he doesn’t want to. I cannot even begin to imagine the feelings of abandonment and loneliness he must be feeling, but unfortunately his story is not unique. Many of the kids in Puerto Barrios have experienced the loss of a family member due to sickness, violence, poverty, or abandonment. This is what brings me back to this area again and again. These kids need money and education and that is important, but beyond those material things, they need love and encouragement. They need us to come back again and again bringing new and familiar faces each time and always bringing the message that we love them and God loves them. They need to know that we won’t abandon them, that they will constantly be in our hearts, minds, and prayers. They also need to know that God won’t abandon them either. We need to make sure they know that He is constantly with each of them, even when they feel alone. He is their Father in Heaven that never leaves. That is the message we bring to these kids. Even though we do it through silly games, crafts, and songs, they can feel it in our hugs and they can see it in our faces. We are starting something in Puerto Barrios just by our presence. The mere fact that we care enough to send our support year after year gives these kids the gift of hope, opportunity, and stability. It is a message that is catching on and spreading like wildfire. You can literally watch it spread as you see our beaded cross necklaces pass from the hands of a child to a parent to a neighbor.  You can hear it when the neighborhood men helping with construction begin to hum the VBS songs as they haul cement. You can feel it as each member of Christ the Savior Lutheran Church hugs each of us individually after the service. It is powerful and pure and once you witness its effect you are changed in a way that can never be undone. If you have not had the opportunity to be involved in the relationship we have with this community, I urge to find a way. Ask us about our experiences, go on the next trip, talk to Ann about sponsoring a student, help out with fundraising, or whatever God is calling you to do, because as it says in one of my favorite worship songs, ‘God’s gonna move this place. God’s gonna turn this whole world upside down.’

Rick and Ashley pictured here with Carlos in 2010

Photos from the 2012 Mission Trip to Guatemala!

…Somewhere Over New Mexico

Before our trip, it would have been a fun exercise to write down some experiences I was hoping to have this year in Guatemala. Recalling previous mission trips, I know I could have come up with quite an extensive list. There’s at least one thing that definitely would NOT have made the list though…

It was exciting and felt great to be back in Guatemala, even if it was just the airport. I watched as the colorful assortment of bags circled the carousel looking for their owners. Eventually I began noticing the same bags over and over as they made their journey around one side, into that mysterious “tunnel”, and back again. The other missionaries gathered their luggage one by one. “There’s mine!” one tripper would exclaim, “Does that one have an orange ribbon? Grab it!”

After some time, I was the only one left who needed to collect luggage. I began playing out a series of worst case scenarios in my head. Letting go of the last bit of hope as the baggage carousel stopped, those scenarios became a reality. My luggage didn’t make it to Guatemala. After 25 hours of traveling, with about 8 more to go and a week of construction work ahead, this seemed like a particularly inconvenient time to lose all my clothes and toiletries. I took a mental inventory of my carry-on items and calculated how many days I could wear the cloths I had. I remembered my days as a camp counselor and a camper telling me he could squeeze a few extra days out his underwear if he turned them inside out. I laughed at the thought of actually taking his advice. It turns out that a sense of humor can significantly improve a stressful, anxiety-inducing situation.

I can tell you that losing my luggage would not have been on my trip experience wish list. I can also echo the axiom that God works in mysterious ways. If He had given me a choice, I would have gone with the option that included clean cloths and soap. But it would have been a mistake. I would have missed a unique opportunity to be uncomfortable, worried, nervous and in need while in a foreign, “developing” country. I would have missed the lesson he wanted to teach me through this ordeal. It might not sound like it yet, but one of the greatest experiences I took away from Guatemala started before we even left the airport.

During the l-o-n-g-g-g-g bus ride to Puerto Barrios I thought about how great a metaphor my predicament was. I began to think about some of the baggage I wouldn’t mind losing somewhere between Seattle and Guatemala City. Like my suitcase carrying fears, grudges, selfishness, irritability, etc. I could start by losing the one carrying stress, nervousness and anxiety. After all, no amount of “nail biting” would get my luggage back to me. So I gave it all to God. I prayed about my lost bag, and most importantly, about the bags I needed his help to lose.

He answered my prayers. My luggage was eventually found and arrived in Puerto Barrios Wednesday morning. And each day He’s helping me with those extra bags I need to toss out of the plane somewhere over New Mexico.

I cherish my luggage debacle. We never ask God to put us in situations like this, but I’m thankful he did. I’m trying to remember this experience every day. I realize this wasn’t a life or death situation and the whole thing may seem silly, but it truly was an exercise in praying, trusting the Lord, losing “baggage” and being assured that God is in control of all situations- big and small.

If there is ever a good time to have your luggage not arrive at your destination, it’s when you’re surrounded by a group of Lutherans. I would like to sincerely thank all of my fellow Missionaries. You’re all amazing! You couldn’t have made my uncomfortable situation more comfortable.

After traveling for about 25 hours straight, we landed in Guatemala City.  Unfortunately we still had to drive all the way across the country to reach our final destination of Puerto Barrios. There were many lessons I learned on this trip and the first began in the airport that day. As we all collected our baggage we came to realize that out of the 30 some bags we checked we were missing one, and it was Matt’s.  Not only did it have his week’s supply of clothes , but also at the last minute I had decided to pack my toiletry bag with my contacts, make-up and other items in his bag. It was at that moment that we both began to process what we were going to do and came to the realization that there was really nothing that we could do, but trust that God would help it find its way to us. So after reporting it missing and walking away with not much hope, we boarded the bus and were on our way. So lesson number one: trust and be hopeful

As we drove out of Guatemala City we immediately were bombarded with traffic and road construction. As we crept inch by inch on the freeway it became apparent to me that patience was really going to be a virtue. When construction finally let up,  we began to cruise at the speed limit until we were stopped again. This time an accident was ahead of us and both ways on the one way road were at a complete stop. This is where lesson 2 took place, realizing that there was really nothing any of us could do we learned to laugh at our uncomfortable, cramped situation, remembering that attitude can transform any situation into a more enjoyable one.  So lesson number two: Having a positive attitude can make all the difference in an unpleasant situation.

Finally, after travelling nearly 34 hours we were finally in Puerto Barrios. The next morning we attended the Lutheran Church and were able to participate with the congregation in worship. We were also lucky enough to have a translator who translated Pastor Paz’s sermon for us. This was one of the experiences that really impacted me because it was so awesome that here I was all the way in Guatemala and Pastor Paz was preaching the same message of hope and grace that Pastor Mike preaches to us at home. Despite the many cultural differences and the language difference I was worshipping in fellowship with a bunch of people in a foreign country who believe the same things I do.

Lesson number three: People all around the world, despite the language differences, believe the same message of hope and grace that I do.

I will stop with the individual lessons now and just try to put into words the amazing experiences I had throughout the rest of the week. The rest of the week consisted of thousands of hugs, the cutest kids you will ever see, lots of smiles, opportunities to serve, and opportunities to build relationships with a wide range of people. Since it was my second time going to Guatemala on this trip the impact of it all hit me differently this time. As we were taking off in the airplane to head home, I began to think about my life at home and then all the people in Guatemala. I am very blessed to be able to go and serve such an amazing group of people and experience a little of what they live with everyday, but at the end of the week I am able to head back to the United States where I have a comfortable home, food, and so much more than I need.  I am extremely blessed. For as much as we did for the people in Puerto Barrios I can easily say that they did just as much as for me. Faith is trusting and believing that Christ is our Savior and will be with us until the end and the people of Puerto Barrios show a faith that is one we should admire. I am so thankful that I have been able to have this experience and pray that everyone will be able to have an experience like this within their life time.

As a way to say thank you we will  be posting stories, thoughts and reflections from individual trip members about their personal experiences on the trip! These are not to be missed so be sure to check back often over the next several weeks.

Also sign up for email updates (on the right side bar) and the blog will send you an automated email letting you know when there is a new post. Before we know it we’ll be starting the planning for our next trip in 2014!

Just a quick recap of Friday: our last day in Guatemala was spent seeing the sights in Antigua a BEAUTIFUL city a few kilometers from Guatemala City. In the morning we took a walking tour up to Cerro de la Cruz overlooking the entire city then to the Convent of the Capuchinos. We then bused over to a coffee plantation and cultural museum for a tour and coffee samples. In the afternoon we then ventured out to the local market for some shopping and some folks’ first experience with bartering . In the evening we then headed to a gorgeous restaurant for one last dinner with our friends the de Francos. We got back to the retreat center late to pack up then boarded up the bus at 3:45am to begin the long trek home.

It is hard to find words to describe the experiences that we had while in Guatemala. But one thing is for certain our God is good and he provides and uses us to spread his Truth, and uses the people of Guatemala to demonstrate His love to us in return.

Also THANK YOU ALL for the prayers and continued support leading up to and while on the trip!! You are all as much a part of the team as the members that physically went on the trip!

Here are a few pictures from our last day in Antigua…

We started in the morning with a walking tour of the beautiful city of Antigua and then a tour of a coffee plantation (complete with free samples!), we spent our afternoon shopping at the local markets and then finished off our evening with a farewell dinner at a beautful resturant downtown. A GREAT day!

We all had late nights getting in late from dinner and packing up for the morning. We boarded the bus at 3:45am to head to the airport. There were lots of international flights leaving sothe lines were long but we made it through securtiy and immigration just in time to board our plane for Houston. It was a similar story in Houston, but we made it through immigration and customs with a little time to spare before boarding our plane for Seattle. It’s been a whirlwind day so we’re enjoying a slightly longer layover in Seattle before our final leg home.

We’ve had a busy and amazing week and we are excited to get home for some rest and to see our families. Check back here in the next few days for more pictures. See you all soon!!

On the way here we stopped at some Mayan ruins for a tour and some sight seeing. On the way into the ruins we were stopped by a banana crossing: the ruins are in the middle of a banana plantation. Our tour guide answered our questions about bananas and then we continued on to the ruins. We learned all kinds of new things about the ruins and the history of the Mayan civilization thanks to our tour guide Justin who also happens to work at the hotel we stayed all weekend.

After the tour we continued on to a beautiful hotel for a delicious lunch complete with strawberry ice cream for dessert. We also spent some time dipping our feet in the pool and enjoying the scenery before loading back onto the bus and continuing the drive to Antigua.

We are staying at a gorgeous Lutheran Retreat Center. The center used to be a hospital in the 1950s. It has taken different forms over the years but is now a Lutheran Retreat Center run by a group of weaving Mayan women. It is surely going to be a restful and rejuvenating end to our trip.

Tomorrow we will take a walking tour of Antigua, go shopping in the afternoon and then our day with a fancy dinner in town.

Thank you for all the prayers! Keep them coming