clc guatemala missions

We all made it home safely late Saturday night and after resting and recuperating on Sunday many of us returned to work and classes today. If everyone else is like me then we’re all still quite tired We are thankful for such a life-changing week in Guatemala and we were all sad to leave but happy to see our families.

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…

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Well we are officially on our way home. We are currently on a layover in the Seattle airport. Yesterday we didn’t have time to post as it was a very full day for us.

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!!

Greetings from Antigua, Guatemala!! We survived another day on te bus and we have arrived in Antigua.

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

Hello family and friends. We have come to the end of our time in Puerto Barrios. It has certainly been a time growth for all mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We are sad to leave but thankful for the time we have had here.

This morning VBS went off well. We shared the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  For crafts the kids decorated wooden crosses to take home and we also gave them coloring books with a small set of crayons. The gift for the day was all the hundreds of beaded crosses members of our home congregation at Concordia helped to assemble. They were a big hit! Our VBS had the added challenge of rain this morning but thankfully there are lots of covered spaces at the school. The time came for us to say goodbye and many, MANY tearful hugs were shared. Pastor Paz thanked us all for coming to help at the school and hopes that we will all return some day. Before we headed to the community center though at least one game of soccer with the construction guys had to be played. We made it through with only one injury and no clear winner, but a good time nonetheless.

In the afternoon we headed to the community center to continue work on the wall and have one last VBS with the community around the center. We were surprised to have over 100 kids show up for VBS today! Word has definitely spread over the week. Again many tearful hugs were shared before we finally had to say goodbye.

Progess on the wall has been absolutely astonishing!! It’s hard to believe how far our crew has gotten (you’ll see in the pictures). Naturally the wall could not be 100% completed in just a few days but Juan and his crew will continue work on the wall with help from the community. We hope to hear progress reports on how it’s coming along. At the end of the day we bought pizza and soda for the local workers as a thank you for all their hard work.

This evening we were also treated to special dinner with guests Pastor Paz  and Juan and their families. This is why the blog post is so late tonight We dined as a very nice resturant right by the water and were also treated to a demonstration of the “Punta” dance by a local dance group. This dance is native to this region so it was a great oppurtunity to learn a little about the culture around here.

Tomorrow we will board the bus again bright and early at 8am. We will drive the roughly 5+ hours to Antigua for a day of sight seeing and shopping. On the way there we will also be stopping at a Mayan ruin.

Since this is the last night in Puerto Barrios we will likely not have internet service until we fly out on Sautrday. So if you do not hear from us at all this is why. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support-this trip is not possible without all of you as well! Please be praying for safe travels and for our time in Antigua. If you don’t hear from us in the next few days, see you at home!

Peace and Blessings, The 2012 Guatemala Mission Team

Pictures from day 4! Thanks to Shay for most of the pictures today! She was our unofficial photographer. There are a few from other cameras so as a result they are really out of order. Other than that, ENJOY! (click on the thumbnails to see larger photos)

Hello family and friends! We have come to the end of day 4 and we have had another productive day!

VBS this morning started off at the pre-school as apposed to the main school. The pre-school had a large court yard that is covered so the shade is a very welcome change that we were happy to make. Our theme for the day was “God Watches Over Us”. We shared the story of Jonah and the whale, and our craft was a fish that could be scratched off on to different designs. The fish are reminders of the story of Jonah and how God watches over us. We also shared songs and games. It was a good day and today went a lot smoother than yesterday. Gary stepped in to lead games and “Uncle Duger” was a big hit!

The construction crew had a few substitutions of people and they started their day right at 9am. They continued work on clearing out the ditch, mixed concrete, added supports and began progress on the actual blocks of the wall. You’ll be able to see from our photos just how much progress has been made!

In the afternoon the VBS crew headed over to the community center as well. We were excited to see almost 80 kids show up for VBS! We had songs and crafts in the center then headed out to the street for games. We were excited to have such a great turn out today.

After our day we loaded up the bus and headed back to our hotel, on the way we made a stop for some special McDonald’s Guatemalan ice cream

Tomorrow will be our last day for VBS and construction. It has certainly flown by! Hard to believe that we only have a few days left before we’ll be heading home. Tomorrow we’ll cover the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It will likely be a day of many hugs and tearful goodbyes.

Please be praying for our team tomorrow and for all the kids we’ve encountered this week. Please be praying that the lessons we’ve shared and the seeds we’ve planted will be nurished after we leave.

Check back in a little bit for pictures!

Here are a few pictures from day 3, ENJOY! (click on the thumbnails for larger pictures)