The service team resurfaced the entire church parking lot with white stones. Those guys have worked their tails off and blessed this amazing church!
The medical team saw 125 patients today. One woman had cataract and after she was prayed for in the clinic she said that the cloud was lifted from her eyes. This was the very thing that the team prayed for! God is a healer!
The mime, sports/drama and children's teams all went to the same school in the morning and the afternoon. (a new group of students attend in the afternoon.) You can see from the picture that there were over 500 students! Hundreds heard and responded to the Gospel today!
After dinner we had a powerful time during the prayer service. The church's band led us in a sweet time of worship in English and Spanish! Our drama team performed and it led many to tears. Then the mime did their full 30 minute program. All 6 sketches were amazing.
I shared a message from Romans 7 and Matthew 3 that the enemy's strategy isn't always dangling our sin right in front of us. Two of his strategies are to break our intimacy with Christ and make us forget about our identity in Jesus. The result of that leads to sin. We ended with a time of confession and commitment and the Holy Spirit landed on us in a very special way as we sang the song No Longer Slaves. God is so powerful!
Tomorrow is a full travel day to Tejutla.
Thanks for the comments and all the prayer and support!
Mark
So proud of you all!!! Seeing God work thru you is amazing. Prayers for you all. And Ty we miss you like crazy and Bella stares upstairs with tears waiting for you. Love you son
ReplyDeleteThese pictures are so amazing! I love that our students are growing in their faith as they serve, and that they are hearing powerful messages that feed their souls. God is good!
ReplyDeleteIt's awesome to hear about God's miracles in Guat and probably even better to see them! We are praying for health and safety for all of you. Eric Olson, I dreamed that you came home last night but was relieved when I woke up that you weren't here - I've enjoyed driving your car. Ha Ha. Love you and miss you! Mom
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful to hear these amazing stories and everything you are all experiencing. God is truly at work through each of you! Blessings on your travels and new location for outreach. I pray that God's word will continue to shine wherever you go! Soraya, you are missed so much, but we are so thankful for how God is working in and through you. Love you SO much.
ReplyDeleteWow! It's so great to hear so many amazing stories already and to see you in action! Isn't it such a honor to be a part of God's work? Pretty humbling as well, right? That the God of the universe invites us to work with Him - So amazing! You are a stellar bunch and you all have a special place in my heart! I love you guys!! You've blessed me and I know that you are blessing all those you encounter in Guatemala. You are difference makers for sure, so keep making a difference for God's kingdom! And... a special shout out to my Johnny Welsh, because he loves it when his mom says, "shout out" :-). I love you and can't wait to hear about all your adventures! Praying for you all!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the updates. Its so amazing to see Gods work being done by an amazing group of people. I am so proud of you Aly, I miss you!
DeleteGood job Service team with the cement floor and the parking lot of white stones! Keep up the good work! We are praying for you for strength and safety and that God would be glorified through your work. Love to Erik - Mom
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the updates. Its so amazing to see Gods work being done by an amazing group of people. I am so proud of you Aly, I miss you!
ReplyDeleteIt's ya girl Loooo!! I apologize in advance to whoever is reading this because:
ReplyDeleteA. My English is not exactly A-1 right now.
B. Bo's probably going to be screaming the whole time.
C. It's a tad long.
As most if not all of you know, I've been in Spain these past few months taking part in a study abroad program. While I may have experienced a lot more negative than positive moments in regards to my time here, I have also learned incomparably more about myself and the world than I would have had I not left. Although I wish to be serving and working along with all of you in Guatemala, God had a different plan for me and I couldn't be more grateful for how things have worked out.
I would like to congratulate you guys. Stepping out in Faith like this is very uncommon amongst those our age and I have mad respect for each and every one of you for your bravery. Leaving your home for a foreign country is tough but it is every bit as rewarding (if not more) as it is hard. I have 3 pieces of advice for you guys that have been helpful to me on my journey and I'd like to share them with you:
1. Lots of things may go wrong at home while you're away, but do not under any circumstances let your mind wander towards "If I hadnt left it might no-" No. Don't ever go there. It's not your fault that you weren't there. You're here for a reason and whatever goes down is all in God's plan. You are here to serve him and change lives, be proud of yourself!!!
2. Stay present!!! I cannot stress this enough. If your head is not in the moment, this experience will pass you by in a heartbeat and you will find yourself back at home in the blink of an eye wondering where the time went. I've not yet returned to the states, in fact, I come back the same week you do in about 2 weeks. (But in my head, it's still early February and I left a week ago.)
3. One thing I was told in my orientation that I've been carrying with me for 5 months is: "people are not necessarily going to remember what you say or what you do, but they will never forget how you made them feel." It's not how much or how little you acheive, it's how you achieve it and the way it affects others. Put all of your heart into everything you do and you will never dissappoint.
Shout out to my Squad:
Codependent wolfie, Psoriasaurus, YeeEEeeEe, the real JFK, T-sweezy...
Oh, and I'm still salty that you lied to me, E-swizzle. I miss you losers like crazy and I hope you're not missing me too much 😉
Nonetheless, I'm so grateful to have been given the opportunity to have met each of you. You have absolutely changed my life. We've had our struggles, and I mean A LOT of struggles, but I know for a fact that I wouldn't have been able to get through my journey without your love and support in my life.
Sincerely,
Lo, Bloberry, L-dizzle, Feminaz-izzle, Lora la conquistadora, mocking and watermelon juice enthusiast, Jesse's girl, twitch/glitch, klutzy and directionally challenged diesel weasel, (no longer) KB hater, Claws, da nrwl, and last but not least: the interlude queen.
Good luck to all of you, remember that God has each and every one of your best interests in mind as he leads you farther in your faith journey on this trip. Do not be afraid to dive in and give it all you got while you can. You're in my prayers ❤
Andrew! What a thrill to see you and your team in today's post! We are so proud of you and your willingness to go on a potentially life changing mission that clearly involves a lot of hard work! We wonder how your Spanish skills are changing while you are down there! Cooper misses you as much as the rest of us, since no one else wrestles with him like you! Our prayers continue for all of you: For strength, health, safety, and lots of opportunity to celebrate your identity in Christ. We love you so!
ReplyDeleteHey Erickson, because of all the nice comments people have been posting, my mom has been reluctant to say "Hiiii Smoochypoooooo!" Okay so Imma go sleep now or something. Byeeeee!
ReplyDelete(From Trevor)
Hi hunky! Trevor and I love the hilarious and cutesy names and sayings on the Chicago blog, and decided we should bring some of that to Guatemala! So to my rock star, handsome, guy with the best laugh, cute snoring, guy who Clint Eastwood tries to look like, and incredibly romantic fiancé - I MISS YOU! It's not just mime team members who receive adoring fan requests for signatures, but their director too. And now the mime team unwittingly knows some of my names for you. So beware! Love, Lisa
ReplyDeleteYay!! Love that photo of you juggling, Peter! Safe travels to everyone and I am so happy to have received all the positive updates! Seems like you are all enjoying a wonderful time. Keep doing what you're doing and spreading that Word of God!
ReplyDeleteGreat updates!
ReplyDeleteI see you in the mime team panoramic, Soraya -- looks like you had a large crowd so I am certain many hearts were touched! When you performed one of your vignettes the evening before you left I know mine sure was -- you and the team brought tears to my eyes.
We love you so!
May God continue to bless your ministry there and keep you all in good health.
¿Les gusta practicar su español?