Day 3 - Mountains & Valleys

5:30 A.M. Lori races around knocking on doors. Let's go! Vamonos! We want to see the sunrise. Group hiked the cobblestone streets of Antigua up to the top of Cerro de la Cruz. From this mountaintop we could see the city of Antigua. At the top we met some new friends, including a 5-month old boy named Ezra. Mary had selected a reading from the book of Ezra 3 for our devotion today, so again we saw God's hand at work. Have any of you ever met someone named Ezra?!? More than a coincidence, we think.
In her devotion, Mary shared her appreciation for the foundation of her Christian faith. It is this foundation that gives all of us the strength to continue this mission. This same foundation gave us the patience to endure the heavy traffic through Guatemala City and the long journey to Rio Hondo. Our driver, Gelver, is a miracle worker. He can get this bus through tight squeezes, tight curves and seems to know a lot of other motorists, honking his way across Guatemala. We'll see if we can post a picture of him for you.

Day 2 Antigua - Out of Many, One

Today our devotion focused on how God has placed Open Doors before us in Guatemala. We focused on the Ask, Seek, Knock passages in the book of Matthew. We are so grateful for the opportunities that God has given to us to help others find the narrow gate that leads to salvation.

We learned today about the history of the Guatemalan people so that we would understand them better. We learned about Mayan culture through their music,(see photo of Teresa playing a flute with our museum tour guide) the history of some of the buildings, and how Mayan religious beliefs have influenced their culture. This helps us understand what common ground we share. We also learned about how the coffee industry impacts their culture. We had many opportunities to interact with families who make their living by selling woven textiles that depict different aspects of their culture (see the traditional Mayan costume of our guide). We learned how much the Guatemalan people of both Mayan and Ladino descent value work. There are few panhandlers or beggars in this society. The people work hard at their crafts, whether it be with wood, leather, textiles, etc. so that they have something to sell. They do not want to take any handouts, but work very hard to produce and to sell their handiwork. The woven textiles that tell the story of the Guatemalan culture remind us of how the Lord has built His church, weaving together the many different talents of His people into one body that can share His story!

Day 1-Traveling in Grace

Today began with most of us arriving before the day began to catch our bus from First Immanuel. After asking for God's Blessings for our drivers, pilots and crews, we began our journey. We departed ahead of schedule and arrived at O'Hare ahead of schedule. By God's grace our flights departed on time, arrived on time, all connections were made and we arrived in Guatemala City On time. Thank you for your prayers regarding our clearance of the medical supplies through customs. All of our bags and boxes of medical supplies, equipment and personal luggage were waived through without any delays. All 17 of us are here! Our buses were waiting for us and we quickly checked into our hotel. We were able to bridge the language gap with our broken and/or rusty Spanish and enjoyed a popular Guatemalan lunch of fried chicken at Pollo Campero. Tomorrow our cultural education begins with a visit to Antigua. We will see volcanoes, Cerro de la Cruz, learn about how Guatemalan life is impacted by the coffee industry, learn about the indigenous Mayan peoples and see ancient ruins. We will stay at a Luthern Center. A good night of sleep after our long travels is sounding very good about now.

Trip Background

Here's some background on the trip for those who may be interested in following it...

The mission trip to Guatemala will take place January 29-February 7, 2009. Our group is comprised of 15 First Immanuel members and 2 people joining our team from other churches.

The group will be focusing on multiple projects:
Sharing the Gospel in deed and word; construction of two cement block homes for families selected by their congregation; replacing a church roof; operating a Medical Clinic in the mountain community, La Union;
Distribution of food to the poor in a community still devastated by summer mudslides.

We have a lot planned for our 10 days in Guatemala. Please pray that we will be open to the Lord's leading, so that we can adapt our plans to His plans. Thank you!

Fil Guatemala Mission Team

Official Site of FIL Guatemala Mission Trip

Here are pictures of the 2 families and the homes we are planning to replace