Our trip was one of the best mission trips that I’ve been apart of mostly because our team was so great. God blessed us with amazing students, leaders and team unity. It was an incredible, life-changing experience for all of us, and although the trip may be over, God is still working in and through us. Thanks for follow along on our journey and for all of the prayers that helped make our trip a success.
To check out some of our photos from the trip CLICK HERE!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Day 12 – Friday, June 19, 2009
Today is a bittersweet day because we have to leave Guatemala and out new friends, but we get to come home to friends and family and modern bathrooms. We woke up in our nice hotel and ate some really good donuts from a local bakery for breakfast. Then we drove the hour of so from Antigua to the airport in Guatemala City. We said our goodbyes to the Jonathan, Alicia and Doug at the airport and waited to check-in for our flight. We had 28 people check-in for the flight successfully, but when the last person went to check-in we were informed that the flight was full and they would have to wait until tomorrow to fly home. So, as the trip leader, I gave up my seat and ended up staying an extra day. The worst part about staying was that the rest of the team had already gone through security, so I didn’t get to say goodbye to them and I didn’t get to experience the rest of the trip with them. The good news is that the team made it home safely after a 3 hour layover in Houston.
I on the other hand, was put up in a 5 star hotel and had all of my meals paid for. Plus, Jonathan and Doug met me at the hotel and we spent the day running around Guatemala City, and relaxing at the Hotel. Then on Saturday, I flew home safely in the comfort and luxury of First-class, which was a first for me.
I on the other hand, was put up in a 5 star hotel and had all of my meals paid for. Plus, Jonathan and Doug met me at the hotel and we spent the day running around Guatemala City, and relaxing at the Hotel. Then on Saturday, I flew home safely in the comfort and luxury of First-class, which was a first for me.
Day 11 – Thursday, June 18, 2009
Today was our last full day in Guatemala. This morning, we got up ate breakfast, did our devotions, and spent some time cleaning the base and preparing it for the next team that's coming. Our clean-up time was actually cut short because of the threat of rain. We needed to get to Antigua before it rained. We are staying in nice hotel in Antigua tonight, which will be a nice change from staying at the base. The hotel is in the middle of Antigua and just a short walk from the market. Everyone's pretty excited to be able to sleep in a real bed tonight.
After checking into the hotel, we spent the rest of the morning and all of the afternoon at the market shopping. The market is fun because you get to barter with the people in order to get a good price. There were so many different you could buy from blankets hammocks to knifes and jewelry. It was a lot of fun and some of our students got to be pretty good at bartering. As we were finishing up at the market it started to rain, so instead of walking back to the hotel, our group decided to take a Tuk Tuk, which is a three-wheeled motorcycle with a bench seat in the back to carry passenger. It was fun to ride along as we passed cars and weaved in-and-out of traffic.
After we arrived back at the hotel, we went out for our final team dinner in Guatemala. We ate a place cale Ni-fu Ne Fa, which is a really nice steak house. They brought us plates filled with different kinds of meats from steak and chicken to ribs and sausage. The food was amazing.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel and met together to debrief the entire trip. We went around the room and every student shared some spiritual and practical lessons learned on the trip. It was so fun to hear what God was challenging students with and to laugh about so many of the fun times on the trip. At the end of the night, we able to bless Jonathan and Alicia with a very nice HD-video camera, which we brought just for them. It was a huge blessing to them and an answer to prayers because just a few weeks earlier their video camera had been stolen. It was amazing to see how God used us to meet a need that we didn’t even know they had. We spent the rest of the night hanging out at the hotel talking and enjoying our last night in Guatemala. Today was a great last full day in Guatemala.
After checking into the hotel, we spent the rest of the morning and all of the afternoon at the market shopping. The market is fun because you get to barter with the people in order to get a good price. There were so many different you could buy from blankets hammocks to knifes and jewelry. It was a lot of fun and some of our students got to be pretty good at bartering. As we were finishing up at the market it started to rain, so instead of walking back to the hotel, our group decided to take a Tuk Tuk, which is a three-wheeled motorcycle with a bench seat in the back to carry passenger. It was fun to ride along as we passed cars and weaved in-and-out of traffic.
After we arrived back at the hotel, we went out for our final team dinner in Guatemala. We ate a place cale Ni-fu Ne Fa, which is a really nice steak house. They brought us plates filled with different kinds of meats from steak and chicken to ribs and sausage. The food was amazing.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel and met together to debrief the entire trip. We went around the room and every student shared some spiritual and practical lessons learned on the trip. It was so fun to hear what God was challenging students with and to laugh about so many of the fun times on the trip. At the end of the night, we able to bless Jonathan and Alicia with a very nice HD-video camera, which we brought just for them. It was a huge blessing to them and an answer to prayers because just a few weeks earlier their video camera had been stolen. It was amazing to see how God used us to meet a need that we didn’t even know they had. We spent the rest of the night hanging out at the hotel talking and enjoying our last night in Guatemala. Today was a great last full day in Guatemala.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Day 10 – Wednesday, June 17, 2009
We woke up early today to clean up the base before we headed back to Guatemala. It took us about 4 hours to drive back, which included stopping for some snacks just across the Guatemalan border. The first gas station we stopped at was charging us a lot for snacks, so Jonathan made the decision to head to a different place that would be cheaper. So about 30 minutes down the road, we stopped again and bought just enough stuff to get us back to Antigua. When we got to Antigua, we ate at what might be the nicest McDonald’s I’ve ever seen. It had a full, garden courtyard that was gorgeous. The students were excited that they also had free computers with internet access for them to use. I’m pretty sure some of the students would have traded their meal for more time on the internet if we had let them. After McDonalds, we explored Antigua a bit. We went the square where students had their first encounter with street venders. They followed us all through town selling bracelets and necklaces.
After our exploration of Antigua, we visited a special needs orphanage. I’m not sure if I can explain in words what we saw and felt there. All of the kids and teenagers in the orphanage have a physical or mental disability and many of them are kept in cribs that look like cages. It was a surreal sight to see, but after a spending some time adjusting to what we saw, the students hearts were broken for the kids. One by one students starting taking the kids out of their cribs and holding them and playing with them. You could see the excitement on the faces of many of the kids. Then at dinnertime, our team fed the kids of the orphanage either with bottles or by hand. It was a humbling and breaking experience for all of us. We spent a few hours with the kids, but I’m sure the effects of our ministry there will last for lifetimes.
As we left the orphanage it started to rain pretty hard, which wouldn’t normally be a big deal accept that we needed students to ride in the back of a truck back tot he base, so we found some brave volunteers who were willing to get soaked. We tried to hide under a tarp, but we all were pretty soaked when we got back to base. We cleaned up and ate some pasta and tomato sauce, which was delicious on a cold, rainy day. Then we hung out and went to bed.
After our exploration of Antigua, we visited a special needs orphanage. I’m not sure if I can explain in words what we saw and felt there. All of the kids and teenagers in the orphanage have a physical or mental disability and many of them are kept in cribs that look like cages. It was a surreal sight to see, but after a spending some time adjusting to what we saw, the students hearts were broken for the kids. One by one students starting taking the kids out of their cribs and holding them and playing with them. You could see the excitement on the faces of many of the kids. Then at dinnertime, our team fed the kids of the orphanage either with bottles or by hand. It was a humbling and breaking experience for all of us. We spent a few hours with the kids, but I’m sure the effects of our ministry there will last for lifetimes.
As we left the orphanage it started to rain pretty hard, which wouldn’t normally be a big deal accept that we needed students to ride in the back of a truck back tot he base, so we found some brave volunteers who were willing to get soaked. We tried to hide under a tarp, but we all were pretty soaked when we got back to base. We cleaned up and ate some pasta and tomato sauce, which was delicious on a cold, rainy day. Then we hung out and went to bed.
Day 9 – Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Yesterday was full of hard work, so we were tired this morning. Jonathan gave us some time this morning to relax and do some devotions on our own. It was a good time of recovery. It’s still pretty hot here, but being able to see and hear the ocean makes it all worthwhile. In the afternoon, we walked to a local school to do an assembly there. We a short assembly full of dramas and testimonies, and we ended by making balloon animals for the students. It was fun to see them keep coming back for more balloons. Some of the students ended up with 3 or 4 balloons.
After returning from the school, students too advantage of the last opportunity to enjoy the ocean by swimming and chillin’ on the beach. Jonathan even busted out the surf board to try and catch some of the nice waves that were crashing. We finished up the evening by eating Papusas, which are a traditional El Salvadorian meal. They were tortillas filled with cheese and topped with cabbage and a salsa. These were better than the ones we had at the church. We then played a pretty intense game of mafia, but don’t worry it didn’t end in a fist fight like the last team they had. Today was a good, relaxing last day in El Salvador. Tomorrow we drive back to Guatemala to finish out our trip there.
After returning from the school, students too advantage of the last opportunity to enjoy the ocean by swimming and chillin’ on the beach. Jonathan even busted out the surf board to try and catch some of the nice waves that were crashing. We finished up the evening by eating Papusas, which are a traditional El Salvadorian meal. They were tortillas filled with cheese and topped with cabbage and a salsa. These were better than the ones we had at the church. We then played a pretty intense game of mafia, but don’t worry it didn’t end in a fist fight like the last team they had. Today was a good, relaxing last day in El Salvador. Tomorrow we drive back to Guatemala to finish out our trip there.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Day 8 – Monday, June 15, 2009
After breakfast today, we spent an extended time worshipping together and waiting on the Lord. Then Jonathan gave a short talk equating the excitement of surfer culture to how we as Christians should live. It was a cool parallel. After that, Mike Sawyer shared a devotional from Ecclesiastes on how there’s a time for everything, and now is our time to minister and let God work through us.
After the devotion time, it was work day. The guys spent the morning mixing and pouring cement for a patio, while the girls went with Alicia to a lady’s house to prayer for her because she had cancer.
After lunch, we got back to work on a number of different projects. Some of the girls cleaned the beach, while others painted one of the houses. Some of the guys mixed and poured cement in the driveway, while others helped clean up the pool patio. The rest of the girls walked the beach in search of small, decorative black rocks to help accent the cement. It was a long, hard day of work in really hot, humid temperatures. After dinner, we had the night off to relax and swim. While swimming, one of the students was hit in the lip with a surf board. He had to be taken to San Salvador, which is about an hour and a half away, to get stitches. Thankfully, the hospital had a plastic surgeon on call, who was able to stitch his lip back on. It was a close call, but God worked it out. Plus, Pastor Josh has pink eyes and was able to see a doctor to get some meds for his eyes. His total medical bill was $12.44, which is still unbelievable. It was also cool to say that a few of us have now been to San Salvador.
After the devotion time, it was work day. The guys spent the morning mixing and pouring cement for a patio, while the girls went with Alicia to a lady’s house to prayer for her because she had cancer.
After lunch, we got back to work on a number of different projects. Some of the girls cleaned the beach, while others painted one of the houses. Some of the guys mixed and poured cement in the driveway, while others helped clean up the pool patio. The rest of the girls walked the beach in search of small, decorative black rocks to help accent the cement. It was a long, hard day of work in really hot, humid temperatures. After dinner, we had the night off to relax and swim. While swimming, one of the students was hit in the lip with a surf board. He had to be taken to San Salvador, which is about an hour and a half away, to get stitches. Thankfully, the hospital had a plastic surgeon on call, who was able to stitch his lip back on. It was a close call, but God worked it out. Plus, Pastor Josh has pink eyes and was able to see a doctor to get some meds for his eyes. His total medical bill was $12.44, which is still unbelievable. It was also cool to say that a few of us have now been to San Salvador.
Day 7 – Sunday, June 14, 2009
Today, we got up early because of the heat. We had coffee and rolls for breakfast and hit the road to El Salvador, which was less than a mile from the church where we stayed. We crossed the border without any trouble, and we were on our way. We stopped at a gas station about half way to pick up snacks and stretch our legs. In El Salvador, they use the American Dollar for currency, so we didn’t have to worry about changing any money here. It was fun to buy snack and pop at the gas station for only a fraction of what it would’ve cost back home. After stocking up on snack for the next few days, we continued on to the base in El Salvador. The base is breathtakingly beautiful. It sits right on the ocean and shares a private beach with just a few other places. One of the neighbors is a Quicksilver surfing school, which charges over $250 a night per person to stay there, but because the surfing is great here they are busy all year round. The base has a number of nice houses that overlook the ocean, and it even has a swimming pool.
After a quick orientation about how not to drown in the ocean, we had the rest of the day off to relax and swim. Most everyone took advantage of the ocean and spent time feeling the powerful waves of the ocean. After swimming, we spent a low-key night, just playing games and relaxing. It was a much-needed break.
After a quick orientation about how not to drown in the ocean, we had the rest of the day off to relax and swim. Most everyone took advantage of the ocean and spent time feeling the powerful waves of the ocean. After swimming, we spent a low-key night, just playing games and relaxing. It was a much-needed break.
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