Mission Trip to Guatemala

After considerable thought last year, I decided to go on a mission trip.  At first I didn't know where I would go or what I would do there.   I attended a five week mission trip class at Biltmore Baptist church to learn more about the experience.  I prayed about different trips that were available, and chose to go to Guatemala in July to teach Vacation Bible school.  I felt compelled to go and share my faith with others, and also to gain insight into a completely different way of life than my own.  What I gained from the experience was not only insight, but a deepened sense of gratitude for the things I have in my life.  

Shortly after arriving in Guatemala City, we were greeted by Ovidio: our translator, guide, and driver.  Ovidio, along with a few others, kept us well the entire trip by letting us know what was safe to eat and what wasn’t, where to go in town, etc.  We spent most of our time in Guatemala in the town of Comitancillo, and taught Vacation Bible School at Biltmore Baptist's sister church in a nearby village, Tuizacaja.  

Walking through a corn field to get to the church. Love it. 

There are 80 children enrolled in Biltmore Baptist’s sister church in Tuizacaja.  However, Vacation Bible School was open to everyone, and children from all over came to it.  There were about 350-400 children that showed up, aged anywhere from 3 months to 13 years old.  

The church in Tuizacaja

We stayed in the mission house while we were in Comitancillo, and our meals were cooked by three wonderful Guatemalan women.  The food was amazing!

Every night at the house, we gathered in the living room to reflect and share our experiences from the day.  This was a time when I felt like we were truly able to get to know one another, and these were some of my favorite moments from the trip.  
The first night at the mission house, Bill Keel, the leader of our trip, gave each of us a small clay pot he had purchased at the market earlier that day.  He asked us to think about a fear that we had, something that was keeping us from doing what God most wanted us to do on the trip.  Then he asked all of us to close our eyes.  He dropped his pot on the floor and it shattered into pieces.  He asked us to keep our eyes closed, silently pray about the fear we each had, and then when we were ready.. drop our pots as a way of letting go of that fear.  I knew exactly what my fear was.  At the first meeting with the kids the day before, I was holding back.  I was intimidated by the language barrier, and as a result, I froze up.  I had been so concerned about what to do and what they would think, that it was keeping me from doing the very thing I came to do.

I checked in with myself that first night and realized that it didn’t matter.  I came to Guatemala to share my passion and love with the kids and women and that’s what I was determined to do.  I dropped my pot and felt every ounce of my fear slip away.  The next day, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and didn’t hold back when it came to interacting with the kids and women. Whether it was teaching them how to make a sheep craft, kicking a ball, or just spending time with them, I jumped in and made it happen.

In Guatemala, Sunday is market day.  People from nearby villages come to buy and sell their goods.  We woke to the sounds of farm animals passing by the mission house in the street.  Then we headed out to see the local market.  

Dyed baby chicks

On the second day in Tuizacaja, the ladies of our team held a “Ladies Tea” for the women.  Each of the women from our group gave a short speech about ourselves, which Ovidio translated to the women in their language, “Mam.”   Then we did a couple of activities with the women.  One of the activities was making a prayer bracelet for someone at your table.  We said that by making a bracelet for someone else at the table, it meant that you would pray for them. The ladies really enjoyed making the bracelets and sharing them. 

I made a prayer bracelet for this adorable little girl. :)

For Vacation Bible School, we split the children into 3 groups and had a rotation which included relay races (sack race, egg on a spoon, etc), crafts, and snack.  

 I helped with the craft groups.  Our activities and teachings were based on the story "Dorothy and the Good Shepherd " so for the craft, the kids made a sheep.   They traced their hands on construction paper then glued cotton and googley eyes onto it.  Teaching the kids how to make the sheep craft really forced me to recall words from my high school Spanish class that I hadn't used in years!  I also relied heavily on demonstration.  A touching moment for me was after I helped the kids make the craft, when a few kids excitedly brought their sheep to me and held them up, with smiles from ear to ear.  It was such an amazing experience just to show those children love.  Apparently love has it's own language and I witnessed it in the faces of the children in Guatemala.

The next day, while the men of our team led a men's bible study, the rest of us took a drive up to the top of a mountain to see some beautiful views.  

The women on our team, plus our awesome translators & drivers: Eldar, Elgar, and Edwin

Had so much fun playing "Monkey in the Middle" and kicking the ball with these boys :) 

Aimee with some of the girls at the church.

These girls were awesome.  When Jessica asked them for their names, they gave her long, complicated, made up names.  Then they started cracking up after she found out their real names. :)

This sweet girl ran up to me after VBS saying "photo, photo!"  

One of the most meaningful experiences of the trip for myself was during a house visit in Comitancillo.  We went to visit a few houses and meet the families who lived in them.  In one of the houses, a 20-year-old widowed woman lived with her twin two year olds and her mother. They all sleep in the same full sized bed.  After visiting with Lucia, the 20-year-old, she asked that we prayed for her because she was raising the twins pretty much all on her own.  When I told her I was a nanny for 2 year old twins, she said she thought I should stay in Guatemala and help her with her twins. ;)

   

Inside another family's home

Still teared up after this woman shared that her husband recently passed and she would like us to be praying for her. <3

On the last day of VBS, the church surprised us with a band performance.  They had been practicing for the last year and this was their first big performance.  The little girl in the front is the AWANA princess. She became the princess by memorizing the most verses, attending regularly, and remembering to wear her AWANA shirt. 

Common mode of transportation in Guatemala, "Tuk-tuks" 

These locals came by the mission house in the evenings to hang out with us.  I had the best time teaching them the "Wobble" with the rest of my team :)

At the end of our time at Tuizacaja, the women presented us with a beautiful weaving as a gift of their appreciation.  It took one of the women 4 days to make.  They told us over and over again how thankful and happy they were that we came.

The last picture I took of the kids in Guatemala.  My little buddy, Jefferson, in the blue,  right in the middle :)

 After finishing at the churches, we headed to Antigua to shop, then to the beautiful Lake Atitlan in Panajachel, Guatemala for some relaxation before heading back to Asheville.

Hammock time!

There were volcanoes surrounding the lake, and the hotel we stayed in was actually in a crater of a volcano.  Crazy..

Met up with another group from Biltmore Baptist that was coming to do construction.  We went to dinner with them on the last night

I was *so* blessed to have such an amazing and fun group on my trip!!

Enjoying a delicious steak dinner :)

Tom jokingly told our taxi driver that he wanted to drive us back to the hotel from dinner.  To our surprise, the taxi driver really wanted Tom to drive.  After some persuasion, Tom and the taxi driver switched seats and Tom drove us back to the hotel.  It was quite humorous. 

I am so thankful and happy I had this opportunity to go and spend time with the women and children in the villages of Guatemala.  They have a completely different way of living than we do.  They lack many luxuries that we enjoy and sometimes take for granted.  It was amazing to see the joy these women and children feel, in spite of hardships they’ve faced in the past and continue to face every day.  I will be praying for everyone I met during my trip, and it’s surreal to me knowing that there are people in a different country praying for me.  This was a life-changing experience that I will never forget.  I look forward to going back someday.

"Take my love
For love is everlasting
And remember
The truth that once was spoken:
To love another person is to see the face of God"

-Victor Hugo

Les Miserables