Adventures in Guatemala

Wow what a busy week it has been! Monday we traveled to 3 different schools around the outskirts of Guatemala City. It is amazing to see the difference in social classes here. The second school we went to had very nice facilities and each student had a uniform. In comparison, the third school was out in the country and didn't have much room for classes. Tuesday and Wednesday we were actually at the same schools in the morning and in the afternoon. Each school had about 1,300 students. It was crazy!! On Wednesday, it rained all afternoon so we had the opportunity to go into the classes and do a shortened version of our presentation. It was great to have a change of pace and to do ministry a little different. The teachers and principals at the schools have been wonderful! They welcome us with open arms and every school we have been to has invited us to come back again. Please pray that the door into public schools continues to stay open! Below are some pictures of me in the schools.




Thursday was the day off for the North Central team that has been with us so we went to the Central Market to go shopping! Thursday night we went to dinner at a nice steak restaurant and when we came out, it was raining... not water, but black volcanic ash! We quickly rain to the car and turned on the radio to find out that Pacaya, one of the largest volcanoes here, had erupted! The ash was EVERYWHERE! We quickly got home and watched the news to get the latest updates. As of now, there is still a threat that Pacaya could erupted so please pray with us that it doesn't happen! On top of that, a tropical depression is sitting over Guatemala and it has been raining CONSTANTLY. Many of the schools are talking about week-long closures due to the amount of rain. The rain will not stop us from sharing the love of Jesus :)
Below is a video of the ash in front of the missionary's house.

Yesterday I returned from my adventure to Coban! (Which should have an accent over the 'a' but I have yet to figure out how to do that on here) :) Thursday morning we left fairly early to drive 4 hours to Coban. Once we arrived, we dropped our stuff off at the hotel and headed to the church to practice for our presentations. When teams are here, we travel across the country to different schools (usually public, but some private) and share the love of Jesus with them. The presentations are MC'ed by some of our Guatemalan friends (right now Alfredo and Marco). One is in a full clown outfit and the other is the MC. We do songs with the kids and skits and have a prayer time with them at the end. There is something incredibly special about seeing these kids smile and laugh! We traveled to 3 schools on Friday and ministered to around 600 kids! Friday night was a little rough.. I got a bit sick.. but I am doing much better now!

Sunday we went to church at Iglesia Vida. I love the church! The people here are so friendly and welcoming to everyone! Below are some pictures from Coban!

Hello everyone! My apologies on the lack of post until I arrived. Graduation, family, and a slue of other activities kept me busy up until my last day in Springfield.

So I made it to Guatemala last night! After a wonderful 10 days at home, I am here for the next 10 weeks to serve Dave and Debbie Amsler. It feels great to be back. I hit the ground running this morning as we traveled into Antigua to pick up a college team from North Central University. We spent today relaxing around the house and I spent the day setting up my Skype. :) Tomorrow we leave to head north to the city of Coban. It is a culture rich with Mayan history.

Hopefully I can get pictures posted when I return!