10 Days Left in Guatemala

A word from the Guatemala Trip Leader:

Another week is in the books! Ministry continued as usual (one group building a house, the other two doing house visits and leading VBS). You may recall in my last written update a request for prayer regarding the overall health of our team. Though one of our senior staff, Molly, had been sick for the first several days of last week, we were very excited when she jumped back in on Thursday and Friday meaning we finally had the entire team in ministry at the same time. Thank you for your prayers!

Perhaps the most significant thing I would like to highlight this week is the ongoing struggle against Covid-19 here in Guatemala. You've likely noticed that in many of our photos that we are posting, especially with our local friends, we are masked. I understand this can seem a bit confusing especially in the US where most states are letting up on masking mandates or distancing guidelines as the widespread health of our country has improved. Things are not so good, though, down here in Guatemala even since we have been here (only two weeks now, hard to believe). Just last week a local pastor within the Breaking Cycles network passed away from Covid-19 at a young age, leaving behind a family. Just a few days after that a very close friend of Betty (our ministry partner) died of Covid-19, while she was only in her thirties and pregnant with her first child. The pandemic is still very real down here. Less than 2% of the population have been able to receive the full vaccine. Thankfully, our ministry opportunities have not been significantly affected, but we do hurt for the local community that is struggling to fight this disease. Please pray specifically that Guatemalans would gain better access to the vaccination and that the local church here would rise up to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the people of Sumpango.

On Saturday, after a long week of ministry, we took some R&R in the form of a hike …. up a volcano! The team was thrilled when I announced that we would be hiking Volcan Pacaya, one of three ongoing active volcanoes in Guatemala. Many of our students opted to rent horses for the first portion of our hike, not even out of necessity but just for the joy of riding a horse. The rest of us brought up the rear. It was a long hike up, but it was a thrill. By no means did we fully summit the volcano, as the peak is far too dangerous right now, however we did reach a point where we were walking across cooled lava beds and volcanic rock, and our team even got to roast marshmallows using nothing but the heat of the Earth for roasting. The views were incredible and I mean it when I tell you we were at the same height as clouds in the distance. Our descent could mostly be summed up by what Buzz Lightyear calls, “Falling... with style”. The soft ash beneath our feet and the steepness of the mountain led to running, sliding, or just plain falling with style down the mountain. An experience to remember to be sure.

We have one more week here in Sumpango before we head out to Panajachel at Lake Atitlan on Sunday. It's hard to believe we only have ten days left but the team is still going strong! Thank you for all of your prayers.