Short-Term Trip, Long-Term Impact: A Summer In Guatemala

¡Buenas Noches de Panajachel!

“To Tell People About Jesus”

It is hard to believe it’s been over three weeks since we arrived in Guatemala and that now our ministry in Sumpango has concluded. Those were three long weeks, with long days, but it was all worth it. If you asked my 4-year-old son why he/we came to Guatemala, he would tell you, “To tell people about Jesus…” and that is what we have done.

Little Time, Large Impact

Over the last three weeks, we co-led VBS ministries in six different churches, with 257 kids hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. Our team participated in 105 home visits, which means we shared with at least 105 individuals and families our testimonies of how Christ changed our lives and then presented them with a Bible (provided by Breaking Cycles) which they could keep and begin to read to learn more about the story of our Savior. On top of all of that, we got our hands dirty to help care for the physical needs of families in Guatemala by building three rooms/houses (1 each week). Our team helped dig the foundation, mix concrete, carry and lay bricks, mix more concrete, pour concrete, mix incredible amounts of concrete, and each Friday, participate in dedicating these houses in prayer to our Father. It was an honor to partner with Breaking Cycles and share our faith in Jesus through stories and manual labor. But now, we are in the next and final phase of our trip…Debriefing.

The Importance of Debriefing

We arrived in Panajachel last night, which is a small town that sits right on the edge of Lake Atitlan. We have an incredible view from our bungalows of Atitlan, with its three volcanoes visible across the lake. There is also a thriving tourism industry here, which lends itself well to our students getting a chance to hunt for souvenirs and use their downtime to explore town. Aside from enjoying the view, debriefing is primarily a time of reflection. The busy go-go-go of our ministry days is set aside and replaced with 2-3 hour chunks of time committed to praying through our fears about going home, looking at what our expectations ought to be, or reflecting on what God has done in our lives since leaving home a month ago.

Day 1 of Debriefing is now in the books. Roughly 100 hours from now (as I write this on Monday night) we will land in Chicago, and our trip will be complete. Yet debriefing is about how this summer should not merely fade into our memory as a fun piece of trivia, “I’ve been to Guatemala before!” but rather, that this experience be the jumping-off point for our students and staff into a lifetime of ministry. And that is what we will continue to drive home over the next four days.

Jack Becker