Guatemala July 2019 Day 1

To start off the day the group was a little tired after a long day of travel. Everyone stumbled out of bed, got some food, had some inspirational words from Garret and piled into the bus. This is where the day started to look up. After winding through some thick forest, we saw some runners on the road. Not many people thought much of it. Later we had to stop the bus completely as all the runners were passing through a stretch. Our group decided to start clapping and high-fiving the runners. Some of the runners started beaming as the bus was filled with cheering. This started to get the spirit of the team up for the day! We arrived at the site saying hi to some of the local kids.

The kids seemed hesitant at first when they saw us, however we easily gained their trust by just playing a bit of soccer. The fun didn't seem to stop as we exhausted ourselves playing with the kids. Many of the students were able to connect with the kids even with the language barrier. After the kids left we were able to start preparing to give two families ovens. One group had to carry the oven, while the other was driven. It was hard work for both teams. Each group had a good experience being able to learn more about the culture of Guatemala.

After dinner, worship and a debrief, five of the students shared their testimonies. All bearing such a different story and a different set of obstacles, by the end, everyone seemed to be shedding tears. It was easy to see that God had been moving in different ways throughout the room and bonds began forming like a wild fire. I personally couldn't have asked for a better end to the night.

Gabe Rogers

- Gabe Rogers