Guatemala College - January 2021 - Day 6

We finished out our week in Chivoc (the same village we worked with on Tuesday). We spent the day completing our final home visits. In total, we have done 78 home visits this week - all with significant impact in our lives that have left us forever changed by the stories we have heard. As a team, as we were debriefing the week, we talked about how one of our goals was to be stretched this week, and boy, we were stretched. We all agreed that this week doing the home visits we were in constant stretching mode as we learned to speak through a translator to communicate and sometimes had to speak through two translators depending on the language differences. As we reflect on the week, we are extremely grateful for the power of stories. We have heard so many stories this week - some harder than others, but overall, we see God at work in each of their lives. 

Today we had the pleasure to hear from the teachers, Rebecca and Delfi and the pastor, Filemon of the church in Chivoc. As they shared their story of bringing the Gospel to the village, we all were shocked as they told us how opposed the locals were at first to them being there - even to the point of wanting to kill them. But through relationships built and ways they helped out, they slowly broke down the walls built up against them. Today, there is a church in the middle of the village that many of the town attend. It was so powerful to see the relationships that Rebecca, Delfi and Filemon have with their town and the deep love and care they have for them. Their story just shows how important relationships are and being intentional with people. 

We wrap up our week tomorrow by having some fun. We are going to the Mayan Ruins and to the market at Antigua. We are all excited to return home and share stories of the way we saw God at work this week! 

-Hannah Douglas

P.S. We got to ride in the back of a truck bed today through the crazy steep hills of Chivoc going really fast! It was a blast! 

- Hannah Douglas