Joy in Guatemala
College students from Woodmen serve in Guatemala!
A group of college students from Woodmen traveled to Guatemala last week to serve in the Jicamapa village in Chiquimula!
The group arrived smoothly, with no travel complications, which was a big blessing! Soon after their arrival, they were encouraged by the life stories of members of their partner organization, UNUM, named after the Latin word meaning ‘one’ because we are all one in Christ.
The team then arrived at their beautiful hotel and hurried off to host a game and movie night for the students of Jicamapa, for which they were warmly welcomed by a cheering crowd of kids. They made bracelets together, painted nails and faces and played games. These activities continued through the movie night, with the group using flashlights to continue crafts and communicating in broken Spanish.
In the morning, VBS began, full of crafts for the kids and an entertaining skit of Joshua, Caleb and their spies entering the promised land. After VBS, the team split up and visited 16 homes, sharing with the families they met the message that we are all made in the image of God. The team was humbled by the deep love they noticed in the people they interacted with as they went from home to home.
The next day started with practicing another skit for the kids, and was also filled with more crafts! During the home visits that day, one family invited the team to stay for coffee and bread and conversation, which was a touching moment because even though they had so little, the family still wanted to generously share what they did have.
The following day in Chiquimula had a unique start – sandwiches. The team worked at rapid speed to construct 27 sandwiches in 15 minutes. The afternoon was filled with more fun, such as teaching the kids the “Church Clap” dance and playing water games. The group heard the story of a woman whose husband had fled Guatemala for America to leave the violence. Still, throughout that sorrow and loss, the woman and her children continued to be steadfast in praising the Lord.
The team learned a lot from the people of Jicamapa, whether that was how to properly cut a mango, or how to love the people around you well even when you have little you can give. The VBS was a blessing to the village, and the relationships built were a deep encouragement to both the Woodmen team and the Guatemalans.
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