Blog Post for March 20, 2011

Today was a spectacular day! At 5:30am, some of the team members went on a 30 minute speed walk through Antigua. God delighted us with yet another beautiful moon and one of the volcanoes sending out small puffs of smoke. As we turned one corner, we were greeted by a lit-up cross on the mountain and soon after the sound of church bells ringing. At 7:00am were had a heart-warming devotional from Nancy Grigsby followed by a fabulous breakfast of eggs, pancakes and fruit. At 8:30am we held a church service outside in the Pergula. Cameron Tromba played his guitar and led us with some worship music, followed by Cliff Morgan sharing the word of God. He encouraged us that like Peter, we too have already stepped out of the boat of our comfort zone by coming on this mission trip and are walking on water because of God’s grace and power but warned us to continue to keep our focus on Christ so that He could work mightily through us. At 10:00am, we were picked up by two safari looking trucks that drove us to the coffee plantation. What an incredible experience it was to zip line about 400 feet above a valley. For many of the team members, this was their first zip line experience and yet they once again stepped out of the boat of their comfort zone to face their fears with God’s strength! Way to go team!!! After zip lining, we headed to the “five star” McDonald’s for lunch and then went to barter at the artesian market for some souvenirs. Everyone got some really pretty items and had lots of fun in the process. When we returned to the hotel (which by the way is called The Real Plaza Hotel Suite), everyone had a couple of hours to relax, journal, play games, fellowship or visit the spa. Tonight, we will have dinner once again at 7pm and then have our first WOW session. You may be asking, “What is WOW?” Well, let me tell you… it is a special time for the team to get together each evening to share any WOW moments they have had during their experiences here in Guatemala, especially at the malnutrition center. Since we don’t start working at the malnutrition center until tomorrow, tonight’s WOW will be about the experiences that have led us to being on this mission trip. After WOW, most of the team will probably head to bed since tomorrow our day will begin early, especially for those 5:30am speed walkers. Ron Gunter, Vice President of International Childcare for Orphan’s Heart, shared details with us about the center. We are all so excited to be heading to the center to be able to share God’s love by just serving the needs of the center workers and children. God has blessed us so greatly already. We are looking forward to Him delighting us even more! In His love and peace!