Hola everyone! Thank you so much for all of your prayers and
support for our journey! We arrived safely in Guatemala on Saturday afternoon.
After settling in at Hotel Soleil, our home away from home in Antigua, we
enjoyed a delicious dinner. The food is incredible, and the people here are
welcoming, accommodating, and humble. Their sweet service is truly a blessing!
This morning, we began the day with yet another amazing
meal. We soon discovered that Donna had met a beautiful green parrot named
Pancho who lives at the hotel. They became old friends very quickly – sharing
stories, laughing together, even singing together! Of course, the song in
Donna’s heart often has a way of spreading to the hearts of others, so why not
a parrot? Well, this parrot-bonding led Donna (AKA parrot whisperer) to another
wonderful encounter with two beautiful young girls and their father, Felipe.
Felipe and the girls came by during our worship time on the
hotel grounds. He took time to thank us, encourage us, and share his testimony.
Felipe and his family live in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. About 20 years ago, he
and his wife came to know Christ and have been serving him ever since. Unfortunately,
San Pedro Sula is an extremely dangerous and violent place to live. Before they
left, we offered this family up in prayer, asking for their safety and thanking
God for this newfound brother in Christ. Talk about a divine appointment!
It’s no surprise that our topic for worship was
relationships. We were reminded that we serve a God of relationships, and
whether you are on the mission field in Guatemala, a church in the U.S., at
work, at home – wherever – YOU may be the only light of Christ someone ever sees.
7“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.” I John 4: 7;11-13;15-17
After worship time, we headed out for our Excursion Day to
the Filadelfia Coffee Plantation! We rode in a very high, open-air vehicle. I
think this is what you’d get if you crossed a jeep, a humvee, and a school bus.
With the combination of the vehicle and the terrain, we had already had quite
an excursion by the time we reached the plantation! Once there, we split into
two groups. Flo, Paula, and Lauren went with guide Alex and some others to take
on the zipline course! Doris, Donna, Brenda, Karen, Burney, and Jim went with
guide Josh to experience the coffee tour.
After driving up a very narrow, very steep path carved along
the side of a mountain, the zipline group conquered about 1,700 ft. of cable
zipline strung between the mountains 500 ft. over the valley below. Talk about an adrenaline rush! Meanwhile, the
coffee tour group took a fascinating two-hour tour conducted mostly outside.
They got to see first-hand the process coffee takes from the plant to the delicious
beverage we know and love.
Until next time…(Hasta la proxima vez!)
We are excited to see God using the team in beautiful Guatemala (although we wish we could see pictures of the zipline crew). Please tell Paula her furry babies are doing fine and even venturing out to see us at times when we come to take care of them. We are praying for the team and trusting you will experience His blessings as you care for the least of these. Sending hugs and prayers from Florida!
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