Five weeks already of being here in Guatemala, and I’m staring at a ticking clock, watching the time fly by. I have two weeks left of regular ministry until my parents come for a week to serve with me. After that, I have a week of debrief with our mentors and coaches—then we’re off to our FINAL STOP, Honduras!!!!

As much as it feels like my life in Medina, Ohio, was another lifetime ago, this trip truly has slipped through my fingers. I can’t believe I’m approaching the end. I’m grateful—though my family, not so much—for the opportunity I had to turn off my phone for the first month of being here so I could focus on being present and not wish this trip away while missing home. It was incredibly hard, but the Lord truly strengthened me, and the sweet phone call reunion with my family on my sister’s birthday was so worth it. What a blessing it is to have people in your life you love and miss so much. My family’s relationship over the years has grown astronomically as the Lord has transformed us individually. I’ve seen how me being gone has taught us how valuable we are to each other. So being together with them again soon has been my motivation to finish this trip strong and stay focused on the season I’m in right now—because soon it will be over, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get another opportunity to do something like this again. So I want to soak in every moment that I can!

Here in Guatemala, we’ve been super busy! My team and I work with two different ministries throughout the week—the Parramos CarePoint and Reindom!

The Parramos CarePoint is in a town very close to us, and we serve the community in a relational way. We start the day with a feeding program for sponsored kids so they can get breakfast before school. The feeding program is really important because here in Guatemala, 1 out of 3 kids is malnourished due to a lack of food. That’s also why our ministry works to get as many kids in the community sponsored as possible, so more of their immediate needs can be met. After the kids go to school, we do things around the CarePoint, like cleaning or manual labor. Then we go into the community to do house visits or head to the town center, where the markets are, to evangelize. I’ve really enjoyed working with this ministry because my eyes have been opened to many of the misfortunes and hardships these people face. There was a woman named Dora whom we had been visiting at her home and praying for healing from tumors in her stomach. She actually passed away last week. Obviously, it was the Lord’s will, and He doesn’t need anyone but Himself to perform a miracle. But I saw a window into the lack of medical understanding some doctors and nurses have and how they often don’t know how to treat cases like Dora’s. It has also provided an opportunity for us to come alongside Dora’s family and her kids—to be there for them and pray with them—which I’ve been grateful to be part of. I’ve also seen a lot of spiritual growth in myself through this ministry. As my intimacy with the Lord has grown, I’ve seen Him speak through me and use me to touch the hearts of many people we’ve been ministering to. Whether it’s sharing a hard word the Lord needs them to hear, having Scripture placed on my heart to read over them, or Him leading me through evangelism—He has shown me what He can do with my willingness to be His hands and feet. Guatemala is by far the country I’ve walked away from with the most testimonies, just seeing the Lord working left and right. If you recall, Malaysia was a spiritually heavy country, but coming here to Guatemala, I instantly noticed the Lord’s closeness—like I could reach my hands up and catch the fabric of His robe. His Spirit is very present here and at work!

The other ministry we do is a children’s after-school discipleship program called Reindom. We do so many different things there, like an after-school feeding program, Bible and English classes, sports ministry, prayer rooms, and family events. We split the kids into three different age groups, ranging from ages 4 to 16. Reindom has been such a fun ministry to be part of. We have slower mornings, filling ourselves up by starting in the prayer room as a team, worshiping the Lord, and preparing for whatever that day requires. After that, we’re with the kids the rest of the time, and they are some of the happiest, most loving people I’ve ever met. You get swarmed with hugs and greetings, and everyone wants to be your friend. I adore being with them and helping them understand more of the Bible and God’s love. It’s cool because the older kids are actually discussing difficult topics in Scripture—truly being discipled to understand the Word correctly and follow it with all their hearts. Sports ministry is… let’s just say I try my best. I help with the soccer league kids, and well… I’ve never played soccer. In Malaysia, we played it often for ministry, so I’ve gotten good enough to hold my own. But I still don’t compare to some of these older kids. I’ve also had blisters on my feet, so I haven’t been able to wear my tennis shoes, and that doesn’t help at all. The younger boys laugh when my shoe falls off after I run to get the ball, but I take it as a win because I think it’s helped them like me faster.

Another ministry-type activity we do every Thursday is something called “Activation Days”. Someone teaches a lesson on a certain topic, and instead of just taking notes and calling it good, we physically go out into the streets afterward and practice what we learned through evangelism. It is such a fruitful ministry, and I’ve learned and experienced so much. It’s also nice because there isn’t necessarily an expectation that what you learned will go how you think it will—or that something specific will happen, like praying over someone and seeing a miraculous healing. There are obviously things in Scripture we can learn from and use as tools, but there isn’t a checklist of steps you follow to get it right. It’s the Lord. So we go out with what we’ve learned and focus more on preparing our hearts to be willing and open to letting the Lord use us however He wants. We’ve seen miraculous healings, and we’ve seen people who simply needed an encouraging word to know the Lord sees them. He’s used it all, and it’s all brought glory to His name!

Outside of ministry, we’ve had some opportunities for a few fun adventures. But for the most part, on the days off we get, I use them to Sabbath and rest so I’m ready for ministry the next week. I did get to go on a hike up a nearby mountain, and I went to a cool touristy place called Hobbitenango, which was really fun!

Just some random things about life here in Guatemala—we use a lot of public transportation, and it is a wild ride, let me tell you. The main thing we use is a decorated school bus called a “chicken bus.” They PACK these buses so full—there literally is no limit. If you need a ride, you get on. You sit or stand so squished that you don’t even move when the bus flies down the road hitting potholes because there’s no room to. And getting off? I get claustrophobic trying to climb my way out. Another way to get around is in vans that take you shorter distances. These vans also PACK people in to the point where sometimes you’re holding onto a handle while hanging out the door because the doors stay open at all times to get people on and off quickly.

Another thing—there are dogs everywhere in Guatemala. They’re strays, so you can’t pet them, but for some reason they love gringos and follow us everywhere we go. The Guatemalans are also super friendly. When walking down the street, you’re often greeted by every person you pass. I love it because you can tell these people are so relational and joyful. They have a care for you—even if they’ve never met you—that’s just so rare.

Lastly, we’re staying at an AIM base, so we’ve seen many short-term teams come through and serve with us for a week. That has been more of a blessing than I realized it would be. They’re mostly older groups of dads, but they have been some of the kindest, funniest, most entertaining people I’ve ever met. They’ve been a great distraction from missing my family, and I’ve learned so much wisdom from them as they share all the places the Lord has walked them through. It’s also been cool to see how the Lord has used my squad to impact these teams—using us to show them more of Himself and help them step into deeper intimacy with Him.

Guatemala has been such an adventure, and I’ve loved every moment of it. I’ve grown so close to the AIM staff who live here, our ministry hosts, and the people on my team and squad. Unity has been a big word over this season in Guatemala, and I’ve really enjoyed watching that fruit grow.

Transformation is never-ending on this trip, and I’m excited to see how the Lord continues to refine me through these last 12 weeks. I appreciate all your continued prayers for me! I’m so glad I was able to share what Guatemala has looked like so far, and I’m looking forward to sharing more soon!