Guatemala Short-term Missions trip

Day 2

The day began in Guatemala City with the whole team meeting for breakfast with two of our in-country partners, Ben and Emily Mooney. We got to know each other a little better and it wasn’t long before we got a chance to practice our teamwork, loading all of our suitcases on the top of Ben’s van. 

Then, it was on to our service destination for the week, Asuncion Mita. The drive was about three hours long, and took us through mountains and small towns, past fruit stands, around pot holes, and finally to a little patch of land owned by a couple of young parents with three children. The couple, Miguel and Maria, currently have a home on land they do not own. The home that we get to help build them is on a piece of property they do own. Before we arrived, our other in-country partners helped to prep the jobsite by laying out bricks that form the outside edge of the foundation. Our first task: eat lunch.

It might sound funny, but getting everyone in the group coordinated enough to make their own sandwich was the activity we struggled with the most. But we got there in the end, and then we were off to work: carting sand, hauling gravel, mixing and laying concrete. In about five hours’ time, we went from a group of acquaintances with lunch-making troubles to a team of short-term missionaries building a house. 

Credit goes to Ben and Nick and Izzie, our missionary partners. They’ve worked with many groups like ours before, and knew exactly how to help us come together. They gave clear direction about what was needed and how to accomplish each task. They were also good about encouraging us to take breaks and help each other out. The whole team came with a desire to serve, but our friends at Bethel Ministries International showed us how.

By 5:30, a cement slab was poured for a new house, with extra slabs poured for a wash station and an outhouse/shower. We had made new friends in Miguel and Maria and their kids. And we got to see a little bit of what everyday life looks like for people living in rural Guatemala. Imagine a lot of dirt and dust, enough stray animals to start a zoo, and hard-working people who love their families.

As you pray for us, be reading through chapter 5 of Matthew. That is where our team devotions come from this week. Tonight at dinner, we reflected on how the people we are serving are both poor in spirit and have reason to mourn. Jesus calls those people blessed because of the opportunities they have to know Him better. We also saw today that it is a blessing to serve them, and that helps us know Jesus better too. 

Tomorrow’s plan: wheelchair distribution.