Guatemala - Day 2

From start to finish, today was filled with games and laughter. Early this morning we prepared for the neighborhood children to come to the campus. These kids come from Zone 18, the most notorious area for crime and being under-resourced.

One busload later, our building was filled with smiling kids, excited for a day of games, a Bible message, and of course, world-renowned food - Little Caesars pizza ;) These kids have been isolated for so long due to continuing COVID restrictions. But today, not a single kid left without having fun and hearing how much Jesus loves them.

Later in the afternoon, we were invited by local gang members to join them in a game of basketball. The only reason we had this opportunity was because of the trust and respect the local ministers have earned in their community. We gave it our all but lost by a whopping 11 points. After the game, we were able to hang out, make conversation (through broken Spanish), play guitar, and pray with the men before we left.

Now I would like to say that we American foreigners totally rocked these kids’ and gang members’ worlds, and changed their life, all in one day . . . but that would be rather pompous and ridiculous. 

Instead, I will say that our team was humbled today. We got to participate and witness just a tiny glimpse of what God is doing in this community through local believers. The Guatemalan staff and volunteers of GFN are consistently pouring their energy, resources, and love into their neighborhood - and we can clearly see the impact it’s making on them. Go Guatemala’s driving mission is “to change Guatemala one child at a time,” and they are living this out day by day - not by their own strength, but by relying on the Lord. 

If this blog post communicates anything to you today- I hope that you feel encouraged. God is moving in Guatemala through the local believers, and we (as the Zero Collective Churches) get to have the honor of supporting them from afar as they further The Kingdom of God. 

Here is their website if you would like to learn more about this amazing Ministry that we support: globalfaithnetwork.org.

Please stay tuned to hear more of what we learn & witness on this trip! 

-Noelle