Guatemala - Day 1

Wow, what a journey it has been already! We got in about 4 hours later than expected on Saturday night because of some delays in Houston. Broken airplane engine generator, a replaced flight crew, and 2 medical emergencies later (not from our team), our plane was finally airborne.

Day 1 in Guatemala was filled with great people, incredible food, and “fast and the furious” driving. We went downtown Guatemala City in one of the most bustling areas of the city and spent some time talking with Pastor Rafa and his son, Eric, learning about both of their calls into ministry and the struggles they’re facing right now. Pastor Rafa was a former drug dealer turned follower of Jesus and now has a vibrant church nestled in Zone 18 of Guatemala City.

His son, Eric, volunteers much of his time with the church that continued to gather throughout COVID when many other churches closed (and many are STILL closed), but they primarily kept meeting together to help meet the many physical needs that people in their community were facing like access to fruits and vegetables, even supplying the police officers that were supposed to shut them down (but didn’t).

One of the most impactful parts of our day was toward the end. Before heading to Pastor Rafa’s church for a service at 6pm, we carved out some time to worship and pray together as a team. Pastor John Gorveatte from Center Church led us and it really marked our evening, setting us up perfectly to join in for worship at the all-Spanish service.

As I reflect on today, there is so much to be gleaned from the people of Guatemala. There is a rich celebration of life here with people enjoying the small but special moments of community, conversation, and family. There is a genuine joy in almost everyone we encountered, even though there are many stories of deep pain and loss. Our whole team feels extraordinarily welcome by the people of Guatemala and we are all so excited to see what God has in store for us for the rest of this week. Stay tuned for stories about basketball games with gang members, volcanoes, sink holes, and more.

Love you all, and thanks for the overwhelming prayers and support for our team this week. Excited to be back with all of you next week!

- David