I've been here for about a week and a half, and the time has been full of new experiences! Flight travel went smoothly and the van travel from Guatemala City to Magdalena went bumpy; literally. There were speed bumps everywhere on the windy road up the mountainside. Once we reached the 7000 ft altitude, our Crown College team of 6 met our host families and split off for the night. The next day, we met the other internship group, Global Bridge, which is apart of the Students International Organization that we are here with. They are a group of 5 students from California, Michigan, and Indiana.
The next few days were spent getting to know each other and the newness of being in a different culture. We spent a couple days at our respective ministry sites. Me and the other Sarah on our team are helping with the Sponsorship program. Our days were split between visiting sponsored kids at the schools, and some filing work in the office. Some of the other sites are healthcare, education, agriculture, special education, art ministry, and women's ministry. On the weekend we visited Antigua and did a scavenger hunt, which brought us all over the city, dodging cars and motos in the street.
On Sunday we went to the Mt. Sinai Church up the hill, which was a pretty interesting experience. We worshiped with incredibly loud music for about an hour and a half. I found that your hands become very sore from clapping that long. This was followed by a message in Spanish, and then a handful of people were baptized.
This week started Spanish classes! For three weeks we meet one on one with a Spanish tutor from Antigua at the Church, and study with them for 4 hours. We have the afternoons off to do homework from online classes and rest. Once these three weeks are completed, we will go back to our ministry sites and continue online classes. Hopefully all the time spent diligently studying Spanish will help me to better communicate during my time here. At least it will help situations to not be as full of awkward silences.
I was staying pretty healthy... until the end of last week. I got a stomach bug, and missed the first day of Spanish class. Now I'm on some kind of antibiotic for the week and feeling great! I had a lot of time to rest and think that day, which I think God purposefully used to help me with my attitude. The first week was a difficult transition in saying goodbye to so many familiarities and loved ones. I found it hard to want to be where I currently am at times, and continually had to give it over to God. After being sick, I'm finding that I really do want to take hold of this opportunity, even though it can be hard because of so many changes. I believe that God has His reasons for me being here. Each day I ask Him for His mercies, and He gives them in abundance.
Thank you to everyone who has been diligently praying for me, our team, and the people of Guatemala! I so appreciate your support. Please pray for the health and protection of our team, as sickness seems to be a reoccurring theme. Also, pray during this continued transition time as we get used to all the new things around us, and learn to lean on each other as well as God.
Until next time!
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