Well everyone, this concludes the 2024 Guatemala YA trip! Thank you so so much for all of your prayers and support. Our team truly had a blessed week learning about God and His love of the people of Sumpango.

Can’t believe this is our last full day in Guatemala! It has been a very blessed week. We were able to sleep in a little bit, however we did wake up to quaking as there was an earthquake between Mexico and Guatemala. Or it could’ve been Kathryn shaking our beds. Once we fully woke up, we had breakfast on the roof, enjoying our view for a final time. 

This morning began a little earlier than most but for good reason, we had a three hour bus ride to Panajachel to see the famous lake, peruse the shops, and go out for lunch with all the kids! The bus ride took a bit longer than expected with an impromptu visit to the closest Mcdonalds (which was nicer than most in Ontario), we all filled up on coffee then hit the road again.

Hey! Let me tell you all about the in’s and out’s of our day. We started off preparing for another Mother’s day event. This event is for the Mother’s who often don’t have anyone to celebrate this special day with. Many of these women are widdowed, abandoned by their kids, homeless, or all of the above.

Good morning, we all are getting more tired as the week goes on. This seems to be having a good effect on our mood however, as we are being more silly and laughing WAY more than normal! Team bonding is at an all time high!

Welcome to day 5 of the trip! The days have been both very long, and very short. It’s hard to believe that it is already Wednesday! Again, we had an early start at 6am (don’t worry, Kathryn didn’t wake Olivia and I). This time, we enjoyed our breakfast and coffee on the roof. It is quite surreal looking at the surrounding town and to see the mountains/volcanoes in the background. 

The morning began with the sound of motorcycles, the occasional horse clopping, and Jacob rummaging through his bag. Kathryn awoke hours before everyone else and ended up chatting with Barb and Gerry. A bunch of the kids slept over last night since they all were here late doing Alpha (it was a big slumber party of sorts). We ask for prayer that their desire to learn will continue to grow.

Today was fabulous! We began our morning with a wonderful start at 7:45 A.M. when the PILAS students arrived and greeted us with warm hugs and big smiles. They then introduced themselves in English and gave us some fun facts about themselves. Along with that, we also had the privilege to listen to them present their weekly schedules.

The Second day begins! It started quite early for most of us as we all got up surprisingly early. The guys woke up due to an alarm not set in the right time zone so we woke up all around 6:00am, thinking it was 8:00am and Kathryn was the early bird for the girls. So we all ended up meeting Barb and Gerry for coffee on the roof and had a great time if just a little tired.

Greetings friends and family as we kick off a new year of young adults missions. Our day started off bright and early, but we all made it safely to the airport in good time. The people we’ve come across so far (two security officers, one passenger, and two flight attendants) have been incredibly nice. They seemed to radiate Christ through their evident joy in their interactions and outward expressions (this included some singing on their behalf). In all our times in an airport we haven’t experienced anything like it before…