LifePark Team July 2019

Last week we hosted a team from our partner church LifePark in Mount Pleasant, SC.  Here is a look at our time together.

They arrived on a Sunday afternoon and we enjoyed our first meal together at Pollo Campero in Antigua. 

We spent Monday-Thursday working in the towns of San Andres Itzapa and Parramos.  Two of those days were spent making home visits with Bro. Apolinario who is a local Baptist pastor.  We made about eight visits each day and got to share the gospel with many.  We encountered so much sadness and heartache while in these homes.  Some were battling illness and addiction.  One man we visited, due to a construction accident, fell and broke his leg.  He is needing surgery.  In addition to this injury he is also having seizures.  Another man we met was paralyzed, and another blind.  Two young mothers had recently had an infant die shortly after birth.  Others are battling diabetes and heart disease.  There was a lot of hopelessness but through testimonies and scripture we were able to offer true hope to these through Jesus Christ.  It was a blessing to be in their homes, to hear their stories, and to pray over them. 

one of our home visits

Bro. Apolinario and his son on one of our home visits.

Ready for another day of fun and ministry at a local school

On another one of our days we were in a local school teaching Bible stories, English, and playing games.  We had four different groups that we worked with.  The school is a Christian school but about 80% do not claim to be Christian or come from Christian homes.  We were able to share the gospel with each of them.

Jeff teaching a Bible story

Angie teaches English to international students back in South Carolina so she was able to use that gift in teaching the students at the school.  They are learning some English already and were eager to learn more from her. 

some of the kids acting out one of our Bible stories

Roanna helping the kids act out her Bible story

Paul doing an illustration to share the gospel with the kids

Stacy teaching the kids a Bible story

acting out Stacy's story

On Thursday we had the blessing of being with this group of ladies at the Baptist church in San Andres Itzapa for a special women's event.  We began by singing hymns in both Spanish and English.  We then had a teaching time as well as a time for a few of our ladies to share their testimonies.  They had the most fun getting to color a coloring sheet that went along with our Bible story.  Their sheets also included the scriptures printed out on the back.  It was a fun day and I think they really enjoyed it.  I hope to get to return there one day for another time of study with them.

Hillary sharing the story of the woman at the well.

Angie sharing an encouraging testimony with the ladies

coloring time

they really enjoyed this

We bought a cake from a local bakery in their town and served it to everyone at the end. 

David visiting with Bro. Apolinario during our women's event.  We love this pastor and his heart for the people in his town.  We look forward to working with him more in the future.

Some of our fun and cultural outings included:

learning how to make tortillas.

visiting some local ruins here in Antigua 

They are always exploring!

We got to watch Fuego volcano spew lava one evening while doing our devotion at the hotel.

We visited a few jade shops.

a photo at Antigua's Central Park fountain

visiting the cross that overlooks Antigua

They learned how chocolate is made and got to make some of their own at the Choco Museo chocolate class.

grinding chocolate beans

a photo with Ronald on our way to the artisan's market for shopping

It was a great week filled with opportunities for the team to share Christ. They learned a lot about Guatemala and it's culture.  They grew in their faith and boldness to share the gospel in spite of being stretched out of their comfort levels.  They enjoyed the fellowship we had as a team and grew closer together as church members.  Most importantly they caught a vision for an "on mission" lifestyle back home.  We had a great time with this team and we look forward to each of them returning to serve again one day.

Is God leading you to go on mission?  Whether you’re a student or retiree, a healthcare professional or backpacker, there is a place for everyone on an IMB short-term mission trip: https://bddy.me/2jLGrzh Sign up today!