The last weekend in February we always attend the Intermissions Conference. It takes place in Panajachel, Guatemala. The Intermissions community is for all English-speaking Evangelical missionaries living and working all throughout Guatemala. The conference is an annual time for all of us to get together for fellowship, worship, and fun.
This year there were seventy-seven family units in attendance. There were 130 adults and 85 MK's.
Volunteer teams come down from the U.S. to lead in all aspects of the conference. This year we had a total of thirty- seven volunteers come to serve. Our guest speakers, worship team, and youth team came from Clayton King Ministries in Anderson, South Carolina. A team from Scottsdale Bible Church in Scottsdale, Arizona came to work with the preschool and children. A counseling and life coach team came from Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas and FBC Canyon, Texas. These volunteers did a fantastic job, and we are grateful to them for their willingness to come and serve all of us.
This year's theme was "Anchored" taken from Hebrews 6:19-20.
On Saturday afternoon we have breakout sessions. Sometimes these are led by missionaries and sometimes by the volunteers. This year's breakout topics were:
* Managing My Moods
* Marriage Awareness 101
* Marriage Awareness 202
* Partnering for Purpose: Mastering Fundraising and Building Strong Bonds that Last
* Discovering Relational Wisdom
* Engaging Youth Today: Culture & Context
Another fun part of the conference is the free book exchange. It is a yearly time to clean out your books and pick up some new ones. I especially love browsing through the book tables throughout the weekend.
I told myself I was going to do better at taking photos this year. I took more than normal but still did not take as many as I would have liked. Here are some random ones I took throughout the weekend.
Friday evening sunset view
Most every room at the hotel has a balcony that overlooks the lake and volcanoes. The views are always breathtaking!!!
Saturday morning view
enjoying the view together
Saturday evening sunset
Saturday evening
David, Mark, and Mark enjoying coffee and fellowship
Cruz with some of his friends
Ben with some of his friends
Betsy and Josue enjoying breakfast.
Saturday afternoon swim time
David with the Stones
me and Ms. Barbara
She has been serving here longer than I have been alive. She is such an inspiration to all who know her. We got to know her best many years ago when we lived in Sayaxche, Guatemala. It is always fun to see her again every year at the conference.
me and Laurie ready for worship
my sweet friend Sara
It was her family's first time at the conference, and we were so glad they came!
On Sunday of the conference I celebrated my birthday. Many years it falls during the conference. I love that I get to celebrate it in such a beautiful place surrounded by many of my friends. It is always special to me. If you would like to read about my birthday click HERE.
Overall, the conference was fantastic! The worship times and messages each spoke to my heart and challenged me to grow. I think most everyone left feeling encouraged, refreshed, and eager to continue in the ministries that God has called each of us to.
This was one of our theme songs. We sang it in all four services.
We are already looking forward to the 2025 conference!! If you serve in Guatemala and have not been attending, please consider going next year. The dates are February 21-23, 2025. We would love to see you there!!
This is another post from our visit with the Browns, who are long time friends from home. We spent their first day walking around the Antigua Flower Festival. The next day, after church, we drove to lovely Lake Atitlan for a quick overnight stay.
We stopped for lunch at Pollo Campero in Tecpan. Sara Madalin requested to eat Pollo Campero at some point during their trip. She had remembered eating at one on their last visit back in 2016 when we lived in Chiquimula. If you would like to read about that visit with the Browns, click on these links- Browns 2016 Visit Part 1 and Browns 2016 Visit Part 2.
We arrived in Panajachel, got checked in, and then spent as much time as possible soaking in these gorgeous views. Pictures just do not do it justice. It really is spectacular and breathtaking!
The boys on our 14th floor balcony that we rented from Airbnb.
The kids wasted no time getting ready to swim. They went back and forth between the pool and hot tub while the adults enjoyed sitting still and drinking coffee. It was a win-win for everybody.
We enjoyed a stunning sunset view and took a few photos before heading out for supper.
me and my precious boys!
I am blessed!
We have been friends with the Browns since our college and career Sunday school days. We are so thankful for their faithful friendship over the years.
Reagan, Sara Madalin, and Malinda
Cruz, Sara Madalin, and Ben
Lake Atitlan at sunset
We had Circus Bar pizza for supper. It is a Baptist tradition to eat there.
Breakfast the next morning consisted of pancakes for the kids. They were covered in nutella, strawberries, ice cream, and whipped cream. They loved them!
We then got our gear on for the zipline. The zipline in Panajachel is amazing!
The kids on one of many bridges we had to cross.
Reagan and Malinda on the bridge.
Sara Madalin and Cruz
The zip-line ends with a ropes course.
We ate lunch at the nature reserve restaurant (their nachos are delicious!) and then made the drive back home. It was a quick overnight trip but fun-filled from beginning to end.
We welcomed July just like we did June with a visit to a local coffee farm to ride bikes.
Enjoying a coffee and dessert break at La Azotea coffee farm.
We also did a walking tour of the farm and played on this ropes course.
One Saturday, the boys got invited to go to Sky Zone in Guatemala City and enjoyed a delicious lunch at Pappy's BBQ.
We took the girls to the beach to celebrate the 4th of July.
We had told them we had to ride a ferry but it was a little hard to explain. This is a ferry boat that you ride on to get to the beach. Each one holds two cars. I think they were a little surprised when they saw it but enjoyed the adventure.
They got out and stood on the front as we made our way to Monterrico.
After arriving, we spent most of our time in the pool.
But also enjoyed the Pacific Ocean views.
I did not take many photos of our trip. We had a hamburger and hot dog cookout for the 4th and enjoyed a relaxing time there together.
We made a day trip to Guatemala City to visit the La Aurora Zoo.
feeding the fish
We loved getting to experience the birds up close.
Our family at the zoo.
We welcomed a team from The Church at LifePark in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
We had a wonderful time serving together in two communities alongside two national pastors.
The team flew out early in the morning and we left mid-day driving to Panajachel. We wanted to take the girls to Lake Atitlan for one last fun adventure before they left. We enjoyed soaking in this amazing view.
We took a boat ride on the lake.
We visited the Atitlan Nature Reserve and did a zipline.
me and Katelyn
ropes course
We visited a butterfly farm.
Our team in Panajachel.
Our last day together. We took this photo before heading to church.
For lunch we went to Emily's favorite restaurant in town, Kombu Ramen Shop.
My lunch.
They left early on a Monday morning. We were very sad to let them go. These girls were amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend our summer with them.
That evening we built a fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.
The next day we enjoyed a lunch outing with friends to Wilder's Pizza.
Mid-week we had the pleasure of meeting a former IMB MK and her family who were visiting in town. They were working at Casa David which was started by a former IMB missionary that we also got to meet. We all enjoyed lunch together and they gave us a tour of the building.
They had learned about our family during VBS. We spent a lot of time during June and July answering emails from churches, meeting teams who were in town, and doing live and pre-made videos for VBS groups. Being featured in Lifeway's VBS this year gave our family a lot of exposure and connections with churches. We are grateful for the opportunity and thankful for the prayers that have been prayed on our behalf this summer.
We made a quick trip to Chiquimula to attend the Lubeck's 60th wedding anniversary celebration. We are very thankful to have them in our lives and for the positive example they are to us and all who know them.
The last week of the month we spent time getting restocked on groceries and supplies. We also got haircuts and had dental appointments.
I also did a lot of baking to get our freezer restocked for the next few months. I love baking but do not have as much time to do it when we are in school.
I have been writing lesson plans and getting everything ready for the new school year.
Ready or not, we started today Friday, July 29. Pray for a smooth start
and for a wonderful fun-filled year of learning for my 5th and 7th
grader. Pray for me also that I would have the wisdom that I need and
the energy and patience that it requires.
