Today our students worked hard. Really hard. One of the many ways that the ministry we are supporting, Promised Land Ministry Guatemala, seeks to serve the community in San Lucas Toliman is by painting local public schools. These schools have very little funding so painting the walls is a low priority for school leadership. Knowing this, our team was asked to paint a school set in a hillside village overlooking Lake Atitlan. The setting could not have been more beautiful, but the school definitely needed a fresh coat of paint. It’s a lot to ask 21 teenagers to paint a school. And even more to ask them not to drip any paint on the floor or get any paint on the windows. In fact, it really is too much to ask. (Let's just say, we made a mess.) There were more than a few extra rides to the local hardware store to buy more rags and paint thinner to mop up the spills. But as the day drew to a close and we washed the sidewalk that looked like a Jackson Pollock painting, we stepped back and marveled at what 21 teenagers can do in nine long hours of work. We painted with joy and in the end, the school looked great.
After painting, we challenged our new Guatemalan friends to one last game of soccer on a local “futbolito” court. It was a great way to say goodbye. As the games came to a close, we shared our deep appreciation for their kind partnership (let's face it, we could never build a house without their help and guidance) and then the students prayed over them and we all walked to dinner.
For our final porch time, we shared communion together. Tonight, as we considered how Jesus poured himself out for us, we considered how we can pour ourselves out for others. Jesus doesn’t mince his words in Scripture, he says that if we want to save our life, we must lose it. He says that following him, means following him to the cross. As we shared communion, we served each other and poured ourselves out. It was a holy moment for our team.
Tomorrow we head to the village of Antigua and then catch our flight home late tomorrow night. We will be back at the Chapel on Saturday. We will text the details as the day unfolds.
Gratefully,
The Guatemala Team
