When we found out that the church in Arkansas had a coffee bar in their building, we knew this team was going to be awesome! And we were right! Not because of the coffee bar (look at the cool cups that they gave us!) but because they are 6 really incredible people.
Don and I arrived in Little Rock on Saturday at about noon and hit the ground running. The training with the team began at about 1 pm and lasted until after 5. We shared a meal, told our stories, learned about Guatemalan culture and talked specifics about our trip. Individually, the team has all been on a prior trip so the training that these 'veterans' needed was minimal. They range in age from 24 to 68 and separately, have been to a variety of countries - Philippines, Africa, Mexico, Haiti and Bolivia. Our main goal was to get to know each other as well as focus on Guatemala. We had a few tears but spent most of our time laughing.
All Sunday morning, we watched the generosity of the people of this church displayed. From presents under the 'Angel Tree' to collections for struggling members of their congregation, this church has a heart to give and care for people. Did I mention the free coffee cups that they gave us?? The teacher of the Sunday school class that we attended gave us a copy of the book that they were studying. We were tempted to hang around longer and see what else we could take home with us!! (just kidding!)
After the last service, Don and I met with church members interested in going on future teams. They fed us another meal as we talked about the 2 ministries where we serve in Guatemala. We showed them pictures as we talked about the culture. We also shared about the future hospital and the nursing school. We kept them for over 2 hours as we answered questions about the country that has captured our hearts.
Our flight left Little Rock later that afternoon. As we dragged our tired selves aboard our first flight, we were filled with the excitement and anticipation of taking new people into a new culture. We love to see how the Lord works when we are out of our comfort zone. We love watching the Lord stretch us as we share Jesus to the nations.
Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.
Psalm 9:11
Here is the rest of our team! We are so thankful that the Knutson family is joining us again this year. Their 'expertise' at the children's home is very much needed and appreciated!
A picture of our family that was taken last year in Guatemala. So fun to compare that to an older picture!
Our family in 2009 (hee hee)
