Friday / Saturday, Communion on a roof top

Waking up to a glossy lake surrounded by mountains and volcanoes is never tiring. We packed up our bags from the hotel we had been staying at and headed to breakfast, knowing we had a full day of traveling ahead. It was a sad day because we had to say goodbye to Pastor Luiz and everyone who we had spent time with at the church all week. After saying our goodbyes, we took about an hour boat ride across the lake to Panajachel (another local community) where we spent the day shopping for a few hours. The boat ride was beautiful and took about an hour, in which most of the males forgot to put sunscreen on their heads. This resulted in burt scalps for the remainder of our trip. The city was amazing! The cobblestone streets were lined with vendors trying to sell handmade bags, bookmarks, and headbands. There was never a dull moment or a time when we were not bombarded with locals trying to sell us items. The experience was fun, however I think after the first hour of shopping everyone was tired and hot and ready to get back on the bus to head down to Antigua where we would end up staying the night at. We ate lunch on the bus, and from there we spent another 3 hours, heads bobbing up and down from the unpaved, winding roads. When we finally reached the city, we were amazed at how clean and 'touristy' it was. This was not the city we were used to looking at! In fact, it didn't even seem like we were in Guatemala anymore! Our hotel was unreal… Seemed as if it was out of a magazine, and I think some of us felt almost out of place staying there after the places we had previously stayed on the trip. However, we enjoyed taking hot showers with water pressure. That night, Wayne took us all out for a pizza dinner where we were able to relax, wind down, and rest our backs from the bus. When we got back to the hotel, our group had to face our 'debriefing' for the night. However, unlike all of the other meetings we had as a team, this one was going to be about re-entry into the United States, and how to deal with some of the emotions we might face as individuals and also as a team. We laughed, we cried, and we wondered how God would pull everyone together to defeat such overwhelming emotions. But isn't that like us to question God? As we started winding down and getting ready for bed, I think there was a sense of peace that fell over the group… The knowledge that God would be with us every step of the way, even though one of the most daunting tasks of our trip… Coming home. Saturday I can't say that having communion on a rooftop with 18 new wonderful friends wasn't one of the most beautiful experiences we all have ever had. Not only were we on a roof, but we were able to see an active volcano, be surrounded by beautiful buildings and greenery. We had a serene time of prayer and communion, and were able to share some ending thoughts and encouragement about the trip. We went downstairs to breakfast, packed up, and were on our way. Sadly, we reached the airport and were forced with the grim reality that 'home' was waiting for us just a plane ride away. I think some of us left a part of ourselves in Guatemala… Our home away from home. Each individual on the trip learned something new about not only themselves, but about God. Our group was truly unique in a sense that God placed us together in a miraculous way to do His will. And none can deny that His will was accomplished on this trip… God was glorified.

Thursday, July 5th, "Everything" was amazing.

The team woke to another beautiful day in San Pedro. Pastor Luis shared a verse in Matthew that the Son of man had no place to lay his head. Here in Guatemala there are families of 8 or more sharing one room as a bedroom. After devotions & breakfast we headed to the high school. Today Matthew, Andrew, Austin, Erica M., Corey, Jeremy, & Sutton performed a moving skit called Everything. They portrayed lust, greed, vanity, drunkenness, self abuse - Austin represented Jesus & Erica represented us. They showed the physical struggle we can have with each of these vices and how Jesus is in constant pursuit of us, pulling and lifting us up through our struggles. There were many tears in the audience, including our interpreters. One of the young gentlemen interpreters prayed to receive Christ that day. One of the students shared with us how much he appreciated our team coming to actually get to know them personally, not just to take pictures or read scriptures. He said we were messengers of God and that he would share the message with others. After lunch we were able to stop at Happy Tummies to say Adios to our little friends before our team split into two groups, to a Mayan church in Tzucubaal & the elementary school in San Juan. The group that went to the church was amazed at the beautiful views of mountains and vistas, yet moved with compassion at the poverty. When arriving we saw many smiling children outside the church looking in the windows. To our surprise when walking through the door of the church we found it full of more smiling faces, approximately 200 children. Lorraine, Jason, Terri, Andrew, Erica M., EMac, Dawn, Sharron, & Jeremy shared a skit, crafts, played outside with the ones who wouldn't fit in the church and loved on all the children. At the school we got to work with the sixth graders. Shirley, Faith, Shannon, Sutton, and Erica K. helped the children glue together fish and baskets to go along with bread and the Jesus feeds the five thousand story. Cory blew up balloons and Mischelle, drew animal faces on them. Austin and Matt played basketball with the boys and Wayne brought out a giant beach ball that the kids loved. Afterwards we all went classroom to classroom saying goodbye and handing out bracelets for the kids to remember us by. It was a difficult goodbye for all of us but the children were excited about their bracelets and two young boys showed us some spinning tops that were made of wood and explained that they were the kind of toys played with many years ago. We headed back to the church where we joined the rest of our group for dinner. After dinner we headed over to the Happy Tummies building with Pastor Luis and joined up with the group from Central Church in Memphis. A lot of us shared our impressions of the week, what broke our hearts, what made us laugh, what made us cry, and how God changed us. We will leave Guatemala with different heart than when we arrived. Pastor Luis also shared with us his vision and hope for the Promised Land and the expansion of the Happy Tummies program to many more churches. It has been a joy to be able to serve the people of Guatemala, but our greatest joy was sharing the message of salvation and seeing many pray to receive Christ. We will continue to pray for the children, Impacto staff and our beloved interpreters as we return to our lives in Georgia.

Wednesday, July 4th Missing our Independence Day could have possibly been a downer, but the blessings were endless today. The day started off at 7:30am with a great breakfast and even better moments with Pastor Luis. He shared his knowledge and wisdom of the Bible with us alongside Dawn, Sharron, and Jason. Dawn stepped up and shared her favorite verse and boldly gave her testimony to all of us. Sharron also shared her testimony and brought tears to many dry eyes. Jason stepped out in faith and shared this verse: "Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more then we would ever dare to ask or imagine" Ephesians 3:20. We headed out on foot to the high school where we began with our Prodigal Son skit. We performed the skit in two different classrooms, which lead into questions about Jesus and His Word. The students were responsive especially when Cory, Austin, and Jeremy shared their testimonies relating to peer pressure of daily teenage lives. Our incredible team leader, Wayne, made things fun for the class by raising their hands for them, giving us much more feedback. One of the students, Regina, shared scripture with us, which made us realize the impact of our journey. "Teach your children to choose the right path and when they are older they will remain upon it" Proverbs 22:6. Shortly after, the group retreated to the outdoors and challenged the kids in basketball, futból, and conversation. Cory taught the young adults some cool handshakes and how to say 'Amen' in sign language. After receiving hugs and goodbyes, we went on our way. After lunch, the group split up. One group went to the school again with the younger kids and one went up the mountain to a church in Santa Clara. The group that went to the school played a lot of basketball, futbol, and performed arts and crafts. Kids were being swung around and brought to intense dizziness. While swinging a little girl around, Austin knocked another little girl in the face causing a bloody nose. Shannon and Sutton rushed to the rescue and nursed the girl back to health. In the spirit of forgiveness, Austin took the injured girl and swirled her around like a helicopter too. The other group trekked up the mountain into the clouds, literally. The elevation rose to tremendous heights and it felt like another country. We first performed a skit on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Afterwards, the little children decorated prayer journals with stickers and drawings. Then we went outside and breathed in the clouds while playing futból. It was very different playing on cobblestone streets and will leave a lasting impact. We headed off to dinner and filled our happy tummies, and then headed back to the hotel for debrief. We reflected on the great day and the many blessings we received. We closed in prayer and said our goodnights. Tomorrow will be a very powerful day and we can use all the prayers we can get. Please pray for Christ to work through each and every one of the kids we will serve with tomorrow. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. AMEN!

Tuesday, July 3rd .. Halfway Today the team woke up today at 6 am to another beautiful sunrise. That was the start to another amazing day of weather. We have been blessed with sunshine each day so far, even though the forecast called for rain the entire time we were here. We headed off to breakfast after finally getting Andrew and Cory out of bed (yes they forgot to wake up) and had the chance to sit with the other missionaries that are here from Memphis. We all really enjoyed trading stories and getting to know one another. Lorraine got to talk to some other Elvis fans , while Cory and Erica K got to hear about the 3 trips that a 13 year old from the other team has already made to Guatemala. We also found out that we would be able to go see the Promised Land, which is the location where the other team have built houses and are currently building a place for Pastors to meet and hold conferences. After breakfast we headed back to the High school to continue working with the teens that we had begun to build relationships with. We started the day with a skit ( Contagious) and then broke for Football, fellowship and we even offered and English class taught by Lorraine and Andrew. Cory immediately was able to connect with 6 of the students and they got in a circle on the lawn to share the Gospel. Wayne then joined in and one of the youths prayed to receive Christ. The girls also got into a circle with some of the teens and we talked about dancing, school, family and church, which led to a conversation about Jesus and Erica M was able to teach the girls about the Gospel and lead us all in a prayer. After getting a chance to spend time with the students outside we split off into three classrooms and performed the Good Samaritan skit we had been practicing. We then opened the floor for discussion after we shared our own interpretations of what the moral of the story meant to each of us. That lead to a more in depth discussion of the Gospel in class, and prayer over those who wanted to start a relationship with Christ. We then said our goodbyes and headed to lunch for another delicious meal before splitting again to go to Happy Tummies and the elementary school. It was another great day at Happy Tummies where Jason was King and Austin played Daniel, the Bible hero who survived a den of lions by being obedient to God. The kids had a great time playing the lions and really interacted with the story. They had a blast with Shirley's bubble shooter, and all the girls got their nails painted and bows in their hair by Faith. They had a great time with crafts as they learned from Dawn how to draw geometric designs and Faith showed them how to make multicolored fans out of construction paper. We were amazed by how good their manners were and really enjoyed serving them their lunch and watching them devour their meals with joy and gratitude. Freddie gave them vitamins and made sure they brushed their teeth and that they thanked God for their blessings. They were so full of love and so happy to have us there. Their beautiful eager faces are the only thing that comes close to the same level of beauty that we are experiencing in this breathtaking place. At the elementary school the team played basketball, kickball, soccer and did more crafts. Matt and Cory also played Simon Says with a group of boys. It took a while for them to catch on but soon couldn't get enough of the game. Wayne and Andrew once again gathered with a group of older boys to share the story of Jesus and pray over them. They had a blessed time and witnessed God using them as His mouthpiece. Meanwhile, the other team members spent time coloring, drawing, and making crafts with the students who weren't playing sports. Erica M. got bombarded for stickers while E-Mac and Mischelle drew about 30 rainbows. Sutton had girls asking her to help with stencils, and Shannon did a great job trying to provide the kids with whatever they needed out of our supplies. Upstairs in the school, Erica K. read Noah's Ark in Spanish to the students to go along with the theme of the crafts. Through all the chaos, all the team members felt gratitude for being able to serve the school, and we were so touched when the students asked if we were going to come back the next day. We cannot wait to see them tomorrow. After we met up with the rest of the team, we left the school to rest and eat dinner. While we were waiting for the food to be prepared, part of the group played some games together, and others just sat and talked to the neighborhood children. Dinner was an amazing meal of stewed chicken, pickled spring vegetables, pasta salad, and bread. We seriously cannot get over how well we are being fed here, and it is truly a blessing. Meal times are one of the best times of the day for our team in particular because we are able to have fellowship and get to know one another. It isn't a coincidence that so many of us can relate to one another about how Jesus saved us from dark pasts, and this time of sharing only strengthens us to go out into the mission field. When we got back to the hotel after dinner, we had our debriefing, and each shared a word that has described the trip so far. There was laughter, tears, and chocolate! We then practiced our skits for tomorrow and spent the rest of the evening relaxing as a family. Tomorrow will bring another amazing day for us because we know that God always provides. All glory and honor to our Father.

Day two started out with Shannon and Wayne waking up to watch the sun rise over the beautiful Guatemalan mountains. The rest of us followed shortly after, walking out on our porches to fully take in the indescribable scenery Guatemala has to offer. After taking a ton of pictures, the group headed down to the bus. We were right on time! Blessed with such a punctual team. The bus took off, taking us through paths we never thought a bus could fit through! We thankfully made it safely to breakfast. Pastor Luis led us in some beautiful old hymns, small group, and a prayer to start off our day and for breakfast we were served eggs, plantains, and tortillas with peanut butter! Once the team had finished eating we started on our first walk toward the school down a rough dirt road path and the view along the way was breathtaking. We twisted and winded down the path until we got to a main road where we walked a little ways and ended up at the high school. The background of the school is the beautiful mountains and on one, at the very top, you could see a white cross standing tall. We headed into the school which is more like a gorgeous courtyard with classrooms surrounding it. The team went classroom by classroom, introducing ourselves, getting to know the teens, and asking/receiving questions. As soon as anyone would mention a soccer ball (or "futból") in the classroom, everyone's face would light up with joy. We were impressed by the amount of English some of the teens spoke ( and may get to teach an English class tomorrow!) After introducing ourselves, we all headed outside for some quality time and to get whooped at some futból! Most of the girls struck up conversations by using the translators to get to know more about the students, while the boys bonded simply by playing futból. (after Andrew swept up all the horse poop off the court - and broke the broom doing it). We took bets on who would get knocked down first and as expected, it was Jason. Cory hurt his ankle in the intense game, so please pray for healing. They lost, of course, but everyone had a great time playing. Once the game had come to an end and the boys were worn out, the team took off on another hike to visit the "happy tummies" ground. Some of the kids in the town under the age of 8 depend on this place for food. They don't get to eat Saturdays and Sundays, and during the week they share a few eggs with their whole family for dinner. It's safe to say that by the time Monday lunch comes around, they are starving. We then stopped for lunch (hot dogs with kraut and chips and guacamole .. Deliciosa!!!!!) before splitting up. Some of us headed to the elementary school and some went back to happy tummies to meet the children. At the elementary school Terry played basketball with the kids, loving every minute of it. Faith guarded the stickers with her life while the kids swarmed her with excitement. Shirley was the loving Nana, giving love to all that kissed and hugged her. Erica M played a game of jepordy using flash cards with the kids as they aced every challenge. Shannon was the protector of the crafts and had the kids line up like little soldiers to control over indulgence of craft maniatic behavior. Wayne made the kids feel like Super Heros by swinging them around the court till he was fully exhausted. Wayne, Jeremy, Austin and Andrew teamed together providing the kids with confirmation of Gods love using the evangi cube and the Holy spirt as a guide. They prayed with the kids as two excepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Andrews soul jumped for joy as he express the excitement of being able to bring two new souls closer to Christ. At Happy Tummies we did a skit about Noah's arc and Matthew did an awesome job playing Noah. The kids climbed all over him after the skit for playtime. E-mac floated around as a dove. Lorraine and Mischelle enjoyed blowing bubbles with the kids. Corey did a great job as a raven and teaching the kids sliding hand shakes. Sutton, Jason and Erica Kim helped with skits, played kick ball, and colored with the kids in their laps. Dawn was our great narrator and loved talking with the kids. Dawn filled us with laughter as she was trying out her new found language of Spanish...ha ha! The kids loved the Spanish music on the iPod as they did hand motions to the songs. The beauty of the kids smiles touched all of our hearts.

So Deep

As I sit here surrounded by mountains and volcanoes looking at what might be the most beautiful lake in the world, I can't help but be amazed at the depth of God's love.

I heard a story today from Freddie, one of our guides for the trip. Freddie is Mayan and his family has been here for many generations. He told me the story of how we sit, right now, in the middle of a massive volcanic crater. A crater formed years ago by a volcanic eruption. The mountains around us are the rim of that volcano and the lake was filled with water during the flood of Noah. Words cannot describe the beauty of this place. As amazing as that story is, the part that really got to me is the depth of this lake. Freddie went on to say that National Geographic believes this lake to be 900 feet deep, but the reality of it is that no one really knows the depth of it. No one has ever touched the bottom. He said the slopes under the water are so steep in places that they seem to go on forever. At that moment, it was like God said to me, "That is the depth of my love for you.".

It is a love so deep that we can't see the bottom...A love so deep that He is intimately involved in our lives on a daily basis...A love so deep that it prompted a prayer by Matt, a member of our team, after which he said he could feel the weight of God's presence on that holy ground...A love so deep that members of our team are overcome with tears when they feel His presence...A love so deep that He would call the nineteen people on our team, the hundreds that supported us financially, and the hundreds of others offering up prayers on our behalf to participate in the work He is doing here. God can do this work without us. He doesn't need us, but He is gracious enough and he loves us enough that he invites us to participate. It is in this work that we experience God's mighty power and His unending love.

"Now glory be to God. By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope." Ephesians 3:20

Sunday, July 1 blog from the back of the bus Day 2 began with the team regrouping back at the compound for breakfast and morning devotional. We shared our thoughts on "giving our cares and worries over to God" and through our discussion the team was able to let go of some of our worries about the trip and those we have left behind. Before heading to church we prayed over those we have come to serve, the amazing people we have met already that are serving us with hospitality and food, and all of our loved ones at home. Each moment the team has spent together so far has been inspirational and enlightening as we share stories with one another and get to know each other more. We have already been brushing up on our patience (6 ladies sharing one bathroom), giving of ourselves (and our wet naps), humility (climbing out a window to use the bathroom - Dawn already has some great stories), teamwork (how many 12 stoners does it take to load a bus with luggage or find a camera?) and support. Once we grabbed our bag lunches and headed to church we were greeted there by Pastor Luis. The service was wonderful and the singing was even better as they included English versus so EMac and Mischelle could belt out Open the Eyes of my Heart. Sutton said her favorite part was communion (I think it was the bread) and Sharron and Dawn got to let loose with the children playing on the swings once Pastor Tony took some of us outside. When playtime was over we ate and got back on the "magic bus" as Matt likes to call it, to begin our 4 hour journey to Lake Atitlan. The trip went surprisingly quick due to the onboard entertainment we had. Andrew told some bad jokes, Jason and Jeremy bonded over the bumpy trek, and Lorraine and Faith talked about their children. Terri and Shirley blinded the bus driver with their camera flashes, Dawn kept Freddie from defogging the window as she asked a million questions about Happy Tummies, Mischelle kept Erica K awake while Austin and Cory missed the whole thing because they slept. Our tour guides Wayne and Matt pointed out every animal, pine tree and photo op, while Sutton, Erica M and Sharron jumped from the left side of the bus to the right taking pictures. EMac waved at every dog and lady with a baby in the middle of the street (and according to Matt there were alot) and she only stopped to gasp and close her eyes as they jumped out from in front of the bus to safety. During our one stop we were able to stretch our legs and grab a snack (we found homemade chips and ice cream but sadly no nuts), check out some of the things the locals were selling, and practice our haggling skills. We hopped back on the bus to continue our journey through, up, around and down the mountains to the lake. We prayed a few times individually during some rough road patches but there were definitely some times when we were heading around a few hairpin turns on our way down the mountain that invoked a louder more excited prayer ( Dear God please let us make it!!!). Thankfully at 6 pm local time we made it to the hotel on the lake and even though we sat on a school bus for 4 hours with sore behinds, through all the bumps and turns, our team morale was higher than ever. Just a small testament to how amazing our team is and just one of the reasons I am so excited to get to work with all of them. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings as we begin our next journey working with the people and children of Guatemala.

Off we go....

The team met at 12Stone Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m.  Please keep them all in your prayers for the next 7 days.

Ready to GO

I can't believe it's almost here. After many months of excitement, prayer, and preparation the Leverage team will be leaving for Guatemala in the morning. It's going to be hard to get any sleep tonight because I can't wait to get down there and begin the work that God has prepared for us to do. We have an amazing team going and it's been awesome to get to know each other over the past few months. Please be in prayer for all of us and for the people of Guatemala as we go down there to spread the love of God and His message to everyone we meet.


Leaders: Thomas Gibson and Erin Cooper
Team Members: Alexis Christie, Alonya Franklin, Amanda Kelley, Amy Yang, April Dawson, Chris Lyon, Daniel English, Heather Stidham, Jenny Long, Kristen Hill, Matt Wojteczko, and Mick Winzeler.

"Te Quiero Mucho Carolina"

Monday-

What a wonderful first day it has been! It started out early with the bus picking us up at 6:30 to go to breakfast. After eating some of us went to work with a ministry called Happy Tummies and the rest of us went to a school in San Juan. I happened to be the group going to the school in San Juan. While we were there, we played games with different age groups. We worked with one age group at a time. After playing with them, we sat them down and told them about Jesus. Some of them were able to tell us who Jesus was and what He has done for mankind. It felt so good to see the kids again. For those of you who are wondering, Carolina and I reunited today. I think when it was happening it didn't feel real. The fact that I was holding her again just blew my mind. There is so much I could say on here about it, but there will be another time for that. :)

     After our morning at the school, we walked back down to the church for lunch. For lunch it was hot dogs, potato soup, and the most delicious pineapple you have ever had. We then went back to the school but this time it was to hangout with middle school and high school kids. Since it was raining, we went from classroom to classroom to talk to the students. They asked us questions. Really good questions. What is your purpose in Guatemala? Why are you here? Explain your religion. The kids here don't miss a thing. Once the students were dismissed from class, we were going to get a big game of soccer going. Since the kids didn't have much time and they had to eat before they left, we decided to hold off until tomorrow. Looking forward to the big game. 

     I am very proud of the team. Everywhere I turn there are positive attitudes and people ready to jump in and help. Can't wait to see what the rest of the week has instore! 

-Carlie Smith

Beginnings

After leaving Guatemala last year, I asked the Lord to bring me back to this place. My heart has been longing all year long to be back in Lake Atitlan and to serve its' people. I am still so overwhelmed with the Lord's thoughtfulness. He knows the desires of my heart. Ever since we walked out of the Guatemala airport, I haven't been able to stop smiling. I am very excited for what God has in store for our team.

      After going to church this morning, we took the four hour bus ride through the mountains to reach Lake Atitlan. Seeing the lake for the second time was just as breathtaking as the first. I love experiencing this place with people who are first timers. I have felt what they are feeling. I am watching them fall in love with this beautiful place. Everyone has had a positive and good attitude.I am looking forward to what God has for each and every person on this team. 

     It is now bedtime. The real work begins tomorrow :)

-Carlie Smith

Getting Ready to Go Again

Guatemala has it's way of sneaking into your heart and making you love it.  The next 12Stone team will be a college-age team, and they will be leaving at the end of May.  They are in the process of planning and preparing right now, and they couldn't be more excited.  Julia Kiningham and Pastor Matt Piland will be leading the trip.

Here are some pictures from last year's college-age Guatemala.