12Stone Guatemala Blog

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.