My team and I have officially said goodbye to our ministry hosts and left Chichi. We are now in Antigua and will be here for the next few days for a debrief (and team changes!) before heading to Honduras. Our last week with in Chichi with New Generation ministry was probably my favorite week in Guatemala. The ministry opportunities that we had this week were incredible and we got to witness God doing some cool things.
- Toilets!!
The first opportunity was the toilets! Yes, that’s right… we did some toilet ministry this week. When Juan first moved into the house that we called home for the last 2 months, God had put it on his heart to provide toilets for families in the community. This month, he received donations for 3 toilets to be given and we got to be a part of that.
The three families that the toilets were being given to met us at the house. We sang a worship song with them, shared a word of encouragement and then presented them their brand new toilets. One of the toilets we loaded into the car and the other two we all helped carry them to their houses that were nearby.
Before we left to carry the toilets to the house, one of the men wanted to thank us. He said that, while it might seem like no big deal to us, it really was huge to them. I’ve never been without a toilet so I honestly can’t imagine being in their shoes. These families have gone without toilets probably their whole lives and it was such a joy to be able to present them with a toilet for their home for the first time ever. It makes me realize the privilege I’ve been living with simply from growing up in the United States and having access to many things that people all around the world live without. Wow, thanks God.
- Groceries!
The second opportunity we had was to provide a couple families with groceries. The past two months, we’ve been working alongside two men in all the construction work we’ve been doing. Wallo and Louis work for Juan and they are the ones who taught us how to plaster, how to mix cement, how to build and tiny house and more! It has been a joy to work with them each and every day.
We decided to put together some money to buy groceries for them and bless their families. We got vegetables, everyday cooking necessities (like flour, sugar and rice), soup, cereal, and more. We delivered these groceries to their houses where we finally got to meet their families and pray for them as well.
- Dinner!
Our last night in Chichi, we decided to bless Juan and his family to a night out at a “fancy restaurant.” The Surrendered Seven team had gone to this restaurant a few nights prior and said it was fantastic so they wanted to take our hosts. We all agreed and wow am I glad we did.
The food was spectacular. but honestly the best part was the playground. They had a tire swing, trampoline, and teeter-toters! I taught Juan’s two kids some trampoline games and had a blast with them and my teammates playing like we were in elementary school again. It truly was such a sweet way to spend our last night in Chichi with our host family.
- Birthdays!
Okay, so this one wasn’t technically a ministry opportunity, but we got to celebrate two of our teammates birthday in our last week here. Catherine and Breanne both had a birthday this week. We ate lots of cake, set off fireworks (the birthday tradition in Guate) and celebrated the heck out of these two beautiful ladies.
Goodbyes never really get easy.. but I’m glad that our last week with this wonderful family contains some really great memories. Thanks God for ending our time in Chichi well.
Blessings,
Kaci
P.S. More photos to come once I get them from my talented photographer friends 🙂
So fun! I’m glad you got to experience different ministry this past week. Was the restaurant Guatemalan? If so, what did you eat?
The restaurant had a variety of foods. I had a bbq rib sandwich!
What a wonderful experience. I couldn’t imagine loving without a toilet. The things we take for granted I the US