On to Malacatan

Buenas tardes from Malacatan, Guatemala! After a day and a half of service in San Marcos, today we made the short drive down the mountan to Malacatan. We are now in the coastal plain, so we are more used to the altitude, but the temperature is much warmer so it's kind of an even trade.

We stopped at a national park on the way down the mountain. It was a beautiful place - a valley cut through the mountains by a small river. It is a reserve for the national bird - the Quetzal. Wewalked down to where a nest was supposed to be, but we did not see any birds. It was a good walk, though, down to the river. Everyone had fun climbing around the waterfalls and river. After climbing back up to the top where the buses were we all ready to sit down again for a bit.

Driving again, as we got closer to Malacatan the rain started in. It wasn't real heavy, but quite steady. It continued for the rest of the afternoon so it made things a little more interesting. The basketball team could not play a game, but they still went out on the court (in the rain) and shot around with some students from the school. The drama team put on 2 performances so they were still able to share the message of God's love and grace with the students.

The Children's team went to a local school and had a good afternoon. They were able to do their program inside, but then went out to the playground and played games and jumped rope with the school children in the rain. Medical did another half day clinic. It was in a much smaller facility, so they really felt the heat and humidity. They had a good day as well. Please remember them especially in your prayers as they will feel the effects of the climate more than any of the other teams.

Mime was able to do their program at a local school and at the church service this evening. They are continually improving their skills, and every presentation has a powerful impact on the audience. Service spent the afternoon painting some of the classroooms at the church so they were able to be inside as well. Everyone is still doing fairly well.

As we start our next set of service days we will continue to encourage the students to eat and drink - especially drink. Here in Malacatan it is hot and humid. It will likely rain every day with temperatures in the 80s and 90s.

The church here is very excited to have us back. Last year was our first year here and it went really well. This year they have prepared even more for us. Every one is staying with a church family, so we all have an opportunity to build significant bonds with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The worship time was amazing,with lots of music and active worship. The church has nearly doubled in size since last year, from around 300 to nearly 600. The pastor is very dynamic and they are an outreach-oriented congregation. We are looking forward to 2 great days of ministry.

I will close for now as it is once again time for bed. We will work on getting some student input for tomorrow's blog entry. God bless you all, and thank you once again for your prayers! And thanks for the responses you are posting to the blog. We will make them available for the students so they can see the depth of support they have back home. Here are a few pictures of the earlier days.

Buenas noches!