On to Solola

This morning dawned bright and clear, with just enough cloud wisps to paint the sky behind the mountain peaks a subtle coral. Standing in the garden just absorbing my surroundings one final time I heard the chorus of the song "The Great I Am" coming from the chicken bus where Antonio our driver was preparing it for the coming road trip. "Hallelujah, Holy Holy, God almighty Great I am, Who is worthy, None beside Thee, God Almighty, Great I Am."  And those words expressed exactly what my heart was feeling.  Whatever else this trip has been, it has been a chance for each of us to experience God's grace and see his power.  As I headed in to get breakfast the next song came on- 'I Lay Me Down', which starts "With this heart open wide, from the depths, from the heights, I will bring a sacrifice. With these hands lifted high hear my song, hear my cry. I will bring a sacrifice. I lay me down, I'm not my own, I belong to you alone...". It reminded me of the attitude we hope and pray everyone on the team brings home with them.

We left San Marcos a little later than planned.  It turns out today is a holiday here in Guatemala and there was a large parade that had its starting point just down the street from our church... which means we could not get out with the buses until the parade had started and cleared some of the street.  Once on the road we had an uneventful trip. The vistas from the highway were magnificent, so the trip passed fairly quickly.  When we got to the Eagle's Nest in Solola Lake Atitlan was still clear of clouds and we had the opportunity to enjoy the view from the promontory where the orphanage is situated. As we sat down for lunch, though, the clouds had moved in and obscured the lake.  As we have experienced on this trip, it was raining by about 3 o'clock. After the rain passed fog set in. So where it was pretty warm this morning we are back to the damp coolness we became accustomed to in San Marcos. But also as we have experienced the rain did not impact our ability to complete our respective service.

We had a nice lunch prepared by the orphanage and then all the teams spread out over the compound to do a few hours of service. Mime and childrens put on their programs for all the kids who live here and some from the neighboring houses- maybe 50-60 kids from 5 to 10 years old maybe? Drorts had a soccer game on the site's indoor court with the older students, and medical held a clinic for the kids and some of the workers and some other folks. None of the crowds were very big but it was a nice transition down for the teams, and our students had better opportunity to interact one-on-one with the kids.  Service got to swing machetes at last, clearing some area to be used for more play space for the children.  Everyone also had some time to hang out in the nursery and hold and play with babies (I got to hold 4-month-old Adam for awhile).

We just finished dinner and will now have some worship and teaching time.We will also start having our students process what they have experienced by taking turns sharing with the team.  After breakfast tomorrow we will head down the hill to Panahachel and take a boat ride across the lake to Santiago for lunch.  We will then spend the night near the lake before heading back toward Guatemala City on Thursday (we will be in Antigua for most of Thursday).

Our Word is from today's team devotional.  2 Corinthians 9:12 "This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God."  Our task as leaders (and team members) the next couple of days is to celebrate what God accomplished through us, recognizing that even with all the physical needs that were met the larger value is in the number of people who were exposed to the Gospel and in the new and renewed believers. While we appreciate your prayers for our team, our request tonight is to cover those who heard the Good News, that those who made a decision to follow Christ will be able to connect with a source of encouragement, and those who are still seeking will be a step closer to the Truth.

Thanks once again for your support.  Its hard to believe but we are down to the last 3 days of the trip! 

Here are a few more inputs from students:

Rachel Youngquist
Today the OCA Team left San Marcos, and we drove to Solola. The view left everyone speechless. Actually, we couldn't stop talking about it. The team is staying at the orphanage over night. There are other interns from the United States here, and it felt a little strange to see other Americans. We were welcomed by the staff and the interns. Later, we were able to interact with the kids during the day. The kids here are a great display of how God has made everyone unique. One kid in particular was a failed abortion. She did not have ears, and she had cataracts in her eyes,yet she was still adorable. There were also babies we got to hold. There are around 50 kids here, and Pedro, the director, lives here with his family. The Service Team was able to use machetes to cut down weeds. Luckily there were no injuries. At night the clouds came in over the mountain the orphanage sits on. The fog was surreal. It was our last work day which is bitter sweet. We are very thankful the Lord has been able to use us to futher His kingdom in Guatemala.

Micah Winters
It's hard to believe that we are almost done with our time here in Guatemala. These two weeks have been so amazing as we have been able to interact with the people and culture of this country. We said farewell to our final homestay this morning and drove to an orphanage in Solola on Lake Atitlan. It's impossible to do justice to the beauty of this country with mere words or even photographs. But what is even more spectacular and inexpressible is the work that God has done through us and in us here. He has revealed himself to us through his creation, each other, and the people we have been serving. He is so good and it is incredible and humbling to be a part of the expansion of his kingdom here in a foreign land. Even though we now are done officially serving,pray that we will continue to serve Jesus through all that we do and we will see you soon!