Back in Guatemala City

Our adventure continues as we are in the final stage of our trip. Yesterday we got to play "tourist" for the day as we went to the Nature Reserve and Zip line adventure in Panjachel and stopped by to see Xicheme (I think I spelled that wrong), which are Ancient Mayan Ruins between Pana and Guatemala City. The break was much needed as we had a very hard week of very hard labor. I am so proud of all of the team for how much they accomplished in the Lake Atitlan region. Because of the mudslides after Agatha, we added doing foundation work for three houses to our list of projects in the region. Amazingly, after digging out, moving, and/or breaking up rocks that individually weighed more than our entire team put together, we began began laying foundation blocks for two of the three homes. And we did that on top of all our original projects such as building a home, doing clean up work in Tzan Petey, hosting a soccer tournament (which by the way we took a solid fourth in, and please don't ask how many teams were in the tournament), painting the coffee coop, and leading two Vacation Bible Schools in two different communities. The team worked so hard, and I know all of you would be proud of them.

Today we are back in the City and back to work. The group is split between the Guatemala Christian Academy and El Refugio, with both groups working on some painting projects. It is is nice to be past the back breaking work, and we really are focusing on allowing today to be an encouragement to Mark and Kim, as we are doing our work at their primary places of ministry.

Parents, I just want you to know that your kids are all doing well. We are down to one sick team member, and his parents are here with him. Also I want you to know that your kids are missing you. In the last 24 hours, I have had at least 8 kids tell me that they really miss their parents.

Please pray that we can finish strong, and that our last few days in Guatemala will be fruitful. We can definately feel your prayers, love, and support. About a week ago I asked for prayers that the rain would stop, so that the mudslides would not continue to devour the homes in San Lucas and the villages of that region. The amazing thing that came out of that is, about an hour after we prayed as a team, the rain slowed down and there has not been a hard rain in San Lucas since. Its amazing to see and feel the power of prayer.

The picture is of the younger team members making a Pyramid in front of a Mayan ruin that we saw yesterday.