San Cristóbal, México → Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

Hey everyone! I’m back with another blog. In this one, I’m going to share about the past two weeks of life — the first spent in San Cristóbal, Mexico, and the next spent on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala.

San Cristóbal

After saying goodbye to our kids at the orphanage, we drove an hour and a half to our new home for the week. We stayed at the YWAM base in San Cristóbal.

Our week at YWAM brought many unexpected challenges. On Sunday morning, I woke up with stomach flu along with several others. The sickness passed through a majority of our entire group of 30 people. Everyone experienced different symptoms, but we all shared the same struggle.

I recovered within three days and was able to jump back into ministry with the others on my team who were well.

Our hosts at YWAM didn’t speak any English, so those on our team who spoke Spanish did a lot of translating. I even got to pick up a little more Spanish! We spent the week working with the indigenous people of San Cristóbal. Within Mexico, there are 32 states, and Chiapas is one of them. Within Chiapa,s there are 12 recognized indigenous peoples groups. Our group participated in different ministries each day throughout the week.

House of the Indigenous

On Tuesday, we went to the House of the Indigenous — a broken-down building where people live. Not by choice, but simply to survive.

We put on a mini children’s service for the five children living there. We sang lots of songs, performed a David and Goliath skit, and gave them lots of candy.

The second half of our ministry on Tuesday ended up being one of my favorite moments from our trip so far.

We went to the main tent market in San Cristóbal, which is a fairly tourist-populated area. We walked through the tents asking kids if they would like to come to our kids’ service. We split into groups and spread out through the maze of tents, inviting children to come sing songs, play games, and get candy.

I loved the humor of these interactions because usually the locals come to us asking if we want to buy something from them. Instead, we were the ones going to them, finding the kids who sit in the market all day with their parents, and inviting them to come join us.

We sang songs loudly in the gazebo within the market. Our worship and laughter filled the space and spilled out into the surrounding tents through the open windows.

Our group was so unified on Tuesday afternoon. Since then, I’ve wondered how we could experience that same unity every day in ministry. It’s something I’ve prayed about often, because that kind of unity is what the body of Christ should look like.

Unity is not always easy, but it is always worth it.

In San Cristóbal, we supported each other. During sickness, someone was always willing to walk to the tienda for saltines and electrolytes. When someone was tired in ministry, someone else would willingly step in to help, often bringing double the joy they normally would.

The Power of Prayer

Prayer is effective, and I know it.

I’ve been praying for this kind of heavenly unity throughout the entire first semester and over Christmas. I prayed so many times that the Lord would bring unity and deeper connection in our community. And He has! 

Loving the Indigenous Community

Throughout the rest of the week, we handed out coffee and treats at hospitals, performed more skits, and sang countless songs with kids. We prayed through multiple language barriers with many indigenous people.

This ministry was a blessing to us as well as them.

Back at the orphanage, our leader, Grace, shared some important facts with us about the indigenous people of Mexico. They have faced longstanding discrimination. Many are looked down upon because of the traditional ways they live and dress. They often have fewer job opportunities and limited access to education, especially in indigenous languages.

On paper, government programs and healthcare exist to help them, but true representation and support for these communities are inconsistent.

That’s where we get to come in and love these people well.

We were able to stand in the gap by providing food, encouragement, and prayer. It may seem like a small thing, but I believe we were able to bring so much joy! 

I wrote down the names of the people I met in San Cristóbal and the kids from the orphanage. Now I get to continue praying for them, and I invite you to pray for them too.

Please pray for:

• The indigenous people groups of San Cristóbal. 

• Indigenous communities throughout Mexico. 

• The kids from the orphanage(Casa Hogar)where we served. 

Some of those children are from indigenous tribes, and I grew to love them deeply. Even after leaving, I can continue loving them through prayer.

Blessing Through Hardship

Overall, San Cristóbal was such a blessing.

Yes, the sickness was really hard. But looking back, God used even that challenge to bring us closer together. He showed us how to value one another more deeply and helped grow relationships that I never expected to have.

It was a week filled with challenges, but also incredible blessings. I got to watch my team lift each other up, care for one another, and truly serve with servant hearts.

A New Country: Guatemala

After our week at YWAM, we began a very different experience.

We traveled 12 hours across the Mexico border into Guatemala. We took two buses, then switched to two more after carrying our suitcases up a hill to the Guatemala border crossing.

We arrived at Lake Atitlán late Sunday evening, where we were greeted with delicious food at La Iguana, the hostel that became our home for the week! 

The next morning, we woke up to an incredible breakfast of eggs, beans, homemade tortillas, fresh fruit, local cheese, and vegetables straight from the hostel’s garden. This was quite the surprise after our regular missionary diet of oatmeal, pancakes, and sandwiches.

Debrief week treated us very well. Our bellies were full of fresh, whole foods. But more than that, our minds and bodies were given the chance to truly rest after two months of beautiful ministry. As a team, we processed all of the ups and downs, lows and highs of our time in Mexico. 

Looking Ahead

I experienced so much growth in Mexico. Some days were hard, but my time there was one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me.

Now our team has entered a new season.

We are spending the next two months in Antigua, Guatemala. Our first week here is coming to an end, and I can confidently say I LOVE it here.

I have so much to share about what God is already doing in this place. He is already moving and teaching our team so much. I can’t wait to tell you all about it in the next blog.

Seriously… you guys aren’t ready for the next one🙌