Hi & welcome back to the blog!
Today I bring a sweet tea and a desire to share my journey thus far, so let’s take a sip, seat and share!
Recap Guatemala with Team Radiant & Gap M!
A quick run through of our ministry, and a look at our first 2 weeks!
I am currently writing this blog after exactly one month in Guatemala (03/31) but after only one and half weeks of ministry so let’s go back to week one and see what we’ve been up to!
(03/04) Gap M’s first full day in Guatemala, after many days of travel we soaked up sunshine, grass, showers, laundry, community and home cooked meals! Still used to the dual European sun most of the squad was terribly sunburnt within a few short hours in the 12 U.V of the Guatemalan rays but we still couldn’t help but soak it up! (“I’m on high for the Lord like the U.V rays of Guatemala!” – Mollie Stutzman) By mid afternoon a few friends and I decided to venture to a nearby town, Parramos. Walking in the dirt ditches beside the road with speeding cars, buses, and trucks all blasting music and yelling after us as we walked. Definitely the first taste of culture shock because we were not used to so much noise, attention, or life but we happily laughed and waved as they passed! When we finally arrived in the town we made our way to the only cafe and settled in for facetime calls back to family and a sip of famous Guatemalan coffee!
On the walk home I stopped by a street market and picked out bunches of sunflowers, excited to see bright colors and bring a new life to my team’s room! (03/05) A day filled with orientation, gathering information on the base that we would be staying at, the purpose, history, and culture that filled Adventures In Missions Guatemala base! We met the staff, did training run-throughs, learned about the value and traditions of Easter, engaged in staff-led worship, and ended the night with a beautiful sunset! The following few days we engaged in community, exploration of local towns and villages and preparation for parent visits! (03/07) Was our first day at ministry, team Radiant traveled to the local town of Parramos to a organization called AFL (Academy of Future Leaders) who’s purpose and goal is to educate people of all ages in English so they have a better opportunity at getting a well paid job and future education. In Guatemala English speaking and writing abilities override any amount of Guatemalan education so there is high value in attending after school/work programs like AFL to learn English! We attended AFL on Friday and Monday, making connections and assisting with teaching English ranging from 5 year olds to 30 year olds! (03/09) Team Radiant traveled one hour via chicken bus to the big city of Antigua to celebrate a beautiful teammate’s birthday!! We enjoyed walking the cobblestone streets, seeing the brightly colored buildings, watching the Easter tradition of sand carpets being created on the streets, Mayan temple ruins, and of course smoothie bowls, coffee, and some shopping! (03/11) All 34 members of Gap M plus staff packed up and traveled to Antigua for PVT (Parent Vision Trip) an opportunity for racers to invite their parents on to the mission field for a week to see and engage in the work and growth we have been doing over the last seven months. It’s a beautiful bittersweet week filled with adventure, testimonies, and inviting the parents to engage in ministry opportunities, often a time that resparks faith or to pour in to your parents with a new found love and appreciation! (3/16) A morning of more bittersweet goodbyes to parents and then a full day of travel for parents and racers alike, in opposite directions though. The parents would be traveling back to the states while the racers would travel many hours away to one of two lakes in Guatemala, arriving by midday to Lake Atitlan and to a new camp that would be hosting us during this week for debrief! (03/16-23) Every 3 months we have an in -field debrief week, where mentors, coaches, and all teams gather for a week of refreshment, adventure, discussion, bonding, and of course discussing the past months! This week was filled with so much worship, laughter, community, late night just dance, food, hiking, tuk tuk rides, swimming, cliff jumping, tears, mourning, processing, and challenging conversations. It was a beautiful week at a truly stunning lake, but it was also a week that brought a new sense of heaviness, mental challenges I wouldn’t have expected, and a deep yearning that challenged my identity. (Which is coming up in the next blog!)
Team Radiants weekly ministry schedule!
Along with the assigned ministry team Radiant also enjoys bonding and growing together in friendship! So everyday we engage in either a team bible study, craft, worship session, communication / feedback, or check-ins!
Mondays: 2-7pm // We head into the local town of Parramos to the Academy for Future Leaders (AFL), an after school program to teach English to people of all ages!
Tuesdays: 5:30am-1pm // We go to a nearby mountain village of Parrojas, starting the morning by setting up a before school children’s feeding program! After we clean, chat and do a time of prayer over the women who host. Then we head out into the town to do house visits, this can look like a time of bible study, prayer, meals, fellowship, etc!
Wednesdays: 11am-6:30pm // We start the day with 1-2 hours of a worship prayer intercession time! The AIM base has a huge passion for interceding for the people and ministries here! Then we have a team lunch and head back out to Parrojas to help out with more AFL English teaching!
Thursdays: 9am-3pm // This is a special day set aside by AIM called activation! We start the morning with staff lead passionate worship and prayer, then move on to a message/teaching! We then have lunch and solo processing time before we come back together in teams + staff mentors to debrief thoughts and questions before heading out in any direction we feel God has called us! One week this may look like house visits and then next handing out flowers with words of encouragement!
Fridays: 2-7pm // We are back in Parramos at the Academy of Future leaders teaching english! It’s such a blessing to work with the same kids and classes each week building connections and friendships!
Saturdays: Adventure day! Sometimes this looks like shopping and a cafe and others hiking, ziplining or trips to beautiful new destinations!
Sundays: Sabbath! A day set aside for rest and refreshment in the Lord! This can look like sleeping all day, going to local churches, bible studies, cafes, journaling in the sun, etc!
Guatemala has been such a loving and healing place this last month! Instead of living with a local host family we get to live on the beautiful Adventures in Missions base! Complete with a grassy lawn, soccer field, huge kitchen, dining room, and a cat named Pantera! We also get to interact with AIM staff and mentors, these are full time missionaries who have dedicated their lives to living and serving alongside Guatemalan ministries! These beautiful people can be doing anything from our translators in villages, to our worship leaders, mentors, friends to walk and talk besides, or just a huge source of knowledge and wisdom! AIM Guatemala base was the first to be established so it is full of life, protection, and healing! Just walking in the gates you can feel the air lighten and hope rise. It’s a home to many and a place where many return, sometimes for a week, month, year, or to call their new home! The local Guatemalan people are full of so much joy, passion, and love you can’t help but to have a good time and be filled with a new sense of life! Always dressing in bright colors, handmade cultural clothing, greeting you with a smile and hugging you goodbye with a full belly and a warm hug! I am looking forward to celebrating my days and weeks of Easter here as it is one of their biggest holidays to celebrate with street parades every weekend the month leading up, days of music and mourning, flowers, decorations, plenty of food, and finally on Easter Sunday a day full of life and celebration for Jesus!! I feel so completely blessed to be ending my international missions in such a beautiful and welcoming place! I can’t wait to keep you updated on my discoveries, adventures, ministries and so much more!!!
With many adventures & much love!
- Aliya Koziol 🙂
Have fun!❤️