Buenos Días desde Magdalena!

We have been in Guatemala since Tuesday morning, and it has been such an amazing experience so far. I have loved working with SI, they have such a deep impact here. The staff of SI are so clearly passionate about Jesus and have hearts for serving others. The city of Magdalena is busy and colorful. 

Wednesday was our first full day. We got to work at our ministry sites for the majority of the day, explore the first part of the Eco hike (our qualifier for Acatenango), and have Culture Night at the SI community center building. At the Culture Night, we got to eat Guatemalan food, visit tables to learn about Guatemalan history/culture, dress in traditional clothing, and play Guatemalan games. The women (of LIFT) who wore the traditional clothing also did a traditional dance around a circle for everyone! The LIFTers were certainly getting into the games, especially one where we got to crack eggs over each other’s heads that were full of confetti! We learned about geography, traditional clothing, Guatemalan treats/desserts, tools/artesanias, and musical instruments. It was such a fun night and the food was so delicious!

On Thursday, we worked at our ministry sites for the majority of the day and then had a time of shopping at the SI community center building where each ministry site set up a table and sold products to help fund their ministry site. There was coffee, cupcakes, stationery cards, bracelets, purses, aprons, cooking utensils, cutting boards, t-shirts, and even massages. I am a part of the physical therapy work site, and we sell massages. We were supposed to sell chocolate, but our chocolate didn’t work out, so we offered our skills! It was pretty funny! Everything that was sold was handmade by the ministry sites, making the items much more valuable. 

Every morning, we have a devotional with SI. We have been going through a devotional they created called A Life Worth Living. It focuses on how God created each of us for a unique purpose and has given each of us unique gifts and experiences for the good works that He has planned for us. I love the reminder that God is SOVEREIGN and GOOD; He goes before us and has given us a purpose for our lives. Our purpose is to love Him and then, in turn, serve our neighbors. We serve and love others out of the love that we have for Christ, and God has already laid out how He wants us to do that, He already has a plan for us. The reminder of God’s sovereignty and His care for every little detail brings me so much joy and peace. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” I encourage you to rest in your identity in Christ, to rejoice that you are a NEW creation in Christ and that God has a plan for you!

I am so excited for whatever else God has for us LIFTers here in Guatemala, and I look forward to my next blog post when I get to write about everything we have been doing at the physical therapy site! Check below for some specific prayer requests for our team and SI!

Love, 

Xena Bartlett

Prayer Requests:

- please pray for the LIFTers that we would continue to seek God, serve well, and learn from the community here 

- please pray that God would continue to work in the hearts of the people here in Guatemala to turn them towards Him

- please pray for the funding of the SI ministry sites here in Guatemala so that they can continue to love and serve this community