Guatemalan Culture Night with Students International

Last night, LIFT enjoyed a cultural night that the SI staff graciously put on. It was filled with laughter, fun, education, and food. 

We feasted on some traditional Guatemalan food such as tostada de guacamole, frijoles refritos (fried black beans) o salsa; chuchitos and chile rellenos. We also enjoyed jamaica (hibiscus) tea and fried plantains with cream and sugar for dessert. The food was so delicious and flavourful, everyone loved the feast we had. In Guatemala, it is so amazing how the SI staff and our host families are so generous with their food. Hospitality here is so important! In order to have this food, the SI kitchen staff worked for 5.5 hours to prepare the meal. It is crazy to see how much people are blessing us here. 

After we wrapped up eating, some of the girls dressed in traditional Guatemalan attire and lead LIFT in a traditional dance. The traditional attire was beautiful and each outfit was from a specific area of Guatemala. For Guatemalans, the colours and patterns on the outfit represent the area that the woman is from. It that amazing and so creative. All of the LIFT girls who dressed up looked so pretty in these beautiful outfits. 

Then, the SI staff lead us in some traditional games. It was so interesting to see, the games range from hitting a hacky sack the most (only with your foot, knee and head) to cracking confetti-filled eggs on people after they lose rock, paper, scissors. 

The games brought out the competitive side of most LIFTers, but none more than the confetti egg game. The whole aim of the egg game is to get 3 of your team to the other team's side. In order to do this, you sprint and where you meet the other team you play rock, paper and scissors. The loser gets a confetti-filled egg crack on their head and goes back to their side. It is one of the most fun games I ever played. 

Graciously, the SI staff taught us about traditional clothing, food, instruments, different people groups and languages in Guatemala. For example, Guatemala is referred to as the land of "eternal spring" and it only has 2 seasons, dry or wet. There are 25 languages spoken here, the main one is Spanish and the rest are tribal. 

It was truly eye-opening to learn about Guatemala and helped me appreciate the uniqueness, creativity, beauty and wonder of the Guatemala culture. We are grateful to be here and learn from such wonderful people! 

Please continue to pray for us as we spend time at our ministry sites each day, learning from and loving the people in front of us!

Charlotte

We Made It! | LIFT 48 is in Guatemala!

        

Hello everyone! We made it to Guatemala safely and we are all so ecstatic! Thank you all for your prayers! After a long travel day, we made it Magdalena at around 4pm yesterday. Last night, there was much excitement as we got settled in with our host families and got to see the ecological hike that we will be doing several times to prepare for our volcano hike at the end of the trip. 

 

As we wake up this morning for our first full day in Guatemala, we are hopeful, excited, and ready for what God has us to do in every moment today. First thing after breakfast with our host families, we arrived at the Students International base, where we are currently doing a devotional that SI prepared for us. They have prepared daily devotionals for us to have each morning, and this morning’s devo was focused on the sincere love we read about in John 15 and Romans 12. 

 

Today we will have our SI orientation and get to visit our ministry sites and meet the missionaries we will be serving with each day. Some other fun things that we have ahead of us are the cultural night tonight, exploring more of Magdalena, as well as getting to know our host families better. 

 

How can you be praying for us? You can be praying for communication between LIFT students and our host families, and for renewed strength and energy after our long travel day. Please continue to pray for the Guatemalan’s hearts and for our hearts to be open to what the Lord has for us and that we would not lean on our own understanding or our own strength, but His.

 

Thanks so much! 

 

Much love, 

Mackenzie and LIFT 48

LIFT 48 Heads to Guatemala!

Buenas noches, amigos y familia!

Good evening, friends and family!

Tonight we will depart CAMP-of-the-WOODS for our two-week missions trip to Magdalena, Guatemala. LIFT 48 will live with ten host families and serve at nine different ministry sites at SI Guatemala, all for the glory of God!

As we prepare to embark, we wanted to take a moment to share what God has been doing in our hearts and lives during the last week of preparation. It has been an incredible time of challenge, growth, and dependence on the Lord.

To remind ourselves of the simplicity of life and cultivate hunger for God and his voice, we had the opportunity to commit to eating only rice and beans for five days. This experience taught us not only to appreciate the abundance we often take for granted but also to lean on God for satisfaction beyond physical nourishment. Additionally, we were asked to choose at least one day during the week to refrain from speaking, except when necessary. We realized how we do not always use our words for good and were reminded of the importance of listening. God moved powerfully among us as we ended the week and broke our fast with worship, reconciliation, and communion.

While we have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit, our class and staff have also experienced spiritual attacks during this time of preparation, so we're more grateful than ever for your prayers. Here are some specifics that you can be praying for today:

- Physical and spiritual protection for LIFTers and staff as we travel and settle in with our families tomorrow
- Unity within our team, that we would encourage and support one another through every challenge and thus exemplify the body of Christ
- Sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit, coupled with strength, boldness, and energy to say "yes" to whatever God asks us to do
- Open hearts in Magdalena to receive the gospel; lives transformed!
- Courage to love people (our host families, practicum missionary partners, and anyone else we encounter) by speaking Spanish with them, no matter how simple

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Your prayers and support mean more than words can express.

In Christ,

Lydia W, on behalf of LIFT 48