El Ministerio de Deportes | Sports Site

A little about the Sports site:

The Sports site collaborates with kids and youth in Magdalena and nearby areas, seamlessly integrating a range of recreational activities. The primary objective is to impart valuable life lessons, mentorship, and witness a transformative change in the lives of young individuals through a Christ-centered approach. The program includes baseball, soccer, track and field, and badminton. LIFT and SI participants not only cultivate relationships through sports but also engage in coaching exercises and devotionals with various groups of people.

Over the past week in the sports ministry site, I (Tenrick) and Joe, Isaac, and Isaiah have seen the love of Christ shown to these kids so well through their love of exercise, teamwork, and education. Byron and his wife Dulce are amazing at interacting and touching the hearts of these young children! 

Through exciting games and short lessons, you can tell these kids are being poured into. The kids are very friendly, even though I can only understand half of what they are saying. The sports ministry at Students International Guatemala is intentionally relational. You can see this exercised in the way that Byron and his team greet and converse with these boys and girls. 

Byron is not only a “coach” to these kids but is also a “pastor” to them. He shares the gospel daily with each group of children he teaches and encourages them to work on scripture memory. Being in the sports ministry is physically exhausting at times, but seeing the joy and happiness in these children is so rewarding. 

Through a cycle of sports: baseball, basketball, soccer (futbol), volleyball, and badminton, Byron teaches the children to excel in all aspects of physical education. This past week has been a blast, and I am so thankful for the opportunity I was given to be here. Thank you all for your support! 

On this day, the sports, special education, and girls' club sites worked together to have practice for students for the upcoming Special Olympics. 

Prayer requests for the Sports Site: 

- Safety and good health.

- Continuing to build good relationships with these children.

- Humility and a servant's heart

God bless, Mateo (Tenrick) 

(P.S. Happy Birthday Abby!!) 

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

Endings and Beginnings

LIFT has been preparing for Guatemala since the very beginning. For many of us, this mission experience is what drew us to the LIFT program. Our classes on missions have been preparing us during both semesters to be equipped with head knowledge around helpful and hurtful practices when on mission trips. Our mission trips to Loon Mountain Ministries in New Hampshire and Capitol City Rescue Mission in Albany, NY have helped prepare our hearts and give us different ministry experiences. Our personal relationships with Jesus have been deepened as each of us has faced challenges and difficulties this year. All of this anticipation, serving, learning, and prayer have brought us here.

Our classes have looked at how to help without hurting communities. Poverty goes beyond simply materialistic lack, and we have considered the many factors that contribute to it. We are called to love others and to make disciples, and loving others well can be a complicated process. Usually, we see money as the answer to poverty, but this year we have been learning how that rarely reaches the heart of someone's difficulty and only gives temporary relief. The beauty of partnering with Student's International and joining their team on our short-term missions trip is that they have and will continue discipling and working with their community long after we have gone. Our role during this trip is to encourage, love, support, and learn. 

We have each sent out support letters and asked our friends and family to be in prayer for us and this journey. Before we left, we were prayed over by full-time staff at CAMP-of-the-WOODS. This is a time that has been prepared for by seeking the Lord. Although Guatemala is the culmination of most of what we have been learning this year at LIFT, giving us the opportunity to practice what we have learned and to love and serve others well, it is also the beginning. Perhaps here is where the Lord begins to stir our hearts in deeper ways and opens our eyes to know him more and all he has for each of us. This trip may be signaling the nearing of the ending of LIFT, but in so many ways it is just the beginning.

With a hopeful heart, Attie F.

CAMP-of-the-WOODS staff praying for LIFT before they leave for the airport.

And We're Off!

LIFT 47 has arrived in Guatemala to serve and work with Students International (SI) in Magdalena! 

We are so grateful for the Lord’s provision in a safe and smooth travel process to get here. Thank you for your prayers for our travel. The SI staff have been incredibly welcoming and hospitable, and we are so excited to get to know them better over the next couple of weeks! 

Each morning, we will have devotions with the SI staff. This year, our devotion book focuses on “A Life Worth Living,” which takes a look at what Scripture says about who we are in Christ and how we can live a fruitful and fulfilling life with Him at the center.   

God has been at work here in Magdalena for a long, long time. We are thankful for the opportunity to come and see what He has been doing and is continuing to do through His people here in Guatemala. It is a gift to be able to learn from our brothers and sisters here who are investing in the people of Guatemala. Would you partner with LIFT in praying for the Lord’s Kingdom to continue to grow and flourish here in Magdalena? 

Please also pray for LIFT as we head off to our ministry sites for the first time today. We will be meeting lots of new friends and want to exemplify Christ’s light to all we interact with while we are here. We pray that the Spirit will reveal to us what He wants us to learn today. We are His vessels, submitting to His work and promptings in our lives. We treasure your prayers! 

Below is a brief overview of what our time in Guatemala will look like if you would like to be following along! Our hearts are expectant for God to reveal Himself to us in new and big ways while we’re here seeking Him. We will be sharing updates every few days, so check back here for more posts!

With grateful and expectant hearts,

Rachel and LIFT 47 

General Schedule:

TUESDAY, APRIL 2nd - Arrive in Guatemala / Meet host families / General orientation at Students International  

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3rd - First day at ministry sites / Cultural night 

THURSDAY, APRIL 4th - Serve at the ministry sites 

FRIDAY, APRIL 5th - Serve at the ministry sites / Ecological hike

SATURDAY, APRIL 6th - Day in Antigua

SUNDAY, APRIL 7th - Church at Shoreline City Antigua / Ecological hike

MONDAY, APRIL 8th - Serve at the ministry sites / LIFT Mission's class

TUESDAY, APRIL 9th - Serve at the ministry sites / Soccer night

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10th - Serve at the ministry sites / LIFT Mission's class / Missionary Forum with SI missionaries

THURSDAY, APRIL 11th - Serve at the ministry sites / Last dinner with host families

FRIDAY, APRIL 12th - Serve at the ministry sites / LIFT vs SI Soccer game / Banquet dinner

SATURDAY, APRIL 13th - Ecological hike / Trip debrief activities / Dinner in Antigua

SUNDAY, APRIL 14th - Start hiking “Volcan Acatenango” / Camp at basecamp

MONDAY, APRIL 15th - Sunrise summit hike / Dinner Buffet at Hotel Soleil

TUESDAY, APRIL 16th - Depart from Guatemala City 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17th - Arrive back at COTW

Rising to Heights

 LIFT is spending its last day in Guatemala waking with an abundant breakfast buffet of classic Guatemalan food then processing and sharing for two hours to debrief the whole mission experience over the past two weeks.  Before departing for the airport in Guatemala City, the students will have a few hours to shop, explore, and revisit their favorite places they have discovered in the beautiful historic city of Antigua.  

Everyone is enjoying the much needed rest at the hotel.  A hot shower, swimming, and having down time are welcome after a non-stop two weeks of serving with the SI missionaries and experiencing the busyness of this culture leading up to Semana Santa and Easter, especially around the cultural hub of Antigua. Every place we have gone has been crowded with people and detours to divert heavy traffic around parades and closed streets for "alfombras" (beautifully colored carpets made of sawdust, sand, or plants).  

To top it all off, we finished our time here this past weekend climbing the high and mighty Volcan Acatenango.  The students were blown away (emotionally and physically, but not literally - don't worry Mom and Dad) by the hard challenge of hiking for 5 hours with full packs at 40% less oxygen availability.  Words do not describe what one experiences when seeing the power of a mountain a mile away from our scenic campsite above the clouds, violently exploding lava, molten rocks, and plumes of ash hundreds of feet in the air.  Perspective on the power of our Creator is taken to new levels.

The students are tired with sore legs but very, very full of an experience and time they will never forget.  The Holy Spirit has been and IS moving in the hearts of students.  Thank you Students International missionaries for modeling what it means to serve Jesus and live in his kingdom and for taking the time to pour into every single person on the LIFT team.  So many valuable lessons have been lived out.  

Thank you to all the supporters and family members who have faithfully stood with us through this time through interceding to the father for us.  You are such a valuable part of our team.  Please pray for our travels back and our time over Easter break to continue to process what God has been teaching us.  And please if you get a chance to be with any of the students, ask them about their time and how they are growing as a result of it and how they intend to move forward with living on mission for God.

Kate and I are so privileged to serve the Lord in the work he has called us in walking with each of these young disciples of Christ.  They are good trees bearing good fruit because they have built their foundations on the rock of Jesus.  There is nothing better in this life than seeing Jesus transform lives when they yield to his relentless, steadfast love.  

He is Risen! . . .  And he is rising in the hearts of many!  

His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,

Tim

The Power of Relationships

Hola Familia! It’s been over a week in Guatemala working alongside the Students International missionaries here. As our times at our ministry sites are coming to a close today, I wanted to share what God has been doing and showing the LIFTers working in the Girl’s Club Site.

Girl’s Club is a ministry site that looks to pour into girls and young women in Magdalena and the surrounding towns. The site is run by a wonderful young woman named Sydnee. Sydnee is a missionary from the States who lives full time in Guatemala working with girls in Girls Club. Kimberlee Collins, Abigail Munson, and Lida Hanson (me) have had the privilege of working with and learning from her. Sydnee’s goal for Girls Club is to create a safe space for girls to come and experience the love of God. She wants them to know that they are loved by the Creator of the Universe. Each day in Girl’s Club looks very different. Most days we are with the sports guys (Aden Cuellar, Matthew Bollman, Luis Rosado, George Adamou, and their site leader Byron). Together with them, we go to the surrounding towns playing soccer, volleyball, and other games as we also share the love of Christ with them. The times we are not with the Sports guys are spent at the Girl’s club site running different classes and building relationships with the women and girls. Sydnee teaches a class on painting nails on Mondays and a macrame class on Thursdays.

Something that has stuck out to me during my time working with Sydnee is her focus on building relationships. The first day we worked with her, we went on a walk in one of the surrounding towns, El Gorrion. The whole time we were walking we kept running into girls that Sydnee knew. She would stop and talk with them for 5-15 minutes each. We must have stopped and talked to at least ten girls. From those interactions, I could see the time and intentionality Sydnee is pouring into each of these girls. Sydnee loves these girls like Jesus does and she does everything she can to make them feel seen and known. Her heart is for each of them to have a relationship with Jesus and to know their worth comes from Him alone. It has been through watching Sydnee that I have been taught and reminded of the power of intentional relationships to further the Gospel and God’s Kingdom. Through watching Syndee and the other SI ministry site leaders, I have seen the value in walking with people and their stories. Jesus walks with us and calls us to do the same with others. He is a personable and intentional God, who asks us to be the same with others around us. Relationships are an important vehicle God uses to reveal Himself through and bring the Gospel to those who don’t know Him. I love this way of ministry because through it you see God’s heart for all people. I have seen God’s love and care through watching Sydnee build relationships with the girls and us. I have seen His heart to have all people know Him. It has been so sweet to witness this and walk with Sydnee in it. Building these intentional relationships is not easy. It takes a lot of time, work, and relying on the Holy Spirit. But it is worth it, and I know the missionaries here would say the same. It is through God and the intentional relationship building of the SI staff, that people have seen and come to know Jesus here. Relationships are powerful and it has been incredible to witness God use them to make Himself known.

 

My prayer for LIFT (that you can be praying for too) is that God would use our intentional relationships with people to further His Kingdom. That we would take to heart all that we are learning here and put it into place in our lives. Pray that we wouldn’t forget all the things we have seen and all the ways we have seen God move. Instead that God would keep these things fresh in our minds and that we would truly learn to love Him and others better through this experience. Thank you for all your prayers! The Lord hears them, and we feel Him answering them. We cannot wait to share more in person of what He has been doing but until then, Hasta Luego!

-          Lida Hanson

LIFT will be climbing Volcan Acentenango this weekend. Pray for safety and a God-centered time as the team pushes hard physically and gets to see the power and majesty of our creator in a way they have never experienced before.

Photo taken by Phil Blae (LIFT 36) in 2016

Missions through Sports

 

Missions through Sports

For just over a week, the Sports Site ministry team has been serving local schools running sports clinics in various towns such as Magdalena, El Tablón, San Miguel, and Santo Tomas. Aden Cuellar, Matthew Bollman, Luis Rosado, and George Adamou (me) have been collaborating with Byron, the Sports Site Leader, and Sydnee, the Girls’ Club leader, to organize, plan, and run different exercises playing volleyball and soccer.

The age groups of the children we are serving are between the ages of 9 and 13. We typically finish each day of sports clinics with small group discussions—this is an intentional time of getting to know each other and praying over the children, which is led by the LIFT students. We have been partnering with the LIFT girls who are part of Girls’ Club—Abigail Munson, Lida Hanson, and Kimberlee Collins.

As a Sports Site team, we have been starting each day studying the book of Philippians and sharing thoughts and insights before closing in prayer. We are so encouraged by Byron’s stewardship of his leadership role and his investment in the LIFT team that is supporting the sports site. We have been empowered to lead devotionals and share messages from the Gospel to the teens throughout the week. Additionally, we have had opportunities to memorize scripture with the teens, which is a practice that LIFT does throughout the year.

The Sports Site ministry would appreciate prayer that the lives of teens can continue to be impacted and that they may see Christ in Byron’s work and through the sports activities. A touching piece of wisdom from Byron is that “even if hell didn’t exist, I would still love God for his goodness.” We, LIFTers, have been blessed to serve alongside the SI staff and Byron, and we ask that you support this ministry through prayers.

- George Adamou