Our morning started out with a bang. A volcano in the distance rumbled and we saw ash puff out, which was really neat to see. After that, Bill Fennema wrapped up the week by leading us in devotions this morning, while including the other devotions from earlier in the week. Shortly after devotions, we went outside to take pictures of the group in our theme shirts, and went off to the village, La Alemada, for dedications.
12 new homes were dedicated to our new Guatemalan friends. We split into 2 groups, and both dedicated 6 houses. One group was led by Pastor Isabel, the local pastor in the village, along with Kirk, a missionary that works closely with the groups and translator. The other group was led by Pastor Max, a pastor friend of Grace Ministries, and Josh Suruy, the translator that works with most groups. Dedications consist of presenting the family with food, household goods, and Bibles, as well as prayer to bless their new homes. We close dedications by singing the Doxology in Spanish, and lighting firecrackers. The dedications were very powerful and emotional, and it is a very special time for all that came to serve and those that are receiving the home.
After getting back from the village, we went to another village very close to the mission house, and did more food distribution. It was bittersweet to complete our last task of loving and serving the people of Guatemala. The smiling faces at the food distribution, along with hugs of gratefulness, was a great way to fill our hearts and minds with precious memories of our time in Guatemala. It was a great week and we all feel blessed to have had the opportunity to come here.
-Joy Petersen, Mary Wells, and Kyle Bennink