Our group was all together at the Lutheran Center in Guatemala City by 8pm last night after a long day of travel via plane and bus.  We were up early for a short flight to Flores, Guatemala this morning.   

We come to Guatemala first to build relationships with our ILAG partners.  But we also come to learn about the culture of this country that sometimes gets a bad image in our country.  Guatemala is beautiful and has a rich history with its Mayan Heritage.  Today we toured Tikal...a Unesco World Heritage site and one of the great Mayan ruin sites in the world.

This is part of a global mission trip. A trip like this is not about how hard it is.  It's about opening our hearts and minds to a world that differs from ours.

Tomorrow we are on to Maya Itza to learn what we have in common with our partners at San Marcos.  

Buenos Noches,

Your 2025 Guatemala Delegation. 

Hola, Easter!

Bienvenidos a Maya Itza! I’m under a mosquito net now and it’s 80 degrees. We arrived to a fried chicken dinner and potatoes. Our familia en Jesuchristo, Santos y Pablo, met us on motorbike at entrance of the community! We toured some leader’s homes who kindly are hosting us. We then visited the public school. The kids and staff were welcoming with some shy English and we shared that San Marcos congregation invited us to help show God’s love here.

We walked up to the  San Marcos church campus which is on a hill and talked through projects. Scrambled eggs and beans and tortillas for dinner. A beautiful lullaby of birds, insects, and breeze helps settle our minds from the details, stories and wonderful welcome we have been given.

Please pray with us:

Gracias a Dios for the safe travels and assembly of this team. You have called each of us by name to be here—in person or in prayer. Bless this sacred space we share and the rest we now receive. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Buenos dias, Easter

Today we woke early to the morning songs of roosters and monkeys. Breakfast was a delightful plate of pancakes and fresh fruit. The weather was overcast and cool with a light mist making for a perfect work day.  In construction we call it a Build day when all the planning, preparation and materials all come together.  Today was a special Build day because we not only built the block walls of the church, we strengthened and built the relationships with the community. The children visited the church and built a large cross by decorating small wooden crosses and gluing them to the large cross. During our meeting at the church I discovered Pablo and David were part of the music ministry.  After a little persuasion we convinced them to come play and sing with us after dinner.  It was a lot of fun and it turned out to be the highlight of our day.  The warmth of the people here is overwhelming and you are always treated like family.

Radical Hospitality  

It is a long way from Eagan to the village of Maya Itza, Guatemala. The people of San Marcos Church welcomed our delegation to live in with and among them. We received the gift of their hospitality. They opened the homes and hearts sharing stories of faith, of exile, of hope of resurrection. 

Together we worshipped, laughed, prayed, and feasted. We assembled a cross, laid cement block, blew bubbles, visited a clinic and made visits to homes. Amid all this activity the best item we had packed was our ears. We listened to each other. Boundaries between us were crossed. The dividing lines divided. the overlapping of our story with their story merge together inside of Gods story.  

We left our homeland, discovered a wonderland, and soon return to a new-found-land. As pilgrims we return changed by our journey. 

Today we had the opportunity to visit CLAG, the Lutheran school in Guatemala City. The school staff were hosting a community event for the children and their families.  It felt very much like being at a school event in Minnesota.  Tickets were purchased, food was enjoyed, carnival games were played.  Pastor Kevin (with the support of Pastor Karen from Guatemala) led a devotion and our delegation was able to share a bit about ourselves and how we saw God’s light shining during our time in ‘Guate.’ Our team provided crosses to decorate and a photo booth for the families to enjoy.  Close to three hundred people were present and the morning was filled light, relationship and God’s love. It has been an honor to grow our Spanish skills, grow in connection and build a stronger understanding of one another.  What a gift this time has been.  Thank you to the Easter community for continued prayers and support and to our ILAG family for their companionship and hospitality!