costa rica recap & guat info

Hey friends! I’m really excited to be writing this from GUATEMALA!! Yay! We flew into Guatemala City yesterday afternoon and had a couple different orientation sessions before heading off to our ministry site. We are going to be here in Guatemala until the end of April.. so 2 months this time. This time around my team and I are with a ministry called Destiny’s Church. Destiny’s Church is a ministry that works heavily within the community of San Pedro las Huertas which is right outside of Antigua, Guatemala. We will be working with kids during the day helping with schoolwork, we will be helping with church services over the weekends and doing house/home visits as well. This month my team and I are “by ourselves” rather than being paired with another team like we were last month. At first, the thought of this felt a little daunting BUT the more I learn about our ministry and the chances we going to have the more excited I’ve gotten. Our ministry hosts are Nola and Rachel – Nola is Guatemalan and Rachel is from the states. They’re already spoiling us and I’m really pumped to be working underneath them! My team and I are living in a house that is right next to theirs which feels really special as well. There are a few other teams from our squad that are located with ministries that are within about a 20 minute radius of us, and so we will be able to see and interact with other teams within our squad here and there throughout the 2 months. Guatemala has already been such a beautiful place and I know that the Lord is at work here. It’s pretty evident in the feel of this place and I’m really excited to see what’s in store. 

With that being said, I still wanted to give you all a little final recap on my time in Costa Rica, so here are a few reflection type questions I took some time to think through! 

Highlights of Costa Rica: 

• My first highlight from this month was hands down our ministry hosts, Tony and Rosita. Tony and Rosita were absolutely incredible, making our time in Costa Rica so much sweeter. Tony was such a joy to be around. He loved us well and treated us like his own. He made me laugh more than just about anyone and brought a light to our group that I won’t soon forget. Rosita was such a prayer warrior. She didn’t speak as much English as Tony, so unfortunately I wasn’t able to form as deep of a relationship with her as I would have liked to, but the way she served us and prayed over us was encouraging. I’m really grateful for our time spent under the leadership of Tony and Rosita. 
• Adventure days. I felt like we got pretty lucky with a lot of our adventure days. Since we had a local driver, we were able to access some really cool places that would have been harder to find on our own. It was so much fun exploring the northern part of Costa Rica in the ways that we did during our adventure days. Zip lining, natural hot springs, hiking, going to Jaco for a weekend, Rio Celeste, and everything else we were able to do made our Costa Rica experience really cool. 
• Being with only 1 other team. As I’ve mentioned before, we had our team and 1 other team with us at our ministry site. This is ironic because of how this was also easily one of the hardest parts of this past month as well. But, the way that our 2 teams so quickly became a family felt so special. I felt like I had a place there. I felt really known and really free to be exactly who I am this past month. The Lord definitely used that to heal some of my broken pieces. 

 

Biggest thing I learned: 

Healthy thinking vs overthinking. I talked briefly on this in another post, but it was such a huge part of my month. Learning when it’s healthy to process through things and when it’s wise to put it down and rest. I’ve had to learn to follow The Lord’s voice when it comes to knowing what I need. Whether that be a deep conversation or a movie night, knowing my limits and knowing my body and mind is a way that I can honor The Lord. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” – Luke 10:27. 

 

Last but not least, here are some ways you can be praying! 

Ways you can be praying: 

• For Tony and Rosita and their ministry. They’re currently in the process of building another church building to help grow their ministry even more. They truly have the biggest hearts and desire to further the kingdom in really bold ways. They also have a couple different World Race teams coming through and staying with them the next couple months so prayers for them in that would be appreciated!
• Of course for our time here in Guatemala. I’m really pumped to be living in a house with my team, but like any time you’re living in a house with 6 girls the dynamics can be tricky. I think that these couple months will be challenging but so so good for my team and I as we learn how to navigate the beauty of relationship, community, and friendship together. 
• And lastly for our new ministry and the opportunities that the Lord already has lined up for us. Pray that we can dive right into ministry without hesitation or fear. Pray that we honor this culture well and teach/serve in ways that are respectful. 

Thanks again for following along. Love you all! 

Heather