A Team of Unknowns #Guatemala2017
We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community.
Dorothy Day
We arrived home from Guatemala very early Saturday morning. I still feel like I am in a haze. Part of me is still in Guatemala. In fact, I kind of wondering if I might be suffering from a little case of post-Guatemala depression. It’s hard to get back into the routine of life at home in the United States after such an amazing and life-changing experience in Guatemala.
One of the things that made this year so different from my previous trips to Guatemala is that we went with a multi-generational team from my church (Christ’s Church of the Valley). When we climbed on the bus last Sunday afternoon to head to the Newark airport, I only knew a few people on the bus. As the bus began it’s journey to Northern New Jersey, Leanne and I began the process of getting to know some of the people on our team for the week ahead.
By the time, we arrived back at the church early Saturday morning, it felt like we were getting off the bus with 31 family members.
There is amazing power in spending time with others for a week of service. Together we built two homes and hopefully changed the lives of two families. While we may have had an impact on these two families who received these homes, the trip had an amazing on each one of us on the team. We went from knowing very little about each other to knowing quite a bit about each other. I would go so far to say that we made life-long friends on our trip to Guatemala this year.
We went from a team of unknowns to a family.
I’m so thankful for the chance to serve with others from our church this year in Guatemala.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47