Guatemala

We need to practice the elements of faith and compassion that we normally just talk about.

This is why I will be joining Adventures in Missions’ Clint Bokelman and Jeff Goins in Guatemala. I’ll discover what God is doing in Latin America, how I can play my part in bringing hope to this part of the world, and what it means to live a life of radical faith and sacrifice.

It’s a glimpse at how I can be living differently. Better.

About Guatemala

The third-largest nation in Central America, Guatemala is a rugged land of mountains, beautiful lakes, and lush vegetation. It’s also full of pain, poverty, and people without hope.

Only beginning to recover from a long, brutal civil war, it is one of the ten poorest countries in Latin America.

Malnutrition rates among Guatemalan children are abysmally high, and the country ranks among the worst in Latin America for life expectancy, infant mortality, and maternal mortality.

Trip Details

On Saturday evening, February 2, our team will come together for a time of connection and conversation about what it means to be “wrecked” —  to allow the pain of a broken world to slam into our comfortable lives — and let it change us.

For the next three days, we’ll experience a blend of hands-on ministry and teaching time with Jeff Goins and Clint Bokelman, learning how to translate these life-changing experiences into everyday action in our lives.

We’ll minister to the fatherless in orphanages and connect with the forgotten families who live and scavenge in the Guatemala City dump.

It will be a short, but intense experience, full of memories and moments that will remain with us as we bring home new visions for serving and spreading hope.

Where do you come in?

Four simple steps:

Pray. Encourage. Share. Go.

Seriously…this experience isn’t just about me going to Guatemala. It’s about sharing the stories of the people I encounter. Putting faces and names to the abstract ideas of poverty and hunger and pain.

It’s about demonstrating how each of us can share our blessings in a million different ways to make the world better.

Pray

• Pray for our team to remember this trip is not about us, it’s about Jesus.
• Pray for the children we will comfort and the families we will feed.
• Pray for our leaders to teach us ways to serve as Jesus served and to love as Jesus loved.
• Pray for others to hear our stories and be inspired, too.

Encourage

We will be experiencing heartbreaking realities of poverty and hardship, and I’ll need constant encouragement. And nothing encourages me more than knowing that you guys are here.

Join my list to get new posts in your inbox. Then each day, click on “Leave a comment…” at the bottom of the message and, well, leave comments. 🙂

Share

Tell someone about Guatemala. Share these stories on Facebook (there’s a link at the bottom of every post) or with your church family.

Help inspire others to make a difference.

Go

Consider participating in a mission trip of your own.

If you don’t know where to start, Adventures in Missions offers trips (both in the US and abroad) for all age groups. Many local churches organize trips, too.

Pray about how God wants to use you to make a difference, ask him to show you the right opportunity, and trust him to equip you.

“When we encounter the needs of the world…we realize we can be part of something more…”
—Jeff Goins, Wrecked

I’m excited about this opportunity, and I can’t wait to share the beauty and the tragedy of Guatemala with you.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Have you been on a mission trip? Where would you like to go? Leave a comment…

*some people have asked how to help financially, and I truly appreciate that support. To donate, visit Adventures in Missions online donor page, choose “Vision Trip” and enter Christine Niles in the Participant Full Name field.