Guatemala July 2019 Day 5

Today was the last day of service for the team, and it was a day full of laughter, building relationships, and bitter-sweet goodbyes. The last session of VBS with the kiddos at the learning center was absolutely wonderful. The games crew filled up a bunch of water balloons to cool down the hot morning, crafts crew helped the kids paint colorful animal paintings, and worship, skit, and health teams continued to love on the students and have a blast! At lunchtime, the mamas of the village bought all the things they had made to sell! Between the beautiful purses and headbands, and the embroidered blouses and blankets, the team had a blast buying from the moms and hearing their stories. The afternoon concluded with some sweet goodbyes and prayers for the learning center, and then we headed off to serve and learn about the community of Chivoc!

In Chivoc, we were introduced to Natalie, who gave us a tour around the village and showed us the home of a woman who taught other girls and women to cook, sew, and other household tasks. It was amazing to see the impact this woman had on her community. After a LONGGGG and steep hike up and down the mountain, the team arrived at the middle school with lots of enthusiasm to put on another VBS! Gabe and I (Kasey) had the amazing opportunity to share our testimonies to the middle schoolers and encourage them in their walks with God. Another team taught the kids about water filtration, and installed four filter systems! The evening was a wonderful success, and the rainbow in the sky above the middle school served a wonderful reminder of God’s promise and all he had done on our trip this week. The night ended with a late (but very appreciated) dinner, a touching testimony, and bracelet making!! Overall, today was full of emotions and constant reassurance of the amazing work of God. We are all looking forward to zip lining and being tourists tomorrow!! Adios!!

- Kasey Kruse