Day 6 - Ziplines, Shopping and alarm clocks

Today has been a fun-filled day and has been one of anticipation and relaxation. We are all excited about coming home but have thoroughly enjoyed the times by the lake, playing with the kids and walking around Antigua. It is often a mixed feeling on the last day. You begin to feel comfortable in your surroundings and begin to truly appreciate the pace of life here but even still you miss things from your home. 

Today's activities have sent us off the right way back to the States. We began the day with a final time studying scripture and looking at truth from Romans 3,5,6. Coach Mitchell has really shined in the times he has led our studies and has communicated the truth of scripture with a simplicity and passion that has challenged and encouraged everyone. 

After finishing our group study, we headed down to the elementary school at  Eagles' Nest to listen to their devotional and have them pray for us before we left. 

We were able to tell them bye and let them know how blessed we were by them and how evident it was to see God 's blessing in their lives through the growth of Eagles' Nest. After the devotional, we headed down the mountain to the lakeside zipline course. 

The zipline did not disappoint and the guys had a great time hanging out and seeing all of the amazing sites while going through the zipline course.

After the zipline, we headed back up to Eagles' Nest for the final time to collect our bags and head down to Antigua. Pedro and Felis were great hosts, as always and we were glad to help them with the few projects we had a hand in. This has become a valuable partnership for both of our groups as we spend time working diligently but enjoying all of the surrounding landscapes and getting to focus on our team off the court. I hope we can continue to go back frequently and rejoice with the Patlans as their ministry grows in new ways. 

After leaving Eagles' Nest, we then rode the 2 hours down from the lake to Antigua and completed our final journey of the trip that doesn't involve an airport. Once in Antigua, the guys took to the streets to find bargains in the markets and a quick lunch. Of course, after they returned they were eager to show off the soccer jerseys and other merchandise they had bought and compare negotiation notes. 

For the final act of our Guatemalan adventure, we were able to sit down for a nice dinner and enjoy our last night in Antigua. The food was delicious and our guide, Carlos, has been invaluable with suggestions and ideas while in his hometown of Antigua. The guys are mostly in bed already because we have a 3:30 am wake up call to be at the airport no later than 4:45-5:00am tomorrow morning. This has been a great trip filled with many memories. Our team has grown through so many different experiences and encounters and I hope we have encouraged and served the people of Guatemala that we have come into contact with this week.

We are all sad to leave such an amazing place with such great people but we are also eager to get home. We should arrive in Jackson around 5:00pm tomorrow and it will make for a long day but we are excited about seeing our families and friends.

Adios Guatemala 

Viva Mississippi

Day 5 - Eagles' Nest and Solola

We spent the entire day here at the Eagles' Nest and in the neighboring town of Solola. This morning they began pouring the floor for the new apartment above the children's home. We were able to work with another team and the local workers to turn two piles of stone and rock into several hundred pounds of poured concrete. We spent about 2 hours hauling buckets full of concrete, shovels full of rock and wheelbarrows full of sand. The guys didn't complain or show an unwillingness for one minute. Again, I am proud of our guys and the  way they have served the people here. 

After all of our construction projects were completed, we were able to relax and play with the kids, grab a nap, and enjoy the scenery for the afternoon. It was a refreshing time of hearing the laughter of toddlers while the seeing the smiles on our guys faces. The other group here is a church group from Texas and the adults have so impressed with our guys. They continue to remark on their willingness to work, how polite they are when dealing with their group, and they openness to serve with the small children. The past 2 days have only included 1 basketball game but the experience has been great for our team. 

Last night we went into Solola and played a pick-up basketball game with some locals and some of the workers here at Eagles' Nest. The guys had fun just running and playing ball with the folks they have been working beside for the past few days. Once we made it back, we enjoyed a great dinner and some relaxing time in the main lodge. As everything wound down, we got together for our "big meeting." This meeting happens every year where we discuss just basketball. We are able to openly talk about our strengths and weaknesses as a team, who is stepping up as leaders and what are our goals for the season. The guys were very open and expressive about the team and it was definitely a meeting of growth. 

Tomorrow, we will get to go zip lining in the morning and then travel to Antigua for our last day. We will get to shop and enjoy solely touristy time before getting up early and heading to the airport. I think we probable need to be at the airport by no later than 5am so hopefully tonight will be restful and we can all get some sleep. 

Continue praying as we finish our trip that we will have a willingness to serve, an openness to times of studying scripture and smooth travel. 

Day 4 - Eagles' Nest - Lake Atitlan

Today, we left Telma's and Guatemala City to make our way up to Lake Atitlan and the Eagles' Nest facility in Solola.  This morning at breakfast we were introduced to Jaime's nephew, Carlos, our new driver for the remainder of the trip. Carlos went to college in North Carolina and his parents live in Kentucky so he speaks very good English and understands many of cultural norms that we are accustomed to in the South. For example, he is a big fan of Waffle House and loves college basketball.  He is in the process of learning from Jaime and creating his own team sports ministry to bring groups to Guatemala. Carlos hit it off with the group from the start and has been a good addition to the trip. 

Our drive from Guatemala City to the lake went very smoothly. It is about a 2+ hour drive filled with amazing landscapes of huge tracts of farmland tucked into massive rolling hills and mountains. The guys toggled between napping and frantically taking pictures of the scenery. But none of the sites can prepare you for what awaits as your turn into Eagles' Nest. The size alone of what you see is overwhelming but then you see the colors of the water, the number of volcanic mountains and the amount of villages that surround the lake. The most common expression upon taking in all of the natural sites is "Wow!" and then you get to tour the facilities and hear about all that goes on here and you are truly speechless. Pedro and Felis operate an elementary school (pre-K thru 6), a children's home for orphans, and a fully staffed facility to accommodate teams like ours and several others, at once. We also got to see the work that Tolar and his team began and the projects that his new ministry is trying to fund.

Once we got settled in, we went straight to work. With a place this busy, Pedro has several construction and maintenance projects going on everyday. Our guys were put in charge of several projects including: organizing a large storage shed, clearing debris and trash, moving rocks and sand closer to an apartment so it can be floored with concrete tomorrow and cleaning out excess sand from an existing room. They worked tirelessly as a group and exemplified the spirit of service that we discussed earlier in the week. I am proud of our guys today. 

Tonight, we have had time to relax and enjoy a great dinner of Guatemalan tacos. After dinner, we met for a time of study of scripture and we focused on Galatians 5:16-24. Our studies so far have seemed to follow a progression and tonight was all about knowing that when you walk by the Spirit there is evidence in your life that is tangible (fruit). But also when you walk by the flesh, your life still yields fruit. We war with the flesh because we are sealed with the Spirit and are trying to walk by the Spirit. Sin loses it's appeal in many ways because our spiritual body is desiring to produce the fruit of the Spirit. It was a valuable time spent together studying the word and I am excited about how those times in particular have gone for the group and hope we continue to have this valuable time studying together. 

Tomorrow, we will continue some of the construction projects, get to play with some of the kids at the orphanage and perhaps play some basketball in the afternoon with some people in the nearby town. Pedro and Felis are always very welcoming and are excited about the ways our guys can help them but they are also excited to see them grow together as a team and grow individually in their spiritual lives. 

Day 3 - Journey Church, Antigua, and R&R

Today began like yesterday, with a pre-breakfast time looking at scripture and discussing the application of it. Last night, Jaime shared his testimony about how God changed his heart and gave him new desires. This morning, we spent time looking at Ephesians 2 as a group where scripture says we are "dead in our trespasses and sins....But God being rich in mercy." This passage was clearly demonstrated in Jamie's testimony of God's grace and mercy in His life and led to a good discussion about our spiritual state before encountering God. We were able to look at what an encounter with God does to a person who is "dead in their sin" and how this encounter with God is life-altering and life-giving. Dead people can't help themselves...But God!

After another good breakfast it was off to worship with the folks at Journey Church, a new church started for American missionary families and their support teams. The service was completely in English and was more in the mold of contemporary services with a small band and a very lively response from many of the people (aka dancing and clapping). Since the senior pastor was back in the States on a trip, one of the male missionary leaders shared the sermon. The message was part of a sermon series about the church in Acts and the bold lifestyle that the early church exhibited when living out their faith. The effect of living a life that is God-honoring and Christ-imitating is a boldness that is less concerned with cultural sensitivities and comforts but is more concerned with service of others and proclaiming the good news of Christ. 

The young people that helped start the church were aware of our attendance and wanted to meet us for lunch and spend time visiting. We enjoyed a gourmet meal at a local Guatemalan restaurant called Taco Bell (sarcasm because even in Guatemala a Taco Bell is a Taco Bell). But we did enjoy time talking with the young leaders and hearing not only how the church started but how they became involved and how God had connected them to each other to form a body of believers. 

The trip to Antigua from where we are staying is not much longer than 30 minutes so going for an afternoon of site-seeing and shopping was a must. I've been to Antigua every year I have come to Guatemala but this year we did something I have never done before. Prior to going into the city and shopping, we were able to stop on the outskirts of town and enjoy an amazing view of the city that Jaime had told us about earlier. This was actually the place where Jaime first asked God to save him and change his heart. It was a special moment and an incredible site for all of us to take in.

The markets and parks were filled with locals and tourists who were all out enjoying a beautiful day. Some of the guys did some early shopping, some just walked around and took in the sites but everyone seemed to enjoy the downtime. When we got back to Telma's, dinner was soon served and we relaxed and ate a hot home cooked meal. As has been the tone of this trip so far, conversations have been plentiful and laughter is abundant tonight as we have enjoyed a quiet night at the host home. Jaime dropped in on us to make sure we were ready to head to Lake Atitlan tomorrow and we were able to tell him how much we appreciate his service to us and our community. Jamie has touched so many of our students in recent years and he continues to lead us and work alongside us with great humility and love. 

Tomorrow we head to Lake Atitlan for the 2nd half our trip to be spent at the Eagle's Nest children's home.  There we will meet up with Pedro and Felis Patlan and support them in a variety of ways, as well as, continue to find opportunities to challenge the guys and grow together as a team. 

Adios Guatemala City!

Viva Solola! 

Day 2 - Villa Nueva, La Patria, and The "Monstars"

   After a good team talk last night, we started off the morning with a team Bible study before breakfast.  We looked at or theme verse of the trip which is Phillipians 2:3-7. What is addressed in that passage is being of the same mind, with the same love, and humility.  Those are characteristics that came up in our team discussion last night, so the verse was applicable for us during this part of the trip.  The end of that section of verses is a section on Christ and His humility to became a man and display the ultimate act of humility by dying a death on the cross. We had active participation in the Bible study and it was a good start to the day. 

   After breakfast we were off to our fist game of the day.  We played the Villa Nueva 15 and 16 year olds.  Their coach was one of the sports coaches at the school that we did the clinic at yesterday.  We played a great game and displayed a stronger character than we had the previous day. We ended up winning the game handily.  After the game Case got to share a message with the team and some fans that came to watch the game. Case shared from our theme verse of Philippians 2:3-7 and shared some of his personal struggles and how Christ was the ultimate picture of humility.  Case did a good job of sharing and was open about his own personal struggles.

   Then we were off to the mall for a quick time of relaxation and lunch. We stayed at the mall for a little over an hour before we headed out for a 2 o'clock game against what was expected to be our toughest competition yet. 

  Our 2nd game of the day was against La Patria.  La Patria is currently the top school team in Guatemala.  The will represent their part of town in the national games this year since they topped Prepa this season. They were an athletic and well coached team.  The pressed us and had some sets to run on offense.  The game was a battle.  Periodically throughout the game we would ask what the score was and it seemed to be off. We ended up losing the game by 5 but we were not convinced that the score was accurate.  Either way it was a tough game which is what we are looking for in summer ball.

 After the game Jake shared with the team from Psalm 139 about how we are fearfully and wonderfully made and how God has a plan for our life. Jake also pointed to the Bible as our "roadmap" for guidance in life.  Jake did a good job in sharing with the team.  We were also able to hand our wristbands to the team that has Bible verses and we were able to share more Scripture about the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the team. 

  After the game we headed back to Telma's, where we are staying, for a nice little siesta.  If you were to observe this time you would see the players and coaches talking with each other about life.  It was a great sight to see the coaches and the players having good talks and enjoying each other's company when they could have been taking a nap.

  After dinner we were off to our last game of the day against an adult men's team across town. The game would prove to be the toughest competition we would play the whole day. It was a game of bumps and bruises on an outdoor court.  The adult men's team, aka the "Monstars," (if you have seen Space Jam then you know what I am referring to) won the game. 

After the game, both teams met at center court and Mitch shared about his relationship with the Lord. After sharing some of his testimony he shared Colossians 3:2 about setting your mind on things above and not on earthly things. Mitch did a good job in sharing his testimony and Scripture. Again we were able to pass out the wristbands and further explain the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the team. 

  At the end of the day, Jaime shared with the guys his testimony about how he came to know the Lord.  His personal story is one of drug and achohol abuse that led him to having no hope before he gave his life to Christ.  Some of the guys commented on how they did not expect him to say that he had so many struggles early in his life. It was good for them to hear how Christ can change a heart and ultimately someone's life. 

   It was a great day here in Guatemala!  Now were about to get some sleep...well, some of us more than others, before we get to experience a church service in Guatemala City.

   We will update you soon on more of our adventures.

Day 1 - cont'd

The final game of the day was another intensely competitive game that saw our team pull away in the final minutes. We played at a local church that has over 12,000 members in Guatemala City but the team was a local league team (like AAU or MBA team). The game was fast-paced and end to end action with several offensive runs by both teams. 

After the game, Graham shared a passage from 1 Timothy 4 and to not let people look down on you because of youth or circumstances but instead set an example of Christ-like behavior. He finished with an encouragement for the people to consider Christ as their Savior. 

We have wrapped up the night with another great meal and some time meeting as a team and reflecting on the day and what we've learned.

Pray that we will continue to have opportunities to share. That God will move our guys' hearts to serve one another and our leaders' hearts about how to encourage and challenge those around us. 

Tomorrow brings 3 more games and more chances to serve and share. 

Day 1 - Villa Nueva, Prepa, Night game

Day 1 - Villa Nueva clinic, Prepa game, a night game

After arriving at our host home in Guatemala City, Telma's home, last around 1130, we unpacked, ate a quick meal and headed to bed. The alarm clock set for 6:30 came too early and we all groggily made our way to a wonderful breakfast of French toast, Guatemalan coffee and fresh fruit before heading out for a busy first day. Jaime picked us up around 7:30 and we made our way to a school in Villa Nueva, a city on the western side of Guatemala City. 

Around 8:30, we arrived at the elementary school to many wide-eyed children that were excited to see us and full of energy. We spent about 30 minutes just playing and getting as acquainted as possible through broken Spanish on our end and broken English on their end. One of the coaches at the school remarked afterwards that when children and sports come together, there is no language barrier. We had a great time doing simple drills and playing little games with the kids before we put on a short intrasquad exhibition for them. 

After all of the basketball, Ben shared a great message about God's grace despite our sinfulness and how the Holy Spirit changes your desires as your relationship with Jesus Christ grows and matures.

Before we left Villa Nueva, we did a short video message for a local news station that came to the school to do a story on our trip and our visits to the local schools. Coach Mitchell was also able to share about our trip and the reasons why we come to places like their school for their news story. 

After leaving Villa Nueva, we headed to a familiar venue, Prepa. Prepa is one of the top private schools in Guatemala City and their basketball team has won several city and national championships in the past decade. They always give us a fun and excited atmosphere to play in while being tough competitors. This year was no different. We jumped out to a large lead but saw then slowly work their way back into the game until they finally took the lead late in the 3rd. However, our guys gutted out a gritty win and overcame a sluggish offensive effort and some one-sided officiating. 

After the game, Camp shared with the Prepa team and coaches about the importance of prayer as you grow in your relationship with Christ and how impactful prayer can be in your daily life. The Prepa coaches and players were very receptive to our message and appreciative that we have consistently come to play them over the past 4 years. 

A late lunch of fried chicken, about an hour in traffic, and a short time for naps and relaxation and now we are off to our final game of the night. We are going about 20 minutes up the road to play a local league team that should be very good competition. 

We will give a much shorter update later tonight after dinner and some team meeting time. 

Adios

Away we go!

It's that time of the summer, again. We are on our way to Guatemala! Well, not quite "on our way." We are sitting at the Jackson Airport awaiting our flight to Houston. But, we are excited about getting going and completing the travel portion of the trip. 

We will update as soon as we can. 

Thanks for all of the support and prayer.