Hey! It’s been another beautiful week in Guatemala. We are starting to get in a rhythm here so I thought I would give a run down on what each day in the week looks like!
Mondays: On Mondays, we work with a ministry called Dar para Dar, which means “Give to Give.” We work with a group of lively guys—Chaco, Chicho, Benji, and Abner—and it’s a blast. Our groups mesh perfectly, and our time together is always filled with laughter. Mondays have a few activities, but we always begin at a house of prayer, which is one of my favorite parts. It feels like a gift from God, reminding me of The Gathering. For three hours, we worship, pray, and meditate on scripture, which really allows us to slow down and fully fix our gaze on Jesus. This week, we learned about intercession and what prayer should truly look like in our lives. I felt challenged by the reminder that it’s easy to say, “I’ll pray for you!” but not follow through. Seeing prayer as an opportunity rather than an obligation changes everything—it’s a powerful connection with God, our Heavenly Father, who wants to be our closest friend. The devil really tries to make prayer feel daunting or insignificant because he knows its power. God wants to hear everything—the good, the bad, and the in-between—nothing is too big for Him. Why wouldn’t we pray?
Monday afternoons vary—sometimes we do house visits, partner with a nearby orphanage, or, like this week, celebrate special moments, like Chaco’s birthday with hotdogs and cake at his house.
Tuesdays: Tuesdays are also amazing! We partner with another ministry, Venas Plenas, which means “Living Out of Abundance.” We start our day at a coffee shop with our hosts, Aderkee, Anna, and LeAnn, for a Bible study, which I appreciate—it’s a perfect way to center ourselves before heading out to serve. Afterward, we do house visits, which I hadn’t experienced before. We pray about where to go, knock on doors, and people welcome us in, which was so surprising at first! Coming from a culture where people might hide from unexpectedvisitors, it’s incredible to experience the hospitality here. On my birthday, one woman even cut cake and sang to me after finding out it was my special day.
This past Tuesday was especially meaningful. We had difficulty reaching anyone because it was a day when the men and women were working on community projects, and no one was home. After a few tries, I noticed a house with a green door, which caught my attention because my teammate had a vision of a green door the previous week. We knocked, and Roxanna, the woman who lived there, welcomed us. She shared that she was going through a very hard time; her husband was in a coma after an accident in the village. We prayed with her and encouraged her, and we’re hoping for a miracle when we see her again next week.
After the visits, we return to the coffee shop for lunch and then go back to the village to teach English, which is such a fun experience. We divide into age groups, and I work with the oldest students, where we go over vocabulary and learn a Bible story. This week we taught The Good Samaritan, and I even got to be the “bad guys” and beat up Aubrey, which was hilarious.
Wednesdays: We’re back with Dar para Dar on Wednesdays, but at Prayer Mountain, where they’re building a space for people to rest in God’s presence without distractions. It’s the most physical day, as we do labor-intensive work like carrying rocks, tending to sheep, edging roads with machetes, and more. I love these days because, although they’re challenging, our ministry hosts are so fun, and for the next four weeks, we’re also working alongside O Squad, a semesters team camping on Prayer Mountain.
Thursdays: Thursdays are my favorite day of the week! We have Activation Day, where our AIM staff and ministry hosts come to our base. We spend a couple of hours worshiping, followed by a teaching session. Then we have time to sit with the Lord, discuss what we learned in small teams, and go into town to put it into practice. Evangelizing felt intimidating at first, especially with the language barrier, but the warmth and grace here have made it easier.
PLEASE read this part!!
Last week was incredible. We went to Antigua for the afternoon, praying as a team for God to move in a new and powerful way. We felt that many of our previous conversations had been surface-level, and we wanted something deeper—to really see God at work. Earlier in the week, I felt convicted about the many people begging on the roadside. It’s easy to walk by and ignore them, but God was stirring my heart to stop and connect. I shared with my team that we should pray for every beggar we encountered. I had some change, so we decided to give each person a coin and take a moment to talk with them.
The first few interactions were challenging. One man wouldn’t tell me his name or even look me in the eyes. It broke my heart to see how society had stripped this man of his identity—he didn’t feel worthy to meet someone’s gaze or be called by name.
A few blocks down, we met a man named Hosea, who seemed genuinely happy that we sat down with him. As we got to know him, we learned that he believed in God but couldn’t read, so we shared the full gospel with him. He was deeply moved, and when we asked if it was something he wanted for himself, he agreed immediately. Then, we asked if we could pray for him and if there was anything specific he needed. He shared that he was blind in one eye and the other was very blurry.
We then told him the story of Jesus healing a blind man, and explained that we believed God could do the same for him. We laid hands on him and prayed over his eyes. When we opened our eyes, he opened his too—and the expression on his face is one I’ll never forget. His eyes widened, and he immediately started laughing with joy, saying, “I can see! It’s clear!” again and again. We were all so excited! He touched his eyes and then exclaimed, “No pain!” It was incredible—God is so good! We explained that all the glory goes to God and that it was His power alone that had healed him.
Afterward, we went to get him McDonald’s because he mentioned he was hungry. My favorite moment was when we were walking back to give it to him. We saw him from a block away, sitting by himself and repeatedly touching his eyes in amazement. I couldn’t help but laugh at God’s goodness, watching him sit there, completely in awe.
Fridays: Fridays, we’re back with Venas Plenas. It’s a shorter day, which is a nice way to wrap up the week. We start at the home of Delphina, a local woman who volunteers to make a big meal for the children in the village of Parrojas. We help her prepare it, which includes learning how to make tortillas. Afterward, we take the food to the village and hand it out to the kids, then return home to rest and prepare for the weekend.
Weekends: Saturdays are our adventure days, filled with exploring, shopping, and good food, and Sundays are our sabbath days, set aside for church and rest.
That’s what a typical week looks like here in Guatemala. I know this was long, but I’m so grateful for each of you who has supported me on this journey, and I love getting to share it with you all. For the next few weeks, I’ll focus more on specific moments, teachings, or stories. If you’d like to hear about anything specific, please feel free to reach out!
With love,
Ashlyn
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