Happy December! I can’t believe it’s December, definitely doesn’t feel like it. December is going to be an exciting month with lots of change, but the Lord has been teaching and showing me the joy of being in His presence, and what it truly means to “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). This week at ministry was great, I am so grateful to be apart of this mission and meet so many amazing people! Here are some other highlights from my week:
First, I climbed a volcano! Actually I climbed 2! It was a crazy experience, probably one of the hardest physical things I’ve ever done, but definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. We left our base at 8:00 and began hiking up Acatenango around 10:15. We made it up to the base camp after about 4 hours of hiking. We rested at base for about an hour and a half, then we had the option to hike about another 4 hours to Feugo, which is an active volcano. So me and 3 of my squad mates hiked about 30 mins down Acatenango to the base of Feugo and then up about an hour and a half up. It’s said that the hour up Feugo is harder than the whole hike up Acatenango, and I would have to agree. But we made it! We made it to a ridge of Feugo where we could clearly see the volcano erupting! It was crazy to say the least. It was cold and rainy but so so worth it. We then headed back down Feugo and up to base camp, where we simply ate dinner and went to sleep. The next morning me and 3 others woke up at 3:30 to hike up to the summit of Acatenango. So we hiked straight up volcanic rock for about an hour and a half. It was like hiking up sand, one step up, slide half a step back. But once again it was so worth it when we made it to the top and watched the sunrise over Guatemala. It was beyond beautiful and I am so thankful for everything I got to experience. I got to see God’s beauty and design, feel His joy and strength, and laugh with friends on top of a volcano!
Another highlight from the week was Thanksgiving! Well American Thanksgiving, but still so fun to celebrate with my whole squad! We spent the today doing a turkey trot (which is just running a mile around the base), playing football & football, and craft time! We then all got dressed up for dinner. It was perfect, I’m so thankful for this amazing squad I get to call family!
We also received an update about South Africa, which we leave for December 17th! Unfortunately we will be split squad for South Africa, which means teams will head to different places for the month and will reunite in Eswatini in February. Our squad is also doing a leader switch. So my amazing leader Emily will not be with us in South Africa but instead we will have Kayli! It’s hard to say goodbye to Emily but it is also so good to learn from a new leader, and it will be a chance to grow as a team. For South Africa, Team Rivers (my team) will be going with Team Jubilee to Durban, South Africa. We will be partnering with Circut Riders, which is apart of YWAM, and travelling to 3 different places within Durban. That means we will be in each place from about a week to 2 weeks before heading somewhere new. This will be both exciting and also challenging, it will grow our teams and I have faith it will be so fruitful! And hey, we will also become great at packing our bags! We will be running holiday programs for children and families for Christmas and New Year’s, helping at an orphanage, rehab clinic, youth groups and doing ATL. I am especially looking forward to ATL because most people in South Africa speak English, which means I get to talk to people in English and not all through google translate!! (Google translate is amazing though and I am very thankful for it and all the conversations I’ve had through it – but so excited to speak English again!)
Thank you for reading, please continue to pray for my squad and I, here are some specific prayer request:
- For our final week of ministry. That we would be present and enjoy our last bit of time in Guatemala (We then have a week in Antigua for debrief before heading to South Africa)
- For all our leader as they handle the leader switch, for wisdom and peace!
- For peace and no anxiety about South Africa
- For all the goodbyes we have to say to everyone in the next couple weeks. Our ministry, hosts and kids, and to our squad as we all part ways.
Thank you!!
