Guatemala update

This will be a quicker update as I have limited time before I lose WiFi. WiFi is a treat here, and I’m guessing it’ll be like that for most of the race as well. The past couple weeks since I blogged last have been crazy, filled with ministry, coffee shops, sickness, and adventure. We’re still doing ministry with kids and ministry with the homeless and drunks on Wednesday mornings. All of it has been a lot of fun! We spent a couple days a couple weeks ago at our ministry hosts house in Sumpango. We all hung out, went to different restaurants, and then enjoyed time together walking through the town and going to the cemetery for Day of the Saints and seeing all the beautifully painted and colorful tombs and the people honoring their ancestors. Then last weekend we went to the Lake. That’s a place in Guatemala where you guessed it….there’s a lake! It was beautiful! We stayed at an air bnb in the area and hung out, walked around a lot, and enjoyed the scenery. Then on that Sunday once the girls team we stayed at the house with showed up, we took a boat out on the Lake and traveled to small villages in the area. We went to one (I forget the name) and learned about how they make chocolate, the bees they have and the honey they make there, and how they make the beautiful traditional Guatemalan clothing. Then we went to San Catalina and ate lunch there (BAD IDEA! More on that later), then went swimming and enjoyed the hot springs they have. It was SO much fun and a very much needed restful and relaxing weekend until Sunday night. Starting Sunday night four people, including Dougie, John, Malachi, and one of the girls named Josephine proceeded to get sick and throw up all night and the next day from the food poisoning they got from that place we’d ate for lunch that day. A couple others felt queasy and nauseous. Once we traveled back to the AIM base two of the other guys on my team, Ben and Nick started vomiting and got sick. A couple days later even I was out for a night puking and feeling downright terrible. I also missed Activation Day the next day because I was still recovering and dealing with a fever. We’re not entirely sure if all of the sickness was food poisoning or some that and some a stomach bug or what. All we know, it was awful! Unfortunately sickness has been once again tormenting the squad as strep is again rearing it’s ugly head, as is mono. Maybe I should be careful with all the making out I’ve been doing with all the girls on the squad. Just kidding! Or am I?? There’s also potentially been a stomach bug going around too. Please be praying for all the sickness and injuries that have been going on. It’s definitely been a hindrance to all the ministry we’ve all been doing. We also found out about our next country Vietnam recently. My team will be doing evangelism with college students and working with Cru! We’ll be two hours away from the rest of the squad, so it’ll be a great chance to get closer as a team. We’ll also be ten minutes from a beach. So I may get some of my teammates to teach me to surf! It’s going to be awesome! Other than those thing we’ve all just been enjoying the beautiful Guatemalan landscape, the incredible sunsets, the amazing community on the squad, and the incredible Guatemalan people. Another prayer request I have is just for all the things I’ve been going through spiritually. I’ve been dealing with a lot of identity stuff and desire to pursue worldly things other than Christ. I’ve honestly felt distant from God and not hearing from Him as well. I know it’s my own fault because I’ve been pursuing other things before Christ. I can feel Him calling me back to His side consistently though. Just please pray He continues to show me He is where life is at and that I’ll never find it in the world or in worldly things. Love you all and missing all of you! Until next time,

God’s chosen and adopted son Luke

The King’s Table-ministry with drunks and the homeless 

Me and my buddy Rodrigo

The Lake Bee Hive at the Lake

Gorgeous sunsetAnother sunset pic