300 words on my experience in guatemala

Why are we here? To glorify God, to worship Him, and fellowship with one another. The Sunday morning ritual was being echoed a thousand miles away from home, and was just as fitting for our mission trip as it is for Sunday morning worship. At RyeX, the youth group prepares itself for worship with this mantra, so it only made sense for our Guatemala mission trip group to prepare ourselves with such a mantra; for the worship we would be doing through service for the next eight days in Guatemala. We were there first and foremost to glorify God. Personally, I felt I was fulfilling this task best in serving those around me, by striving to be Christ-like and to let my actions speak on behalf of God. We were also there to worship Him, which we did both conventionally—singing praise songs, sharing testimonies with one another, and attending church services—and not so conventionally—schlepping concrete to work sites, playing futbol with our vacation bible school students, and donning a pair of soccer cleats on barefoot children. Finally, we were there to have fellowship with one another. This last bit is by far my favorite part of any mission trip—the relationships formed with those we are serving. I find no greater joy than breaking language barriers and forging friendships with our brothers and sisters in all parts of the world. We also are able to strengthen our fellowship with one another within the church family, both youth and adults alike, which is awesome. This was my third mission trip to Guatemala, and I hope it won’t be my last. It’s an amazing experience in so many ways; I so hope that more people will get to be a part of what God is doing in this beautiful country.