Of the 12 folks going to Guatemala on our team, 9 have been on at least one mission trip there before. Many of us have been on multiple trips. Guatemala has a way of "getting under your skin". Once you have been, you are often so moved, you just want to go again and again. So this year, as we prepare to go, I want to share some thoughts from a team member from our last trip. Jeff was so impacted by his trip last year that he is back again this year. Here are some thoughts about his experience last year when asked by Pastor Keith to write down his most important memories of the trip :
"What I sensed more than anything else was an overwhelming
feeling that the Guatemalan people of CCCG are 100% sold out for Jesus.
They are people just like us. They have husbands and wives,
jobs and homes. Their children go to school, want to learn, and love to play.
They watch sports on television and root for their favorite teams. They smile
and laugh a lot and enjoy poking fun at each other – and at us, too. They have
problems to overcome, decisions to make, groceries to buy, bills to pay. They
get excited about the new animals at the city zoo and get frustrated in rush
hour traffic. They look for deals at the shops and take chances crossing the
street. We have a lot in common.
The difference, though, is how they live out their faith.
There are two worship services each week, and even with ten or twelve songs and
an hour long sermon, they are enthusiastic and passionate in worship. There are
small group meetings, “cell groups”, where people study and become disciples of
Jesus while living out their faith together. Two cell group meetings each week, and
the number of cell groups are growing.
When a new team arrives in-country to work with CCCG, a cell
group mobilizes to look to their needs. Handling bags at the airport,
transportation, cooking, cleaning, translating, guiding, playing, talking – the
cell group does it all. Wage earners take a week of vacation for the honor of
working very hard to give us the opportunity to build churches and feed
children. I was often up early, but I never beat the cell group out of bed. I
was often up late, but they were too, after feeding and driving and smiling
with us all day.
On our last day, I thanked Chepa, our
Energizer bunny
of a CCCG worker, (and a former gang member) for all that he had done
for us during our week’s stay.
Usually quick with a smile and a laugh, Chepa immediately and solemnly
replied,
“The work I do, I do for God." That could be CCCG's slogan, since every
church member demonstrated that every day." (Jeff Copelan, 2013). So, as we prepare to go, please remember us in your prayers. Please pray that we will be a light for Jesus as we minister to the people of Guatemala. And, don't forget to visit this blog frequently for updates on our trip!
Karin DeGroot
Jeff- Your experience in Guatemala sounds incredible. You, your family and others have inspired me to go to and find out these things first hand. I am praying for our team members this week as we make last minute preparations and I am asking God to prepare my heart for this journey.
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