Guatemala Trip

After the Holidays I took a nine day trip to Guatemala to help some friends on a short term missions trip in which we began filming a documentary. The film is called Athentikos Guatemala

http://www.athentikos.com/

and will tell several stories about what God is doing in some of the poorest areas of Central America. Despite difficult circumstances there are people following Jesus into hard-core ghettos, gangs, prisons, garbage dumps, and drug-infested streets in order to love hurting people. I was very privileged to be a part of this group and hear some of the incredible stories of redemption! God is full of mercy and compassion and those who have spearheaded these ministries know that better than anybody else. I was blessed to hear them describe the goodness of God in their own personal stories. You can see some of the pictures of this trip here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/athentikos/

My responsibilities on the trip were to help in any way I could...I carried equipment, set up lights and screens, interviewed people, directed some interviews, and led a discussion group about our trip. (I think my chief responsibility was to beat everybody at the card game "Nertz" and continue to carry the JMU banner of aggressive card-playing excellence...HA!) It was a great change of pace and opportunity to work with a young fun-loving crew. The weather was to die for--sunny and warm everyday with clear skies and smoking volcanoes for a skyline. I am sure I will return one day, Lord willing.