I can’t believe that we are already done our mission work here in Guatemala! Today was a day where we had the opportunity to explore… And explore we did! At 8:30 this morning a bus picked us up. We headed to the Filadelfia coffee plantation just outside of Antigua to go zip lining. This is something no one on our team had done before, and what better time to do so than through the deep forests of Guatemala?! We were able to chose between two different courses. The first one was two very long zip lines. The second course consisted of seven small zip lines. We chose the second one as we were all feeling a little timid about this experience. Our tour guides drove us twenty minutes up this sketchy mountain to our destination and we saddled up! My dad was the first brave person to go. Thank goodness the first zip line was short – they did a great job of having us dip our toes into the experience before our dive in full force! It was incredibly cloudy today. You weren’t able to see in front of your face as you zip lined (Check it out). The tour guides said that zip lining through the clouds was a new experience for them too, as that doesn’t happen often in Guatemala! It was unfortunate that we weren’t able to see all of the views as we were zipping between the platforms, but there was something strangely ominous and yet peaceful about being caught in the clouds. We all chatted about it afterwards and agreed that it was such a cool moment: stranded hundreds of feet in the air, surrounded by cloud with the cool air brushing your face. Even though our longest line was one minute long, that one minute alone with God in the air was a wonderful experience! It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was refreshing! We loved the seven zip lines so much that we decided to go full force and pay to do the other trek as well! It was so awesome. Afterwards we got to order a cup of coffee and experience coffee made at the coffee plantation. A fresh cup of coffee never tasted any better!
Even though the day started out rainy, it ended up being pretty hot out! We roamed the streets for about four hours this afternoon. I was able to buy myself a Guatemalan soccer jersey and a hand painted mug from the market! Roaming in Guatemala is a lot of fun. It has such a great atmosphere to wonder around in. This time allowed for our team to pick up some last minute gifts and purchases.
To end off our time here we were able to go out for dinner with Otto. It was delicious food! I was still trying to be careful with what I ate – I mean, there is no point in getting sick now! It was nice to sit together and chat. There were even some celebratory fireworks that we could watch from the roof tonight! But now, it is time to head to sleep. Tomorrow, we are packing up and leaving this beautiful country! It will be a full day of travel. Thank you all for praying and for supporting us as we went. Thank you, God, for all you’ve taught us here. Thank you for the transformative work you’ve done in our hearts! Amen.
Refined Joy 