Day 8 | January 11
By Stanton Corley
How often we have plans and expectations that don’t go our way! We assume that our plans are best, and delays and cancellations are not the “best” option - so we think. Yes, they may be the easiest and less stressful, but our ways are not His ways, declares the Lord (Isaiah 55:8-9). Plans didn’t go our way, but they did go His way. With bad weather looming in Dallas, our plane had engine failure that caused our flight to get delayed, then delayed longer, then cancelled; which caused us to have to collect hotel vouchers and stay an extra night in Guatemala. Though we weren’t able to return home, we were able to encounter His grace and favor multiple times over the next 24 hours until our next flight. God sent an American Airlines employee who went above and beyond to serve us - making our transition from the airport to the hotel one of the easiest I’d ever experienced. He most likely protected us from some significant travel hardships in Dallas considering the bad weather in the area. Our team got to rest and sleep at a nice hotel. As they prepare to return to school and workouts, a good, long night’s sleep was definitely a gift from above. We got to see our dear brother, Carlos, again who served us so well by bringing a van to the hotel to shuttle us back to the airport. And lastly, we met a group of brothers and sisters at the hotel who had just arrived and were headed into the city to minister for the next week. We got to pray with them and for them as we departed, and had a great time of fellowship with them. As we return home a day late, we are reminded and encouraged that His provision and plan for us is far greater than we could think or imagine. We are grateful to return to our homes refreshed, encouraged, and convicted to continue His work back in the states and on our teams.
Day 7 | January 10
By Shanel Bramschreiber, Volleyball
We woke up this morning knowing today was the last day we got to spend with our Guatemalan friends. I enjoyed my last breakfast while gazing at the erupting volcano in the background. After our meal, the group headed down to our usual meeting spot to listen to Jonah’s, one of our hosts, testimony. It was amazing. His story was so inspiring, and to see how he has grown into such a passionate Christ follower almost forced our faith to grow bigger in that very moment. To lighten the mood a little bit, Carlos made a fun video summarizing all the fun activities we did with the kids. After, many thanks and hugs were given as we began to fill up the vans to depart for the airport. As we started down the bumpy roads of the city, most looked out the windows to grasp on to the little details of Guatemalan culture we would miss at home. The rest were passed out asleep, the exhaustion got the best of them. Our first stop before arriving at the airport was “El Cruz” where we could view the whole city from the top of a huge hill. The view was breathtaking, one everyone should witness in their lifetime. On the hill stood a tall, beautifully made cross surrounded by some small tourist shops we spent the rest of our quetzales (Guatemalan currency) at. Then we stopped at a Carl’s Jr. for some burgers and fries. That was where our final goodbyes took place. The Guatemalan FCA team gave personalized gifts to Nicole, Katherine, and Stanton in honor of their leadership. And the rest of the student-athletes got pins of the Guatemalan flag to take with us. We prayed one last time as a group and headed out saying “adios amigo” and “gracias para todo”. The ride to the airport was short from there and the group made it easily to our gate. We worried our flight would be canceled due to bad weather in Dallas but things were looking in our favor. Finally, we boarded the plane and took off towards home. The trip couldn’t have gone any better, it was one we’ll all remember for a lifetime.
Day 6 | January 9
By Callie Williams, Volleyball
Yesterday we started the day by eating breakfast and listening to Julio’s testimony. He encouraged us to be spiritual leaders for others, discovering themselves and their faith. We then went to our first site where we played with the kids, and had them do relay races. After the playing, we broke up into small groups and talked to them about the story of Jesus. We also taught them a little saying to help them remember. Although we were the ones teaching them about how to know Christ more, they were able to share miracles that Jesus has performed in their lives which was encouraging to us. We then let them play with the piñata, which they were extremely enthusiastic about. After that trip, we went to our second location with kids and did something very similar.
By Ryan Bertlesman, Baseball
After eating some Burger King at the school we drove through the dirt roads to the next location way up in the mountains. The kids had a blast playing soccer, learning shapes, playing duck duck goose, and inhaling snacks and juice at the end. We asked them what they remembered about Jesus and reminded them how much He loves them. Sage courageously shared her testimony and how God has worked in her life before the kids used all their might to destroy piñatas and dog-pile on the candy. The vans then took off to take us to a turf soccer field with a beautiful view of the mountains, volcano, and moon in the horizon. We had so much fun competing against each other and got a better appreciation for soccer players’ endurance afterward. We were wiped out, but couldn’t end such a great day without getting our favorite tacos (Nolan controlled himself and didn’t eat 19 this time) and wrote a letter to ourselves to read in a month regarding the trip and all we’ve learned this week.
Day 5 | January 8
By Emma Witham, Equestrian
This morning started off with coffee and great food before we headed off to play with the kids. Piled in the vans, we barely made it up the steep roads where the first group of kids awaited. In Chirijuyu, we played a version of American football with no rules and ran relay races. I’m not sure who is more competitive, us or the kids, but we all had so much fun! We ended the morning with pizza from Papa John’s that for some reason is way better tasting in Guatemala.
By Hannah Smith, Softball
For the second half of the day, we had to improvise with the kids because the space was limited. The people on this trip have amazing hearts. They don’t care what we’re doing as long as it’s serving someone. It’s been so encouraging to watch. After playing with the kids we went on a house visit, but this time it was different for me. Before leaving we were supposed to listen to what God wanted from us and how we should serve. God wasn’t giving me a clear answer for what this family we were bringing the basket to was in need of. So I prayed and listened and I felt like he was telling me he would show us who needs it. When we got to the house nobody was home but, a mother and her two kids were coming up the hill and told us the family wouldn’t be back for at least another two hours. So as a group we decided to give the basket to Gloria and her family. Before we left we asked how we could pray for her and she began to cry and told us this has been a really hard year for her and her husband to keep food on the table for their four kids. This reassured me of God's great plan because I asked God to show us who really needed it and he sent a mother of four to us who has been struggling.
Day 4 | January 7
By Sage Banta, Equestrian
This morning we started the day off with a delicious breakfast and a great testimony from Juanello (one of the FCA Guatemala staff members). We then piled into the vans and headed back to the first community we visited yesterday! When we arrived, there were already kids waiting on the field ready to go. Since it was the second day, the kids were already very comfortable with us. My group was running an American football station and the kids LOVED it! Although I don’t know much Spanish at all, communicating with the kids is such a good time! Bueno, gracias and de nada go a long way with the children! After we were done playing sports, we took some time to explain to the kids who Jesus was and what his life looked like. We gave them some bracelets that had the letters JCCBRR on them. This stands for Jesus, Came, Crucified, Buried, Rose, Returned. To finish the day, we had a mini festival where we passed out cookies and juice and also had four piñatas!! After the piñatas were smashed, we had to say goodbye to the children! This was really hard to do because their smiles are contagious. We trust that God will cause the growth of the seeds that were planted and watered!
By Brooks Helmer, Baseball
After a relaxing lunch at the hotel, we embarked on our journey to the San Luis Community. When we arrived we were immediately greeted by children who ran towards the vans, before we had even stepped out they were welcoming us back, with big smiles and hugs. At first instead of simply playing a mini game of soccer, we all turned it into this massive game of Gringos versus Guatemalans or better USA versus Guatemala. This was such a fun idea because the children absolutely love playing against us. I would say there was maybe almost 50 of us playing in this crazy game. Nolan was the goalie for team USA and Julio was the goalie for team Guate, both had a huge job, as it was often pretty overwhelming figuring out where the ball exactly was. Some of the younger girls were sitting on the sideline and even went to find a Guatemala flag and brought it back to cheer on their team. No one had scored almost 20 minutes into the game. Then team Guate scored one goal, at this point we knew we needed to pick up the pace. After heading the ball about four times to the other side of the field, Hannah Smith assisted Stanton with a goal! Team USA goes wild! We are now 1-1, at this point it was time for us to stop and get to the group games. We had the relay race and the station with jump ropes, we had a station where the kids played red light green light while balancing tennis balls on their hands, another station with basketball was Knock Out, duck duck goose, or mini soccer. After the kids completed their rotation around the stations, during the last five minutes we gave them the bracelets and explained to them which each part meant. Next we gathered as a group and Emily shared her story and relationship with God to the group. Lastly we ended with the festival portion. After splitting the children up amongst the four different piñatas, we passed out juice and cookies, and t-shirts to each of the kids.
Of course at the end, we all made the last minute decision to go into overtime, USA versus Guatemala, meaning last goal wins. Well
as it began to get dark, still no one had scored because both teams were good opponents for one another. We said our goodbyes, we prayed together for the Pastor Veronica who has given her heart to teach the word of the Lord to the children, and we thanked her for all she does. We headed out, exhausted, hungry, somewhat dirty, but overfilled with happiness and joy to be servants of God and spreading love and hope. We enjoyed the ride home with hits such as Wanna Be by the Spice Girls, Gasolina by Daddy Yankee, Take On Me by A-Ha, and so many other throwbacks. We finished off by taking showers, going to dinner at San Martín, and then back to the Hotel for our nightly gathering. As sad as we were to say goodbye to the two communities we had the past two days, we are all looking forward to what God has in store for us the next three days.
Day 3 | January 6
By Sarah Walker, Equestrian
Today was the first official day of sports camp and it was nothing short of amazing! To start off the morning, we went to a community about 40 minutes outside of the city and went to a soccer field to meet all the kids. They ranged between 6-12 years old and were so excited to see all of us. It was so heartwarming and eye opening to see how much joy they can find in so little. I think I can speak on behalf of everyone that just being there and sharing Jesus with them while also playing so many fun games brought a smile to each of our faces and impacted us in ways we never imagined. We later went to houses in the community, taking baskets of food and goodies for struggling families. This was emotional and truly amazing to see how hopeful these families remain in the midst of difficult times. After visiting the families, we finished off the morning by eating at a local hot spot! Needless to say, it was an amazing way to start off the week.
By Madison Lindsey, Softball
After lunch, we traveled to our second location of the day. It was different than the first because it was a pavement school area and it provided us with different entertainment options than before. The kids at this location were just so engaged and excited for whatever we had to share with them. They played games with us, put chalk on our faces, and even told us stuff about themselves without asking. It was so great to see how much love they had for us and how comfortable they were considering we are strangers to them. After we finished, we did another home visit. That was absolutely incredible, seeing how grateful the family was to receive the food we provided. They were emotional and connected to us and that was the best part. It was so awesome to see everyone on this trip pouring every ounce they had in them into today and being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. It was truly an amazing day.
Day 2 | January 5
By Dominika Silvestri, Equestrian
To start the day, a bunch of us woke up at 6:20 to watch the sunrise over the mountains. Although it was quite chilly, it was a great experience to watch the sun come through the clouds and see the light reflect off of the volcano tops. Soon after we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast from the hotel that we are staying at. There were many options including omelets and pancakes. After breakfast we drove through Antigua to church. I personally love driving through the city and seeing all of the people on the roads living their lives. Once we got to church I was a little shocked by the location. I was expecting to attend to church in a more traditional style church but it ended up being a good sized room with tall ceilings. I really enjoyed service today because we did a lot of worship which is not something that we do a lot of where I go to church at home. After the service, we got back in the vans and drove to the mountains to go zip lining! A lot of us were nervous but also very excited! We ended up all having a great time on the zip line course! Overall I had a great day in Antigua and I am excited to go into the communities tomorrow!
By Marissa Gray, Soccer
After we had a fantastic lunch from Papa John's. We ended up walking to the market and spent a pretty good amount of time there. It was definitely a very cool cultural experience especially with not everyone speaking Spanish too well. The majority of us only knew basic Spanish and some numbers but other than that muy malo. At some stands they spoke English and some stands strictly spoke Spanish. For the ones that spoke strictly Spanish that was of course harder, but since you’re just buying something the conversation flow was not that hard to follow. After the market we had walked around town and saw a pretty cool fire show of some guy holding a fire stick in his mouth and also catching the stick with his hands. After reaching our hotel we had gone over the schedule that which we will be following tomorrow to go hang with the kids. We then closed with prayer and ended the night with the fan favorite Guatemala coffee, sandwiches, or smoothies. Even though we had a somewhat complicated food run, it had ended up turning out to be okay in the long run. Everyone is so stoked to go love on and play with the kids for the rest of the week!!
Day 1 | January 4
By Nolan Rodriguez, Baseball
Our flight from DFW departed at 11:30. We landed in Guatemala City at around 2:30 and immediately loaded into three vans, one for luggage, and the other two carried our team. We shared some amazing time of fellowship and got to learn more about one another. From games to storytelling to riff offs, the vans were an excellent opportunity to build relationships. We stopped at a chicken restaurant named Pollo Campero and had some fantastic food as we got to watch the Texans game on the TVs posted around the restaurant. Once we finished up our meal, we loaded back into the vans and set out for Antigua, which is where we are staying and will be spending most of our time. As we journeyed through the streets of Guatemala City and out into the more rural parts of the country, we experienced many new ways of life. Such as driving styles, store layouts, and even the music that played on the radio. All of these new experiences helped it sink in, wow, we are in Guatemala being the hands and feet of Christ. This is truly amazing.
By Emily Van Slate, Volleyball
We landed in Guatemala around 3 p.m. and headed straight to our first meal - some delicious fried chicken. After good conversation and good food, we started our trek to the hotel. The views from the van were breathtaking. High mountains with houses running all down them, a beautiful sky and sunset, unique trees, and curvy roads. The ride was nothing short of fun. We sang and played games, and laughed at the double decker Taco Bell’s and McDonald’s all around us! As soon as we reached the hotel, we were gifted with complimentary homemade lemonade and started to unpack our luggage. Around 8 p.m. we gathered for our first meeting to start the trip. We started with discussing the agenda for the whole week and ending with Katherine having us share our favorite moments of the day and Stanton giving a short message from the book of Matthew to prepare our hearts for the upcoming trip. To end the day, we took a walk to the nearest market to explore and eat our last meal of the day. The beginning was nothing short of great fellowship, getting to know more about the people around you, and exciting. We are so excited to be the hands and feet of Christ and serve these people in Guatemala.
Trip leaders:
1. Katherine Johnson
2. Stanton Corley
3. Nicole Thomas
Student-Athletes:
4. Campbell Selman
5. Madison Lindsey
6. Hannah Smith
7. Marissa Gray
8. Emily Van Slate
9. Callie Williams
10. Shanel Bramschreiber
11. Sage Banta
12. Sarah Walker
13. Emma Witham
14. Gabby Bendall
15. Maggie Cincotta
16. Elsie Naruszewicz
17. Dominika Silvestri
18. Danielle McIlquham
19. Nolan Rodriguez
21. Ryan Bartlesman
