Buenos Dias from the Hotel Happy II in Sumpango!

On Saturday night, after a full day of helping tear down Training Camp, our team took a bus to O’Hare where we spent the night before an early 4am check-in for our flight. Though we had been training for our mission for over a week at that point, it was in those early hours sitting at our gate, boarding our flight, and then leaving the ground that the reality set in: we were actually going to Guatemala! After a year and a half of lockdowns, isolation, and limited travel, it was natural for us to feel a bit of uncertainty as to if we would even, actually, go. Some of our students and staff had signed up for trips last year which had been cancelled due to Covid, and most of our team had initially signed up for other trips this year (Brazil, China, Ireland, etc.) which ended up cancelled for a variety of reasons. For many of us, Guatemala was a plan C or D, and so you may understand our caution when it came to holding our breath about actually getting here. But God knew all along that He was bringing us here to serve Him and we are excited to see the work He is going to do in Sumpango, Guatemala.

Let me tell you a little bit about our team: There is no question that even before we left Training Camp, they were a family. In my fifteen summers with Royal Servants, I have never seen a team become this close with each other this fast. They laugh together, support each other, and when we debrief about our experiences at the end of each day they inevitably hijack it with affirmations of each other (which is a welcome hijacking). Even when there are disagreements (which c’mon, of course there are) we’ve had healthy opportunities to talk through feelings and work towards reconciliation. Your 2021 Guatemala team loves each other very much and is very loud about it!

Alright, the nitty gritty: Monday was our first full day in Sumpango and it was primarily a get settled, get situated sort of day. We did spend a few hours with our ministry partners at Breaking Cycles hearing about the development of their ministry and their passion to break the cycles of abuse here in Sumpango. Betty (founder of Breaking Cycles) shared with us about how she came to know Christ through the testimony of a short term missionary several years ago, and that this is why she loves hosting short term mission trips. Though she typically hosts many mission groups each year, Royal Servants is actually the first group Betty will be hosting since March 2020, as a result of the pandemic. We are honored to be even a small part in bringing hope to Sumpango after what has been a severely difficult 18 months here.

During our time in Sumpango (July 4-24) our team will be dividing each day into three distinct ministry groups. Two of our groups will be spending time in the mornings building relationships in the local villages and sharing about Jesus via translator. In the afternoons they will help lead VBS ministry at the nearby churches. Our third group will be involved in building a house for a local family. And then at the beginning of each week we will rotate the groups to different ministry sites.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of joining our “construction” team and boy, let me tell you, they put us to work! Hauling cinder blocks a fifth of a mile, and uphill for half of it, was quite the workout. Annie and Ella Evans gritted their teeth and bore those bricks! No complaining, just sweat and laughter. Dylan and Josh were particularly good at mixing the concrete together, and during our lunch break Dylan did a fantastic job conversing with Matilda (the matriarch of the family whose home we were building). He asked thoughtful questions and our translator Marvin helped facilitate the interaction. As for the actual house building, Alexandra may just have a future as a bricklayer. She really had a knack for the system of slapping the concrete mix where it needed to go and aligning the bricks properly. On Friday, the house will be finished and we will commission it. Our group will get to be a part of praying over the family and their new home.

That’s all for now! Thank you for all your prayers for this team.

Jack Becker

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