Feliz Dia Papa!! - written by Amanda Lepper

What an amazing day!  We all agree that today has been the longest day known to man, but there is no word that can describe what a beautiful day it was.  Last night at dinner... which consisted of beef stew.... delicioso... Pastor Luis asked if we would share a song and if one or two people would be willing to share a testimony this morning at church.  Whew!!  The spirit started moving and prompting people and stories were shared sitting around the table after dinner.  It was a powerful evening for us.  This morning we got up, headed over to a fabulous breakfast prepared by Pastor Luis's sister Delmi.  We had what was basically an egg McMuffin along with a traditional Guatemalan breakfast dish of rice, milk, and sugar with cinnamon.  Pastor Luis asked a few of us to share one or two of our favorite scriptures and we enjoyed a brief devotional this morning.  Shortly thereafter it was time to load up the bus with ALL of our supplies including all the shoes we brought and more to take with us to Lake Atitlan.  The church service this morning was in honor of Father's Day and we were SO blessed to be able to share a couple of songs with them.  Sabrina followed the prompt to lug her guitar all the way to Guatemala and was able to play while ALL of us... except Jenn Brown who was kind enough to video this moment... sang two worship songs.  Sabrina and Jenny both followed the prompting of God to share their testimonies and what a powerful moment that was.  It was incredible to watch them be open and willing to share their hearts with these people we had just met.  Definitely a God moment.  We were invited to go play outside with the children while Pastor Luis was teaching.  We had bubbles, footballs, kites, and many more goodies to share with them.  We had a great time playing and loving on them.  Though most of us don't speak more than one or two words in Spanish, it's true that hearts connect no matter the language barrier.  Right after church we loaded up the bus where Delmi passed out our sack lunches for the 3 hour journey to the Lake Region.  About half of the trip was on nice paved, semi straight roads and we were thinking to ourselves "this isn't so bad".  About that time we turned off the main road and began the rest of the journey.  We wound up, up, up... back and forth around hairpin turns on pothole filled roads. Thank goodness none of us suffer from motion sickness.  By this time it had begun to rain, and as we topped the mountain to head down the other side to the Lake, we couldn't see anything but fog.  As we decended further down the hill the lake and the small towns surrounding it came into view and we were all glued to the windows.  It was a beautiful sight.  We came into one village where we stopped to eat dinner.  Delmi prepared spaghetti and we fellowshipped around the table.  One more time on the bus... still in a nice steady rain... and we drove to the next village to where our hotel is located.  We unloaded all the luggage from the top of the bus... thank goodness it had been secured under a tarp to prevent soaking!!... and the rain is still falling steadily as we sit here in the internet cafe a block from the hotel.  Tomorrow morning we head up to the village of Panybar where we will spend the day working on construction of a block house.  Of course we are also looking forward to spending some time with the people and the children of the community. 

If the past 24 hours are any indication... this week is going to be utterly amazing.  Full of God-sized moments.  I continue to be so grateful for the team of people He has put together.  Thank you for all your prayers back home.  Pray we will continue to stay healthy, that we will continue to be sensitive to and step out in faith to follow His promptings.  Pray for the people of the village of Panybar.  We will be working in that community all week. Again, we'd love to be able to hear from you any words of encouragement... comment if you can.

AND... Happy Father's Day to all the dads in our lives!!!  Feliz Dia Papa!!! 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

Guatemala-Day 1 by Jenny Long

Hello friends and family!  We made it to Guatemala City safely!  Our flight was delayed about an hour, but me made up time in the air.  Pastor Luis met us at the airport and we were on a bus to the Guatemala City compound.  As soon as we arrived, we put our stuff in our bunk rooms and walked across the street where Pastor Luis' sister cooked us an amazing lunch.  We ate grilled cheese, a delicious potato soup and the yummiest guacamole dip I've ever had.  Amanda Rogers even tried some! Thomas did not, but he did eat 2 grilled cheese sandwiches which is still out of his very tiny food box.  Yay! 

We were supposed to spend the afternoon in Antigua, but its been raining all afternoon, so we napped and took walks around the gated compound and sat around just talking.  Ashley was talking to Pastor Luis' sister after lunch and heard an awesome God story.  A woman from 12Stone has been to Guatemala two times, while she was here she taught the women how to sew.  Recently, one of those women was able to support her family finacially with her new skills after her husband lost his job.  God knows what he's doing here in Guatemala.

Input from the team:  Amanda Rogers wanted me to mention that our flight was full of missionaries from all over the southeast. 

What I know about tomorrow: we are going to church and then traveling by bus to Lake Atitlan.  I'm pretty sure it is a 4 hour bus ride.

Please feel free to comment, we'd love to hear from our family and friends. 

Meet Ashley McLean

Hi!  My name is Ashley McLean.  I am 29 years old and live in Lawrenceville, GA.  I work as an accounting associate for Mersereau, Lazenby & Rockas, LLC, a small private CPA firm in Suwanee, GA, and I am currently back in school pursuing CPA license.  In my spare time, I enjoy being with friends and family, being on the water, my dog, gardening, and being outside. 

One thing that I am definitely looking forward to about this trip is to be away from life as normal (i.e. phones, computers, Atlanta traffic).  I am excited to be with people from another culture, interact with them, serve them, and share the love of Christ with them.  I also look forward to making new friends with those on our team.  God has put together a great team of people with a variety of different gifts and strengths, and I am excited to see how God uses us together to fulfill His purposes. 

One funny fact about me:  I really like deals!
Prayer requests: For our team and all those we meet to grow deeper in love for Christ.

Prayer Night

On Sunday, June 12th, our group was blessed by friends and family who attended our prayer night send off gathering.  We started the night with a little information about Guatemala presented by Jenny Long and individual team member introductions by the funny Charlie Moore. 

Next, Sabrina Joseph interviewed 3 members of the Watersedge group who just got back from Guatemala a few weeks ago.  They were able to offer advice on what to bring, what to expect, and they shared their own Godly moments from the trip.  I think I can speak for the team by saying, we are all so excited about the trip after hearing all the ways that God is moving there.

The last part of the night was spent in prayer.  We had a group prayer where Amanda was in the middle surrounded by the team who were then surrounded by our loved ones.  Everyone in the room had their hands on another, sending out prayers for the team.  Some prayed for safety, some prayed for wisdom, others prayed for unity.  As a team, it was a power experience to share.

This was followed by individual prayer groups that consisted of 2 team members and 4-5 supporters.  It was an amazing feeling to have our friends and family pour out their love and support in prayer for our indvidual well being.  The last prayer was a group prayer for Guatemala and the people we will encounter.

Overall, the experience was touching and filled our hearts with the love of family and the love of God.  We cannot imagine a better way to start our last week of preparation.  God has big things in store for us, we can feel it.  We are all so excited for this time we have been given to do God's work. 

Meet Thomas Gibson

My name is Thomas Gibson, I’m 33 years old and I work in Human Resources for the State of Georgia. I’m originally from South Georgia but I transferred up here with my job about 6 years ago and I’ve been going to 12Stone Church for the last several years. I feel so fortunate to be involved in the Transitional Community at 12Stone, and to get to be a co-leader of one of the small groups. I know the difference that this community has made to me (by helping me get “plugged in” at 12Stone) and I want to help do the same for others who come to our church. Also, I’m very excited that I get to go on this trip with a group of people from this community and I love the team of people that God has assembled. My excitement for missions hasn’t always existed though…

I’ve grown up going to church my whole life but I never saw myself going on a mission trip. First of all, I’m probably the pickiest eater that you will ever meet in your life, so going to another country and not knowing how or what I will eat is a huge leap of faith for me. Also, in the past I’ve always let shyness (around people I don’t know) keep me from really putting myself out there. But God is definitely working to push me out of my comfort zones these days and I’m learning to trust in Him and He's proving that He will provide every thing and every skill I need.

I can honestly say that I’m really looking forward to this trip now and I’m very excited to see what God has in store for our team when we get down there. I’m excited to provide help to those in the communities where we will be working. And, I know that our goal is to help those we meet but I know that in return God is going to bless each of us and teach us things about ourselves that we’ve never known before. I personally can’t wait to find out what that might be.

Meet Amanda Lepper-Our Leader

My name is Amanda (one of 3 on the trip... we are going to have to come up with code names... I've got to think of a really cool one... and if not cool, then at least highly memorable and entertaining) and I'm 32 years old.  I teach 2nd grade and am loving my job right now as it is summer vacation.  I really do love my job the rest of the year, too.  I get to love on and build relationships with kids and pour out into them as they grow with me for almost a year.  A long time ago, years actually, God pressed into me a calling to "go" wherever He called.  I struggled to fully say "yes" to that, mostly out of fear of what exactly He would ask me to do.  I know that I have been given a gift in my job... not with inordinate amounts of money, but with chunks of time; time that I can go, teach, serve... or whatever He asks and wherever He leads.  I was extraordinarily blessed to be a part of a trip from 12Stone to Mozambique over our school's Spring Break and now get to be a part of this team to Guatemala.  I'm humbled and overjoyed by the doors God has opened when I finally said "Okay, Lord... I surrender.  Where and when?" 

I am looking forward to serving alongside these amazing people on our team.  I can't wait to get to know them more.  They have already brought tremendous joy and laughter into my life and I am looking forward to taking that joy with us and pouring it out to the people we will meet in Guatemala.  Our God had definitely given me a heart for children and I am looking forward to getting to just love them and play with them and tell them about a God who thinks they are amazing and wonderful and loves them abundantly.  I am looking forward to seeing the power of God at work.  Can't wait to see what He does; for the people we will meet, for us as a team, and for me.  Thank you in advance for your prayers.  Please pray for our safety, for things to run smoothly, for the people of Guatemala... that God is preparing our hearts, and for our team... that God will move mightily in each of our lives.  

Meet Angie Bogen

My name is Angie Bogen and I am 33 years young and live in Lawrenceville, GA with my 'child', Miller.  I grew up in Minnesota and chose to become a southern transplant about 11 years ago.  I love living in the south but unfortunately just can't shake that MN accent!  I am the Assistant Event Director for the reThink Group (aka Orange Conference) ~ which is a Christian non-profit that specializes in uniting the church and family thru resources that we produce.  I am blessed to work with an amazing group of people that show a creative passion for God's daily purpose. 

I am so excited to visit the people of Guatemala!  I cannot wait to love on all the babies & kiddos and open my heart to their needs.  I love to serve others and make people smile so I feel like I will be able to contribute a positive spirit to the team.  I would say I am a bubbly and outgoing person that tries to make the best out of every situation ~ good or bad.  So, I am hoping I can show the beautiful people of Guatemala how much they are loved by us and by God.  I also love to sing ~ usually alone in the shower or the car where I can belt it out!  I just hope it doesn't scare them away for joining us in worship :)

Please pray for our team during our journey.  Pray that God will open our hearts to whatever he has in store for us.  Pray that he will give us strength, comfort & encouragement in fulfilling His plan.  Pray that he will bring us safely back home with our hearts full of love, joy & peace.