H squad is heading to Guatemala on Feb 28th, (tomorrow AH!) Here are all the things you may want to know about my team, where we’ll be, how long we’ll be there, and what we’ll be doing!
There are seven teams on our squad. Two of them will be together, and the rest of us are on our own in different parts of the country. We’ll be in Guatemala until the end of April, so two months!
This is my team going into Guatemala,(Gracefully Broken) who I got to serve with in Jaco.
On the left is Cayce Bell, who is the only person I’ve ever met who can say such savage things in an extremely loving way. Also, she says the word “bruh” so much, that I have now addressed God as “bruh” a few times. But for real, her love for Jesus and for people has been an inspiration and a BLESSING.
Next is Kelsie, and the way she openly shares her passions for God and for life, and invites people into her childlike relationship with him, is something that has helped me see who God is more clearly. She’s super outgoing, and intentional about letting her friends know we are loved by her and by the Lord.
Then there’s Sierra, who also happens to be our team leader. She is an incredible friend. She has made me feel heard, understood, valuable, and loved in such an intentional and genuine way. She has a heart to make sure everyone’s voice is heard, and always goes SO out of her way to make sure people get what they need, whether it’s alone space, rest, advice, or anything in between. I couldn’t ask for a better TL, or a better friend. Ugh LOVE her.
Then there’s Suze, one of our squad leaders, who was with our team in Jaco. I am SO thankful for the 6 weeks we got to have her as a part of Gracefully Broken. She brought a combination of depth and wisdom, lightheartedness and fun, and really has been an amazing big sister to us. We needed her, and she needed us, and dang God knows what he’s doing. Now she’s with another team and we get another SQL which is very exciting, but so thankful we got to have her in Jaco.
Then there’s Krista, one of my BEST friends. It’s weird to think I’ve only really known her for a couple months. We definitely bonded over our mutual love for coffee, and our inability to sleep past 7. Almost every day in Jaco, we would wake up at the same exact time, (early) look at each other, and get up to go get coffee. Krista is a good listener, SO kind all the time, a super safe person to be around no matter what you’re going through, and also she’s funny. I don’t think you can meet a sweeter human than Krista. She’s also our treasurer, & that deserves mad respect.
ANDDD what’s next for Gracefully Broken??
Y’all, I could not be more at peace and excited about these next two months of life. We’re placed in Mixco, Guatemala, with squad leader Cami who is AMAZING!! It’s a pretty big city, and we’ll be at Casa Guatemala which is a brand new ministry partner. Also don’t look it up, because it’s so new there’s not really any info out there. 🙂 We’re going to be the second team from the race to partner with them, and we are so excited to be a part of the foundation of this ministry and relationship.
It sounds like our ministry will be a lot of building relationship and serving the homeless, women in prostitution, and people battling drug addiction. I sense that this is going to deeply grow the women on my team, and that God is going to show up in us, and for us in wild ways. I feel super honored to get to partner with God in something like this, to help people see him and know they are loved by him.
Every single person has a story, and I find that once you know someone’s story, all judgment about them and what their life looks like goes out the window. Never in my life have I heard someone’s story and not understood why they battle with the things they do, and succeed in the things they succeed in. So that being said, in this kind of ministry with people who are often outcast and looked down upon in judgment, I’m excited for the honor of getting to know some stories and hearts. And honored to get to be an example of what God’s love actually looks like, especially in the midst of sin, pain, and struggle, because that’s why Jesus came and why we all need him.
