Hello from beautiful Guatemala!

Dear Parents,
Hello from beautiful Guatemala! Yesterday was our first ministry day with teams spreading out all over the outer Guatemala City area presenting the drama, doing work projects and sharing the gospel of Christ. Some went to orphanages and did work projects (painting, gardening, organizing their food pantries), some went to schools that had recently been closed due to flooding (lots of rain the last couple of weeks we're told) and helped clean them up so students can go back to school on Monday, others went to the beautiful Lake Attitlan area an ministered there.

If you haven't received an email from your teen yet it's because they are busy and having a blast. We do have a business center set up for them with about 20 computers so they can email home so you should be hearing from them when they have the time to do that.

We want you to know that we'll be posting daily updates with photos, video and blog updates of our ministry experience beginning later today so you can join us in our adventure here in Guatemala. You can find these updates at: www.neverthesame09.blogspot.com. Please note this is a different web address than we originally gave you for our updates.

You'll quickly see how beautiful Guatemala is, particularly the area of Antigua where our hotel is. The scenery is spectacular, the hotel staff fabulous and the food wonderful. Your teenagers are wonderful!

God has been moving among our group starting day 1. Personal revival and renewals are happening daily as your teens are being loved, encouraged and spiritually challenged by our evening FUAGNEM messages and concerts. Your prayers are being answered for your teen to have a life-changing encounter with God during their two weeks with us.

Thank you for your continued prayer support. Please pray for continued out-pouring of the Spirit of God on our leaders, medical and counseling staff and your students.

Many blessings from Guatemala!

Kathy Gowler
Never The Same '09! Missions Coordinator

One Week!

Hi Everyone,

I want to thank everyone again for your support throughout this entire year. I have only one more week till I leave for Miami to train. Please pray for the following:

• I will have energy
• I will not get sick
• safe travel to Miami
• safe travel to Guatemala
• safe travel back
• I will be able to share the gospel and show God's love to the Guatemalans
  

Meet Kayla, my traveling buddy!!!!

On Saturday my travel companion, Kayla, came over and had dinner with my family. What is really funny is that both our sisters are a lot alike: competitive, love ice cream, love singing, etc. Kayla and I are also very similar other then the fact that we both are traveling on the same mission trip, ha, ha! Actually we both love to read and are coveting the same amazon kindle. Also our favorite colors are blue and we both like photography. We finally also booked our flight plans and since Kayla got the window seat both ways we would switch every now and then but if worse comes to worse I can use my Taekwondo skills (just joking!!) My last leg of preparing for the mission trip is sending a copy of my passport, a picture of myself and my flight plans and I have to send this all in before April 1st. Please keep praying for me!!!!!!

-Morgan

Eat Guatemalan Style

Here are a few recipes that I found on Compassion.com I have not tried them yet but they sound delicious.

Salsa

Ingredients:
1/2 onion
1 pepper
1 16 oz. can tomatoes
1 Tb. butter
Salt to taste

Boil half the pepper and one quarter of the onion until soft. Add canned tomatoes then blend in a blender. Next saut?he rest of the onion and pepper with the butter until softened, then stir the blended mixture with the saut? mixture. Add a small amount of salt to taste.

Guacamole

Ingredients:
2 avocados, peeled
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt and pepper
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. chicken powder or more to taste

Mash avocadoes (leave the seed in the bowl to keep them from getting dark) and mix with all other ingredients.

Beans

Ingredients:
1 Tb. butter
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup red or green bell pepper
1 16 oz. can black beans
2 Tb. water
chicken broth to taste
salt to taste

Fry the onions, pepper, beans and water in the butter. Add a small amount of chicken broth and salt to taste. Stir constantly until most of excess water evaporates.

Guatemala History

Long before the Spanish arrived in, what we now know as Guatemala, the Mayans flourished throughout Guatemala. Temples and other unique buildings proved that they once were a great people. The Mayans were declining when the Spaniard Pedro de Alvarado conquered them. The first settlement, which the name translated in English is City of Santiago, was destroyed because of an earthquake. The second colonial capital flooded in the year 1542. Instead of building over the second colonial capital, the survivors built Antigua, located near Almolonga, which became the second capital in 1543. Later during the 17^th century, Antigua became one of the wealthiest capitals in Central America and also started the first university in Central America, Universidad de San Carlos; this university is a prestigious school known for medicine and social expertise. Because of the capitals location, it was venerable to earthquakes and in the year 1773 was destroyed by two earthquakes. Unfortunately these two earthquakes caused Antigua to be vacated and the third capital, Guatemala City, was founded in La Hermita Valley in 1776.

After several years underneath Spanish rule, Guatemala broke free on September 15, 1821 but Guatemala was not done with changes. The country occasionally had representative government but most of the mid-19^th century until the mid-1980s the country was in constant struggles with dictatorships, insurgencies, coups, and stretches of military rule. This constant struggle with Guatemala government caused high crime rates, worsening corruption problem and a multitude of other things. Although all this is in the history of Guatemala, a new government was established and has given hope to the Guatemala people. Please pray that I might be able to reach out to these hurting people.

Sadly Guatemala history is totally different than how our forefathers created our nation. Since our forefathers built this nation on Biblical standards we have been able to be blessed by God and help other nations. Once we turn away from Biblical standards we will plunge into darkness.