Living Water

In July, a team of twelve people traveled to Guatemala to drill a well and share the love of Christ in Champerico, a town on the country’s western coast. Jenny Thompson was a member of that team. Here, in her own words, she shares some of her experiences from the trip.

Our team of twelve first met at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston for our eight day trip to Guatemala. There were six women and six men, ages 22 to 65, all from different walks of life. I didn’t know anyone, so I was thankful we were instructed to wear our Living Water International t-shirts in order to find each other! Our flight first took us to Guatemala City, where Jaime and Alvero (our LWI representatives in Guatemala) met us. They drove us to Antigua, where we were able to get to know one another while being treated to home-cooked meals prepared by Jaime’s wife and mother.

After two days in Antigua, we made the four-hour drive to Champerico. Our team spent the majority of our time drilling a well for a village and school on the coast.

I brought a bunch of toys to play with the kids between drilling and on our breaks. I managed to teach them to play baseball (using Frisbees as bases). The little ones used a badminton racket or a plastic bat to hit the ball. They loved the jump ropes most of all and were, of course, excellent at soccer. Several team members joined in the soccer games, too. Everyone on our team played with the kids every day we were there, and we all had a wonderful time doing it. After all, how often is it that we get to play Frisbee, jump rope, play soccer, fly kites, or just generally act like a kid?

Our days were packed from morning to night as we absorbed the culture, met new people, and tried to process all that we saw. God’s love and grace came pouring out not only through our team, but even more clearly through the families and children in Champerico. Through those families and their children, I have witnessed faith beyond what I can express.

It was so much easier to see and feel the Lord when I was on this trip. I came home with new eyes to see, a cleansed heart, and an open mind. I am on such a spiritual high; I wish this would last forever. My goal is to try to see the Lord in Houston as much as I did in Champerico.

I went to Guatemala to share God’s love and serve those less fortunate than me. At least, that’s what I thought. In reality, the poor, the orphaned, the destitute, and the thirsty showed me more love and kindness than I could have ever imagined.