Wednesday 5:36pm

     I don't even know where to start, what a great way to kick off the summer! It's only been 2 and a half days and Guatemala has really changed me. When we finally got to Chicago, we stayed in a hotel (it had a pretty sweet pool) and stayed overnight. BUT we woke up at 4 IN THE MORNING!!!!! But it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. :) Getting through the ariport went pretty smoothly as well. God blessed us by having our extra baggage go through for free! It was awesome. And then there was the flight... I HATE PLANES!!! and I was sitting next to Anthony, and he didn't really like planes either... so that was interesting. but overall the flight was fine...just really bumpy.
     We are staying in this AMAZING house with a beautiful view. The girls are staying on the 4th floor. We have a balcony that overlooks the neighborhood, which isn't the richest place. Some of the roofs of the shacks they call houses are held down by rocks... It was really hard seeing the poverty in the neighborhood, and my view of the things I have have really changed down here because most of the people here have nothing...
     Leading worship for a group of Guatemalan kids is definitely not what I'm used to, but I am so grateful for the opportunity. It's been so sweet seeing those kids worship. They have such a passion for Christ and it really shows during the music. They are just amazing!!! They jump around and have so much energy for God and it fills my heart with joy when I see them. And the kids just love the VBS that we planned for them. And we love running it. Even though there is a language barrior between us and the kids, we've bonded with them so well! 
     We are also doing service projects for some of the schools. The group I am in is painting walls BRIGHT yellow. I don't really...like painting that much. And yesterday I had a super bad attitude about it. It seemed like we were getting nowhere and the rain didn't help much either. But today was different. I absolutely loved it. We got SO far! And I had a really fun time doing it! It's amazing how quickly your attitude can change when you just stop and ask God to change your heart.
     We still have 3 days ahead of us, and we are so PUMPED! We LOVE being down here being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ and sharing his story to the people of Guatemala. I can't wait to get home and see my family...but it is going to be really hard leaving this place. This trip has already changed me so much, and I can't wait to see how it changes me these next few days. Please keep our team in your prayers as we finish up this amazing trip!
                               ~Katelyn Fredricks