Buenas Tardes, mi familia! Bienvenidos a Guatemala!

Good afternoon, my family! Welcome to Guatemala! Let me tell you about our travels to Guatemala, the first few days here, and my first World Race team. God is up to something amazing, and I'm grateful to be a part of it.

(Started on 9/10)

After nearly 11 months of anticipation and two weeks of training in Georgia, I am finally packing my backpack and getting ready to fly to Guatemala and really begin ministry on the World Race. Our squad of 27 is travelling together to the Adventures in Missions base outside of Parramos, Guatemala. From there, we will disperse in the teams that we’ve been split into and begin serving and living with the ministry hosts we’ve been partnered with.

(Continued on 9/14)

We arrived at the ATL airport on Sunday (9/11) at 11:30pm! We stayed the night on the floors of the airport and headed to check in and TSA at 6am. We got through security around 8 and found some coffee before our flight left at 10! Praise!! We arrived in Guatemala City around lunch time and were picked up by the Adventures in Missions team. We ate our first meal (Wendy’s) with our teams and had base orientation. At the base, we received cultural training on Tuesday and learned so much! AIM does a great job of preparing us to step respectfully into the culture of each country. On Tuesday afternoon, we ran 2 miles from the AIM base to a nearby town, Parramos, with a soccer team ministry. This torch run is an annual tradition to celebrate the Independence Day of Guatemala, which is on the 15^th. We ran with the kids, some of whom ran with torches, and bystanders threw water at us! It was so much fun to get to be a part of this tradition and celebrate Guate!!

Today, we said goodbye to 2 of our teams: Whale Team 6 and Gloria a Dios. They are heading to their ministries! The other 3 teams are still at the AIM Base. The Chameleons leave for their ministry on Friday, and Lawn Chair Crisis leaves next Friday. My team, 2 4 7, will be staying at the AIM Base for 3 weeks and commuting to our ministry. After 3 weeks, we will move into a house near the ministry and live there for the last 3 weeks. Our home will be on an avocado farm, where we will be building a house for prayer and ministry. I am so grateful for my teammates!! Let me introduce them to you!

Our team name is "2 4 7", and it is inspired by our team's desire to wholeheartedly abide in Christ in every moment, 24/7. Our team leader is Elijah. He is kind, wise, and careful with his words. He leads by example. Our team treasurer is Cheeka. She is humble and seeks the Lord with intentionality that I admire. Jordan is one of 3 worship coordinators for the squad. He is always talking about what the Lord has done in his life, and it is a beautiful story of redemption, healing, and joy. Morgan is gentle and patient. She hears from the Lord and walks in the confidence of the Holy Spirit. Last but not least is Lexy. Lexy lives in the freedom of Christ and is a light to those around her. Her peaceful spirit is refreshing and comes from God alone. These people follow hard after God and I’m grateful to be a part of the team. I can’t wait to see how the Holy Spirit leads us and takes us deeper into relationship with him.

Tomorrow is Guatemala’s Independence Day, and we will be heading back into Antigua to celebrate and participate in the festivities. On Friday, our team will begin ministry with our ministry hosts, Dar Para Dar. We are so excited to get to serve with them and learn from them. We will be doing manual labor and clearing land for a ministry house that they are building on top of a mountain. We will also ATL (Ask the Lord) what to do day by day if He has a different plan for us. We are excited to be discipled by the hosts and learn more from them, as they walk with the Lord and live life on mission.

Thank you all so much for your support. Each one of the texts, blog comments, emails, etc. have been so life-giving and encouraging to me. I love to hear from you and want to know what the Lord is doing in your lives, too!

You can continue to support me and my team in a few different ways:

-        Pray! Please pray that I would be sensitive to the Lord and that I would have eyes to see the people around me who need Him. Pray that I would grow in intimacy with Jesus. Life with Him just keeps getting better.

-        Comment!!! I want to know how these stories impact you! I’m also excited to share one-on-one conversations with you about what’s happening on the Race and in my heart, so reach out!

-        Email!! I want to hear what God is doing in your lives, please!! You matter to me!

-        Give (tax deductible)! Many of my teammates and squadmates are still raising financial support for the trip. Deadlines are approaching, but we know God will supply their needs! If you are able, please pray about giving! I would love for you to support my sweet friend Abigail at abbygawinski.theworldrace.org.

-        Contribute! If you feel led to contribute to our extra needs, that would be such a blessing! The funds raised cover our ministry transportation, housing, and food. However, there are still financial needs for spontaneous ministry, general necessities like toiletries and warm clothes, and activities or transportation into town. I would love to have a fund for those things so that I can financially bless those around me (like buying groceries, meals, resources, etc.). You can give through venmo or cashapp: @/$KaraPerrault. Let me know if there is something specific you’d like to contribute to.

Thank you for the love and support!! More to come with testimonies of what Jesus is doing & how He's leading us into deeper intimacy with Him and awareness of his presence with us in Guate through the Holy Spirit. Photos to come when I have better wifi!

You matter to God, so you matter to me.

Kara <3