Experiencing the Living Water in Guatemala
June 4, 2026
Day 1
Hello from Guatemala!
Jaren here with our first in-country team blog. Today was a very long day for the whole team. Everyone was up to catch some very early flights; the team united in the Miami airport, coming from Nashville and Virginia. It was so good to finally be on the way to the community and project we have been thinking about, planning for, and praying for. The rest of our day was filled with a long car drive, sharing stories, getting to know one another more, and snagging some much-needed rest. Thank you for your prayers for our team. Tomorrow we will go the rest of the way to the community we will be working with, and get to meet them and see the progress on their water project. Please pray for good relationships formed with the community, and that the Lord would be with us as we serve them, and be glorified in what we do.
Shout out to Jolie for being our selfie taker and capturing our afternoon treat of ice cream in the middle of the long drive. Most of us are not great at taking pictures of ourselves so we're grateful that Jolie contributes her selfie skills to the team!
In Him,
Jaren
Day 2
Hello everyone,
Today, we woke up and ate a delicious breakfast at the hotel before starting on the final leg of the journey. But, before we could go to San Bartolome, we stopped at the ADICAY office to meet the people behind the project and try some amazing Guatemalan coffee!
After our time there, we drove for another 2 hours to the village. We were greeted with a fantastic reception. It started with several members from the community, ADICAY, and Steve & Zac speaking about the project. Zac also renamed me. The community graced us with an awesome meal, then we partied and danced with the community.
After the celebration, we took a small hike to the tank ADICAY placed in the community some months prior. It was really fascinating seeing it in person and allowed us to get a better idea of the work we will be starting tomorrow.
We returned to the school (our base of operations for the trip) and spent some more time with the community before starting to settle down for the day. We played Uno as a group and watched Regan, Noah, and Jolie collect dozens of cards each. After, we had a fantastic supper courtesy of Cata and had fellowship before preparing for bed.
- Josiah (Jeremiah)
Day 3
Hello!
This is Caleb Gedney with the blog for Tuesday, May 5th, on the Peugeot Center trip to San Bartolome. Today was our team’s first entire day in San Bartolome and our first working day.
We woke up at 7:00 am to a chilly morning. We ate breakfast and prepared our water bottles and sunscreen. Soon, we left the school where we were staying and went up the road to the working zone.
The walk up was our first look at how the high altitude would make our breathing harder. Fortunately, our bodies got used to it once the work started. The community members who worked alongside us led us to a house that was receiving a new spigot. We began refilling the trenches dug for the pipes. We worked on this from 8-12:30. We got a ride back to lunch in the bed of a truck (a very safe ride). Steve got his beauty sleep during our small downtime before we went back to work. We spent a couple more hours in the trenches (the pipe trenches) before the day’s work was done.
After work, most of the team took a quick trip to get a look at the spring that supplies our clean water. We got to witness a stunning view of the mountains, so high up that the clouds floated above us. We walked back to the school, where we all collapsed after the day’s work. Soon, though, some of the village children came and got us moving. They decorated our ladies’ hair and played a good game of futbol with us. Finally, we had a great dinner that went into a team devotional.
Today was a huge day for us. We learned that a hoe is much better at refilling a trench than a shovel. Noah represented Garney strongly with his middle-management supervision. We all got an abundance of Spanish practice. We got to see who did a lackluster job applying their sunscreen. We got to see just how much slower we are than the locals at this work (we’re a lot slower).
Truthfully, it is an incredible blessing for us to take part in the project the people of San Bartolome have been working on for so long. The welcome that they have given us is deeply touching, and their determination is inspiring. The team and the experience have taught me so much. Thanks be to God!
Signing out,
Caleb Gedney
Day 4
Hello everyone,
The second work day of the trip went well. Lots of work got done, and we helped to install the last of the spigots. Testing of the system begins tomorrow!
Most of the day was spent playing in the dirt, but between working, we chatted with the locals, watched some soccer, and received various gifts from the kids. The work was followed with some soccer, a bit of rest, and another delicious dinner from our wonderful cooks. The night ended with a game of cards, as is becoming habit, and we’re looking forward to another productive day tomorrow!
As far as the team goes, Jeremiah is still introducing himself as Josiah. I (Regan) have fallen a total of four times in the past two days. Jolie and I have received too many flowers to count. And Indiana Jones has made his way to Guatemala in the form of a green hat, a hoe, and a guy named Noah.
That’s all for today, but as always, thank you all for your support! We’ll continue to keep you updated!
God bless,
Regan (Reka)
Day 5
Hey everyone, today was a very exciting day for the project, we opened spigots for the first time! Praise God for the joy of seeing people receive clean water at their homes for the first time in their lives!
Our morning began with a delicious pancake breakfast, followed by some time with ADICAY leadership, who came to see the progress of the project. After looking over the spring capture, ADICAY met with a young widow named Olga who had worked diligently over the past few months with the men to provide water for her kids. ADICAY’s President Ana has generously provided her with materials to build her house next to her mother’s so she can care for her children and mother. ADICAY has been such an incredible example of helping a community not just with water but wherever there are needs.
After lunch and a quick nap, we made our way up the hill to the tank for the first test of the main system. A group of community leaders and I gathered at the tank to pray over the system, the community, and to thank God for all he has provided. Once the prayer concluded, we opened the valves and the party began! What an incredible joy it was to hear the sounds of joy and firecrackers throughout the valley as water reached each of the houses!
We proceeded to split into groups and walked/ran from house to house to open the spigot and celebrate with each family. Each family decorated their spigot for the occasion and the mother of the house had the honor of opening the spigot first. It was incredible to see the reactions of the different generations: the kids giggling at the water splashing, the parents celebrating their hard work to provide clean water for the first time for their families, and the grandparents who had never expected to have clean water at their houses and received it with great excitement.
Today was such a meaningful day for the team because we were able to see the incredible impact of the project in people’s lives. Praise God for providing materials through donations, a great design through ADICAY's and Lipscomb's partnership and the labor through a motivated and hardworking community. What an honor it is to see God changing lives through Projects like this.
- Zac
Day 6
Hello everyone!!!
It’s Jolie here!! Writing blog numbro 6 or 7. Today has been a HUGE celebration! We got up EARLY early today, and ventured from house to house, turning on all the water spigots that have been successfully built! The people (and us, obviously) cheered every single time we got running water! It was great. We celebrated with bread and ~SUPER~ cola! Then we got back to the school and had brunch! The boys played some serious card games while the girls (Regan and me) played Super Mario Bros in our room! We all took a walk in the afternoon and stopped to watch a soccer game. Our time with the village is coming to a close, and it has been such a blessing to witness such a momentous moment in the Guatemalan's lives! We’ll be seeing you all very soon!! Jolie out!
>w<
~Jolie
Day 7
Today's blog is from Saturday!
Hola everyone! Guatemala Jones (or Indiana Agua, depending on who you ask) here.
Today we had a restful last morning in the community with breakfast and then packing later in the morning. After some hard goodbyes with the kids we left for ADICAY’s office. Once there we got to play some volleyball and soccer around the office with some of the ADICAY employees and their kids. While we were out having fun, Caesar and his family cooked us a delicious steak dinner to celebrate our trip and partnership.
We finished the celebration by celebrating Zac’s 25th birthday with a cake Hagi totally 100% made himself. We are looking forward to our time of reflection and relaxation in Antigua before coming back to the USA!
Blessings,
Noah
Day 8
Jaren here with a combination blog from the past several days. We woke up Sunday morning at ADICAY’s office and said goodbye to the folks there. It was so good to spend time with them, strengthening the relationship we have with them, and hope to continue to work with them for years to come. What a blessing to work with people who make such an impact in Guatemalan communities!
We packed up and left, heading for Antigua Guatemala, where we would spend a day relaxing and reflecting on the past week. Exploring the ancient city and learning more about Guatemala's history and culture was fun, but the most impactful and meaningful part was the time spent reflecting on our time here. The team left truly grateful that the Lord had blessed us with the opportunity to be here in Guatemala, to partner with ADICAY, and serve the community. I believe the Lord helped us grow as a team, grow closer to Him, learn more about His character, and have a vision for potentially being involved in mission work in the future. Praise the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness over this trip! Thank you for your continued prayers over the team, the project, and the community during our time over here!
PS: Happy Mother’s Day to all our moms, sorry we couldn’t be with you for the day!
Not a Trip
Category: Student Life