Going to Guatemala: Sunday School Teachers' Retreat!

It has been a busy, busy week around here! My awesome parents arrived last week...just in time for our Sunday School teachers' retreat! We've been busy getting things ready for the retreat...visiting some of the sites, and doing a whole lot of eating! There are so many delicious things that my parents just have to try! =)

This cake is AMAZING! It's marble cake with a layer of nutella with a toasted marshmellow icing..yum!

Dad got a true tamale experience! Banana leaf and all!

The retreat was AWESOME! I think the total count was around 120 people... and everyone had a great time! The theme for this year was S.U.A.T. (pronounced SWOT)...so we had all kinds of military decor. The lessons were on Santidad (Holiness), Unidad (Unity), Adoracion (Worship), and Trabajo (Work). It was just fabulous!

We had lessons, worship services, craft time, and more. Everyone was divided into 10 groups with military, war-type names (the warriors, the strong, the powerful, etc.) and assigned tasks to complete. They were given 5 eggs per group and they had to decorate them and care for the eggs for the weekend. The thought was to make the teachers realize the precious responsibility they have been given as Sunday School teachers. In addition to the eggs, they had to:

write a song that included their group name,

make playdough and create a little scene,

use newspaper, coke cans, and paint to create a handicraft,

create a kids prayer using common objects (i.e. forks and spoons to pray for those who are hungry), and

write a team theme song/ war-chant.

The idea was to take objects that are commonly available and show how they can be used to minister in your sunday school class. The groups did soooooo good! You guys wouldn't believe the creativity they put into these projects! And, not a single egg was broken!