Drug Related Shootout Kills 11 in Zacapa Guatemala....?!

So, as some of you know, we had to have an emergency meeting last night with our planning committee for the Guatemala trip that we go on every year. We knew that something had gone down, but we didn't really think that it was going to be such a big deal. So we get to the meeting last night and Amado (fabulous Guatemalan man) fills us in. CRAZY.

















OK, so we go to this hotel in Zacapa called the hotel Longarone. It is a fabulous hotel (as fabulous as you can get in a third world country, but hey, it has a water slide at the pool) We stay there almost every year. We are planning on staying there this year.







Here are two pics of our hotel.




I know the water slide doesn't look fabulous, but after you work with 200 kids at camp all day long, the pool rocks when you get back!







OK so anyway, this is where we stay basically every year. We love it. It is our home away from home when we are there.







So let me get back to the point. We found out last night that right across the street from the Longarone, there was a big drug shoot out about a week ago. It was crazy stuff like in a movie....let me explain.







There are two main drug lords that transfer money and drugs from Columbia to America. One of the drug lords handles the coast on the Gulf of Mexico and the other drug lord is in charge of the coast along the pacific.


So before, to get from Columbia to America, they were both going along their coasts. But apparently recently they realized that Guatemala would be a nice place to do some of their drug trafficking, and the little farming town of Zacapa seemed like a great place to do it.



So, longer story short, both groups met up at the hotel across the street from the hotel longarone and killed each other. There were lots of guns and grenades involved. One of the drug lords was killed and the other is missing. 11 total were killed. There is still a big war going on between the two groups because they are fighting for this territory and now because they have all decided to be at war with each other.


Basically, that's what our meeting was about. Do we cancel? Of course not. I am so excited to see what God is going to do there. The people in the village are already asking if we are coming because they don't think that we will after all of this. What a testimony it will be to them of God's love when we still go. It's really cool because so many changes are going on there. The people are changing and getting closer to God. This is Satan trying to screw stuff up, but we aren't going to let him.

We are going to tell all of the families that have signed up for the trip about this because we don't want anyone to feel obligated to go. I know it would be scary taking your children. But, I do think it will be a very powerful trip when the ones that decide to go, go. It is a different feeling when you know you are going into something dangerous, but you go anyway because you know that that is where God is calling you to go.

I'm not some great person for going. I just HAVE to see my kids! I miss them SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much. Plus, what a better way to die than on a mission trip. right?