I’m sitting in my room in California as I write this, and honestly… what the heck?

It does not feel real that I’m home. It feels so strange trying to put words to the last eight months when so much happened, and so much of what the Lord did feels almost too big for words. I keep looking around at my room, unpacked bags in the corner, trying to process how just days ago I was living on mission overseas with people who have become family. Part of me still feels like I’m going to wake up tomorrow, hop on a chicken bus, and head out to ministry.

Coming home has been sweet, but also such a weird mix of gratitude, joy, and grieving. There’s this tension of being so thankful to be back with family and familiar things, while also deeply missing the life we built on the field. I’ve been reflecting a lot, replaying moments in my mind, and I keep coming back to how faithful God has been through every single part of this journey. The Lord moved in ways I could have never imagined when I said yes to this eight months ago, and it honestly doesn’t feel real that this chapter is over.

As I’ve been processing it all, my heart keeps going back to Guatemala. Of all the places we got to serve, Guatemala holds such a special place in me. It’s probably been my favorite country we’ve been in, which feels hard to say because every place has been so beautiful and unique, but there is just something about Guatemala. The people, the hunger for Jesus, the beauty of the mountains, the ministry, the joy… it all marked me deeply. It feels so evident that what the Lord is doing there is going to bear so much fruit, and getting to be a tiny part of that was such a gift.

So I wanted to share some highlights from our time in Guatemala, because there is no way I could fit all the stories, miracles, laughter, and lessons into one post, but I want to let you into some of what the Lord did.

Our ministry in Guatemala was seriously AMAZING. When we arrived, our leaders sent us a Google form with four different ministry options to pray about partnering with: Hope Ministries, Serve Hope, One Way, and YWAM. We were each asked to pray and ask the Lord where He wanted us. I remember feeling so torn between One Way and YWAM. I genuinely felt like the Lord was telling me He would move through either one, and I could not decide. I put YWAM as my first option and One Way as my second because I was a little more familiar with YWAM.

And y’all… God is so kind. I ended up getting placed with YWAM and had the most amazing ministry group, but then we found out YWAM only needed us three days a week… which meant we also got to partner with One Way the other two days. How cool is our God? When I was torn between two things, He let me be a part of both. That felt so like Him.

Our time with YWAM was so special. Every Tuesday we would go into this beautiful park in the middle of Antigua for evangelism. You guys… the fruit I saw there was incredible. I could write pages of stories just from those Tuesdays. We prayed for so many people, had conversations with people hungry for hope, planted seeds, and got to watch God move right in front of us.

One of my favorite parts was that the YWAM team had already built relationships with people in the park—vendors, families, people who spend their days there—so we weren’t just walking up to strangers cold. There was trust already built. Multiple people came up to us while we were walking and asked if we would pray for them. That still blows my mind. Hearing some of their stories and struggles firsthand absolutely broke my heart, but it was such an honor to pray with them and invite Jesus into those moments. Even if we don’t get to stay and see all those seeds grow, I know the Lord is doing something beautiful there. The people of Guatemala are hungry for the Word of God. It is so evident.

Wednesdays and Thursdays we would go to the YWAM base, about ten minutes from our housing, and almost every day we took chicken buses there. If you don’t know what a chicken bus is—it’s an old American school bus that has been transformed into public transportation in Guatemala, painted in bright colors and packed full of people. It costs about a dollar to ride and let me tell you… those bus rides were an adventure. We met some really cool people and some very interesting people too. Lots of laughs happened on those buses.

At the YWAM base they hosted a women’s ministry and kids ministry, and we got invited into all of it—leading worship, sharing testimonies, teaching Bible stories, praying over women, and building relationships with the kids. Every week more kids seemed to show up, and watching that grow was so beautiful. Those kids absolutely stole my heart. Their joy, their hugs, their energy… they were so special to me and will always hold a place in my heart.

And then there was One Way.

Oh my goodness I love this ministry.

We partnered with them Monday afternoons and Friday mornings, taking a chicken bus about 45 minutes outside Antigua into this village in the mountains. From day one they welcomed us like family and were so grateful to have us serve alongside them.

Our time with One Way included house visits, kids soccer camps, VBS-style camps, and so much more. The house visits were incredibly special. The village was small and tucked into the mountains, and most people didn’t speak English, but their hospitality and kindness spoke so loudly. We sat in homes, heard stories of how God had been faithful in hardship, shared encouragement, read scripture, and prayed for countless families.

Some of the most powerful moments of the whole trip happened in those homes.

We even got to lead two people to accept Jesus during our house visits.

What a privilege.

Those moments are hard to put into words. Watching someone say yes to Jesus never gets old.

We also got to help with VBS and community field days with the kids—playing games, getting absolutely soaked in water games, laughing until our stomachs hurt, and simply bringing joy. After hearing many of these kids’ and families’ stories, it meant so much to just bring smiles to their faces. There was so much beauty in simply showing up and loving people.

And now… somehow… here we are. Home.

After Guatemala we spent a little under a week in El Salvador doing debrief from the trip. We stayed in this beautiful Airbnb right on the beach and it honestly felt like such a gift from the Lord. A sweet exhale after so much had happened. It gave us space to process, rest, worship, laugh, cry, and reflect together before heading home.

And wow… I cannot thank Jesus enough for this trip.

These people have become family over these past months.

This journey has changed me more than I’ll probably even realize for years.

The Lord has stretched me, healed things in me, taught me to trust Him deeper, and shown me His heart for the nations in ways I’ll carry forever.

Stepping into this next season of being home has already been weird, if I’m honest. Reverse culture shock is real. But I know the Lord’s hand is all over this season too.

Right now I’m stepping into a season of working, resting, reflecting, and preparing to go back out on the field again in August.

So you know what that means…

More fundraising—WOOHOO! :)

And honestly, I say that with joy because I have seen the Lord show up so faithfully through every bit of support on this journey. Through this page, through my teammates’ pages, through prayers, through unexpected provision—He has been faithful every single time. So I know He is going to provide again.

Would you pray about partnering with me in this next season? The link will be below!

I would absolutely love to share more with you about this trip and what we’ll be doing next year, so please feel free to reach out. I’d love to chat.

And I just want to say thank you.

Thank you for reading these updates.

Thank you for praying for me and my team.

Thank you for giving, encouraging, and supporting me every step of the way.

Truly, I could not have done this without you.

Your prayers mattered. Your support mattered. You were a part of every story shared in this blog.

This may be my last blog for a little while, but it’s definitely not the end of what God is doing.

I’ll be back in the middle-ish of summer with a before-launch update, but until then… thank you from the bottom of my heart for walking through this season with me.

Love you all so much.

See you soon! ;)

FUNDRAISING LINK-

https://adventuresinmissions.servicereef.com/events/adventures-in-missions-3/2026-gapless-gap-year-asia-and-australia-26js0828gap-986141313/participants/emma-villani9

VENMO- @emma_villani