Guatemala City, Guatemala
CELEBRATION ORCHESTRA
February 16 - 24, 2026
This project was originally scheduled for Cuba, but four days before the project we learned that we would have to cancel the project due to the Cuban gas shortage. We were already in Guatemala with Metro Big Band when we got this news, and our Guatemala mission partner, Heber Morales, said we could bring the Celebration Orchestra to Guatemala instead.
We quickly regrouped, changed flights, and prepared to come to Guatemala. Heber did a great job of planning the itinerary on such a short notice. Ultimately, it was a wonderful experience getting to be in Guatemala once again.
Thankfully, most of the participants who planned to go to Cuba also chose to join us in Guatemala, which demonstrated their faithfulness to the call. We were also joined by a number of Guatemalan musicians that wanted to be a part of our project. After our one and only rehearsal in Guatemala, we knew that we had an excellent musical group and were excited to hit the ground running.
In Guatemala, we always love serving with Vivian Douglas, whose music project is specifically in orphanages. These kids come from very difficult home situations. Vivian uses music as a tool to enrich their lives and share the hope of Christ with them. We were able to join her in this mission and showing the kids how much we care about them.
We encountered some excellent young musicians at the university that Heber teaches at. A number of them enjoyed playing with us so much that they joined us for the remainder of the concerts that week! We are always thankful for opportunities to share our music and our faith outside of the church.
This was our second visit at the Escuela Militar de Música Maestro Rafael Alvarez Ovalle. All of the musicians are also trained as military police. The Commandant of the school wanted us to come to not only teach the musicians but also because we are Believers. He believes that’s an important addition to the lives of the musicians. It’s always a blessing to join together with musicians from all parts of life.
We love visiting Union Church, which is an international, English speaking church. We are always warmly welcomed by the unique blend of the nations that attend that church. Heber has served as minister of music at Union for a number of years.
We wrapped up the week by spending a day with Coro Filarmonico. We’re so thankful that they continue to enrich the lives of inner city kids through music and teaching Christian values. Since we have been connected with this ministry since 2006, we have seen many of these kids mature into their 20’s and 30’s and are now leaders of the ministry. They have wonderful hearts for God and are committed to continuing their growth.
We loved our time in Guatemala and look forward to returning again soon!
