A visit and an event

I had 2 visitors at the beginning of the month and I was quite excited to see them! PCBC's Missions Minister, Brandon Boyd, and the leader of the Guatemala committee, Randy Perry, came to visit me and to consult with ministry partners. It was so nice to see familiar faces! They had a lot to do in 2 days. They picked me up early the first day with some members of the staff of Buckner International and we drove through Antigua to Jocotenango to visit the Community Transformation Center that we partner with there. It has medical care, social workers, computer classes, and job skills training, with the goal being to strengthen the family unit as a whole. Next we drove up the mountain to Alotenango to see the satellite site where they are offering care to even more people from the community. We returned to Antigua for a great lunch and then drove back to the city and discussed plans for the following day. On that day we visited various ministry sites in the city and also ate lunch with the Glicks, my CAM missionary contacts. I enjoyed the fact that people on both sides of my mission were getting to meet each other and discuss the needs in Guatemala.

Another happy part of their visit was that they brought 2 bags with them that I packed before I left! I only brought 2 suitcases when I first arrived and it sure didn't seem like much when I unpacked them in my apartment. I am thankful to have more clothes and shoes and toiletries that are expensive to buy here. And my mom threw in some goodies like a can of pumpkin and Hershey's cocoa! It's the little things that make it feel like home, right?

The following Friday I participated in a large event with a ministry here called The Potter's House, or Casa del Alfarero. My good friend Berta works there and invited me to participate.Their office is right next to the city dump here, which is about the size of 12 football fields, and hundreds of people sift through the trash to find items to sell and to recycle, making about $2 per day. The goal of their programs is to remind the people that they are not trash, they are God's treasures, and to holistically help them towards a better future. This was one of 2 big events they are having during the Christmas season and took about 3 months of planning and donations. I arrived at 7:30am and was promptly placed in the back of a pick up truck and driven into the dump. I had visited nearby before, but Potter's House is one of few organizations granted permission to enter. We were dropped off in the canyon-like pit next to stacks and stacks of old cars and a huge mound of presidential campaign signs. Ironic how important those were just a month ago, and now they lie there in a torn-up heap. The organization had set up hundreds of folding chairs, a make-shift stage, and an area of tables for food.

My first task was to help unload 1200 bags of 'vivires', or food staples, from vans and pick ups. They were wrapped in brightly colored red and green bags and tied with string. Inside were beans, rice, sugar, etc. Next we counted and organized the snack for the day - a sandwich, pastry, and juicebox. There were just under 100 volunteers; I believe I was the only norteamericana. Soon the workers began to come and sit in the plastic chairs as the CDA staff ran around finishing the details. A preacher from a nearby church gave the message for the day - like I said, that they are treasures in God's eyes, not trash, and that he loves them no matter where they are. As I counted sandwiches, I wondered when the last time was that many of them had heard that message. He reminded them of the real meaning of Christmas, that we have a savior that came to earth to die for all of us, before we were even born. Afterwards he invited them to the front to pray. Many came forward and many cried as the CDA staff surrounded them. It was our turn next. The workers made two lines with the help of the staff and we handed each person a snack and a bag of goods, saying "Dios te bendiga y feliz navidad" - God bless you and merry Christmas. And they hurried over the hill back to their jobs - many afraid to miss an hour of work because time is money in the dump as it is everywhere else. When all was said and done, over 1100 people were served that day, just under the number that they had prepared for. I'm grateful to the Lord for His provisions.

I stayed afterwards for lunch with my friend and her co-workers. It was a blessing to listen to them discuss the fruit of their labor and how each one was impacted differently by the events of the day, whether in front or behind the scenes. For me, it was such a reminder of how we are called to love our neighbor and of the hope that comes only through Christ. Without CDA, those families wouldn't have that bag of food. They wouldn't have been reminded that God loves them and that the people of CDA do too. And they certainly wouldn't have heard the message that they are valued in the eyes of Christ, even if often they are not in the eyes of the world. I pray that you and I remember, in the Christmas season and beyond, that "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us"(Romans 5:8). All of us. That's the message of the season, that kind of love. And I pray that we all take the time to pass it on.

Cristo ha venido! Christ has come!

John 13:34-35

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

(Photos compliments of Casa del Alfarero)