PCBC Team in Guate

At the beginning of August, the PCBC team came with Buckner to Guate! A trip more than a year in planning. It was so great to welcome members of my church to this beautiful country! I knew about half of the group already, and I made some new friends quickly.

The first couple of days we were in the capital - first we worked with girls in a government orphanage of 900 children. Not a typo. 900. It is not my favorite place, to be honest, it's a tough place to visit. But I know how much those kids need hope and how much it means that Buckner is ministering there. At the end of the long day, we visited the special needs toddlers to drop off some blankets that some PCBC members so thoughtfully made and sent. Again, not easy, but they so appreciate love and hugs, just like the rest of us. I immediately encountered a tiny little friend who could only walk while holding someone's hand - an event that I bet does not occur too often in his day - and he quickly grasped mine and took off. I took him around to visit the friends who are not so fortunate to be able to leave their beds, and at each one I said "Hola lindo! Buenas tardes! Dios te ama!" (Hi sweet child! Good afternoon! God loves you!) and put a hand on their shoulder. By about the fourth bed, I heard a tiny echo from below "Hola lindo! Buenos tardes!". My little amigo was greeting his friends too. And he continued to do so around the whole room. A sweet moment that I will not soon forget. I pray he has plenty more visitors to hold his hand and more opportunities to encourage his special friends.

Sunday was an exciting day as I took my 18 North American friends to my church here, where I am normally the only one not from Guate. My pastor here had invited Sam Silva, the pastor with our team, to preach. It was great for them to meet some of the people who have been so welcoming during my time in Guate, and I was very grateful as Sam thanked them for taking care of me all of these months. It has been such a blessing to worship and serve with the wonderful people there. In the afternoon it was off to Antigua to eat lunch and sight-see. I always enjoy taking people there for the first time - it's breathtaking!

Two mornings we worked with HELPS International, installing stoves and water filters in homes of predetermined families on the side of a mountain in Alotenango. These stoves really do change lives as they use 30% of the firewood normally required (a great expense) and the smoke is filtered through the roof (a major health hazard). It was great to meet the families and children and pray for the Lord's provision and presence in their lives. The last day we had a cumulative birthday party complete with piñata! The mayor of the town came too and gave each team member a certificate of thanks.

Constructing the Onil stove 

Party!

We spent a full day at a new Buckner church partner in Alotenango - ministering to children and families through sermon, testimony, and VBS. In the morning we had about 125, and in the afternoon....425. Word gets out in a small town in Guate too! I pray that many doors are opened for the church there and for the sweet pastor who cares so much for his pueblo.

We also ministered to two local schools in partnership with the Buckner Community Transformation Center in Jocotenango. We had Vacation Bible School and plenty of soccer. I enjoyed meeting many kids who are receiving classes, health services, and family support from the CTC there.

On our last day we headed back to the city - to my CTC! We spent the afternoon with 60 of my favorite kiddos on the planet! It was so good to see them after a few days away from classes. The group had songs, stories, crafts, candy, and, of course, soccer. An impromptu limbo game even broke out using a large tree branch! I'm glad the team got to meet some of my little loves.

I sent them off on a plane at 5am the next morning - tired and thankful for such a wonderful week. I pray that lives were changed - here and at home, seeds were planted, others were watered and that the team never forgets their faithful service here.

Matthew 9:37-38

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Psalm 57:9-10
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.     
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Time flies

So I know I have not been updating this as I should, but it’s for a good reason – I’m finally into my routine here and really enjoying the time. I have my ministries, my church, and my friends, and I’m okay that I don’t have much time for blogging these days ;) So thankful for the Lord's faithfulness in helping me find my purpose here in Guatemala.

 My time at CAG doing speech pathology is winding to a close – they use the US school calendar so that the missionaries can be free to host teams and travel during the summer. It was such a neat ministry opportunity to use my therapy skills with kids in Guatemala; I had a great time with my 16 kiddos. It was also a great place to meet others on mission here and hear about all the different ministries happening around the country. I will miss the friendly staff and playing Candy Land with my students!

On Saturdays I keep busy too. In the mornings I’m giving English classes to two groups of kids in Buckner Transition Homes – these are homes for kids who were in orphanages but now live in a family environment with house parents. They receive help to continue their studies and later find a job and live independently, a really tough transition if you don’t have a network to help you out. It’s been fun getting to know the kids and helping them with their English skills – they are eager to learn. Saturday afternoons I am helping a handful of youth with English at my Guatemalan church – I am enjoying building relationships with people that I might not get to know otherwise and I am glad to be part of the church’s outreach.

And on to my favorite days – Monday, Wednesday, Friday – when I’m with my kids at the CTC. I am so thankful how my relationships with those precious kids grow every day! They trust me more and I get to know them on a deeper level. Their smiles and hugs bring me such joy! I miss them on the days that we are not together. I know that I cannot meet their every need, there are so many, but I am so grateful to be a presence in their lives that mirrors the love of our Father. We have so much fun learning new vocabulary, playing games, making crafts, having snacks, and, of course, playing soccer. There is no attendance policy and there are no grades so it is only self-motivation that keeps them coming back, and I am so happy for the 60+ kids that do. On Fridays I continue to use Bible stories as our daily focus and each week we learn a phrase that corresponds to each story - God loves, God saves, God cares, God forgives.... I pray that these messages give them hope when it seems there is none and peace when the world gives them trouble.

On my free days I am now taking some more private Spanish lessons and continuing to do some speech therapy as well. I am excited to further my Spanish studies and fill in some holes that might possibly exist in my grammar… I am also happy to now have the time to go the grocery store before 6 pm :) I've been spending time with my friends from Buckner and my friends from church in the evenings - it's nice to relax and hang out with them after a busy week; I am very thankful for those relationships.

Off to make some more lesson plans....

Psalm 31:19

How abundant are the good things 

    that you have stored up for those who fear you,

that you bestow in the sight of all, 

    on those who take refuge in you.

Thy hand hath provided

Christmas in a foreign country - sounds glamorous right? I thought so too. And for awhile it was - new places, new people, new traditions, Christmas carols in Spanish. Tamales and ponche. Tamales and ponche again. And again. Then the holiday nears and suddenly everyone is with their families and you're not. I'm sure plenty of people have experienced this - it's just hard to know how it will feel until you're in the middle of it. I was instantly very thankful for years of love and family at Christmas. And honestly, because I'm obsessed with Christmas movies, I kept thinking of that scene in Home Alone where Kevin prays to have his family back after all the action has died down. Christmas without your family is difficult, so no matter how normal or how crazy they may be, be thankful that you have them.

Paseo Cayala in the city

I had thought there would be more opportunities for ministry – but it turns out that most of the missionaries that I know here headed to the states, to be with their families too. Now I see why. And even more headed out of the city to other parts of the country to get away for awhile. Having only been here 2.5 months, doesn’t leave a lot of contacts.

But just when I thought hope was lost, and that I might spend Christmas alone, watching Elf for the third time by my tiny tree, the Lord reminded me yet again that He’s always with me and knows my needs before I do… Friends from my church invited me to go to dinner in Antigua with them. My friend Oscar took me to hear his dad preach at a beautiful Christmas service, full of great worship. Friends at the Christmas Eve service at my church told me they were praying for me and that I had a family there while I am away from home. My friend David asked me to watch the fireworks with his family at midnight on Christmas Eve. And my friend Berta invited me to spend Christmas Day (and the next couple of days) with her whole family at her home. Oh how the Lord provides. I’m so grateful that He cares for me, even when I doubt. I know from now on I will look out even more for those who need a temporary ‘home’ when away from family and friends, to show them the love that was shown to me. And I encourage you to do the same. What a great example of the fellowship we have in Christ.

Church with the Avilas

Antigua at night

Friends from church

Christmas Eve Service

Me & Berta

I did get to help a little bit with one ministry – a Christmas Eve dinner at Casita Benjamin (where I worked last summer) for families here near the city dump. A youth group sang carols and did a drama of the Christmas story for the kids. Then, of course, there were tamales and ponche for all. Next came presents for the kids and baskets of food for the parents. It was a blessing to bless others on such a special day, especially knowing they would have gone without those things otherwise. It was definitely good for me to spend the time thinking about serving others when I was missing home so much.

I pray that all of you had a blessed Christmas season – full of the things that really matter. I am so thankful to a Lord who sent His son to us so we never have to be alone.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

Escuelita Biblica

I have been attending a CAM church here in nearby Mixco, called Camino de Vida (the way of life). The people that I have met there are so genuine and were so welcoming from the start. And yes, the whole service is in Spanish. So great that I can attend and understand now, I am very thankful for that.

A couple of weeks ago they held their annual Escuelita Biblica, or Vacation Bible School, because school vacations here are in November and December, with the new school year beginning in January. I was grateful to be asked to participate, and the timing was perfect, as it began in the afternoon after my Spanish classes were over. The church is in the middle of a neighborhood, and I loved the idea that the children who lived in the surrounding area could attend even if they weren't church members.

The church had such a great curriculum that they were using - each day was a letter of the word "Jesus" and stood for a word that describes the character of Jesus, such as justice, friendship, service, etc. Each day also had a memory verse and a Bible story about Jesus that were the focus of the day. It was so great to watch the church staff pour into the kids and be a small part of what they were doing. Mostly I was the teacher's aide for the class of 4-7 year olds. They were all super cute (and energetic) and I enjoyed getting to know them and encouraging them daily.

On Saturday the church had an activity where they invited all of the families of the children to come and see a performance and hear what the children had been learning throughout the week. Then we took the children downstairs for a mini-celebration while the gospel was presented to the parents upstairs. A friend of mine's mom accepted Christ as her savior for the first time! It is amazing to me that the Lord can use VBS to call even parents to himself. What a great week. I pray that the seeds that were planted will continue to grow and that the children will continue to have people in their lives who remind them of God's great love for them.

I loved spending the week loving on God's children and am praying for continued opportunities to do so here. There are so many people who need to hear the message of a love that's unconditional. Please pray that I am able to continue to bring that message and for hearts to be receptive to receiving it.

John 15:15-17
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

Español todo el día

"Repite: imprimido" "Imprimido" "No, repite: IMprimido" "Imprimido" "No, eschuche: imprimido" .... there is a 30 second glimpse into the Spanish lessons that I've been having for almost 4 weeks now. I'm *pretty* sure that I repeat exactly what my teacher says, but she doesn't always seem to agree... We've made a lot of progress in these weeks and I'm happy to be able to express myself more clearly - in the past I knew that I was saying things incorrectly, but I didn't know how to phrase them. I still have a long way to go, especially with vocabulary, but I am pleased with the progress we're making and thankful for the opportunity to study so intensely - if it makes ministry here at all easier, it will have been well worth it. I have Spanish tutoring at my house from 8-12, then I usually go for a walk or run, eat lunch, then study again. Lately I've been going to a nearby coffee shop, Cafe San Lucas, to study - it has a bright, open space and a great, cheap latte - which clearly makes studying easier, and more productive. And I just like getting out of my little casita after being cooped up all morning.

Speaking of getting out of the house, I've been trying to drive more places than the Glick's house (a few blocks up the main road) and the grocery store down the block. I drove to Oscar's church, which is about 15 minutes away in Mixco, and then to the nearby mall, Eskala, which also connects to Wal-mart. It is kind of an ordeal because you have to park in a parking garage and pay to get your parking pass stamped, but since I had been before, it went smoothly, and I felt a sense of accomplishment when I returned home with my purchases. I had been in the mood to cook but am not a fan of my gas stove, so I was thinking of a recipe that you don't have to bake, and I came up with Oreo Balls! I was glad to find actual Baker's Chocolate at the Walmart. They came out perfectly and I was happy to share them with the Glicks and with my teacher, none of whom had tried them before!

Oscar, Maria, and I at church

Yum!

Tuesday, November 1st, Guatemalans celebrated All Saints Day. The night before, many spend the night in the cemeteries to pay tribute to family that has passed on, then on the holiday they eat a traditional dish called fiambre and fly kites. I got to try some of the fiambre from a friend of Oscar's - it was good, but interesting...it is kind of a big salad full of TONS of vegetables and meats....and too many beets for my taste. Here is a photo from the internet:

I got to experience a little of the kite-flying too when Oscar helped the neighbor kids make some the next day. They are called 'barriletes' here and are so pretty and fun to fly! There is also a huge kite festival nearby that I found out about too late but wish I could have seen - they make giant kites from tissue paper to represent their heritage. Here is a cool video I found of what goes on there: http://youtu.be/yRjep86xmic . 

Neighbor kids on the roof with barriletes

Oscar took this one. I stayed on the ground.

Each day is a new experience and I'm trying to maximize it all. 

Psalm 118:24

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.