Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday in El Maguey
1/27/11
Thursday, the final day of work on the houses, was a little lighter day for us. We started the day with devotion led by Paula, who talked about keeping God as our focus throughout our days, not only when things are difficult, but also when things are going well. She read from the book of Psalms, chapter 127, which reads,
"Unless the Lord builds a house,
its builders labor over it in vain;
unless the Lord watches over a city,
the watchman stays alert in vain."
Electrical work and other finishing touches took place in the houses, and Nicole spent the morning cutting hair for several of the local ladies, kids, and Romiro. We took a trip to Maxi Bodega and picked up snack food in preparation for community movie night at the church, and spent quite a bit of time picking up trash around the church courtyard in anticipation of our event. Bible school was the story of the boy with the loaves and the fishes. We wanted to reinforce to the children that every one of us can help Jesus, if we give what we have with love in our hearts. To remind the children of the power that they have, we made necklaces with two fish beads and five other beads (representing the five loaves). They also made a service coupon offering to help a family member or friend. We ended with parachutes and balls, of course, and we were sad that it was our last day of class. Kids are hard to count, as they are always in motion, but we are pretty sure there were more than seventy kids!
After dinner at the hotel, we packed up and headed back to El Maguey for movie night! We showed our Guatemala 2010 video - a big hit! - and then the feature film, Toy Story. It was fun for us gringos to see the familiar film in Spanish, and the community turned out for the film. More than 100 people packed the church, and based on the applause at the end, I think they all enjoyed the movie. By the way, 100 people out of a town of 900 was pretty great, don't you think?
Thursday, the final day of work on the houses, was a little lighter day for us. We started the day with devotion led by Paula, who talked about keeping God as our focus throughout our days, not only when things are difficult, but also when things are going well. She read from the book of Psalms, chapter 127, which reads,
"Unless the Lord builds a house,
its builders labor over it in vain;
unless the Lord watches over a city,
the watchman stays alert in vain."
Electrical work and other finishing touches took place in the houses, and Nicole spent the morning cutting hair for several of the local ladies, kids, and Romiro. We took a trip to Maxi Bodega and picked up snack food in preparation for community movie night at the church, and spent quite a bit of time picking up trash around the church courtyard in anticipation of our event. Bible school was the story of the boy with the loaves and the fishes. We wanted to reinforce to the children that every one of us can help Jesus, if we give what we have with love in our hearts. To remind the children of the power that they have, we made necklaces with two fish beads and five other beads (representing the five loaves). They also made a service coupon offering to help a family member or friend. We ended with parachutes and balls, of course, and we were sad that it was our last day of class. Kids are hard to count, as they are always in motion, but we are pretty sure there were more than seventy kids!
After dinner at the hotel, we packed up and headed back to El Maguey for movie night! We showed our Guatemala 2010 video - a big hit! - and then the feature film, Toy Story. It was fun for us gringos to see the familiar film in Spanish, and the community turned out for the film. More than 100 people packed the church, and based on the applause at the end, I think they all enjoyed the movie. By the way, 100 people out of a town of 900 was pretty great, don't you think?
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday in El Maguey
1/26/11
Wednesday we started off the morning with devotion led by Larry, who talked about the difficulties he encounters in his industry sharing his faith with non-believers. He shared that the verses that he falls back on to support his faith are those that remind us of God's love. He read from 1 Corinthians, listing what love is and what it is not. We got to work after that, mixing more cement (most of us) and doing more work on the houses. After lunch the women of the group were led by the children to see one of their houses, where the famous Mickey Mouse lives (Mickey is a pet rat). We followed along to the basketball court/ soccer field and played for awhile, and the girls collected bouquets of flowers for us during our walk back to the church. Bible school was the story of the Prodigal Son, and we reinforced the lessons of the previous days (not sure the littlest ones will remember - when I asked if anyone could name one of the fruits of the spirit, one little girl called out "strawberry!"). After talking about how God always forgives, and welcomes us home with open arms, we brought out the kids favorite game - parachutes and beach balls! Wednesday was our night away from official activities, so we all went to our favorite Zacapa restaurant, El Establo, for pizza and cervezas. More photos soon!
Wednesday we started off the morning with devotion led by Larry, who talked about the difficulties he encounters in his industry sharing his faith with non-believers. He shared that the verses that he falls back on to support his faith are those that remind us of God's love. He read from 1 Corinthians, listing what love is and what it is not. We got to work after that, mixing more cement (most of us) and doing more work on the houses. After lunch the women of the group were led by the children to see one of their houses, where the famous Mickey Mouse lives (Mickey is a pet rat). We followed along to the basketball court/ soccer field and played for awhile, and the girls collected bouquets of flowers for us during our walk back to the church. Bible school was the story of the Prodigal Son, and we reinforced the lessons of the previous days (not sure the littlest ones will remember - when I asked if anyone could name one of the fruits of the spirit, one little girl called out "strawberry!"). After talking about how God always forgives, and welcomes us home with open arms, we brought out the kids favorite game - parachutes and beach balls! Wednesday was our night away from official activities, so we all went to our favorite Zacapa restaurant, El Establo, for pizza and cervezas. More photos soon!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
El Maguey - Tuesday
1/25/11
Maurya led devotion this morning, and talked about strength. Sometimes we do not feel strong enough to tackle the tasks we are faced with, or strong enough to respond to God's call to a ministry or a cause. But we are called to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all our strength. We know that it will be difficult, but we can be comforted by several verses in the Bible that remind us that our strength comes from the Lord. Day two of work at the houses can be summed up with one word - CEMENT. We mixed, shoveled, hauled, poured and smoothed cement floors most of the day. We have become familiar with the "nest" method of mixing cement, and our muscles are feeling the burn! After lunch today, half of the group took a trip to Zacapa's version of Wal-Mart, Maxi Bodega. Larry paid $14 for a small bottle of saline solution (note to self, never forget saline solution when traveling to Guatemala!). The rest of us took a stroll down to the rio (river) with several of the kids. The water was a little higher than last year, but still low enough to wade across. It was really beautiful, and watching the kids play was as refreshing as the cool water. The walk back up was a bit tedious, and the kids went off to clean up before bible school while we got things ready at the church. The theme today was The Good Samaritan, and the kids loved watching the Americans act out the story while Karla read from the Bible. The kids had their chance next, and we reinforced the story by reading it again while some of the kids acted it out. It was a bigger group than yesterday, with about 60 kids.
Again after a quick dinner and time to clean up at our hotel, we returned to El Maguey, this time for a cultural presentation by some of the residents. We learned a bit about El Maguey's history and its typical foods, including different types of vegetables, beans, and eggs. We also learned that an industry in El Maguey is rolling cigars called "puras". A few of our team members were able to try their hand at rolling the tobacco, a pretty tricky task. The evening's presentation was a wonderful way to learn more about the traditions and culture of the people of this town, and we all enjoyed it very much.
Maurya led devotion this morning, and talked about strength. Sometimes we do not feel strong enough to tackle the tasks we are faced with, or strong enough to respond to God's call to a ministry or a cause. But we are called to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all our strength. We know that it will be difficult, but we can be comforted by several verses in the Bible that remind us that our strength comes from the Lord. Day two of work at the houses can be summed up with one word - CEMENT. We mixed, shoveled, hauled, poured and smoothed cement floors most of the day. We have become familiar with the "nest" method of mixing cement, and our muscles are feeling the burn! After lunch today, half of the group took a trip to Zacapa's version of Wal-Mart, Maxi Bodega. Larry paid $14 for a small bottle of saline solution (note to self, never forget saline solution when traveling to Guatemala!). The rest of us took a stroll down to the rio (river) with several of the kids. The water was a little higher than last year, but still low enough to wade across. It was really beautiful, and watching the kids play was as refreshing as the cool water. The walk back up was a bit tedious, and the kids went off to clean up before bible school while we got things ready at the church. The theme today was The Good Samaritan, and the kids loved watching the Americans act out the story while Karla read from the Bible. The kids had their chance next, and we reinforced the story by reading it again while some of the kids acted it out. It was a bigger group than yesterday, with about 60 kids.
Again after a quick dinner and time to clean up at our hotel, we returned to El Maguey, this time for a cultural presentation by some of the residents. We learned a bit about El Maguey's history and its typical foods, including different types of vegetables, beans, and eggs. We also learned that an industry in El Maguey is rolling cigars called "puras". A few of our team members were able to try their hand at rolling the tobacco, a pretty tricky task. The evening's presentation was a wonderful way to learn more about the traditions and culture of the people of this town, and we all enjoyed it very much.
First day of work in El Maguey
1/24/11
I don't even know where to begin. JoAnn led devotion this morning, and spoke of the qualities that are required of potential participants in a future mission trip. Among the ones she listed were a willingness to abide by rules, and the willingness to embrace strangers.
After devotion it was time to get to work. The theme for the morning was "sweaty shirts moving dirt" as we needed to add fill dirt to two of the houses. The third house was a little farther along, and Bill C.'s team was hard at work chiseling out the outlets and doorways, and putting the roof on. The lunch was brought to us at the church by Professor Carlos, who will be in charge of feeding us all week. He is the director of the Lutheran school in Zacapa, and the money earned from catering meals actually subsidizes students' tuition. In the afternoon, we kicked off Escuela Biblica (bible school) with The Fruit of the Spirit. The kids enjoyed doing a craft, and each received a scratch and sniff sticker and some tootsie rolls as they left. We hurried back to the hotel to clean up and have dinner, then returned to the church for an adult bible study led by Ron Hart. There was a good turnout of locals, about twenty-five people joined our team in talking about Personal Discipleship. God is truly blessing our time in Guatemala, and we are all enjoying spending time with old friends and making new ones.
I don't even know where to begin. JoAnn led devotion this morning, and spoke of the qualities that are required of potential participants in a future mission trip. Among the ones she listed were a willingness to abide by rules, and the willingness to embrace strangers.
After devotion it was time to get to work. The theme for the morning was "sweaty shirts moving dirt" as we needed to add fill dirt to two of the houses. The third house was a little farther along, and Bill C.'s team was hard at work chiseling out the outlets and doorways, and putting the roof on. The lunch was brought to us at the church by Professor Carlos, who will be in charge of feeding us all week. He is the director of the Lutheran school in Zacapa, and the money earned from catering meals actually subsidizes students' tuition. In the afternoon, we kicked off Escuela Biblica (bible school) with The Fruit of the Spirit. The kids enjoyed doing a craft, and each received a scratch and sniff sticker and some tootsie rolls as they left. We hurried back to the hotel to clean up and have dinner, then returned to the church for an adult bible study led by Ron Hart. There was a good turnout of locals, about twenty-five people joined our team in talking about Personal Discipleship. God is truly blessing our time in Guatemala, and we are all enjoying spending time with old friends and making new ones.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Day 4 - from Antigua to Zacapa
1/23/11
Devotion Saturday evening was led by Tony (aka Antonio). Tony spoke of his word for the year (inspired by KLOVE) which is "service". He read from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 11, which spells out that some of us are called to be ministers, but all are called to serve in some way. Our team has been called to serve in Guatemala, and keeping this verse in mind will help us to remember that we all have a role to play in the Body of Christ.
Last night we had a fancy meal out in Antigua at a restaurant called Don Rodrigo's. A fun time was had by all, as we enjoyed very good food and company and were entertained by native dancers in masks shaking maracas. Several of our team were pulled out onto the dance floor to help with the festivities, and they shook more than their maracas!
This morning we said goodbye to the Lutheran Center. We took our busload up to the cross that sits on a hill overlooking Antigua. What a beautiful location to hold our morning devotion and to have a team photo taken. Our fearless leader, Ron Hart led devotion, talking about John 3:16 and John 3:17. Although many of us are quite familiar with John 3:16, and we see it held up on signs at sporting events, the message of the following verse is equally essential to the Christian faith. Jesus was sent to save the world. This gives us hope when the situations we face seem hopeless; the plan for this messed up world is for redemption, not destruction.
After devotion, we sadly said goodbye to Pastor Steve and Pastor Miguel, who have been such a blessing and inspiration during these first days in Guatemala. We will miss Pastor Steve's warm and welcoming presence and spiritual guidance and Pastor Miguel's unfailing enthusiasm and steadfast faith, but we know they are going forth to continue building up the church and the people they meet.
We left Antigua for a bus ride to Zacapa, where we plan to have lunch at the Lutheran school before checking in to our hotel.
Lunch at the Lutheran school in Zacapa was very nice; the house recipients joined us, and it was a pleasure to meet Dona Hermalinda, Robin and Reina and their daughter Reinita (2), and Mercy and her children Monica and Chriss (11 and 4). We were able to visit the worksites for their homes, which are near the church, Jesus the Good Shepherd. These families are so gracious and thankful for the houses being built for them. After dinner catered in at our hotel, we returned to El Maguey for evening church service, led by Pastor Ared. It was wonderful to see all of the familiar faces this afternoon, and we received many hugs from our brothers and sisters in El Maguey, especially the children. They have grown since we saw them last! They send their love especially to their friends Amy, Shelby, Bob, Stacy, Jason and Milt! We assured them that you all wanted to be here, too, and that you would see them next time. They were happy to be introduced to our new sisters, Paula and JoAnn, who were initiated into the family with a rousing game of Duck, Duck Goose! We are tired but happy, and ready for the challenge of three houses and VBS tomorrow. Love to all reading this blog!
Devotion Saturday evening was led by Tony (aka Antonio). Tony spoke of his word for the year (inspired by KLOVE) which is "service". He read from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 11, which spells out that some of us are called to be ministers, but all are called to serve in some way. Our team has been called to serve in Guatemala, and keeping this verse in mind will help us to remember that we all have a role to play in the Body of Christ.
Last night we had a fancy meal out in Antigua at a restaurant called Don Rodrigo's. A fun time was had by all, as we enjoyed very good food and company and were entertained by native dancers in masks shaking maracas. Several of our team were pulled out onto the dance floor to help with the festivities, and they shook more than their maracas!
This morning we said goodbye to the Lutheran Center. We took our busload up to the cross that sits on a hill overlooking Antigua. What a beautiful location to hold our morning devotion and to have a team photo taken. Our fearless leader, Ron Hart led devotion, talking about John 3:16 and John 3:17. Although many of us are quite familiar with John 3:16, and we see it held up on signs at sporting events, the message of the following verse is equally essential to the Christian faith. Jesus was sent to save the world. This gives us hope when the situations we face seem hopeless; the plan for this messed up world is for redemption, not destruction.
After devotion, we sadly said goodbye to Pastor Steve and Pastor Miguel, who have been such a blessing and inspiration during these first days in Guatemala. We will miss Pastor Steve's warm and welcoming presence and spiritual guidance and Pastor Miguel's unfailing enthusiasm and steadfast faith, but we know they are going forth to continue building up the church and the people they meet.
We left Antigua for a bus ride to Zacapa, where we plan to have lunch at the Lutheran school before checking in to our hotel.
Lunch at the Lutheran school in Zacapa was very nice; the house recipients joined us, and it was a pleasure to meet Dona Hermalinda, Robin and Reina and their daughter Reinita (2), and Mercy and her children Monica and Chriss (11 and 4). We were able to visit the worksites for their homes, which are near the church, Jesus the Good Shepherd. These families are so gracious and thankful for the houses being built for them. After dinner catered in at our hotel, we returned to El Maguey for evening church service, led by Pastor Ared. It was wonderful to see all of the familiar faces this afternoon, and we received many hugs from our brothers and sisters in El Maguey, especially the children. They have grown since we saw them last! They send their love especially to their friends Amy, Shelby, Bob, Stacy, Jason and Milt! We assured them that you all wanted to be here, too, and that you would see them next time. They were happy to be introduced to our new sisters, Paula and JoAnn, who were initiated into the family with a rousing game of Duck, Duck Goose! We are tired but happy, and ready for the challenge of three houses and VBS tomorrow. Love to all reading this blog!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Day 3 - Antigua, Guatemala
1/22/11
I need to try to paint a more poetic picture of our trip... Let me just say that we are surrounded by three volcanos, whose presence is nearly as consistent as the mountains of black refried beans on our plates at every meal. It is very beautiful here. The people are beautiful, too. Last night our group had dinner at the Lutheran Center, and several members of the group ventured out to enjoy some Guatemalan night life.
To quote from a member of this splinter group,
"Last night Tony, Nicole, LD, JoAnn and I went to a bar. A live band played the only two English songs they knew. Creep by Radiohead, There Is by Jason Mraz and a song by Jack Johnson. The Creep song was the last song before we left and part of the chorus goes "I don't belong here". So as we we're getting up, someone said it is time to go, "we don't belong here". It was strange as we were surrounded by teenagers."
We traveled to Santiago this morning for a cultural presentation by some of the women of the town. This is a town of about 1500 people, and is of indigenous origin. The native language is Kachiquel (no idea of the spelling, that is a phonetic approximation), and the women create and sell beautiful textiles and other hand-crafted items. They explained and showed us a traditional offering ritual, which involved burning incense and pouring whiskey and rum, and leaving fruits and vegetables and bread as offerings for a plentiful harvest or other request for prosperity. These women no longer believe in or participate in this activity, but explained that other people of the village still follow this custom. Inside, they showed us a traditional dance, taught us a few words of the native language, showed us how they weave a dried reed called "petate" into mats and fans, showed us the process of drying and grinding coffee, explained the customs surrounding the different textiles and showed how they are painstakingly prepared, taught us how to carry heavy loads balanced on our heads (women) or strapped around our foreheads (men). They even held a marriage ceremony to show us how this is done. As the only married couple of the group, Bill and Maurya were dressed as the traditional bride and groom of Santiago, incense was burned and flower petals were sprinkled, and they once again became hombre and mujer. The entire experience was really informative and fun, and we all learned a lot about the culture of this group of people.
I need to try to paint a more poetic picture of our trip... Let me just say that we are surrounded by three volcanos, whose presence is nearly as consistent as the mountains of black refried beans on our plates at every meal. It is very beautiful here. The people are beautiful, too. Last night our group had dinner at the Lutheran Center, and several members of the group ventured out to enjoy some Guatemalan night life.
To quote from a member of this splinter group,
"Last night Tony, Nicole, LD, JoAnn and I went to a bar. A live band played the only two English songs they knew. Creep by Radiohead, There Is by Jason Mraz and a song by Jack Johnson. The Creep song was the last song before we left and part of the chorus goes "I don't belong here". So as we we're getting up, someone said it is time to go, "we don't belong here". It was strange as we were surrounded by teenagers."
We traveled to Santiago this morning for a cultural presentation by some of the women of the town. This is a town of about 1500 people, and is of indigenous origin. The native language is Kachiquel (no idea of the spelling, that is a phonetic approximation), and the women create and sell beautiful textiles and other hand-crafted items. They explained and showed us a traditional offering ritual, which involved burning incense and pouring whiskey and rum, and leaving fruits and vegetables and bread as offerings for a plentiful harvest or other request for prosperity. These women no longer believe in or participate in this activity, but explained that other people of the village still follow this custom. Inside, they showed us a traditional dance, taught us a few words of the native language, showed us how they weave a dried reed called "petate" into mats and fans, showed us the process of drying and grinding coffee, explained the customs surrounding the different textiles and showed how they are painstakingly prepared, taught us how to carry heavy loads balanced on our heads (women) or strapped around our foreheads (men). They even held a marriage ceremony to show us how this is done. As the only married couple of the group, Bill and Maurya were dressed as the traditional bride and groom of Santiago, incense was burned and flower petals were sprinkled, and they once again became hombre and mujer. The entire experience was really informative and fun, and we all learned a lot about the culture of this group of people.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Day 1 and 2
1/20/2011
Guatemala 2011 team arrived safely in Guatemala city this afternoon, and we met up with our two new teammates, joanne and Paula. Our friends from CALMS met us and loaded us up for a trip to Pollo Campero, a local food chain known for its fried chicken. From there, we traveled down the road a ways to visit El Refugio (the Refuge), which is a shelter for women and children who are escaping domestic violence situations. We had a nice visit, and were moved by the testimony of one of the residents, who is safe in the shelter with her one-year-old son after escaping two abusive relationships. We were saddened to hear that her two daughters, ages 6 and 9, are in the custody of their father in Nicaragua, and she only gets to see the girls once a year. El Refugio offers these women shelter, security, and sustenance while helping them to gain their independence by learning marketable skills. The women make beautiful, unique jewelry out of coffee beans and other kinds of beans, and they also sew aprons using traditional, colorful Guatemalan textiles. We enjoyed spending time there, and Pastor Miguel read from Psalm 37, sharing God's word in a place that is clearly doing God's work. We continued on to Antigua, where we settled into our rooms at the Lutheran Center. After listening to the CALMS director share the ministry's mission, specifically regarding empowering Guatemalans and avoiding creating dependencies, we enjoyed a dinner out together at a restaurant in downtown Antigua. Several of us have commented about how "at home" we feel here. Love to everyone at home, and thank you for your continued prayers!
1/21/11
Hello all! Hoping that our Internet connectivity will remain consistent enough to post updates frequently, but so far it's been a little spotty. This morning we had breakfast and morning devotion at the Lutheran Center. Bill W. spoke about the importance of action, and quoted St. Francis de Assissi, who said, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. The Bible confirms this in 1John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. We are seeing this already; even though most of our team does not speak Spanish, we still are able to share God's love. After devotion, we traveled into downtown Antigua, Jade Factory, bank, lunch, market, and back to the Lutheran Center. Dinner soon! I'll try some photos...
Guatemala 2011 team arrived safely in Guatemala city this afternoon, and we met up with our two new teammates, joanne and Paula. Our friends from CALMS met us and loaded us up for a trip to Pollo Campero, a local food chain known for its fried chicken. From there, we traveled down the road a ways to visit El Refugio (the Refuge), which is a shelter for women and children who are escaping domestic violence situations. We had a nice visit, and were moved by the testimony of one of the residents, who is safe in the shelter with her one-year-old son after escaping two abusive relationships. We were saddened to hear that her two daughters, ages 6 and 9, are in the custody of their father in Nicaragua, and she only gets to see the girls once a year. El Refugio offers these women shelter, security, and sustenance while helping them to gain their independence by learning marketable skills. The women make beautiful, unique jewelry out of coffee beans and other kinds of beans, and they also sew aprons using traditional, colorful Guatemalan textiles. We enjoyed spending time there, and Pastor Miguel read from Psalm 37, sharing God's word in a place that is clearly doing God's work. We continued on to Antigua, where we settled into our rooms at the Lutheran Center. After listening to the CALMS director share the ministry's mission, specifically regarding empowering Guatemalans and avoiding creating dependencies, we enjoyed a dinner out together at a restaurant in downtown Antigua. Several of us have commented about how "at home" we feel here. Love to everyone at home, and thank you for your continued prayers!
1/21/11
Hello all! Hoping that our Internet connectivity will remain consistent enough to post updates frequently, but so far it's been a little spotty. This morning we had breakfast and morning devotion at the Lutheran Center. Bill W. spoke about the importance of action, and quoted St. Francis de Assissi, who said, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. The Bible confirms this in 1John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. We are seeing this already; even though most of our team does not speak Spanish, we still are able to share God's love. After devotion, we traveled into downtown Antigua, Jade Factory, bank, lunch, market, and back to the Lutheran Center. Dinner soon! I'll try some photos...
Monday, January 17, 2011
We're heading back to El Maguey!
This year's mission team is gearing up this week for another trip to Zacapa, Guatemala, to visit our sister town of El Maguey! We are excited to see some familiar faces and also to experience some new adventures. We would appreciate prayers for traveling mercies as we will be flying out of Indianapolis on Thursday morning, January 20th. Good Lord willing, we'll be in Guatemala by lunchtime! Our trip will last ten days, and we'll be on our way home on Saturday evening, January 29th. We will keep you posted about our experiences via this blog -- check back often!
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