Friday in El Maguey

Friday in El Maguey
This has been the most difficult blog to write, because Friday was such an emotional day. The team awoke and dressed in our team polo shirts for the house blessing ceremonies to be held. Three blessings, three emotional families, three opportunities to praise God for what He has provided. Pastor Gerardo led us in singing, praying, and dedicating the houses as homes for not only the recipients, but also as places for God's love to live and grow. The American team presented each house recipient family with a beautiful handmade cross (thanks, Dave Reed!) a framed certificate giving all glory to God, and three wonderful quilts sewn with love by the women of Carmel Lutheran Church. The services were heartfelt and emotional, and the house recipients had an opportunity to share their feelings at the wonderful gifts that God has given them.. Doña Hermalinda read from Psalms, number 100, to express her joy. Sister Reyna also shared a Bible passage in giving thanks. And Sister Mercy, overwhelmed with emotion, was able to share Psalm 127. Her daughter, Monica, blessed us all by singing in English, "Jesus Loves Me." I guarantee that there was not a dry eye in the house, and some of us (no names, here) were reduced to sobs.
Romiro shared that these houses were Miracles of God numbers 40, 41, and 42 in El Maguey.
The house recipients were gracious and grateful for the hard work of the American team this week, and gave us mementos to bring home with us. Sister Hermalinda saved for weeks to purchase perfumes and colognes for each of us, which we accepted in the love that it was given (and did not comment upon the fact that we must have smelled especially bad to her!). Reyna and Robin presented us with beautiful bracelets (mine looks like it is made of Spree candies!), and Mercy made hand-made fabric bags for each of the women.
There are no words to describe the goodbyes -- we hugged as many children (and adults) as we could, and through our tears wished them God's blessings, and vowed in our hearts that we would see them all again soon.
Bill C. led devotion in the bus on the way to Guatemala City, reading from the Wall Street Journal Christmas Eve edition, an editorial called "In Hoc Anno Domini" which has appeared in the issue of the WSJ preceding Christmas Day since 1949. What a wonderful reminder to us that we are fighting a battle daily to keep God in our hearts and to share His love with others, and as much as the world has changed in the past 60 years, that has not changed at all. In the darkness of our days, there is a light, and that light is Jesus Christ who gave everything to save us all. Bill's devotion reminded us that sharing the truth of The Light should always be our focus and our goal.