It's Wednesday night and it's already time to start getting ready for our departure. It's amazing how fast this week has gone by. Tuesday was a very busy day. One crew finished up the fronts of the houses while another went to the seminary to help with maintenance items. A third crew went to the orphanage were we were able to love on the children. We all got attached to the children and had a very hard time saying goodbye to the forty-five amazing children and babies we were blessed to get to know. When that was completed the teams got together at the same church that on Saturday the eye clinic was held at for the food distribution. When the trucks arrived nearly an hour and a half prior to distribution time there were already people lining the streets waiting for us. When the big truck delivering the food arrived we had only about ten minutes to unload and organize everything in the church. It was amazing to witness the grateful faces of the 150 families that came through. We were truly blessed by the families that we were able to serve. On Wednesday after an amazing breakfast we headed out to the construction sites to dedicate the homes to the families. It was wonderful to pray with the families. Most indicated they were active in a church and knew Jesus as their personal savior. We had made many friends during the time we had spent constructing the houses and knew most of the peoples names. It was very happy time and at the same time a sad time knowing that we may not see them again. God has truly blessed all of our families in the past week and know that their and our lives will be changed forever. We are all looking forward to seeing our friends and families back at home. Keep us in your prayers. Yours in Christ, Jerry and Toni Deemter

Tuesday in Guatemala...

Hola to all from Guatemala! We all had a busy and fun-filled day today, as they all have been. We started our morning with devotions by Randy Ellens, reminding us to trust God in all we do, and why is this so easy to do in Guatemala, yet so hard to do at home? We discussed many reasons...too busy, scared of what God may want us to do and our tendency to give up. We also discussed how important it is to walk beside our fellow Christian brothers and sisters, encouraging them in love, so we can really trust God and expect miracles. Mike and I spend the day at the orphanage today and were blessed with 40-something miracles! What a joy there were and what a blessing that orphanage is! I was amazed at how smoothly and efficiently everything was run. We all got our "baby fix" and were able to hold, snuggle and love so many little ones. One little boy was going to his forever home today! His dad was coming to pick him up today from Chicago. He was so excited, he got a fresh haircut,bathed, new clean clothes and he even got to pick out the best shoes! God is good and we pray that he will adapt well to his new home and parents. The other group went to do work at the seminary today as well as working on finishing up the last of the houses, just a few more things to do tomorrow and 15 families will have a new home! I spent a good amount of time on one of the sites, visiting with the family and helping too. Though they have so little, they are so full of joy, laughing, playing, eager to show us what they have and share whatever they could as well. They gave us some kind of fruit (we have yet to figure out what it was,) and said dulce (?sp--sweet), Tonya gave them all Tootsie pops in return, dulce! And finally, tonight we had a chance to participate in the food distribution. I learned that 150 people will have enough supplies to last a month, many supplies they may not even normally buy because it is too expensive. God is so good! I pray that he will deeply bless these families and that we can continue to shine HIS light through us in our last day...we pray that light will continue to shine for many more years to come, long after we're gone. Beth DeVries

market day for housewarming gifts

Today broke fresh and clear with beautiful sunshine and a mild breeze. A group of us left early for the local market to shop for items needed for the gift baskets given to each family who receive a new house. The local market in Chimaltinango lacks the tourist feel and looks very authentic, which it is. This is where the people shop on any day for their usual needs - food, clothing, housewares, flowers, etc. The contrasts in Guatemala are striking. The dirt, dust, and refuse are everywhere, yet the colors of the textiles, fresh produce, and flowers are right there alongside it all. The women are especially colorful, combining many patterns and colors on every piece of clothing. It would have been wonderful to take a camera around the market and take photos of the coloful people, produce, chickens, and chicken busses that crowd the streets and market stalls. We stand out in this market and the locals do not appreciate photographs being taken of them in this environment, and we want to show respect and avoid any offense. Items purchased included large and small buckets and baskets, brooms, and cleaning products. Added to this is a blanket, towels, Bibles, lace curtains, and hygiene items such as shampoo, toothpaste and brushes, soap, and combs. We are looking forward to presenting these items Wednesday at the dedication ceremonies at each of the 15 houses built through God's help. We have been changed to bring change, and blessed to be a blessing.

It was another exciting day here in Guatemala. We began the day with a quick meeting to explain our day. We were then challenged to take the opportunity to step out in faith and do something out of our comfort zone.We then traveled to Lake Atilan and went ziplining. Out of the 42 people who went along, 35 went ziplining. They all were very excited about the experience and had a great time. Included in that group was Adonis and Carlomindo, our brothers from our sister church in Honduras. They were a bit apprehensive at first, but did enjoy the opportunity to "step out in faith". On our return trip we stopped for an incredible dinner at a roadside resturant. We also did a little shopping for good measure. I personally did not think a zipline ride was necesary, the van ride was enough excitment for one day. We capped our day with an awesome "church service" with a lot of great singing and then heard Mike talk about how we needed to work as a true body. He said it was very important that we all used our gifts because we are all important. John King then gave an update on a local church that one of our teams had done a food distribution for last year. It was done in an open field because they had no church building at that time. They did not know when they would be able to build the church because they had no money and no idea when they would get any. A boy came up to the pastor that night and tld him the church would be worshippng in their church in three months. Through a series of miraculous events and a work team several months later, the boy was correct. God is good. Casper Guystefur, our missionary from Honduras then told of how God had taken him for a walk that hadbeen going on for more than 30 years. He had never envisioned himself as a missionary when he got out of high school in Canada. His vision had been to drink beer, have a nice car, and a nice looking girl by his side. God then tapped him on his shoulder and said, "Go with me to Africa." His dad sponsered the trip and now thirty-some years later he has been on the missionfield all that time. He still does not know how it all happened. He then challenged each of us to "Take a walk with God." It was a lot of food for thought. The Moline CRC part of the group then met for a few moments with Capser, Adonis, and Carlomindo andd they read a letter from their congregation thanking the Moline CRC for becoming their sister church and for all we had done for them. They also committed to praying for us and hoped that they would be able to make it up to Moline Love in June. We then prayed for them and said our goodbyes as they would be leaving for home very early tomorrow. All in all, it wa another awesome day. It is always hard to imagine that the next day will be as good as the day before, but God is good. Randy Ellens

Day 2, Saturday

Greetings from Guatemala with our mountainside view of a volcano! Today we ran the first ever eye clinic for the team. We were hosted by a pastor in the village that we are constructing the houses in and the location was perfect. We had so many unknowns and uncertainties, and God has provided in abundant ways! We saw about 45 people, and were able to help almost everyone and were able to show compassion and understanding to all. Overall, it was a sucess and we were glad to be able to serve in this capacity. Jeff and Laura Kenyon

Friday - 1st day in the village

Today we woke up to a wonderful sunrise and great breakfast. At devotions we were asked to think about 2 things: 1. What was our motivation for coming on this trip? 2. Why are we here? I still haven't figured either one of these out yet but hope to by the end of the week. We went to the village today to begin building and Bible school. It was amazing to me, someone who has never been out of the United States, how different life is in other parts of the world. What is considered a house here seems to me less than I would use for a shed. The people we were building for were very happy to see us and even eager in some cases to help with the building. We got 6 houses finished and three we even got cement done in. I got to work on the building team and really had fun. The people in our group are a great bunch to hang out with and work with. The Bible school team did 2 sessions. They had about 25 preschoolers in the first group and even more in the second group. They had a lot of fun with the kids and the kids seemed to have a great time also. While we were finishing up we got a downpour, after being told by people who have been here before that it never rains in Guatemala. While it was raining some of the teenagers went into the house of some of the Bible school kids and played a game with them. They think it was a variation of "Ring Around the Rosey." Kristy H

Guatemala 2013 - February 21 - Travels

Hello to everyone back in the states! We hope your day was less taxing and tiring than ours was. For the most part, we had very smooth travels, but there were definite kinks that occurred. I, Madi, suffered a personal loss when going through security. I was supposed to bring two tubs of peanut butter to my pregnant sister, but they apparently needed to be part of the "checked" luggage. I thoroughly remember the last time that peanut butter blew up a plane. It was awful. Our plane from Chicago to Houston took off about 40 minutes later due to maintenance issues, overbooking, and all that great jazz. Because of this, our connection flight from Houston to Guatemala City was delayed a smidge as well. We also lost three suitcases in the process, so please pray that those are recovered. They contain some devotional plans, PJ's (Pastor John's) socks & shoes, and other important items. Despite the loss of time and highly valued peanut butter, we are all grateful to be here safe and sound! We enjoyed a phenomenal meal of chicken, pizza, and ice cream at the classic Pollo Campero (which means chicken camp for all you American speakers). Thanks again for all your prayers! We will need them as we venture out to the villages tomorrow!

Wednesday

I didn’t sleep much last night and I think it’s because I was so excited, nervous, sad, anxious, etc for today. It was a very big day filled with many emotions. As a first-timer the others were trying to give me an idea of what the day would be like but I knew I had to experience it to truly get the most out of it. And really, there’s not much that could’ve prepared me. We started off the day with a group picture from the roof of the Mission House in front of our amazing view. After we sang our hearts out we had a slightly different Bible study. This morning we reflected on the whole week, both for the new and experienced Missionaries. We talked about what we would miss. I had an idea of the things I would miss about this journey – the children, their smiles, their trust in me, their friendship, their interest in my iPhone and all the photos and videos on it, their hugs, holding their hands as we walked from casa a casa, having actual conversations with them in Spanish, the locals, watching the families take care of their everyday chores to create the best living situation possible, the unity among our team to come together and build a safe home for our new friends, the laughs throughout the day, reading from the Bible together as the sun came up….and so much more. A major part of our discussion was about how we can keep this feeling we’ve been experiencing all week – the connection with God, feeling so much closer to Him through our acts of service here so far away from home. We have to realize that we can share God’s love and serve our brothers and sisters from anywhere at any time and that we have to take time out of our ‘busy’ lives to do so. It starts with us – we need to continue to improve ourselves and our relationship with God and continue this work (in its many forms) every day. Today we were able to dedicate the houses to the families. I watched a local minister present a new Bible to the family in the most beautiful way. He told the families that the Bible and the house were a gift – but they didn’t compare to the love and blessings they would receive within the scripture. We blessed their new home and prayed that Christ would be with them always and hoped they accepted Him within their hearts. They also received a prayer shawl and an audio version of the Bible with a solar charger along with a whole bucket full of household cleaning supplies, clothes, towels and blankets. I’ll never forget the feeling I had when I saw Consuelo praying, thanking and crying as we prayed with her and presented this beautiful gift to her. It was more powerful than anything I had ever experienced. Honest, true faith in everyone’s hearts. I looked at the houses- I nailed that nail and Linda dug that hole and Shawn drilled that screw into the wall and Dellan measured the house and Ron made sure it was square and Stacy taught me how to build that door and Samuel made sure we built to his expectations. How did I even get here? God led me here. We repeated the dedications at the rest of the houses. The other location that really stood out in my mind was the young mother of two who said she had not accepted Christ. She then explained that she used to be a believer but took a different turn in life that led her to drugs and prostitution. Meeting her husband turned her life for the better but because of her past she didn’t think she was worthy of God’s love and wasn’t ready to accept Christ back into her life. We prayed with her again, this time each of us reaching out to her so that we were all as one speaking to the Lord and letting her hear that whenever she was ready to accept Him in her life He would be ready with open arms. She was very touched by this and I just hope she continues to read her Bible and find her relationship with God again. You can see it in her. Poor Emily took a spill today during a dedication just as a family was accepting Christ into their lives. I think the sun was too hot and we were forgetting to drink enough water that the heat got to her. Thankfully we had a very knowledgeable crew to attend to her and get her back up and smiling. :) When the dedications were over we sat in the street and ate our lunch as the children began their usual swarm around us. Donna printed off the family photos and I helped distribute them to the families – it’s nice to be needed as a translator, too. We eventually had to say goodbye to all the children and families. That was the most difficult part for me. All my new little amigos came running for hugs. Many of them told me to remember them and to visit them the next time I come to Guatemala. Saying goodbye to all these little hearts and hands that I had come so close to was more difficult than I could’ve known. I hope I made as much of an impact on their life as they did mine. Shopping for boots was a fun way to distract from the heartache of leaving the village. But I still leave knowing I have to come back. Que lo dios los acompañia. Love, Jess :)

Tuesday, January 22 Today we had two groups work at different places, the village in Alotenengo and the orphanage. I went with the group to the village. We finished the siding on the front of the houses, which also included putting in the door and window. While some worked on finishing all of the houses, others played with the many kids throughout the village. There were a group of kids that followed us from house to house playing games such as memory, jump rope, and catch. Though, it seemed like their favorite game is sneaking up from behind and tickling us. We left the village with many happy kids leaving behind plenty of toys, bracelets, and headbands for them to keep. After, we drove to a different part of the village to visit some of the families that had houses built for them last year. We were happy to see that the family was doing very well and the house looked nicely maintained. Once we got back to the mission house a small group of people went on a tour of the coffee farm. Paul, the owner of the farm and land, led us around showing us the plants and the coffee making process. He also showed us his garden full of Guatemalan plants, including orchids, banana trees, avocado trees, sugar cane, orange trees, and many colorful flowers. By the end of the tour it had become dark and we ended the night with dinner. The other group that went to the orphanage finished the concrete from the work they started last Saturday. The rest spent time with the babies and children. -Kara Berghuis

Sunday

Greetings from Guatemala, After a brief time of prayer to start the day, we left the mission house for our “ off “ day. We loaded up into the 3 vans and headed to a nature preserve by Lake Atitlan. Other than the amazing scenery, the preserve offers a world-class zip line which many people enjoyed. After a brief ( and always delicious ) lunch, we made a brief trip into the village of Panajachel for a couple hours of shopping in the village market. What incredible and beautiful things the villagers make! They have an amazing amount of color and pride in their work and that can be seen in almost all things that were purchased today. To end the trip, we were treated to an authentic Guatemalan meal. The food was sensational and we were treated with wonderful hospitality. Back at the mission house, we closed the day with singing and a time of devotions. We were challenged to confront how pride is personally keeping each of us from serving and enjoying God and each other. What great things can the Holy Spirit accomplish through us – both here in Guatemala and everywhere we are- when we put ourselves aside and strive to be more like Jesus. We all have much to look forward to with this in mind! Thanks for all your continued prayers. Adam and Autumn Jager

Saturday,January 19, 2013

Hello to everyone back home who is following journey and praying for our team. We started our day out with devotions and praise time before heading out for our day in the village. There is no better way to start the day than to look out the window of our "home" during devotions and see the sun peaking over the mountains. We spent the day building and have two and a half houses left to build. We are working toward the bottom of the village in direct view of the volcano. Standing there at the job site looking across at the volcano and rolling hills of farm land you can't help but stand in awe of God's amazing creation and beauty. Sometimes I wonder if the people of Guatemala appreciate the beauty of their countryside or if they see it as an obstacle. We had the privilege of building a house for a family that had 7 children. This family was very gracious and friendly and did what they could to provide for our needs, such as bring out a table to us to place our backpacks on and letting us use their bathroom......it's those little things that make you greatful! On of our vans went to the Orphanage,Love the Child to do some excavating work to prepare for new cement area off the back of the building. Hopefully they will be going back on Tuesday to pour the cement. Thank you for the continued prayers. Randy and Michelle Bosse

Friday, January 18, 2013

Sorry for the late post. We have been experiencing internet problems. We arrived safely yesterday. All our travels went very smoothly and our luggage angel once again helped us get through customs without a hitch. We are working in the same village as last just in a different area quite a ways from where we were last year. However, within minutes of arriving a family we had come to know last year had found us already. They were friends of a family we had worked for last year and we will be building a house for them this year. This family knows my little friend Miguel and promised to have Miguel at their building site tomorrow. So glad I brought some special things for him. The building went well today with several houses ready for concrete and three houses have the concrete done already. Tomorrow we will have an opportunity to help out with a local church and their community Bible school program. We are busy working on adjusting our supplies as we are expecting a possible 100 children in the afternoon. It promises to be an exciting afternoon. Thank you to everyone back home who is so faithfully praying for us. Please keep praying for everyone to stay healthy, to stay safe, we did have a couple of minor incidents today nothing serious. Also, pray for our team to continue bonding together so we can be united as a body as we serve the people of Guatemala all for the glory of God.