Wednesday, January 23, 2013

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 acompaƱia. 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

Monday, January 21, 2013

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

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

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.