Dedication Day:

Dedication Day is typically a highlight of this trip, and today did not disappoint.  Most of us would spend $420 at home without giving it much thought, but for the recipients of these $420 homes, it is a life changing gift. The gratitude and appreciation that they felt towards us was overwhelming.  One mother, who only sees her husband once a month, as he is away earning money to support his family, gave a teary and emotional Prayer of Thanks to God for this Blessing.  There was not a dry eye in the house.  On the other side of La Canoa, the other group's first house was donated to a family that we built for last year.  God humbled us in this moment as this was donated in honor of Duane Door and he was a part of the original building of their first house last year.  Many tears and emotions were shared by all as we know our Brother Duane was smiling down as he continues to be making an impact with the many people of Guatemala, with whom he loved deeply.  Halfway through the day, Josh and I (Ed) took a slight detour to visit a family we blessed from last year.  The warmth and excitement that ensued as we walked in the gate and they recognized us cannot be explained, truly grateful for the fellowship we have through Christ and the work he has called us to do here.  We prayed over them and shared a moment of gratitude as we explained how we had prayed for each other throughout this past year.  I was left in awe as they prayed over me and named my wife.  Just knowing that God was able to use us to plant a seed and that He connects us over time and many miles.  The day wrapped up with several of the Families gathering together to to thank us again and provide each of us with a handmade gift.  While these homes may have been life changing to them, this experience was without a doubt life changing for each of us.  These Families will forever live in our hearts. It was clear the Holy Spirit was blowing through this beautiful and windy village and we were so thankful for everything we were able to experience through God's grace and strength.  We covet your prayers as we travel home and encourage you to continue to keep the people of Guatemala in your prayers throughout the year.

Becky Joy, Ed, and Scott

Tuesday

Today was a day where our group split in two. A majority of the group went to the refuge camp to help paint one of the buildings that had been built for people affected by the volcano eruption two years ago. The rest of the group went to finish up the remaining houses by building the fronts of the houses, the windows, and the doors.

At the crack of dawn a group of four people went down to the school below the mission house to help make breakfast for the kids. This consisted of making eggs, sausage, oranges, beans, and a protein drink. After that, the rest of the group came down and we started passing out the breakfast for the kids in grades kindergarten-8th. The younger kids loved the warm protein drink while the older kids weren't as big of fans. After that we checked out the brand new school that has only been open for two months. We got the privilege of going in the classrooms, answering questions the kids had and participating in classroom activities. Getting to spend time with the kids was a great start for the morning and laid out the footsteps for the day ahead.

We had nine houses to finish up with six people before tomorrow's dedication. When we arrived we had four boys that helped unpack the truck with work supplies for the day ahead. They also followed us around and were willing to help with whatever they could. One thing we were very thankful to God for was that there was a nice breeze that while we were working.

While the first group went to finish up houses the rest of us drove one hour and thirty minutes to the refugee camp. This was located in Escuiuntla. The ride there was unsettling as we wound in and out of the mountains with cliffs on the edges, but God has blessed us with wonderful drivers who got us there safely. Once we got there we talked to Gary Deleon who runs the camp and we were able to ask about the lives of the people living there. The camp consisted of people who's houses and farms had been destroyed by the volcano eruption two years ago. The government funded wooden houses for people to live in while they found them more suitable living conditions. There were four families assigned to each wooden house. After a year of people living there, the government created colorful houses for all the families to live in; however, they still don't have running water or electrical in some houses. Now that the wooden houses aren't in use they are planning on making them a food hall for the school. This is where we come in. We painted the house with teal and green to bring a little happiness to the people of the village. At 1:30 pm, a group of us went to another wooden house that wasn't in use anymore and we conducted Bible school. During Bible school we taught them about the calling of the 12 disciples. Next each grade separated to different rooms and we gave them crafts. The crafts were bracelets that the kids can use to remember the lessons we taught them today. After that a group of us played soccer with a few boys and ended up giving them a brand new ball. Lets just say they were all smiles.

Tomorrow is a very big day for us and the people we have been able to bless. We are all thankful God has given us this opportunity to bless the people of Guatemala.

Monday, February 24,

We started our day out with devotions lead by Tico. He gave us encouragement for the work that we were going to do in the village that day. Tico shared with us how much the pastors appreciated our work in the village.

In the morning a few of us went to the market to shop for house warming gifts. As always we weren't disappointed with the sights, sounds, and smells of the market.

The rest of the group went to the village to work on houses and bless the children with VBS.  All of the houses were coming along nicely, and at VBS, the crowd was small. The kids still loved the story of the lost sheep, and they loved doing a craft. In the village and VBS we had to wrap up early so we could do Food Distribution. For the food distribution we were in Santa Cruz Balanya, which is across the highway from San Jose Chirijuy, which we had served at in February 2017. It was good to see some familiar faces. Emily Vlietstra led the 500 member gathering a heart-felt prayer. The families that we gave food and hygiene kits to were very grateful and would go up and hug you, it was very emotional. We were also grateful to share with them in Gods name.

We are getting ready for a lasagna dinner, fellowship, and a good night of rest

Thanks for the many prayers, they matter so much to everyone and everything that is happening here.

Owen Bennink, Paige TeHennepe, Adam Jager

Sunday February 23, 2020


Today was a day of rest from our job sites. We split up into two groups and went into Antigua. One group started with riding quads, while the other group went to the market to check out the local goods. We joined for lunch at Mono Loco. The weather was extra sunny and hot, it's not common here to wear shorts as Guatemalians are very modest, so we all wore pants as well.

Riding the quads here was different in that we got to experience riding the cobblestone streets for many blocks. We first stopped at a chocolate museum to learn how they make chocolate and buy some for ourselves to enjoy. From there we went two miles uphill on a steep winding path to the top of the mountain. At the top of the mountain was an organic farm to table restaurant. We walked through the gardens to check out the view below.    From the top of the mountain, we could see Fuego, a semi dormant volcano that spews steam every couple of minutes.

In the market we learned how to bargain for local handy crafts. There were many beautiful textiles, hand made items and creative souvenirs.

Back at the mission house after our dinner we gathered for worship time. We were able to hear a testimony from Kirk, the missionary here in Guatemala that helps coordinate mission work in the area. He moved here 18 years ago from Oklahoma when he felt God's calling. After speaking he answered some questions about how the local village pastors use the gift of the new houses to connect with those in need while sharing the faith.

It was a great day of rest and learning about other cultures.  Looking forward to tomorrow!


by Katie Koster, Emily Vlietstra, Rob DeKock

After breakfast before heading into the village to pick up where we left off yesterday, as a full team went to experience the true reality of the life here in Guatemala.  We visited the local waste disposal area a.k.a the dump.  In the world we live in you could never imagine families living inside an area like this.  But the reality is, it is a real thing.  We went and spent time with the families there, passing out sandwiches, juice, chips and other snack items.  There was even small impromptu football/soccer game with the kids.  It was amazing to see such love, acceptance and happiness from the families there without having anything or knowing when or what their next meal might be.  Because they must salvage from the mounds of items other people have disregarded to find just that.  God bless these people, may their happiness and smiles never fade.  Also may He help us take away from this experience that happiness is not about material possessions, it comes from inside the heart, the mind, and most importantly your faith.
Chris Biggs

After going to the dump, we went back into the village and continued working on the houses we had started the day before. After lunch, a small group of us went to the local church to host Vacation Bible School, VBS. This was a really cool experience because we have the opportunity to work in the same village as last year, so we had the chance to see some of the friends we made, and check up on them. Lots of the kids from last year came back to VBS, and when they saw those they recognized, their faces lit up, and the biggest smiles formed on their faces. For our story, Josh, our translator, used those of us from the group as actors in his "skit," and told the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. We bought 5 little rolls, and we used the bead fish as the props, and the kids got really into it, and really seemed to enjoy it. After the story part was done, we did a craft and colored with them. Once the scheduled part was done, we took the outside with soccer balls and jump ropes, which they loved. After playing with the kids for about an hour, it was time to pack up. After many hugs, and many "see you laters" we piled back into the van to meet the rest of our team and head back to the mission house. Overall it was a great day, and we can't wait to go back and see the kids on Monday.
Becky Hendriksma

What a great day in Guatemala!  Honestly everyday spent here is a great day.  God shows up here around every corner, in the midst of moments spent in worship, van rides, building houses, playing with little ones and relaxing after dinner.  It isn't that God isn't present everywhere else.  It isn't that grace is less in days spent in Grand Rapids, or Detroit or Northwest Ohio.  Every person that made the choice to spend a week in this small community also, maybe unknowingly, made the choice to be more aware of the presence, mercy, justice, and heart of God.  We could see Jesus in the eyes of the mothers at the landfill this morning, we could hear him in the voices of the twenty or so kids who hung around our building sites all morning, and we could feel him in the hugs grateful recipients of His grace and love coming from us.  The mountains are beautiful, the roads winding, and the fellowship is great, but God's plan wasn't to bless us with those things along.  He wants in, he wants more, he wants us.  No matter how much we serve we can never out do God.  As much as we love we can never love others as much as he does.  As much as we receive we will never be able to translate the amazingness of God's grace to people better that he can himself.  We are thankful and overly blessed to be here, to be used and to be made ever more aware of God's grace.
Jamie DeVries

    Happy Friday from Guatemala! This morning our devotions addressed our theme this week which is "Run Your Race" based on Hebrews 12:1. Ryan talked about running our own race as we run this weeks race together. He encouraged us to uplift each other in prayer and to encourage one another to step out of our comfort zones throughout the week.
    We got to drive on the new bypass that was being constructed for many years which made our travel time to the village much quicker. The village we were heading to was La Canoa, the same village we worked in last year. This made many who were here last year excited to meet with some of the families we connected with last year.
    The team divided into three separate groups and went to three different work sites throughout the village. The first day is always challenging trying to remember the building process correctly. Once we started to remember the holes were dug, the posts were set, and things started to roll a lot better. Once we got to the second house it was like old hat. Today we were able to get three houses ready for concrete and three houses ready for steel.  The families are so grateful, we had some of the village teenagers help dig some holes and they were awesome and super fast. One young man was so fast digging the holes we couldn't set poles or get more holes marked out quick enough. Great problem to have for sure and what a blessing to have them work with us on their homes.  We also had a "first time" thing happen today, one of the crews, we won't mention who (Ed Taylor) hit a grey water line while digging a hole for one of the posts.  Fortunately it was just grey water and not a sewer pipe, Ed got right on being a plumber and fixed it up.  Nice work Ed Taylor you are the man!!
    After lunch we hosted a vacation bible school at the local church. Around 50 kids came to hear a bible story and make some crafts. They were very respectful and excited to come spend time with us. After our story and crafts we played some street soccer and had a blast jumping rope. It was hard to say goodbye at the end of the day after having so much fun and making so many new friends. We're blessed to be here and please continue to pray for the team throughout the week.

Bill Fennema
Maci VanderLaan
Kris DeKock
   
   

Safe Arrival

Hello from Guatemala!  It was a long travel day - we are thankful for safe travels and for answered prayer.   As I type this update, most people are wandering to bed at 8:30 pm local time, seeking some much-needed sleep and looking forward to waking up to begin learning what God has in store for us as He works through us.   Thank you for your prayers!

Ryan