Dedication Day

We started with devotions on the rooftop today, it was a beautiful morning to begin our day reading God's word and singing His praises to prepare for the day ahead of us.  Today is a day devoted to dedicating the homes to their new owners.  Upon arrival to the village, we split into two groups and began walking to different sections of the village to dedicate the homes we built.  Each home built was sponsored by a family, business, or individual from home and was selected to be dedicated by a specific team member based on the connections made throughout the week.  The teams arrived at the new homes that were beautifully decorated with balloons and pine needles that signified a celebration of happiness and gratefulness.  The dedication process is special for both the families receiving a new home as well as our team members.  We were given the opportunity to participate by blessing each family and home with the help of a translator as well as handing them their Bible's (children's Bible, adult Bible, and solar-powered audio Bible) and other house-warming gifts.  It was very gratifying to learn that all the families we built homes for were Christian's, and tears were shared as we recognized our oneness in Christ.  Additionally, we were able to dedicate the homes alongside three elders of the church who had taken the week off of work to help us build these homes.  The elders were able to challenge the homeowners to always make Christ the center of their home and family.  We closed each dedication with prayer over the family and home, sang the Doxology in Spanish, and ended the celebration with a bang - firecrackers! 

We ended our day back at the mission house with singing and group sharing.  Many of the experiences and stories shared reflected back on our theme from Matthew 28:19 (The Great Commission).  There were so many moments this week that we felt God's leading, strength, and protection in the work we did and the relationships we built.  He is God all the time, whether we are at home or in Guatemala.

Mary Westhouse

Bill Fennema

Jessie Kool

Zach DeKock