Sunday, August 15, 2010
Our Last Day
Today we left Huehuetenango for a little bit of R&R before returning home. Our travels took us to the city of Reu (for short). Our original plans were that we were going to spent the afternoon at a waterpark after checking into the hotel around 2pm.. However, after some discussion and a lot more heavy rains, not to mention that the park closed at 5 and we had to be there no later than 3, we opted to spend the afternoon at the hotel. This hotel is equipped with a nice pool and many in the group spent some time cooling off in the rain and water. It was an enjoyable afternoon. This evening we headed out to our final dinner as a team at a very nice local restuarant. Our pasta dishes were individually prepared for each of us. During the dinner we were entertained by wonderful mariachi band. We returned back around 9:30 and Ally and Ashley closed the night with devotions. Please pray for us as we travel back to the city tomorrow (about 3 hours) and head back to the states. Please also pray for comfort in our hearts as we adjust back to "normal" life. We all feel truly blessed for the wonderful week we had. God is truly awesome and we thank Him for the many blessings he has bestowed on us throughout this week.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
The Final Frontier
The day we least look forward to has arrived. After breakfast and devotions we headed off for our final day at the orphanage. We finished the floor in the boys dorm, but unfortunately the other boys kitchen was not far enough along for us to be able to tile it. The others finished sorting shoes, and wrapping up the painting, which turned out incredible.
Following lunch it was back to the orphanage for free time with the kids. A local pastor stopped in today and we were able to witness 10 of the kids be baptized. Even at their young age and the situations they never hesitated in answering that they were ready to give their lives to God. Right after that we had a rather insane water balloon fight, followed by a special going away program put together by the kids. After some great entertainment we cooked supper for the kids. What a feast that turned out to be! Fireworks once again preceded the tearful goodbye's. Even though this is my fourth time the leaving is never easy, but we thank the Lord for the week he has blessed us with, the friendships that were made, the lives that are forever effected, and the memories never to be forgotten.
Following lunch it was back to the orphanage for free time with the kids. A local pastor stopped in today and we were able to witness 10 of the kids be baptized. Even at their young age and the situations they never hesitated in answering that they were ready to give their lives to God. Right after that we had a rather insane water balloon fight, followed by a special going away program put together by the kids. After some great entertainment we cooked supper for the kids. What a feast that turned out to be! Fireworks once again preceded the tearful goodbye's. Even though this is my fourth time the leaving is never easy, but we thank the Lord for the week he has blessed us with, the friendships that were made, the lives that are forever effected, and the memories never to be forgotten.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Day Before Good Bye
Another long amazing day at the orphanage. (NOT TO MENTION BRAD'S BIRTHDAY:)
Work projects continued from yesturday with more painting and we were also able to lay all the tile today. We will hopefully wrap up everything tomorrow by putting the finishing details on the wall outside of the orphanage and an area by the kitchen. We will also finish the floor in the older boys' new room by grouting the tile we layed today. Im sure we will have pictures either on here or for sure on the slide show.
VBS was interrupted today by an incredible amount of rain. No one could really do anything besides watch the amount of water that was falling AND not going anywhere....And with such a rare opportunity there was only one thing missing, FOOTBALL!! The court was flooded on one side but that just made everything that much more fun. The boys played through the rain and gave everybody standing around more to watch then just the rain...Unfortunately the drains were clogged and some of the rooms and storage rooms were starting to flood. With some quick thinking and a pile of kids clothes we were able to make a dam to block the water from entering the rooms. The drains were eventually unclogged and everything drained back to normal. Over all, it was quite a sight to see.
After dinner we returned one last time for the night for the black light hands presentation and another fire. The black light hands group did awesome and the kids really enjoyed it. The kids enjoyed the fire as well, eating as many marshmellows and mini sausages as they possibly could. There would be 10 different kids all gathered around the same medium sized fire trying to find room to cook their food. Tonight was a nice time to relax with the kids and listen to them sing around the fire. You couldn't ask for a much better time with some of your best friends!
As for me and I think most in the group, there were some mixed feelings saying good-bye tonight. Some of the kids weren't sure if this was the last night we were there or not. At least for tonight we could reassure them that we would see them tomorrow and we could spend one more full day with them, but it made me realize that tomorrow night we aren't going to be able to say those reassuring words to them. Sure we might be able to say that we might see them next year, but a few of us had a hard wake up call this year that some of "our kids" from last year are no longer there. You never know what one year will bring and it makes it extremely hard to say good bye.
Tomarrow is going to be hard and your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated! As for now, it's time for bed!! Buenos noches!
Work projects continued from yesturday with more painting and we were also able to lay all the tile today. We will hopefully wrap up everything tomorrow by putting the finishing details on the wall outside of the orphanage and an area by the kitchen. We will also finish the floor in the older boys' new room by grouting the tile we layed today. Im sure we will have pictures either on here or for sure on the slide show.
VBS was interrupted today by an incredible amount of rain. No one could really do anything besides watch the amount of water that was falling AND not going anywhere....And with such a rare opportunity there was only one thing missing, FOOTBALL!! The court was flooded on one side but that just made everything that much more fun. The boys played through the rain and gave everybody standing around more to watch then just the rain...Unfortunately the drains were clogged and some of the rooms and storage rooms were starting to flood. With some quick thinking and a pile of kids clothes we were able to make a dam to block the water from entering the rooms. The drains were eventually unclogged and everything drained back to normal. Over all, it was quite a sight to see.
After dinner we returned one last time for the night for the black light hands presentation and another fire. The black light hands group did awesome and the kids really enjoyed it. The kids enjoyed the fire as well, eating as many marshmellows and mini sausages as they possibly could. There would be 10 different kids all gathered around the same medium sized fire trying to find room to cook their food. Tonight was a nice time to relax with the kids and listen to them sing around the fire. You couldn't ask for a much better time with some of your best friends!
As for me and I think most in the group, there were some mixed feelings saying good-bye tonight. Some of the kids weren't sure if this was the last night we were there or not. At least for tonight we could reassure them that we would see them tomorrow and we could spend one more full day with them, but it made me realize that tomorrow night we aren't going to be able to say those reassuring words to them. Sure we might be able to say that we might see them next year, but a few of us had a hard wake up call this year that some of "our kids" from last year are no longer there. You never know what one year will bring and it makes it extremely hard to say good bye.
Tomarrow is going to be hard and your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated! As for now, it's time for bed!! Buenos noches!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Early Morning, Late night
Hard to believe that we are halfway through the week already! We started the day serving the kids breakfast. It's an early wake up call, but well worth it. After breakfast it was back to our projects. The one floor is now prepped and ready for the tile, the other room is still having electrical installed but we hope to still get that done as well. The water purifier is installed and according to six of us, functioning great. The mountain of clothes is officially conquered and tomorrow on to the shoes. The painting crew finished the base coat on the front wall and begun work on the new design that looks really neat. As we write this, we have just gotten back from supper, where we still proved the effectiveness of the telephone game, and are practicing our black light hands routines. God is a great and awesome God as he has shown us all week. From watching the sun rise over the the mountains behind the orphanage,the thunderstorms this afternoon, to the incredible moments with the kids in between, his power shows through everything around us.
From Breakfast to Veggie Tales
It's hard to believe that another day is gone! It started like all the others with a delicious breakfast buffet at the hotel. Devotions followed thanks to Emily and Jesse. We arrived at the orphanage all well rested and stuffed full of food eager to continue on with work projects. After a second morning out to numerous little shops Bruce hopes we know have all the needed supplies to complete the remainder of the projects. The clothes pile is slowly dwindling especially after a group effort to knock down the pile. About 15-20 of us folded clothes for about an hour to an hour and a half. This made a huge dent in the pile. The painting of the wall outside the kitchen has been completed, along with the boys dorm and the outside wall where we laid the sidewalk last year. The front mural is underway. They were able to get the wall pretty much covered in blue with only some touch up to do. Tomorrow they will finish the blue and chalk on the design. Henry, Chase and Rob spent the morning trying to improve ground around the boys area. They filled many holes with gravel and tried to clean up and improve the drainage a bit. Many others helped with the children and in the kitchen.
We stayed at the orphanage for lunch today. It was amazing to see these little kids eat 4+ pieces of pizza and some ate way more than that!! After a short break we held VBS for the children. Our theme for today was love and our story was about Abraham and Isaac. The children had a lot of fun making their shirt designs out of foam sheets and stickers. Tomorrow we will be painting them and printing them on t-shirts.
After dinner we returned to the orphanage for a night of movies and popcorn. Glenn and Nancy brought along the slide shows from our last two years at Fundacion Salvacion thinking the kids would love to see themselves over the years. They did until the projector acted up and we had to stop the slideshow. We happened to bring along a Veggie Tales movie just in case....there's nothing like Larry and Bob in Spanish!
We ended the day with devotions from Angie and Laura at about 9:45. Tomorrow we will be up early (we will be leaving at 4:45) to cook breakfast for the children. Please pray for us as we have a long day ahead of us. Many of the kids at the orphanage have colds right now and a couple in the group are starting to have sore throats. Please pray that it doesn't get any worse.
Finally, we will try and do a picture post tomorrow during lunch so all of you back home can see a bit of what is happening here. Good night and God bless.
We stayed at the orphanage for lunch today. It was amazing to see these little kids eat 4+ pieces of pizza and some ate way more than that!! After a short break we held VBS for the children. Our theme for today was love and our story was about Abraham and Isaac. The children had a lot of fun making their shirt designs out of foam sheets and stickers. Tomorrow we will be painting them and printing them on t-shirts.
After dinner we returned to the orphanage for a night of movies and popcorn. Glenn and Nancy brought along the slide shows from our last two years at Fundacion Salvacion thinking the kids would love to see themselves over the years. They did until the projector acted up and we had to stop the slideshow. We happened to bring along a Veggie Tales movie just in case....there's nothing like Larry and Bob in Spanish!
We ended the day with devotions from Angie and Laura at about 9:45. Tomorrow we will be up early (we will be leaving at 4:45) to cook breakfast for the children. Please pray for us as we have a long day ahead of us. Many of the kids at the orphanage have colds right now and a couple in the group are starting to have sore throats. Please pray that it doesn't get any worse.
Finally, we will try and do a picture post tomorrow during lunch so all of you back home can see a bit of what is happening here. Good night and God bless.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Day 2 at the orphanage
Sorry for the short and sweet blog tonight but it is getting late and we all need our rest. This morning we started out the day with devos from terri and alice. This year our work projects... unlike in years past with there being one primary job, this year we have quite a few little ones. They consist of the following: tiling, painting murals, organizing the storage room which has turned out to be a huge undertaking with the mountains of unfolded clothes. Bruce and Mike went right away this morning and started gathering our materials from around town. Tomorrow we plan on getting to work with the murals and tile now that we have the brad, ally, and antonio here with our group. After lunch we went back to the orphange and did vbs... todays topic was on conduct and the story we taught from was samuel and eli. We went back to the hotel for dinner and then were anxious to get back to the orphange tonight for the bonfire with the older kids. Guillermo (translator) led us in a time of worship around the fire singing songs and playing his guitar. The children have the most beautiful voices. Tomorrow will be yet another productive day here in huehue... we ask for your continued prayers as God helps shape both the hearts of the children and the hearts of the members of this group.
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Day One at the Orphanage!
Sunday, the Lord’s day, started off well. We ate breakfast at the hotel Premier and then had devotions together, led by Rob and Amy. After that we headed to the orphanage for the first time to see the ninos. We were greeted by the smiling faces of God’s beautiful children. The children of the Fundacion Salvacion are truly under the care of God and radiate the joy that comes with the knowledge of that. We had the opportunity to take the older children to church and enjoyed an evangelical Spanish service. Once service was over we took the kids back and started planning our VBS lesson for the day. Lunch promptly followed and we had a lovely time at Pollo Campero. We had three kinds of chicken and four flavors of pop!!!! Plus, three kinds of ice cream… Manuel knows how to take care of us. =] Kara was very excited about the ice cream.
Once we loaded up the bus with VBS supplies we headed back to the orphanage. It was wonderful to see the children and spend more time with them then we had in the morning. The VBS lesson for the day was on Speech. The theme for this week is centered on 1 Timothy 4:12. This verse explains that no matter what our age is, we should conduct ourselves in such a way that we set an example for all believers. We all sang songs in Spanish with the kids (what we’d been practicing for months) and did a skit (Moses and the burning bush) for them. Then we broke up into groups and rotated through various stations: Crafts, Snacks, Lesson, Verses, Games and Coloring. The kids loved it!!! We had some fun free time with them… took photos, played soccer, etc., and then went back to the hotel for dinner. Kara was very excited about the jello....but Chase had her beat. He ate nine jellos for dessert! We (Rachel and Mike) feel certain he will feel the effects of it soon. Mike led us in devotions tonight, and now it’s off to bed before another full day. Bruce and Glen looked over the construction projects and formulated a plan to begin to tomorrow. We will also be continuing the VBS!
I (Rachel) am really excited to be here. This is my third year here, and so I’ve had an opportunity to form relationships with the kids. I was disappointed this morning because the little boy I had been close with for the last two trips was not here. Wicho and his sister Zulma got moved to Zacapa. But this evening when I walked into the nursery (where Wicho stayed) I was greeted by two friendly faces: Christina and Nata. Christina stays and takes care of all the babies (right now there are twelve) and she remembered me. She specifically asked me about Wicho and asked me to come into the room. When I came into the room I saw a picture board of all the children that have been moved or adopted (Alex and Dino.. both adopted). She pointed to a picture of me and Wicho and said that she still had the Christmas card I sent him. I about cried. She told me about her disappointment in seeing the kids leave. It was nice to know that someone else grows attached to the kids and understands our disappointment in not seeing the faces we’ve come to love. She asked me to continue to help out with the babies this week, and I am so excited to do that! She was a comfort from God this afternoon.
So… to sum it all up: We had a fantastic first day here in HueHue!!! God really is blessing the work we have began and we patiently wait to see his continued work through the hand of his willing servants. Thank you for your continued prayers!
All honor and glory and praise be to God!
Sunday Morning
Reflections on the first 24 hours (from another perspective):
Last night we arrived at our destination--Huehuetenango--after a rather interesting and looooong day we arrived at 10 pm Michigan time. As you read in the previous post we have been challenged and the devil is working hard to make sure we don't spread God's Word BUT we serve a GREAT GOD and He will provide us with strength to persevere!
Some of the things we encountered so far:
1. Bus trouble within the first 15 minutes--light going on and off on the dashboard.
2. Lunch at McDonald's with a theft.
3. Heavy, torrential rain.
4. Rocks in the roadway from the rain
5. Landslides of dirt/mud into the roadway.
6. Our hotel gave our rooms away to another group.
These are all events prior to us even getting to our destination!
We all feel quite a bit better after slept (after missing a night) and we have been able to take the older children from the orphanage to church this morning. We're going to present our first Bible school this afternoon and are getting ready for that. Tomorrow morning we will begin our first day of work.
We'll try to get some photos posted soon.
Thanks for remembering us in your prayers!
Last night we arrived at our destination--Huehuetenango--after a rather interesting and looooong day we arrived at 10 pm Michigan time. As you read in the previous post we have been challenged and the devil is working hard to make sure we don't spread God's Word BUT we serve a GREAT GOD and He will provide us with strength to persevere!
Some of the things we encountered so far:
1. Bus trouble within the first 15 minutes--light going on and off on the dashboard.
2. Lunch at McDonald's with a theft.
3. Heavy, torrential rain.
4. Rocks in the roadway from the rain
5. Landslides of dirt/mud into the roadway.
6. Our hotel gave our rooms away to another group.
These are all events prior to us even getting to our destination!
We all feel quite a bit better after slept (after missing a night) and we have been able to take the older children from the orphanage to church this morning. We're going to present our first Bible school this afternoon and are getting ready for that. Tomorrow morning we will begin our first day of work.
We'll try to get some photos posted soon.
Thanks for remembering us in your prayers!
"Our God is Greater"
Wow...what a day! Words cannot even begin to describe this day...we were tested, pulled and pushed more than any of us had ever imagined!
After a couple of trips to Chicago O'Hare and a few non eventful plane rides on a couple airlines all 30 of us arrived in Guatemala, tired, but safe and in one piece. After loading all 60 pieces on luggage on the top of the buses we headed for a quick breakfast at McDonald's before the 5-6 hour drive to Huehuetenango, our home for the next 7 days.
Unfortunately, our plans were shaken up a bit after breakfast. After returning to the bus, some in our group realized their belongings were not were the left them and missing from the locked bus. It became quite apparent that during our breakfast someone had broken into the bus and stolen Merrie Beth, Terri, Brad and Ally's personal items. The thieve or thieves took four bags by opening a locked window on the side of the bus.
It was a very frustrating experience for all of us and required great patience. The lot was guarded and supposedly under video surveillance. Unfortunately, none of the security guards admitted to seeing anything and the video surveillance was not working right. Although one of the men appeared figity and guilty we had no proof that he was the person who had taken the items. The Guatemalan police were called and a police report was filed, but the items were not recovered, nor do we believe that they ever will. It was really hard for all of us to see the flaws in the system that is in place to protect the innocent here in Guatemala.
Brad and Ally's passports were among the stolen items and now need to be replaced. We contacted the American Citizens Unit at the US Embassy in Guatemala City and they will be able to replace their passports, however, this cannot be done until Monday. We made arrangements for Brad and Ally to stay at one of our translator's home for the weekend. They will be headed to the US Embassy on Monday morning to get their passports replaced. Our hope, Lord willing, is that they will be able to rejoin the group late Monday or Tuesday. Please pray for them and also for Merrie Beth and Terri.
The bus ride to Huehue took a lot longer than expected due to torrential rains and lots of fallen rocks in the road. It was a long and exhausting ride through the mountains and we were all thankful to arrive at the hotel at 8:00 tonight. After a good dinner, some showers and a great devotional by Glenn and Nancy things quieted down quickly.
We leave the events of today in the hands of God. We find peace in knowing that this is part of HIS plan for our group. We have spent months planning and preparing for this trip, but ultimately, it is God's trip. He is the potter and we are they clay and we looked forward with great optimism to what He has in store for us for the rest of the week.
"Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Into the darkness you shine
Out of the ashes we Rise
There’s no One like You
None like You.
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God...
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…"
After a couple of trips to Chicago O'Hare and a few non eventful plane rides on a couple airlines all 30 of us arrived in Guatemala, tired, but safe and in one piece. After loading all 60 pieces on luggage on the top of the buses we headed for a quick breakfast at McDonald's before the 5-6 hour drive to Huehuetenango, our home for the next 7 days.
Unfortunately, our plans were shaken up a bit after breakfast. After returning to the bus, some in our group realized their belongings were not were the left them and missing from the locked bus. It became quite apparent that during our breakfast someone had broken into the bus and stolen Merrie Beth, Terri, Brad and Ally's personal items. The thieve or thieves took four bags by opening a locked window on the side of the bus.
It was a very frustrating experience for all of us and required great patience. The lot was guarded and supposedly under video surveillance. Unfortunately, none of the security guards admitted to seeing anything and the video surveillance was not working right. Although one of the men appeared figity and guilty we had no proof that he was the person who had taken the items. The Guatemalan police were called and a police report was filed, but the items were not recovered, nor do we believe that they ever will. It was really hard for all of us to see the flaws in the system that is in place to protect the innocent here in Guatemala.
Brad and Ally's passports were among the stolen items and now need to be replaced. We contacted the American Citizens Unit at the US Embassy in Guatemala City and they will be able to replace their passports, however, this cannot be done until Monday. We made arrangements for Brad and Ally to stay at one of our translator's home for the weekend. They will be headed to the US Embassy on Monday morning to get their passports replaced. Our hope, Lord willing, is that they will be able to rejoin the group late Monday or Tuesday. Please pray for them and also for Merrie Beth and Terri.
The bus ride to Huehue took a lot longer than expected due to torrential rains and lots of fallen rocks in the road. It was a long and exhausting ride through the mountains and we were all thankful to arrive at the hotel at 8:00 tonight. After a good dinner, some showers and a great devotional by Glenn and Nancy things quieted down quickly.
We leave the events of today in the hands of God. We find peace in knowing that this is part of HIS plan for our group. We have spent months planning and preparing for this trip, but ultimately, it is God's trip. He is the potter and we are they clay and we looked forward with great optimism to what He has in store for us for the rest of the week.
"Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Into the darkness you shine
Out of the ashes we Rise
There’s no One like You
None like You.
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God...
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…"
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