Today (Friday) we woke up early in the morning and took a three hour bus ride to a village called El Dormido. No other team had ever been here before, Luis told us.   Upon arrival, we met Pastor Benicio, a man with a passion for the people in his village. The students range from grades 4-6. The first thing we did was hand out the pouches that were coloured by the children at the Safe Haven VBS and filled with things like colouring books, soaps, toothbrushes, toothpaste, crayons and other items. The children were very happy to receive them. Pastor Mike preached from John 3:16 and talked to the parents and children about the importance of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for their sins and the impact of the decision to accept Him into their lives. The children were then sent into a classroom where the puppet team performed for them. The expressions on the kids' faces said it all, never having seen puppets before. At the same time, the parents received bags of food to feed their families for a long period of time. The parents were grateful to receive this gift. We as a team were able to hand them the food and bless them. After this, we were able to hand the children some bread, water, and toys that were brought by members of the team.

     Pastor Mike, Ron, Markus and Martin headed out to another section of the village that had to be accessed by boat.  They, along with Luis, Pastor David and Pastor Benicio delivered gifts and supplies from the team to a number of very needy families.  They said it was the poorest village they had seen!  They gave an old man roofing for his house...he had a very small house that even Pastor Mike had to bend over to enter!  The man called the guys "angels" as he realized what the team had done for him and he wept openly.   Other families were moved to tears as well.  What a big heart Pastor Benicio has to minister to people when he himself has very little!  Pray for him.

     A family of the village hosted us for a lunch and swim at their home. Some of us took time to walk on the beach that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. What a view!!! If that is not proof that God created our world than what is! On the way back, we took a "ferry trip"  Pictures to come will say it all!

       We were able to share a meal with the AOJ staff and spend our final evening in Guatemala as one AOJ family. God has placed  special people at the school and they remain in our prayers. Their resiliency and passion for the children of the school play out every day. We are only here for a week but they are in the trenches every day. They were so helpful during the week and they do not get enough credit for the work they do. They are a blessing.  

What a beautiful way to start our day!  God greeted us this morning with a clear-blue sky and a beautiful view of the volcano that towers above Antigua.

     We went to eh AOJ School and were welcomed with smiles and hugs from the children.  Before I came to Guatemala I prepared and offered myself to serve the Lord…it was supposed to be me who would bring joy, love and kindness to their hearts…but I was wrong.  I and the whole team have been the ones who have received the love joy and kindness from the children, villages and AOJ staff.

     We led the student devotionals today…there were 2 of them since the children come in two shifts; a morning and afternoon shift.  We sang songs with the children: This is the Day was one that they knew in both English and Spanish so that was a treat to sing them.    The children sang with gusto and passion!  Some of the team members acted out the story of the Good Samaritan as Pastor Mike and I shared the story (with me translating into Spanish!)  The children listened with rapt attention and even answered many of Pastor Mike’s questions correctly.  How well trained they are!

     The first shift of children had prepared a very touching goodbye for us, which of course, caused many a wet eye.  We later received a handmade basket filled with candies!  We were told that they were made with much love!

     We still did a lot of painting and cleaning of the yard in the new land just recently purchased in between devotionals.  The second devotional was the same ads the first and the children loved the acting of the story.  We were then treated to lunch in the AOJ kitchen.  The kitchen is a project designed to help children train in the waiting/cooking industry.  The students who served and cleaned were some with the highest marks in all the school.

     With all the blessings we have received…I wonder whose life is being changed by whom?? When we come on a trip like this, we need to be prepared for God has great plans for us and we will receive much more than we give.

     Thanks Pastor Mike and the team…you are so kind, friendly and loving.  I am so blessed to be a part of this team.  Thanks for letting me help communicate with the people of Guatemala and the AOJ staff.  Thanks to God for all the gifts He has given me.  Thanks also to my Safe Haven family, the people of PIB Satellite campus LV and their prayers.  Also thank you to Silvia for being my prayer partner.  God bless you!!

Esperanza Sztrimbely

Wednesday's Blog

 

We only have two more days left here in Guatemala.  Tiredness is starting to set in for the team but we are still encouraged daily by the many blessings we receive.  Today’s schedule was busy.  We had 4 special puppet presentations and Pastor Mike shared the story of Jonah and the big fish each time.  The kids loved interacting with the songs and the story.  Esperanza was fantastic as she helped us!  The rain postponed some of the outside work the others were doing. 

     There was a special lunch today where we were able to give back to the AOJ workers and bless them for all the wonderful things that they do everyday for the children of Guatemala.

     These children are so special, they have nothing and yet they love so freely.  I cannot count the number of hugs and smiles I received today.  It fills me with indescribable joy.

     As we sat and watched the puppet presentation by Ron, Kari, Marko and Elle, we each had multiple children clinging to us.  It was such a pleasure today to see these bright eyes light up as we ministered to them with the puppets and music.

God is good!

A Day of Blessings

This morning, we arrived at the school.  As we walked in many of the children and staff greeted us with big smiles. 

Our day began with devotional time with the staff of the school.   The atmosphere was very energetic and you could feel God’s presence.  After the devotional, we then took a tour of the school.  In every direction, there were beautiful children smiling and saying ¡Hola!  They were not shy.  They even stopped so we could take pictures of them or with them.  After spending some time at the AOJ market, our group got separated into four groups.

I was given the chance to spend some time at the school clinic with nurse Victoria, also known as Senora Viki.  Every six months, nurse Victoria checks every student to make sure they are healthy and growing.  A checkup consists of being weighed, checking for lice, and checking finger nails to ensure they are cut and free from bacteria.  Aside from the checkups, nurse Victoria receives a handful of students complaining about aches and pains.

Most students complain about stomach pains, which is sometimes due to lack of food because the child has not eaten breakfast, or the child is having problems going to the washroom due to dehydration.

There are other students who complain of fever due to infections.  These children are treated with penicillin via intramuscular injection through gluteus muscle.  I had the opportunity to administer this medicine to a brave boy.  He did not cry, but he was not too happy about it.  But who would be?

Other children come to nurse Viki just to get out of class.  They are the regulars.  They would complain of stomach pain and would be cured just after taking a vitamin C chewable tablet. 

Before the children went home, many of them stopped by to say goodbye to nurse Victoria.  They would come up to hug her, and then me.  Not soon after would she reward them with vitamin C.  The children fought for them as if they were candy.  Now I know why the children love her.

After lunch, we met with sponsor children.  It was an amazing experience to see the changes sponsorship has made.  It has made a huge difference in these children’s lives.  You can tell it has made an impact in their lives. There was a child who rode his bike through the rain just to see Pastor Mike.  Kari met with her sponsor child, who took a one and a half hour bus ride just so he could put a face to the person who’s helped him throughout the years.  Many of the children came so they could say thank you and so they could finally see what their sponsor looks like.  Many of them have never seen what their sponsors look like.  So for them to see the person that is helping them means the world to them. 

Mark’s sponsor child was supposed to come tomorrow, because she was sick and even missed two days of school due to illness.  When Mark was told this, about 5 to 10 minutes later, she appeared through the door with her mom and sibling.  Kari and I had tears coming down our faces at the sight.  It meant more for her to see her sponsor, than to stay at home and get some rest. 

 

After meeting with the sponsor children, the puppet team went to a local community library and put on a show for 30 children.  The children were amazed when the puppets first came out.  They were giggling and pointing and signing along with the songs.  We had some balloons for them and it was as if they had never seen or played with balloons before.  All of the children said ¡Gracias! as they left.

Today truly was a day full of many blessings.

Building Houses

     Good day all!  Greetings to my family at Bloomington Gospel Church and Safe Haven Worship Centre.          

     Guatemala is every bit as beautiful as I remember it was 10 years ago!  Although, I suppose that’s a very anti-climactic place to start my blog after the day myself and the team experienced today.  Right from the start, it seemed like the day was going to be something special.  Our team devotions in the morning spurred some rousing discussion, which I found very uplifting.  That positive feeling could easily have been deflated not long after, when we came face to face with the daunting task of building 5 houses in one day.  Just to add to the list of things that could potentially get us down were the black clouds looming overhead, proclaiming their anger with each thunderous roll.  But an amazing blessing from God happened.  We all stayed positive.  Not only did all the houses get built, but the rain held off (a few sprinkles notwithstanding)!  

     The work was hard.  Blisters found, blood drawn, thumbs were hammered, and backs were tweaked.  Ask anyone on the team though, and those were not the things that defined our day.  Working side by side with our fellow team members and the AOJ workers, laughing and having a good time, all the while making mountains of work seem like mole hills, was definitely a highlight.  For me the best part of our day came as a fitting cap, when we were privileged to dedicate the houses we had just built.  To say it was a moving experience, or that the people were grateful, would both be gross understatements.  We were moved to tears right alongside those receiving the houses. 

      This is what it’s all about. Reaching out, and allowing ourselves to be used as the hands and feet of Jesus.  I am honoured to be a part of this team and the work the Lord has done through us so far.  Thank you all so much for your prayers and financial support!  Without both of those, our trip, and the subsequent blessings bestowed upon the downtrodden in Guatemala would not be possible. 

Good night and God Bless!  

 Mark George

Sunday

     We attended a local church this morning.  The drive to the church was….exhilarating to say the least in a crowded van! It was a 2 ½ hour service!  We were struck by the passion and emotion with which people worshipped the Lord.  The tears and prayers flowed freely.  They welcomed us warmly and even wished Kari and Heather a Happy Mother’s Day!  We were treated to a wonderful meal and excellent fellowship after the service.  It was noticed by the team how our table was covered with a tablecloth and none of the others were.  The church family waited until we were served before they even ate!  What a humbling experience as we were blessed out of their limited resources. Later in the afternoon we were given the opportunity to experience Guatemalan culture in one of the markets.

     The other highlight of the day was the arrival of our luggage!!  Many happy faces and relieved people! We are so excited to share what we have with the people here.  Sleep needs to come early, for we are up at 6am and off to build houses for the day!  Keep praying as we minister and work!

An Eventful First Day

I realize this article will not be uploaded until much later but here is a snippet of how our day went. 

      Well what an eventful start to the first day of our missions trip!  Mark’s wake up call was an hour late, some of us had the wrong customs cards and our flight was delayed for over 2 hours while the mechanics repaired a circuit issue!  We are in the air now hoping to arrive in Miami on time and make our flight to Guatemala.  Screaming kids, irate passengers and a false start have all lent to the ambiance of the experience.  We saw a movie star, and a star of Rogers commercials, had people worried about making their cruise; we had the opportunity to pray and encourage a young guy whose brother was in Caracas, Venezuela fighting for his life, his family was coming from all over to be in Caracas. 

     What an interesting mix of people (as Tom snores beside me.  He is quite loud) that have come together on this aircraft.  How many of them know the Lord?   We had a few Christians who were going on the cruise bless us and commit to pray for us which was lovely. There are so many different people who make up this world.  Give us a passion for souls dear Lord!  A Passion to reach the lost!

     Pray for us as we sprint through Miami airport!!

Well we made our flight but alas our luggage did not.  So many of us ended up with the same clothes for Sunday and not much else!  The men did NOT share underwear as may have been reported…J.  We met up with Esperanza (a happy meeting!) and then drove with Otto and Eric so Mark to meet his sponsor child.  It was a hear-warming time as Carina gave him a table cloth that she had made herself.  The children here are beautiful and precious. 

     We met up with Luis at a restaurant where we experienced wonderful Guatemalan cuisine and the team met Luis’ sons; Esteban and Pablo and their friend Antonio.  We enjoyed great fellowship as we relaxed and tried to unwind from the flight.  Luis and Pastor Mike began confirming plans for the week to keep the team busy and to share in what God is going to do through the team!  We arrived at our sleeping quarters, got settled into our rooms and were in bed by 9pm local time.  Much needed rest!