Blessings to you from Guatemala!
One more new casa had been added to the list of places we have stayed in Antigua! I think we're up to four or five by now... We spent the last weekend at the ministry and are back studying in Antigua this week. We've found a home stay which has internet available, so we'll be able to keep up a little more with emails while we're here. Yay!! It continues to be a challenge to be living in one room...spending probably at least 18 of each 24 hours in the room sitting on the bed studying or working on the internet. But we're excited that we will be able to study for two consecutive weeks before coming back to the States for our niece, Mary's wedding on September 22 where we'll be able to see my family in Michigan which will be more than a treat! Then, we are lucky to have the opportunity to attend a Michigan church worker's conference at which The Servant's Heart will have a display. We hope to be able to share information about what God is doing in Guatemala through the ministry: information about the sponsorship program, mission trip possibilities, long term missionary opportunities, and projects that churches and schools can do to help support His work around the Guatemala City dump. It's going to be a great chance to share our excitement about what our awesome God is doing here!!
Our mission team season has wrapped up now with the small team from the St. Louis Seminary two weeks ago. It's been amazing to watch God working in the hearts and lives of the members of each team for the last four and a half months since we arrived here. Most people on these teams come thinking they are going to "change the world" and do great things for the people here. But more often than not, it's THEIR lives that are changed instead. The love that is received from the people we visit...simply the fact that they receive us into their homes with such open arms and hearts is beyond comprehension.
I remember one of the visits we made a couple weeks ago in the shanty town in the city. Edgar (aka "Chilis") was leading us to our next visit. We walked up one narrow walkway, past many doors that were padlocked and others that weren't. We finally "knocked" on the door of a shanty (which was a piece of fabric across the doorway) and asked if we could come in and visit. The young mother invited us in and we spent the next several minutes getting to know her. Her "husband" worked in the garbage dump and she told us that she had four children. One was in school, two sweeties were playing quietly, and there was a wee little baby in a sling on her back. We came to find out that she had never heard the wonderful story of Jesus! What good news we had to share! We read a few verses from God's Word and prayed with her, asking for God's protection and provision for her family. She had much to think about after we left! Often we're asked who decides where we'll visit. Well, this was one day that we knew that it was the Holy Spirit leading us! We had walked by so many other shanties, but this one was exactly where God wanted us to be that day! We continue to pray that the Holy Spirit grows the seed of faith in this precious mother and her family.
Another visit was with a grandmother who was taking care of a little girl whose mother had died. When we said we would like to pray for her, she immediately got down on her knees and started crying. The whole room full of us fell to our knees around her. She cried and prayed throughout our prayer, then Chilis prayed for her, too. I'll never forget the loving hand this 19 year old young man placed on this woman's shoulder. Such tender words he spoke with the Father asking for Him to love and provide for this sweet lady.
Last Friday, after our ministry prayer walk, the ministry workers split into a couple of groups to visit two of our workers who are sick. Rosa, a seamstress in our sewing department, gave her kidney to her son several months ago. Well, that has healed very well, but, as a result of an accident a while ago, she has a wound on her leg that just doesn't seem to want to heal properly. We're thankful that we have been able to provide some pain medication (Ibuprofin) and antibiotics from our clinic to bring some relief. We continue to pray that this wound heals quickly so that she can care for her family and be relieved of pain.
Our other group went to visit Merly, who works as one of the cooks for the mission teams. Her four children attend our school: Little Ana, Jhonny, Gesler and Kevin. There are six people living in their little shanty. I was reminded again, as I am so often, that these kids who look so clean and spiffy in their school uniforms return home each night to a small, dark shanty. There is one lightbulb in the ceiling, one large bed, a couple of dressers and not much else. Where do they all sleep? How can the kids see to do their homework? What's the uneven dirt floor like during these torrential rains that we've been having every day and night? I told the sponsor of Merly's little daughter, Ana, this week that we so appreciate their sponsorship. I can clearly see how the education of these kids is going to open doors, and how it already has made a huge difference in their lives. Through Merly's tears, after we had shared Scripture and prayed with her, I could see that she was encouraged and lifted up by her friends and coworkers. Pretty cool how it's such a normal thing here to so comfortably visit a friend who is sick and to pray with them... hmmm... And it also reminds us of how blessed we are to have a bed in a dry room to sit on...
Jen McKnight from Florida has joined our missionary team here and will be studying in Antigua for the next few months. We're so excited to have her as part of the ministry team down here and look forward to seeing how God will use her talents and gifts. Welcome, Jen!!!!
On our prayer list this week is safety and protection for all in the path of Felix. Seems he has Guatemala on his radar at this point, but we pray that he heads north and fizzles out completely before doing any more damage. The torrential rains bring mudslides and I'm sure their power supplies wouldn't be restored as quickly here as in the U.S.
Please also pray for the health of the people of Guatemala. It's incredible how many people are sick here. The pollution and the cold rain every day surely takes its toll. And people simply can't afford doctors and medication. A couple more months of the rainy season and we'll hopefully be back to drier, healthier weather. We pray it comes sooner rather than later.
And speaking of health, I've got the sore throat/cold thing going on again. Pray for healing and strength so I can study with all my might and serve in the city again over the weekend.
Muchisimo gracias for your prayers and emails of encouragement. They bring joy to our hearts and truly uplift us. If you ever don't feel as if God is using you for His service, be assured that He uses your prayers and words of love in ways you'll never know!!!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Wilson, Adrian, and Ruth August 12, 2007
Greetings to our friends and families!
In so many ways it feels like we've been in Guatemala for a year, and then I look at the last time I had a chance to update our blog and realize that the summer has flown by. Since the last update in June, we have had so many mission teams serve down here, have made so many house visits and have seen God at work in so many ways. Our last team of the summer will arrive here next Saturday, wrapping up a busy summer at the ministry. I don't even know where to begin to get you caught up on all that has happened, but will try to share some of God's activities here since June.
As I'm writing this, Kevin is climbing a volcano! He's been wanting to do this since Rachel climbed it last October. He, Andy and Chris (a God-sent servant from Hales Corners who has done miracles with our storage rooms and too many to name repair needs) left early dark thirty this morning for the 4+ hour climb. Can't wait to hear about the adventure!! Volcan Pacaya is an active volcano, the heat capable of melting your shoes, according to Rach. I'm sure they'll have lots to tell!
So now to some updated info:
First of all, I know you'll all want an update on Wilson's condition. God has heard the prayers of hundreds of people (as He always does!!). Wilson was back in school this week! He now has a breathing machine at home and hopefully will be able to control his asthma better with that and his inhalers. The pollution in this city is so horrible, that we can only pray that God will protect him from the environment that he has to live in, and that his medicine will be effective. The family thanks you all so much for the prayers raised on their behalf and are thanking God for His generous mercy.
We are also grateful that the report from Adrian's doctor regarding his chronic kidney pain was fairly good. Drinking multiple Pepsi's every day is out! Agua is in (which gets a pretty sour look from Adrian). Combined with medication, hopefully he will be out of pain soon.
Then our sweet Ruth, had two fainting spells Friday and Saturday... Bad enough to faint, but she's not coming to for 20 or more minutes... They loaded her up into Rodrigo (of all things) and took her to the hospital yesterday where she finally came to, and after seeing the doctor was released. Ruth's finishing her last year of school before graduating as a teacher, so it's been pretty stressful, particularly as she approaches the end of the school year. We pray that there is nothing more serious causing these spells. Thanks for your continued prayers!!!
To say that this has been a frustrating few weeks, is putting it mildly!! It's a pretty helpless feeling when you can't "fix" something. The medical system down here is certainly unlike ours in the States. (A few weeks ago the surgery of someone we heard about was cancelled because the hospital had no water that day!) And of course, we would love to just write the check for the care of anyone and everyone, which can cause all sorts of jealousy if we help someone and not another. It's been a true test of simply having to lay our friends in God's hands, praying for His perfect will, remembering that He is hurting and suffering along with His precious children. We pray every day that He will soon send a nurse or doctor to our ministry as not a day goes by without a need for one.
I told Coca a couple of weeks ago that it sure would be great if we could have just one week here without someone's friend or family member getting killed (that was three weeks in a row) or someone being so seriously sick (another three weeks in a row). Death and sickness are such a part of life here...always on the brink. I don't know how people get out of bed in the morning after experiencing the things they do. But it is truly God who gives them the hope and strength they need to put one foot in front of the other.
We are looking forward to the arrival tonight of Rachel and our pastor from Mesa. They'll be here for a quick four days as Bob experiences in part what we've been sharing with him about what God has been doing in Guatemala the past two years since we began coming down here. Always a huge gift for us to be able to spend a little time with Rach!! Boy, are we grateful for the phone cards that keep us connected between visits!! We're a bit giddy when it's triple minute day!! ...ah, simple pleasures!!
This is a short update, but I'm finding myself fading with the cold medicina I took. The pollution seems to be bringing sore throats and colds pretty frequently, so I'm grateful for a quiet Sunday to do a little laundry and lay low. Guess it must be nap time!
Sure hope I have the chance to get back to the internet soon. Seems it rarely works when I can get on. We may have a new place to stay when we get back to Antigua in two weeks that has internet access, so that would open up a whole new world! Yay! Perhaps I can update this more than once every two months!!
God's richest blessings as we serve together!
In so many ways it feels like we've been in Guatemala for a year, and then I look at the last time I had a chance to update our blog and realize that the summer has flown by. Since the last update in June, we have had so many mission teams serve down here, have made so many house visits and have seen God at work in so many ways. Our last team of the summer will arrive here next Saturday, wrapping up a busy summer at the ministry. I don't even know where to begin to get you caught up on all that has happened, but will try to share some of God's activities here since June.
As I'm writing this, Kevin is climbing a volcano! He's been wanting to do this since Rachel climbed it last October. He, Andy and Chris (a God-sent servant from Hales Corners who has done miracles with our storage rooms and too many to name repair needs) left early dark thirty this morning for the 4+ hour climb. Can't wait to hear about the adventure!! Volcan Pacaya is an active volcano, the heat capable of melting your shoes, according to Rach. I'm sure they'll have lots to tell!
So now to some updated info:
First of all, I know you'll all want an update on Wilson's condition. God has heard the prayers of hundreds of people (as He always does!!). Wilson was back in school this week! He now has a breathing machine at home and hopefully will be able to control his asthma better with that and his inhalers. The pollution in this city is so horrible, that we can only pray that God will protect him from the environment that he has to live in, and that his medicine will be effective. The family thanks you all so much for the prayers raised on their behalf and are thanking God for His generous mercy.We are also grateful that the report from Adrian's doctor regarding his chronic kidney pain was fairly good. Drinking multiple Pepsi's every day is out! Agua is in (which gets a pretty sour look from Adrian). Combined with medication, hopefully he will be out of pain soon.
Then our sweet Ruth, had two fainting spells Friday and Saturday... Bad enough to faint, but she's not coming to for 20 or more minutes... They loaded her up into Rodrigo (of all things) and took her to the hospital yesterday where she finally came to, and after seeing the doctor was released. Ruth's finishing her last year of school before graduating as a teacher, so it's been pretty stressful, particularly as she approaches the end of the school year. We pray that there is nothing more serious causing these spells. Thanks for your continued prayers!!!
To say that this has been a frustrating few weeks, is putting it mildly!! It's a pretty helpless feeling when you can't "fix" something. The medical system down here is certainly unlike ours in the States. (A few weeks ago the surgery of someone we heard about was cancelled because the hospital had no water that day!) And of course, we would love to just write the check for the care of anyone and everyone, which can cause all sorts of jealousy if we help someone and not another. It's been a true test of simply having to lay our friends in God's hands, praying for His perfect will, remembering that He is hurting and suffering along with His precious children. We pray every day that He will soon send a nurse or doctor to our ministry as not a day goes by without a need for one.
I told Coca a couple of weeks ago that it sure would be great if we could have just one week here without someone's friend or family member getting killed (that was three weeks in a row) or someone being so seriously sick (another three weeks in a row). Death and sickness are such a part of life here...always on the brink. I don't know how people get out of bed in the morning after experiencing the things they do. But it is truly God who gives them the hope and strength they need to put one foot in front of the other.
We are looking forward to the arrival tonight of Rachel and our pastor from Mesa. They'll be here for a quick four days as Bob experiences in part what we've been sharing with him about what God has been doing in Guatemala the past two years since we began coming down here. Always a huge gift for us to be able to spend a little time with Rach!! Boy, are we grateful for the phone cards that keep us connected between visits!! We're a bit giddy when it's triple minute day!! ...ah, simple pleasures!!
This is a short update, but I'm finding myself fading with the cold medicina I took. The pollution seems to be bringing sore throats and colds pretty frequently, so I'm grateful for a quiet Sunday to do a little laundry and lay low. Guess it must be nap time!
Sure hope I have the chance to get back to the internet soon. Seems it rarely works when I can get on. We may have a new place to stay when we get back to Antigua in two weeks that has internet access, so that would open up a whole new world! Yay! Perhaps I can update this more than once every two months!!
God's richest blessings as we serve together!
Welcome Lake Worth & CA! June 23, 2007
Hola from Guatemala City! We are back after another week of Spanish school, and are awaiting the arrival of two mission teams today. One is from Lake Worth, Florida, the other from California. They have been planning and preparing for months and months for their service in Guatemala and we are praying that they will have open hearts and hands to serve Him during this very special nine days.
It's always hard to come back from school after such a short time of studying. We're so anxious to learn this language, but will need to accept the every other week time table as the norm for now. We're both enjoying our teachers, Carmen and Ana, so much. I'm sure these sisters go home every evening with stories about their two crazy students. They are both so professional and never watch the clock to see when it's time to go. Kevin's well into Level B with a steady pace. I finished the B book and will need to review for the exam when we return to school in three weeks. We'll see how many of these hundreds of verbs in past and present tenses I can pull out of my little brain by then!! Yikes!
We continued our stay in hotels due to the lack of availablity of home stays. The place we stayed on Wednesday night had an extraordinary view from our window of Volcan de Agua. It was such a clear week with no rain, so we often had a great view of the three volcanoes and the mountains surrounding Antigua. We've found a couple of safe places to eat, so, to try to save on the food budget, try to have a late breakfast, then dinner after classes which are over at 5:30. So far we haven't ordered anything wacky... guess we'll stick with the foods we know!!
Last week we came back to the Capital to help with the mission team from Calvary Indianapolis, a group of ten. Our van is only supposed to be for 11 passengers, so with Manuel driving and a couple of our Guatemalan friends, there was never room for Kevin & me to accompany them on their adventures. We did go along for church on Sunday, but sitting backwards on the floor was good for a short trip, but not through the mountains to Amatitlan or Antigua! The team had an awesome experience through their week.
Kevin was able to spend time at the ministry learning a little more about how things operate down here and having the thrill of driving Rodrigo, our 21 year old truck. Often this is the only way for the Americans to get around in the city when the van is being used for teams. So there were a couple of mornings that Kevin and I were sitting in the back of the pickup for the 5 minute drive to the ministry, with black fumes from the chicken busses pouring out over us that we just looked at each other and wondered how in the world this ever happened!! Pretty crazy stuff. And it gets rather interesting during the rainy season. We pray for safety the entire way there...
The Americanos decided last weekend that it would be rather entertaining (doesn't take much anymore) to have a "cookout" on the roof of the missionary house. We were told that the "grill" was up where Manuel lives. We're still living in the team house, and Manuel lives with his family of 6 in a room on the third floor of that house. So Kevin went upstairs and found that the grill was an old tire rim that had three pieces of rebar (metal bars) welded onto it for legs. Apparently these are pretty common around here and can be bought for Q30 which is less than $4. Kevin and I walked from the team house to the missionary house (those of you who've been here can picture this...) carrying the silly grill. So Andy and Kevin and I went to the store to buy meat... always a little risky in my book, but I guess it was okay since I'm here to tell about it! We also bought three pineapples off a bridge... At this point Kevin's in the back of the pickup, Andy swings the truck around on this really busy street, hailing the two guys with a pile of fruit on the median of the bridge. He buys three pineapples for Q10/$1.50 and they throw them into the back with Kevin. TIG!! It took Kevin and Andy over an hour to start the fire. The high altitude was against them, but with a lot of blowing and smoke, they finally had something hot. The tire rim cooking area is only about 12" wide, so it took a long time to cook the little kabobers. I was told there was no need for plates or silverware as the standard operating procedure is to stand around the grill and eat them as they are cooked. There ya go and that's what we did...only took from 4:30-8:30!! A Guatemalan cookout...or cookup...
Kevin is going to attack the elusive sink in the team house today I think. Third time's a charm, right? He has a wrench from Manuel and just needs to figure out the fifth place to turn off the water to that one sink. We suspect it may be in the wall just because this is Guatemala and it wouldn't make any sense for it to be there. Should be an adventure! If so, we'll stand at the other end of the hall with a big bucket to catch the water while he makes the switch!
A couple weeks ago when the Delray team was here we went way out to the middle of nowhere outside of Amatitlan. I thought Carlos was way out in the country, but this was even farther...Manuel even had to ask directions which I've never seen him do! We went to see three different families, but two of them were the most rural I've been to. One was the family of Pedro and Maria Angela Cruz, an older couple who had 12 children and 46 grandchildren!! Holy smokes! I'm not sure how many of the children and grandchildren live there but there was a steady stream of shoeless little feet coming in and out of the house. They asked us to pray for Maria who has been sick and for work for their children. They also asked for prayer for their corn crop. It had rained that day, so everything was a muddy mess... especially at the next house we went to. There were several tiny shanties within the fence. We visted with Meralda who has 12 children and 15 grandchildren. Her husband had died 10 years ago, but she now has a second husband. One of her sons was in an accident so couldn't work. We had a good visit with her and her daughter in law who is expecting a baby... more little ones... what a busy place! It must be so difficult to live in these places during the rainy season. Everything turns to mud. Such a hard life...
It's time for me to return to the other house to be picked up for the airport run. We send our daily thanks for your prayers and love as God protects us and keeps us in His care. God be with you, as well!!
Ginny and Kevin
It's always hard to come back from school after such a short time of studying. We're so anxious to learn this language, but will need to accept the every other week time table as the norm for now. We're both enjoying our teachers, Carmen and Ana, so much. I'm sure these sisters go home every evening with stories about their two crazy students. They are both so professional and never watch the clock to see when it's time to go. Kevin's well into Level B with a steady pace. I finished the B book and will need to review for the exam when we return to school in three weeks. We'll see how many of these hundreds of verbs in past and present tenses I can pull out of my little brain by then!! Yikes!
We continued our stay in hotels due to the lack of availablity of home stays. The place we stayed on Wednesday night had an extraordinary view from our window of Volcan de Agua. It was such a clear week with no rain, so we often had a great view of the three volcanoes and the mountains surrounding Antigua. We've found a couple of safe places to eat, so, to try to save on the food budget, try to have a late breakfast, then dinner after classes which are over at 5:30. So far we haven't ordered anything wacky... guess we'll stick with the foods we know!!
Last week we came back to the Capital to help with the mission team from Calvary Indianapolis, a group of ten. Our van is only supposed to be for 11 passengers, so with Manuel driving and a couple of our Guatemalan friends, there was never room for Kevin & me to accompany them on their adventures. We did go along for church on Sunday, but sitting backwards on the floor was good for a short trip, but not through the mountains to Amatitlan or Antigua! The team had an awesome experience through their week.
Kevin was able to spend time at the ministry learning a little more about how things operate down here and having the thrill of driving Rodrigo, our 21 year old truck. Often this is the only way for the Americans to get around in the city when the van is being used for teams. So there were a couple of mornings that Kevin and I were sitting in the back of the pickup for the 5 minute drive to the ministry, with black fumes from the chicken busses pouring out over us that we just looked at each other and wondered how in the world this ever happened!! Pretty crazy stuff. And it gets rather interesting during the rainy season. We pray for safety the entire way there...
The Americanos decided last weekend that it would be rather entertaining (doesn't take much anymore) to have a "cookout" on the roof of the missionary house. We were told that the "grill" was up where Manuel lives. We're still living in the team house, and Manuel lives with his family of 6 in a room on the third floor of that house. So Kevin went upstairs and found that the grill was an old tire rim that had three pieces of rebar (metal bars) welded onto it for legs. Apparently these are pretty common around here and can be bought for Q30 which is less than $4. Kevin and I walked from the team house to the missionary house (those of you who've been here can picture this...) carrying the silly grill. So Andy and Kevin and I went to the store to buy meat... always a little risky in my book, but I guess it was okay since I'm here to tell about it! We also bought three pineapples off a bridge... At this point Kevin's in the back of the pickup, Andy swings the truck around on this really busy street, hailing the two guys with a pile of fruit on the median of the bridge. He buys three pineapples for Q10/$1.50 and they throw them into the back with Kevin. TIG!! It took Kevin and Andy over an hour to start the fire. The high altitude was against them, but with a lot of blowing and smoke, they finally had something hot. The tire rim cooking area is only about 12" wide, so it took a long time to cook the little kabobers. I was told there was no need for plates or silverware as the standard operating procedure is to stand around the grill and eat them as they are cooked. There ya go and that's what we did...only took from 4:30-8:30!! A Guatemalan cookout...or cookup...
Kevin is going to attack the elusive sink in the team house today I think. Third time's a charm, right? He has a wrench from Manuel and just needs to figure out the fifth place to turn off the water to that one sink. We suspect it may be in the wall just because this is Guatemala and it wouldn't make any sense for it to be there. Should be an adventure! If so, we'll stand at the other end of the hall with a big bucket to catch the water while he makes the switch!
A couple weeks ago when the Delray team was here we went way out to the middle of nowhere outside of Amatitlan. I thought Carlos was way out in the country, but this was even farther...Manuel even had to ask directions which I've never seen him do! We went to see three different families, but two of them were the most rural I've been to. One was the family of Pedro and Maria Angela Cruz, an older couple who had 12 children and 46 grandchildren!! Holy smokes! I'm not sure how many of the children and grandchildren live there but there was a steady stream of shoeless little feet coming in and out of the house. They asked us to pray for Maria who has been sick and for work for their children. They also asked for prayer for their corn crop. It had rained that day, so everything was a muddy mess... especially at the next house we went to. There were several tiny shanties within the fence. We visted with Meralda who has 12 children and 15 grandchildren. Her husband had died 10 years ago, but she now has a second husband. One of her sons was in an accident so couldn't work. We had a good visit with her and her daughter in law who is expecting a baby... more little ones... what a busy place! It must be so difficult to live in these places during the rainy season. Everything turns to mud. Such a hard life...
It's time for me to return to the other house to be picked up for the airport run. We send our daily thanks for your prayers and love as God protects us and keeps us in His care. God be with you, as well!!
Ginny and Kevin
Welcome Delray Beach & OK! June 9, 2007
I knew it had been awhile since I'd updated our blog, but was surprised to see it had been this long! Our interent access has been iffy at best, so this morning we're sitting in a cafe in Antigua where we can have access to wireless if we buy something. We are studying in the afternoons this week as the school is so full in the morning and there was no room. Since we were in the Capital last week we pretty much forfeited our morning spot. But the change has actually been a blessing as we are able to study and find internet in the morning now and don't have to wake up with the clanging of the bells of La Merced at 5 in the morning. Also, because we are studying only every other week, we are not able to stay with the family we had been with for our first 5 weeks. We found a hotel for $40/night, so the amount we are paying is less than what we paid for the home stay. So this week we are on the hunt for inexpensive places to find meals that are safe to eat. The pig head and carved off meat under the heat lamp in the window of one of the restaurants on our street did not beckon us in to try a dinner there, thank you very much. And I'm thrilled that this bed has no bed bugs as the previous home did. Dozens of bites that are getting close to not itching anymore... phew!
We'll only be studying four days a week now as Manuel must pick us up on Thursday afternoons to return for the next mission team's arrival. Kevin has been able to keep his teacher...with whom he has a great deal of fun. I was a little apprehensive about starting with a new teacher, but was VERY fortunate to have the sister of Kevin's teacher. She's just as much fun as Carmen and we had such a great time yesterday. It will make the over 400 verbs I've had much easier to swallow as we launch into the past tense. We're told that we should take our time in this level as it's really crucial to the next ones. I quite agree. We didn't have much time to study while our Delray FL team was down here last week. We were much too busy having a great time serving together. But we're hoping that when other teams that we don't know are here that we'll have more time to continue the memorizing during the 10 days we're away from our school. And I just need to force myself to speak spanish with our boys at the ministry and make the mistakes. Only way to learn, I'm thinkin'.
One of the highlights of last week was Rachel joining the Delray team down here. We had a great time catching up on what's happening in our two very different parts of the world. The ministry is preparing to be at the LCMS National Youth Gathering. This is such a huge opportunity for The Servant's Heart and the sponsorship program and we pray that God will move the hearts of thousands to become sponsors of our kids and ministry workers. What a blessing to see Rach, tho. It's so hard being so far away, not sharing every detail of every day like we're used to. She's right where God wants her to be, enjoying so many new friends in Arizona who have already become like family to her.
It's 5 in the morning and for whatever reason, I've been awake for two hours and can't seem to get back to sleep. So, I thought I may as well keep working at getting this blog up to date before another busy week at the ministry starts. My brain's been so overloaded with language school it's hard to find the energy to fill in more than just the basics. But I hear the birdies beginning their day and will soon hear the cohetes (firecrackers) announcing the "Corpus Cristi" holiday here today. It's a big day in Antigua for the Catholic churches with a procession through the streets, special masses and foods prepared only for special occasions and holidays.
Last week, as I said earlier, we had two mission teams at the ministry: one from Delray Beach FL and the other from Oklahoma. We began their week with a two hour long worship service at the Lutheran church in the Capital. Andy said that the record long sermon was a mere 57 minutes! (Don't get any ideas, Bob!) Something new our teams are doing this year is to take an hour plus drive beyond Antigua to San Antonio where our vendadora friend, Nelli, lives. She and her family served this group of over twenty people a very typical dinner of tortillas, meat, guacamole, beans, salsa, jamaica juice, and plantains. We were treated to watching two women weave the traditional blouses of the country. Each city has its own design and it takes one woman 6 months of weaving several hours a day to complete one blouse! There are just beautiful. We learned that a girl begins weaving one of these blouses when she is around ten years old, to be completed by the time she is married. She then gives this blouse to her new mother in law who wears it on the day of the wedding. One of the women weaving was only 24 years old and already has a 10 year old daughter. A few of the team members tried their hand at the weaving and wondered how the women can sit on their for hours at a time. Quite an art and so very beautiful.
On Monday, we drove to Amatitlan, where it was already beginning to rain. It's rainy season here now and, while it typically rains in the afternoon and nighttime, it got an early start. The Oklahoma team lead the handful of children who attend school in the afternoon in a Bible story and craft while the Delray team headed out for several medical visits with Lindsey, our ministry nurse. Our first visit was to the home of someone we'd visited last time, Walter Santos, who is 35. Walter works at Lake Atitlan, but had been robbed there that week, so was a little apprehensive about returning. His mother in law had had a stroke (I believe I'd mentioned her in a previous update) but was doing somewhat better. His wife, Teresa, had fallen the day before and had really hurt her face. It was obvious she was in a lot of pain. Teresa had polio when she was younger, so her legs are very thin and she walks with quite a limp. There are nine people living in this home and Walter and his father try to provide for the family with the work they do.
Our next visit was to see Carlos. Many of you know Carlos' story...how he became a paraplegic after getting drunk and falling in a well. Lindsey came out of the shanty which is in the middle of nowhere asking if any of us had brought any food along because Carlos hadn't eaten for two days. The family he lives with had gone to another city to pick up their eldest daughter and had left him there alone, probably (hopefully) thinking they'd be back before then. All we came up with was a package of Chicky cookies. Keep in mind, too, that Carlos wouldn't have been able to walk out to the outhouse all this time as well... If we hadn't come by that day...
Third and final on the list to visit in Amatitlan (yeah, this was all before lunch!) was someone whose shanty we hadn't been to. Lindsey wanted to check on the elderly grandmother who attends our Bible studies and asked us to spend time with the mother, Susana. She's been a Christian for five years and has five sons and one daughter. Tatiana, the daughter, had left nine days ago with a man, who, apparentlly, was a friend of the family, but much older than her. Susana wasn't sure if she'd left willingly or not, but hadn't heard anything from her and was very concerned. She said her sons don't love the Lord and are getting into trouble. She's very sad because of her serious problems and is trying to trust in God to know what is best. Coca didn't do a lot of interpreting as you could just see the Holy Spirit speaking through him to Susana and one of her sons who was staying in the room. He told about a friend of his who'd been shot 7 times, but God had given him a second chance to live and turn to Him. He talked about how sometimes things that happen to us don't make sense, but God has a wiser plan and can see the bigger picture. We just need to trust that He knows what we need and when we need it. He told the son that he needs to stay away from people who are a bad influence and to get close to God instead. It was an amazing hour... And long into the visit I noticed that Susana only has one hand...
Tuesday, back in the city, the Delray team had the chance to teach the kids activities in the "park"... which is a flattened out portion of the dump, really. At first there weren't a lot of kids, but they slowly trickled over. They come from a school that is along the side of the park where the teachers release them for a 45 minute recess. The kids just take off to wherever they want to go, totally unattended. So, we take the message to them, hoping that they'll hear just a little bit of the love of Jesus...and perhaps even take it home to their parents. Eventually, we had probably 30 or 40 kids, particularly when we got to the craft part... that brought even more curious faces.
We only had time for one house visit Tuesday morning, so Adrian came with us to see Lorena, who is 21. Lorena already has three children, with baby Shirli, 7 months old being the youngest. She's a single mom because the father left with another woman when the baby was born. One week ago, the father had come to their house, drunk in the middle of the night, and had tried to break down the door. He wanted to kill Lorena and the children. She's a Christian, but is sad because this man continues to bring trouble and fear to her family. She cleans houses and washes clothes to support the children. We asked Adrian if any law enforcement would help in a situation like this and he said he could count on one hand the number of times the police had come to the shanty area to help.
Wednesday, we went to visit Ana who is 32. Her husband, Tereso, works at a gas station. Ana's doughter, Heidi, is 17 and already has two children: a daughter, 2, and little baby, Eric, who is 4 months old. When you do the math, it seems Heidi is following the pattern set by her mother, who would have been 15 when she had Heidi. It's a pattern we see so often here, where young girls have baby after baby, simply compounding the problem of poverty. Ana asked us to pray for her family and for the baby who is sometimes sick.
I think I'll leave it here for now... your heads are probably spinning as you realize that each of these homes we visited have such huge burdens to carry. We are continually humbled to see the faith of some and are brought to tears by the stories of others. We thank God for Coca and Adrian and the other ministry workers who are being used mightily by God to bring comfort and peace to these people who are hurting so deeply.
Hopefully we'll be able to get the internet to be friendly today so we can bring a little glimpse of Guatemala to you!! And I'm also hoping to continue to bring more stories of thse precious people soon through the blog.
God bless you all!!! Thank you for your continued prayers for our safety and health!
Love, Ginny and Kevin
We'll only be studying four days a week now as Manuel must pick us up on Thursday afternoons to return for the next mission team's arrival. Kevin has been able to keep his teacher...with whom he has a great deal of fun. I was a little apprehensive about starting with a new teacher, but was VERY fortunate to have the sister of Kevin's teacher. She's just as much fun as Carmen and we had such a great time yesterday. It will make the over 400 verbs I've had much easier to swallow as we launch into the past tense. We're told that we should take our time in this level as it's really crucial to the next ones. I quite agree. We didn't have much time to study while our Delray FL team was down here last week. We were much too busy having a great time serving together. But we're hoping that when other teams that we don't know are here that we'll have more time to continue the memorizing during the 10 days we're away from our school. And I just need to force myself to speak spanish with our boys at the ministry and make the mistakes. Only way to learn, I'm thinkin'.
One of the highlights of last week was Rachel joining the Delray team down here. We had a great time catching up on what's happening in our two very different parts of the world. The ministry is preparing to be at the LCMS National Youth Gathering. This is such a huge opportunity for The Servant's Heart and the sponsorship program and we pray that God will move the hearts of thousands to become sponsors of our kids and ministry workers. What a blessing to see Rach, tho. It's so hard being so far away, not sharing every detail of every day like we're used to. She's right where God wants her to be, enjoying so many new friends in Arizona who have already become like family to her.
It's 5 in the morning and for whatever reason, I've been awake for two hours and can't seem to get back to sleep. So, I thought I may as well keep working at getting this blog up to date before another busy week at the ministry starts. My brain's been so overloaded with language school it's hard to find the energy to fill in more than just the basics. But I hear the birdies beginning their day and will soon hear the cohetes (firecrackers) announcing the "Corpus Cristi" holiday here today. It's a big day in Antigua for the Catholic churches with a procession through the streets, special masses and foods prepared only for special occasions and holidays.
Last week, as I said earlier, we had two mission teams at the ministry: one from Delray Beach FL and the other from Oklahoma. We began their week with a two hour long worship service at the Lutheran church in the Capital. Andy said that the record long sermon was a mere 57 minutes! (Don't get any ideas, Bob!) Something new our teams are doing this year is to take an hour plus drive beyond Antigua to San Antonio where our vendadora friend, Nelli, lives. She and her family served this group of over twenty people a very typical dinner of tortillas, meat, guacamole, beans, salsa, jamaica juice, and plantains. We were treated to watching two women weave the traditional blouses of the country. Each city has its own design and it takes one woman 6 months of weaving several hours a day to complete one blouse! There are just beautiful. We learned that a girl begins weaving one of these blouses when she is around ten years old, to be completed by the time she is married. She then gives this blouse to her new mother in law who wears it on the day of the wedding. One of the women weaving was only 24 years old and already has a 10 year old daughter. A few of the team members tried their hand at the weaving and wondered how the women can sit on their for hours at a time. Quite an art and so very beautiful.
On Monday, we drove to Amatitlan, where it was already beginning to rain. It's rainy season here now and, while it typically rains in the afternoon and nighttime, it got an early start. The Oklahoma team lead the handful of children who attend school in the afternoon in a Bible story and craft while the Delray team headed out for several medical visits with Lindsey, our ministry nurse. Our first visit was to the home of someone we'd visited last time, Walter Santos, who is 35. Walter works at Lake Atitlan, but had been robbed there that week, so was a little apprehensive about returning. His mother in law had had a stroke (I believe I'd mentioned her in a previous update) but was doing somewhat better. His wife, Teresa, had fallen the day before and had really hurt her face. It was obvious she was in a lot of pain. Teresa had polio when she was younger, so her legs are very thin and she walks with quite a limp. There are nine people living in this home and Walter and his father try to provide for the family with the work they do.
Our next visit was to see Carlos. Many of you know Carlos' story...how he became a paraplegic after getting drunk and falling in a well. Lindsey came out of the shanty which is in the middle of nowhere asking if any of us had brought any food along because Carlos hadn't eaten for two days. The family he lives with had gone to another city to pick up their eldest daughter and had left him there alone, probably (hopefully) thinking they'd be back before then. All we came up with was a package of Chicky cookies. Keep in mind, too, that Carlos wouldn't have been able to walk out to the outhouse all this time as well... If we hadn't come by that day...
Third and final on the list to visit in Amatitlan (yeah, this was all before lunch!) was someone whose shanty we hadn't been to. Lindsey wanted to check on the elderly grandmother who attends our Bible studies and asked us to spend time with the mother, Susana. She's been a Christian for five years and has five sons and one daughter. Tatiana, the daughter, had left nine days ago with a man, who, apparentlly, was a friend of the family, but much older than her. Susana wasn't sure if she'd left willingly or not, but hadn't heard anything from her and was very concerned. She said her sons don't love the Lord and are getting into trouble. She's very sad because of her serious problems and is trying to trust in God to know what is best. Coca didn't do a lot of interpreting as you could just see the Holy Spirit speaking through him to Susana and one of her sons who was staying in the room. He told about a friend of his who'd been shot 7 times, but God had given him a second chance to live and turn to Him. He talked about how sometimes things that happen to us don't make sense, but God has a wiser plan and can see the bigger picture. We just need to trust that He knows what we need and when we need it. He told the son that he needs to stay away from people who are a bad influence and to get close to God instead. It was an amazing hour... And long into the visit I noticed that Susana only has one hand...
Tuesday, back in the city, the Delray team had the chance to teach the kids activities in the "park"... which is a flattened out portion of the dump, really. At first there weren't a lot of kids, but they slowly trickled over. They come from a school that is along the side of the park where the teachers release them for a 45 minute recess. The kids just take off to wherever they want to go, totally unattended. So, we take the message to them, hoping that they'll hear just a little bit of the love of Jesus...and perhaps even take it home to their parents. Eventually, we had probably 30 or 40 kids, particularly when we got to the craft part... that brought even more curious faces.
We only had time for one house visit Tuesday morning, so Adrian came with us to see Lorena, who is 21. Lorena already has three children, with baby Shirli, 7 months old being the youngest. She's a single mom because the father left with another woman when the baby was born. One week ago, the father had come to their house, drunk in the middle of the night, and had tried to break down the door. He wanted to kill Lorena and the children. She's a Christian, but is sad because this man continues to bring trouble and fear to her family. She cleans houses and washes clothes to support the children. We asked Adrian if any law enforcement would help in a situation like this and he said he could count on one hand the number of times the police had come to the shanty area to help.
Wednesday, we went to visit Ana who is 32. Her husband, Tereso, works at a gas station. Ana's doughter, Heidi, is 17 and already has two children: a daughter, 2, and little baby, Eric, who is 4 months old. When you do the math, it seems Heidi is following the pattern set by her mother, who would have been 15 when she had Heidi. It's a pattern we see so often here, where young girls have baby after baby, simply compounding the problem of poverty. Ana asked us to pray for her family and for the baby who is sometimes sick.
I think I'll leave it here for now... your heads are probably spinning as you realize that each of these homes we visited have such huge burdens to carry. We are continually humbled to see the faith of some and are brought to tears by the stories of others. We thank God for Coca and Adrian and the other ministry workers who are being used mightily by God to bring comfort and peace to these people who are hurting so deeply.
Hopefully we'll be able to get the internet to be friendly today so we can bring a little glimpse of Guatemala to you!! And I'm also hoping to continue to bring more stories of thse precious people soon through the blog.
God bless you all!!! Thank you for your continued prayers for our safety and health!
Love, Ginny and Kevin
Such a face! May 17, 2007
Gotta love that face!! Yes, Mom, that's Lillian...the little sweetie you're sponsoring! We collected a hug from her last weekend when we were in the Capital city. She had a real twinkle in her eyes when we said "adios" and she said "Bye bye!" in English! Hers was one of many hugs we collected as we reconnected with our ministry friends. It was such a blessing to be able to talk with everyone again. That's what it's all about and we're thankful that we had the opportunity to be with everyone with whom we'll be working. God knew what we needed!
Last Friday we joined the ministry staff as we walked from building to building praying for all who work there, for the children and teachers in the school, their families, and their neighborhood. We are amazed at the faith of the people we'll be working with as they thank God for their many blessings.
One thing we did find out is that, when someone is speaking in their native language, it sounds REALLY fast!!! Our three weeks of Spanish school was only a drop in the bucket of what we'll need to be fluent enough to understand and communicate. Gonna be a long process!! Kevin's looking forward to (well, maybe not looking forward)... perhaps preparing for is better, his first exam early next week. His teacher is picturing chickens doing the hula when he mentions "Pollo Tropical" of Florida fame! I have a new teacher this week (no I didn't wear the previous one out!!) and she's really forcing me to carry on conversations and ask questions...all in espanol. It's the best way to learn and I needed to get over being too embarrassed over making mistakes. I'm a little surprised myself how much I understand and can answer in complete sentences. No major mistakes this week, other than talking about cooking perro instead of pollo! (dog instead of chicken!) Think before you speak!! Yikes! We have one more full week here before we go back and forth between here and the city every other week. Hopefully, we'll be able to use what we know and continue to strengthen our conversational abilities. I'm beginning to forget how to spell in English now!
Back to our story... After our prayer walk last Friday, we split into three or four groups and did a couple hours of house visits. All of the discomforts that I've been experiencing in the last month here become pretty petty and foolish when I am standing in a shanty that is extremely small and hotter than blazes as the sun beats down on the metal. As the chickies run around the one room the entire family calls home, and you see the flies sitting on the tortillas laying on the dirty table... and the smoke rising inside the house from the fire they use to cook on... I'm reminded that our most uncomfortable situation would be like heaven to them. Always very humbling when we pray together and I can hear their prayers of thanks to God for the blessings He's given them! It is a privilege to visit with them.
We had fun having English/Spanish lessons with some of the teenagers at the ministry who are going to be working with our mission teams as translators. We'd ask questions in espanol and they'd have to answer in English. Sometimes it took awhile to figure out what we were saying to each other, but it helped break the ice on both sides! "I'll be brave and say the wrong thing if you'll be brave and say the wrong thing!" Gotta love those boys...
God continues to work in my heart as I come to accept our new lifestyle. He is sufficient...He is all I need. I know He is the source of all comfort and peace...I just need to let Him do the work! Your prayers and comments and emails are such blessings to us and we look forward to opening them like gifts when we are able to get on the internet! The last week it's been off more than on, but we're blessed to have this way to communicate with you when it works!
God be with you all, dear friends!
Love, G & K
Last Friday we joined the ministry staff as we walked from building to building praying for all who work there, for the children and teachers in the school, their families, and their neighborhood. We are amazed at the faith of the people we'll be working with as they thank God for their many blessings.
One thing we did find out is that, when someone is speaking in their native language, it sounds REALLY fast!!! Our three weeks of Spanish school was only a drop in the bucket of what we'll need to be fluent enough to understand and communicate. Gonna be a long process!! Kevin's looking forward to (well, maybe not looking forward)... perhaps preparing for is better, his first exam early next week. His teacher is picturing chickens doing the hula when he mentions "Pollo Tropical" of Florida fame! I have a new teacher this week (no I didn't wear the previous one out!!) and she's really forcing me to carry on conversations and ask questions...all in espanol. It's the best way to learn and I needed to get over being too embarrassed over making mistakes. I'm a little surprised myself how much I understand and can answer in complete sentences. No major mistakes this week, other than talking about cooking perro instead of pollo! (dog instead of chicken!) Think before you speak!! Yikes! We have one more full week here before we go back and forth between here and the city every other week. Hopefully, we'll be able to use what we know and continue to strengthen our conversational abilities. I'm beginning to forget how to spell in English now!
Back to our story... After our prayer walk last Friday, we split into three or four groups and did a couple hours of house visits. All of the discomforts that I've been experiencing in the last month here become pretty petty and foolish when I am standing in a shanty that is extremely small and hotter than blazes as the sun beats down on the metal. As the chickies run around the one room the entire family calls home, and you see the flies sitting on the tortillas laying on the dirty table... and the smoke rising inside the house from the fire they use to cook on... I'm reminded that our most uncomfortable situation would be like heaven to them. Always very humbling when we pray together and I can hear their prayers of thanks to God for the blessings He's given them! It is a privilege to visit with them.
We had fun having English/Spanish lessons with some of the teenagers at the ministry who are going to be working with our mission teams as translators. We'd ask questions in espanol and they'd have to answer in English. Sometimes it took awhile to figure out what we were saying to each other, but it helped break the ice on both sides! "I'll be brave and say the wrong thing if you'll be brave and say the wrong thing!" Gotta love those boys...
God continues to work in my heart as I come to accept our new lifestyle. He is sufficient...He is all I need. I know He is the source of all comfort and peace...I just need to let Him do the work! Your prayers and comments and emails are such blessings to us and we look forward to opening them like gifts when we are able to get on the internet! The last week it's been off more than on, but we're blessed to have this way to communicate with you when it works!
God be with you all, dear friends!
Love, G & K
New Words and New Tears May 10, 2007
Buenas tardes from our school in Antigua!
We have just completed our second week of Spanish school and our brains are filled with muchas palabras!! (many words!) I've finished up Level A and will take my exam to pass to the next level. I often hear laughter from Kevin's table across the school (surprise!) and once looked over to see his teacher with her head on the table... They look like they're having a great time. Next week we'll be studying five hours a day instead of six, from 8 AM-1PM. There's so many new words to absorb every day that by the time you get your homework done you don't have time to really study and review everything. Such a great way to learn a language, though, especially as we share meals with the family we live with and practice speaking in Spanish. We'll be here one more week, then will be going back to the city every other week to work with the mission teams that come down from next Saturday through the end of August.
This weekend, Andy, Drew and Lindsey, along with Manuel and his family, are going to pick us up and spend a couple of days in Panajachel. The five of us will be able to stay for free in the house of a friend of the ministry. So we'll take our books along and spend a little time in another part of Guatemala about 2 hours from Antigua. It's the last weekend any of us will have off until September, so we'll savor the flavor as much as possible!
The Board of Directors of the ministry was in Guatemala last weekend and we were thrilled to meet each member when they came to Antigua for two days of meetings. Their passion and love for the people of Guatemala, The Servant's Heart and for their Lord was energizing and encouraging as they made plans and shared ideas for the coming year at the ministry. It was a bittersweet time (there are going to be a lot of those, I'm thinking...) as we had such a wonderful time sharing meals and stories and laughs... but the bitter part came when we had to say goodbye to Rachel and Dennis, my brother in law, and other friends on the board. I think we were all bawling by the time we had to walk away from the van and watch them leave us behind.
It's been a tough couple of weeks as we mourn the loss of our family and everything familiar. We've passed the 10 day mission trip time...and are realizing that we aren't going home just yet! We learn every day how weak we are and how much we need to depend on the Lord for every ounce of strength that's needed to be here. It will be good next weekend to finally be back with the people we love, reminding us of the work for which God brought us to Guatemala.
We ask your prayers for continued focus on the only thing that is important...giving God glory and serving Him with all our hearts, minds and strength. It's so easy to lose that focus and Satan would like nothing more than to see us wonder why we're here. But our God is faithful and gives us the peace and strength we need!
Thank you for the emails and comments on the blog! They are encouraging and bring us many smiles.
God be with you and bless you!!!
Much love,
Ginny & Kevin
We have just completed our second week of Spanish school and our brains are filled with muchas palabras!! (many words!) I've finished up Level A and will take my exam to pass to the next level. I often hear laughter from Kevin's table across the school (surprise!) and once looked over to see his teacher with her head on the table... They look like they're having a great time. Next week we'll be studying five hours a day instead of six, from 8 AM-1PM. There's so many new words to absorb every day that by the time you get your homework done you don't have time to really study and review everything. Such a great way to learn a language, though, especially as we share meals with the family we live with and practice speaking in Spanish. We'll be here one more week, then will be going back to the city every other week to work with the mission teams that come down from next Saturday through the end of August.
This weekend, Andy, Drew and Lindsey, along with Manuel and his family, are going to pick us up and spend a couple of days in Panajachel. The five of us will be able to stay for free in the house of a friend of the ministry. So we'll take our books along and spend a little time in another part of Guatemala about 2 hours from Antigua. It's the last weekend any of us will have off until September, so we'll savor the flavor as much as possible!
The Board of Directors of the ministry was in Guatemala last weekend and we were thrilled to meet each member when they came to Antigua for two days of meetings. Their passion and love for the people of Guatemala, The Servant's Heart and for their Lord was energizing and encouraging as they made plans and shared ideas for the coming year at the ministry. It was a bittersweet time (there are going to be a lot of those, I'm thinking...) as we had such a wonderful time sharing meals and stories and laughs... but the bitter part came when we had to say goodbye to Rachel and Dennis, my brother in law, and other friends on the board. I think we were all bawling by the time we had to walk away from the van and watch them leave us behind.
It's been a tough couple of weeks as we mourn the loss of our family and everything familiar. We've passed the 10 day mission trip time...and are realizing that we aren't going home just yet! We learn every day how weak we are and how much we need to depend on the Lord for every ounce of strength that's needed to be here. It will be good next weekend to finally be back with the people we love, reminding us of the work for which God brought us to Guatemala.
We ask your prayers for continued focus on the only thing that is important...giving God glory and serving Him with all our hearts, minds and strength. It's so easy to lose that focus and Satan would like nothing more than to see us wonder why we're here. But our God is faithful and gives us the peace and strength we need!
Thank you for the emails and comments on the blog! They are encouraging and bring us many smiles.
God be with you and bless you!!!
Much love,
Ginny & Kevin
What exactly do You mean by ALL?? May 4, 2007
We're sitting in our little 10x10 room on the roof of the casa we're living in in Antigua after eating another now familiar Guatemala meal of beans, plantains and bread. We're finishing our third week of Spanish school (I passed Level A!! Yea!) and are looking forward to getting back to the Capital city to stock up on hugs on Friday and aturday before heading back here on Sunday for two weeks of studying before the mission team from Delray Beach arrives.
Well, I've decided to share with you the journey of faith...or, perhaps more appropriately, that of little faith, that I've been on since coming to this third world country. I have to tell you that these have been three of the most difficult weeks in my life. Most days are just fine, but there are some days that absolutely knock me off my fet. Not only has God shoved me out of my box, but my box has been shredded and at times, I feel like I've been shredded, too. I'm mourning the loss of anything familiar and for family and friends and for, well...comfort. Taking the icky showers standing in 2 inches of someone else's water and carrying your stuff to the bathroom and living with two of us in a tiny room with nowhere to sit but on the bed (good thing I love the guy!) got old mighty quick. I did dorm life over 30 years ago, thank you very much!!! When I was on mission trips I could mark off the days left of the icky, noisy, don't flush the toilet paper, polluted environment, but now this needs to become my normal! Not to mention the fact that we stink!!! I've become an Israelite for heaven's sake!!! Some days I completely forget about the hundreds of blessings I continue to receive every single day and stupidly focus on how physically yucky this place is and how miserable I am!!!!! Cual es mi problema?!?!?!?!?!?!?! No one is more surprised by my reaction to all of this than I am. How clearly we know that God called us here. Bring it on!!! We'll go anywhere, do anything You want us to, Lord!!! But does it have to be so yucky???
Okay, so let's run down the names of the songs on my favorites playlist...
All I Need (is You)
All I Want (is You)
All I Want to Do (is Give My Life to You)
All That Matters (is You)
Any Road, Any Cost...
And that's just the "A's"!!!!!!!! I've been singing these songs for months and foolish me, thought I was so committed and so surrendered and so I'll do anything for You, Lord. My faith is so small and weak sometimes, it scares me. This move to Guatemala has stripped me of everything I thought I was and anything I thought I could do. And I've discovered just how much of the world I still cling to for comfort. I am completely and totally worthless in my own strength. I'm sorry, Lord. You're breaking up...I can't hear what You just said...the connection's not so clear anymore...
But then the passage comes to my mind that says "My strength is made perfect in your weakness." Ah, so that's why You've shredded my box...You want me to be stripped of everything but YOU. Your grace is sufficient for me...for Your strength is made perfect in my weakness... Oh, that I could remember that through these difficult days. I need to know that I truly don't need anything else but YOU. And even when everything comfortable and familiar is tken away, You are there and You haven't changed and You will give me the strength to face the unknown and the known...especially the yucky stuff!!
I am humbled to know of our Savior's unconditional love and that no matter how foolish I am in my doubtings and selfishness, He will never leave me or forsake me. I don't think this battle is over yet, but I do know where my strength will come from. Please pray that my heart will be filled with and focused on Christ and only Him...and that I will be a reflection of His love to all who ee and hear me. Pray that our time in Guatemala City this weekend will be one of refocusing and reconecting with the people we love and that we will be filled with renewed energy to serve our never-changing Lord and Savior.
We love you all and wish you God's richest blessings! Your emails and comments on the blog are like oreos in my milk!!! (now that's definitely on my "what I'll eat first when we get back" list!!!)
Humbly serving,
Ginny
Life in Antigua April 25, 2007
Such an unbelievable view each morning...We are surrounded by volcanoes and mountains and there are beautiful flowers lining porches and rooflines. This is Antigua and I feel like we're in a National Geographis photo shoot. There are ruins in every direction revealing the over 500 year history of this city that used to be the capital of Guatemala. You do have to wonder why this city exists after the volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that have claimed so many of the historical buildings. But life continues in this valley between the mountains with the sounds of cars, motorbikes and trucks on the cobblestone streets, and the sights of people walking along the very narrow sidewalks.
We are in our third day of Spanish classes. Yesterday we had seven hours of class, with six today and the rest of the week. I guess as adults we often wonder if we'd be able to learn anything new or be able to study again after so many years away from school. But the teachers at this school are excellent and fine tune your hours with them so that you learn quickly and with lots of laughs. Can't beat one on one, either! I can't say that learning Spanish will be effortless, that's for sure! Memorizing dozens of words each night after studying all day will be challenging to say the least! We'll try not to stress out over it, tho, and learn as much as we can in our time here. I don't think I've made any really gross errors in things I've said so far!...except when I said that my computadora was pescado...my computer is a fish! Thought I was saying it was heavy!! The house where we are staying is nice and about a six block walk from our school. We are on the third floor of one of the tallest buildings in the area. Our little 10 x 10 room is free standing and there are two other bedrooms up on this floor as well, where two other students are staying. We all eat breakfast together at 7 AM and head for school. Then we return for lunch, which is at 1 PM and go back to school from 2-4. We'll have dinner together at 7 PM and head to our rooms to study for the rest of the evening.
We'll try to squeeze some internet time at school into the day so we can catch up with all of you. I'll write more about what our meals are like some other day after we've eaten more of Elizabeth's tasty meals.
Until next time...God bless!
K & G
We've Arrived! April 21, 2007
God has brought us safely to Guatemala! It's been quite a week (month! year!! in our lives. A week of goodbyes and hellos. We woke up on Wednesday April 18th in Mesa, Arizona and laid our heads on pillows in Guatemala that night. Boy, that was a tough day. Saying goodbye to Rachel, later arriving in the ever morphing Guateamala City airport praying that our bags had all survived and arrived, then being dropped of in the team house...so many emotions...so many tears as we realized that our lives would never be the same again. Those of you who have stayed in this house remember the trucks and busses and polution and firecrackers going off all night long. Sleep was not easily found, but we just prayed that the Lord would give us the strength we needed to face the changes and lack of anything familiar. Joy comes in the morning, right??
We decided that the best thing to do was just jump right in with Thursday's activities rather than stick around the house feeling sorry for ourselves. So we went down to the ministry for morning devotions and began to see many of the faces we have come to love. Of course, that did much to remind us why we are here! Then we drove up to Amatitlan where Lindsey needed to make a couple of medical house visits. We visited with Vilma who had just had her second stroke. Lindsey brought them a name of somewhere they might be able to find some therapy for her so perhaps she might walk again. There are 13 people living in this tiny house! Seemed every time I turned around there was a different face looking at me! After sharing some Scripture and prayers, we were given something to drink (oh, please let it be safe!!) and chatted about their family. Then we drove over washboard gravel and dirt roads to see Carlos, a parapalegic who had fallen down a well resulting in the loss of one leg. The family he lives with has taken him in and tends to his physical needs. So many stories...this is going to be hard not to tell you everything!! The faith of the people is amazing in the midst of so many physical trials and so much pain.
Okay, perhaps I can start to breath again...God called you here...He will calm your fears and give you peace...
Friday is a special day at the ministry, devoted to spiritual growth. The day begins with the ministry workers gathering for the prayer walk. We sang a few songs, read some Scripture, then began walking to each building of the ministry to pray for all who worked there, for the students and their families, the teachers and the community. It reminds everyone where our strength comes from and why The Servant's Heart is here.On Thursday the ministry leaders had met for a discipleship Bible study, then Friday they become the leaders for the rest of the ministry workers. At the end of the day, then, everyone comes together for a time of worship and to reflect on what the Holy Spirit had revealed to them in their Bible study. Each week a different group leads this special time.Oh, yeah...we also sat in on our school's chapel service. The kids sure love to sing and Reyna, who is the spiritual life director, captures their attention as she shares God's Word with them. I've got to learn the words to these songs!
Well, as many of you predicted, I can (and probably will!) go on and on...And we've only been here two days!We've decided that, after the first three weeks in Antigua at Spanish school, we will move over to the missionary house. We'll bring the internet payments at that house up to date and hooked back up, so we will have more time to devote to keeping you all informed on our adventures. I'll be working on getting this blog going so you can come back from time to time to catch up without missing anything.
We leave tomorrow for Antigua and Spanish school. I'm a bit nervous, but will try to just enjoy the experience and not fret about trying to learn faster than my little brain will allow. We are truly praying that the Lord will give us the ability to learn quickly as we're so anxious to talk with everyone here!
Katie and Markito...Ruth and Astrid send their love and can't wait to see you in May!!! (I got a few hugs for you and will be happy to deliver them in person!)
I think I'd better get this published so I don't love the whole works! I keep getting kicked off line and have to keep re-doing...
God be with you all and keep you in His care!
Serving together,
All for Him!!
Kevin & Ginny
We decided that the best thing to do was just jump right in with Thursday's activities rather than stick around the house feeling sorry for ourselves. So we went down to the ministry for morning devotions and began to see many of the faces we have come to love. Of course, that did much to remind us why we are here! Then we drove up to Amatitlan where Lindsey needed to make a couple of medical house visits. We visited with Vilma who had just had her second stroke. Lindsey brought them a name of somewhere they might be able to find some therapy for her so perhaps she might walk again. There are 13 people living in this tiny house! Seemed every time I turned around there was a different face looking at me! After sharing some Scripture and prayers, we were given something to drink (oh, please let it be safe!!) and chatted about their family. Then we drove over washboard gravel and dirt roads to see Carlos, a parapalegic who had fallen down a well resulting in the loss of one leg. The family he lives with has taken him in and tends to his physical needs. So many stories...this is going to be hard not to tell you everything!! The faith of the people is amazing in the midst of so many physical trials and so much pain.
Okay, perhaps I can start to breath again...God called you here...He will calm your fears and give you peace...
Friday is a special day at the ministry, devoted to spiritual growth. The day begins with the ministry workers gathering for the prayer walk. We sang a few songs, read some Scripture, then began walking to each building of the ministry to pray for all who worked there, for the students and their families, the teachers and the community. It reminds everyone where our strength comes from and why The Servant's Heart is here.On Thursday the ministry leaders had met for a discipleship Bible study, then Friday they become the leaders for the rest of the ministry workers. At the end of the day, then, everyone comes together for a time of worship and to reflect on what the Holy Spirit had revealed to them in their Bible study. Each week a different group leads this special time.Oh, yeah...we also sat in on our school's chapel service. The kids sure love to sing and Reyna, who is the spiritual life director, captures their attention as she shares God's Word with them. I've got to learn the words to these songs!
Well, as many of you predicted, I can (and probably will!) go on and on...And we've only been here two days!We've decided that, after the first three weeks in Antigua at Spanish school, we will move over to the missionary house. We'll bring the internet payments at that house up to date and hooked back up, so we will have more time to devote to keeping you all informed on our adventures. I'll be working on getting this blog going so you can come back from time to time to catch up without missing anything.
We leave tomorrow for Antigua and Spanish school. I'm a bit nervous, but will try to just enjoy the experience and not fret about trying to learn faster than my little brain will allow. We are truly praying that the Lord will give us the ability to learn quickly as we're so anxious to talk with everyone here!
Katie and Markito...Ruth and Astrid send their love and can't wait to see you in May!!! (I got a few hugs for you and will be happy to deliver them in person!)
I think I'd better get this published so I don't love the whole works! I keep getting kicked off line and have to keep re-doing...
God be with you all and keep you in His care!
Serving together,
All for Him!!
Kevin & Ginny
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