Guatemala Mission Trip 2009
(Excerpts from the daily blog)
Here we are on the end of our second full day. Surprised at the hardware seen carried by men as normal as cell phones or pagers, from the airport guards to the delivery trucks in the city having someone ride shotgun, literally carrying a fully loaded shotgun hanging out the window. Even in our local village men walk around with ammo belts and guns. Now this did not dismay us from moving forward with our plans to reach out to those who have not heard, who have not made the choice of where they will spend eternity. On our first full night we set into motion a youth extravaganza that overfilled Gods house, flowing out the doors down the steps and on to the streets. We estimated at least 450 to 500 people attended this event. We used dramas and illustrations to show the love that Christ has for us. This struck the hearts of the people in the church. We witnessed three youths come forward surrendering their lives to Christ and join the AWESOME KINGDOM OF GOD! The alter call turned into a sea of people worshiping and surrendering to God. The greatest part of all this was to just watch them worship and praise God. Here's a glimpse of the scene, all of these people in a concrete wall church. The seats are very small and not very comfortable. The A/C is the two doors of the church being open and 2 or 3 ceiling fans it was about 90 degrees or so I'm pouring sweat. A dog barking in the church, all of this and God is being worshipped. The people here have nothing and they still love the Lord. This is only day one and God has already done so much. On Sunday we plan to join the girls at church and have lunch with them. We still found a way to have fun. Shane, Rob and myself went out into the town a scored a 500 round of firecrackers. We placed them under a steel bucket and put the fire to it. The reason for this is Mr.C was taking a nap. I failed to tell you we did this next to Mr.C's bed. Pictures will follow.
Sunday Day 2
We did join the girls for church, the cool thing was to see these girls that have been through so much and have the love for God they have. After church we spilt in to groups and joined them for lunch in their very simple houses. Like the church there is no A/C that is just not something that exists here. The girls are so well-mannered and polite. We spent a couple hours with them and it was hard to leave. They followed us to the van telling us bye. I realized today with 60 girls in the home we need about 12 to 15 people to love on the girls and meet the building needs.
After this we loaded into the van to drop off a small amount of food to the people who have made their home in the dump and in the cemetery. The people, despite their humble and sometimes desperate living arrangements, seem to come out of their tin shacks clean and presentable. Personal appearance and cleanliness is a priority. It was just a small bag of groceries that we gave to each family, but we're sure it made a difference in their day. Each bag we gave out was given "in the name of Jesus Christ," we told them. In return we got lots of smiles, hugs, "God bless you's" and even some slobbery kisses. I think we got the greater reward.
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The three ladies spent Tuesday morning taking pictures of the property. This included the school, office, all 5 homes, the play areas, garden, etc. This was to provide the Home with the pictures they needed for the accreditation process. We really enjoyed taking all of the "behind the scenes" photographs.
The guys planed the lumber so it can be used to build bunkbeds for the girls' bedrooms. Mike also fixed the lawnmower and tested it by cutting some of the 17 plus acres.
After lunch the ladies sorted through some of the many donations of clothes, shoes, purses, books, etc. There is much more to be done, but it is awesome to see how generous everyone has been. The greatest need they have at this time is gym shorts or new undergarmnets for the girls. It is so helpful to have everything organized since there are almost 60 girls now. They want them to get through as quickly as possible when they go to get clothes. They are allowed to "shop" once a year and it takes over an hour per girl.
We had the pleasure of eating dinner with Cyndi at her house. The guys grilled "steaks," potatoes and scallions and we had a great time of fellowship. Cyndi rehearsd the song she is singing on Father's Day ("Precious Father"). It sounded beautiful even though I didn't understand the words. We ended the evening by giving our full attention to Mike Callahan as he shared his testimony. We were on the edge of our seats as he took us through his childhood up to the present.
The country of Guatemala has mandated that there be no school because of the swine flu epidemic, so the girls are having a "camp" type week with the directors of the school. They've enjoyed playing with water balloons, doing crazy hairdos and practicing with their marching band for independence day in September.
We look forward to surprising the girls with pizza tomorrow for lunch. Another day serving the Lord by serving one another!
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Dear Friends,
As I sit here now at 4:30am as this day is about to begin, I cannot help to reflect on not only this trip, but all of the trips that we have made since 2004. The vision that a small group of people had, which was truly inspired by God and to watch this place grow as it has is a testimony to the power and the love of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The Shadow of His Wings Orphanage reminds me of a lush and beautiful garden that is planted in the middle of the desert. The broken, damaged and abused little girls that arrive here are transformed into the beautiful children that God intends for them to be. The love of Christ flows here like the living water that Jesus speaks about in John 4:14.
Part of the reason that this place continues to grow is because teams like ours continue to come. The physical work that we do could be done in other ways, but the love that we carry with us, for the Lord and for these children, cannot be replaced or purchased with money. Many of our team members have been asked by the girls why we come. For me, it is to share the love of Jesus Christ and to let them know what He has done for them. God works in mysterious and wonderful ways. This past Saturday, a youth event took place in Monjas, Guatemala. The idea that was started by our team many weeks ago, grew into something way larger and more exciting than we ever imagined that it would. 3 lives were changed forever and good seed was planted, the results of which our team will not see, maybe until we return home to the Lord.
Personally, I have much to be thankful for. I am thankful that the Lord has chosen to use me in this way. I am thankful for our team and for their sacrifices I am thankful for my church family, for your prayers, for all of your support, both emotionally and with all that you have donated. I am thankful for my wife, Margie, without whom I could never do this ministry. Her behind-the-scenes support and love cannot be properly expressed in this message.
I love you all,
In Christ,
Corey