Today was a very full day! We ate breakfast at 7:30am and left by 8:15am. The El Rajon team went their direction and the Vida y Esperanza team went their direction. We just got back at 10pm with an early start of 7am tomorrow morning.
The El Rajon team (Smitty, Kelly, John, Tatiana, Heather, and Danielle) had a great day! They were able to dig 2 feet deeper for the bathroom which now makes it 9 feet deep. They also have the roof and three sides up for the house. Beyond that, their day was filled with playing with kids and a community of acceptance. For lunch, again today they were invited to eat with one of the families, but this meal was filled with more surprises! The ladies dressed the girls on the team in their clothes and jewelry. Hector (the team leader from Mission Impact at the site) said this was a sign that the team had been accepted.
The Vida y Esperanza team did a few things today also. Doctor Edgar Santos (along with Lynn, Carolyn, Gloria, and Christin) held a clinic for the school and interviewed and did check ups on many of the students. This helped the school because it was required by the government. While this was going on, Megan and Sofie played with kids from 9am-1pm. The rest of the team shoveled and then moved dirt by wheel barrow during this time also. From 1:30-3pm we (minus Dr. Santos' team) did a prayer walk around Santa Lucia praying for the mayor, people, and our outreach on Friday night.
At 4pm, both teams were at Vida y Esperanza preparing for the Father's Day celebration. There were about 35 people that showed up. We got to serve them a small dinner and then I had the opportunity to talk to them about the high calling of being a father. The day finished with praying for the fathers and then cleaning up. Everyone was exhausted!!
It has been a joy watching everyone work together. Our team is extremely diverse. Our team has gone through a lot of different emotions from when we got on the plane to arriving here to our first day at our sites to today. Worried, anxious faces have turned to joys and smiles, yet exhausted. One quote today was, "I just want to move down here and work with the kids...they are so cute!"
God is faithful! There have been too many things that have been set in place and happened to be called "coincidence." The sermon on Sunday was for us. It is no doubt in my mind that it was for us. The pastor had no idea we were coming. The team is seeing this too.
The people here are very courteous and yet drive like maniacs. They make Californians look like very patient people. And yet, their accident rate is extremely low.
I wish you all could be here to see what I am seeing amongst this team. The people of Mission Impact have a heart of service and empowerment and long-term. Most all of the staff are people native to Guatemala...Guatemalan people serving Guatemalans.
As I write this in my room, all I hear is snoring and deep breathing...a sign of tired people.
Alicia, Katie, and Emma...mommy and daddy miss you and love you! Continue to pray for us as we continue to pray for you!!
Greg
Dear Greg and team!
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the long post. It is hard to believe that you only have three more days in Guatemala!!!
We seek God, we pray to Him, we know Him...and yet...we are so amazed when He answers our prayers, when He touches our hearts, when He uses us to touch other hearts, when His Spirit moves strongly in our midst!
"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace..." Phil. 1:3-7a
How Great Is Our God!
May He richly bless each and every one of you and use you in His perfect will!
B.G.
Greg, I can only echo what you are saying because it is all so true, and it has been coming through in all the emails. I too am filled with pride and joy over “your” team, and yes, you have given it the leadership God has asked of you. But the working together, the working hard, the openness and honesty of each one, the good things that are going on inside each person, the stretching – all of that is seen and felt in the emails, and so too is the fact that all that is happening amidst a very diverse team, bunches of different emotions, and a lot of pushing to overcome fatigue. I have wanted to respond to each one, but haven’t, and yet you are a good one to respond to, because then you will know and you can pass it on. Bethany can be proud of each one on the team; they are representing us well, and I know God is delighted!!!
ReplyDeleteWith love and prayers,
Bev