Day 6-Thursday

Day 6:

Is this really our last day? It just seems like we got here. The fish farm is coming along. Jim is staying back to make sure it gets up to date for all the tasks that must be completed.  It is exciting. The tanks are smooth, the piping is cut and the final touches for this step are close. I know we are tired but not weary; sad to leave but fulfilled in the journey that God had laid before us. Funny thing the God-thing (some call it coincidence); Pastor Dean shared with me specifically the Colossians 3:23 verse this morning.  He hadn’t read this blog to know that that has been the verse that has kept me going this week.  It is amazing the God work sometimes in these little things.

We leave early for Antigua for a time of debriefing and going around Antigua, Guatemala.  It will be fun. Since Jim is staying back, this will be the last entry from Guatemala (since this is Jim’s computer). Please pray for continued progress on the fish farm, for Jim as he stays here in Santiago, and safe travel back to Florida.

Day 5

Day 5:

Another day of roosters, but no black beans refried maybe tomorrow for my favorite Guatemalan delicacy. It was back to the work site for most of the team. The tanks are being cleaned out and the office area is being built. The roof even went on today for the office area. It is exciting to see the daily progress of the fish farm.  Each team member (both Guatemalan and American) does whatever they can to see this visions accomplished. I will have to say though that sometimes, I had to recite to myself Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart” (see yesterday’s post J).  On that same note, I just want to keep working until I finish my task, scrapping the little pieces of left over cement from the main floor of the cement. Tedious task as it sounds, I love doing every piece of it. The team seems to have the same sentiments with whatever they were doing.

For a few of us though, we got to go over to the school where several people from Calvary support children to go to school. It was neat to meet with the children, their mothers, and a few fathers.  Some of the mothers are single mothers where the father has died. Three of us who were able to meet with our children, it was a great experience.  The mothers were overjoyed with the prospect that their children will attend school. In Guatemala, public education is not free. The family must pay.  These sponsored children attend Christian school, however, which has tuition as well.  My roommate Karin was obviously ecstatic over seeing her little girl, 5 year old Magdalena and her brother Nicolas.  She was like a little girl herself, it was cool to see. For me, Eric the preteen, had just completed (successfully according to him) a math test before coming to see us.  He had been an angel in Judgment House last June. I enjoyed talking to him then along with another preteen, Maria. It was neat chatting with him and his mother today. Our small group then took Tuc -Tucs (three-wheeled motorized taxis) out to the fish farm site from the chuch.

This evening there were two groups, the youth of Pastor Diego’s church and the ones from our trip. They met together for a bonfire and s’mores and a time to share together what it is like to be a teenager. It seemed to be a neat experience bring these young folks together that come from two parts of the world but are unified in Christ.

Meanwhile a small group of us journeyed in the streets of Santiago in search of the carpenter’s shop our interpreter Diego knows (not to be confused with Pastor Diego). The neat experience here was discovering the “neighborhoods” of this town. In a space of one small American home lot probably ten to twelve families live. The spaces are simple, but very clean. It makes you think... do I really need everything I have? The space is close, but I think that is what makes them community as well. Pastor Diego told us last night of a violent incident that happened 20 plus years ago, and since then, the town has what one might refer to as a neighborhood watch. However, it seems that it is taken more seriously. Groups of men walk about the city to make sure everything is above board. These groups rotate throughout the month. Have we lost this sense of family and community in American culture at large? I am for sure glad though that the sense of family is found in the church like Calvary though, through outreaches like Calvary Cares. Santiago’s church El Buen Pastor is for sure an extension of that family.

Day 3 and 4

Day 3 and Day 4

Monday: The 4:30 am roosters called to us again, an early Monday morning. We went with great expectation to the worksite of the fish farm.  For many of us, it was a first to work on a construction site, but still had with a lot of experience present as well.  The tasks involved everything from moving cinder blocks to several locations around the site, to scrapping cement to make a smooth finish for the fish tanks, to actual building of the tanks and buildings surrounding it, and painting as well.  It was amazing to see team members from thirteen to seventy-plus working side by side. Rudolpho, from Calvary, made note of this work ethic in our team meeting Monday night of those present. It reminded a few of us of the verse in Colossians 3:23-4, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”  The team dove right in working at whatever there was to be done. The only time people stopped was when we were looking for something to do, and lunch of course (LOL).  I, myself, was much too tired to blog of our experiences and fell right to sleep as did many others.

Tuesday: The rooster crows yet again… at 4:30 am. I think we might be getting used to that. I know for a fact it was physically challenging for several of us to roll out of bed, no matter what side we got out of. The men went straight to the construction site while the ladies were privileged to spend time with several ladies from Santiago who enjoyed a time of sharing their Mayan traditional arts.

The Mayan arts included various forms of beading, weaving, and embroidery. Several of the Calvary ladies even got a chance to try some of the arts. It was extremely fun.  I especially found a knack for embroidery. Katie found a pleasure in bead work. While Jennifer, took quite well to weaving. Each of us were given a token of friendship of braided bracelets from embroidery thread from the ladies of Santiago. I do believe that we could have fellowshipped for hours. No matter the culture, ladies (most anyhow) love to get together and share in these types of activities.

This evening Pastor Diego of the local church here shared a rich cultural history of the city.  He integrated his family history, the church history as well as Mayan culture. It was fascinating.

Between the two days, God has truly blessed us with beautiful weather both in temperature and holding the rain to a slight sprinkle.  Pastor Dean and his group have been blessed evangelizing to the Santiago Atitlan community as well. This whole experience of showing and sharing the love of Christ has been amazing. It is hard to believe that it is half way over, and each of us will be back in our school and work lives in a few short days.

Day 2- Sunday

Day 2:

When the rooster crowed at 4:30 am, I believe most of us were at least slightly awoken.  Our first Guatemalan breakfast adorned with refried black beans- seemingly a staple here since we had it for dinner too—along with other breakfast goodies as well.  The morning was beautiful. Most of us walked the short journey to church. This was our first connection with the day-to-day culture of Santiago. It was exciting.

At the church, we gathered with our brothers and sisters to pray before service. Worship was followed by a wonderful message from Pastor Dean spoke about reaching to other people using a net as a metaphor.  In the sanctuary above the stage it says “A Dios Sea La Gloria,” – in English “to God be the glory.” In closing for worship, the congregation sang “How Great though Art” in both Spanish and English. With worship and prayer, God was there. It did not matter what language or cultural barriers there were, our God is the same God in the family of Christ.

Many of us spent the afternoon flying above the rain forest. I wish I could say we were flying on the wings of eagles, but we Zip Lined at the Atitlan Nature Preserve near Panajachel.  We also bartered at the local markets for beautiful textiles with rich colors.  On our journey back, the boat ran out of gas, but the driver had an extra can. Lastly, we found out that near Panajachel torrential down pours came. However, our God saw fit to give us a beautiful day as well. Tomorrow off to the fish farm site!

Day 1

Day 1: We left Calvary early this morning 4:30 am Eastern Standard Time. It is now 8:23 Guatemala time (two hours earlier).  God has shown up already on several occasions.  For me personally, I had a thought as I was driver around Pinellas Friday, “I’m going to miss the pull bloom of the purple trees!” (aka Jackorandas). On our descent into Guatemala City, the first thing I notice and exclaim to myself “Purple trees!” My family and a few friends who know me would claim I am obsessed every spring to see and enjoy in God’s creation of the Jackoranda.  I didn’t want to miss them and guess what God saw to it that there were “purple trees” in Guatemala just for me. This event reminded me that my Omniscient God is even in the little things of my life taking care of me every step of the way.

God showed again a short time later. Our flights were uneventful, and the busses were there on time. Our team of 23 worked together to make this happen. Jim and the luggage went in the van and the bus carried the rest of the team. Shortly after our departure…Patti is speaking with Karin Schoenherr and I while road on the highway towards the usual lunch spot Pollo Campero…. She yells “FIRE!! Everyone off the bus!”   I look up to see smoke billowing from below Karin’s turquois Guatemala bag from the console next to the driver’s seat.  The driver then pulls over to the side of the road in front of a car lot. All the teens and the rest of us manage to escape unscathed on the side of this busy road. Patti and the driver resolve the event relatively quickly. God saw to it that our lunch destination was across the street. And that the bus company had a brand new bus on hand that was picked up only yesterday. So not only did we have a ride, we had a super sweet ride to Santiago Atitlan. For me this is just another way of God showing us He is control.

I think He allows these things to occur so that we see Him and rely solely on Him. The last trip I was on here, He changed the whole focus of the trip three weeks before we arrived allowing us to start building relationship here in Santiago Atitlan. God’s power is amazing, and I look forward to seeing what He is going to do this week.

 Driving along, the countryside was beautiful… volcanoes, terrace farms, age old trees… the driver of the new bus shared much of his knowledge of Guatemala as we drove along. We even practiced our Spanish worship songs soloed by the talented Emily. We arrived safely at the hotel Tiosh Abaj around 5:45 local time. So, roughly fifteen hour after our journey began, here we are ready to see what God has next to showed us.