Homeward bound... almost.

Today was our free day.  We left Zapote at 6 am with mixed emotions.  It was tough to leave the place that has been our home for the past week.  Most of the team chose to climb a volcano, although three decided they didn't want to climb and one is sick.  We climbed Pacaya- a good choice since Fuego had a pretty large eruption while we were climbing.  It was amazing seeing all the smoke going up 3 miles high and ash and lava pouring down the mountain.  The prevailing winds will take the ash to Zapote.  Glad we're gone but not glad Taylor is still there.  He's the one who woke up sick with an achy body and fever.  Our luggage is also there as there was no room in the van. A pickup is on its way to Zapotec to pick up Taylor and our luggage.  We leave at 4 am tomorrow for the Guatemala airport.  We're looking forward to seeing all of you soon and sharing how God worked in and through our team.  Thanks for praying for a quick recovery for Taylor.

The playground has been dedicated.

Rich just called and dictated this update to me (Kristin):

Today was the culmination of all of our hard work.  At 9:30 AM we dedicated the playground and then we let the kids loose to play. Imagine 200+ children all on a play structure at the same time. The laughs and screams sounded like we were at an amusement park.  After the kids played for about an hour we shared a puppet show with them followed by a carnival.  It was a very full morning and even late this afternoon at least 50 children are still playing on the playground (even though the rain just started).  Speaking of rain – God blessed us in that it never rained while we were doing our outdoor work.  Several Christian dignitaries came in for the dedication from Guatemala City. All were amazed by the size and beauty of the playground and everyone agreed that it’s unlike anything they’ve every seen in all of Guatemala.

After lunch we broke into smaller groups and went on some home visits. We got to go in the homes of some of the children that we had seen playing on the playground. They still had their balloon animals and faces painted from the carnival.  It was a very humbling experience for all to see the little they had and how many people live in small spaces.  We’ll get pictures posted when we return, but just to give you an idea of what it’s like here - this is a community of about 3,000. It’s very remote (we crossed through four rivers to get to it) and there are no stores/hotels, etc… - just shacks.  Many of the people work for a coffee plantation nearby.

Tonight we’ll be talking about reverse culture shock because often it is more difficult to return home than to go, on a trip like this.  While here we’ve had a wonderful sense of community with our team and a sense of purposefulness as we’ve been impacting Christ’s Kingdom.  We are leaving at 6 AM tomorrow to drive 1 ½ hours to the base of a volcano. We’ll spend about 4 hours climbing it.  If the weather cooperates we are told we will have an amazing view from the top.  The volcano is slightly active and we’ve been told we’ll see a little lava but it’s unlike El Suego, the volcano that has been booming day and night near the site where we’ve stayed. Our team is bringing back amazing photos of El Suego spewing out lava in the night sky. No worries, though, there are many valleys between the playground and El Suego so it will be safe in case of an eruption.  Thanks again for your prayers. We look forward to seeing our families for the 4^th of July weekend, as we’ll be home late on July 2^nd. 

Hello from Guatemala!  I’m sorry for not updating this blog in a timely manner.  I brought an old laptop since mine was fried by lightning the day before we left but the machine is an HP and I brought a Dell power supply. L Best laid plans…

 Everybody is healthy and have been having a wonderful time serving in Guatemala.  We will finish the playground tomorrow!  God has shown us favor in many ways.  We are in very rugged rocky country and were told we’d probably unearth rocks the size of VW bugs as we dug the 76 holes for the playground. We prayed over the land before we laid things out and began digging.  We asked for favor and the biggest rock we found was the size of my non-functional laptop. 

We will finish the playground tomorrow with the help of the six Guatemalan men who have been helping us.  They have been amazing workers and we’ve enjoyed working with them. They are being paid a very good wage in Guatemala - $9 a day – not an hour. 

Today we took a well-needed day of rest in Antigua.  We worshipped at a bilingual evangelical church.  We then toured the old capital city of Guatemala and did some shopping.  Many on our team are bringing fresh Guatemalan coffee home for our friends and family.  I’ll let a few others on our team jot down some of their thoughts.  Thanks for your continued prayers and for allowing us to make this trip.  –Rich Anderson

On Friday and Saturday the women went to the local church and did crafts with the children.  Each day found the five of us with the help of our translator, Josh working with 75 children.  The children are patient and gracious with us as they wait for instructions from our interpreter.  A highlight of the experience is seeing the joy and excitement of the kids as they share their completed projects with us.  The smiles on their faces are priceless!  We have experienced the blessings of God and look forward to more crafts on Monday.  We will continue the celebration of the playground dedication when we host a carnival with all the school children.  – Linda & Amy

The team has arrived safely

I missed a phone call from Rich this afternoon. His message asked me to update the blog and let you know that the team made all their flight connections and they have arrived safely.  Everyone is healthy and well.

Please be praying for two missing pieces of luggage - Rich's and Randy's suitcases haven't made it yet.  Rich's suitcase has the specialty tools/bits so it's important that they reconnect with it.

Kristin

Thanks for your prayers as we prepare to go and serve!

Dear Friends!

We leave on June 23 (Bryce's 17th birthday) to serve in El Zapote, Guatemala.  We'll be staying and working at a Christian school run by Kids Alive International called Source of Hope.  Our desire is to be a Source of Hope to the kids in El Zapote who will benefit from our labor of love.  Our primary task is building a playground but the relationships we'll develop with our Guatemalan hosts and the kids at the school will be the most meaningful and life-changing.

El Zapote is very remote.  There is no internet at the school and there's no internet cafe in the small town.  Consequently, updating this blog will be a challenge.  Please expect an update June 24 stating we arrived safely, again Sunday, June 28 when we'll be in Antigua, and in the evening on July 1 when we'll stay near the Guatemala City airport before departing for home early on the 2nd.

At this point please consider praying for four things:

#1 Pray that we're ready to serve as unto Christ while in hot and sticky El Zapote.  You could pray for us by name if you desire. We are: Jake, Linda, Randy, Allie, Kaitlyn, Paul, Matt, Mick, Bryce. Rich, Megan, John, Dennis, Taylor, Matt, Bill, and Amy.

#2 Pray for healing of Randy's arm.  Due to a farming accident Randy is limited to lifting only 5 pounds.  He sees the doctor the day before we leave for Guatemala.  His desire it to hear he has healed to the point where he won't have and restrictions.

#3 Pray for complete healing of Bruce's body from cancer.  Bruce was supposed to be our contractor while in Guatemala but he starts his final round of chemo the day we're scheduled to leave.

#4 Please also pray for Rich's wife Kristin.  She also is fighting cancer and has her last chemo treatment on July 2, the day our team comes home.

Our team is fully funded courtesy of God's generous people. Thanks!!  Thanks also for leaving encouraging notes on our blog.  Leaving notes is a good way to make sure somebody on the team brings you home some yummy Guatemalan coffee. :)