It always amazes me how these weeks go. When I went to bed last Saturday, the first night here it seemed like it was going to be a long week. Here we are looking at one last full day and then we will be on our way home.
Yesterday it was back to Amatilan about 45 minutes from Guatemala City. This time we were on the other edge of the town where there is a small cement park. We began the morning with home visits and each group had stories of how God's presence and power was so evident. One group went to a home the missionaries had been to regularly but did not find her there. They went down a few doors to a home they had not visited in the past only to find the other lady there. She had come to her neighbor's house to pray with her that someone would come and share the word of the Lord. In walked two Guatemalan missionaries and three Americans who wanted to do just that! God's work here is wonderful.
In the afternoon we had our faith time with the children and adults. There were over 80 children and close to 70 adults. All gathered in a small cement square. it was exciting and challenging to share God's promises with the adults while the children were singing and praising God but it was glorious. When I was here last September I met a Guatemalan teacher by the name of Juan. He taught English as a second language. We had seen him on Tuesday and invited him to join us for the day. It was so cool! He was my interpreter and did an amazing job. We were pretty much speaking at the same time, he right on the heels of what I was saying.
After the long goodbyes there we headed over to lake Amatilan. Quite a large body of water near the city. Lot's of beautiful homes on the shoreline. We were able to get out and go down by a recreation area and sit on the edge of the shore for a while. It is something to think that families are living in those huge homes when just a few miles away hundreds of families don't even know if they will have a meal today. Then we went to the top of the mountain and looked across the city. It's hard to put into words what we saw as it stretched out across the valley and up the mountains.
Today we were back at La Liberatad. We began in a new area. New in the fact that the city had put dirt over a part of the filled garbage dump and let people move onto 12 x 12 meter spots. Most of the homes have dirt floors with pieces of the old garbage dump pushing through the dirt. There is no running water or electricity. People can go to selected spots with buckets to get water. Trenches run through the maze (that's really what it looks like) of alley ways to remove the water an whatever else. Yet in the midst of that children came running to hear us share the word of God with them. There is such a need and so much hurt there that it was hard for me to leave. Part of me wants to just stay with them and minister to them day and night.
Tomorrow we head to Antigua for a day of relaxing and site seeing. Then we will come back and pack for the trip home.
Thank you for your prayers each day. We have been blessed by God's presence and have seen his work in unbelievable places.
One quick request, Ruth is a young missionary here. She and her family live in La Liberatad. Her older brother had been threatened with death this weekend if he does not give a certain amount of money to one of the gangs that roam the city. These gangs do this often and have killed six people recently because they could not pay. We have been praying for God to surround that area of the city with angles with swords drawn to keep the evil away. Please join us in praying for Ruth's family and especially her brother's safety.
We will see you soon. God's peace and blessings - Pastor Mark
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday-Buena Vista
Hola from Guatemala:
What a blessing it has been to be here for a fourth time. And once again God has richly blessed us with an awesome team to be a part of . We are growing closer together and to God as we have chances to see, hear and be a part of this wonderful ministry called "Groundwork Guatemala".
Today we drove two hours to the southwest of Guatemala City. It wound around Amatitlan, a city we had visited on Tuesday and will go back to on Thursday. It also gave us the opportunity to see several active volcanoes-Pacaya,Fueago,Acatanong and Santa Maria. Today's view at 7am was breath-taking as several were smoking or spitting out a little lava.
We had the opportunity to be a part of an adult Bible study and childrens faith lessons. There were about 30 or more adults and slightly more than 40 children. We found out that the school we had planned to go to was no in session today. That would have been an opportunity to spend time with about 170 children from age 4-6th grade.
This groups gifts and willingness to serve is just incredible. All but two of the 11 have had at least one experience of serving someplace other than their home church.
Oscar and Brian teamed up to do songs for and with the children-it was a sight to behold. The people doing a skit about love and forgiveness was followed up with an English lesson using animal pictures.
It the afternoon we spent time visiting families. I had the opportunity to go to a house and visit a young father and mother and their one year old child. A year ago I had visited the same family with a different team and the family was in distress because the baby had just been born a week or so before we got there and the baby had to go back to the hospital because it was not doing well. The doctors weren't even sure if the baby would survive. But God heard the prayers of many and today the baby is doing fine. One of the Guatemalan leaders, Julian, encouraged the young parents to be strong witnesses for the young boy. It was great to see God at work once again this week. God bless all of you-until we see you again John G
What a blessing it has been to be here for a fourth time. And once again God has richly blessed us with an awesome team to be a part of . We are growing closer together and to God as we have chances to see, hear and be a part of this wonderful ministry called "Groundwork Guatemala".
Today we drove two hours to the southwest of Guatemala City. It wound around Amatitlan, a city we had visited on Tuesday and will go back to on Thursday. It also gave us the opportunity to see several active volcanoes-Pacaya,Fueago,Acatanong and Santa Maria. Today's view at 7am was breath-taking as several were smoking or spitting out a little lava.
We had the opportunity to be a part of an adult Bible study and childrens faith lessons. There were about 30 or more adults and slightly more than 40 children. We found out that the school we had planned to go to was no in session today. That would have been an opportunity to spend time with about 170 children from age 4-6th grade.
This groups gifts and willingness to serve is just incredible. All but two of the 11 have had at least one experience of serving someplace other than their home church.
Oscar and Brian teamed up to do songs for and with the children-it was a sight to behold. The people doing a skit about love and forgiveness was followed up with an English lesson using animal pictures.
It the afternoon we spent time visiting families. I had the opportunity to go to a house and visit a young father and mother and their one year old child. A year ago I had visited the same family with a different team and the family was in distress because the baby had just been born a week or so before we got there and the baby had to go back to the hospital because it was not doing well. The doctors weren't even sure if the baby would survive. But God heard the prayers of many and today the baby is doing fine. One of the Guatemalan leaders, Julian, encouraged the young parents to be strong witnesses for the young boy. It was great to see God at work once again this week. God bless all of you-until we see you again John G
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Martes en Amatitlan
Dios es bien. Todo el tiempo. Todo el tiempo. Dios es bien.
Today we loaded into the van in headed south to Amatitlan--a rural community that has many small villages with a total population of nearly half a million people. After a bumpy but beautiful drive, we arrived at a community center that was donated to Groundwork Guatemala by the village that it is located in. After sweeping the concrete floor and setting up for the afternoon teaching sessions, we split up into three groups for house visits in the surrounding area.
One of the groups met with a family that invited the group into sit in the hall of the quaint little home. One young woman who lived there, who we saw making tortillas, had lost a baby only forty days before. Another woman in that home said that her husband was hundreds of miles away for work and that she was concerned for his safety. We share Scripture passages with them, one of which was Christ's promise of peace to them. He tells that family, "My peace I leave with you, my peace I give. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14) We prayed for them as well, asking specifically for peace and protection.
After other similar visits and after peanut butter and jelly sandwiches back at the community center, the people of the villages began to arrive for teaching and fellowship. Tuesdays have been designated as teaching days in Amatitlan; children split off into one group, and adults are in another, and our team leads the activities. Today, the children played "Plato Plato Ganzo" (Duck Duck Goose) and "Simon Dice" (Simon says). We also sang songs and laughed together as we struggled through the Spanish-English barrier. The team put on a skit that was based off Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet, and Oscar explained the skit to them in Spanish and related it to John 3:16. The team washed every child's manos (hands). Following that, they drew with crayons on paper hearts to represent the love of Jesus in their lives. The laughed and giggled. Their drawing were muy bonita (very beautiful).
The adult session also well. After the sessions were done and after playing some more with los ninos (the little ones), we loaded up and headed back to Ciudad de Guatemala. A nice dinner of low mein, a quiet evening of biblical devotion, and continued relationship building awaited us according to God's gracious hand.
We thank you all so much for your continued prayer! We know that your prayer surrounds us and the people of Guatemala, for the ministry and love that we have shared so far would not be possible without God's hand. Please pray for our safety as we travel to Buena Vista tomorrow. We look forward to what God has in store!
Paz de Christo,
Kirk Hulvey
in behalf of the entire team = )
Today we loaded into the van in headed south to Amatitlan--a rural community that has many small villages with a total population of nearly half a million people. After a bumpy but beautiful drive, we arrived at a community center that was donated to Groundwork Guatemala by the village that it is located in. After sweeping the concrete floor and setting up for the afternoon teaching sessions, we split up into three groups for house visits in the surrounding area.
One of the groups met with a family that invited the group into sit in the hall of the quaint little home. One young woman who lived there, who we saw making tortillas, had lost a baby only forty days before. Another woman in that home said that her husband was hundreds of miles away for work and that she was concerned for his safety. We share Scripture passages with them, one of which was Christ's promise of peace to them. He tells that family, "My peace I leave with you, my peace I give. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14) We prayed for them as well, asking specifically for peace and protection.
After other similar visits and after peanut butter and jelly sandwiches back at the community center, the people of the villages began to arrive for teaching and fellowship. Tuesdays have been designated as teaching days in Amatitlan; children split off into one group, and adults are in another, and our team leads the activities. Today, the children played "Plato Plato Ganzo" (Duck Duck Goose) and "Simon Dice" (Simon says). We also sang songs and laughed together as we struggled through the Spanish-English barrier. The team put on a skit that was based off Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet, and Oscar explained the skit to them in Spanish and related it to John 3:16. The team washed every child's manos (hands). Following that, they drew with crayons on paper hearts to represent the love of Jesus in their lives. The laughed and giggled. Their drawing were muy bonita (very beautiful).
The adult session also well. After the sessions were done and after playing some more with los ninos (the little ones), we loaded up and headed back to Ciudad de Guatemala. A nice dinner of low mein, a quiet evening of biblical devotion, and continued relationship building awaited us according to God's gracious hand.
We thank you all so much for your continued prayer! We know that your prayer surrounds us and the people of Guatemala, for the ministry and love that we have shared so far would not be possible without God's hand. Please pray for our safety as we travel to Buena Vista tomorrow. We look forward to what God has in store!
Paz de Christo,
Kirk Hulvey
in behalf of the entire team = )
Monday, February 22, 2010
Greetings this Monday evening. Most of the team is on the third floor relaxing, reading or connecting with others. God has once again put together an amazing team. Stories are being shared, prayers lifted together and praises to God are declared.
Tonight Maria lead our evening devotion based on the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. She spoke on the trials he went through as God led him to the place where he would lead his people and preserve them through the years of drought. As Joseph finally met his brothers years later he told them "What you meant for evil God planned for good."
Maria talked about our journey this week among the Guatemalan people and how God has brought us to this place for a purpose. We may not fully understand the whys and the hows of what we do this week but we know that for us this is the time to be used by God for his glory and the blessing of others.
Our team theme for this week is, "I will never be the same again" sung by Hillsong. I have heard that said by a number of people who have come down here to work with Groundwork Guatemala. In fact just a year ago I myself said it. "I am forever changed, I'll never the same again. Already I am seeing that in some of our team members.
Today we began with a stop at "Only a Child." Many of you have heard about George and how he came to Guatemala in 1994 to minister to the street children. He provides opportunity for work, school, a Christian environment and a loving home watched over by a caring Guatemalan couple. George emphasized today that it's not about helping a large number at one time. Through his Godly example and by working with 10 or 12 young men at a time the change will take place as these young men grow to be Christian husbands and fathers.
Our next stop was the dump. Again many have seen the pictures and heard the stories. The smell is horrendous but even more unbelievable is to see the people who daily work in the dump trying to find enough just to survive. We met Rosa this afternoon whose fourteen year old son is the only one who brings any income to the family and he does it by digging through the trash for whatever he can find. It seems hopeless yet today we saw what Groundwork and other mission groups can do even here. Ruth is one of the Guatemalan missionaries for Groundwork. She spent a number of years working in that very same dump. She still lives in a house that sits on what once was a part of that dump. Through support from loving families in the States she has been taking classes to become a nurse. Today at the entrance of the dump she stood in her white nurses outfit with the dump in the background. A picture of what God can do when we think nothing can be done.
In the afternoon we made home visits. Each family lives on a day to day existence. Large numbers of children along with a mom and sometimes a dad share spaces we would not begin to think were not big enough for a room let alone a whole family to live in. We heard many heartbreaking stories today. We listened, we shared scripture with them and lifted them in prayer. Some are receiving assistance in some form or another from Groundwork. It was heartwarming to see the smiles on their faces as we prayed with them and shared hugs and laughter. As we left each place we were able to see that in spite of the poverty they live in it was a home touched by God.
We are doing good and are looking forward to tomorrow. We head to Amatilan and begin our teaching and crafts with the kids and the teaching with the adults. More adventures and God experiences await us as we continue our journey knowing that at the end of it, we will never be the same again.
God's love to you all. - Mark
Tonight Maria lead our evening devotion based on the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. She spoke on the trials he went through as God led him to the place where he would lead his people and preserve them through the years of drought. As Joseph finally met his brothers years later he told them "What you meant for evil God planned for good."
Maria talked about our journey this week among the Guatemalan people and how God has brought us to this place for a purpose. We may not fully understand the whys and the hows of what we do this week but we know that for us this is the time to be used by God for his glory and the blessing of others.
Our team theme for this week is, "I will never be the same again" sung by Hillsong. I have heard that said by a number of people who have come down here to work with Groundwork Guatemala. In fact just a year ago I myself said it. "I am forever changed, I'll never the same again. Already I am seeing that in some of our team members.
Today we began with a stop at "Only a Child." Many of you have heard about George and how he came to Guatemala in 1994 to minister to the street children. He provides opportunity for work, school, a Christian environment and a loving home watched over by a caring Guatemalan couple. George emphasized today that it's not about helping a large number at one time. Through his Godly example and by working with 10 or 12 young men at a time the change will take place as these young men grow to be Christian husbands and fathers.
Our next stop was the dump. Again many have seen the pictures and heard the stories. The smell is horrendous but even more unbelievable is to see the people who daily work in the dump trying to find enough just to survive. We met Rosa this afternoon whose fourteen year old son is the only one who brings any income to the family and he does it by digging through the trash for whatever he can find. It seems hopeless yet today we saw what Groundwork and other mission groups can do even here. Ruth is one of the Guatemalan missionaries for Groundwork. She spent a number of years working in that very same dump. She still lives in a house that sits on what once was a part of that dump. Through support from loving families in the States she has been taking classes to become a nurse. Today at the entrance of the dump she stood in her white nurses outfit with the dump in the background. A picture of what God can do when we think nothing can be done.
In the afternoon we made home visits. Each family lives on a day to day existence. Large numbers of children along with a mom and sometimes a dad share spaces we would not begin to think were not big enough for a room let alone a whole family to live in. We heard many heartbreaking stories today. We listened, we shared scripture with them and lifted them in prayer. Some are receiving assistance in some form or another from Groundwork. It was heartwarming to see the smiles on their faces as we prayed with them and shared hugs and laughter. As we left each place we were able to see that in spite of the poverty they live in it was a home touched by God.
We are doing good and are looking forward to tomorrow. We head to Amatilan and begin our teaching and crafts with the kids and the teaching with the adults. More adventures and God experiences await us as we continue our journey knowing that at the end of it, we will never be the same again.
God's love to you all. - Mark
Sunday, February 21, 2010
A Day of Worship!
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior,
What an incredible day in the LORD! We truly were served today rather than us doing the serving. We began the day first with a good breakfast of eggs,pancakes, and some fresh coffee! O my how good the coffee is! Fresh, smooth, and delicious! I have been drinking way too much of it! Anyway, we had the opportunity to go to Manuel's church this morning. He is one of the native Guatemalans working with Groundwork. It was an amazing experience. We were greeted at the door, but not as outsiders as fellow worshipers of our Lord and Savior! It was truly neat as the service went along because we seemed to take a journey. we began with more reflective music that was more of our call out to God. And then there was a shift and we moved into a time of absoulute praise. The music changed, the tempo changed, and we all began to greet oneanother. There was no difference between us we were all one in spirit. And then we rejoiced in more song. There was even some liturgical dance which was inspiring. It was neat how many of the Guatemalans came forward and began to dance and sing and just seemed to want to be closer in the presence of God. As things began to taper down and we heard a word of the Lord some of the people dropped to their knees. And as they did, whether to pray or out of desperate emotion, there were others who cared for them. Some of the women were covered with shawls. Others were embraced and prayed over. It was incredible how the community of believers took care of one another today! And we were in the midst of it all. I think I can safely say that whether this was our style of worship or not it was an experience that not only overwhelmed us but encouraged us for the work we will do tomorrow and the rest of this week. We spent the rest of the day eating some delicious guacamoli made by Sheila's secret recipie. (essentialy fresh avacados and a bunch of other stuff that we have no idea what amount was placed inside and all we know is we ate the entire large bowl of it!) Then we unpacked and sorted our 22 bins of supplies and had a time of devotion tonight. As we head to bed we are filled with God's Spirit and with some trepidation going into what for most of us will be a whole new experience of visiting people in their homes here. Pray that we would have a spirit of power and of truth!
Smiling In Christ,
Chad Elfe, and the Team!
What an incredible day in the LORD! We truly were served today rather than us doing the serving. We began the day first with a good breakfast of eggs,pancakes, and some fresh coffee! O my how good the coffee is! Fresh, smooth, and delicious! I have been drinking way too much of it! Anyway, we had the opportunity to go to Manuel's church this morning. He is one of the native Guatemalans working with Groundwork. It was an amazing experience. We were greeted at the door, but not as outsiders as fellow worshipers of our Lord and Savior! It was truly neat as the service went along because we seemed to take a journey. we began with more reflective music that was more of our call out to God. And then there was a shift and we moved into a time of absoulute praise. The music changed, the tempo changed, and we all began to greet oneanother. There was no difference between us we were all one in spirit. And then we rejoiced in more song. There was even some liturgical dance which was inspiring. It was neat how many of the Guatemalans came forward and began to dance and sing and just seemed to want to be closer in the presence of God. As things began to taper down and we heard a word of the Lord some of the people dropped to their knees. And as they did, whether to pray or out of desperate emotion, there were others who cared for them. Some of the women were covered with shawls. Others were embraced and prayed over. It was incredible how the community of believers took care of one another today! And we were in the midst of it all. I think I can safely say that whether this was our style of worship or not it was an experience that not only overwhelmed us but encouraged us for the work we will do tomorrow and the rest of this week. We spent the rest of the day eating some delicious guacamoli made by Sheila's secret recipie. (essentialy fresh avacados and a bunch of other stuff that we have no idea what amount was placed inside and all we know is we ate the entire large bowl of it!) Then we unpacked and sorted our 22 bins of supplies and had a time of devotion tonight. As we head to bed we are filled with God's Spirit and with some trepidation going into what for most of us will be a whole new experience of visiting people in their homes here. Pray that we would have a spirit of power and of truth!
Smiling In Christ,
Chad Elfe, and the Team!
Greetings from Guatemala. What an amazing day! Today was a day of spiritual feeding for each of us. We went to Manuel's church just a short distance from Groundworks. As this group of pastey white Americans made their way from the van to the church we were surrounded by members of the church welcoming us, greeting us with hugs and warm words. Worship began softly with music as the liturgical dance team made their way to the front. 10 or 12 young Guatemalan girls from about 8 to 17 years of age came forward. They were dressed in simple blue gowns and had shear pieces of fabric in each hand. As the music continued they began their dance. It was amazing. They had a praise team and three trumpeters. Little by little the music built. Song by song the pace quickened. The praise was fantastic and the name of Jesus was lifted and glory was give to God over and over. The liturgical dance team flowed with beauty and the Spirit of God glowed from their faces. Then the cloth was replaced by tambourines and the clapping and dancing grew in intensity. It climaxed amidst great shouts of joy and celebration. Then for an hour the pastor preached calling us to know the love of God and express it through service of love to others. Jamie on our team is pretty good with the Spanish language and was able to tell us a bit of the message. We all came away discussing how we might bring parts of this worship into our own at home.
We have been preparing for the days to come getting our crafts together. We are filling this house with laughter and prayer. God is good. As Kevin of Groundworks likes to say, were glad were here! Thank you for your prayers. We keep you in ours as well. - Mark
We have been preparing for the days to come getting our crafts together. We are filling this house with laughter and prayer. God is good. As Kevin of Groundworks likes to say, were glad were here! Thank you for your prayers. We keep you in ours as well. - Mark
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Bienvenidos Guatemala
Welcome to Guatemala!
We have made it safe and sound! Luggage made it! Most importantly we made it! Kevin and Ginny were there waiting for us! We were greeted with hugs of love! For some of us it is good to be back, for others it is good to be here!
We are all pretty exhausted, living on the couple hours of sleep we may have gotten on the plane! We are all headed for bed so that our week will start out rejuvinated and ready to go!
We will head to Manuel's church tomorrow for services!
I am sure more will be written in the days to come, but for now the bed is calling our names!
God's Peace and Love!
We have made it safe and sound! Luggage made it! Most importantly we made it! Kevin and Ginny were there waiting for us! We were greeted with hugs of love! For some of us it is good to be back, for others it is good to be here!
We are all pretty exhausted, living on the couple hours of sleep we may have gotten on the plane! We are all headed for bed so that our week will start out rejuvinated and ready to go!
We will head to Manuel's church tomorrow for services!
I am sure more will be written in the days to come, but for now the bed is calling our names!
God's Peace and Love!
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