Fellowship Bible Church - Guatemala Trip - Day 3

It was a beautiful clear morning as I got up around 5.  The alarm was set for 6, but I woke up around 4 and rolled around until I finally got up an hour later.  I went through the hotel and knocked on doors a little after 6 – but almost everyone was already up.  I think they are excited about their first day at Matochos.

We had breakfast at 7, sang a “Berean”  Happy Birthday to Silas who turned 18 today.  After breakfast we had our devotions and by 8:30 we were on our way to Matochos.  We made it through the road block (that would have delayed us for an hour if we missed it), and were at the center a little after 9. 

The team got right to work.  Four different groups: group 1 – paint the front wall on the outside of the center, group 2 and 3 – paint the rooms in the center (we had 3 to paint), group 4 – dig a ditch 5’ x 5’ x 3’ deep.  The painters did a great job as they finished a first coat of yellow on 2 rooms and they got much of the outside wall finished.  The diggers got the whole ready for the footers that would eventually hold a 300 gallon water tank about 7 feet in the air.

Highlights for the day included games with the kids, throwing worms to the chickens, catching a rather large grasshopper and showing it to the kids, jump rope with the kids, laughing with and playing with the children.  Also, lunch today was something you need to ask the team about – Talapia!  It really was delicious, but the original presentation was a complete fish on the plate – scales and all – with the head/eyes in place.  For those who don’t travel regularly, this was an interesting meal – and for those who don’t necessarily like fish, it was a challenge.  Truthfully though, it was good – more than one person said it tasted like chicken.

Other notable events today included one of the students having a seizure and taking nearly an hour to recover, and then having another seizure.  Pat was able to help as she has medical training, but without serious medical attention, Pat fears that the worst is yet to come.  It was neat to stop and pray with the people as Kathy (the student) attempted to recover. 

In the afternoon, it began raining, and the team moved to different opportunities.  Some played music with the kids, Emily did some ballet moves and the kids tried to mimic her, others played games and interacted with the kids.  Jon and Jesse worked on some “coke bottle lights” that we plan to install tomorrow.  Some of the others helped with that endeavor as kids went back to class or headed home.

Eventually Phil said it was time to go home, so we packed up and headed for the hotel.  We got stuck in traffic, but Pat had a few games for us to play – you will have to ask about the “I’m going to the beach and I am taking…” or the “green door”, or the “who has the hat?” games.  Not to mention the jokes – “what do you call a man with no arms and no legs…” various answers included… Bill, Matt, Phil, Pete, Art...  Just ask, I am certain someone can tell you the jokes.

As the evening drew to a close, we had dinner, ate Birthday Cake, had a worship time, and talked about our experiences for the day and how we saw God.  It was a great day.

Thought for the day:  As I sat on the ground holding Kathy with all of the others caring for her, I hear Pat ask Phil, “Can’t we take her to the hospital?”  Phil had to respond and tell her the hospital was over 1 ½ hours away, but “they are doing what they know to do, they are praying for her.”  Amazingly enough, this is the third time in 3 days that we as a group have had this conversation.  We talked just yesterday about the fact that we as Americans have lost the dependence on God to turn to Him first in calamity.  We do our best to resolve it ourselves, after all, “God helps those who help themselves”.  (As if the scripture says that anywhere).  Yet, I believe God sits back and allows us to try all the things we know to try when all the while He has the answer we desire and the answer we need.

The thought is, in what areas do I do this in my life?  How many times do I find myself turning to God first?  Before calamity, before answering things myself, before figuring things out on my own, when do I really seek Him first?  If I believe that He is good, if I believe that He is my source of wisdom, my source of healing, my source of sustenance, my “all in all, shouldn’t I turn to Him first? 

I believe the answer is in my prayer life – how often do I pray? What do I pray for?  How earnest is my prayer?  It is in the answers to these questions that I will be able to test my confidence in my Father and my God.