Portsmouth Christian - Guatemala Trip - Day 5

Well, this is the final day at Amparo, and I am certain that it is going to be a very emotional and taxing day for the team.

As usual, we had breakfast, followed by devotions (we finished the first chapter of Philippians).  We had a great discussion about walking worthy of our calling.

After devotions, we headed for Amparo.  As we arrived, we met together to review the plans for the day…  The teaching of the colors of the “wordless book”, the handing out of the bracelets, the instruction for the teachers for the booklets we gave the school for the children – and a gift giving opportunity from the team to the teachers (we gave them thank you cards, some chocolates, and a team shirt), and our “assembly” for the kids while the teachers are in their instruction time.  After the final planning session, we prayed and went to work. 

The grate crew went back to work, and by day’s end finished about 3/4 of the total project, but they did a great (grate) job.  The teens split up from class to class and went about their daily routine, only they added the teaching of the wordless book bracelets into the plan for the day.

They did an excellent job.  The kids understood the presentations, and could recite back the meanings of the particular colors.  We would randomly ask the kids what the colors meant, and they could tell us – it was exciting to hear.  We even had some who made professions of faith – and as one of the kids put it, I am not sure if they fully understood, but after they prayed, they said, “Hasta en Cielo” (See you in Heaven).  The team loved sharing the gospel in a clear way for the children to understand, and they encouraged them to go home and share it with their family and friends.

As the day went on, we finally got the opportunity after lunch (while the younger kids were supposed to be sleeping), to pull all of the teachers together and share with them their gift.  They were very appreciative, and the group shared tears and prayers as the teachers and the team members encouraged one another. 

While some of the group was doing that, others were watching the children sleep – or at least that is what they were supposed to be doing.  Apparently you will need to ask Andrew, Jenny and Julia (and possibly a few others) about their classroom during that half hour.  Utter chaos is the only way I can describe the picture the kids painted for us during our debrief this evening.  Kids coloring the floor with markers, coloring the windows with crayons, jumping all around the place – other teens stepping into the chaos to help, apparently it was a sight to behold.

While all of that was going on, Emily and Kelsey were helping with the assembly time where the older kids were singing, playing games, and being encouraged to follow God.  They were also experiencing a form of chaos, but it was much more controlled.  The children were asked, “Why did this group come this week?”  And they replied that they did not know.  When asked why they thought the group was there, they said, “to play with us… to teach us about Jesus…  to help our teachers… etc.”  We were able help them understand the reason we were there was because Jesus loved us and He loved them too, and we were there to tell them about it.

Leaving was difficult, but the team responded well.  We left around 3:30 and went to CAG to watch the girl’s soccer team play.  The game ended with a  2-2 tie with Megan Wilson scoring both of CAG’s goals.

The day wrapped up with dinner, singing, and a debrief time of sharing, crying, laughing, and praising God for what He has done through us. It has been an amazing week.

Tomorrow we part ways.  I will watch the team head off around 7:30 for an incredible day of shopping, zip lining and finally dinner at TecPan!  It will be a great day.  I will be heading home around 3:45 to arrive in Nashville at 10:00 PM – only to leave the next morning for Peru!  I wish I could stay with the team but God has other plans for me.

Thought for the day:  How many times do I think about the items I could use to do my job better.  I would love a “go-pro” so I can record video of the team’s activities – especially if I can do it without the children knowing.  I would love a Brookstone pocket projector so that I can create presentations to show the kids the pictures we took all week.  I would love…  and the list continues because there are so many great things out there to help me do my job better.

But as I watched the teachers this week, I was humbled at the way they are able to do so much with so little.  I saw one teacher today who used her phone to play music for the kids.  Another teacher uses a tape player (for those of you who don’t know – that is what we used before CD’s, Ipods, etc).  They lack pencils.  They lack basic school supplies and things that we assume are “necessary” to teach and learn.

Yet, they do not complain.  They do what they can with what they have. 

God help me be content with what I have and use all that I have for Your glory.

Portsmouth Christian - Guatemala Trip - Day 4

It was a beautiful Guatemalan morning as we awoke ready to serve at Amparo again.  The kids there are not used to teams coming back the next day, as the last 2 groups that came (Bundles teams in 2009 and 2013) only visited for 1 day, so we were not sure what to expect. 

We started the day with breakfast – eggs and pancakes – and then studied the next section of Philippians (1:12-26).  We were challenged to live a life that reflected Jesus Christ in all things, and to grow in our passion to see Christ in heaven by growing in our relationship with God.

We left Thelma’s around 8 and arrived at Amparo around 9.  The kids were all excited to see us again.  The team spread out and went to work.  They helped the teachers even more today, as the teachers realized ways they could help.  From helping with glue and crayons, to playing with the kids and singing songs with them, the team served the teachers well by loving on the kids and helping with their classes.

Kelly and Michelle (the interpreter) spent the day going class to class sharing the Gospel using the story of a little boy in Africa.  Only God knows how many children actually made a profession of faith, but many of the kids asked for more information, and we gave them a tract to help them understand more.  Tomorrow we will be going over the gospel again by giving them wordless book bracelets, so we hope that this will help them better understand the gospel.

Other highlights for the day included Devon and Andrew helping Andy and Phil on the grate project, more team members were able to share their stories with the kids at the center, we were able to give the teachers some school supplies (and tomorrow we are planning to give them MUCH more).  Other than that, today was much like today with the kids playing with the kids, hugging the kids, loving on the kids, praying for the kids (as they held them while they slept), and whatever we could do to help the teachers and the students.

The kids headed home at 4, and we headed off to Thelma’s.  We had dinner early because we were going to the Wilson’s home for a youth group meeting.  And what a great time that was.  They had probably 60 people at their home (including our group) and as we arrived, there was music playing and kids all over the place.  Andy lead a “ship” game that you will have to ask the kids about, and then we all sang some worship songs.  Then Andy spoke to the kids and shared his testimony and challenged them to know the will of God by studying the scriptures.  We concluded with another song, and then they fellowshipped around a table of brownies. 

Eventually we headed back to Thelma’s, and while Linda and Jacki  went to the store to get some supplies for tomorrow, the rest of the team sat around and shared testimonies.  Andrew, Brenna, Kelsey, and Devon shared their stories.  It was wonderful to hear how God has been moving in their lives, and how they are seeking His will for the future.

Now it is ready for Bed – and the kids are wound up!  Tomorrow is our last day at Amparo, and there will be a lot of sadness.  Saying goodbye is always difficult.  I pray that God will strengthen them for the task of experiencing the grief while staying strong for the sake of the children.

Thought for the Day:  This morning we listened to Rich Mullins, and we talked about his story.  He was a man that produced some great music, but even more importantly, he left a legacy of seeking God’s face.  His last album, “the Jesus Project” was a collection of songs that were not completed or performed publically.  The depth of understanding of God in this album speaks to the passion that he had to see his Lord.

The thought comes as a connection with our passage in Philippians where Paul is wrestling with longing for heaven but living in the present.  The question we must pose is, “do I long for heaven at all?”  Do the pleasures of this life make me long for the temporary and keep me from seeking the eternal? 

Paul tells us what it looked like in the 1^st century and Rich Mullins modeled for us what it looks like in the 21^st century to live in the present but long for the eternal. 

God help us seek the things that last and lay aside anything that keeps us from pursuing the eternal.

Portsmouth Christian - Guatemala Trip - Day 3

It is Tuesday morning, and the group is moving a little slower today because of the soreness in the muscles from a hard day at work and play yesterday.  They are excited and nervous about a new adventure at Amparo, so it is going to be a great day. 

We ate breakfast, followed by our devotional time in the book of Philippians.  We spent time in verses 3-11 of chapter 1, where Paul mentions his prayer for the Philippian believers.  We were challenged to pray as Paul did for the kids today as we served them.  I love to hear the kids talk about God’s word.

We headed off for Amparo and arrived there around 9:00.  We unloaded our suitcases full of school supplies, candy, balls, activity equipment, etc. and prepared for a day of excitement.  Amparo is a school with 228 students – half of which attend in the morning, and the other half in the afternoon.  The kids ranged in age from 4 – 17, with most of them being younger than 12.

The team broke into groups of 3 and spread out around the campus.  Andy worked with Phil and Pooch (a maintenance guy) working on making grates for the drainage system throughout the play area.  The rest of the group went into classrooms and did whatever they could to help teachers, help students, play with students, and whatever else was asked of them.

They were involved in sharing their testimonies, feeding the students, working on school work with the children.  They played soccer, hop scotch, jump rope, clapping games, duck-duck-goose, chase…  whatever they could to connect with the kids.  This group is doing a wonderful job of loving the kids well.

During lunch we encouraged each other, shared stories of events that had happened today, and shared ways to help each other interact with the students.  The kids had great ideas to engage the students during the classroom time without interfering with the teacher.  I was impressed with their ideas.

In the afternoon, many of the younger kids were taking naps, and it was wonderful watching our ladies put the kids to sleep as one after another fell asleep in the girls arms.  The kids are so cute – especially when they are sleeping!

As the day drew to a close, we said “Hasta Manana” to the kids and hugged and kissed them goodbye. 

We returned home and had about an hour and half before dinner.  During this time, kids showered and cleaned up, played some games, and just hung around – that is until Andrew jumped in the pool with Lauren.  (And I had nothing to do with it…)  I don’t know how, but Devon was prepared with the camera to catch the event. (okay, I had a little to do with it…)  Anyway, many of the kids jumped in the pool and they enjoyed splashing around in February – pretty unusual for a New Englander, huh??

Dinner included 10 guests – the Eisners, the Wilson’s, and Pete and Kim Lafakis (AMG workers).  We had a delicious dinner of meat and potatoes, and a cookie for dessert.

Dinner was followed with a recap of the day as the kids shared the lessons they learned today and how they were used by God.  This is by far my favorite time of the day.  To hear people talk passionately about serving God is what this ministry is all about, and it is my desire to see them take these patterns home with them and expand their ministry to the people they love at home.

After the recap, we had work to do.  The team surrounded 2 six foot tables and made a massive amount of wordless book bracelets.  They will be handing them out later this week.

Tomorrow is more of the same – Amparo all over again!  The kids are excited about doing it all over again.

Thought for the day:  This one comes courtesy of Andy Hallbach.  He shared an incident with Phil today when Phil was sawing one of the metal bars.  A young man was watching intently, so Phil allowed him to put his hand on the other side of the hack saw and together they moved the saw back and forth cutting the metal bar.  At one point, Phil removed his hand, and the boy tried to saw without him – but didn’t move the saw at all.

The thought…  God is much like Phil’s example.  God is doing the work, He is just kind enough to allow us to put our hands to the work to be part of what He is doing.  If He stops working, no work gets done.  It is He that is doing the work, and we are just “along for the ride”, but what a great ride it is.  We get the pleasure of being first hand witnesses to His greatness.  What an amazing place to be.  When we think we can do it without Him, He will often remove His hand from the work to show us that our efforts are futile without Him, and no work can ever be done without Him.

God, help us be reminded that the work that we do is done only because You are the strength behind the work.  Help us to lean on Your understanding that we might know how to move and what to do, but be ever conscious that it is only through You that anything is every accomplished.  Thank you for allowing us to be part of what You are doing.

Portsmouth Christian - Guatemala Trip - Day 2

The day began with a clear sky, cats screaming (sounding like babies crying), dogs barking, and some fireworks off in the distance.  It was a typical Guatemalan morning.  The team seemed well rested and were ready for our eggs and pancake breakfast. 

We followed breakfast with our morning devotional – an overview of the book of Philippians, and we began the study with verses 1 and 2 of chapter 1.  We had a great discussion, although I look forward to them opening up more as the week goes on.  The beginning of a book kind of lends itself to more of a direct conversation than a group discussion anyway.

We left for Verbana (the main campus of AMG Guatemala) on time, and arrived close to 9:00.  We took a brief tour of the campus, and then planned to head off to work.  But we were interrupted by children… literally hundreds of them.  The bell rang and the flood gates opened, and kids just kept coming and coming.

It was fun to watch the group as they saw the kids approaching and you could see the wonder in their eyes as to how this was going to play out.  The hesitation didn’t last long, as the kids ran up to team member after team member and hugged them, kissed them, and played with them. 

For the next 30 minutes or so, the team spun kids around, chased them around the field, played “pato-pato-gonso” (duck-duck-goose), and just hugged and loved on kids.  I love seeing the faces of the kids light up as they interact with the team members, and I love watching the “nervous anxiety” melt away from the team members as the kids lavish them with love.  It really is a lot of fun to be part of.

As the kids headed off to class (with the prompting of the team members), it was time for us to get to work.  During the day, the team helped install part of a drop ceiling in the new At Risk No More facility, they installed 4 toilets (Andrew helped with this), they taught English class, they interpreted sponsor letters, they helped feed the children, they helped the kids brush their teeth after eating, they raked the leaves over various parts of the facility – they worked hard! 

In between the working, we had lunch around 12:30.  We ate, talked about what we had worked on in the morning, shared how we were feeling about the day, and talked about what was next. 

About 2:00, we had another great surprise, the afternoon group broke for recess.  More kids, more hugs, more spinning around, more soccer, more kisses, more activity…  It is fun, but very tiring!  The team loved it, and they did a great job playing with the kids when it was time.

At 3:00, Brian Dennett (AMG Guatemala National Director) and Chad Smith (head of the At Risk No More aspect of AMG) shared with us their vision and passion for the ministry here. As always, it was eye opening, and encouraging.  The people of Guatemala have a hope for a better future – not because of AMG, but because of Jesus Christ.  AMG is just one of the organizations sharing Christ with them.  They are doing an excellent job.

We were supposed to end our time at Verbana with a soccer game against the maintenance crew, but they had to back out, so we just played a brief game of adult against kids.  Don’t ask who won – ask who scored more!  (We did one of those, “next person to score wins”, so the kids think THEY won.)

We headed back to Thelma’s, ate dinner, and then had our evening debrief session.  It went on and on.  Story after story, experience after experience, lesson after lesson, it just kept coming.  Everyone shared something, and it was great to hear them wrestle with their experience.  We laughed together – man, did we laugh.  This group loves laughing. 

One of the girls asked me on the van on the way home, “what one word would you use to describe our team?”  I said initially, “estrogen” – after all, there are 14 girls in this group.  But then I told them, “fun”.  You can tell this group knows how to have fun with the kids, together, and – and most importantly – not at the expense of others on the team.  They have fun together.  Which is what we did tonight. 

After our wrap up, we watched the pictures from the day, and laughed even more.  It was a great day.

Tomorrow we are beginning our 3 day work in Amparo.  I know we are in for even better times as we are able to build deeper relationships with the kids, the workers, and each other.

Thought for the day: As I worked with Andy on the drop ceiling, I was reminded that his church (Raymond Baptist) was key in building the second floor we were working on.  It is neat to see team after team build on the work of other teams before, but it is even cooler when the teams are interconnected.

My thought for today is, isn’t that really what the body of Christ does – if we are working well?  Paul said, some plant, others water, while others harvest.  It is God who brings the increase.  As each part does its work – no matter how “unnecessary” it may seem – you lay the ground work for people after you to build on the foundation that you laid.  If you lay a solid foundation, the work to follow is much easier to do.  If you do not do your part, someone else will have to do it for you, and the project is just that much further behind.

God help me to do my part as you give me opportunity so that others who come behind me may be able to reap a large harvest for the glory of Your Name.  Help me see beyond my own capacities and abilities and just be faithful to do what you call me to do.