Hi Everyone
It is hard to believe that we've been home for over a week. So soon the routine of everyday business and life settles back in and that's okay! Many of us experienced a deep tiredness upon our return home and I heard, "All I wanted to do was sleep" over and over. It's good to wonder why we are so tired. Is it from the work? Is it from the experience? Is it from the travelling? Is it because there is so much to process?
Karl and I returned home also deeply tired....but not a tiredness of being exhausted from work or lack of sleep. It was a peaceful tiredness, one that produced very deep and restful sleeps at night, one that allowed us to stay in the moment and rest with God. It was a satisfying tiredness that let one sit longer, think more, contemplate God and his eternal peace, and understand that our God is so much bigger than we ever have realized. Its a peace that lets one realize that our striving and pushing, and fondness of appearance and other idols in our lives has nothing to do with what God calls us to be in this world. It was God's peace.
For four of us, this is our second time in Guatemala. There was a sense of 'coming home' when we turned into the driveway at Camp Shalom. Walking into the house, seeing Timo and Mary-Lou and even the dogs...we know we've been here before and it feels good. The surprise of seeing the school almost completed was pure joy. Seeing the children and teachers enjoying the classrooms and space the next day was a highlight. Seeing the purpose of Worldwide Christian Schools being fulfilled was amazing.....vision and mission put into action. This is what we were here for!
Going on a short-term missions and being a part of a TEAM is part of the experience...in fact, I would dare say it is a huge part of the experience. You get to spend almost 24 hours a day together - scary for some! You eat together, live together, travel together, do devotions and share together. You share living space and bathrooms, play games together and soon there are very few secrets! :) You talk together, work together, and in reality are a 'small group' - first during the preparation stage but more so during the 10 days you are on site. This experience could be intimidating for some. But in my time as leader for three different groups I can honestly say this IS the best part of the whole experience. Building relationships within the group and getting to know these people becomes an important part of the group experience. I thank all of our team members for their realness and honesty, for their work, for their sharing, for their love and support over the past year. All of you played an important part in team-building and did your jobs with love and enthusiasm. This is a true team - a true community of God.
I have talked to many people in our church community about going on a short-term missions trip with Worldwide Christian Schools and so many have said, "We'd love to do this....sometime". "We think this is a great thing - let us know when you go again", only to approach them later and they have changed their mind. "We'd like to go but the timing is not good right now". "We'd love to join the team but......." Fill in any reason you'd like. What REALLY stops people from joining a team like the one we were just on? ?? What prevents people from just stepping "out of the boat" and taking a leap of faith? If you are one of those that has talked about wanting be be on a HANDS Team but hesitates, ask yourself, "WHY"? "What's going on right now that makes me hesitate to commit?" For most of us, it would come down to fear.
If you have ever found yourself inspired or interested to be on a team to build a Christian School, don't be afraid. Talk to someone who has just returned and see their joy and enthusiasm. Listen carefully to what they say and how they are full of excitement. And, a year from now, when the call comes to join a HANDS Team, come to the initial meeting and find out what it means to be a part of something big!
I am passionate about Worldwide Christian Schools - their mission and vision to provide Christ-centered education for the children of this world. Being involved as a volunteer has had much impact on my life. Getting to really know the people behind the scenes has been a privelege for me. Michele handles all the teams and all the logistics that goes into putting a team together. She is the one I work with most closely and is a gift to Worldwide. Working with Michele has been a huge learning experience for more and I love her. Hank is the Exectutive Director in Canada. I am learning to appreciate his humour and see his love of Christ everywhere. He is a calming influence in the office and takes his role very seriously. Carolyn's office is right next to me and I am sad to say that she is leaving soon for a new role - running a flower shop! Carolyn is kind, soft, wise and I so much appreciate her thoughts as we've talked about many different things, including our love for Bibical counselling courses. Laura-Jane is the person who answers the phone, who you'd meet if you visit and is so sweet. She's busy with the money end of things and answering the phones. Drop by the office sometime and get to meet her first.
Being a part of Worldwide Christian Schools and leader of HANDS Teams has opened my heart and given me a huge appreciation for God and His world. Being able to be a small part of God's 'divine design' - His plan for us and for His world - has shaped who I am and how I see life. I am thankful that I have been able to participate in these small ways to bring the Good News of the gospel to the children of the world. Please pray for WWCS and all the little children who will hear about the saving love of Jesus this school year. Blessings....
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Home - A Bittersweet Ending
Friday morning, 9am. We've just rolled out of bed and are ready for a cup of tea. Can it be that we were gone for almost 12 days? Mind you, just crawling in last night at 2:30am reminded me that we were home for real - no more hard 'coffee tables' with flat mattresses! Our hips were thankful for the comforts of a bed!
And thus is our thought processes of our first morning back. Full of gratitude for the amazing lives and gifts we have here in Canada but ever mindful of our brothers and sisters around the world, esp in Guatemala, who have so little physically but have LIFE in Christ. Thankful for the ability to travel across many countries through the air in a matter of hours, yet mindful of those who lost their lives just hours before we landed at the same airport. Bittersweet......blessing that is pain. And such is life.
Our last few days were uneventful in that our travels and time together went exactly as planned. No accidents, no vehicle break-downs, no bad weather, on-time flights, good connections, time to enjoy the process and not have to rush or panic. It was our prayer that this would be the case and God heard our prayers and answered, true to his faithfulness. We are thankful for this. But it was also our last two days! We were drawing closer to the time we'd have to say good-bye to many people who had made our time in Guatemala a time of learning, a time of blessing, and a time of joy. Bittersweet......blessing that is hope and pain.
We woke Wed morning to blue skies, a warming sun and the promise of another gorgeous day. However, this morning after breakfast the suitcases we had packed up the night before were to be loaded back onto the vans....oh, only ONE van!?? All in one van? All the suitcases on top of that van?? Oh my goodness, look at what Hank will have to drive through those mountain roads in! The old pick-up - no tail lights, bald tires and looking like it will fall apart any minute - you can't be serious! Oh yes, Timo is serious and with a look of resignation, Rosario shrugs her shoulders and tells me she will go with Hank b/c she is very worried about this. We load up most of the suitcases in the back of this little Toyota pick-up, which has definetely seen better days, cover everything with a tarp. Then we all load into the van....don't worry, its not full yet - Hank and Rosario will join us once we arrive in town! (It holds 15). And off we go.
We are ready to roll - until we hit "Four Corners" when somone realizes that there is no spare tire for the pick-up. Timo decides to park the van alongs-side the road, leave us there and then take the pick-up back to Camp Shalom for the spare tire. Now, under normal conditions, this may take about 15 minutes (normal, as in driving around home). Here, it is 'crazy time' - everyone is on the road - in car, truck, transport, delivery truck, walking, biking, scooter, motorcycle, buses (lots of those noisy, black-smoke spouting things!). So, we sit for 45 minutes. What do you do when you are wanting and ready to go then get stopped? Well, you do what most good Guatemalan's do - you talk, you read, you pray, you talk some more, you share peppermints, you get out of the van, you take pictures, you people watch - ok, that's what we do...lol.
Back on the road, the van in front, Hank and the pick-up in back, we went from San Cristobal to Guatemala City in about 4 hours - not bad. It could have been much worse if we had been stopped for construction. They are working on the Pan Am highway, making it four lane - they need to blast and then clean up and so stop all traffic, sometimes for hours. We first went to Antigua and spent two hours enjoying this beautiful historic city, full or stores and a huge artisans market. You could spent two days there! From there we went to our loging for the night, a seminary right in town, near the airport. With small but wonderful rooms and 'real' beds we rested, showered and got ready for dinner out.
For supper we went downtown. We saw the upscale, affluent side of Guatemala. Beautiful, trendy clothing and furnitures stores, jewellery, big highrise businesses, restarants. Several Steak Houses were here and we ate at one of them. We enjoyed our last night of fellowship together over a meal, talking out our week, our trip home, watching a great soccer game and just relaxing, allowing the events of the past 10 days to begin to perculate in our hearts.
Yesterday morning we had breakfast at 8 and met on an outside patio for devotions. Over the past few days we have become close and there were tears from many of us on occasion as we talked about how God works in our lives, how blessings are not always what we expect, how pain and suffering can also be used by God as blessing in our lives to teach us His ways. We debriefed a little on the 'now what' topic - now that we've been on this trip, what do we do? We talked about each of us having a 'story' - how does this trip impact our life story? What has God been teaching us the last few weeks? We talked about God - how big he is and how small we tend to make him. We talked about the impact of the gospel on a country such as Guatemala. Again, Hank and Rosario contributed much to this discussion in offering their experiences and thoughts.
Time to go to the airport. A brand new airport and beautiful! Check in went well and my concerns about missing our Atlanta connection were put to rest when the young man who check Karl and I in said, "You've been here before?" "Yes" I said. "Why?" "I remember your group two years ago - your flight was delayed, it was my first day and you were not a happy bunch!" He said this with a smile on his face but I apologized to him and then asked him about todays flight. With a smile he said, "You'll get home tonight." A little story, but a huge story in God's faithfulness even to me! After check in, we had some great coffee and lunch.
It was time for Hank and Rosario to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet - it was time for them to leave. With many thanks and hugs and a few tears we said good-bye. They will be staying in Guatemala until the end of March - leading Team Niagara yet and visiting family. Relationships - such joy in building but bittersweet when we have to say good-bye.
The rest of the day was spent flying, transfering, lugging luggage to re-check in, standing in line, sitting, sitting some more, sleeping, going up, going down. The last leg to Buffalo was quiet as we got closer there was anticipation for coming home. We all have missed our families, we were all tired, some of us are still sick, all our sense have been overwhelmed, and our hearts have been filled with so many emotions and thoughts. It will take some time for us to 'come-down' and be able to share with you what has happened.
We landed early in Buffalo, unaware of the event that had taken place just hours earlier. As usual we went to claim our luggage just wanted to go home. But slowly we began to get wind of something that sent shivers through us - a plane had gone down nearby and all were killed. The announcer asked several times for friends and family of flight#____ to please come upstairs to the ticket counter, media were starting to show up, flashing lights were out on the runways, people were quiet. The realization, once again, of how fragile life can be in a world where we often take so much for granted, began to settle in. Our homecome was bittersweet....a blessing to us, so much pain for so many other who had expected the same thing.
We left the airport, subdued and praying for those affected by this accident but so feeling so thankful and eternally blessed that we were spared. God, indeed, is not done with us yet!Through customs and off to our homes - it was time to put it behind us for a few hours and get some sleep.
And thus is our thought processes of our first morning back. Full of gratitude for the amazing lives and gifts we have here in Canada but ever mindful of our brothers and sisters around the world, esp in Guatemala, who have so little physically but have LIFE in Christ. Thankful for the ability to travel across many countries through the air in a matter of hours, yet mindful of those who lost their lives just hours before we landed at the same airport. Bittersweet......blessing that is pain. And such is life.
Our last few days were uneventful in that our travels and time together went exactly as planned. No accidents, no vehicle break-downs, no bad weather, on-time flights, good connections, time to enjoy the process and not have to rush or panic. It was our prayer that this would be the case and God heard our prayers and answered, true to his faithfulness. We are thankful for this. But it was also our last two days! We were drawing closer to the time we'd have to say good-bye to many people who had made our time in Guatemala a time of learning, a time of blessing, and a time of joy. Bittersweet......blessing that is hope and pain.
We woke Wed morning to blue skies, a warming sun and the promise of another gorgeous day. However, this morning after breakfast the suitcases we had packed up the night before were to be loaded back onto the vans....oh, only ONE van!?? All in one van? All the suitcases on top of that van?? Oh my goodness, look at what Hank will have to drive through those mountain roads in! The old pick-up - no tail lights, bald tires and looking like it will fall apart any minute - you can't be serious! Oh yes, Timo is serious and with a look of resignation, Rosario shrugs her shoulders and tells me she will go with Hank b/c she is very worried about this. We load up most of the suitcases in the back of this little Toyota pick-up, which has definetely seen better days, cover everything with a tarp. Then we all load into the van....don't worry, its not full yet - Hank and Rosario will join us once we arrive in town! (It holds 15). And off we go.
We are ready to roll - until we hit "Four Corners" when somone realizes that there is no spare tire for the pick-up. Timo decides to park the van alongs-side the road, leave us there and then take the pick-up back to Camp Shalom for the spare tire. Now, under normal conditions, this may take about 15 minutes (normal, as in driving around home). Here, it is 'crazy time' - everyone is on the road - in car, truck, transport, delivery truck, walking, biking, scooter, motorcycle, buses (lots of those noisy, black-smoke spouting things!). So, we sit for 45 minutes. What do you do when you are wanting and ready to go then get stopped? Well, you do what most good Guatemalan's do - you talk, you read, you pray, you talk some more, you share peppermints, you get out of the van, you take pictures, you people watch - ok, that's what we do...lol.
Back on the road, the van in front, Hank and the pick-up in back, we went from San Cristobal to Guatemala City in about 4 hours - not bad. It could have been much worse if we had been stopped for construction. They are working on the Pan Am highway, making it four lane - they need to blast and then clean up and so stop all traffic, sometimes for hours. We first went to Antigua and spent two hours enjoying this beautiful historic city, full or stores and a huge artisans market. You could spent two days there! From there we went to our loging for the night, a seminary right in town, near the airport. With small but wonderful rooms and 'real' beds we rested, showered and got ready for dinner out.
For supper we went downtown. We saw the upscale, affluent side of Guatemala. Beautiful, trendy clothing and furnitures stores, jewellery, big highrise businesses, restarants. Several Steak Houses were here and we ate at one of them. We enjoyed our last night of fellowship together over a meal, talking out our week, our trip home, watching a great soccer game and just relaxing, allowing the events of the past 10 days to begin to perculate in our hearts.
Yesterday morning we had breakfast at 8 and met on an outside patio for devotions. Over the past few days we have become close and there were tears from many of us on occasion as we talked about how God works in our lives, how blessings are not always what we expect, how pain and suffering can also be used by God as blessing in our lives to teach us His ways. We debriefed a little on the 'now what' topic - now that we've been on this trip, what do we do? We talked about each of us having a 'story' - how does this trip impact our life story? What has God been teaching us the last few weeks? We talked about God - how big he is and how small we tend to make him. We talked about the impact of the gospel on a country such as Guatemala. Again, Hank and Rosario contributed much to this discussion in offering their experiences and thoughts.
Time to go to the airport. A brand new airport and beautiful! Check in went well and my concerns about missing our Atlanta connection were put to rest when the young man who check Karl and I in said, "You've been here before?" "Yes" I said. "Why?" "I remember your group two years ago - your flight was delayed, it was my first day and you were not a happy bunch!" He said this with a smile on his face but I apologized to him and then asked him about todays flight. With a smile he said, "You'll get home tonight." A little story, but a huge story in God's faithfulness even to me! After check in, we had some great coffee and lunch.
It was time for Hank and Rosario to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet - it was time for them to leave. With many thanks and hugs and a few tears we said good-bye. They will be staying in Guatemala until the end of March - leading Team Niagara yet and visiting family. Relationships - such joy in building but bittersweet when we have to say good-bye.
The rest of the day was spent flying, transfering, lugging luggage to re-check in, standing in line, sitting, sitting some more, sleeping, going up, going down. The last leg to Buffalo was quiet as we got closer there was anticipation for coming home. We all have missed our families, we were all tired, some of us are still sick, all our sense have been overwhelmed, and our hearts have been filled with so many emotions and thoughts. It will take some time for us to 'come-down' and be able to share with you what has happened.
We landed early in Buffalo, unaware of the event that had taken place just hours earlier. As usual we went to claim our luggage just wanted to go home. But slowly we began to get wind of something that sent shivers through us - a plane had gone down nearby and all were killed. The announcer asked several times for friends and family of flight#____ to please come upstairs to the ticket counter, media were starting to show up, flashing lights were out on the runways, people were quiet. The realization, once again, of how fragile life can be in a world where we often take so much for granted, began to settle in. Our homecome was bittersweet....a blessing to us, so much pain for so many other who had expected the same thing.
We left the airport, subdued and praying for those affected by this accident but so feeling so thankful and eternally blessed that we were spared. God, indeed, is not done with us yet!Through customs and off to our homes - it was time to put it behind us for a few hours and get some sleep.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Last Day of Work
Hi everyone! Well, its the last day of work...its hard to believe. In some ways it has gone too fast, in others it seems like we've been here forever...and that's a good thing.
I've been pretty sick with the flu for the last few days, pretty much in bed all the time. It sure is making its rounds and we pray that no one else will come down with it as we have travelling to do yet....tomorrow morning back to Guatemala City and home on Thursday.
Today, most of the crew was painting inside the school, finishing up the main floor hallway, stairwell and a third story classroom that is needed b/c the school is growing rapdily. Enrollment is now around the 400 student mark and they keep on coming. Lloyd continued helping the concrete guys pour the columns and it looks like they have them done. Ed is making a cabinet for our tools that will be under lock and key and yesterday he drew up plans for cupboards to be put in the staff room.
This morning we attending a special presentation by the children - it was really wonderful. They placed chairs for us as guests of honour and each class came up to sing a song. We were blessed by them through prayer as well as thanked. This school means so much to them and to the community and they are so appreciative. After the presentation, we all received a Guatemalan handmade item as thanks. We then handed out bracelets to them with coloured beads representing the story of salvation. Hilda's daughter-in-law had translated the meaning in Spanish for us and each bracelet had an explanation attached to it. Laura Klapwyk had made 500 bracelets for us and we thank her as well. Each of the kids also were handed a candy as a treat. We then went into the school where we were able to buy handmade bags, bible covers, purses, wallets and more.
We have made up gift packs for the kitchen staff and concrete workers that will be given later today. Without them we would never have been able to accomplish what we did! We are thankful to these quiet, gracious people for all the meals we've enjoyed and for putting up with us 'gringos' as we learned to lay block, mix mortar and work alongside our Guatemalan brothers and sisters.
Tonight we clean and pack up. We leave after breakfast, going first to the historic city of Antiqua to see the market and this old, beautiful city. We will go out for dinner in the city and then stay overnight in a seminary. Breakfast tomorrow morning, perhaps to an artisans market yet and then off to the airport! Our flight leave around 2pm...if all goes well. Pray that our flight will be on time and we'll be able to make our connecting flight in Atlanta to Buffalo. We are due to land in Buffalo near midnight.
Its always hard to say goodbye. Goodbye to Timo and Mary-Lou, goodbye to the workers, goodbye to the teachers and students, goodbye to this beautiful, mountainous country, goodbye to each other as our time together as a small group is coming to an end. Has it been a year since we first met? Last night we talked about our team and what a blessing its has been. And with Matt joining us at the last minute - that was God's blessing to us! His skills as an electrician have been used much and without him along there is much that couldn't have been done in the classrooms. God was, as always, faithful and in control and we give him all the honour and glory as we prepare to leave.
We also have to say goodbye to Hank and Rosario....what an amazing blessing they have been to us. We have come to love them and hope that they have felt part of our team. Their ability to translate the language to us, explain customs, and tell us about the different things we saw was wonderful. Hank and Rosario will be staying in Guatemala to host the Niagara Team - due to arrive on February 18. Hank and Rosario - thank you so much for your gift of hospitality, your love of these people and for volunteering your time and effort on behalf of the last three groups. Without you, we would not have been able to work near as efficiently!
This is probably the last blog I'll be writing until we are home. Thank you all for following along and sharing our experience. We have been extremely blessed to be able to participate on a HANDS Team through Worldwide Christian Schools. Please continue to pray for this organization and all the HANDS Teams that will continue to go out in the next few months. If doing something like this intriques you at all, stay tuned - there'll be another team starting in a year or so. Thank you to all of you for your encouragements, prayers and comments. Its amazing that we are so far from home yet able to be so close because of internet. Blessings to you all - we love you and will see you soon....till we meet again.
I've been pretty sick with the flu for the last few days, pretty much in bed all the time. It sure is making its rounds and we pray that no one else will come down with it as we have travelling to do yet....tomorrow morning back to Guatemala City and home on Thursday.
Today, most of the crew was painting inside the school, finishing up the main floor hallway, stairwell and a third story classroom that is needed b/c the school is growing rapdily. Enrollment is now around the 400 student mark and they keep on coming. Lloyd continued helping the concrete guys pour the columns and it looks like they have them done. Ed is making a cabinet for our tools that will be under lock and key and yesterday he drew up plans for cupboards to be put in the staff room.
This morning we attending a special presentation by the children - it was really wonderful. They placed chairs for us as guests of honour and each class came up to sing a song. We were blessed by them through prayer as well as thanked. This school means so much to them and to the community and they are so appreciative. After the presentation, we all received a Guatemalan handmade item as thanks. We then handed out bracelets to them with coloured beads representing the story of salvation. Hilda's daughter-in-law had translated the meaning in Spanish for us and each bracelet had an explanation attached to it. Laura Klapwyk had made 500 bracelets for us and we thank her as well. Each of the kids also were handed a candy as a treat. We then went into the school where we were able to buy handmade bags, bible covers, purses, wallets and more.
We have made up gift packs for the kitchen staff and concrete workers that will be given later today. Without them we would never have been able to accomplish what we did! We are thankful to these quiet, gracious people for all the meals we've enjoyed and for putting up with us 'gringos' as we learned to lay block, mix mortar and work alongside our Guatemalan brothers and sisters.
Tonight we clean and pack up. We leave after breakfast, going first to the historic city of Antiqua to see the market and this old, beautiful city. We will go out for dinner in the city and then stay overnight in a seminary. Breakfast tomorrow morning, perhaps to an artisans market yet and then off to the airport! Our flight leave around 2pm...if all goes well. Pray that our flight will be on time and we'll be able to make our connecting flight in Atlanta to Buffalo. We are due to land in Buffalo near midnight.
Its always hard to say goodbye. Goodbye to Timo and Mary-Lou, goodbye to the workers, goodbye to the teachers and students, goodbye to this beautiful, mountainous country, goodbye to each other as our time together as a small group is coming to an end. Has it been a year since we first met? Last night we talked about our team and what a blessing its has been. And with Matt joining us at the last minute - that was God's blessing to us! His skills as an electrician have been used much and without him along there is much that couldn't have been done in the classrooms. God was, as always, faithful and in control and we give him all the honour and glory as we prepare to leave.
We also have to say goodbye to Hank and Rosario....what an amazing blessing they have been to us. We have come to love them and hope that they have felt part of our team. Their ability to translate the language to us, explain customs, and tell us about the different things we saw was wonderful. Hank and Rosario will be staying in Guatemala to host the Niagara Team - due to arrive on February 18. Hank and Rosario - thank you so much for your gift of hospitality, your love of these people and for volunteering your time and effort on behalf of the last three groups. Without you, we would not have been able to work near as efficiently!
This is probably the last blog I'll be writing until we are home. Thank you all for following along and sharing our experience. We have been extremely blessed to be able to participate on a HANDS Team through Worldwide Christian Schools. Please continue to pray for this organization and all the HANDS Teams that will continue to go out in the next few months. If doing something like this intriques you at all, stay tuned - there'll be another team starting in a year or so. Thank you to all of you for your encouragements, prayers and comments. Its amazing that we are so far from home yet able to be so close because of internet. Blessings to you all - we love you and will see you soon....till we meet again.
Monday, February 9, 2009
HILDA'S COMMENTS
Ok so now I get some posting time. As you have been reading in Wilma's past posts..we as a team are having a wonderful time of fellowship together. In our work, break times and evening devotions. We truly are one in spirit, each using talents that God has given us, and even doing things we aren't that great at. Anita has learned to paint walls:):) Mike is helping Matt with some electrical jobs, Lloyd is super at doing concrete and the Ed and Evert have been making doors for different rooms, the rest of us just kind of help when and where needed. Never a boring day here. Regardless of what Karl said in his previous comment, Hans has been looking after getting things in order every day so that we do not stand around with nothing to do. Its been alot of work but we are very happy with what we have accomplished this past week here in Guatemala.
Its hard to believe that tomorrow will be our last day here at the school, we leave here on Weds. morning to begin our trip back into Guatemala City. We will be stopping in the city of Antiqua to do some sightseeing, spending the evening at the Presbyterian Seminary for a sleepover in REAL BEDS:):) and then on Thursday late morning we will be travelling to the airport to start our trip back home. First to Atlanta and then our final flight to Buffalo. We hope to arrive there some time before midnight. Keep us in prayers as we finish our work here tomorrow, say goodbye to our host family and Henk and Rosario who have been a great help in interpreting for us here. To our families and friends we miss you and are really looking forward to seeing you all again in a few days...
Its hard to believe that tomorrow will be our last day here at the school, we leave here on Weds. morning to begin our trip back into Guatemala City. We will be stopping in the city of Antiqua to do some sightseeing, spending the evening at the Presbyterian Seminary for a sleepover in REAL BEDS:):) and then on Thursday late morning we will be travelling to the airport to start our trip back home. First to Atlanta and then our final flight to Buffalo. We hope to arrive there some time before midnight. Keep us in prayers as we finish our work here tomorrow, say goodbye to our host family and Henk and Rosario who have been a great help in interpreting for us here. To our families and friends we miss you and are really looking forward to seeing you all again in a few days...
Karls comments
Well after spending two days in bed with the flu I am on the mend. The sad thing now is that Wilma now has what I have and is in bed. The group had a great day on sunday first visiting the market and then going to the weavers house. They saw how to weave beautiful cloths and also the women all dressed up in native Quatamalan costume. When Wilma is feeling better I will ask her to post a picture of all our wives decked out in these costumes. Today is another beautiful day with clear sunny skies. Most of us are painting in the school and we have finished the downstairs hallway and one more classroom. Our foreman Hans has a hard time behaving himself as he enjoys painting others especially me on the face or on my clothes. It is a good thing he is self employed as back home He would be jobless if he worked like that. :-) Lloyd worked hard with the nationals pouring 9 more coloums. Mike and Matt worked on some electrical work and Evert and Ed finished hanging all the doors in the 2nd floor bathrooms. All the students are glad to have privacy now. Well I am going to do some more painting as I do not want to incur any more of Hans bantering. He never lets up and because of this we have acomplished alot this week. I hope you all tell Hans when you see him that he did a awesome job. I think I will want that job back next time we go.:-) Thanks for all your support and prayers we sure have felt them this week. Hopefully some of the others will blog tonight yet and we will see you shortly. Karl
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Frost this Morning!
Good morning everyone. Its Saturday and we woke up to frost....yes, it gets that cold here! In a few hours the sun will warm us up and we'll be down to T-shirts.
A typical day on our HANDS Mission Team.....what is it like for us, day to day?
Breakfast is at 7:30, although that is flexible. We usually have cereal, mild, wonderful sweet bananas (they are very tiny and sooo good), melon, coffee, tea, bread with jam. Everyone takes a turn doing devotions for the meal times, picking scripture that is meaningful and relevent to them. Sometimes we discuss this scripture as it applies to our time here. This morning Matt read about the Good Samaritan and talked about how to show mercy to all. Breakfast ends about 8:15 and we head over to our place to gather things needed for the day...cameras, water, supplies. About 8:30 we start our work.
Hans is our 'fearless foreman'... as he's been nicknamed. He's been checking out what needs to be done each day with Hank, our interpreter. He makes sure things keep moving along during the day. Everyone keeps busy doing the work, whether that's loading and bringing blocks, mixing mortar, laying block, making doors, staining, varnishing, fixing vehicles and tractors, moving paving stone, cleaning up the school bathrooms or our home for the week. The pace of work is not the same as at home and there's a very relaxing quality about the day. For breaks we grab our cameras and take pictures of the kids and the work being done, enjoy the sunshine and enjoy the beauty of the area. Yesterday many of us saw a volcano 'puff' and a plume of smoke rose from the top of the volcano...neat stuff!
We take two coffee breaks - the usual 10 and 3 - or there abouts. Everyday has a flavour of its own and it depends on what we are doing. We have received delicious Guatemalan coffee from Joe, an independent, freelance mission guy (don't know what else to call him!) who runs all over the place doing technical repairs for surgeons, dentists, doctors, schools, medical clinics and more. We met him two years ago. Joe plays a mean guitar and will be here until Monday morning, with his son Micah, to work on the wireless internet and installing programs for the new computer lab.
At lunch we are usually treated to a hot lunch and time to relax - sit or lay in the sun, take a siesta for half hour or read. We do need this break as we are doing things we aren't really used to! And whether we really notice it or not, the altitude and very dry air take their toll. After lunch we head back to our work until about 5 pm. Then its time for showers to take off the dust and dirt. We do have two bathrooms in our house with flush toilets, showers and running hot water....sometimes :) lol Between pressure issues, running out of propane and inconsistant water, we do get caught in our shower with cold water!
Supper is at 6:30pm - a wonderful time to connect about our day, give glory and honour to God, establish relationships with each other and our host family - breaking bread together is truly a blessing! Once again, the meals have been more than we could have hoped for and we thank Timo and Mary-Lou with blessing us day after day. After supper we gather in our 'living room' to debrief, have a time of singing, scripture reading, discussion about scripture and about our day. We usually spend about an hour together in fellowship. Last night we were blessed with Joe's gift of music as he played guitar while we sang. He can pick out pretty much any tune and we will have him here for a few more nights. (We do miss you Paul!!) After devotions we usually catch up on our email, read, journal, play cards and other games. We are pretty tired by now and slowly we all retire for the night - usually about 10:30.
This morning the crew is beginning to paint the hallways of the school - white ceilings and yellow hallways...its pretty cold in there this morning and I doubt it'll warm up much as the building is concrete block with plaster. Michale is back on the team even though his chest is hurting pretty bad. Karl now has the same virus and is back in bed, feeling horrible....others are complainging of sore throats and coughing. Please keep us in your prayers as it seems this virus is going around. There is some frustration at not being able to participate in the work and fellowship with the team but we take things a day at a time and realize that God is here, even in this.
Blessing to you all. Tomorrow we are off to the city market and worship at 4:30 in the afternoon.
A typical day on our HANDS Mission Team.....what is it like for us, day to day?
Breakfast is at 7:30, although that is flexible. We usually have cereal, mild, wonderful sweet bananas (they are very tiny and sooo good), melon, coffee, tea, bread with jam. Everyone takes a turn doing devotions for the meal times, picking scripture that is meaningful and relevent to them. Sometimes we discuss this scripture as it applies to our time here. This morning Matt read about the Good Samaritan and talked about how to show mercy to all. Breakfast ends about 8:15 and we head over to our place to gather things needed for the day...cameras, water, supplies. About 8:30 we start our work.
Hans is our 'fearless foreman'... as he's been nicknamed. He's been checking out what needs to be done each day with Hank, our interpreter. He makes sure things keep moving along during the day. Everyone keeps busy doing the work, whether that's loading and bringing blocks, mixing mortar, laying block, making doors, staining, varnishing, fixing vehicles and tractors, moving paving stone, cleaning up the school bathrooms or our home for the week. The pace of work is not the same as at home and there's a very relaxing quality about the day. For breaks we grab our cameras and take pictures of the kids and the work being done, enjoy the sunshine and enjoy the beauty of the area. Yesterday many of us saw a volcano 'puff' and a plume of smoke rose from the top of the volcano...neat stuff!
We take two coffee breaks - the usual 10 and 3 - or there abouts. Everyday has a flavour of its own and it depends on what we are doing. We have received delicious Guatemalan coffee from Joe, an independent, freelance mission guy (don't know what else to call him!) who runs all over the place doing technical repairs for surgeons, dentists, doctors, schools, medical clinics and more. We met him two years ago. Joe plays a mean guitar and will be here until Monday morning, with his son Micah, to work on the wireless internet and installing programs for the new computer lab.
At lunch we are usually treated to a hot lunch and time to relax - sit or lay in the sun, take a siesta for half hour or read. We do need this break as we are doing things we aren't really used to! And whether we really notice it or not, the altitude and very dry air take their toll. After lunch we head back to our work until about 5 pm. Then its time for showers to take off the dust and dirt. We do have two bathrooms in our house with flush toilets, showers and running hot water....sometimes :) lol Between pressure issues, running out of propane and inconsistant water, we do get caught in our shower with cold water!
Supper is at 6:30pm - a wonderful time to connect about our day, give glory and honour to God, establish relationships with each other and our host family - breaking bread together is truly a blessing! Once again, the meals have been more than we could have hoped for and we thank Timo and Mary-Lou with blessing us day after day. After supper we gather in our 'living room' to debrief, have a time of singing, scripture reading, discussion about scripture and about our day. We usually spend about an hour together in fellowship. Last night we were blessed with Joe's gift of music as he played guitar while we sang. He can pick out pretty much any tune and we will have him here for a few more nights. (We do miss you Paul!!) After devotions we usually catch up on our email, read, journal, play cards and other games. We are pretty tired by now and slowly we all retire for the night - usually about 10:30.
This morning the crew is beginning to paint the hallways of the school - white ceilings and yellow hallways...its pretty cold in there this morning and I doubt it'll warm up much as the building is concrete block with plaster. Michale is back on the team even though his chest is hurting pretty bad. Karl now has the same virus and is back in bed, feeling horrible....others are complainging of sore throats and coughing. Please keep us in your prayers as it seems this virus is going around. There is some frustration at not being able to participate in the work and fellowship with the team but we take things a day at a time and realize that God is here, even in this.
Blessing to you all. Tomorrow we are off to the city market and worship at 4:30 in the afternoon.
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