Sunday, July 5
We are leaving for the airport in minutes. I will severely miss this team. Each one did such a great job. Tonight at the airport, please remind them (they'll be a little tired) to pick up ALL their souvenirs and toiletries from the tubs. Heather and I are diverting our itinerary from Houston to San Diego to visit my parents. We will be in Houston until the team boards the plane, then Ben will be continuing with the team to Anchorage. I want to leave him with as little inconvenience as possible. Speaking of which, at least one of you, could you please bring a truck to the airport to bring home the team tubs and give Ben a ride home? If you hit "reply all" from this email you can communicate with each other.
Thanks again for letting this trip happen. Each team member was vital to this team. It would not have been the same if any one of them were not part of it.
Leo
Wed July 1
Hello,
The last couple days have been great. Monday evening after dinner we went back to the girls' home and spent some more time building relationships there. Tuesday morning we went to the town center where they have a market once a week. We passed out Gospels of John and tracts, and wordless book salvation bracelets, then drove around giving them out as well. In the afternoon we went back to the same place for VBS, and the message of the gospel went out again. A few of the girls from the home have been helping out at each VBS, and it's great to be serving alongside with them.
Today we got to help a church in a construction project, moving lots of dirt--good hard work. The church is the one the girls in the orphanage have officially adopted as their home church. It's called Nueva Vision (New Vision). We usually go there on Sunday mornings when we are here.
This afternoon we put on a VBS in a new place. About 50 kids came and again we were able to tell a story about Jesus, share the gospel, and love them other ways, too, like giving them candy and balloons.
Right now the team is with the girls again, having a good time doing Tae Kwon Do with them. Our time is running short and the reality of our imminent departure is starting to dawn.
Tomorrow morning we have another construction session, and in the afternoon another VBS. Friday we will go to another girls' orphanage about 30 minutes away that we have been visiting on our trips the last few years. It's amazing how much love can be exchanged through one visit a year.
Friday I will probably not get a chance to email because it's our last night with the girls and we will be having a going away get-together (too sad to be called a party), and I don't want to miss it. I will most likely be able to email Saturday night when we get back to the City. Last time we were there the internet was spotty, so there's a small chance you won't hear from us again until we get into Anchorage. I will do my best to send off at least one more email before we leave. Thanks again for your faithful support.
Leo
Monday June 29, 1:30 pm
Hello all,
I hope you got Friday's email. I was having problems down on this end so wasn't sure if you all got it or not. If you got it more than once, sorry about that. Sometimes that happens when we try to simplify our lives with something so complicated :).
Right now the team is in a soccer tournament with the girls from the home. The sun is shining bright, and it feels like the shade is, too. It's 85 in the shade, 95 out in the sun. We are definitely going through lots of water. There are a few on the team that aren't feeling so well, but nothing out of the ordinary for Guatemala. Those who are sick are doing well (under the circumstances). Usually it lasts a day and they are fine.
Saturday morning we hiked around the river as planned, and the cool water was a welcome relief. In the afternoon we put on a program for the kids in Acatempo (about an hour away). The pastor there had invited us to come. The kids there listened respectfully and had a good time. There were about 70 of them, with about half as many adults sitting in the back watching, as well. As soon as we finished there was a funeral procession that passed by right in front of us (the cemetery was about 100ft from the church). At night the pastor of the church came to the church in Monjas where we attend Saturday night. The team did their mimes, and the pastor preached a powerful message. It touched many of the hearts of the team, and most of them noticed a closer unity after the church service.
In the evenings we are going through Ephesians for our devotion times. We did chapter 2 last night. Feel free to be reading along with us. The truths in that letter run deep.
Sunday was a fairly non-eventful day, and very welcome. We are all very tired. We went to church in the morning and evening, and spent the afternoon walking around Monjas and putting the final touches on mime practice. For the evening service we went to La Rinconada. Our teams in the past have had a hand in the church that was recently planted there. Before there was a church there, our team did a VBS on the then-recently-purchased church property (2006). The next team helped in the building project, and the next team got to put on a full church service in the building we helped build. We are so thankful to be part of God's work down here.
This morning we did a VBS with kids in the neighborhood "behind the 76 station." They did not know we were coming, so the first thing we did was to go around the streets inviting the kids to come to our program. We had about 70 kids and about a dozen or more adults within about 15 minutes. We played soccer for awhile, then sang our songs, taught them a Bible story and memory verse about Jesus being the Good Shepherd, and did a gospel-teaching craft (wordless book bracelets). After that we made balloon animals and gave them some candy--both of which were a big hit. Instead of going to a new place again as originally planned, we decided to come back to this neighborhood again. We will go there tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow morning we are going to the Tuesday market at the town square. We will do our mimes there if we can get access to a sound system. Two years ago there was a van with loudspeakers on top of it parked there advertising cell phone service. They let us plug our iPod into it. We will see if God will provide in that way again.
Ben got his phone to work (borrowing a friend's chip), but it's a new number: 011-502-5789-5044.
Looking at the schedule (which constantly changes), I will probably get to send a short email Wednesday evening. If I do not, I should be able to on Friday, then again on Saturday back in the City. Remember, service here is not always predictable. If you hear nothing from me, everything is fine. We have phones if there is an emergency. Email is just a bonus :).
Thanks again for your faithful support.
Leo
p.s.
Friday's email in case you didn't get it:
Hello,
After a restful night's sleep we headed out for Monjas. The three-hour
drive went by quickly enough, and we arrived in Monjas just in time
for lunch. We had a quick orientation meeting with Cyndi our team
coordinator, and headed over to the orphanage where we are now. We and
the girls were very happy to see each other again. Most of the team is
playing soccer with the girls on the concrete basketball court that we
built 4 years ago. Others are playing with sidwalk chalk, and some are
swinging on the swings that we built for them 3 years ago. It's neat
to be able to look at all the projects we were able to contribute to
over the years.
Tomorrow morning we leave early to go on a hike around a river with
the girls. It should be a fun time. Then we come back for lunch and
head out to do our first VBS. The first is usually the most chaotic
because each team has a different set of strengths and weaknesses that
we can't fully know until we are put to the test. Please pray for safe
travel and for effective ministry. The pastor of the place where we
are going said to expect up to 200 kids! Pray that the gospel message
goes out clearly and powerfully, and that we are able to show love to
the kids there.
I don't have email access where we are staying. I have to go to the
orphanage office (about 1 mile away). I will not be able to write
every day. Looking at the schedule, it probably won't be until Monday
evening. Your kids will do great, I'm sure.
Ben Morookian found out when he got here that his Guatemala phone no
longer works (on the contact info page I gave you). All the other numbers are still good.
Thanks again for all you do,
Leo
Monday June 29, 2:30 pm
Ha! Since I started writing that last email, the clouds have rolled in and God is giving us a light rain to cool us off. Guatemala weather is nearly as unpredictable as Alaska's (just hotter).
Adios, Leo
