I have so much to tell you about God's goodness and provision for this team...but it is very late and we are very tired so it will have to wait until tomorrow. For now, know that our hostel is high and dry. Only four blocks over the roads are like swimming pools. It's amazing how favored we are. Please pray that our divine appointments continue, as they have taken us to great places and made connections with pastors who have a vision to unite all of the Americas in prayer. Please pray against all the snares of the enemy. He has moved on from natural disasters and has begun to attack our bodies. Laura is sick tonight. We have prayed for her and she is feeling better already. Stand with us in agreement that the enemy cannot have us and we will prevail! Even now our God is healing her body. In the morning we will be going to church. Pray that the rain will stop, the land will dry up, and the roads will be supernaturally cleared so we can make our way to San Pedro. We have something mighty to do there.

Peace and Love,
Liz

 

We are still stranded in Guatemala City. But we are making the most of it and being joyful and thankful in all things. Yesterday morning, we went to church. After that we took some much needed naps and waited to see if we might be able to make it to San Pedro the next morning. But the roads were not yet cleared, so today we assisted in the cleanup effort at a hospital that was in great need of some help. As of now, the road is still too blocked for a bus to pass through. However, tomorrow we have an opportunity to minister to families that live in the city dump. We will be helping with projects at the Potter's House and then delivering beans and rice to the families and children that live in the dump. 

 

Everyone is still in perfect health and we all have great attitudes. This team is the best team I have ever been on (and my 5th team). We are growing closer and are going to rock San Pedro when we get there! 

 

Right now, as leaders, we need prayer for discernment and wisdom to seek out God's will for our team. We are believing that as we press into Him, He will make clear the plans for us. We ask that you stand with us to stop the rain, as the ground is saturated and the roads cannot handle more. Also, pray that the low pressure system that is currently over the volcano, holding in the ash, will remain there and that the volcano will be stilled and stop erupting. We are believing that God has a great work for us to do in San Pedro, delivering the people from this disaster and maybe even more. We are believing that the enemy does not want us to get there because he knows how much we will release the Kingdom of God. Please join us in praying that the roads will open. In the meantime, we will serve Him here, in Guatemala City, with joyful hearts completely in surrender. 

 

We love you all!

Liz

 

Well, looks like we are traveling new ground and are going to spend the remainder of the trip serving the Potter's House Association. Today, we went there and went on a tour of the dump and painting the doors of the bathrooms. There are 11,000 people that live in the city dump. 6,500 of them are children. The Potter's House is a non profit organization that serves the people who live there in the16 communities that surround the dump. Though we are sad to miss out on seeing our friends in San Pedro, and serving where we were expecting, we are in good spirits and everyone is excited to make a real difference in the lives of the poorest of the poor. The word that best describes our team right now is joy. In fact, we have spent the last hour sitting around and laughing until we cried. It is awesome to see that even with the disappointment, we know we are here to serve God, we will be serving Him, and we will do it with joyful hearts. 

 

Love you all,

Liz

 

11:38PM

 

Hello Everyone,

Sorry I didn't write last night. We have been busy bees and were very tired yesterday. Even now it is very late so I won't be able to tell you all of the things I want to tell you.

Yesterday, we visited an orphanage that has 350 children living there. It is called the Remar House and it is mostly funded by an organization in Spain. It was a beautiful facility and the children there were even more beautiful. We helped move a HUGE pile of cement blocks and tile. They are building a new house that will be home to about 40 children who have AIDS. Only two men are working on the house. So it was a very big blessing for them because we moved the pile in a few hours. It would have taken those two men days to do the same work. I got to play with the little children and babies in the playground while everyone else was doing the heavy lifting :)

Last night was bittersweet for me. I was feeling very sad and disappointed that we didn't get to go to San Pedro. I also was feeling like I had not been able to serve much, since all of our work here was physical and my jobs in San Pedro were in a classroom or in the kitchen. I was excited to be going home, to get some much needed rest, and to sleep in my own bed. This morning, Samuel's devotion was about thankfulness. God commands us to be thankful in all things. In fact, this is His will for our lives: to be thankful in all things. So I was feeling convicted about being upset the night before. I repented and thanked God for all the wonderful things that did happen on this trip and the blessings that we experienced. Then, Pam and Loli (the woman who owns the hostal) came in to the living room as soon as we finished devotions and said..."We have a problem. We aren't sure what the solution is..." I was thinking, oh great, what else could possibly go wrong now? And then Olimpia, my sponsor child, walked through the door. I was speechless and instantly began to cry, as did Brandon. She was followed by a long line of our friends from San Pedro, including Gayle's sponsor children and many teachers. We all were SOOOO overjoyed by the surprise. We got to spend the day with our friends at the marketplace and at the zoo. Those who were here for the first time were able to make new friends and see and experience a taste of San Pedro. They know now why we continue to come back here year after year. God is so good to us and has blessed us so much. I am so thankful for His love for us.

We are tired from our hard work this week and it feels good! We will be sad to leave as always, but happy to see you all! Pray that we have safe travels and that the ash will not be in the air. We have so much to tell you when we get home about how God moved and showed up on this trip!

See you tomorrow,
Liz