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November 2009 Grace Christian School Mission Team Updates
Saturday Evening:
Hello everyone,
We are safe in Hostal Los Lagos in Guatemala City. We are all well. I just wanted to check in with you.
See you at the airport at 11:47 pm tomorrow night at the Continental baggage claim (lfight 667). Please remind them to grab all their stuff so that I don´t have to take their stuff home with me. Please also remember that they are all expected to be at school all day (yes, first period, too), unless, of course, they are actually sick. Tired does not count :).
Oh yes, one more thing--it would be very helpful if one of you would be willing to take the extra tubs to school the next day. I don´t think there will be enough room in my car. We can figure that out at the airport.
Muchas Gracias,
Leo
Saturday:
Good morning everyone,
We are all back safe and happy in San Pedro. Panyebar was an excellent experience, with too many stories to share right now. All the kids did great, and no one got sick--this is a first for all of my 11 Guatemala trips (the trip's not over, so let's keep praying and being thankful for this blessing). One of the highlights is that Kayla's sponsor kid got to spend the week with us up in Panyebar. Suleima became part of our team, even though her Spanish is minimal. She was a tremendous help in the afternoon VBS with the 300 kids we had. She would read and explain our Bible stories for us, and she did a great job. Kayla, of course, loved every minute of it, too (if any of you want to sponsor a child here in San Pedro, contact Proyecto Fe at
Ijn the mornings we dug out a ton of dirt (or more) from the side of a hill and brought it to the bottom of the hill. Our efforts gave them a huge boost in their efforts to make a soccer field for the school. The leaders of the school were highly encouraged because of what we did.
Today we are going to cross the lake and spend the morning in Panajachel. Then we will drive back to Guatemala City and visit a girls' home. These girls have had a severely difficult life before they moved into this home, and they really appreciate our visit. The few hours we get to spend with them are one of the highlights of the trip. Pray that our visit is an encouragement to them.
Every one of your kids has done an outstanding job here. Time (and
energy) fails to speak of each one, but please know that each one of them has been an essential part of this team.
Leo
Monday:
Hello all,
Yesterday's house visits were outstanding. We divided into groups of five and went to visit homes. Some of the families were students'
families, and some were those who have received high efficiency stoves from Proyecto Fe in the past. We go their home, introduce each other, ask a few questions, then we pray for them. We got to know some of the details of what they struggle with and to pray accordingly. This might be a good, specific question to ask your kids when they get back. It will be a distant memory by then, but it will be good for them to talk about. All the groups had significant stories to share. If they are slow to give you details, ask them to try to remember what they prayed for each of the families (or at least one or two of them).
This morning we cleaned up more lake sludge, and this afternoon we have been packing and cleaning, getting ready to make the move up to Panyebar this evening. They are cleaning all the lake grime off the rakes and rubber boots/gloves we have been using. I escaped to write this quick update. I know...the hardships of leadership ;).
Today has been another great day. God continues to work. Tomorrow we will start our VBS program, so make sure you are praying specifically for the gospel to out powerfully in the community, and that children would listen to the message we are bringing them.
I will be out of email contact until Friday or Saturday. I will try to give you an update then. If there is an emergency (emergency only,
please) you can call Pam's cell phone at 011-502-5873-9213.
Thank you yet again for your faithful homebase support.
Leo
Sunday:
Hola,
Good morning everyone. Today we got to sleep in until about 8;15, which was very nice. Last night we had devotions on the rooftop again, and I"m not sure how it started, but we got into a good conversation about assurance of salvation. Confidence in the presence of God in our lives is an important element not only for a powerful ministry, but for life. It never ceases to amaze me how God breaks through patterns of selfishness on these trips. Pray for out team that God would speak to the needs of each one wherever they may be spiritually. These are fruitful times for reflection and personal growth.
This afternoon we are going to visit some of the homes in town. We get to spend some time with families, get to know them a little, and then pray for them. It means a lot to them when we come into their homes and pray. It"s always a great experience for our kids to see how other people live. God always uses these times to open our eyes and teach us to be grateful for the bountiful gifts He has given to us. Later this evening we will be going to church and participating in the service.
Tomorrow we are going to work on the shore again. They have been having problems with people building things all the way up to the shore line so that people can't walk along it. The mayor has finally gotten the town to agree that nothing can be built 10 meters or less from the edge of the shore. That way public access to the beach will be maintained. To us this would be normal procedure. However, for a Guatemalan town, this will be a historic moment. We are going to be driving stakes into the ground to mark out the 10 meters, and later they are going to make concrete posts. To get the town to agree to this measure is a great tribute to the mayor's effectiveness. What is prompting the town to agree is that the lake is sick. There is some sort of algae/bacteria due to the 12 towns around the lake dumping their waste into the lake untreated. After so many years of that happening, the lake is revolting. Because of the grime being produced, people are beginning to realize that their actions have consequences (do any of your kids need to learn that?). Laws are being enacted and enforced that would have been impossible previously because of the mindset of the people--laws like not being allowed to run your toilet's drain directly to the lake. If you understood Guatemalan culture, you would realize how monumental this wake-up call has been.
They are taking responsibility for their actions, and we get to be part of the example of how to do it right. It's a big deal for Proyecto Fe for us to part of that process. It speaks loudly for our support of the community. The mayor was skeptical that we would show up. Pam (our missionary) was very glad we were able to follow through.
Now, hopefully, the surrounding towns will take care of their beautiful lake. The government (of Spain, I believe) is chipping in money to have a water treatment plant installed in each of the 12 surrounding villages to keep the lake from getting polluted again.
Progress is being made.
Tomorrow evening we will travel to Panyebar. There will be no internet access there, but we will still have cell phone access if there is an emergency. You will probably hear from me again Friday or Saturday.
For those of you prone to worry, if you hear nothing from us that means everything is fine and we are either too busy to get to the email, or the internet in the town is down. Both of those are likely, so no worries :).
Everyone is in good spirits and having a great time. No one is sick--yet! Keep praying.
Leo
Saturday:
Today was a very successful day of cleaning up the beach area around the lake. They have problems with people leaving trash and not picking up after themselves. The community has finally learned the error of their ways (we hope) and the mayor commissioned us to clean it up for the town as an example of how to keep things clean. The kids did great, worked hard, and had terrific attitudes. They are waiting on me now for us to start our team meeting/devotion, so I have to keep it short. I will try (if the internet place is open tomorrow) to write a more lengthy update, but no guarantees. Thank you for your continued prayers. Pray for energy (there's plenty now, but the week will wear
on) and tender hearts for God to do his work. It sure is great to watch. Maybe somebody will invent incospicuous helmet cams for all the students to wear the whole week so you all can see for yourselves all that God does on these trips (and how much hard work they do). Today, by the way, we loaded up two large dump trucks full of junk off the beach (trash and plant material that has been left there, some of it for years).
Adios,
Leo
Friday, 11/20
Just letting you all know that we are all safely in San Pedro. We had dinner at the school with the Mayor and 4 of his committee along with Ester and Emilio. Everything is going well. Thanks for getting the protective gear from Alaska Medical Missions for us.
Pamela
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