Here
is the continuing story of our mission trip to Guatemala. . .
Thursday (7/25/13)
I had
intended to get up at 6 a.m. today, so I would have time to catch up on
journaling. I must have had my arm underneath my body or the pillow, because I
didn’t hear my alarm go off. So I got up at 6:20 a.m. and took a cool shower.
Afterward, I did
devotions. For breakfast this morning we had cereal, scrambled eggs, little
churro/biscotti cookies, beans, watermelon, and our orange drink. M (the cook)’s
son was sick and so she ran a bit late. She has been a great cook!
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Breakfast
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We left a bit
late for the school. When we arrived, we set up all our equipment and then they
brought in all the morning school kids. There were a LOT of them!
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Someone said we had about 400 kids
during the morning school session. They look ready for some entertainment in
this photo! J
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Prepping for the talent show.
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G was our
emcee. She led the kids in some songs with the help of the translators (who
were wearing crazy hats.) She did a skit with C and then we did our dance (a
funny dance to “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble.”)
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Dancing. J
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G talked
after that while we got ready for the skit. We got so hot performing it!
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The 3 midgets. J
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After that,
the Guatemalans closed us in a fun song called “Tuku Tuku A Ka Ta Ka.”
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More dancing!
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Saying
goodbye to the kids was hard. We received so many beautiful cards and notes
from them. T and her little friends showered me with confetti. I’m going to
miss all of them!
Pastor A said
the teachers had a presentation for us. We went up to one of the classrooms
where they served what I thought was lunch. We had a crispy tortilla with red
sauce and parmesan cheese, and a little fried object [called a rellenito.] It was plantains with sweet
black beans as a filling. It was really good! We also had some orange soda.
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The snack prepared for us by the
teachers.
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While we ate,
one of the teachers spoke. She expressed her gratitude for our team. Then they
said we were going over to Pastor A’s church to eat lunch. I was already full! When
we stepped out of the classroom, we were mobbed by the kids who were leaving
the school. Once we got outside, I pulled out a few family pictures to give
away. That was crazy! J
We loaded our
things on the bus and drove a few blocks to the church, which is housed in a
former auto shop. We gathered chairs around and Pastor A shared his heart with
us. He was getting emotional. He reminds me so much of my Abuelo.
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Pastor A (right) sharing the testimony
of his church with the help of M, one of our translators (left.)
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He talked
about all the miraculous ways God has provided for their young church. Pastor D
shared how much he’s enjoyed getting to know Pastor A. He and his wife, C,
knelt down and we all gathered around and prayed over them. I’m so grateful for
them and I’m inspired by their example!
We sat around
and talked while we waited for lunch. Some of us played Dirty/Power Uno. For
lunch we ate burgers, chips, and rice drink.
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Our yummy lunch.
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After we ate,
we visited some more. I talked with A (G’s husband) about his testimony. He
grew up in a relative’s home and went to the church often. When he moved out,
he drifted away from church and into the party life. He got in several motor
vehicle accidents. He was almost killed in a motorcycle accident. That was when
God really got his attention. He started going back to church. That’s also when
he met G. She was his physical therapist. Not long after that, they got
married! Their daughter A is the most beautiful 3-year-old I’ve ever seen!
We piled into
the bus to head back over to the school. We had a completely new group of kids
this time. They were a lot more outgoing than the morning group. We broke them up
into groups and had soccer games.
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Getting ready for the soccer games.
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There was a
group of about 10 girls that came over, called me by name, gave me kisses and
hugs, and started asking all kinds of questions even when I didn’t understand.
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These sweet girls took over my camera!
They kept putting new people in the pictures, snapping a photo, and rotating
more friends in. J
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Our dance and
skit went much better this time. Our whole group joined in the “Tuku Tuku A Ka
Ta Ka” dance. I love it!
On the bus
ride back to the mission house, I sat across from “Uncle T” (a member of our
team.) I asked about his personal testimony. He has been through so much more
than I ever would have imagined. I love hearing testimonies because they show
how the grace of God can transform a life.
When we got
home, all the Guatemalan teens crashed in the living room. M and S got into a
little wrestling match. It ended up being really funny! J
T announced
that she wanted to get a snow cup. That sounded good to all of us, so we walked
to the store around the corner. They had to hand-grind the ice, so it took a
long time to make all of them. I got one called “Frutas” which had a little bit
of everything. It had pieces of pineapple, coconut, tamarind seeds, sweetened
condensed milk, and sprinkles on top. It was delicious!
When we got
back to the house, I sat with the Guatemalans and listened for awhile. I’ve
been trying to immerse myself as much as possible so that I learn more Spanish.
I can usually understand what is being talked about, but not specifics.
We played a
game of Power Uno before dinner. Tonight, F (another translator)’s wife and two
kids came to eat. Their 4-year-old daughter, K, is really cute. Their
2-month-old son, P, is precious and looks just like his Daddy. His wife speaks
good English and doesn’t look like she could have possibly given birth two
months ago! I enjoyed talking with her.
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Our delicious dinner of grilled barbeque
chicken, tortillas, pico de gallo, green beans, mashed potatoes, and refried
beans. Delicioso!
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After dinner,
we tried to play a game of Dirty/Power Uno. We had about 13 people playing!
Everything started falling apart 15-20 minutes into it. Whole hands of cards were
disappearing. Poor J was so frustrated and we were sure that Bruno (one of the
Guatemalans; that’s not his real name, but he looks like Bruno Mars so that was
our nickname for him) and D (the missionary’s son) were plotting together. We
all gave up and about 2 minutes later, C (a member of our team) shouts that it
was H (another girl on our team)!!! She was in hysterics; it was her first time
playing and she had fooled us all.
After that,
we had our debrief time. Only tonight, the Fellowship Guatemala folks stayed. Our
time together was very encouraging and sweet. We ended in song. We sang at
least 3 songs, including “10,000 Reasons” and “How Great is Our God.”
Worshipping the Lord with such special songs in different languages was truly a
glimpse of heaven. No one really wanted it to end. Finally, Mrs. B got up and
said “Hasta la Vista, Baby.” J
Tonight was
bittersweet because we knew our time together was coming to an end. I had gone
to another room, and came back into the living room just as everyone burst into
laughter. Apparently Bruno is really good at popping/cracking people’s bones.
Ben told him that none of his bones would crack. So Bruno cracked his back.
Accordingly, there was this rippling in his spine and then a big pop in his
chest. What made them all laugh was the look of shock on Ben’s face afterward.
People were literally rolling on the floor laughing!
Before I went
upstairs, Pastor D put some pictures on a flash drive since I had run out of
room on my camera. Then I headed up.
During the
testimony time, I had shared about searching for the reason why God had me on
this trip. When I went up, I talked with the two Mrs B’s a little more about my
testimony. I also read my letter from Mom. It was so appropriate. She
encouraged me for the rest of the trip to think on the very questions that had
been going through my mind. I stayed up until 1 a.m., journaling and praying. I
also had an upset stomach. It finally subsided enough for me to sleep.
To be continued . . .
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