New House

If you have read Answered, some of this story will sound familiar. I shared about two women… the second being Elizabeth. She is a gringo living in Guatemala that I met on our first visit to Ciudad Vieja three years ago. She is easy to connect with because… well… she speaks English! (And her name is easy to remember as it is my middle name, and is the basis of one of my other blogs… but that’s a different story… errr… blog.)

Three years ago (2016) at the Woman’s Event we hosted, she asked for prayer. Her husband was far from her and far from God. And so we prayed. The following summer, (2017) Elizabeth walked in to church. Behind her were her two sons and her husband. And Elizabeth looked a little “rounder in the belly” than she had the previous year! We tearfully rejoiced to see the change in her husbands heart.

This year (2018), God amazed me once again. As part of our Women’s Ministry, we have the privilege of partnering with some of the local women from the church. They invite some friends over, and we come, present the Gospel, give them the gift of a food basket and a Bible, and invite them to the “main event”. Well this year I had the honor of being a guest in Elizabeth’s home. This summer I got to hold the precious child that she was pregnant with last year. 

His name is Xavier – which means “new house”. Not only did I have the privilege of being a guest Elizabeth’s home, but I also got to bear witness to the work that God had been doing in her life. He has indeed given Elizabeth a “new house”!

 

Not only that, but her husband… the one we prayed for… the one who was now coming to church… oh ya… he got baptized just weeks before our team arrived! #GuatemalaUndone

~CER

Answered

Last year during our Women’s Ministry at Fuente de Vida, we had the privilege of praying over many women. Often on trips like this, you don’t get to see the outcome of those petitions. That said, part of what I love about returning to the same village time and again is that we build relationships… we get to see God at work. We get to see answered prayer.

This evening we attended church at Fuente de Vida. (More coming on that!) Our team walked in and sat down. The church was still meeting in the “old” building. While there were classrooms that were ready for use at the new site, the sanctuary still did not have a roof. And given it was rainy season…

As we sat down, a team member and dear friend noticed a young woman seated near us in the congregation. She remembered her as one of the women that we prayed over last year. She remembered the cry of her heart: To have children. She had been trying, but God had not yet provided that blessing to her. In this young woman arms tonight, was a young baby.

As the service ended, this woman stood up and walked to the front of the church. She had a testimony that she wanted to share. She remembered our team being there a year ago. She remembered us praying over her. She remembered a word that was spoken by one of us… the same one of us that recognized her when we entered. She stood before us to present her son… a promise from God… Axel Daniel. After being prayed over, she went home and opened her heart to God… to all He had for her. Two months later she was pregnant. Praise God for answered prayer! So thankful that we were able to come back and meet this precious child… and blessed beyond words that she remembered that moment and remembered our team.

As we sat through the service, we also noticed another familiar face walk through the doors. She is hard to miss, as she is the only “gringa” in the church, and other than the Pastors family, is the only English speaker! Last year we prayed over her as well. We prayed for her husband who was far from her, and far from God. As she walked through the door, we could not help but notice the glow on her face… and the bump in her mid-section! Behind her walked her two young boys, and… yes… her husband! In her own words, she could not even begin to tell us about the amazing things that God had done in her life this past year. He had been so good and so faithful. Not only had He brought her husband back to her, but had also brought her husband back to Himself. He was now active in serving the church. He was living out his faith.

Tears flowed easily that night. Our first night there as a full team, and we had already been blessed more than we thought possible. Before leaving for Guatemala, I had asked God to overwhelm me (us). To do even more than we could have expected, asked, or thought to ask. Well… He did just that.

As I write, I cannot help but hear the Doxology in my head…It is the song in my heart tonight.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow

Praise Him, all creatures here below

Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost

Amen

~CER

While in Guat…

If you were tracking with me this time last year, you may recall me sharing about the church that our team was working alongside. For those of you who are new… Our team was working with Iglesias Del Camino, (IDC), which is a mission-minded church in Antigua Guatemala. The vision for our team (as it also was last year), was to partner with a local church plant. We wanted to spend time in one village… getting to know the people. SO through IDC, we were introduced to Pastor Jerry and his wife Patty. We loved them instantly. They pastor a small church in Ciudad Vieja, called Fuente de Vida. (This was the church that we helped construct last year.) It was such a joy to be able to partner with them again this year. 

Most (all?) of the stories I will share from the week will have happened here… in this village, through this church, with these people. We will be running a Vacation Bible School (VBS), doing Women’s evangelism, and hosting a special Men’s Event…So stay tuned…

~CER

Getting To Guat

It has been an interesting ride for the members of our team who have yet to arrive here in Guatemala. (As you may recall, myself and 3 friends came down a few days early to prepare, visit, and be tourists!)

Our team left Atlanta as planned. Somewhere over the ocean, a hydraulics warning appeared.  Given the age of the plane, the pilot was unable to tell where the problem was. At the time, they were equal-distance between Guatemala and Miami. The decision was made to turn around and land in Miami. The runways in Guatemala are short… and if the problem was in the brakes, things could be… well… bad. Our team landed in what looked like a scene from a movie… flashing lights from all the emergency crews surrounded the plane. Praise God, they landed safely!

The plane was worked on over night, and was made safe by morning for our team to continue their adventure to Guatemala. So Sunday at lunch was the first time our team had actually all been together! (Two members on our team skyped in for meetings as they had been serving the Lord in New Zealand, and of course with the four of us heading down early…)

Looking forward to what this week of ministry will look like. It has already gotten off to an exciting start!!!

~CER

Grace

Today we received a message from a friend here in Guatemala. A friend who started as our translator several years ago. Seeing that we were here in Guatemala, our dear friend asked for prayer.

Three days ago baby Grace came in to this world. Her delivery was a difficult one, as she was born by emergency c-section. Baby Grace was born flat. The medical team worked hard to resuscitate her. Our dear friend was asking for prayer as they do not know Grace's prognosis. She was asphyxiated at birth, and subsequently is sedated, intubated, and ventilated. (For you non-medical, in a medically induced coma, on machines to support her life.) 

Today I also received and email from a dear friend. In bold letters, her email said this: GRACE…The free and unmerited favour of God, as manifested in salvation in Jesus Christ and the bestowal of abundant blessing.

I know that Baby Grace is a gift from our Lord. She is an abundant blessing. Please join me in praying for her complete healing in the Name of our Lord. 

CER

 

 

A Boy Named Andy

Today was the day that began the undoing of my heart for Guatemala 2017. Today is the day I met Andy. Andy is the Compassion sponsor child of the Kids Church at The Gathering. I will admit that I was a bit anxious going into today. For starters, I would be left to my own devices to find my way to the hotel where I was meeting him. Thankfully that went well. I probably paid twice as much as I should have for a “tuk tuk”… but when what I paid was less than $3US, I cannot really complain.

I arrived early to the beautiful hotel in Antigua where Compassion had arranged for us to meet. I sat in the front entryway where classical church music was playing. It calmed my spirit and was the gift from God that my anxious heart needed. As our meeting time approached and there was no sign of anyone, I wandered further in to the hotel… turns out Andy and friends (grandmother, a worker from the student centre, and a Compassion Host) were waiting in there. As soon as he knew it was me, Andy jumped out of his seat and wrapped his arms around me. #GuatemalaUndone

I presented him with gifts from the kids back home. He loved, loved, loved the fidget spinner!

Our day began with a trip to El Tenador… a beautiful mountain top park. I loved watching the expression on Andy’s face as we drove higher and higher… “I want to touch the clouds,” he said. We ate a delicious breakfast on the mountain top. For fun, Andy and I played many a game of “Totito”… or as we know it.. Tic Tac Toe.

I got my butt kicked. He won 18 games. I won 4. I let him win the first game. I mean, I didn’t want to discourage him! When I later told him that, he looked at me and quickly responded with “I let you win two.” One thing I learned about Andy: He is so very smart. He analyzed each possible play…and used his findings to … well… win.

As the day progressed I got to learn more and more about Andy and his family. His mother died when Andy was only 1 day old. His father died when he was 1 year old. His beautiful grandmother is raising him. They live near the dump in Guatemala City. It is an incredibly dangerous area. The Compassion Host told me I could never go there because it is too unsafe. Even other Guatemalans won’t go there unless accompanied by those actually living there. And even then, their cars are often vandalized. Andy’s house is one room made of tin. The cooking is done inside that room – yes, the same room they sleep in. Two years ago they had a fire and lost everything. They slept in a nearby church for 8 days while their home was rebuilt. In the words of Andy’s grandmother…”It was blessing. People gave us everything we needed. They gave us more than we had lost.” I fought tears as I marvelled at her incredible strength and faith in God. This story… these conditions are not uncommon here in Guatemala. Neither is the character of this brave woman. I learned this about Andy… he is resilient.

Our day ended with ice cream and a stroll through Central Park. Andy wanted to feed the “doves”… which are actually pigeons, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him that! And by “feed,” he really meant “chase and catch.” Such a boy. Andy finds joy everywhere. He smiles with his whole heart.

As we walked to the bus station, Andy grabbed my hand. May as well… he had already grabbed my heart! And when a sweet Guatemalan boy grabs your hand, it actually melts (and breaks) your heart. I didn’t want to say good bye. I didn’t want to send him back to the conditions he is living in. In the middle of this hustling bustling street, I prayed blessings and protection over this family. I prayed that God would bring me back to Guatemala, and that Andy and I would have another day together… I even told him I would try to bring some friends!

And now a word about sponsorship. Maybe two words: DO IT! Andy’s life is changed because of it. I know people often worry about where their finances are going and it is so important to do your due diligence whenever choosing an organization to sponsor through. Please believe me when I tell you that it works. I have seven of my own children. 3 with Compassion in El Salvador – whom I have yet to meet – and 4 here in Guatemala with Arms of Jesus – who I will hold in my arms in one short week from now. I see the benefits that they receive. I believe strongly in child sponsorship. I believe in caring for the least of these.

Thank you Kids Church for sponsoring Andy. You are making such an incredible difference in his life. Thank you for allowing ME to receive some of the blessing of your sponsorship as I spent the day with Andy. My heart is full to overflowing. Overwhelmed in a beautiful way. My heart is #GuatemalaUndone.

Guatemala 2017

Thanks to some handy little packing cubes, my bags are packed and I am ready to go!

It's hard to believe that bright and early tomorrow morning three friends and I will be boarding a plane to Guatemala. We are travelling five days ahead of the rest of our team, and will spend our time preparing, praying, and maybe even doing a bit of sightseeing.

Assuming the Wi-Fi cooperates, I will keep you posted throughout our journey in Guatemala. But for now I will say good night. My 4 AM pick up isn't that far away… Time for one last sleep in my own bed!

CER

Left Behind

Our team left tonight. Packed their bags and climbed into the van one last time. It seems strange to be “left behind”.

~CER

Feeding 500(0)

Today we climbed (by vehicle) to 12000 feet to the village of Santa Maria de Jesus. There, we had the incredible privilege of working at Campos de Suenos (Field of Dreams) -otherwise known as the feeding center. Each Wednesday and Friday, the feeding center fills the bellies of upwards of 500 children…and today, we got to do our small part in making that happen. 

The children we fed don’t look emaciated like children in Africa do. But make no mistake: they are malnourished. And being hungry leads to the inability to concentrate, or even attend school. There is a very high rate of illiteracy in Santa Maria. 

For many of these kids, this would be the only meal they would get today. 

Campos de Suenos not only feeds these children physically, but feeds them spiritually as well. After a warm meal, children sit through teaching and a time of worship. 

Each week as the children leave, they line up to hug the volunteers. Perhaps for some of these children, these hugs (15 or more each…one from every team member!) are the most affection they will receive that week. And for this team member, nothing was better than receiving 500 beautiful, squishy, Guatemalan hugs! #GuatemalaUndone 

Upon reflecting on this part of our ministry, I could not help but hear the words “Feed my sheep” in my ear. That is exactly what Campos de Suenos is doing…physically and literally feeding His sheep. And what a joy it was to be part of that ministry. 

~CER