This is my Guatemala blog post from June 24:
So far I have not written much about the actual clinics. On Monday we traveled 5 hours into the north section of Guatemala, and once we got off the highway the vegetation was lush and beautiful. For Monday through Wednesday we worked in the area of Guatemala called Malacatan. On Monday afternoon we held clinic at San Pablo, on Tuesday in San Jorge, and on Wednesday in Quetzali. On Wednesday night we traveled back to the ministry center and on Thursday morning we drove about 40 minutes to host a clinic in Amatitlan, which is a Guatemalan county. We saw 91 patients on Monday (I stand corrected from my previous post), 94 on Tuesday, 72 on Wednesday, and 91 on Thursday. Our team of 10 saw a total of 348 patients. It surprised me that we actually saw more patients than the larger team did--they saw a total of 281 patients with their team of 23 or 24.
On Thursday we had the privilege of also hosting an eye clinic. On the preceding days the eye clinic had gone into the field with the other team.
Our teammate Melissa is a pediatrician and she had the opportunity to see patient along with the staff doctors of MMM. It seemed that God brought many children who needed to be seen, and Melissa was there to serve them.
Patients had many different health problems from pain to eye infections, high blood pressure to emotional issues, and the doctors did their best to address their issues with medicines that were available and to give them good counsel. While the patients waited for their prescriptions we had the opportunity to pray with them and share the good news of Jesus. Many of them shared their family and relational issues and it was our privilege to pray for them.
We had team members playing with the Guatemala children, working in the pharmacy, running the prescriptions to and from the pharmacy, and managing the flow of patient from waiting area to the doctor to the counseling stations. We also had people praying for the patients and community. With a small team we all worked hard for the full clinic of about 4 to 6 hours.
Tonight I had the opportunity to visit with my sponsor child again. I have been sponsoring him for about 4 years with a monthly donation and I first had the chance to meet him last summer when I came to Guatemala last summer. This time his brother came with him to meet me. I had a gift of shoes and socks for the brothers. My good friend Laura Powers and family just began sponsoring Luis Renee’s brother Rudi. She sent socks and shoes for Rudi, I had a nice time learning more about them and their daily life in the Guatemalan Gymnastics Academy. They both could possibly be on the Guatemalan Olympics team in the future.
Luis asked for prayer that his father, who is estranged from the family, would grant him permission to compete at the state level. He has qualified but he can’t compete without both parents signing off on it. He also asked prayer for his mom’s job. Her manager is upset with her taking off work to drive her sons to the Gymnastics Academy and she could lose her job. The boys spend weekends at home and weekdays at the Academy.
There is much more that I would love for you to know, but time does not permit. I need to start packing up to head back to Atlanta tomorrow.
If you would consider going with me next year, I would love to hear from you!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Guatemala-Tuesday
After clinic on Monday evening we ventured deep into the heavy vegetation of the Guatemalan mountains. Beside a corn field there was another ministry center I will call the remote ministry center. It belongs to a group of area churches. I thought it was unusual because it was “in the middle of nowhere” and it had an unexpected set-up with 2 pools and a large covered area. The covered area had a high ceiling and walls on 3 sides. On the fourth side there was no wall; it was simply open to the outdoor pool area. The temperature, the cots, and the sleeping bags were all very comfortable, but I wasn’t a big fan of sleeping in the open air in a malaria-risk area of Guatemala. But I am taking malaria medication, I practically showered in bug repellant, and I only got one bite (on my face!) so I think I will be just fine.
In the morning we awoke to bright sunshine and the sound of birdcalls that we had never heard before. Although it was 5:58 am I felt well-rested. After a peanut butter and jelly sandwich breakfast we had morning devotions at 7 am led by Dr. Hector and Geovani. Hector reminded us that God arranges our circumstances. He told us that people in the villages had been praying for medical care and that our team was truly an answer to their prayers.
I will interject here that the men and women on the staff of MMM are such kind and spiritually mature people, and I am so blessed to know them.
We were asked to provide a short devotional segment led by someone on our volunteer team. I was impressed that 15yo Haley volunteered. She told us about her work at a camp for children and teens with special needs. She had met a camper I will call Jimmy (not his real name). Her brother was assigned to be Jimmy’s buddy for the camp and assist him in any way needed. Jimmy had an interesting habit of giving Haley’s brother instructions such as, “Tell Jimmy to brush his teeth.” Then when her brother actually said, “Jimmy, go brush your teeth,” Jimmy would respond, “No, I’m not going to brush my teeth!” Haley related this to our relationship with God. Sometimes we may desire to read our Bible or pray, for example, and so we say to God, “Tell me to read my Bible.” But then when He nudges us toward our Bible, we frequently say, “No thanks.” She challenged us to be more responsive to the call and voice of God as he speaks to us through prayer and Bible reading. Haley also linked her devotional teaching to Jeremiah 29:11 which says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.” This is the Bible verse Paul and I have inscribed on our wedding rings, so I appreciate being reminded of it.
Geovani then continued our devotional time with us discussing the first and second chapters of Luke. It was interesting to note that when Mary was told that she was to become pregnant while unmarried and give birth to the Messiah, she questioned the angel about it and got a response. However, when Zechariah questioned the angel after it was revealed that his “well advanced in years” wife Elizabeth would give birth, he was struck mute. We reflected on the difference in these two responses and we thought that the main difference was their attitude, which God and the angel could discern. I love the part where Mary says something like, “May it be to me as you have said.” I wish I responded to God like that!
We also discussed that Luke addressed the book to the “most excellent Theophilus”. We speculated on the meaning of the name. Someone speculated that “theo” might mean “theology” and “philis” could mean “to study”, so the name could possibly mean, “one who studies theology”. Based on my knowledge of the meaning of my husband’s middle name (Theodore) and the meaning of the city name Philadelphia, I thought maybe it meant “friend of God”. Geovani agreed and theorized that God planned for Luke to address both the book of Luke and Acts to a man named Theophilus to emphasize that the books were to all friends of God.
More on the clinic itself in the next post
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Guatemala-Favorite Things & Unusual Stuff
This is my blog post from June 23:
I decided to ask everyone on the team what their favorite thing is about Guatemala so far. I thought it would be interesting to also ask them about the most unusual thing they had seen or done.
My favorite thing about Guatemala:
(Since the majority of the team named “the people of Guatemala”, I asked them their second favorite thing. It’s in parentheses.)
Susan-When the plane lands. Getting here.
Maia-Connecting with the people. (Stretching my creativity to think of 6 and a half hours of funny stories on the way back to the ministry center.)
Jack-Hearing funny stories on the long car rides to the clinics.
Samantha-The people of Guatemala. (Samantha wasn’t around when I asked for the second favorite thing.)
Bren-If you ever think of an embarrassing story about Jack, I’m sure that will be my favorite thing. My real favorite thing was seeing people be healed and becoming Christians.
Melissa-The people here. (The morning devotions.)
Lori-Meeting the people of Guatemala. (The drive to San Pablo. It was very bumpy.)
Haley-Meeting people in Guatemala. (Haley wasn’t around when I asked for the second favorite thing.)
Jace-Connecting with the people of Guatemala. (The “roller coaster roads”.)
Tracy-Reconnecting with the staff of Medical Missions Ministries and sharing the whole experience with my son Jack.
The most unusual thing about Guatemala:
Susan-I’ve been here many times so nothing seems unusual.
Maia-We had to use a bathroom with the door falling off.
Jack-Tortillas are served with every meal.
Samantha-The bathrooms. (When asked to elaborate she said, “That you had to bring your own toilet paper.”)
Bren-Seeing a man with evil demons inside him.
Melissa-In the clinic I examined a child with a nose mass. It didn’t look like nasal tissue.
Lori-Sleeping outside with the whole team.
Haley-All the physical contact.
Jace-Seeing the miracles.
Tracy-Wild pigs on the side of the road.
Don’t these lists make you want to come with me in the future?!?
I decided to ask everyone on the team what their favorite thing is about Guatemala so far. I thought it would be interesting to also ask them about the most unusual thing they had seen or done.
My favorite thing about Guatemala:
(Since the majority of the team named “the people of Guatemala”, I asked them their second favorite thing. It’s in parentheses.)
Susan-When the plane lands. Getting here.
Maia-Connecting with the people. (Stretching my creativity to think of 6 and a half hours of funny stories on the way back to the ministry center.)
Jack-Hearing funny stories on the long car rides to the clinics.
Samantha-The people of Guatemala. (Samantha wasn’t around when I asked for the second favorite thing.)
Bren-If you ever think of an embarrassing story about Jack, I’m sure that will be my favorite thing. My real favorite thing was seeing people be healed and becoming Christians.
Melissa-The people here. (The morning devotions.)
Lori-Meeting the people of Guatemala. (The drive to San Pablo. It was very bumpy.)
Haley-Meeting people in Guatemala. (Haley wasn’t around when I asked for the second favorite thing.)
Jace-Connecting with the people of Guatemala. (The “roller coaster roads”.)
Tracy-Reconnecting with the staff of Medical Missions Ministries and sharing the whole experience with my son Jack.
The most unusual thing about Guatemala:
Susan-I’ve been here many times so nothing seems unusual.
Maia-We had to use a bathroom with the door falling off.
Jack-Tortillas are served with every meal.
Samantha-The bathrooms. (When asked to elaborate she said, “That you had to bring your own toilet paper.”)
Bren-Seeing a man with evil demons inside him.
Melissa-In the clinic I examined a child with a nose mass. It didn’t look like nasal tissue.
Lori-Sleeping outside with the whole team.
Haley-All the physical contact.
Jace-Seeing the miracles.
Tracy-Wild pigs on the side of the road.
Don’t these lists make you want to come with me in the future?!?
Monday, June 20, 2011
Monday Update
Yesterday the Fellowship Bible Church team and our group met for devotions at 7 am. Dr. Alb led us for two hours in a time of prayer, singing, and teaching, He went over the roles that we would have in the clinic and the purpose of each role. He emphasized that we are using medicines to meet the immediate needs of the people. At the same time we show kindness and compassion toward them by listening attentively and praying with and for them in the counseling stations. Although they likely came into the clinic for a physical need, many also have deep spiritual needs and we have the great privilege of sharing the good news of Jesus with them.
Some things that Dr. Alb taught us during devotion time:
Romans 8:28-All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes.
Many people come on a mission trip with a list of things to check off and are extremely task-oriented. He wants us to redefine our role during the mission trip to also focus on relationships, not just tasks.
Jeremiah 33:3-Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Dr. Alb told us a story about the new ministry center. MMM just dedicated their expansion in May. When I was in Guatemala last summer Dr. Alb shared with me that the ministry is and has committed to stay debt-free. They had already begun building the new structure because God had provided all the funds needed for the building. However, there were many other expenses (primarily furniture and bedding for 24) that had not yet been supplied. For the ministry center to be most effective in housing teams it needed beds and other furniture.
Since the money had not come in for these additional expenses, Dr. Alb was concerned and asked God to lead him regarding this situation. Every day for the next two weeks he awakened early in the morning, which was unusual for him. Finally at the end of the two weeks he experienced something more when he awoke--a response. Dr. Alb felt that God was telling him that when he focused on the things that he did not have or the things he wished he had, that he was not focusing on his relationship with God. Then God led him to the verse Jeremiah 33:3, which I quoted above. God wanted Dr. Alb to focus on Him rather than dwell on what was still needed.
Dr Alb summed up his teaching when he said, “Medicines draw people in. Then we may listen to them, love them, meet their needs, and teach them.” This would be following the model of how Jesus loved and taught people when he was in the world.
We were about to head out to run a clinic in a rural Guatemalan village, and Dr. Alb finished up the devotional time reminding us of these verses from 1 Corinthians 2:1-5:
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.
What a great passage to keep in mind as we go out into the village!
An update from later in the day:
We saw 81 people in clinic today. I met with 8 people in the counseling station where I prayed for their needs if they wanted me to do so. All of them did want prayer, and one person particularly made an impression on me. He was out of work and his wife an 5 children did not have any reliable income. He had an accident (fell from a tree during work) and had several injuries, some serious. While his immediate injuries had healed he still had much pain as a result of this accident. Four of his children had pneumonia and he didn’t have any money to pay for their medical care. He wasn’t able to provide much food for the family so he frequently let them each while he did not eat. He said that he had been praying for a Bible because he wanted to learn more about God. He had a few parts of the Bible but not the entirety. I was so disappointed that we did not have Spanish Bibles on hand at this clinic. I’d really value your prayers for this man and his family.
An update from Wednesday:
We just returned from spending Monday - Wednesday hosting clinics in rural villages. I will try to post additional information on our activities and what I have learned tomorrow.
Some things that Dr. Alb taught us during devotion time:
Romans 8:28-All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes.
Many people come on a mission trip with a list of things to check off and are extremely task-oriented. He wants us to redefine our role during the mission trip to also focus on relationships, not just tasks.
Jeremiah 33:3-Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Dr. Alb told us a story about the new ministry center. MMM just dedicated their expansion in May. When I was in Guatemala last summer Dr. Alb shared with me that the ministry is and has committed to stay debt-free. They had already begun building the new structure because God had provided all the funds needed for the building. However, there were many other expenses (primarily furniture and bedding for 24) that had not yet been supplied. For the ministry center to be most effective in housing teams it needed beds and other furniture.
Since the money had not come in for these additional expenses, Dr. Alb was concerned and asked God to lead him regarding this situation. Every day for the next two weeks he awakened early in the morning, which was unusual for him. Finally at the end of the two weeks he experienced something more when he awoke--a response. Dr. Alb felt that God was telling him that when he focused on the things that he did not have or the things he wished he had, that he was not focusing on his relationship with God. Then God led him to the verse Jeremiah 33:3, which I quoted above. God wanted Dr. Alb to focus on Him rather than dwell on what was still needed.
Dr Alb summed up his teaching when he said, “Medicines draw people in. Then we may listen to them, love them, meet their needs, and teach them.” This would be following the model of how Jesus loved and taught people when he was in the world.
We were about to head out to run a clinic in a rural Guatemalan village, and Dr. Alb finished up the devotional time reminding us of these verses from 1 Corinthians 2:1-5:
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.
What a great passage to keep in mind as we go out into the village!
An update from later in the day:
We saw 81 people in clinic today. I met with 8 people in the counseling station where I prayed for their needs if they wanted me to do so. All of them did want prayer, and one person particularly made an impression on me. He was out of work and his wife an 5 children did not have any reliable income. He had an accident (fell from a tree during work) and had several injuries, some serious. While his immediate injuries had healed he still had much pain as a result of this accident. Four of his children had pneumonia and he didn’t have any money to pay for their medical care. He wasn’t able to provide much food for the family so he frequently let them each while he did not eat. He said that he had been praying for a Bible because he wanted to learn more about God. He had a few parts of the Bible but not the entirety. I was so disappointed that we did not have Spanish Bibles on hand at this clinic. I’d really value your prayers for this man and his family.
An update from Wednesday:
We just returned from spending Monday - Wednesday hosting clinics in rural villages. I will try to post additional information on our activities and what I have learned tomorrow.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Sunday Activities
This is my Guatemala blog post from Sunday, June 19:
At home I have a doggie doorbell, with my golden retriever Samson alerting me of anyone on the front porch or even remotely nearby. Here in Guatemala I don’t have a doggie doorbell, but I do have a doggie alarm clock. Unfortunately this particular clock seems to be malfunctioning. The barking did sound at my wake up time but also at T-90 minutes as well as a few times in between.
Except for the morning barking, Nina and Stark are well-behaved German Shepherds, and a nice addition to the Ministry Center. To me they are big versions of Pepper, my childhood pet.
Today the team’s main priorities were to worship at church and to visit an orphanage.
At 8 am a big, yellow school bus arrived to pick us all up for church. We are here with another team from Fellowship Bible Church in the Atlanta area so we have a big group of 33 or 34 volunteers plus MMM staff. I was glad Jack and I snagged the front seat of the bus due to my motion sickness issues. (Happily, I’ve done very well so far.) As we rode along, Jack noticed that there was a metal plate attached to the front of the bus with information--and it said that the bus was made in Lafayette, Georgia. I guess the bus had traveled just as far as we had to be here!
The Alb’s home church is Vida Real, which I blogged about last year. I really enjoyed attending that large church service with all the singing and speaking in Spanish. We were able to understand due to headsets which picked up what a translator was saying. It was fun that we knew some of the songs in their English version so we just sang along in English as the congregation was singing in Spanish. This brought to mind thoughts of heaven where people of all nations and ethnic backgrounds will worship God together, perhaps each in their own native tongue.
Since I had been here last summer, Vida Real planted a new church in Antigua with Dr. Alb acting as a pastor and as part of the core team to start the church. Initially I was disappointed not to be going to Vida Real’s main campus, but I quickly revised my thoughts once we arrived. Though smaller, it was a vibrant congregation full of passion for the Lord. I truly enjoyed worshipping together with them, even though I didn’t understand all that was said. We had a translator like last year, but not everything was translated. It made for an interesting experience.
The church was in a sermon series called Social Networking. The pastor spoke on Fathers Day and male/female relationships. He warned us at the beginning of the service that he would be talking about sex during the sermon and they had child care for up to age 13 if we did not want our children present to hear it. I figured that my 11yo son had heard plenty at school and through friends about sex (with questionable accuracy) that hearing a Biblical perspective on sex would be beneficial. The pastor made numerous points over the course of his sermon, but a few stuck out to me:
He quoted the Bible verse that goes something like this: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (be careful what you read, look at, watch on TV or movies, and who you spend time with.)
At first Jack wasn’t sure what he should do at the orphanage since our roles were not clear (which is the same way I felt last summer at my first visit). After some time he stationed himself at the swings and ran back and forth pushing 3 children on their swings. When the children were called in for dinner, Jack said, “Whew! I feel like I just ran a 3K.” Later he told Lori that so far the orphanage visit was the best part of our journey.
Tonight we packed food for tomorrow’s long journey into the northern part of Guatemala near Mexico. We are pretty sure that we won’t be able to post to the blog while we are there, so you probably won’t hear from us until Wednesday night or Thursday. The area we are going to is where we most risk contracting malaria or having stomach issues--your prayers appreciated!!
At home I have a doggie doorbell, with my golden retriever Samson alerting me of anyone on the front porch or even remotely nearby. Here in Guatemala I don’t have a doggie doorbell, but I do have a doggie alarm clock. Unfortunately this particular clock seems to be malfunctioning. The barking did sound at my wake up time but also at T-90 minutes as well as a few times in between.
Except for the morning barking, Nina and Stark are well-behaved German Shepherds, and a nice addition to the Ministry Center. To me they are big versions of Pepper, my childhood pet.
Today the team’s main priorities were to worship at church and to visit an orphanage.
At 8 am a big, yellow school bus arrived to pick us all up for church. We are here with another team from Fellowship Bible Church in the Atlanta area so we have a big group of 33 or 34 volunteers plus MMM staff. I was glad Jack and I snagged the front seat of the bus due to my motion sickness issues. (Happily, I’ve done very well so far.) As we rode along, Jack noticed that there was a metal plate attached to the front of the bus with information--and it said that the bus was made in Lafayette, Georgia. I guess the bus had traveled just as far as we had to be here!
The Alb’s home church is Vida Real, which I blogged about last year. I really enjoyed attending that large church service with all the singing and speaking in Spanish. We were able to understand due to headsets which picked up what a translator was saying. It was fun that we knew some of the songs in their English version so we just sang along in English as the congregation was singing in Spanish. This brought to mind thoughts of heaven where people of all nations and ethnic backgrounds will worship God together, perhaps each in their own native tongue.
Since I had been here last summer, Vida Real planted a new church in Antigua with Dr. Alb acting as a pastor and as part of the core team to start the church. Initially I was disappointed not to be going to Vida Real’s main campus, but I quickly revised my thoughts once we arrived. Though smaller, it was a vibrant congregation full of passion for the Lord. I truly enjoyed worshipping together with them, even though I didn’t understand all that was said. We had a translator like last year, but not everything was translated. It made for an interesting experience.
The church was in a sermon series called Social Networking. The pastor spoke on Fathers Day and male/female relationships. He warned us at the beginning of the service that he would be talking about sex during the sermon and they had child care for up to age 13 if we did not want our children present to hear it. I figured that my 11yo son had heard plenty at school and through friends about sex (with questionable accuracy) that hearing a Biblical perspective on sex would be beneficial. The pastor made numerous points over the course of his sermon, but a few stuck out to me:
He quoted the Bible verse that goes something like this: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (be careful what you read, look at, watch on TV or movies, and who you spend time with.)
- Many couples spend much time and energy on planning the wedding and not on planning the marriage.
- Love and respect are interdependent in marriage relationships, and the Bible teaches that a man should strive to show love to his wife and a woman should do her best to show respect to her husband. (From Ephesians 5:31-33, I think.)
- He stated that remaining pure before marriage decreases baggage and gives the marriage a better chance of success. He also said that those who are married should be having lots of sex. Only with each other, of course!
- He concluded with a music video of the song “Slow Fade” by Casting Crowns. The song says something like, “It’s the second glance that ties your hands…” That line reminded me of the quote by Martin Luther about lust…basically, that you cannot stop the birds from flying around your head, but you can stop them from making a nest in your hair. So the initial lustful though is not the sin, it’s the dwelling on it.
At first Jack wasn’t sure what he should do at the orphanage since our roles were not clear (which is the same way I felt last summer at my first visit). After some time he stationed himself at the swings and ran back and forth pushing 3 children on their swings. When the children were called in for dinner, Jack said, “Whew! I feel like I just ran a 3K.” Later he told Lori that so far the orphanage visit was the best part of our journey.
Tonight we packed food for tomorrow’s long journey into the northern part of Guatemala near Mexico. We are pretty sure that we won’t be able to post to the blog while we are there, so you probably won’t hear from us until Wednesday night or Thursday. The area we are going to is where we most risk contracting malaria or having stomach issues--your prayers appreciated!!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Departure Day-June 18, 2011
My son Jack and I went to Guatemala in June for a mission trip with Medical Missions Ministries. I was one of the team bloggers and I'm reposting from that trip. This is my entry from June 18.
Usually I am the type of person whose eyes pop open just moments before my alarm goes off. However, this morning I awoke at 2:45 am and had a hard time going back to sleep because of my excitement about the trip. In addition, I was irrationally concerned that the alarm would not go off as planned at 5:10 am. After a few snippets of sleep with a lot of thinking and praying in between, the alarm indeed sounded and I hopped in the shower right on time.
Our team met in the church parking lot at 6 am and managed the small details of tagging all our luggage with our names and tying on bold, red ribbon with white polka-dots for easy bag identification. Melissa acted as luggage captain, providing the ribbons and getting an accurate bag count (18 bags plus 10 carry-ons). Bags of donated items were opened and checked by their new “owners” so that they could satisfy airport security if later asked what was inside. We had donated clothes, shoes, batteries, detergent, and a limited amount of medical equipment to take down in addition to our personal belongings.
Our team of 10 represents 6 families--Lori is aunt to 15yo Haley, Maia is mom to 10yo identical twins Bren and Jace, Jack is my 11yo son, and Melissa, Samantha (17yo), and Susan are traveling solo. Many of the families accompanied us to the airport so that we wouldn’t have to incur the expense and inconvenience of parking (I’m sure they also wanted to see us safely off on our trip). Before we left the parking lot at Perimeter, all of us joined hands in a circle and prayed. While all the prayers were precious, I was particularly touched by the prayers of Melissa’s 5yo daughter Becca, who prayed that we would be respectful to the people of Guatemala, and Lori’s prayer that we would all remember the words of 1 Corinthians 13 and serve in all the people with a Biblical kind of love.
Here is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a:
Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others. It does not brag. It is not proud. It is not rude. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people’s wrongs. Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken. It always protects. It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up. Love never fails. (New International Reader‘s Version).
Susan closed out the prayer time with a great reminder that God has chosen us for this time and place, and to be on this trip. I can’t wait to see how God works through our team and in our own hearts, as well.
After praying we enjoyed the Dunkin Donuts coffee and bagels provided by Melissa’s husband Chris. (At this point one of my children who is not traveling with me began to cry. Though one may have assumed it was tears over my departure, it actually had to do with not getting the preferred flavor bagel.)
Four car-loads caravanned to Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport, and we met up curbside at Delta’s International ticketing and check-in area. Though a few of the bags were within 1 or 2 pounds of the 50 lb. weight limit, we seemingly checked in without incident.
We split up as some of us wanted to use the bathrooms, and when we reconvened we couldn’t find Susan. We later found out that when we checked in with the boarding passes we printed at home, some of us received new boarding passes with seat assignments. The agent who printed Susan’s new boarding pass inadvertently checked the wrong box and Susan now held a boarding pass with Lori’s name on it. This caused numerous problems for Susan! Eventually it all worked out but it certainly added a little drama to the morning. Unfortunately, due to the mix-up Susan was on of the last to receive a seat assignment and she had to sit in the very back of the plane, and closely seated to at least one crying baby. As they say back home in Georgia, “Bless her heart!”
When Jack and I attempted to board, the gate agent alerted us that we were seated together in an exit row, but that only those 17 and older could sit there. Jack is 11, so they let us on the plane and told us to switch seats with someone. A woman one row behind offered to take Jack’s seat so that we could still be close to one another.
While I would have liked to sit by Jack, I really enjoyed conversing with my new seat-mate about her work with an orphanage in Guatemala. I found out that in 2007 new government took office and in 2009 the international adoption of Guatemalan children was halted. Prior to this new law about 4000 children were adopted out of Guatemala annually. According to my new acquaintance, the government did not make any provisions for what to do with and for the children who would have normally been adopted. To help with this crisis, she works at fundraising through a U.S. 501-c3 organization in order to shelter, educate, and feed 100-200 children from infancy through early adulthood. Her program sounded well thought-out. Rather than simply releasing the children at age 18, residents are able to be educated at the university or in a trade. As a side-note, she told me that groups of “feral children” roam area garbage dump in search of food, and that the death rate has escalated over the years since this new law was enacted. I don’t know much about Guatemalan government and I’m not trying to make a political statement, but orphan children roaming the streets sounds like a horrible scenario. Apparently it takes $3500/year to support each child in this particular orphanage.
I was writing that last paragraph as the flight attendant was announcing that we needed to put away all portable electronic devices. I thought you’d like to know that we are now safely in the ministry center.
When we claimed all the luggage on the turnstile, we were missing one bag. This caused us some hassle but in the end the bag was found.
We picked up McDonalds on the way to the ministry center so that we could have some lunch. We are now awaiting the team from Fellowship Bible Church to arrive so that we can go food shopping for the week.
I look forward to worshiping at church tomorrow! Lori and I will try to do at least one more post before we depart on Monday for rural Guatemala where we will likely be without internet connectivity until our return on Wednesday night.
Your prayers are appreciated!
Usually I am the type of person whose eyes pop open just moments before my alarm goes off. However, this morning I awoke at 2:45 am and had a hard time going back to sleep because of my excitement about the trip. In addition, I was irrationally concerned that the alarm would not go off as planned at 5:10 am. After a few snippets of sleep with a lot of thinking and praying in between, the alarm indeed sounded and I hopped in the shower right on time.
Our team met in the church parking lot at 6 am and managed the small details of tagging all our luggage with our names and tying on bold, red ribbon with white polka-dots for easy bag identification. Melissa acted as luggage captain, providing the ribbons and getting an accurate bag count (18 bags plus 10 carry-ons). Bags of donated items were opened and checked by their new “owners” so that they could satisfy airport security if later asked what was inside. We had donated clothes, shoes, batteries, detergent, and a limited amount of medical equipment to take down in addition to our personal belongings.
Our team of 10 represents 6 families--Lori is aunt to 15yo Haley, Maia is mom to 10yo identical twins Bren and Jace, Jack is my 11yo son, and Melissa, Samantha (17yo), and Susan are traveling solo. Many of the families accompanied us to the airport so that we wouldn’t have to incur the expense and inconvenience of parking (I’m sure they also wanted to see us safely off on our trip). Before we left the parking lot at Perimeter, all of us joined hands in a circle and prayed. While all the prayers were precious, I was particularly touched by the prayers of Melissa’s 5yo daughter Becca, who prayed that we would be respectful to the people of Guatemala, and Lori’s prayer that we would all remember the words of 1 Corinthians 13 and serve in all the people with a Biblical kind of love.
Here is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a:
Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others. It does not brag. It is not proud. It is not rude. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people’s wrongs. Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken. It always protects. It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up. Love never fails. (New International Reader‘s Version).
Susan closed out the prayer time with a great reminder that God has chosen us for this time and place, and to be on this trip. I can’t wait to see how God works through our team and in our own hearts, as well.
After praying we enjoyed the Dunkin Donuts coffee and bagels provided by Melissa’s husband Chris. (At this point one of my children who is not traveling with me began to cry. Though one may have assumed it was tears over my departure, it actually had to do with not getting the preferred flavor bagel.)
Four car-loads caravanned to Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport, and we met up curbside at Delta’s International ticketing and check-in area. Though a few of the bags were within 1 or 2 pounds of the 50 lb. weight limit, we seemingly checked in without incident.
We split up as some of us wanted to use the bathrooms, and when we reconvened we couldn’t find Susan. We later found out that when we checked in with the boarding passes we printed at home, some of us received new boarding passes with seat assignments. The agent who printed Susan’s new boarding pass inadvertently checked the wrong box and Susan now held a boarding pass with Lori’s name on it. This caused numerous problems for Susan! Eventually it all worked out but it certainly added a little drama to the morning. Unfortunately, due to the mix-up Susan was on of the last to receive a seat assignment and she had to sit in the very back of the plane, and closely seated to at least one crying baby. As they say back home in Georgia, “Bless her heart!”
When Jack and I attempted to board, the gate agent alerted us that we were seated together in an exit row, but that only those 17 and older could sit there. Jack is 11, so they let us on the plane and told us to switch seats with someone. A woman one row behind offered to take Jack’s seat so that we could still be close to one another.
While I would have liked to sit by Jack, I really enjoyed conversing with my new seat-mate about her work with an orphanage in Guatemala. I found out that in 2007 new government took office and in 2009 the international adoption of Guatemalan children was halted. Prior to this new law about 4000 children were adopted out of Guatemala annually. According to my new acquaintance, the government did not make any provisions for what to do with and for the children who would have normally been adopted. To help with this crisis, she works at fundraising through a U.S. 501-c3 organization in order to shelter, educate, and feed 100-200 children from infancy through early adulthood. Her program sounded well thought-out. Rather than simply releasing the children at age 18, residents are able to be educated at the university or in a trade. As a side-note, she told me that groups of “feral children” roam area garbage dump in search of food, and that the death rate has escalated over the years since this new law was enacted. I don’t know much about Guatemalan government and I’m not trying to make a political statement, but orphan children roaming the streets sounds like a horrible scenario. Apparently it takes $3500/year to support each child in this particular orphanage.
I was writing that last paragraph as the flight attendant was announcing that we needed to put away all portable electronic devices. I thought you’d like to know that we are now safely in the ministry center.
When we claimed all the luggage on the turnstile, we were missing one bag. This caused us some hassle but in the end the bag was found.
We picked up McDonalds on the way to the ministry center so that we could have some lunch. We are now awaiting the team from Fellowship Bible Church to arrive so that we can go food shopping for the week.
I look forward to worshiping at church tomorrow! Lori and I will try to do at least one more post before we depart on Monday for rural Guatemala where we will likely be without internet connectivity until our return on Wednesday night.
Your prayers are appreciated!
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