Guatemala, part 2

I have been home form Guatemala for a couple of
weeks now and the time has flown. I am still processing the whole event in my mind but just want to say that it was a wonderful trip with unexpected twists and turns that began before we even left. God changed our plans totally from going to start a sponsorship program to waiting on Him.

We had a wonderful place to stay in San Lucas, called My Father's House. The hospitality, food, and place of rest was so welcome.



We did meet a lot of families in El Membrillal and Magdalena Mipas Altas, and also helped work on a school in Zapote. We also had a children's day in Magdalena which was a lot of fun.

The days were full of work and new experiences. We saw volcanoes, crossed rivers with the vehicles, met many children, had time to go shopping in Antigua, laughed and joked with our new friends, and witness 2 people accepts God's free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Our hearts were blessed over and over.



Guatemala is a beautiful country and the people are so warm and welcoming. The scenery is incredible and the flowers so beautiful. The mixture of colors and textures in textiles and nature are a feast for the eyes!

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to go and pray I might be able to return again soon.

I hope you enjoy these few photos.... I will be posting more on Face Book and soon at http://guatemalangrace.shutterfly.com/

Volcan de Fuego - still active. It was fascinating to watch the smoke come out. We drove by this each day that we went to work in Zapote.

10 Days...

Lord willing, in 10 days, I will be flying to Orlando to meet all of the team I will be traveling with. In 11 days, I will be setting foot on a land that became part of my heart 9 years ago - Haiti. I am excited as I will be seeing a different part of the country and meeting new people, but I know some things will be the same. Poverty. Dust. Children yelling,"Blan! Blan!" ("White" or "Foreigner"). Dirt roads. Crowded vehicles. Mud and stick homes. A different language.

It probably doesn't sound too appealing to most of us. If I could, I would have every American high schooler take a trip to a third world county before graduating. It would be an eye-opening experience. Perhaps one that would help them realize how many blessings they have in the US.

Perhaps they would move beyond the generally held "me first" mentality and realize what an impact they could have on another life. Perhaps they would come to realize that it isn't material things than mean the most. Perhaps....

This is how you do your laundry where I went before - you go to the nearest river or steam, scrub your clothes, and then hang them to dry on cactus. It's hard to see, but the white is clothing hung over the cactus rows. Don't we take our washers and dryers for granted? Even clotheslines if that's what we use.

I wonder if I will see the same sight this time...