Guatemala Mission Trip 2008
June 6, 2008-Hola! The RPC team arrived safe and sound today. An hour delay in Atlanta, a couple of suitcases short at arrival, and a troubled tummy over the crazy bus ride up into the mountains...66 happy hearts are in place ready for an inspiring week! Personal and supply suitcases are sorted. Dinner has been served. Songs at evening devotionals were introduced (yes, we sing all week long!) and PB&J team is hard at work. We have officially started our Mission! Adios!
June 7, 2008-Today the morning began with overcast skies and cool weather and exceptional quiet time devotionals. After breakfast the teams went to work on tonight's scholarship dinner set-up, construction job sites and VBS set-up. Tonight we will fellowship with 150 sponsored students at the annual Educational Fund Scholarship Dinner. Following dinner the team will join together for another moving and engaging devotion time. Today was the first full day of service and sharing with our friends here in Chichicastenago the love of Christ! Please pray for our team this week!
June 8, 2008-Sunday-A day in the Chichicastenango market was cut short by an early afternoon thundershower which lasted most of the day. There was lots of card playing and some napping along with some unexpected extra time to prepare for the weeks activities. But at 5:00 p.m. the pace picked back up with a rousing worship service at Pastor Abel’s church. We were serenaded by the women’s choir and an enthusiastic group of children from their VBS. Roswell church members attempted to return the favor by singing a couple of songs of our own and though the results were questionable the audience did request an encore. All in all, it was a terrific experience for all of our mission team. After dinner and devotionals we bedded down in anticipation of a big day of VBS and construction projects on Monday.
June 9, 2008-Today is the first day of Vacation Bible School and the leaders of the classes are pumped up! A leader in one of the third grade classes said at first is was a little awkward but quickly changed. After five minutes in class, the children and their leaders participated in recreation and crafts and was a great time to try out a few things to share laughter and friendships! Another team began construction on a new widows home. These are homes constructed from precut wood and assembled in less than a day (well, that's how long it would take a local to do it...us a little longer.) Other sites continued to shlep concrete and work on Extreme Home Makeovers. Continue to pray for our team and their health, the friendships that are reunited and newly formed, the service that God has equipped us to do this week in Chichi and for the men, women, widows and for the children in these villages.
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June 10 through June 12, 2008-These were three of our most productive days, engaging in various projects such as Exteme Home Makeovers, building of a widow's house, a major addition to the school in Chichicastenango, as well as Vacation Bible School. The widow's house involved building a stand alone structure from a poured concrete slab that will serve as the new home for two widows in Pastor Serapio's congregation. The building team celebrated the completion and "transfer of title" to the greatful ladies in a ceremony held on Wednesday. A plaque proudly hangs in their new home commemorating the bond between Roswell Presbyterian Church and the community of Chulumal. We have done 8 Extreme Home Makeovers this week throughout the local villages, adding new concrete floors and "unleaky" roofs to the existing homes of those in need. At the Chichi School we are constructing a cafeteria for the children. Some serious concrete pouring has been done toward the completion of this project under the supervision of Bruce Gunning. Wednesday marked the completion of three days of VBS in Chichicastenango, Chulumal and Quiche. From Bible stories to crafts to recreation activities, all members of the team had a great time with all the local children. After evening devotional, the team was treated to movie night featuring the film "Evan Almighty."
June 13, 2008-Friday was a day of travel to new places and new experiences for many members of the team. A group of twenty or so folks travelled to Steve & Shyrel Osborn's children's home, Amor Del Nino where they had a chance to share pizza and fun times with the special children there. The rest of the team travelled to Lake Atitlan where they got in some last minute shopping and sight seeing at Panajachel and had an enjoyable lunch at Hotel Atitlan. Everyone met up again at our overnight stop, the Guatemala City Marriott, where we had a delightful dinner which included our guests, Steve and Shyrel and their friend Melvin (who helped us out immensely in Chichi this week), as well as Jana Hoak and her four daughters. Unfortunately, Dr. Tom was on call at the National Hospital and was unable to join us. The meal was excellent (though it was an unusual menu item...chicken) and was followed up by our final devotional led capably as it had been all week by Jeff Davis. Corinne and Paul Olivier were recognized by the team for their leadership efforts and were presented with several gifts of appreciation . The evening concluded as it often does with card playing and great fun involving the youth and some of the adults.
June 14, 2008-We dutifully arrived at the Guatemala City airport approximately three hours before our flight departure time and proceeded thorugh ticketing and security in the organized manner we have come to expect on this well-planned and well-run mission trip. Unfortunately Delta had a surprise for us and was late getting a plane from Atlanta--by approximately three hours. So, LOTS of card playing, conversation, reading and reflection. We hope to be home at least before Sunday mornings worship.
Thank you for your prayers!
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