Tuesday at VOH

Day 2

Tuesday Post from Rafe:

Walked to Chituc for lunch. 

We enjoyed wonderful fried chicken and rice lunch that was prepared for us by some village women. These women were taught to cook for all of the Village of Hope groups so that they could financially provide for themselves and their families. -Rafe

[Home in Chituc where we had lunch]

[Lunch in Chituc]

Tuesday Post from Korissa:

Casa #4 is looking great.

The final coat of paint was applied to the door trim and bunk beds, and we will let it all dry overnight. We worked alongside tile floor installers who were wrapping up the finishing touches. 

[Working hard...]

[Obviously working hard...]

I don't know what is harder, scrubbing paint out of grout or my hair. We cleaned the kitchen and tomorrow we will do a final clean up of the whole house and put everything in its place for the new family. -Korissa

More photos from Tuesday:

[Connie playing with the kids]

[Bracelet craft]

[Craft time]

[Greeting Griselda, Vilma, and Alberto]

[Hacky sack] 

[Jesus, 1st child at VOH]

Spaghetti dinner- Jazmin's favorite. How did she finish four helpings?

Devotions and prayer for Blocks.

Finished night with craft prep for tomorrow.

~With love from Guatemala

To learn more about how to partner with Village of Hope-Guatemala please go to: http:/www.lifesongfororphans.org/countries/guatemala/

More Photos from Monday at VOH

Day 1 Continued...


[Craft starts with popsicle sticks...]


[Getting ready for final assembly...]


[Completed cross]


[Evening games led by Rafe]

[French toast Kelly style]

To learn more about how to partner with Village of Hope-Guatemala please go to: http:/www.lifesongfororphans.org/countries/guatemala/

Monday at VOH

Day 1

Today started at 7:30 with breakfast which included fresh papaya! Next we met with Todd and Amy to hear about their family, the ministry of VOH, and go over house rules. The work that is being done here is amazing and you can see it in the faces of all the children. Their pasts have been hard but now they have hope and know they are loved by their families here and by their Heavenly Father.







Amy then took us on a tour of the grounds. As we walked into the school's rooms it was special to see the kids we've met on previous trips and see the smiles when they recognized us. After the tour we spent time praying for the ministry, the families and future plans. There is a property for sale right next to VOH, and they would like to purchase it!





Our project of the day was painting! We primed and painted furniture and door frames for the new house, Casa 4. More than one person got paint in their hair (one all over her legs and shoes), creating lots of laughs. We did take a break for lunch and a game of soccer.









In the afternoon Jen led us in an awesome craft time that the kids loved and it also gave us time to get to know and bond with the kids. Some of the Dads and Moms participated too. After that it was time for another game of soccer! We feel like we are learning names and getting to know everyone better.









Side note: A year and a half ago Kailey, Alle, and Kelsey made a quilt for us to take on our first trip. Today when we were visiting one of the houses and admiring one of the babies, Alle realized that the baby was wrapped in the quilt the girls had made. The girls were so encouraged to see that through their simple act of love, God is using them to bless others.



After dinner we met as a team to talk about the day, share devotions on the Fruit of the Spirit and then prep for tomorrow.

It's a privilege to come alongside the missionaries here, help prepare for future children that the Lord will bring and invest in the lives of the ones He has already rescued.



No spiders or centipedes but we did see a bat fly through the covered porch area outside our rooms, and both Jazmin and Kelsey particularly enjoyed the lightning.

Rafe and Aidan just arrived so our team is now complete! Thank you for prayers and feel free to leave us a comment.

With love from all!

"To learn more about how to partner with Village of Hope-Guatemala please go to: http:/www.lifesongfororphans.org/countries/guatemala/"

We've Arrived!

Praise God! We arrived safely in Guatemala!

Connie, Jen, Jazmin, Korissa, Kailey, Alle, Kelsey and I all met at the airport shortly after 6am this morning. There was one Dad who shed tears waving goodbye to his 2 daughters (though one is an adult now) as we went through security but we won't name names. On the flight to Dallas I asked the stewardess for a deck of cards but was informed that since 9/11 (safety precaution- we fear that some team members may be quite dangerous with cards...) they no longer give those out. I felt safer. She asked if we were traveling with a sports team and I told her about the work we were going to do with orphans. She loved what we were doing and thought the girls were so sweet so she gave me packages of M&M's, Chex Mix and ear phones for each of the girls. I was able to tell her about the work at Village of Hope and that we were doing this in the name of Jesus. After a bumpy decent we arrived safely in Dallas.

After our safe arrival a few members of the team almost lost a limb trying to hold the door of the tram open but Jen threw herself into harms way to save our children. After a short ride through this sprawling airport, we made our way to Fridays to enjoy some healthy salads before we left the country, though I did see one plate of chicken strips and fries at the other table. Oh and pot stickers. But I did see lettuce too. Us 3 ladies happily ate our salads.

Suddenly we heard a sound like the ice bucket challenge at the next table and we looked over to see a surprised Jazmin with soaked clothes. Kelsey had knocked over a large glass of ice water onto Jazmin and a menu. After this comical accident, we moved on.

4 of the 8 of us voted to stop at the candy store so we obliged. Only one in our group stayed strong and did not purchase candy. With chocolate and food dyed sugar in hand we headed to our gate where we sat wondering if we were actually at the right gate. Come to find out the incoming plane was late so we waited an extra 30 minutes to board our plane to our final destination.

The second leg of our journey passed quickly with just a bit of turbulence before landing. We passed through customs, found all our bags and exited the airport to find Todd Block (missionary) and and Byron (employee at VOH) waiting for us. 200Q for the guys at the airport to take all our bags to the van (and avoid all your luggage going through a scanner) and another 40Q for different guys to put it in the van. Well worth it!

And as tradition would have it we stopped at Pollo Campero, a fast food restaurant better than KFC so I've been told, for a late dinner. Lots of fried chicken and fries! Very good! Alle appreciated that the chicken was real.

We took the time in the van and in the restaurant to catch up with Todd on all that's been going on at VOH and what we will be doing this week. We will be busy and can't wait to share! But since it is late we will have to check in with you tomorrow.

All the girls crammed into the back of the van as Todd drove over the bumps sending them flying on multiple occasions.

We are now getting settled in and killing spiders and centipedes. Sweet dreams!

Thank you for your prayers!
Love, Christine for the team

To learn more about how to partner with Village of Hope-Guatemala please go to: http:/www.lifesongfororphans.org/countries/guatemala/

We leave in 2 days!

Meet the team!

Korissa, Alle, Christine, Kailey, Kelsey,

Jen, Jazmin, Connie, Aidan and Rafe

How can you pray for us?

Please pray:

• That the team would be unified and show preference for and grace to one another.
• For humble hearts willing to serve the missionaries, the families at VOH, and the local community.
• For the evening ministry on the streets of Antigua serving the homeless. We will partner with a local ministry that goes out every night to offer soup & tortillas, prayer, and hope. And that we will be able to see past these peoples’ exterior and their often poor choices, and serve them with compassionate hearts.
• For safety in air travel and in-country travel, for health for the team, and for the families at home. The team will return on Saturday, October 4.

We look forward to sharing our journey with you! Thank you for praying! ~C

Please pray for our trip to Guatemala!

Our Fall team is heading to Village of Hope in just a few weeks and we would appreciate your prayers! 

Several people have asked if we will be posting updates and pictures and the answer is, Lord willing, yes! We will use this blog for updates.

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support! ~Christine