Day 2

Monday, March 21, 2016

“Today we ventured beyond the campus cinderblock walls and barbed wire into town. We had only seen it in the dark on our drive from the airport. We couldn’t make out much then; electric illumination is used sparingly here.

We strolled the main street surrounded by lush vegetation, stopped to gaze at the blooming peach orchard, and waved at the little girl peeking out of the mini market kiosk hoping for a customer. I marveled at the diverse homes lining our path. Some remind me of the California mission style we see here and there back home. Beautiful gates of wood and ironwork and cute brick driveways. Most of the homes, however, are shacks the size of American backyard garden sheds without the cute English country charm or clean industrial vibe. I was also reminded of a hut my brother and I played in on a California beach made by out of driftwood by bored dads. No sealed windows. No locks on doors…if there are doors. The Block’s youngest daughter pointed to some black string within her reach that was hoisted up by a large stick in the ground. “Those are their electric wires. Don’t touch them,”  she warned.

Julio, one of VOH’s team leaders and translators, called the kids out from their yards by name, “Vamos! Vamos! Vengan!”

He was gathering them up for a lesson and crafts.

Six followed our group down a narrow road. Twenty kids were already anticipating our arrival in the dirt lot below. They were bouncing on large rubber tires and jumping on each other.

We gathered them up quickly and sat down for Debbie’s story. I could tell the two girls next to me really liked that I had chosen to sit by them. We managed to exchange names, and they giggled at the quickly reached limit of my Spanish. 

Debbie pulled out construction paper sheets. She explained that she would tell them a true story written by God himself using colors.

YELLOW represents heaven’s streets made of gold.

BLACK is for our sin, which separates us from God in heaven.

RED is for the perfect Christ’s blood shed as payment-in-full for that sin, so that we may be with God.

WHITE represents the clean slate of those who believe in the above. 

GREEN is for the growth that occurs in God’s children when they read his Word and talk with him.

It was so heartwarming to hear the kids respond when asked what each color means. “Cielo! Cielo!” 

As a reminder and a tool for sharing the Gospel with their community, we made little bracelets with beads of each color. I saw a little boy thumbing each bead afterwards, gesturing to his friend as if he were talking about them. I really hope he was!

Please pray for the salvation of the Chituc neighborhood kids and that their joy in the Lord would evident in their community. Please pray that they will share the Gospel with their friends and family and become believers that persevere in faith to the end.

Please pray that our team and the believers in VOH would daily remind themselves and each other of the Gospel and it’s implication in all situations.

It was so refreshing to hear the foundation of our faith again today in simple words, stripped to its essence. All our hope in this life and the next can be understood by even a four-year-old and still baffle this 28-year-old.” -Linda

"One of the highlights of the day for me was the lunch we had at a Guatemalan home in Chituc, a nearby village.   Three lovely young women made a delicious lunch for 20 of us - fried chicken, rice, homemade tortillas and guacamole - all made in a very small and crowded kitchen.  God used them to bless us, just as He used us to bless them.

We were invited to look through the window to see the rest of their house -  which was just one room that served as a bedroom for the entire family, living room and family room.   There was a man laying on the bed and we were told he was passed out from too much alcohol.

I knew that alcoholism among Guatemalan men was quite prevalent, but seeing it face-to-face and knowing that one of the lovely women we met had to bear the brunt of his abuse was just heartbreaking.   On our walk back to Village of Hope, we saw a man lying on the side of the road, presumably because he was too drunk to make his way home.

The need for the hope of the gospel to replace the despair of their lives was made evident.   We pray that the boys with whom we shared the gospel later in the day will look to Christ with their needs rather than looking to booze." -Ginny

“Today we started our big work project for the week — the mural!!! We are painting one of the walls surrounding the soccer court green in the background (and the white outline of a soccer field) with a soccer player kicking a ball as the main focus. So far we have basically finished the green background - light green on the top, medium green in the middle, dark green on the below, and a small stripe of black on the bottom. It looks so cool!!!

We already had the wall primed by the team that came before us. Definitely such a help for completing this project. Without this pre-done work we would not be able to finish it in the time we are visiting VOH. The mural adds a liveliness to the entire area, making it a very inviting space to play. Working on it together as a team is also great experience. You get to see people’s creative sides come out and the ways in which what they are good at contributes in unique ways. From taking pictures of the process to taping the court outline to mixing paint, teamwork is needed. It is a long process but it is a great one, where you can build relationships and learn new things about one another.

Some team members also worked up in Casa 2 going through some of the kids clothes to decide what to keep and what could be passed on to other kids. It was an enormous project, and there are still two more Casas to go!!! 

Please pray that all goes smoothly for the mural and the clothes project, for both are complicated. It is so amazing to see what God is doing through this amazing ministry here in Guatemala. Thank you!!!” -Kelsey and Tasia

Tonight’s Devotion

"As we walked around the casas on Sunday praying, I felt a burden on my heart to pray for the biological families of the children at Village of Hope.  It’s easy to pray for the children and their children.  You see the faces and know there are heartbreaking stories behind those smiles.  And in some cases, a parent or another family member has sinned grievously against these children.  Our natural inclination isn’t to pray for people who’ve victimized or exploited children.  It goes against our desire for justice.  

In that time of prayer, I couldn’t ignore the fact that God is both just and merciful.  He sent His son to atone for my sin and because of that, I’m spared what I actually deserve - His judgment.  So I prayed for the family members of the kids - that they would repent and come to faith in Christ.  When you pray for VOH, the Blocks, the children, please pray for their families as well.  Like us, they are just people in dire need of Jesus and His saving grace.  We can’t overlook the power of God to change hearts of stone and bring sinners to repentance."

Please leave us a comment or send us an email. We would love to hear from you! ~Christine

For more information about Village of Hope or to sponsor a child please visit VillageofHopeGuatemala.com