Thank you and Final Post

2017 team

(the sign that used to be on this corner on our way to Chituc is gone)

Our hard working and fun youth

The beautiful vines planted by a team in 2014

One of the gorgeous views from Village of Hope

Amy and Addi talking with one of the teen moms

One of the teen moms making scarves

The workshop

 The new school - construction of second story underway

One of the classrooms

Prepping the garden at the school

Plants at the school

Getting ready for worship

We appreciate the time you have taken to read about our trip, encourage us, and uphold our team in prayer. Many of you have supported the team financially or made contributions toward the school supplies that were given to the kids in Chituc, as well as towards redecorating the teen girls' bedrooms. Thank you for your investments that we trust have blessed the children in Guatemala and reminded them that there is hope in a Savior who knows them, sees them, and loves them.

If you would like to support the ministry of Village of Hope, one of the best ways to to come alongside them is to sponsor a child. More information is available here:

http://www.villageofhopeguatemala.com/meet-our-kids

If you have any questions about Village of Hope please leave a comment. And if there is anything you would like to share with the team after reading our posts, I know the team would be encouraged to read those comments too.

Thank you again! It has been the contributions of many that have brought about all these good works. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.

Some Final Thoughts

"Painting has always been a quiet respite for me. The long cadence of the brush upon whatever blemish I’m trying to hide allows me time to think beyond the preoccupation of the moment. Today, as I put the final coat on my woodworking project for this week, my thoughts turned to that Whitman poem we all had to learn in high school; you know the one. It’s called I Sit and Look Out. I’ll copy it here to jog your memory:

I sit and look out upon all the sorrows of the world, and upon all oppression and shame, 

I hear secret convulsive sobs from young men at anguish with themselves, remorseful after deeds done, 

I see in low life the mother misused by her children, dying, neglected, gaunt, desperate, 

I see the wife misused by her husband, I see the treacherous seducer of young women, 

I mark the ranklings of jealousy and unrequited love attempted to be hid, I see these sights on the earth, 

I see the workings of battle, pestilence, tyranny, I see martyrs and prisoners, 

I observe a famine at sea, I observe the sailors casting lots who shall be kill'd to preserve the lives of the rest, 

I observe the slights and degradations cast by arrogant persons upon laborers, the poor, and upon negroes, and the like; 

All these--all the meanness and agony without end I sitting look out upon, 

See, hear, and am silent.

--Walt Whitman

I recalled this poem because of a conversation I had with Jason (not his real name), one of the team leaders at Village of Hope. On a walk  to the neighborhood of Chituc yesterday, our team got the chance to more intimately see and hear the many paradoxes of daily life in Guatemala. Chatting with Jason, as we walked he told me about his family and his middle class upbringing in Guatemala City. As a 20 year old, well-educated young man, Jason talked about how the hopes and dreams of many members of his generation are confounded by the betrayals of his country’s political leaders, the loss of faith in many of the nation’s most fundamental institutions, and the grinding poverty that suffocates nearly 60 percent of Guatemala’s citizens. 

As we passed near the incongruity of beautiful homes bordered by high walls and razor wire, and within a few paces of hovels adrift in oceans of despair, I wondered which class of Guatemalans was the more imprisoned, and the more impoverished. Jason explained to me that it wasn't until he began working at Village of Hope, that he became both motivated to address the needs of the poor, and conscious of fact that his welfare is bound up with theirs. “In Guatemala, we don’t really think about it, we just have to take care of ourselves.” he told me, “The problems are just too big.” Jason said that as a matter of self-preservation, this is the view his parents have adopted, and which they have sought to inculcate in their children; but for the past nine months Jason has been growing in his understanding that the long-term survival of Guatemala, and thus his own material well-being, are closely interwoven. His insights led me to think about my own sons, and how the widening social and political fissures in the U.S. are creating walls of fear, alienation and indifference--I wonder about the America they will inherit, and I pray that, come what may, the love of Christ would be their sure foundation, and the anchor for their souls.

Whitman’s poem and Jason’s crisis of conscience reminds me of the tension in which we live. As committed followers of Christ, we cannot succumb to the paralysis of silence nor can we imprison ourselves in fortresses of indifference. The insolence of office, and all the outrageous injustice that flesh is heir to can almost bring to our lips the question we dare not ask: Why, God? Instead, we must resist the impulse towards presumptuousness or cynicism, and allow the anguish we feel at the sight of unspeakable suffering to drive us to our knees, where we may see Jesus high and lifted up. There, we find something better than an answer to a question; we find the answer to our deepest need: the source of all hope and the assurance of what our hearts most yearn for.

Jason says that he has begun to challenge his parents whenever the conversation allows, but it’s been tough sledding. I didn’t ask, but I don’t get the feeling that his folks are believers; and as of this post I realize that I’m running out of week in which to really explore whether Jason’s passion for the poor is rooted in a zeal for the gospel. Nevertheless, my prayer for Jason is also my petition. As I seek one person at a time to identify with the reality of suffering in the world, may the deeper cause of sin, and the deeper need for a savior inform my understanding and my actions. And, as human institutions and man-made solutions demonstrate the inherent futility of all earth bound answers to the fundamental human question, may the people of God never go silent on Jesus as the answer, speaking the truth in love, and displaying love through good deeds." - Edd

Day 6 - Friday Part 3

Another perspective and more pictures of Antigua

"Our final day was spent doing the traditional tourist day in Antigua and wonderful meal at Cafe Sky.

Our amazing team leaders, Miguel and David, managed to herd us through cobblestone streets and market labyrinths without losing anyone.

Around every corner are colorful walls, carved doorways, flower boxes, myriad small shops and cafes, armed policia, ruins, artists, street vendors and tourists -- mostly American!

An elderly gentleman who is half Mayan, half Spanish and a native of Antigua, "adopted" us and led us on an historical tour through the main Catholic church (which is still in use) and its adjacent ruins dating back to the 1548, which had been destroyed by an earthquake in the 1773. Much of it was built over traditional Mayan worship grounds -- not by accident. The catacomb burial areas remain intact and are still used today. Of course they are segregated into separate rooms for those worshiping Mayan gods and those who are Catholic.

Returning to VOH was bittersweet knowing that all that is left to do is pack, say goodbye, and set a very early alarm for tomorrow morning.

P.S. Miguel, if you are reading this, all day I was trying to remember Iximche, the Mayan ruins in Tecpan, outside of Antigua, which was the final Mayan capital in Guatemala. Muchas gracias, amigo!" - Suzi

Day 6 - Friday Part 2

Friday and Final Thoughts

By Al

Village of Hope is located between Guatemala City (the capital, with over 10% of Guatemala’s population of 15 million), and Antigua Guatemala, which was the capital until 1773 (with a current population around 30,000). Both the old and the new capitals are at about 5,000 feet elevation, and they are only a little over an hour’s drive apart, but to get from one to the other you have to climb over a range of mountains. Village of Hope is in these mountains at an elevation of around 6,500 feet. 

On Friday morning, while Andy and Gordon slaved over the last solar panels, the rest of us (who were conveniently less competent and essential), got to go to Antigua Guatemala to tour the city.

It took us about 40 minutes to drive down a canyon to get to this historic place. The reason the city is so popular is because it is an extremely well-preserved Spanish colonial city. The city experienced many earthquakes in the 18^th century, which caused the Spaniards to have to continually rebuild. Finally, in 1773 an earthquake hit that destroyed so much of the city that the Spaniards decided to move the capital to another place. Apparently they heard that the earthquake hadn’t affected a large valley not far away, and so they ordered everyone to abandon the capital and move to this new location, which is the present site of Guatemala City. Not everyone left, but the effect of this order was to leave the 18^th century city pretty much as is, and it is a fascinating place to visit. The streets are all cobblestoned (so that you have to expect some rattling around as you drive), and the streets are also narrow with very little parking, but with few exceptions all the buildings around you were built before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Another notable thing about the city is that it is adjacent to a massive volcano, the Volcan de Agua, which rises up to 12,300 feet.

Beautiful view overlooking Antigua with the volcano, Agua, in the background

beautiful view of Antigua with Agua 

Cerro de la Cruz

Our first stop was at a large cross the Spaniards put up on a hill above the city, which gave a terrific view. From there we went to the main square and began walking around. The Antigua Cathedral was partially destroyed during the 1773 earthquake, and we were able to tour this site with the aid of an elderly tour guide named Oscar, who appeared out of nowhere, and soon began rattling off dates and other pertinent information, and so we suddenly and magically had a tour guide. He was very informative, although we had a slight disagreement at the end of our tour about how much he should be paid (which wasn’t discussed in advance). Ironically, although the cathedral was badly damaged in the 1773 earthquake, and everyone was ordered to move away, there wasn’t another big earthquake until 1976. The parts of the cathedral that fell off during that earthquake are continually in the process of being restored. From the cathedral Oscar led us to the “mui importante” second square, and pointed out several other interesting churches and sites, including a building that was built last year, but was made to look exactly like the 18^th century buildings that surrounded it. Eventually we were running out of time and had to part ways with Oscar, and we made our way back to the main square. Mark was excited to notice that one of the magnificent colonial buildings actually contained a Wendy’s restaurant, which was so exciting that we all had to go look. It was a little unique to see a Wendy’s counter and brightly-lit menu in a 300-year-old arched stone building. Fear not—we were not lame enough to have lunch at Wendy’s, however.

I should also add that in Antigua we saw a strange sight: Americans. In fact, about 10% to 20% of the people on the streets were Americans or other foreigners, who were either twenty-somethings or retirees (there are many retired Americans who live in this part of Guatemala). 

After viewing a famous Arch across one of the city streets, we made our way to Café Sky for lunch. It is called Café Sky because it is a two-story building that has a rooftop bar with a good view of the city.

view from upper level of Cafe Sky

We had our final lunch of the trip at this establishment (owned by a friendly Canadian), and Andy and Gordon were able to join us, having completed the work the rest of us were shirking. Gordon and Mark were particularly pleased to see that lunch consisted of several large platters of meats (and not just chicken), along with quesadillas, and chicken taquitos, and onion rings, and chips and guacamole and all kinds of other great things (even a few vegetables that went largely untouched). It was a very satisfying final lunch, and we were able to give our leftovers to a street person (we could have fed a few more, but Mark had been particularly hungry…).

We concluded our visit by going to the Antigua market, which is a massive maze-like market, with indoor and outdoor sections, and an amazing amount of goods. The sellers know enough English to make a sale, and they usually ask for twice as much as they really want. We all bought things, and Gordon ended buying things he didn’t really want, just for the fun of bargaining.

And so ended our day in Antigua Guatemala. You might think this was something of a sideshow from helping the orphans, but actually I found it to be a good part of the overall experience. Traveling to some exotic and unusual place, and seeing the people that live there, and how they live, tends to open up your mind and make you think more deeply about our common humanity. Our translator, Miguel, asked me about my favorite verse in the Bible, and we had a little discussion, and it struck me how people even in an exotic place, and even in a different language, all read the same Bible as I do, and hear the same call from God’s word.

On Saturday, it was time to say farewell to Village of Hope. Just to give us one last bit of torture, our flight was scheduled to leave for Dallas at 7:20 AM. So we had to wake up a tad early (at 3:30). We got to the airport in plenty of time, and sat down for breakfast at the airport McDonald’s around 6:00. Soon We learned that our flight was delayed 40 minutes because of “volcanic ash” (don’t you hate it when your flight is delayed because of volcanic ash? I know I do). Soon we found the flight was delayed another two hours. That was too bad. Oh, and look—now it’s delayed another hour. Well, that’s no problem. And then…well, to make a long story short, we were delayed 5 hours and 20 minutes by the volcanic ash. We noted that Delta Airlines let its plane take off an hour before our American Airlines plane, which either means that American Airlines is more safety conscious, or they’re just fonder of inconveniencing their passengers [Editor’s note: the pilot (and flight crew) explained it was the volcanic rock that was the concern. When volcanic rock gets into the engines, the flight attendant said you “stop flying.” In that sense I am glad they were cautious.]. Christine assured me that a flight delay from Guatemala had never happened to them before…

compliments of the airlines in Guatemala

When we arrived at Dallas Christine further assured me that the Customs line was always very quick, but when we got there it looked like we were trying to get into a Raiders game 20 minutes before kickoff. It was kind of a madhouse, and Mark and I and Linda had the special pleasure of being pulled aside for an extra review. We barely made our rescheduled flight, which then landed a half-hour late because of headwinds…but you know what? I wouldn’t trade this entire experience for anything. It was exciting and meaningful, and, all kidding aside, I must thank my team leader, Christine, for her meticulous planning and constant good cheer and encouragement throughout the entire event. I pray that our efforts had an impact on the children of the Village of Hope, and it is an experience I will never forget. - Al