Home!

Thank you for your prayers! We are home and look forward to sharing more about our trip with you!

I know we still owe you a post about our last day but since I need to get some rest that will have to wait until tomorrow. But here are a few more pictures from Friday. ~ Christine and team

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

Friday at VOH

Day 5

[Guest Post]

This was the team's last full day in Guatemala. They spent the day in Antigua, watched a movie with the kids at VOH, and had a tearful goodbye...



They will be leaving Saturday morning, so please keep them in prayer as they travel back home.

-For the Guatemala team

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

Thursday at VOH

Day 4

Isaiah 58:10-12

  "If you pour yourself out for the hungry
  and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
  then shall your light rise in the darkness
  and your gloom be as the noonday.

  "And the Lord will guide you continually
  and satisfy your desire in scorched places
  and make your bones strong;
  and you shall be like a watered garden,
  like a spring of water,
  whose waters do not fail.

  "And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
  you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
  you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
  the restorer of streets to dwell in."

This passage in Isaiah is posted on the mirror in our bedroom at VOH. I had not read it until this morning, and as I read them, memories came to mind of visiting the Antigua homeless the night before, giving them soup, tortillas, and praying to the Living God for them. These verses remind us how much the Father loves the hungry and the afflicted, and how He desires His children to show mercy to those in need. At breakfast our team read these verses this morning, to prepare our hearts to visit the homes of "afflicted" moms and children in nearby San Lucas. "Lord, please give us the grace to pour ourselves out for the hungry and afflicted."

[Thank you, Rafe, for sharing the verses and thoughts above!]

This morning we went out for the weekly food deliveries. Each family receives a bag of food, prayer and faithful friendship. The Blocks will sometimes help with other needs but mostly it's about relationships -- with the families and with Jesus. This is a special time as some of us have seen these families 2 or 3 times now. When Todd and Amy first visited the community they were met with resistance because missionaries before them had made promises that were not kept. It took many visits for the families to trust the Blocks. Our first stop was a new family, a 19-year old mom with 2 children. She lived with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. It's hard to see their living conditions, and to smell the rotting garbage as we entered the house. Much of it had little covering and must be wet in the rains.





Next we drove to another area and visited a woman and her mom, both with stomach problems. The mother also suffers from depression. All kids love Rafe so it was no surprise that he again found a friend, Luis. 

Our third visit was a mom with twin babies and 2 sons. Dad had just come to faith. They asked us to pray for the health of their family. As with most of the families we visited, this family was living with others; however, the Blocks were able to help them purchase building supplies and they are now building a home. It's not a home like we would think home and it may even have dirt floors, but this simple cinder block home will give them a space for their family.


[Twins]

[Praying for Dad]

The fifth family we visited included a girl who is confined to a wheelchair and is believed to have cerebral palsy- Yessica or as Amy calls her, Princioso Yessica. And she is a princess with her beautiful smile and joy-filled eyes. I can't even type this without tears. I remember praying for this girl before I even met her and seeing her each time is a joy for me. She understands a lot of what is said and she has a mom who loves her and takes care of her as best she can. Needless to say it is difficult to have a disability in these living conditions. We did not get to see her mom this trip because she had work today. A few weeks ago one of the Block's sons took Yessica out for a meal. She had never been out to eat in her 20 years. And where did she go? Pollo Campero of course!


[Yessica]

Next we visited a mom with 9 children. They praise God they were all heathy since there was a cold going around the village.

We had hoped to see Corinna, the girl who had the clubbed feet, but she was most likely at school. She has special shoes and though she still uses crutches, she can now walk.

Next we visited Rolando, his mom, and his 4 children. His wife recently left and he is doing his best to care for his girls. He asked for prayer for this situation. He loves the Lord and clearly loves his children.


[Dad and one of his daughters]

Our next visit was to a woman with 12 children and several grandchildren who on our first trip in April of 2013 would not let us on her property. She still has a hard time trusting but through the faithful visits of the Blocks she now welcomes us onto her property with a smile.


[Mom who now welcomes us]

Lastly we visited Jessica, a 15-year old girl who lost her father 3 years ago when he ran out into the street to retrieve a soccer ball and was struck by a car. One of the last gifts her father gave her mother was a sewing machine. With her sewing skills, her mom has been able to find factory work; Jessica received a scholarship and has been able to stay in school. She graduates in just a few weeks and hopes to go on to be a Spanish/ English secretary. The Blocks are truly family to her and she poured out her heart to Amy and Addisyn, Amy's daughter, about her sadness over the fact that her dad will not see her graduate and her fears about being able to continue her education. This special young girl asks every team to write down their names so she can pray for us. She is a treasure!





[Jessica]

In the afternoon we went into San Lucas for lunch and purchased a few things in the market. Back at VOH there were soccer jerseys to be hung, Casa 4 to clean, some dirt that needed to be moved, and one last handprint needed for a special quilt project that is being completed by another team.





We never did the landscaping after all, but we did see the completion of our projects in Casa 4 and were able to help welcome the new house parents into their new home. 

And then one of the highlights of each day -- our time with the kids here at VOH. Today Rafe shared the story of Joseph and once again brought it around to the Gospel. Rafe is a great storyteller and had the attention of young and old! He encouraged everyone to trust that Jesus can and does bring good from even our most difficult circumstances. 

Crafts have been fun all week but Jen outdid herself today. There were stations with t-shirts. They could be decorated with pens and beads with the help of Kailey and Korissa; sock and hand puppets with Connie, Jen and Aidan; bandana bags with Alle and Kelsey; hand knitting with Jazmin (which was a huge hit among the ladies), and lastly, Rafe and I were roamers. Once again the kids, house parents, and teachers all joined in. At the end of our time we went outside with the rocket balloons (they love rocket balloons!), beach balls and hacky sacks. It was a great time especially since we have gotten to know the kids better each day. Each of these kids have touched our hearts in a unique way and we can't imagine having to leave them in just a couple days. 

[T-shirt decorating]

[Hand-knitting]

[Puppet makers]

[Rocket balloons]

Shortly after 9 pm we saw the newest member of VOH, a precious 7-day old baby! Praise Jesus this little one has a home!

Tomorrow we will spend the day in Antigua and plan to zip line over the beautiful countryside. After that we will have lunch in the city and spend some time in the market.

Tomorrow night will be our last visit with the kids. The house parents will be going out for the night and we will help watch the children. We depart bright (or maybe dark) and early Saturday morning. Hope to send out an update tomorrow night before we leave!

Please keep us in your prayers! Love, Christine and team

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

BTW - thank you to our editor back home who is posting all these updates. We appreciate it!

Wednesday at VOH

Day 3

What a great day! After breakfast we participated in El Dia de Los Niños. It started with a parable acted out in a skit about colors. Each person or color thought they were the most important but they learned that all colors are important. And so it is with the body of Christ. Good lesson for us too!

[Skit for El Dia de Los Niños]

After that there were games of tossing rings on cones, shaving cream off a balloon, rolling dice and doing what it said (Alle and I got bailar!) and the grand finale -- a piñata. It was a special day with the kids and we loved being a part of their celebration. And we ended with food as all celebrations should -- popcorn, M&Ms, peanuts and a juice made from the leaves of Guatemalan rose petals.

After lunch we had various projects to do. Connie & Alle helped Todd in the officina, Christine, Kelsey & Kailey finished a handprint project with some of the kids, and Rafe, Jen, Jazmin, Aidan & Korissa continued the prep for the arrival of the house parents for Casa 4. This was very timely as they arrived this afternoon! And when the Lord brings kids to Casa 4 they will be ready. Until then, the house parents of Casa 4 will be helping the other 3 sets of house parents. We are still waiting for the arrival of the sibling group who will join the family in Casa 3.

About 3pm we started on our 1-mile walk to Chituc. When we arrived there were no children. But soon a few showed up and Julio asked them to tell their friends. We took a few pictures and once we had 10 we decided to start singing in hopes that more would join us. All of a sudden it started raining so we took cover under a nearby tree. We sang Yo Tengo Gozo, Rey de Reyes, Este es el Dia and Padre Yo Te Adoro. When we asked the kids if they like to sing, they said no. But of course once we started they joined in and did a great job. Praise God it cleared up! 

[Singing with children in Chituc]

A few more showed up as Rafe started sharing the story of Joseph from the coat and being sold into slavery to being reunited with his brothers in Egypt when they came to him for grain. The kids were very attentive and answered Rafe's questions throughout the story. He then shared how Joseph was similar to Jesus and gave the Gospel message. By the end of Rafe's story we had 20 kids. 

Next Jen told the children about the craft we had for them, which was bracelets. She shared how there were many colors and like Joseph's dad loved him we are giving to you this bracelet to remind you that Jesus loves you. Both the boys and girls loved the craft. And you must know what happened next...soccer! Some of us played soccer and some hung out with the kids. As we said goodbye, Connie handed out rubber band bracelets. The kids surprised us by lining up and patiently waiting their turn. All in all it was a sweet time.

[Julio our team leader]

[Boys...]


[Boy's house]

After dinner we prepared for our trip to serve the homeless in Antigua. Julio told us about the 4 locations we would visit, to stay in groups, and be ready to go when when called. But nothing could have prepared us for the torrential downpour, with thunder and lightning, that started shortly before we left. It was truly crazy. The water coming over the roof of our porch was literally a wall of water. Rafe prayed for our safety traveling down the hill to Antigua and for our time with those we would meet. By the time we walked from the kitchen to the van we were wet -- our shoes and socks were soaked. As we pulled out of the compound the dirt roads were rivers. The windows were fogged up and Julio was wiping the front windshield with a sweatshirt while we trusted that Byron, our driver, had some visibility. We guessed that there may have been maybe 1/8 mile visibility it but it really was only as far as the illumination of the head lights. It was unlike anything we have experienced. We may have floated for awhile. Before we even arrived in Antigua we saw answer to prayer. As we came around a blind corner the traffic in front of us came to a stop. We were able to stop in time to be the first car not involved in a multi-car accident. And praise God we weren't rear-ended. The ride to Antigua was an adventure in itself!

But once we arrived in Antigua it stopped raining. We met Mark and Dayle, the missionaries who go out every night to feed the homeless, then we set out with soup and tortillas. Due to the rainy weather there weren't as many people out as we expected but we did find several people to give warm soup and prayer. We finished our evening praying for Mark and Dayle, the leaders of the street ministry. Hopefully we can share more stories later (because it's late).

We leave first thing in the morning to deliver food bags to the families in the community. It will be another full day and we look forward to sharing it with you!

Praising God for His protection and presence! 

Love, Christine and team

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

Schedule for the Rest of the Week

Good morning!

Several have asked about our schedule. So here is the plan!

Today is La Dia de Los Ninos so there will be a piñata at 9am.
Today we will complete the preparations in one of the homes to welcome a sibling group of 3.
This afternoon we will go to Chituc where we will sing songs in Español, Rafe will share a Bible story and we will do a craft with the children -- all in a dirt field!
And this evening after dinner we will do a soup run in Antigua. I know several are nervous about this time and I will admit, it is hard and awkward and even sometimes scary. We covet your prayers.

As we have listened to the rain pour down, heard the powerful thunder and seen the magnificent lightning, we think of those in the villages and those on the streets. And as we woke to no hot water and just a trickle of water in our rooms, we remember those who don't have these a amenities on a daily basis. No showers today but oddly enough our toilets are flushing.

Tomorrow we will deliver food to families in the community, have lunch in San Lucas and then Rafe will share the Bible story with the kids here at VOH.

Friday will be our time in Antigua and a movie night with the kids here.

Todd just walked in and said the water tank is empty. A water truck is coming and we should have water again this afternoon. Thankful for that and many of the other things we daily take for granted.

Appreciate your prayers!! Each team member is doing well and as as Rafe said yesterday, the power of the Gospel is evident here at Village of Hope.

It is our hope that Jesus we be seen here, in the community and on the streets of Antigua tonight.

With 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/