Day 4 - Wednesday Part 1

Concept-to-Reality Realized

“The solar project entered hump day with a building deficit to the original schedule.  Day One started with a bang and ended being ahead of schedule with the completion of construction of the first of two frames.  Day Two was as unproductive as Day One was productive.  Missing certain small tools that are critical in metal fabrication caused major setbacks.  Who would think that it would be so hard to drill a 5/16” diameter hole in 1/8” thick metal just because you did not have a center punch to mark the start of the hole or a fresh drill bit designed for metal drilling?  The morning of Day Two was highlighted by the statistic that it took nearly 2 hours to drill 4 holes in the first frame.  In dire need of an upgrade, we foraged another trip to town to search down the key pieces, this time taking three separate stops to procure a metal drill bit set, a metal center punch and some self-tapping screws.  A note to the uninformed: when shopping for something in a foreign land where you do not have professional level of command of the language in the speciality you are shopping for, a neat work around is to use your smart phone to do a Google image search for what you are looking for and then to select the image that is closest to your prize to show the person that is trying to help you.  This yielded a three for three success record at the hardware stores.  The afternoon of Day Two was salvaged by the new found tools and yielded 20 holes in twenty minutes, a marked improvement.

The Day Three schedule was broken up a bit with some of the more worthwhile activities of doing community food deliveries and supporting a local food business by having a group meal out.  

Still, come the start of the afternoon of Day Three we still did not have anything installed on the roof.  We disassembled the first frame and loaded it on the roof of the van along with some of the solar panels and all the tools that we thought we would need since it is not very fun to make the round trip trek from the top of the property where the panels are being installed down to the bottom of the property where the shop is.  Still, with our best planning, Andy managed to rack up 2 or three trips that afternoon.  Once all the gear had been packed up to the roof via the billy goat trail that runs along the top of the property, we were ready to assemble and mount the first frame assembly.

Andy and Edd, willingly or ignorantly, the jury is still out, agreed to help with mounting of the solar panel.  The roof that it was being mounted on is the second story roof of Casa 4 and is a bit of a challenge to navigate.  The roof is corrugated steel sheets supported by sheet metal beams that are spaced at what would be in the US unconventional, not 3 foot centers, not four foot, not even 1-meter centers but the obvious default of 42 inches.  That defines the spacing of where it is safe to step on the beams.  Stepping on other areas will not provide the support you are looking for to stay out of the upper floor bedrooms.  Now for Edd who has a long stride, stepping deftly from one beam support to the next was not too difficult.  For Andy, on the other hand, who has a significantly shorter stride, moving from one beam center to another was more of a ballet exercise in keeping with the best performances seen in the Construction Workers Union.

These two, who were not involved in the design or construction of the frame units were forced to assemble the jigsaw assembly of parts and then mount them to a roof not designed for the purpose.  Still, somehow, with patience and fortitude, they were able to make the assembly work and even mount the first solar panel in place before the day closed down.  Amazingly, everything worked as planned and only minor field modifications were necessary.  More importantly, lessons were learned that will hopefully speed the construction and installation of the second frame and may even get this project nearly complete by the end of the week.  Stay tuned.” - Gordon

“During every trip to VOH, the teams take a couple hours to go out into the neighboring village to deliver large grocery bags of staple foods to certain families. These families stand out amongst the poverty for their needs but also for their efforts to provide for themselves. The Block family and some of their staff have been building relationships with these families before any of the VOH children arrived to the children's home. 

We got to visit eight homes with varying family structures. One is a 16-year-old girl and her 12-year-old sister taking care of their very sickly and extremely petite five-year-old sister. Papa is working out in the fields for extended periods of time, and Mama works who knows where. They couldn't say. These three seem to be alone a lot.

Another house consists of Grandma and several of her 25 grandkids. She asked us to pray for one of her son's work.

The nicest home we went to is a plain cinderblock room with some beds and a TV. The two-year-old twins were completely fixated by the Nick Jr programming and cried when Mom tried to get them to turn around for a quick family photo. Some things seem to be universal.

Everyone asked for good health. They seem to not have much access to care, even though a pharmacy is just across the street. The menu of drugs and their prices are printed on a vinyl sign and hung on the cinderblock walls for all to see.

Pharmacies seem to be some of the only storefronts here that focus on one or two categories of product. Other shops are little hallways with roll-up doors that sell everything from fruit to chips to diapers to clothes. You never know what store will have what!

I'm told Guatemalans tend to shop one day at a time. They see how much money they have that day and pick up enough to get through the day. The pre-planned supermarket run for a two-week inventory apparently wouldn't work out here.

One of our Guatemalan team leaders and I enjoyed talking about the various architecture and lifestyles we observed on our food delivery. He is dating an American missionary and has heard a lot about American cultures. He happily answered my questions about contrasting American and Guatemalan economic status and tourism, etc. There's not much division between the poor and wealthy homes here. They seem rather intermixed. Also, he said that San Lucas seems to attract middle-aged Americans and Canadians who want a little more quiet, suburban, retirement spot.

On this trip and my first trip last March, nothing surprised or shocked me. I have seen plenty of photos of shacks and muddy kids with holey shirts, etc, from all around the non-Western world. Stopping by for a few minutes at these huts is not enough time for spoiled me to truly put myself in their shoes - their scuffed up, dusty shoes. I cannot imagine the daily ins and outs of living with five other people on a dust floor the size of a large walk-in closet. I just can't.

This being my second time on the food delivery trek, it was good to see that two of the families have been able to start construction on new homes on the weekends. Just scanning around the properties, I couldn't tell if anything else had changed. That's what struck me. What means of improvement are there? What hope is there for a healthier, easier life?

I tried to put myself in the place of the girls who rarely see their parents and sleep with no locks or other protection. I tried to imagine being married to an alcoholic and carrying the burdens of my family alone.

The most emotional scenario I pondered was that of Yessica. She's probably been written about a lot on this blog over the years. She is bound to a VOH-provided wheelchair. She can move her face and head in a limited manner, but that's it. She can't hold it up straight, so everything is seen from an awkward angle. Her life is sitting in a dirt lot day in and day out. I don't know if her sisters take her out for walks or what. Every time our team visits her family, she's in that little spot between her house and the neighbors'. We asked her sisters to spin the chair around so she could see us. Her whole face lit up, and she let out a happy wail. We could spend only about five minutes with her, praying over her and listening to bit of her story as team members recalled what the Blocks had told them. Were we the most exciting thing to happen to Yessica all week? What a depressing thought.

As we reflected tonight in group conversation over our visit, we landed on the plight of Yessica as well. A sigh and then silence hung in the air. I didn't know what to say. Thankfully, Gordon spoke up. He said that in moments like these, it is comforting to think about eternity. This life, no matter the quality of it, is temporary. We weren't meant to be here long. As creations made in God's image, we are meant for heaven, where there is no pain or physical limit. Heaven, God's full presence away from the world's sin and curse, is our true home and our most certain hope.

I don't know why Yessica must live in that body and in that economic condition. I don't know why I am completely able and in middle-class America. I can only be thankful for what I have, do what I can for others, and trust that God knows what He's doing where he places us. My earthly comforts are only extra bonuses while here, but, as an eternal creature, my only real hope is heaven as well. Yessica and I are equal in our spiritual needs and united eternally in this way.” - Linda

Day 3 - Tuesday

Tonight we are going to let some pictures share our experience here in Guatemala. The kids were away at the beach so our time was primarily spent on our work projects and times of prayer. The families, including the children, at Village of Hope have prepared index cards with prayer requests for us. We can sign-up for an hour time slot to step away from the day's activities and devote ourselves to prayer. And we would also like to share a devotional that Edd prepared for us on our first full day here at Village of Hope.

sometimes you do what you have to do...

... or you borrow the ladder from the bunk bed for a stepstool

 custom-order bench seat by Edd

 solar panel frame welding by Gordon

Al taping and mudding sheetrock for the new school

Mark and Thomas excavating and backfilling at the new school

you find the funniest things in the showers in Guatemala

lunch at Pollo Campero

reading prayer requests

Life in Guatemala...

Guatemala Devotional

Colossians 2: 8: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy, by human deceit, according to human tradition, according to the  elemental spirits of this world, and not according to Christ.”

Intro:

Being literally thousands of miles away from home, with much of what is familiar and comfortable to me beyond my reach, and I am forced to confront my conception of reality in fresh and humbling ways. When I think about “reality”, I think about the fact that as human beings we are meaning makers, all of us; we don’t merely live in a kind of brutish relationship to the stuff of existence. Rather, it seems that we are wired to ascribe significance and purpose to even the smallest details that inform for each of us the arc of life. From the petty remark of a stranger, to the political intrigues of whole nations, we constantly seek for reasons, and in this quest we construct for ourselves a prism through which we make sense of the world. Made in the image of God, one way in which we manifest this divine imprint of meaning making is by interpreting and signifying our lived experiences, and it’s in this way that culture happens. But what is culture? Perhaps a good metaphor for culture is to think about a caterpillar’s cocoon: It is from we ourselves that the shape and substance of culture (the cocoon) comes, yet within its dome we find ourselves transformed by it.

The bad news about culture is that, like every other domain of the human project, man-made culture is disordered, having been subjected to futility when our first parents rebelled against God. But the good news is that, like every domain under the sovereign control of almighty God, as the father redeems for his own possession a people from every nation, tribe and tongue, the promise of culture rightly ordered, becomes part of the hope of the new creation.

Point 1: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy…”

When Paul writes to members of the church at Colossae, warning them to guard against being taken captive by philosophy, it’s in the nature of the case that such captivity can only happen with our willing participation. The phrase that Paul uses, “takes you captive”, transliterated means to lead away as booty or spoil; chiefly to seduce.

Coming to a place like Village of Hope, I become conscious of myself laboring to “get used to things” that, frankly, confront my desire to have my life “just so”. For a whole week I don’t get to have the foods that I prefer to eat (I left all my assorted hot sauces at home), my daily exercise routines will be replaced for the week with honest manual labor, and for a week I have to say goodnight to my best friend from a separate bunk. Now, might any of my whining constitute the rudiments of captivity to philosophy that Paul talks about? You bet. I’ve been fascinated by man-made philosophical formulations pretty much my whole adult life, and whether the vicious mole is idealism, existentialism, post-structuralism... whatever the –ism, at the heart of the philosophical impulse is a little totem that I like to call the prerogative of my own inclining; and I find that when we are not resisting its seductive influence this idol persuades us with the most elegant reasons to think that the motive and cue for all of life can be resolved with little more than a hot meal and a bowl of ice cream. In other words, when we consider those of whom Paul spoke when writing to the church at Philippi, we are warned when he tells how for “enemies of the cross of Christ, their end is their destruction, their god is their belly, they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things (3: 19). Such are the appetites and ends of all man-made philosophy.

Point 2: “...by human deceit…”

Human deceit is pretty tricky. Like the god of my belly, I find that I will likely fall prey to deception by feeding myself with a little nudge. For example, let’s think of how it feels to be wrong. Would you say embarrassed? Humiliated? Remorseful? But wait. The question itself is a trick that can only be successfully played on you with your help. Notice, I didn’t ask you how it feels to have been shown that you’ve been wrong, or to have the spectacle of your error put on display in front of the entire class. No, I only asked how it feels to BE wrong. In point of fact, it feels exactly the same as the way it feels to be right. The intoxicating conceit that often accompanies the feeling that we are the smartest or the most righteous person in the room is usually a pretty heady trip that results in a crash landing, unless of course we wish to park in logical cul-de-sacs with people like Friedrich Nietzsche who once said, "there are no facts, only interpretations". But feeling wrong and confessing sin are not fruit that grow on the same tree, nor are feeling right and being the righteousness of Christ two conditions that are born of the same Spirit. However right or wrong I may feel, if I arrogate to myself the power to observe all of life  through the lens of my own jaundiced eye, without taking every thought captive to the lordship of Jesus Christ, among which is the FACT I live in a real world that everywhere displays real truth and real consequence, I should expect to descend into the same kind of madness that ultimately destroyed the real life of one Friedrich Nietzsche.

Point 3: “...according to human tradition…”

Human tradition fits like a custom-made suit--when that tradition is our own. It just feels right, and when our stuff--I mean, our way of speaking, our style of dress, our taste in music or food, the games we like to play, the manner in which we prefer to worship, the features of our culture--becomes the stuff against which we weigh everybody else’s stuff, how funny it is that we inevitably find their stuff wanting. When we exchange right worship of the true and living God for the idolatry of our traditions, our culture, our way of life, etc., we offend Him who made us, and we insult the brother who bears the divine imprimatur. When we  dress our own traditions in the noble toga of words like “normal” or” right”, while the traditions of others we regard as at best “exotic”, and at worst not just a little “weird” or just plain “wrong” we make ourselves aliens to those who are most like us, and strangers to the one who put on flesh and dwelt among us. But like culture, our traditions, and those of others, are expressions of our shared existence since the Fall, and as such lie within the pathos and promise of the father’s plan of redemption.

Final Point: “...according to the elemental spirits of this world…”

Again, the prospect of spending the week at Village of Hope, Guatemala forces within me a confrontation with myself. Coming to a place where the simple mandate to love with unselfconscious and unreserved sacrifice demands the spiritual maturity to know that I, as yet, know nothing--at least, I possess no knowledge as I ought to, if I suppose by the rood of my own righteousness or armed with my own powers of reason that I may somehow raise myself on hind legs to dialog with my maker as His moral equal. In back of the enormity of the work which God has prepared for me to do, and behind the dignity to be restored to lives to whom the kingdom belongs, there stands the God who dwells in unapproachable light before whom, like Job, I must say “Behold, I am of small account what shall I answer you? I lay  my hand over my mouth (40: 4).” It’s like in the movie, Cool Hand Luke, when Luke, a Vietnam vet whose life has stalled, displays a supposedly “righteous” disregard for all forms of authority by initially cutting the heads off of parking meters, all the powers of earth and heaven coalesce in the person of Boss Keen, the prison warden, to achieve the singular goal of breaking Luke’s will, so that he “gets his mind right.”

Well, I’m not Luke with the cool hand, and no earthly or heavenly purpose hinges upon me getting my mind right. Paul’s reference to the elemental spirits of this world reminds me that Augustine was in his right mind when he said that God has made us for himself, and our heart is forever restless until it finds its rest in Him. Paul’s language  recalls the elemental spirits of this world as “first things” or that which first appears. How wretchedly easy it is for me, when fixating on those things which first appear before my gaze, to pontificate from a dubious perch about what I think God is doing in the world, when to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with my God is more than enough reality to get me through my nights of Gethsemane.

Conclusion: “...and not according to Christ…”

Paul ends his admonition to us with the reminder that our spiritual compass points true north only when our lives are pointing to Christ. All our  ways and reasons, all our presuppositions and prerogatives must be reckoned according to Jesus Christ as the cause and context of reality. Culture, identity, and all of life’s purposes find their significance according to Christ. According to Christ, we love one another as we love ourselves, and according to Christ we must do his work in the world as heralds of the gospel, and as agents of His mercy and grace.

Day 2 - Monday

Initial Guatemala Thoughts by Al Anderson

Despite the general poverty, I find Guatemala to be, in many ways, a beautiful place.  Of course,  if you are not especially fond of the sound of dogs barking and roosters crowing at all hours of the day and night it might not be your idea of paradise on earth, but sometimes these sounds are drowned out by the more inspiring sounds of birds, and everything is lush and green. On our way around the Village of Hope I’ve seen many houses that are “cute” and “charming” and that many Americans would be pleased to live in.  In fact, one would think this a very pleasant place to be except that all the nice houses are surrounded by block walls ten-feet high topped by razor wire, which does cause one to hesitate a little. Barred windows look normal in the flats of Oakland, but seem incongruous out in the countryside amidst lush greenery.

One might think of Guatemala as being somewhat primitive, but it is modern and sophisticated

in many ways—it has Walmarts, and Shell Stations, and McDonald’s, and all the twenty-somethings stare at their cell phones just like at home. Gordon said that the local hardware store was incredibly well stocked with everything he needed, including the power saw he wanted to get. The only distinction between it and an American hardware store were the two armed guards, who had enough extra ammo wrapped around them to fend off a small army. One hopes this is simply a deterrent and not a necessity.

The Village of Hope is at an elevation of greater that 6,000 feet, so even though we are in the tropics the temperature is pleasant.  The humidity is fairly high, but the temperature is the low to mid 70’s, so it feels no hotter than 80 or so at the hottest point of the day—it’s probably as pleasant as being in Hawaii, at least now during the dry season. When the sun goes down it cools off into the 60’s, but you can still walk around in a T-shirt. At sunrise it is cold enough that you want to wear a sweatshirt or a jacket, but it only takes a couple of hours to warm up again.

The kids at Village Hope have come from difficult backgrounds, but when they’re out doing games they are exactly like kids everywhere else, and do a lot of laughing and have a lot of fun. We organized a water balloon toss today, followed by a full-on water balloon war. One teenage girl was kind enough to slam a particularly large water balloon right into my back when I wasn’t looking, and I’m still wet as I type this, but it did make me feel right at home. I also should give a shout-out to Kelsey and Thomas, who filled most of the water balloons while Mark and I ineptly attempted to keep up with them. Kelsey and Thomas appear to be naturally efficient and skilled engineers, while the Andersons appear to be…well, something else.

There are girls here of all ages, but the oldest boy is 9. They’re all very likable. One of the house fathers gets dressed up every Sunday to preach here at Village of Hope, and so, despite the fact that the kids generally wear T-shirts, one boy insists on wearing a button-down shirt to emulate his father. I thought that was nice.

You may wonder how we can put on games without being able to speak Spanish (in my case), but they have great translators here. One of the translators, Miguel, only here a week, but I’ve already made him suffer through explaining a few fairly complicated games, but he has been a very good sport.

There will be no games tomorrow as the children are making a 3-hour trek to the beach (a first for many of the kids), and so even I will have to focus entirely on work tomorrow, sad though that may be.  I can’t even get out of work by pretending to “supervise,” because every other adult male here is the “supervisor” type. Oh, well.

That’s all for now. Pray that we all stay in good health, and perhaps I will be inspired (or, like tonight, ordered by Christine) to provide a further update later in the week. - Al

A Trip to the Store

The first order of the day before starting on the construction of the solar panel mounts was a parts run to the local hardware store to pick up material and tools.  While a run to the hardware store was a normal evolution for any home improvement project back in the states, I did not know what to expect in this land.  

A driver had been assigned to get me to the store so that I could make sure to get the correct tools since you never know what will get lost in translation. As we left the compound, we embarked on a short trip which was littered with strange contrasts.  Just outside of the gates, we  started on what some might term as a road but was really just rock pressed down into the mud which was now dry and bumpy with ruts.  After a quarter of mile, the road transitioned to a paved road bordered by an almost perfect curb that was recently painted yellow and would follow us all the way into town.  The curb separated a well groomed road, interrupted periodically by speed bumps, from a wide array of borders to homes that lie behind.  Some are concrete walls, some corrugated metal and some are just a group of trees planted in a row and joined wire to make a fence.  There was a stairway of three steps that disappeared into the dirt from an access long since abandoned.

Traveling down the road, you pass a variety of signs advertising various businesses inviting you to stop:  a steak house, tortillas, TV repair, none of which look to be ongoing concerns but there are enough people congregating around them to confirm that they are still in business.  Businesses appear to crop up where ever people can find room, not necessarily in any particular business district, totally unfamiliar coming from the States.  People walk along the road and share equal access with the cramped two lanes of cars and since there are no sidewalks, cars just swerve around people walking on their side and where enough people and cars come together, creates a single lane bridge scenario which seems to be the norm for all the local drivers.

As you close in on the village, you are struck by the number of people who are sweeping.  Sweeping paved roads, store fronts and even dirt roads, it is almost a national past time.  Are they all employed, are they just keeping busy, it is hard to tell?  The road changes from the two lane rural road bound by curbs to a congested, thinning, byway that seems to be equal parts roadway and walkway with increasing competition between its occupants.  The businesses change from freestanding chance buildings to rows of connected building with shops operating out of rollup door store fronts.  The is no real signage, just what is exposed as the doors are opened.  Forget seeing any store brands that you are familiar with, no chains to be found here.  The contents of the stores seem amazingly similar from what you can see driving by.  Candy and quick grab food seems to be everywhere, an occasional one will be cooking fresh tamales or tortillas out front and then you will see the odd one with shovels or pet food bins.  There is not real theme to the collection, you must know where the store is you want as there is not one area where it would most likely be.

Finally, we arrive at the hardware store which is past the connected building market that we just went through.  This one is larger and unlike most everything we passed, has room to drive your car in to pick up your materials.  You are greeted by a parking attendant who is trying to manage the limited space for the shoppers arriving. He is different than what you might expect, wearing military boots with tucked pants, a tactical vest and toting a 12-gauge shotgun with a full ammo belt, a strange picture for directing cars where to park.  The store was surprisingly well-stocked with many items that we would find in the state.  DeWalt, Black and Decker, many familiar brands of tools are readily available.  The counter person is dressed in company uniform and looks up your hardware requests on a computer and immediately tells you how many they have.  Once the order was complete, you move to the window to pay before being handed off to the next window which has a dispersing clerk to collect you wares from the back room.  All said, the store had all seven items that we went there for and we were on our way back home in less than 45 minutes, something I thought might be record time in Guatemala.

The trip home was the same path as the one getting there, the one other thing that jumped out at me was the number of animals, particularly dogs, that seem to share the road with the cars and people.  It is pretty obvious that many of the dogs are not as well cared for as the dogs at Village of Hope.  There is probably a waiting list for dogs to get into VOH and I think the dogs inside know it. - Gordon

“So, some days you spend the morning in your bed, staring at the wall, waiting for illness to pass.  In that, God used me to pray for kids instead of paint bedrooms.  For those who might worry (other than my husband and parents), Gatorade and saltines have restored me to a quiet tummy and complete dinner.  Feeling well enough to check on those who were working hard, I found great progress in the wood shop, welding area, and house painting.  We also had a great time playing with the kids and water balloons-- some things need NO translation!” - Suzanne

new green paint

before

bathroom one after

bathroom two after

“A group of us were tasked with painting one of the Casa 1 kids’ rooms. It was challenging mostly due to the tight quarters — painting around 3 bunkbeds requires some body contortion — and trying to only get paint on the walls. Two coats of green later we succeeded. Mostly. Some of the paint ended up on the usual places (hair, clothes) and some ended up on the bottom of someone’s feet — decided to go barefoot while climbing on the top bunks, and a good bit of paint ended up on the tarp dropcloth. Oh well. Went through lots of “wipe” (pronounced “why-pay”) shredded "rags" to clean up drops. It was a good day’s work and it is certainly satisfying to see the completed project.” —Neil

Day 1 - Sunday

I will start with an important correction to my previous post. It was not crocodile, it was alligator. And the brave souls were…Edd, Suzanne, and Linda.

Here are some reflections on our day from several team members…

“It's a joy to wake up to unusual bird calls, dogs barking and roosters crowing -- noises of the neighborhood around Village of Hope.  Eventually there are the sounds of music and children in the mix.  Vibrant colors and terra-cotta, jasmine and cooking smells confirm that we are not in Cali any more.  There is great delight in greeting old friends and meeting new ones -- the shy recognition of kids that we have seen before and questions about those who are no longer here.  We can trust that their time here has provided the needed healing and placement for them to have a better life than they had before living here because Christ's love is evident in every corner.  For many kids who are new, we can pray with the confidence of having seen transformed lives that they will heal and learn to trust others and Christ in the months ahead.

We went on the usual tour of the expanded grounds, which now include an adjacent property with schoolrooms on the ground floor and a second story being built.  There is room for a large garden and plans for a church building on the lot, too.  Moving the classrooms out of the building in the middle of the campus that was partitioned for classrooms has restored that to a large, very usable gathering space. The men spent the afternoon planning the solar panel brackets and school desks that are to be built this week.  The rest of the team spent time with the kids hearing and acting out the story of Joseph and his brothers, making crafts (stamped leather bracelets and string art cards), and playing games (sharks and minnows and bounce dodge ball).

A warm, beautiful, sunny day.  Such a treat for our waterlogged NorCal bones!” -Suzy

“Today the men started to look at the work projects that we are hoping to complete this week; solar panels, constructing three kids’ desks for school, and some other small projects. Gordon and Neil started discussing the best way to create the framing for the roof of one of the houses. Gordon is welding the frames and is excellent at developing solutions for projects like these. Neil is an engineer and it was really something to watch them working through a solution. Gordon created some extensive drawings. 

If you were ever in school and thought that you would never use the math you were learning, you are so wrong. Andy and Edd started on construction of three kids desks’ for school. We started copying an existing model and came to the realization that it takes a long time to do this when you do not do it for a living. More to come as we get further into these projects, we really need God’s grace.” - Andy

“We had a great time making leather bracelets today. There were a few who had made leather bracelets last year along with those doing this craft for the first time. Everyone jumped right in -- stamping their names, smoothing the edges, attaching snaps, dyeing the leather, and conditioning the leather. One common denominator -- they all are proud of their creation regardless of whether the letters were straight or crooked, or even occasionally sideways. 

A few older girls continued crafting after the main group left, and demonstrated artistic ability. Who knows, maybe a few of the older girls will continue making crafts with leather after we leave. It could be a way for them to develop skills while also creating crafts to raise money for VOH...

Overall, it was (hopefully) a time for the kids to enjoy working on a craft that takes many steps and requires planning and care, but results in a rewarding finished product. For these kids who have been through very difficult life experiences, we hope it is encouraging to them to create something unique using the abilities God has given them.” - Neil

“A big thank you to everyone who donated to our trip!! Wednesday night I posted a donations needs list to Facebook, and by Thursday evening I was turning away extras! I brought at least 70 pounds of clothes with me to donate to the kids and staff of VOH. Every member of our team brought as much as they could as well.

The enthusiasm has been so encouraging! Even in the airport, someone wanted to give! During our layover in Texas, Suzy, Ed and I ate at a restaurant decorated for Mardi Gras. After our meal, the hostess at the exit offered me a plastic necklace. I usually have no interest in such style but thought maybe one of the VOH kids would want one. Suzy commented, “Well, if you’re going to bring one, you need to bring 30” on her way out. The girl wanted to know what we’re up to. Once I told her, she insisted that she run to the kitchen and pull out 29 more necklaces! I did manage to squeeze them into my backpack.

Today, I had the privilege of leading the Bible lesson. Last year, Debbie Carroll taught an overview of Joseph’s life from his enslavement to the reunion with his brothers. The story became real to me when I listened to Debbie tell it in the same room as someone who has also been sold into slavery. I wanted to review it with the kids and get into more of the details. Genesis elaborates on the interactions between Joseph and his brothers significantly. I told the kids that we’re putting on a theatrical production and need to cast the brothers and their families. Each brother received a necklace with his name taped to it. To try to keep the kids engaged, I had them move back and forth between Canaan and Egypt as Joseph’s brothers had. I cast some of the older girls to play the bigger roles. One girl pretended to hide and cry as many times as Joseph did. Another acted as Jacob too old and blind to make it to Egypt without the help of ten five-year-olds. Pharaoh received lots of extra necklaces and eventually passed some on to Joseph along with the prison release and promotion to be his personal sidekick. 

We had fun with the herding of kids and passing of necklaces, but I really wanted to show the kids that Joseph sustained a lot of pain from his family. I wanted them to see that God empowered him to forgive them and recognize that God had redeemed his situation. Joseph’s great success and rise from slave to second-in-command was God’s provision for not just Joseph, but his undeserving brothers as well. Joseph trusted God to have a good plan, even when others seemed to be in control of his destiny.” - Linda

Travel Day

Thank you for your prayers! After an uneventful day of travel it is good to be at Village of Hope. It is a peaceful evening as we all get settled in to our rooms. The air is cool, filled with the fragrance of flowers, and in the background we here the familiar sounds of dogs barking.

We had our usual layover in Dallas where we all had a leisurely lunch. Now the choices for lunch have become somewhat of a joke -- some like fried food while others prefer leafy greens. But this trip a few team members decided to add another category. Can you guess who had crocodile for lunch??

Tomorrow we will tour the grounds, meet the families, and prayer for the ministry. In the afternoon the guys will get started on their projects and some of us will spend time with the kids here at VOH.

We look forward to sharing our week with you. Please feel free to leave a comment for the team!

Christine

Continuing Our Ministry Partnership in Guatemala

Another team is headed to Village of Hope in Guatemala, tomorrow. This ministry, headed by Todd and Amy Block, provides a family-based setting for orphans and teenage moms with special needs or recovering from abuse. By providing a Biblical foundation, Christian house parents, life skills, education, and medical care, VOH gives these children and teenage moms an opportunity to become healthy, happy adults who will be able to fulfill their God-given purpose.

We will be doing preparatory work for the installation of solar panels, repainting and decorating bedrooms and bathrooms in one of the family homes, taking the families on a special outing to the beach, and enjoying a time of crafts and games. We will also spend time in outreach to the surrounding community by delivering basic school supplies and food packages, and visiting and encouraging families who the Blocks are sharing the gospel with.

Please pray for our team in the following ways:

1. Unity, joy, and flexibility as we work throughout the week;

2. Opportunities to speak God's words of encouragement, truth, love, and hope to those we encounter;

2. Safety and wisdom in our travels;

3.  God's care of our families at home, as many of us have challenging situations here.

We will try to post a daily blog, pictures, and prayer needs. It's a great encouragement to us to have you read and comment on the blog.

Thanks so much,

Al, Mark, Linda, Gordon, Neil, Christine, Kelsey, Thomas, Andy, Edd, and Suzy