Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Break-In
Yesterday I went to Guatemala City to drop off a friend at the airport. I stayed the night there, because it had been a long week and I didn't feel up to driving another 3 hours. So I figured I would just settle in at a friend's house, and do some work I needed to catch up on, on my computer. So this morning at about 10, I got a phone call from a friend of mine, who lives up the road from my house, saying that he passed by twice this morning and my front door was open. "Hm, weird" I thought. I thought that it might be the owners doing some work at the house or something, so I called her and asked her if she knew if someone was working there. She said no, but that she would go and check it out. About 15 minutes later I got a call from her saying that my house had been broken into, and that the door to my bedroom had been pried open with a crowbar. So, I immediately packed up and headed back to Zacapa.
At about 1 p.m. I arrived home, and slowly checked out the damage. They had taken almost everything of worth out of my bedroom.. a camera, an iPod, two cell phones, the church's projector, memory sticks, a usb port, some cash, about $250 in change I had been saving for about 3 years, some Audio Bibles (I hope they use them!), and other things that I am slowly realizing is no longer here. They also took other things, that I'm not sure WHY.. about 5 bars of soap, my half used stick of deodorant, half a tube of toothpaste, some medicine, some tools, ect. The weirdest thing is that they even went downstairs to eat some bread, and dig around in the fridge, leaving it open. They even used the bathroom (number 2!) and left it there! So it almost seems like it was a couple of them.
They also either took my dog, a German Shephard, or they let him out, so as not to bother them when they were here. So I need to find a new guard dog!
Well, the only thing that can be done now, is pray for the theif(ves) and pray that this was their last job. May God touch their hearts, through the Audio Bibles, or someway, so that they can realize that the road they are on leads to suffering, but that there is a better road, one that leads to eternal life! There is hope, even for them. For the sinners came Christ!
I want to ask all of you for your prayers. Things are getting worse and worse, and each day is getting more dangerous, but that doesn't mean that the Word of God has to stop being spread. God can protect His own, and with your prayers, He will protect us! Pray for peace in my heart, that I can always remember the verse Matthew 10:28 - Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. God is my strong tower, and even if they take my things, I pray for strength to keep on keeping on. Christ suffered a lot more than I will ever suffer! So pray for strength to hold my head up high, and keep putting one foot in front of the other, in His love and care!! Thanks so much!
At about 1 p.m. I arrived home, and slowly checked out the damage. They had taken almost everything of worth out of my bedroom.. a camera, an iPod, two cell phones, the church's projector, memory sticks, a usb port, some cash, about $250 in change I had been saving for about 3 years, some Audio Bibles (I hope they use them!), and other things that I am slowly realizing is no longer here. They also took other things, that I'm not sure WHY.. about 5 bars of soap, my half used stick of deodorant, half a tube of toothpaste, some medicine, some tools, ect. The weirdest thing is that they even went downstairs to eat some bread, and dig around in the fridge, leaving it open. They even used the bathroom (number 2!) and left it there! So it almost seems like it was a couple of them.
They also either took my dog, a German Shephard, or they let him out, so as not to bother them when they were here. So I need to find a new guard dog!Well, the only thing that can be done now, is pray for the theif(ves) and pray that this was their last job. May God touch their hearts, through the Audio Bibles, or someway, so that they can realize that the road they are on leads to suffering, but that there is a better road, one that leads to eternal life! There is hope, even for them. For the sinners came Christ!
I want to ask all of you for your prayers. Things are getting worse and worse, and each day is getting more dangerous, but that doesn't mean that the Word of God has to stop being spread. God can protect His own, and with your prayers, He will protect us! Pray for peace in my heart, that I can always remember the verse Matthew 10:28 - Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. God is my strong tower, and even if they take my things, I pray for strength to keep on keeping on. Christ suffered a lot more than I will ever suffer! So pray for strength to hold my head up high, and keep putting one foot in front of the other, in His love and care!! Thanks so much!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Start of Juan Ponce Church Construction
On the week of April the 13th we took the first steps on the construction of the church in Juan Ponce, Zacapa. Praise God!! We have had a great couple weeks working out there! I love learning different ways to build and I love working alongside the locals! It's awesome. And a little sunshine is always good (even though I can't go 10 seconds without sweating when it's 100+ outside!). Thank God for the time, money, and stength to start the construction! We plan on building this church in phases, as the money comes in. The church members will be starting 
some fundraising and collections to get the local community helping with the cost of constuction as well.Our church has been visiting this village for many years now, but there as not been a building to gather in. Over all these years, all of the services have been held in a variety of homes. The people in this village are very down-to-earth and level-headed people. So it will be a joy to work with and help to organize the founding of an actual church organization and body, and be a part of what God has started, and is continuing to do here in this village.
Please pray for this church, this community, for the unity amonst the village people, that God provides funds and working hands to raise up this building as a place to worship, and to bring Christ to this community! I will post again on this when there are changes.You can see pictures from the construction so far, by clicking HERE.
There is a youth group coming down in June, mostly from NC, MN, and WA (lead by Scott Niemitalo and Jay Wirkkala). They will spend a couple days working on the construction of this church as well, so that will be fun! I will update ya'll on this as things advance.
April Updates
Hey! It has been a long time since I have written in this blog, so I am going to try to catch up with a few posts. I will make different posts for different subjects.
I want to thank anyone who has been praying for me and this ministry here in Guatemala. Prayer is our most powerful tool and many times we forget to use it, or forget the power there is in prayer. So I really thank those of you who remember to take time to pray. If you want specifics, you can look at my Prayer Request post a few months back.
Check back, because within the next few days I hope to make a few posts! Thanks!
I want to thank anyone who has been praying for me and this ministry here in Guatemala. Prayer is our most powerful tool and many times we forget to use it, or forget the power there is in prayer. So I really thank those of you who remember to take time to pray. If you want specifics, you can look at my Prayer Request post a few months back.
Check back, because within the next few days I hope to make a few posts! Thanks!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sunday School Classes
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This entry is about our Sunday School classes in the Zacapa church. I just wanted to explain to anybody who is interested, what is going on, and how you can pray for us!
Our Sunday School class is Sunday morning at 9:30. Because of the fact that most of the kids live in a village 10 minutes from the church (in car), I go and pick them up for church. So once I have gone to the village to pick them up, we get to the church around 9:30. We start with all the kids together, we sing a few songs and say a prayer.. and then we split into the two age-groups.
We split the kids up into two groups, ages 0-9, and ages 10+. I am the teacher of the kids ages 10 and up, and Lynn Wirkkala and Doris Pinales are the teachers of the younger kids.
I usually have 7-12 students each Sunday.. mostly girls. It's really tough to get the guys to come, because here it's all about being a "tough guy"! The boys usually come until they get to about 7 or 8 years old, and then they would rather stay home and shoot their sling shots, or something "men" do. So it's really a cultural thing, and we need to try to change that! So hopefully with prayer and invitations, some older boys can start coming to class too. By the way, the same problem exists with the youth too. And even with the adult men and parents! So our church really has a lack of men in general.. pray for that!
My classroom is set up with two rectangle tables pushed together, to form a box, with me and the students sitting around it. That setup has worked really well for me.
Here is what we do each Sunday: First, we start with a prayer, with everyone holding hands in a circle (to encourage unity and working together as one). After that, each kid takes turns saying his/her memory verse from the week before. Once they have all had their turn, I write the new one on the white-board. They all copy the verse into a notebook that I got for them, and they bring the notebook home to study the verse. I am hoping that by bringing the notebook every Sunday, it helps them to get into the habit of bringing something to church, and hopefully that habit will help them to bring their Bibles in a future years! Some already do bring their Bible!. After the memory verse, we do a quick review of the story/lesson we learned the week before.
After the review, we go into the new lesson for the week. Usually, I base each lesson on a certain theme, and we cover that theme for a few weeks, using different Bible stories and verses from the Bible to help them to better understand. In the classroom I have a bunch of Bibles, so each lesson, the kids each grab one and look up the place where we are reading. Then, we go around the table, and each kid reads a verse or two, depending on the length of the story. This has REALLY helped them to open up a little, as well as learn how to use the Bible, and search for different passages.. I think that is really going to help them in the future. Even though some of the kids don't read very well, almost always they will try to push the verse out.. and once in a while there is a kid who can't read at all, which is fine! They just listen. And that is also where the visual really helps them.
After the reading of the Bible, I try to always do something hand's-on, or visual (I have a white-board in my room, so I use that to draw or to explain things). Here in Guatemala, and I believe in most parts of the world, including the US, the kids learn best through visual and hands on lessons. So I try to involve something like that in each lesson. I have used rocks, play-doe, branches, dirt, flower seeds, and a bunch of other things, just to have them touch and feel and to try to make the lesson a little more real to them. I find this is the best way to help the kids to learn.. and I think this method could be used even in the States, with great success! Kids DO learn best, hands-on. Of coarse there are always a few kids who still find it hard to pay attention and to really grasp the lesson, but I understand, seeing what kind of background and households that they come from. Most of their families really lack education, discipline, love, and Christian example. So, Lord willing, God can use us as a church to work in their lives and help them to be different, and new creations in Christ Jesus! May God work in each of their lives and hearts..
We end the class with everyone holding hands in a circle again, and this time, everyone takes their turn praying! This is where I have seen a huge change in the students. When we first started with the two different age groups, NONE of the kids in my class dared to pray out loud, saying "I don't know how", or "I can't pray". But now, PRAISE GOD, 90% of them do, and their prayers are AMAZING! Prayers for things like "help us not to fall into temptation", and "help us to be lights in school"! So they have come a long ways, in this aspect of the class.. and thank you LORD for that!
After class ends, we all go upstairs to be in the church service at 10:30.
On Monday nights of every other week, we are doing activities in the church with my class. We usually have a few songs, prayer, and then just fun stuff like games (with a Bible lesson tied in), cleanup, or whatever! The purpose is to build friendships and let them have some fun in church as well.
Every Sunday we do attendance. After about 3 months of taking attendance, whoever misses 3 Sundays or less, I take them on a special trip as a treat (we usually go to the pool, or water park.. something they NEVER do otherwise), and that encourages them to come every Sunday. So that has been great for them. Now, after almost a year of doing it this way, I know that all of the kids would come to class, whether we went on a trip like this or not, but it was a good way to get them into the rhythm of coming to church every Sunday (although it's still a little random attendance by a few). But we still do the outings because it is great for the kids to go out and enjoy some things they could never do otherwise, and it also helps to build relationships and friendships amongst their fellow church mates, on a personal and friendly level, not just on a 'at church' level. If you get what I mean.... :)
Our biggest problem with the kids is that 90% of their parents don't come to church! So we have a ton of kids, but no parents to watch them and keep them in line... at times it gets a little cRaZy! For the most part, the older class sits alright in the church service, but with the little kids, it's tough to get them to sit still.. again, understandable considering their upbringing and malnutrition. So please pray for God to work through us, and through the kids, to bring the parents to church as well! If all the parents came too, that would greatly increase the number of members in our church! It would be amazing. Lord willing, some day it will be like that!
As I mentioned in my YOUTH GROUP post, we are just starting to train and work in the youth group into teaching the Sunday School. They are all really anxious to start helping and serving the church in that way! So we had our first meeting with them last week, and laid down some ground rules and regulations. All agreed, and so we will be starting to work them into our scheduling starting this week! They will each go through a few sundays with the current teachers, learning from us how we do it, and then, Lord willing, help to teach soon! With more heads and brains, we will get all kinds of fresh ideas and energy in the classrooms, which I believe will help the kids to want to come and listen and learn! So pray for the youth and their involvement as well!
We are also currently ripping down all the old stucco from the walls of the sunday school room in the basement of the church. It has been repainted about 30 times over the years, and now each time it is painted, the paint starts peeling and falling off within a few weeks, and the stucco was slowly falling off too.. So we decided to take it all off (it's a tough job!), and then re-stucco the walls, and repaint, to create a fresh, new atmosphere for the kids.
We also hope to use the freshly re-done room for youth group, and HOPEFULLY furnish it with some decent chairs and maybe even a couch, to make it more embracing and homey :o) It will be great to have a room set aside for the youth like that, were we can have a white board for teaching, a tac-board for announcements and schedules, and tables for gatherings and meetings or whatever. I can't wait!
So, there you have it! That's where we are at with the kids in our church. Thanks for caring and reading until the end of this huge post! Please pray for the kids, that God would really work in their hearts to help them understand, behave, and WANT to keep coming and learning, and even work in the church in the near future! It's a blessing to work with them, and I love them all to pieces.. gracias.
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This entry is about our Sunday School classes in the Zacapa church. I just wanted to explain to anybody who is interested, what is going on, and how you can pray for us!
Our Sunday School class is Sunday morning at 9:30. Because of the fact that most of the kids live in a village 10 minutes from the church (in car), I go and pick them up for church. So once I have gone to the village to pick them up, we get to the church around 9:30. We start with all the kids together, we sing a few songs and say a prayer.. and then we split into the two age-groups.
We split the kids up into two groups, ages 0-9, and ages 10+. I am the teacher of the kids ages 10 and up, and Lynn Wirkkala and Doris Pinales are the teachers of the younger kids.
I usually have 7-12 students each Sunday.. mostly girls. It's really tough to get the guys to come, because here it's all about being a "tough guy"! The boys usually come until they get to about 7 or 8 years old, and then they would rather stay home and shoot their sling shots, or something "men" do. So it's really a cultural thing, and we need to try to change that! So hopefully with prayer and invitations, some older boys can start coming to class too. By the way, the same problem exists with the youth too. And even with the adult men and parents! So our church really has a lack of men in general.. pray for that!
My classroom is set up with two rectangle tables pushed together, to form a box, with me and the students sitting around it. That setup has worked really well for me.
Here is what we do each Sunday: First, we start with a prayer, with everyone holding hands in a circle (to encourage unity and working together as one). After that, each kid takes turns saying his/her memory verse from the week before. Once they have all had their turn, I write the new one on the white-board. They all copy the verse into a notebook that I got for them, and they bring the notebook home to study the verse. I am hoping that by bringing the notebook every Sunday, it helps them to get into the habit of bringing something to church, and hopefully that habit will help them to bring their Bibles in a future years! Some already do bring their Bible!. After the memory verse, we do a quick review of the story/lesson we learned the week before.
After the review, we go into the new lesson for the week. Usually, I base each lesson on a certain theme, and we cover that theme for a few weeks, using different Bible stories and verses from the Bible to help them to better understand. In the classroom I have a bunch of Bibles, so each lesson, the kids each grab one and look up the place where we are reading. Then, we go around the table, and each kid reads a verse or two, depending on the length of the story. This has REALLY helped them to open up a little, as well as learn how to use the Bible, and search for different passages.. I think that is really going to help them in the future. Even though some of the kids don't read very well, almost always they will try to push the verse out.. and once in a while there is a kid who can't read at all, which is fine! They just listen. And that is also where the visual really helps them.
After the reading of the Bible, I try to always do something hand's-on, or visual (I have a white-board in my room, so I use that to draw or to explain things). Here in Guatemala, and I believe in most parts of the world, including the US, the kids learn best through visual and hands on lessons. So I try to involve something like that in each lesson. I have used rocks, play-doe, branches, dirt, flower seeds, and a bunch of other things, just to have them touch and feel and to try to make the lesson a little more real to them. I find this is the best way to help the kids to learn.. and I think this method could be used even in the States, with great success! Kids DO learn best, hands-on. Of coarse there are always a few kids who still find it hard to pay attention and to really grasp the lesson, but I understand, seeing what kind of background and households that they come from. Most of their families really lack education, discipline, love, and Christian example. So, Lord willing, God can use us as a church to work in their lives and help them to be different, and new creations in Christ Jesus! May God work in each of their lives and hearts..
We end the class with everyone holding hands in a circle again, and this time, everyone takes their turn praying! This is where I have seen a huge change in the students. When we first started with the two different age groups, NONE of the kids in my class dared to pray out loud, saying "I don't know how", or "I can't pray". But now, PRAISE GOD, 90% of them do, and their prayers are AMAZING! Prayers for things like "help us not to fall into temptation", and "help us to be lights in school"! So they have come a long ways, in this aspect of the class.. and thank you LORD for that!
After class ends, we all go upstairs to be in the church service at 10:30.
On Monday nights of every other week, we are doing activities in the church with my class. We usually have a few songs, prayer, and then just fun stuff like games (with a Bible lesson tied in), cleanup, or whatever! The purpose is to build friendships and let them have some fun in church as well.
Every Sunday we do attendance. After about 3 months of taking attendance, whoever misses 3 Sundays or less, I take them on a special trip as a treat (we usually go to the pool, or water park.. something they NEVER do otherwise), and that encourages them to come every Sunday. So that has been great for them. Now, after almost a year of doing it this way, I know that all of the kids would come to class, whether we went on a trip like this or not, but it was a good way to get them into the rhythm of coming to church every Sunday (although it's still a little random attendance by a few). But we still do the outings because it is great for the kids to go out and enjoy some things they could never do otherwise, and it also helps to build relationships and friendships amongst their fellow church mates, on a personal and friendly level, not just on a 'at church' level. If you get what I mean.... :)
Our biggest problem with the kids is that 90% of their parents don't come to church! So we have a ton of kids, but no parents to watch them and keep them in line... at times it gets a little cRaZy! For the most part, the older class sits alright in the church service, but with the little kids, it's tough to get them to sit still.. again, understandable considering their upbringing and malnutrition. So please pray for God to work through us, and through the kids, to bring the parents to church as well! If all the parents came too, that would greatly increase the number of members in our church! It would be amazing. Lord willing, some day it will be like that!As I mentioned in my YOUTH GROUP post, we are just starting to train and work in the youth group into teaching the Sunday School. They are all really anxious to start helping and serving the church in that way! So we had our first meeting with them last week, and laid down some ground rules and regulations. All agreed, and so we will be starting to work them into our scheduling starting this week! They will each go through a few sundays with the current teachers, learning from us how we do it, and then, Lord willing, help to teach soon! With more heads and brains, we will get all kinds of fresh ideas and energy in the classrooms, which I believe will help the kids to want to come and listen and learn! So pray for the youth and their involvement as well!
We are also currently ripping down all the old stucco from the walls of the sunday school room in the basement of the church. It has been repainted about 30 times over the years, and now each time it is painted, the paint starts peeling and falling off within a few weeks, and the stucco was slowly falling off too.. So we decided to take it all off (it's a tough job!), and then re-stucco the walls, and repaint, to create a fresh, new atmosphere for the kids.We also hope to use the freshly re-done room for youth group, and HOPEFULLY furnish it with some decent chairs and maybe even a couch, to make it more embracing and homey :o) It will be great to have a room set aside for the youth like that, were we can have a white board for teaching, a tac-board for announcements and schedules, and tables for gatherings and meetings or whatever. I can't wait!
So, there you have it! That's where we are at with the kids in our church. Thanks for caring and reading until the end of this huge post! Please pray for the kids, that God would really work in their hearts to help them understand, behave, and WANT to keep coming and learning, and even work in the church in the near future! It's a blessing to work with them, and I love them all to pieces.. gracias.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Youth Group
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Sunday evenings is youth group with our small church here in Zacapa. I am so excited on how youth group has been going! Our normal attendance is 6-12 kids. All of them are excited to be there, and to learn more about their Savior Jesus Christ! It is such a blessing to see the fire in their eyes and the desire to learn. Our church here has never had a youth group or much of anything for the youth before, so this is something new for them. And because of the lack of activity amongst the youth, when the kids become teenagers, they begin to look to other sources for fun and friendships, because of lack of activity for them in the church. But praise God that He has opened the door, and things are slowly moving forward! At first, everyone was shy, and didn't say much. But now, slowly but surely, everyone is starting to open up more, to answer questions, and ASK questions as well. The most exciting part is that they are almost all willing to share their thoughts, and even help lead some of the gatherings! We have started a system where each week, a group of 2 or 3 of the youth get together to plan each weeks session. So each month, EVERYONE gets the oportunity to prepare and share their thoughts and what they studied during the week. And we have found this is building friendships, and helping them to start standing up as leaders, as the youth are getting together even during the week to talk about and plan what they are going to talk about on Sunday. This is very exciting for me, because my hope and goal is that one day, if all the Americans pull out of Zacapa, that the church keeps growing and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ! It will not happen without leaders, so it gives me JOY to see that they are all starting to want to be an active part in the church!
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Just last Friday we also spoke with them about teaching the Sunday School. We are going to try involving them in also teaching the sunday school classes, and helping with special activities, to help them along in become active leaders and teachers in the church. The more they are involved, the more they will feel a part, and have a strong desire to keep studying God's Word, and sharing what Christ has done with them, with others. Our church is REALLY lacking leaders, and praise God that He is raising some up now! I eventually want to phase out my spot as a Sunday School teacher of the older kids, over to someone/or a group of someone's who will take interest in each students life, and spend time preparing and reading God's Word to bring the message to them. So please pray for our youth! God has been working powerfully in their hearts and lives, and I believe that God will use them all mightely for His kingdom! Pray for God to give them strength, and to give us all guidance as to where and what He wants us to do as individuals and as a body! Gracias.
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Sunday evenings is youth group with our small church here in Zacapa. I am so excited on how youth group has been going! Our normal attendance is 6-12 kids. All of them are excited to be there, and to learn more about their Savior Jesus Christ! It is such a blessing to see the fire in their eyes and the desire to learn. Our church here has never had a youth group or much of anything for the youth before, so this is something new for them. And because of the lack of activity amongst the youth, when the kids become teenagers, they begin to look to other sources for fun and friendships, because of lack of activity for them in the church. But praise God that He has opened the door, and things are slowly moving forward! At first, everyone was shy, and didn't say much. But now, slowly but surely, everyone is starting to open up more, to answer questions, and ASK questions as well. The most exciting part is that they are almost all willing to share their thoughts, and even help lead some of the gatherings! We have started a system where each week, a group of 2 or 3 of the youth get together to plan each weeks session. So each month, EVERYONE gets the oportunity to prepare and share their thoughts and what they studied during the week. And we have found this is building friendships, and helping them to start standing up as leaders, as the youth are getting together even during the week to talk about and plan what they are going to talk about on Sunday. This is very exciting for me, because my hope and goal is that one day, if all the Americans pull out of Zacapa, that the church keeps growing and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ! It will not happen without leaders, so it gives me JOY to see that they are all starting to want to be an active part in the church!
.
Just last Friday we also spoke with them about teaching the Sunday School. We are going to try involving them in also teaching the sunday school classes, and helping with special activities, to help them along in become active leaders and teachers in the church. The more they are involved, the more they will feel a part, and have a strong desire to keep studying God's Word, and sharing what Christ has done with them, with others. Our church is REALLY lacking leaders, and praise God that He is raising some up now! I eventually want to phase out my spot as a Sunday School teacher of the older kids, over to someone/or a group of someone's who will take interest in each students life, and spend time preparing and reading God's Word to bring the message to them. So please pray for our youth! God has been working powerfully in their hearts and lives, and I believe that God will use them all mightely for His kingdom! Pray for God to give them strength, and to give us all guidance as to where and what He wants us to do as individuals and as a body! Gracias.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Backpacks for Orphans
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This afternoon I had the opportunity to deliver backpacks to an orphanage in Zacapa. There are around 80 kids there, of all ages. The orphanage only had 33 backpacks for the 72 students for this new school year. Their school year is from January to October, and their "summer" vacation is part of October, November and December. So anyways, I had gotten two donations from friends in the States, and they both said to use it in an orphanage, or to help children in some way. So, I went to this orphanage to ask what they needed most. After some thought and debating, they decided backpacks were the most urgent need, being that the school year was just starting and most of the kids didn't have one. So, I went to work, trying to do some bargain shopping. With $200 I was able to buy 45 backpacks for the kids! So they ended up with a couple extra's, for new kids that come into the orphanage, or when one of the bags gets wrecked. So, thank you, those who donated, and THANK YOU, Lord for providing this oportunity to shine your love and light to these children.
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This afternoon I had the opportunity to deliver backpacks to an orphanage in Zacapa. There are around 80 kids there, of all ages. The orphanage only had 33 backpacks for the 72 students for this new school year. Their school year is from January to October, and their "summer" vacation is part of October, November and December. So anyways, I had gotten two donations from friends in the States, and they both said to use it in an orphanage, or to help children in some way. So, I went to this orphanage to ask what they needed most. After some thought and debating, they decided backpacks were the most urgent need, being that the school year was just starting and most of the kids didn't have one. So, I went to work, trying to do some bargain shopping. With $200 I was able to buy 45 backpacks for the kids! So they ended up with a couple extra's, for new kids that come into the orphanage, or when one of the bags gets wrecked. So, thank you, those who donated, and THANK YOU, Lord for providing this oportunity to shine your love and light to these children.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Guatemala City
Good evening! Today we had a super day! A group from the States is here (some left this morning), and we have had a great week. But for now, I will just tell you about our day today.
This morning we went to the cemetery in Guatemala City. The place is amazingly huge, and it looks like a mini-city. There we spent an hour with the children who either work at, or who's parents work at the cemetery. There are a few different jobs there, some of which are: planting flowers for the people who pay, doing cement work on the graves (all the graves are above ground, they do not bury the dead, but put them in a cement box above ground), painting graves, cleaning the garbage, ect. So a lot of these children go and basically live at the cemetery every day. Well, a friend of mine from the City started a ministry there, reaching out to these poor children who spend their days in the graveyard. They have a group ranging from 30-70 kids, each Saturday that they do the activity! So I was able to participate in this activity for the first time, and it was wonderful. You can see some pictures by clicking HERE.
After that, we ran straight to an activity in another part of Guatemala City, set up by Little Lambs International, for the Day Care that we are going to be opening in May of this year (Lord Willing). The activity was to basically be an announcing of our future plans for a Day Care so that the parents can start to fill in applications for their children. You can read a little bit more about the plans for the Day Care at www.littlelambs-intl.org. Anyways, we had a great few hours there with the parents and kids, with the air-filled trampalines, music, games, and contests for prizes. You can see pictures from this activity by clicking HERE.
We ended the day with a meeting about the orphanage and day care, so it was a busy, but exciting day, and a blessing to be working in the Lord's Kingdom! Thank you all for your prayers and support.
This morning we went to the cemetery in Guatemala City. The place is amazingly huge, and it looks like a mini-city. There we spent an hour with the children who either work at, or who's parents work at the cemetery. There are a few different jobs there, some of which are: planting flowers for the people who pay, doing cement work on the graves (all the graves are above ground, they do not bury the dead, but put them in a cement box above ground), painting graves, cleaning the garbage, ect. So a lot of these children go and basically live at the cemetery every day. Well, a friend of mine from the City started a ministry there, reaching out to these poor children who spend their days in the graveyard. They have a group ranging from 30-70 kids, each Saturday that they do the activity! So I was able to participate in this activity for the first time, and it was wonderful. You can see some pictures by clicking HERE.
After that, we ran straight to an activity in another part of Guatemala City, set up by Little Lambs International, for the Day Care that we are going to be opening in May of this year (Lord Willing). The activity was to basically be an announcing of our future plans for a Day Care so that the parents can start to fill in applications for their children. You can read a little bit more about the plans for the Day Care at www.littlelambs-intl.org. Anyways, we had a great few hours there with the parents and kids, with the air-filled trampalines, music, games, and contests for prizes. You can see pictures from this activity by clicking HERE.
We ended the day with a meeting about the orphanage and day care, so it was a busy, but exciting day, and a blessing to be working in the Lord's Kingdom! Thank you all for your prayers and support.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Confirmation 2008
Tom Lappi and his wife Lori arrived in Guatemala on December 11th, two years after moving away, back to OR. They had lived in Zacapa for 6 months in 2006, and were overjoyed to be back to their home away from home! They were back for 15 days, during which time Tom was to teach a Bible/Confirmation class.
They were the perfect couple to come and teach the class, being that Tom speaks Spanish VERY well, and tought 95% of the class himself, in Spanish! So that was a huge blessing for the students, to not have to listen through a translator.
We had a wonderful week of class, and the following Sunday, we had the confirmation, with 13 first time "graduates", and a handful of people already confirmed, that had attended all week with a desire to learn more. To see pictures from the confirmation class, you can CLICK HERE.
During the week, we also visited a village up in the mountain for a small service, and a few small villages around Zacapa, for house visits and small gatherings. In the Zacapa church, we had a Christmas activity where the Sunday School classes and youth group did a small Christmas program with Christmas Carols and Bible reading, and a message by Tom.
On Saturday the 20th, we attended a Christmas activity in Jalapa, where, together with a group of friends from Guatemala City, we distributed 200 shoe boxes full of Christmas gifts, delivered from the USA. Tom also had the opportunity to share a short message with the crowd of 250 adults and children, and after, we did a few songs with the children. So we had a busy, but very blessed week! To see pictures from the activity, CLICK HERE.
Tom and Lorri then ended their trip (and spent Christmas) in Antigua, a beautiful city, the old capital of Guatemala. I want to say THANK YOU to both of them, for their time, love, and for a great week, full of great lessons and blessings!! May God bless both of you!
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