Final Post

Computer Lab

Balloon a Time

Good morning, 

This will be our last post before returning to the states. Yesterday morning Paul and Dylan went to a local school to diagnose and fix some computers. They were successful and the school was appreciative of their services. Derek, Christina and Missy cleaned the house, hung up some decorations, and got the house ready for our departure. After another delicious lunch, we went to a church for an activity with the kids. About 180 kids showed up!!!! We made an obstacle course and they absolutely loved it. It was fun to see them guiding each other through the course blind-folded. After that we blocked off the street with cars and had everyone go outside for Human Foosball. We lined them up into 6 rows and they had to play soccer with their arms linked together like on a Foosball table. Last, Jon spoke to the kids about the armor of God, and we made them balloon swords to take home. It was an awesome evening and Pastor Jorge said that he spoke with some families there that he has never met before and they plan to start attending the church!!

 We currently on our way to Antigua to visit a textile museum/factory and visit the market. Tomorrow we are going to hike the hill in Antigua to the cross, and see the sunrise. Then it is off to the airport for a 1pm flight (3pm EST).

It has been an amazing trip. We are so thankful for our hosts Dylan and Missy. We are very proud of the progress of the SARF Ministry. God is doing awesome things here in Guatemala. Much thanks to Servants, Dylan, Missy, Jon, the future SARF teams to come, and you all who have supported us along the way.

John 3:17 "For God did not send his son into the world to condemn them, but to save the world through him. " 

So many Kids !!

Wednesday

Today was a great day. Dylan, Paul, and Derek got up early to help out with the church's CR program (Celebrate Recovery). This is a program designed to help men with their addiction to drugs and alcohol. Every Wednesday morning the church invites a group of men in for breakfast (some still feeling the effects from the night before). Drugs and alcohol have created a lot of problems and broken families here in Guatemala, so this group acts as a support system for their journey to sobriety. For the remainder of the morning, we went to the school to finish painting in the computer lab.

After lunch, we went back and installed conduit for the wiring for the computers. Construction projects are always interesting with 2 languages being spoken and 2 different cultures merging together. In one week school will be over for the year, so we will wait until the January team comes down to actually install the computers. That team should be excited for a beautifully painted room, in a school full of energy and excitement !!
It rained pretty heavily in the afternoon today, but that didn't stop us from accomplishing what we wanted to.

Tomorrow is our last day here in Villa Nueva. Paul and Dylan are going to do some computer work @ a different school, while Missy, Christina and Derek do some cleaning and small projects around the house. In the afternoon, we are going to a church for some activities with the kids. Possibly another obstacle course, some balloon animals, and some other fun activities. Then Friday it is off to Antigua , and Saturday is our day of travel.

We will be sad to have to leave our family and friends here in Guate. The week went by quickly like it always does, but that was expected.

Monday + Tuesday

We finally got to experience what SARFing is all about. Yesterday afternoon we went to Apolonia's house (one of the SARF families) to install a gutter and pipe.

Apolonia and her 3 daughters live on the side of the mountain in a tin structure. Whenever it rains (which is everyday during the rainy season) the water runs down the mountain, through her house, and erodes away the dirt floor. They try to collect the rain water off the roof to use for drinking, bathing, and cooking. We installed a gutter and down pipe to make it a lot easier to collect the water into plastic barrels for future use.



This morning, we went to a local school to start working on a computer lab for the kids.

Today was all painting, and tomorrow we are going to run the wires along the wall for the computers. The staff at the school is very excited to finally have a computer lab. We were told that kids who are educated have about a 40% chance of finding a reliable job, but if their education involves using a computer, that percentage jumps to over 90% !! Plus, all of these computers were donated, God is good ! We had a blast interacting with the kids and it is always fun to see how kids will be kids, no matter what country you are in.

A few other things-

We have been blessed to have a local Guatemalan, Diana, cooking wonderful meals for us each day. 

Everyday it rains for maybe 1-3 hours in the afternoon or evening.

The circus is in town, and literally right across the street from where we are staying. So everyday we get to hear obnoxious circus music, Michael Jackson, and "Barbie Girl".

Thank you all for your thought and prayers,

D+P+C

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday morning we started out a delicious breakfast, followed by a time of talking, sharing and devotions. In the morning we did some painting around the house and after lunch we helped out with a local VBS for kids. Paul, Christina, and Derek set up an obstacle course and had pairs of kids go through it with the first person blind-folded. The purpose was for the first person to trust the second person in guiding them through the course, just like we must trust Christ to guide us through life.

Today (Sunday) we went to Pastor Jorge's church in Linda Vista. It was awesome to a part of a local church service within the community that we will be working with later this week. After lunch we got a chance to visit the children's home for a few hours !! This was a total surprise to us and we were very excited to spend some time with old friends. For those who have been here before- They have begun digging out the foundation to the new comedor. After spending time with the kids, we came back home and had dinner with Jon, our fellow SARFer. We had a great evening enjoying each others company, and of course played some dice.

Tomorrow will be our first day of work. The 3 of us are excited to meet and work with the families that Dylan, Missy, and Jon have been SARFing with.

I promise to post some pictures soon once I figure out how.

Arrival

Hey guys,

We have arrived safe and sound in Villa Nueva. It has been a great evening relaxing and getting settled in with our wonderful hosts Dylan and Missy (and the puppy Cate). They were excited to see all of the goodies and supplies that we brought down for them from friends and family. And we are excited to see and hear all about the work they have been doing so far with SARF. We can already tell that this is going to be a great trip. Thank you for the thoughts and prayers, we will be posting some pictures hopefully tomorrow.

With Love from Guate,

Derek, Paul, and Christina

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Wednesday we touched up some painting in Dylan and Missy's house and then were able to hang out with some kids in Linda Vista. We were told there would be about 50 kids, but 150 showed up!

It was a fantastic afternoon of soccer tournaments and bracelet making. We were running out of supplies for the beaded bracelets that tell about salvation and there was a looooong line of kids waiting---needless to say The Lord provided and all the kids had a great time.

Thursday we made some final touches in Dylan and Missy's house and went back to Apalonia's house (where we couldn't finish Saturday because of the rain). We got finished just as the sun was going down--now she has a roof protecting her from the elements and can still collect the rainwater.

Friday was a day of rest in the nearby town of Antigua before we departed for the USA on Saturday. This trip was amazing not only because of the work we accomplished with the families but also the relationships that were built.

Please continue to pray for the SARF families and Dylan, Missy and Jon who work with them regularly.

Tuesday

Today, Tuesday, we continued painting Dylan and Missy's house in the morning. We are almost finished painting!

Aubree edging carefully.

Sam painting the bedroom.

Molly taping before we paint Dylan and Missy's living room.

Kasey taking charge of the bathroom.

Lee removing the tape, because we finished!!

After lunch, the team divided into two groups. Half of us stayed behind and continued to paint and the other half went to Emilia's house to fix her roof and added a wall for privacy in her bathroom. This house was similar to yesterday's house in that a lot of the floor was dirt, so the rain can cause quote a problem, especially because of the holes in the tin roof. Thankfully, we had the supplies to caulk the roof and make it more secure. Emilia and her son were also very grateful for the assistance and supplies we provided. Emilia said that she was at a loss for how to thank the team for all the help.

Kasey, Jon, Erik and Dylan adding beams to the house so the roof new section of room will be stable.

Sam and Esther adding the finishing touches on the bathroom.

Sam and Esther with a very grateful Emilia, after we fixed the holes in her roof.

Monday

Yesterday, Monday, was another great day or working and serving the people of Guatemala. The rain held off so that we could get a lot accomplished.

After breakfast and devotions, we got right to work painting in Missy and Dylan's house, so that their house feels more like home and they can spend their time serving families after our team leaves. We have a lot of skilled painters, so we got a lot done!

Then, after lunch we packed our materials and headed to Carmen's house to help make it  more livable for her, her son and daughter-in-law, and 4 grandchildren. After seeing her house, it was quite obvious that any help we can offer to make the house more stable would be much appreciated. Her kitchen only had 3 walls, so we added another wall and affixed a door that she can close to keep out the elements. We also patched holes in the tin roof and added an extension to the roof so that when it rains, the water doesn't run in the house.

Esther, Val and Aubree patching holes in the tin roof.

Dylan horsing around with the kids :)

The kids were excited about their new soccer ball!

Jon and Kasey cutting the tin sheets for the roof.

Kasey entertaining the kiddos with some balloon animals.

The team with Carmen's family.

Finally, we presented the family with a gift of school supplies and everyday food/necessities to help them out. The family said that the school supplies were especially helpful at the moment, as the kids in the family didn't have any. A major difference between schools in the United States and here in Guatemala is that if kids don't have the required school supplies and uniforms, they can't attend school. Needless to say, the family was very appreciative.

The team went to sleep pretty early, because we were pretty tired after such a great day!

Let the adventure begin!

Greetings from Villa Nueva, Guatemala!

The team arrived safe and sound on Friday evening. We settled in and prepared for work on Saturday with families in the community of Linda Vista.

The team had some great opportunities to see God at work in the community on Saturday. First, we were able to help with a bible school lesson and game time with some children from the community that Jon, a missionary with SARF, hosts every other Saturday. Let's just say that Erik made a fantastic Goliath, and fun times were had by all.  :)

In the afternoon the team worked with a single mother in the community with some work projects in her house. We also brought her a basket with some food necessities and toys for her children. We intended to fix her roofing, but the Lord had other plans and there was a torrential downpour. Instead, the team got to assist this mother in collecting the rainwater in 55 gallon drums so that she could use it later. This woman, who has a dirt floor and 4 children sleeping in one bed, rushed to be sure that we were dry and comfortable. Even though things did not turn out as planned, the team got the opportunity to get to know this family better by spending time with her and playing with her children.

To learn more about the SARF (serving at-risk families) ministry, click here:
http://www.servants.org/#/serving-at-risk-families

This morning, Sunday, we went to church in the nearby town of San Cristobol, called Fraternidad Cristiana de Guatemala. Even though they were in Spanish, we recognized some of the praise and worhsip songs! After that, we had lunch as a team and spent the afternoon at New Life Children's Home with the kids. Several of our team members got to connect and spend some meaningful time with children they sponsor, which really means a lot to both of them! Sam got to reconnect, both inside and outside of the children's home, with some children she met two years ago and that time was special for her.  Here is the link for New Life Children's Home, so you can see more about where we are staying:
http://www.nlch.net/

Check back often, as pictures will be posted :)

We are really excited to be sending our first official Serving at-risk Families (SARF) trip to Guatemala July 19th!  This team will be helping us set up our new ministry in Guatemala and will be working with some of our SARF families in the communities of Villa Nueva and Linda Vista.

Please join me in praying for our volunteers who will be serving!

Val Ludwig, Kasey & Esther Smith, Lee March, Aubree Davis, Molly Childress, Sam Andel, & Erik Bedwell.