wise men still seek Him

“There have been 30 billion people on the planet from the beginning of time. Very few have affected human history. But, Jesus Christ has attracted a combination of criticism, opposition, devotion and attention over every recorded word He spoke. His word has been sifted, interpreted, and analyzed from every age of history by theologians, philosophers, and historians. While I talk, millions study what He said. There is no moment where someone is not talking of Him. Jesus, 2,000 years ago, preached and taught in a little area of Israel and yet divided world history by B.C. and A.D. More books are written about Him than any other person in history. Jesus never wrote any poems or had a sculpture made of Himself, but His life is the impetus for art, music, film, etc. He never raised an army, yet millions lay down their lives for Him. He never traveled far from His little area, yet His influence is worldwide. He never spoke to more than a few thousand people, yet 30% of the world claim to be His followers. His ministry lasted only 3 years, yet today, by radio, TV, internet, and printed literature, His word goes around the world. He had no formal education, yet thousands of seminaries, colleges, and schools teach His teachings and are built in His name. No one can claim to be educated who can say he does not know who Jesus Christ is and what He did. Jesus had more affect on mankind than any other man or race that ever existed. No one has had the influence He has had. To explain Him is impossible. To ignore Him is disastrous. To reject Him is fatal. My speech is too limited to define Him, my mind too small to comprehend Him, my heart is inadequate to fully contain this one called Jesus.” -John Blanchard

May you and your loved ones take the time to remember the reason for the season!  Merry Christmas!

a little rest and relaxation

So much has happened since my last post, but due to the lack of internet access at the camp, I have unfortunately been unable to update the blog. I will slowly be back dating entries for each week of camp as I have time.

Currently I am in Guatemala City getting ready for church with Rita, Oswal, and Jael. We came to their house Friday morning to recuperate and do laundry. I am grateful that we did so because I got food poisoning Friday afternoon and spent a lot of the time resting in bed. We took it easy around the house Saturday afternoon, and that evening we went to Marcelo's house to celebrate Monica's 40^th birthday which isn't a big birthday in Guatemala. They made Argentine sausage and the cake was delicious with dulce de leche between the layers. Unfortunately, I could not eat too much of it.

Everything is going great at the camp. It is such a blessing to see so many lives impacted and the passion that the staff has to serve the Lord. The language barrier is a challenge for me as there is often not a translator and my Spanish is fairly poor. Thankfully, there are several staff members that speak English, but those conversations are few and far between. Please begin praying now for my language acquisition in Haiti. I have been taking language courses and hope that it is helpful when I make it to the country. Also, please pray for the campers this week. It is our 2^nd teen week with 370 campers! Last week we had 215! There are not even enough beds for everyone to sleep on and the kitchen is not large enough to feed that many at one time. Thankfully this is a laid back culture and everyone just takes it as it comes. Pray for safety and lives changed. I will post pictures as time (and internet access allows).

happy thanksgiving!!!

I have always found that celebrating American holidays in another country makes the holiday even more special. I reflected today back on the 4^th of July that I spent in China. Because there were so many Americans there, they already had a party planned at the missionaries house, but it was still so much fun having the Chinese dress up and celebrate along side us.

Today Landon informed Marcelo that since it was an American holiday, the gringos were not going to work, but rather take a trip to the beach, and I wasn't going to complain! It was a miracle that we were even able to go. Landon was supposed to drive the bus back to the city this afternoon to drop off kids from the past week of camp, but after a night of fighting food poisoning and a trip to the ER, he spent the morning sleeping. We made the decision to go, changed, and were in the car headed to the beach by 4pm.

On the way, we made plans for our Thanksgiving dinner that we would prepare tonight. Landon stopped at one store and bought 3lbs of shrimp for them to hold until we got back from the beach and then we parked to catch our boat.

An entire boat ride costs about 50 quetzales one-way, which is divided between all the people on the boat (about $6 for the boat, or about 25 cents per person). A bus of locals just filled up the last boat when we arrived, so unfortunately we had to take a whole boat ourselves, but Landon was able to talk the price down to 30 quetzales.

We took about a 5 minute ride across the sound to get to the island where the beach was. The trees floated on the water by their roots, much like the photos of trees you see in the Amazon. People on the island were busy working in their stores along the road making tortillas and selling sodas and medicines. And the beach... I don't think words can describe just how beautiful it was. I'd never been to the Pacific or a black sand beach, so that just added to the experience. Check it out below:

On the way back to camp, we stopped at several stores to purchase extra supplies for our Thanksgiving dinner: butterfly shrimp, mashed potatoes, and deviled eggs. It was delicious and so much fun to celebrate together with a few of the staff members! Happy Thanksgiving!

children's camp... nov. 21 - 25

I love camp ministry. It is such an evident example of how each part of the body of Christ can work together to make something so beautiful and perfect. Each person's contribution is valuable to the overall program.

This week we spent 3 days and 4 nights with kids from all over Guatemala enjoying the sunshine, swimming in the pool, playing games, and learning about Jesus. The kids were excited and full of energy, and the staff did an excellent job of keeping up!

The week started with several choreographed performances by the “Sonrisas” in addition to a clear presentation of the gospel. We had a slumber party one night where everyone wore their pajamas, played games in the auditorium, had a pillow fight, and ended the evening with the movie, “A Bug's Life.” Another night we had a camp fire, and Oswal forgot the marshmallows :( Our last evening was cowboy night, and we enjoyed a delicious dinner of meat and mashed potatoes, and the kids received their awards for games and the winning team.

Enjoy the photos below:

Juan Fer and his sister (professional singer) singing at the camp fire

a camper and staff at one obstacle in the Extreme games

Meme and Kike in their sombreros at the pool games

all of the campers and staff and the end of the Extreme games

Marcelo presenting camper awards for the week

staff awards

all of the vaqueros (cowboys) taking down the bad guys

the staff passing food down the serving line to feed the campers

a few of my favorite campers of the week

adios Guatemala City!

It has been a pleasure to live in Marcelo and Gabby's house the last few days. I was a little worried the first day initially because I was told that Gabby would be there to pick me up at 9, but at 11:30, I was still sitting by myself at the house with no cell phone numbers or way to contact anyone. Fortunately, Gabby showed up just when I was about to start panicking. Ends up they spent extra time cleaning the house for me :) I love it!

That afternoon was spent working in the office with Suzie cutting out foam letters to decorate one wall at the camp. The camp theme this summer has to do with technology because it seems to be big here in Guatemala. Their slogan is iKmp (“I camp,” like iPod), and Suzie wanted it cut out in different fonts. I had so much fun and cut it out probably 15 different ways. Here are a few:

Thursday was tourist day! We went to Antigua, an old city known for it's architecture. It was beautiful, as you can see from the pictures below!

Well, we're about to hit the road. Updates from camp will be coming as soon as possible. Please be praying for us!

a gringo is coming!

Gringo – a U.S. citizen; generated when the U.S. invaded Mexico wearing green uniforms, and the people shouted at them "Green Go [Home];” no longer considered a derogatory term

I am in the process of moving to Marcelo and Gabby's house for a few days before leaving for camp. Oswal, Rita, and Jael left for Belize this morning with Oscar and Monica. I am staying in the city because a “Gringo” is coming! I am so excited, but only know her name (Katie) and that she speaks English :)

The past few days have been filled with camp preparation and running errands. We went to the market on Monday to pick up some items for Melanie's “Quince Anos” (15^th Birthday). I thought we were going to buy butterfly decorations, but it ends up that the invitation design was changed completely. Not even sure if there were butterflies on it! The market that we visited is 3-stories underground in the middle of the city. We spent most of our time on the bottom floor, which is the craft section. People design and make hand-made products that you can personalize. The second floor is filled with fruits and vegetables of a variety of colors. Gabby bought everyone some fruit, so I got a big chunk of pineapple to snack on. I also got really excited to find what I thought were a variety of lychees (fruit that I had in China). Although they taste the same, a little research on the internet helped me to discover that I was actually eating a rambutan, meaning “hairy fruit.” I think I like them more because they are so fun looking!

I've been putting my teacher and sewing skills to work the last few days as well. The camp has installed a human-sized foosball court, and I got the privilege of sewing the yellow team's uniforms. After intimidation by the industrial-sized machine and a broken belt on Rita's, I finally completed the task on the camp sewing machine (only after a few battles following an improperly threaded machine). We've also been cutting letters and smiley faces out of foam for games and the stage. I will include pictures as soon as they are put to use.

Living in a different country has become a humbling process. Knowing how to do something in the states is not the same as knowing how to do it in another country, and it can be challenging to ask for help. Thus far I have learned that I do not know how to do a load of laundry (I can't get the water to run), sew on a sewing machine (I'm still not sure if I had it correctly threaded yesterday), and wash dishes (Have you ever seen dish soap that looks like this?).

Still, it is a joy to learn as part of the process of serving. “He must become greater, I must become less.” John 3:30

¿qué es esto en español?

(What is this in Spanish?)  This has become my most used phrase thus far on the trip.  In an attempt to not become frustrated with my lack of Spanish on the trip, Jael is teaching me Spanish words and I'm teaching her English (by the way, she's 5).  Otherwise, I am completely lost in conversation and have no idea what's going on.

Since we are still in the city, I am getting a good feel of everyday Guatemalan life.  The food is amazing!  Rita is a wonderful cook!  We've had frijoles, guacamole, and Guatemalan enchiladas and hamburgers to name a few.  I must bring some recipes back to the states!

Marcelo's daughter, Melanie, will be celebrating her "quince anos" (15th birthday) in January, and anyone familiar with Latin American culture, knows how big of a deal it is.  We went to look at invitations yesterday, and tomorrow we are going to the market to pick up butterfly decorations.  I wish I could post pictures of her dress, but she's getting it sized.  Literally, this is like wedding preparation!

Yesterday, I helped Jael and Rita put up the Christmas tree.  There's no waiting until after Thanksgiving here in Guatemala because they don't celebrate Thanksgiving.  Plus, with camp season approaching, if we didn't get it up now, they wouldn't be able to put it up until a few days before Christmas.  No worries, though... we managed to put it up the same day the huge tree was put up in downtown Guatemala City.  Fireworks continued well into the night (With as many as I've seen here, I would think I was still in China).  I was even woken to the sound of fireworks this morning thinking they were still celebrating.  Actually, families set them off for birthdays as well!

Not much longer until camp starts (a week from tomorrow).  I'm still unsure if I will be in Belize this week or not, but for the time being, we are getting some work done around the house.  As you can see from the picture below, we painted the livingroom and will work on the hallway tomorrow.  I had to promise Oswal that I would not post my most recent picture taken of him, but you may notice he's not pictured in the painting photo.  Sunday afternoon futbol, go figure! :)

I hope all is well back in the states.  Please pray for Landon, my friend that is a full-time missionary here in Guatemala.  His grandfather passed away over the weekend, so he is flying back home for a few days for the funeral and then coming back here in time for the camp season to start.  Thank you again for your kind words and prayers.  I will do my best to continue to keep everyone updated!

"hola from Guatemala!"

After 3 separate flights, I safely arrived in the country about 36 hours ago and have been busy ever since!  I am currently staying with Oswald, Rita, and Jael in Guatemala City.  They are a sweet family that work at the camp which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive away.  Word of Life was supposed to have a VBS camp this week, but plans fell through, so a lot of the men are building games on the camp property while the women and youth are preparing for camp at the office in the city.  I got the pleasure of meeting a group of the youth this morning that work at the camp.  They were preparing choreography to a song for an evening chapel, but paused momentarily for a picture:

This evening we went to Jael's school to see her surprise end of the year performance.  School performances are nothing like what they are in the states.  From the video below, you can see how much time goes into preparation with the choreography, props, fireworks, confetti, etc.  Jael loves to dance, especially ballet, so I was grateful to see her perform live this evening.

After the presentation, we went to Marcelo's house to celebrate his birthday.  He is the director of Word of Life Guatemala, and is in charge of the camp ministry.  His house was full of friends and family in celebration of the special occasion.  All of the food was delicious!

Unique things of the day:

-I was awoken to the sound of "Dora Explorer."  It seems they have the same show, just in Spanish teaching English :)

-In Guatemala, there are at least 5 different "birthday" songs you sing before cutting the cake.  I think I lost count!

-There is a possibility that I may get to go to Belize for 3 days.  Word of Life is starting Bible Camps in the country, and will be sending a few individuals from Guatemala to get things rolling next week.  Lord willing, I may get to travel 12 hours north through the beautiful country of Guatemala into Belize.

"do you like to move?"

That was the question Lawrence asked as we were loading the trailer yesterday morning to move all of my furniture. I instantly laughed and asked, “Who likes to move?” But the more I pondered the question throughout the morning, the more I realized that I do like to move. Now don't get me wrong, packing is an utter nightmare. Trying to arrange a time to work with everyone's schedule can be frustrating. But moving means change. New things are coming. Adventure is on the horizon. And I am so excited!

 

A special thanks to everyone who assisted with the move yesterday morning, specifically Nehemiah's Few ministry from Triad. Also, thanks to Bethany Smith for taking everything (and Danny and Kaitlyn Connel for the table and chairs)! For those of you that don't know the story about the move, it's pretty amazing in and of itself. Bethany's parents are missionaries to Canada, and she had made the decision to move to Winston to be closer to her boyfriend, sister, brother-in-law, and new niece, Shira. Anyone who has ever moved to their first place knows the frustration of getting all the necessities. One Sunday evening Bethany was talking to her sister, Amanda, on the phone about everything that she needed, and trying to not get discouraged.

 

At the same time, I was trying to get word out that I was looking for storage for my furniture. I mentioned it in small groups, Sunday School, to friends and family, etc., and finally, out of desperation, I posted on Facebook that I needed storage one Sunday evening. 12 minutes later, Amanda had responded back that Bethany would take it all. She had randomly signed on to Facebook after getting off the phone with Bethany, saw my message that I had just posted, and called Bethany back before making the decision for her. She said she would take everything except the table and chairs, because she had just purchased that... Not a problem, just the day before Kaitlyn and Danny decided they would take mine, so it wasn't even available! Two prayers answered in one!

have you girded your loins?

I imagine this may be a funny phrase to those of you unfamiliar with it. In Roman times, it meant to pull the loose hem of your tunic/robe between your legs and tuck it into your belt so that you could move faster since it would not be in the way as you fought in battle. Many time in the Old Testament, individuals were instructed to gird their loins, but two specifically stick out to me. The first comes in Exodus as Moses and Aaron are confronting Pharaoh about granting the Israelite people freedom from the oppression of the Egyptians (Exodus 12). Just as the Israelites are preparing to celebrate Passover, God tells Aaron and Moses to instruct the people to gird themselves during the meal and eat in haste. Basically, be prepared to leave immediately because something is about to happen and you will need to move quickly.

The second time we see the phrase “gird your loins” is in the story of Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-37). A Shunammite woman could tell that Elisha was a man of God as he passed through her town, so she made a place of rest for him in her home. Because of her kindness, God blessed her and her husband with a son. Years later, the son became sick and died, and the woman went to Elisha. As soon as he heard the news, he instructed his servant, Gehazi, to gird his loins and go immediately to where the boy's body was lying. He was informed to not even say “Hello” to anyone along the way.

We find in Ephesians that as followers of Christ we are also told to “gird our loins,” or in essence, be prepared at a moments notice to do what God has called us to do. I wish I could say that I was immediately ready to do what God called me to at a moments notice. My call to serve overseas has been a long process and I've been stubborn along the way, but I am thankful that the Lord has been gracious to me and shown patience more times than I deserve.

Is God calling you to do something that you should be preparing yourself for? It may not seem as sudden and dramatic as moving to another country, but it is just as big of a calling if God is behind it! Maybe it is starting a Bible study at your work, helping the neighbor next door in a time of need, sharing your faith with a lost friend, serving at a local ministry, etc. Whatever it is, are you girding your loins? Will you be ready at a moments notice to accomplish what God sets before you? I know I want to be, and it can only come by filling myself with the Truth of His word so I know how to live each and every day (Psalm 119:105).

my journey thus far...

As I look back over the last few months of my life, it's so exciting to see the journey God has brought me on and where He is leading me to go.  Many of you know my "story" already, but I will rewrite it for those who don't know.

For the last 2 years, it has been my prayer that if I was not doing what God wanted me to do (as far as teaching) that He would make it clear to me.  Big changes happened at the end of the last school year , and that helped me make the decision to step out in faith and follow God to do short-term overseas missions.  The switch from telling a parent at field day one morning of my plans to be back at the school to telling my administration that same afternoon that I would not be returning was actually a very easy decision because I confidently knew that I was in the will of God.  I watched as He planned the details of my week-long missions trip to Haiti over the summer, still unsure of exactly what I would be doing this school year.  Despite the unknown, I was completely at peace with my decision and knew that everything would fall into place in the Lord's timing.

Over the summer, I had looked into several different missions options, but really felt that my week trip to Haiti would have an impact on my decision.  I knew that I had no desire to teach children overseas and had no idea what my "skills" were that I could use aside from teaching; yet, God knew all along. 

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love to do crafty things.  Be it from teaching how to quilt and make jewelry, to sewing and crocheting baby gifts for friends who recently gave birth, I love being creative.  But, who, I wondered, would ever have a need of this on the missions field?

After returning from Haiti, I felt a burden for the people and really wanted to return, having no clue what I would do.  A distant relative, June, has been working with Medical Teams International in Haiti for the last 10 years making prosthetic limbs, and recently moved to Haiti for an extended time to assist the amputees since the earthquake.  I had kept in touch with her before my trip to Haiti to learn the "ins and outs" of what to expect, and continued to follow her through Facebook when I returned.  Well, to my excitement, in several of her photographs and captions she talked about an organization that was teaching sewing and crocheting to many of the patients in the hospital to give them a new way of life since many were immobilized after the earthquake.  I immediately contacted her for more information and she replied back that the organization, Centre Lumiere, offered a 4 year home economics training school in Haiti where students are taught the Bible, life skills, health and needlework and they could possibly use my assistance if interested.  June passed on my contact information to Olga in Haiti, and she called me within an hour, eager to talk about my skills and what I could assist in.  Out of curiosity during our conversation, Olga asked what I had previously done for a living, and when I told her that I was a teacher, she couldn't hide the excitement in her voice.  As I found out, Centre Lumiere, also has 4 schools that they have chartered but chose to close down after the earthquake for teacher enrichment because many were discouraged and needed more training.  I will also get to use my knowledge as a teacher to lead workshops on areas of classroom discipline, lesson planning, grading, parent-teacher communication, etc.  God is so good!

All that to say, I will be going overseas to Haiti for 6 months beginning in January, but not before a 5 week trip to Word of Life: Guatemala to assist with the camp program.  Words can not express how appreciative I am of your support thus far, and I ask that you continue to pray for the next leg of my journey.  The journey is not beginning now, it has been in process before I was even aware what God was doing... His plans are greater than ours! Psalm 139:15-16