Safe and Sound in Antigua

We have Wifi here, but only a phone for a connection. Just wanted parents and family to know we travelled well today and arrived in Antigua around 5:30. We are settled into our hotel and heading to bed as we have a full day of exploring ahead. Antigua began in 1567. Its history is evident in the 10x10 block area which is Antigua. We will be touring some ruins tomorrow morning, shopping in the market in the afternoon and heading to the airport by 3:30 am. We will see you soon.

Adios Tactic! Fondly Remembered, Forever Changed!

This morning we visitted Chixim Church, a prime example of syncretism as it exists in Guatemala. Chixim is home to an original Mayan altar. Not far from this altar stands a cross and in front of both of these is a Catholic Church. Many Guatemalans combine the faiths of witchcraft, Mayan worship and Catholicism in search of answers. We know the only true answers come from a relationship with Christ and as such, we spent time naming and praising the one true God within this place. Our time spent here not only opened our eyes to the need to fulfill the Great Commission, but also the need for us to identify and avoid the syncretism which pervades our own culture.

After our visit to Chixim, we travelled to an arabica coffee plantation. Our journey their was arduous and taxing due to the winding and poorly maintained roads. During our time here we were reminded of how little the people of Guatemala have. The owner of the plantation is a rich man in Guatemalan standards. His workers are also well paid; however as we travelled we met men and children carrying wood to town. These Guatemalans, which represent more than 80% of the population, make 30 quetzels/day. In Canadian funds, they earn roughly $3.50/day. For many, this wage must provide for 4-6 family members. It is overwhelming to think about our quest for more things while another part of the world struggles to just have enough.

After lunch, we returned to Purulha for our final day of VBS. It was our best day yet as well as our most attended. The children continued to bless us with their open arms and smiling faces. We have been truly touched by their generosity and kindness as well as their eagnerness to learn God's plans for them.

This evening we were blessed with Guatemalan hospitality and a churrasco meal. We enjoyed the barbecue meat and the opportunity to visit with the staff from Purulha. After supper we played soccer. This evening was a highlight for the team as we laughed and shared with our new friends. It was also bittersweet as we will be saying adios tomorrow morning as we pass through Purulha on our way to Antigua.

We are leaving the computer for Impact Ministries use. As such, depending on WiFi access in the hotel, this may be the last post we are able to do before we come home. Our plan is to be in Antigua by supper. We look forward to a walking tour and then a day touring ruins and shopping in the markets. It's hard to believe our 10 days are drawing to a close. We have learned so much and have so much more to share in person. Once again, we hope all who have been following our journey will join us at Regina Christian School gym for our sharing evening Tuesday, April 24th at 7:00 pm.

As you gather to pray for us, please pray for travel safety, general health and the transition home.

Started with a bang and ended with a bang

We began our day with a birthday party for Delia, a 15 year old Guatemalen girl. In the Guatemalan culture when a girl turns 15, the celebration is comparable to a wedding. Delia is an orphan and her elderly aunt who she lives with cannot afford any sort of party. With the help of Impact Ministries, Delia was able to celebrate her quince annos. Each team member bought a present for her and we ate cake and tamales at 8:00 am. As with Guatemalan custom, firecrackers were set off in honour of the birthday girl.

We then headed off to Chicoy and the sink hole. We climbed down a winding, muddy path to the bottom of the sink hole. The sink hole is a very popular site for witch practice and Mayan rituals. While we were down there, we sang, prayed and spoke out scripture. It was amazing to fill such a spiritually dark place with the Holy Spirit.

In the afternoon we did our VBS. We did a story, a skit, songs, crafts and games. The kids unanimously LOVE bubbles! It is pandemonium when we bring them out! The kids had a great time and the team loved just spending time with the kids.

Like the start of our day, we ended our day with a birthday celebration. We enjoyed eating cake and setting off firecrackers in honour of Luke's 17th birthday. The picture above is anoatemalan tradition. Luke chose the size of his piece in a rather unconventional and messy way.

It's hard to believe we have only one day left in Tactic. How do you leave a people who have been so giving, honest and open with us to return to a place where what we have often gets in the way of our relationships. This has been another impacting day.

O Dios Es Bueno! April 9th - it was too late to post last night

This morning was another early start. We had a good breakfast and headed out to begin our day with devotions at the Vida school in Tactic. We walked to the school at 7:15 alongside many Guatemalan children. They are all so friendly. Devotions were amazing. We were humbled once again by their eagerness to praise God despite their struggles. We were blessed to hear them sing to our God with a vibrancy and fervour we rarely see in our North American churches. After worship, they asked the team to join them at the front so the students could pray for us. As we bowed our heads a class of primary students came and wrapped their arms around our waists. They held on to us and prayed as their principal led them. I am certain each team member was touched by the love and kindness of these gentle children.

At the close of devotions we were told to line up for hugs. Students in grades one and two would be coming to us. Les tried to prepare us for their exuberance, but nothing can describe the feeling you get when a child who may have walked 1/2 an hour to get to school, been abused last night or even this morning, arrived hungry and unclean wraps their arms around you and squeezes as though they've known you all their life. Their faces glow as they give their love and ask for nothing in return but our love and tenderness as well. It was an emotional, but beautiful start to our day.

We left devotions and returned to our work site. We spent the morning hauling rocks to improve the driveway, burrying electrical cables and digging trenches for the sewer lines. As the Guatemalan workers were also on site, we didn't have enough tools for the entire team. As such many of us got down on our knees and worked the ground with our gloved hands. The team worked hard and enjoyed sharing their nutrition break with the workers and ending the morning with a fun game of soccer. After our work, we had lunch and were off to Purulha for our VBS.

Our first day of VBS went well. The school invited students in grades 2-5 to return in the afternoon for our program. We had about 70 students. We taught them a few songs and shared Christ's loving and protective nature through the parable of the lost sheep. After our teaching time, we did crafts, played games and let the children do some activities. The squeals of laughter were delightful as they played with the parachute and bubbles. It was wonderful to see our students playing, laughing, and talking with the Guatemalan children. Despite the cultural and language differences, the joy of a new relationship and the love of Christ was evident in the Purulha school yard.

Near the end of our program, Impact Ministries provided a cookie and juice for each child. Most of the kids quickly opened the package and began to eat what was likely the only food they would have the remainder of the day. However, at least one little boy stuck his in his pocket to share with his family at home. It was humbling to think we had already eaten two meals and were packing up to head to our third.

This evening we enjoyed a truly Guatemalan cultural experience. We are grateful that Edgar and his wife opened their home to us. We made our own supper - doblados. Some of us were better at it than others. We ate supper together, prayed for our host family and headed home for bed. We have another full day tomorrow with a team birthday, a 15th birthday party for an abandoned Guatemalan girl, school and home visits and another afternoon of VBS.

We value your prayers. Continue to pray for our time spent with the children at VBS. As well, please pray for digestive health and general well being.

Happy Easter!

This morning we joined with our brothers and sisters in Purulha for church. We enjoyed a great service. It is truly beautiful to see men, women and children worshipping the Lord with their whole hearts. The generosity of the Guatemalan people amazed us as well as they asked us to partake in tea and bread with them after this service. We know that their gift to us may mean that some of them will not eat another meal today.

We spent the afternoon in the market on a scavenger hunt. There was some good healthy competition and we had a lot of fun using our Spanish. Thank you Mrs. Nieblas for all your work with us. The Guatemalans are relational people. They laughed and greeted us as we ran through their market and tried to act out the words we didn't know. Some even helped "the Gringos" find the items on the list.

This evening we enjoyed the service at La Rio De Vida church in Tactic. The entire service was translated from Spanish to English. They welcomed us and we saw God's love and joy in all of them.

We are anticipating an early evening as we have a very full day tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers. Please pray for us as we return to our construction project in the morning and have our first day of VBS in the afternoon.

Greetings From Tactic

From Lisa:

Mom and Dad, I sincerely hope that you tell your new boarder that once I get home I will want my room back. Or else I will be wounded to the very depths of my soul. (I love you and miss you by the way. Muchly.)

Haleigh, I miss you too darling! My day isn't complete without our 1D attacks. I have some great stories to tell though! We have to hang out when I get back <3

Mackie, God has certainly shown me some amazing things so far. I apprieciate the prayers, and I will tell you all about my adventures when I get back <3

From Brittany S:

hello family, im having a great time! I love scott and haleys letter today!

From Brittany Nielsen:

Hey family! I love and miss you, thanks for the letters, im having a great time, ill see you soon!

From Katie:

HEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO! i miss everyone but i am having an amazing time!! love you all! I SAW HORSES TODAY!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

From Sophia:
To mrs.hepting or mr.smith, can you please email or talk to my momma and tell her to read the blog ! thank you sooooo much !!!!

From Brenda:
I miss you mom and dad and lulu. give lulu a hug and treat for me :) i'm having a great time!

From Taylor:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHONCHO! love you lots, wish I was there for your birthday, il have to bring you back a gift for your birthday ! hope ball is going good, guatemala is amazing, love all you guys, and remember the moon!

From Josh:
Hope you all are enjoying your break! we've seen a lot, and I'm enjoying guatemala soooooooooo much. Wish you could be here too!

I think I can I think I can I think I can - April 7th

We have had another great day. This morning we climbed into our vehicles and travelled to Chacalte to visit the village pastor. The roads to the village were steep, narrow and full of curves. Some areas of the road have been washed out from recent rains and large potholes and trenches are in the road. All of these roads need to be fixed by hand by the men of the local villages. In Chacalte we met a former village pastor and a current village pastor. They were happy to have visitors from Canada. They welcomed us to their homes and shared the story of their growing church. The church started with 5 believers and now has 45. As such they are in need of a new building. We were amazed to hear that the entire project could be completed with $2000 Canadian dollars. This amount to us is so reachable, yet for the people of Chacalte, they need God's provision as they really have little means. They are a hard working people who live off the land; therefore they don't have any means to earn money needed to purchase building supplies. After the home visit, they took us to their little church. We filled the room with our team and the few villagers who had gathered to see the Canadians.

Some of our team had a chance to climb their prayer mountain . The Guatemalan people pray so fervently. All team members have been both blessed and humbled to see the people be so grateful for the little they have. The pastor shared that the Chacalte church prays for Canada every Wednesday. We now know the hearts and needs of these people and know that when we return to Canada we will be praying for our brothers and sisters in Chacalte.

In the afternoon, we went to the hospital in Coban. It is the public hospital where the impoverished turn as a last resort. Many come too late to have medical intervention and as a result the hospital is seen as a place of death rather than a place of healing. The team had a chance to pray for each child and family in the pediatric ward. They were even able to give each child a small stuffed animal. Though we don't speak their language, the people and children were grateful not for the gift, but what the gift represented - our presence. After the pediatrics ward, we visitted the mother/baby unit and gave each family a layette. For most of us, the most difficult part of the day was being in the nursery and holding the abandoned babies. It is heart breaking to hold a one day unnamed child who has been left in the grass the night before. We have been challenged though to understand what must be in the hearts of the people who feel their child would be better cared for by someone other than themselves. We have also been humbled to think of how much we have taken for granted.

After the hospital visit we enjoyed local icecream and returned for supper and a quiet evening of debriefing and journalling. The team shared their hearts and the impact that the day had on them. The thoughts included about the day are little glimpses of what they shared. We hope you will join us for our sharing night as we have so much more to tell.

Thank you for continuing to pray. Please pray for the people we prayed for in the hospital. Many miracles have happened after team visits. Pray that the Great Physician ministers to these children's bodies and these family's hearts. Pray that the great work God has begun in the hearts of our team continues to pull at us, to bring us to truly understand Christ's heart for people. Pray for each team member who is being both challenged and encouraged through our daily experiences.

....It's Off To Work We Go!

We had an early morning today - 6:30 am breakfast. After breakfast we toured Chijacorral. We are amazed by God's provision for Impact Ministries as the local government granted them the land and the school site continues to grow. Les shared his vision for expansion. After the tour we went to the Chisac property where we toured the grounds and enjoyed (some more than others) a hike up the mountain in heat and increasing altitude. It is very beautiful here.

The Chisac property is also where we began our work project. In the short term, this property, owned by Impact Ministries, will be the new guest house. Construction has begun on the guest house so we spent the day using pick axes, shovels, our hands and wheelbarrows hauling dirt, filling holes and picking up garbage and cindercrete blocks. The team worked hard. We will likely return here for our second work day to continue our work.

This afternoon we were able to visit homes of the team's sponsor children. The people are so welcoming and friendly. It brought us joy as they shared their smiles and hearts with us. Finding some of our sponsor children's homes proved to be too difficult, but we are hopeful to meet them at the schools sometime this week.

The holy week processions continue today. Some team members who did not get to see as many of their sponsor children were able to walk through down town Tactic. The people loved to hear our greetings in Spanish and were happy to have us admire the hand made rugs of coloured sawdust, fresh flowers, and pine leaves that they work so hard on for the processional.

We have just finished our supper meal and are preparing to visit Les and Rita Peters' home where we will have a debrief and hear the testimony of a Guatemalan. Tomorrow we get to visit a pastor in the mountains and visit the hospital.

Thank you for praying for our health. The sore throats seem to be getting better. Please continue to pray for us as we experience a true tension between what we know at home and what we see here. Pray for the people we will meet in the hospital and for us as a team as we visit and pray with them.

....And We're Settled in Our New Home

We are in Tactic - all safe and accounted for. Thank you for your prayers for our journey. We arrived in Guatemala City at 9:15 last night and immigration and customs went well. We were met outside the airport doors by Les and his wonderful crew. They drove us to Seteca, the largest seminary school in Guatemala, where we spent the night.

This morning, we got up and dined at Pollo Campero. Then we toured downtown Guatemala. It is holy week here so many streets are blocked off for their parades. Due to Holy Week festivities we were unable to enter the Palace, but did tour through a cathedral. Les explained the syncretism that exists within this culture. The combining of catholicism and mayan religious beliefs is very evident in their holy week celebrations.

After the tour, we headed out on our 4 hour drive to Tactic. It has been very hot here with Guatemala City getting close to 40 degrees and the roads are like travelling on a rollercoaster. We were glad to have our Gravol with us. 1/2 way to Tactic we stopped at a restaurant and enjoyed a chicken meal and a local treat - a cocunut popcicle. The second half of the ride though on windier roads was more manageable as the temperature dropped to 16 degrees.

We arrived in Tactic around 6:00 and got settled in our new home away from home. We have just finished a delicious meal and are about to have our formal orientation. We will be in bed early as we are up for a 6:30 breakfast tomorrow and then off to our work site.

Prayer Requests:

* health - sore throats, head aches, adjustment to the altitude and the driving

* our construction project - safety, heat exhaustion

* home visits - meeting our sponsor kids

* VBS - clarity of our message, relationship building and nerves

* Team bonding

Houston....We Don't Have A Problem

Leg two of our flight is complete and the team minus Sophia is reunited. Sophia will meet us tonight in Guatemala City. The team has enjoyed some food and is now resting after our early morning. Thanks for praying us through our connections.

A message from Katie:

Hey Mom & Dad! I miss you already! haha hope you are doing well! dont worry too much, everything is going well! I am not in good hands though, they beat me on the plane and almost thru me out the fire exit, and now they lost in houston, so dont worry i just wont be coming home! but its ok ... we can skype! just kittens! they are amazing leaders! haha they are lots of fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! miss you Lacey and Hayley and Elizabeth and Grandma and Grandpa and everyone else!!!!!!!!!! Love you all!!!!! :) <3 ...love Katie!

A message from Luke:

Hi Grandma and Grandpa!

.... oh and hi Mom... and Dad.

A message from Josiah:

Yippie for showers! I found a towel!

A message from Taylor:

Thanks for the tinted specs Momma bears!!

A message from Anna:

Hey mom! I love you! I'll be safe!

P.S. your sunglasses are in my room.

A message from Lisa:

Hey mom and dad! I love you! Dont destroy my room when I am gone!!

A message from Jillian:

To Phil, Island, Lion, Yellow.

Love you mom and dad!

A message from Dene:

I love you mom! I miss you!

A message from Aaron:

I bought a thomas coloring book. so trip is all good.

..... And We're Off

After a bit of excitement due to lithium batteries, the team has boarded the plane for Calgary. Mrs. Munson will meet the team in Houston. Prayers for all flights and connections are appreciated. You can feel the excitement and anticipation of the team. We will be in Guatemala by 9:45 pm, but may not have Internet access until we are in Tactic the next evening. We will post when we can. Thanks for joining with us in prayer and support. A special thank you to all of you who came out so early to see us off.

Preparation Fun

Since January, the team has met regularly to prepare our dramas and crafts for VBS. Throughout our time together, we have shared our gifts and abilities and had many laughs. We look forward to spending time with the people of Guatemala.

Meet The 2012 Mission Team

We are excited and ready to take this wonderful journey together. God has amazing plans for the 17 of us and we are grateful for this opportunity. We thank you for joining with us through prayer support. As we travel, we ask that you pray for health, safety, and well being. Above this, we ask that God would use us for His great purpose and open our eyes to His plans for the people of Guatemala. We feel blessed to have the opportunity to work with Impact Ministries and are humbled to leave the comforts of home and journey to an impoverished country.

Team Members:

Grade 12: Taylor Clark, Lisa McNeil, Brenda Smith

Grade 11: Jillian Cruson, Josiah Flaman, Aaron Hepting, Brittany Nielsen, Katie Raisbeck, Luke Ruchotzke, Brittany Simpson, Sophia Zemlak

Grade 10: Dene Barnard, Josh Betcher, Anna Giambattista

Leaders: Craig Armstrong, Jennifer Armstrong, Krista Munson