Your First Year is Always Hard

"Your first year teaching is always hard." "I'm sure you're doing better than you think." "You're not going to lose your job."

These are some of the phrases that characterize my life right now. It is a time of difficulty as I wade through my first year of teaching. It is one of the only times in my life when I have cried almost every day and literally almost every time I talk about school. "Through all the comfort and support of family and friends, I still feel overwhelmed," I thought. But why? Finally I realized...

I sat on the bed. Snot was running, tears were falling, and I was breaking apart. I was sharing a conversation about the difficulty of school with someone I love dearly and the Lord gave me a revelation that totally broke me.

I need the Lord.

People's temporary comfort is only a band-aid, but this sin requires something much stronger. Until I let the Lord in to comfort and heal, I will not feel peace nor satisfaction. I need to stop trying to get rid of the pain and embrace it.

The Lord is working to remove an idol of school and success that has been my crutch for 23 years of life. It is like putting rubbing alcohol on an very infected wound. OUCH! But just like rubbing alcohol cleans out nasty infections, the Lord's light is cleaning out my sin (1 John 1:5-7). I need to experience the fullness of the pain so the Lord can come and heal every depth of that idol in my life. I want the entire sin infection gone!

The Lord is not going to give up until I put my full trust in HIM, not the idol of school and success. As I embrace the journey, I will embrace all the emotions, pains, and joys along the way. The Lord is my light and my salvation (Psalm 27:1). He will give me strength (2 Corinthians 12:710)!

Praise His name!

School

"LORD, I need your help!"

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." ~Exodus 14:14

These are the thoughts running through my head when I think about my current position teaching 4th grade for my first year. There are many ups and downs, but the Lord is constant and faithful.

He has been teaching me how to trust Him and rely on him within the context of a classroom. I can't be reading my Bible instead of teaching the students, but I can lift up every lesson to the Lord. I can't tell them about God, but I can foster a "positive classroom environment" that encourages open communication. I can't always encourage them to seek the Lord, but I can pray that they would find Him. The Lord is teaching me ways to be still and trust Him. He is good. He is faithful.

One of the things I covet most is the prayers of His faithful followers as we all need. We are all missionaries to the places we work and live. It is easy to forget that, but it is true. Instead of meditating on worry, doubt, fear, and anxiety, we should meditate on the One who is in control of all things (Alex Tunnicliff, Redemption Hill Church).

As I have been dwelling in this current job, it has become obvious to me that it is taking over my life. It consumes my thoughts, my time, and my energy.

I should be focused on Christ.

I should be so enthralled with His beauty and majesty that everything pails in comparison. I should be so engulfed in His glory that nothing else truly matters. However, I am not. My prayer is that my time, energy, and money would be devoted to Him. He provides joy, encouragement, love, everything I need and so much more!

Praise the Lord for His mercy and grace!

"His mercies are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness O Lord!"

I pray that you
1. may know the power of His might to handle whatever you are facing
2. would find a prayer buddy for your mission field--someone you can pray for and someone who will pray for you

 

Family Camp 1 & 2

I enjoy the weeks of Family Camp so much!! This year was no exception!

During Family Camp 1, I had the privilege of working with my parents as they cooked for the week (thanks Mom and Dad!). I had the privilege of meeting some amazing families. I even met one of my distant cousins (small world!). It was neat to see the families meet together for family devotions, play together during craft times and game times, and simply enjoy a week together.

One of my highlights of the week was the opportunity to teach a small group of tweens (pre-teens) during chapel. Through these lessons, one of the family campers accepted Jesus as his Savior for the first time! Praise the Lord for his work! We all rejoiced very much when he announced this at the closing program!

Family Camp 2 was filled with reconnecting for me as I saw many families who have been coming for years and meeting a few new families! It was neat to see the Lord work and grow everything from the annual frog jumping contest to the new activities and lessons being taught.

I spent much of my time preparing to close out the summer well through meeting with counselors and other staff members. It was amazing to see God bring these conversations together and see their perspective of the summer, both good and bad. It was helpful for me, too, to reflect on so much of what God had done during the summer. What a MIGHTY God we serve!

It was again a blessing to work at Lake Ellen and I am so excited to see what God uses from this season in my future. I know he will do an amazing work. He always does!

Sr. High

This was a crazy week, but the Lord's hand was all over it.

Some of my favorite moments included seeing the Sr. Highers win so many games!!! Unfortunately, the TST (the other high school program) won overall because they memorized more verses. :( This did result in Britta getting thrown in the lake yet again after the closing program.

One of my favorite moments during one of the night games was having one of the campers dress up in my jacket, sunglasses and name tag and walk all the way across camp while no one knew it wasn't me. :)

There was a lot of spiritual warfare this week, which meant that the Spirit was moving. Some of the campers chose to resist the conviction they felt, but others responded. To my knowledge at least 12 campers made decisions to follow Christ (either for the first time or a re-dedication of a previous decision). Praise the LORD! I continue to pray that the campers would continue to see God and understand Him for who he truly is.

One of these campers grew throughout the week. On Sunday, he was very upset, feeling that this was "not what he signed up for." He accepted Christ that night (yep...that was what God had signed him up for!). It was so great to see him grow in his faith every day and to enjoy camp so much that he did not want to leave.

Another camper came due to the generosity of a high school friend who wanted to see him come to camp. As I learned about his home life, I grew to have increasing compassion for him. I continue to pray that the Lord leads his life and he is able to get connected with a church, so that his faith continues to grow and is not snuffed by the ways of the world.

On a personal note, I got to go on a "fun" trail ride (which means we get to go faster than a walk!) with the wranglers and the nurse. It was great!

It was a fun week. I was so thankful to build more relationships with the campers and see the Lord working in their lives.

Week 4- Trackers

Week 4- Jr. Highers.

This has been the best week of the summer (for me at least). The campers were super fun and enjoyed many of the games and activities we did. We had the privilege of having Joe Basso (pastor of Felch Mountain Bible Chapel in Felch, MI) come and speak. The campers really connected with him.  He clearly preached through the attributes of God and I was so encouraged by the response of the campers.

More than one camper told me that they had a better picture of who God was as a result. One camper said "I have been coming to Lake Ellen for 7 years and I always believed in God, but now I understand that God wants us to do more than just believe in Him. He wants us to give our lives to Him."

I was encouraged by these and many other comments by campers and staff throughout the week.

We also had the privilege of having Good News Baptist's youth group worship team lead singing during chapel times. It was fun to enhance old friendships and make new ones.

The campers really enjoyed the team competitions and Scruffy, a now-infamous prize for winning cabin clean-up. We're not really sure if it's more for the campers or the counselors, but when one counselor had a breakdown after losing, we're pretty sure he's more for the counselors...

To my knowledge at least 3 campers accepted Christ this week for the first time (yea!!!), but I know that MANY lives were changed. We rejoice in it all. After all, we are here to make disciples. I believe that God is accomplishing that through us. Praise the Lord!

Week 2 & 3

During the second week of campers, I had a wedding to play (the piano) for in Philadelphia. My family and I headed out there and enjoyed a bit of NYC before heading down. It was such a blessing to spend time with family. The counselors took many responsibilities for me, which I was so thankful for! I know they were greatly stretched, but they did a great job!

Week 3 went well. We had the cartoonist from Answers in Genesis (Dan Lietha) speaking, so that was a real blessing. He answered many "difficult" questions about the Christian faith that were helpful for the campers and the staff. It was also nice to connect with his family again, as they had been here in 2010 when I was an area director. We were able to feel the Spirit of the Lord working through the campers, which was great.

Staff Training, Week 1

Staff training went well. Praise the Lord! The staff was almost instantly connected. It is one of the most cohesive staffs I have ever been a part of. It was fun to watch them grow and connect.

Many of them have been a part of a program at Lake Ellen called TST (Teen Service Team) where they serve by logging to heat the camp in the winters and helping in the kitchen. It is neat to see them return on staff and be so excited to connect with old friends on their new assignment.

Our counselors and I have determined our goal as being "to be disciples and make disciples" and would appreciate any prayers toward that goal.

Week 1 went well. The counselors and I had so much fun with the campers. The 2nd and 3rd graders were a handful and had lots of energy, but they are also so honest and remind us of what childlike trust really looks like. We particularly enjoyed one camper who was honest and always had a story to share.

The campers connected well with the bible teaching too as they learned how to find scriptures in their Bibles for the sword drills. We were blessed with Rian & Jill Bass, who taught about parables through skits, guests, and Jill's chalk art that includes a hidden black-light picture. We have recorded 2 decisions to live for Christ, which we rejoice in! I think many other campers left with a fuller view of God and a commitment to serve him. Praise the Lord!

We pray that the campers are continuing to seek the Lord and learn more as a result of the teaching they heard during Bible Lesson Times, chapels, devotions, and teachable moments. Would you join in praying for these things with me?

Back at Camp

Transitioning from Guatemala has gone relatively smoothly, Gracías a Dios (Thanks to God). I have been adjusting to being on time for appointments, eating American food, and speaking only in English.

This summer I am working at Lake Ellen Bible Camp in Crystal Falls, MI. This week I am planning for the main program and having lots of fun doing it. My partner-in-crime Marie will be working with me as the TST area director. :)  Being here this week has been nice. It is nice to meet new staff and re-connect with old staff.

Please join with me in praising the Lord for his greatness. The more we can focus there, especially as a staff, the less we will worry and try to incorporate OUR plans instead of waiting for God's plans. We are excited to see what the Lord will do with and through us this summer. He is so amazing!

To God be the Glory!

Las despedidas (Farewells)

Wednesday was the day of farewells. A bittersweet day at best.

The beginning of the day was normal, I spent time with each class giving them stickers, taking pictures, sharing a brief verse from the Bible to challenge them, and in some classes playing BINGO. The last class, however, I entered, took a picture and then we were called to an assembly (surprise, surprise).

This assembly, however, was to honor Marie and I for the work we had done in the school. As we waited for it to start, I stood to the side looking at the students I had just invested in for 4 months. I looked down at the two girls embracing my sides and prayed for them. I looked up at the students waiting for the assembly to start and prayed for them. As I considered the impact and work that I had just accomplished, tears started to form in my eyes. A little piece of my heart was going to stay here in Guatemala with these kids.

The assembly started with a brief introduction of Marie and I, the work we had done, and the appreciation the school and the teachers wanted to share with us. The students and teachers then presented us with a gift for our time....typical outfits "trajes." The principal then shared a bit and reassured us that the gifts they gave were only small, but that we would be richly rewarded in heaven.

Marie and I then briefly shared before students from each class gave thanks for us. By the end of this time both Marie and I had tears in our eyes. The students were then released for recess, but many of them chose to come give us a hug. I lost a shoe because of the incredible pressure from the mass of students hugging and pushing.

We then celebrated with a snack of meat, potatoes, tortillas, and cake in the principal's office. We felt like celebrities with all the pictures we took with teachers afterwards. Finally, Marie and I went to the remaining classrooms to say good-bye. And then it was the end of the last school day. A sad time for sure.

Some of our other good-byes included:
-our group of jovenes (youth), which included a lunch, a gift, and many hugs.
- our group of niños, which was a farewell planned by 12-year-olds, included a scavenger hunt, and a bunch of treats (chips, soda, candy, and personal gifts).
-lunch in Antigua with our host family
-praying with our host mom during the mother's day service at church and crying over the experiences and love we had shared
-time with our neighbors eating ice cream and chatting, including pictures and watching the youngest brother sob over our departure

It was sad to say good-bye to a whole family of people who we had grown to love and care for deeply. We will miss this place, but we will keep praying for what the Lord is doing there and anticipate the time when we get to return.

Two of my students

The principal and the gifts

Teacher appreciation

Student appreciation

Us and Olga enjoying our "snack" :)

the teachers at Escuela No. 1

After our lunch in Antigua

Sacapulas & Holy Week

Holy Week is a big deal here in Guatemala. Part of the reason is wide-spread Catholic faith in the country. The whole country has the week of Holy Week off, so we went to Sacapulas, the home town of Karla.

The trip there was very difficult. There were many beautiful sights that I unfortunately did not get to see because I was car sick and spent most of my time sleeping. Through this I did experience my first time throwing up in a car because of motion sickness, but that's okay! :(

Our week was spent mostly relaxing and enjoying a different town of Guatemala. Karla's family owns and runs a bakery from their house, so it was fun to be a part of that. For this reason, there are people in and out of their house all the time. We enjoyed traditional food made by Karla's family, including fresh turkey that was slaughtered the day we ate it for my birthday. Marie and I also spent some time in local internet cafes applying for jobs. It was a new experience for us, but made the experience more authentic.

The house is very big and open. It is almost like living in a courtyard with rooms. Two of Karla's siblings live there with their families along with some of the girls that work for Karla's family and Karla's parents. One of the girls was our cook in Obrahuelo, so Marie and I had a chance to visit with her again and meet her sister. It was fun to reconnect with her!

Karla's parents are also hosting a volunteer in the Peace Corps, so we were able to spend some time exploring with her. One of these times was when we enjoyed watching the festivities of Holy Week that are celebrated in Sacapulas, including an re-enactment of the crucifixion. Below are some pictures of that.

One night we also played soccer against Karla's sister and family. We won!! I also scored my first goal!! I was so excited! :)

Overall, it was a very refreshing, relaxing, enjoyable week filled with peace and relaxation. It was a great way to celebrate the Easter season.

One of the "floats" of the processional

Me, Marie, and the Peace Corps volunteer 

High-tech trial complete with microphone and video camera

beaten and bruised Jesus

Jesus with his cross and the catholic church in the background

Hanging on the cross

Landscape in Sacapulas

Guatemalan birthday

I had the opportunity to spend my 23rd birthday in Guatemala!

The day started pretty normal, with a trip to an internet cafe and breakfast. At breakfast I did receive a hug and blessing from my family and Karla's mom.

We then ate lunch, which was a delicious, traditional Guatemalan dish called Pepián. The turkey that was cooked was killed fresh in our backyard. It was a new experience to see them plucking the feathers off the turkey and then put it in the pot to cook. It was very good, though! Below is a picture. This is a typical dish eaten on Holy Thursday (I think...).

A Traditional Guatmelan Dish: Pepián

We then enjoyed a cake made by Karla's sister, the professional baker! It was a rico (delicious) chocolate cake with ice cream in the center (because my favorite type of cake is ice cream cake). As you can see, it was beautifully decorated! Notice the two little eyes in the background ready to eat...

"Congratulations Britta!"

The day ended with a tour around town to eat some Gringas (the name of a type of taco and the word for "white person" in Spanish). We also were able to see the "Jews" searching for Jesus, which is a traditional re-enactment done in Sacapulas. The Jews travel around to different stops in the town. Notice, the Jews are actually Romans. :)  What a beautiful end to a beautiful birthday. :)

"Jews" looking for Jesus

An example of one of the stops of the "Jews"

"Gringas" eating "Gringas"

Fun Facts & Splash

Here are some fun facts and stories that have happened recently to Marie and I:

-We saw a snail out of its shell. :) It was in our garden.

-We had the opportunity to live through a volcano eruption. It wasn't close enough to affect our daily lives, but we did hear and feel periodic eruptions. (However, we didn't know they were eruptions and thought they were part of the Holy Week festivities.)

-Today we were "jumping roping" with a shoe string. Emmanuel brought me a shoe string and started twirling it like a jump rope. Then he wanted Marie to come jump (which we knew wasn't going to work because she was too big). She started jumping to the side while Emmanuel and I turned the rope. He was satisfied. :)

-The day before the Holy Week vacation, the teachers went to a water park called Splash (yes, in English). It was a blast! It was much smaller than the ones I have been to in the United States, but Marie and I had fun with the other teachers and our friend Diana, one of the teacher's daughters. Below are some pictures:

Hello from Mr. Frog

Wave Pool and a little Guatemalan landscape

Can you find Britta?

Wave Pool!

The slide to be conquered!

end of a wonderful day!

Gospel follow-up

Many of you knew that I had shared the gospel with the students the week before Holy Week. Every day I introduced a new word in English to teach them English while teaching them the gospel.  It is difficult to know exactly how it was received, because of the setting, but some students definitely seemed receptive. Pray for their hearts.  The few times I did have students raise their hands, there were at least a handful that said they had made a decision to follow Jesus for the first time. Hallelujah!

I also saw the Lord at work in some classrooms, which was evident by their attention and look of conviction in some cases. Below are a couple pictures of my presentation of the gospel, a raise of hands demonstrating who wanted to follow Jesus (unfortunately skewed by the fact that I was taking a picture...), and a picture of a cross that I made with the students on the last day as we talked about having LIFE in Christ.

Gospel presentation

crosses we made as a class

With Jesus we can have LIFE

Students who want to live for Jesus

Woodlands Reflections

The other missions trip that came in March was from Stevens Point, WI from a church named Woodlands. It was a fun bunch of Juniors in high school who came to play kickball, help out at a children's home, and partner with the local youth group.  :)

Marie and I met the group the day of the camp. They were great from the beginning! They were very well-prepared, flexible, and fun to work with!

Going into it, Marie and I knew the schedule was going to be tight because of the nature of the culture of Guatemala and the school. The kids are rarely in their classrooms after recess and sometimes classes are not prepared on time as people from the United States expect. I prayed that the Lord would miraculously allow all the classes to complete the kickball camp since we had such a tight schedule.

He said yes! Throughout the week all the students in the school were able to play kickball. Praise the LORD!

The group also helped out at a local children's home by painting trees to keep away bugs and bagging donations of rice, beans, and powdered milk. Finally, they served with the local youth group by running their weekly youth group one night and partnering with small groups to visit homes to encourage local youth.

It is awesome to see how the Lord works through all. Praise the LORD, one of the youth that was visited accepted Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior and has now been attending Youth Group and church for the past week! Continue to pray for Him and the rest of the homes that were visited, that the Lord would be glorified and that they would continue to see the Lord's work in their lives.

Finally, as we visited homes, I was thinking about the practicality in the United States. I didn't see 15- and 16-years-old in the United States having time or hospitality to invite a bunch of people into their homes, simply due to the nature of the United States culture. However, the Lord confirmed in me that there are ways to encourage youth in the United States. Our small groups can take visit with students over coffee, invite them to our houses to play games and have a little chat, and I'm sure there are other ways too. What ways is the Lord asking you or your small group to encourage someone in your life this week?

I definitely can think of ways that the Lord wants to use me to encourage and challenge those I know, both those younger than me and the same age as me.

In conclusion, our God is amazing and is always working in our lives. Sometimes we just need to know what to look for, but He is always there!

Love from Guatemala <3

Why am I here? Part 2

Earlier I wrote a post about living like a missionary and asked the question, "Why am I here?"

Well, God is always refining. :)

Last week he gave me a revelation as I was getting frustrated and losing focus.

They are going to forget English. I am going to forget Spanish. An eternal salvation will never be lost.

I realized that I was missing my purpose here. My goal here is not to teach English. My goal here is to spread the gospel of Christ. Part of that is teaching English, but that is not my goal. Because of the work of the local church, Los Olivos, we are permitted to talk about God in the schools. Every day I pray before class, but this wasn't enough. I knew I needed to do more.

This week is the week before Holy Week, which is a big deal here, especially because of the Catholic influence. In fact, all of the schools have the whole week off. 

I felt the Lord telling me to present the gospel, so that is what I am doing. How cool! I get to present the gospel in the public school!

Every day I am sharing a word of the gospel (holy, sin, cross, resurrection) and singing The Doughnut Song (from The Donut Man). On Thursday I plan to do a craft or something of the sort to share the resurrection/Easter story. I would love prayers for the Spirit to touch lives and to guard our places with the protection of His armor! Praise the Lord!

Adventures in the School

School is school. But school is different in Guatemala. Everyday has a new adventure, twist, turn, something unexpected.

The other day was a beautiful twist. I was standing all alone when a student came by to say hello (this is normal), but they we proceeded to walk around the soccer field (which is really just a pile of dirt with 2 frames of soccer goals). The twist was that we were singing Christmas carols! She sang in Spanish and I sang in English. It was truly beautiful and couldn't help but praise the Lord for the beauty of that moment. Two languages, one song, same God.

Then there was the time that recess was 50 minutes long, rather than 30 minutes long, which meant that I had 20 minutes of my 40 minutes taken away from my next class. Oh wait, that's everyday!

Last month there was also an instance where all the students were in the classroom without a teacher (oh wait, that's normal too!), but this was for all day. The other teachers just checked in on the class periodically to make sure they were on task and not killing each other.

Every day is an adventure and I learn about the differences between United States and Guatemalan schools, but it is such a privilege to experience differences and know that God still loves us all every day, no matter what twist or turn may come our way!

El Obrahuelo- Reflections

There are many aspects of this trip that I could reflect on, but one aspect that I saw revealed over and over again was God's faithfulness.

One example was in the way that He gave us strength every day for the challenges and joys that we faced.

One day I had an extreme pain in my eye. If you've ever had problems with your eyes, you know that it affects everything you do. The whole day was a struggle, but especially as I considered going to home visits to translate and exert lots of energy to teach English that night. I didn't think I could do.

Then I thought about why God had brought me there. He brought me to share His message of truth and love. I prayed that somehow God would give me strength and take away the pain. I clung to the truth of 2 Corinthians 12:9:

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

The Lord definitely provided! Even though there was smoke pouring through the open windows making it difficult to see from one side of the church to the other, the Lord was faithful. Hallelujah!

Another example was in God's provisions of friends. Marie and I were able to connect really well with Marta, the other translator, and Maria, the cook for the week. We had so much fun and many times stayed up too late talking, but we are looking forward to connecting with them in the future here in Guatemala.

It was also so wonderful to connect with a beloved church family from Wisconsin.

God is good. God is faithful. His ways are so far above ours. We love our Lord!! May His name continue to be praised and glorified in all that we do! :D

The Circus is in Town

"The Circus is town." This is what Mark said when we first entered Obrahuelo with our large green van and giant moving van full of supplies and food. Little did I know what truth that would hold.

I watched the kids in the small town look at us with curious eyes and interested faces. Even though there had been two other trips from the United States, we are still so much different than what they are used to. Plus, we bring balls and parachutes for them to play with. Sometimes we even take pictures of them and let them watch short videos of landscapes on our phones. Since they don't have televisions, that is pretty amazing for them!

So when we started inviting the jovenes (youth) to English Classes, we should have expected lots of kids. What we didn't expect was around 60 people from ages 5-70.

Talk about a full church!

Everyday Marie and I planned activities to teach them simple English words, such as family, colors, food, animals, and greetings. It was an adventure every day, and we don't know exactly what they walked away with, but we pray that we at least planted a seed.

On the last day Cathy presented the gospel with an EvangiCube while Marta did a marvelous job translating. About 7 kids came forward to accept the gospel message. We pray that those decisions were honest and that there is follow-up. Praise the LORD!

El Obrahuelo- One Special Home Visit

One Special Home Visit
One of the home visits was specifically special. It was a home visit that all 12 of us attended.

One of the members of the church in Obrahuelo has developed a relationship with various team members over the 2 visits from Faith Evangelical Free Church (the church from Wisconsin we were working with). She requested that we come to visit her house, where her mom is very sick and cannot see, and her dad has fallen away from the faith.

One afternoon during our Free Time, we headed to visit this family. Little did we know what God would do. As we all sat, we engaged in a conversation with the family. The mom was so excited to "see" us that she did not stop kissing my hands and arms until her daughter politely asked her to let me sit down. It was a reminder that sometimes all people need is your presence.

At first, it was obvious that the father was very closed. He was extremely happy that we were there to visit, but as we shared our verses, he told us that he knows everything in the Bible. He had visited the United States for a couple years and we heard from his daughter that he did not come back the same man. He was a man full of pride.

Cathy, one of the members of our team, sensed an opportunity to share the gospel and pulled out her EvangiCube. As she sat next to the man and explained the gospel, all I could do was pray. He seemed so closed to everything because he claimed that he already knew everything.

At the end, after some more conversation and a few more Bible verses, he asked for a Pastor to pray with Him. Mark, one of the elders of Faith Evangelical Free, prayed with him to re-dedicate his life to Christ. It was a time of celebration as we had witnessed the Lord work in His heart. For the sake of his daughter, as well, we rejoiced.

We told him we hoped to see him in church the next day. By the grace and work of the Lord, we did.

We continue to pray for Him and His family, that they would continue to pursue truth and relationship with the Lord and that He would give them strength to carry on in every situation.

El Obrahuelo-estufas (stoves) and home visits

It's been a long time since I last posted, which reflects the busyness that has just occurred!

At the beginning of the month, Marie and I went to a small town called El Obrahuelo to serve as translators. It was a great experience!

We were working with some adults and teenagers from Marie's parent's church to build stoves, teach English, and visit homes to encourage the locals.

Building Stoves
Seeing some of the conditions that the people from El Obrahuelo experience when cooking gave us a new appreciation for the stoves that we were building. Before they were cooking over fires that used lots of wood to cook something small like soup. Many times they cooked inside a covered shack that kept all the smoke inside. This caused many "eye-shots" where smoke enters your eyes and causes an intense sting. Jerry and Mike, two of the adults from Wisconsin, experienced this first hand when they cooked corn for us. "How can they cook like this everyday?" was their question. But thanks to the generosity of monetary donations and the labor we accomplished, there are 3 fewer families that need to cook like this anymore. Praise the LORD!

The new stoves are built out of concrete blocks and firestone bricks (I think...). They are structured to conserve heat so less wood is needed. They also include a chimney, which eliminates the "eye-shots" that many experienced.

Home Visits
After building stoves, we then spent some time planning and relaxing before we went on our home visits. These were a great experience, especially as a translator! I was forced to rely fully on the Lord to help me understand what was said in Spanish to translate it into English for my group of 3 Americans with one local church leader and 2 or 3 other church attenders. I also had to depend on the Lord for wisdom to remember the correct words and conjugations to effectively share the stories of the 3 Americans. The home visits really strengthened my ability to speak and understand Spanish.

This experience also helped me see a new part of the Guatemalan culture. The people that we visited did not know we were coming. We came with only a couple bags of rice (if you have ever packed rice for Feed my Starving Children or Kids Around the Word this is an example of how it is used) and our stories. The people immediately welcomed us into their homes and listened to what we had to say. Some asked questions and some simply listened, but we pray that the Spirit of the Lord will continue to work in their hearts.

This is something that 3 women in Obrahuelo continue to do consistently. We continue to pray that the work they do and the message they bring will continue to change lives and encourage others to pursue Christ or return to Christ.

Desfile (Parade!)

Here the schools celebrate everything! Last week, the school had a day devoted to Basketball games. We started the school day at school with a mini-assembly. Then we paraded across the city to the "cancha" (court). There are pictures below! It was quite an experience watching about 700 students walk down the streets about 1 mile to the basketball court.

There was a band leading the desfile (parade), students waving pon-pons, and classes shouting cheers. Each class even formed lines that was led by a designated niña (girl) in each class.

We arrived at the "cancha" and the students filed into the seats to watch the games. Three games were played between the fifth and sixth grade classes. The students in other grades cheered and ate snacks that we had prepared earlier.

The pictures speak louder than words. :)

650-700 students on the way to the court

We met some cows on the way. Notice the truck following on the sidewalk!

The leader of one of the 5th grade classes

Cheering on the way to the court

"Go team!"

The band that led the parade and then entertained us during the games.

One side of the stands (1st-3rd)

Jump ball to begin! 

Playing basketball

Pictures

Guatemalan Fish Fry...yummm

Learning to make tortillas

Super Bowl in Guatemala

Yea family!

Mountains and Volcanos

Guatemala City

First Time at Pollo Campero (famous Guatemalan fast food chain)

Smoking Volcano

At the wedding with Sumpango in the background

Ready to scare!

Family!