Monthly Archives: May 2015

Our Forever Family in Guatemala

I know that many of the seniors are still processing the amazing experiences that we had in Guatemala and are still being challenged with those same experiences as well.  As the leader of our team, and your Bible teacher for these past four years, I couldn’t be more proud of each of you and how you grew through our time in Guatemala.  Every single one of you stepped out of your comfort zone in one way or another to serve Christ and the beautiful people we met there.  I don’t think any of us will be the same person moving forward, but the question still remains, “What should I change?”  If you are seeking God’s leading and wisdom, He will make it clear to you what needs to change in our hearts and lifestyles.  I cannot give that to you, but our Lord will.

So, with that said, here is a final image that will forever remind us of our wonderful week in Guatemala and the lives that have been permanently etched into our hearts.  Thank you, all of the seniors and my two fellow chaperones (Mady and Madelyn), for your love and commitment to Christ last week!  Thanks to all of our families, at home, church and school, who were so supportive of this trip – both financially and through prayer.  There was great power evidenced through your prayer!

Blessings to each of you as you begin a new chapter in life now that you are officially graduated from LCS.  Vaya con Dios (Go with God) and know that Nada es Imposible!

Eric Lewis

We had a wonderful time with the Clubhouse team last night at The Mission House. We said our goodbyes and gave our gifts – some Wilbur buds and Sturgis pretzels.  We also had an amazing time of worship and prayer.

Our team this week

Cam (Oso Americano) and his Guatemalan brother, Oso. Oso was one of our translators.

Oso, Mike Parker, Fernando, Lil’ Fernando, Timothy and Lori

The Clubhouse staff dropped us off at Guatemala City airport this a.m.

Napping after breakfast at the McDonald’s in the terminal.

and we await our time to board. Everything is on time at this point.

We will send a Text alert when we land in Atlanta.

Our Guest Blogger today is Senorita Zimmerman – She has done a phenomenal job as our in-house translator and team cook!  I think she will be happy to have a moment without someone asking her, “What did they say?”

Waking up in a beautiful city with a volcano in the background, the sun shining, a cool breeze blowing, and…stray dogs yelping? Yes, stray dogs are definitely yelping. Despite the background noise, there is no doubt that we are incredibly blessed to be in such a beautiful country. And then I remember; today is our last day with the children we have come to know and love at the church. We all knew today would be tough, but we would have no idea what that really meant until we arrived at the church. After a long and bumpy ride, we pulled onto the church’s road. All I can see is a little girl in the distance, jumping up and down looking incredibly eager to see her gringa best friend, Ellen. As soon as the car door opens up, she is crawling in shouting, “Ellen! Ellen! Ellen!” Ellen crawls out and is quickly taken away. Jane is mobbed by little girls that admire her laughter and her kindness. Josh G. and Cam are mobbed by Jose and Oswald for their daily piggy back rides. Harper finds her little Justin and they go off together in laughter; Justin only really opens up to her. Lexi, Josh C., Doug, and Korin get involved immediately with students playing all sorts of sports and sharing in laughter. Jared has a new admirer, Genesis, who is enamored by his every move, giggling as he picks her up and swings her around. After we all play and sing our favorite songs together, Nate leads us in the gospel message, doing a phenomenal job at presenting Christ’s love for us all. It was so incredible to watch each student step into a specific role, and it was so glaringly obvious that these relationships were God ordained from day one. I had the chance to meet a beautiful little girl who was five years old; her two missing front teeth showed her innocence. She stuck by my side all day, and I relished in her kisses and her whispers in my ear: “Te quiero, te quiero.”–I love you. I love you. We got a chance to sit and talk about our lives, our families, our interests, our Jesus. We shared a bond that was centered on Christ’s love for each of us. When it came time to go, I pulled her aside as she continued to kiss and hug me. I got a chance to leave here with some parting words: “Estas en mi corazon y estoy en tu corazon. Voy a orar para ti, y tu vas a orar para mi.” –You are in my heart, and I am in yours. I am going to pray for you, and you are going to pray for me. It is absolutely incredible to see God work in relationships. We planted seeds this week; Clubhouse is going to continue to water them; but only God gives the growth. We are confident that God is growing a generation for Himself in a dark place. We are confident that God is building His kingdom and using this ministry for His honor and glory. We are excited to come home and share our stories with you all, and we are excited to continue to pray for these

Today’s guest blogger is Jane VB.  Jane loves sleep and Guatemalan children.

Today was a whirlwind of a day. We started out just like the rest of the week; trudged out of bed, had an amazing breakfast, waited for what felt like hours, and then left for zone 7. As soon as we made it to Mario’s church the kids were climbing on Cam, playing soccer with Nate, and hugging on Ellen. Their beautiful smiles never cease to amaze me. These children have close to nothing and yet I feel they have more joy than all of us combined. The little things like soccer balls and piggy-back rides are the things that will be engraved in these kid’s minds forever; and that’s why we are here. We are here to bless these children and show them that our love comes from the love of Christ. I said we are here to encourage them, but I believe these children have encouraged all of us more than we ever imagined.

Later in the afternoon Pastor Fernando took us to a community located in a ravine, also known as Zone 6. This part of the city is one of the most desolate. These houses, which are built on the sides of the cliff, are made of tin or sometimes cinder blocks. Most families have a one room house, which includes their kitchen and sleeping areas. Most of the residents in the barranco lose their homes due to the rainy season that occurs annually.  Like our other home visits, we were able to bless these incredible people with prayer and a small amount of food. Our third or fourth visit was to the home of a lady named Blanca, who introduced herself saying “Hi my name is white, but I am not white,” which made us laugh and made us feel comfortable. Blanca is the mother of 3 children and works in one of Clubhouse’s feeding programs. 16 months ago her husband was electrocuted working on power lines, but came to Christ after leaving the hospital. Since then, all of her children have been sick, her husband’s employers no longer want him, her mother got sick, and Blanca was diagnosed with diabetes. After telling us her story, Blanca said “I want to encourage you students to stay faithful to God. God has always provided for me and God will continue to provide for us and meet our needs.” I immediately started to tear up and ask God for forgiveness. None of us have ever known the hardships that these people face. We are not starving, or living in a tin home, or worrying about our homes being washed away in a storm. I believe we can all learn something from Blanca. We can all start to apply her knowledge in our lives. God has always provided, and God will continue to provide. We must stay faithful. We must be more like Blanca.

Kitten, puppy, chick, and a child. A cuter sight does not exist.

Some of our new friends from our trip to the ravine.

Pastor Fernando

Lexi sharing the story of David and Goliath

The ravine where many of the families live who attend the Sembradores church. A kitchen stove

So, being flexible on a missions trip is an imperative. Today, there were peaceful protests in Guatemala City over government corruption.  So the people decided to block the main roads around the city, which greatly hindered our plan to go back to our kids. One of the Clubhouse staff said traffic was backed up so bad that it would have taken 3 or 4 hours to travel the normal 20 minute trip! After a short meeting with our team and Mike Parker, the director of Clubhouse arrived yesterday,  we decided to make today our Antigua tour day.

First, we purchased a food basket for a boy named Jonny.  He is a 10-year old boy living in a mountain village of San Mateo. His father passed away recently and his mother is sick. He is able to attend school because of his sponsorship thru Clubhouse.  The food basket cost $60 but will feed his family for one month! They were so happy and thankful for this food and it was an absolute privilege to help in this way.

After our morning blessing we went to Antigua,  the oldest city in Guatemala.  It was fun shopping in the old market and haggling with the vendors. We visited a few historic sites,  toured La Azotea coffee plantation and ate a wonderful meal at Las Palmas restaurant.  Overall it was a very good day together but we are ready to see our kids tomorrow!

Dinner at Las Palmas

A very old Catholic Church

Touring La Azotea coffee plantation with our guide, Manuel.

Seniors eating lunch overlooking Antigua

The path to Jonny’s house in San Mateo.

Mady con ninos

Ellen with Michelle and Vivian

Today’s guest blogger is Ellen Albers – senior, volleyball legend and our resident elf.

The community where the church is located is at the edge of a red zone, meaning the area is infested with drugs and violence. The kids that come to Vacation Bible School have seen it all. We don’t know what they have witnessed and experienced. They have never known safety or clean, well-kept neighborhoods. And yet they enjoy the same things as every other kid. They love to smile and play games and dance like crazy, so our team clicked with them immediately. Within thirty seconds of our arrival each morning, a game of fútbol has already started in the street, kids are hanging on our arms, and some kid has borrowed someone’s camera and has taken twenty of the same picture.

Though we can’t all hold extensive conversations, we have taken advantage of the universal language of smiling and laughter. On the first morning of the VBS, we started by teaching the kids some songs and dances that we learned the previous night (Disclaimer: Be prepared to hear these songs over and over when we return home because we can’t get them out of our heads.) One little girl was hanging around the back of the room. She was too shy to say her name and though I begged, she wouldn’t dance with us. Someone told me her name was Abigaíl. I didn’t know what to say or how to reach her, but throughout the dancing I stayed near her and kept smiling at her. When the songs were over, she turned around and hugged me. I had found a new best friend. Abigaíl stayed with me the rest of the day.

The coolest thing I have witnessed in these kids is their gratefulness that someone is spending time with them. Most of their fathers are either addicts or are not present in their lives at all. Knowing that our team is making such a major impact on their lives is the best feeling. Not only are the kids grateful for us, but everyone we have encountered is happy we are here. The Guatemalans are a beautiful people. They always greet us with smiles and kind words. We are supposed to be here on a missions trip to encourage them, but they are the ones encouraging us. We don’t share the same language or culture, but we share the same Jesús.

Editor’s note: We have been working in a part of Guatemala City called Bethania.  It is in a new zone that Clubhouse is trying to break new ground for ministry.  We have been working with Pastor Mario and his fledgling church.  They may be small in number, they are mighty in Spirit.