We arrived at our destination – Word of Life Castle in Hungary! Atilla, one of the directors here AND long-time friend of Ross (surprised?), met us at the airport and brought us to campus. We had a great lunch and we were able to get unpacked. Gabor, director of WOL Hungary, will be giving us a tour before dinner. Here are some photos to whet your appetite! More to come!
Word of Life Hungary
We arrived safely in Amsterdam at 5:30 a.m. local time. Not much sleep, but we DID have an uneaten pizza from JFK. Ask Richard and Keegan. Having fun! Our flight to Budapest leaves around 10:00 local time.
Here’s the flight itinerary, as of Feb. 29th. If there are any major changes between now and Saturday, they will be communicated via email.
Saturday, 5MAR 2016
Delta Air Lines Flight Number: 0475
From: New York Kennedy NY, USA Depart: 04:28 PM
To: Amsterdam, Netherlands Arrive: 06:00 AM 6MAR
Stops: Nonstop Duration: 7 hour(s) 32 minute(s)
Status: CONFIRMED Miles: 3639 / 5822 KM
Equipment: Airbus A330 Jet MEAL: DINNER
DEPARTS JFK TERMINAL 4
Delta Air Lines Confirmation number is GJUO6F
Sunday, 6MAR 2016
KLM Royal Dutch Flight Number: 1975
From: Amsterdam, Netherlands Depart: 10:05 AM
To: Budapest, Hungary Arrive: 12:05 PM
Stops: Nonstop Duration: 2 hour(s) 0 minute(s)
Status: CONFIRMED Miles: 725 / 1160 KM
Equipment: Boeing 737700
Jet MEAL: SNACK OR BRUNCH
ARRIVES BUD TERMINAL 2A
KLM Royal Dutch Confirmation number is 3TW75I
Sunday, 13MAR 2016
KLM Royal Dutch Flight Number: 1976
From: Budapest, Hungary Depart: 12:50 PM
To: Amsterdam, Netherlands Arrive: 03:00 PM
Stops: Nonstop Duration: 2 hour(s) 10 minute(s)
Status: CONFIRMED Miles: 725 / 1160 KM
Equipment: Boeing 737700
Jet MEAL: SNACK OR BRUNCH
DEPARTS BUD TERMINAL 2A
KLM Royal Dutch Confirmation number is 3TW75I
Sunday, 13MAR 2016
KLM Royal Dutch Flight Number: 0643
From: Amsterdam, Netherlands Depart: 05:15 PM
To: New York Kennedy NY, USA Arrive: 08:40 PM
Stops: Nonstop Duration: 8 hour(s) 25 minute(s)
Status: CONFIRMED Miles: 3639 / 5822 KM
Equipment: Boeing 777 Jet MEAL: MEAL
ARRIVES JFK TERMINAL 4
KLM Royal Dutch Confirmation number is 3TW75I
This March 5-13 will be the 5th edition of the Senior Go ministry trip here at Lititz Christian School! We are excited to share with you in our experiences. This year, the class of 2016 will be travelling to the Word of Life campus in Toalmas, Hungary! The team (11 seniors and 3 chaperones) will be serving at the Word of Life campus and with some local ministries in Toalmas. Follow us daily to see encouraging news and photos of our week!
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
Madelyn with her friend, Chula, at the Sembradores lunch program.
Harper and Justin playing in the park.
It was a hot day so a few moments in shade is welcome. There are some red faces from the hot sun this week!
Market Day near Zone 6!
Lunch program at Sembradores
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
Cam praying over Berta and her family. 
The ravine where many of the families live who attend the Sembradores church.
A kitchen stove
LC Senior Go! 