Ive been wanting to write about our trip to Guatamala for some time now, but things have been so busy at the shop that it seems there are never enough hours in the day… I REALLY want to thank you all for supporting this missions trip. Not only did it help to change the lives of those in need, but I know it changed each one of us who were able to be a part of it. It is hard to put an experience like this into words, but I will do my best. During the first week of the trip, when my kids and I were there with the team, we spent the week traveling back and forth to El Zapote. We traveled an hour and a half one way, through 4 rivers in a school bus, which eventually got stuck the final day and had to be towed out. Our week there was spent building 2 new homes and 4 stoves. I have never experienced poverty like this before, and even today it still haunts me. I will never forget the day we finished the home for a single mom (who is pictured here) and her 2 children, and prayed together and dedicated this home to her. I will never forget her tears and how tightly she hugged us and thanked us…for building a tin shed for her to live in…comparable to something we would store a boat in in America. These people live without bathrooms, with water that runs through little pipes on top of the ground, and dirt floors. They cook on a metal box with firewood that the children get up to collect every morning. There are stray dogs running the streets everywhere, starving to death. I was told, when the people dont eat, the dogs dont eat. It is something you just cant comprehend until you stand in the middle of it. But these people are happy. Happier than many Americans I know. They understand the joy of having each other, of having enough, and having the joy of the Lord. It took two days to build each home and one day each to build a stove, which is something like an outdoor fireplace, made of bricks. The stoves we built are more efficient and use less wood. Compared to what they were cooking on before, these stoves were incredible, and the people were so grateful. We were able to visit the school that they have been working on in the village, and it is amazing to hear the stories of how this school is impacting the village, and even the public school system in Guatamala. The children who go to school there receive monthly support, and their parents have to come in and contribute their time in helping out. It is really an amazing thing… We did get a day of fun while we were there, and had the opportunity to take an 11 zip line course through the mountains in Antigua. It was probably the most amazing thing I have ever done…to be able to fly through the mountains on a wire, with smoking volcanos in front of you. It was absolutely breathtaking….and a bit scary at first!! I am so thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of this trip, and so thankful that my children were able to experience it with me. My 5 year old, Zach, still prays for the people there, all on his own, almost every night at bedtime. Even at the age of 5 it is amazing how much it has impacted him. Since we have been back, I keep thinking of these people and wonder what else we can do to help them. I have had dreams of what it might be like if this village could have decent homes with toilets and running water. God has been working in me and I have all these ideas spinning in my head….But I tend to be a dreamer, so only God knows if they will ever become a reality….only time will tell. Again, I just want to thank you SO MUCH for supporting this trip and join me in praying for the people of El Zapote…..they are precious in His sight….
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 06:00:00 +0000
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