tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27237245493499416172024-03-04T23:10:53.205-08:00Guatemala SherbrookeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-81417864388474877412016-09-03T21:42:00.001-07:002016-09-03T21:42:22.346-07:00'Twas the night before Sunday<br />
And all through the house<br />
No team member was stirring<br />
Nor Annika Krause<br />
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I give up, I can't continue this.<br />
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Today we went to tour a few cathedrals and the jade factory with a tour guide, went shopping, and had a debrief.<br />
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The next two paragraphs have too much history.<br />
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We first went to the main cathedral in the central square of Antigua. Only a fraction of the building is used today for services; much of it was destroyed in previous earthquakes, and any restoration or reconstruction work was halted by the UN naming it a heritage site. Many of the images of the patron saints, including statues and paintings, were preserved, went missing, stolen, or destroyed.<br />
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The next cathedral was ruins of the cathedral Capuchinas. It had the cloistered convent, which was used to house nuns; these nuns were usually the first daughters of noble, royal, or other notable families, as a part of maintaining their power. A round room located in the ruins were where nuns would perform prayers of purity. If one stood in the middle of the room, they would hear an echo due to the acoustics of the room. There was also a crypt located under the convent, where they would bury and cremate their dead. The final notable room was the round storage room located underground. The room was perfectly round and had remarkably good acoustics; we sang a few songs while standing at several points along the perimeter.<br />
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The final cathedral we could not enter, as Tim and I were wearing shorts. Maybe next time.<br />
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After the cathedrals, we were led to the jade factory and had a tour there. Many of the original jade pieces excavated were made with methods we cannot perform today, even with our technology. If I asked my atheist friends about this, they would say "Aliens." I don't think anyone bought what was there as it was very expensive.<br />
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After lunch, the team had the chance to spend up to four hours shopping. As a man, I was done after visiting two places and ran out of money in about 1.5 hours. The rest of the time was spent sitting with the team's (new) belongings as they obtained more money to get more things. Even after a long week of missionary work, they had plenty of energy to shop. One day I will understand how that works; one day.<br />
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After dinner we had our debrief, discussing our highlights of the trip, our overall feel of the trip, as well as our action plans once we returned. We prayed for each other, and finished our night. I must say that Guatemalan style prayer, which is similar to Vietnam style prayer, is a lot more fun than what we do in Sherbrooke.<br />
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Overall, I'd say the trip was pretty good and would encourage everyone that's willing to go. Don't worry about the details and let the Jesus handle it, seriously.<br />
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- Andrew Pham<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-80130711559437118642016-09-02T21:49:00.001-07:002016-09-02T21:49:15.539-07:00Day 8<br />
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The last morning spent in Tactic, went smooth. We all packed the day before and were good to go.<br />
We had breakfast at 8am, and left the guesthouse around 9 to join a devotional at the elementary Chicoy school, before leaving the small town for good.It was wonderful being able to hear the children voices in the morning, and praying with them before leaving to Antigua. We stopped for lunch at 12:30, and hit the road again once everyone got an ice-cream, from there it went straight to Antigua.<br />
Everyone pretty much had a goodnight sleep, but that didn't keep us teenage girls from napping 5 hours straight till we got to Antigua. It was a long..curvy..bumpy..hot ride, but we made it!<br />
Saying goodbye is always hard, so thats why I stuck to saying "hasta luego, nos vemos!" instead (till later,will see each other again!) made the situation a lot easier. Even though we're still in Guatemala, I think most of us are looking forward to coming again! Being here has just been such a blessing to us all, and the people we got to know during this trip.<br />
We arrived in Antigua around 3:30 and arrived at our hotel around 4 in the afternoon. Antigua is absolutely beautiful, and full of history! Love the stone roads, even tho they are insanely bumpy.<br />
When we settled in we went to Fernando's (a coffee & chocolate shop) where everyone got themselves a little snack. After that we went to a restaurant close by, and had a lovely dinner all together. From dinner we went for a walk with Les a few blocks around Antigua, and he gave us a little knowledge about the old buildings that were made in the 1500's and still stand today! We will get to take a peak into some of the cathedrals tomorrow. We had a great debrief with Les afterwards, when we went to sit down at a place where we will be having dinner tomorrow. Well, that's all for today! Hope you enjoy reading!<br />
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- Julianna<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-12660306180365126362016-09-01T21:30:00.001-07:002016-09-01T21:30:36.581-07:00<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Day 7</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Today was our last day in Tactic. It has been an amazing experience! The Lord has manifested himself to each of us and as a group in so many ways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This morning we went to do two home visits. Both homes had stories of brokenness, yet in both places there was a strong presence of God, his love and power. We had times of sharing, worship and prayer. It’s amazing how God works in peoples lives here in Guatemala.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">After the visits we quickly stopped at the market to buy Guipil. These are typical outfits of Guatemalan people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">After lunch we went to a school for a devotional. The devotionals are powerful times where people pray and worship. After worship we spent time in english class with different students, playing games and getting to know them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We also visited a sponsor class. They greeted us with confetti. We played games and shared food that they had prepared. They made us feel loved and welcomed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the evening we went to a cell group. We started with worship and prayer. Then some of our group shared their testimonies and we sang a song. After that we had a special time of prayer for the people that shared their testimonies. The Bible study was based on some versus in 1. Corinthians 15 and 16. After prayer we were served hot chocolate rice pudding, which was awesome!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">It has been a full, amazing day! God bless you all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Monika </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-14534256609227566692016-09-01T05:52:00.001-07:002016-09-01T05:52:35.205-07:00<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Day 6</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Today was quite the day. After breakfast we went to Chicoy to go into the sinkhole that is there. This is a place that, like the church at Chiixim, is a place where people go with witches to do witchcraft. We hiked up the side of the mountain, which was hard at 5,000 feet, and looked down into this place of spiritual darkness. The people in this area will hire a witch to do a ritual of some sort, either a blessing for someone or even to curse someone. The thing is, hiring a witch costs quite a lot of money, and people will often borrow money and end up in debt just to have a witch do one or two rituals for them. We also learned that the better known a witch is, the more they charge for what they do. When we went down into the sinkhole we had a time of singing and prayer, calling God into this place of darkness. We were told that many of the local witches have stopped coming to this place specifically because it has started to lose it’s power. This is the result of a group of people like us going down into that place every week to worship God and to pray.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In the afternoon we had our final day of children’s ministry. It was a time of laughter and joy with the children and youth and teachers that we were working with. Afterwards, we played some soccer with the teachers of the school that we were working at. This was also something that was hard to do at 5,000 feet :) Once the soccer game was over, we came back to the guesthouse to eat dinner and fellowship with the teachers. We heard a couple of the testimonies of the teachers of the school as well. Then, we had a party! Guatemalan style. We had a surprise birthday party for Nadia and Julianna.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It is now very late and tomorrow is going to be another very full day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Dios de bendiga! (God bless you)</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-40372995340037212782016-08-30T17:43:00.002-07:002016-08-30T17:43:57.297-07:00<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Day 5 </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Today was another day of waking up at 6am and almost falling asleep at the breakfast table. The breakfast here has been so good I don't think I’m looking forward to having breakfast in Canada again. Once we finished our meal we got on the bus and made our way to the Catholic Church which is on a mountain. When you get up there you can see a beautiful view of all of Tactic. Les started talking about the Catholic practices, here in Tactic, and it was really sad because instead of praying to Jesus and listening to the holy spirit, they pray to a statue and believe that just by touching it they will have power. Another thing that Les mentioned was that they burn different colour candles which represent blessings, financial help, curses, relationships, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">After the our visit to the Catholic Church we went to go for home visits. Devon and Tim both had child sponsors so went went to there sponsored kids houses. It was just amazing how these people live in these small, old, rusty homes and sometimes there are up to 7 people in one little house. When I look at their living conditions compared to mine in Canada I’m so much more grateful for what I have. Lots of the time people don't realize that there are millions of families in poor countries who barely have a roof over their head and we need to appreciate everything that we have.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Once we finished our home visits we had VBS! I just love when we get off the bus and walk into the school, and have all these kids running up to you, and hug you so tight they don't want to let go. Running around and playing games with them is so much fun that I wish I could do it everyday while I’m here in Tactic. When VBS was finished we got on the bus with some other students who helped us and we are making such amazing relationships with them. Sometimes they teach us a little Spanish, or we teach them a little English. I’m going to be extremely sad that we have to say good bye to them tomorrow, but they will never forget us and we will never forget them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Nadia Rahnumah</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-77468365291742047062016-08-29T21:09:00.000-07:002016-08-29T21:09:09.113-07:00<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Day 4</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Our day began very early this morning when our alarms rang at 6:00am. We met for breakfast at 6:30am and were on our way by 7:15am to go to the Vida Chamche School in Tactic. All the children from the school were lined up on the pathway and up the stairs to the school and gave us the most incredible greeting; the children threw confetti on us, waved and said “hola” as we walked to the gymnasium. The morning devotional was something I have never experienced before. The principal, Juan Carlos led the children in a passionate and inspiring time of devotion. The children were asked to greet us and within seconds I was surrounded by many kids who were hugging me and smiling. It didn’t take long for me to be captivated by a group of boys in Grade 5 that were in the back row as they were singing and praising the Lord with all their heart and soul. One of the boys was consoling his friend as he cried and worshiped. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Juan Carlos, the principal asked the kids to join the Canadian guests in prayer and the three boys which I had been watching and two younger boys came running to me, hugged me and these precious children prayed with me and over me. The experience was humbling and brought tears to my eyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Juan Carlos shared his personal testimony with us which moved me to tears. The school is very fortunate to have him as a leader.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the afternoon we went to the Vida Mocohan School for our VBS program. We picked up the Grade 12 students from the Vida Chijacorral School to join us. Upon arriving at the school we were greeted by the students with hugs, kisses and smiles. We broke up into two groups, crafts and games, and spent a very special time with the kids. I enjoyed playing games with the kids and seeing their smiles and hearing them laugh. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We were joined by Les and Rita for dinner, followed by a debrief meeting with Les. Each of us shared a highlight from the day and Les also shared a personal story about how he impacted on his first trip to Guatemala.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As I reflect upon the day I am grateful and inspired about the leaders in the Guatemala community and God’s kingdom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Heidy </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-13449318126365852832016-08-28T20:20:00.001-07:002016-08-28T20:20:24.887-07:00<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We survived another day! Today was so amazing. It is my favourite day so far. The girls and I got up at 7:00am for an 8:00am pancake breakfast. Wearing our Sunday clothes we headed down to the church. The service was surreal. Les Peters provided us with some sort of tecky box and headphones. Les stood in the back of the church and as the Pastor was preaching Les would translate into a microphone and only our group could hear him. I don't know why but i got super pumped about that the night before. Personally i sang alone in Spanish with the words on the screen. Thank goodness i took Spanish in school and learned how to pronounce things. During the sermon i took out my headphones and just listened to the pastor in his own tongue. I find Spanish to be the most beautiful and hypnotizing language in the world. Even though i have almost no clue what people are saying i could listen to it all day. After church we went for lunch at a restaurant and then came home. About half an hour later we got a property tour from Les and then we went to their house for cookies and juice. After that we had gone to meet the teenage students from the school and had prepared an entire evening for just us. They had been planning this for two weeks. As we walked in they set off fireworks! We greeted each person traditionally as they do. Girls kiss girls on the right cheek. Men shake hands with men and Girls to boys shake hands. they led us through many different activities. They had provided traditional clothing for us to wear, and we tasted traditional food. Also we had learned the process of making corn and planted some seeds as well. We played some games and had dinner that they had made for us fresh. Throughout the evening we sang some praise songs in Spanish. During dinner all the teenagers were bonding. Kira and i sang the cup song and taught two of the guys the Cup song from Pitched Perfect. We succeeded! After we got out of our traditional clothes and went home. Today was a very spiritual day and i loved it. i would love to live here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Alanna Burkholder.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-41051616967804798212016-08-27T21:10:00.002-07:002016-08-27T21:10:40.855-07:00<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We have survived our second full day in Guatemala! The girls and I all fell asleep around 11:30, and we had an early morning ahead of us… Breakfast was at 7:00, so that means the girls were up at 5:45 taking showers and doing makeup. But I slept in until Juliana hit me with a pillow at 6:30… 5:30 Vancouver time. By that time everyone was awake and getting ready for the day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We had heard whispers of a scavenger hunt the night before, they were true. We spent a few hours wondering around the market in Tactic trying to buy various items and some team members were struggling to speak Spanish to the vendors. Tim, knowing the fun man he is, just walked around the square holding a large pineapple and mini watermelon in his arms… no bag, a few Guatemalan boys saw him and giggled and tried selling him a bag, again knowing Tim, he declined. My team ended up winning the scavenger hunt because we got all the bonus points… like holding a live chicken, getting a shoe shine and sining the Canadian national anthem on a bridge!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>After market place fun, was construction time, our first “work” activity. We loaded cinder blocks onto the flatbed of a large truck, drove up the hill, then unloaded them up top. We repeated that process twice. The men who were helping us were tossing these cinder blocks to each other and we just passed them down a line to the pile. Lots of scratches and sore muscles, but worth it all the way! We were helping build a new guest house for the staff of Impact Ministries. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>After lunch we hopped in the van and drove 45 minutes to the city of Coban, where we visited the hospital. We handed out stuffed toys to the children in paediatrics and prayed for them all, the best part about that was seeing the smiles on the kids faces when they got a stuffy. After that we moved over to the maternity ward, where we handed out care packages to the mothers, and several asked for prayers for health of their child or just prayer in general. We ended our visit to the hospital with a quick (or not so quick) trip to the nursery, for the newborns. My personal highlight of that stop was seeing this one baby girl who was 1 hour old! We weren't allowed to hold her, but we did get the chance to hold many little boys. Alanna would not let go of this one baby, too cute. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>On our way back “home” we stopped at an ice-cream shop, that was a pleasant surprise. But back to the van ride… It Was Loud!! The girls in the back liked to sing and joke around, and I just wanted to take a nap… like I did on the way up to the hospital. But when we did get back to the guest house, it was time for dinner, yummm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Thank you for all your prayers</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-81725689320930001102016-08-26T19:49:00.000-07:002016-08-26T19:49:01.930-07:00<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We have all arrived safely at the guesthouse in Tactic. Everyone is a little tired, but that just means that the youth girls have been giggling uncontrollably. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We arrived in Guatemala City late last night and slept at a Seminario Teologico de Centroamerica. Alanna bravely killed the spider that had made its home on my bed. Once this act of heroism was accomplished, we all got ready and went to sleep. Ok…so saying that youth went to sleep is a bit of an overstatement. We all went to bed and after about an hour or so the chortling died down. But then, just as Devon and I were about to go to sleep, two youth girls came through the door into our room to tell us jokes. We did eventually get to sleep…eventually. When we woke in the morning, Devon and I looked into one of the girls’ rooms, and Kira was sleeping while sitting upright and leaning forward on her hand. Go figure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In the morning we spent a little bit of time in Guatemala City. Les took us on a tour of one of the colonial Catholic churches and explained to us how the Colonials on the sixteenth century blended Christianity with the local religion on order to bring everyone under the control of the Roman Catholic Church and the Spanish king. In the cathedral we visited there was a statue of Jesus on the cross, and Jesus was black in colour. This was an example of the blending of the local religion with the Catholic teachings. The local religion has a deity that is black in colour, and they blended this god with Jesus in order to exert their control and bring people under the rule of Catholicism.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>While in the city square we happened upon a parade. Guatemala’s independence day is in September, and the people are already celebrating. There were a few marching bands that went by and many of the participants were teenagers. There were also many venders selling Guatemalan flags. Les told us that on their actual independence day everyone waves a flag in a display of patriotism. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>After a short time in Guatemala city we all packed into two large vans and drove through the mountains and valleys to get to Tactic. At one point on the drive, Les pointed to a deep valley through the window and told us that this is where two tectonic plates meet. The two plates converging created a deep valley. The ride up was beautiful. There were so many trees with bright, colourful blooms and many rows of corn growing along the hillside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>All of us were delighted when we arrived at the guesthouse. After two days of spending hours and hours travelling, it is great to be at our destination. Now we’re off to have dinner with Les, Rita, and our house hosts. We’re all looking forward to the adventures ahead. We know God has some amazing experiences in store. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Thank you for all the love, support, and prayers,</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Annika</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-91588972785191692472016-08-21T20:04:00.000-07:002016-08-21T20:04:43.203-07:00Heading out soon... ...again<br />
Hi Folks<br />
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Well, we're getting down to the wire here and about to head down to Tactic, Guatemala, again with Impact Ministries. There are 11 of us heading down, and we'll be serving together in Children's Ministry, hard labour, and sharing in an evangelism service with one of the local churches.<br />
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We will again be posting blogs here, hopefully for most days, about all the activities and adventures we'll be up to.<br />
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Please hold us in your prayers as we serve and relate with the folks in Guatemala.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-74788017986444005352014-07-14T22:24:00.004-07:002014-07-14T22:24:50.159-07:00Day 8/9Yesterday morning started off a little bit later than the rest of the mornings. We got to sleep in! (About 15 minutes) After breakfast, we went to the morning church service at the school in Chamche. It was a lively service filled with uplifting worship and prayer. The sermon was on Matthew 11:28-30, which speaks of us picking up Go<b>d</b>'s yoke and working and learning with Him, and receiving rest during our weary/trying times. This sermon came at a very good t<b>i</b>me for us, as we are near the end of <b>o</b>ur trip, and getting ready to continue our re<b>s</b>pective and collective journeys back home. The Hermano (Brother) that shared the sermon with us connected the passage to a young bull representing us living our lives before we give our lives to Chris<b>t</b>, and being distracted by various things in the world and not wanting to work because he is being distracted by th<b>e</b> cows in the next field over. The young bull is castrated to remove his impulses due to hormones and becomes an ox, ready to learn the ways of a working oxen. The young ox is put into a yoke with the older, more experienced ox to learn how to work. At first, the young ox tries to get out of the yoke by moving one way, and the farmer pokes the ox to get it <b>b</b>ack in line. The ox stays in line for a little while and then moves off course again, and requires continued guidance to get back into th<b>e</b> right direction until it figures out that he needs to stay on course. The quicker the you<b>n</b>g ox finishes his work, the quicker he is able to go into the pasture and rest. We are like that young ox. Jesus calls us to walk along si<b>d</b>e him in His yoke. When we accept His <b>i</b>nvitation, and give up our selfish desires, we start on the path with Jesus. We are wild at first and keep going off course. We get prodded back onto the ri<b>g</b>ht course, and eventually we figure it out and we stay on course and walk with Jesus, who gives us hope and pe<b>a</b>ce.<br />
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After a hamburger lunch at a restaurant close to the guesthouse, we went to do some more home visits of our new sponsor children from the Purulha and the Vida Nueva schools. These were children that people on the team decided to sponsor while we were here in Guatemala. There were eight children in total, so we split up into two groups to go to the two communities. Amongst all the homes we visited, there was a large range of living conditions; from houses with brick walls, cement floors, and tin roofs to houses with wooden walls, dirt floors, tin roofs, and no doors. Through this experience we realized how joyful and thankful they were for the small gifts that we give them and how unsatisfied we are with what we have, and how spiritually lacking we are compared to the faith that they have.<br />
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We ended our day with a team debrief with Les. We shared a "feeling word" and experience from our week the stuck out to each of us. We ended our meeting with a time of prayer in small groups.<br />
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This morning we started off our road trip to Antigua by stopping at the school in Purulha, where we did our VBS, and joined the morning devotion. We were able to have a final goodbye with our kids at the school. At the end of the devotional, all the kids gathered around us to pray, and gave us handmade flowers and lots of hugs. Then we piled into the vans and started our four hour drive to Antigua. we continued our day with a walk to a coffee shop-Fernando's and finished our day with dinner and a short walking tour of Antigua.<br />
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<i>"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."</i><br />
<i> ~Matthew 11:28-30</i><br />
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<b>Dios te bendiga,</b><br />
Devon, Keli, AngelaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-78610368564776442522014-07-12T20:58:00.000-07:002014-07-12T20:58:13.326-07:00Day 7<div style="min-height: 13px;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Today was the day that we woke up at 7:15 which was the latest we have woken up all trip! With a good night sleep and some pancakes in our stomachs, we headed out at 8:30 to make our way to the Tactic Market, after hearing the rules for the scavenger hunt. Given a list, 100 quetzal, and two hours, we traveled in groups through the streets of Guatemala. At 11:00, we come back to the guest house and reviewed what we all got from our journey. Then we had lunch, which included meat and fries and banana bread. following that, we gathered all our donations and traveled to the hospital in Coban to hand out care packages, Bibles and to pray for the people there. It was a very powerful trip! Before we went in, Oscar told us some stories about people in the hospital and people who had been turned away because of things that would have taken a few hours to fix in Canada. such as pneumonia and appendicitis. It broke my heart. Fortunately, as we moved to the maternity wing, we went in to see the premature babies. Two years ago, some of the babies were able to be held by the missionaries because they had been abandoned. I have never been so happy to not hold a baby in my life. There were no abandoned children! When we had finished, we slowly made our way back to the Guesthouse. But we wondered what was going on when we passed it and continued into the city. We turned around, and slowly swerved our way back to the guest house. When we pulled up, I saw, out of the front of the window, balloons and streamers. As we got out, we sang happy birthday to Roswitha as a string of firecrackers went off! She walked into the entrance of the guest house and the caretakers, Hugo and Claudia and Oliver and Julie, said “Happy Birthday Roswitha!” Then out of nowhere music started, and as we looked for the source we spotted three men standing behind a big version of what looked like a xylophone, a Marimba! They played for a good hour, maybe two, and as they played we had a fabulous dinner with more ribs and rice and salad and hot pineapple juice followed by cake. To end off the day, we went upstairs to debrief what had happened in the past 3 days. Both Les and Rita came to talk with, and challenge, us before we head to bed. </span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-47748672776967332002014-07-11T23:16:00.000-07:002014-07-11T23:16:07.005-07:00Day 6Day 6 - Tactic<br />
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Blessings from Guatemala. We started our day a bit earlier than the others, we started with some worship and devotion time. We then joined the others for a delicious breakfast, made again by our gracious hosts.<br />
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We as usual are shoved quickly into the vans and sped off to our morning activity, which today was a ancient mayan sink hole. It is still used in the present day by witch doctors for rituals for the local people. It is a hard but short hike up to site of the sink hole, while at the top Oscar our guide gave an inspiring lecture about the history of the sink hole and power it had and how the people used it for all sorts of life problems. The amazing part of his lecture is, since impact ministries has built a christian school along the road to the sinkhole all the local witch doctors have been saying that this place is losing its power and very few people use it anymore. In the architecture of the school they placed the windows of the chapel specifically on the road side, so when people use the road they can hear gods praises up and down it. As we descended into the sink hole you could feel the damp and smell the smoke from fires and candles in the air, you could feel the darkness of this place. When we were all at the bottom we were encouraged to open our hearts and let God shine his light through us, we sang praises to God and prayed together. We then took time to go alone and pray over the sink hole and have the Lord work through us to undo the dark power in this place. When we regathered from our time some among us shared that they had accepted christ in this time. We rejoiced together for these among us, there was also sharing of hardships and trails. We gathered and prayed together for all among us. This was a very exciting time, we really came together as to team to uphold one another. We then accended out of the pit with feelings that the lord works in amazing ways, even when such a place have such a dark history. God has overcome the darkness.<br />
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From the sinkhole we came back to the guesthouse and ate some lunch. It was amazing as usually.<br />
Straight from lunch we headed straight back out to the school to do our last day in VBS. It was hard thinking of this as our last day together I didn't want it to end, The children are so amazing and loving it is so easy to be around them. Well once you get out of the van there are usually 2 or 3 hanging off of you or pulling you to come and play with them. We started with songs of worship, the kids love the actions and are always dancing and clapping. we then moved into the study it started with a drama called sin chair, which taught the children how we can get stuck on sin but through christ we can be free from it once again. Our memory verse was next which today was John 3:16. Raquel and the children had a lot of putting all the words in the right order even the children's teachers got involved. it was a lot of fun. The final craft together was a bracelet with six different colour beads representing salvation. The kids loved that we all had something that could match, and i was glad i could have something everyday top remind me of them. Game time is always a blast, we pulled the parachute out today and the kids absolutely couldn't get enough of it and we also played blob tag. a lot of fun. We finished our VBS firstly with the kids favourite song, one with lots of actions and dancing of course, and then we asked them to gather in the middle and we prayed for them, to my surprise they then insisted of praying for us. Kids with such faith is inspiring, it brought tears to my eyes. We finished off the whole event with a massive hug line leaving the chapel. You can never have too many hugs in one day.<br />
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We then came back to the guest house and got ready for the much anticipated game of soccer against the teachers of the school where we worked. We first met at the school for some fellowship time where we played games and hung out, was a lot of fun and learned some new games. They also prepared dinner for us and we shared the meal together. After eating we headed over the local soccer field and the ladies started off the matches. I want to go through play by play for you all, but that would take far too long. After a long and well played game the Guatemalan woman came out on top by a goal. Then the mens game began we played 5 on 5 with goalie, man was it a good game everyone was playing great. After a tie in regular time we moved into a 20min ext time. It was such a close game, The Guatemalan's again came out on top. Giving us the chance to redeem ourselves we moved into penalty kicks. we moved all the way to the 8th kick when they finally got ahead. It was a great game played with lots of heart. We appreciate the opportunity to play with our brothers from here. It was back to the guesthouse and to bed after that.<br />
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Thank you for your love and prayers.<br />
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Ben Cornelsen<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-75059744743245253742014-07-10T21:19:00.001-07:002014-07-10T21:23:21.001-07:00Day 5Day 5 - Tactic<br />
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Today we woke up somewhat later than what we normally we woke up to but nonetheless it was still pretty early. We started our day off with another delicious breakfast made by our caretakers at this guesthouse Claudia and Hugo and then we headed out for our day. </div>
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It began with us going and visiting some child sponsors that are connected to our group and I learned that in Guatemala people show up unannounced to others houses because it shows genuine interest in the company of the hosts rather than being invited and generously accepting. Each host was so kind to us, offering us almost anything to make us comfortable in their home. The first home we visited was a small girl named Elvi who is sponsored by Emily's aunt. She goes to one of the christian schools in the area that was built by Impact Ministries and she lived with her cousins and aunts because when her dad left they did not have a home. It is amazing to see the amount of faith that these children have in the Lord regardless of the troubles they have and almost every kid you see is like that. After that, we went to another house with another kid where the mom ran a store inside her house. Most people in this city, I am not sure if all of Guatemala, who run a store run it in the front room of the store and out the front windows so that the mothers can stay at home but still have a job. She offered us some delicious blueberry popsicles before we left to do our children's ministry in Purulha.</div>
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We always start with worship singing, prayer and then a memory verse for the kids. We then go into groups of 10 and do a craft that goes with the memory verse. The first day we did "God loves me" and then filled a paper heart we created with strips of paper saying "God loves me because..." and we filled it in. Today we created a person on a piece of paper made of a bandaid, googley eyes and crayons, one of the girls drew me and showed her friends where they all laughed, I think they were making fun of me. The kids are always laughing and smiling and it always makes me smile to see them sing with all their heart and how tightly they hug you and don't let go, and you don't want to let go either. They are all so energetic and enthusiastic when it comes to the activity, it seems like everyone is enjoying it and the activities we do are always enjoyable. The kids are amazing and I am sad that tomorrow is the last day we get to see them because I would love to do this all summer. </div>
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After that we went to a cell group where they had a special Evangelism night where our group performed some songs and a drama skit. Courtney, Ben, Devon, Raquel, Keli and Jordi all did such an amazing act, although it had no words it had a very powerful message. </div>
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Today felt like a long day, but looking back it went by in a flash. I am excited for another day tomorrow, for more home visits and the last day of VBS, God has shown me more than expected so far and we are only have way through our trip.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-48463953277655504542014-07-10T06:24:00.000-07:002014-07-10T06:26:17.454-07:00Day 4Day 4 - Tactic<br />
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We awoke to another gorgeous morning here in Tactic. Clouds misted over the peaks of the mountains and musky air filled our lungs. The beauty of this land is so overwhelming, I spend most of our bus rides gazing out the window in awe of God's artistry.<br />
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Our first stop was Chixim (shi-sheem) Cathedral at a high place overlooking the village. Chixim is the corn god originally worshiped by the Myans. When the Spanish landed in Guatemala they immersed the people in Catholicism but not in a way we would expect. They believe that as long as someone complete's their 7 sacraments they get into heaven. It does not matter if you even know what you are doing or what other religions one partakes in. I know that for me, the atmosphere in the cathedral was extremely heavy and it was difficult to find how Jesus was present in such a situation as this. Our spirits lifted though after we prayed as a group about who Jesus is to us.<br />
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Today was the first day of our VBS program for the kids at the school in Purulha. Before we began out prepared program they had a special welcome for us. The gates to the school opened and as our vans entered the kids cheered at the top go their lungs and bombarded the air with firecrackers. Everyone was instantly awakened by the excitement and many of us were overwhelmed to the point of tears. They had made a sign with our names on them for each of us and entering the chapel they welcomed us with a chorus of popping balloons. I can't express how blown away all of us were. This welcome was so unexpected and any sense of exhaustion we had was thrown out the window. Passion and love for the Lord was evident once again in the kid's uproarious singing. Then came the time when the kindergarteners and other younger grades came to pray for us. I had three kids come over and smother me with hugs and they would not let go. As the leader of the worship time prayed I could here them whispering their own prayers for me and once again, I was brought to tears. I buried my face in their embrace and breathed in their scent of smoke and musk. We were then split into different classes to meet the kids, play games, and be prayed for once again.<br />
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After lunch it was our turn to welcome the kids into the chapel and begin our program. Everything went extremely well. They were all open to participate in every game, listened with admiration to our skits and Bible stories, and where gracious in our inability to adequately explain the craft to them in a language they could understand. Many relationships were formed between specific team members and kids and all of our faces, both kids and team, were vibrant with grins as the afternoon came to an end.<br />
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We experienced out first cultural activity tonight. The secretary of the school in Purulha, Evelyn, graciously invited us into her mother's home to teach us how to cook a traditional Central American meal. I'm not sure what it was called but we made deep fried corn dough stuffed with cheese and topped with a cabbage salad, tomato sauce and a chili salsa. We were all so blessed by Evelyn and her story and so thankful for her mother's willingness to have such a large crowd over.<br />
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Our evening definitely ended on a good note, our hearts and stomachs full, ready to rest and be blesses by another day spent with the kids here in Tactic.<br />
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-Emily Plett<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-47446512859907313882014-07-09T20:18:00.000-07:002014-07-09T21:00:23.873-07:00Day 3 - Tactic<br />
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We all woke up energized and ready to see what God had in store for us. The Sun shone brightly into the new guest house that we were all staying in as we shuffled into a group to pray for our breakfast. It is amazing to see how our team works together to make sure that we are all ready to go by 7:15am. Dishes clean, bags packed and we piled into the two Impact Ministry vans about to embark on our first day in Tactic. <br />
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Our destination? Impact Ministries school founded by Les and Rita Peters.<br />
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This beautiful blue oasis shines like a beacon of hope for the people of this town. Parents or guardians can send their kids to a place that they know they will be safe, fed and educated. The children there saw us, smiled and some even came to to grab our hands. We were taken directly into the main hall and sat in the back with translators placed into our ears. <br />
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Like a wave of blue water, the 250+ students in their blue sweaters flowed into the hall, quickly filling up the seats. There was a small introduction and then the miracle happened... they all started to sing. Their music filled the hall with such passion and grace. Many in our team began to cry with tears of joy as they were swept into the music and the presence of God with these children. Les Peters was translating the music for us all, but in a way, we didn't need to hear the translation as the music and song transcended language. <br />
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It is a miracle to think that this small town in Guatemala has embraced the Lord. <br />
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As if the song and music wasn't enough, we were guided out of the hall when it was done and we all dropped to our knees as the entire procession of youth came and embraced us each. Over 250 young boys and girls looked us in the eyes with a big smile and hugged each one of the team. <br />
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More tears flowed.<br />
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We were now greased up with love. Perfect tools to do the Lords work back at the compound. It was a work day after all. The team fell quickly into their jobs without even being told what to do. It was as if God was guiding our hands to lift concrete blocks into place and shovel gravel into wheel barrows. Hard work...made easier by hearts lifted by the grace of God. It also helped that Germany won against Brazil.<br />
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By the end of the day, we were spiritually and physically exhausted. Our beds called to us. We slept peacefully and dreamt beautiful dreams.<br />
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-Mark Kinskofer<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-82111155381581212572014-07-07T21:09:00.000-07:002014-07-07T21:09:35.285-07:00Day 1 & 2<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Well, yesterday was a FULL day of travel that started with us meeting at YVR at 3:30am. The day was largely uneventful in terms of travel. Everything went smoothly as we hoped, and we arrived on time to the welcoming smiles of Les & Oscar of Impact Ministries. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">We spent the 1st night at SETECA, a large seminary in Guatemala City, and again, it was largely uneventful... ...until about 5:30am when a few of us were wakened by a little bit shaking. Turns out there was an earthquake up in Mexico, and the tremors were somewhat noticeable to us. Nothing alarming though, and certainly not outside of something we experience in Vancouver sometime. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">The morning brought us our first real taste of Guatemala - literally - as we enjoyed and excellent breakfast at the seminary of: Salsa, eggs, black beans, and some type of drink that no one knows what it was - tasted good though. :-) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">Les brought us to the Central Park in Guatemala city for the morning. We had a chance to enjoy some of the architecture, accompanied by Les' stories of history, politics, and the Spiritual movements that have occurred within Guatemala's history. He did a great job of helping fill in the context of people we'd be serving and relating with during our time here. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">After a long drive, we finally arrived at the Guesthouse here in Tactic. It's a beautiful place to stay, and it was especially fun to experience for those of us who got to work on it last time we were here. The courtyard that we spent digging out and re-filling with topsoil last time is now a beautiful garden area! What a joy to see all the changes here, and to see what has developed on top of the small bit of work we did here. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">At our orientation meeting this evening, we were also blessed when Oscar presented us each with a specially made plaque, bracelet, and pen, that had been personalized for each one of us by some of the kids here. As it turns out, in addition to all of you, 150 kids in one of their schools has been praying for us as a team! What a blessing and a joy to come and relate and serve with our brothers & sisters here. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">Tomorrow is an early morning, and a full day of working hard on a new wood shop they are building. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">Thanks for your prayers for all of us and for the ministry of Impact. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">good night. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-33745042337584218052014-07-04T14:33:00.001-07:002014-07-04T14:33:41.640-07:00Heading out soon!Hi Again Friends<br />
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Well, we're getting down to the wire here and about to head down to Tactic, Guatemala, again with Impact Ministries. There are 21 of us heading down, and we'll be serving together in Children's Ministry, hard labour, and sharing in an evangelism service with one of the local churches. <br />
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We will again be posting blogs here, hopefully for most days, about all the activities and adventures we'll be up to. <br />
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Please hold us in your prayers as we serve and relate with the folks in Guatemala.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-42007531926121588852012-09-11T10:01:00.000-07:002012-09-11T10:01:46.320-07:00Here is the slideshow we shared in church on Sunday:<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/6hW7MFlKpv0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6hW7MFlKpv0</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-21068082096215496072012-08-26T15:48:00.002-07:002012-08-26T15:48:40.609-07:00Day 8 and 1/2 of 9Hi Folks<br />
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So we're actually in the middle of day 9. We've just reached Antigua. We didn't have opportunity to post before now, and we don't have a lot of time so I'll make it quick (hopefully). <br />
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Yesterday was a great day! We started the day by heading back to the work site for one last time. Our other morning plans fell through so it gave us a chance to complete the work on the courtyard that we began at the beginning of the week. It was very satisfying to complete what we started. <br />
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In the afternoon we attempted to visit a number of sponsor families. Unfortunately, some of the families were out and about, and we could not find the others. So in the end we only ended up visiting with one sponsored family at their store in town. Nonetheless, it was good to connect with a family that was being blessed through their children having sponsorship. <br />
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For the evening we meet with the teachers from the Camche school, where we had done our children's ministry. It was a blast, and also tasty! After a number of group games we had a wonderful meal of tortillas, BBQ beef, refried beans, and some type of coleslaw, that I, Tim, actually enjoyed (I don't normally eat coleslaw). <br />
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Following the meal we went out to Alejandro's turf soccer pitch. First our ladies played against some of their ladies in a very intense game. Keli turned into Messi at some point during the match, though even that was not enough to stem the tide of the Guatemalan experience. After their game the guys took to the pitch for a very intense match. The Guatemalan's definitely had some skills, but perseverance and grit put us up 6 - 3 with about 10 minutes to go. Having no idea how long this match was going, a few of us had to swap out for water, causing us to loose focus. That combined with an own goal, the Guatemalan's ended up sneaking by to win 7-6. It was a tough lose for the gang, but it was still a blast! As it turned out, we played for a full 90 minutes with no half time - I guess they're pretty hardcore here. <br />
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Anyway, today has been a travel day. We're in Antigua now and look forward to touring some of the history that this city has to offer us. <br />
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This may be our last post as tomorrow promises to be a full day, and we head to the airport early on Tuesday. Anyway, feel free to check back, we'll post again when we can. We also very much look forward to sharing our experiences with you to a fuller extent during the worship service on September 9. <br />
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TimAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-69071254470975229442012-08-25T07:51:00.004-07:002012-08-25T07:51:54.419-07:00Day 7<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This is Devon writing today’s blog since I went off to lala land early last night :) Today was the earliest morning so far. We were supposed to get picked up at 6:15am for breakfast, but got picked up at 6:30 instead. After breakfast we went to a school about 20 minutes away to take part in their morning devotional before their classes started. When we got there, it took a few minutes for the children to get used to seeing us there and then it was like they had known us for at least a few days already, not just seeing us standing there for five minutes. They came running up to us and started giving us hugs and tickling a bunch of us. It was great to have such a warm welcome. At the end of the devotional, we lined up outside and all 200ish kids came and gave us all hugs. After visiting the school we drove about 5-10 more minutes to the base of a mountain which we climbed up, to the top of the sinkhole. The sinkhole was and still is used for witchcraft rituals, although not as much anymore because local myths say that the sinkhole is losing its magical powers and not as many witches are doing rituals down there anymore. The sinkhole was really muddy and the hill we had to climb down was really steep. As we went down into the sinkhole, it got gradually darker and darker, but it didn’t get pitch black. Once everyone got to the bottom of the sinkhole, we make a circle and sang a couple songs and prayed. Almost everyone had their eyes closed during this time and after we finished praying and opened our eyes, a few people commented later in the day that when they opened their eyes, it felt brighter in the sinkhole. It was as if God had entered the sinkhole and was down there with us. It was amazing to feel that God would enter that dark place and be with us down there. After climbing back out of the sinkhole, most of us were filthy, and we went back to the hotel to change before going to the guest house for lunch. After lunch we went to the hospital in Coban to visit the sick children there as well as the new mothers in the maternity ward and give out the layettes that we had made. Seeing the sick children was an emotional time for many people in the group. Jessica (Les and Rita’s daughter) told us before we went inside the hospital that many people bring their children to the hospital as a last resort when they have nothing else at home that they can do for their child. In most cases, by the time they get to the hospital, it is too late for the doctors to do anything for the child. After visiting the pediatrics ward we moved to the maternity ward which the men were not allowed to go into, so they waited outside with the extra layettes while the women went inside to hand out the layettes to the new mothers. After handing out the layettes, Jessica took the guys into the nursery to see the babies and hold the abandoned babies. When they were done, the ones that weren’t holding babies came outside and the girls went inside to hold them. We got the babies from the guys and I wanted to take the one that I was holding home with me. (Mom and dad, don’t be surprised if we have a new addition to the family when I get home ;) After the hospital, we went back to the hotel for a little while and we cleaned our shoes from the trip to the sinkhole before going back to the guest house for dinner. After dinner, we waited at for Les to come and we had a debrief with him before coming back to the hotel for night. It is hard to believe that we leave Tactic in less than 48 hours to go to Antigua.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It is now 10:20pm and it has been a long and emotional day for us. Good night all!!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-9618040938410232662012-08-24T11:59:00.005-07:002012-08-24T11:59:24.312-07:00Day 6.<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> This was supposed to be written by Devon, but after our devotions, during reflection time she fell asleep so Roswitha and I (I being Amber) are writing it. Once again, we were woken up by out lovely neighbour rooster far too early. When it was finally time to get up, we made our way to the elementary school for morning devotions with kids ages four to grade seven. We listened to their beautiful voices glorifying God. At the end of the service, the principal prayed blessings over us as a few of the children hugged us as a means of laying hands on us; what an awesome feeling. When the service was over we walked to the guest house, about ten minutes away - our first time walking anywhere in the city. With breakfast in our tummies we were sent off to the market in groups of three and four with a list of things to do and buy for points and a prize. Included in the activities was to take a picture of one of our team mates with a real pig’s head (dead or alive); holding a live chicken; and eating fresh tortillas off the grill. We came home with bags of fruits and vegetables that we will be eating in the next few days. We were given points according to the quality of the food. Our group of me, Roswitha, Jordy, and Matthew, won the challenge and Matthew and Roswitha were not allowed to translate for Jordy and I. Next, we went to the high school, where we participated in their devotional. We also saw the medical clinic which is built on the high school campus. After lunch, we headed out to a coffee plantation twenty minutes from Tactic where we saw the stages of the plant from seedlings in little bags to the end of the coffee plant’s life which is about fourteen years. To see what we came to see, we had to climb almost straight up a mountain. We huffed and puffed and a few of us almost rolled all the way back down (don’t worry, no one was hurt). We even got to taste a ripe coffee been right off the plant. At this plantation, only women work the fields because they are better workers than men (we were actually told this by the supervisor of the plantation, we are not making it up. Women here are often single moms who need to feed their large families.) After walking down the mountain, we went to see the very simple processing plant where we were told how the beans are processed until they become a roasted coffee bean. After the tour, we had a little time before dinner so we went and visited one of the ministry schools a little ways up the mountain. There is not much flat land in this country. Before heading back to Tactic we stopped for a three course meal that could have fed twice as many people. Selby asked Peter H. if the salsa was hot and he was told no, so he put six teaspoons of it in his soup. It turned out it was spicy and he ended up with smoke coming out of his ears, eyes, nose and mouth but he still ate most of it, dousing the fire with a large glass of cinnamon rice milk and a few cups of water. No parasites will have survived that meal. Peter later admitted that he wasn’t even looking when Selby asked his question. Back at the hotel we had some free time before devotionals which was followed by some personal reflection time during which, as we already said, Devon went off to lala land. During the writing of Selby’s story though, she was awakened by our laughter. Now that we’re finished we are all going to bed to get some rest for another exiting day tomorrow. Good night all!</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-71039545448704204392012-08-23T10:10:00.002-07:002012-08-23T10:10:18.291-07:00Day 5 - and still alive<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 5 has brought us to the end of the early schedule of our trip. We completed our last morning at the job site, and our last afternoon of children’s ministry. The morning brought similar “new” discoveries as we dug in “the pit.” Today, Peter Field began to document these bone chilling insects, by taking pictures of them. The “Guatemalan Poison Green Gem Beetle” was the prettiest find, however, the “Valentines Day Worm” was surely the most insidious. Casting fears aside we pressed on, and completed ¾ of the task of filling the courtyard with topsoil. Some in our crew asked if we could come back to finish… ...we’ll have to see. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Before leaving the site we took a walk up to the top of the property where they had just planted 15000 tomato plants! It was an impressive field, and we hope with them for God’s abundance and provision through these plants.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Our final Children’s Ministry time was much like the others. Loud, impassioned, singing by the children. Loud laughter as they played games, and lots of giggling and having fun together. It was hard to say goodbye today, as we assumed we wouldn’t be seeing them again. This Children’s Ministry certainly touched the hearts of our team, and we hope and pray that we might have been a blessing of Jesus in their lives. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As it turned out, after supper, we had a devotion time with Rita, and in the course of that time ended up deciding to visit the school for one last morning devotional with them on day 6. So we will see the kids again for one more time after all. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Anyway, another great day down here. Thank you for all your prayers. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Tim F </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-26792894496990127942012-08-22T08:23:00.004-07:002012-08-22T08:23:52.592-07:00Tuesday, August 21st, 2012 - Day 4<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Today we had another day of amazing experiences. The meals continue to be fresh, authentic and delicious and for the most part, everyone is embracing all the new flavours. Our work day saw us completing the excavation of the central court of the new guest house, only to be then filled again with top soil. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It was in the process of extracting the top soil that our cross cultural experiences continued to flourish. Encountering critters of an entirely different bent proved to be the adventure of the day. While digging out topsoil, our fearless leader Tim came face to face with a Guatemalan death Schlang (a poisonous snake) which must have measured at least two metres in length. Oh, did I say two metres, I think I meant .2 metres (20 centimeters for those of you who aren’t familiar with the metric system.) Others might have fled the scene in great distress, but Tim, demonstrating an overwhelming sense calm and self control, proved why he is the leader of this team (of course, the fact that he had already accidentally hacked the poor thing in half couldn’t have hurt.) Either way, he did us proud - too bad we can’t say that of the other guys who suddenly decided that working in “the pit” was not for them.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The pit” continued to unveil many other creatures throughout the afternoon that all seemed to have names with “Guatemalan” and “death” in them, like the “Guatemalan death beatle”, or the Guatemalan death ring” or my personal favourite, the “Guatemalan butterfly of death” and of course it’s poisonous.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The afternoon’s DVBS with the school children was another inspiring moment for everyone as the children continued to humble us with their complete devotion during worship. Their 40 voices can put almost any 200+ member church in Vancouver to shame. We have so much to learn from these kids. In spite of their difficult environments at home, they demonstrate so much joy here at the school. When seen in the light of this perspective, we realize that we have very little if anything to complain about back home.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">After dinner the team met at Les and Rita’s to hear a testimony of one of their school principals. Her name is Evelyn and she moved in with the Peters when she was 13. She gave an incredible testimony about God’s power and love in her life despite the numerous difficulties she has faced growing up. It was also a moving testimony to the work that Les and Rita have begun inTactic and the work God is accomplishing through the many faithful servants here. Then the group shared their highlights of the day and an emotion we all faced since coming here. It was a wonderful time as the Holy Spirit moved among us, enabling us to open ourselves up to the changes taking place in our hearts. We are very thankful to Les and Rita for their extreme generosity and thoughtful approach to this entire mission experience.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Peter H</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723724549349941617.post-54198195430886600952012-08-21T06:27:00.002-07:002012-08-21T06:27:46.882-07:00The long and tiring day....<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Today was a early start, I myself woke up at 6:30. We started off by going to the school for a early devotional prayer time, just for kids. The way that the kids act, you can see that they have so much love in them to give. As soon as you walk into the school, they have smiles on their faces and they come up to you and give you a hug. After we went to the devotional prayer time, we went to eat breakfast at the guest house, which is also called the yellow house even though it has been painted green on the outside. Breakfast was delicious; it was eggs, pancakes, toast and fresh fruit. After breakfast we drove out to the construction site and watched how they make the floor tiles, which was quite neat. Then we went over the very rickety bridge that we could have fallen though at any time (it only felt that way but Les said that they drive gravel trucks over it) and went to look at the new guest house that they are building in the middle of the hill. We took a quick tour of the rooms of the future guest house and bible seminary dorms. We got to work right away, moving clay and dirt from the middle of the courtyard that will become a small green space with flowers, bushes, and grass. Because we are so close to the sun, it was a lot hotter than it would feel if we were in Vancouver. We took many wheel-barrow loads of clay down part of the hill to a pile of clay that was already there. After a long ordeal with the clay, we went back to the hotel to get cleaned up before lunch. We all decided to take quick showers and part way through, the lights and heat went off in the hotel. We found out later that we blew a fuse from using all the showers at the same time. After we all got cleaned up, we went to the guest house to have lunch. We had delicious rice, stuffed peppers, bread, cucumber and watermelon. My group was on for dishes and we had to do them really fast because we were running late for VBS. When we got back to the school for VBS, we started with Roswitha (aka: Butcherette) doing an intro in Spanish. Then we sang songs in Spanish. The best part about the singing was that the kids sang with such passion and so loud. Then we played many tag games and got very tired. After playing games, we did our skit of creation. It could have gone smoother, but we are not very good at understanding Spanish; our acting was ahead of the speaking by a couple of days. After the skit we did crafts with the kids. We did colouring and painting, but they liked the colouring the best. At the end of VBS, we said goodbye to the kids until tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We went on a drive around the block, even though the place we were going for dinner was right beside the hotel. We got to make our own traditional Guatemalan dinner, which was Dobladas (which means “folded once”). We walked to the mill to grind the cooked corn for the tortillas. We made tortillas, filled them with cheese, folded them over once, and then they were fried. They looked like perogies, but were made with corn instead. While Cheni was finishing cooking the food, we listened to Edgar’s (Cheni’s husband) testimony while Jessica (Les and Rita’s daughter) translated for us. I felt very fortunate to live in Canada because in Guatemala you have to go one day at a time and hope for the best. After the testimony, we ate the delicious Dobladas that we made. Then we said goodbye to Cheni and Edgar and drove less than a minute down the road back to the hotel for the night.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It is now 9:30pm and we are getting picked up around 6:30am tomorrow to go have breakfast at the guest house.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Buenas Noches - Tanya Johnson :)</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01501372708752303430noreply@blogger.com2