Guatemala 2011

Guatemala was incredible!!

I doubt I will be able to put into words how amazing, but maybe pictures might work. Check out my facebook page for the pictures.

God is there and working. I'm so thankful that God allowed me, along with 30 other believers, to be His hands and feet in this weary country. When we first got there I realized that this place was HOT!! I think that's all I remember from the first day. We didn't have AC in our rooms which is a luxury that I definitely take for granted in the states, needless to say the first night was a rude awakening. But thanks to Terre, who allowed me to borrow her portable fan, the rest of the time I was able to get some much needed rest.

The first day we headed out to Pueblo Modelo to do some prayer walking and work on building a house for a family in need. I took the first shift of working on the house. Since I'm not much help with heavy lifting, I mainly sifted the cement and let the big guys do the hard work. I did carry a few buckets of dirt to help level out the flooring of the house. Then we switched and I got to do some prayer walking. Now prayer walking is where you simply go to people's houses, ask them how we can pray for them and then pray for them right then and there. I was actually pretty nervous to do this, but God did amazing things in me through this experience. Think about it for a moment...in the U.S.--what would someone most likely do if you knocked on the door, asked to come in and then said "how can we pray for you?" You might get some weird looks and doors slammed in your face, but not here. Although these people didn't have doors to slam in our faces, they did not shy away, but welcomed us into their "house" with open and loving arms. Now when I say house please know it is not a house that you would think of here. If the big bad wolf came into this little village, he could blow down all the houses in one puff. That gives you a little taste to what the condition of their homes are in.

Although we were going around trying to bless those of Pueblo Modelo, I think we got more blessings in return. There was a lady in one of the homes who began praying for us while we were praying for her. US!?!? She doesn't know where her next meal will come from and she is praying for us? It's uncomprehendable!!

The next 3 days I spent in the dental clinic. Let me tell you, this was a great experience!! Dr. McClain and Dr. Garza were incredible! Since they didn't have electricity to use, there was no way to really fill cavities or do much dental work. Therefore when anyone came in complaining of a tooth ache, the doctors simply pulled it out. What was weird was that we saw 5 year old kids coming in complaining of tooth problems and we(when I say "we" I mean the doctors, I just held the flashlights and hands) would pull their teeth, even though their parent was not there. In the states, we would have been sued and the dentist would have had their license taken away, but in this little village we were doing a service. Can you imagine being a 5 year old, walking into a weird clinic with people you have never met, and them pulling your tooth out--all of this without your mom or dad there to hold your hand and reassure you?? WOW!! I can't. It's hard enough to get a kid to go to the dentist for just a cleaning, but these kids were coming in practically begging us to take out their teeth.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, we found time to visit the Baby Rescue Center aka the Nutrition Center. I absolutely fell in love with a 5 month old baby named Ruby. I hear people joking about taking the kids from Guatemala home in their suitcases...after meeting Ruby, I know exactly what they are talking about. If I wouldn't have been sent to jail, I would have taken baby Ruby home with me. I guess I will just have to love her from afar.

On Friday we went to the island of Livingston where apparently to only black people in Guatemala live. All I can say about this place is it was hotter than ANY place I have ever been!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I honestly could not enjoy this little town because of the heat. I don't know how the people handle their day to day activities in that heat. I will say that the 2-3 hour boat ride to this island was beautiful and relaxing after a long week of working.

The week went by way too fast!! I'm already planning my next trip back. If I had the money I would go ALL the time. I know I have probably left a lot out, but like I said, it's beyond words. I think you must go to really understand this life changing event.