Wed.

What a day. The weather was perfect, 70 with no humidity. We had several people who were not feeling well today. Laura and Michelle were down most of the day with flu like symptoms. Our day started with a tour of the current school. What a blessing to see the kids in class. We then were blessed with a 1 hour program put on by the children. We then sang a few songs for them in English. They kept chanting for 1 more song. I think they just wanted to stay out of class longer. I know it wasn’t because our singing was so good.

We then had to get to work. We had columns to pour, dirt to move, and doors to assemble. It was fun having everyone on one worksite. We worked well together and had fun.

It was a tough day for the crew that worked here all week. They had to say their goodbyes today. The other crew had that joy yesterday. The reason for no update yesterday was, internet issues and being very tired. Pictures will have to wait as I didn’t get them downloaded tonight.

We will be heading out tomorrow 7am. Pray for safety as we travel and healing of Michelle and Laura.

While the time has been great I also know that I do miss my girls tremendously. I can’t wait to see them. Love you Caitlynn, Hannah, & Sophie. Say hi to Snickers for me.

Mike

Monday

Rain, rain go away come again another day. We had a lot of rain today but we worked through it. Relationships continued to be built with workers and amongst ourselves. We have a great time of sharing each night. I mentioned that we paid $1500 for the first day of the trip and the rest was free. Most of the team got a kick out of that. J In all truthfulness, we need to thank Steve Geurink and the HANDS program that Worldwide Christian Schools has put in place. It’s amazing to see the number of Children who are able to receive a Christ Centered education and then have it compounded because the children take the stuff home to mom and dad. Without the help of Worldwide I don’t know that this trip would be possible. Thank you and may God continue to bless your ministry.

Our shed is almost completed, and the floors of the new school are almost level and ready for cement. We continue to be amazed by the hospitality we receive. These people will give up 1 or 2 days’ worth of wages to serve us. They are amazing. The food has been great, although a nice big deluxe pizza sounds good right now. We are very tired and the elevation has taken a little energy out of us. However, we continue to realize that God is renewing our strength on a daily basis.

Sunday

What a day. Today started by going to the market and handing out tracks of the gospel. The general consensus is that the people in this culture are much more open to the gospel then back in Michigan. We had people coming up to us wanting what we were handing out. We looked back to find people actually reading the literature we handed out. It was really cool to watch. The market in itself was amazing, wall to wall people selling stuff. They had tarps hanging over the isles at about 5ft 6in. A continual ducking motion was necessary for most of the guys over 5ft 6.

We then went to a “weaver”, the made the fabric that the women use in their clothing and textiles. The ladies were all fitted with full outfits. They were a little nervous when they were told they were getting fitted.

This afternoon was amazing. At 3:30 we were involved in a ground breaking for the new school that the church is going to be active in building. This was a very humbling experience. We surrounded the grounds and held hands praying over the land and the people that will be involved in this adventure. We then helped dig a hole to bury their corner stone. That was followed by a 3 hour church service which was an amazing service. We started by singing “How great though art”, that gets some of us every time. Toward the end of the service we had a time of prayer; people were called forward who needed prayer. There were roughly 30 -40 people that came forward and we had the blessing of praying over these people. They didn’t understand what we were praying but that didn’t matter because God knew our hearts and theirs. It was truly amazing to hear God being praised in different languages. It gave me a small glimpse of heaven with many different tribes coming together to praise our God. Take a look at Rev. 19 and see what picture enters your mind.

The evening was concluded by another feast. The meal was in our honor with the pastor and elders of the church. We are being treated with the love that surpasses all understanding. The passion that the people have for the gospel is amazing. They are authentic in their relationship with God. They live it. They have fun and Worship God in everything they do. Our God is amazing. Good night everyone!

Pastor Mike.

MORE PICTURES

DAY 2-WORK

Our group was split into 2 and one group stayed at Camp Shalom to work on the new school building, the other group went to a church in Chuixchumal , where they are preparing to start a school building project. Our mission was to build a Shed to store wood and tools. What a joy to get to know people who you can’t communicate via talking with. Nonetheless, it was a great day topped off by playing soccer with a group of children that came to the church and are sponsored though Compassion International, there was estimated 200 kids. After a nice shower and work stoppage at 3:30pm it was finally time to relax. Or so we thought. Across the driveway is a soccer field. We were invited to play soccer with some guys who were obviously just looking for warm bodies to stand on the field. The altitude of almost 8000ft above sea level almost put me in cardiac arrest. Don’t worry spouses of the older people of the group. Pastor Mike was the oldest “Friendship Player” and I am currently 38. The attitudes are great, the food is incredible, the work is fun, and God is being glorified.

Red & Yellow, Black and White, they are precious in His sight.

I will save stories about my new friend Loran Anderson who is our “Leader” for this trip. I will tell you he is 85 and lived at Camp Shalom for 30 years. He is a saint despite the fact he is an Ohio State fan. I have learned to love him anyway J. My hope is to have as much passion as he does when I am that old. (Lord Willing)

We look forward to a night of debriefing and also a day of worship and celebration tomorrow as we witness the placing of the cornerstone at the new school. No work on Sunday just a day to focus on God.

DAY 1 TRAVEL

Day 1 travel

The journey started at 1:30am on Thursday evening. Most of our trip to Chicago was filled with Thunderstorms. We arrived without incident to O’hare airport with plenty of time to spare. Many of our team members were excited for our flight. There was a lot of apprehension about customs and being in a foreign country. Needless to say that apprehension continues today. We arrived at Guatemala City airport about 3:30pm. We made it through customs without any major issues. Of course we had a few people who looked suspicious and needed some further assistance figuring out what they packed from the customs agent. Steve, Brad Stolte, & Nick were the culprits. After a mere 5 minutes we were able to proceed to the exit of the airport where we were greeted by Timo. Timo is in charge of the Wick house and Camp Shalom, which is where we are staying.

We ran into a bit of traffic on our way to Camp Shalom. It was supposed to be a 3 hour trip and turned into 6 hours due to traffic issues. We arrived at Camp Shalom at about 9:30pm. We then were greeted with our evening meal; most of us just wanted a bed. Most people were able to sleep on the plane or on our 6 hour tour. The quality of sleep didn’t happen until last night about 11pm.

Leaving July 23, 2010

We hope to be leaving at 1:30am from Friendship Chapel. We will be traveling to Ohare to board our plane for Guatemala. Pray for safety as we travel and that we can make it through Customs OK.