Greetings!
This morning we got up at around 6:30. We had breakfast early so that we could leave for Cham Chee (School of Light) at 7:05. We attended devotion with the children this morning, and it was amazing how the kids worshiped. They sang with all their hearts, and prayed without caring who was listening. Les translated for us, and so we knew what the children were singing. The words were praise to God because He listens to us and cares about us. Even though these children are from broken homes, they were sincere in everything they said to God.
After this we drove to the sink hole. As we stood around the entrance to the sink hole, we felt the intense darkness. Witches had been offering sacrifices to Mayan gods that morning, and the air was still thick with the smoke. A woman we talked to at the entrance had come to meditate in the darkness, which made some of us uncomfortable. The decent down was steep, and we could feel the darkness pressing against us. When we got to the bottom of the sink hole, we sang songs and prayed to God. It was amazing to feel the difference in the atmosphere after we had worshiped. Although we still saw the candles and sacrificed animals, we could definitely feel the presence of God with us.
We went back to Les’ house for lunch, and relaxed there for a while. We played soccer with Les’ sons and had a great time. However, it started to rain, and although it was just like mist at first, it became a downpour soon after. Josh, Brian, and Laura got soaked in the rain.
Right after this we went to visit our sponsor children. This was a really exciting time for all of us. Amanda’s sponsor child has a type of arthritis that will affect him until he is older. Seeing how grateful he was for his medication was touching for all of us. Although the family was shy and they didn’t speak a lot, we could see how much it meant that Amanda would pay for his medication and that we would come to see them. We went to see a few other sponsor children as well. They were all such beautiful children, and we could see that we had given them hope where they had not had hope before. The children clung to us and wanted to be held and hugged. They just wanted us to love them, and they loved us back.
We returned to Les’ house for supper, and had a delicious meal of guacamole, rice, and beef. We also had something we had never seen before for dessert: a pastry filled with icing. After this we had a worship time. I think we were all more open to worshiping with all our hearts after seeing the children worship this way. We discussed the highlights of our days, and what we found odd or different about the Guatemalan culture.
Everyone is doing really well so far. No one is sick and we’re all learning a lot of new things. It’s evident that we’re all growing spiritually which is amazing.
God bless.
Submitted by Kristi Abramoff
DAILY REFLECTIONS AND ADVENTURES OF THE GRADE TWELVE MISSION TEAM
APRIL 9 - APRIL 19, 2008
4/11/08
April 10
Greetings!
We got up at around 7:00 this morning. Most of us slept pretty well, and were well-rested in the morning. For breakfast we went to Polo Campero, which was a fast-food Guatemalan restaurant. The food was excellent. There was a strange green sauce which looked like ketchup but was extremely spicy.
Driving through Guatemala was crazy. Pedestrians here have no right of way, and our van was constantly weaving in and out of traffic. Mr. Stevenson almost was hit by a bus while crossing the street. The little motorcycles were interesting to watch, because they would drive in the small spaces between buses and cars. We went to the Presidential Palace in Guatemala City. The president was there, and a Chinese trumpet band was playing. There were also soldiers who were gathered there to perform their marches. They shot off a bunch of fire crackers just as we were arriving, and it was really loud.
After observing this, we went into the Catholic Church that was right by the Palace. There were statues of Jesus, the saints, and Mary. We also saw the black “Jesus” which is actually a different Jesus than the one we believe in. In the Mayan culture there is a black god that the Catholics have made Jesus into. The people aren’t worshiping Jesus at all- it is a completely different god. We walked back to the van to begin the long drive to Tac Tic.
We drove to a gas station called “On the Run” and bought some drinks and food. As we walked out of the store, we met a Mormon guy from Idaho. He was interesting to talk with; he was obviously a “missionary” but he didn’t know what missions were. We also saw some really cute Dalmatian puppies. They five of the tiny pups and Kaitlyn and Chelsea had a lot of fun holding them.
After this we drove for a few hours along a winding road. It was really hot. As we drove through the major fault line in Guatemala, it began to grow warmer and warmer. It was 39 degrees Celsius for a while, and the van was hot and stuffy. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in the valley. The food was delicious. We had chicken, fries, pop, and an ice cream and coconut bar.
We set out after eating at about 3:00. To distract us from the heat and constant turns in the road, we (most of the girls) sang songs in the back of the bus. The guys were annoyed by this but we refused to stop. No one got carsick, and we safely arrived at Tac Tic this evening and began to settle in. There are two guest houses for us: one is for the girls, and the other is for the guys. We explored the rooftop of our houses, which are flat with rebar sticking up in places. Guatemalans often simply add another story to their houses when their children marry, which is why the roof appeared this way.
At 6:15 we began the walk to Les’ house. We walked down the road and across a field littered with cow manure. There was a bit of a bog we had to jump over, and a little Guatemalan boy was standing there giving us a high-five as we crossed. At Les’ house we had supper, which consisted of mashed potatoes, salad, and beef. It was really good. Carmella, the cook, is definitely good at her job!
After we ate we went outside for a while. We found a huge frog – it was about 8cm long. We’ll be seeing many more of those in the next few days. We went inside and had a worship time. After we sang songs, we talked about what is expected of us and how we are to behave while we are here. After this, we drove back to the guest houses in Les’ van.
Although everyone is a bit tired, no one is sick and everybody feels fine. Everyone is doing well.
Dios te bendiga!
Submitted by Kristi Abramoff
We got up at around 7:00 this morning. Most of us slept pretty well, and were well-rested in the morning. For breakfast we went to Polo Campero, which was a fast-food Guatemalan restaurant. The food was excellent. There was a strange green sauce which looked like ketchup but was extremely spicy.
Driving through Guatemala was crazy. Pedestrians here have no right of way, and our van was constantly weaving in and out of traffic. Mr. Stevenson almost was hit by a bus while crossing the street. The little motorcycles were interesting to watch, because they would drive in the small spaces between buses and cars. We went to the Presidential Palace in Guatemala City. The president was there, and a Chinese trumpet band was playing. There were also soldiers who were gathered there to perform their marches. They shot off a bunch of fire crackers just as we were arriving, and it was really loud.
After observing this, we went into the Catholic Church that was right by the Palace. There were statues of Jesus, the saints, and Mary. We also saw the black “Jesus” which is actually a different Jesus than the one we believe in. In the Mayan culture there is a black god that the Catholics have made Jesus into. The people aren’t worshiping Jesus at all- it is a completely different god. We walked back to the van to begin the long drive to Tac Tic.
We drove to a gas station called “On the Run” and bought some drinks and food. As we walked out of the store, we met a Mormon guy from Idaho. He was interesting to talk with; he was obviously a “missionary” but he didn’t know what missions were. We also saw some really cute Dalmatian puppies. They five of the tiny pups and Kaitlyn and Chelsea had a lot of fun holding them.
After this we drove for a few hours along a winding road. It was really hot. As we drove through the major fault line in Guatemala, it began to grow warmer and warmer. It was 39 degrees Celsius for a while, and the van was hot and stuffy. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in the valley. The food was delicious. We had chicken, fries, pop, and an ice cream and coconut bar.
We set out after eating at about 3:00. To distract us from the heat and constant turns in the road, we (most of the girls) sang songs in the back of the bus. The guys were annoyed by this but we refused to stop. No one got carsick, and we safely arrived at Tac Tic this evening and began to settle in. There are two guest houses for us: one is for the girls, and the other is for the guys. We explored the rooftop of our houses, which are flat with rebar sticking up in places. Guatemalans often simply add another story to their houses when their children marry, which is why the roof appeared this way.
At 6:15 we began the walk to Les’ house. We walked down the road and across a field littered with cow manure. There was a bit of a bog we had to jump over, and a little Guatemalan boy was standing there giving us a high-five as we crossed. At Les’ house we had supper, which consisted of mashed potatoes, salad, and beef. It was really good. Carmella, the cook, is definitely good at her job!
After we ate we went outside for a while. We found a huge frog – it was about 8cm long. We’ll be seeing many more of those in the next few days. We went inside and had a worship time. After we sang songs, we talked about what is expected of us and how we are to behave while we are here. After this, we drove back to the guest houses in Les’ van.
Although everyone is a bit tired, no one is sick and everybody feels fine. Everyone is doing well.
Dios te bendiga!
Submitted by Kristi Abramoff
April 9
Greetings.
We arrived at the airport at 4:00. Our flight that was originally scheduled for 7:10 was cancelled, which meant that we had to switch from one airline to another. Unfortunately, this meant that we also would have to wait for quite a while until our next flight which was at 12:55. Instead of going to Dallas and waiting for six hours in the airport there for our next flight, we would be going to Houston.
Our first flight was a bit rough because there were a lot of turbulents. We got to Houston and had just enough time to get something to eat and use the washroom before taking off again for Guatemala City.
When we got to Guatemala, we had to go through customs. None of us had trouble and our luggage did not get lost, and we headed out of the airport to meet Les Peters. We got into his van and drove to the Seminary in Guatemala City. This Seminary was the largest one in Central America.
We were advised only to take our carry on bags into the Seminary, and to leave our other luggage in the van. The hallways were narrow and there were a lot of stairs we had to walk up before getting to our rooms. The rooms were really nice, and we settled in there for an excellent sleep.
Submitted by Kristi Abramoff
We arrived at the airport at 4:00. Our flight that was originally scheduled for 7:10 was cancelled, which meant that we had to switch from one airline to another. Unfortunately, this meant that we also would have to wait for quite a while until our next flight which was at 12:55. Instead of going to Dallas and waiting for six hours in the airport there for our next flight, we would be going to Houston.
Our first flight was a bit rough because there were a lot of turbulents. We got to Houston and had just enough time to get something to eat and use the washroom before taking off again for Guatemala City.
When we got to Guatemala, we had to go through customs. None of us had trouble and our luggage did not get lost, and we headed out of the airport to meet Les Peters. We got into his van and drove to the Seminary in Guatemala City. This Seminary was the largest one in Central America.
We were advised only to take our carry on bags into the Seminary, and to leave our other luggage in the van. The hallways were narrow and there were a lot of stairs we had to walk up before getting to our rooms. The rooms were really nice, and we settled in there for an excellent sleep.
Submitted by Kristi Abramoff
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