A great day and A great night

The morning progressed into a thunderstorm of birdsong. It was the most beautiful sound as you stared across the lake watching the fisherman. As I prayed for Luis, I felt a calmness come over me.. A peace that only Christ could give me. I said before in my previous blog that the "why Questions were flying through my head" I don't pretend that I have all the answers and I am confident my Lord is there with him and his family. But, as I sat in this synphony of sound and site, I felt a calm come over me and I knew the day was going to be blessed.

Just watching the fisherman on the lake brings thought of the gospel story of the disciples and Jesus crossing the Lake and Jesus calming the storm and rebuking the wave.

The storm in my heart was calmed and any thought of why was rebuked.

I prayed

For Luis

for the day

for my family 

for all of you

for Cerro de Oro

for the families of the houses we were to serve

for the team

for me

And I worshipped my Lord 

PEACE, GRACE, MERCY, HOPE, PERSEVERENCE

The team gathered for breakfast and we headed for the village.

I have to get going. No me right now. SO. I will leave you with a teaser of pictures.

I am sorry,but not really

I started to feel sleeping after dinner last night and took advantage of my condition.

I went to bed

and was asleep all night

thus no night blog

The internet here is very weak and we get kick off all the time.

could not even get on to say hi or call Amy and my kids

or even send a message

so I was asleep

Here is your teaser for the first day

sorry so short

I will do a couple of massive photo blogs tonight

This last photo is of one of the families that we are building a home for.

Thank you all for praying.

I feel a great day ahead

One that will glorify God

Sorry I was asleep all night, but not really.

God blessed me with sleep to prepare for today.

I am awake now and thinking;

"here am I Lord.............................."

Off to breakfast and Cerro de Oro for the day.

just a note

We as the bloggers of this mission have made a rule. We will not read the blogs of the other bloggers for the day until we have posted for that day. Therefore you may have some redundancy in our blogging, but from our own personal view. Kind of like the synoptic gospels. Only we are not trying to write a bible here we are just reporting on the mission at hand.

Full of Sorrow and Full of Joy

Felt the value of a heart today. No wonder Christ puts so much value in our attitudes because our hearts mean everything. Saw a lot today. So many things to write about and how different it is here. You see both the good and bad. But what was important to me was what I saw with my heart.


How can a heart have both the capacity for sorrow and joy at the same time.

My heart breaks for one of our interpreters named Luis. As we made our journey to Santiago Luis got a call that his grandmother had just died. He had to cut his trip short on his first day to go be with his family.

For a short time this morning we had got to know him as he helped us exchange money and buy more supplies for the school children. You have never met a more caring and friendly guy with the big smile to match.

Our hearts break for him and knowing that he is going through other family issues as well and was still willing to serve us for the sake of our Lord will forever tie my heart to his. He has a prayer warrior in me and I hope you will join me in lifting him up in prayer. He could use some strength that only Christ can give and I am thankful to have met him.

So when I think of the day my heart was broken but it was also full of joy.

So many people that I saw on the way that a smile or a wave would get the biggest response.

What joy! I love these people! The little kids especially! Sometimes they would be unsure, then they would give a little smile and just raise their hand in a little wave. A sparkle in their eyes brings joy to my heart!

I just want to know them. I want to look them in the eyes and even though I can't say I love them with my mouth, I want them to see it in my eyes.

Maybe that's what a heart like Christ is like. Both broken and joyful on the same day or even in the same moment.

Jesus is a man of sorrows but He is also our joy!

I thank Him for this day!
 
(though I am posting this. It was written By Joe Lange while the internet was down)

A bitter sweet day

Today started off with a beautiful sunrise and the sound of birds. I always like it when I wake up at the vista. I now know this is the start to a week that is going to see transformation in the lives of all involved.

Of course I could not wait to get down to the buffet to have breakfast and fill my thermos full of Guatemalan coffee for the ride to Santiago.

I think the real reason for the anticipation of morning was that I would see friends that I have not seen since July when I was last here.

Karty showed up first and we talked for a while. Ruth Ann and Linda both came over to join in the conversation. We all know Karty from the 2008 Mission to Xela.

Not long after a car drove up and out came Luis, his wife, and his children. This was a very special arrival for me. Luis was our translator for the 2009 mission. Our whole team became attached to him.

The back story on Luis is that he was not a Christ follower when he joined our 09' team. After spending a week with the our team he ended up being the room mate of the pastor of the church that followed us. This pastor completed the Romans road with him and he gave his life to Christ. When our team heard this news we could not help ,but rejoice for the work the Lord had done in his heart.

(fast forward back to present)

After all the meet and greet the team piled onto the bus to head for WalMart to buy supplies for the school. We all started getting to know the translator as they trailed us through the stores.

But for a portion of us, Mostly the guys. We spent the morning with Luis as he helped us exchange money and searching for odds and ends.

Like last July, it was evident the team was instantly bonding to Luis. He has that genuine personality that beckons you to like him.

Once on the bus with close to 200 note books, socks, and odds and end. We headed for lunch. No time for anything interesting, just Burger King.

On our way to lunch Luis received a call. A quit conversation with Gloria and then an announcement in the parking lot of BK.

Luis was going to have to leave the team. His Grand mother had just past to the hands of our Lord.

If this was not enough. An earlier conversation let me know of the stress, confusion, and heartbreak Luis was already going through before this news.

Luis' Father runs cars. He travels to southern Mexico then gets on a plane and flies to Houston to pick up the car he has been assigned to drive back to Guatemala. The last they heard from him he was about to get on the plane to Houston. The people in Houston said he never got off.

The family has tracked his credit card and the last place it was used was in a part of Mexico his dad would not have had any reason to go. Then nothing. Nobody has heard/seen any trace of him in weeks. The family is fearig the worst.

Then this , his grand mother dieing (his dads mother)

You would think this would be enough to break anyone of us, but pile on one more thing. Luis' wife is running out of options for her ailing health and is quicky being left with one last option.  an operation. of which they cannot afford and are scared to face the possible outcome.

We all sat on the bus, I was in shock. My heart was breaking for him. This is a time when those questions start flying through your head.

'Why Lord, Why? Why this man? Does he not have enough to suffer through."

Ruth Ann and Gloria lead the team in a prayer over him. We laid our hands on him as we prayed. I was still in broken shock for him and could not even speak a word of prayer"

We all stepped of the bus. to say our good-byes.

In tears, I looked him in the eyes and told him I would pray for him unceasingly.

 I handed him his letters. Letters that the summer/July team had written him. We hugged. and we watched him walk away to get a ride home.

I had a quiet lunch and tried not to let my brokenness for Luis affect the rest of the team.

Back on the bus, on our way forging forward I can't help but feel I just left A big part of me back in the parking lot.

Every time I think of him and his situation I start praying. Every time I start praying I start crying.

This is hard

I am going to leave this here for now. I need to get some air, be still, pray and spend some time with my Lord.

You have just read this.

 Do you believe in the power of prayer?

I do.

Please stop right now.

And Pray for our brother in Christ.

I am comforted by the sounds filling the air tonight. The Sunday evening worship is reaching late into the night tonight. I am going to go join them.

Psalm 34: 1-3

Tomorrow is a fresh day, with time for much prayer and praise.

running to dinner, we are late

We are here in Santiago. We have to leave in a few minutes for dinner. Today was a long day of travel with a bitter sweet start. When I collect my thought over dinner I will explain.

Be praying for the team as we prepare for the day ahead and we will be fb'ing tonight with you all

Grace and peace

COMPUTER DOWN AT THE VISTA

I have to say I am sorry. I was not able to get back on the internet last night. For some reason It had low connectivity and would not let me on.




The flight into Guatemala was a bumpy one. Not so much to make you hold on to your seat,b ut enough to make you hold on to your soda.



Coming into the airport the flight crew informed us that there were not any customs forms on the plane and we would need to fill these out at the airport. hick-up.



Upon arriving in the airport we all we all gathered at the top of the gangway and prayed over our time here in Guatemala. That we would be in tune with His will and that we would make it through the airport with out incindent.



Off to baggage claim we went. Seems we were the only flight arriving at the time so they had our bags already circling the carousel.



Then came customs. Chris and Mary went through with out a second glance. The Jeanneanne and I went through. They asked to open Jeanneanne's bags and proceeded to filter through.



"Are these donations?"



"They are gifts"



"For a school?"



"Yes"



"Ok have a good eveening"



And we were off



Everyone came through accept Pat . Pat they also searched.



"You have equipment in your bag and you did not declare it!"



"This is not equipment." refering to the tools in his bag "These are hand tools"



a stearn look and she closed his bag.



Once out of the airport we meet up with Gloria from Orphan outreach, Had our bags loaded on the bus and we were off to the hotel in Guatemala city.



Most were tire and went off to there rooms to get some sleep after a long flight.



Me I played on facebook, talked to my wife and kids on skype. And when I finally felt motivated to write on the blog. I could not get back on the internet.

The Lord has provided us a safe day of travel may He provide the same today.

Here we are at the gate. The bus ride was fun and we are quickly becoming a tight knit group. We have had our coffees and ate a snack. Now it is just a moment to relax and wait for the plane.

Once again. Thank you all for your support and Prayers. We are on our way

Special thanks to Spencer and Wendy Finney for opening there home and being a very important part of our team. Thank you for the proper send off.

Grace and Peace

Next stop ; GWB national airport Houstan TX

blink, blink, blink, blink

Just sitting starring at the computer, watching the cursor line blink.

 The thoughts are running through my head of how we have got this far. I remember the day the applications came out and wondering how many would come. I remember our first meeting and wondering how  we were all going to raise the money in that short of time.

I look back. And Thank Our God in Heaven above for the generosity that poured forth from all of you. I am so thankful for all who gave of time and materials so that we may go.

This is it; my last post from the comfort of my desk.  I have my cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal and I sit here watching my children sleep and just feel blessed  for every little thing that God has given me.

Thank you Lord

It is time to pack up the computer. It is time to start waking the kids. It is time to do one last check of the bags. Even though I have everything I need. The Love of my father, A loving and supportive wife, My four children  Who have taught me over the years what unconditional love looks like. My Church family here in Washington and in North Carolina to Alaska to Guatemala who have blessed me with prayer, support and funds.

It is time.......... to stepout of the boat.

On my knees before you God giving you thanks and praise.

To all of you, I give you a verse that was give to me one day by a good friend whom I wish could be going with me. It sums it all up.
Philippians 1:3

Grace and Peace
(Grapes and peas)

blink, blink, blink, blink

Ready To Fly

Here it is. The night before we leave. My heart is ready.
Sure we are going to get on a plane but are we ready to fly?
What awaits us, who can be sure. But one thing is certain. We are in our Lord's hands and there's no place I'd rather be.
I want my soul to fly!
Here we are. You have marked out our path and we begin a journey to change the world.
Guatemala will be changed because of our love.
And we will be changed because of Your love Lord!
You change one heart at a time. Start with us!

"The Lord reigns! Let the earth be glad!"

To all our loved ones and friends,
Thank you! Thank you for your love and support! We are on our knees before our Lord giving thanks for you!
You all travel with us because in our hearts is always a place for you.
May Christ forever delight in you and bless you in your time of need!

A time to Pray, a time to trust in a plan other than our own

As you may have already seen as posted by Joe and Barrett we have hit a bit of a hiccup and we haven't even left the comfort of our homes yet. Of course we all have concerns, but you know what they say, the best laid plans...


We can all lay out as many detailed plans as we like, but the most important thing for each of us to remember is that God has gone before us and laid out the master plan and as long as we trust in him and we remain in his will, we (according to his plan) will overcome. This mission is not about us or what "stuff" we can or cannot bring into another country. It is about sharing Christs love with other people and whether or not we can carry supplies into the country is not the issue, God has already equipped each of us with all of the "stuff" we need to share his love if we just allow ourselves to be used and trust in Gods plan for this trip. Hmmm...Maybe this is not about about the supplies, but about us truly relying on Gods plan for this trip.


Proverbs 3:5 says; Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.


We may not understand why anyone would want to confiscate supplies that we believe will help others, but again we must remember that God has a master plan here no matter the outcome for the supplies that we are taking.



I seem to recall asking God to take me outside of my comfort zone and to help me face my fears head on, the question is am I ready to lean on his understanding and not my own.

I have to agree with Joe, I think things just got a little more exciting!


Please pray for us to be in God's will as we go through customs and to remain in God's will throughout the trip, and to be willing to let go of our "stuff" if necessary. All of the stuff we are bringing with us, not just the physical baggage, but the spiritual and emotional baggage as well.

PRAYER REQUEST

We received a call from Orphan Outreach today warning us of Guatemala customs seizing supplies from mission groups.
One team had their medical mission supplies seized and were offered a chance to buy them back for $5000 in taxes. Another team had their supply of diapers seized that were heading to an orphanage and were offered the opportunity to buy them back for $1200 in taxes.

This is where your prayers come in. I just spent a couple of hours shifting supplies around trying to make them more evenly distrubuted and less obviuos. BUT since they are all one of two types of t-shirts and school supplies, with a few tools mixed in, it is hard to make them look like a normal checked bag.

There is no hiding what they are if they decide to look in them.

Ruth Ann and I have discussed the issue and we are leaving this in Gods hands. We have faith that Gods will, will be done here.

We will be using some simple strategies to try to go through unnoticed. One; we will not be wearing our team shirts. Two; we will not go through as a big team ,but separate into groups of two. Three; we are going to hold on to these supplies loosely. God has a plan here and we need to be willing to go with his plan(will).

I am asking everyone who reads this to please pray for our team. Please pray that we are in God's will. Please pray for the supplies to go unnoticed.

This is just a pump in the road and God says we can move mountians with the faith of a mustard seed.

I have faith. Faith that God's will will be done.

Grace and Peace
Barrett

Prayers Please

Seems our team has it's first big challenge. News is that the government of Guatemala is confiscating supplies from humanitarian groups at customs.
Let's don't forget one thing. These are Christ's supplies not ours. We are just the ones entrusted to carry them.
"Where is our faith?"
If Jesus wants these supplies to get to the church we are bringing them to there is nothing and no one who can stop them.
We didn't ask for the easy road and the One we serve will be with us. He leads us as we go and protects us from all trouble. We will fear no evil.
Please pray for our hearts to trust.
To not trust in outcomes or circumstances but in the only One who is worthy of trust. Jesus!
This is His mission, we are just along for the ride.
I for one think it just got a little more exciting.
I hope that this whole trip we are put in need of a miracle because I know God is faithful.
And I want to see Him work!

Where is your Faith?

With two days to go on our mission it has been a rough week for me. My heart was in a great place last week and I was antsy and ready to go. Then I started my vacation and began it with the list of things I needed to get done before I left. Didn't go at all as I had planned and by Wednesday I was pretty discouraged and feeling beaten down. My heart was feeling distant and I was worried I wasn't hearing from Christ and we were only days from leaving. Then I went to Men's group and Jesus did what He always does. He showed up. Once again He proved His faithfulness. Why do I doubt? We read in Luke about the disciples with Jesus in the boat during a storm. What was Jesus doing? Sleeping. They woke Him in fear for their lives and He calmed the storm then asked them this question.
"Where is your faith?"
My unfinished list with all it's worries suddenly seemed a lot smaller. I got my focus off the distractions and back on Christ. There is nothing Christ can't handle so I put all the worries in a basket and gave them over to Him. The list is just a list. If it doesn't get done I'm okay because I trust Him.
Peace again........now I'm ready!
Need some encouragement?
Read Psalm 121

"Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."
And He doesn't sleep or slumber and His eyes are on me.

Oh how He loves us!

Ready, Set, Go...

Only 2 days left until we depart. Wonder what I will forget?

Monday evening we had our supply packing party and packed up 11 - 50lb suitcases full of socks, t-shirts and various medical and school supplies and a few tools. Thanks to all of you who contributed to the supplies. A huge thanks to the Finneys for allowing us to crash their house, store all of our stuff there until we leave and for helping us pack and giving us encouragement. Here are a few pictures from Monday. If it looks like we are having fun it is because we are!

Chris is showing off his Muscle...

Not sure if this face will make friends in Guatemala...

Was this a moment of Praise or confusion?

Steve does the all important Weighing in of the Bags... He takes his job very seriously.

Our own Dr. Mary hands out the ever so important travelers intestinal recovery pills, she gives us a brief explanation of how to take them and Ruth Ann and Joe demonstrate the joy that comes with happy intestines.

The 2010 Winter Guatemala Missions team.

Well I must go and finish those errands and start packing. Get out and enjoy that sunshine now people while it lasts. You can read more of our blogs later! God Bless!

Where is it?

Where is it? I cannot find anything! Aaaaauuuugh!!

My mind is spinning and I am running around the house looking for stuff and forgetting what I was looking for before I even get halfway to finding it.

Where did my raincoat GO?? I had it hanging up......I think.

Where is my flashlight? KIIIIIIDS. What did you do with my flashlight?

So here I sit. 11pm. I decided to sit down and start making a list. What do I need. What do I really need there with me. *Sigh*. Nothing really.

1) My Lord, I need Jesus.
2) Me, I need the real me to show up.
3) I need my teammates.
4) I need prayer support
5) I need to have faith
6) I need a passport
7) I need a plane ticket
8) I need to be patient
9) I to stop worrying about what I think I will need to make this trip a success.

I am just sitting here thinking. Would God not provide for me if this is his plan. No I would never think of testing him. That is not my point. My point is that I am not doing this alone. I have the Holy Spirit counseling me. I have Jesus whom has been there since the creation of begining. I have my God who is for me(and of course the team and those we will see).

Just stop..........think............No..Stop.............Pray.............Pray some more............ Breath in and out.
Now start thinking truthfully about what I really need to bring with me.

1) My willingness to serve others with a heart like Jesus.

Done

Thank you Lord for this team of people willing to go in your name. Thank you for letting me be a part of this, Your work. Thank you for placing in the heart of every person involved in our going, the desire to be a part of your plan fore they gave so generously. Thank you Lord. Just for being so wonderful.

There it is.........Peace.......Grace and Peace

It is hard to believe that we are less that a week away from starting the last and most significant leg of our journey to Guatemala. The journey began late last year when we all turned in our applications and the 2010 winter missions team was chosen. We came together mostly as strangers and through a common goal have become more than just a team, I personally feel as though I have 10 new members in my family. We have spent many a Sunday afternoon and a couple of Saturdays preparing mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually as a team and as individuals. The preparation time has gone by so quickly and we have learned so much about this country we are going to on paper (Thanks Barrett!) that I cannot wait to see in person the real Guatemala and meet the people that God brings into our lives during the brief time that we have there. I have already seen here at home within the team the work that God is beginning to do in every ones lives, and I know that there is so much more to come. It is exciting to witness and a privilege to be a part of.



Thank you so much to all of you who have supported each of us. Please continue to keep us and our families in your prayers over the the next couple of weeks.



We look forward to sharing our time in Guatemala with all of you.

Gettin Ready

Less than a week to go. Anticipation and excitement. Can't contain the joy in my heart but I need to be still. I need to hear my Lord's voice. I am so grateful for all the support and I think I can speak for the team in saying how grateful we all are to have so many people praying for us. Let this mission not be about us though. Let all we do be for Christ. "Perfect love casts out fear."Christ, who is perfect has covered our imperfections with His love and so we go. We go because He loves us and in Guatemala and all along the way there are people who need to know how deep His love for them is. May He begin on this Valentines Day to continue to prepare our hearts for this mission. May He fill our hearts with so much love that it overflows to all we meet. May they know us by our love. Help our hearts to receive Your love Lord so we can then give it away.

Testing testing: is this really working

Ok everyone, This is it. I am starting this thing again. The Blog thing. This mission trip has been set. The team has been trained. and we are on the door step of departure.

Our Goal( as a blog): to keep you informed of what we are doing down in Santiago and Cerro de Oro, Guatemala. To let you see the Lords work at had. So that you may rejoice with us, So that you can PRAY for us. So that you can PRAY for the people that God has us come into contact with.

Looking at the map above;

Look center,bottom; do you see the road following the edge of the lake?

On the Florida shaped inlet you will see the city of Santiago Atitlan and as you follow the road east(to the right) you will see the village of Cerro de Oro.

Santiago is where our partner church is located. "El Buen Pastor" (The good sheppard). That is also where our hotel will be.

As before we will travel each day to work in the village of Cerro de Oro. This is where we will be building two houses and helping El Buen Pastor with there missional church "Mision Batista, El Buen Pastor".

This is just the beginning. I hope to have other team members sign on and blog each day so that you will have multiple views and writing style to read.

Please pray for us, that we may only glorify God with this blog. This is its chief concern.

With much anticipation, I welcome you to follow us as we walk along side our brothers and sisters in Christ. So that we may bless each other with that which God has blessed us with.

In Christ,

Barrett