Julie Rushton

So, here we are back in our own homes. I've been lucky enough to have had a lot a time to sit and think since returning. I've mulled over the things that we did and saw in Guatemala and thought about why God took me there.

Initially, I wanted to go because I believed in this idea of a "Vision" Trip. Catching a vision appealed to me and I wanted to be impassioned, "set on fire" to use a Christian cliche. But I don't think that this was the reason that God took me.

Part of me went hoping to be used. To "give of my gifts" seemed like the appropriate motivation. But, though I worked hard at my "job" using my talents in Guatemala, I don't think that this was why God allowed me to go either.

I wasn't there to get "gung ho" about missions, I wasn't there to offer anything that I had.

Instead, I was there to be humbled.

At every turn I was confronted by saints from whom I had/have so much to learn.

Tita, the Mother Teresa of La Limonade, strong and full of love. In watching her fight and even risk her safety for children who have "no societal worth," I was humbled. Lord, give me courage even a fraction of Tita's.

Ignacio, chaplain to gang members exponentially removed from society, passing through many walls both physical and societal to sit with Guatemala's "worst." Sitting, listening, caring, himself an ex-gang member offering peace that passes understanding. I was humbled. Lord, give me mercy, not pity that walks by, but mercy that sits and listens even to those that make me uncomfortable.

I was humbled also by the gang members themselves. Standing in a small circle we asked them what they had done to be in prison. All of them had committed murder. I wasn't struck by their sin, but rather my own. I had such an overwhelming sense of my own guilt. In the eyes of God we are the same. How often have I hated someone, and by Christ's words, murdered them in my heart. My sentence should be the same. Lord forgive me for making light of my sin, and thus making light of my redemption.

Maida. The dream home that she and her husband spent all their finances and a year of work to make livable, was mostly destroyed by a flood. Half of their house was washing away in front of their eyes and her husband said, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Though other groups have come through and planned to help Maida with her house she pointed them towards others who "needed it more." Lord, give me the faith of Maida.

I am so thankful for the chance to have met these people and the countless others that we came into contact with in Guatemala. Praise God for these saints and the things that God is teaching us through their lives, may we live out these prayers here in Whatcom County.

How 'bout those Olympics?

Hi everyone.

Pictures are (finally, slowly but surely) making their way onto the internet. Apologies for the delay - it's been a difficult week. For those of you who don't remember, all you have to do to access them is click on the "pictures" link in the right-hand bar. I'll try to have them all up in the next couple of days - just keep checking back. 

Thanks,

Tim

Reflections on a cop in a gang prison!

Greetings from Guatemala...Amanda & I are doing well and really enjoying the challenges that the Lord has placed in front of us this week. Sorry it took so long for me to blog, but our schedule has been full as we are trying to be used by God alot during this vision trip. I would like to share the experiance of visiting the gang prison on Friday morning. Prior to the trip I wanted nothing to do with it as I truly feared that I could be facing a serious threat to my life as the police down here are very cruel to the gang members, and the police are their enemies as well. Yet through Joel´s contacts and Ignacio, who does the prison visits and ministry, I was comvimced that I should go into the prison and even speak to them. As Joel introduced me to the gang members as a police officer from the U.S., I saw their faces change some, and I became quite uncertain for their response. Prior to that the conversations with them was very cordial and I really enjoyed hearing their stories´; and came to realize that in so many ways we were the same, and that as someone once said, ¨everyone you meet is someone that God loves unconditionally¨ I began to apologize for the many police officers who may have treated them poorly, which is so common in Guatemala and other Latin American countries. I thanked them for allowing me to be a guest in their house, because they did in fact welcome me into their homes. Then the realization that only by God´s wonderful grace was I where I was in life, and they were where they were in life: it was then very hard to speak as the tears flowed down my cheeks. At that moment the Lord spoke loudly into my heart and reminded me that I too have not always been the loving servant to the least, the last and the lost! It was an amazing experiance where the Lord had me right where he wanted me to be, even though I did not want to be there. I pray that I will always remember that experiance and remember that the Lord wants me to open my eyes to the least, last, and lost in Lynden. Thanks so much for all your prayers and support to this ministry. Mom (New Jersey mom), thanks for being such an awesome prayer warrior for our group. God is answering your prayers! God bless and see you back in Lynden soon!
Stuart (& Amanda!)
P.S. To my wonderful bride Karen, and awesome sons Adam & Nicholas-we miss you alot and love you even more!

Prison Experience

Hi this is Julie Bratt here! I wanted to tell you a little bit about the prison experience we had as a group today. Going into the day, I really did not know what to expect. I knew that we were going to visit some guys who had been a part of a specific gang, but other than that I was not sure what would be happening. Joel Van Dyk explained that these guys had their own place in the prison because of the severity of their crimes. He mentioned how a lot of the people in the other part of the prison would love to get their hands on these gang members. If that does not make you a little nervous, I do not know what does! When we got there, we were encouraged just to mingle and talk with the guys. I did not think that I would be very good at this considering my Spanish is less than adequate but the guys were very understanding! They were so receptive and appreciated us coming to visit them! They were actually a really fun group. I was talking to some of the guys (using my wonderful broken Spanish) and got Tami and Kelly to play a 3 on 3 basketball game with me against a couple of the guys. The room was very small but they had a hoop, so we challenged them to a little game! It drew quite a crowd...I do not know if that was because none of us were really that good, or if it was because us girls looked funny playing basketball in long skirts against guys filled with tattoos. Either way, it was really fun and the guys seemed to enjoy it!
The time spent there was so good. Even though these men had committed some of the worst crimes, I did not want to have that be the only thing that I saw in these men. So many of them really just wanted to know about us and who we were and what we were doing there that I forgot about the reason they were in the prison to begin with. I am so thankful for the ministry that God has brought to those men and I hope that we can all continue to pray for them as they figure out their identities in Christ!

Update - August 1

Greetings, everyone.

Apologies for the lack of posting over the past couple of days - they have been fairly busy.

Yesterday was the end of our VBS programs both at Casita Benjamin and the school in La Limonada. The final sessions went well in both places, but the goodbyes were difficult. These kids have stolen our hearts over the past few days, and many of us would like nothing better than to stay with them and try to protect them from the hardships that they will undoubtedly face. La Limonada is bewitching in the sense that when we walked through it, we couldn't but help but notice a sort of unconventional beauty in the cobbled-together houses, the bright paint colors, the flashes of vegetation, the stray dogs padding down the twisting streets. And that carries over a bit to working with the kids. They're hilarious and kind and beautiful and fun. Sure, they fight over losing a game or try to steal Play-doh, but what kids don't? (YOUR kids, right?) But once you say goodbye and head out on a few house visitations, you are forced to toss out whatever sentimental vision of their life you had in mind. We visited one woman who is taking care of four of her grandchildren because her son is in jail and his wife doesn't have much to do with them. They live in a damp, smoky concrete cubbyhole. If and when the father gets out of jail, it's no promise of a better life, either, because he has a drinking problem. Or there's the group of children who are living together without parents or any adults, for that matter. Or the family who just lost their father to gang violence. Or the woman who is suffering from cancer and can't help support her family. How can we just leave these children, especially when they seem so ecstatic to see us? It was really, really difficult.

Last night, after finishing up at La Limonada, we headed to Pollo Campero (a classier Guatemalan version of KFC - they make their own ketchup in-house) to meet with Shorty, a man who used to live on the streets but has since started up a ministry for homeless people. We heard a testimony from his friend Abraham while eating dinner, and then headed across the street to help put on a street ministry for those living in Parque Concordia. The original plan included a clown, a drama, and us sharing some songs and testimonies. Unfortunately, due to some pretty heavy rainfall, we had to cut it a bit short, but we were still able to share a few songs and serve them hot meal. We also gave Shorty and his people the blankets and quilts that were sponsored at the auction, and they distributed them for us. As Stuart pointed out, getting soaked out in the rain gave us a small taste of what they had to deal with all the time. By the time we got back to Seteca, everyone was pretty wiped out.

Except for Joe, Jerry and Greg, who spent the day in La Limonada working at the construction site, today involved visiting the prison in the morning, which Julie has written about above, and then heading to Zona 1 of Guatemala City for some sightseeing. Most of our time was spent in the Parque Central, a beautiful square flanked by the palace, the cathedral, and a Wendy's, among other things. After learning that we wouldn't be able to tour the palace, we hung out in the cathedral to avoid a downpour, and then spent some time getting coffee and/or getting heckled in the market. Now we are back at Seteca. Tomorrow we head out quite early to spend some time at Lake Atitlán. Hopefully, sometime tomorrow, I will be sitting in an internet cafe with a high speed connection, uploading pictures by the dozen.

Thanks again for your support - we can certainly feel your prayers.

Update from Mariah - Tuesday July 29th

This morning we went to Casita Benjamin and it was a wonderful second day. In the afternoon, we got right on the bus headed over to La Limonada to do yet another Day Camp for the kids in a school that Tita is trying to start up on the other side. I was really nervous for this because they just started that school about a week ago and the kids never really had any school experience before. I went there expecting mass chaos and crazy kids that wouldn't listen, but it ended up being amazing. We didn't think the kids would know the songs but they knew every single one. The loved the puppets so much and they liked making the crafts. All the kids are so cute and you never want to leave them. Thursday is going to be very hard.
After we left the school we went to the other side of La Limonada to Tita's other school that has already been around for a while. (La Limonada is divided in half by different gangs. It is very dangerous for one side to go to the other. Don't worry mom, we were safe with Tita! :) ) We divided into three different groups and left with seperate leaders to do some house visits. The first house that my group went to was a small small tin shack at the top of a hill, but the bottom of a larger hill, and nine people lived in it. When Gary asked for prayer requests so we could pray for them, the father asked for us to pray for their tortilla business and the grandmother said they were already so blessed. It struck me then that we live where we take so much for granted and how we always want more, a bigger house or whatever, and these NINE PEOPLE are living in one tiny house. It was unbelievable how guilty I felt. We tried other house but no one was home or answering. So we went to our leaders house which some of the guys from our group were rebuilding for her. A mudslide went through and destroyed part of her tin house and they are remaking it with cinderblocks. She told us the whole story and Gary translated for us (Thank You!)
Now we are back at SETECA and it is almost time for supper. So mom and dad, i miss you and love you but i still want to stay here longer =)

Mariah

Reflections on El basurero

Greetings! This is Shelly Hendricks writing. :) Yesterday our group visited el basurero - the garbage dump - and these are a few things I wrote down yesterday as I reflected on my personal experience there.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My heart is so full right now. I feel helpless and unable to respond properly to the experiences I had today as our group visited the garbage dump.

The garbage dump is located on the far end of the national cemetery in Guatemala City. When we arrived at the look-out, Joel VanDyk challenged us to take 15 minutes of silence to take in the sights and sounds around us and to try to understand them with our hearts. At that time, I walked down to an edge that overlooks the dump and, with the sun beating down on me, witnessed hundreds of ugly black vultures eerily circling the vast area of garbage, swatted at the little bugs and flies swarming around and landing on my arms and clothing, and watched as dump trucks and bulldozers skimmed the tops of the ever-growing mound of trash to deliver and move the layers of garbage for hundreds of people to sort through to make a living finding scraps of plastic and metal to sell.

Earlier today, we spent time playing with many of the kids whose parents work day after day rummaging through garbage that has already been rummaged through by the truck drivers. It is difficult to connect the two experiences together: the joy on childrens’ faces as they sang the Spanish version of “Allelu, Allelu, Allelu, Alleluia – Praise ye the Lord!” and their parents’ smelly, dirty workplace filled with death and despair.

After our 15 minutes of silent reflection, we gathered in a shady area to overlook the workers below as Joel proceeded to read Judges 19 – a story rarely/never preached on in the church because it is a passage that many Christians don’t know what to do with. It’s the story about a concubine who is treated in the most atrocious ways and then is cut up by her husband/master into 12 pieces and sent to all the tribes of Israel. At the end of the chapter it says that happened in order that the people would consider and reflect on how he had treated her when he had intended to go and speak tenderly to her. There is nowhere in the Bible where this concubine is named. We known nothing about her other than the fact that she is from Bethlehem (can you think of anyone else who was from Bethlehem? Yup, Jesus.).

This story, I believe, is in the Bible because there are many people in the world – like those in el basurero – who can relate to her story: the nameless, mistreated and abused – the least, the last, and the lost of places like Guatemala City and Grand Rapids and Lynden – the people who are cut out of society and forgotten.

How does one from Grand Rapids, MI or Lynden, WA or from any other well-to-do area of North America respond to this? How does one take these experiences – these sights and sounds – from Guatemala to their home? How can I, not having ever experienced anything like what I saw today, even attempt to understand what they are going through? How can I return to my house, my car, my job and my everyday life with the image of the garbage dump burned in my mind? How am I to live? How can I incorporate the experiences of the people here in Guatemala with my job as a Spanish teacher? How can I, in my own small way, help others who have never experienced this try to understand the more common experiences of people around the world in a non-“I’m-happy-I’m-not-them” or a “wow-that-sucks-to-be-them” kind of way?

One of the things we discussed in our evening devotions tonight was lament and how many Christians don’t have a language for lament or any idea how brokenness and pain fit into the Christian story (other than the Bible-school answer of “we sinned so crappy things have to happen”) because we preach a message of hope and of peace. And, although it is true that God is sovereign and is in control of the situation and can see the bigger picture of why things happen and how he will use them for good in our lives, I think we can too quickly gloss over the reality of brokenness and the need to be able to say, “Yes, this sucks – I am hurting and nothing you can say right now will make me feel better because this is not the way God created the world to be.”

There are times when I love my life on earth and I am not eager for Christ to return because I truly love living my life; however, there are times like today when I pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, come!” because this world is so messed up and broken and we are in desperate need of redemption.

As I looked over the dump and the constant movement of machinery, people and vultures, these lyrics from the chorus of “Multiply Your Love” – a song that our group has sort of taken as our theme song – kept playing over and over in my mind:

Let us see your kingdom come
to the poor and broken ones.
Let us see a mighty flood
of justice and mercy, O Jesus.
Let love be multiplied.

I’m not sure where to go from here. I have a lot of questions and no answers. As Joel challenged us, I am going to do my best to contemplate and to ponder the images I saw today so that it sinks into my heart and changes me from the inside-out – then, maybe a few more people who are the least, the last and the lost in this world will again have names.

Update - Tuesday, July 29

Hello, all.

If we thought we were tired yesterday, today we all think that yesterday was a piece of cake.

We're going to start posting thoughts from other team members as much as possible (see below), so if you're regularly checking up on the blog, be on the lookout for multiple postings. We would hate for you to miss anything. And please, keep the comments coming - we'll pass them along to the team. Thanks!

The Sparbers

Randy and Miranda were kind enough to write this up yesterday.

Hi from Guatemala! It's only the second day here and we've already fallen in love with the city. We've had so many great experiences already and many more to come. Although some experiences aren't so positive, God has a plan for everything. Like the first morning here, during Joel's welcome presentation, he got a phone call from the leader of a new skate church program. We were getting ready to go there to hang out with the skaters and do a competition. After getting off the phone Joel announced that we had to cancel our visit because one of the guys involved had been murdered that morning, which really hit close to home. The skate church guys from back home are like family to us and so we really could relate to the pain that the guy's family, friends, and leaders felt. It was a sad mornig for us and the rest of the team. More on the positive side, we visted Casita Benjamin today and had an amazing time putting on a VBS for the kids. Just being able to be with them, make them smile, and build relationships was such a blessing. Everything that has happened on the trip so far has been so impacting, and like we said, it's only the second day! We look forward to many more experiences in the next few days, and to seeing you all when we get back home.

- Randy and Miranda Sparber

P.S. - Special hello and we love you to Jodi, Colin, Emma and Shane :)

Update - Monday, July 28

Greetings, all.

One of the intentions of this blog is to give a broader perspective on the team's experience in Guatemala by having different team members share their individual experiences and impressions. Unfortunately, because of technical difficulties, this has been a little difficult. However, we are hoping that by tomorrow we should have some entries posted by people other than ourselves (Tami and Tim).

Today was the first day spent at Casita Benjamin, a local school where the team is putting on a VBS-type "day camp" that is just a few blocks from Seteca. Running across the streets of Guatemala can be a difficult task because of the crazy traffic and the fact that we are all used to 25 m.p.h. speed limits...and crosswalks. Highlight of the trip to CB: as some of us were walking down the sidewalk, a little boy tore out of a doorway behind us and ran after the group, shouting, "Gringos! Gringos!" ("White people! White people!").

We arrived about a half hour early for the 8:30 start time, so we played with the kids and plotted how to steal one of them and take them home. Please, if anyone has any suggestions, we would love to hear them. Once everyone assembled, the kids were divided into three groups of about 20 each and given color-coded nametags. Then we sang several songs in Spanish, led by Pastor Tom and Gary, with everyone doing their best to sing the right words. Then the kids were divided up into their groups and sent to one of three stations: crafts, games, and puppets. The craft team spent a lot of time trying to wash paint off of the kids' hands and keep it off of their own clothes, with varying degrees of success. The games team led some organized relay games in the courtyard area. The puppet team did the Hokey Pokey, led brilliantly by Jerry Libolt, and then performed two puppet shows and finished of with a game of "Simon Dice" (Simon Says) led by Shelly. After the three groups had rotated through each of the three sessions, the morning was closed with a few more songs. In the end everyone had been thoroughly clung to and jumped on, but overall things went very well.

After returning to Seteca for lunch, we had a little down time before taking a bus to the Guatemalan National Cemetery. In the back of the cemetery is a point that overlooks the city dump. Joel asked us to take some time to watch the dump workers (there are around 11,000 of them, although they weren't all out working) picking through piles and piles of trash, working in the hot sun for an average of $5 a day. He asked us for our impressions and those things that we noticed, then read Judges 19 and discussed the connection between our discomfort with that story and the injustice we saw before us. There will be more to come on this experience, as it's difficult to explain, especially in a noisy computer lab.

After leaving the cemetery, we headed home to Seteca for dinner and a team meeting, which is in an hour. So there's not really much else to mention. Besides this quote:

"That costs thirty quiznos?" - Randy (please note that the Guatemalan currency is Quetzales, not Quiznos)

Thanks, everyone.

Greetings from Antigua

Hola, everyone! Greetings from the Pollo Campero in Antigua. The wireless services at Seteca, the seminary where the team is staying, are unavailable to us and the computer lab is closed on weekends, so we are using the wireless here to (finally) post an update.

Friday was mostly a travel day, and thankfully everything went as smoothly as could be expected. We touched down in Guatemala around 8:00 PM to find Greg and Karen waiting for us at the airport. After a few minutes, trusty bus driver Don Cesar showed up with the "Handy Bus" and we were off to Seteca, where we quickly settled in and went to bed.

The next morning, Saturday, many were awakened by the screaming of what have alternately been called "demon birds," "crazy Guatemalan pheasants," and "psycho pigeons." It's kind of obvious that none of us have actually seen one, but everyone has certainly heard their morning screams. After a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs prepared by the puppet team, Joel showed up for a brief presentation about his ministries. We were getting ready to go help out at a new skate ministry when we received news that one of the young men involved in the program had been shot and killed the previous night over a stolen bike. So, in our first lesson about being flexible, we switched gears and prepared for our day camp / VBS in the morning and spent the afternoon at an established skate ministry in another part of the city. Because we arrived at the church early, we were able to stop at what is quite possibly the nicest and friendliest McDonalds any of us gringos have ever seen - how often do employees open the door for you or offer you a table when you visit McDonalds? At the church, we spent several hours hanging out and visiting, and Randy and Emilio judged a "best trick" competition, with the winner receiving a complete new board. A high school youth group from Chicago arrived towards the end of the afternoon and performed a dance and a drime, followed by another drama from the church hosting the skate ministry and an invitation to receive Christ. Afterwards, we headed home and enjoyed tacos prepared by the fundraising team, we spent the evening in reflection and fellowship, preparing for the week ahead.

This morning got off to a fantastic start with panqueques prepared by the devotions team!!! Karen filled us in on our day after breakfast, and then we all prepared for church. We went to the church that Joel attends and which Kent and Shelly Hendricks spent six weeks at last summer. Those of us who aren't fluent in Spanish spent much of the service trying to understand bits and pieces of the sermon, and we were all grateful when the worship team led two English songs. The church was very welcoming, and we all felt very at home despite the language barrier. After a time of fellowship following the service, we headed off to Antigua. We stopped at a lookout on the way with a breathtaking view of the city backed by a large volcano, and Gary (our translator / life support on this trip) gave us a brief history of the city. The bus then dropped us off in the central park of the city and we walked to the hospital where Dick Rutgers works, a facility for people with special needs. The people who live there range in age from infant to elderly. After a tour of the facility where we were introduced to many of the residents, we were able to stay and visit with them. Some played games, some held the younger children, and some helped them eat. The remainder of the afternoon was available for touring the city, which pretty much catches us up to the present.

Before we go, we would ask that you would keep several things in prayer:

- The family and friends of the young man who was killed.

- The skate ministries and the work they are doing.

- Dick Rutgers and the work he continues in down here. You can keep updated on his work by visiting DickRutgers.com

- The health and safety of the team as we head into a week of eye-opening experiences. Pray that God will continue to move in very real ways in the lives of the team and in the lives of the people we encounter.

We will continue to do our best to keep you all updated on what's going on down here. Advance apologies if updates are irregular - so is the internet access. The same goes for pictures. We'll get them uploaded as soon as we have the time. Thank you for your continued prayer and support.

Safe Arrival

I just received a phone call from Tami informing me that the team has arrived safe and sound in Guatemala. They are unable to get on the internet right now, but they will post a more detailed message as soon as they are able.

Shawn

Welcome!

Welcome to the Official 2008 Third Christian Reformed Church Guatemala Mission Trip Team Blog! This is where we will be doing our best to keep all of you updated on our adventures in Guatemala. Check back later for more updates, and look for regular posting to begin when we leave on July 25. Thank you for your support, and please continue to keep the trip in your prayers as we prepare to leave.

Photos of our trip will be posted online - just click the "pictures" link in the sidebar. There are currently some photos of the barbecue and auction that happened on the 27th. Thanks to all who helped make it a great success!