A Humbling Day

We began our day in Chamche School.  As we entered the building we were met with friendly smiles and polite Holas!  We joined the children in worship.  Words cannot do justice to the joyful noise they offer to the Lord.  As we watch the littlest child to the oldest teachers praise God in song, we struggled with the contrast of our worship back home.  With arms lifted high and tears in a few of our eyes, we joined them in praising the one true God. 

When the students left for class, our hearts were touched as the children reached for a hug from us.  This simple act of kindness crosses the language barriers and we can speak volumes into each others' lives with no words.  For many of the children our hugs showed them a love they may not see in their single parent, abusive and poverty stricken homes.  We were truly humbled by their love for the Lord and for us.

After the devotional we were put to work.  Our team worked hard hauling bags of sand up the side of a mountain.  We worked joyfully alongside a few Guatemalan men admiring their strength and perseverance.  Conditioning on our prairie roads could not prepare us for the steep and winding trails.  We were again humbled by the work ethic of the people.

This afternoon was also our first day of VBS.  We are excited to come home and share this experience with you.  Our VBS is in a village called Terra Linda (Beautiful Land).  This community does not have a church or a school.  We are blessed and honoured to be the first mission team to visit them.

The moms and children met us on the road and walked behind us as we travelled a hillside path to a tin roof shanty where they meet for village gatherings.  The building itself is on a plateau and is about 20 feet by 20 feet inside.  Our 29 team members filled over a 1/4 of the space.  45 children and 30 adults joined us.  The people of the village speak a local language.  We spoke English; our translator shared in Spanish and a local man (now a teacher with Impact Ministries) translated our words into the local language.

We opened our time with them in song.  With the language difference we struggled to teach our children's songs and made the decision to sing to them.  Their request for a second song spoke volumes.  After our lesson we handed out Cristo Me Amo colouring books and crayons.  They were so excited to sit and colour.  Some of them had never held a crayon before.  Even the moms and, soon after, the dads joined us to colour.  The building was filled and the path to and from the shanty was lined with people colouring.  The team circulated amongst the children helping and encouraging.  The joy the people of Terra Linda took in such a  small activity was humbling.  We are reminded of how much we have and how much we take for granted.  We closed our time together with more singing and an invitation for them to receive Jesus.

Tonight we get to hear a Guatemalan believer's testimony.  Thank you for praying for us.  Please pray for continued health and safety for our team.  Pray for the people of Terra Linda.  Pray too for the seeds we planted today.

Access to the Internet is still difficult.  Pictures are not easy to upload.  We will try our best another day.