Colfax Guatemala Trip

SATURDAY

Today some of the group finished the trench/conduit project while the rest of the group cleaned up the rooms to get ready to leave. Today was mostly chaotic as there were down times for the team, but many other odd jobs for everyone to accomplish. We were packed up and ready for Tim Ruth to come get us for Casa around Noon.

The trip to Casa was great as we were able to see some of the large City of Guatemala. The trip took about 45 minutes as traffic was busy. We were all excited to get out to Casa. Most of our luggage was on the top of the busses as well as on a flat bet truck. The Lord held off the rain just enough to keep our luggage dry.

When we arrived at Casa we organized our luggage into our rooms and found our beds. Each day we travel or go to a new place, it takes us about a full 24 hours to get settled in and know what our different jobs will look like. The group has had wonderful patience with me as I am sometimes relying heavily on others to make sure everything is set up for us.

Saturday was also the day that Jamie and I were able to see Jon Jon. It was so difficult to be only 25 miles away and not be able to see him these last few days. So getting to Casa and being able to hold him in our arms was very special. Casa has let Jon Jon stay with us at Tim’s house. This has been a fun experience and we have been learning a lot about him and his needs. On the other hand both Jamie and I are very busy here and we cherish every minute we get to spend with him.

After spending time playing with the kids. Tim Ruth gave us some ground rules for the orphanage. Then Mike Clark spent about 2 and a half hours sharing with us about God’s call on his life to Guatemala and the testimony of 5 or 6 girls. The only word I have to describe after the girls stories were told is SELAH. A word used in the psalms to instruct the listener to "stop and listen" or "Let those with eyes see and with ears hear". The wonderful powerful work of our Savior to wash these kids clean of the indescribable acts that have been done to them is truly unspeakeable. One can only stop and listen and pray to make a difference for Christ through the Spirit of God in this world of sin. I will let your friends family, tell you more on this powerful and very special time. I doubt, anyone on this trip will ever forget this night.

The group had a late dinner due to the time with Mike Clark. It has been a difficult transition for the team after having our food always ready for us and to shift gears and have to feed 100 tired people. Please praise God for giving us an outstanding cooking team!

The girls are on the upper part of the campus here where the girls are located in the orphanage. The guys are on the lower half by the work bodegas.

The beds are better here and we are thankful that we did not have to bring sleeping bags, sheets etc. So thank you to all the work teams who went before us and left their things for us.


SUNDAY

Church began at 8 am with the sound of a Shofar. The older kids had Sunday school in the big blue building. They sure know how to teach kids here, the entire building is turned into a learning area with all the surroundings decorated to fit the lesson they are teaching. They have the children divided up into the tribes of Israel so they are always teaching them. The older kids help teach all the younger ones. Children are so resilient and they can accomplish so many things when leadership is asked of them.

Worship with the kids was wonderful. An awesome time of glorifying God and celebrating all He has done. Jesus has cleansed the so many of these kids and it is an emotional time to worship with them as they teach us all to be thankful and forgiving in our lives. The entire blue building was packed with kids and our group. After worship Pastor Dave preached to the kids in Spanish and our group left to have some preparation for lunch and our trip to Antigua. At 10:30 we had “gringo church” and had a quick lunch and clothes change as we left for Antigua around 12:30.

Antigua is a timeless place and is filled with so much history. After a brief problem with the team busses finding each other, we went to the convent ruins of Los Capuchinas. We were able to take a big group picture as well as take many pictures. The highlight for me was when our group (or those who were not off looking around on their own.) sang in the acoustic room under the living quarters. We sang “Sanctuary”, “Amazing Grace”, and “Wonderful Merciful Savior”. Traveling on the tiny cobblestone streets of Antigua with 100 Americans is a feat in itself. Safety was not really an issue, because the sheer size and number of our group gave us this “probably you do not want to mess with this group” look. We walked to a small artisan market where the items for sale were on blankets on the street. The group then met walked to the “Casa de Jade” jewelry store where they gave us a 10% discount for working at Casa. The teams then split off into groups of 10 to do some shopping. This was our one day, so we made it count. We were there till 7pm and the busses picked us up outside Pollo Campero. We bought 150 pieces of chicken and gave the group a snack as dinner would be a little late again tonight due to our schedule.

When we arrived back at Casa we had a brief overview of the next day and then had dinner and went to bed.

** Praise God for the safety he provided this weekend as we were on the road.
** Praise God for the wonderful work He is doing here at the Casa para Ninos orphanage.
** Please pray for God’s protection and strength for the work team that heads to the village 6am Monday morning and their travel all week.