The Day I Won’t Forget October 29, 2009

I’ve been avoiding blogging about this as it’s hard to put this experience into words. Even the night after, the team talked about how difficult it would be to share this experience with others. It felt like a once in a lifetime experience, but that’s not how it’s suppose to be. A cold snowy October afternoon seems to be the perfect day to tackle this blog.

On Wednesday, after a morning of relaxing, sightseeing, and shopping in the market, we headed out to Manchen. Manchen is a home for girls ages 10-18. Most of these girls have come from abuse and many are pregnant or have young children. We had planned an afternoon of talking about how these precious girls were treasures to each other, and most importantly to God. We were sharing testimonies and lots of Scripture, making bracelets, painting nails, and more. As the gates were opened for us, the girls were surrounding the gate and were cheering as we entered. They hurriedly reached out for hugs, desperate for someone to show them love. As we got ready, cameras came out and the girls quickly all wanted their pictures taken again and again. We waited for awhile for our third translator who was coming in from Guatemala City to arrive. Soon we started our opening assembly with the ever popular “Mi Dios es Tan Grande” and then the girls sang us a song. We had them separate into three groups and soon wondered how we were going to manage three groups with two translators.

As chaos ensued, we decided to put the two smaller groups together for the Bible study and testimony time. As we started our program, Ronne (our group leader) looked at me and said, “I know God is here. I just wish we could see Him.” Little did we know how much we would see Him. The afternoon continued as we rotated through the centers and we ran our poor translators ragged as they ran back and forth between groups. God miraculously gave Courtney enough Spanish to communicate with the girls without a translator, which quickly disappeared as a translator became available. I soon had a beautiful little girl in my arms, playing with her, so that her mom could participate.

As Ronne share her story with our group, tears started to flow as the Holy Spirit spoke and showed these girls that no matter the abuse, the wrong decisions, or regrets, we are still His creation, treasured and priceless. We finished our afternoon and prepared to leave, but God had other plans. Our team was called into a room where Courtney and Berta were talking with a young girl. Courtney shared this girl’s story of abuse, life in a brothel, cutting, and her choice to become one of God’s treasured girls. We gathered around and prayed for her healing, her new life, and strength when life is hard. Soon, the girls outside the closed doors realized what was happening and they lined up outside the door, wanting to be prayed for. For the next few hours, we prayed for the girls of this home for their drug addictions they wanted free of, for them wanting to return home, and more.

When we had finished praying for the girls, Berta shared her heart with us for the eleven girls who were locked in a room together because they had tried or been accused of trying to kill someone. As we walked over to their room, the girls started reaching out their hands, desperate for touch. As the sun set, we stood and prayed for these girls, holding hands stretched out through the bars on the windows.

More than two hours after we were supposed to leave, we said goodbye to girls with new life and new hope, learning about the treasures they are. We arrived at our extremely nice dinner location straight from Manchen. We were dirty, probably smelly, tired, and completely in awe. As Ronne said, we were covered in “Jesus dirt.” As our team was seated next to a couple that I’m sure was looking forward to a quiet, romantic dinner, we began to share the various stories of the afternoon. We sat and marveled at being part of God’s miraculous work.

From the picture from Ceracaif that there was nothing that we could do to really change these, it was all the more impactful to watch the One who can and delights to do it everyday, do it for these girls at Manchen, and to participate in the miraculous when you are pouring out Him and not yourself.

 This doesn’t do the afternoon justice, but I hope it gives you a peek into the incredible opportunity to be a part of the eternal, and whets your appetite to see the miraculous, to expect big things from God, and to watch in wonder as the least of these realize that the God of the universe treasures them, treasure them enough to die for them. It’s these experiences that keep me wanting to participate in God’s work around the world.

 Pray for these girls, for the many girls with a new life in Christ, and for strength through the difficulties. Pray for these girls as they move in November to “The City of Orphans,” where the Guatemala government is moving many of the orphanages in Antigua and Guatemala City. This “city” will home to over 1,000 orphans, young and old, boys and girls.

Ceracaif October 11, 2009

The number one rule of blogging is that you are supposed to blog at least once a week if you want anyone to read it. I have not… Well, I’ve written many blog posts in my head, but never really sat down to write them out and post them. This lovely icy winter day seems like a great time to put a warm laptop on my lap and write about Guatemala. It’s been almost a month since we left for Guatemala. So much has happened then. In fact, it was summer when I came back and is now winter.

 The team flew to Guatemala from our various homes on Saturday, September 12. I was the last to arrive at 9 pm. Some of the team came on the hotel shuttle to pick me up. I later found out that the married couple on the trip had a bet that I would be wearing Chaco shoes and have a Camelbak. (Sorry you lost Ryan, but you should not have bet against the CO native.) Sunday morning, I had a special opportunity to meet a little girl some friends are adopting (which I’ll blog about later, maybe) while the rest of the team went to church and Sunday afternoon we headed out to Xela (pronounced Shayla) about 5 hours west of Guatemala City through mountainous roads. The scenery was beautiful, but I can’t compare it to anything I’ve seen before. What amazed me most was that crops were grown on the side of the mountain. I’m sure it won’t surprise any of you to know I wondered how many Compassion-sponsored kids and Compassion centers we passed on the way.

 Monday morning, we headed to a store a lot like our Walmart to buy lunch supplies as well as painting supplies. After purchasing our items, we headed to Ceracaif orphanage which is about 25 minutes outside of Xela. We were the first team from Buckner to be doing service projects and VBS with these kids. Ceracaif is a private orphanage for about 72 kids. It’s run by two sisters who took it over from their parents who started the orphanage after emigrating from Mexico. We arrived and the boys were all too eager to help us carry in our supplies.

  First, we toured the home. The sisters are skilled in taking other people’s discarded items and turning them into decorations from the orphanage. Cardboard boxes covered with fabric scraps were made into dressers for the kids. The sheets and blankets were made from matching fabric. The floor was constructed using a variety of tiles leftover from other projects that stores and business had given to them. They had a lot of stuffed animals and dolls, but I couldn’t help but notice that the entire time we were there, not one of them was touched.

 After our tour, we painted some of the boys’ rooms. When the rooms were done, and we cleaned up to get ready for our VBS. We went outside and played with the kids while we waited for them to be called to lunch. The guys became instant friends with the boys as they played soccer with them. The girls just sat with the girls from the home and held kids in our laps.

 VBS time came and I quickly called the youngest age group for Team Verde (I know how much that surprises you). Typical fall Colorado weather had rolled in, changing the warm sunny day to cold and rainy, so we improvised our activities to be done inside. The theme of VBS was “No Fear.” We taught the story of David and Goliath and they memorized Isaiah 41:10. For a craft, we made shirts that said miedo (fear) on the back and then Dios es mi amigo (God is my friend) on the front. I was amazed how many of our little ones could write on their shirts. We moved to memory verse time, where I was again amazed how many of them so quickly memorized the verse. Here, we also made bracelets with 5 beads to symbolize the 5 stones David used. Our story time went quickly and the kids asked for another story from the storybook Bible we brought down. Courtney was happy to oblige. They asked for a story about Moses and so Courtney shared the story of God parting the Red Sea. All too quickly our time was over and we were handing out candy and stickers.

 As we got ready to leave for the day, we found out that the home didn’t have any breakfast food. As we drove back to the hotel, we figured out we could use extra money from previous meals to provide this home with food. The next morning, most of the team headed back to play with the kids and finish painting, while several team members went shopping. As only God could do, the extra money we had was enough to buy rice, oatmeal, powdered milk, nutrition drinks, and toilet paper. Again, the boys were all ready to help. The team that went early had been asked to paint one of the girls’ rooms. I’d love to say I had a great attitude about being asked to paint more, but I really just wanted to spend time with the kids. I know it was a blessing to the home to have freshly painted walls, but I choose to go to on this trip because we weren’t spending the entire time working on projects, but interacting with kids. The girls sat and watched us as we painted, laughed at Patrick’s mispronunciation, and eventually begged to help paint. We finished painting the room about two minutes before we needed to leave. We said goodbye to the kids and two amazing translators and knew those kids would forever be the face of Guatemala to us.

 Many of our team talked about how happy and nice this home was, but for me it was different. Maybe it was because it was so different from the home I’d been at on Sunday, but for me, it wasn’t happy and nice, it was dark. Many of the rooms didn’t have a lot of light. The workers weren’t interacting with the kids; they were just sitting there. I’ll remember Ceracaif as where I realized there was nothing I could do for these kids. All too soon, the food we brought would be gone, and the kids would be hungry again. The VBS memories would fade, bracelets would be lost, and t-shirts would be outgrown. We hadn’t done anything to change the plight of these kids. Their lives were the same as before we came. I know that God could (and still may) use the visit in these kids’ lives, but it wasn’t something I sawand wasn’t really something I believed would happen. It was against this picture that made Wednesday so amazing, because only when you truly realize that you can do nothing can God work miracles.

 I expected to leave with the faces of many kids in my mind, and while I did, the face I saw most while I was in Guatemala was the face of a little fatherless girl in the US, a little fatherless girl in my Cubbies class. One I’d held as she’d cried the week before. The one who’d left me speechless when she told me why she was crying. The one who I know is the reason I’m in Cubbies this year and the reason I’ve been called to live whole-heartedly in Colorado and not half here and somewhere else. 

Up next, Manchen – where God worked miracle upon miracle through no help from us

Hugs from Orphans September 22, 2009

I’ve had a hard time deciding what to post about the trip – do I post it all at once or each day at a time. I still haven’t decided. It’s been hard to verbalize exactly what happened in Guatemala. As we talked as a team, we talked about how it would be hard to really tell people about the trip, that you just kind of had to be there, but Ronne did a great job. If you haven’t already, read her blog. As I read it after

returning, I was in tears just remembering it.

What do I miss most about Guatemala? Besides my team, I miss hugs from orphans. If you haven’t been hugged by an orphan, you should. Get on a plane to anywhere and show up at an orphanage and I guarantee you’ll get at least 5 or 10. I imagine that it would be a similar hug when meeting your sponsored child. It’s a tight hug that doesn’t let go. They’re desperate for love. They’re desperate for loving touch. I miss their kisses. I miss hearing “Otra vez” (again) over and over from a three-year-old who wants to be flipped or “trust fall” from a window sill. I miss their smiles. I miss their enthusiasm about whatever we were doing. I miss being every orphans best friend just because I have a digital camera. I just plain miss them.

So, find yourself some friends (or people you don’t know) and board a plane to go love on some orphans. You’ll love them and be frustrated you can’t do more. You’ll cry over them even though you can’t pronounce their names. And you’ll come back changed.

Over the next few days, I’ll try to post about the various aspects of my trip, but words will never do justice. Until then, you can view some of the pictures from out trip.

We Need Your Help! September 10, 2009

We’re really excited about a brand new product we have coming out September 2010, a update to our popular Picture Bible. The art is fantastic. Help us name the new Picture Bible. Click here and post your idea as a comment (on Cook’s blog, not mine). For those of you who don’t know, the current Picture Bible has been translated into hundreds of languages and is a core part of Cook’s International Ministry. I’m taking a Spanish version with me to Guatemala.

This may be my last post until after Guatemala, unless I suddenly have finish the last minute details quickly tonight. I’m headed to Denver tomorrow to spend some time with Cedarville friends, before they graciously take me and pick me up from the airport.  Please pray for team unity and open hearts. Pray that we would be open to God’s work in us and through us.

Please pray also for my special buddy from Cubbies last night and her family. Her father died in a climbing accident in late July. Nothing quite prepares you for hearing that from a four year old. My heart breaks for her and breaks again when I think about the kids we’ll be loving on next week. I thought the timing was interesting.

A Little More about the Trip August 27, 2009

I thought you all might like to know a little more about the places we will be serving during our trip to Guatemala. And, because a good editor (or at least me) never rewrites something when the original is good, I am stealing this from our team leader who sent this to all of us. As with Honduras, we will be posting updates on the Buckner blog. I may be posting here as well. If I don’t post here, I will be posting after we return (unless I decide to stay down there forever). If you would like to be on the team update email list, please let me know ASAP. You can also follow our trip if you are on Twitter @LoveWriteCook. If you don’t have twitter, you can read updates here and here. I make no guarantees that this will work as I have no clue about Twitter, but the links work for me.

Cabecitos de Algodon – Antigua, Guatemala

The name of this home for the elderly is loosely translated as “Little Heads of Cotton,” or “Cotton Tops.”  The 50-60 seniors living at the quaint facility range in age from 55-103.  Many are in wheelchairs or have walkers, and there is not a great opportunity for physical exercise.  Residents receive food, shelter, basic medical care, and some physical therapy.

Our team will:  distribute slippers to each resident, enjoy a special time of praise and worship

Manchen Girls’ Orphanage – Antigua, Guatemala

The setting is beautiful – an artisan village set in the foothills of the mountains.  But the residents of Manchen rarely see that beauty.  The girls, ranging in age from 10-18, live behind tall walls in a dormitory setting.  An average of 90-120 young women call Manchen “home.” Most of the girls have been moved to Manchen from other orphanages.  New residents are often placed in the facility after being found living on the streets – often pregnant. The young women are provided food and shelter, education, and some vocational training.   There is no additional training or provision made for those with special needs.  Manchen is located next to a women’s prison.

Our team will:  conduct a special “Treasured Life” afternoon with the girls (including teaching, crafts and a “spa” day), enjoy a time of praise and worship

Buckner Baby Home and Buckner Transition Homes – Guatemala City, Guatemala

The Buckner Baby Home provides a safe, nurturing environment for infants and toddlers who have been removed from unhealthy environments or found abandoned.  Several of the orphans have medical conditions which are then treated by staff and local doctors.  The Baby Home is fully funded by contributions, and normally has 8-12 residents.  The children receive food, shelter, clothing, medical attention, physical therapy, and basic toddler education.

The Buckner Transition Homes are special group home environments for those orphans who have “aged out” of the system, yet have a passion to continue their education.  Residents of the transition homes should be Christ-followers and be enrolled at a local university or trade school.  There are homes for young men and young women, and each home has a set of house parents to provide counsel and stability.  Residents receive food, shelter, financial aid, and discipleship.  On average, each home houses 8-10 young men or women (segregated).

Our team will:  play with the babies, host a pizza party with the residents of the transition home, enjoy a special time of praise and worship

One Month! August 12, 2009

One month from today, I’ll be heading to Guatemala, hopefully.

One of my Honduras plane books was suppose to be Scared by Tom Davis. He has written two previous books with Cook—Red Letters and Fields of the Fatherless, both of which I highly recommend—but this is his first fiction book. So, after finishing my other plane books (I learned on my flight to China that one book is NOT enough. I should have known that over 24 hours in a plane would mean I would need at least two books, but that seemed to be part of the pre-trip jet lag.) I started Scared. This novel is the first in a series about a photojournalist, Stuart Daniels. He’s sent on an assignment to document the HIV/AIDS crisis in Swaziland, Africa. All I really knew about Swaziland was from an article in American Girl Magazine, that is has the highest rate of AIDS in Africa, and the Woodmen is trying to start a strategic partnership with churches in the area. Now, I’ll think of Scared every time I think of Swaziland. This book is a lot what you would expect if you know anything about the crisis in Africa, so none of it was truly shocking for me, but it gripped me all the same. But it wasn’t until I pictured Maua as one of the main characters, Adanna, that I became personally invested in the book. Maua is my Compassion child in Tanzania (another African country with a high HIV/AIDS rate) and will turn 11 at the end of the month, the same age as Adanna. I kind of wish I hadn’t done that. Through the rest of the book, Adanna in my mind looked just like Maua, and there’s no way that I want almost anything that happened to Adanna in that book to happen to Maua, but I would love her to have Adanna’s heart. But it also made me extremely thankful for Compassion’s work. They have staff that are there for the kids; they give the children food and an education; and they give them a hope for the future. Kids who have lost parents, aunts and uncles, siblings, friends, and more have hope that they will grow up and become doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, and country leaders. I’m thankful that even if Maua’s life is more like Adanna’s that I would like to know, for at least two years, we’ve touched each others’ lives and at least I am better for it. I’m thankful that she’s heard that she can be Adanna, the Father’s daughter, of a Father who will never leave her, die, or hurt her. A Father who cares for her, watches over her, and will be with her. I’m thankful too that I am Adanna, the Father’s daughter.

Now, I don’t normally read any book, much less a fiction book, with Post-it flags in hand, but I knew I would never find these quotes again unless I did. So, I’ll leave you with these quotes and encourage you to read the book yourself. If it tells you anything about the book, I read the 283 pages in two evenings. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series that will be about Russia, maybe that one won’t mess with me so much. Visit the website for the book here and view the book trailer below.

“No matter where you go in this country, if you are white, people will notice you. They stop what they are doing, smile like they’re posing for a glamour shot, then wave enthusiastically in your direction. Perhaps they think we are bringing food, medicine, or clothes. They know we are here because we choose to be. We could be doing a thousand other things in a thousand other places. Instead, here we are, the pale ghosts of hope.” Where are you because you choose to be?

“The utter depravity of these terrible acts, the sheer poverty and sickness, death, and sadness—these things can weigh down your soul and render it weak and useless, or they can stir your soul. To life in a way that changes you. And other people as a result.” What stirs your soul in a way that changes you and others? It reminds me of Wess Stafford’s message at Woodmen in July and then again last weekend at the Willow Creek Leadership Conference. Find the message for free as a podcast on iTunes from Woodmen Valley Chapel.

Highlights of the Week July 31, 2009

The key to successful blogging is to blog consistently, which I have not done. Mainly, because I have nothing to say, but I thought I would update anyway and give you the higlights of my week. Hopefully, I’ll sit down this weekend and write a little about each of the cities we’ll be working in while I’m in Guatemala. Or, maybe I’ll make it three separate posts.

Highlights of the Week

• I have officially worked for two years. The benefit is that I now get 12 days of vacation and receive payment for my work every two weeks. The drawback is that I no longer have Christmas, spring, fall, and summer Breaks.
• It almost snowed on Wednesday (Okay, it was only 55, but it felt like it could snow.).
• I had lunch with my two favorite people who work at Compassion.
• I have not moved in over a year unless you count moving cubicles at work. (My parents are thankful that my second year in Colorado didn’t resemble my first when I moved 4 times.)
• I received a rock as a present from a six year old girl which is now being displayed in my cubicle along with her drawings on my white board and her note that says, “You are the best women I ever meet.”
• I started a Bible study entitled Knowing God by Name. If you’re looking for a good Bible study, try this one. We miss so much not using all the Hebrew names of God.

Merci/Mercy Project July 21, 2009

My friend who took gifts to our three Compassion sponsored children in Togo (read about it and see pictures under the post “Compassion Togo”) is starting a project to raise $20,000 to pay the school fees for every child in a school in Togo. Read more about her project and how to get involved in the Merci/Mercy Project here.

As a note of clarification, part of your Compassion sponsorship money pays for school fees, uniforms, books, or whatever is needed educationally by that child.

Guatemala Schedule July 20, 2009

Here’s our long promised tentative schedule for our time in Guatemala.

Saturday, September 12
Fly into Guatemala City and sort Humanitarian Aid
Sunday, September 13
Attend local church service
Travel to Xela
Monday, September 14
VBS Days 1 and 2 at Orphanage (This is the same VBS we were going to do in Honduras.)
Tuesday, September 15
Travel to Antingua
Visit Retirement Home and distribute slippers
Visit Manchen Teenage Girls Home
Wednesday September 16
Sightseeing and shopping
Visit Manchen Teenage Girls Home
Thursday, September 17
Travel back to Guatemala City
Visit Buckner Baby Home
Pizza party with Buckner Transition Home kids
Friday, September 18
Head back to the States

Compassion Sunday and Pictures from Carla July 17, 2009

One of the benefits of living in the “Christian capital of the world” is that so many amazing ministries are located here. One of which is Compassion International. Compassion’s president, Dr. Wess Stafford, attends Woodmen Valley Chapel (my church), and spoke in church on Sunday. His message is available as a free audio podcast by searching for Woodmen Valley Chapel in iTunes. His message is titled “A Candle in the Darkness.” (While you’re there, download Pastor Matt’s messages on worship.) The highlight of this Compassion Sunday was that I got to meet Wess Stafford when he came up to the sponsorship table. At the end of his message he said, “Life’s too short to live a mediocre life.” What are you doing to live more than a mediocre life?

Some of you know I’ve been anxiously awaiting my second letter my Carla, my Compassion child in Peru. I chose Carla because Woodmen Valley has a strategic partnership with Compassion and several child development centers in Peru. Because of this, WVC takes frequent mission trips to Peru. Yesterday, I pulled a letter out of my mailbox and tried not to get my hopes up too much that it was a letter from Carla. As I pulled out the letter and enclosed pictures, I thought surely Compassion had sent me the wrong letter. After all, I had no idea which one of the 4 girls was mine (I still don’t really know.) But no, the letter and 4 enclosed photos were mine and I suddenly fell head-over-heels in love with this little girl in Peru and started scheming of how I could manage to go to both Tanzania and Peru next year—I haven’t figured it out yet, but I’ll keep you posted. I already loved this little girl, but starting to see her personality come out in the letter and her cute smile in the pictures made me love her even more. It reminded me of how the more you know about God, the more you love Him. I can’t wait to hold this little girl in my arms, who wanted me to know that she thinks she’s big. How many five year olds does that remind you of? Her tutor wrote numerous times that she loves to come to the center all the time and listens very well. So, I thought I’d share the pictures with you of the little girl whose pictures I’ve been staring at since I got them yesterday.

Carla and Carolina in bed

Carla, Carolina, and Grandma

Carla's Family

Girls at the Project

I still have the three children listed in the previous post (Compassion Honduras) available for sponsorship, or choose your own from the website. These precious children will change your life. If you already sponsor a child, write your child today and share with him or her how much they mean to you. Your letters have more impact than you will ever know.