Remember the one
A week has nearly past since returning from our trip to Guatemala. Many memories already begin to fade. Who can remeber every school, every view out the window, and every smiling face. But we all have one story, one child, one incident etched into our spirit's memory bank.
My challenge: remember the one, pray everyday for him or her. Continue to visualize the face and pray that God will do miracles. Pray for a historymaker to to be raised up by God to impact a generation that we may never come in contact with a again while on earth. The one you pray for lives in that land everyday. Pray that one will affect the desitiny of all. Pray for the one.
Guatemala Stats
I'm not big on counting heads, and keeping track of ministry numbers....but to give you an idea of the amount of ministry our team was involved in....here you go...
Team Size: 15 (11 girls, 4 guys)
Total Books Distributed: 13,807
School Assemblies: 54
Salvation response at Hopefests: 78
and...
Times we ate chicken: 24
Hours on a bus per person: 27
Dinner rolls in Matt Woddy's shower: 2
ponchos and rugs purchased: 12
Police pulled us over: 2
machetes bought: 7
Luggage lost: 2
Vomits on bus/plane: 4
Getting shocked during showering: 3
PEICES OF PINEAPPLE: 2
CHINEESE BUFFETT: 1
Got more stats? comment....
Our translator, Vivi, prays with Darian and Sophia, who responded to the salvation message at the hopefest.
We bought a new set of drums for Christ is Returning Assembly of God church is San Antonio, Guatemala. The drums they were using were in really rough shapre. The drummer usually just used a cow bell and the broken high hat cymbol.
Me and Matt Woody....our fearless leader.
Pastor Van and his team performing the Hero drama.
Our San Antonio Hopefest.
Me and some students from our first school we did.
The team I travelled with 3 of the 5 days.
Students reading the Book of Hope after an assembly.
Thirteen of us road in a small Toyota (girls in skirts) 20 mins to a church. Great ride!
Guatemalan student
The team
This is the team photo we took after our church services. We took it because we didn't think we would ever see these girls in skirts again....but actually they had to wear them in many of the schools. Us guys...we didn't have to wear skirts.
Friday - Monday
I'm back home and want to wrap up the trip with some highlights from the final days I couldn't blog.
FRIDAY- Last day of schools. It went great. That evening I had to exchange some money for the trip. I tried five different banks....no luck. Then a guy on the street helped us find "a place" that would exchange for us. After driving 10 min. and driving into a market area....we were taken into a small t-shirt junk shop. A lady took me behind the counter, (our driver gestured that I was going to get shot) and then we counted a lot of money out....and I though i was in the middle of a CIA movie or something. Weird moment...a bit scary.....great memories!
SATURDAY-- We did two Hopefests. One in San MArcos and one in San Antonio. An estimate attendance of 850 were there. 78 people responded for salvation. The team did great in the event. Great day!
SUNDAY-- We headed back to Guatemala City and Antigua for some sight seeing and shopping. It was alot of fun and relaxing. The 5 hour bus ride went great thanks to me and Phil's free comedy show. No one got sick....not even Meaghann! Everyone bought the typical Latin American stuff....ponchos, machetes, and bracelets.
MONDAY...we had a chance to sleep in. We didn't have to be up until 9:30 a.m. - but who would have known it was a holiday in Guatemala City and the neighbor decided to start launching cannonball sized fireworks into the air at 6 a.m. We had breakfast at 9:30...a bug literally crawled out of Ashley's jelly, and I pulled a few hairs out of the eggs... all was good. We got to the airport and everything was smooth until we got to Atlanta. He stood next to the luggage carousel for more than hour....nothing. And we had a flight connection we had to get. Then we got our luggage....ran, ran, ran to the gate....only to find out it was changed to another gate...only to board at the last moment and find out the flight crew was late too. We got to Indy and no one's luggage made it. We waited for the next flight to come in and all but 2 suitcases were there. (Sorry Pastor Van and Sarina) We got to Mattoon at 3:30 a.m. and I crawled into bed at 4:30 a.m. And finally saw Dakota and Riley at 7:30 a.m........then i slept.
Good to be home!
Thursday
Things are going well. We have been in several more school, passing out several thousand books.
Today we were in an all-boys elementary school. It was a lot of fun. Phil taught all the guys how to make (tooting) noises by blowing into their hands....as well as cupping their hand under their arm pits. He´s very proud.
Today I met a boy named Christian. He just moved here 3 months ago from New York City. Something happened with his family and he had to move in with his step dad....or something like that. Anyway, he was he only person in the school that spoke english. The principal brought him on stage with us so he could translate a few things and welcome us in english.
All the other boys in the school looked up to him and you could tell he had a following. I pulled him aside after the school assembly and told him that he was a leader in the school. He had an important decision to make. He was either going to be a positive influence or a negative influence. I told him God may have brought him to Guatemala to make a difference in his new friends´ lives. I gave him my red Book of Hope bracelet and told him to find us Saturday at the Hope Celebration. I pray he comes so I can talk to him a little more in depth.
That´s about all. We are pretty healthy...a few stomach aches and stuff like that....but for the most part all is well.
Tomorrow...Friday...is our last day in the schools. Please pray for us.
Blog Settings changed
I think i changed the settings so anyone can add comments now. You don´t have to join anything or stuff like that. Post away my friends and family!
WEDNESDAY
OK....on my way over to the cibercafe, me and phil were walking along the sidewalk....there was a gust of win and 25 foot section of a wall fell on us. It was made of corrogated metal. It fell against us and a power line. We caught it enough to get out of the way....weird. Thank God we were´t hurt.
BACK TO TODAY...
Today both groups were in rural towns. I´m telling you...these places aren´t on any maps. We drive an hour up a mountain...the clouds are below us, and we go to school that have no concept of modern day media, humor or anything. It´s a blast watching these kids see us for the first time. At first they are very hesitant....but then they love to be loved on. It´s amazing what happens when you just pat a kid on their head.
We ate lunch in a small mountain village town. This is the real deal. We walked through an open market where everyone had their goods. NO TOURIST STUFF....real everyday living stuff. We saw cut up chicken peices in a cardboard box ready to be sold. Wow.. Chicken, roosters, and turkeys were in cvargo-type nets. They were being tossed up onto busses. When our team walked by one bus...a chicken got loose and jumped off the bus in front of us....all the girls screamed....funny stuff.
Tuesday
Well it's Tuesday and I feel like I got ran over by a bulldozer. All total, the fifteen of us have been in 22 schools doing full presentations in the past 2 days.
Today our group did seven school assemblies and the other groups did six. We´ve distributed close to 5,000 Books of Hope in two days. That´s a lot of schools....alot of students...and a lot of skits...
Let me share a few quick stories from today..
1. We we in a high school this afternoon and did an assembly for about 500 students. We shared in skits and dramas, then told real life stories of how God has worked in our lives...and then explained how Jesus can be found in the BOH and can make a huge impact in their lives. After the assembly, the principal got up and began to speak in the microphone. In most cases they simply thank our group and wish us well on our journey.
This principal was different. He opened the Book of Hope in the high school and began to read about God´s real love and quote a few verses. Then he just began to pour into the students lives about how Jesus can help them, and how they need to read this book and make a positive change in their lives. He even addressed a few loud kids in the back and told them they needed God more than anything because their lives were hurting. Powerful stuff. The students just stood their and read the BOH as he was speaking.
2. We were also in a very small rural school os 50 high school students learning to work on TVs. (i dunno....) But God really moved in this little school. The principal told the class we were here to share about God and then told us to say whatever. At first the classroom was quiet. But after some waming up and fun relational stuff....they were really receptive. Finally Rhoda ended the small presentation by sharing her heart about Jesus. Then the principal came up and thanked us. Then two of the students came up and personally told us how they needed to hear our message today. The I felt lead to go back to the front of the class and share Jeramiah 29:11 about God having a plan and future for their lives. It was amaing...God´s presence poured into the room and people began to weep...mostly our team...but the students were very moved. It was a complete God moment in the room.
The funny thing about this school....they didn´t think we would even show up because another organization long ago promised to come and never showed. We showed up with God in front of us and awesome things happened in the spiritual realm today.
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I'll update later....when we get a chance. Keep praying...
For Diane....
Please check you email....love Van
Sunday-Monday
Sunday---
Our group of 15 split into two groups to cover more ground. So today we were in a church service for each group. One was an AG church, and Francisco preached...the other was a full Gospel church and pastor van preached. (My group had to pack 12 people into a small Toyota pickup that was a 2 seater in front, and a small bed in the back...a great mission experience....but a packed ride...and bumpy)
Both groups did a drama in the churches. We then met in a home of the San Marcos BOH director and had lunch. The rest of the day was more training for the schools and then we had a group church service in a training room. We had some worship and I spoke to the group on being foreigeners in life...and living for eternity...our real home.
MONDAY----
One group went into San MArcos city (Van, Francisco, Matt Woody, Abbi, Ashley, Victoria, Melissa, and Jessie) The other group (Travis, Phil, Rhoda, Sonia, Sarina, Felicia, Meagann, Autumn) went to the outskirts of San Antonio (Guatemala). It was much rural, much poor, and rougher roads. We had to park the bus at one point a nearly climb a mountain for 300 yards to get to a small rural school.
But you know what....no one had ever gone to these schools as visitors. And we had an opportunity to be the most exciting thing at their school. It was awesome.
The team is healthy, everyone is doing good.
I won´t be able to post pictures...sorry. I will when I get back.
Thanks for reading, travelling with us on the blog....and most importantly praying for us.
It´s amazing to see these kids grab ahold of God´s Word and read it. They love it. They love the message of Jesus. The need hope....and for Monday at school....it was delivered. God is good.
- Travis
FRIDAY, In Guatemala
Hello from Guatemala....
He´s a quick review of the trip so far...
Thursday the Joiet team members and Jesse from Niles showed up at the Mattoon church at 7 p.m. We ate Villa, played miniature golf, then headed to the airport. We got to the airport at 1:30 am....sat around until 4:10 a.m....checked inand flew to Atlant at 8 a.m. At 10:30 am we went to Guatemala City and landed at noon. Then we grabbed a quick pollo sandwhich (chicken) and boarded a public transportation bus for the next 6 hours though the rugged mountains. A rough ride, one girl got sick...and only one stop. The back of the bus was packed with locals....
We go to our hotel late that night ad ate a great meal.
Today....Saturday....we ar training and having orientation....
Talk later
Travis
A week has nearly past since returning from our trip to Guatemala. Many memories already begin to fade. Who can remeber every school, every view out the window, and every smiling face. But we all have one story, one child, one incident etched into our spirit's memory bank.
