Gearing up for Guatemala

Getting ready for Guatemala... June 22-30, 2013.    Seems like summer just passed and here we are making plans to gather and serve in Guatemala.  

What suprised you?

What surpised you about this summer's trip to Costa Rica? As I reread the journal we kept, many commented on how surprised you were that even with limited common language, communication was not a barrier. Were your surprises about how much we have in common with the families we met or how our lives are so very different? Once comment was "we may speak another language but our core values are extremely similar." What memories pop into your head about our time there? How was your life enriched by the experiences you shared with your new friends in Costa Rica? A mission trip is never over. You will always carry the memories of the people you met. You'll never forget the children that counted on you to be there to play one more game of UNO or to ask you for just one more sparkly foam stick-on for their art project. You'll always remember the worship at Los Guido and the 3 year old "evangelist" who engaged you all in joining in the dance for the Lord.

Returning home is sometimes a let down because you are on a huge "high" while being part of some very special experiences. I know the Brimfield church was waiting for the travelers to share stories the Sunday after returning. It's been fun to watch some of the youth remain in touch on Facebook. Keep sharing the story with others. For it is in that story, God's story is told over and over again. Stay in touch.

Here we are!!!

Now isn't this a fine group? Couldn't have asked for a better team. Thanks Mike for all your photo taking. We will enjoy all 974 of them! (Just think that is after he pitched over 125 of them...a few of the waterfall photos from the bus were blurry, go figure.)

Transforming a woodworking shop into a home

Stephanie, Collin and lots of other young people began by carrying out the wall board that was making way for drywall. A woodshop was being moved out so that Daniel, Sondra and little Simon could have a small apartment.
Mike is showing the walls and metal studs that are waiting to be covered by the new drywall. The apartment will consist of 2 bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a small living room. Daniel and Sondra were very excited to know that their own special space would soon be ready.

After the drywall had been hung, taped and mudded by our expert (David), the girls began the process of sanding the seams. Hailey almost has her nose covered!

Even though we didn't get to see this project from the beginning to the end, we knew another team was on the way to pick up right where we left off. The painting was completed by them and the family has moved into their new quarters. They were so thrilled to have a place to call home and we were thrilled to work with them to make it happen.

Sam and the boys

Sam works with our young ones in wonderful ways. Mitchell and Sebastian would be called into action to pick up fallen nails and screws, pick up scrap materials and move them to a scrap pile or move the roofing materials. Here you see Mitchell and Sebastian with gloves on and moving the alumium roofing sheets toward the waiting team of roofers. Mitchell and Sebastian enjoyed being part of the "guys" and the important work. Sam was never too busy to take the time to get the kids involved. This is Sam's 4th mission trip to Costa Rica and each team has been enriched by his ways. Sometimes he is a bit noisy or even nosey but overall he's a team member that is always there to keep us all involved. He knows very little Spanish but he has never had any problems communicating with the workers from Costa Rica. They can hardly wait for him to return.

New skills practiced...

Michaela and Hailey sand the mudded drywall.




Sean spent 2 days working around steel beams, water pipes and more to get the ceiling tile hung in the bathroom.






Anissa helped by brushing down the freshly sanded drywall.






Desiree paints a wall in a Sunday School classroom.

Craft time and Chaos have lots in common

Photos can't begin to show craft time at its peek. This looks calm but believe me it wasn't. We had kids on the floor, standing as close as they could get around 5 tables, sitting on the floor and using the church pew for their desk. This is our first day so we maybe had 75 or 80 kids. Markers were everywhere. The metallic markers were in high demand so they traveled quickly.

Moms and even the babies were involved. No one is left out. They just loved having something to take home. The other requirement was, all craft items needed to be the same. The little ones wanted to do the exact same thing as the big kids. More on this later.

Our kids loved this part too. They were thrilled to communicate with limited language with children. The language of love is universal and very understandable.