Working with teams.

Working with teams is the main reason why we are here in Guatemala. Although Rocky and I, and the girls, are busy with many other tasks as well, teams are our priority. We have hosted four teams so far, one being a double team with a medical clinic. Bearspaw Christian School, in Northwest Calgary sent us 43 team members. They were divided into two student teams and a doctor and nurse. We had an amazing 10 days with this group! It was crazy busy, but it was so good. We watched the Lord use the group to bless the Guatemalan people and we watched Him also work in each one of their lives. I think that is the most beautiful thing about youth teams. You create a schedule for them that walks them through all kinds of different activities, and then you use those activities to point them towards the Lord.
The teams are involved in children's ministry (kind of like a Daily Vacation Bible School), a work project (digging/painting/etc), cultural activities (grocery shopping, making a traditional meal), visiting and learning about spiritual strongholds in this culture, and home visits.
For me, I think I love the home visits the most. I have often wondered how we would respond in Canada if a group of strangers would show up on our doorstep with some clothes, blankets and food and ask to come in and pray for our family and spend time just worshiping the Lord in our home. One day, I think I will have to try it, just to see. Here, we are invited in and treated as honoured guests. With the Bearspaw team, we visited home after home (26 home visits in total with this large group!). People brought out thier best for us.
One home, in particular, will be etched on my mind for some time to come. I was with a group of 10 people and we drove in the van as far as we could before we set off on foot. It was only a 5 minute walk, but as we approached the house, I was impressed. It was made of cement block and looked well maintained. I thought, oh, good, this family is not so bad off. Well, as we climbed the steps leading to the house, a little girl peeps her head around from behind this cement house and calls us to follow her. We walked around to the back and proceeded to climb steps carved into the dirt up to a wood and mud brick shack with a dirt floor; it was smaller than our bedroom. They didn't live in the block house out front; this small, dark shed was their home. The girl's mother gathered her three daughters and grinned from ear to ear. She invited us into her home and scrambled to find seating for all her guests. Four of us sat on the bed - a raised wooden platform with a bamboo matt and thin blanket. It was the only bed in the house. The rest sat on planks of wood raised off of the dirt floor by bricks or stones. In her broken Spanish, the mom said she had been waiting all afternoon for us! She ran outside and left us alone in the house. As our eyes adjusted to the dark interior, we were humbled by our simple surroundings.
The mom and her oldest two daughters returned with juice and tomales for all of us. It was difficult to explain to the group what an honour this was. Tomales are served at celebrations like Christmas or weddings - she was serving us their holiday celebration food! I knew that the expense she had gone to, to provide this meal for us was beyond our comprehension and I was so proud of the group as they drank their juice and ate their tomales exclaiming how delicious they were. The mom was grinning ear to ear as we ate. She and her children did not eat anything. The meal was for her guests.
As we talked, we discovered the mom was illiterate and couldn't read, but she assured us that God was looking out after her family because her two oldest daughters were in one of our schools and they were learning Spanish. She was particularly excited to tell us that one even had her own Bible and read it to the family.
Home visits always put things into perspective for me. I am so blessed! I can read God's Word for myself and learn of His ways and His plan for my life. I have food to eat and a bed to sleep in. All of my needs are provided for and more. Thank you, Lord, for your provision and your generosity towards me and my family! I pray that we will use what we have been given to serve others less fortunate.
Blessings and Happy Belated Easter.
Remember, the same power that raised Christ from the dead, lives in you!