Why Short-term Missions?

When I worked at Kamloops Christian School and was in charge of the Foreign Missions program, people would ask me all the time, "Why do we send out students to Guatemala? It is so expensive. Wouldn't it be better if we just sent the money? It would help so much more."

Now that my family has been here, in Guatemala, for 5 months and we have hosted numerous teams, my answer is more firm than ever. Yes, sending groups on a foreign missions experience is expensive. The cost of flights and out of country costs are high. But it is not about a one time monetary cost - it is about affecting a heart for missions for a lifetime.

You see, by coming here (or to any other developing nation) and seeing first hand what is happening, a person's heart is touched. We take groups on home visits and show them how the majority of the world actually lives! It is very eye opening. They discover that we, as North Americans, are not normal! It is a humbling experience, that causes them to look at their lives and what brings them satisfaction. We hear, over and over again, comments like, "they have so little, yet they seem so happy." We are able to look at where real joy comes from and discover it is not routed in stuff!

We take them to places like the sink hole in Chicoy and share with them the spiritual bondage that the people here are in. We do this to increase their empathy for the Guatemalan people, but also to give them an opportunity to examine their own lives. It is a very powerful experience to look long and hard in the mirror and allow the Lord to touch areas of our lives that are keeping us in bondage.

We go to the hospital and visit the children's ward. Bed after bed we talk to the parents and the children, give the boy or girl a small toy, and pray for them. We place team members in positions where the Lord uses them to bless others. It pushes them way out of their comfort zone, but that is where our hearts and spirits are more open to the Lord, and they walk away blessed having served in this way.

By going on a short term missions trip, a person experiences what they do not (perhaps cannot) experience at home, and it affects them. One of my former students put it this way, "it expands your world and your thinking." Thanks, Anthea! And it is this expansion that affects world missions. I don't mean that everyone who comes on a short term missions experience will land up serving on the foreign mission field, although that can happen for some. What I am saying is that the next time a missionary visits their home church, they listen a little more closely, their hearts are affected, and they desire to help in whatever way they can. Because they have "been there" and seen first hand the reality of the stories they are hearing, their hearts are softer than they were before. This impacts world missions. It may be a sad statement, but what touches our hearts, as North Americans, touches our wallets, and foreign mission organizations need financial support to continue to serve those who have yet to hear the Gospel we hold so dear.

So, why short term missions? Because it is life changing for the one going and it advances the work of the Kingdom of God.

Perhaps it would be good if we started to ask the Lord questions like, "Lord, how do you want me to be involved?" "Lord, have you called me to go, or to stay home? " Keith Green said at one of his last concerts before he died something like this, "Every believer is called to go, but only a few are called to stay." His statement is a radical departure from how most of us think. The last time I read "The Great Commission" it didn't say to go if you feel like it, if it is financially doable, if it works into your schedule. It isn't really stated as an option at all. It says, "Go!"

Blessings,

Karren

The house is so quiet!

On Thursday morning we said goodbye to Hope! She is off to Canada to spend July at Eagle Bay Bible Camp working as an LIT (leader-in-training). She had mixed feelings about returning to Canada - particularly without us. She was excited and nervous all at the same time. We were blessed to be able to send her with Walter and Cathy, a couple who have been working in the medical clinic for the last 10 weeks. They have three of their own daughters and were armed with a good sense of humour, so she was in great hands! She arrived in Canada without any problems - PTL - and will enjoy spending time with family and friends before she leaves for camp on July 4th.

Rocky and I will be in Canada for the month of August and are planning a night of sharing for Thursday, August 26th. We have been so blessed to work with Impact Ministries and short term missions teams. We are excited to share with all of you the things we have seen the Lord doing here in Guatemala.

Arryn is going to stay on in Guatemala and finish out the school year. She has invested herself in her teaching and wants to finish what she has started. I was looking at her photos the other day and was touched by the love she has for those she is working with. I had to include this photo for you all to see.

Thank you, Lord, for giving my family a heart for the people of Guatemala. Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of serving you in this country with these beautiful people. Help us, Lord, to shine your light into places of darkness so you can bring freedom to those who are in captivity.

Churascos, Firecrackers and Soccer!

We are getting ready to participate in three Guatemalan traditions tonight - eating churascos, blowing off firecrackers and playing soccer. The team from Westpark Christian School in Manitoba is here, and they are in for a treat! Churascos are thinly sliced BBQ beef served on a bed of cabbage and onions with frijoles, peppers and tortillas. The meat is soaked in a marinade before it is barbequed over a wood fire and is really tasty. The entire meal is eaten with your fingers and that is all part of the fun. The drink we will have is Horchata, a rice based drink with tiger nuts, cinnamon and sugar. After supper we are going to light a few strings of firecrackers in the field behind our house and then we are off to the Chancha to play soccer against the grade 11s! It should be a lot of fun!

Human Machines

Oh, for a backhoe, bobcat or excavator!! I have never shovelled so much mud and dirt in all my days of construction. However, this is the way it is done in Guatamala. It may take longer but it is a whole lot cheaper and it provides some much needed employment for these Christian men. We are doing some more groundwork in preparation for drainage and a retaining wall. When this portion of the project is complete we will have a great playing field for one of our schools and we will be ready to start adding more classrooms.

This has been a great time for me to interact with these Pokumchi brothers. It has not really helped my Spanish much because they what to teach me Pokum words instead of Spanish. We share many laughs together as we exchange words and try to communicate. Their native langauge is their first and Spanish is their second. It doesn't help to bring a translation dictionary because only one of them has enough education to read a little Spanish.

When we start work at 7:30 in the morning, it is a pretty amazing atmosphere. The kids are all upstairs in the chapel for their morning devotional and as Angel David leads them in praise and worship, the men on the site often sing along. I am thankful to the Lord for this opportunity to be apart of His work here in Tactic.

Rocky

Our Foundation

It is the KCS Grad weekend and I am feeling a little sad that I cannot share this amazing event with them. This will be the first KCS grad that I haven't attended in 16 years! Wow, that makes me feel old.

Anyway, I started thinking about foundations and Christian education. I know, first hand, that Christian education isn't perfect. There are all sorts of challenges that small Christian schools face that the public system doesn't have to deal with. Low numbers, few high school electives, not a huge variety of friends, teachers teaching outside of their specialities, limited funding, etc. I am sure you are very well aware of the challenges in a small Christian school.

The benefits, although, far, far, far outweigh the challenges. This is the part that so many Christian families miss. As a parent, obviously I want every opportunity for my children to succeed. I want them to receive the best education possible. The challenge for parents is to decide if the best education is that of gaining an abundance of knowledge in an environment void, and at times hostile towards, God; or, is it better to gain knowledge and wisdom in light of our Creator and in keeping with His Word? I believe the better choice is that of wisdom and the Lord. Knowledge is just that, knowledge. Wisdom is so much more - it prepares one for life - real life.

Justs down the road from us is a bridge. Due to the storms and abundance of rain over the past month, the banks of the river and the foundation of the bridge has been tested. The people living on either side of the bridge lost a chunk of their property, as the retaining walls crumbled and fell into the rushing water. Now that the water has subsided, the municipality is checking out the damage done to the foundation of the bridge. I am happy to say, that although it did shift slightly, it is still structurally sound.

This bridge is like a metaphor for our lives. If, when we are young, we construct a solid foundation and world view, rooted deeply in God's truth, when the storms come and the water rises, we may get bumped and even bruised, but we will not crumble. This is what Christian education can do for a child, who later becomes an adult and has to live out their beliefs when life is not always "a bed of roses."

Every morning at 7:30 I am reminded of the value of Christian education and building a solid foundation in a little life. As I am busy working around the house, I can hear hundreds of voices raised in song and praise to the Lord, as the morning devotional from our Chamche school echos off the mountains. The children in our schools here, in Guatemala, are learning to look to the Lord first: first thing in the morning; first, before the challenges come; first to Him and not to themselves. If they can learn that, the rest of their education is a bonus, because they will be fit to live out their life for the one who created them. How can knowledge be more important than that?

Blessings,

Karren

Desperate Situations

I am sure many of you have been following the challenges that have plagued Guatemala recently. I know Les sent out an email describing the devastation in the country following the erruption of Pacaya and the tropical storm Agatha. The team that was with us in the capital when Pacaya errupted was a group of young adults from Western Canada. They were due to fly out the morning following the erruption, but the airport was closed. Because it was a natural disaster, the airline was not responsible to cover any costs incurred by travellers. Thankfully, a few on the team had a delux insurance package which would cover hotel and food costs.
As we tried to find a hotel, we discovered that all of those who would have been travelling that morning were now stranded in Guatemala City and all the hotels were booked. All they could find was a hostel. They re-booked their flights for 2 days later, and called the hostel's shuttle to come pick them up. Rocky and I said goodbye, somewhat reluctantly, and drove back to Tactic. This was a first for us - leaving a team in the capital and returning to Tactic. We had marvelled the entire time the team was here at how easy going this group was, and they continued to amaze us. They weren't angry that their flights were cancelled and they seemed to take everything in stride. Amazing! We arrived back in Tactic and gave Les the contact information for the group and left things in his hands.
As we watched the news headlines on-line, we learned of tropical storm Agatha, and how the heavy rains were complicating the clean-up of the volcanic ash at the airport, and that it would now be closed for a week. A week! I cannot imagine spending 1 week in the Capital with no vehicle, no money, no clean clothes, and nothing to do! This group, again, took it all in stride. Somehow they made contact with an Alliance Church and were resettled in there and were very pleased with that arrangement. They finally were re-booked to leave the country, but were rescheduled in two groups - one to leave Friday, June 4th (a full week after their original flights) and the other Saturday, June 5th.
Les went to the capital on Wednesday night and took the group to Antigua for the day on Thursday. When he got home, he shared with us how well they were all handling this unexpected delay. He saw the first group off at the airport and then picked up the mother of one of the girls who is here for a year and left for Tactic. While driving, he received a call that the second group from the team who was scheduled to leave the next day was out walking and got robbed, losing everything they had on them, including 1 passport.
We were thankful that they were physically okay, but an event like that is bound to shake a person up. Again, they seemed to take it all in stride and immediately contacted the Canadian Embassy, got a temporary passport so they could still travel and flew out of Guatemala the following morning.
We don't know why this group experienced what they did, but we are trusting that the Lord is going to use all they experienced, the good and the not so good, for their benefit. I have to admit, I don't understand this, but I know what the Word says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. " Romans 8:28. And I believe the Word to be true! Bless you, Lighthouse! We love you guys!
Blessings,
Karren and Rocky

Rocky Turns 50!

Yesterday (June 1st) was Rocky's 50th birthday. We decided to celebrate North American style and went to the Park Hotel. We rented a room and went out for a nice, romantic supper for two. The place we stayed is like a mini Minters Gardens with plants and flowers of all kinds. They also had a small zoo with lots of walking paths. We had a really relaxing, enjoyable time. We realized that in the 4 months we've been here, we hadn't had a "date" night, so it was time. What an amazing treat!

Blessings,

Karren