Waiting for a tropical storm!

Well, Tropical Storm Matthew was supposed to travel directly over us in Tactic, but, much to our surprise and joy, it disappated prior to its expected arrival. Extreme weather is something we are getting more used to all the time, but it is never a very comfortable thing. For us, in our home, we have some significant water issues. Because we are at the bottom of a hill and the storm drains are just past our house, when it really rains, I mean a down pour, the water all backs up into our house/yard. It is hard to describe how much water falls from the sky when we have a real downpour; it is surreal. Our street becomes a river and the drains all shoot water up into the air because the pressure in the drainage system is so great, it cannot handle the water pushing its way through. As a result, the drain in our carport becomes the "out." All the excess water comes up through this drain and floods our yard and backs up our septic system. Yuck! It wouldn't be so bad if it was just rain water run off, but here, they don't separate the septic systems from the drainage systems - they all run together and out into the river behind our house. So, when it backs up into our yard, it is more than just water - use your imagination here! I tried to attach a video of a recent storm, but it wouldn't load up, so I added a couple of pictures. It isn't quite the same, seeing a still picture as seeing a video, although.

Well, I should go for now; Rocky is at the worksite with the Leduc team and I am supposed to be working on Impact documents!

Blessings,

Karren

Celebrating 10 years in Tactic!

The culmination of a week of celebration was a parade Guatemalan style. All 1100 of our students and 100 staff walked through the streets of Tactic, from one end all the way to our Chijacorral school. It was quite an overwhelming scene to see how large the ministry has grown in 10 years, and how many lives have been impacted. Once the schools arrived at Chijacorral, they were joined by well over 300 parents for a program which showcased each school and celebrated what the Lord has done over the past 10 years. The time of worship was amazing. There is nothing that can compare to the voices of 1100 children and youth worshipping the Lord! I tried to tape it, but my camera's microphone just didn't capture what it actually sounded like.

The focus of the program, although, was not just on the past, but also on what more is yet to come. That is exciting. We are so blessed to work with a ministry that is having an impact on the national people. The original vision of Impact Ministries is no longer just the vision of a group of Canadians, but is now embraced and moving ahead as the vision of a group of young Guatemalan leaders. That is awesome.

Although it is the rainy season, the Lord held back the rain for this event (PTL)! It was hot and sunny. I think everyone got too much sun that day, and the kids in their uniforms were cooking!
Each school developed a float which spoke to something about the ministry and/or the Lord. Purulha's float was of the medical clinic and they had a group of kids dressed as nurses and doctors. Thier sign says, "inject yourself with Jesus!" Chijacorral's float was of Noah's arc to remember the promises of God and His plan for the future.

What an amazing day! Something truly worth celebrating.

Blessings,

Karren

Another Karren!

We had a lot of firsts with the Celebration Team! It was the first time I have ever taken a group on a home visit where the family gave the sponsor a chicken as a thank you gift! It was the first time I have been a part of a baptism at Rio de Vida church, and our daughter, Arryn, was one of the baptism candidates. To hear her declare her love for the Lord and her desire to leave the world and all it offers behind and live totally for Him was an incredible honour to witness! We participated in a parade through Tactic. All 1100 of our students and 100 staff marched through the streets of Tactic to celebrate the 10th anniversary. I have never been a part of something like that!

I think, although, the most shocking first was when we took the group to the hospital to visit the children and new moms. I brought a small gift to one mom and chatted with her a bit - I am so thankful I am learning more Spanish! - prayed with her, her husband, and her parents and then moved on to the next bed. A couple of minutes later, the grandpa asks me my name. I was thinking he wanted to know which ministry we work with so I gave him my name and Impact Ministries' name. He asked me to say my name a couple of times, so I did, and then he said his daughter was naming his granddaughter after me! Can you believe it! What a surprise. That is for sure a first! I went back to the bed and sure enough, the mom wanted to name her daughter after me. The group all pulled out their cameras and I became "Grandma Karren."

For me, at first it seemed silly and a bit over the top, but as I thought about it, the Lord really spoke to me about gratitude. This new mother was so grateful for the small gift and the few minutes I spent talking and praying with her, she wanted to show me by naming her precious baby girl, Karren. I have a lot to learn about gratitude. How thankful and grateful am I for the blessings of the Lord in my life. Sure, I face challenges and trials, but when I look at the big picture, I am so outrageously blessed. I want to show the Lord my gratitude more. I want to love others with no alterior motive, simply because the Lord loves me.

Blessings,

Karren

Back in Guatemala!

Well, we arrived in Guatemala on September 1st, and since our arrival, have not had internet access in the evenings, when we have a few moments of free time, so we have not blogged. Sorry!
Anyway, much has happened since we returned. We are here, hosting the Celebration Team - a group of Impact Minitries' supporters. The schools here have put on some amazing events and celebrations to show their gratitude for Les and Rita and those who have supported Impact Ministries over the last 10 years. One of the things that has struck me about his particular group of supporters is the number of sponsor children they all have. One couple sponsors 10 children and they are looking to sponsor even more! Can you believe it? It is incredible. We have been doing home visits every day just to get through all of the children whom this group sponsors. What a blessing!
Our schools hosted a spelling bee and the finals were this week. Wow! It was quite the production! They invited principals from public schools to come and see the event because they want to include all of the schools in the area next year. It is an amazing outreach. We started with a flag ceremony, followed by some praise and worship. Then we enetered into the competition - or olympics, as they call it here. It was great!
On Thursday, we are having a huge community march with all of our students and staff, marching through the streets of Tactic. Our destination is the Chijacorral school, were there will be a program. Again, we have invited the mayor and other dignitaries, so it should be quite the event.
For us, although, the highlight of this past week was Arryn's baptism. Wow! On Sunday afternoon, before our church family, Arryn declared her love for the Lord and desire to live her life for Him and was baptized along with a number of other Guatemalans. It was a wonderful time of celebration and we are sure proud of her.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. We sure appreciate you.
God Bless,
Karren