We had the privilege of attending the Intermissions Conference in Panajachel this year. In fact, I am sitting beside the pool typing this blog - I know..nice!
This was our first time and man, have we been blessed.
The theme was Maintaining Joy in the Trenches. It was wonderful to be encouraged and reminded that our joy in the Lord is our strength and it should spill out of us and affect the lives of those we "bump" into. In fact, the keynote speaker used the illustration of someone walking with a glass full of water. When they trip and fall (so they aren't perfect), the water in the cup spills out all over them and those close to them. That was a great picture for me - I want my joy to "spill out." He also talked about joy being about the journey, not the destination.
Not only did we have the chance to participate in multiple worship services in English and 4 general sessions, we also were able to attend 3 workshops on topics relevant to us. One in particular really spoke to my spirit and I know it will directly impact the way I share Christ with the kids we are helping.
There were Servant teams here from numerous churches in the US, offering activities for kids, youth, singles, spa services, optomotrist appointments, book store, and a huge amount of free items to give away. Rocky was able to have his eyes checked and I got a massage. We also got a bag full of medications and vitamins that we are not able to find in Guatemala.
I love to read and Rocky and I have been looking at buying an electronic reader, but we have always cheaped out. As a result, I am often without reading material. Well, at the bookstore here, they had Kindles for sale for $40 - subsidized by a church in the USA - and I was one of the lucky ones to get one. I quickly downloaded 15 books, a Spanish/English Bible and a couple of Bible studies...all for free! What a blessing.
We are just enjoying a little down time before we leave for the capital. We are picking up a pastor from the US tonight and tomorrow morning, the group that was here, at Intermissions, is joining Mission2Guatemala and we are hosting a pastor's conference at the mission site in Chisec. There will be 39 pastors attending and I know it will be a huge blessing to them and to us.
Thank you for continuing to pray for us. We are so honoured to have family and friends like you serving along side of us as we invest our lives in Guatemala!
Karren
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
What's Up?
Well, it is already February 18th! I don't know about you, but I cannot believe how quickly the last 6 weeks have passed.
We have been blessed to help more than 80 children with school supplies, and about 30 with shoes and uniforms! Incredible! Talk about the Lord multiplying the fish and the loaves. We started with a couple of bins of donated supplies, a donation from a church and a gift from my Mom and Dad, and look what God accomplished! Truly He has taken what we would have thought could only serve about 25 and expanded our vision and our faith! Just this morning we delivered the last 7 backpacks.
What a blessing!
Rocky has been working with guys at the mission and has had the opportunity to teach them how to use a sight level and other machines for woodwork. He really enjoys the opportunity to teach skills as they accomplish a job. The photo here is of Rocky and Lucas. Lucas doesn't speak any Spanish, only K'ekchi, but somehow they are able to understand each other.
I have also been teaching English to the primary teachers at the Christian school in Chisec, where Hector and Arryn work. Every week I go in and teach them and provide a little mini lesson/unit for them to try out with their classes. It is a lot of fun and another great way to build relationships and make connections in town.
Last week we received a petition for a water project from a group who live in a remote village. They described how in the dry season they had to walk 2 hours to find relatively clean water and it was very limited. They are not able to dig a well because the ground is so rocky, the drills are not able to penetrate it. We will be working with the group to create a cistern and pump system to service their village as well a community pilla (outdoor sink) so the women can come and do their laundry without polluting what water they have. I love being able to show the Love of God in such practicle ways!
This week we are leaving for Panajachel for the Intermissions Coference. Although we've been members of Intermission for almost 3 years, we've never had the opportunity to attend the conference. We are excited to fellowship with other missionaries and hear the Word in English...It's been a long time!
We have now been in Guatemala almost 1 year without a trip back to Canada. This is a first for us. Although our Spanish continues to improve, we have really missed family and English fellowship and are looking forward to our trip home in April. We are, the Lord willing, planning on being in Canada from April 15 - June 4. As many of you know, our daughter Alex is getting married in May, so we planned this trip around her wedding. It will be good to connect with family and friends (hopefully you!) and our home church. After being away so much, there will be many new faces in church and we will be the strangers! Funny how that works.
Blessings,
Karren
What a blessing!
Last week we received a petition for a water project from a group who live in a remote village. They described how in the dry season they had to walk 2 hours to find relatively clean water and it was very limited. They are not able to dig a well because the ground is so rocky, the drills are not able to penetrate it. We will be working with the group to create a cistern and pump system to service their village as well a community pilla (outdoor sink) so the women can come and do their laundry without polluting what water they have. I love being able to show the Love of God in such practicle ways!
This week we are leaving for Panajachel for the Intermissions Coference. Although we've been members of Intermission for almost 3 years, we've never had the opportunity to attend the conference. We are excited to fellowship with other missionaries and hear the Word in English...It's been a long time!
We have now been in Guatemala almost 1 year without a trip back to Canada. This is a first for us. Although our Spanish continues to improve, we have really missed family and English fellowship and are looking forward to our trip home in April. We are, the Lord willing, planning on being in Canada from April 15 - June 4. As many of you know, our daughter Alex is getting married in May, so we planned this trip around her wedding. It will be good to connect with family and friends (hopefully you!) and our home church. After being away so much, there will be many new faces in church and we will be the strangers! Funny how that works.
Blessings,
Karren
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Let me tell you about Marta...
Marta is a 9 year old. I met her for the first time in November when we visited her twin cousins, Yolanda and Carolina, at their grandmother's house. Mission2Guatemala has been helping the twins for a couple of years, now. They were abandoned by their mother shortly after birth and their grandma and auntie have raised them.
We had gone to the house to see their report cards from 2012 and to make sure they were going to attend school in January. While there, we met Marta. She would not stop talking - but we couldn't understand her. Marta excitedly told us in half Spanish and half Kekchi that she wanted to go to school, but to go to school, she needed her papers (birth certificate) from her mom and then she'd need school supplies and a uniform. She repeated herself over and over and when she felt I wasn't listening to her, she gently turned my face towards her and said, "escuchame"..."listen to me."
Like her cousins, she too had been left in the care of her grandma. Her mom lives in Tamarindo and is known as "crazy woman." She has a history of abusing Marta and at some point last year took Marta to her mom's, Marta's grandma, and left her there.
As we talked with the grandma and auntie about Yolanda and Carolina, making plans for the upcoming year, we felt we also needed to extend an oppotunity to Marta. We agreed that if they were able to get her paperwork and register her in school, we'd help with her supplies and other needs. Well, Marta wouldn't stop kissing us and thanking us and reminding us of all the things she would need.
In January when we delivered the supplies for the twins, Marta was waiting for us. We visited the school to discuss her situation with the principal and prospective teacher - Marta is 9 and has never been to school. She also does not understand Spanish very well. Two pretty huge obstacles. None of us were sure she would be able to succeed in a school environment, but we agreed it was worth whatever effort it took to at least try.
Two weeks later, we checked on Marta, talked to her teacher and principal, and, praise the Lord!, Marta was learning. We took her out to buy a uniform and new shoes to celebrate.
The opportunity for Marta to attend school will be a life-changing opportunity for her. Without an education, she would never learn Spanish and would be illiterate and trapped in a cycle of poverty. With an education and the ability to speak Spanish, read and write, she will have opportunities for a brighter future! She will be able to pick up God's Word and read His love letter to her for herself! How cool is that!
Thank you, Lord, for giving Marta this chance!
We had gone to the house to see their report cards from 2012 and to make sure they were going to attend school in January. While there, we met Marta. She would not stop talking - but we couldn't understand her. Marta excitedly told us in half Spanish and half Kekchi that she wanted to go to school, but to go to school, she needed her papers (birth certificate) from her mom and then she'd need school supplies and a uniform. She repeated herself over and over and when she felt I wasn't listening to her, she gently turned my face towards her and said, "escuchame"..."listen to me."
As we talked with the grandma and auntie about Yolanda and Carolina, making plans for the upcoming year, we felt we also needed to extend an oppotunity to Marta. We agreed that if they were able to get her paperwork and register her in school, we'd help with her supplies and other needs. Well, Marta wouldn't stop kissing us and thanking us and reminding us of all the things she would need.
In January when we delivered the supplies for the twins, Marta was waiting for us. We visited the school to discuss her situation with the principal and prospective teacher - Marta is 9 and has never been to school. She also does not understand Spanish very well. Two pretty huge obstacles. None of us were sure she would be able to succeed in a school environment, but we agreed it was worth whatever effort it took to at least try.
Two weeks later, we checked on Marta, talked to her teacher and principal, and, praise the Lord!, Marta was learning. We took her out to buy a uniform and new shoes to celebrate.
The opportunity for Marta to attend school will be a life-changing opportunity for her. Without an education, she would never learn Spanish and would be illiterate and trapped in a cycle of poverty. With an education and the ability to speak Spanish, read and write, she will have opportunities for a brighter future! She will be able to pick up God's Word and read His love letter to her for herself! How cool is that!
Thank you, Lord, for giving Marta this chance!
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