I think I finally got my Guatemala pictures uploaded so that you all can see them. I have them at WalMart.com, but you should be able to see them by clicking on the link below. I hope that you enjoy them.
http://photos.walmart.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=30614783/a=17970053/t_=17970053
A journey in the daily struggle to totally surrender to Jesus Christ.
Showing posts with label Guatemala 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guatemala 2008. Show all posts
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Guatemala Debrief
Sorry for the delay in this...
The 2008 Guatemala Mission Trip was probably one of the most meaningful mission experiences of my life. There is simply no way to capture the full measure of the blessings received as a result of the trip. However, the best way to summarize the insights and lessons learned is to describe the trip in terms of three principles which I believe were so strongly re-enforced as a result of the trip.
The first principle that I saw re-enforced during this mission trip was the principle that we are absolutely dependent upon God. I saw this realized in my life even before the trip began. Due to a death in the immediate family, I was completely distracted and unable to properly prepare for the trip during the week prior to leaving for Guatemala. As such, I had to throw myself on God’s mercy with respect to being ready for the difficulties anticipated during the week. God was gracious in that as Saturday progressed, I could literally feel the stress and pressures of the prior week melt away.
I also saw this principle at work as I entered Guatemala City on Saturday. Immediately, it was obvious that my minimal study of the Spanish language would not help me at all. I immediately understood what it meant to be illiterate, but it was even worse, because I could not even ask for assistance because I was also unable to communicate in the native language. I was totally helpless. I was completely dependent upon the local missionaries, the Guatemalan translators, and the drivers. There was nothing that I could do in which I was not completely dependent upon someone else. This was a stark reminder to the fact that we ought to have the same sense of total dependence upon God. We cannot do anything in our own strength. God is the source of our strength, our power, our very survival. The total dependence upon others reminded me of the need for total dependence upon God.
The second principle that I saw at work during this trip was the absolute importance of prayer. In preparation for the mission trip, I made a concerted effort to find prayer partners here in the states. I had quite a number of people who firmly committed to pray while I was in Guatemala (many of you reading this were in that list). The number of those who committed by written commitment was 15, but there many more who indicated by voice that they would be praying. Most certainly, other team members had similar prayer partners, so only God knows how many people were praying for the team as a whole during this trip. Those prayers were deeply coveted and, in my opinion, extremely beneficial. There is no doubt that those prayers played a role in both the success and the safety of this mission trip.
I also saw this principle at work on the field while in Guatemala. Each day, the team began its efforts with prayer. Additionally, the team did not do any door to door evangelism before covering the streets in prayer via prayer walking. The team prayed specifically for every house they visited. The team prayed that the devil would be bound. The team prayed that doors would be opened. The team prayed that hearts would be receptive. The team prayed that communication would be effective. The team prayed that the Holy Spirit would move over the land. As a result, this mission trip was one of the most successful that I have ever been on. Prior to leaving, the team had prayed for 50 souls to be saved. That prayer was answered, with a total of 51 people making professions of faith in Jesus Christ. Who knows what would have happened if the team had prayed for 100 souls?
The third principle that I saw at work on the Guatemala Mission Trip was the principle that absolutely, God alone deserves all the glory. How ironic it was that in my ministry to the shut-ins at Hearthstone Assisted Living Center that I had prepared a sermon for the upcoming Sunday (the Sunday after the mission trip) on giving God the glory for all that we do, because the Guatemalan Mission Trip supplied me with numerous opportunities for sermon illustrations. How easy it would have been to be the proud Americans going down to Guatemala to minister in the backwards country. How easy it would have been to look down on them for the condition in which they found themselves. How easy it would have been to say “Look at the 51 people that WE led to the Lord”. For me, how easy it would be to be selfishly proud of the fact that every single person that I personally shared his faith with (if memory is correct, 8 in all) received Christ. How easy it would have been to have given credit to the translator that worked with my team, Raul, who was so obviously gifted with the gift of evangelism as well as pastoral skills. He managed to get us into almost every home, set the residents at ease regarding why these “gringos” were invading their home, and prepare them to hear the gospel.
Pride is a terrible enemy of the faithful follower of Christ. The team did none of the things mentioned above. It was God. It was only God, and only God deserves the glory for the wonderful successes the team experienced during this trip. These successes were as much a gift to the team as they were anything else. Souls were eternally changed, and the team had the privilege, honor, and blessing of being a part of it. They did nothing except surrender to the service of God, to whom be the glory, honor, and majesty forever.
Each of these three principles – absolute dependence upon God, the absolute importance of prayer, and absolutely, God alone deserves all the glory – played an important role in the success of this mission trip and shaped my view of how such trips should be approached in the future.
In conclusion, this trip can only be described as an absolute success brought about by the will of God, for the glory of God, as a blessing to those who willing gave of themselves in service to God, so that souls were saved by God. I was honored to be a part of it.
The 2008 Guatemala Mission Trip was probably one of the most meaningful mission experiences of my life. There is simply no way to capture the full measure of the blessings received as a result of the trip. However, the best way to summarize the insights and lessons learned is to describe the trip in terms of three principles which I believe were so strongly re-enforced as a result of the trip.
The first principle that I saw re-enforced during this mission trip was the principle that we are absolutely dependent upon God. I saw this realized in my life even before the trip began. Due to a death in the immediate family, I was completely distracted and unable to properly prepare for the trip during the week prior to leaving for Guatemala. As such, I had to throw myself on God’s mercy with respect to being ready for the difficulties anticipated during the week. God was gracious in that as Saturday progressed, I could literally feel the stress and pressures of the prior week melt away.
I also saw this principle at work as I entered Guatemala City on Saturday. Immediately, it was obvious that my minimal study of the Spanish language would not help me at all. I immediately understood what it meant to be illiterate, but it was even worse, because I could not even ask for assistance because I was also unable to communicate in the native language. I was totally helpless. I was completely dependent upon the local missionaries, the Guatemalan translators, and the drivers. There was nothing that I could do in which I was not completely dependent upon someone else. This was a stark reminder to the fact that we ought to have the same sense of total dependence upon God. We cannot do anything in our own strength. God is the source of our strength, our power, our very survival. The total dependence upon others reminded me of the need for total dependence upon God.
The second principle that I saw at work during this trip was the absolute importance of prayer. In preparation for the mission trip, I made a concerted effort to find prayer partners here in the states. I had quite a number of people who firmly committed to pray while I was in Guatemala (many of you reading this were in that list). The number of those who committed by written commitment was 15, but there many more who indicated by voice that they would be praying. Most certainly, other team members had similar prayer partners, so only God knows how many people were praying for the team as a whole during this trip. Those prayers were deeply coveted and, in my opinion, extremely beneficial. There is no doubt that those prayers played a role in both the success and the safety of this mission trip.
I also saw this principle at work on the field while in Guatemala. Each day, the team began its efforts with prayer. Additionally, the team did not do any door to door evangelism before covering the streets in prayer via prayer walking. The team prayed specifically for every house they visited. The team prayed that the devil would be bound. The team prayed that doors would be opened. The team prayed that hearts would be receptive. The team prayed that communication would be effective. The team prayed that the Holy Spirit would move over the land. As a result, this mission trip was one of the most successful that I have ever been on. Prior to leaving, the team had prayed for 50 souls to be saved. That prayer was answered, with a total of 51 people making professions of faith in Jesus Christ. Who knows what would have happened if the team had prayed for 100 souls?
The third principle that I saw at work on the Guatemala Mission Trip was the principle that absolutely, God alone deserves all the glory. How ironic it was that in my ministry to the shut-ins at Hearthstone Assisted Living Center that I had prepared a sermon for the upcoming Sunday (the Sunday after the mission trip) on giving God the glory for all that we do, because the Guatemalan Mission Trip supplied me with numerous opportunities for sermon illustrations. How easy it would have been to be the proud Americans going down to Guatemala to minister in the backwards country. How easy it would have been to look down on them for the condition in which they found themselves. How easy it would have been to say “Look at the 51 people that WE led to the Lord”. For me, how easy it would be to be selfishly proud of the fact that every single person that I personally shared his faith with (if memory is correct, 8 in all) received Christ. How easy it would have been to have given credit to the translator that worked with my team, Raul, who was so obviously gifted with the gift of evangelism as well as pastoral skills. He managed to get us into almost every home, set the residents at ease regarding why these “gringos” were invading their home, and prepare them to hear the gospel.
Pride is a terrible enemy of the faithful follower of Christ. The team did none of the things mentioned above. It was God. It was only God, and only God deserves the glory for the wonderful successes the team experienced during this trip. These successes were as much a gift to the team as they were anything else. Souls were eternally changed, and the team had the privilege, honor, and blessing of being a part of it. They did nothing except surrender to the service of God, to whom be the glory, honor, and majesty forever.
Each of these three principles – absolute dependence upon God, the absolute importance of prayer, and absolutely, God alone deserves all the glory – played an important role in the success of this mission trip and shaped my view of how such trips should be approached in the future.
In conclusion, this trip can only be described as an absolute success brought about by the will of God, for the glory of God, as a blessing to those who willing gave of themselves in service to God, so that souls were saved by God. I was honored to be a part of it.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
UPDATED: GUATEMALA - Thursday Mid Day
This updates from Sunday through Wednesday
Note: if you are reading this and there are no pictures, please be sure to check back later. Unfortunately, the internet is not very reliable, so I am posting without pictures to make sure the text gets posted and will update a picture at a time…
Day 2 - Sunday
We got up very early this morning to drive 3 hours from Guatemala City to Rio Hondo. Leaving the city, I was truly amazed to see the extreme poverty. Thousands of ramshackle make-shift houses built up and down the mountainsides on the outskirts of Guatemala City (primarily in Zone 3 - these communities are called barrios). I wasn’t able to get any pictures of this, but it was an impressive site. This is in stark contrast with the extreme beauty of the tropical region of Zapata, where we are staying in Rio Hondo. There is still a lot of ugliness and poverty, but where the tropical plants are well cultivated (such as at our hotel – see the pictures), the beauty is overwhelming.
We went to church in Rio Hondo. It was a very small church, but they worshiped Christ very enthusiastically. I had the privilege of being able to give my testimony.
After prayer-walking, we began door-to-door evangelism. The Guatemalans are extremely receptive to the gospel. It is a very religious culture, so hearing the truth of the gospel adds meaning to what might otherwise be empty religious traditions. In all, thirteen people made professions of faith today. We also met several devout Christians whom we had the opportunity to pray with for their needs. Both the salvation experiences as well as meeting Christian brothers and sisters were blessings to the whole team.
We go back to the same street tomorrow to continue door to door evangelism.
I am stilled amazed at the poverty I see… and yet I am told that what we see is generally considered to be middle-class compared to the extreme poverty of Zone 3 in Guatemala City. I am also amazed at the tragedy and suffering. Almost every home is faced with some kind of family crisis or tragedy. Many have family members that have left for the US never to return so they are making it the best they can. Many have lost loved ones to violence, crime, and gang activity. Which reminds me… the crime truly is rampant here. Today we heard gunshots in the distance. This evening, because we were traveling after
dark, several of us “bigger” guys rode in an SUV behind the bus to make it look like we were their security detail… and there are security details everywhere. Stores, restaurants, delivery trucks… they all have armed security details. It is kind of strange going into a Pizza Hut restaurant that has a uniformed guard with a shot-gun standing at the front door.
The church service we went to tonight was probably one of the strangest I’ve ever been to. Of course it was very caliente (hot), but the distractions were enormous. About the time Colby (one of our team) began his sermon, a terrific storm hit. Since the local area has been in a drought, this of course was a big distraction. All the adults were distracted by the rain while the kids were running around jumping and playing. I honestly don’t know how Colby managed. It is bad enough to try to speak with an interpreter, but with all those distractions… despite it all, three came to the Lord at the end of the service.
Tomorrow we go to a nursing home…
Day 5
This morning we finished up our door to door evangelism. Our sub-team was able to lead 4 more people to Christ. In all, the whole team led 51 people to the Lord in 2 ½ days of door to door evangelism. It is humbling to see such a field ripe for harvest for the Lord and yet there is so little time and so few workers to bring in the harvest.
In the afternoon, we went to visit a nursing home, although
it wasn’t exactly a nursing home. It was more like a permanent homeless shelter for the elderly and discarded infants. Essentially, it was a nursing home/nursery/orphanage. It was quite a huge operation. They cared for any elderly they find homeless on the street as well as infants and children they find discarded or unwanted. They partially support themselves through Talapia (yes fish) farms. There are always large missions groups that stay
there and work. They even have a partnership with Liberty College in Lynchburg, VA. (where one of my favorite evangelists – Ergun Caner – serves and teaches). There was actually a group there from Liberty while we toured. Our limited time allowed little more than that tour.
That reminds me… there is actually another group from the US that checked into the hotel yesterday. It was a college group from the University of Texas. They were studying architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design. Why they chose Rio Hondo I have no idea.
Tomorrow (or rather today by the time I get this posted), is a travel day back to Guatemala City.
Note: if you are reading this and there are no pictures, please be sure to check back later. Unfortunately, the internet is not very reliable, so I am posting without pictures to make sure the text gets posted and will update a picture at a time…
Day 2 - Sunday
We got up very early this morning to drive 3 hours from Guatemala City to Rio Hondo. Leaving the city, I was truly amazed to see the extreme poverty. Thousands of ramshackle make-shift houses built up and down the mountainsides on the outskirts of Guatemala City (primarily in Zone 3 - these communities are called barrios). I wasn’t able to get any pictures of this, but it was an impressive site. This is in stark contrast with the extreme beauty of the tropical region of Zapata, where we are staying in Rio Hondo. There is still a lot of ugliness and poverty, but where the tropical plants are well cultivated (such as at our hotel – see the pictures), the beauty is overwhelming.
We went to church in Rio Hondo. It was a very small church, but they worshiped Christ very enthusiastically. I had the privilege of being able to give my testimony.
Tomorrow, we begin door to door evangelism.
Day 3 - Monday
We had a great day today. We began by prayer-walking the street on which we would later do door to door evangelism. The street is very much in the mountains as you can see from the various picture views below. You can also see pictures of the houses on the street below. Houses go up the mountain on one side and down the mountain on the other.
We had a great day today. We began by prayer-walking the street on which we would later do door to door evangelism. The street is very much in the mountains as you can see from the various picture views below. You can also see pictures of the houses on the street below. Houses go up the mountain on one side and down the mountain on the other.
After prayer-walking, we began door-to-door evangelism. The Guatemalans are extremely receptive to the gospel. It is a very religious culture, so hearing the truth of the gospel adds meaning to what might otherwise be empty religious traditions. In all, thirteen people made professions of faith today. We also met several devout Christians whom we had the opportunity to pray with for their needs. Both the salvation experiences as well as meeting Christian brothers and sisters were blessings to the whole team.
We go back to the same street tomorrow to continue door to door evangelism.
Day 4 - Wednesday
Today was yet another great day. Our sub-team led 8 people to the Lord this morning and another three this afternoon. If I have the numbers correct, the whole group has seen about 32 professions of faith since Monday. Truly the fields are ripe unto harvest.
Today was yet another great day. Our sub-team led 8 people to the Lord this morning and another three this afternoon. If I have the numbers correct, the whole group has seen about 32 professions of faith since Monday. Truly the fields are ripe unto harvest.
I am stilled amazed at the poverty I see… and yet I am told that what we see is generally considered to be middle-class compared to the extreme poverty of Zone 3 in Guatemala City. I am also amazed at the tragedy and suffering. Almost every home is faced with some kind of family crisis or tragedy. Many have family members that have left for the US never to return so they are making it the best they can. Many have lost loved ones to violence, crime, and gang activity. Which reminds me… the crime truly is rampant here. Today we heard gunshots in the distance. This evening, because we were traveling after dark, several of us “bigger” guys rode in an SUV behind the bus to make it look like we were their security detail… and there are security details everywhere. Stores, restaurants, delivery trucks… they all have armed security details. It is kind of strange going into a Pizza Hut restaurant that has a uniformed guard with a shot-gun standing at the front door.
The church service we went to tonight was probably one of the strangest I’ve ever been to. Of course it was very caliente (hot), but the distractions were enormous. About the time Colby (one of our team) began his sermon, a terrific storm hit. Since the local area has been in a drought, this of course was a big distraction. All the adults were distracted by the rain while the kids were running around jumping and playing. I honestly don’t know how Colby managed. It is bad enough to try to speak with an interpreter, but with all those distractions… despite it all, three came to the Lord at the end of the service.
Tomorrow we go to a nursing home…
Day 5
This morning we finished up our door to door evangelism. Our sub-team was able to lead 4 more people to Christ. In all, the whole team led 51 people to the Lord in 2 ½ days of door to door evangelism. It is humbling to see such a field ripe for harvest for the Lord and yet there is so little time and so few workers to bring in the harvest.
In the afternoon, we went to visit a nursing home, although
it wasn’t exactly a nursing home. It was more like a permanent homeless shelter for the elderly and discarded infants. Essentially, it was a nursing home/nursery/orphanage. It was quite a huge operation. They cared for any elderly they find homeless on the street as well as infants and children they find discarded or unwanted. They partially support themselves through Talapia (yes fish) farms. There are always large missions groups that stay
there and work. They even have a partnership with Liberty College in Lynchburg, VA. (where one of my favorite evangelists – Ergun Caner – serves and teaches). There was actually a group there from Liberty while we toured. Our limited time allowed little more than that tour.That reminds me… there is actually another group from the US that checked into the hotel yesterday. It was a college group from the University of Texas. They were studying architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design. Why they chose Rio Hondo I have no idea.
Tomorrow (or rather today by the time I get this posted), is a travel day back to Guatemala City.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
UPDATED: Guatemala - DAY 1 - We Are Here
THIS IS BEING UPDATED BECAUSE THE PICTURES DID NOT LOAD EARLIER... sorry...
At the Birmingham Airport - 5am
We made it to Guatemala City without incident… well, except that Dr. Bob Hall got his knife confiscated at the airport. We had to be at the Birmingham Airport at 4am this morning... yikes! Way too early for me... Now that we are here, we are staying at the Arkansas House tonight, but will be traveling to Rio Hondo tomorrow morning before Sunday Church services. I have not had much opportunity to take pictures, but here a just a couple.
Glenna and Keith Bentley are the local Baptist missionaries in Guatemala City. They have been here since December.
At the Birmingham Airport - 5amWe made it to Guatemala City without incident… well, except that Dr. Bob Hall got his knife confiscated at the airport. We had to be at the Birmingham Airport at 4am this morning... yikes! Way too early for me... Now that we are here, we are staying at the Arkansas House tonight, but will be traveling to Rio Hondo tomorrow morning before Sunday Church services. I have not had much opportunity to take pictures, but here a just a couple.
Arriving at Guatemala City airport
The Arkansas House is used to temporarily house incoming or visiting missionaries. It is called the Arkansas House because the Arkansas state missions board rennovated and build portions of it.
Glenna and Keith Bentley are the local Baptist missionaries in Guatemala City. They have been here since December.
One of our interpreters, Freddie... One of our drivers, Louis, with his two kids Louis, Jr. and Leslie.
I don't know if I will have internet access in Rio Hondo, but we will be back here at the Arkansas House on Thursday. I should be able to update then.. if not sooner.
Keep praying for us...
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