Team Dahlonega

Six adults from Dahlonega,GA arrived last Saturday the 6th to work on construction of our church building. God had other plans for this group, though. Realizing the poverty level of so many people here in Guatemala, Tom decided to postpone the construction and instead go into the local villages and set up medical clinics and feeding programs.

On Monday, the plan was to visit Panajachel for the day, but all roads leading there were closed due to protests. Therefore, the team visited the Mayan ruins of Iximche instead.

On Tuesday, the group went to the village called Zorzoya and did their first of three medical clinics. They played futbol with them, and entertained them with Vacation Bible School lessons on Daniel and God’s creation. The kids were really excited to receive bubbles and slap bracelets, as they do not have much. The Kids for Christ Club was on Tuesday afternoon, and the kids decorated boxes, which included a mirror that reminded them that THEY are a big gift from God. There were lots of goodies inside for them to enjoy as well.

Wednesday, the team visited the village October 20 and set up another medical clinic and VBS. October 20 is one of the poorest villages around this area, having no electricity or running water, so it was very humbling to work with these people. The kids from this village got to decorate bookmarks to go in their Bibles, as well as play with lots of bubbles and slap-bracelets. Wednesday night, the group had the kids from church paint sun-catcher crosses. These were a big hit with the kids, and in show of their appreciation, many gave their beautiful crafts to members of the team.

Thursday, the group set up yet another medical clinic in the village of Gorion. Many of the kids that come to the Kids for Christ Club live in this village, so it was nice to see familiar faces. The clinic was set up in the home of one of the church members. To make the wait to be seen by “Doctor Tom” easier, the kids were able to show their creative sides through drawing and coloring. Thursday night, they went to downtown Guatemala City to hang out with some street kids. They brought the kids bean sandwiches and juice, sang songs, and shared the gospel of Jesus with them.

Friday morning, they served breakfast at the Mary Magdalena House. It was great to see a lot of the street kids from the night before. After the breakfast, they had a small clinic at the hospital next door, then left for an afternoon of sightseeing. On the way, they stopped by the city dump. The group saw the President’s Palace, a beautiful Catholic Cathedral, and the Guatemala City market. The team ended their stay with a nice supper together.

We have a big team of 20 people coming on June 20th led by Dale Hajost of Due West United Methodist Church based out of Marietta, GA. They will be staying for 7 days and working in various ministries around this area, including: construction of the church, medical clinics, dental clinics, children’s ministries, etc. We are very excited about this group coming in, and have a lot of preparing to do in the mean time. Be praying that none of us here catch the swine flu! It is becoming a pandemic worldwide, with already 65 plus cases here in Guatemala.

Team Shelby

Welcome team Shelby Crossings!

Paige, Andi, Jeremy, Hannah, Liz, Lindsay, Chris, and Tia all arrived from The Church at Shelby Crossings’ college ministry in Calera, Alabama, to stay May 18-29. While they were here, they participated in four medical clinics, two of which were held in the local villages. They planned Vacation Bible School activities for the kids during our church services, using Bible stories, skits, and singing to try to effectively communicate Jesus’ love to the children. On the two Fridays they were here, they were able to go downtown to the Mary Magdalena House to help minister and feed the people who came. They were able to work with the street kids, from hanging out and playing “futbol,” to going out at night and sharing their food and their testimonies with them. It was a truly humbling experience, to say the least. The street kids, that Hearts for the Children Ministry targets, are all very young, and looking to drugs to cope with the fact that the street is their home. What they really need is Jesus, and our aim here at Hearts for the Children is to make them realize that need.

The team from Alabama also got to do some incredible sightseeing. They climbed the Volcano Pacaya, spent a day in the beautiful historic town of Antigua, visited the Guatemala City President’s Palace, and even spent some time hanging out in the Pacific Ocean. While all these things were definitely fun and exciting, serving the people in Guatemala seemed to be the highlight of those eleven days. Hundreds of people may not have come to Christ in that short period of time, but relationships were built and people were shown love.

Two of the girls from the Shelby Team, Hannah and Andi, have chosen to stay here until July 14. They, along with Karell ‘Katy’, are staying here to be interns. Katy has been here since May 11 and will be here until August 6. We are teaching these interns all about being missionaries and the tremendous amount of work that goes into a ministry like ours. They will be helping to lead the two groups who are coming in June to help with the construction of the church. Their vision for the summer is to serve the Lord in any way that He wants them to. They want to learn how to run a ministry and help God’s children all over the world. They would love to see these children come to know God and receive His salvation. They know that everything they do here is an opportunity to plant those seeds and cultivate the seeds that have already been planted.

Also...welcome team Bedouins!

While the Shelby Team was still here, we had a team of three come. Elaine, Keith, and Stephen, from an organization in Birmingham, AL called Bedouins International, came on Sunday the 24^th of May. They came for a very specific purpose- to make a picture documentary on the life of Lupita, a member of our church. They spent several days interviewing Lupita, as well as interviewing Tom and Elizabeth. They also toured the area that Lupita worked and learned about how she came to know and love the Lord. Lupita was a prostitute from an early age and struggled with drugs for a long time before she came to the ministry and accepted Jesus as her savior. He was able to completely able to turn her life around and use her to bless His other children here. They were able to take beautiful pictures, capture hours of audio, and translate Lupita’s testimony. They also helped the Shelby team with all other ministries including street kids program, children’s ministries, and medical clinics. While they were here they were also able to partake in some sightseeing. They went to Antigua, visited the Palace in Guatemala City, and even enjoyed time on the black beaches of the Pacific Ocean. This team was extremely busy in their 8 days here! We are looking forward to seeing the product that they are making from all of their work down here. It will be available for the entire world to see how God is blessing the people of Guatemala and the Hearts for the Children Ministry.

To find out more on Bedouin’s International, check out: www.bedouinsinternational.org

We will be receiving another team from Georgia on June 6^th. They are going to be here for the primary purpose of doing construction on our church building. While they are here, they will also be doing other ministry activities including participating in church services, VBS for the children, medical clinics, and helping with the street kids ministry.