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.
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