Movie of Kids

Construction Video

Home: Safe & Sound

We left Guatemala City airport this morning at around 8:30am. The winds were favorable (according to the pilot), and so we arrived in Dallas Ft. Worth ahead of schedule by a few minutes. Customs, baggage, and security were no problem. We had to say goodbye to Nicholas in Dallas, which was sad, but he gave us parting gifts: Starbucks gift cards!!

So with McDonald's burgers in our stomachs and frappuchino's in our hands, we parted ways with Kimmy and Kristin. Their flight back to Philadelphia was in concourse C, and we were waiting to board in D. The flight home to Columbus was smooth and arrived on time, with all the luggage waiting for us.

This has been a great trip. I may try to post some reflections later in the week. Right now, I need to get to bed, because work in the morning will come soon. :)

Saturday's Pictures

Saturday

We drove into Antigua today, which is an old colonial town and perfect for tourism. There are many typical markets, jade stores, silver stores, and beautiful views of the volcano around every turn. First we visited the wood factory. The owners are extremely talented craftsmen who excel at making wood into different fruits, animals, plates, and more. For such a tiny shop, they really have a lot of different items!!

After the wood shop, we visited the jade store. The owner shared with us about harvesting the jade from the mountains, and we saw the unfinished jade all around the store. The prices of the jewelry are incredibly reasonable: about $30 for necklaces and earrings. It's all beautifully crafted as well.

Eventually we made it to the typical market, which is a sensory overload experience. The colors, the scents, the shop owners yelling at us to make purchases, and then of course the joy of bargaining down prices. The market is about two or three blocks square, with hundreds of shops inside the walls. The team really enjoyed visiting with the shop keepers finding deals, and buying souvenirs for family and friends.


After shopping in the market, we had lunch at Pollo Campero again (which made Jesse very happy), and the drove back in the other direction into the center of Guatemala City: Zone 1. We went down into the underground market which is three levels underground, filled with tourist shops, typical markets with produce, fruit, flowers, meat and restaurants, and an entire floor of pottery and baskets. It's an amazing place and a great experience of Guatemalan life.

Pictures from Friday

Sorry to get this pictures up so late, but here are yesterday's pictures:

We did it all!!

Wow! What a day!! This morning, I was skeptical we would achieve all we had set out to do. But God's blessing was with us, and we did it all.

We began by working on Alicia's house again. Thankfully, she was able to take the day off from working at the feeding center to be with us during the day. We worked throughout the morning, and we finished shortly after lunch time. (Lots of pictures coming soon!) Around 1pm., we started the "dedication service." This consisted of our team singing a few songs to Alicia and her family, sharing some verses from the Bible, and praying for her family and the new home. I was deeply touched by this time.

Then it was "moving day!" We brought in a new table, four chairs, two new beds, and many houseware items. Alicia shared her heart with us. She told us that she could always "see" her new house, but she didn't know when it would be able to be built. She didn't have the money. And then, somehow, God provided a way. But she said that she had never hoped for this much. As we all crowded into her one room, 144 sq. ft. house, I was completely humbled. It was an incredible experience.

Thankfully, the rains held off as well! Dark clouds were looming overhead, but the rain didn't fall until just after we finished praying and moving everything into the house. The timing was perfect. We quickly packed up and headed down the mountain back into the town of Villa Canales. We drove to Pastor Juan's church, which was a small, tin building on the railroad tracks. They did not really know we were coming, so the group of children was small. But that was a blessing.

We were able to spend the afternoon with about thirty children and parents. They were quiet, respectful, kind and so so so so cute!! They sang loud, danced with us, played games, and did a great job on the craft. It was a real blessing to do our final day of VBS with such a wonderful little group.

After finishing at Villa Canales, we drove back to La Primavera. Our team hiked up the hill alone, without Roger or Beth (this was a bit of an experience for Kellye and I, to be in the neighborhood we know very well, but on our own). We found Rhodi's house easily, and she welcomed us in her usual manner. She was beaming from ear to ear, thanking God every moment, and insisting that we all sat down, even though she barely had enough chairs. The team shared with Rhodi about how she had been on our heart all week, about how we had been blessed by our time with her, and about how we wanted to do something special for her. One person said that she had blessed so many people, we wanted to bless her, but it would never amount to as much as she had blessed others. We gave her a new apron, new glasses and plates and flatware, and a few other small items. She was very excited and very gracious.

On the drive home we stopped at McDonald's for some quick McCafe's, then a stop at the tortilla stand to get some supplies for dinner (which resulted in a funny story with Sam....I'll write about it later), and now we are home, showered, and enjoying Beth's amazing enchiladas.

Everyone is asking where I am - Gotta go, or there won't be any food left :) :)

What we are hoping for today...

It's Friday morning, about 6:30 AM, and I just walked around the house and woke everyone up. We'll be leaving in about a half an hour for the village of Villa Canales again. We will head up into the hills of Colmenas where we are working on the house for Alicia. Our hope is to finish the construction on the house this morning, and perhaps even fix up the tin around the old house so it is more sturdy and better suited to keep the water out of the house.

Today Alicia is scheduled to work at the feeding center in La Primavera. So there is a chance we may not get to see her. However, we are hoping and praying that somehow we'll be able to speak with her. We have bought her several house warming gifts, including new beds, towels, sheets, blankets, and more. It would be an amazing experience to get to help her put these things in her new home. (Remember, her "new home" is about the size of a large bathroom, or small bedroom in the United States).

After we finish the house, our hope is to connect with Pastor Juan in Villa Canales. We haven't been able to get in touch with him today, but we hope to be able to do the VBS program with the children from his church. There could possibly be 70-80 kids, and we are bringing all of our supplies in order to be ready to do the program if necessary.

Then, our plan is to head to La Primavera one last time. The team really wants to visit one woman who we met on Monday. Her name is Rhodi, she is an old grandmother, and she lives up on the hill in the squatter settlement. She told our team about how her children had left her, and she is now raising her grandchildren alone. On Monday she was feeling sick and was really struggling. The team decided to buy some simple gifts for her - a new apron, some cups and plates, and a bucket. We are planning to find her again today and give her these gifts.

If you are reading this blog post on Friday, please pray for us that all of these small details will align, that the weather will cooperate, and that God will show us the way to go today. Thanks.

The kids...

Here are some pictures of some of the children we have seen this week. Take time to really look at these kids, and let the impact your heart.

"Jesus said, let the children come to me, because life with God belongs to them."

Thursday Update

Today we worked on Alicia's house. On Monday we mixed and poured the concrete for the floor of the house. Today the goal was to put up the walls and possibly even the house. The day started clear, beautiful and sunny. However, the good weather didn't last all day.

We began by cutting the wood to the appropriate length and building the walls. Everyone chipped in right away, got to work, and worked hard all morning. Several neighborhood boys, and Alicia herself hung out with us at the worksite. Even though we had a late start, we got a lot done before lunch. We took a break around noon, shared some food with the boys and Alicia's family, and chatted for a bit.

Unfortunately, the weather turned bad very quickly. The rains came in fast and hard, and even hailed for a few minutes. We worked for as long as we could, but with the lightning increasing, we took shelter under the small roof of Alicia's old house. This was a humbling experience. The twelve of us huddled under the roof, with water pouring in on all sides, and struggled to stay dry. The thunderstorm was as common as what happens every day in Guatemala, and the roof of the old house leaked everywhere. It was an eye-opening experience of what it is like to live in someone else's situation.

After about an hour of steady rain and lightning, we did our best to finish up some of the work that was in mid progress, pack up the gear, and headed home. We were all really disappointed to end so early during the day (we left before 3pm), but perhaps it was for the best. We were able to come home, rest, pack up more craft bags, and enjoy a fantastic dinner.

Tonight we had devotions, as we do every night. Sam shared a meaningful message from Psalm 24. We looked at pictures of the work we had already done this week, and marveled at how much God is accomplishing through us in such a short time.

We are extremely grateful and humbled to be participating in the trip this week. Every person on this trip is contributing in amazing and unique ways. We are excited for a full tomorrow. Hopefully we will finish the work on the house, and be able to give Alicia some of the gifts that we have purchased for her. These gifts include two new beds, houseware items, plates and glasses, a blender, and blankets. We also plan to visit a woman in La Primavera, whom the team met on Monday. This woman - Rhodi - has touched the team in a powerful way. She has been on our mind all week. We picked up some simple gifts for her as well, and hope to visit with her tomorrow.

Thursday Pictures

Thursday - Back Home

We are back from working. The rains made us have to pack up early. Posting pictures soon. Twitter is down, so this is my quick update of the afternoon. Everyone is wet, but in good spirits. We worked hard and got a lot done today, but will have to return tomorrow to finish the job.

Description of the VBS Program

Every time we visit a church, school or village, we do a VBS (Vacation Bible School) program. Most people probably don't know what we are doing exactly, so here are some details. (Note: The pictures below are from several different locations we have visited this week).

First, Chelsea introduces the group. Then we sing about 4 or 5 songs in Spanish, several with Jesse playing guitar. Sam also sings a solo in English.

Then Kellye begins to talk about the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 people. The "key idea" of the story is that whenever you give whatever you have to God, no matter how small, it's always enough. We have three binders with pictures that correspond to the story and Sam, Megan and Nic hold these up for the kids to see while Chelsea reads the story aloud.


After reading the story, we play two games. The first is a simple relay race where the kids put pieces of construction paper on posterboard, and the second is like "hot potato." The children seem to really enjoy this part of the program.


Then Kellye reviews the story by asking some questions such as "How many fish and how many pieces of bread?" Then she explains the craft in detail. Our students distribute the crafts and the kids begin to work. Our team goes around and helps whichever children need assistance with the craft. After almost all of the kids are finished with the craft, we line them up to distribute the gift bags, which are a mixture of toothbrushes, toothpaste, stickers, bracelets, candy and other small toys.


Many of you have given generously in order to make this VBS program a success. The crafts are each put in individual ziplock bags, and the papers were cut out by hand. The gift bags are filled with candy and toys donated by friends. Without your help, this could not be possible. Thank you again.

Wednesday - A really good day

Today was quite a day. I'll try to highlight some of the major events, but many things happened and this will just be a cursory list.

We left the house at a reasonable time and headed south again toward the town of Escuintla. However, instead of going to San Antonio Buena Vista, this time we went to a fairly nice school just outside of town. The children were playing in the yard and awaiting our visit. This was a public school, but they had no problem allowing us to come and sing songs, share testimonies, and talk about God's love for them.

Two funny things happened as we were leaving the school. First, a woman asked Chelsea if she liked coconuts. Chelsea, of course, said "Yes, I like them." Little did she know, she was agreeing to receive a large bunch of fresh coconuts, right out of the tree!! A man climbed the palm tree in the middle of the yard, hacked at the coconuts with a machete, and then gave us a bundle of about 7 to take home with us! While this was going on, Roger (the missionary leader of our group) was working out a deal with one of the kids to purchase a parrot. Roger loves birds, and he is hoping to get one that will sing and talk very well. The village kids had caught a young parrot and it was very beautiful. Roger agreed to buy it on the spot for about 350Q (less than $50), but that meant we had to carry it with us the rest of the day! So while in the van, Sam was holding the bird and singing to it. While at lunch, we had to pay a couple on the street to watch the bird while we ate. And on and on for the rest of the day!

After finishing at the school, we went to my favorite restaurant in Guatemala - Pollo Campero! This is a fast food restaurant that is as common as McDonald's in the U.S. The food is really tasty - fried chicken, cole slaw and french fries. Roger was kind enough to drive us straight to the coast after lunch. For some students this was their first time seeing the Pacific Ocean. We only had five minutes, but we got some great pictures and some students even put their feet in the water.

We quickly traveled to the church for the afternoon. This church was located on a road next to a sugar cane field. The pastor had arranged the children outside, and there were already about 75 kids sitting and waiting for us. As the day went on, more and more children and families walked by on the road, saw us outside, and stuck around to see what was happening. This was great because we ended up with a big crowd to interact with and share with, but unfortunately we had very few gift bags and craft bags prepared. We did our best to split up the items and give to as many kids as possible.

The drive home was tedious and tiring. There was much traffic on the road due to the rains. At one point, we passed a field that looked like the grass was on fire. But actually it was steam rising from the rain. As it hit the ground, the heat from the volcano nearby turned the water into steam. Really amazing to see!

After a wonderful dinner of pork chops and rice, the students said they wanted to go to the local store to buy some gifts. One woman whom we met in La Primavera on Monday was particularly on their mind. They bought her some new plates and cups, a new apron and hot pads, and some other small gifts. We also picked up some house warming gifts for Alicia (including a new blender and sheets for a new bed).

I can't stress enough how giving and generous this team is. They are giving their time, their efforts, and their money to bless other people, and it's incredible to witness. I have been so changed by their generosity, and I know the people here in Guatemala have as well.

Pictures from Wednesday

Video from Tuesday

Here is a collection of short video clips I took throughout the day on Tuesday. I apologize for the poor quality, but its the best I could do tonight. They will at least give you an idea of what our days of ministry are like here (aka, AMAZING :)

Video clips (unedited) of our day at San Antonio Buena Vista.

Pictures from Tuesday

Here is a picture slideshow from today:

Quick Tuesday Update

We are back safe and sound from San Antonio Buena Vista, which is nothing easy to say. It's about an hour and half drive, through the city and the country on busy streets and bumpy dirt roads. Several roads that we drove on were partially washed out because of the recent tropical storms and constant rains. But thankfully, we arrived safely to the beautiful small village of San Antonio.

San Antonio is in "el campo" or "the country." Hearts for Heaven is perhaps the only North American group working in this village. The children a little more shy than in the city, but they are beautiful and still love to play and have fun, just like anyone.

We arrived at the church early and began working on painting the tables that are used for the feeding program. The tables sit on metal saw horses, and these needed to be painted as well. This was a time consuming job, but with 6 or 7 people working on it at once, it went quickly.

- Chelsea works on painting while the ninas watch -

While some people painted, others went into the village for home visits. (I wasn't one of those who did a home visit, so I can't say much about it). One home had a grandfather who was struggling with heart problems for months and was bed-ridden. This was touching for several students who also have grandparents with health problems right now.

The children arrived, sat down, and waited to be served their lunch. Our team helped to distribute the food, and every single one of the more than 150 children waited until EVERYONE was served before they began to eat. Our team ate a quick lunch of homemade sandwiches, and then prepared for the VBS program.

- enjoying lunch -

Today's VBS program went very smoothly. Everyone contributed beautifully. Sam's solo was wonderful, and the craft was challenging for the kids, but they did a great job personalizing and coloring their plates. Our team did an awesome job helping the kids make the crafts and talking with the children during the project. After everyone was finished, Oscar prayed for the children, sang another fun song, and then we packed up to head home.

- singing songs as a group -

- the boys show off their crafts -

- Kimmy helps make crafts -

- one girl with her craft-

Monday Update

So many stories to tell from the day. So first, a brief overview of our MANY activities:

First we drove to Villa Canales. There were some road detours which forced us onto some very bumpy dirt roads, but we made it up the mountain and into the small neighborhood where Alicia lives. (see picture below) Five people lived in a one room house, about 12 ft. square. We are working to build a second room, similar in size, with a concrete floor, wood siding and a tin roof. Today we mixed cement for about an hour and helped Oscar lay the foundation for the house. We also got to meet the women and children who live there, all who are very special and very friendly. Everyone worked very hard for the few hours we were there.

After finishing the concrete floor, we walked down the street to see the progress on Oscar's house. In 2007 Kellye and Jesse came with a team of students and worked on the house for a week. When we left, we had just laid the walls of the first floor. Now it is a three-story, amazing home that is custom built by Oscar. It is really something special. It was also special for Kellye and Jesse to return, remember the work we had done, and see the progress. In the picture below we are finding our "handprints" that we put in the concrete in the wall during the week we worked on the house.
We left Villa Canales and returned to La Primavera, the same squatter settlement we visited last night. We got there in time to join the children in the feeding program for lunch. (see the picture below) About 75 kids receive three meals a week, along with lessons from the Bible and other activities. It is a safe place in a dangerous neighborhood, and the work being done there is very important. Lunch was an absolutely delicious vegetable soup that all of the kids and our entire team enjoyed. Probably the best vegetable soup I have ever had (apologies to my mother-in-law :)

After lunch we played games with the kids for about an hour. It was stressful, dirty, tiring and loud. The kids have SO MUCH ENERGY! And they like to jump on us, run after us, grab on our clothes, and basically be kids. But they also love to give hugs, share smiles, make jokes and just have fun. It's an important ministry to simply spend time with the children. They need positive touch, laughter, joy and love. More often than not they are neglected and forgotten. So we love to spend as much time as possible with them.

After playing some games we went back down to the second floor to do the VBS program. We sang songs with the children in Spanish. And Sam sang a beautiful solo of "You are My King, Amazing Love." The children listened very carefully. We told the story of the feeding of the 5,000 and explained the craft. The kids got very serious and quiet when they worked on the craft. It was a little bit of challenge, but the end result was worth the effort. As the children left, we passed out the gift bags that we had assembled the night before.

A note about the gift bags: These bags are made up solely of donated items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, stickers, balloons, cars, hair bows, and candy. We collected somewhere around 300 pounds of donated materials in order to make about 600 gift bags. Each child received a gift bag as they left and its a joy to see them light up as they look at what's inside.

After passing out the gift bags, catching our breath and chugging down some water, we started walking up the mountain into the neighborhood of La Primavera. There were several families and houses that had been identified as needing a special visit. The first was a family who had lost their roof in the recent volcano eruption. The neighborhood is very close to the volcano, and about four inches of ash rested on the roof, which then collapsed in the night. We talked to the mother and to her children.

At this point, I (Jesse) felt directed to give a small donation to this family. One of my coworkers had given me $5 for the trip to give to someone who needed it. I thought this was a worthy need, and so I told the family about my coworker, about her gift, and about how she wanted to give something to the families in Guatemala. In was a special moment.

We visited two or three other houses. Roger made us sing songs to the families. We prayed for those who were sick or in need, and we played some more games with the kids. Perhaps the most memorable family is that of young Brian who has spina bifida. He is six years old, and has only in the past year been able to start walking with the help of a walker, therapy, and special shoes. He is a bright young boy, full of life and very impressive. It was a blessing to spend so much time with him and his family. (pictures of Brian and family below).


Now we are back in the ministry house, packing up more craft bags, relaxing, waiting for dinner, and preparing for another full day tomorrow. So far, everyone is feeling great and having a wonderful time. I look forward to hearing from the team tonight about what impacted them the most.

Thanks to everyone for your support, prayers, and donations. They are really felt and valued throughout the week. The full slideshow of pictures from the day are below.

Just getting started...

It's been a full day!! After lunch we prepared about 200 craft bags together. These bags have two paper plates, string, paper fish and loaves, and a coloring page with crayons. The story we are telling the children during the VBS time is the story of "Jesus feeding the 5,000." The kids will make a small basket out of the paper plates and be able to color it and have 2 fish and 5 loaves to put inside.

Around 2:30pm we left for La Primavera, which is a squatter settlement in Guatemala City. More than 100,000 people live on the side of this mountain, most without running water or reliable electricity. Hearts for Heaven has a three-story facility that includes a "gymnasium" style room, a room for classes, and a bottom floor where the feeding center takes place. About 80 children came tonight to play games, sing songs, and just hang out for a few hours.

The team did amazing. Two people (Chelsea and Kacey) went on home visits with Beth and Roger. They visited two homes and were given a glimpse at the inside life of the people of La Primavera, which consists of dirt floors, one-room houses, and extreme poverty. The rest of the team stayed in the facility playing games, which included a hardcore soccer battle between the Eberhart girls and just about every child on the block, and really difficult puzzle that Sam couldn't even finish!

We stopped by Pizza Hut for dinner, and then came home to share devotions and have a team meeting. We also put together about 200 hygiene/gift bags to give away to the children tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning we will do construction - mainly working on pouring concrete for the floor of Alicia's house. Then we will return to La Primavera for the feeding program and doing the VBS program. It will be another full day!

You can see all the pictures from our first day here. Or look at the slideshow on the post just below this one.

Sunday Update

{Pictures from traveling on Saturday, and Sunday morning at church}

It's Sunday afternoon, and we are preparing to head out to La Primavera for the evening activities. We had a great morning at La Fraternidad de Christiano - a large church in Guatemala City. The music was upbeat and uplifting, and the sermon was meaningful for everyone, even if we struggled to understand all of it.

After a great lunch of chicken, chile rellenos, and leeches (a weird fruit with spiky things - I'll have some pictures later), we did some orientation and had some great conversation about the ministry. Then we worked to prepare craft bags for the VBS days later in the week.

Right now I have to go - sorry for the short update, but we are loading up and going to have a great time with the kids tonight. Lots of fun things happening and the group is doing awesome.

Good morning Guatemala

It's Sunday morning, around 7am. Remember that we are 2 hours behind EST (basically mountain time in the USA) so morning and evening posts might seem to be at an odd time.

No one is really awake yet, so I'm just soaking in the reality that we are here in Guatemala. 8 months ago, we had this idea, bu didn't think it could actually happen. I realized this morning that this is the first trip Kellye and I have led where we are the ONLY adults (no other teachers with us). It's really not that different, and so far the trip has been very uneventful. But I'm feelin sense of anticipation. I know something great is ahead.

Last night we encouraged the team to share their excitement and fears for the week. We can already see some connections starting to form amongs the students, and they are already stepping out in faith in cool ways. I'm excited to see what the rst of the week will hold.

Love to all back home. Feel free to post comments and messages to your family and loved ones, and I'll pass them on.