I started not to journal today. I guess today was not as eventful as most. Lisa and Kelly, the other visitors who were volunteering over the weekend, left very early this morning to get back to Virginia. Already I miss them...I miss our morning devotion that we had each day before we started any mission assignments. We got along so well, like old friends who reunited. My thought is that we'll meet up in DC or Virginia and again here at this mission some time in the future.
Today, most of my time was spent helping Myra with office work. One of her goals for me is to automate some of the processes and documents that she uses on a regular basis. In addition to that, I will teach her "daughter" and office assistant, Amy, how to manipulate spreadsheets and other software programs that will be beneficial to managing the projects the ministry does on an ongoing basis like the food distribution program.
Speaking of the food distribution program, Amy and I spent the morning putting black beans and maiz (corn) in individual bags to be given out tomorrow to the women in the program. Also, some of the shoes that were donated by my coworkers will be distributed tomorrow after the food distribution and after Pastor Leonel delivers his message.
Well, I'm going to turn in early tonight. If I get to bed early enough, I may be able to get enough sleep before the roosters wake me up around 3 a.m. I am longing for 8 hours of sleep. I think Myra has turned in already as well. She's not been feeling the greatest since she arrived back from the states. I came with a suit case of natural remedies so we made her a cup of ginger tea from some fresh ginger root I brought with me. She seems to be feeling a little better.
I haven't had time to play with the camera today to upload the pictures. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Thanks for coming back to read my journal. I'm sure there are a million other things you could be doing, but you stopped by to sit for a spell and look in on today's experiences so, thanks for stopping by. And I do realize that by this point you want to see some pictures. I'm working on the photos and hope to have them up on the site tomorrow.
Well, today was a very good day. There was Sunday morning service which included singing and dancing by the children. That was such an amazing experience. I think what made it so special is the zeal the children expressed about participating in the service and how sincerely they demonstrated their love for God through song and dance. There was no shyness or bribing the kids and no pulling their arms...they genuinely loved what they were doing. It was simply lovely to behold.
After service, the women who work (I like the word serve better, actually) in the ministry served homemade tamales. What an experience! They started making tamales the morning before and practically worked the entire day on just the tamales. I had no idea it took that much work to make tamales...cleaning the corn husks, all of the boiling and rolling...I was feeling tired just watching them work. But it was a labor of love for them and they never even broke a sweat. To see about 200 hundred people being fed and enjoying every bite was reward enough for them. Gilma (pronounced Hilma), the team lead, is really someone special. She truly, truly loves to serve the people in the community through this ministry and puts her all in everything she does, and she's the sweetest person you could ever meet. She's simply remarkable.
Lidia's Update Yesterday, I wrote about our night trip to the mountain to see Lidia. Lidia was in service today with her beautiful, bashful smile and a pretty white dress. After service, the doctor came back to town to work on Lidia's legs. He came equipped with topical anesthesia and other medical supplies and treated her legs. Once he cleaned off the dead skin, believe it or not, he used pure honey as an ointment to help heal the wounds. I need to mention that he is actually a beekeeper and harvests the honey himself. Amazing!! Where do these people come from? Well, they are everyday people like you and me who happen to be on assignment and know their tasks, trade, or skill whatever you choose to call it. Here's what I know for sure, all of us have abilities, skills, and/or something we are good at doing...something that comes naturally. The real question is, is it all about us or do we use any of those things to serve others on a regular basis? If not, why not? (rhetorical question) It really is rewarding and it usually helps the person who is giving just as much, if not more than the person on the receiving end.
Oh, I need to go back to I believe Day 1 and answer the question about what type of things I will be helping with while I'm here. So today, I served as the videographer and the photographer taking candid and planned shots. Tomorrow, I'm helping to coordinate the birthday celebration for all of the children who had birthdays in the last 6 months. At some point, I'll download the videos to a cd for Myra and attempt to upload them to Face Book or You Tube or wherever Myra's heart desires. I've stuffed Christmas stockings, helped with little creative ideas, and as I mentioned before, accompanied the field team on house visits and just spreading love. I'm having a blast, and I still have about 4 days to go so who knows what else I'll be helping with. My Spanish has gotten somewhat better, but it still needs work. The dialogue is helping since Spanish is the primary language and not everyone here speaks English. What's really interesting is that the people here are just as willing to learn English as I am to improve my Spanish. My experience in Italy was much, much different.
I'm learning quite a bit about the culture here in Guatemala. It's always interesting to see how other societies function. That's a topic for a different day.
Today, there was a big Christmas party for the kids. We were up late last night stuffing Christmas stockings for the kids and their mothers. We celebrate the moms tomorrow; today was all about the kids. It had to be about one hundred kids there today. The party started at 10a.m. although, some kids were there by 8:30 a.m.and so filled with excitement.
This ministry is such a blessings to these kids, who literally have almost nothing. Every kid had some type of gift when they left: soccer balls for the boys and stuffed animals for the girls. They thoroughly enjoyed the arts and crafts and even got pumped up singing songs with the pastor.
Late this evening, we went back up into the mountains to take a doctor friend of Myra's to see a little girl who was badly burned when she was playing with some matches she found. We noticed the burns yesterday and went to the pharmacy to get some cream earlier today. Normally, I don't even walk in my neighborhood late at night. So, you can kind of figure how we felt walking through a mountain with one little flashlight to help little Lidia. We each whispered a prayer for protection and proceeded to walk up the hill to Lidia's house. We did go above and beyond, but sometimes it's about sacrificing our comforts to possibly save someone elses life. I would've loved to stay in the house and have a cup of tea before retiring for the evening, but it wasn't about me and there is no way I would've had any peace. It was about loving this little girl enough to see that she got medical attention before her situation got any worse. I'm convinced that you don't have to walk around sounding like a King James clone to show the love of God.
We went up into the mountains yesterday to do house visits with Myra and the pastor. The only houses we stopped at were the ones that belonged to the program. Honestly, I didn't even need Myra to tell me which houses belonged to the program . I could tell by the look in people's eyes whether they were involved or not. The families that Mrya services had the look of hope in their eyes and joy and belief in their heart that God has not forgotten them. They welcomed us into their homes and were happy to update Myra with any concerns or needs.
A few of the families we visited had an ill family member. We made a circle around them and the pastor prayed for their healing and the well being of their families. Though we visited several houses; I can't seem to get Olga off of my mind. She was probably in her early to mid thirties with 7 kids. She had a 2 month old baby that looked much healthier than her other children. We took turns holding him and playing with him. When it was my turn to hold him, he sat quietly on my lap as I cuddled him, and the next thing we know he fell asleep peacefully in my arms and then started laughing in his sleep. Meanwhile, Olga was telling us that after she was released from the hospital, she came home to find that her husband was gone. Sadness filled her eyes a little, but vacated when she found out that the ministry would help her with some of her basic needs. As we did with the other families we visited, we gathered around her in a circle and prayed for her and her family. Some of the children came to join in. I made a point to touch and hug and kiss every child even the grandchildren (yes, her teenage daughter has a child). All it takes is a touch to heal and to wipe away any trace of sadness.
We went all through the mountains up one side and down the other. For me, it was like a hiking trip with perks along the way. The perks of course were being able to touch the lives of others with love, a smile and a prayer. Seeing the living conditions of those families wasn't a new experience for me, but I'm always inspired by how much they trust God and have faith that their every need will be met and they don't complain about their circumstances. They simply keep pressing and praying knowing that God will answer.
