Saturday Cultural Experience

As expected, we were only able to bank about 4-5 hours of sleep before heading out the gate of The Oasis on our way to Panajachel near Lake Atitlan this morning. We stopped at a roadside and modern Burger King for breakfast in Chimaltenango, the town sometimes referred to as "the armpit of Guatemala".  It was a blessing to meet a former Oasis sponsored girl there with her new husband. We were able to have breakfast with them and pray over them for God to bless their marriage before we had to hit the road again.

We enjoyed visiting the beauty of a jungle valley nature preserve near the lake and then see a little bit of the busy streets of Panajachel and Solola. This was the first visit to this area for 4 or 5 guys on the team. A rain storm, unusual for our times here, blew in after lunch and shortened our time seeing the colorful street vendors as they hurriedly covered up their wares. Even so, we were able to visit with a few and attempt communicating with them, sometimes successfully - always an encouragement!  Almost all the Guatemala people we encounter are extremely hard working and resourceful and seem generally grateful for the sometimes meager existence they endure.  It is always a reminder to us to see the joy in serving God and others above all the things and "stuff" that distract us sometimes in our lives.  Hebrews 13:5 comes to mind:  "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  This invariably is always a lesson we are reminded of when we are on the mission field. 

Thankfully, we arrived back at The Oasis tonight after at least 6 hours on the roads. Tomorrow morning we will be going to church with the girls and staff here. After church, we're planning a picnic lunch outing for the girls - somewhere outside The Oasis.  This will be the first time we've tried this. We ask for your prayers that we will be able to bond with the girls well and especially get to know the new girls on this picnic, and also that the weather will cooperate. Oh yes, along with this afternoon's rain and fog came a chilling cold front. Josh, our host, reminded us that there are zero heaters at the Oasis before kindly loading us up with extra blankets tonight.  Someone remind us to bring nose warmers next year.

Thanks for praying.

After a long day of travel, we've arrived safely at the Oasis.
Thanks again for your prayers.

We got unloaded and a short prayer of thanks for good arrival: getting settled in.

We're off!

Well, here we go. We were able to share in a circle of prayer at church with some family and available church staff before heading off to the airport. We'll be departing MSP at about 2:45 to Houston, and from there on to Guatemala City, arriving at about 10:30. It's likely we won't arrive at The Oasis until well after midnight. Of course, it will take a while to get settled in to our bunks, but we should get 3 or 4 hours of sleep before we need to get moving early Saturday morning at 6:00. 

Because tomorrow is monthly family visiting day for the girls, and we don't want to distract them from their family visits, the team is heading out on a day trip to Panahachel. This will be a team bonding day and an introduction to a part of Guatemala many on the team haven't seen before. We'll spend the day there and then start the 2-3 hour drive back to The Oasis at about 5 PM.

It's always an adventure and a blessing to go outside the walls and interact with the beautiful people of Guatemala. We're able to use our meager Spanish skills (except Tony who is fluent) with folks on the street and they are almost always very friendly and willing to share a smile after we offer a "buenos dias" to them. At the same time, we recognize the need to be vigilant and cautious.

We ask for your prayers for safety along the way, both today as we fly and tomorrow on the road to Pana and back. We also ask that we can be used by God to share His love to all that we come in contact with. Also pray for health for the team members as a few are starting today with mild health concerns, and we haven't even touched the Guatemalan water yet. :-)

Thanks again to all of you supporting and praying for us. We hope the notes you read this week and beyond will be a blessing to you.

Hasta Luego!

Tim Oberg ~ for the team