Day 4 - Construction continues & supper with the girls

So, I guess it is my turn to blog... this should be fun.  I think I am going to do this a little different and just tell you all what is rattling around in my brain tonight.  You should know that I took a soccer ball off the face tonight when I was sitting way to close to the field and not paying attention.  So my brain hurts a little, again... this should be fun.

Hmm, Greg wondering whats for dinner at the purple house!

Doug, Randy, & Dave in the the gold house for dinner

Greg & Tim in the Purple house for dinner

Laying block for the guard house

Purple House

We worked and we worked hard today, my body hurts from the work.  We painted and laid cement block and made cabinets and worked on redesigning a prayer chapel.  It was an absolutely beautiful day here, perfect weather and considering the snow back in Minnesota, it was even more perfect.  Hot actually, I am sun burnt and I like that.

To me the work is great and a huge part of the ministry that we do here but to be honest this trip is more about relationships.  In a few months when I look back on this trip I will remember being able to see Doug Johnson and hugging him.  I will remember laughing until it hurts with the other team members.  I will remember crying when we leave.  I will remember the 3 girls that arrived in the middle of the night.  I will remember making tortilla's by hand with two of the girls we sponsor.   I will remember how close I feel to God when I am here at the Oasis.  At dinner tonight we were asked what we remember the fondest about out first time here.  I answered that by saying I loved and remember feeling closer to God here then anywhere on Earth.  I know that when I am home I am easily distracted, work, family, distractions.  Any and all shiny objects distract me.  In Guatemala it is not the case, I am here to serve and love and both of those bring me closer to God.

So there you go.  Just a few of the many things in my soccer face hurting brain tonight.  Oh, one last thing.  I really miss my wife.  I love you Jesaca.

Greg Stoesz

Day 3 - working at the Oasis

The team awoke this morning to another beautiful Guatemala morning; singing birds, the bluest blue sky, crisp fresh air and enthusiasm in our hearts for the day ahead. And though we have enjoyed the weekend to get settled and reconnect with the girls, we are so anxious to get started on the projects planned for us.

Each year the team gathers at the bodega on Monday morning to meet with the construction coordinator from the Oasis to go over the details of the work slated for us. For the first time since the New Hope teams have come to the Oasis, we were not greeted at the bodega by Doug Johnson. You may or may not know that just before Thanksgiving of 2012 Doug was shot repeatedly right in San Lucas. God has heard the cries of his people on behalf of Doug and spared his life. It is truly a miracle that he survived and lives to testify of God’s faithfulness and healing hand! We hope to share more about that later.

This year, we are blessed to be working with Josh as our team and construction coordinator. We learned that we will be working on constructing some cabinets, painting of the psychologists’ offices and building a guard house by the front gate. And as always, there are random painting, electrical or plumbing needs. We divided the group into teams and set out to accomplish these projects. This team has such a great blend of giftedness and personalities and attitudes, it’s wonderful to see! 

Most of the girls were at school today, but some of the older girls go to Saturday school so throughout the day we would see them preparing food, doing chores, or meeting with staff members. And as we were going about our work, we might find ourselves being greeted with a big hug and a smile from one of them! You can’t find a sweeter break or blessing than that!

Many people from church donated wonderful gifts for us to share with the girls. We unpacked our extra suitcases full of these games, puzzles, books, toys, dolls and doll clothes, stuffed animals, dress-up clothes, hand-made pillow cases, scarves, hair binders and headbands, shoes, purses and so much more. We are so grateful for the many who have demonstrated love and generosity to the girls in this way!

At the end of our day of work, several from the team set off for a visit to one of our favorite destinations outside the walls of the Oasis, Chicoman. This small village is just a quick walk up the hill from the Oasis. Year after year we have enjoyed visiting these precious people.  We’ve begun to remember one another and build relationships with them. Randy again shared his magic tricks (they humor him by acting like they don’t remember the same tricks he did last year!) and shared the gospel with all the children and adults who gather around. It’s great having Tony along too who can help us share a greeting or have short conversation with someone. We walked back to the Oasis being “serenaded” by God with one of his glorious sunsets lighting up the evening sky! Thank you, Lord!

After dinner tonight, Corbey Dukes, the Kids Alive Guatemala Field Director, shared with us some of what’s been happening at the Oasis and Source of Hope (in Zapote),  and some of what they are hoping and praying for regarding future ministry. And even though most of us are pretty familiar with the ministry of Kids Alive here in Guatemala, hearing what they do is still overwhelming. We were reminded of the tragedy of what these girls have been rescued from and the many ways that God is restoring them and healing their families. But the needs continue to press in. In fact, this very night three new young girls were being delivered by the court to the Oasis. It breaks our hearts to know that there are little girls experiencing so much pain and abuse. But it thrills our hearts to know that there is a place like this where these now 48 young girls can find a safe and loving place tonight!

So we thank the Lord for providing the Oasis, for calling the staff to love and serve, for equipping them to do the work he’s called them to. And we thank all of you who are supporting us through your prayers and gifts. We are privileged to serve and be blessed by this powerful ministry!

Written by Sandy Dahl

Church, Picnic and a Volcano

After a good nights sleep we all piled into the van and drove the bumpy roads of San Lucas to church where all the girls from the Oasis attend. It is always a blessing to worship together with the girls and hear some great wisdom from their pastor. To our surprise we saw Doug (orange jacket) and Sara there. It was truly a blessing to see this man who by all accounts should not be with us. 

Neil and Mark talking with Doug at the Nazarene Church

Straight after church we all bundled in the van again and headed south towards Guatemala City to a Park. We set up tables, made lunch, ate plenty of food then the fun began...

Sandwich making

Randy introduces the Parachute. 

Sandy and Lisa do a little face painting

Dave playing a little "Futbol" - I think he got beat!

Neil scored points with Mirsa by getting his face painted.

Fuego Volcano Erupts

We saw so much today. The love that came from the pastor to his congregation and for the people who do not know Christ in Guatemala. To the laughter and giggles that you heard and saw from the girls as they played games in the park, to then at the end of the day Fuego Volcano decides to put on a show for us. God the creator of this universe showed his splendor in that volcano - but even more so in each of these girls as you watched them play. The week has only just begun and we have been blessed already.

Lisa Bodkin - Reporting for the team.

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

Retreat with Girls

One of the new things we are planning this year is a mini-retreat with the girls. We are planning a VBS style rotation on Saturday, March 9 to include Bible teaching, crafts, a prayer path and games based around the following passage of scripture:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 2 Peter 1:5-7

Please pray for Lisa, Kyle and the team as they prepare the activities for the retreat that it would be an effective time of ministry to the girls.

Donations

Thank you to everyone who has donated supplies to go to the Oasis - we have enough now! The girls will definitely appreciate all the clothes, games and toys.

Fund Raising

Thank you to everyone who has supported us this year. We have exceeded our fund raising goal - Praise God! Additional money raised will go to support the work of Kids Alive and the local church in Guatemala.

New Team Picture

Here are the good looking guys and gals going to Guatemala this year!

Back Row: Dan, Doug, Kory, Randy, Greg, Kyle, Tim
Front Row: Lisa, Dave, Tony, Mark, Neil, Sandy