Mondays Pictures

This Is Church!

Today we experienced what we’ll call a glimpse of heaven. We almost don’t dare say that the sun was shining brightly, the air warm and fresh and not one but two volcanoes were puffing away! But the natural beauty of Guatemala isn’t all that we experienced today. On past trips we’ve usually attended a church in the city with the girls from the Oasis on Sunday mornings.  This year, with a desire to connect with and support the local church, we invited the kind people of the Nazaret Church in San Lucas to join us for a picnic after church. But God worked it all out even more beautifully than we could have imagined. They agreed to hold their service right here at the Oasis! So, for the first time ever, Nazaret Church in San Lucas, New Hope Church, the staff of Kids Alive Guatemala and the girls all gathered together as the body of Christ at the Oasis. We filled the dining room with as many chairs as we could fit and still had standing room only.  We were especially blessed to be led by the Oasis worship team - the girls we’ve watched grow up and heal were now serving us. Our team was then invited to the front as nearly the entire church came forward and graciously offered hugs, kind words of welcome and thanks and a gift. It was incredibly warm and humbling. The pastor then taught us from God’s word, reminding and encouraging us to love God first and foremost. After church we shared a picnic lunch and visited all afternoon.  People were scattered all around the campus playing basketball, soccer, jumping on the trampoline, face painting and just enjoying one another’s company. Nobody wanted to leave, it was a great day. We enjoyed God’s people, His creation and His sweet presence. There were many people involved in planning and organizing this day but no one person can take credit for what happened here today – we are truly blessed to be a part of what God is doing here in Guatemala and all the glory goes to Him!

Sunday Pictures

Saturday

Saturday morning gave us a chance to settle in and get orientated. Sandy led a jewelry making workshop for some of the older girls, a few of the guys went shopping to buy groceries for tomorrow's picnic, while others stayed behind at the Oasis and played with the girls. We are excited for tomorrow -we just found out that the Nazaret church will be holding their morning service at the Oasis and then staying for the family picnic and games in the afternoon - what an awesome opportunity to build a connection with the local church!

Safe Arrival

We arrived safely at the Oasis at 10:30pm along with all our luggage!

We were delayed just 30 mins in Minneapolis while the plane was de-iced...hard to explain exactly what that is in Guatemala...

Supplies we are taking with us

Here is a sample of some of the things we are taking with us - please pray it all arrives safely!

For the Oasis Girls

Scarves and dresses from “Knitters and Stitchers”

Shoes, Socks, PJs, Underwear, T-shirts and Tops

Nail polish and Make up 

Puzzles and Toys

Galilea Church in Zapote

Projector, case and spare bulb

Nazaret Church

Money for construction supplies

Construction supplies

Wire, cover-plates and receptacles

Circular saw, router and bit set

Epoxy and Chisels

For the missionaries

Driver’s license, candy and oils 

Laptop

Spanish Bibles

Hunger Games books

Shoes, brake pads and phone cover

Butterscotch chips

Corn grits, Chia seeds and Fiber One cereal

Leaving for Guatemala

We are excited to leave for Guatemala tomorrow...

Thank you for your support in the following areas:

1. Praise God we are fully funded.
2. Thank you for all the wonderful items that were donated for us to take with us.
3. We value your continued prayer support.

We are planning to update this blog daily so check back often for trip updates!

Connecting with the local church

One of our goals this year is to try and connect more with the local churches. We will be doing this in a number of ways:

1. Attending Galilea church on one Sunday and Nazaret church on the other
2. Partnering with the Galilea church by focusing our construction efforts on the school in the remote village of Zapote
3. Hosting a picnic at the Oasis on Sunday afternoon for families from the Nazaret church
4. Planning  a work day at Nazaret church on Saturday with men from the church (instead of a team day trip)
5. Purchasing a projector for the church in Zapote so they can host movie nights for the community

Please pray that our efforts are successful and that good relations would be build between New Hope Church, Kids Alive, the Nazaret church and the Galilea church for the glory and advancement of God's Kingdom!

Team Picture

Jon, Randy, Kory, Tim O, Chris, Kyle, Dan

Tim B, Lisa, Neil, Ken, Doug, Sandy, Dave

2014 Trip

Our next trip to Guatemala is scheduled for February 28 - March 10, 2014. Flights have been booked, deposits paid to Kids Alive and fund raising is well underway! We are meeting regularly as a team and already starting to bond and grow together. If you would like to contribute financially to the trip please contact Tim Bodkin. The best way you can support us is to pray - see prayer requests to the right!