2013 Dates

Our 2013 trip to Guatemala is scheduled for March 1 - 10. Please fill out a short term missions trip application if you would like to be considered for this team.

2012 Trip Video

Team Report

You are invited to come and hear about our trip this Sunday 5/6 at 12:30 pm in the Ministry Center. Please RSVP to Tim Bodkin if you would like to attend.

Safely Back

We arrived safely back in the US on Sunday evening. Thank you for all your prayers and financial support. We are grateful to God for another great trip and for all he is doing among the girls at the Oasis through the ministry of Kids Alive Guatemala. Adios Amigos......until next year!

Completed projects

Bonfire

Another highlight of the week was the bonfire. The last time we did a bonfire with girls was several years ago, so this was a new experience for most of the team. Friday night was a cool breezy evening, typical of evenings in Guatemala. After dinner we went outside and got a fire going - the guys sat around the fire, chatted and attempted a few songs. The evening got off to a slow start as we sat and waited for the girls to join us. As they finished their dinner, chores and homework the chicas began to emerge from their houses and the party got going! From the subdued start the evening turned into a fun night of songs, games, laughing, cuddling by the fire and of course the great Minnesota tradition of smores. It was a great night and will certainly become a more frequent tradition if we are blessed enough to be able to return next year.

Rich In Generosity

Each year one of the highlights of our trip is to visit the small village of Chicoman just outside the walls of the Oasis. This year's experience was extra special because for the first time we got to take some of the girls from the Oasis with us. There were two requirements for the girls to be able to come with us: firstly they had to be 15 or over and secondly they had to be a level 4 - the highest level on a scale that the staff here use to encourage good behavior. Chicoman is a small village of only a few hundred people who live in extreme poverty. Our normal trips involve handing out candy, toothbrushes, toothpaste and tracts - we are always greeted with friendly smiles and are starting to get to know several of the families that live there. Earlier on in the week the girls had taken part in a service project which involved filling colorful gift bags with some basic necessities, candy, toys, tracts and a hand written note. We took these bags with us to Chicoman and the girls were able to hand them out to families there. The girls at the Oasis, although they have very little by US standards have become accustomed to receiving from teams that come down here. It was overwhelming to see how they were so excited to now be able to turn that around and now give to others. This is an intentional philosophy that the director here has adopted to encourage the girls to look beyond the walls of the Oasis and impact the community around them. It was truly amazing to see how the generosity of New Hope Church and many other teams is now being passed on through the girls to others in need - that, dear friends is what being "Rich in Generosity" is all about!

Friday Work Pics

Another picture for Isaac (see comment below)

Reflections from David C.

Wednesday was another productive day at the Oasis. We worked hard and got a lot accomplished on our projects. Things are moving along and as a group I believe we feel like we are on track to finish what they have for us and finish well. However sometimes in Guatemala, actually ALL the time in Guatemala, there are surprises along the way that change our course and force us to adjust and adapt to the changes. Construction supplies and tools are scarce at times, and when we need additional items like screws, nails and wood, they are usually purchases by the piece, so there is rarely room for error. But those changes and speed bumps only bring us to a closer reliance on our Lord and they are all blessings. God is good all the time.

Speaking of blessings, God was so very present on Wednesday as we concluded the day with a special devotional and worship time with the girls. After work, we all assembled in the Bethany House (the Oasis' multi-purpose building) for a time of games, worship songs and a devotional in Spanish by our own Tony R. Worshipping the Lord in Spanish was wonderful and it was so awesome to see the girls and their House Tia's worship the Lord, raise their hands to Him and praise His name. Randy M. amused the group with a hilarious group game of Musical Chairs. The get-together concluded with an ice cream party. For those of you that have not experienced 40+ girls on sugar highs, it is a sight to see. We ended the evening with the special time of delivering our scripture bookmarks to the girls at their homes. One of the most special aspects of being down here is the amount of things that we can pack into a 24 hour day. Giving, serving and loving, but before we know it, each day is over. It is such a joy to plug into a ministry as this and get touched by the Lord as we are allowed to serve Him with our hands and hearts.

Thursday we started the day again with a morning worship song in unison, devotions as a group, breakfast and then got to work. Our projects are well underway and we are working well together as a team. There is no doubt that we will finish the goals set before us on time. The realization is now sinking in that we have only a couple more days with the girls and both the girls and us are getting ready for the hard goodbyes. It will be so very hard to not have them with us each day.

We worked hard up to the end of day bell and got ready to have dinner in Antigua with the staff and missionaries. We dined at Santa Domingo and fellowshipped with them. Thanking them for all they do for the girls here seems incomplete. It is obvious that they need our prayers daily for the Lord to give them stamina, strength and the ability to discern the best for these precious little lives that the Lord has entrusted to them.

We ended the day exhausted but ready to press forward on Friday. God has made this year's mission trip a huge blessing to say the least. It is a privilege to serve the Lord God Almighty in this way. It is only made possible by the prayers and support of you all, and for that we all are very grateful. To God be the Glory great things He has done!