Last day, return to reality

Ahhhh…back in the states!

Loading the bus :(

Tristin and Denise with the parrot at the hotel

Kristen and Michelle

Mark and Kathy

Chad and Roxy at breakfast our last morning

The volcano gave us an amazing show as we were loading the bus to leave the hotel!

Saturday we left the hotel at 9:30 am, went to the airport, and left the beautiful country of Guatemala. It was extremely hard to leave all of the wonderful people we met, the wonderful people so thankful and giving. Our bus driver, David, is also the house father for the boys house. He and his wife are wonderful people, and they have a very big  job! Please pray for him and his family.

We arrived in Madison, SD at 1:30 am, and then the Pierre and Mitchell teams departed to travel on to their homes (another 1 hour for Mitchell and 3 hours for Pierre!). It was difficult to say goodbye to these wonderful team members we had spent the whole week with. We have many new friends and brothers and sisters in Christ!

We hope and pray some day you will be able to take a mission trip, get out of our “bubble” in the US, and see how most of the world really lives. It is an eye opening experience! And what an amazing trip for teens and kids- to help them realize how blessed they are! It really helps change your focus from “ME” to others- switch from materialism to serving others. There is so much need in this world, but if we just do the little part God wants us to do, we will be so blessed!!

Thanks for checking our blog- we had 698 hits on Wednesday alone! It was great to keep all of you with us while we were down there! Until next year- Adios and God Bless!

Day 5- WOW! What an amazing day!

Widow’s house complete today!

Widow’s new stove that will provide heat, and she can cook with it!

Widow with one of her daughters on her new bed (her 10 year old son will sleep with her)

A typical Guatemalan home……we are sooooooooo blessed! (Too blessed???)

One of the volcanos on the way home with a cloud hanging over it

mariache band playing for us at dinner

Mark and Stu with the mariache band!

Byron and Alfonso on the wall outside the boys’ house

Stu, Roxy and Dale painting outside

Nathan, Rayann, and Tristan painting outside the widow’s house

Matt painting inside the widow’s house

The widow cooking in her kitchen with her family

Jon and Brett with Nelson (one of the orphans who has helped the men this week)

Wow! Words can’t describe our day today! We worked hard today, arriving at the orphanage early to make sure we finished the widow’s house and various projects. The clinic was extremely busy today- it seems the villagers decided today they needed medical, dental and eye care! We ate our lunch in the clinic so that we could take all of the people that came. Very good day. At 12:30 we had our party with the kids, they came and we were able to hug on them and love them. Then they sang for us and Ivan told some of their stories. Incredible the pits they have been brought out of and yet they are all so happy. Ivan said it usually takes about 30 days from when they get there to smile, because it takes that long for them to realize no one is going to hurt them or abuse them again! They are all so full of love- it’s great. Then they had a pinata, and then the group traveled to the widow’s house to give her her bed, table and stove. It’s such a testimony how greatful these people are, especially for a house the size of our bedrooms in the states! It was a very moving moment for all of us!

When we came back Lidia (the hotel owner) out-did herself! She had candle-light dinner, lasagna, salad, potato soup, and desert. As we were all eating, a mariache band came and played music for us! It was really neat. Then Lidia got a karaoke machine out and sang for us, as well as Roxy, Chad, Dale, Nathan, and Mark. It was a blast. Then we just discussed our thoughts of the day and week. Most of us decided it is so much to take in- we will be processing it all over the next couple of weeks! I believe we are all looking forward to coming home, and will be coming home changed. These missions trips will do that to a person! We have just all bonded so closely, we are sad to leave each other, but looking forward to our next trip, and hopefully many of you will be able to come too!

Hard work on Day 4

Sarah (she’s been on the photo/video team), Denise (she’s been interpreting and working in the medical clinic doing a wonderful job), and Kathy

Widow’s house from last year

The widow from last year with her daughter at her new house (new bathroom on the left)

This is the widow from last year’s new bathroom! What an improvement!

Chad bench-pressing 2 posts (trees)!

Pastor Mark and Kathy digging post holes and inserting posts!

John helping make the fence

Heather rolling up barbed wire (ouch!)

John helping with the wood

Brett and Mike working hard

Dale looking for wood for the widow’s door and window

John and Brett cutting wood (Mike driving the skid loader)

The new baby born 3 days ago came into the clinic for his checkup today.

3 of the orphans having fun at their eye exam!

Loren with Jennifer!

Widow’s house at the end of day 4! Almost done!

Today we have finished the widows house except the door, window, roof, and painting. We made a lot of progress today! Heather, Kathy, Pastor Mark, John N., and Chad worked on the fence line around the new property. It was hot today and it was constantly walking up and down the terrain with fence posts (trees!) and barbed wire (Heather worked on the barbed wire!). What hard work! Brett, Mike and Jon R. worked on getting the tree line out, and cutting up the wood for fire wood. Also hard work on a hot day!

Lots of the team got to help at the widow’s house today. Lots of cement mixed by Wayne, Stu, Steve, Matt, and Nathan! Dale made part of the door and window today. We’ll go to the orphanage early tomorrow to get it finished before the party with the kids around noon. Will be a busy and emotionally exhausting day for all of us! We were going to go out to dinner tomorrow but decided to eat at the hotel and give the money to the orphanage in Guatemala City. It’s been a great week!

Nathan spoke at our devotional tonight, great words to ponder. We had great worship too. We’ll miss the scheduled time to worship every night, and are praying we can get God as our FIRST priority when we get back, rather than last!! We miss you all and are enjoying your comments! Are looking forward to getting home and seeing all of you (when it warms up of course!)!

Day 3- Amazing Progress on Widows house

Praise and Worship in the morning

Praise and Worship in the morning

Roxy (Nathan’s friend from Tulsa) with an orphan

Widow’s house early this morning!

Dorothy with some of the orphans at Casa Angelina

Jamie with his new trainee (Kimberly!)

Kimberly at Casa Angelina with Jamie’s headphones on- the next photographer in training!

Jamie and Tristan with the parrot at the hotel- it was teaching them Spanish!

Volcano smoking that we look at from our hotel (this morning)

Pastor Mark this morning giving his awesome and inspiring devotional on the Lord’s prayer to the whole team

Other end of the garage at Mama Carmen’s

At Mama Carmen’s- in the “garage” or large multi-purpose room they have

Jodie’s lovely assistant (my husband Chad!) with the awesome instrument! What a huge blessing!

Jodie with Mama Carmen giving her a financial gift from our team!

Chad and Jodie with kids at Mama Carmen’s orphanage at Guatemala City

Widow’s house at the end of Wednesday! Wow!

Today was another greatful day! Prasie and Worship was amazing and devotions by Pastor Mark Worth. Everyone went there ways continuing what they where doing the day before. Trying to complete projects and start new ones. God has really show us how amazing he creations are. Today the team on the Widows house made great progress only have two rows in the back of laying brick and one row of brick in the front.

The medical team, dentist, and eye doctor (and incredible assistant Chad!) went into Mama Carmen’s orphanage in Guatemala City. What an adventure! She is an older lady and her husband who has about 90 kids in a 4 bedroom house. Besides taking care of them she feeds people on the street and the kids that live in the city dump that have been abandoned. This is Mother Teresa number 2! I checked some of their eyes but didn’t have as much time as I would have liked. Came back to see what great progress the team made back at the orphanage!! What a great day!

Then great dinner and devotions again tonight. Wow……we are all changing and growing so much. We always have the plan of changing the Guatemalans but leave more changed ourselves! Thanks to Michelle who has helped load all of the pictures onto the blog!! She’s great!

Please pray for Steve M. who hurt his knee today at the widow’s house. Otherwise we are all doing great! Everyone has mantained just an incredible attitude- what a joy serving together with great attitudes and hearts!

Day 2- Yea! Hard at work today!

Dale and Kenton with a orphan at Casa Angelina

Dale and Kenton with a orphan at Casa Angelina

The cross that Shannon did for Ivan in one of the houses!!

Jodie with one of the children!

Kathy and Kristen doing dental work!

Ivan, Jamie, Sarah and Mike eating lunch also!!

Michelle, Kathy, and Heather eating lunch!

Wayne, Jennie, rayann, Loren and Brett after lunch heading back to work!

Stu at the welding station in the Water Hole building (largest building)

Kenton working on the electricity at one of the new houses

Part of the team with the widow (Angela), one of her daughters, and her grand-daughter

Wayne, Steve and Jennie hard at work with cement at the widow’s house

View of the orphanage from near the widow’s house

Jodie with one of the new orphans, Aura

Today it was devotions with Ivan and a praise team (which was incredible!) then right to work. We were busy in the medical clinic, dental exams, and eye exams. There was more removal of  trees and corn, and burning of course! The widow’s house is coming along, and there was much painting! Also some electical and installing cabinets in one of the houses. Stu did some welding as well. Over all a very productive day!

Our devotional time this evening was great, many thoughts about what God is doing and changing in our lives. Many miracles in peoples’ lives, marriages, healings……God is powerful! Please pray for Jon R. (Pierre)’s 6 month old daughter back home who needs healing. Many of us are struggling with soaking God in here but knowing how challenging it will be when we get back home into the busy schedules! Otherwise, we all seem to be healthy, just tired and sunburnt! Great weather today!

Our first day at Casa Angelina! And a first baby born at the clinic!

First Baby born in the Casa Angelina Clinic with homemade blanket from South Dakota

First Baby born in the Casa Angelina Clinic with homemade blanket from South Dakota

Some of us worked clearing the old fields (Michelle)

Kids from the village on the road to the widow’s house

Chad, Nathan and Matt burning weeds

Tristin with a machette and fire! We promise we are supervising him well Mom!

Roxy directing and translating at the clinic!

Proud papa with baby and momma doing well!

Brett with one of the orphans

Kathy cleaning teeth, and Kristin translating!

Guatemalans from the village waiting in line at the clinic

This is the widow we built a house for last year- waiting in line at the clinic!

Do you think our new glasses will help us see better?

Jodie doing eye exams- my instrument works great! Cut my exams from about 15 minutes each to 5-10 minutes each! Praise the Lord!

New baby at the clinic! First one on our first day!

What an exciting day! A woman in labor came to the clinic and had her baby- the first one ever at the clinic! That was a cool ending to the day!

We started with a great devotional time and then got into our teams and set up. Some went to tear down a fence. Ivan purchased 5 more acres, so they tore down the fence that was a boundary that needed to come down! More land for more houses, more kids saved, and a church for the village!  Some tore out the old vegetable garden to prepare for the new planting, some painted, and some went to the widow’s house. The old one was torn down before we got there, today they dug footings and poured cement. Some took pictures and video, and some kept the water and coffee coming for the workers! Overall we had a great, but busy day! We had a great time at devotions sharing everyone’s experiences and worship. Loren isn’t feeling well tonight, we prayed for her, Michelle, Jennie, and John R. Please also pray for their healing!

We are looking forward to tomorrow, and are praying for a restful night’s sleep! Thanks again for all of your comments- keep them coming! Love and miss you all!

The Widows house in Progress

The widow (Angelia) by her family

This is the outside of her house and on the right is where her new house is being built.

Her kitchen where she and her family cooks.

This is her bedroom.

This is the Widow by her house with her family in which we are building a house for.  She is 47 years old and has been a widow for 1 1/2 years. She has five children.

Experiencing God’s Wonders and Serving the Lord in Church in a Different Language (Sunday)

The Whole group at the cross on the hill

The Whole group at the cross on the hill

The team going into the church

Half of the team in the truck at the coffee plantation

Team at the coffee plantation

We started today at the cross on the hill for group photos and enjoying God’s beauty! It’s just breath-taking! Then we went to church, expecting to experience God, but not sure how. When we arrived we found out we would be watching the movie Fireproof after Praise and worship. Most of us were totally wrecked and bawling as we watched the movie in Spanish with English subtitles. What a way to experience God in a new way, and a way we weren’t expecting! We have all been so changed already experiencing this beautiful country and the incredible brothers and sisters in Christ who speak a different language but worship the same Lord with the same spirit!

After church we went for a 2 hour tour at the coffee plantation, which was incredible! We all know more about coffee than we ever thought we would! It was extremely interesting! We had a wonderful dinner then an incredible devotional time together sharing what we heard from God from the day. Dale is feeling better (thanks for all of your prayers!) so we had a great time singing and praising the Lord! The medical team is here now and Randy and Dennis joined us tonight, along with 2 ladies from Arkansas.

We are having an incredibly powerful time already, and we haven’t even made it to the orphanage! Please pray for all of us to be prepared for what God has for us, and to be used as He wills! Also a great night’s sleep. Michelle is struggling with a head cold so please pray for her. We are all enjoying reading your comments, keep them coming!We are all melding into an incredibly strong team, it’s amazing how God takes people from 7 different churches/places and joins their spirits to accomplish His Good!

Volcano day!

Team at the bottom of the volcano

Team by the lava stream

Group picture at volcano

We had an incredible journey today- about a 2 hour hike up a volcano to see hot lava! It was in incredible view of God’s majesty and power! We had a lot of interaction with the people of Guatemala, especially kids. We did some shopping and are wiped out! We had some praise and worship time together- all of us are really connecting and preparing to do God’s work on Monday! In the morning we’ll go to church and take some more group pictures, so stay tuned.

We miss all of you and prayed for our family and friends back home! Thanks again for your prayers! We need prayer tonight for our sore and tired bodies! And Dale is not feeling well, we prayed for him but more prayer is always appreciated!

In His service! Jodie

Praise report for our luggage!

We arrived with all of our luggage- including my optometry equipment and autorefractor- which I carried through security by hand and they didn’t even open the box!! Many praise reports on this! We also were supposed to pay for 8 extra suitcases for the supplies for the orphanage ($25 each) and we only paid for 3! God is already working many miracles!!! Hello to all of our families- we miss you all!

Jodie