Steph in the Springs

Hello everyone!
Long time, no see :)

I've been back in the US for three days now and it has been a crazy whirlwind! I feel a little lost and overwhelmed right now, but I know my God is faithful and things will settle down in the days and weeks to come. For now, I wanted to give you an update on my trip to Guatemala. It's a little long, but I wanted to give it to you at one time, so here goes! If you make it to the end, your reward is some fun pictures :)

This trip affected me a lot more and in different ways than I was expecting. I figured it wouldn't be that emotional because I had been on mission trips before and it was only five days long. But, I was wrong. The whole first day I was very disoriented. We arrived at the Project (La Semilla - about an hour away from Antigua in a small town called Esquintla) in the morning and were greeted by a parade of children - a whole drum line, dancers, and fireworks. They led us around the town and up a hill to the tiny church. We were welcomed by several of the older girls who led some songs and read some verses. One of the older boys got up and gave a mini-sermon. It was extremely hot and humid and hard to focus because of the heat. The women from the center served us lunch afterwards in the center - chicken and rice in a green sauce - and then we were given a tour by a student who had graduated from the program. I can't remember much of what our student said, but the leader of another group pulled out all of his sponsor letters from his desk drawer and began to cry as he talked about his sponsor and everything that had been done for him.

The center had one large room with a small stage and simple pews, three small classrooms around the corner, and a kitchen that connected to a small entryway for the rest of the center.Up some stairs was another classroom and another small room for the CSP (Child Survival Program) - I'll talk more about that later. Right next door was a large outdoor area that had recently been purchased by the NASCAR driver, Black Koch. He has a sponsored child at that center and had originally wanted to put in air conditioning with his donation. However, the project told him that realistically they needed the property a lot more (plus, who would pay for upkeep and maintenance?). Many children were sporting black T-shirts that said "Blake Koch" on the front and "Compassion Racing" on the back.

After the tour, several of our interns led a short devo about Daniel and the Lion's Den. The kids really seemed to enjoy it. Then we split into three groups for our mini VBS. The kids were grouped into 3-5 year olds, 6-7 year olds, and 8-9 year olds. We split into music, crafts, and games groups. I was in the music grouo and we taught each group of kids several songs in 30-minute sessions. First we taught the "Yo Tengo Gozo"(I've Got the Joy) and "Esta Lucesita" (This Little Light). During one session we had a little extra time so they taught us a song in spanish about a monkey. All this time it was super hot and a little chaotic. The kids ate up everything we did though so it was very rewarding. After a crazy day, we returned to out hotel in Antigua.

The second day was one of my favorites! The pace was a little slower, I was a little more adjusted, and my mindset was in the right place. The whole day I simply listened and looked for opportunities to jump in. We started off by helping paint a mural on the side of the long wall that surrounded their new land. The staff had already painted black outlines that said "Jesus...de las tales" and had pictures of kids and a world. We spent the morning following instructions from a local artist and filling it in with color.

We brought lunches from the center with us on our visit to see the home of one of the Compassion children. Because they were sponsored kids, I was expecting them to be better off than other places I had seen. But once again, I was wrong. The house we had the chance to go visit was a single room created with metal (tin?) and plastic sheeting. The floor was dirt, and the walls were bare. There was a single dresser and one queen bed. A mom, dad, and two daughters lived there. The dad came home from work for a little bit just to meet us! Their mom told us that the girls often wouldn't eat dinner until their dad came home at night. She also told us that not too long ago, no one was at their house and they gotten many things stolen, including some water jugs and that they always had to be home from now on. I couldn't believe that here, at the poorest of the poor, that someone would even want their belongings enough to steal them!

After we finished lunch and a lot of conversation, we played with the kids for an hour or so. I took this opportunity to pull out my camera for the first time. (Prior to this I had resisted so that I could avoid that distraction and just take everything in). This visit was very impactful because I had never had the chance to see a child's own home before. Of course we could tell that the kids lived in poverty just by the way they were dressed at the project but I never imagined how their home life would look. The mom explained that they only had water for two hours in the morning several times a week. Our translator (Paula) told us that the older girl was was receiving supplemental food at the center because she was malnourished.

After the home visit we returned to the project for a special event with the CSP moms. The CSP program gives support and resources to moms who are expecting or with young babies. A woman from the home office of Compassion shared her testimony and encouraged the moms to be role-models for their children and told them how important they are in their children's lives. During her talk, I finally had the opportunity and willingness to practice my spanish! I started talking to three little boys originally but once the other kids realized I spoke spanish I was quickly swamped. I asked them how old they were and what their names were. Then I asked them what their favorite part of coming to the project was. Responses ranged from learning Bible stories to singing songs. I also asked them about their sponsors. Many of them had only received one to three letters from their sponsors. If nothing else, I am so much more motivated to write to Karolay, my sponsored child from Peru. After that, I ran out of things to talk about but they were all just looking at me...

So I asked if they wanted to learn English. They got really excited and one girl even ran back to her house to grab a notebook for me to write things down. First they wanted me to translate their names but I explained that names are basically the same. So instead, I taught them "dog", "cat", "bird", and "Jesus loves you". We had previously sung "Head and shoulders, knees and toes" in spanish at the project so I taught them that song in English. Then I had them teach me a song in spanish. Translated, it went: (to the tune of Frerashaka.
In the Bible, in the Bible
I have honey, a lot of honey
Honey for dad, honey for mom
I have honey, a lot of honey
(it was referring to how the Israelites went to the land flowing with milk and honey).

By this time they were ready for some action, so we played some volleyball and I gave out the rest of my snacks. After this, we gave gifts to the CSP moms and returned to Antigua.

Ou last day in the project we painted a classroom in the morning, had lunch at the project and had a farewell celebration. Throughout the past few days I had spent some time with a little girl named Estefania ("Stephanie" in Spanish). I told her she was "mi gemela" (my twin) because we have the same name. She would run up to me whenever she saw me and say "mi gemela! mi gemela!" and so would I. She was the hardest person for me to say goodbye to. The really cool thing was that right before this, five interns had decided to sponsor children from this project! It was so sweet that they got to meet their kids!

That night we got to have dinner with the LDP (Leadership Development Program) students. This program allows a very small number of students who have graduated from the normal program (when they are 18) and show a lot of leadership potential to go to college. We got to just sit and eat with them and ask them tons of questions. One guy was studying civil engineering and another one electrical engineering. When we were at the home visit the day before, I had really struggled to see the hope in the situation. But getting to talk with these students really helped me to see the kids in light of a long-term perspective and all of the raw potential.

Our last day we got to visit the country office in Guatemala City. This was another highlight for me from this trip! It added another layer of depth and long-term perspective. I asked them about what happened to the kids who didn't make it into the LDP program, because even thought they received hope from knowing Jesus, were their lives on earth any better? And the answer is yes! Because they also receive occupational training like baking or mechanics. Also, their kid's have a much better chance of continuing even further in their education. It might take a little bit longer, but they are breaking the cycle of poverty (both physical and spiritual!).

After a whirlwind of a week, we flew back to Colorado on Saturday night.
This trip has helped my understand the holistic ministry of Compassion so much more and on such a deeper level. I am so excited to join with them this summer!!!!

Whew! You made it through. How 'bout some pics??