Preparations!

Our team from IL left last Friday.  They were such an awesome team and we really enjoyed having them!  We continue to pray that the Lord will seal all that He did in their hearts and lives.

This week we have been preparing for our next team.  A team from Lifegate (our church in Omaha) arrives on Saturday.  They will be doing a 3-day 24-hour prayer and worship time beginning on Sunday afternoon.  We are trying to get as much of the 3-day time organized before they come since they will jump right in on Sunday.  We have been praying about this team since before we left the States.  The details have changed as well as the vision.  We have felt that the Lord wants us to reach out to the youth in our area.  We will begin with sets in Spanish and a combination of Spanish and English with the hopes that many of the youth will come.

 

We are anticipating that the team will not get much sleep over the 3 days so we are planning a late breakfast on Thursday. We also would like to take them for a hike up the canal. 

In preparation for that hike, we took a trip up the canal today.

 

 

We took a few backpacks filled with food.  Then we spent some time praying for the team surrounded by the rushing water.

 

Then the kids (and Don) did some hiking on the rocks!

The good news is that we took 5 kids with us . . .

 

. . . and we brought all 5 home with us! 

 

Unfortunately, one of the 5 fell into the water twice with his ipod in his pocket!!

 

We are super excited for the team to come!  We will continue to pray for their preparations as well as ours! And for all that the Lord is going to do while they are here!  Stay tuned . . .

 

Busy Days!

I realized this morning that we have not posted for almost a month!  The days have gone so fast!  We have had so many people coming and going.  We also had a week of 'no vacancies'!!  We blocked off the calendar and tried to find our 'normal'!! 

Last Friday, Don, Caleb and I left early for Guatemala City. We were heading down to pick up Peter Knutson as well as connect with a family of 8.  The Gardner family has committed to working with Adonai for 1 year.  Friday night, Don and I headed to the airport to receive a team of 11 from IL to complete our group.

Saturday morning, our Suburban, the Garner's Suburban and a microbus full of the team headed up to Canilla.  We had hoped to get home before dark but everything takes longer with 24 people!  The last hour and a half of our trip is a dirt, mountain road.  During the rainy season it is a muddy, mountain road! It was a great introduction to Guatemala for the Gardners and the team! 

The team has been busy since the moment they arrived.  Monday morning they went to the school in Chimisijuan (the village where we have a weekly clinic and do the widows project once a month).  They had a science lesson for the kids as well as lots of fun activities!

The team is teaching the kids a Bible verse in this picture!

 

They did lots of face painting!

 

Of course, bubbles are always a hit!

And soccer . . . the game of choice!

 

The kids learned about the life cycle of the butterfly.

The kids were so excited to have the team there.  Some of the kids even asked when they were coming back!!

 

Because of the rains and poor conditions of the road, the team had to hike in for about an hour to get to the school.  Here they are beginning the long hike back to the vehicles.

 

The team has also been helping the Gardners settle into their rental house. It is such a blessing to have so many extra hands!

 

Tomorrow they plan to take their science lesson to the elementary school in Canilla.  They could have as many as 450 kids in attendance.  They will again be talking about caterpillars and butterflies with a focus on Jesus!  Please pray for them as they speak life and truth at the school.  As a caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly so are we new creations in Christ.  Please pray for the hope that only Jesus can bring and for seeds to be planted into the hearts of the young people here. 

 

The team will depart on Friday morning and then we have a week to prepare for the Lifegate team!!  Praying for their final preparations as well as for the plans and purposes that the Lord has for them while they are here!!  Sorry for the long time between posts!  Thank you for your support and prayers.  We are so thankful for the encouragement!!