We are back in Calgary!!

Al and I have started another blog entry many times over, but have not been able to continue or finish. Our last weeks in Tactic were busy.
Even though Thanksgiving is not a holiday in Guatemala, we were able to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with some Canadian friends on Thanksgiving Monday evening. That was a special evening for us in many ways. Thanks so much for making that such a special time. I must admit I was missing my children that weekend and that evening encouraged me.
That afternoon on the way home from working on the construction project, Al passed by a man who looked like he had fallen off of his bike lying in the ditch at the side of the highway. There were people there with him. As Al arrived home we heard the ambulance siren. I had been cooking potatoes, which I purchased in the market, for the Thanksgiving dinner.
Just as we arrived at the home where the celebration was taking place, we felt a little earthquake tremor. I was holding onto the door frame as I entered the house. The frame and doors were moving and rattling. The water in the water jug was moving. The team from Kamloops back at the guest house, felt more of the tremors then we did.
Just a little later on, Les got a call and found out that the man in the ditch that Al had passed earlier in the day, had been shot while riding his bike. We never heard if he died or not.

Iowa Team

I found out that the role Al and I played at the guest house was an important one. We could come along side the individual team members and be encouragers and a sounding board to the team members as they dealt with some of the experiences they encountered. I found myself praying for the team members as they related some of their experiences from the day, as well as their life stories, and struggles back home in Canada and the USA. What a priviledge. I may never see some of you people again, but you have impacted my life.

Here is a link www.harvestoutreach.tumblr.com to the last team that we served alongside in Tactic. They were from Iowa, USA & it gives a picture of what the teams did while there.

Danilos' home - similar to many homes in Guatemala

I was able to go along with a team to a Guatemalan home to visit one of the sponsored children. It is an honor to go to visit someone in there home unannounced. When we arrived we were told by a family member that the grandmother was sick, and that the child was at a different home, so we all went to another home to find this child. There was the grandmother lying on a bed in the middle of the room! Sick, but surrounded by family. Including us there were a least twenty-five people in that little two room house! The floor was dirt. There were no windows. We had climbed up a hill in the mud, to get to the home. How many times a day do they climb up that hill?
Someone told us that the grandmother had been to a hospital for surgery, but she was sent home and did not have the surgery because she was not well enough to have the surgery at that time. She watched from her bed as her granddaughter was surrounded by the team members and prayed for. Humanly there was nothing I could do for this lady. I tucked her under her blanket and held her hand as everyone prayed for her out loud. The whole family literally cryed out to God and pleaded for her to live! In Gautemala, praying in homes is done often.
I loved attending the little church in Tactic at the Chamche school. It was very hard saying good-bye to that group of Guatemalan people. They embraced us and prayed for us, even though we did not know their language or culture. Somehow I could worship God with abandon there!

Chijacorral School

The last week I was able to join a medical team and take some heights, weights and B/Ps at the clinic located at the Chijacorral School. Al joined the men at the construction site. My North American way of doing things really kicked in there and I found myself struggling with issues. I realize now that I wanted to fix things and the problems were too many and too big for me. I had been to the Coban hospital and I had seen the conditions there. Here we were treating woman for aches and pains because of there hard life style and because of abuse. Many woman and children are abandoned. Men & women don't get married, they just have many children together. There relationships are messed up. The people are malnurished and their growth is stunted. Men were just a little taller than I am and weighed less than me. We gave out free Ibuprophen, multivitamins and parasite medication. It seemed like so little compared to the needs at the Coban hospital. Here in Canada we deal with these things ourselves. We are able to get physiotherapy and massage therapy when we need it. We have clean water. We don't go to the doctor's for vitamins. We can pay for them ourselves. We don`t spend hard earned money on witch doctors.

Danilo & his brother with 2 of the chicks

Judy & Danilo

Al and I had a chance to bless our sponsored child and his family one more time. We drove up to Danilo's home and took 4 baby chicks to him. We also took a brand new corn grinder to his mother. The father gave me two full fertilizer bags to sit on. What a comfortable chair! They have a dirt floor and no windows. Their home smells and is dark and damp. They are a happy family in spite of these conditions. They seem healthy enough and have lots of energy.
The day after we went to Danilo's, I was back at the clinic. I now had a different attitude. So what if what I was doing seemed like so little. Maybe it was enough, to just love on the people and make them feel cared for and special for their time in the clinic. Seeing Danilo's family once again in their surroundings, gave me a little more insight and understanding. We woman get to go to spas in Canada. These woman from the mountain villages will never know such a thing. They work hard all their life.

This experience in Guatemala has taught me many things. First, having a relationship with Jesus puts everything in life in the right order. These young people going through the schools, have learned and experienced Jesus' redemption in their young lives. Many of the teachers, now give testimony of how God has loved, guided and protected them in the midst of abusive and broken family relationships. They have learned to follow Jesus' commands, to love, and to forgive. They have found healing and wholeness in body, mind, and soul. They love and encourage their students out of their own experiences, knowing what abusive homes these children are coming from. Witch doctors and idol worship are still a big part of this culture.
Second, poverty encompasses so much. It is not easily solved by just throwing money at the poor. It is about broken relationships, broken family units, broken countries and broken governments.
Third, I can support and pray for missions in a more informed way. Praying for protection for them and their families is very important.
Fourth, I have learned that we have to ask the missionaries and organizations how best to help out when giving them things. Sometimes the things that we give may not be of the best help. They may not work in that culture.
Fifth, I am asking the question of myself, "How can I help the poor here around me?" Many are in need here. We are impoverished here in Canada in other ways. Guatemalans hate the way the enemy is coming against them with poverty and abuse. We Canadians like the way the enemy is coming against us with his distractions. Even though most of us Canadians have a comfortable life style, many are still very unhappy. Thoughts & actions of work hard to enjoy life and have the perfect home, car, and holiday, avoid suffering in any form, indulge and pay for it later, play, live for self, you owe it to yourself, etc. are often inspired by Satan. Don't get my wrong, there is nothing wrong with wealth but our eyes must be focused on Jesus at all times. Before going to Guatemala these words that Jesus spoke also stood out in my mind... "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?"

Thanks for your prayers while we were in Tactic. God is good!!
What is next for us? We are waiting expectantly! :) We would love to go back to Guatemala at some point in time but will wait to see what God has in store for us.

What are we doing here?

I have been asking myself this question. I am learning that to Guatemalans it is all about relationships and not about getting tasks done. We are so task orientated in Canada, which sometimes makes relationships fall by the wayside.

When we first got here the Guatemalans all looked the same. We are finally starting to tell one apart from the other. They do not all look the same!! They are such great people - many of them have very little & live day to day but they are such happy people. You can walk down the street & every one of them will greet you - so unlike Canada.

It has been raining a lot here the last couple of days. The team from Ontario left here on Saturday morning for Antigua. Next team from Kamloops arrives this afternoon. Therefore we have had some down time. We have been doing laundry and waiting for it to dry up on the roof. The roof is covered so even in the rain the laundry does dry after a few hours. This morning Al and the cleaning lady caught a mouse and did away with it. Al used the cleaning lady's broom but he broke the broom handle in the process but he got it!!! Now he has to find her a new one. We are becoming very fond of this lady and her 12 year old daughter.

Before we arrived here a team noticed some little unwanted guests (bed bugs) in the bedrooms of the Guest House. Unfortunately some of them hitched a ride back home to Canada with them & caused problems back at home. We have sprayed with Raid and have not been bothered by anything. But today just to make sure, the bedrooms were fumigated. All in a day's work.We needed to leave for a while so we went for coffee in a little cafe up the street and then went for lunch to a little restaruant a few minutes drive from here. It was fun reading the Spanish Menu and ordering in Spanish. Later we walked to the market to get some hamburger meat for our supper.

Everyone just takes an umbrella here. Life doesn't stop because of the rain. Women carry goods on their heads and tie babies behind their backs. They wear a traditional skirt and lace top on warm days. On cooler days they wrap a shawl around.

I have been watching the people in the market behind our house. Produce is brought here by some big trucks and then unloaded. Men and boys push carts loaded with onions, carrots, lettuce, cabbages, potatoes and tomatoes up the street, up a hill in front of our house to the market in the town square where we walk each day to purchase our fresh fruits and vegetables. You never know what you are going to see next. Last week I saw a man riding a motorcycle wearing a cowboy hat, with a large bag of red peppers on the seat behind him. Many people ride bicycles. Today Al and I saw a pack of six dogs trotting down the street. Two of them had only three legs. One had lost the use of its front leg and one had lost the back leg. Going to the market is very interesting. I stepped into a hole in the street filled with water when I was watching the people instead of looking out where I was stepping. I took some pictures of some ladies selling vegetables and then showed them the pictures. They remember me now and greet me with a smile when they see me coming. They seem to put up with my little bit of Spanish. I also saw some men fixing a hole in the street. They are hard workers and they do the work by hand. They also let me take their picture and enjoyed seeing the picture.

It is never quiet here. There are always motorcycles and trucks roaring by. Dogs bark and roosters crow. When someone celebrates a birthday, firecrackers are set off. Today someone is celebrating very close by!

Al enjoys driving his little truck to pick up groceries, pastries from the bakery and the food that the cook makes for our meals. He now drives like a Guatemalan. You can drive right down the middle of the street here. Pedestrians have to get out of your way. The bigger trucks have the right-of-way. You have to watch for cows and dogs in the street.

We have heard some great stories of what God is doing in the lives of some of the Guatemalan families. God is at work here & we are grateful to be serving Him here in Guatemala for this short time.

Bendiciones, Judy

More Heaven on Earth?

Danilo with his turn at the pinata

Danilo receiving a gift & a hug

Today is Danilo's 6th Birthday! He shared his only chicken that his family has, with his teachers today at his home! Yesterday we were able to share in a birthday party for him with his kindergarten class and the teachers. What fun! We were able to help out with this party and the joy this brought to everyone was amazing. Danilo, the children, the teachers & even Al enjoyed the pinata. It was so fun to see the children present gifts to Danilo, enjoy the games and the birthday cake. His Mom and two little brothers were able to attend. This party would be the equivilent of us taking our children to Disneyland for their birthday party. This family would never be able to afford the cake! Danilo may never have celebrated his birthday before this day. This is mind boggling for Al and I. Later on we gave Danilo, his Mom and his brothers a ride home. We were able to meet his father for the first time & we were able to pray for his whole family. They received us into there home so graciously. One day all of God's church, all races and nationalities will be able to share in the joy of seeing Jesus face to face. He will be the center of the party then!

Today we are also at the halfway point of our stay here in Tactic. As we reflect back over the last fourweeks, God has been good to us. God has a purpose for us here! We have met many new people from all over Canada & the USA from the 3 teams that have come to stay at the Guest House so far. What a joy to share times together with them worshipping God & sharing what God is doing in our lives. We probably won't see many of them again until we get to Heaven - what a joyous day that will be!!! We have also met many of the local staff working here at Impact Ministries as they serve the Lord in this ministry. What a joy to work alongside these people who love the Lord & have chosen to serve Him here in Guatemala. Then there are the local Guatemalan people we have met - we have to come to love these people dearly. They are such happy people & yet many of them have so little. What a joy it is to attend a school devotional and see and hear 150 children worshipping our Lord with all their hearts. God is great!!!

Back on the home front, our daughter Michelle hit a moose late on Friday evening, coming back from visiting with her grandma in Three Hills. She Skyped us on Saturday morning from her other grandmother's house and shared the news with us. She had called 911 herself and had been taken via ambulance to Foothills Hospital emergency where she had worked this summer. Her grandmother in Calgary was called to meet the paramedics in emergency. We prayed with her and thanked God that she was alive. She looked good but appeared somewhat anxious. We attributed this to the shock of what she had been through. Later that day she became nauseated. She was checked out further and it was determined she had post-concussion syndrome and an injury to her right shoulder. We saw some pictures of her car today & we are still praising God that she is alive. I am learning what the verse in Matthew 10:37-39 means. These verses kept going through my mind before we left Canada."...if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." Heaven came closer for me these days as I realize again that another one of my children could be with Jesus right now. We ask why do these things happen? I don't have the answer, I just know that Jesus loves me and he has the Master plan. He is the Master!!!

A Little Bit of Heaven on Earth



On Saturday we got to do a little sight-seeing with this small group of three. We picked up a wonderful Guatemalan family that we had made dobladas with the evening before. A doblada is a native Guatemalan dish which is a little like a perogy but it is a corn tortilla filled with cheese & then fried in oil - they are so yummy with salsa. This couple had 3 children - 2 teenage boys and a little seven year old girl. We also invited a young couple along that are to be married in November. We drove for a long way to Semuc-Champey. What fun we had! When we got to Lanquin, a little tourist town, we decided to leave our van and negotiated a ride up the rest of the way to Semuc-Champey in a 4x4 truck, for a small fee of course, as the road was not good ahead. Before we left though, several of us needed to use the washroom. We had to pay to use the washroom - each of us paid our 1 quetzal (~15 cents) and we were handed some toilet paper and a receipt. To flush the toilet we had to get a pail of water from a nearby barrel and pour it down the toilet! We laughed and had so much fun with this experience.

We all got into the truckbox and finished our rough journey up the mountain road to the site of the most beautiful turquoise waters casacading over rocks into pools deep enough to dive into. The sun was shining into the canyon. It was wonderfully warm and humid. The pools were surrounded by canyon walls covered with the trees of the rain forest. We had a picnic lunch and then swam or lounged around in the warm waters while tiny fish kissed our toes. The little girl stayed by my side in the shallow waters. Giggling became our way of communicating - I heard agua (water) and pescado (fish) a lot. :) This was the first time this family had been to this place, even though it is not that far away for them.

Later on Al and I walked upstream of the pools over the rocks & found a rushing, roaring, pounding river plunging down underground; underneath where we had been swimming, diving and lounging around. It was amazing - what an incredible tourist spot, still so natural and primitive! All of the signs describing the area were in Spanish, but we got the message.

Back where we had our picnic, a lady from Canada got to share with and encourage a Guatemalan brother. She felt that she now knew why she had returned to Guatemala - this was her 7th time here. Again we talked and laughed on the way home and became good friends.

Sunday morning we went to the little church cell group that this Guatemalan family has helped to begin in one of the classrooms at the Purulha school. These Guatemalan brothers and sisters worship the Lord with such passion. I keep weeping everytime I am in any worship service. God is so close.

This morning we said good-bye to a team - 3 new friends; a couple from Boston and a lady from Edmonton. If we don't see one another on earth here again, we will see one another in heaven. What a party that will be!

Bendiciones, Judy

Sponsor Children

Hola!! Today is Independance Day here in Guatemala. On September 15, 1821, the Captaincy-general of Guatemala officially proclaimed its independence from Spain and its incorporation into the Mexican Empire. So today is a celebration for the Guatemalan people - there has been a parade here in Tactic & many festivities. Later today we are going to have our own celebration - a Mennonite feast!! We have a lady (from Mennonite heritage) currently here from Edmonton who is going to make all of us borscht & veranika - yummy!!!!

Suly playing soccer

Yesterday was both an exciting but also a somewhat difficult day for us. In the morning we went to Mocohan School for the morning worship/devotional time. What a great time we had worshipping our Lord & Saviour with the children. We were especially excited about going to Mocohan as we have 2 sponsor kids in this school & it was another chance to meet with them - we had last met with them in May. As we watched the kids walk into the meeting area, we first saw our 5 yr old sponsor boy, Danilo, walk in. He was smiling, looked at us gringos but we weren't sure whether he recognized us or not. As we walked into the meeting area, we then saw Suly, our 12 yr old sponsor girl. She recognized us right away & had a big smile on her face when she saw us. After the worship time we got to hug each one of them (along with the whole school in the hug line) & chat with them in our limited Spanish.

Danilo & his Mom

We have a couple here at the moment who is shooting some video for promotional purposes as they are in the process of establishing Impact Ministries as a charitable organization in the USA. The director of the school had arranged for a home visit to talk to the parents about the impact the school has had on their child's life. Well to our surprise they had chosen Danilo's home to go visit. We were excited to go back to Danilo's home for a visit.

Al with Danilo in his home

We took Danilo from school & all loaded in the van for the drive up the mountain to his home. He doesn't live that far from school but it is quite a steep hill up to his home which he walks every day to & from school with his Mom. His Mom was home with his 2 younger brothers but his Dad was out working. Danilo's family lives in a 2 room mud hut with a dirt floor - the whole family sleeps in 1 bed.

We listened as the Mom explained to us how they had only been eating corn tortillas as that was all they had to eat. They had 1 chicken which they were talking about killing so that they had something to eat. Danilo had told her that he didn't want to kill the chicken yet & they decided as a family to wait to butcher the chicken until Danilo's 6th birthday on Sept 27th. So come Sept 27th, they will kill their 1 & only chicken for Danilo's birthday celebration! But what is even more amazing is that they have invited the Mocohan school staff over to share this chicken with them on Danilo's birthday. Rather than save the meat for themselves they are willing to share the meat with people who have made a difference in their lives. It was gut wrenching to hear how Danilo had been only eating tortillas & going hungry many times throughout the day. One of the many things that Impact's child sponsorship program does is provide 1 nutritous meal a day to the children at each of their schools. For some kids, like Danilo, this is often the best meal of the day that they will eat.

If you would like to hear what Impact Ministries is doing here in Guatemala, the event below is an opportunity to do so. We will be in attendance having just arrived back in Calgary 3 days earlier. We would love to have you join us & hear some of the stories of what God is doing in this beautiful country!!


YOU'RE INVITED to Friends of Impact Ministries

Where:           Foothills Alliance Church - Rundle Hall
                      333 Edgepark Blvd. NW
                      Calgary, AB  T3A 4K4

When:            Thursday, October 27, 2011

Time:              7:00pm - 9:00pm

Program:        Dessert will be served.  Les Peters will share encounters with God and exciting stories of changed lives. Come and be encouraged as you hear what God is doing in Tactic, Guatemala!

Admission:    FREE!! Bring a friend!!

RSVP:            By Monday, October 24, 2011 to Sandra Stephenson by email or by phone.
                       events-calgary@impactministries.ca
                       (403) 295-8731