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.