Youth Missions
Live Intentionally.
Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God.
Both youth and adults have returned from a missions trip to serve in Guatemala in the summer for 2008.
See Guatemala Mission Video below!
Updates from the Guatemala Missions Team:
A tired but satisfied group of PUMC travelers arrived
in
It was good to see the PUMC group become a community through the week, all of us focused on the same goals….. living, working and playing together in unity. If you wonder why some of us seem sad, it is because we are processing all that happened. Indeed it seems as if a part of our hearts were left on the mountain side and we grieve a little for that. As God slowed us down from our ambitious schedule, God also gave us the richness of relationship with new brothers and sisters.
We could not have succeeded in accomplishing what we did without God’s help and the love, prayers and donations of so many of our friends and families here at Peakland and elsewhere. Never think for a moment that you weren’t with us as part of this experience. We profoundly thank you every one!
Friday, July 11
We are in Guatemala City on our way today to Panajachel and Lake Atitlan for a little rest and debriefing time before we return on Sunday. Thursday was another busy day. The construction team worked to complete a good portion of the laminate (metal roofing) prior to having to leave for the city. While they were building, the landscaping team stayed behind in Chiquimula to plant a garden and fruit tress with the people of the church who provided space for our meals.
We are in Guatemala City on our way today to Panajachel and Lake Atitlan for a little rest and debriefing time before we return on Sunday. Thursday was another busy day. The construction team worked to complete a good portion of the laminate (metal roofing) prior to having to leave for the city. While they were building, the landscaping team stayed behind in Chiquimula to plant a garden and fruit tress with the people of the church who provided space for our meals.
Thanks in advance to the Kleins, the Smiths, Lloyd,
Charles, Donna and Todd for being willing to pick us up on Sunday
night when we return to Roanoke. Please keep the team in your
thoughts and prayers as we journey this weekend.
Que Dios Te Bendiga!
Your Guatemala Team
Wednesday, July 9
Hi, All!
Hi, All!
In spite of several heavy downpours this afternoon, we
continue to progress on the roof of the addition to the school in
Tierra Blanca. Over half of the rafters are up, and it looks like
it will be possible to get the laminate (roof covering) up tomorrow
morning. A SWAT construction team will go up the mountain tomorrow
early while the rest of the group will complete a landscaping
project at the church in Chiquimula where we eat all our meals.
Members of the church have assisted Priscilla, Gustavo's mom, in
preparing nutritious meals for us. It's great to have a hot meal
waiting for us at 6pm after a busy day.
Bible School was a great success today, with mothers
and brothers and sisters of the usual students getting all dressed
up so that they, too, could have a picture taken. Oscarlyn brought
her printer and printer paper along so she was able to print out
digital pictures taken the first two days. The Polaroid camera
filled in taking shots of those who showed up today. The story was
Jesus' parable of the lost sheep. It is amazing how the children,
so shy on Monday, are beginning to trust us openly....they get a big
laugh at some of our attempts to speak Spanish, but that's fun too.
Nice not to take ourselves too seriously!
This afternoon Don Alejandro, husband of the leader of
the village, invited the families who didn't get the water filters
on Tuesday to come to the school for a demonstration and Q&A
session. We had a chance to explain that, as God has blessed us, we
wanted to continue to share His love by sharing the possibility of
clean water for Tierra Blanca families. Parents all over the world
want their children to have good health, and hopefully these
families will use the filters and help that happen here. Tomorrow
several more families will come to receive theirs.
We are a tired bunch. Time for sleep! Thanks to
all of you at home for your prayers and support. We will be
traveling back to Guatemala City in the middle of the day tomorrow
for time to interact at Kairos House before going to Panajachel on
Friday. Will email from the Seminary tomorrow, Lord willing!
Your Guatemala Team
Your Guatemala Team
Tuesday, July 8
Hola, amigos y familias!
Hola, amigos y familias!
We have had two busy days. Today was even more lively than Monday
because of the safe arrival of Pastor Tim yesterday afternoon late,
and his singing presence on the site today.
The children are enjoying Bible School. They were very shy
yesterday but opened up a good bit today and joined us in songs.
They are enjoying learning some English from us and giggle when they
try to repeat words we say. They laugh even harder when they hear
us trying to speak Spanish. They have so little and appreciate
everything we have been doing with them. Today our theme was
"Noah's Ark. "
Our construction crew is continuing to work on the roof frame.
Additional supplies will be purchased tomorrow to create rafters and
complete the roof.
A couple of people have been a little under the weather but nothing
that Imodium cant fix.
Don Alejandro, one of the leaders of the village, took seven of us
around to the neediest families to deliver water filters. It was an
eye opening experience for each of us. The homes were made of
adobe with thatch roof or thatch walls and roof. Often there was
only a gate. Animals such as pigs, dogs, cats, chickens- wander in
and out of the homes. All of the homes had the indoor cooking
stoves that we had learned about. The fires were going so the rooms
were filled with smoke. Everyone was grateful for the filters.
Don Alejandro explained carefully how they were to be used and how
much it could help their families health.
The best part of the day for the kids is when we take photos with
the digital cameras. Oscarlyn is printing them out tonight and we
will do frames for the craft with bible school tomorrow.
Adios for tonight!
Your Guatemala team
Monday, July 7
Buenas noches, Todas!
Buenas noches, Todas!
We are a tired but satisfied group! Today we spent the day with 110
children at the school in Tierra Blanca having a bible school. Jory did
a superb job of telling the Creation Story in Spanish to the whole group.
After singing (all in Spanish) the rest of us involved the children in games
and sports and in crafts. (in Spanish, claro!) Jessica was
instrumental in getting donations of regulation soccer nets and 10 balls
and pumps which were used right away to the delight of the guys here.
They
have dug and chiseled out a level playing field, literally the only flat
spot on the mountain for a soccer field and that is where the games were
held.
While this was going on, the construction group was regrouping after
find out at breakfast that the borrowed generator was on the blink. That
meant finding the hand saws! It did not dampen their enthusiasm and by the
afternoon they had constructed 3 massive beams that will be part of the
framework for the roof. The local masons had put in the foundation and a
4.5 foot knee wall. Our challenge is to complete the frame and put on the
roof.....and perhaps pour the concrete floor if the weather holds out.
This is the rainy season, which means it rains most of the afternoon and
off and on all night.
In between showers part of the morning´s bible school group became
landscape gardeners, as the teacher had requested that a portion of the
hillside (it´s ALL hillside!!!) along side of the school be turned into a
garden. We decided to terrace it like we had seen all over Guatemala where
every inch of every mountainside that is not wooded is cultivated with some
crop, usually corn.
To get to Tierra Blanca from our Hotel in Chiquimula, we have to drive in the vans 25 minutes and then walk in at least a mile downhill ( yes, that means an uphill 1 mile hike out at the end of the day.) An opportunity to get in shape, it is also a time when one can reflect on our experience. God is definitely at work with us as we try to slow down to the pace here in Guatemala. It is good to meet Him in the eyes of the smallest child, in the ardent determination of the teachers here who teach in rooms with holes in the walls, roofs and floors, and in the benevolence of the Valdez Family in ministry to us as well as to the least of the people of Guatemala.
To get to Tierra Blanca from our Hotel in Chiquimula, we have to drive in the vans 25 minutes and then walk in at least a mile downhill ( yes, that means an uphill 1 mile hike out at the end of the day.) An opportunity to get in shape, it is also a time when one can reflect on our experience. God is definitely at work with us as we try to slow down to the pace here in Guatemala. It is good to meet Him in the eyes of the smallest child, in the ardent determination of the teachers here who teach in rooms with holes in the walls, roofs and floors, and in the benevolence of the Valdez Family in ministry to us as well as to the least of the people of Guatemala.
Enough for tonight. We constantly remember that it is because of you,
our friends and families, that each of us can be here doing this work,
having this experience, sharing God´s love in ways, some predictable and
some unexpected. Thanks again for your support through gifts and love and
especially prayers for the work here. Que Dios te bendiga! (God bless you!)
Your PUMC Guatemala Team
The mission team, twenty adults and youth, installed water filters in 40 homes, constructed smokeless stoves in homes, planted numerous fruit trees, served the families of hospitalized children in Guatemala City through Kairos Ministry, and provided a Bible school experience with the local children.
For more information about the trip and the youths' and adults' involvement, contact Susan Williams at 384-2791 or swilliams@peaklandumc.org Back to
Other Peakland Youth Missions:
Other Summer 2008 mission events
- a mission trip for high schoolers built in Reading, PA, on June 24
- a trip for middle schoolers to provided hands-on care in Manassas, VA, from July 15 - 20.
- This summer the youth have had the opportunity
to serve through the “Week of Hope” in
Missions 2007
Summer 2007 the high schoolers served in Reading, PA, and the middle schoolers served in Manassas, VA.Proceeds from the Costume to Carat jewelry sale sponsored by the youth
went to the PUMC
Volunteers in Mission Fund. The VIM Fund assisted the
Peakland Mission Teams in their service in
Jamaica and Guatemala.
See video below for previous missions efforts by Peakland youth:
