Message home #1

Hola familia y amigos!

Blessings and love to you all from Guatemala!

It has been an exciting and exhausting three days working here with El Corazon del Servidor (The Servant's Heart). Below you will see a compilation of our experiences so far, as well as a short message from your loved ones serving the Lord here in Guatemala.

When we first arrived at the airport in Milwaukee and were checking in, we realized that Chris Daughtry (former American Idol contestant and rock star) was there checking in at the Delta desk as well. He had just played at Summerfest Friday night and Heather and myself approached him for a quick picture. Even at 4 a.m. he was willing to smile for a picture (eat your heart out, fellow FOX 6 employees!!!) :)

When we arrived in Guatemala, we were greeted by Coca, Adrian, Hugo, Eduardo and Manuel. They got our things packed up atop the ministry's van and brought us to the mission house where we are staying for the week. We got acclimated to the house and then a group of us went to the other mission house to unpack all the in-kind donations you all so generously supplied for the people here. It was amazing to see and feel all the love in the items there.

We are working here with a team from Davenport Iowa. They are from Trinity Lutheran and have been such a joy to work with. We didn't get to really meet them until Sunday morning when we went to Cristo Rey (Christ the King) for church. While we didn't understand word for word what the ministers were saying, we knew that God was certainly working in the hearts of his people here. We also had an opportunity to take the Lord's Supper which was such a special experience.

Sunday afternoon was spent getting to know our new Iowan friends and to continue to get used to our new surroundings. Talk about a culture shock! If we want a Diet Coke ("Coke Light") we must be accompanied by one of the ministry workers and walk to the corner store. The stores here in Guatemala city have bars on them so we stand outside and make our "orders."

We had a great first day (Monday) working with people from Guatemala. We are constantly greeted with waves and smiles. It is an emotional experience to see the strength and perseverance of the wonderful and kind people here. -- Tom

It was a slow start, but things picked up. Our group's first visit was very emotional yet rich with the grace of God. Not much has changed since last time. Faces are a little older and it's nice to see new faces. -- Evonne

Monday, prior to the afternoon ministry, a big thunderstorm hit Amatitlan, causing the canvas cover to leak in many areas. The ladies who were attending the service were moved into the mission house and the children to the 2nd floor. The ministry then continued with a crowded room, but a wonderful message delivered by Marilyn, the newest member of our group. -- David

Dear Anna, Eric & Art, How are you doing? I miss you all. Monday we did a VBS program for some children and also visited two homes. Each house was about the size of your bedrooms, kids! I also had to give an impromptu sermon for about 60-70 women. Thank God that the Holy Spirit was with me so that it turned out pretty good. Tuesday we visited the school and did the VBS again. Love, Mom (Marilyn)

Monday was our first day out in the mission field. We worked with another mission team from Iowa. The people here are very welcoming and full of love. Together we have seen how powerful the Holy Spirit is through prayer and worship. The highlight of my day was getting to hold a little baby girl in Amatitlan and watching the children play with Chris and the puppets. I can't wait to see you all and share more. -- Melissa

The weather is beautiful (with the exception of the thunderstorm yesterday) and so are the people. God's spirit is alive here. Please keep our team in your prayers as we continue the rest of the week to do God's work. Blessings, Maria P.S. A special hi to my precious Colleen and Daniel - I love you both very much. P.P.S. I love you and thank you for supporting me Mike!

Hola mi familia y amigos! (Gary, please forward this to everyone you can think of!) Hello my loves, Gary, Ashley, Bryan and Erik! I hope you're having fun with daddy! I love you! Guatemala is a place of extreme poverty and we are immersed in the culture from morning until night. Monday we did four home visits and the experience was emotionally overwhelming. I'm quite sure we planted seeds of faith today - seeds that will be cultivated by the Holy Spirit. I've met many wonderful people and I enjoy playing with the children, My Spanish is coming back to me and I am able to communicate with the people if they speak very slowly. That's very exciting for me. We are having a wonderful, meaningful time here. Talk to you all soon, Joanne.

Hola Wisconsin! God is such a blessing here with the Guatemalans. Even though they don't have much, they are so thankful. Tuesday we went to the school -- what an amazing experience. (NOTE from Amy: all the boys were VERY taken with Heather. They kept calling her mui bonita which means very beautiful!) We are excited and God is still working through us and we are very safe here. -- Heather

This has been and still is a very special week for me. The love that these people have for God is so wonderful. As I interact with them, I find that my family in Christ is growing by leaps and bounds. I am looking forward to next week when I begin to teach the kids english but I know that what I teach them will be nothing compared to what they have taught me already. I love you all, Chris.

I would like to share a couple experiences I had (along with others in our group) with you all.

Monday, we met a woman named Maria. For 29 years, she has suffered more than I could ever imagine. She has some type of sore/open wound on her right calf that has eaten her skin down to the bone. And yet, she thanks God for what little she DOES have. She showed us her wounds and it made us sick to our stomachs. To be honest with you all, what we saw on her leg was more than I could have ever imagined. It looked like something had taken a bite out of her leg. The wound was at least a half-inch deep from the top of her skin on the rest of her leg. We prayed for her and read the Bible. Coca, one of the ministry workers here, told us it is hard for him to see this woman who has been dealing with this "thorn" in her flesh for 29 years and praying to God for relief when she received none.

Maria was crying and you could just feel the love of God in the cramped, sardine-can of a home. I asked Coca to share with Maria Isaiah 40:31, which says, "They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up on wings like eagles, they will walk and not be weary, they will run and not be faint." We all said a prayer for Maria and it was one of the most moving experiences of our lives. There was not a dry eye in the room. There is a reason why God cast this burden on Maria. We must remember that she will be perfect in heaven with her Savior.

Tuesday, we had the opportunity to do house visits with the people living in the squatters area (near the garbage dump). The group I was with met Beatrice, a 29-year-old woman. She had three children -- Manuel, 8, another boy and a 6-month-old named Melissa. It was amazing to see her faith and love for God, despite the horrific conditions she was living in. She was in her second marriage and things are not going well. Her father used to live with them, but is abusing alcohol and she hasn't seen him for quite some time. Her husband is abusing drugs. He works at a pharmacy and that's where he gets the drugs. She is basically living, raising and caring for these three children all alone. This was especially the case after Melissa was born. Her husband thought she was having a boy, and when Melissa was born and she was not a boy, Beatrice's husband refused to have anything to do with her or the family, because he wanted a son. So, now he only comes home for sleeping. Otherwise, he is absent and abusing drugs.

Despite the heartache and troubles Beatrice had, she said she was so thankful for the things she did have. She told us she didn't feel worthy of attending church, but she knew God loves her. She was thankful that her children were healthy...when so many others here are ill and suffering. What a humbling experience! She was more worried about others than herself and her own family...which was certainly the case when we were at her home. Heather became very faint and Beatrice rushed to take care of her... ripping a branch off one of her plants for us to wave under Heather's nose to bring her back to us. And, it worked. Beatrice didn't want us to pray for herself or her family...she wanted us to pray for HEATHER before we left. What an amazing and strong woman!!!

As you all can see, this has already been an emotionally draining, faith-building experience for every member of our team here. And, it's only Tuesday. We still have so many days to work with these people and build relationships with them through the love of Christ Jesus. Words cannot describe the amazing experiences we have had so far during our short stay here. Our God truly is an amazing God...and we are seeing his work first-hand here with the poorest of the poor.

I can see the truth and meaning behind Romans 8:28, which says, "And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." We have been called for this very purpose - to minister to the people of Guatemala and show them that they ARE worthy of God's love and compassion.

I'm sure your loved ones will have stories upon stories to share when we return. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Please also keep the ministry workers and those the ministry serves in your prayers, for they live this every day. We only live it for a short time compared to them.

Dios te bendiga! (God loves you)

Blessings and love in Senor Jesus,

Amy Kant