Thoughts from our last night

Noah volunteered to lead us in devotions for our last night. He opened with one of Craig’s favorite passages found in Matthew 25. It tells us that when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, or clothe the naked we do it for Christ. When we help the very least, we are doing it for Jesus.  Noah went on to tell us that that is what we had been doing the whole week. He then asked each of us to share our experience.  There were many common themes. When anything was mentioned we all agreed that it was important.  

One thing we all agreed with was the opening of our eyes and hearts to what need there really is.  Four year old Roxana Naomi expressed her joy over having her own bed by jumping up and down.  The squeal of delight for her Mama by the little girl receiving a jacket at a food distribution is not something I will soon forget. The great desire to be fitted into a black pair of school shoes by both boys and girls was eye opening. Our young men expressed their distaste for going shoe shopping, while one of our girls reflected on how many pairs of shoes she had in her closet. The tears of joy from the recipients of the houses we built moved us to tears. Elena expressed that she would now have somewhere to live without fear of being kicked out.  Living in the States, we know all this, but witnessing it is something else.

Depending on God was another common theme. We found early on, and were reminded daily, that we needed to rely on God. In our first devotional we talked about the need to come as a little child. A child is dependent on others to care for him and guide him. Daily we recognized our need for God to give us strength, wisdom, understanding, compassion, and direction.

We agreed that the relationships that have been growing between our team members and the Guatemalan people is to be cherished. A consistent highlight for a returning team member is visiting with the people we have helped in past years. The discussion then shifted to the relationship building between team members. Sharing the same memories bonds you forever.

 Joshua Clegg, a first year team member, wants desperately to now share the experience with his sister. We agreed that this is how we felt as well. The first year I went with Emily and Stephanie. The next year there were seven Wrights on the team. Juliet Ness went one year. The next year there were three Nesses. This was Lauren Wallace’s third trip, but this time she brought her mom. It was a wonderful thing for Pat to share in all that Lauren has been doing.

Those of our team who know Spanish enjoy being able to facilitate communication between the Guatemalans and us. This was especially meaningful for Lauren as she interpreted the heartfelt thanks from Marisol for her house and then went on to pray for the family.

We all agreed that our time in Guatemala is filled with joy. There is much laughter on the job site. We have a lot of fun as we work hard in unfamiliar surroundings. The joy of giving to others is even more potent. Witnessing the joy of the Guatemalans, who in our estimation have nothing, is the most amazing. The joy is perhaps what draws us back.

We all agreed that each of the experiences shared applied to all of us. We were all touched in so many ways. We were very blessed to be allowed to spend the week blessing others. We agreed that our goal is to come home and continue to be a blessing to others. 

Marcy

I was hungry and you gave me to eat.....

Our teams had the opportunity to go and deliver the clothes we brought and food we purchased. This year rather than going to individual homes we went to two villages. When we pulled up the children flocked Chris. After much hugging and laughter, we pulled out the suitcases full of clothes and shoes. The children were fitted for shoes and then sent to select clothes. The idea is to give each child two shirts and two pair of pants. I was on the boys suitcases. If you have ever had a little boy, you know that their pants do not hold up to be passed on. Instead I tried to give each of the little boys two shirts and a pair of pajamas or sweater. We were distributing in Tecpan. It is on a mountain and gets cold. The boys given a sweater were especially thrilled. Distributing to a village rather than an individual home has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is you are able to help 10 families at a time rather than one. The disadvantage is that the excitement can soon lead to chaos. After giving out the shoes and clothing, Chris gave each child a back pack. Then out came the jackets. Next the mamas received food for 1 ½ - 2 weeks and a “purse” similar to a reusable grocery bag.  Last came the toys and candy. What an exciting day for these villages.

Marcy

Two Houses Complete!

Two houses complete! 

As in years past, the houses have once again been improved upon. They now include a covered cement porch! One of the houses we built two years ago ended up with a sidewalk on accident. (We mixed too much cement.) I was so thrilled. The covered porches are now the standard. The stove has also been improved to include a shelf on either side to serve as a work table or countertop. The construction of the homes has become very efficient so we are able to complete the home, door, two opening glass windows, kitchen complete with stove and stove pipe, and covered porch in one day. It is a wonderful thing.

Marcy

Tuesday

Cement day has always been my favorite day. (Wheelchair distribution is now vying for the top spot.) I don’t know if it is the digging in the dirt or the permanence of the concrete. This is the rainy season and the dirt is rich.

Noah and I are on the same team and we learned a very important lesson. We are imperfect!! Noah is imperfect because he “accidentally” spilled a bucket load of water/cement on my back. I struggled with the fact that my cement slab did not look as good as it would have if Craig had done it. Noah locked onto the word imperfect (meaning the slab) and later laughingly we both agreed that we were imperfect, it lightened the situation and made it fun and silly.  But giving it further, more serious thought, it made it okay. I am not perfect. That is an important thing to keep in mind. This is not about my ability to lay a perfect slab. It is about following God’s command to love others. I am so thankful for the opportunity to do just that.

-Marcy

Noah's Post

Day 1 - Got up at 7, groggy eyed. It was different this year because we had our VBS on the first day rather than at the end of the week. It was good to jump right in and be immersed in the culture.  I was in charge of the bean bag station. Pastor Tino helped get kids to my game by making trick shots and Beans and I were like boom and throwing it over our heads. There was this group of kids that kept coming back and back. It was an easy game and they just wanted the candy.

I was one of the puppeteers. The muscle memory came back. My arms were so tired! I was next to Emily in one song and she almost hit me every time with her swinging puppet rod.

When we finished our VBS, we went and saw Pastor Juan. He immediately said, “Noah!” We took the same picture we took last year with him on our shoulders, this time with Beans instead of Josh.  The other pastor’s son, Gabriel, helped us dig a ditch to make a drainage sidewalk. Pastor Juan kept singing, “No talking – more work.”  

Day 2 – The orphanage was crazy. I knew exactly where to go. I saw the child I had last year. Then I saw Irvine crawling down the hall. I remembered him wrestling with Josh last year. He is only 12 but so strong. He would pinch you once in a while. Beans and I put him on the swing, and he loved it. Chris told us he loved piggy back rides, so we took turns giving him rides.  He has the greatest smile ever!  We put him on this huge tricycle/tractor. He did it for a while then crawled out and patted the chair because he wanted us to go. Then he wanted us to ride in the trailer part. Seeing him smile was the most rewarding thing. It was the best thing ever. Chris said last year, “The kids won’t remember you tomorrow, but you will remember them forever.” He was right. Leaving was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  We walked Irvine into the building and he just sat down on the floor. He did not want to get back in the bed. He did not want us to leave. He was crying and holding on to us. It was so hard.

Day 3 -Four in the morning bright and ugly – wearing our fresh ponchos. The three hour car ride was fun and interesting. It was a time to connect and talk to our team members. It helped since we work together as a team for the distribution. I was nervous trying to remember all I did last year, what tools I needed.  Jorge arrived  and calmed me down a little bit. We started unloading the truck. Dick Rutledge gave us a talk about distributing the chairs. Then I felt like, okay, I’ve got this. There were so many people there, so many smiles.

My first chair was for David. He was one of those people you could just put in a chair and make a few adjustments. He was so happy  laughing, and tickling. We showed his mom how to use the wheelchair and moved on to Emmanuel. It was a hard chair. We had to change the shocks and pistons. The last chair was by far the hardest but the most rewarding. It was for a really twisted little girl. She was like 50 pounds and 3 feet. Her body would not relax.  We got her a chair. She was so twisted she could only be in her chair for an hour. Then she had to be taken out so her body would relax. Dick told me if she had had therapy earlier it would have changed her life. Everything would be different. The chair took so long. An hour after everyone else was done, we were still finishing it, but it was so worth it. It is the first mobility she has ever had.

Day 4 - Woke up when Marcy said breakfast is on for the third time. We went to the shop to load the tools. I recognized some of the workers and shook their hands and made some jokes. When we arrived at our site, there was an existing house there. I wondered extension?? The land is for four houses. We met Marisol and her little girl. That is who we are building the house for. It was interesting to watch Clegg work. He was so good at it, so happy, so glad to be there. Leveling out bricks he left me one time. I was so happy I got the brick level all by myself! We had to flatten out the foundation to 2/1/2 inches. It was so important for Marcy. It was fun listening to Chris and Marcy tease about it. Pouring in the cement and mixing it killed me.  

I’m having a great time. The week is lasting a lot longer than I thought it would be. I’m looking forward to the coming days.

Noah

Devotional

Here is a section of Pat's devotional from tonight:
"The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness...." Galatians 5:22
Love - God's love for the people of Guatemala
Joy - The joy in the people's eyes as they have received from you and the joy in your eyes as you give freely of yourselves.
Peace - God provides peace in the hearts of the people we are serving. God brings peace to our hearts. He is pleased with our selfless giving.
Forbearance - To endure, even when the situation is uncomfortable. I know I've had to do things that were outside of my personal comfort zone this week. With God's guidance, I was able to do so and became stronger in my faith because of it.
Kindness - God has used us to show kindness as we develop relationships with each other and those we serve.
Goodness - The goodness in our hearts as we give freely of our hearts.
Faithfulness - Believe in the Lord, God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind, and the fruits of the spirit will flow through you all. 

Monday

Up at 4:00 a.m. and out the door at 5:00 with no complaints. What an amazing team you have!  The anticipation of our wheelchair distribution probably had a lot to do with that. We drove three hours to San Bernardino. (Guatemala, not California.) It was a beautiful drive through lush green hills with several volcanos making the back drop.

We arrived to find that the location for the distribution had been pulled at the last minute and we had to move to a nearby open air court yard. It was completely covered so provided needed shade and a cool breeze blew thru the open sides. Praise God for this gift.  We unloaded the truck, set up shop, and got a brief lesson in properly seating someone in a wheelchair. Emily was used at the registration table, while Noah and Clint were assigned to assist with specialty chairs. That left four teams of two, one experienced person and one first timer, to seat everyone else.

Each person has a story. Every family member is affected in some way. We were encouraged to take the time to “love on” the people. We were not to be in a hurry. The chairs were important, but sharing God’s love was more important. It was an important reminder. We did take time with the chairs, adjusting foot rests, adding back cushions, installing seat belts, and properly sizing. But when it was all done we took time to hug each individual, say “God bless you,” and converse more by tone and emotion, rather than words.

One of the stories was of a young man, not well enough to attend, who had recently been severely injured in a car accident. His wife did not make it. They have two children, one a new born. There are no grandparents or relatives. One of the local volunteers was there on his behalf. She did not speak English, but spoke Spanish so eloquently I got the gist and Chris filled in the details later. He was not a relative, friend, or neighbor, just someone in need. She was following the example of the Good Samaritan and helping her “neighbor” in need.

We seated a very upbeat gregarious man. He arrived on a deluxe tricycle/wooden wagon contraption with his two preschool age sons. (His wife, who also has health issues, picked their young daughter up from school and met them there.) I was struck with how happy and friendly he was. It was a joy to watch him interact with his boys.

After each individual is seated they and their family go to the side and talk with a local pastor. The only problem was the scheduled pastors did not show up! It was a difficult start to the day, but in the end Chris said God had a plan. The first two people to receive wheelchairs were strong Christians who loved to share the Good News of Jesus. They stayed on (seated in their new chairs) for the duration and 19 people gave their hearts to the Lord. Our best laid plans fell apart, but God knew what He was about.

It is such a blessing to be here!

Marcy