Mission Trip to Guatemala

I've been waiting to get some photos before I blogged about my trip to Guatemala. It's impossible to describe the experience without some photos (plus, I'm a visual person). However, I want to share part of my story before too much time passes, so I'll update with pictures when I get them!

There was a website made for our trip and it was updated when we came back. It gave a basic description of what we did when we were there:

"The Wayside Chapel Guatemala Dental & Construction Team of 18 people went to work with our Ministry Partner, The Potter’s House, in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

While there, our team worked with the treasures who make their living by scavenging through the Guatemala City garbage dump. The team was divided in to three groups and each set out to accomplish a specific task.

1. Team 1 – Concrete Floor team mixed and poured concrete floors for two families.
2. Team 2 – House Construction Team worked on the construction of a home for a family that is involved in the Potter’s House.
3. Team 3 – The Dental Team held a dental hygiene clinic, a dental clinic for adults at the garbage dump; and a dental clinic at the Potter’s House for children.

One of the great highlights for some of the team members was the opportunity for them to meet children that are sponsored by them and their families. Prayer walks were taken through the community and it was evident that the Lord’s hand was upon the Team, as the entire trip went smoothly and was filled with God’s presence.

Please continue to pray for Guatemala and the Ministry there. Our Wayside Guatemala Team plans to go back in November 2012."

Basically, Guatemala City has a huge garbage dump. It is a country that is made up of "haves and have nots." Each day, 11,000 adults have a pass that they use (yes, you have to have a pass to get in) to enter the ravine which makes up the garbage dump and scavenge for a way to survive. They look for bottles, for glass, for plastic, for metal, and.....for food to feed their families. On average, they collect enough goods to sell to make $2. On a really good day, they'll make $5.

Organizations have come in and helped build them what we, as Americans, would consider to be a shack. Their homes are approximately a 10 X 10 room with cinder block walls, tin sheeting roofs and some have a cement floor. The "homes" are all connected in to each other and lined up in narrow rows. Some have electricity....the ones I worked in had a faint lightbulb hanging from a beam off of raggedy wires, of which I'm sure are fire hazards. And, the homes are occupied by families which consist of kids, parents, grandparents and others. They are crowded...overcrowded. Of course, these homes are built on top of an old part of the dump. The part where the trash built up so much in wasn't a ravine anymore so the city began disposing of trash in a new ravine.

It's impossible to describe the smell. As you can imagine, it was awful. Each day when we arrived to work, my throat would burn. It felt like I was breathing in a toxic environment. Each night when I would blow my nose, black would come out (sorry if that was too graphic, but I was shocked!). There were just as many dogs wandering the streets as people. I often smelled pot. It was obvious that many people abuse alcohol....and each other there. Women are often left to raise children by themselves because the husbands leave. Education is non-existant for the majority of these people. They are trying to survive.

Now, in steps the Potter's House. It is a Christian organization that started 25 years ago. They believe that everyone deserves a life better than living in a dump. They refer to the people they serve as treasures rather than scavengers. They do a multitude of things for the community including health and dental services for children and adults, building projects in the community, education for children, parenting programs for adults, they have a micro loan program where they teach people who scavenge how to learn a trade so they can break the cycle of scavenging, and they also have a program where you can sponsor a child (or children) and allow them to receive an education, spiritual care, nutritious meals, health care and basic necessities to give them an opportunity to thrive in life. I have a link to the right on my blog where you can go to the Potter's House website and see for yourself.

I, personally, got to help lay concrete floors for two different "homes" and I also worked on reconstructing a house. These families were desperate because when it would rain, they would be ankle deep in water/mud. And the house we worked on was in high danger because it was about to fall off of a hill.

One afternoon we went to different "homes" in the community and sat and visited with families. We prayed with them and for them and shared some food. One family had just lost a child and were in mourning, another asked us to pray for "good trash", another family asked us to pray for the grandmother who has diabetes and is in failing health, but still cares for her grandkids everyday while her children dig in the dump, another was pregnant and asked for prayers for the unborn babies health and for her son, who was the cutest two year old little boy who was bashful at first and then played with us. It....was....powerful, heartbreaking, exciting and eye opening.

Another afternoon we played games with children that are a part of Potter's House, but are in need of sponsors. They were full of joy. I became fast friends with Wendy, a 9 year old girl who aspires to be a doctor and who shares the same favorite colors with my own girls....pink and purple. I am so happy to be sponsoring her.

And on another afternoon, we visited a cemetary. The cemetary overlooks the dump. The smell was horrendous. There were hundreds of buzzards flying overhead and the landfill was full of people jumping on moving trucks to try to find the best trash. The dump is a dangerous place. Besides the health risks, there are huge holes that can easily kill someone. To be honest, it looked like a form of hell on Earth.

Like I said above, the trip was life changing. I was amazed at how the people we helped prayed just as much for blessings in my life as I did for them. I always felt safe there. People knew we were there to help and oftentimes, children wanted to pitch in and help in completing the projects. They were such hardworkers. People are people. We all want to be loved. We all love our children...it's built-in. We all want to make a difference. We all want to have a purpose. We all need God.

I plan on returning next November. I CANNOT wait to see Wendy and to serve. I didn't want this mission trip to be a one time thing. I want it to be a part of my life. I want it to become a part of my children's lives. And in the mean time, I don't believe that people have to go to a foreign country to serve people in need. There are people all around me locally that need help. I plan on finding a fit in an organization here too.

Why did I take this trip? I've always wanted to do a mission trip. However, when my kids were little I was just not ready. Last spring, my heart began to change on the idea though. I've had some personal struggles the last couple of years and through those struggles I have spent a lot of time trying to discover who God created me to be. What was I meant to do with my life? A few months ago, I began to have some clarity on the issue. The only way to describe it is that I truly felt God calling me to go. And not for just a one time thing. Being a mother to Hailey, Reese and Landry and a wife to Trey is my most favorite job ever....EVER. However, there's a part of me that is meant to do other things too. This has felt good in my soul....I have felt God's presence. God is oh-so-good.

And, I will put this out there. If any of you have ever wanted to get involved in an organization but didn't know who to trust or weren't sure of what certain groups actually do, I can tell you that there are children at the Potter's House who would love for you to sponsor them. It costs about $35/month...for education, Christian training, medical help, nutritious meals, a loving environment.... But the thing that surprised me the most about the sponsors for these kids is that the kids are so happy to have sponsors....not necessarily for the money, but because they desire to know people, to have someone write them a letter that says they love them and are praying for them, to have someone make them feel as if they matter. You can e-mail me and I will get in touch with the Potter's House staff for you.

Also, I know of two other organizations that are worth looking into if you are searching for something like this. The first is Compassion International. Amazing. Our Hailey chose a 7 year old in Indonesia for us to sponsor. We pray for her every day. They are legitimate. They change lives. The leader of our Guatemala mission trip went to Africa last year and met a girl that he and his family have sponsored for years. She graduated high school and was accepted into college. His story about her is so inspirational and is another reminder of God working in this world.

The other is Orphan Outreach. We have a good, personal friend who helped start that here in Dallas and I have had the opportunity to go to their office and meet the staff and learn of what they do. Here is their mission statement: "The Mission of Orphan Outreach is to improve the lives of orphans and at-risk children primarily in Guatemala, Honduras, India, and Russia through early intervention, education and evangelism, thus meeting the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of the children." Hopefully I'll have a blog post about a trip with them someday soon too!!

I know that this Thanksgiving I am thankful for so very, very much in my life. But most importantly I am thankful for having a relationship with Jesus Christ.

1 Chronicles 16:8-12

8 Give thanks unto the LORD,

call upon his name,

make known his deeds among the people.

9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him,

talk ye of all his wondrous works.

10 Glory ye in his holy name:

let the heart of them rejoice

that seek the LORD.

11 Seek the LORD and his strength,

seek his face continually.

12 Remember his marvelous works that he hath done,

his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!