Today we went out to El Rincon (meaning the corner) which is about 30-45 minutes away. Once we got there we split up into groups of about 3 or 4 with a Guatemalan leader for home visits. Then we returned to the building where we gathered with Guatemalans from the area to do our faith lessons. This building is just an empty building sitting on this dirt road corner, hence the name, and it is available and a perfect location for Groundwork Guatemala to use for ministry.
Aracelis' home visit experience:
My group (Manuel, Aleen, Allison, and I) went to talk to a man named Pablo. Pablo lives with his wife Sandra. Another member of their family lives right next door to them. Pablo and Sandra do have children but because their sister lives right next door the children were all playing and it was unclear how many they actually had. Before we got into a big conversation about his live, he was telling us how he was "American" too because he is Central American. That was interesting to me because my group was able to see how he was trying to connect to us in some way.While we were talking to Pablo, he told us a story that when he was younger he was going to school to be a Pastor because that is what his father did. At some point while he was in school he decided to drop out and he began going down an ungodly path. He began to steal from people and he would shoot a gun outside his house because that was his way of letting people know not to come near his house. He was put in prison three times, once in Canada, and another time in Guatemala (the other place was not mentioned). The last time that he was in prison, (he was in a Prison in Guatemala for 8 months because he had a gun that was not registered to him) he started thinking to himself and he realized that he is an adult and if he has a family then why he is acting so immature. He got out of prison and decided to change his ways because he had to take care of his family. He also shared with us that now if someone drops something instead of taking it like it usually would have done, he gives it back to them. For me, that was so powerful because it is truly a blessing for someone to realize what they are doing wrong and they actually change their ways and become a better person. After hearing his story we shared with him Romans 5:3-8 and 2 Timothy 3:1-9. If you ever get a chance you should definitely read them because they were powerful verses. (I have a bunch of verses that I am bringing home to share with my family that I think could really be useful in a time when things dont necessarily go the way we plan them.)
Alex's home visit experience:
The first home I went to visit was with Oscar, Betsy, Jordan, and David. We walked down some long dirt roads and came to a home where we met a woman by the name of Auda and her daughter Aura. We stood in this room that was somewhatly outside and yet their kitchen. As we stood there ducks, chickens, and two small dogs ran around. Auda told us her story and how Aura was sick last week before. She could feel a lump in her stomach. They visited the hospital and they told them that there was nothing they could do. A miracle from God was that the lump is now gone and she is feeling well. It was amazing to hear that such a miracle had happened and to a girl right in front of our eyes. We prayed for the family and especially the mother because she was saying that she was having some problems in her life. We are not sure what they problems were because she did not want to share, it may have been with her husband, family member, or friend. The important thing is that God knows. It was reassuring to know that because of my faith I do not have to worry that I don't know here problem because it is all in the hands of our Lord and Savior and he already knew.
After we visited with Auda and Aura we walked to the home of a very elderly couple. Marta and Pualliodo. I was really glad we got to visit this family because I know that with their faith in Christ he will bless them and give them hope. Paulliodo had been let go of his job because he was not doing so well and the owner did not want to deal with nor be responsible for his death. After receiving this news the couple ended up needing to move because they were unable to find jobs. Finally this woman offered to let them build a little shack on a small plot of land behind her building as long as they kept care of the corn next to it. The happily accepted the offer and now live there in a small tin shack. Also, Marta and Pualliodo are widowed, she has one child and he has two. The couple has lived together now for eight years but are not married. I was really disheartened to hear their story because they are elderly and are only seen as a burden. No one wants to be responsible for them or have to take care of them. Pualliodo is also sick again, has been for a month, and does not have much hope to become better. I wanted to so badly for the couple to just feel more comforted and like they had support and love. So we shared God's word with them and hoped to give them a light, God's light to give them hope and guidance. They seemed very into what we had to say and they wanted better for themselves. I really appreciated them allowing us to visit with them and let us hear about their lives and for us share God in their lives. As we left they gave us hugs and I could feel their love and appreciation. It's amazing to be able to share my faith with the Guatemalan's and for me to hear theirs, especially when they have so little and such big hearts.
Our first faith lesson:
We had prepared a skit about the parting of the Red Sea and how God is our Light. We sang songs, in Spanish!, an application of the Bible story to their lives, both adults and children, and also a craft. For our first lesson I think we were all really surprised at how well it went and how excited all the Guatemalan's were. We split into two groups for the application and craft section, one with children, the other with adults. Aracelis and I were in the children's group. We sat with the children during the craft in order to help them put it together. Our craft was a necklace made of beads. Aracelis and I, especially me since I speak no Spanish, both found it rather difficult at times to explain to them how to put it together without using many words. However, even though I couldn't speak much to them I was so moved because a couple of the girls just latched on to me and kept talking even thought I barely respoded or in some mixed English/Spanish combinaiton. I think they found a lot of humor out of my lack of knowledge. I was also very comforted because I was able to really connect with them because of our love of Christ. Following the craft we just visited with the Guatemalans before we had to leave.
While we were visiting with the Guatemalans, a young woman came up to Kevin and gave him a paper to translate. Kevin was busy trying to pack everything in the vans so he called me (Aracelis) over to speak with her. She gave me a paper that was written in Spanish and asked if I could translate it for her cousin. I have been studying Spanish for 5 years but I wasn't super confortable translating the entire thing by my self. I called Chayanne (pretty sure I didn't spell it right, but you get the idea of who I'm talking about) and Andrea and asked if they could assist me in translating it. Chayanne looked at the entire thing and noticed that it was basically dialoge between a Doctor and a patient. We asked the woman if it was something for school and she told us yes. We found out that it was her homework and we basically told her that we couldn't translate it for her because we thought it would be best if her "cousin" spent 30 minutes to try and translate it. We also told her that God would be with her in assisting her with translating it. When that happened, I was completely caught of guard and I was glad that Chayanne and Andrea were there to help me respond to the woman. I found it quite sad that she didn't want to take the time to do her homework and learn. In the states, most of us take school for granted but after this encounter, I learned that being in college is definitely a blessing because not everyone has the same opportunities that we are fortunate to have.
Looking forward to our adventures tomorrow!
God's Blessings and Love to all of our family and friends back home,
-Aracelis & Alex
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