Faith Lessons and House VIsits

The team is completely tired out tonight because we had our first day of teaching faith lessons. We travelled about 45 minutes to El Rincón, a village at the base of two volcanoes. The mountainous view was truly beautiful! Before the families arrived, though, we did some house visits. The majority of places we visited were the homes of children that our team members are going to sponsor. We were split into groups, and my group visitted the house of, Jose, one of the kids Andy has been sponsoring for a while. While Jose was at school, Andy did get to meet his mom, sister, and niece.  We had some great conversation and read the Bible with them. The rest of the sponsor children were at school as well, but they were all able to meet them later at the faith lessons.
Returning to the central spot, we had a little over an hour for our gourmet lunch of PB&]. Then people started streaming in. Adults met in the main space where Ana and Julian also had a medical clinic. Children were across the road, and the youth (about 12-18) were at a covered end of the building. Most of our group worked with the children, but Andy, Melissa D., and I stayed with the youth. The Bible story for both the youth and the children is Acts 11:19-26: Barnabas encouraging Christians in Antioch. We started with a fun activity where people were gradually eliminated. This led into a discussion about what it felt like to  be left out. They were reluctant to talk, but Cesar was great with them! They were asked to think of someone in their own lives that supports and encourages them, and then they brainstormed with a partner ways that they can encourage others. We had written questions out beforehand, and I was able to ask them directly, without someone translating. I enjoyed using my Spanish and felt like a real teacher, especially when Sandra, one of the Guatemalan missionaries gave me a reassuring smile and thumbs up! We reminded them that a great way of encouragement is to pray with others, and that God always hears our prayers. Then they used their artistic skills to draw their prayers, and share those prayer requests with a partner. Even though they talked to their friends more than they discussed the material, it was obvious that some of them enjoyed the activities and truly prayed for their partner.
From what I've heard the children's lesson went equally well. These kids were so enthusiastic and swarmed around us "gringos" (White people).
The ride home was just as fun as we continued getting to know the Guatemalan missionaries. We compared musical preferences and what movies we had seen. The times that are the most fun are when trying to figure out translations. It took us several minutes to figure out that Carlos was trying to talk about a quarter-pounder, and even longer to explain what 'powder' means. Sometimes my attempts at Spanish also bring lots of laughter! Dinner and a shower were wonderful after the busy, sweaty day, and we'll be heading to bed early because tomorrow we leave the house at 7 am!
All of us have stories we look forward to sharing with our friends and families! Thanks for following our activites and praying for us! God bless!
Rachel