Greetings from the Guatemala mission team on this Monday evening!
Today we visited a ministry in the city that works with youth who have lived on the streets and have a history of bouncing from place to place. George Leger, the leader of the ministry, is a Boston native who felt a call to be here in Guatemala to help youth who live on the streets. We met a few of the youth, but most of them were at school at the time, so we primarily met the young men who have stuck around to help with the ministry. They mostly focus on giving the youth structure and teach them life skills that they will need when they become independent. We were amazed by the carpentry skills of many of the people at the minstry. As a part of the ministry, the youth are taught how to work with others as they are taught how to create amazing designs in wood boxes and crosses. While they are wood working they are also required to be in school and also making money so they can start working towards independence.
Once we left the ministry, we got in our vans to drive to a cemetery and the Guatemala City dump. As we drove past a large wall that cut the city off from the dump. Groups of men were traveling through the entrance with large tarps wrapping up anything valuable they could find to sell in the market close to the dump. When we arrived at a cliff overlooking the dump, our senses were overbarred with the smell of the garbage, the sight of about a thousand vultures scavenging for any food, and the sound of large machinery moving the garbage as people picked through it. We has seen people living in filth and garbage on the streets of Chicago, but this is something that I would not wish upon my worst enemy. There are houses that are built on top of older areas of the dump that are no bigger than a bedroom in America. We thought we knew what poverty and hardship was, but this is something that is beyond soemthing we have ever seen. Cesar, a missionary who has been showing us around the area, said that people will pan for gold and search for gold in the sewage that has accumulated in the valley the dump is in. We wish we could describe it more clearly, but there are no words that can.
After we spent the morning taking in all of our new expreriences, we were thrown into a whole new form of ministry. We split into two groups of six and walked to a stranger´s home to simply listen, offer prayer, and share God´s word with our brothers and sisters in Christ. One of the hardest things for so many people to do is knowing when to close their mouth in order to open their ears. Opening your ears to a language you do not even know is a huge barrier. However, God made the stories of the Guatemalans clear as day. We can all agree that God intervened multiple times through His word. He knew what they needed to hear, and He revealed himself through giving us the words to say and the prayers to pray. People in America always seem to have their guard up and they don´t like to share their faith from fear of judgement and persecution. However, here in Guatemala, they tell their life story and testimonies after a few short minutes of introductions because sharing your faith is more common here.
We have been thankful for the patience and understanding of the Guatemalans and their willingness to help us learn Spanish. Cesar, Sandra, and Aracely have been very patient even though we sound like niños to them. There is nothing like being able to talk to someone in their native language. Many of the missionaries are learning English and some of use have been learning Spanish, so we have had many exchanges that have been mutually beneficial for our language acquisition. Many of us have taken Spanish classes throughout school, but this is nothing like the classroom. The ministry and life in Guatemala has been the ultimate classroom for our growth.
During the time we have been here, there have already been so many times that we want to help children and missionaries, but we have no idea how we can. That was until tonight when Ginny talked about sponsorships. The sponsorship program is when you pay a certain amount every month to help your child get school uniforms, supplies and in some cases even physical therapy when they can´t do so themselves. God has placed this program on the hearts of many on our mission team. When we decide to sponsor, Ginny sets up a home visit for when we go to their communities and we get to actually meet the child that we sponsor and we get to form a personal bond with them and their family. If you feel that God has placed this same thing on your heart, you can get in contact with Groundwork Guatemala by emailing: sponsor@groundworkguatemala.org. If you are on the fences about this step, pray about it!
Dios le bendiga (God Bless),
Ryan Weseloh y Kyle Heath
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
-Colossians 3:17
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