Fiesta Camp

In December of 2007 we had a camp for the children of San Pedro Carcha, Coban, Alta Verapaz. We had 120 kids at the 3 day camp.

we learned about Jesus

We had some great food

we played in the river, yes, the Zacapa river

we played games

we made T-shirts

and many other crafts!

Adam's wedding

In October I attended my brother Adam and Amanda's wedding in Minneapolis.

Sanarate, Guatemala

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving we were invited to a church "Camp Meeting" where several churches from different parts of the country met. I helped "Super Disciple" with the children's portion of the activity.
The children having fun with a game
Listening to a Bible story from Super Disciple and Chema

Thanksgiving in Guatemala

The People for Missions family
A very exciting game of Pin the Hat on the Turkey

We celebrated Thanksgiving together at the House of Hope with American, Guatemalan, and Honduran missionaries and children. Each family contributed to the meal and we had a wonderful time fellowshipping together.

Oasis teachers all dressed up for graduation night.

At Oasis graduation in October, the teachers honored me with a basket of flowers.

Playing games with the parachutes

Here I am playing the guitar as we sing with the children.

Missionary Travels

One of the many exciting opportunities I have had this year is to travel to different parts of Guatemala to minister to groups of children. I and some other teachers at school have used our school vacation days and weekends to make some of these trips. We have traveled specifically to the areas of Alta and Baja Verapaz, an area of Guatemala known for its cloud forest. It is a beautiful area and is also characterized by larger percentage of indigenous Mayan people than we have here in Zacapa. The leader of our group is a teacher we have on staff named Javier Gomez, aka Super Discipulo. Javier is invited to these areas to do ministry as the Super Disciple, and the rest of us go along as a support team. We do songs, games, a Bible lesson, and have ministry time. In one area we went to we had over 200 kids, and we were told we would have 60! In this particular center, the Bible lesson was translated from Spanish to a Mayan language. Many of the children understand Spanish, but their mothers that were listening in did not.
To see more photos of our trips as well as Super Discipulo, go to http://superdiscipulo.blogspot.com

Family Fun Day 2007

On June 17 we celebrated Family Fun Day at Oasis. It is a time for all the students to bring their families out to campus and play games and eat together. Here is a father and some students in a race across the soccer field where the goal is to not touch the grass. It was our third anual Family Fun Day!

It was so great to return to Oasis to a huge welcome from students and staff. I had a nice time with my parents in Minnesota. God is good and has provided a speedy recovery for my mother. The Lord also protected and blessed the ongoing work at the school in my absence.

Primero Dios . . .

"Primero Dios" is a common frase here in Guatemala. The closest frase that we have in English is "Lord willing." It is much more common, however, here in Guatemala. People say, "I'll see you tomorrow, Primero Dios." Or any time they tell you about some plan they have for the future, Primero Dios. I am not in the habit of using the frase in English, so it seems strange to me. This week, however, I am reminded, that we do not really know what will happen tomorrow. My mother, Rita, suffered a stroke this week. She is doing well, praise the Lord, and getting the help she needs. It was such a shock to all of us as she is normally a very healthy person. It is really hard for me, being so far away.
I am reminded of the passage in James that says, "I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today-at the latest, tomorrow- we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that."" (from The Message)
So, Lord willing, I am off to Minnesota on Thursday, next week, to see my mother and family. I will be there for a few weeks as she is recovering. Please remember us in your prayers.

Good Friday

On Good Friday I invited the Oasis staff to my house for a special lunch. We played an interesting bilingual version of Pictionary and generally enjoyed each other's company. I am so grateful for the friendships I have developed here in Guatemala. What a wonderful way to celebrate the greatest gift of all time, the gift of God's son. In a country where this is observed with such mourning and heaviness of spirit, we can rejoice in the freedom we have in Christ. I feel that these moments are a small glimpse of heaven here on earth!

On Monday of Holy Week the teachers and I went to a local waterfall. We had a great time hiking and playing in the water. We hiked to an area above the waterfalls where there is a natural pool. One of the teachers mothers made Caldo de Gallina (Hen soup) for lunch. It is considered a very special dish!