Hello friends and family,
As many of you know by now, we arrived safely back to Georgia on Saturday. We are thankful for a safe journey and we wanted to thank you once again for your support and prayers since we began this journey back in February. God reaffirmed the power of prayer firsthand when we were in Guatemala, and we know without any doubt that HE answers prayers!
We would greatly appreciate continued prayers for all of us, as we know the transition back to life at home will be difficult in some ways. Many of us feel that we have left a piece of our hearts in Guatemala, as we connected so deeply with what God is doing there, and with the people we met, prayed for, and cared for at the clinics. We miss the people, the staff, and our team members already. Please pray that we will remain close to God and each other, and that our passion for this ministry will never fade. We know God will bring some of us back to Guatemala to continue His work there, and lots of us pray that we will get to return soon!
That said, you may understand why our last few days in Guatemala were bittersweet. After arriving back to the mission house from Linda Vista on Thursday, we went to the market in Antigua on Friday and enjoyed the opportunity to fellowship together and take some last photos before departing on Saturday. That evening, we shared a meal at the mission house and took communion. Friday night & Saturday am, we celebrated together, prayed for one another and prayed over the new team from Marietta, GA which arrived on Friday.
We were so impressed and moved to see a group of young people already answering the call to do the work God has purposed them to do in showing his love and sharing the gospel. The new team from Fellowship Bible Church consisted of primarily middle schoolers, along with adult leaders. WOW!!! We also prayed for Linda Alb, Herman's wife. She is leading a ministry for women, which teaches women how to make jewelry so that they can make a living. Many of the women we met were single mothers and learning a trade such as this will allow them to better care for and provide for their extended families and children. Linda is an amazing woman. Please pray for her ministry to grow and if you want to know how you can donate supplies for the jewelry ministry, please contact the Medical Missions Ministry at: 678-405-2000 OR contact your 'tripper' to find out more.
We continue to pray for the Medical Missions Ministry in Guatemala and for the teams that will follow us. May God prosper and grow this ministry, which is such a blessing to the people of Guatemala and all of us who have been able to take part in what Herman and his team are doing.
For additional photos and details about our trip, as well as ways that you could provide additional support if God calls you to do that, we greatly encourage you to seek out more info. from your beloved 'tripper'/2011 Missions Team member.
May God Bless you all!
Love,
The July 2011 Guatemala Medical Missions Team
Monday, July 18, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Hello friends and family,
Yesterday we returned to the mission house in Guatemala City after three amazing days visiting villages near Lake Atitlan.
For the last several days, Herman, one of the doctors and the pastor of Vida Real church in Antigua, has started our mornings with a devotional consisting of worship, teaching and prayer. Herman, with his special gift of speaking God's word, has inspired us all to allow God to speak thru us and for us to pray boldly for miracles of healing and restoration. Even though we came to Guatemala to minister to the people here, God has used Herman to minister to us as well. We have shared many tears of joy and healing as we have realized God's love and goodness on an entirely new level.
On Monday, we drove four hours thru the mountains and beautiful countryside to arrive in the village of San Pedro. We held our first clinic that afternoon in a small church. San Pedro is a tourist town overlooking the lake, however the church members consist of both Guatemalans and andiginous Mayans. We set up a pharmacy, a childrens ministry and counseling stations where we served alongside several physicians and a dentist. The people we served expressed their gratitude for our visit, but we were also so blessed to meet these amazing people. In talking with these people that to some may seem so different from us with their different languages, different culture and different dress, we realized that we are all sisters and brothers in Christ. We share the same struggles, hardships, desires and joys. It was such a blessing to connect with them on the most basic level and to hear them share with us their heartaches, desires, hopes and needs. We prayed for them and shared the gospel of Jesus and many were led to accept Jesus in their hearts and to deepen their walk with God.
Part of what we prepared for the children's ministry included two trunks filled with flip flops. We shared the gospel with the children thru colored tape and fabric that we tied to the shoes. The word quickly spread in the village about the free shoes and many came asking for a pair. It was so humbling for us to realize how great the need was for something that we so easily take for granted.
When the clinic ended each day, we were served a wonderful meal prepared by the women from the church. As a team, we shared with each other the many special moments that we experienced with God and with the patients during the day, and praised God for the team unity that we all felt. We, the american team and the Guatemalan team of interpreters and medical staff, have become a family. We have grown to truly love, comfort and support one another.
On Tuesday we spent a full day in clinic at the Church in San Pedro and on Wednesday we travelled to Santa Clara for a clinic at the Iglesia de Ebenezer. Ebenezer means "the Lord Rescues Us"... such a fitting description for what we witnessed there. Again many of the people we served were andiginous Mayans, so often we had two interpreters working with us so that we could communicate. But the universal language of love, shared thru our embraces and smiles, enabled us to make authentic connections.
We arrived back at the mission house late last night. Today we visited Via Nueva in Linda Vista, our last of four clinics. This particular village needs your special prayers. This village suffers from corruption, gang violence and drugs. Many of the villagers we met have suffered great loss due to this crime. We were all incredibly moved as we were able to serve so many people and see God at work. As we prepared to leave, we received yet another gift from God, a double rainbow that appeared on the horizon not far from the church. Many of us were saddened that this was our last clinic and we truly felt that God was thanking us for our work and lifting our spirits once again.
Tomorrow we have several special events planned and we look forward to sharing more with you all upon our return home.
Every day we have been praying for you all, our supporters. We thank you graciously for your continued prayers and want you to know that God is answering them. He has kept us all safe and healthy and has blessed us abundantly. Please continue to pray for our last few days here and for our safe return.
We have many wonderful pictures illustrating our journey that we look forward to sharing with you after we return home.
God bless you all. Sending you our love,
The GMM team
Yesterday we returned to the mission house in Guatemala City after three amazing days visiting villages near Lake Atitlan.
For the last several days, Herman, one of the doctors and the pastor of Vida Real church in Antigua, has started our mornings with a devotional consisting of worship, teaching and prayer. Herman, with his special gift of speaking God's word, has inspired us all to allow God to speak thru us and for us to pray boldly for miracles of healing and restoration. Even though we came to Guatemala to minister to the people here, God has used Herman to minister to us as well. We have shared many tears of joy and healing as we have realized God's love and goodness on an entirely new level.
On Monday, we drove four hours thru the mountains and beautiful countryside to arrive in the village of San Pedro. We held our first clinic that afternoon in a small church. San Pedro is a tourist town overlooking the lake, however the church members consist of both Guatemalans and andiginous Mayans. We set up a pharmacy, a childrens ministry and counseling stations where we served alongside several physicians and a dentist. The people we served expressed their gratitude for our visit, but we were also so blessed to meet these amazing people. In talking with these people that to some may seem so different from us with their different languages, different culture and different dress, we realized that we are all sisters and brothers in Christ. We share the same struggles, hardships, desires and joys. It was such a blessing to connect with them on the most basic level and to hear them share with us their heartaches, desires, hopes and needs. We prayed for them and shared the gospel of Jesus and many were led to accept Jesus in their hearts and to deepen their walk with God.
Part of what we prepared for the children's ministry included two trunks filled with flip flops. We shared the gospel with the children thru colored tape and fabric that we tied to the shoes. The word quickly spread in the village about the free shoes and many came asking for a pair. It was so humbling for us to realize how great the need was for something that we so easily take for granted.
When the clinic ended each day, we were served a wonderful meal prepared by the women from the church. As a team, we shared with each other the many special moments that we experienced with God and with the patients during the day, and praised God for the team unity that we all felt. We, the american team and the Guatemalan team of interpreters and medical staff, have become a family. We have grown to truly love, comfort and support one another.
On Tuesday we spent a full day in clinic at the Church in San Pedro and on Wednesday we travelled to Santa Clara for a clinic at the Iglesia de Ebenezer. Ebenezer means "the Lord Rescues Us"... such a fitting description for what we witnessed there. Again many of the people we served were andiginous Mayans, so often we had two interpreters working with us so that we could communicate. But the universal language of love, shared thru our embraces and smiles, enabled us to make authentic connections.
We arrived back at the mission house late last night. Today we visited Via Nueva in Linda Vista, our last of four clinics. This particular village needs your special prayers. This village suffers from corruption, gang violence and drugs. Many of the villagers we met have suffered great loss due to this crime. We were all incredibly moved as we were able to serve so many people and see God at work. As we prepared to leave, we received yet another gift from God, a double rainbow that appeared on the horizon not far from the church. Many of us were saddened that this was our last clinic and we truly felt that God was thanking us for our work and lifting our spirits once again.
Tomorrow we have several special events planned and we look forward to sharing more with you all upon our return home.
Every day we have been praying for you all, our supporters. We thank you graciously for your continued prayers and want you to know that God is answering them. He has kept us all safe and healthy and has blessed us abundantly. Please continue to pray for our last few days here and for our safe return.
We have many wonderful pictures illustrating our journey that we look forward to sharing with you after we return home.
God bless you all. Sending you our love,
The GMM team
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Hola from Guatemala
Hello friends and family,
We arrived safely in Guatemala City last night and settled in at the mission house. We were greeted by Herman and the medical missions ministries staff. We prayed together , shared a late night meal and divided up into rooms and went to sleep. We knew we had a big day ahead and wanted to be well rested.
Today we got up early and had breakfast. We were able to have some time for reflection and to enjoy the views of the volcano nearby. We went to church in Antigua at Vida Real where the message was especially relevant: Cafe Lafe "Coffee the Faith": providng fertile soil in which to manifest the fragrance and fruit of faith. The message inspired us as we prepare to plant seeds of faith in fertile soil in the coming days.
After church we toured the ruins at Casa Santo Domingo, visited the local Jade Museum and had lunch at El Terrador de Cerra "Fork in the Hill" overlooking the volcano and mountainside.
After lunch, we witnessed God's work firsthand at Casa Aleluya Children's house, a home for over 400 homeless and orphaned children ranging in age from infant to 27. We were greeted warmly by the children and given a tour by one of the residents, Jonathan. After the tour, the founder, Mike, an American from Louisiana, shared with us the emotional, heartbreaking, yet inspiring story of how he came to faith and how he and his wife were called to Guatelama to start this Ministry.
Our words cannot do justice to the amazing story we heard today from Mike. We strongly urge you to hear directly from Mike by visiting his website http://casaontherock.org/.
We played with the kids and gave them giftbags and then departed back to the mission house, all greatly moved and changed by what we witnessed.
Tonight we are preparing for our trip to Lake Atitlan where we will be serving at local village churches, providing medical care and sharing the gospel. We depart in the morning and will return to Guatemala City on Wednesday. We may have access to blog again before returning to guatamala city, but won't know for sure until we get there.
We thank you all for your continued prayers for our team and for Guatemala. There is no doubt that God is hard at work here and we are both happy and humbled to be a part of it.
P.S. Josh - your mom loves and misses you very much!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Last Team Meeting Before We Depart
Dear friends and family,
We are within the last week before our departure to Guatemala on this Saturday evening, July 9th! We are all so excited. Please keep up your prayers for us all so that we all remain healthy in our final week of preparation.
At our last meeting we had a full day of activities!
Have a blessed day!
GMM Team
We are within the last week before our departure to Guatemala on this Saturday evening, July 9th! We are all so excited. Please keep up your prayers for us all so that we all remain healthy in our final week of preparation.
At our last meeting we had a full day of activities!
- We packed up 19 contaniers full of food, kids toys, flip flops, fist aid supplies, tools, sleeping bags, etc.
- We spent time worshiping the lord and learned the chorus of a song in Spanish.
- We received our departure day and trip itinerary
- We received more information on the children's ministry activities and music
- We got to watch a counseling demonstration that was very helpful to us all
- We learned what the bible teaches on anointing and each received a covering prayer and anointing
- We received communion
- We received our team t-shirts
The last piece of business as usual was to pray together for our ongoing needs.
Please continue to join us in praying for: *Team Unity*Team Preparation*Spiritual Warfare*Our Support Teams & Trip Funding*The Missionaries who went before us*The Missionaries who will go after us AND *The People of Guatemala.
Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.Have a blessed day!
GMM Team
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Team Preparation Meeting 3
Dear friends and family,
We are within the last month before our departure to Guatemala on July 9th! With the date growing near we are working hard to finish our preparations and God has been relentlessly faithful to us with his many provisions.
Many of us arrived early on Sunday June 5th to begin preparations for the childrens ministry and to begin packing up the supplies, sleeping bags, etc. Our efforts the last two weeks spent scavenging for materials went to good use as we cut fabric that will be used to decorate flipflops that we will give to the children in Guatemala. We also tied ribbons on hair bands and cut shields from posterboard. These hours were joyful knowing that we were bonding tighter as a team and that we were paving the way for smiles on the childrens faces we will meet in Guatemala.
The official meeting began with worship and more donation turn-in. God has been so great to us. He provided the funds we needed to purchase the airfare. All the tickets have been purchased for our team members. God also provided this at a reduced price too. This means we will not go over budget due to airfare. This is extremely good news! YAY! Second, not only did we get a good price on airfare, we got some more good news. We are all on the same flight. Our flight is a non-stop flight. YAY! Third, God raised up someone who provided a donation check for $1,000! YAY! God is answering our prayers! The deadline for raising & turning in our funds is June 12, 2011. We're almost there, but we are still encouraging donations and for all to participate in the additional fundraising opportunity with Mary Kay mentioned in our blog last week.
Finally we had some great discussion about what to pack and how to protect ourselves while we are in Guatemala.
The last piece of business as usual was to pray together for our ongoing needs. Please continue to join us in praying for: *Team Unity*Team Preparation*Spiritual Warfare*Our Support Teams & Trip Funding*The Missionaries who went before us*The Missionaries who will go after us AND *The People of Guatemala.
Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.
Have a blessed day!
GMM Team
We are within the last month before our departure to Guatemala on July 9th! With the date growing near we are working hard to finish our preparations and God has been relentlessly faithful to us with his many provisions.
Many of us arrived early on Sunday June 5th to begin preparations for the childrens ministry and to begin packing up the supplies, sleeping bags, etc. Our efforts the last two weeks spent scavenging for materials went to good use as we cut fabric that will be used to decorate flipflops that we will give to the children in Guatemala. We also tied ribbons on hair bands and cut shields from posterboard. These hours were joyful knowing that we were bonding tighter as a team and that we were paving the way for smiles on the childrens faces we will meet in Guatemala.
The official meeting began with worship and more donation turn-in. God has been so great to us. He provided the funds we needed to purchase the airfare. All the tickets have been purchased for our team members. God also provided this at a reduced price too. This means we will not go over budget due to airfare. This is extremely good news! YAY! Second, not only did we get a good price on airfare, we got some more good news. We are all on the same flight. Our flight is a non-stop flight. YAY! Third, God raised up someone who provided a donation check for $1,000! YAY! God is answering our prayers! The deadline for raising & turning in our funds is June 12, 2011. We're almost there, but we are still encouraging donations and for all to participate in the additional fundraising opportunity with Mary Kay mentioned in our blog last week.
Finally we had some great discussion about what to pack and how to protect ourselves while we are in Guatemala.
The last piece of business as usual was to pray together for our ongoing needs. Please continue to join us in praying for: *Team Unity*Team Preparation*Spiritual Warfare*Our Support Teams & Trip Funding*The Missionaries who went before us*The Missionaries who will go after us AND *The People of Guatemala.
Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.
Have a blessed day!
GMM Team
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Mary Kay Fund Raising for Guatemala Mission Trip
Hello,
I am Jamie Lanier's mom and a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant. I'd love to help in fund raising for the Guatemala trip! I will donate all profits from any orders made by friends and family.
Mary Kay purchases can be made by going online to www.MaryKay.com/Corinne. They can be put on credit card or click to send personal check. I will handle mailing each order to the individual via USPS. Normally I offer free shipping with my website orders. When purchases are finalized, the tax will be added. With the orders from friends and family, after I deduct the shipping costs, I will donate the rest to the mission fund. I'll be happy to keep up with the orders and give a weekly report.
Just be sure to add a note to the order, and/or send me an email with a note to attach the order to the 'Missions Trip Fund'! Feel free to also have anyone simply call and order from me over the phone and I'll be happy to answer any questions.
Blessings,
Corinne Lee
www.MaryKay.com/Corinne
770-309-2385
I am Jamie Lanier's mom and a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant. I'd love to help in fund raising for the Guatemala trip! I will donate all profits from any orders made by friends and family.
Mary Kay purchases can be made by going online to www.MaryKay.com/Corinne. They can be put on credit card or click to send personal check. I will handle mailing each order to the individual via USPS. Normally I offer free shipping with my website orders. When purchases are finalized, the tax will be added. With the orders from friends and family, after I deduct the shipping costs, I will donate the rest to the mission fund. I'll be happy to keep up with the orders and give a weekly report.
Just be sure to add a note to the order, and/or send me an email with a note to attach the order to the 'Missions Trip Fund'! Feel free to also have anyone simply call and order from me over the phone and I'll be happy to answer any questions.
Blessings,
Corinne Lee
www.MaryKay.com/Corinne
770-309-2385
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Team Preparation Meeting 2
Dear friends and family,
The team met again on May 15th to pray, worship, and continue our trip preparation.
The team met again on May 15th to pray, worship, and continue our trip preparation.
We started off the meeting on Sunday with some prayer and sharing of good news. Some of us have been experiencing mountains and others, valleys in the past couple of weeks. We greatly appreciate all your prayers and support.
God has been great to us and we are over 1/2 of the way to reaching our team goal on the amount of money [$41,000] to be raised to support our project. We have some great momentum. Several us also participated in a Yard Sale the weekend of May 6 and 7 and the yard sale was a great success!
We are encouraging all to participate in an additional fundraising opportunity with Pampered Chef. You can shop from home AND help support our team in reaching our financial goal for our trip: 1) Our team will get donation of up 25% of the fundraiser's total sales. 2) The Pampered Chef will make an additional $3 contribution for each Show booked from the fundraiser. Don't forget to check out ALL new Spring/Summer products! And, if you need Father's Day gift ideas...How about: Hot Grillin' Gear For Father's Day! You can access the fundraiser at: http://www.pamperedchef.biz/iheartcooking?page=products-main&showId=3115660
After the prayer and fundraising updates, we continued with our evangelism training and watched a couple of videos that showed us more of what to expect once we arrive in Guatemala. We also worked with our EvangeCubes, a tool we will be using in Guatemala to help share the gospel.
We went over some more details about the kids' program. Until we meet again, we are scavenging for materials that we will use to decorate flip flops with the kids, one of several acitvities we have planned. We are continuing to pursue donations from retailers like Target and Walmart and have added an additional request for paper bags from WholeFoods. We need a particular size and we need a couple of hundred of them. If you shop at WholeFoods and can help us collect paper bags, we need the short square bags.
The last piece of business as usual was to pray together for our ongoing needs. Please continue to join us in praying for: *Team Unity*Team Preparation*Spiritual Warfare*Our Support Teams & Trip Funding*The Missionaries who went before us*The Missionaries who will go after us AND *The People of Guatemala.
Have a blessed day!
GMM Team
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