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Went to sleep happily replaying day 6 in my head and looking forward to our opportunity to take some of the girls shopping the next day. Woke up a few minutes before 5:00 and laid in bed until 5:30 listening to the soothing sound of the rain on the tin roof of the bunk house. The rain reminded me of Gods ability to renew and refresh us, but it also reminded me of the countless tears I had shed for the week. As I laid there I prayed to God to help me make it through the day and specifically asked Him to give me the strength to not let Lucia see me cry when it was time to go.

Before we left the bunk house Jeff asked me for a sharpie and told me that he had saved one of his mostly white t-shirts to have the girls sign it. I told him that I bought a new pack of white t-shirts before we left and wasn’t sure why I packed them until right at that moment. I put one on and gave Jeff one. The girls came down the hill in a light rain and we greeted them with smiles and hugs. Jeff and I asked some of the girls if they would sign their name on our shirts and names quickly turned into messages. A shirt I will keep for a long time and a memory I will never forget.

Lucia drew a heart over my heart and wrote the letters T.Q.M. (Te Quiero Mucho) in it and her name below it.

Morning devotion led by Amber and her mom, Diann, the question was can you give a phrase or word that described God this week from your experiences. Amber said God showed Himself to her as a Father & Mother, I said God was my Pillar of Strength.

We used the bulk of the early part of the day to finish up work projects and get our suitcases packed up for the early trip home the next morning. We took a break at 9:30 to enjoy recess for the girls and I was very grateful that the rain forced us to stay inside with the girls This provided an excellent opportunity to spend quality time with the girls get more signatures on the t-shirt and tons of hugs from the girls.

We finished up the last few touches on the work projects, showered, ate and headed to the mall. Amber, Austin & I brought Lisbeth & Lucia, Diann brought Roxana and Charles Brought Adela.

This was the first time Lucia had been shopping in the 13 months she had been at Prince of Peace, the first time Lisbeth had ever been to a mall or ever seen an escalator. When we asked Lucia what she wanted or needed, she very shyly and humbly asked for an outfit to wear to church.

Lisbeth wanted a dress for church as well and also asked if she could get something for her sister, Anay’s birthday as well. Imagine a little girl who had never been to a mall asking to get something for someone else, God showed us a lot that week.

After a lot of reassuring and convincing we got Lucia to let us know she could use a pair of jeans, so we bought her 2 pair

It was every bit as much fun as shopping for my other daughter Alyssa and I thanked God for Blessing us with the ability to shop for these incredible girls. We had a great time together, I can’t remember ever seeing people smile so much or being so happy and satisfied from a quick trip to the mall. The sincere gratefulness expressed by all the girls was amazing and fulfilling. The ride back to PoP was rewarding as well. As a Dad, one of the best feelings in life is when your kids fall asleep in your arms. It is reassurance that they feel safe and truly trust you. My daughter fell asleep in my arms on the ride back from the mall, until Austin decided to take a picture (or 2) with the flash on.

When we got back to PoP it was almost time for dinner, a light quick dinner of salad and a baked potato and then we had to face the fact that we only had about one more hour with the girls. we all had so many goodbyes to say in such a short amount of time. So many emotions had been experienced for the week, it was truly overwhelming. After saying my goodbyes to all the other girls that I connected with I focused on Lucia for the little time remaining

Under the tutelage of Diann, I was able to tell Lucia in Spanish, Quisiera ser su padre (I would like to be your Father) and Lucia told me I wish you were my Father too.

This would prove to be one of the hardest Goodbyes of my life as I also witnessed the tearful goodbyes that Amber shared with Anay, Lisbeth and Karen and Austin shared with Virginia.

Just when I thought I was going to lose it and that maybe God wasn’t going to answer my prayer to say goodbye without allowing Lucia to see me cry, 

God came through again. Several times as we were talking and saying goodbye, I would say something to Lucia and then say Compendre? and she would smile and sheepishly say no or ‘a little’ but her eyes would say not really, so I would ask Diann to help and she would. As I was grasping for something to say that would break the silence and stop the tears from flowing in what was to be one of our last father/daughter embraces of this visit , I said “Diann, could you tell Lucia that I will learn more Spanish and she needs to learn more English so we can talk easier next time” and as I finished talking, Lucia with her head buried in my chest, fighting back tears, started laughing and I said “comprende?” and she now laughing out loud said “Yes!” God had answered my prayer yet again and we shared our last laugh together for the week.

It was time to go back to the bunk house and let them go to sleep and as we climbed into the Mule truck to drive back down the hill, Lucia grabbed my hand and said “no, take me with you” and I truly wish we could have. I am excited to see what God has in store in the future for Lucia and my family. One thing I know for sure is that this story is not over. I wrote in my journal at the end of day 7…

 ”leaving at 3:30 a.m. to go home tomorrow. I feel so undeservedly Blessed to be going home to my life and my family, yet so helpless at the same time being unable to provide a family to Lucia. I pray for and trust God’s plan in this. I trust God will cause our paths to cross again. T.Q.M. Lucia”

I found out today (Sept 14th) that 11 of the older girls from PoP will be traveling to the U.S. this fall with Paul, Lana, Jim and Kay and we will have the pleasure of providing a place to stay for 5 of them in our house on Thanksgiving Day and the day after. What an awesome reason to be thankful! Please join us the Friday after Thanksgiving at Oaklawn Church of God in Hot Springs (www.oaklawnchog.com) and meet some of these awesome girls from PoP. For more details on this event, keep up with me on face book, if we are not friends on face book go to www.facebook.com/doug.westgate and request me as a friend. For more information on sponsoring one of the girls from PoP please visit the new website www.princeofpeacegt.com.

Thank you for reliving this experience with me, I hope God spoke to you through some part of this blog like He spoke to me though the entire trip. BE Blessed!

Please leave me a comment, I would really like to know who some of the 800+ people are that have read this blog and what you thought of it.

 

With the way day 5 started out I was determined to start out day 6 trusting God and enjoying every second of the only Sunday we were going to get to spend in Guatemala. I was trying to not be disappointed from the answer I received from the girls in independent living when I asked them a question as we looked at pictures on my camera. I asked them, with my extremely limited Spanish and their limited English, if we would get to sit with any of the girls in church during the service and my interpretation of their answer was that they said ‘no, some of the girls had baptismal training and others were in a form of children’s/youth church.’

This time instead of getting MAD at God or questioning Him, I just thought OK, I will trust You on this one, Not what I wanted to hear, but OK God. At least this time I would be prepared not to see Lucia, so I wouldn’t be disappointed.

I went to sleep well after everyone else, staying up late again to write in my journal and after putting away my journal and turning out the lights I remember my last thoughts being a prayer to God asking for a day without sadness. I asked God to give me the strength to enjoy the day staying in the present and without worrying about what was next. I asked for help to trust Him to take care of the future and to allow me to be strong for the others on our trip in case they needed me like I needed them on Saturday.

I woke up at 5:30 with that same prayer for the day and already felt the difference inside me. I enjoyed a refreshing shower that felt like a full immersion baptism after my rededication to God the night before.

As I got dressed for the day, I couldn’t remember a time when I had ever wanted to worship God as openly and freely as I did that morning. We were going to a Spanish speaking church the size of Noah’s ark with a 5 story parking deck that seats up to 12,000 people. The architecturally impressive mass of concrete, steel and glass that we had driven by a few days before I thought was sure to be cold inside. 

I didn’t expect to be able to truly worship and feel God’s presence like I can at Oaklawn ( www.oaklawnchog.com ) so I prayed for the opportunity to worship Him & right on queue, as I headed for breakfast, Bible in hand, God gave me what I asked for. From the adjoining bunkhouse, I could hear the angelic voice of my beautiful wife Amber singing portions of a few praise songs and I closed my eyes, extended my hands and praised God for His Goodness. It was a short, but fulfilling praise and worship session that I thought would be my only one of the day.

We enjoyed a breakfast of biscuits and gravy and greeted a few of the girls as they headed to the school bus to go to church.

Morning devotional was led by Jeff and the question was “have you ever had part in a small job that built something much bigger?” Jeff shared his small job was listening to God and bringing his family back to worship at Oaklawn Church of God. I said that it was working together as a mission team to raise the money to come to Guatemala and make the trip possible so we could build these relationships with the girls.

Then we sat around in the cool morning air, some of us gathered around my favorite porch swing and connected and talked about the week. Others connected in different ways…

Before heading off together to the largest church in Central America

As we entered into the building and into the huge auditorium style sanctuary, I was pleasantly surprised to feel the Holy Spirit in this place and in the people. We found our way to a row of seats and as the service began I looked to my left and coming down the row from the other end was Lucia! She sat in the empty seat beside Austin about 6 seats away from Amber and myself. She kept looking down the aisle and smiling. Amber, being the awesome wife that she is, told me to trade seats with Austin and go sit beside her. I resisted at first and told Amber that I felt like I should stay with her because it was the only time her and I would get to worship together here as well and she said ‘no, we’ll be back’. About that same time I felt God tugging me that direction and I didn’t even have to explain to Amber, she knew what had happened and I went to sit with Lucia. It was easy to see how much it meant to Lucia that I chose to change seats to be near her. The heartwarming smile and the hug was a gift from God.

The music started and the Worship leader had an incredibly strong voice. Loud, upbeat music filled the auditorium. The excellent sound system belting out incredibly uplifting music with a Spanish flair and lyrics. My focus was on the amazing guitarist and the 15 or so musicians and singers on the very large stage for the first few songs. A happy, joyful time with quality music, great energy, lots of clapping and smiling faces, but not a time of personal worship for me, until the tempo slowed down and a song began that grabbed my heart and filled me with God’s presence.

The lyrics were in Spanish but I was able to understand and sing along as if I knew every word and had sang it my whole life. My eyes closed, the room shrank and my hands extended. Reaching out to God, I left that huge building and entered a world where only God and I existed. Tears began to flow as I forgot where I was.

I felt pressure against my chest like I do every Sunday at Oaklawn while my little daughter Alyssa stands in the pew in front of me and leans her head and back into me. I felt the familiar weight of her hands in mine as our hands were extended together, hers laying in mine. I closed my hands slowly to intertwine my fingers with hers and squeeze her hands to let her know I love her only to realize her hands weren’t there and I was not at Oaklawn.

With increasingly more tears streaming down my face I realized that God had allowed me to experience this time with Lucia, but He was reminding me that I had a little girl to return home to as well.

As the song finished and we settled into our seats for the sermon I felt a little embarrassed and I worried how Lucia would react to my display of emotion. In a showing of unconditional Love and understanding, Lucia smiled, rested her head on my shoulder and her hand on my arm. This was even further confirmation for me that Lucia is the reason that God sent me to Guatemala and I am excited to see what the future holds for her and my family.

The church provided headphones with an English translation of the sermon. The message was from Titus. A message of not having foolish conversations with fools. Something that definitely wastes a lot of time for a lot of people back home.

After Church, Paul & Lana treated us to a very nice dinner in the city to give the cooks at the home a break and we returned to the home at about 2:00.

I went up to the Casas and visited with Marjorie, Estefania, Jaqueline, Yaneth & Estefany for a while…

Then headed in to Casa B to find Lucia. She was wearing the pants Amber and I bought her with a shirt she already owned. They fit her and her personality perfectly.

We asked her if the shirt fit and if she liked it as well and…

We had an awesome time the rest of the afternoon, talking and sitting together, hugging and holding each other, just like we do with our other daughter at home. I wrote in my journal “I would take her home with me and love her like a daughter if I was allowed to. Perhaps God will open that door someday.”

God answered my early morning prayers and allowed me to spend an entire day without sadness and without worrying about the future. I love these girls so much and God allowed me to have a joyful, happy day with all of them. We took a lot of great pictures, created a lot of great memories and exchanged a lot of hugs and heartfelt feelings.

We spent some time with some of the other girls until it was time for the girl’s closing program…

the program opened with an awesome set of praise and worship songs led by Carol, Anna, Katti, Mari Cruz, Gladys, Fabiola and Jasmine.

Then an awesome performance by the younger girls…

Then we were each presented a card from a girl that connected with us for the week…

Mine was presented by Lucia

We topped off a great day by taking some more pictures, eating ice cream and playing games.

We also decided to buy 2 of Carol’s paintings on this day.

We also talked to Paul about using up our left over Guatemalan currency on a few clothing items for the girls and he suggested that we take a few of them with us to the mall to let them help pick things out, so I get to take Lucia shopping tomorrow!!!!

Evening devotional was led by Pastor Steve. He asked us to share  one little thing that happened today that made the day a lot better. I don’t think it qualified as a little thing, but I shared God allowing me to feel Alyssa with me in worship.

Another awesome day in the books, another day that will never be forgotten.

Thank you God for Blessing me so undeservedly on this day!

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN AND READ THEM IN ORDER

As I finished writing in my journal Friday night and laid it down beside my bed, I looked around in the bunkhouse and noticed everyone else was already asleep, so I turned off the lights and tried to do the same. As I lied there I realized that over half our time in Guatemala  had passed, I began to question everything and my mind raced through a gauntlet of emotions, I wept with sadness, fumed with anger, battled with guilt and pleaded for a clearer understanding of the purpose of our time there. It took quite a while to go to sleep and even when I faded off, it was into more of a standby mode than a full shutdown. I got out of bed around 5;30 and battled my emotions from the time my feet hit the floor. 

I questioned the fairness of God sending me to Guatemala to fall in Love with a 14 year old perfect little girl with a deceased Mom, no Dad and no relatives that wanted her, just so I could leave her behind a few days later and return to my spoiled way of life.

It really made no sense to me and I was not strong enough to keep it together through a breakfast of oatmeal, toast & jelly (true comfort food for me). I was overcome with emotions of sadness, anger, frustration, guilt and helplessness that led to uncontrollable sobbing (not a normal thing for me). I felt sadness that our week was soon to be over. I was angered by the fact that I was ready, willing and able to provide a Loving, Caring Family to Lucia and the Government made it all but impossible to accomplish that in my time frame. Frustration often leads to negative thoughts and actions and this time was no exception. I began to question if our brief visit was doing the girls more harm than good. I wondered if by showing Love, Bonding and Building a Relationship with these girls and then leaving, we just added to the emotional roller coaster ride I was certain there lives had already been. I felt guilt for what I was about to return home to; a beautiful, healthy family and way more material stuff than anyone needs. I had fallen in Love with Lucia and so many of the other girls and felt helpless that due to “rules” I couldn’t provide a family for any of them. I had received so many Blessings from the week and in this  state of mind I even went so far as to wonder if they were at someone else’s expense. My heart truly ached for all the girls, but time after time I wept for Lucia. I wrote this in my journal at the end of day 5…

“the other’s said that they felt God would direct them to one girl that they would connect with and I was convinced that would not happen to me, but it did… If I could buy her a one way ticket to Arkansas today, 4 of us would be returning to our home.”   

As I look back at the details of this day, (by far my toughest) I realize God was with me the whole day in every aspect of it. HE had not abandoned me, (much like Footprints in the Sand) He carried me. 

HE orchestrated that entire day for ME, even after I spent the entire night and morning questioning HIM and even yelling at him outside…

I really thought I needed to see Lucia, I thought if I could just give her a hug everything would be OK again, but God knew that I was not in the frame of mind to see her and since it was Saturday none of the girls came down the hill at 6:30 like they had every day so far. (Thank you God for knowing what I need even when I think I know better)

God spoke to me through our morning devotionals all week and knew exactly what I needed to hear this morning as well. Morning Devotional was led by Heather and the question was

“can you share a time when you were tired and fatigued and going through a rough spot and God gave you strength to renew your spirit and refresh you?”

This question after a night with very little sleep, a very physically and emotionally draining week and right in the middle of one of the roughest spots I have ever experienced since entering into a relationship with Christ was a little overwhelming to say the least. A lot of crying went on during devotional, a lot of feelings were expressed and God showed me I was not the only one going through a rough spot that morning. 

My wife, Amber (that God so graciously Blessed me with) and my FRIENDS, Jeff and Charles were there for me that morning in a way that I will never forget, a way that changed our relationships forever.

After devotional I was sure I needed to see Lucia, but God was not so sure. Saturday is also cleaning day for the girls, so they still hadn’t come outside by the time we left for our day of sightseeing and shopping. (Thank you God for knowing what I need, AGAIN)

We loaded up in the van and headed to Antigua. The scenery was awesome and the Volcanoes were a stunning reminder of God’s creation.

A visit to a 5 star hotel in the center of the ruins (a beautiful resurrection of sorts). A much needed break for all of us and a time to bond with each other.

A peek inside a huge Catholic Church and a quick walk through was all I needed to remind me that I serve a Living God.

An awesome trip through the streets to enjoy the culture and then to the Market to do a little shopping for the girls and family back home.

Then it was off to the Coffee Plantation to experience a few of the most beautiful acres I have ever seen of God’s Creation and enjoy some excellent Coffee and Espresso.

Beautiful fruit trees (Orange, Lemon & Bananas & “Death” peppers)

Poisinous Plants with attractive flowers, carniverous plants, flamingo flowers? and other beautiful and unique blossoms…

Flutterby’s and active Bee hives!

Truly an unspoiled paradise… with a little temptation in the Garden

And COFFEE!!!!!!!!!! growing on the plants, making us smile and fresh peeled, dried, roasted and dark roasted. WE DRANK COFFEE AND ESPRESSO>>>>>>>>>>>>>IN GUATEMALA!

When we got back to Prince of Peace, refreshed and renewed, I was certain that I was ready to see Lucia and give her the outfit I bought for her, but God had other plans. As I headed up the hill to the girl’s homes, Jaqueline came sprinting down the hill and leaped into my arms and as I spun her around in circles I realized how tight a bond I shared with her, so I spent some quality time with her talking, playing and just being still together.

Next, I headed up the rest of the hill to Casa B and expected to be greeted at the door by Lucia, but instead Estephania ran to me and almost knocked me over with one of the most welcoming hugs I have ever received. I spent the next 15 minutes sitting in a chair with her in my lap, talking, hugging and again, just being still and enjoying being together. Another connection God wanted to show me.

Virginia was next to crawl up into my lap and gently kiss me on the cheek 3 times and whisper “Te Quiero Mucho” as her hands wrapped around my neck. God was telling me not to forget the other girls, something that I know now will never happen.

I finally got tired of looking around hoping for Lucia to come out of one of the rooms in the house and I asked where she was. I was told that she was at her church small group and that she would not return until after dinner. I was disappointed, but I was comforted knowing how much my small group means to me and how much closer to God and connected to my friends I have become through it and I was hopeful that Lucia would receive the same benefits from being a part of her small group.

I spent the next hour or so before dinner showing love and receiving love from Marjorie, Yaneth, Jaqueline Estefany, Estefania and Virginia.

 

During dinner, I heard Dr. Jim mention that he had to go and pick up the girls from small group and I asked if I could go with him (remember how I told you that God orchestrated the entire day). At the last minute, Jim decided to take the Toyota SUV instead of the 15 passenger van. I asked Jim to tell me how he ended up at Prince of Peace and he rewarded me with an awesome testimony on the way to pick up the girls. Jim and his wife Kay are special people that are far too rare in this world. When we arrived to pick up the girl’s there were 3 extra girl’s (not from the Prince of Peace) that asked for a ride back to there home. Jim agreed to give them a ride and as it turned out there were not enough seats for everyone so Lucia hopped up in the front with me (God gave me my time with Lucia after all, but with His timing, not mine). I was able to give her the outfit that Amber and I bought her in Antigua and a Sterling Silver Cross Necklace I brought from home. She hugged me and held my hand on the ride back and told me she loved me when we got back to the home. She was fully my daughter at that point and nothing will ever change that. I told her I hoped the clothes fit her and that she would like them. I hoped to see them on her the next day, but I didn’t tell her that. The girls had to go their casa when we got back, so we exchanged goodnights and a tight hug and off she went.

As if the day hadn’t been fulfilling enough, we wandered over to the independent living houses and spent time with Fabiola, Carol, Ana, Alejandra, Carolina, Odilia & the other girls from Independent living. We were treated to some awesome praise and worship music as me and several of the girls scrolled through 300+ pictures on my camera and everyone laughed and had a great time.

I wrote in my journal that night…

“GOD gave me the strength today to make it through a rough spot and once I got out of HIS way, HE turned it into one of the greatest days ever!”

Evening devotional was led by Pastor Steve and he asked us to share one time of the day we felt God’s strength refreshing us. I shared the entire day because that was the definition of my day.

Went to Sleep thinking about God’s Love for me, His presence in my life and how patient He is with me. Looking forward to an awesome day in Church tomorrow and more time with the girls in the afternoon.

A great friend of mine introduced me to the short phrase “BE Blessed”. You may have heard others say it as a suggestion, but he says it as a Fact. BE is one of  the many Names that he uses to refer to our Father (The Great I AM) and HE did and HE continues to Bless, so I say to you in fact, BE Blessed! 

 

I went to bed thinking about how Blessed I am to not only have an amazing family, but to live in the house I live in with all the luxury items that I take for granted every day. I had a little trouble falling asleep anticipating the extra time with the girl’s that was on tomorrow’s schedule, but exhaustion soon took over and I faded off. I woke up at 5:30, took a quick shower and headed outside to enjoy the cool, crisp, quiet morning. I never go outside my own home and just walk around in the cool morning breeze without a destination and talk to God, but as I reflect on the mornings I did that in Guatemala and remember that feeling now, I think I will start. 

Enjoyed sitting on the porch swing and talking to Charles about the week so far, met the girls with smiles, hugs and encouraging words as they came down the hill for school at 6:30 and then enjoyed an excellent brekfast of french toast & fresh fruit.

Charles led the morning devotional… Question was “Can you think of a time when you have experienced Joy for doing God’s work?” All of us had experienced great joy over the past 3 days and were eager to share short examples of these times. The challenge was to pause and look for God’s Blessings as we go throughout the day and our lives.

Work plans changed slightly as it was determined that perhaps there was not enough manpower planned to take one of the old pilas (a concrete clothes washing basin with built in scrubboards) that weight approximately 900 pounds that was no longer in use at the home,

Pila, used to wash clothes with Lye soap

load it into a truck and bring it to one of the families in need that we had brought food to on the mountian the day before.

Jeff & I were asked to provide the extra bodies needed to lift the pila into the truck, ride up the mountain in the back of the truck, unload it and carry it about 50 yards down a dirt path

short walk unless your carrying a pila

 and place it beside the makeshift house

for the mother of 6 that had nothing to use to wash their clothes in. 

Pastor Steve, Karvin, Jeff, Juan, Salvador and I were all glad that there was 6 of us for this task and that noone was injured.

As God planned it, we arrived back at Prince of Peace at 9:30, just in time to enjoy recess with the girls. I played soccer with Lucia, Jaqueline, Esteafany, Estefania, Sandra, Yaneth, Jeff & others…

The game was the same as our kids play it here except, there was no arguing, no score keeping, no complaining about ball hogging and no bragging. Instead, it was just fun! Everyone truly happy to be playing with everyone else… even during a little game of soccer, the Love in these girl’s hearts is Overwhelming.

After recess, it was back to work to finish the gable project once and for all. A few finishing brush strokes by Jeff and I and we were done.

As we stopped for a moment to look at the completed project, the girls that lived in the house were heading in to prepare their lunch and stopped to tell us how thankful they were, how beautiful it looked and give us a thumbs up and a hug for our efforts. Another way to put it is this, we “paused” and God Blessed us for doing His work. 

We took a much needed break for Guatemalan Chow Mein (surprisingly good, btw) and then Jeff and I dove head first into the next work project. A few of the Bathrooms in Casa B needed shelves built into the closets to provide much needed extra storage. Iwas actually very glad that I was going to get to do another work project shoulder to shoulder with Jeff. We got started about 1:00, did a little measuring, figured out what materials were at our disposal, designed the shelves and started. Our goal was to measure the closets, cut braces and shelves, pre-drill holes in the braces and drill holes in the masonry walls, drive the anchors in the wall, mount all the braces to the walls inside the closets, slide the shelves in place and secure them to the braces all by 4:00 p.m. The fact that it was raining off and on and the workshop that housed all the tools and materials was located half way down a very steep hill from casa b was made much easier by the fact that there was a mule truck available and allowed us to finish with about 10 minutes to spare. The rain had stopped and I had just enough time to jump in the shower for a quick rinse off and start preparing for the picnic with the girls.

I had volunteered earlier in the day to help with the grilling of the burgers for the picnic and ended up grilling all 85 burgers on 2 grills. The entire time I was smiling and thinking,

I am grilling… in Guatemala

We all sat and ate and played and connected and built relationships…

And as the sun set at the end of an awesome day, it became too dark to play basketball anymore. It was time to say goodnight to the girls and let them head back up the hill to their houses. None of us wanted the day to end and as the girls came by one by one to say goodnight,  Lucia hugged me tightly (much like my own daughter does after such a fun time playing together) and Lucia looked me in the eyes and said “Te Quiero Mucho”. Estefany, Estefania, Jaqueline and Yaneth probably overheard Lucia and followed suit with their own tight hugs and TQM’s. As they said their goodnights, they all headed up the hill to their casas, but as I turned around, there was Lucia still standing there. I opened my arms up for her to give her one more hug that I think I needed more than she did at that point and as she hugged me with her head buried in my chest, she said “I Love You”. At that point, it was official… I went to Guatemala as a Father of 3 and returned as a Father of 4.

Evening Devotional led by Pastor Steve. He asked us to share a time that we paused and Thanked God for the Blessings we recieved for doing God’s work. Amber shared that Anay asked her “will you ever come see me again?”

I shared the exchange of TQM’s and I Love You’s with the girls I have become so connected with. 

UPDATE: As I write this blog on August 31st, less than 2 weeks from leaving Guatemala and I “Pause” to recieve the Blessings from this trip, I am Overwhelmed to be able to tell you that as a direct result of this Mission trip approximately half of the 53 girls at Prince of Peace now have new sponsors.

Our God is an awesome God and I have never been more excited about what HE is doing in our Church (www.oaklawnchog.com), our Community (Hot Springs, AR)  and Globally ( www.princeofpeacegt.com ) . Please pray about what part God would have you play in the lives of these girls. Our goal is to provide each girl with at least one sponsor at a cost of about $1 a day. BE Blessed!

Thank you for sharing this journey with me, day 5 will post soon!

Please leave a comment and tell me what you think?

As I laid in bed at the end of day 2 writing in my journal and listening to the snoring of my exhausted friends. I began thinking about how amazing life would be if we stayed focused on God all the time and didn’t let the noise of everyday life interfere with our walk and talk with Him. I thanked God for calling me to this trip and saving that seat beside Lucia for me. I eventually fell asleep praying for the girls and for God to show me how I could make a difference in the lives of these girls beyond the 7 days we were so privileged to stay here with them. I realized I had never felt so close to God and didn’t think it had anything to do with the fact that we were at over 5,000 ft. altitude.

At 5:00 a.m. my cell phone alarm went off playing the Arkansas Razorback Fight song sparking a combination of moans, groans and laughter throughout the bunkhouse. A quick refreshing shower was followed by a traditional Guatemalan breakfast of Black Beans & Heavy Cream with Tomato Sauce and Sausage Links accompanied by Biscuits & fresh made Strawberry Jelly.

Austin led our morning devotional — “Have you ever been excited about what God is Doing?” It becomes even more obvious as the week goes on that the topics of the devotionals all week that were predetermined before our arrival in Guatemala were chosen by God. After a little reading from Romans, Austin shared about how excited that he gets about what God is doing in his life and how “on fire” he is for God (another Proud Dad moment). We all shared about how excited we were to spend more time connecting with the girls and getting to work on our projects for the week.

Got 30 minutes in toward the completion of the Gable project and then it was time to load up and head to the Market with Pastor Steve, Heather, Austin & Kay. Our purpose at the market was to purchase fresh vegetables and fruits to provide to 8 impoverished families that lived in the mountains that had little or nothing for their families to eat.

The drive through Guatemala City to the inner city market was an adventure in itself. There are seemingly no traffic laws and the streets appear almost impossibly narrow.

Armed guards are everywhere you look. It is nearly impossible to determine whether they are militia, mafia or private security guards as some are in uniform, some not, but all seem to carry very similar pistol grip pump shotguns which give them unquestioned authority to those not carrying the same.

The market was a beautiful, yet slightly unclean canvas splashed with an amazing variety of colors.

Tons of fresh produce, herbs, rice and beans, some familiar, some I have never seen before. Also Meats, Seafood and Poultry, not near as appetizing or sanitary as you would hope for.

I prefer mine with no FEET

Bought a few of these ??? to try… they were good

 Fresh papayas were good too

We ended up buying about 20#’s each of Potatoes, Tomatoes, Green Beans, Squash, Papaya and a few other items all from the same vendor that Kay buys from every time they provide these families with food.We carried the food out in 8 separate bags and brought them back to Prince of Peace to be distributed to the families later in the day.

When we Arrived back at PoP, we worked on the Gable project for a little longer, broke for lunch (meatloaf, mashed potatoes, local squash & bread) and then finished the construction phase of the gable project with just enough time to quickly shower before heading up the mountain to deliver the food we bought at the market earlier in the day.We all loaded up in a bus with a few of the girls that had become attached to the families we were helping and split into four groups. The bus dropped us of at the foot of a mountain and we walked up the incline turned down a long narrow alleyway carved into the mountain and stopped at a makeshift pile of tin, cardboard and old wood that obviously served as a home for the family we were providing food for.

 The Lady of the house was a 70+ year old woman with 6 unmarried daughters and 25 grandchildren living in the makeshift house with no electricity, no running water and a dirt floor with a metal grate sitting over a pile of partially burnt wood and plastic and trash to cook on. Even though they didn’t have much, there was still love in that house and love in the hearts of the children that ended our visit as I exited there house and stepped over the thresh hold by saying “I Love You” to me in English (a reminder from God, that I needed to hear)

When we got back down the mountain I remember thinking that was a pretty tough climb carrying that bag of vegetables and then God, as He did so many times throughout the week sent me a not so subtle reminder of how spoiled I am… a man walked by us as we sat on the ground waiting for the bus to return and pick us up with a huge stack of old rough cut timbers hoisted on his shoulder (it looked impossible to lift, let alone make it to the top of the hill) and as the man crested the top of the hill, he yelled “Gloria a Dios” (glory to God). Imagine praising God for the strength to carry old scraps of timber up a mountain to your family living in these conditions.

Enjoyed an excellent dinner of Chicken (no feet) & rice and were invited to Dessert and coffee by Paul and Lana (directors of the home and the only parental figure most of these girls know). Strawberry pie, brownies and Guatemalan coffee were a great ending to an awesome though exhausting day. One of Carol’s (a young lady that is a 16 year old artist and singer that lives in the independent living house) oil paintings hung in the living room of their home.

During our evening devotional led by Pastor Steve, he asked us to share one experience throughout the day that made us excited about what God is doing. I shared what I experienced on the trip up the mountian, Amber shared that she was excited that the girls she seemed to be connecting with most were the girl’s that other groups usually did not connect with and Austin shared that he experienced joy in helping an elderly lady back up the mountain side after she walked down the hill with them to show off the few ducks, chickens and a pig that she was so proud of.

God is at work all around you every day, get excited about what God is doing and put your Faith in action, but don’t forget to be still and listen to God, resting in the fact that He is God and you are not.

Day 4 will follow in a few days, check back for it… thank you for taking this journey with me, I hope it touches your heart and opens your eyes. it certainly has mine.

P.S. I recieved an email yesterday that contained a letter written to me from Estefany, a 13 year old angel at Prince of Peace and translated by a very special missionary named Casey. I wanted to share it with you, Estefany wrote

To: Doug     From: Estafany 

Hi.  How are you? I love you very much.  You are like my father and Amber is like a mom to me.  Say hello to your family for me.  Thank you for coming to Guatemala.  I want to tell you that your family is like my family.  It’s true.  I want to thank you for being so caring.  I hope you come to Guatemala again.  Thank you for everything.  Thank you for helping at the Home.  You are my father.  I love you very much.  You are very special to me and to God and I thank God because you touched my heart for coming to Guatemala.  My sisters and I (Velveth and Dapne) are sending you this letter.  We want to say hi to you and your family and tell the group thank you for everything.  I love you very much.  You are my “papito” and Amber is my “mamita.”  I love your family.  Tell the group thank you for being so caring.  I love you all very much.  I will always miss you very much, you and your family.  I love you.

Estefany and me

I woke up @ 5:00 a.m., showered and headed over to the dining hall to make coffee for everyone. Greeted the girl’s as they came down the hill to go to class

Breakfast of pancakes and fresh, local fruit

I led our morning devotional on God’s Guidance and Presence. I shared that I knew God had called me to this mission and guided me to Guatemala. Austin, my 14 year old son, shared that during Church camp a few weeks earlier as other kids would feel God leading them to pray at the altar, he would feel God instantly tugging at his chest to go up and lay a hand on them and pray with them. Austin said that a few more kids came and laid hands on him while he prayed for the other kids and he felt their 4 hands, but he also felt a “5th Hand” and he knew it was The Hand of God. (proud parent moment to say the least… Thank You GOD for your guidance and presence in my son’s life). Charles shared a prison ministry experience and how he feels God’s presence when a convicted murderer hugs him and tells him he loves you. Pastor Steve Shared Psalms 46 (look it up).
At 8:00 a.m. we began our first work project building shelves in one of the storage rooms in the dining hall. The shelves went up quickly and easily thanks to team work. Jeff Rash and I worked together as though we had been doing it our whole lives. What a Blessing he was to me, the rest of the mission team and the girls this whole week.

They were very sturdy too!

On day two @ 9:30 a.m. the girls came out of class for recess and on my way to join Austin, Jeff, Pastor Steve & about 15 of the girls on the basketball court

God turned my head to the side and I saw a new face sitting all alone on the porch swing and I knew God saved the seat beside her for me.

First time I saw Lucia

I sat beside her and asked her name and knew Lucia was the reason God called me to Guatemala. My family grew at that very moment.
Lucia has a smile that could light up the world and a heart full of Love for people and for God. She is shy and reserved at first, but to see and hear her laugh is worth the wait. Lucia is 14 years old, her mother is deceased, her father is unknown & her godmother is unwilling or unable to take care of her.
I also Talked with and connected with Estefany, Carol, Caroline, Yaneth and Virginia

Carol

Estefany

Virginia (& Velveth)

Yaneth (Newest girl at Prince of Peace)

Caroline

Lunch was an awesome Guatemalan Treat… Chicken Enchiladas w/Fresh Made tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, apple pastries & fresh squeezed lemonade!!!!!!!

You can't get this at any restaurant around here

With the shelf project finished just before lunch, it was time to start the next project. This one would be a little more challenging and rewarding. One of the Independent Living homes for the older girls had a Gable issue. The stucko kept flaking and falling off and they tried resurfacing it, but it still didn’t adhere.

Our project was to take bent and warped tongue and groove 1″ x 6″ x 10′ boards and cover the gable the best we could. It took a few days and a lot of sweat, cooperation, planning and working on ladders, scaffolding and even ladders on scaffolding, but we were able to complete it with Persistency and God’s Help.

Long way to the top from there

TEAMWORK (shoulder to shoulder with Jeff all week)

Starting to see that light at the end

SUCCESS (the studs on 4' centers made it much more challenging)

Break out the brushes

Grateful it was brushes not just brush

We had the opportunity to choose casa a or casa b to have dinner with the 15 or 20 girls that live in each house (4 of us went to one, 4 of us to the other). I was invited by Lucia to Casa B at recess earlier and of course, I accepted. The house was clean and humble, but inviting, fresh vegetable soup and cornbread, hot tea and the best pineapple I have ever eaten was excellent, but failed in comparison to the company of the girl’s during and after dinner. I sat with Lucia on one side and Marjorie on the other.

Lucia (warned you about the smile

Marjorie (also has 2 older sisters at the home)

With amazing teamwork and speed the dinner tables were cleared, chairs stacked and kitchen clean. We shared a time of devotion with the girls… Incredible praise and worship music and testimonials, surely God is in this place. We sang Come, Now is the Time to Worship in English while the girls sang in Spanish, then Lord I Lift Your Name on High and we ALL sang in English, what an incredible Blessing. I will never hear those songs without remembering that night and those girls. Again, Thank You God!

Karina, now a teacher at the home, shared her testimony. She lived at the home nine years, her Mother died when she was 5, abandoned by her father, her aunt tried unsuccessfully to take care of her. In and out of the home a few times until she found the Prince of Peace at the Prince of Peace Home.

Austin shared his “5th Hand” experience with all the girls. I shared how Overwhelmed I was and how thankful I was to be accepted so quickly and shown so much unconditional love by the girls after being there less than 2 days. Thanked them for sharing a small part of their lives with us and opening their homes to us. Too many long tight hugs and sincere smiles to count from girls that have little more than that to offer.

Back to the bunkhouse for mission team devotional led by Pastor Steve “psalm 78″ (again, look it up) We all shared 1 thing from the day, most had trouble following that rule. Austin had a little girl run to him, jump in his arms and kiss him 3 times on the cheek (Virginia)

Amber had a little girl (Anay) help her paint and clean up brushes for hours while the other girls played.

Pastor Steve was touched by Karina’s Testimony.

I shared about Charles pushing 3 girls at the same time on the swingset and getting more enjoyment out of it than them, even though they were in Paradise and smiling so much it looked painful.

Another awesome day in God’s creation comes to a close. I wrote this in my journal at the end of day 2 “Life will be different when we return home – Do not go on a mission trip that God has called you to if you want your life to remain the same” I don’t think I fully understood how true that was when I wrote it, but I do now.

Thank you for taking this journey with me, day 3 and the following days hold more projects, more hugs, a trip to Antiqua and a trip to the top of a mountain to bring fresh fruits and veggies to families with no electricity or running water along with a great Worship service and my favorite shopping experience ever.

May God Bless you as He has so undeservedly Blessed me with this trip. Please be in prayer about sponsoring one of these girls. $1 a day is all it takes to make a difference. Please ask me for details on how you can do this.

Prince of Peace Guatemala Mission team 2009

As we headed out of Houston and started over the Ocean it all started to sink in.

Last of the U.S Coast

Flying into Guatemala the view from the window seat was amazing as it switched from dense jungle with rivers snaking through the mountains

First glimpse of Guatemala

to makeshift houses packed in as tight as possible.
Easy trip through customs and interesting 45 minute ride through Guatemala City to the home. Beautiful, lush vegetation, crowded streets, poverty stricken areas and 2-story American Fast food restaurants with motorcycles weaving in and out of cars from all directions. We arrived at the Prince of Peace girl’s home and were given the grand tour meeting some of the 53 girls briefly along the way, decent buildings, clean living quarters, beautiful trees and flowers

view from grounds

bright cheerful wall surrounding home

with not so cheerful broken glass topper and razor wire

One of the girl’s rooms

A playhouse built by a previous mission team

the washing machine for all the girls clothes

avocado tree

mango tree

orchids

bird of paradise

morning glory

We were given some work projects to choose from and a quick sandwich before we unpacked and then were given time to meet and begin to build relationships with the girls, met several of the girls and played a simplified game of volleyball, no net, no lines, no score keeping, no established teams, everyone gets a turn, no arguing, taunting or complaining.

volleyball???????

So much unconditional love in the eyes and smiles of these girls, so hungry to connect and build relationships with people that won’t take advantage of them or hurt them.
Awesome dinner of beef stew and rice, homemade salsa & fresh made tortillas

Played basketball until dark

had a time of praise and worship songs on the porch of the girls in independent living singing some songs in Spanish, but Lord I lift your name on high in English and Spanish until it was the girl’s bedtime.

Evening devotional time for our mission team led by Pastor Steve… We talked about building foundations which is exactly what we had done on day one. Set alarm for 5:30. Thanked God for an awesome day. Looked forward to serving as the hands of Christ and building more and stronger relationships with these girls.