Guatemala Mission Trip

A Message from Our Team Leader: Debby

2014-08-25T18:27:00.001-07:00

God put together another perfect team to serve the people in Los Limones. The team saw 260 people for eyeglasses and gave out 99 pairs of minus prescriptions, and 242 pairs of plus prescriptions. Approximately 100 children heard the name of Jesus and several for the first time.

The team was able to support deacon Ubaldo and his family during their time of grief, love on each person who came through the clinic and pray for the community during our prayer walking time.

May God continue to grow the faith of those we served.

Day 8: August 23, 2014

2014-08-23T20:39:00.001-07:00

Travel Home Day!

God bless and thanks to Nury and the people of Guatemala. Thanks to MOST ministries for their work in the mission field.

Adios!

Vapuay! (I have to look up the spelling on this). It means see you again.

Su gracia me enseño a temer

Mis dudas ahuyento

O cuan precioso fue a mi ser

Cuando el me transformo

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wreck like me

I once was lost but now I'm found

Was blind but now I see

Day 7: August 22, 2014

2014-08-23T20:34:00.001-07:00

Read Luke 8 the parable of the Sower... Very appropriate for today.

Last night we arrived in Antigua, the former Capitol of Guatemala.

We stayed in Nury's beautiful house, part of which was designed especially to house people on mission trips. What a treat it was. What a wonderful host. She has a generous and serving heart.

We awoke to the incredible smell of brewing coffee and a sight to behold: an active volcano. We even heard it rumble a few times. Nury says, "Don't worry about the sound. It's when you don't hear it, you should worry."

We started our day by hiking, breakfast on the patio, then the the church ladies came to sell their homemade wares, then on to Antigua for a day of seeing the historical old city, touring a jade factory and shopping. It was a memorable day with friends that we felt we had known for years.

We laughed, reflected on the previous days we had together, and ate a wonderful meal.

Below are some pictures. Right now I can't fill in the details of what we saw and where we went, but I hope you can get a feel for the beautiful day we had.

And to end the day, a time of devotions, and a chance to finally meet Nury's husband Arnold.

It was a wonderful way to end our mission trip.

Day 6: August 21, 2014

2014-08-23T13:19:00.001-07:00

It is our last day of the clinic.

John 15: 1-4

"I am the true vine, and my Father is my gardener. He cuts off every branch that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it may be even more fruitful .... No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

After breakfast we gathered for a team photo.

We headed to the clinic and as in the past few days, we were greeted by smiling faces.

This woman lived near the mission storage unit, where we got our chairs and tables each day. She was cooking her corn for the day. Notice she has a cell phone in here belt. We still have a hard time reconciling the lack of clean and solid living conditions with the use of technology.

Margaret did the testing today.

Christa is a huge blessing at the nursing station and a pleasure to work with.

Julie has a knack at every station but especially the fitting station.

Another beautiful child who is waiting for her mother to get glasses.

Greg, Sandi, and Christa at the nursing station.

This is a sweet elderly lady with so many eye problems that we could not help her. After trying many things, we decided that a cane might help. Scarlett is teaching her how to use it. We prayed with her.

Gail did a lot of glasses dispensing. Choosing the right ones from so many is a challenge.

Jim and our talented leader, Debby.

Sweet baby boy.

Our translators Scarlett, Maricella, Christa, David, Tais, and Nury, our host.

These gentleman worked for the power company and were so pleased to have glasses so they can better do their jobs.

Glen always gave the blessing after fitting glasses. A kind and honest touch to all showed gift of Jesus to all were served.

We call Tais the kid magnet.

Jim and Heidi worked together each day in the testing station.

We gathered bread from our breakfast and dinner table each day and at the end of clinic we handed it out those we could.

After clinic today, we packed everything up and said goodbye to the people and the area. A quick glance back at the empty site...... And thoughts and dreams of this being a completed church some day.

We are back at Pastor Louis's house and another team photo.

It was a special treat to hear the drums practicing in the school yard.

We left some balls, papers, crayons and bibles for pastor to use and distribute.

Galations 3:26. Through Christ Jesus we are all children of God through faith.

And here is Pastor Louis's vision for the mission church and school in Los Limones. The large building is the building in which we had our clinic. What a dream and what a blessing this will be to the families!!

Day 6 reflections: Glen

2014-08-22T15:53:00.001-07:00

Scarlett, Maricella, Christa, David, Tais, and our host, Nury

As we ended our journey in Los Limones today we had to say goodbye to our interpreters. The five young adults we had were sent by God to be with us. Two of them left school to help us for the week and the others just volunteered. Their personalities had us all laughing at times but when it came to the work of spreading the Gospel they were dead-on.

Each of them touch my heart. I look to them like my own kids that I love so much. God has big plans for them in the future.

My prayer for them is to keep seeking God's will.

Soft spoken and smart Scarlett, teaching this woman to use a cane.

Beautiful and kind Christa

Caretaker of the children, Tais.

Kind hearted, David.

Patient and kind Maricella.

Day 5: August 20, 2014

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Today is the third day of clinic and we are getting into a rhythm and continue to be blessed by our teamwork and all of the people we meet and help.

We had such sad news from Nurythis morning. Our hearts were heavy for Ubaldo, who has been working with us, upon the news of his daughter' passing. Our thoughts were with him and his family all day.

Phillipians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving in every situation give your requests to God.

Sandi is posing with Rene, probably the best bus driver in Guatemala. Rene was with is on the trip from start to finish. He guarded our things, kept the bus spotless, and could drive on the wrong side of the road in an "extended merge" like you wouldn't believe! He also could drive the bus through very small places.

Because Ubaldo wasn't with us, Rene stepped in to help with the clinic.

This is Pastor Louis's son, Louis Jose. He also came to help today. He did an awesome job telling the bible story.

Margaret is very talented and our resident music maker.

It's amazing how much fun a simple ball can be!

This beautiful woman is 85. Her daughter brought her to the clinic. She stayed a long time, happy to be with lots of happy people. She was grateful for her glasses.

David is so kind to everyone.

After the clinic we wanted to give our respect to Ubaldo and his family. We stopped to buy flowers and drove to his house north of town. We walked up to his house.... Via this path. It was slippery, rocky, and steep. We couldn't believe this was the path to his house.

Ubaldo lives in this house on the side of a hill. It was said to be one of the better houses in town.

What a blessed, sad, and joyful day.

Day 5 reflections: Julie

2014-08-22T15:48:00.001-07:00

Today was an emotional day as we shared the sorrow of Ubaldo's daughters death.

(Ubaldo is studying to be a pastor and he has been helping along side us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ each day at the clinic. His daughter was admitted to the hospital last week. She has had trouble all her short life of 21 years. Complications occurred and she passed away from a heart attack)

As we served at the clinic and saw the joy we brought to those we were helping and how they made us smile my mind kept drifting back to brother Ubaldo and his family and what they are enduring.

We went to his home after the clinic to offer our condolences and pray with the family. On our way home we shared with one another our thoughts and how God uses losses and sadness to bring about good and how His time is never our time.

Some of us began pulling out our phones and sharing photos of our family members I know for myself I was once again reminded of one of my greatest and dearest joys in my life, "my family".

We will continue to keep Ubaldo and his family in our prayers.

This is the pathway to Ubaldo's family home. It was a treacherous and steep climb. We cannot imagine how it is to travel this path many times a day. We especially cannot imagine carrying a child on our backs on this path.

Day 4 reflections: Kelly

2014-08-20T17:46:00.001-07:00

My heart was stretched today!!

- The hope of one to have more than what they have now.

- The feeling of affording to give but can't

Praying for strength to handle circumstances out of my control.

God, please bless these people.

Day 4: August 19, 2014

2014-08-19T21:09:00.001-07:00

Today was full and wonderful day.

So far our weather has been very good. Even though the forecast called for rain each day, so far we've only had one night with rain. The days however have been very hot. We are drinking lots of water. We do love our bus and it's air conditioning.

James 2:14-17

“14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?† Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Each day we start with a wonderful breakfast and a devotion. Our morning devotions are on the bus ride to the clinic site. It's about a 45 minute ride. Amy also usually leads us in a song. Nury is always full of inspiring stories. So, with the air conditioning and a chance to reflect and share and fellowship, our bus rides are very enjoyable!

The day started out with a steady stream of people. We were much less apprehensive and much more efficient than the first day.

Tia's and Nancy, the pastor's wife.

Some children playing around Amy. It was great to hear children's laughter throughout the day.

This is a typical house. One thing that strikes all of us is that the mix of living conditions with technology is astonishing. People live in houses like this and many have TVs and cell phones.

It is a strange phenomenon.

Several of us took a break and walked to the corn mill around the corner from the clinic. This woman and most all others come to the mill 3 times a day. They first boil the corn, carry it to the mill and it makes the dough for the tortillas.

This gentleman is a taxi driver in a small car called a tuktuk. These small cars zip around everywhere. After this man got new glasses Jim, Maricella and Heidi got a ride to where we can use the restroom.

This is the house where we could use the restroom. Pigs, chickens, dogs... But we were grateful to have somewhere to go. It was one of a few that had a toilet.

Many children showed up for VBS.

Looking forward to what blessings God will give us tomorrow.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support!!!!!

Day 3 reflections: Sandi

2014-08-19T06:13:00.001-07:00

First day "in the field" doing eyeglass clinic was filled with anticipation and a little lack of confidence as we set up and anxiously waited for "customers". The morning was hazy and hot with the threat of rain and business started out slow. This worked great in helping us feel our way and build our confidence in doing exams/testing, dispensing and fitting in preparation for the afternoon rush. Returning from lunch at Pastor Luis' house we found a packed clinic with adults and children waiting. VBS was lively and full of energetic and beautiful kids and the clinic was hopping. The team members now feeling more confident jumped in at all stations to keep things moving. We packed up the clinic for the day and it was a happy but tired team on the drive back to the hotel. The night's devotion was filled with amazing personal stories from the day from a very tired crew.

Our makeshift testing area.

Sandy is testing this grateful youn man.

Day 3 reflections: Gail

2014-08-19T05:17:00.001-07:00

Today was the first day of our clinics. After being "fed" by others the last few days (i.e. worshipping at Resurrection Lutheran Church, being chauffeured around by our host, Nuri and being educated about all things Guatemala, etc..), I was anxious to share the gift of better vision with the people of Los Limones. A good part anxious and a giant part nervous! Training seemed to be forever ago and I felt very insecure of my abilities. I think most of our team felt the same way. We set up our clinic with care and with encouragement from our team leader, Debby. She was confident in us, so we grew confident. The Lord blessed us with a slow pace in the morning. We could take time in learning our skills. It turned out that all that worrying and anxiety was not needed. God had us in the palm of his hand the whole time and gave us the gifts to succeed that we needed. Why do we doubt His plan? We have been told several times since we have signed up for this mission trip that this team and these clinics and all that is to unfold here has already been designed in the eye of our Savior. We are right where we need to be. I thank God for being tool of His love here in Guatemala! Can't wait for tomorrow!

Day 2: reflections from Amy

2014-08-19T05:16:00.001-07:00

I think the thing that touched me the most today was during our prayer walk. We walked through the neighborhood we were going to serve and met and prayed with the families. The people were so gracious. Though their homes were nothing more than cinder block walls, tin roofs and dirt floors, they welcomed us with such warm smiles. They showed us the water filters that previous teams had installed which they were obviously very proud of. In one homes there was a 16 year old girl with a two month old baby named Walter hanging in a hammock. How precious and quiet this family was even though her mother was pregnant with her 12th child. Our team leader asked the mother what she would like to pray for. She asked us to pray for her family especially for her unborn child. It was such an honor to stand with this family and pray with and for them. The Holy Spirit united us as our translator Nury translated our words as we spoke! To God be the Glory!

Baby Walter is in the hammock.

Day 3: August 18, 2014

2014-08-18T19:52:00.001-07:00

Today was our first day of the clinic.

1 Peter 4: 10-11

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithfulstewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.† If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

It was quite hectic setting up, getting the chairs arranged, and all the stations setup.

Julie and Greg are measuring for the testing station. We started with the test against the wall, but soon decided the sun was too bright... And hot.

Gail helped unpacked the thousands of glasses.

Once the clinic began, we were got settled in our stations and realized we forgot a lot of what we learned in training! But soon caught on. Our team leader, Debby proudly looks over the stations.

Galen fit one of the first pair of glasses. The woman was so joyful.

Gail did the dispensing station and made sure the glasses worked well.

Kelly is fitting, bending, and making sure the glasses fit and are clean.

So many children came with their mothers. They were so sweet.

It was wonderful to hear so many giggles and see the smiles.

This very petite woman was about 85 years old and was called a pillar in the village. She was so talkative and sweet. The Lord has blessed her with health. She lives alone and cooks for herself.

Kelly and our wonderful translator, Christi, are testing.

She loved here new glasses!

Finally it was lunch time. We took the bus back to the pastor's house for a very nice lunch.

Jim and Greg are enjoying the view.

From the pastor's house you could view the church school.

After lunch we walked by the schol and met a few students.

This is their wonderful computer lab. What a blessing this schol is for these families.

I peeked into a classroom. Everyone smiled and cheered.

After lunch, it was back to work. Denny is dispensing the glasses.

Glen had a knack for fitting the glasses. Here he got a high-five from a grateful boy.

Many children came for VBS. They loved Margaret playing her recorder!

Nury had to chase the turkeys away from the clinic.

Susan led the children in VBS.

What a wonderful day and what a blessed day we had. The strength and cohesivness of our group is incredible.

We were happy to get back to our hotel with air conditioning... And water.

Day 2: August 17, 2014

2014-08-18T16:50:00.001-07:00

Today was a very beautiful day and a special one for all of us. During a prayer walk in the Los Limones village we were all reminded of the Beatitudes.

We attended church at the Resurrection Lutheran church in Gualan.

Several of the youth helped lead the service. Even though it was in Spanish we could follow along with the liturgy.

We were privileged to witness the welcome of a new member. It was beautiful how each person came and greeted her with a hug.

We were asked to sing. It's a good thing that we practiced on the bus ride to the church. Amazing Grace -Our Chains are Gone. It was a beautiful thing to watch the happiness of of the members. And we sounded pretty good.

After church the members enjoyed a snack of tostadas and juice.

We then started the ride to Los Limones. This is the road. We really didn't know what to expect. We inspected our site and then walked around part of the village with a prayer walk.

This is the mission building. It's in progress. Those are turkey's behind Glen.

This is one of the nicest houses. Most were made of wood, some concrete and and any other supplies that could be found. Most had electricity. We were all surprised by the cell phones.

This young girl we prayed for has breast cancer. We prayed for God's healing hand for her. She has a beautiful smile and a kind heart. And a cute pet monkey.

These are two of our interpreters, Scarlett and Maricela. So kind and helpful.

This is a local store and cell hotspot. It was a surprising site to all of us.

This village grows corn. They eat corn often for all three meals.... And nothing else. This woman is on here way to get here corn ground into corn flour.

A mother and daughter shelling black beans. This woman is 43 and is pregnant. We prayed for her health and safety.

This sweet young girl of 16 years old has her baby, Walter, in the hammock. We prayed for God to watch over them and give this young mother strength.

Day 2 Amy:

Outside the corn mill. These girls were selling their corn flour.

Some of the children heard that the Pastor was here. They came running and an impromptu service occurred.

The children touched our hearts.

At the end of the day we had dinner, devotions, and filled our water bottles. Cindy is helping our water brigade, Sandy and Greg.

It was a blessed day....

Day 1: August 16, 2014

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Our internet is very spotty, but here we go!

Today was our travel day. We were so blessed at every leg of our trip. The day in all aspects was wonderful.

We met at the airport bright and early. Our flight left on time. One stop in Miami and we were on our way to Guatemala City.

Our very, very early morning flight.

Amy is our Tech Leader at Shepherd of the Lakes. What a perfect store for her in Miami! Yes, she is always on the go,

God's creation is perfect.

The sights into Guatemala City were incredible. There are numerous volcanic mountain ranges in the area. The city is at 5000 elevation.

We are waiting for Debby and Denny to get through customs. They took care of some paperwork. More stories to come...

All our luggage and all of us safely aboard our bus. Ready for the 3+ hour trip to our location.

After stopping for lunch, we headed towards Zaccappa where we are staying.

We drove through the city and learned about some of the history. Our wonderful guide and host for the week, Nury, provided us colorful stories about buildings, culture, and the wonderful people of Guatemala.

Saturdays are Tomale days, and if someone hangsa red bag on their porch that means they made enough to sell.

At some of the city streets there were children performing. This lovely girl had such a great smile. We gave her a tip.

The roads were winding but relatively good... A few rock slides here and there, and lots of motorcycles driving like crazy! We had beautiful views of the countryside. We went from an altitude of 5000 ft up and down and ended at 100 ft altitude.

After unpacking, dinner and devotions were headed to our rooms. Kelly and Margie are turning in for the night.

2014-08-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

August 14, 2014

Greetings from Team 1432! We are getting ready for our trip to Guatemala with MOST Ministries.

We are very blessed to serve in the eyeglass clinic. I wanted to get you familiar with what we are doing and where we are going.

God has blessed thousands of people around the world through this ministry. Eyeglasses are simply not available or affordable to people in many countries, and yet the need for improved eyesight through a simple pair of glasses is there.

We were trained to use a very simple method of testing the eyes for appropriate prescription and then selecting and fitting the right glasses.

We can serve from 100-300 people each day of clinic. All patients are registered and these registrations provide names and addresses for the local church for follow-up evangelism.

Each patient receives a pair of glasses (or two if both distance and reading glasses are needed) as well as sunglasses and information on how to protect their eyes.

While patients are waiting or being tested and fitted for eyeglasses, they are given personal witness of a team member or a local church member and sometimes given tracts or other evangelistic materials.

Here is a map of where we are going. Los Limones is a very small village about 3-4 hours from Guatemala City. (Point A below). We fly into Guatemala City and take a bus ride to Los Limones.

Our host pastor, Pastor Jasinto, is from Resurrection Lutheran church in Gualan. This church was planted with the help of a short term mission team because of the care they had for the community’s health and spiritual needs.

A few years ago the Lutheran church wanted to start a mission site in Los Limones, a neighboring community, and requested a short term mission team to help them. Pastor Jasinto now serves both communities. The pastor shared: “The first contact the congregation from Gualan had with Los Limones was exactly because [of] a MOST Medical team, and from that moment the mission at this location was open."

The clinic we will serve each day is at that site in Los Limones.

We are blessed to go on this mission trip and share the gospel and help with this mission. Pray for our safe travels and fruitful trip.

Welcome

2014-08-02T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the Most Ministries Eyeglass Mission Trip Blog: Team 1432

We are excited to be serving in Guatemala.

Our Church Homes

2014-07-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

We have three church homes participating in MOST Ministries Team 1432 to Guatemala.

One church home is Shepherd of the Lakes in Brighton, Michigan
Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church

Another is Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Reed City, Michigan
Trinity Lutheran Church Reed City, Michigan

Another is Grace Lutheran Church in Monroe, Michigan
Grace Lutheran Church Monroe, Michigan

Training Day at MOST Ministries, Ann Arbor

2014-07-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

July 26, 2014: Today was Training Day!

We met at the MOST Ministries Office in Ann Arbor to do some team building and learn about the Eye Glass Clinic. Our leader, Debby was very helpful. Greg, her husband, also helped us learn what we needed for the Clinic.

Our first task was some team-building exercises. Spaghetti Tower building! We split into three teams to try to build a tower. One person was chosen to be blind folded - the rest of the team was to instruct how to build a tower out of the pasta and marshmallows. What we learned: patience, kindness, leadership, listening...

Debby and her husband Greg gave some instruction and guidance before letting us try on our own.

The testing station: Some intense flipping to find Kay's "number".

Another station is to get and fit the glasses.

Shirts for all!

Glen and I (Heidi) will be the official photographers.

Denny is packed and ready! We each received our check-in luggage with glasses and supplies.

Our MOST Team! Left to Right: Amy, Denny, Gail, Kelly, Margi, Julie, Glen, Jim, Debby, Greg, Susan, Sandi, Kay, Cindy, Heidi