Internalizing Our Adventure

I can hardly believe that we have already been back for a week and a half. It is amazing to me how quickly life seems to fly by. Since getting back, many of us (in fact over 1/3 of the Guatemala team) were involved with leading Vacation Bible School at CPPC. It was refreshing to be able to communicate with the kids in English, but at the same time I miss the pure joy of the kids in the villages in Guatemala. In Guatemala, we could pull out a thing of bubbles and entertain 40-50 kids for 15 minutes. Here in the states, that is just not the case. When kids have so much more, they expect so much more. I have noticed that in my own life as well. The more I have, the more I expect.

As we begin to return to a life that "resembles" normal, I am forced to figure out how what happened in Guatemala fits into a my life here in the states. I want our time and our experiences with the Guatemalan people to be life transforming, and always on my heart, but I find myself to busy to think. To busy to breathe in all that was our trip to Guatemala. My prayer for each of the team members today is that they would begin and continue to internalize everything we did, saw, heard, smelled, etc. That we could each find moments to relive our experiences in our mind. Even as I am writing this update, my mind is taking me back to the local market in Antigue. The smells of the meat market so strong and so awful that you can taste it! The beautiful colors of the fabrics. The sense of being a little on edge, afraid that the group might get split up, and we would never find our way out. All of those senses, all of the memories, may God bring back such experiences to each of us, so that we can take the time to examine and debrief, and better understand what God was not just doing through us, but to us while we were in Guatemala.

Thank you everyone for your countless prayers and support. My goal is to have team members write stories from their experiences, and post them on this blog for the next few weeks or even months. Please keep checking back to see more of the world we experienced in Guatemala.

In Christ
Doug

We are home

Hey everyone just wanted you all to know that we are home in Walla Walla. thank you for all your prayers. I will post again in the next few days but first i must sleep and then tomorrow i am spending the day with my family.

Doug Hayes
Youth Ministry Director
CPPC

Back in Guatemala City

Our adventure continues as we are in the final stage of our trip. Yesterday we got to play "tourist" for the day as we went to the Nature Reserve and Zip line adventure in Panjachel and stopped by to see Xicheme (I think I spelled that wrong), which are Ancient Mayan Ruins between Pana and Guatemala City. The break was much needed as we had a very hard week of very hard labor. I am so proud of all of the team for how much they accomplished in the Lake Atitlan region. Because of the mudslides after Agatha, we added doing foundation work for three houses to our list of projects in the region. Amazingly, after digging out, moving, and/or breaking up rocks that individually weighed more than our entire team put together, we began began laying foundation blocks for two of the three homes. And we did that on top of all our original projects such as building a home, doing clean up work in Tzan Petey, hosting a soccer tournament (which by the way we took a solid fourth in, and please don't ask how many teams were in the tournament), painting the coffee coop, and leading two Vacation Bible Schools in two different communities. The team worked so hard, and I know all of you would be proud of them.

Today we are back in the City and back to work. The group is split between the Guatemala Christian Academy and El Refugio, with both groups working on some painting projects. It is is nice to be past the back breaking work, and we really are focusing on allowing today to be an encouragement to Mark and Kim, as we are doing our work at their primary places of ministry.

Parents, I just want you to know that your kids are all doing well. We are down to one sick team member, and his parents are here with him. Also I want you to know that your kids are missing you. In the last 24 hours, I have had at least 8 kids tell me that they really miss their parents.

Please pray that we can finish strong, and that our last few days in Guatemala will be fruitful. We can definately feel your prayers, love, and support. About a week ago I asked for prayers that the rain would stop, so that the mudslides would not continue to devour the homes in San Lucas and the villages of that region. The amazing thing that came out of that is, about an hour after we prayed as a team, the rain slowed down and there has not been a hard rain in San Lucas since. Its amazing to see and feel the power of prayer.

The picture is of the younger team members making a Pyramid in front of a Mayan ruin that we saw yesterday.

Happy Father`s Day

I want to start by wishing all you dads a happy Father`s Day.  I know that it is hard to be away from  your children on Fathers Day, as today I am really missing my children, especially since this is my first Fathers day since Carson was born.  Shannon, Korinne, and Carson I love you all so much and am excited to see you at the end of this week.

Today we have had a much needed break from all the hard work.  We started the morning with a wonderful breakfast followed by a few minute of worship and quite time, before jumping on a boat that took us across Lake Atitlan to Pana.  As we left San Lucas behind us, it was bitter sweet.  Very quickly we fell in love with the people and community of San Lucas, San Gabriel, and Tzan Petey, and we all made many new friends.  Yet these past 5 days have been hard for the team.  Many members worked harder in these last few days than they ever have in their lives, and on top of that we have had two sicknesses having their way with part of the team.  So I got off easy in the work load toward the end of the week as I was running between work sites and the hotel to make sure everyone was staying hydrated, and feeling good.  Friday and Saturday were the worst, with an average of 4 people sick at pretty much all times.  Yet, God is good, and today people are
feeling much better.

I have been so impressed with the positive attitude and flexibility of this team.  At dinner tonight I was talking with Mark, Kim, and Terri about how great our group was, and I am just echoing their appreciation for a group that works so hard and is so happy. 

This afternoon we got to do a little bit of the ¨touristy¨stuff.  We went to downtown Pana to do a little shopping for gifts to bring home.  It was a much needed break, to recharge our batteries and get us ready to work hard again starting Tuesday.  Tomorrow we are traveling back to the city, where we will work with the women`s shelter, the Christian Academy, a squatters village, and an orphanage, before leaving for home on Friday.

Please pray for a safe trip on the roads tomorrow, for safety on the ziplines through the nature reserve, and for all the sickness to leave our group for good.  Thanks Kara for all the first aid supplies, we are using much of the medicine to keep ourselves well and get our team better.

Once again, the team wants to wish all of you dads a Happy Fathers Day, and tell you that they  love you.

In Christ,

Doug

San Lucas, VBS, ETC, ETC, ETC

Today we had an amazing day of hard work and great fun at our first day of Vacation Bible School. You should see the size of some of the rocks that we have been moving to clear the areas to build the three houses that will hopefully be built soon after we leave. Even though I was not at that work site today, I heard that one of the rocks that they moved was likely to weight literally a ton, and that was the missionaries estimation, not one of the kids. Everyone is working hard, and working well together. In the afternoon, we lead two Vacation Bible Schools, that went better than we ever would have expected. We had over 120 kids at the two sites, and it was so much fun for me to watch our young people and team to work with the kids. They were jumping all over us, and just having a great time.

On a more serious note, please pray that the rain stops. For our group, the rain has seemed to work out great. It always seems to start raining right after we finish our work for the day. However, for the poor people of San Lucas, the rain continues to seems like a curse. As we were eating dinner tonight, it starting pouring, and by pouring I mean completely unlike something you would ever ever see in the States. When we got back to our hotel, we learned that the downpour had caused another mudslide at the edge of town, that had destroyed three homes. Watching the news, we learned that there were no deaths, but it has to be terrifying to relive the experiences of a couple of weeks ago.

I do want you all to know that we are completely safe where we are. To get to where the mud slides have or could destroy homes, you have to walk around these little trails, and wind your way to the hillside. Our hotel is nowhere near the hillsides, and I feel completely safe where we are at. The missionaries have told me that they will check the roads before we go anywhere tomorrow to make sure that there is no possiblity of washout.

All of that said, Please pray that the rain stops, so that the ground can dry. Pray that the people who live near that area of the mudslides can get into the disaster shelters, and pray that we can continue to be a blessing to these people whose lives are in choas.

Thanks for all your support and love
Doug

Welcome to San Lucas

This morning began with an amazing breakfast, followed by a 3 hour trip in an old yellow school bus.  The road from Guatemala City was steep, curvie, and hit pretty hard with mudslides.  Then we turned off the highway for the last hour, and bounced away to San Lucas.  Upon arriving at our hotel, we changed and headed out to our various worksites.  Half of the group worked at digging three foundations for the three families that we have added to our schedule after they lost loved ones in the mudslides that followed Agatha.  Olfi, was there for a little while, and she seemed like a really nice young lady.  The kids were amazed at how much she could carry, as they struggled to keep up.  It was amazing to watch how hard the team worked.  Chisling rocks, digging ditches, and even moving boulders.  The other half of the team was split between painting, laying bricks for a house and planting trees to help protect the coffee fields of the towns coffee
coop.  Across the board, my greatest joy was watching our team interacting with the children and workers from Guatemala.  It is really fun to look see the joy that the children get just from interacting with us. 
Tonight it started raining, and it sounds like it might be raining pretty hard for the next two days.

Please pray for good weather, for our Vacation Bible Schools to go well tomorrow, and for the team to allow for the experience to stretch them.

In Christ,
Doug

Arrived In Guatemala safely

We just had a great lunch at the Christian Academy of Guatemala, which means that we are here safely, and everything went without a hitch. In all my international travels with large groups, I have never had everything go so smoothly. Everyone is doing well, and despite a little exhaustion, we are all relatively energized for what lies ahead. Driving through Guatemala City was eye opening for many members of the team. The rest of today is really low key, we are going to leave the school in a little while to go "freshen up" (some of us are already pretty fresh). Then we are going to go to a baptism of three women from the El Refuge Shelter that we will be working with next week. Tomorrow, we head to San Lucas Toliman, which is the town on Lake Atitlan. If today was an eye opening experience for some, I am more than confident that by this time tomorrow we will all be seeing the world very differently. I am excited to be here with your children,
friends, and loved ones. God is going to teach us all so much and use us in ways that we would never have imagined. We are unsure of internet access in San Lucas, so if you do not hear from me don't worry. I will update you whenever I can.

Shannon, Korinne, & Carson - I love you and miss you so much already.

Please pray for a good night sleep, and a God given energy tomorrow. And pray that we would have eyes to see, ears to hear, and heart to understand.

God Bless,

Doug

Progressing onward

We have safely arrived in houston, after a long flight through the night everyone is tired. but eager to get to Guatemala. Through the night there was a beautiful lightning show in the distance and as we were landing the sun was rising above the cloud just as we were decending into them. Pray for a little more rest on this last flight and for positive attitudes during our day in Guatemala.

Doug Hayes
Youth Ministry Director
CPPC

In Portland and at the gate

We just wanted to let everyone know we have reached Portland, are all checked in and are just waiting to board the plane. If time allows I will let you know when we are in Houston. Pray for a couple hours of rest on the flight and for the individuals who are nervous about the whole flying thing

Doug Hayes
Youth Ministry Director
CPPC

Today is the Day

Today is the day.  It is finally here.  We are leaving Walla Walla in just a few hours, and when we come back we will not be the same.  My greatest prayer for our team over the next 24hrs is that in the midst of little sleep, long flights, and excited we can find the Grace of God, and that His Grace will empower us to show one another grace.  I know I am coming into today already physically exhausted.  All of the little details have been running through my mind, and no matter how prepared I am, I always find myself awake at night worrying.  Worrying that I have forgot something, worrying that something might go wrong, or really just worrying that I am worrying too much.  May God grant each of us a sense of His Peace and Comfort in the midst of all our worrying.

 

As the clock continues to countdown toward leaving, I find myself struggling most with leaving my family.  All I want to do is hold my children close, and tell them that I love them and that I will miss them.  Korinne seems to get that daddy is going on a trip.  Last night as I was talking to her about the fact that I would be leaving today looked up at me and said, “I miss you too daddy, I pray for you…”  And then she did, she put her head down and said, “Thank for daddy, Amen”.  There is nothing better than that.  The only reason that I can pull myself away from them, is that with all my heart I believe that God wants us in Guatemala for the next two weeks.  I keep thinking about the three little boys whose families we will be trying to help, and how just a couple weeks ago they lost their daddies.  At least after two weeks my kids get their daddy back.  I get to tell them goodbye, I get to tell them I love them.  I just pray that as we go and share life with these families, they will see the love that Jesus has for them, through the love we share with them.

 

Keep praying for us.

 

Doug Hayes