Anyway, Christian and I have returned from Guatemala (on July 28th) and it was a blessing for us to be able to go and be the hands and feet of Jesus. I'll tell the story through pictures if that is okay.
 |
| Our team of 17 from Mt. Gilead Church in St. Louis before our first flight. |
 |
| Morning Glory Christian Academy Our home for the week in San Raymundo Guatemala. |
 |
| Day 1 - Digging, Shoveling and hauling some heavy dirt. |
 |
| Adrian's fiance George (not used to that yet) & his mother the wall divider between the bedrooms. |
 |
| Christian cutting out an opening in the siding to go around a window. |
 |
| Maddie and Christian on the roof setting trusses. |
 |
| The family we built the home for. Three generations all living together. This is Sunday night and they are standing where we built. The grandparents home is located behind them (it is a kitchen and bedroom). |
 |
| Second home on the property where a mother/father and 3 kids lived. |
 |
| Inside the home. Dirt floor, two beds (one for parents, one for the 3 kids), all belongings in the boxes. |
 |
| Kitchen where all the cooking was done over an open flame. The stove was not functional. |
 |
| Family receiving crosses as a house warming gift. The crosses were made by a member of our church who passed away last December. These hung in his house for 30+ years and his daughter's sent them to Guatemala as a gift. |
 |
| Christian and Dylan presenting a bible to the family. |
 |
| Benedo driving in the last nail in his new home. |
 |
| Giving thanks for the blessing they were given. Benedo said it would be the first time in 71 years he slept over a concrete floor with a roof that would not leak when it rained. |
 |
| Our team in front of the house. |
 |
| Some of the family in front of the house. |
 |
| Traveling in San Raymundo in a truck. Tight fit. |
 |
| Our bus broke down on Friday coming back from Antigua. Should have been 4 belts. We only had two when we started the day and one of them broke. We moved the good one over to run the brakes because they were more important than the lights at the time. |
The purpose of our trip was to build a house for a family that they would never be able to afford it on their own. This was to demonstrate the free gift of God's Grace through Jesus Christ, something we can never earn or pay for, but we can freely accept from God through Christ Jesus. This family are cultural Christians and did not have a personal relationship with Christ. As Pastor Israel said, "They don't know Jesus personally yet, but very soon, very soon." The house has also opened the door for the local church to work in the neighborhood, follow-up with families and share the gospel. The whole week we were building, Pastor Israel was making connections with all the people who came to see what the "gringos" were doing.
We're already planning our trip to Guatemala for next summer. Hope to be able to share more with you in the future. EDK
6 comments:
Wow, what a great experience. Those homes remind me of some I've seen in Mexico, and years ago, Haiti. I've never looked at life the same way since those experiences. Though mission trips are for the benefit of others, the people who go on them often take away the most. Glad you got to eat with M and J in Alabam also.
*Alabama. :-)
Glad you are home safe and that you had such a good week. Many blessings had by all!
Glad you are home safe and that you had such a good week. Many blessings had by all!
Eric - it was great to see you! So glad the visit worked out the way it did. You're always welcome when you're passing through.
The pictures are great - glad to see the visual images of your descriptions last night. It sounds like a wonderful trip.
Interesting pictures, Eric. Sounds like you had a wonderful and blessed experience. Glad you're all home safe.
Post a Comment