Little Giants

Corban sat in the back seat of the car in his carseat.  "The car is jumping." he exclaimed as we turned off the main road and onto a dirt road full of rocks.  We were headed to the Wednesday morning "Little Giants" Class in Santa Inés. 

We arrived and parked our car in the retreat center parking lot.  Las Alturas has generously lent us space in one of their chapels to hold our twice weekly Bible class for children.  As we walked towards the chapel we could hear children laughing as Alfonso lead them in a fun game. 

The Little Giants is a Bible class we designed to take into the predominately catholic villages of San José Pinula.  The class consists of games, stories, object lessons, and a Bible verse all centered around a central theme.  Chrissy and Alfonso bring tons of life to the class with creative ideas and dynamic interaction.  I agreed to join them on Wednesday.  As I walked in with Corban by my side I fondly remembered old times when I was the one in front of the children constantly.

I situated Corban up front near another boy about his age (Justin).  Then the class began. 

We alway ask the kids to sit up straight and pay attention.  Here is one example of a young girl doing just that!!!  We give prizes out to the kids who are best behaved and encourage the others to follow suit.

We have asked our kids to come dressed as cowboys for the next class.  We are having a cowboy birthday party for the kids who had birthdays in May.  This little guy got confused and came dressed for the party a week early!

Look at how this little princess is dressed.  Fashion in the village is determined by what clothes you have available.

As you can see from the shoes below, shoes and socks are much needed items around here.

We always have game time.  These two girls didn't win, but they had a good time trying!

Take a look at the banana tree through the window.  The retreat center is on a beautiful piece of property with fruit trees all around.  Just outside this particular chapel are banana trees and fig trees. 

my teaching style has changed over the past couple of years.  I never know when my faithful "helper" is going to come forward to lend a helping hand!  Here I am talking about how the seeds we find in food produces more food... just another way that God provides for us.




Chrissy always comes up with fantastic craft ideas.  This lesson about how Jesus multiplied the bread and loaves was all about God's provision.

We followed up the teaching by making fish out of lunch bags (brought from the States) to remind us always that God will provide for us.

Here is Alfonso helping some of the smaller guys with their fish. 

 Another little cowboy (also confused about the date) and a little girl are showing off their fish.  They were both very proud of their efforts.  Please note the condition of this girl's clothes.

Another happy face.  The older girls especially enjoy craft time and often help the younger kids.

It was a productive, happy morning for all of us.  The Little Giants are truly giants indeed.  They are making leaps and bounds in their faith.


To those of you who give into this ministry - THANK YOU!

Dreams coming true...

If you remember an earlier blog where I spoke of my dream of reaching the mountain area of San José Pinula, then this blog will make more sense.  

We have a team coming to visit us in July that has accepted the challenge of taking the gospel to this unreached area.  So now the job is ours to plan it all and see that it flows smoothly.  Let me take the opportunity here to ask that you take a moment to pray for us, that the Spirit of God would begin to move on hearts and prepare the way for us.  The first step in getting ready for this trip was getting the proper permission from the school supervisor.  On Thursday our mission was to take a copy of that written permission to each of the schools we plan to work with.

The day started out chilly, but that is what to expect before 7am.  Alfonso, Chrissy, and I were each prepared with a fleecy sweater, water, and a snack since we didn't know what time we would be back.  The schools are an hour and a half away (if all goes well, meaning there are no overturned trucks or buses, no washed out sections, no car trouble, etc).

As we turned off of the paved road and onto the bumpy dirt road the reality of what we were doing sunk in.  We were leaving civilization.  No more gas stations, no more cell phone coverage, no more of the usual culture we were accustomed to.  Even Alfonso, who is Guatemalan, felt as though he were entering another world.  We were behind a truck loaded with cinderblocks.  The truck was plugging along despite the uphill climb.  The road was full of ruts, rocks, and sharp curves.  As I peered through the window at the cliff on one side of us I breathed a quick prayer of thanks for my 4-wheel drive.  The furthur we went, the fresher the air.

We passed men on horseback.  Horses and mules are a main source of transportation as even the public bus rarely passes through.  It is not unusual to see horses and mules tied alongside the road.  We passed farms of all types.  Prosperous farms that give work to the community and are owned by rich elite.  Also poor farms owned by the local families which provide for their families.

The poor communities were thrilled to welcome us.  take a look at the pics below to get an idea of how our day went.

The outhouse at Río Frío school.  notice the door is just leaned onto it.  and YES, we used it!  when nature calls, you gotta do what you gotta do.

The first school we visited... Río Frío.  As you can see, not all of the students have desks.

The outside of Río Frío school.  Less than 40 students attend this school.  It is very prmitive, although not the most primitive I have visited.

The soccer goals at the Río Frío school

After Río Frío we went on to a larger school.  El Carmen is a school of a little over 100 students.  We were forced to park on the road, parking as far in the ditch as possible.  Although it is not a high traffic area, large trucks come by carrying broccoli crops into town. 

The young daughter of one of the mother's who came to cook along with an older student (presumably her brother).  Notice the rubber boots the boy is wearing.  Typical in this area.

As in many schools, the children are given a snack (which is more like a meal) every morning.  The snacks are prepared by the mothers.  As in all of this area, the children suffer from poor nutrition.  Many do not have breakfast before heading off to school because there is simply no breakfast available!  A doctor comes to the health clinic once every 3 months.  EVERY 3 MONTHS!  Even so, there is little medicine available even when the doctor is there.  In each of these areas a Health Vigilante goes around to the homes to take weight and measurments of the children and hand out vitamins when possible.  These children do not recieve check-ups.  They only see a doctor if very ill... and since one only comes around every 3 months quite often by the time the doctor arrives they are very ill indeed!

A mom preparing the school snack over a fire.  The smoke stung our eyes as we said hello.  The poor ladies were wiping tears from there eyes... and not tears of joy! Tears from the smoke.

tomatoe sauce bubbling over the fire

El Carmen school principal and Health Vigilante for the area.  

 There are few churches in the area.  In all of our driving we only saw two small Catholic churches. 

Over all it was a productive day, full of God's favor.  We spoke to four schools and made arrangements to bring the team in July.  We even got permission from 2 of the schools to begin visiting once a month with a program of morals and values (the same program we take into public schools in the town). 

We also want to take doctors and nurses into this area.  If you want to help us with that please let me know.  We would love to supply the schools with vitamins for the children and shoes for their feet.  There is so much to be done in this area, we are only starting.  Keep this in your prayers.  The harvest is white, the workers are few.  Pray with us for more missionary and volunteer help.  Pray with us for the resources we need.  If you wish to donate towards helping these communities or bring a team of people to help us for a week or two, please see our website. 

www.crossculturejesus.org

always, always orphans

Yesterday I joined Chrissy and Alfonso to teach Bible to the children at Fundaniños Orphanage.  Even before I had a team of people helping me I was visiting that orphanage weekly and teaching Bible to the kids.  The children at Fundaniños have a way of getting inside your heart and staying there permanently!  Any of the volunteers or ex-volunteers there will tell you so.

I was thrilled to finally be headed back to teach the Bible class at this place so dear to my heart.  I left home before 7am, much to Corban's dismay, in order to be at the mission base (ABA) before 7:30am.  After a quick prayer Chrissy, Alfonso, and I headed off on foot for the orphanage.  It is about a 30 minute walk, and very invigorating with all that fresh air.

As we reached the edge of town the diesel fumes, barking dogs, and general noise of the town slowly faded away to be replaced by the clucking of hens and the gurgling of water in a nearby stream.

The road to Fundaniños is a dirt road with little traffic other than pedestrians such as ourselves.  We walked along, thankful for the cloudy day.  Banana trees along the road were bare, a sign of the changing seasons.  Cows in roadside pastures turned to stare at us while chewing their cuds.

While on the other side of the road a poor farmer worked his land by hand.  His crop will most likely be corn which he will use to provide for his family.  With the corn they can make tortillas, tamales, atol de elote, among other things. 
We waved a greeting to him as we passed by.  On our way back home 2 hours later he was still working and a fellow worker had a small boy (maybe 4 years old) on the side of the road squatting down to deficate.  How disgusting... why they didn't at least go away from the road and into a grove of trees is beyond me (or better yet, a short walk to the family's outhouse) and only shows the effect ignorance can have on a society (its cleanliness, diseases, social graces, etc).

After about 30 minutes we arrived at the orphange.  The children ran out to greet Alfonso and Chrissy.  These children are always so ready to give and recieve love.  Almost every one of these children is here because of severe child abuse in the home.  It is like they want to make up for all the love they missed out on for so many years. 

Friendly greetings, warm hugs, plenty of laughter, and then it was time to start class. 











Games helped us to teach an important Bible truth: God promises to take care of us.  We learned a Bible verse (Matt 6:32) and had a time of worship.  Since this orphanage is Christian they are very open to allowing us to teach the whole Word of God and allowing us to pray with and for the children. 

During the worship time there was a sweet presence of God as some of the children lifted their hands to the Lord.  Of course, when you have that many children of all ages... you can imagine that while some were absorbed in worship others were whispering, smaller children were fidgeting, and a few looking around to see what everyone else was doing.  Even so, the presence of the Lord was there and we all felt it. 

Once class was over we took a few minutes to speak to the children one on one.  Thanking them for coming to class, reminding them of the promises of God for their lives... Below I will share with you a little about a couple of the kids.

Maribel is 16 years old.  She looks younger than her age, but she has lived far more than most 16 year olds.  She is already a mother.  The father of the baby was Maribel's own father.  After suffering years of abuse she discovered she was expecting a child and finally was removed from the home.  When class was over she came over and gave me a huge, strong hug.  Almost as if she was clinging on for dear life.  "I love you.  Please come back again." she whispered in my ear.  What do you say to a child in this situation????  I told her that she was not an accident.  She was born with a God-given purpose.  God has a divine purpose and destiny for her.  Her life blesses many people.  God loves her and has many wonderful promises for her life.  A smile shone on her face as she wiped tears from her eyes.  Turning to leave reminding me to please come back.

I don't remember this little guy's name.  He is 4 years old, although malnutrition make him appear younger.  He has been at the orphanage for about a month now.  Although outwardly he appears mostly content, there is a shadow in his look that tells of a horrific tale.  When police found this child a little over a month ago  he was beaten black and blue- literally.  Swollen eyes and burned fingers and toes were only a part of the problem.  There was barely an inch of his body that wasn't damaged in some way.  He is missing several toes now- a constant reminder of the torture he has endured. 

These are just a couple of stories.  Each child has his/her own story to tell.  While we are not their constant caregivers, we do visit weekly to remind them that regardless of their past- GOD IS HERE FOR THEM.    Like Jonah who found refuge in the belly of the fish God has brought them to Fundaniños to find refuge.  Like Jonah who needed that place of refuge to hear God's voice clearly, now they, too, can grow in their relationsip with the Lord and learn of all the GOOD things that He has for them.  I love Jer. 29:11 which promises us that God's plans for us (all of us) are for GOOD and NOT for evil......  May God help us to always have to right word of healing for these precious lives.  Pray for us as we continue to reach them with God's word and God's love. 

Village Moms celebrate Mother's Day CCJ style

 (the guest speakers from Vida Real posing after handing out gifts to "our moms")

Saturday was our annual Mother's Day event.  For the Asociacion Brazos Abiertos team (or ABA team) the preparations started on Friday with a trip to the market and then all afternoon moving furniture, preparing food, decorating, etc.  Of course, most of that continued on Saturday morning.

Saturday morning was a typical Saturday morning for the Smith household.  Corban was into anything and everything.  I was bribing and convincing him to "go to the potty".  We had to run errands so after the usual marathon of getting the three of us ready we were ready to walk out the door.  Personal errands kept us busy until 11am at which time we returned home and I got busy on the computer printing out certificates for the Mother's Day event.  After my computer work and a quick lunch/snack and another trip to "the potty" with Corban I was out the door with a hug and a kiss for my hubbie.

I arrived at ABA around noon and found Chrissy and Alfonso already hard at work cleaning floors, adding more decorations, and setting up sound systems, tables, and chairs.  Yolanda entered soon after I did and got busy setting up a flower decoration for each mom's place at the table.

After a quick break for lunch it was back to work.  A local church, Vida Real, came out to teach the mother's.  The three women who came were so wonderful.  The message they shared was powerful.  But I am getting ahead of myself.

At 2pm the moms started trickling in.  All in all 37 mothers attended the event.  We started with a prayer and then some worship time.  Truly amazing to see how far these women have come in their relationship with God.  When we first started ministering in this area over 4 years ago the families were very reserved and few had a real relationship with the Lord.  Over the years most have given their hearts to Jesus and in the process have become more expressive of their love for the Lord and gratitude for what He has done in their lives.  As the music started about half of the women raised their hands in worship, others wiped at tears in their eyes as the words they sung bubbled up from the depths of their hearts.  It was an aweinspiring time. 

A couple of games and icebreakers followed the worship.  These women are always ready to participate in the games that Chrisssy and Alfonso plan for them.  They had such a good time as they competed.  

The women from Vida Real shared about the power of the words you speak.  It was a message conveyed in a way that is applicable to these village ladies.  The examples they gave were real life examples and easy to relate to.  The message impacted all present.  Many of the ladies felt convicted for words they had spoken about themselves and their families.  The prayer at the end was a powerful time of repentence and turning this area of their lives over to the Lord.  Again many women lifted their hands in surrender.  Tears trickled down many cheeks as the Holy Ghost ministered in the room.  I was so thankful to the Lord for allowing us to reach these precious women with His Word and to see lives transformed before my very eyes. 

After this ministry time we all went into the dining room.  Our dining room was literally maxed out.  37 women sitting at 4 tables (if you can imagine), the team from Vida Real sitting in one corner, and the ABA staff serving.  We raffled several prizes while the moms enjoyed a sub-sized chicken salad sandwhich and donuts.  The donuts were given by Vida Real.  The flower at each place donated by Chrissy's mom.

After the meal we had a craft.  The mother's made a fan using the face of greeting cards, popcicle sticks, and stickers.  It was a handy craft, too as it was so hot and stuffy in that over crowded room. 

The ABA team was exhausted after such an event.  However the exhaustion we felt was nothing compared to the sheer satisfaction of having blessed so many women.  Seeing the genuine smiles and hearing the hearty laughter during the event somehow erased the tiredness that wanted to overtake us.  I wonder what next year will bring us!!!!!!!!!

(giving a certificate of appreciation and a small gift to the ladies who helped us out)

(Ana, her daughter Marleny, and I.  Ana makes delicious tortillas at the tortilla stand in front of the ministry base.  More about her in another e-mail)

(sharing about the power of our words)

(praying for the village ladies.  Asking the Lord for forgiveness for how we have used our words and for wisdom to speak better things to and over our families)

(recieving from the Lord during the prayer)

***if you wish to donate to this or an event like this you can do so on our website:
www.crossculturejesus.org

to market, to market

As I waded through knee high bags and boxes of fruit and vegetables which my husband brought home from the market my memory drifted back to the many times I myself have shopped there.  

One of the truly unique experiences while living in Guatemala has been going to the market to buy fresh produce, meat, cheeses, and just about anything else you can imagine.  One of the largest markets in the city is found in zone nine at the bus terminal.  Thus its name "la Terminal".  La Terminal extends over several city blocks and amongst its many wares you can find just about anything, from hand made furniture to flowers, from fresh produce to recently butchered meat.  Firewood can be purchased, kitchen utensils, clothes, and so on and so forth. 

Often I have trudged through the dirty streets, trying to miss the largest ruts while dodging trash on the ground below and squeezing though the mass of people alongside.  The smells assault my senses as the sweet frangrance of freshly cut flowers and ripe, delicious fruit mingles with the not so pleasant odors of human sweat and animal dung.  The hundreds of voices announcing the sale of goods and haggling for the best price struggle to be heard over the car horns and motors as vehicles attempt the almost impossible task of meandering througt the sea of people which have overtaken the street.  In the distance the bleating of goats can usually be heard and soon the small herd will come into view as the goatherd guides his small crew down the busy thoroughfare.  For just pennies fresh goat's milk can be purchased.  These nanny goats will gladly stand still and allow their udders to be relieved as you purchase warm, fresh milk which the goatherd hands to you in paper cup.

This is the way of life for so many.  The children of those who work in La Terminal grow up there and when they are older take part in the family  business.

Precisely today our faithful few: Alfonso, Yolanda, and Chrissy woke up early and left home before 7am in order to be at La Terminal in time to make the purchases necessary for tomorrow's Mother's Day celebration.  Each year we celebrate the mom's who faithfully send their children to the Little Giants Bible Clubs.  It is a "gala" event so to speak.  These mothers, who are dirt poor, put on their best clothes and get all "gussied up" to spend an afternoon with us.  Each year we look for donors to help with the resources we need (food, gifts, craft, decorations) as well as to help us serve on the day of the event.  Each year we look for a special speaker to bring an encouraging message to these village ladies.  Below you will see some pictures from events in years past.

Tomorrow's event should be a blast.  It makes for a long day for all of us involved.  Not only will a good portion of today be spent making purchases and preparing the room, but tomorrow will start early as we arrive in the morning to start cooking and finish the decorating.  The ladies will arrive around 2pm for a 2 hour mother's day gala event.  Then the staff and I will stay behind to clean, wash dishes, and leave the ministry building spotless.  Shew!  It is quite an endeavor, but one that brings much satisfacion.

Pray with us for lives changed and souls saved as we minister not only the love of God but also the Word of God.