Always an Adventure!

September in Guatemala is the rainiest season of the entire year.  Although at any given time through out the rainy season the weather can turn drastic, with rain pouring in sheets for days on end causing any number of catastrophes, in September it is worse.  Day after day the rain pummels down against the window panes.  Day after day of gray skies and muddy ground.  The clothes begin to mildew in the closets.  Mold pops up on the walls and around the window frames.  I begin to despair of ever seeing the sun again...

But eventually the sun does come out.  The ground dries.  The sky is a brilliant blue and the sun burns mercilessly down upon us making us wonder why we ever missed it in the first place.

Seasons change.

Each season is necessary.  Each season brings exactly what is needed to cause growth to prosper.

In CrossCulture Jesus (or Brazos Abiertos as we are known in Guatemala) we are at a time of changing seasons.  We have undergone tremendous growth as a result of God's grace and favor being poured down.  Now, as we enter another season, we are praying for more laborers to join us in order to sustain this growth.

Jesus said the harvest is ripe- and so it is!  We see a fruitful harvest in all that we do!  Jesus also said the laborers are few- and so they are.  However He instructed us to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send laborers- and so we do.

Every day here is a new adventure.  All you have to do is scroll through past blog entries to see that no two days are alike.  Whether hiking to a distant orphanage or wading through muddy paths to reach a poor family´s home we do it joyfully.  Some days are spent excitedly planning an outreach and other days are spent under the hot sun teaching multitudes.  We have made lifetime friends in many communities and around the world.  We have seen families come to Christ.  We have seen God move in mighty ways to meet the needs of local families.  IT IS ALWAYS AN ADVENTURE.

What can you do to be involved in this adventure?

1. Pray with us.  Make a commitment to pray for laborers to join our staff
2. Make a 6 month to 1 year commitment to join our staff yourself (raising your own financial support)
3. Send finances to support a local staff member's salary
4. Pass this information on to as many friends, churches, youth groups, and Bible schools as you can.

Contact us and let us know how the Lord is leading you to partner with us in this effort to see our ministry fully staffed in 2014.

sarah@crossculturejesus.org

God's Protection

 Yesterday we celebrated Día del Niño (National day of the child) and what a celebration it was!  The theme was all about God's protection over our lives, comparing it to how a sea shell protects the marine life within.

At one point I stood back, amazed, at how the Little Giants Bible Club has grown.  Over the past 6 years we have gone from 20 children meeting under a small roofed area in someone's back yard to over 130 children in 3 meetings per week.

Yesterday we had 115 children gathered for the celebration.

Our staff of Yolanda, Chrissy, Kimberly, and Abigail were hard at work for weeks preparing for the event.  We were blessed to have the help of 4 volunteers from the church Psalms 150 come to help out.  Unfortunately, I was unable to get a picture of everyone together as I would have liked.

The kids were eager to start.

Pastora Ana from the church Psalm 150 got the event started off with high energy.  She is an energetic little lady whose energy and happiness spill over onto others.

 

Then followed the games led by Abi and Kimberly

 

and a time of praise and worship lead by Yoli and our team of staff and volunteers

the children were lead in a precious time with the Lord

 

 

The memory verse came next which Chrissy reinforced with a game.

 

The Bible story was told in drama fashion.  The story of God's protection over the people of Israel as they left Egypt came alive for all 115 children who were held captive.

Moses

The people of Israel

The parting of the red sea was an awesome moment.  Due to the ingenuity of our volunteers the sea actually parted!!!!

craft time was next

Then the long awaited snack time.  Unfortunately for Corban and me, it was time for us to go.  One of the downfalls of still having a small child at home- the babysitter cannot stay but so late due to transportation issues (and the fact that she commutes over 2 hours each way).  Our time was up.  We asked for our hotdogs, chips, and cake to go.  Corban bemoaned the fact that we couldn't stay until the end.  I felt badly leaving everyone else with the snack, gift, and clean-up.  But this is the season of my life right now :)

three donated cakes

a sneak-preview of the gift given to each child.

 

We are immensely grateful: to those who generously gave towards this event, without you there would have been no celebration.  To the volunteers from the church Psalm 150 who gave selflessly of their time and energy and to the staff of Brazos Abiertos who worked hard to organize and carry-out the event.  Each of you had a vital role in making this celebration a success.  May God bless you abundantly!

Visitors make us smile

LaVerne loving on some of our girls

You know what it is like when company is coming.  Especially a long awaited guest.  You can't wait to show off your home and family.  The days seem to inch along and the clock never seems to budge as you count down until arrival time.  But somehow the wait makes the visit all the more sweeter...

It is the same with us at CCJ/ABA.  When company comes we are beside ourselves with anticipation.  Last week's visitor was especially long awaited... and especially sweet!  LaVerne has been in contact with us for several years always promising to visit.  The seconds ticked by on the clock.  The days on the calendar never seemed to change.  We waited and waited with sweet anticipation the arrival of our dear friend.  And at long last she was here!

LaVerne brought with her a suitcase full of donations she had collected.  These donations came right on time but then, God always supplies our needs right on time so I shouldn't have been surprised.  She observed our classes, she mingled with our staff, she brought a smile to our face, and her heart was joined with ours.

beginning the class with worship

I love to host guests and show off proudly what God has been doing in this town.  I am eager for them to see first hand the joy with which the children RUN to the Bible Clubs.  I want them to experience the move of God that is taking place here; to SEE and KNOW the difference their prayers, finances, donations, and friendship have been making in countless lives.

So LaVerne came.  She partook of the goodness of the Lord with us.  She left with a clearer understanding of what we do and why we do it.  She left with a deeper knowing of the part she has played in it all.  And she left us anxiously awaiting her next visit...

the boys having fun with some choreographed praise

5 year old taking care of 1 year old sister- a common occurrance

LaVerne sharing with some of the kids, again a brother taking care of his toddler sister

a special time of sharing with the team- celebrating Abi's birthday

Just imagine

Just imagine for a moment... imagine you are waking up to the early morning light seeping into your tiny home under and around the dirty, musty blanket that serves as a makeshift door.  You can hear the scuttle of nearby cats, dogs, rats, and other animals as they, too, begin to yawn, stretch, and begin their day.  You are trying to stretch your aching bones too, after sleeping in a cramped bed on a lumpy, moldy mattress with 2 or 3 siblings.

The tiny room that you call home is about 14 feet by 14 feet and filled with 2 double beds, a few broken chairs, and several overflowing dressers.  The walls are made of cold cinder block and roof is made of tin which cooks the small room during the heat of the day and reverberates with every rain drop during the rain.

You must be careful as you step out of bed.  The dirt floor is filled with potholes dug out by dogs and cats as they search for a bed of their own.  With a wide yawn from too little sleep you begin your day- the aching bones now forgotten as the gnawing in your stomach becomes ferocious.  There was no dinner the night before and you are pretty sure there will not be much for breakfast today.  Your mother is cranky from lack of sleep and a good meal too.  She brusquely reminds you to hurry off to school with promises of a warm tortilla with salt for lunch when you return.  So you gather up your school things, try to straighten the dirty clothes you slept in and make them presentable for at least one more day, and slip your sockless feet into a pair of shoes with broken laces and a floppy sole before you slip through the curtain you call a door.

This is no imaginary game for so many children that we see on a daily basis.  But with just $5/month YOU can change the ending to this story.  YOU can make it possible for a child to end his/her school day with the promise of a healthy, filling lunch at our new feeding program.

You can be a part of changing a look of desperation

 

into a look of hope....

The children bound up the stairs of our ministry base, leaving their dishes in the kitchen to be filled while they spend 20 minutes or so having fun with one of our teachers.  Each week we teach a Bible truth in a different and creative way.  Each week the children's souls are nourished as well as their bodies.

Abigail with the children

It is a race to see if the kitchen staff can finish before the class is done.

Venancia filling plates

Chrissy filling water bottles with Jamaican Rose tea

Once the class is over the children race hungrily down to pick up their full dishes before they rush off home.  The hallway is filled with giggles and glee as at least THIS day they can go to bed with full tummies.

We have a waiting list of at least 30 more children who want to come.  Please pray about how you can get involved.
Perhaps your Sunday school class, youth group, or ladies' group would like to sponsor one or more children.
Perhaps you want to organize a trip and come help in person.
Perhaps you know of some young person who would like to spend a few months with us.

Perhaps you could pray and join your faith with ours.
Perhaps you could pass this blog along to others.
The Lord will show you what you can do if you just ask Him.

Feel free to contact me for more information: sarah@crossculturejesus.org

A Glorious Day!

Thick, angry clouds gathered in the gray, dripping sky.  It was a bleak and bleary morning that threatened to make its despair my own. 

I fought against a deep weariness that came from several nights of only a 3 or 4 hours of sleep followed by several days of battling my pre-schooler's high fever. 

As I beheld the less than glorious morning I felt joy and strength begin to well up on the inside of me.  I glanced over at Francisco and we shared a smile as the Lord whispered to our hearts that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  We had certainly been waiting upon the Lord.  In fact, we had been waiting for a very long time.


Suddenly I knew that I could soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint (Is. 40:31) because the Lord was with us.  His hand of favor was upon us.  And I knew that it was a glorious morning despite the weather and weariness.  This day was the day when a long awaited dream was becoming a reality.  This was the day we would serve our first meal at the ABA feeding center.

Our first meal, as we called it, was a success.  We held the inauguration of the feeding center on a Sunday so that students from the Mariano Galvez University that have been helping us could be present.  They brought with them a group of volunteers called the Fabrica de Sonrisas (Smile Factory) who go to hospitals, orphanages, etc to bring smiles and cheer to children and adults alike.

The volunteers from the University were hard at work in the kitchen.

Francisco was hard at work doing odd jobs like helping to organize the flow of people traffic and entertain the boys!

While the food was simmering away and the volunteers setting up the activities room I was busy putting names on each plate and water bottle.

 

 

And of course I had help!  my helpers are never far behind....

 Finally the plates were all set and just waiting to be filled.

Meanwhile the kids were having fun with Smile Factory.

And we were busy filling plates and getting ready to hand out the meal. 

As the children left they were each given the plate and water bottle that corresponded to them.  Because of space limitations we have decided to handle the feeding center in this manner- giving the children the food to go.  The will be responsible to bring back their dishes each week to be filled again.

A well deserved break after the kids left and before the clean-up

 a future attendee---

All of us at CrossCulture Jesus and Brazos Abiertos want to sincerely thank each and every person who has been a part of making this dream come true- not only for us but for the many families who will benefit from this feeding program.  Years of trusting God have brought us to this point and you have all had a vital role to play.  

May the Lord bless you and keep you!!!!!!