Carolina

I would like to tell you about a woman that I met about a month ago. Her name is Carolina. I met her while we had the medical clinic. She came in with her three daughters, which had various aliments. What really broke my heart is when she began telling us about her struggles. She began explaining how her husband beats her and tells her that she is worthless. He tells her that he is going to find another wife, accuses her of having affairs, and in general is super controlling and doesnt show love to his daughters. The most heart renching part is when she told me that she no longer wants to live, that she just wants to commit suicide. We talked some more and I decided that I needed to continue the relationship with her.

I went to her house and prayed for her with a team. It was all girls and it was really amazing to hear more of her story. We prayed for all her problems that day.

I returned to her house with the next group and she told us that her husband was a little better and that as a family they had started going to church. What a miracle! She also looked so happy, I could tell that something inside of her had changed. Also that same day she began to tell me more of what happened to her. She was raped by her step father at age 7, her mother then rejected her and so she went to work in Guatemala City. She met her husband and married young. She married the first man that "loved" her. I believe she has never experienced real love. I pray that she finds it in Jesus. She also told me that her she had to leave her daughters with another family so she could work. Her daughter was raped by one of the sons in the family. The cycle is continuing. The last thing that she wanted for her daughters was for them to experience the same thing she did. Are you asking yourself, how is this all happeneing to one family, I did. There is no happiness, no joy, life is hard, what sort of future is there? I know that their only hope is Jesus. How can I show Carolina his love? What do I say? This same day we had brought just a little bit of food for the family, maybe a weeks worth. She began to cry and tell me that she had told her daughter that she had no food and could only give her 1 quetzal (12.5 cents) to buy some bread (which is 4 little pieces here). Jesus gave them food that day. Carolina told me that she now knows that God hasnt forgotten them, that he is providing for their needs.

Today I went back to visit Carolina and her kids. We brought them some food. She again told us that she had no lunch today because there was no food. It amazes me every time how God guides us to the families that need help, and reminds them that he cares for them. Carolina shared with me that they have no running water in their house. It would be so easy to install (but costs about $75 to hook up). They dont even have that kind of money. It only costs $1.50 a month for water here once it is installed. Water, something so simple we take for granted. God displayed his glory in providing for a family today. He never forgets us, never.

You maybe wondering why I shared this somewhat bleak story. I dont write here much, probably partly because most stories and things that I see are depressing. This story is the reality of many if not most families here. Some have different struggles, but all are so profound. It is not fun or cheery to write about, but I want you to pray for these people. Especially Carolina. She needs love, she needs Jesus. I hope that she sees him in us.

You know just some normal stuff... a hot waterfall... drinking coconut milk.

A little update

Well it has been quite some time since I have written a blog update... when teams are here, it seems like I have no other time left in the day to do anything but be with them. But we had a great week with a team. We got to make a playground in Buena Vista. We painted an existing court, put up basketball hoops, and put in a swing set. Kids love it. There is also a building on the property and the community leaders told us that we can use it if we fix it up. It needs a new roof, a new paint job, and new windows, but it will be a great place to do community events. With this last team we were able to clean up the inside a bit and paint the outside. We hope that with a future team that we will be able to put in all new windows and fix the roof. It will be such a blessing to have an area where we can hand out food, or shoes or just hold different events.

My friend is here visiting and I had this past weekend off so we decided to go to Rio Dulce. It is near the Carribean Sea so it was close to what most people would consider paradise. It was a great time to get away and relax. It was hot, but we swam a ton, got to see a castle, go to hot springs, and took a boat ride.

Coming up, we have a good week with a team planned and I pray that God will bless the time and use it to bless both the team and guatemala. Then right after we have two more teams and so it will be a busy month, but it is always exciting to see God move especially in the hearts of the team. Pray for them as you are reminded of Guatemala.

Milo (pronouced mee-lo)

Here is me and the kitty.

I have good news... my scabies are pretty much healed. The scratching is basically over now and you can hardly see the bites. I never want to do that again. The other good news is that I rescued a kitten, he is probably about 6 weeks old right now; he is pretty tiny. I didnt really want a kitty but he was running around in the street almost got hit by a car and so I felt bad. Slowly I am beginning to like him. I never had a cat growing up and I dont really know what I am supposed to do with him. He sleeps right next to my face on my pillow, which is really sweet, but he also bites alot. I think that he might be teething.
Since last time I wrote I had another team here. It was a team of 14 girls from the University of Florida. It was a great time. They were all just a few years younger than me and it was fun to interact with them. God did some awesome things both in the team and the community. At the VBS in Buena Vista that the UF girls ran, kids raised their hands saying that they didnt even know who jesus was and by the last day they were raising their hands to ask Jesus to forgive their sins. It was incredible to watch kids learn about Jesus that had no idea who he was. They were soaking in everything. I am looking forward to more groups coming and showing Jesus love to these kids. I know that continued relationships, and most importantly, Jesus will change that community.