Ven Conmigo A Guatemala! (Come with me to Guatemala!)

Yes, I am going to Guatemala! If you know my history with mission trips (described here in "Redeeming My Limits"), you'll understand how thrilling this is to me.  I really didn't mean to go a whole month without blogging, especially with such exciting news...but my last post "Don't Panic" was quite descriptive of how I was forced to approach the last several weeks. In the midst of an unusually busy work schedule, I nailed down the details of a mission trip to Guatemala set for the first week of April and was launched into the throes of making the dream a reality. Support letters were written late at night and stuffed in the van on the way to Dallas for a marketing event, lunch breaks and evenings were consumed by phone calls and research....It was incredible to watch the way that God pulled all of the details together so quickly, but I was scrambling to keep up with Him! The next right thing was all I could manage, but it was enough.

I cannot wait to share the fully story of how this all came about and what God is doing here - it is all very exciting, but will have to wait for another time. I will also be posting updates here during the trip (March 31 - April 7) assuming the internet connection is good. However, for now, here is a brief overview of the trip.

In a land known as Guatemala, there is a story that needs to be told:

“They say in Guatemala that if you’re born poor, you die poor.  The Guatemala City basurero (dump) covers forty acres of land with the city’s trash. Yellow trucks line up every day to tip their loads onto the heap, and residents of the slums outside the dump crowd around the trucks before they even come to a stop. Scavengers with the most seniority rush to touch the trucks’ sides — a flat palm against the cargo hold marks their scavenging space for when the trucks pull away, unleashing crumbling waves of garbage.  Along with the tons of trash are recyclables, and the lucky hangers-on get dibs on glass, aluminum, old furniture, and any other hot commodities that come pouring out. Regulars at the dump know which trucks carry trash from supermarkets and restaurants, so every morning is a race to grab up anything edible, or that can be sold.” 
[from Endeavors Magazine, January 14, 2008]

My home church in Georgia is actively working to change the outcome of the lives of these people who are born into the dump. For several years now, they have partnered with a Guatemalan pastor to both help provide for the immediate needs of these people and to help them rise above their poverty. Teams visit Guatemala City several times a year and provide services such as concrete floors and energy efficient stoves for the homes in the dump, sewing lessons for the women and VBS for the children. They recently helped construct a Christian school near the dump and are providing quality education for the children who live there. Their intent is to not just provide “fish” for these people, but also to “teach them to fish” for themselves so they can break the cycle of poverty for the next generation.

This trip is their annual youth mission trip to Guatemala and the team is mainly comprised of teenagers who will be spending their Spring Break serving the people of Guatemala City. My objective is to come along side the team and use video and photos to capture the story that is in the making – not just the story of this team, but the heritage of love and the prospect of hope in which so many people have invested both time and resources.  This is a story that needs to be told so that God may be glorified through the work that He is doing here. He is changing lives and saving hearts. The Lord is breaking through the chains of poverty in Guatemala City to give His richness of love, truth and tangible help to those who desperately need Him. My desire is that others who may never make the trip would be able see and experience this love of Christ in action.   My hope is the power of this story will inspire many to support and work with us so that God may continue to be glorified for generations to come.

Please be partnering with me in prayer as I prepare for this trip! Pray for the team that is going, the people we will work with and that God will give me eyes and ears for the stories that need to be shared. And please stay tuned...