The 2023 Guatemala mission team would like to thank the congregation of Trinity Presbyterian Church for your prayers and financial support for this trip. It was a life changing trip for trip participants and for the people we worked with.

The first post will give some background about a projects and then there is a post for each day of the trip with pictures and details about that day. .

We worked in a small remote town called San Carlos Alzatate. This town is accessible only by a narrow, winding, bumpy dirt road that goes up the side of a mountain. The population is mainly indigenous and the poverty rate is over 85%. Most are subsistence farmers – some may work a few months of the year at a local coffee plantation.

We had two projects this year, One team installed a water purification with Living Waters For The World while the other team installed ONIL stoves in homes with Helps International. Both of these are exciting and life changing projects.

We take for granted that we can turn on our faucet any time and have access to clean, safe, pure water. This is not true in many parts of the world. In Guatemala most municipal water systems lack any sort of water treatment. Supply is often intermittent and unpredictable.

Currently, the water supply in San Carlos Alzatate comes from mountain streams and it is very contaminated. Purified water is available in the town, but it must be trucked in up the winding dirt road, so it is not easily accessible or affordable. We worked with a group of elected leaders to install the system. We also trained a group of educators so that they can teach people in the community some basics about germs and hygiene such as how and when to use purified water and how and when to wash hands. We use a variety of games, crafts, stories, songs, drama and activities to reinforce these lessons. Then we leave material so that they can teach these lessons to people in the community. Finally, we trained a group of operators about how to run and maintain and trouble shoot the system and how to run a business to make sure the system is sustainable.

Our other project was installing stoves in homes in the villages around San Carlos Alzatate. When I first heard about installing stoves, I was not every interested in the project. I thought there would be more pressing needs. But the more I learned the more excited I became. In Guatemala, millions of families still cook the way their ancestors have for centuries – on an open fire in the middle of their shelter. 

As you can imagine this causes a lot of problems. Constant exposure to smoke is not just unpleasant, it is harmful to everyone – especially to developing lungs. 

In Guatemala, 1 child in 5 dies before reaching their 5^th birthday. The leading cause of death is acute respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia which are directly linked to smoke inhalation. This is followed closely by diarrheal diseases caused by drinking contaminated water. 

The open flames are a huge safety concern. Children can crawl or trip into flames. Women’s clothing or hair can catch fire and serious burns are common.

There are also economic issues. Because open flames are so inefficient, families need about 50 # of fuel each day. Fuel gathering requires a lot of time for women and children each day, limiting other productive activities (that can generate income) and taking children away from school. 

Finally, there are environmental issues The high demand for wood contributes to deforestation.  The fires also produce a lot of greenhouse gasses which speeds up climate change and global warming.

ONIL stoves are a simple and elegant solution to these issues. There is a model on the bulletin board in Trin Hall. These stoves save lives – they are raised, enclosed and vented to the outside, solving many of the health and safety issues. The are much more efficient – families use 70% less fuel. This frees women and children to pursue other activities such as school, gardening, or learning a trade like weaving. Stoves save trees each stove saves 1 tree a month and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. A stove will easily pay for itself in a year, but most families could never afford to buy one.

We installed 48 stoves during this trip. This is not just a project that a few people from Trinity are involved in – this is something that everyone can be involved in. Together we can improve the quality of life in San Carlos Alzatate and spread the love of Christ. 

We ask for your prayers during our trip. I would like to close with the words of the Archbishop Oscar Romero prayer

I

Today has been a long but very successful day for the team.

We arrived at our Miami hotel about midnight last night and had to leave at 6 to catch the shuttle to the airport. The flight was uneventful and by some miracle, all 26 of our bags made it!

The next step was getting all of that luggage out of the airport and loaded on the vans.

In case you are thinking that does not look very secure you would be right. About half way to Jalapa we rounded a sharp curve and 4 bags fell off. Luckily we were able to pull off the road right away and nothing had major damage.

We arrived in Jalapa about 2:30.

The water team had to quickly drop things in our room and head to San Carlos Alzatate. We traveled up the narrow winding bumpy dirt road to the top of the mountain.

Part of the team unpacked the system while the educational team met with the water board. There were about 20 very distinguished gentlemen but they seemed to enjoy learning about germs and handwashing and they all participated in our activities.

Meanwhile the stove team shopped for supplies. They will have to bring their lunch each day. Then they met with Helps International to learn how to install the stoves.

Both teams finished around 7, in time for supper. Then we prepared the gifts we will be leaving with each family that receives a stove.

Each family will receive a wooden spatula that says Faith Hope Love in Spanish, a copy of the New Testament in Spanish and a lovely dishtowel.

Finally we had devotionals and headed to bed. Tomorrow morning breakfast is at 6:30 sharp!

Today was an awesome day! We woke early to the sounds of of roosters crowing and birds singing. Some team members even reported hot showers! We had a delicious breakfast at 6:30 and by 7:15 we were on the road.

The stove teams headed for some of the remote villages that surround San Carlos Alzatate. There are 4 teams of 3 people and each team has a representative from Helps International with them. The stove teams had a long trip over the windy narrow bumpy dirt road. They went almost an hour past San Carlos Alzatate.

I will share a number of pictures taken by the stove teams and at the end of today’s post I will share some comments made by team members. Each team installed 4 stoves today. By the end of the day they were experts in installation.

The first series shows Stephen and Butler Davis installing a stove step by step.

Starting to use the stove for the first time.

Most families cooked tortillas as a first food on thier stove, some team members even learned how to make tortillas.

Happy families with their new stoves

The villages are remote but the ice cream truck still visits

Beautiful views coming down the mountain

The water team had a great day as well. We have a great team of educators and after a few hiccups the water room is back on schedule. I’ll post pictures and more information on that tomorrow. After supper we met to talk about our day.

Here are some of the comments from the stove team.

“I realized how much I take for granted, I’ve never seen a house with a dirt floor.”

“They were so excited to have a stove. I knew they would be grateful, but I did not expect such excitement.”

“I feel so honored to be here and to be part of this ministry.”

“I was surprised by how happy everyone is. They have so little and yet they don’t seem to miss things. The children run and play with sticks or rocks for toys and they are happy.”

“They whole community helped each other out. When we went from one home to the next the family came with us to help carry the equipment.”

“The home was dark and full of soot! Everything I touched got black and my clothes all smell smoky even though no fire was going.”

“I started to cough as soon as I entered the house.”

“We heard several women wheezing.”

“They wanted to share with us. They shared pomegranate and honey that was delicious.”

“I enjoyed learning to make tortillas and they were wonderful”

After sharing our thoughts we had a devotional led by Margaret Davis. She talked about remembering who you are and whose you are: We are children of God.

Everyone was up early this morning. Everyone was fresh and excited about another day.

Then we were off to our work. The stove teams travelled to 4 different villages. I’ll post pictures from their day at the end of the blog.

I’ll start with water team pictures from Monday. The educators had a great time. We had 6 lovely young ladies who agreed to be community educators.

Purified water is a scarce resource which should not be wasted. It is not necessary to use purified water for washing hands or dishes

In the afternoon a group of students from the local school came. Our community educators did an excellent job of teaching them using the lessons they learned in the morning

While the educational team was having a wonderful time working with the educators, the installation team was facing a few challenges.

Water team pictures from Tuesday:

Today was also frustrating for the installation team.

The water team had somewhat of a wild good chase visiting every hardware store in Jalapa to find one particular part that we never found. The installers say it will work fine without it.

A few homes were not completely prepared but they were able to go to other homes and come back

We all returned exhausted but thankful for a successful day

We had dinner and some great discussion with devotionals

Tomorrow will be our last full day in Jalapa

We will have the purified water celebration in the afternoon- George says it will happen!

Stove teams will have another full day of installation stoves

We appreciate all of your prayers and the opportunity to represent Trinity in Guatemala

Today has been another incredible day. We had a great breakfast at 6:30 the eggs and beans and sausage and delicious fruit.

The water team stole a few people from the stove teams but the stove teams were still able to meet their quota. Everyone made it back to San Carlos Alzatate in time for the water celebration/dedication.

Colors are everywhere on

The water team got a slightly later start. We wanted to get frames for our certificates but traffic and parking did not cooperate

We arrived in San Carlos Alzatate by 9. The educational team had a great morning. We met with our educators again and did a drama of The Woman at the Well. We talked about how Jesus welcomes everyone. Salvation does not depend on gender or race or socioeconomic status. His love is freely given to everyone. We also talked about the importance of sharing the Gospel. The woman at the well left her water and ran to tell everyone about Jesus. The bible says that many cam to believe because of her.

Then the educational team met with the entire water team again to reinforce concepts from the week. Many people had a very limited understanding of germs or the importance of using purified water

Meanwhile, the installation team was still busy working on the system. Several problems delayed them.

The celebration was scheduled for 2 …

They played through lunch

After lunch we visited and danced with the band and played with the kids

But there was till some stress

Would the system be ready in time for the celebration?

Stove teams finished their work and joined us at the water site

2:00 came and went and the band was still playing

Finally the band stopped and we thought we could take down the tables and set up for the celebration- but then the band sat down to eat

It was getting closer to 3, the band was finishing. We were able to set up chairs for the celebration but the water was not quite ready

Just as we can to the part where we dedicate the system and drink the water, Denise arrived with water!

The day was saved! We were all able to drink purified water from the system together and it was delicious!

After the celebration it was time for goodbyes

Saying goodbye to our new friends is always the hardest part but we will be back for visits. We had lots of hugs and lots of pictures.

Finally we left our new friends

Stove teams headed back to the hotel but the water team wanted to visit our friends in Monjas we installed a system last summer

Plans do not always go quite as expected

We called the driver of the van and he agreed to come back for us after he dropped the stove teams at the hotel

But San Carlos Alzatate is well over an hour from the hotel. And then another hour back to get us. We had to cancel our planned visit to Monjas

Finally there were able to fix something enough that we could start back down the mountain.

We drove about 5 miles an hour – but that gave us time to see things we had not noticed before

The yellow bird flying into the trees. The flowers that looked like something Dr Seuss might have made up

Finally the other van met us and we transferred back to it and made it back to the hotel in time for supper and devotions and bed!

Today we did not have to go to breakfast until 7:30. It was nice to have a more relaxed start to our day

First we said goodbye to our partners from Helps International. They visited the sites prior to our visit and talked to village leaders to select stove recipients. Then they managed all of the supply deliveries. Then one of them accompanied each team to interpret and make sure the stoves were installed properly.

They were all wonderful people and we enjoyed getting to know them.

Most of us decided that an afternoon relaxing in Antigua was more appealing than climbing a volcano.

But not all of us! The boys were up for an adventure and our wonderful driver, Johnny was gracious enough to drive them and accompany them to the top of the volcano (in spite of spending half the night riding in the tow truck to get the broken van to Guatemala City and bring a new one back to Jalapa

I have not heard all of the stories but I do have pictures and videos from the epic Pacaya climb

While the younger team members and George and Johnny were having a wonderful adventure, the rest of us explored Antigua and rested

We divided into two groups for dinner

My group found an amazing restaurant just a few feet from the hotel

Tomorrow we will have a few free hours to explore Antigua before we head back home

We have to meet in the lobby fully packed at 11:30 to start the trip back to the states

This has been an awesome trip with a fantastic group of people.

On June 19, 2019 a group of 10 people from Trinity Presbyterian Church in Fairhope, Alabama will travel to Coban, Guatemala. We would like to invite you to join us on this trip, to share in our adventures during the day and our devotionals each evening. We will post new pictures and stories each day. We will also post a new devotion with questions for reflection each day. We hope you enjoy experiencing this trip virtually.

We have had several meetings to prepare for the trip. Debbie and Richard Welch, our mission co-workers in Coban presented a program about the history of Guatemala and the role of the Presbyterian church.

Guatemala is a country in Central America that is about the size of Tennessee. It is mostly mountainous but has a lot of biodiversity. The population is about 15 million, over half of whom live in poverty. The top 10% of the population receives 65% of the total income. There are few social services – no welfare, no food stamps, no medicaid or medicare. There is no postal service. In theory, public school goes through 6th grade but in reality, many children don’t go to school past 2nd grade because they are needed to work in the field or care for younger children.

Guatemala was the center of the Mayan Empire which was conquered by the Spanish in the early 16th century. Spanish is Guatemala’s official language but there are 23 Mayan languages that are still spoken. In Coban, there are many indigenous people who speak Q’eqchi’.

We will fly into Guatemala City and travel by bus to Coban. The distance is 133 miles but the trip will take about 6 hours because the road is narrow and winding. We will stay at Hotel Alcatraz Dona Victoria.

The courtyard is amazing

It is basic but comfortable and clean and each room has a private bath!

This week the team will set aside 30-45 minutes each day to read and reflect on God’s word, to journal, and to pray. Please join us and do the same. Take time away from the usual distractions of everyday life. Read the bible before checking social media, watching a movie, or reading a secular novel. You will be amazed at how God will use that time this week.

The team will be using a devotional guide based on sermons of Pierre Burns who was the minister at Spanish Fort Presbyterian Church and Orange Beach Presbyterian Church. He also served as Parish Associate at Trinity Presbyterian Church. It is set up as a journal and the team will be journaling about our experiences. Please feel free to do the same. Journaling allows you to process events and to remember them later. A spiritual journal is a conversation with God.

Bible journaling can be done in several different ways:

• Write out verses that stand out to you
• Jot down questions about the passage
• Write out a truth from the passage
• Write out your response to the passage, what action will you take
• Write a prayer of praise to God
• Write a prayer for yourself or others prompted by the passage
• Write a confession because you have fallen short of an action in the passage
• Ask God for help in living out the passage

The goal is not to follow a strict pattern, but rather to express ourselves, seek clarity, and most importantly, to experience growth and new depth in our relationship with God. Each day there will be a passage followed by prompts so that you can try this method of study.

“For most of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. We will just skim our lives instead of actually living them” – John Ortberg

Today began very early with a 5 am wakeup call. The team spent the night in New Orleans last night because we had a 7:30 flight. Flying out of New Orleans was half the cost of flying out of Pensacola but less convenient. Everyone was in the lobby on time for the 5:30 shuttle to the airport and we even had time for breakfast before our flight. We flew from New Orleans to Miami and then Miami to Guatemala City. Our flights were uneventful and we arrived in Guatemala around 1:00 local time (2:00 Central time).

We were met by Phillip, our leader for the week in Coban. Phillip and Alfredo, our driver, loaded our bags in the bus and we were on the way out of the city

Phillip gave us a brief orientation to the city and told us what to expect this week. We will be spending some time at the school with our scholarship students and some time working on projects at the Presbyterian Complex.

Then we were treated to our usual wonderful box lunch.

We got comfortable on the bus.

And we spent hours in traffic and on winding mountain road. Coban is only 130 miles from Guatemala City but it usually takes 6 hours to make the trip and this year was no exception. After a few hours we got to stop at our favorite place to get ice cream. The Dolce La Leche is amazing!

We finally made it to Coban at about 8:30 local time (9:30 according to the time we got up this am). We were treated to a lovely dinner at Phillip’s home. His wife Bacilia is an amazing hostess and a wonderful cook. We enjoyed great food and fellowship. We got to the hotel about 10. Tomorrow we will meet at 7:15 to go to breakfast at the school.

We will usually do our devotional time in the morning but tomorrow we may have devotional time in the evening since we will be at the school for breakfast. I will try to post the devotion with the evening post. Tomorrow the topic will be prayer.

PRAYER

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. MATTHEW 6:7-15 NIV

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18

QUESTONS FOR REFLECTION

Slowly read the text several times. What words or phrases catch your attention?

Meditate on the text. What is God saying to you through these verses?

Pray the text. What do you need to say to God in light of what you hear him saying to you in the passage?

Put the text into practice. What is God calling you to do?

What is prayer? Most people would say prayer is talking to God. This is true, but it is only part of the answer. Prayer is talking WITH God. In prayer you talk and listen. Prayer is sharing with God our thoughts and feelings, joys and sorrows, hope and fears . . . As we listen expectantly, God inspires us with strength, guidance, comfort, and peace.

Christian prayer is not a tool to bend God’s will to ours. We don’t pray to instruct God; he knows what is best for us before we ask. So why do we pray? How should we pray? The bible is full of prayers. Some of them are long and eloquent. Others are very short and to the point. One of my favorite prayers is found in Matthew 14:30 where Peter cries “Lord, help!’ What and how we pray certainly depends upon the situation. The Lord’s Prayer is a beautiful outline for prayer.

Our Father in heaven

            Jesus taught us to call God Father. This establishes our intimate and loving relationship with God, as well as our brotherhood with all other Christians.

Hallowed be Your Name

            Worship God, He is holy above all others. This part of the prayer emphasizes God’s majesty.

Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven

            Pray His agenda first. This part of the prayer is a conscious surrender to the will of God. Christians do not pray to bend God’s will to theirs, but to submit themselves to serve him.

Give us this day our daily bread

            Depend on Him for everything. We pray for things we need not to inform God or to persuade Him, but to acknowledge our dependence on Him.  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Mathew 7:7-8 NIV

Forgive us our debts and we forgive our debtors

            Get your heart right with God and people. This is an act of confession (only one who believes he has sinned will seek forgiveness) as well as a promise to forgive others.

Lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil

            Pray for power to resist temptation. Often the things we like the most are sources of temptation. This part of the prayer means honestly laying our favorite sources of temptation on the line where Jesus can take them away.

For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever

            This part of the prayer is not found in most biblical translations, but it has become part of our tradition. This is an appropriate way to end your prayer time with praise and the reminder that God is in charge.

One easy way to remember the elements of prayer is with the simple acrostic ACTS.

Adoration– praise God

Confession– confess your sins and weaknesses

Thanksgiving– express gratitude

Supplication– talk to God about what you need and make requests for others

I often use this mnemonic when asked to pray in public and when I have dedicated prayer time myself to guide and structure my prayers. But often I find myself praying like Peter, “Lord, help!”

Prayer is always answered – but it is not always answered in the way we desire or expect. Prayer may not always change external events, however, through prayer we are changed.

“Through prayer we receive from God assurance of his love, which enables us to love. We receive his spirit of gentleness that enables us to be gentle and kind, his spirit of courage that gives us strength to go on when nothing seems worthwhile.” Pierre Burns

“If God had granted all the silly prayers I made in my life – where would I be now” CS Lewis

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Why do you think you should pray? Doesn’t God already know everything?

Do you think there is there a right way to pray? Is God more likely to answer our prayers if we use the right words or the right posture?

How do you find the balance between praying in faith and asking that God’s will be done?

Write out a prayer – if you feel comfortable use it when you pray in our group.

What was your favorite part of the day?

What was the most challenging/difficult part of the day?

What I saw God do today . . .

Take a few minutes to write down ways that you saw God at work today. Our sin-hardened hearts easily forget. Writing down a few of the things you’ve seen God do is a great way to offer thanks and praise to him.

Today I saw God:

Today was an amazing day for our team. We are exhausted but so full of excitement about the day. We met in the lobby at 7:20 to go to the school for breakfast. I really missed George Davis – he always had a pot of fresh coffee in the morning to share. Today I had to settle for a cup of instant coffee before leaving the room. We had to all climb into Phillip’s van for the trip to the school because Alfredo is taking another team to Guatemala City with the bus. Luckily it is not far. We arrived at the school and climbed up the hill to the entrance.

As soon as we got to the entrance a band started to play. Children clapped and waved and shouted. We felt like very honored guests.

The band was wonderful. Everyone clapped and cheered. Then we went to the auditorium where we were treated to a wonderful breakfast.

After breakfast we got to meet the scholarship children that Trinity members support. First the older students put on a show of dancing and black light.

Then the younger scholarship students performed a dance.

After the performances we were able to spend some time with the students. There were hugs all around.

We presented the books and notes which were sent by scholarship donors from Trinity. They made a huge hit! Everyone love their books!

We spent some time visiting with the students.

Finally the students had to go back to class and we were treated to a tour of the campus. The campus is basic but bright and happy. We saw elementary classes.

And we saw high school classrooms. This is a class of premedical students.

The guys played a game of basketball with some of the students during break. We had an advantage!

Trinity provided a number of medical instruments for the school this year. The school has a premedical program. Some of the students who graduate with the premedical emphasis will enter university to go to medical school. This is very competitive. Other students will go to nursing school or work in the medical field. We provided instruments for them to use in training. I talked to the premedical students about how to use the equipment. They were very enthusiastic and thankful.

While I was doing that, the rest of the team was playing a spelling game with some students. There was a lot of fun interaction.

After a very full morning we went to the church for lunch. It was a wonderful beef stew.

We returned to the school in the afternoon for a work project. By the time we got back, school was out for the day and the students were gone. We worked on the playground moving gravel, painting, and building a fence.

After a few hours of work we were tired and hot. We went back to the hotel and had time to shower and change before dinner. Dinner was at the hotel and was good.

After dinner we had our devotional time and made plans for tomorrow. We will meet for breakfast at 7 and go back to the school tomorrow. We are all looking forward to spending more time with the students and finishing our playground project.

IT”S NOT ABOUT ME

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?  Luke 9:23-25 NIV

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do no sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?

Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 

But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 22: 12-34 NIV

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:2 NIV

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

Slowly read the text several times. What words or phrases catch your attention?

Write out the verses that stand out to you

Write down a question about the passage

What action will you take in response to the passage?

We are constantly being told to focus on ourselves – what we want, how we feel, what makes us happy. Advertisers tell us that we deserve to pamper ourselves. We get the message that if we buy a nicer car or go out to eat or buy nicer clothes or go on a vacation, we will be happy. We are told that we have to advocate for ourselves and demand respect from others. 

Jesus says, “If anyone would be my disciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Denying yourself does not mean becoming meek or passive, so unassuming that you cannot make an impact on the world. Denying yourself does not require you to abandon authority and positions of command. We need Christians in positions of power who will use the power wisely. Denying yourself means focusing thoughts outward, towards the needs of the world around. Denying yourself means recognizing that your fellow human beings are as worthy of God’s love as you are.

In his essay, Keeping Christmas, Henry Van Dyke expresses the meaning of self-denial:

Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you and to remember what you owe the world; . . . to see that your fellow men are just as real as you are, . . . to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life; to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness; . . . to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts; . . . to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden for your kindly feelings . . .?

The more we focus on ourselves the more anxious and unhappy we become. Scriptures constantly remind us that it’s not about us. We don’t need to worry because our power comes from God. Our relationship with him is what establishes our worth and identity. We matter because we are children of God. The world tells us to define our worth by who we are and what we do. The bible tells us to define ourselves by whose we are and what He has done. Our focus should be on God, not on ourselves.

In the beautiful words of St. Francis of Assisi:

            Lord make me an instrument of your peace;

            Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

            Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal live

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less” C.S Lewis

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

What makes you anxious? Why?

Do you really think God will take care of you?

How has God provided for you today?

What causes you to lose heart?

What do you think is the “god” of our age?

What was your favorite part of the day today?

What was the most challenging/difficult part of the day?

Where did you see God today?

What did you learn today?

Write a brief story about the day