Today began with breakfast at the hotel

It was delicious! We had our devotional time and a great discussion about the effects of social media on competitiveness and our sense of self worth. We talked about the meaning of humility and the importance of treating everyone like a child of God. Then we climbed into the van for the trip to the school.

How many mission team members can fit in a van? 

We arrived at the school and this time there was no band to great us. The students were all in an assembly celebrating National Teacher’s Day. We were invited to join the assembly.

This is a group of real superheroes, the teachers of La Patria Norta

After the assembly, some of the students returned to class. The students who participated in the game yesterday came and got ttheir team captains.

They played a variety of different relay games. Having the same groups was great because our youth and their students learned one another’s names and began to communicate.

Meanwhile, Linda and I met with Claudia, the Director of Christian Education. She proudly showed us her classroom and office and told us about how she teaches. 

Claudia wants to make Christian Education fun and she uses a variety of different methods to engage students. She also serves as a social worker and counselor and she meets with students and families who are facing challenges.

She invited us to participate in one of her classes. This was a kindergarten class and the lesson was the Ten Commandments.

After telling the story with a felt board she had an activity that involved cutting and pasting so Linda and I assisted the children. It is obvious that Claudia loves the children and is passionate about her job.

We took a break and were treated to a chicken salad sandwich.

Then it was back to games again. First Team Trinity played Team La Patria.

Then the student teams had a tournament. Team Jordan was the winner.

After volleyball some of us rested but the guys continued to play basketball for the next hour. We had a wonderful lunch at the school. Chicken Cordon Bleu, baked potato and broccoli.

We spent the afternoon working on the playground at the school.

It was warm in the sun but there was a breeze and the temperature was in the mid 70’s (we heard the heat index in Fairhope was over 100 today). Our work was interrupted by rain showers.

We were able to finish the fence but not all of the painting since the surfaces were wet. We came back to the hotel to put on dry clothes and freshen up. There are even fancy towel designs here!

Alfredo is back! He picked us up in the big bus – what a luxury! We went to the manse for dinner and had an amazing dinner of hamburgers with french fries and lemon pie!

We talked about our day. Everyone had a great time. Watts said, “Even the work was fun!”

When begot back to the hotel there was a dance going on the the lobby. Young people in traditional Mayan dress were dancing. They came over to us as soon as we entered the lobby and invited us to dance with them

Tomorrow we will spend the day at the Presbyterian Complex working on the retaining wall. The girls plan to go to town in the afternoon to grocery shop so that we can prepare a meal for church leaders on Sunday while the guys work at the complex all day.

Our devotion for tomorrow will be:

LOVE

If I speak in the tonguesof men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part,butwhen completeness comes, what is in part disappears.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13 NIV

QUESTIONS 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?

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What is love? Love is not an emotion, a feeling of “warm fuzzies” when you are with someone whose company you enjoy. That is affection. If love were an emotion it would rise and fall with your mood, the kind of day you had, and even what you had for supper. If love were an emotion it would depend on the attractiveness of those around you. Love is not a feeling, it is a decision. Love is invincible good will, an unshakable concern for the total long-term well-being of the other. Love is the hardheaded determination to do what is right for the other, regardless of whether he deserves it, wants it, appreciates it, or returns it.

Love is patient.Love is patient with minor glitches, even in people you don’t “like.” Love does not mean patience with institutions that oppress people. Patience does not mean accepting major problems like alcoholism, adultery, criminal behavior, chronic lying without working on change. But love means being as tolerant of someone else’s behavior as you would want them to be tolerant of yours.

Love is kind.In context this refers to gentleness which seeks to build others up rather than tear them down. Criticism has its place, but every negative word should be balanced with many words of praise and affirmation.

Love does not envy.Envy is more than just wanting what someone else has. Envy resents someone else’s possessions, successes, and happiness. The bible teaches us to rejoice together when one is honored, weep together when someone suffers. 

Love does not boast, it is not proud.The purpose of bragging is to make others feel small so that in comparison one can feel big. Boasting is not only bad manners, it is terrible theology. Everything that is worth anything comes from God; the earth with all its resources, the intellect to use those resources are gifts from God. Every “success” is ultimately attributable to gifts and opportunities. Love seeks to build others up rather than to tear them down.

Love does not dishonor others.Courtesy is the oil of human relationships, reducing friction and promoting peace. Love sees the seeds of God’s handiwork in all His people.

Love is not self-seeking.Love is not selfish.  Selfish people believe that others have been created to please them, and therefore should behave according. Loving people believe that we have all been created to please God, and therefore should behave accordingly.

Love is not easily angered.As The Message translation puts it: “love doesn’t fly off the handle.” Anger can destroy relationships. Love keeps anger in check.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not keep track of past offenses, but rather focuses on the good, the lovely, the praiseworthy, the beautiful. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love does not rejoice in failures, sins, or misfortunes of others, but at truth, goodness, success and virtue.

Love always protects.Love does not necessarily shield a person from the consequences of his own destructive behavior. Love does not enable, love protects.

Love always trusts, always hopes. Love always expects the best. There is a tendency in human nature to rise or fall to the level expected of us. Love is not blind, it does not naively accept a lie as truth. Love holds out hope that people will rise to the level that God intends.

Love always perseveres.Love is unconditional. Love does not depend on circumstances. God does not stop loving me, no matter what I do. True love never ends.

Jesus met the needs of tax collectors and prostitutes. He did not stop to see if someone was worthy of His help before serving them. He calls on us to do likewise. God loves me, not because I am loveable or worthy of his love, but because it is his nature to love. He calls me to show the same love for others saying, “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12) We are called to love our neighbors, not just the people who look like us or who think like us. Love does not always mean doing what someone wants. It is not loving to give money to an addict, or the car keys to someone who is impaired. Love means doing our very best to give people what they need.

“Often, the person who is the most difficult to love is the person who needs love the most.” Mary Burns

“Love everyone, and let God figure it out later.” Phillip Beisswenger

 Prayer of the Missionaries of Charity: Dearest Lord, though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting and the unreasonable, may I still recognize you and say: “Jesus, how sweet it is to serve you.”

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What is holding you back from loving and serving others?

Who do you find difficult to love.

Have you been in a situation where it was hard to figure out what is really best for someone?

What are some ways you can show love during this trip?

How does loving others like Jesus did compare to what society teaches us to do?

What did you see God do today?

What surprised you most today?

What do you want to remember about today?

This morning we had a lovely desayuno (breakfast) at the hotel restaurant. We were all seated at the terrace overlooking the hotel. Debbie and Richard Welch joined us.

We had our devotional time in the same spot after breakfast. There is a lot going on at the hotel. As we were leaving the hotel this morning we saw a lot of people in traditional dress.

We took the bus to the complex were we talked about jobs for the day. The guys started to work on the retaining wall.

The ladies learned how to work with rebar.

Then we made a list for a trip to the supermarket. We are going to prepare a meal for church members after church tomorrow. We plan to cook jambalaya and cornbread and brownies and sweet tea. Phillip took the women to the store while the men worked. We had fun looking for all the ingredients we will need. And yes, we bought coffee!

We all met back up at Phillip’s house for lunch. We were treated by the Beisswenger guard animals.

The food has been amazing this year!

After lunch the guys went back to work on the retaining wall and Enley joined them. We had a great group of hard workers!

Linda, Debbie, Georgia and I decided to go ahead and make the brownies so that they will be ready for tomorrow. We were able to find brownie mix at the store which was great. But the instructions were in Spanish. We also had to correct for high altitude. We figured out what we needed to do but were thrown off when the only measuring cup we could find was in liters.

Finally we got the brownies in the oven and sat down to read.

The rest of the team showed up just as we were getting the brownies out of the oven. They were a little disappointed find that the brownies were not for them.

Most of the team was dirty and wet so we came back to the hotel to shower and change,

But no matter how tired they are – the team still finds time to keep up with our reading!

This evening the team is going to the local mall for supper and to shop a little bit. I am staying at the hotel because we have a sick team member and we don’t want to leave him alone. It gives me a chance to catch up and get to bed early tonight. Fireworks are going off around the hotel so it may not be an early night after all.

Tomorrow is Sunday. The ladies will get up early and have breakfast and head to the complex to prepare lunch. The guys will sleep in a little and come in time for church. We plan to have everything ready before church so that we will just have to warm it up after church.

Our devotional for tomorrow is

LORD OF CREATION

The following meditation is a sermon by Pierre Burns. Although long it is beautiful and appropriate.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.(Psalm 19:1)

Driving south from Spanish Fort, I saw in the distance two clouds of birds, circling slowly over the eastern shore. As I neared them, I could see that they were white pelicans. Like two galaxies, one containing about seventy-five birds, the other more than a hundred, they rotated majestically in the air, now intertwining, now separating. A stiff breeze from the northwest formed an updraft as it struck the shore. Like sail planes in a thermal, the pelicans remained aloft with scarcely a flap of their black-tipped wings, circling just inland of the shore, moving steadily southward on the southern vector of the wind. 

At Jackson’s Oak I turned toward the bay, to a point just under the birds. As the pelicans moved southward, so did I, down one street, then another. Each time I found myself under the birds I got out of the car, gazed skyward and worshiped–not the pelicans, but the Lord of the pelicans. 

Many passages in the Bible are psalms of praise, glorifying God for His handiwork in the world. Their authors saw in the beauty and majesty of the created order an expression of the beauty and majesty of the Creator. The writers of Scripture never worshiped nature. Never did they deify the sun, moon, trees, stones, mountains, or birds. Always they saw beyond created things to the Divine Creator who made them. It is entirely appropriate for God’s people of today, as did His people of old, to offer psalms of praise. Let us unite in such a psalm. Let us glorify, celebrate, and enjoy God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void;
and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

When God created the universe, it may have been a single point, called a singularity, infinitely small in dimension, infinitely great in density. At the Lord’s command this primordial point erupted in the explosion to begin all explosions. Inconceivable energy was flung into space in the form of extremely hot radiation. 

As the radiation expanded it cooled, and condensed into particles and atoms, which then coalesced into clouds and spheres. Ignited by the heat of contraction, the spheres began to glow with thermonuclear fusion, and the heavens sparkled with the light of them, at best estimate, ten billion trillion of them, swirling in galaxies. 

And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)

There was light from binary stars, orbiting one another in a waltz of the eons; light from pulsars, blinking on and off like beacons in the ocean of space; light from white dwarf stars in which matter is so compressed that a cupful would weigh thousands of tons; light from red giants such as Betelgeuse, which forms the right shoulder of Orion–it is so large that if its center were at the sun the orbit of Mars would lie beneath its surface! There was light from exploding stars–the novae and super novae; light from those recently discovered, mysterious sources of radiation known as quasars; and light from ordinary stars such as our sun. Even it over- whelms the mind: the energy of all the light and heat that fall on the earth is less than one billionth of its output. 

From some of the matter of our star, or perhaps from the gas cloud out of which it was formed, God rolled a tiny ball, and hurled it into orbit around the sun. At first the young planet was hot from the stresses of its birth, its surface shrouded in dense clouds, largely lacking in prominent features, without life of any kind—without form, dark and void. As the planet cooled, its atmosphere began to clear, its crust hardened, its continents rose, its seas took their places. 

And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:9, 10)

The planet became, as one astronaut has put it, an orb shimmering blue and beautiful in the black vault of space. It is a beautiful world. I see Pikes Peak, reigning in silent majesty over a golden plain that stretches a seeming infinity to the east, while offering to the north, south, and west views of a hundred other mountains, each wearing a white cap as if to signify the purity of God. I see the Half Dome of Yosemite, rising like a temple proclaiming the glory of its Builder. I see glaciers flowing slowly, yet inexorably toward the sea, w here they launch great ships of ice. I see waters at Niagara, Victoria, Yosemite… leaping as if in joyous dances of praise. I see geysers erupting in faithful obedience to the rhythm of creation. I see canyons beckoning one to marvel at the divine skill of the Artist who carved their fantastic formations. 

From microscopic algae to redwoods towering hundreds of feet into the California sky, from lichens clinging for life to Antarctic rocks, to lush gardens in the rain forest, the earth w ears an amazing wardrobe of flora: bristle-cone pines twisting up from rocks in the Sierra Nevadas–some of these trees were mature when God called Abraham out of Ur to found the nation of Israel, almost four thousand years ago; quaking aspens sheathing Colorado mountains with gold grander by far than that which graced the tomb of Tutankhamen; daffodils, magnolias, redbuds… performing a prelude to the main symphony of spring; streets transformed into fantasy lanes by walls and arches of azaleas and dogwoods a thousand times more gorgeous than any raiment that Solomon ever dreamed of. 

And God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation,
plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit, each according to its kind, upon the earth.” And God saw that His plants were good. (Genesis 1:11,12)

The sea breeze was gentle the day I first saw a skimmer bird, the Gulf waves mere swells that more washed than broke upon the beach. Perhaps five feet out, no more than twenty from where we sat, it came flying just over the water, its lower bill dropped into the water to form a scoop, with which it fed on the tiny fish that darted about at the surface. 

Another day, as a strong sea breeze curled breakers toward the beach, several small birds hovered ten or twenty feet above the shoreline. Every few moments one would drop into the swirling surf and fly up with its wiggling trophy. The water was in constant and erratic motion, the fish w ere darting about unpredictably, the wind was blowing, and the bird itself was flying. Yet that tiny bird brain calculated all of those motions, sent nerve signals to the dozens of muscles that controlled wing and body movements and, presto! — food. Look on with envy, you makers of micro-chips. 

The Arctic tern, nesting at the north pole, flies south in winter. Some go all the way to the Antarctic continent, returning in the spring to rear another family in the north, a round trip of twenty- four thousand miles. 

A humpback whale may hurl its fifty-ton body almost clear of the water. One marine biologist, asked to explain such behavior, considered every reason he could think of, and finally concluded, he said, that they leap just for the fun of it. 

I see honeybee scouts, performing intricate dances which indicate to their hives the location of nectar bearing blossom s; cheetahs reaching seventy miles per hour across the African savanna; lizards known as skinks swimming on flippers through the sands of Australian deserts; salmon, after years in the sea leaping up rapids and falls to spawn in the very stream s w here they were born; jellyfish of intricate design and color, moving like pulsating para- chutes on jets of water; regal polar bears outrunning reindeer on land, swimming powerfully in freezing waters; sand crabs scampering across the beach as if in a game of hide-and-seek. 

And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens. Let the earth bring forth living creatures, cattle and creeping things according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:20,22)

I am convinced that life in Heaven will be dynamic, not static. Eternal rest would be hell, not Heaven. It may be that we shall explore all the marvels God has created. If so, I shall spend eons in the far flung galaxies and whatever lies beyond them; more eons probing the inner structure of atoms, with their fantastic array of sub-atomic particles, and whatever may lie within them; I want to know how God passed the laws of gravity, thermodynamics, nuclear fission and fusion; I want to know what kinds of life, if any, exist on other planets, orbiting other stars in distant galaxies. 

But before I dive into the atom or depart for the galaxies, I shall spend at least an eon exploring the plants and animals of the blue-green planet that we call Earth. I want to know how the tiny brain of the honeybee can tell it how to gather nectar and distill it into honey, how to build its hexagonal com b to precise dimensions, how to stay warm through northern winters; I want to know what guidance systems enable the tern to navigate unerringly on its journey from pole to pole; how the grizzly bear hibernates for winter. But the species with which I shall begin is homo-sapiens. 

A single sperm from the father, invisible to the naked eye, unites with a pinpoint size egg from the mother. Within hours the cell divides, then those two divide. By the time the baby’s body is fully formed, it contains more than a trillion cells. Logic would indicate that a dividing cell should create two identical daughter cells, and so on so that all cells would be identical. But processes as yet only partially understood began to change the cells, causing some to become skin, some bone, others blood, brain, eyes, mouth, stomach, kidneys. What causes such diversity? How do the cells that will become skull and heart know how to migrate through the tiny embryonic mass to take their assigned places and assume their appointed roles? 

What a fantastic body the embryo becomes: bones taking form and growing strong, attached securely to ligaments and tendons, rebuilding when broken to become as strong as before; lungs passing oxygen from the air to hemoglobin in the blood and in turn exhausting carbon dioxide from the running of the body’s engine; muscles responding to minute impulses down the nerves to contract with such control that fingers can play the Moonlight Sonata, or perform surgery, and with such force that arms can drive a ball three hundred yards or more. 

The body has eyes which gather electromagnetic radiation, focus it, and transform it into electrochemical impulses. These signals are then carried to the brain, which decodes them as vision: light and dark, red and blue and green, trees and birds, flowers and children. The body has ears which transform pulsating changes in the pressure of the air against their drum s into nerve signals the brain interprets as pitch, volume, rhythm and timbre, thus perceiving speech, music, weeping, and laughter. The body has skin secreting cooling moisture; a liver producing heat, a thermostat maintaining the body core at remarkably constant temperature; a hand with an opposed thumb that can grasp tools; a voice that can sing; a tongue that can speak. 

The most incomprehensible organ is the brain, so complex that some physiologists wonder if it will ever be entirely understood. The brain regulates the other organs: heart, lungs, kidneys, stomach. The brain stores information, not only numbers and words, but also sights, sounds, odors, feelings. Memory, the ability to recall information on demand, enables us to add knowledge to knowledge and thus build civilization. Through the exercise of the brain we have been transformed from cave dwelling hunter-gatherers into producers of food, travelers of seas and skies, and even nearby space. 

Through the brain have come procedures which relieve pain, heal diseases, mend bones, prolong life. Through the brain have come instruments for communication which transmit voices and pictures around the world about as quickly as around the corner, thus making a neighborhood of the earth. 

Through the brain have come, also, instruments with which we can pollute and destroy our world, and ourselves. With increasing power has come increasing responsibility. Let us pray for increasing wisdom, so we will handle God’s world and God’s people with the care they deserve. 

Through the brain has come art: the pyramids of Egypt, the Parthenon of Athens, the cathedrals of Europe, the Taj Mahal of India. Whether such structures should have been built is a moral question; the fact that they w ere is testimony to the power of the mind to conceive a form and shape matter to fit it. How do we account for the gifts that enabled da Vinci, Durer, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, to bring us their works? Surely upon seeing Michelangelo’s sculptures of Moses, David, the Pieta, his painting of the Sistine Chapel, one must be moved to praise the God whom they honor. Shall we not say the same for the written art of Shakespeare, Tennyson, Browning, van Dyke? 

From the ancient harp and pipe to the modern philharmonic orchestra with chorus, music has added joy to life. Pause and listen to the marvelous melodies of Mozart, the ordered rhythm s of Vivaldi, the great fugues of Bach, the stirring force of Beethoven’s fifth, or, better yet, his ninth. Listen with amazement to the awesome power of Wagner. Smile with delight at the flowing curves of the Strauss waltzes. Let your emotions be moved by the melancholy yet delightful tunes of Stephen Foster. Marvel at the divine gifts which enable minds and bodies to conceive, write and perform such beauty, and others to perform it. 

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the birds, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:26)

The most divine capacity of the human being is neither science or art, but the ability to love. God has given us a spirit like unto His own Spirit, which enables us to rise above all other created things and consciously choose what is good and beautiful and right. By love one can will the good of another and do it, even at cost to the self. 

For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. A new commandment I give unto you,
That you love one another as I have loved you. (John 3:16)

My pelicans have gone with the wind, yet they will return, and I shall see them again. Meanwhile, whenever I see a gull, a kingfisher, a hummingbird; a squirrel, a dog wagging its tail, a friendly cat arching its back to be petted; a live oak, a dogwood, a rose; a beach, a mountain, a thunderstorm ; every time I hear the sound of music – from Mozart, a mocking bird, or a laughing child – I sing a psalm of praise to the Lord of the pelicans. 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

Do you experience God through nature? How?

What is it about God’s creation and silence that helps us experience God’s power? Take some time to be silent and listen for God’s voice.

How can we be better caretakers of God’s creation?

What did you see God do today?

Describe the day today

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Today was another wonderful day! The ladies began the day bright and early at 7 for breakfast. We had a delicious meal of scrabbled eggs, black beans, fried plantains, and tortillas. I’m going to miss the black beans and fried plantains and tortillas!

The guys slept in and had breakfast later. As soon as we finished breakfast, Alfredo drove us to the Beisswenger’s house. Bacilia was very gracious as we took over her kitchen to prepare dinner for the church. Everyone pitched in with chopping and dicing and sautéing.

We made a large pot of jambalaya, cornbread. and sweet tea. Other than almost starting a grease fire in the oven because I overfilled the pans, things went smoothly and by 10 we were ready to move everything to the church kitchen so that the jambalaya could continue to simmer during worship. Worship is supposed to start at 10 but in Guatemala things move a little bit differently. When worship did start it was a very moving experience. With the Trinity team and the children there were about 100 people in worship.

Their praise band is awesome. The music was so beautiful that even though I could not understand the words, I could understand the meaning and could feel the presence of God.

There were a lot of children at church – they completely filled the front of the church during children’s time. They went out during the sermon but came back at the end of the service and recited the verses they had learned for the congregation.

During the service, the team from Trinity was recognized.

We presented the banner that we brought as a gift for the Antioch congregation. The banner was made by my sister, Sunny Yung. Sunny also made all of the other banners that hang at Trinity. This banner is her design and features the names of Jesus in 3 different languages: English, Spanish, and Q’eqchi’. This symbolizes our unity in Christ. The quilting pattern is in the shape of tongues of fire, representing the work of the Holy Spirit.

The congregation was very excited about the gift. Sunny also made an identical banner for Trinity Presbyterian so this will be a visible link for the ties that connect us. Pastor Matt gave a great sermon. After church most of the congregation was invited to stay for lunch. We carried the meal and utensils down the hill to the shelter and set up lunch.

We chose jambalaya and cornbread, sweet tea and brownies because it is a little bit different from what the church members usually cook and somewhat representative of our area. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and appreciate the effort. Plus we had a lot of fun making it. After lunch we had time to interact with church members. I especially enjoyed getting to know Esperanza, Claudia, and Anna Kristine. Enley enjoyed getting to know these two young ladies.

Then some of the church leaders talked about the importance of the partnership between Trinity and Antioch. By going to the same place every year we are able to develop relationships which benefit all of us. We are also able to see the needs first hand and brainstorm with local leaders about the best way to be of service and to make a difference. The church leaders presented each of us with a gift. The ladies presenting the gifts are Esperanza, Claudia, and Anna Kristine

Then we cleaned up – even that was fun.

By the time lunch was over and cleanup was done it was after 3. We went back to the hotel, then we had some free time to walk around Coban.

We found a small market and had fun bargaining for souvenirs.

We lost the guys while we were bargaining. We started out to look for them and found an interesting sculpture to climb.

We still did not see the guys, but we finally ran into them. I want to make it perfectly clear that Pastor Matt was the chaperone in charge when this happened!

Actually I think they look great! They were happy that the haircuts only cost 10Q (about $1.30)

We wondered back to the hotel. Then had a few minutes to rest before Alfredo took us back to the Beisswengers for supper. We had sandwiches and chips and great reflection time about the day.

Bacilia learned that Georgia does not like red meat so every meal that is not chicken she has made Georgia a grilled chicken breast.

Bacilia is the perfect hostess! She saw that Enley is not fond of bugs so she made her a bug-free zone with citronella candles.

I thought that nothing could top last year’s trip but this year’s trip has been absolutely amazing. We have really had the opportunity to get to know some incredible people. In spite of our language barrier we have had much more in depth communication because we have had more time together. We are already getting some ideas for next year’s trip!

Tomorrow our devotional will be

THE WAY

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”  Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” John 14:1-9

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and for those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.  1 Timothy 2:1-7

QUESTIONS 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?

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One of the oldest questions mankind has been asking is “How can I find God.”  In today’s passage, the quest of the ages finds its answer. Jesus is saying, “Are you in looking for God? I am the one for whom you are searching. Do you want to see the kingdom of God? I am the Way. Are you in search of God’s truth: I am the truth. Do you want eternal life? I am the life.”

The word translated ‘way’ was the common word for road or pathway. Jesus declared himself to be the way, and the only way to God. All other roads lead nowhere. There are many wrong turns and dead ends but only one way to God. Many have claimed to know the way; only Jesus isthe way. There is only one bridge that spans the gulf between earth and heaven, between man and God. 

Jesus is described as the mediator between God and man, he is the bridge we must cross if we would see the King. Why do we need a bridge? Why can’t we walk straight into the presence of God without a mediator? 

First, God is holy. That means he is perfect without any flaws. We humans are not perfect. Not only do we fail to understand what is good, right, just, kind, perfect, but even when we do know we often refuse to do it. We act selfishly, consoling ourselves with the naïve assumption that ‘what’s good for me must be good for everyone.’ There must be a bridge which cleanses all who cross it, making them fit for the presence of God. 

Second, God is infinite. He is so much greater than we are that we cannot see Him, understand Him, communicate with Him, or even survive in His presence. We can only approach God across the bridge. To be of any use, a bridge must have one end where you are and one end where you want to go. Jesus Christ is the bridge because he is both divine and human. He is not half man and half God but fully human and fully divine. We could never see God, so He became one of us.

One of the most moving explanations of the incarnation is the following story which was shared by Paul Harvey:

Now the man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind, decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men, but he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas time. It just didn’t make sense, and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus story about God coming to earth as a man.

“I’m truly sorry to distress you”, he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas eve”, he said he’d feel like a hypocrite, that he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. So he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later, he was startled by a thudding sound. Then another. And then another; sort of a thump or a thud. At first, he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly, he put on a coat and goulashes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn.

He opened the doors wide and turned on a light. But the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow making a trail the yellow lighted, wide open door to the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them. He tried “shooing” them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms. Instead, they scattered in every direction except into the warm lighted barn.

Then he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could let them know that they can trust me. That I’m not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led, or “shooed” because they feared him.

“If only I could be a bird”, he thought to himself “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe warm barn, but I would have to be one of them so they could see and hear, and understand.”

At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. He stood there listening to the bells, Adeste Fidelis. Listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

Religion has been described as man’s search for God. By that definition the Christian Faith is not a religion. The Bible does not tell the story of man’s search for God, but rather of God’s revelation of himself to man. There are many bridges thrust forward from earth to heaven, but none are complete. The finite mind of man can reach toward God but cannot reach him. There is only one bridge from heaven to earth and that is Jesus Christ.

In the desire to be broadminded, some people claim that there are many bridges from earth to heaven. They believe that everyone will spend eternity in heaven and that the choices we make effect our happiness on earth. While this seems warm, appealing, and loving, it does not square with scripture. Jesus says, “I am the way,” not one of the ways. Within the Christian faith there are many denominations. They are like different lanes on the bridge. But there is only one bridge, Jesus Christ.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

How is Christianity different from any other religions?

How would you respond to the following statement: “Jesus and Christianity are fine, and it is great that you have a way to God. But I have my own way, and the Muslim has his, and the Buddhist has his. All roads lead to God if we are sincere in seeking Him.”?

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

June 24, 2019

Today we were up at 7 for another amazing breakfast. We ate on the patio again with lovely views and breezes.

Watts sporting his new haircut!

After breakfast we headed back to the complex for another day of work.

Some of us worked on the retaining wall while others formed rebar and cleaned.

Phillip showed us these plaques which will hang on the wall in the Theological Seminary to recognize the teams that worked on that building.

Since not everyone could get in the hole to work on the retaining wall, some of us decided to paint the sanctuary. We were joined by Stephi (Phillip’s daughter), and Amelia from Evergreen Presbyterian Church who is spending a few weeks here. We enjoyed spending time with them and they were great additions to our team.

The rest of the team continued to dig the hole.

When they weren’t making a trip to their favorite Tienda.

Eventually we took a break for lunch. We went to the Beisswenger’s again and had another great meal on their deck.

The meals this trip have been amazing! Today Bacilia is using her nursing degree. She is working with an organization providing medical care in a remote village. Esmerelda and Ieda prepared our meal.

After lunch we were all ready for a siesta.

But we did not rest long before we got back to work

Part of the team got to experience the joys of hand mixing concrete and hauling it up the hill to pour in the retaining wall hole.

It was a long day but we got a lot accomplished. I did not hear a single complaint all day but by the end of the day we were tired!

We returned to the hotel to clean up and start the process of packing. Jordan and Enley took the opportunity to catch up on their reading.

Then we went back to the Beisswenger’s for one last meal on their deck. Bacilia was there to great us. Even after traveling 3 hours each way to a remote village and providing health care she was back in the kitchen preparing a lovely meal with a smile.

Pastor Matt took the opportunity to make a presentation to Phillip. He presented him with a lovely Jordache suitcase filled with our used clothes and rejected shoes.

We had a wonderful spaghetti dinner and had time for reflections and stories about this trip and previous trips. Watts was attacked by a humongous beetle.

We were all sad to see the night end. Tomorrow we have to leave Coban to begin the journey back to Fairhope. We will board the bus at 5:45 am so that we can spend a few hours in Antigua. We will spend the night in Antigua tomorrow night and then fly home the following day.

Our devotional for tomorrow will be

CHANGED HEARTS

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 

 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)  While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen. Luke 9:28-36

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’  “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46

QUESTIONS 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?

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Peter’s response to the transfiguration is classic: “Hey, let’s stay up here! I’ll build some tents and we can hang out with Elijah and Moses and Jesus. That would be awesome.” Many people feel the same way after trips and retreats. We encounter God in new ways and want to preserve the spiritual momentum. But the disciples don’t stay on the mountain. In the next passage, they are back in town, and Jesus is healing once again. Like Peter, you will be returning to everyday life. But that doesn’t mean that your experience “on the mountain” doesn’t matter. Through our mountain experiences, we grow closer to God. That changes our lives and our hearts. We learn how to better love our neighbors, and we deepen our commitment to loving and serving God. 

In the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), Jesus said that love for him must express itself as love for people. When you make a serious commitment to serve God, he is as near as the beating of your own heart. Yet people who make a religion out of trying to stay continuously “near God” will miss the very One they want to find. 

Henry van Dyke’s Story of the Other Wise Man portrays a fictitious fourth magician, who missed his rendezvous with the other three because he paused to save the life of a dying stranger. He arrived in Bethlehem too late to find the holy family; they had already fled to Egypt. For thirty-three years the other wise man sought the Savior, yet never found him. But though he never found a Messiah to worship, he found many people to serve. 

He passed through countries where famine lay heavy upon the land and the poor were crying for bread. He made his dwelling in plague-stricken cities where the sick were languishing in the bitter companionship of helpless misery. He visited the oppressed and the afflicted in the gloom of subterranean prisons, and the crowded wretchedness of slave markets, and the weary toil of galley ships. In all this populous and intricate world of anguish, though he found none to worship, he found many to help. He fed the hungry, and clothed the naked, and healed the sick, and comforted the captive… 

In the course of his futile search for the Lord–but fruitful ministry to the world–the other wise man used all the treasures he had intended for the newborn King. What he had meant for God, he spent for man. But as the other wise man lay dying, he heard a voice from heaven saying: Truly, truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. The other wise man found the Lord, not in the temple, but in the hospital, the shopping center, the nursing home, the office, the factory, the neighborhood, the prison… 

Some people seem to believe Christian ministry is exclusively the work of the ordained clergy. Not according to the Bible! Nor according to our denominational doctrines. Our Brief Statement of Belief affirms: 

Christian vocation may be found in any work where our abilities and interests best meet the legitimate needs of God’s world. For Christians, all life becomes significant as we do our daily work with dedication and diligence out of love for God and for our neighbors. 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

How have you encountered God this week?

What is one area in which God is working on your heart right now?

How might God’s work in this area begin to change your perspective or behavior?

June 25, 2109

Today we said goodbye to Coban and started our journey home. Because the trip from Coban to Guatemala City can take 6-8 hours depending on traffic, we usually leave Coban the day before the flight and spend the night in Guatemala City. This year we decided to leave early in the day so that we could spend a few hours in Antigua. Antigua is the former capital of Central America. It was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in the 18th Century and the capital was moved. It was rediscovered in the middle of the 20th Century and has become a tourist destination because of it’s spectacular location, fascinating ruins, and great shopping. We left Coban at 6 am. Phillip prepared a great breakfast for us to eat on the trip.

Antigua is about an hour from Guatemala City. It took about 7 hours to get there on the bus. We used our time on the bus wisely.

Finally we arrived in Antigua.

Phillip found a great spot for lunch.

After lunch we drove to an overlook with beautiful city views

Then we spent some time at the local artisan market. It is bright and colorful and every vendor vied for our attention.

We spent about an hour at the market and we all felt like we got some great bargains. Then we visited some churches. The first church we visited was Cathedral de Santiago. This was a huge cathedral that was mostly destroyed by the earthquake. One chapel has been restored, the rest lies in ruins.

We visited on other church. This is San Pedro and is associated with healing. People come from all over to pray for healing. They buy candles in the shape of their aliment (a leg if they have leg problems, etc).

By the time we finished, we were tired of walking and ready for dinner. We checked into our hotel and changed. Then we found a restaurant within walking distance. We had paella for supper.

Tomorrow we leave and go back to our usual routines. But we did not say adios, we said hasta viente viente (until 2020!)

It has been an amazing week. We had a good mix of spending time at the school, spending time working, and spending time in fellowship. It has been very productive time and a great experience for everyone. We are excited about plans for the school and scholarships. We are starting to plan the trip for next year. I can’t wait to go back!

Thanks for joining us on our journey!