Day 1, Traveling from CR to Guatemala
Josh Haveman
Our team of fifteen short-term missionaries met at the Eastern Iowa Airport at 5:15 am to check in for our 6:50 am flight. And it’s a good thing we were early. The airport was busy, and our thirteen checked bags took quite a while to process.
We checked some bags for our own clothes and personal items. But six suitcases were completely filled with donated items for the people we are going to work with and serve: sheets, shoes, kitchen utensils, toys, blankets, and more. Pray those gifts are a blessing to those that receive them.
The first and second flights were on time and uneventful. We flew to Charlotte, and then Miami without a hitch. We arrived in Miami around 1:30 (12:30 central), with a planned layover of four hours. Then we hit our first hitch.
A delay rescheduled our flight from Miami to Guatemala, new departure time: 7:15. That doesn’t sound too bad. But then the crew had to unload a third of the luggage to find one misplaced piece, reload all the luggage, and so it was almost another hour before we left Miami. We weren’t the only ones. We sped past 14 jets in line to take off when our plane finally left the runway.
These are truly light and momentary afflictions, though. We traveled fifteen hours with fifteen people, stayed safe, and all of our luggage was waiting for us at the end. Praise the Lord! We were all too tired to do anything but go to bed when we arrived. But we met our missionary partners, and they had everything ready for us. God is good.
Day 2, Arrival in Asuncion Mita & Home Building
Josh Haveman
The day began in Guatemala City with the whole team meeting for breakfast with two of our in-country partners, Ben and Emily Mooney. We got to know each other a little better and it wasn’t long before we got a chance to practice our teamwork, loading all of our suitcases on the top of Ben’s van.
Then, it was on to our service destination for the week, Asuncion Mita. The drive was about three hours long, and took us through mountains and small towns, past fruit stands, around pot holes, and finally to a little patch of land owned by a couple of young parents with three children. The couple, Miguel and Maria, currently have a home on land they do not own. The home that we get to help build them is on a piece of property they do own. Before we arrived, our other in-country partners helped to prep the jobsite by laying out bricks that form the outside edge of the foundation. Our first task: eat lunch.
It might sound funny, but getting everyone in the group coordinated enough to make their own sandwich was the activity we struggled with the most. But we got there in the end, and then we were off to work: carting sand, hauling gravel, mixing and laying concrete. In about five hours’ time, we went from a group of acquaintances with lunch-making troubles to a team of short-term missionaries building a house.
Credit goes to Ben and Nick and Izzie, our missionary partners. They’ve worked with many groups like ours before, and knew exactly how to help us come together. They gave clear direction about what was needed and how to accomplish each task. They were also good about encouraging us to take breaks and help each other out. The whole team came with a desire to serve, but our friends at Bethel Ministries International showed us how.
By 5:30, a cement slab was poured for a new house, with extra slabs poured for a wash station and an outhouse/shower. We had made new friends in Miguel and Maria and their kids. And we got to see a little bit of what everyday life looks like for people living in rural Guatemala. Imagine a lot of dirt and dust, enough stray animals to start a zoo, and hard-working people who love their families.
As you pray for us, be reading through chapter 5 of Matthew. That is where our team devotions come from this week. Tonight at dinner, we reflected on how the people we are serving are both poor in spirit and have reason to mourn. Jesus calls those people blessed because of the opportunities they have to know Him better. We also saw today that it is a blessing to serve them, and that helps us know Jesus better too.
Day 3, Wheelchair distribution
Josh Haveman
Mission Mobility is one of the main connections between Grace Community Church and Bethel Ministries International. Members and attenders at Grace know about Mission Mobility because of frequent wheelchair collections that have been held at Grace. Those wheelchairs, walkers, and canes that we have collected at church are sent down to Guatemala where a team of in-country technicians work to refurbish them and get them ready for people across the country.
The distribution of those wheelchairs is left up to teams like ours that come to work with the in-country missionaries. Today, it was our team that got the opportunity to serve people through wheelchair distribution. Over the course of the day, we gave away 41 chairs and 7 walkers and canes. Every single person was very grateful. For some individuals and families, this was their first wheelchair after many years of living with a disability.
The team had the opportunity to serve a couple people in their 90s with many children and grandchildren. We cut and drilled and retooled chairs for people with extreme disabilities. One man was missing a leg and the wheelchair he received was both his first chair, and his first real opportunity to have freedom of movement. Another couple brought in their young son who was shy, and struggling with significant physical disabilities. But this boy was still mentally sharp and attending school. His new chair gave him both better mobility and it was fitted with a desk for him to use in classes.
Another exciting thing that happened today is that local churches had pastors on hand to meet with all of the wheelchair recipients. These meetings included a presentation of a bible, and a gospel presentation in Spanish. Many of the recipients were believers, and expressed joy at the sharing of the gospel. Some were not Christians, though, and so we were overjoyed to hear that seven people accepted Christ when praying with local pastors!
Tomorrow our team splits up: half will visit Guatemalans in their homes, and the other half will pour another concrete slab to help build a house.
Day 4, Home Visits & 2nd Foundation
Amanda Chidister
Today was the first day our team worked in two separate groups. One group went to pour the foundation of the second house being built and the other group went to visit Guatemalans in three separate homes in the same area.
Maria
We met with Maria in what she hopes will be her future home. From the outside looking in you maybe wouldn’t know that’s what it is intended to be. Four walls of concrete block and nothing else. But the land is hers and in Guatemala that is a lot. She is 50 years old with three adult children – her husband left when the children were young and her oldest child was recently killed. The church she attends built the four walls of her home but can’t currently finish the rest. She rents living space from a family member but her job of selling bread and cheese only brings in enough money to cover her rent, and sometimes food for herself. Maria needs a roof, a floor, a toilet, and windows for her home, as well as food, until she can get into her home permanently and no longer needs to pay rent.
Romelia
The first thing we noticed when we pulled up to Romelia’s home was a sign outside the door that said ‘Dios es Amor’ – God is love. The home had many children running around, as well as dogs and chickens. The space we sat in might have been 8 x 20 to offer some perspective. Romelia is 63 and is grandma to 8 grandchildren, 6 of which live with her without their mother and father in the picture. She works at markets for about 3 hours at the end of each day and comes home with about $1.50. The children are not in school as she doesn’t make enough money to send them, and the mother will often show up and take them from the home, living on the streets with them until she then returns them back to Romelia who acts as both grandmother and mother. Her husband passed away 9 years ago but she does have some help as she has two other daughters who also live in the home, one of which has two kids of her own. She has diabetes that is uncontrolled. She is behind in rent. Their home hasn’t had electricity in a year because it burnt up (charred light fixtures were still hanging from the ceiling). Even though Romelia attends church infrequently, she brings the grandchildren to many church events.
Deena
Deena is 66 and a retired nurse. Sadly, instead of her long career ending in celebration, it ended in her being bullied out of her job because at her ‘older age’ she was no longer seen as useful. She has an adult son and a daughter. Her daughter Daisy lives with her. Daisy lost a son when he was a month old due to health problems and her husband left shortly after. Deena’s son does not live with them but his 16 year old daughter Diana does. Diana’s parents abandoned her after a tumultuous marriage and long court battle over child custody. Diana has been able to stay in school and is a junior. She is hoping to study Business Administration and Finance. Deena used to own her own land but when the bullying at work forced her out of her job, she ended up having to move as well. Three months later she began having several health problems – high blood pressure, Parkinsons, and most recently was diagnosed with Alzheimers. Because of her longtime work in healthcare she has a decent retirement income (very uncommon in Guatemala) but because of her health problems and large debt, that money is not enough. She continues to need more healthcare examinations with her most recent diagnosis but those can only be performed in Guatemala City. This requires money for travel, food, hotel, etc. With her Alzheimers diagnosis, she spoke with Ben (one of our missionary partners here) about her fear of losing her salvation.
It’s impossible to read through these situations and not feel the weight of these burdens. Yet, in each situation, these women were able to talk with our group about how their hope was in God and how they knew He loved them. They were so grateful for what they had even though it was so little. Sweet Diana (the 16 year old in the last home we visited) even snuck away to the store to get cookies and lemonade to serve us while we were there. Not only was the treat refreshing on a warm afternoon, but so was the smile and the joy that exuded from her in doing so. We were there hearing of tremendous need and yet she took joy in serving us.
As we continued in Matthew 5 tonight, Diana, as well as many others we’ve met here, came to mind.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. – Matthew 5:6-8
Tomorrow our team will split up again: more home visits and we will put the walls up and complete the first of the two homes.
Day 5, Finishing a home
Josh Haveman
Our plan this morning was to split our team into two groups again, and send one group to a job site and the other group to visit families in their homes. God had other plans.
The job site we intended to visit is the one nearest to our hotel in Asuncion Mita. It is the location where we poured a concrete slab on our first full day in Guatemala. The goal today was to return to that site and erect a house. But as we approached the location, we ran into stopped traffic. Some conversations with locals confirmed our suspicions: the previous night’s rain had washed out the road crossing the river. It was impossible for us to drive to that site.
Our missionary partners decided to head back to the job site we had worked on just yesterday. We were loaded with the materials to build a house, and we had another concrete slab prepared, so we drove there. On the way, we tried to find other houses to visit in the area. But, because our local contact was at church, finding other homes to visit was impossible. So, just like we all worked together on the first day to pour a slab of concrete, today we all worked together to build a house.
Today our whole team arrived at the job site that some of us had just left the previous evening. Together we hauled sheet metal, cut it, attached sheets to studs, put up walls and laid down a ceiling. Toward the end of the day, a number of people even took part in painting the house. The whole day was a series of opportunities to be patient, flexible, kind, and generous. And the team really stepped up in all of those areas.
Finally, with the paint just barely dry, the team got to work inside the newly constructed house, preparing it for the family that would live there. We hung bunting and balloons. Sheets were put on the beds. Gifts were laid out. Moments later a formerly homeless mother and her two children entered their new home and almost immediately burst into tears of joy. Most of our team cried right along with them.
Today was overwhelming in the best way possible. It was impossible to not see God working. He brought us to the right place at the right time to do the work that He wanted to be accomplished. It was a day that the Lord made; we rejoiced, and we’re glad in it.
When the team is back, make sure to ask them to share their stories about this day. Everyone was impacted differently, but significantly. Some made friends with the family who received a house and their many neighbors. Some learned new skills, and learned how they can serve God in new ways. Some of the team just grew closer to their teammates. But though every story is different, they are all worth hearing.
Day 6, Finishing Home No. 2
Josh Haveman
It was a good thing that we sought the Lord’s direction this morning, and not our own. We might have tried many things that ultimately didn’t work. But the Lord knew what we needed and He provided in every way. Today, that looked like the team splitting into two groups early. One group went to do home visits with Guatemalan families. The other group tried to get back to our original job site to finish a home build.
The home visit team was successful. They were able to visit two different homes, and meet with people in both physical and spiritual need. That group heard about daily life in Guatemala and the specific needs of those families. They also witnessed first hand what it means for those families to have less: access to water and power, food, hope. Ben Mooney shared that as he was describing Christ’s unconditional love to one of the women they visited, it became evident that she was in need of that love. Ben said that her demeanor changed, she opened up, and became real about her need for the gospel. This came about because of God’s provision.
The house-building team had a less successful morning, if the standard of success was arriving on time. The high waters and washed-out road that kept us from getting to the house built yesterday were still a factor today. So, the team tried to take a long detour around the washed-out road. Eventually, after about 3 hours of driving, that long route was successful. But though the team was finally in the right place, it seemed likely that they wouldn’t get the house built before dark. And there was still the return trip to navigate.
But God provided again. The house visit team figured out that they could park their van near the washed-out river and use a bridge that was still under construction to get across the water. This left us short on vehicles on one side of the river, but with a full team at our job site on the far side. Everyone got to work then, and another house was raised in short order. Another family was blessed. And our team was blessed to be able to participate in that awesome gift.
God then provided more. He enabled us all to get back across that same unfinished bridge. He provided help in the form of a driver to take us back to our hotel. He even provided a faster route back for our missionary partners, Ben and Nick, who took the long road home with the two trucks that had gotten to the job site the long way around in the morning.
After dinner, Ben and Nick and Emily and Izzi confirmed that this Grace trip has been like no other. We have had more hiccups and delays and changed plans than expected – even by third world standards! But through all of it we have seen Jesus. We have seen Him in people we’ve loved, and in how people have loved us. We have seen Him in giving and sharing. We have seen Him in the peace that comes from knowing that He has made all of this week both possible and beneficial.
Hallelujah!
Day 7, Antigua
Josh Haveman
Today was our last full day in Guatemala. Bethel Ministries International, our in-country partner, plans for the last day of the trip to be a cultural experience. In our team’s case, this meant visiting the city of Antigua.
The site of Antigua was used as a Spanish city as early as the 1540s. For many years, it was the capital of the Spanish empire in the Americas. Today it is a haven for tourists from all over the world. But, even though you can find a McDonalds and a TacoBell and Starbucks in town, much of the ancient architecture remains. There are churches and fountains dating back to the 1700s. The streets are all paved with cobblestone. Color and design and art all call out for attention as you wander the streets. Our team thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to experience a little taste of what has taken place in Guatemala over the centuries.
Today was also a day of goodbyes. Today we had our last meal where we were all together with our Bethel partners. And then, slowly, in ones and twos, we have had to say goodbye to them. There will be a few more goodbyes tomorrow morning when we get back on the plane to the US. But many on the team are already talking about coming back to Guatemala, and a large part of that draw are our brothers and sisters in Christ who work with Bethel. We came to Guatemala to serve Guatemalans, and by God’s grace we were able to do that. Unexpectedly for many of us, we also became fast friends with those we were serving alongside.
Grace Community Church has done an excellent job over the years of supporting the missionary work in Guatemala. The money that the church has spent has directly translated into the sharing of the gospel in both word and deed. The guarantee that our support is well used is wrapped up in the people that we work with. Not all mission agencies are the same. And not all missionaries are the same. But the men and women at Bethel are truly servants of the King of Kings. When you give money to support Grace teams and Bethel work, we can say from first hand experience that you are advancing the Kingdom of God. Praise the Lord that He has called such faithful stewards to His work in Guatemala. Praise Him that our church has been able to partner with loving servants of the Lord!
