Atlanta to Antigua

Atlanta, GA - We started our morning (and when I say morning I mean 12:40am, when we landed) by finding some empty chairs and hoping to get a catnap in before the 4:30am airport normalcy. We enjoyed some IHOP and waited for our 10:00am flight to Guatemala City where we landed around noon Central Time. From there, we were picked up by Juan, our driver, Adolfo, a World Renew representative, and Patty, our translator. These three graciously helped us get around and drive us 40 or so Kilometers to La Antigua, Guatemala. Some fun facts about Antigua: Antigua Guatemala means "Ancient Guatemala" and was the third capital of Guatemala. The Capital moved because of a massive earthquake in 1717. Before the earthquake, the city had a peak population of some 60,000; it is currently around 34,685. Antigua is popular due to its developed tourism infrastructure.
Once we arrived in Antigua, we settled into our hotel, the Casa Santiago, grabbed a bite to eat, and adventured out to see the city. Our driver, Juan, drove us to the top of Cerro de la Cruz (picture above). It was beautiful over looking the city and a great image that will last a lifetime. In the background you can see Volcan Agua. After taking this in, we continued on our quest through the city and do our best as tourist for the evening. We managed to find some great shops, one of which was a Jade store(pictured below). It was like a mini factory. The woman, who I suspect was the owner, gladly showed us how they made the various jewelry and ornaments. It was impressive. We concluded our day with another meal and devotions.
Colossians 3:12-17 - Let us clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Please pray we wear these virtues during the week ahead and forever more.
God Bless and stayed posted.

Guatemala Mission Team

Snow Snow Snow

The time is nearing 4:00pm on Thursday, February 20th. As I was watching the USA vs Canada Olympic women's hockey game, I received a phone call from Pastor Michael that we are taking off for the Minneapolis Airport THIS afternoon. Rather than depart from church at 2:00am Friday, Feb 21, as originally planned, we thought it'd be best to catch an earlier flight due to the weather. The forecast for this evening, and through the night, is 8 to 12 inches of snow and blizzard like winds. So.....probably a good idea to catch a flight ASAP. I'm blogging from the back of the Moorlag truck right now and so far I've counted 5 cars and one US Postal Truck(sideways) in the ditch. AND WE'RE NOT EVEN TO ELK RIVER YET!!

So about that hockey game...... We lost 2-3 in OT to the Canadians. To make matters worse on top of having no certainty that the flights won't cancel on us before we get there, I'm sitting next to Jess TenHaken, a CANADIAN!!! 

Please continue to pray for safe travels and USA men's hockey. USA vs Canada rematch tomorrow in semifinals. Go U.S.A. 

Stay posted and God Bless

2014 Guatemala Agenda

Below you will find an itinerary of the 2014 Guatemala trip as well as prayer suggestions to go along with each day's activities:

Guatemala Mission Team Itinerary & Prayer Guide

Team Members:  Jerry & Peggy Baas, Jennifer Elton, Nick Hoffman, Warren Kamstra, Julee Moorlag, Pastor Michael & Jessica Ten Haken, Phil & Debbie Vedders

Please pray for good health for all the team members, and for our families back home.

**You can follow our blog which will be updated throughout the trip as internet access permits at: www.peasecrc.org/guatamalaactionproject.cfm**

Friday, February 21st:
                Leave Minneapolis at 5:25AM arriving in Guatemala City at 12:45PM
                Pray for a safe and on-time trip, that our bags and supplies arrive with us and that we all clear customs.

Saturday, February 22nd:
                We will be seeing some of the sights and sounds of Guatemala, visiting a farm plot, and traveling to Quetzaltenango –
                    about 2 hours from Guatemala City.
                Please pray for open eyes and ears for the team members as we begin to understand life and culture there.

Sunday, February 23rd:
                We will spend the day worshiping and talking with our friends at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church.
                  They have asked us to have a question and answer time with them to talk about how each of us worships and lives out
                  our Christian walks.
                Please pray for the Spirit-filled worship and gracious and compassionate listening as we dialogue together.

Monday & Tuesday, February 24th & 25th:
                Distribution of chairs to a local church and school supplies purchased by our congregation to local school children
                  in the community of Helvetia.
                We will also begin construction of a new kitchen for the school in the village of Esperanza Miralta.
                Please pray for good connections with the people we come in contact with as well as opportunities to present the Gospel.

Wednesday & Thursday, February 26th & 27th:
                Distribution of school supplies and construction of additional classroom space in the village of El Tineco.
                Please pray for safety during the construction process and opportunities to talk with the people there about how
                 we can make our partnership stronger.

Friday, February 28th:
                We will be seeing some of the work of Vine & Branches by visiting farm plots that have been established to provide income and
                  sustainability to the people in the community of La Palmera.
                Please pray for the work of Vine and Branches and our partnership with them.

Saturday, March 1st:
                Our flight departs Guatemala City at 12:45 and we arrive in Minneapolis at 11:30PM.
                Again please pray for safe travel and no problems with customs.

Sunday, March 9th:
                Please plan to stay after the morning worship service to hear about the work that God is doing in these communities
                  through our partnership with World Renew and Vine & Branches.

Guatemala Comminssioning 2/16/14

I can't believe it's almost time for us to head to Guatemala! We've been looking forward to this for what seems like a long time and it's finally here. We will have our commissioning this coming Sunday and we'll be leaving next Friday, the 21st.

In a way we've all been working toward this date, and in a way, you are all coming with us... Thank you for your support and for your prayers.

Merlin's Musings

I felt I was on a "diplomatic trip". I felt we were treated like dignitaries throughout the trip. I felt our team worked as a team should. Everyone looked out for each other. There was so much to do and see and so little time. I enjoyed our bus trips with our interpreters. All the questions we had for them. They did a great job. There were so many old beautiful buildings that are just left to deteriorate(so sad to see).

The people of Guatemala are very poor. They seemed to me almost worse off than many of our people who live on the streets. They do not have any government assistance programs.

Their faith is strong. This was a bad year for their coffee crops. They just do without and trust in God to get them through. They continue working and praising God for what they do have.

It seems the best thing we can do is love and encourage them. We need to continue praying for our new friends and brothers and sisters in Christ.

I hope we keep going back.

From Jerry and Peggy

Jerry said his highlight was seeing Carlos as each site we were at. On Thursday he had said good-bye because he wasn't going to make it Friday--but there he was. The way he had to walk over an hour to get to the places we were...he was an inspiration to us.

For Peggy, it was that the Vid y Pompano board made Pease a very beautiful banner. It was so special to them that we came to show interest in what they are doing. In a weeks time they had it made. Another highlight for Peggy was giving two little boys wooden cars and watching them playing with them on a cement block in their house with a dirt floor making "car noises."

Terri's Thanks

I don't know why I'm so slow at sending you my reflections re our trip to Guatemala. It's partly because it's just plain hard to put into words what I'm feeling. My overwhelming emotion is gratefulness! There are many I must thank. I'll start with Pease CRC..thank you so much for allowing me to tag along with your team! It was a wonderful privilege to again visit and work in a country I have come to love since my first trip there12 years ago. I especially appreciated the kind of preparation we did and the teamwork that was built long before we left.

That leads me to the next person I want to thank from the bottom of my heart...my dear friend Julee!! It was largely her vision and her passion (along with the Outreach Team) that were the impetus and inspiration for the idea in the first place. She communicated that vision and passion in ways that encouraged excitement, participation, and commitment in so many others. I saw Julee, in the middle of much personal/family struggle, pain, and grief, continue to work tirelessly in planning, organizing, fund-raising, leading meetings, leading devotional times, and taking care of countless other details that made it possible for all of us to have the kind of experience we had. Her leadership was a gift from God to all of us...and I am so proud to call her my friend!!

I also want to express my thanks to World Renew, Pastor Moises and all of his associates at his church, at John Calvin Seminary, and at Vid y Pampanos for the work they all do to advance the spiritual, social and economic growth of the people of Guatemala. It is definitely our Reformed worldview in action! A particular blessing to me was to see the work being done to lift up the position of the Guatemalan women, who have been oppressed and held down for centuries by a culture that values male machismo far more than female dignity. We saw women in leadership, and we saw women whose lives had been made better, safer and more meaningful when their husbands and other men began to see them as their equals. One man in particular, who is a new Christian and is a student at the Seminary, now encourages his wife's gifts, and treats her with new respect...beautiful to see!

I loved being a part of this team, and I loved getting to know the people in the villages where we worked. It is a special joy to me that the people we worked alongside are now our friends, we will see them again, and our relationships with them will continue to grow as the Pease CRC carries out its commitment to partner with them for years to come. This is what missions should be!!

This is getting too long (those who know me well aren't surprised)..but I still need to thank Kris for being a great roommate...

And above all, I thank my Heavenly Father for blessing all of us with the privilege of serving Him in this way!