Greeting from Guatemala! We have all shared in the joy of blogging about our experience here and today is my turn. Yesterday was our last day in the academies… how on earth do you sum up a week of divine moments like we’ve had?
I have no idea.
Fortunately that’s for tomorrow blogger to do ;) My gift today is to share with you the experiences we had at Limon, the oldest of the academies.
When we left the house yesterday it was evident that some of us were a little concerned about the task before us. We had been charged with painting the outside of the academy and it was not where all of our heart were looking to go. The time we had spent with the children of Lima Academy had been so enjoyable that we were looking to spend some time with more of the children of La Limonada. But there was painting to be done. So paint we did.
Our morning began with the voice of a sweet boy calling to one of our group he remembered from a previous visit. The joy on his face and the affection they clearly felt for one another was palpable and speaks to the blessing of returning to this place. To return is to place value, to spread the love of God, and to let the people here know that they are never ever alone.
The morning continued with yet another young man of La Limonada volunteering his time to help in our efforts. Kevin is a young man who is allowed to spend one day a week at the Academy with Lucia, one of the teachers. As children at the Academies age out at 12 years old, Lucia has sought to provide ongoing care for the young men and women here when they are at, perhaps, their most vulnerable. At Forest Hill we have a strong youth ministry that keeps our teenagers focused on God and engaged in activities that continually point them toward Him. It’s somewhat terrifying to imagine where the youth here would go and what they would get involved in were it not for women like Lucia who seek to provide them the love and acceptance they so desperately need. Lucia is a champion of the youth here in La Limonada and her efforts were on beautiful display in the way that Kevin cheerfully joined us in our work.
We were blessed with the opportunity for one more home visit and we found ourselves in the home of Tina. She is an elderly woman who has recently undergone hip surgery. We were welcomed into her home with open arms and the two men who were with her, her cousin and son, made quick work of offering each of us a seat. They would not rest until we were all sitting and in a comfortable position for our visit. They gave us their own chairs and thanked us repeatedly for coming. Tone deaf as some of us (me) may be, our visit culminated in song after song of praise to God. If you would be so kind, please add Tina to your prayer list today as she needs healing from her surgery and provision for work for her family.
See Part 2 for more!
Amor, abrazos y oraciones (thanks Zach!)
Love, hugs and prayers,
Jody
I have no idea.
Fortunately that’s for tomorrow blogger to do ;) My gift today is to share with you the experiences we had at Limon, the oldest of the academies.
When we left the house yesterday it was evident that some of us were a little concerned about the task before us. We had been charged with painting the outside of the academy and it was not where all of our heart were looking to go. The time we had spent with the children of Lima Academy had been so enjoyable that we were looking to spend some time with more of the children of La Limonada. But there was painting to be done. So paint we did.
Our morning began with the voice of a sweet boy calling to one of our group he remembered from a previous visit. The joy on his face and the affection they clearly felt for one another was palpable and speaks to the blessing of returning to this place. To return is to place value, to spread the love of God, and to let the people here know that they are never ever alone.
The morning continued with yet another young man of La Limonada volunteering his time to help in our efforts. Kevin is a young man who is allowed to spend one day a week at the Academy with Lucia, one of the teachers. As children at the Academies age out at 12 years old, Lucia has sought to provide ongoing care for the young men and women here when they are at, perhaps, their most vulnerable. At Forest Hill we have a strong youth ministry that keeps our teenagers focused on God and engaged in activities that continually point them toward Him. It’s somewhat terrifying to imagine where the youth here would go and what they would get involved in were it not for women like Lucia who seek to provide them the love and acceptance they so desperately need. Lucia is a champion of the youth here in La Limonada and her efforts were on beautiful display in the way that Kevin cheerfully joined us in our work.
We were blessed with the opportunity for one more home visit and we found ourselves in the home of Tina. She is an elderly woman who has recently undergone hip surgery. We were welcomed into her home with open arms and the two men who were with her, her cousin and son, made quick work of offering each of us a seat. They would not rest until we were all sitting and in a comfortable position for our visit. They gave us their own chairs and thanked us repeatedly for coming. Tone deaf as some of us (me) may be, our visit culminated in song after song of praise to God. If you would be so kind, please add Tina to your prayer list today as she needs healing from her surgery and provision for work for her family.
See Part 2 for more!
Amor, abrazos y oraciones (thanks Zach!)
Love, hugs and prayers,
Jody
We are gonna have such wonderful, Kingdom advancing experiences this Spring 2019 semester https://class.perspectives.org/Visitor/Public.aspx?ClassId=434062