Heading Home

I am very ready to be back with my family, but what an eye-opening trip to Guatemala! On Wednesday we started off the morning by meeting a pastor in a poor part of Guatemala city, the pastor of Iglesia Bautista Jerusalen. It's a neat church and building. The city reminds me a lot of some of the places I've been in Argentina. Across the street the church helps support a small junior high school, where indigenous kids ride buses for 2 hours and then walk for 20 minutes to come in the afternoons. The building is falling apart, but they have school every day. It would be great to figure out how to help build them a new building. We had lunch at a hotel with the president of the Baptist Convention here. Then we drove to Antigua, a beautiful old town. It's become a tourist hotspot for Europeans and Americans. We checked into the hotel and changed clothes, then drove up to Ajotenanga. It was about 30 minutes up the mountain, past a dormant volcano. There is a live volcano not far from here that hopefully I can see the next time I come to the country. In Ajotenanga we met at a church--really just an open air structure with sheets of tin for the roof. It was raining softly when we arrived, and about 60 kids and adults were already waiting there for us. We had a bag full of cookies and crackers and candy, which we distributed first, then we have away a bunch of rice, beans and sugar, plus toothbrushes and toothpaste--appropriate I guess after the candy and cookies. We sang and played and everyone hugged. It was now pouring rain, but probably more than 100 kids were there. It was very inspiring. We had to run about a block in the driving rain to get back to the vans, and everyone was soaked, but laughing and having fun.

I should probably tell you who "everyone" is--Chiqui is the in-country director, and a neat lady. Her husband is a doctor in Guatemala City. Amed is also on staff with Buckner. Tina is Chiqui's daughter and was a translator, Aida is another Buckner staffer. Then in addition to me, Josh and Albert Reyes there were 3 women from Texas. Karen Perry is a member at Park Cities in Dallas, and this was her 28th trip to Guatemala in the last 4 years. She's a great lady. In fact, you should go to Albert's blog at http://www.pandulce.typepad.com/ and read about Karen as the model for 21st century mission specialists. This time she brought two of her friends, Joyce and Patty. The three of them were fun to watch, especially Karen. As Patty said at dinner tonight, the kids in the orphanages and churches here treat her like a rock star. And 2 of Joyce's daughters are here, Monroe and Quincy.

On Thursday we visited Manchen, the girls orphanage run by the government but where Buckner does some humanitarian aid. We met several members of Christ Church in Tyler, who were building a new pergola in the yard of the orphanage. There are about 100 girls here, many with special needs. A bunch of them asked me to play futbol americano with them--I need to bring them a ball when I come back. Virtually all of these girls were there either because they were orphans or because their family abused them. Tragic stories.

In the afternoon we did a little shopping, then drove back to Guatemala City. We had an impromptu staff training session with the in-country staff and interns, with Albert and I sharing various aspects of leadership, teamwork, and the vision of Buckner. That was both fun and challenging, as the group was split into thirds--1/3 speaking only Spanish, 1/3 only English, and 1/3 bilingual. But we laughed and talked and strategized about what might could be in Guatemala.

All in all it was a great trip. I can't wait to go back.

Today in Guatemala

What a day! First of all, it's my birthday--42 years old. Yikes!

But what an incredible and challenging and heart-wrenching day. And none of that due to being 42.

We left the hotel about 9 this morning and visited the Buckner offices here in Cuidad Guatemala. From there we toured the warehouse, where shoes, clothes, food, furniture, and a bunch of other things were held for later distribution. But then we went to the baby house. I met several babies and toddlers today whose stories break your heart. Alejandra was born with spina bifida and has already been through 3 surgeries at her young age. The doctors say she probably will never walk, but the staff believes that she will one day with the help of God. But even that wasn't the real heart-wrenching part. This little girl was left by her parents in the hospital once they found out about her health issues. To even give them the benefit of the doubt and say that perhaps they knew they couldn't care for such a special needs child is still to say that her parents left her, and I have a hard time imagining that. I pray for them wherever they are tonight, that God's love may touch them.

I could tell you more--in fact I started typing about Cristal and Celeste and Daniel and Juan Pablo then deleted it--but in a way it's saddening to burden the 3.5 of you who read my blog with this burden. And yet...

And yet there is the face of Jesus in the least of these. There is nothing like the hug of a child, the unabandoned, almost reckless love of a little one who has decided that even though my parents aren't here, these people have become my mother and father and family, and I'm going to love them for all I'm worth.

For all they're worth. That's a pregnant phrase. What are these kids worth, these children who have been cast aside by those who should love them most?

A fortune. And more.

Later we visted both the boys' and girls' transitional homes, where young men and women too old for the orphanage but too young to be on their own live. Then on to the single moms home, where several teenage mothers--kids with kids--live and study and grown in an environment set up to help them succeed.

Buckner and those who support the ministry with their time, talent and treasure are partnering to do a good thing here in Guatemala.

It was a great birthday.

Trip to Guatemala

It's just after midnight here in Guatemala City, where I arrived about 2 hours ago. I'm here with my friend and former/current boss, Albert Reyes, and his son Josh, to tour various Buckner facilities in country and see firsthand the kinds of ministries that our church partners in the US are supporting.

So far I haven't seen much but the hotel, and it's beautiful. It's the Hotel Vista Real, and the former general manager here is now on Buckner staff. I look forward to seeing everything in the light of tomorrow's day.