Thursday, August 27, 2009

THE COUNTDOWN TICKER SAYS 72 DAYS!

Uh oh -- the ticker is down to 72 days! Time to have a meeting and get the ball rolling with our crafts, etc. We have a meeting planned for this Monday for some more brainstorming.

We've been busy fund raising by having an outdoor booth at the Roselle Market. I don't think we'll become millionaires there, but it's a great way to get a little advertisement for our ministry. Hopefully we'll earn enough money to pay for the kids' daily snacks and maybe a few of the craft items. It's also a good way to do a little bit of team building and see how we work together!

We are a team of six at this point. We would probably only want a maximum of eight, so we'll see if we end up with a few more people. The six of us have already purchased our airline tickets, so things are really starting to fall into place. We were VERY pleasantly surprised that with fuel costs being more reasonable this year, our tickets were $408 instead of $608. What a blessing!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

MARIMBA MUSIC IN ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA

Had a chance to enjoy some marimba music at the hotel I was at in Antigua. The group played during dinner, and during the day they were outside in the hotel courtyard. This hotel is the Posada de Don Rodrigo, and it is a really wonderful place! The staff is top notch, and the hotel dining room serves excellent food. (Pardon the last 10 seconds of the video. I thought I had turned it off, and instead you see my feet on the cobblestones!)

RIBBON CUTTING TIME

Here is Pastor Mueller Jr. with Nury De Milian doing the actual words and prayer to dedicate the school. Pastor is speaking in English and Nury is translating for him.

Pastor Jasinto is enjoying taking part in this important moment too.
Pastor Mueller is pointing out this wonderful plaque that is hanging outside that mentions our partnership in Christ and how we worked on this project together. Because of the reflection, it's hard to see in the photo, but at the far left of the plaque is a small picture of Trinity.

So from ground breaking in January of 2007 to the dedication of July of 2009, this has been a wonderful odyssey, not without its bumps and detours along the way. But as always, when you look back, you can see how the hand of God works and see that he is faithful to his promises. I have been so privileged to be a part of all this! What a learning experience!


THE DEDICATION SERVICE IN GUALAN

The long-awaited dedication of the primary school in Gualan took place on Sunday, July 26th. It
was a very well planned and well thought out event. Committee members told us that plans began in earnest four months ago, and their hard work showed. Canopy tents were lent to the church for the day, and the whole setting was as beautiful as if it had been prepared for a wedding.

Pastor Canjura (left, above) flew in from Chicago. He was pastor at this church for an extended period of time during the 80's. He delivered the sermon. Our Pastor Mueller Jr. from Trinity -- Roselle, IL. was on hand for the ribbon cutting and official words of the dedication. Pastor Jasinto (the pastor of Resurrection Church) from Gualan also led the service. Pastor Byron Paz from the Lutheran Church in Puerto Barrios was the liturgist.

All four pastors served processional communion to the large crowd. It was a very heartwarming, emotional service for the participants from Trinity. At a certain point, they called us all up onto the stage and handed us a plaque. I said a few words in Spanish on behalf of the group to thank them for this opportunity to work with them.

CONGRATULATIONS TO DON FRANCISCO

Here is Don Francisco, also known as Don Chico. He was the foreman who directed the building
of the school. He is a good man, a hard worker, and really kept things rolling. We nicknamed him "Smiley" during our April '07 trip, because he is a man of very few smiles! I was so happy I had a chance to tell him, "Don Francisco, you haven't just built a school, you've built a work of art." When he heard that, the corners of his mouth turned up just ever so slightly in a little smile. Congratulations to you Don Francisco, and to God be the glory!