Our Final Post Before We Travel Home

Praise the Lord for our time at Eagle's Nest in Solola, Guatemala!!!! He truly worked through each and ever team member and used us to share the love and message of Jesus Christ. Thanks to each and every one of you who prayed for us and supported us by paying close attention to or activities on this blog. We hope you were as blessed to hear about our experiences as we were to share them.

Also, thank you so much to those who provided quilts for our trip! Our nights have been cool, and we have needed them wrapped around us to stay warm. They have also been a special blessing to those who have not felt well this week. The quilts have comforted and kept many with fevers warm during their illnesses. We thank all the ladies who had a hand in making them with special Bible verses, and we know they will continue to be a blessing to future groups that stay in the apartments.

We look forward to being home Monday morning. We are leaving right now (Sunday, 1:30 pm) for a 3 hour drive to Guatemala City. Our flight gets into Chicago at 1:05 am and we will drive back to Normal by 5 or 6 in the morning. We look forward to sharing all of God's blessing with you in person. Adios!!!!!

Goodbye Guatemala

Hey y'all, it's Ashley Schippert. Today was our last full day in Guatemala. This morning/early afternoon we held a VBS at the orphanage. We probably had about 75 children. There were four rotations, futball, crafts, skit, and music. The kids heard the gospel two times during the morning. It went well and we will continue to pray that the kids understood what they were told and accept Christ. The afternoon was totally free and many people went to the orphanage so some of our ladies could give the mamas manicures. The mamas loved it.

Tonight we had a meeting and said our goodbyes. We shared stories and shared the awesome things that God has done in our lives through this trip. Praise the Lord for revealing Himself to us this week. I cannot thank you enough for your prayers. God's presence was in these places and within all of our hearts. Thanks again for allowing us this awesome privelege. I hope that you will be blessed, convicted, and encouraged by our stories. Ben shared this verse tonight, 1 Cor 12: 26 "If one member suffers, all suffer together, if one member is honored, all rejoice together." We are united together in these experiences and in the revealing of Him and His truths. Hope to see you all soon!

Eli Dean's Saturday

Hola everyone!
This is Eli Dean, and I’ve had an AMAZING week. I’m very glad I came on this trip. Right now there’s a cloud shadowing the view, but up here everything looks gorgeous. Today we had a mini-VBS from 10 to 12 this morning, and we’re packing and cleaning up for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we have church, then after lunch we have a 3 hour drive to Guatemala City. From “Guate” City, we fly to Chicago and then drive home.
All week I saw kids with insanely large smiles on their faces because they were happy to see us. Imagine that! This trip has shown me that I have many faults, but also many great things about me. Our group has a very special mix of people, which is insanely nice. I think I’ve developed some friendships and strengthened my original friendships. I’m very tired and will be glad when I get home.
There have been many discomforts on this mission trip, but many rewards along the way. For everyone who has supported me and prayed for me, I can’t thank you enough. I can’t wait to be home to see everyone!

Adios!

P.S. – This is my first ever blog post, so it's a little rough

Lil’ Dave’s Weblog

This is Dave Rawlins and I thought I’d let you know what we’ve been up to the past day and a half. Yesterday (Friday) was our boat tour on the lake to four major towns: San Pedro, Santa Cruz, Santiago and Panajachel. It was an incredible experience as all of the towns were somewhat different from each other. The first town was full of the indigenous Mayan peoples and their way of life was simpler than most in Guatemala. We ate lunch in Santa Cruz and learned the authentic and organic way Guatemalan coffee is made. For me, the most interesting town was Santiago. Besides being very touristy, there was a strong background in the Catholic Church as well as an idol god, Maximon. (http://www.raphaelk.co.uk/web%20pics/Guatemala/first/Atitlan%20Maximon.JPG) We all have idols in our own lives, but for me, this was the clearest example of people worshipping an idol above our one true God. There was definitely some spiritual battles going on in that city. I should also let you know that Dave Gross got dressed up like an authentic Guatemalan in this town (check the pictures.) After Santiago we returned to Panajachel to eat dinner and shop next to the lake.

This whole week has been an incredible time to serve the Guatemalans, each other and ultimately God. Matthew 10:8 says, “Freely you have received, freely give.” And that has been our goal this week. We are so blessed as a mission team and it’s our responsibility to pass that on with our time, possessions, and love--And that is a calling of every Christian. Thanks to all of you who have been praying and reading this blog. You are such an encouragement to us and we look forward to returning on Monday.

P.S. I'm doing my best to wait until I get home to hear what's up with Brett Favre...

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Hey Everyone this is Julie Myers. First, thank you so much to everyone for all of your prayers for Ashley Bronke and I. It's been a slow, up and down recovery. One minute we will be feeling a lot better and then the next we have to go lay down because we don't feel good again. The worst thing for me right now is that I feel like I can't breathe. I'm not sure if it's the elevation or what it is. If I lay down in a certain position then I can breathe but when I sit up or stand up I get very short of breath. I feel like I have a 10 lb. weight sitting on my chest. If it wasn't for that I would be feeling much better. I have probably 80% of my strength back. They keep telling me to eat but I'm honestly running out of food. I'm kind of getting tired of Easy Mac, teddy grahams and fish crackers. They have fed me a few other things but I'm ready to go home and eat some American food. We were talking about some of the food we were craving this morning. :-)

Today is Sarah 20th Birthday YAY!!! For those who don't know Sarah is my best friend she's pretty much like family to me. Today is also the boat tour day. And when we first recieved the schedule Sarah and I were SO exited because we got to do the tour on her birthday! And I had planned all this fun stuff that we could do! Well.. Then I got sick. So Ashley, Tami and I didn't get to go on the tour today! :-( I spent most all morning sobbing because I was so upset and frusterated that I couldn't be there to celebrate with Sarah. I was crying out to the Lord why can I not get better I know you called me to go on this trip. Why did I come just to get sick. And he just kept telling me Jeremiah 29:11 - I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future. I just felt his arms rap around me and tell me that there is a purpose for this and that it's okay.

Tonight Ashley, Tami and I are going to take a cab(which could be scary) down to Pana Haschel. I went last night but I had to sit down because I could breath. We are going to be meeting up with the everyone else at a restaurant to have dinner. I'm not so sure if I will eat but I'm going to at least go so I can hang out with everyone and do a little shopping.

Marianne,
We miss you so much and we have prayed every day for you! We hope you that get to come down here A.S.A.P to get Sarah. We all love her so much. She is just so precious! I will still try to take the pictures of her in those onezies. It got slightly delayed with my sickness. Last Sunday when I was in the orphanage just before we left I went over to her crib and she was still awake and was rubbing her head and showed her the pictures of you and your family and she got a huge smile on her face. She knows who you are. I know we will all be very exited when you bring her home. And know that everyone has been loving on her! Except for the sick ones. :-) Love you!!!

Mom and Dad,
I miss you guys and I can't wait to see you! I hope you're supporting the cubbies for me in my absence. :-D I am feeling better so don't worry to much. I miss you and love you tons!!!

Lisa,
We did get Sarah this morning. While she was in the shower we taped the Happy Birthday streamers all over her door so she couldn't get out and we put streamers and balloons all over her bead. I know she is missing you guys as well!


Thank you again everyone for all of your prayers!!!

Julie

Jackie's First Time Blogging!!

Hola

All is going well here the weather has been beautiful. Completely enjoying the babies and toddlers. My heart goes out to all you Moms and Dads who are waiting to bring your little ones home. At the same time I have loved loving on your babies. They are all the best most precious kids ever. Yesterday we had a lot of fun doing face painting during the dental clinic. (thats me painting someones face) I got pretty good at painting soccer balls and flowers. Tonight we went into Panajachel to try to shop a litttle. That was crazy! the people are very pushing wanting you to buy their stuff. I hope all is well at home. I love you all.Mom

Jackie P

Wednesday

Hello everyone, this is Caleb Beaty writing tonight. We had an absolutely wonderful day today. We started off with a tour of a sound studio in Solola at 9 this morning. The studio works in correlation with Wycliffe Bible Translators. They are in the process of making finger puppet movies to evangelize to the children in and around Guatemala. The hope is to make movies for all the major bible stories. VINA, the studio, also works in the field of ethnomusicology. That is basically taking the music of a culture and helping natives write songs in their own style, instead of importing western-style worship songs. They also have translated the New Testament into several different languages that are spoken in Guatemala. There are about 22 different languages in Guatemala and 48 different dialects.

After that we went to a school where we played music, passed out school supplies, and balloons. The children really enjoyed spending time with us, practicing the little English they knew. We were only able to stay for a little while due to time constraints.

After lunch (which was amazing), we put on a dental clinic for the people of Solola. Dr. Martin examined everyone’s teeth that came through. It was hard to get an exact count, but we had somewhere between 75 and 100 people that we were able to serve. We taught everyone how to brush and floss, and gave them toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss. We also presented the gospel to everyone who came.

Alright… I get to have a little personal note on the end of this, so here I go. This week has been a little bit rough for me. I have just been dealing with some issues that I have been ignoring for a while, and I have felt like God has not been listening to me. Monday night when we went to the youth group in Solola, I really got to experience God. We sang songs in both English and Spanish at the same time. I got a chance to pray with a couple other people at the end of the night, and it was one of the coolest nights of my life. Then last night a few of us had a spontaneous time of praising God with music. That was also a spectacular time that I got to meet with God. So it has been a great time of comforting for me, and God has really shown himself to me this week. I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for me.

Sick no more . . .well kinda

Hi everyone! This is Ashley Bronke and as many of you know Julie and I have been very sick for the past few days. We found out that we contracted a sickening bacteria in our GI tract which caused us severe vomiting, pain in our stomachs and muscles, and high fevers. I have to say that this was a very painful experience that hindered not only our physical beings, but our mental and spiritual as well. (I am not really sure if it was worse than getting my tonsils out . . .but I think it was a close second!)
However, I am pleased to inform all who were praying for us that today we are feeling much better. Yesterday, Julie went to a hospital here in Guatemala (a pretty frightening experience), had blood drawn, and was able to return with an antibiotic and pain medication. She has now been on the medication for almost 20 hrs. and is showing amazing improvement. As for me, I was still having terrible pain in my stomach last night and the inability to get out of bed. Our doctor on call is Dr. Rick Martin, or Ricardo as we refer to him here, and being the experienced missionary he is had a strong antibiotic in his bag of supplies. After taking this medicine last night, today I am free from sickness and slowly eating and walking around to regain strength.
From Julie and I both we want to thank everyone that has been diligently praying for us-- we really could not have gotten through this with out the strength from God and the knowledge that we are showered in prayer.
At first this was a very discouraging experience as both of us did not want to be stuck in our rooms, but rather out doing ministry! However, I know that I have learned so much by being sick these past two days. God is faithful and so good. He protects his people and will not let them fall. While I was sick, I became frustrated thinking that I would never be able to do ministry internationally again--- but God came along and showed me that nothing we do for him is in vain . . .even becoming sick. So I believe that I will still be fulfilling God's call for my life to become a missionary to Africa no matter what small thorns are put into my flesh. I wish all of you to praise God!----How amazing He is, our strength in weakness.
Hi to my family-- Dad, Josh, Bryce, and Kiley, and Aaron-- hope all is well and Mom and I are always thinking of you! Love, love, love

los bebes...

Hello to all in los Estados Unidos! This is the first time I've had the opportunity to check the posts, and I was really encouraged to see all the comments from so many different people. Just a quick note to Sara- I just finished giving Pasquela her bottle and being captivated by her big, beautiful eyes and bright smile. She is doing well and being loved for sure- by us and the mamas. I also have continued to be blessed beyond belief each and every day and am definitely improving my Spanish! Sidenote- yesterday was my birthday and Thelme our wonderful cook got me a birthday cake to share with all! It was so special (and delicious!). Can't wait to see you all when we return! Thank you for your prayers- I'm praying that as you meet with our Creator you feel His presence as much as we are experiencing Him down here.
All because of Christ!
Marrita

A Busy Morning at the Orphanage

Hola! This is Beth's turn to write a quick blog, and I haven't read the previous posts, so excuse me if I duplicate some details. I'm anxious to read some of your comments as well.

This morning, the youth received a reprieve from their manual labor to travel into town with Ron. I forget the name of the ministry, but it was explained as a Wycliffe sponsored studio where they create finger puppet videos. I'm sure the blogger tonight can provide more details. Many of us ladies just finished giving babies their bottles. My left arm has forgotten how to cradle a 30 pound baby with a bottle, so I quickly had to use a rocking chair. Most of the babies receive their bottles propped up in their beds, and the mamas catch a quick break during this time. There are so many big chestnut eyes looking for individual attention, and they all have such beautiful faces. Mark - if you are reading this - I'll be hitting you up to help sponsor a child (sponsor - not adopt...), since the financial condition of the orphanage is fairly uncertain through the end of this year.

This afternoon will be an exciting time of watching what God has in store through Rick Martin's dental clinic. We received our instructions last night, but things this week have had a tendency to not go as planned. Everyone is doing a terrific job of staying flexible and knowing that God's ways are always better than our own. Most of then entire group will be helping in some way, and we hope to present not only information on keeping your teeth clean, but more importantly, how to have a clean heart and receive God's gift of salvation.

Personally, I am having a terrific time in this beautiful country. So far, my week has been nothing like my expectations letter as I was moved over to be the "mom" for the three youth girls. Sounds a little like my home? Not quite. They are wonderful to be around, very helpful to each other, and other than killing some bugs for them, they are good on their own. I'm extremely proud of their hard work in doing manual labor this week. I have spent the past two days painting a black wrought iron fence, and I'm finally spending some time in the orphanage this morning. Helping do some group laundry, too. Every task is for God's glory, and he formed us all out of the same clay for different purposes.

This will probably be the only time I'm online, so I'll give a quick hug to Mark, Nicole, Morgan, and Lauren. Wish you could see the volcanoes before me with the clouds beginning to roll over from the coast. The lake is spectacular, and God's creativity with this country is breathtaking. I trust that everything is cool back home. Morgan - I remember you'd like to have some Guatemalan currency!

Our days are fleeting, and we'll soon return to the majestic corn fields! My high school Spanish is very rusty but slowly returning, so...

ADIOS AMIGOS! God bless your week, too.

Beth

Tuesday . . . A Full Day Of Work At Eagle's Nest

Hola.
This is Anna
Today was a full work day. We stayed at the Nest all day. It was also an extremely clear day!

Today some worked on moving dirt while others painted fences and washed walls white as snow. In the afternoon a group worked on putting up wire stuff so the soccer balls won't go down the mountain... expect we only got one side done, the side where the balls never fly out...Josh M. and Jared S. spent some time entertaining babies and toddlers. Apparently all the kids loved Jared but weren't so sure about Josh... every kid Josh picked up cried. Right before the our worship time tonight the power went out. We witnessed God's beautiful creation in the sky (check out the picture above).

So far this week I have really been in awe of God's beautiful creation... and He has been teaching me to look at it in an all new way. I have also been learning about serving God in all new. Something that has really helped me serve more willingly has been to see everything I do through God's eyes as I serve and thinking about what He would say about my work. Love ya all and thanks for your prayers.

In Christ,

Anna Banana

p.s. !!!!GO CARDINALS!!!!!!

So far this trip has been such an eye opening experience. God is working in so many amazing ways! One thing that God has shown me is how content these people here are. They have so little yet so much in Christ. I pray that God would teach me to be this content. Also, I have really enjoyed loving on all the babies. They are all so beautiful!!! I miss you guys so much! Hope everything back there is going well!! Love ya! GO CUBBIES!! They are the BEST!

Sarah Bethea :-)

Bonita Babies

It is a bonita day! The sun is shining and the breeze is spring like. As I am writing, our young men are shoveling dirt/sand into buckets and lifting them fifteen feet on to a terrace and they started singing "O-E-O" from the Wizard of Oz. Most of the ladies, left the orphanage at 10:00 and are now white washing walls or painting black iron fences.
We are taking shifts at the orphanage. I have never been to an orphanage before, it is better than I expected. The babies have big cheeks(well feed), big brown eyes, and are very clean. The "mamas" the ladies that take care of the babies are amazing. Our team laughs because the "mamas" can feed 4babies to our 1. There is a definite rountine and we try to stay out of the way. The mamas don't want us to change pants and we really do not have a problem with that!
Our orphan team feeds, plays with, and pick up the crying ones.
Jose is one with black curly hair(he could be a Pilon). He is "grande" and I envision him in the NFL. Maria is two and sharp. I asked her "Como te llama?" and she could tell me each 2 year olds name. I noticed when someone enters the orphanage she says, "Holla" and I've caught her saying "hi" and repeating my English. Jennifer is a beautiful brown eyed, brown hair two year old. There are so many to mention and each one God knows. Pray that the 15 without parents will have parents and that the government will allow the adoptions to go through.

Sometimes God Changes Our Plans

Hey everyone! This is Hannah Beaty.

Tonight we had the privilage to worship with some Guatemalans. The youth group and a few others went to a church in Solola. We had planned for about 150 young children, but aparentally God had another plan in mind. There were only about 30, and they were all teenagers. We were able to worship with them, and to our surprise we knew a lot of the same songs in English! Then Tommy and I were able to do a little skit. It was funny to watch the translators translate for each other as well as for the both of us! After the evening was over one of the Guatemalan girls asked if we knew the song "I Can Only Imagine". So Caleb started playing it and we all started singing. It was amazing to realize that we could all praise God in different languages! That's one thing that God had been teaching me this week. He is so big that it doesn't matter who you are, what language you speak, where you live or how much money you have. He wants to know you personally!

Hey this is Jared Murphy talking,

Today we helped out around the orphanage starting in the morning, we painted and shoveled dirt into bucket... it was alot of fun. Tonight the youth members got the amazing opportunity to go spend time with some Guatemalans at a church. Our original plan was to be interacting with about 150 children but God had other plans, I guess He just wanted to spice things up a bit. instead there were about 30 teenagers. It was cool because we sang songs in 2 different languages, but all for one purpose to praise God. After Hannah and Tommy's interesting skit, i gave a mini sermon in front of these teenagers. I was terrified but everyone else thought i did a good job. It was all worth is because someone told me that because I did that I could have led someone to Christ. I realized through this that I shouldn't let my fear of public speaking prevent me from sharing my faith because another persons salvation is at stake. God has taught me that when you go outside your comfort zone you need to rely on Him!

Home Is Where the People Are

Sooooo..... it's Monday! Not as sunny as it was yesterday, and as I write this there is a slight drizzle from the clouds blowing in from the lake. But it's still beautiful, and these is absolutely nothing to complain about, especially when it helps quench the body heat worked up from moving dirt from a pile to an area about eight or ten feet up a wall in order to level out the ground above. We are all broken up into smaller groups today, working on separate activities such as painting fences, whitewashing walls, caring for the orphans, and well, moving dirt. Tonight, the student ministry is going to be involved in a Compassion International activity in Solola, about five minutes away by vehicle.

On a personal note, this place is already starting to feel like home. That is not to say that the central highlands of Guatemala look anything remotely like the farmland of central Illinois. I guess everywhere on Earth has its own kind of beauty. Don't get me wrong; there really is something thoroughly enjoyable and somewhat surreal about a backdrop comprised of water, volcanoes and lush vegetation, no matter what activity you're participating in. But when I think of home, I think of people. I think of all those around me that I love, and I really love the team I'm serving with. They are my siblings in Christ. They are my friends. And though not everyone important in my life is here with me, it's still nice to know that even here, thousands of miles from my physical home, I can still feel the same way because besides serving and caring for the people here, we are also serving and caring for each other. This was especially evident last night as we held a miniature worship and sharing session. We talked about (by way of nomination) those who we appreciated from our group that truly showed a spirit of servanthood, and then worshipped God together in an amazing way. God truly is great and sovereign, and that’s always the best thing to know.

Chris Ruehle

Sunday Afternoon

This afternoon was another one full of amazing scenery with beautiful weather all day. Shortly after having a traditional American lunch consisting of fried chicken and fries a group of us took a short one and a half mile walk down the road from Eagles Nest to Solola, again filled with many awesome photo ops. We walked around the main square through a multitude of shops selling anything from stereos to red bananas (not sure what those were). Not long after making a stop a local grocery store our group started back towards Eagles Nest so we could get back in time and hopefully practice a little before playing a futball match (soccer for you in the states) with some of the kids in the orphanage (picture above). This quickly turned into a competitive game involving almost everyone on our mission team and seemingly every young child within ten miles (60-70 children) and put a strain on the space we had. We finished the day off with a group time of worship and open prayer to God during which many in the group shared their feelings and hopes in what this experience could hold for them and out team as a whole. I personally am thanking and praising God for the excellent day that he provided today coming off of a very long and challenging day of travel yesterday and will continue to pray for the ministry he has given us the opportunity to provide.
Jordan Fischer

Sunday Morning in Guatemala

Today, most of us woke up refreshed after some much needed sleep. We shared breakfast together, followed by our own devotion time. At 10:00, we had an amazing church service. The congregation consisted of mostly children, there were probably 50 or so of them. We sang songs for them in english and then they sang to us in spanish. I hope we are blessing them as much as they are blessing us. Ashley Shippert shared her testimony, and did a beautiful job. It is it such a honor to see how people in a different culture worship the Lord. I hope our love for the Lord shone through us, this morning. We had a great time afterwards, getting to know the children. They are very friendly and always smiling. They are very patient with us as we try to communicate with them. So far, we are all doing well and are very excited about what the Lord still has in store for us here. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

On a personal note, I want to say HI to my kid's and hubby, Tim, Haley, Andrew, and Ryan.

I love you guys and I so wish you were here to share this experience with me. The view is amazing and we can see a volcano from our balcony!! It's amazing. Anyway, I just wanted you all to know I have been thinking about you and love and miss you.

Love, Becci Staulcup
kj

A Few Pictures

We are having trouble uploading pictures but here are a few more for everyone to enjoy. One at the airport at 2:00 am in the morning and the other of David holding Sarah. Spaghetti for supper tonight. It was delicious! We just finished a unifying time of worship and sharing and are going to bed for the evening. Many have commented already how they feel like we have been here for weeks and not just 24 hours so far. God has already done so much in our hearts and lives, He has touched many in a very personal way in a short period of time. Praise God for His ability to speak into our lives so quickly!

Oh, by the way, several of you have commented on these posts, how encouraging. for those of you who have been checking this site but didn't know you could comment at the end of each post there is a button you can select called "comment" and you can write us a note. we'll try to pass on whatever messages you might send. Good night everyone. You'll hear more from us tomorrow.

We Arrived Safely

Greetings from Eagle's Nest in Solola, Guatemala. Our mission team was dropped off safely by Fred Martin, Warren Schaffer, and Todd Murphy at O'Hare Airport in Chicago. After a couple hour wait in the terminal we made the all night trip to Guatemala without any hitches. We arrived at the orphanage and got ourselves situated at around 11:30 am. Moms and dads, all of y0ur children are healthy and doing just fine (Anna Schwenk did a great job on her first trip on an airplane)! We met our bus driver Manuel immediately after picking up our bags and he drove us 3 hours to the orphanage, it was a beatiful ride. It was fun to watch Rick Martin, Marrita Hilst, and Chris Ruehle engage the driver in Spanish. Manuel even pulled over at one point and bought our group an orange with chili on top (sound good? Not too bad). Once we got to the orphanage we moved are things in, had lunch (steak, refried beans, guacamole, and cantelope), and took naps. David got an opportunity to hang out with Sarah while the rest of the group ooh'd and ah'd over her. Continue to pray for us until our next blog post.

Packing Practice

The Guatemala Mission Team got together tonight for some pre-trip packing! Everyone brought their bags and we loaded extra supplies into empty bags for the ministry we are going to be doing. We are 24 hours from beginning our adventure to Guatemala. Lord, please protect us and guide us as we serve those who are less fortunate and do not know Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord.