Guatemala: Day 9
The kids in the school run by Global Shore here in Guatemala learn a new memory verse each week and this week’s is Psalm 5:11:
“Alégrense los que buscan tu protección; canten siempre de alegría porque tú los proteges. Los que te aman, se alegran por causa tuya”
“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them that those who love your name rejoice in you”.
Today my roomies, Kourtney and Chantelle, and I had the fulfilling task of working construction in the morning. Global Shore is building a new school to accommodate more grades and we have the privilege of helping them reach their finish deadline of January 2011. The location of the new school is on the top of a hill (read: mountain) with an incredible view of the surrounding hills and mountains and almost no shade.
The kids in the school run by Global Shore here in Guatemala learn a new memory verse each week and this week’s is Psalm 5:11:
“Alégrense los que buscan tu protección; canten siempre de alegría porque tú los proteges. Los que te aman, se alegran por causa tuya”
“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them that those who love your name rejoice in you”.
Today my roomies, Kourtney and Chantelle, and I had the fulfilling task of working construction in the morning. Global Shore is building a new school to accommodate more grades and we have the privilege of helping them reach their finish deadline of January 2011. The location of the new school is on the top of a hill (read: mountain) with an incredible view of the surrounding hills and mountains and almost no shade. At temperatures of mid-high twenties the breeze that sometimes comes is very welcome except for the fact that it blows up the dirt, which is more like a very fine, dusty powder. We all joke that we look tanned up there, but only because we are “enpolvodos” or covered in a fine layer of tan dust! But as we work we imagine the building that is very slowly taking shape under our feet and we remember the kids as they sang in their devotional time. These kids rejoice in the Lord and when I think of the new school we are working on I can’t help but think of it as the Lord’s refuge for them. Somehow, maybe He is using us as a small part of His plan to spread his protection over them.
The afternoon was spent doing the VBS with the kids of Tizate, many of whom do not attend the Christian school. We fought many distractions: dogs, cars coming through the main street where we do the VBS requiring us to improptu relocate the kids, heat, screaming children, and noise from the nearby highway just to name a few. Despite the distractions and some of the things against us we are amazed that each day the kids have continued to come and the numbers have not really diminished, even with the break of the weekend. Everyday we leave saying “hasta mañana”, which means “see you tomorrow” and everyday we come back and some of the kids are already waiting for us in the street. Pray that God really speaks to their hearts through us and through the distractions!
Soon we will be wrapping up our Guatemalan experience and I think all of us would agree that we have been impacted by the people, and especially the kids here. I hope that seeds have been planted and that these kids will come to love the name of Jesus, seeking refuge in Him. And I hope that we, as a team affected by what we have experienced here, will ever sing for joy in what God is doing and who He is.
-Amy Anquist