Guatemala: Wrap-Up!

Well the team is back safe and sound in Abbotsford after departing Tizate at a crisp and brisk 4am Friday morning (Mar. 12).  The night before we hosted a bar-b-q with GSO for all the families who hosted us during our stay, and our drime/drama team performed 3…yes 3 drimes (kuddos guys for being so willing and available to minister!!) to approx. 50 people.  It was quite the unique time of meal prep, as a crew made homemade tortillas, and another crew prepped chicken, salsa and lemonade.  I had the daunting task of manning the charcoal barrel bar-b-q, and I think we set a new record of 3 hours to cook chicken…thank the Lord for Ana and Mari who came to the rescue mid-way through!

Well the team is back safe and sound in Abbotsford after departing Tizate at a crisp and brisk 4am Friday morning (Mar. 12).  The night before we hosted a bar-b-q with GSO for all the families who hosted us during our stay, and our drime/drama team performed 3…yes 3 drimes (kuddos guys for being so willing and available to minister!!) to approx. 50 people.  It was quite the unique time of meal prep, as a crew made homemade tortillas, and another crew prepped chicken, salsa and lemonade.  I had the daunting task of manning the charcoal barrel bar-b-q, and I think we set a new record of 3 hours to cook chicken…thank the Lord for Ana and Mari who came to the rescue mid-way through!

Friday morning came around, and after boarding the bus and saying goodbyes to our host families, of which many accompanied us to the village centre to say farewell, we headed to Guatemala City airport.  It was mixed emotions for many, as sadness and disappointment set in as we faced the inevitable of leaving Guatemala and so many new friends and memories behind, but also anticipation of seeing family, friends and our beds back home!

I’m not sure if it was the food we ate the night before at the bar-b-q, but many of us toted around “loopy” tummies Friday and spent time familiarizing ourselves with the airport and airline restrooms!  After a connector flight from Houston, Texas to Seattle, Washington, we were greeted by the smiling and excited faces of our parent pick up team (thanks again guys!).  I’m sure many of us reflected on some memories over the past 12 days while chillin on the ride home.  What kinds of things did we learn?  What was the Lord speaking over us?  Well I can’t speak for everyone, here are some nuggets I took away with me;

Guatemala, in her brokenness, poverty and need, shares a rich spirit of community, family and strength.  Yes there is need, at least from a North American perspective, and certainly a darkness of Catholicism…but there is a light shining amidst this darkness and breaking through.  The church and bride of Christ is alive here and growing steadily.
Many of the things we would consider to be “blessings” from the Lord here in NA…well I wonder if those blessings are often the very things that keep us disconnected from the Lord and preoccupy our time and attention to the things that don’t really matter?  We often refer to our nation as blessed…does that mean other nations without many of our “material blessings” are not blessed?  Anyhow, this is a bit of a personal souljourn for me and some areas the Lord is leading me to process through. 
The Lord loves diversity, and we certainly had that within our team…and He loves to make Himself known, and display His strength through His people and our weaknesses.  Many times we saw the Lord work through us in ways that cut through our inabilities…but as we made ourselves available, He came through in power!
Guatemalans are deeply spiritual and culturally rich.  Christians worship in liberty, freedom and excitement, and love to dance before the Lord (literally!) and gather together in fellowship and prayer.  There is also a deep spiritual darkness that I mentioned, but I feel the presence of Christ’s light through His people, more and more people are turning from sin and “religion” and coming to the saving knowledge and relationship in Christ Jesus!
We all learned about dependence on Christ alone, and sacrifice for His glory.  We shared together…cried together…trusted together…prayed together…surrendered together, and rejoiced and celebrated together in Christ’s name!  It’s “good to dump out the closet and give it a good cleaning”, but it’s even better to stand in the victory and power of the Holy Spirit, and walk in the spirit of freedom!
You can actually have two missions trips in a row without much team issues or conflict…what a great blessing!
It’s only the love of Christ that can draw out a love for a people we’ve never met before, and keep loving after we’ve left them.
You can go two weeks with having to put the TP in the WB (toilet paper in the waste basket)
Bartering in the market is mucho diversion…can’t wait to try it @ Seven Oaks and Metrotown!
God so desperately wants us to fall in love with a missional-minded lifestyle, and not merely chasing after mission trip experiences.  Our call is to worship the Lord in all we do, wherever we are, and to advance His Kingdom with the truth and Good News of His Gospel.  Missions trips help equip and prepare us to do that, but the flame HAS to keep burning long after we return home from the team mission field, and back to our own home mission field.
Simply holding a child in your arms extends the love of Christ in ways we can’t always put into words…but it sure makes God smile J
Airplane movies are generally lame…beach balls are not a good idea on a windy Tizate day (not to mention the barbed wire, torn tin roofs…)…beans aren’t meant for breakfast…working hot showers are waaay under appreciated…Ryan is not British, Australian, Irish, or Scottish for that matter…sand is for the beach, not in the air in your face, eyes, nose and mouth…”Shotty” should be in Webster’s Dictionary…and Katrina Janzen is an awesome missions team hostess with the most-ess!
There are many other things I’m sure we all learned while in Guatemala…culturally, personally, spiritually, and I pray we keep listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking over us.  As much as went to Tizate to bless them in the name of Jesus, this mission was probably as much about what God desired to do in us, as it was about Him working through us.  We look forward to a continued partnership with Global Shores and our high school ministry here at Northview.  What that looks like in future years could be the same…and it could take on new horizons.  I was thoroughly impressed with the work and ministry of GSO in Tizate and Guatemala, and their mission to raise up disciples of Christ both in Guatemala, and also providing an avenue for discipleship building to Canadians and Americans via the mission field.  Their work certainly has been blessed and anointed by the Lord, and we wait with expectant hearts for what is to come in the days ahead of spiritual harvest.

I want to thank our team for being such a huge blessing and willing hearts to each other, GSO, Tizate, Northview and to myself and Brandie.  They were a pleasure to lead, and such a fun and crazy group of teens with a unified heart. 

Amy Anquist…you did an amazing job with translation and leadership in areas you probably had no idea you’d be getting into…kudos to you! 

Brandie…your energy and passion are contagious and your love for the Lord and teens continues to be evident and a blessing to our high school ministry.  Thanks for the wonderful work you put into the VBS and carnival, as well as working with Cody, Valeria and the drama/drime team.

Ryan…you were a trooper for having to bunk with me and my ambient background night music!  Thanks for not complaining and pulling pranks on me!

Cody & Valeria…great job leading the drama/drime team, and for the work you put in before and during the mission…it rocked!

Daniel, Jonah and Nic…thank you for sitting in the hot sun and playing music for those kids…and for Jesus…it was much more than you think!

The rest of ya teammates…what a joy it was ministering with you and watching you love and serve the Lord with such enthusiasm and a spirit of fun…you make me feel young(er) when I’m with you…although it taking me longer to recoup than it used to! 

Kat…yes we miss you @ Elevate, but you are where the Lord desires you to be, and we are honored to keep the connection going!

Luis…you rock buddy…from loading up that crazy luggage truck that had to be illegal in so many ways in Canada…to driving us around town (shhhh)…to working on the mountain watering trees that we couldn’t find or driving a front-end loader you just learned how to drive…to presenting the gospel to kids during VBS…and to playing sick licks and rolls on the bass…you’re the man!

Jervin…you bless the Lord on those keys brother!  Thanks for the Spanish lessons, even when Nicky and the boys distracted us with giggling…bless you!

Jacobo and Julianna…you have a great team @ El Calvario and a passionate congregation of worshippers…may you be blessed and favored in all you do for Him!

To Nancy Friesen and all the work you put into making the Kids Carnival so easy for us to run…thank you for the shopping, supplies, organizing and creative ideas you brought to our team…you played a huge role in the Lord using us!!

To our host families who took such good care of us, and invited us into your homes, families and lives…blessings to you and it was an honor to share in your lives!

To pastor Robyn and CM…all the donations and supplies you equipped us with…so awesome…thank you from us and GSO and Tizate!!

To Jeri and all the admin work you did behind the scenes, and for putting up with me for 5 months…we could not have put this mission together without you!

To all our parents who trusted us with your kids for 3 months of training and 2 weeks in another country and culture…bless you and may the discipleship keep going at home as your teens process all they’ve taken in…and kudos to our Seattle pcik-up team (Klassens, Crockers, Capells, Barnharts and Sperlings!).

To Ron Friesen for renting and driving the bus to Seattle and helping to foster the team community and excitement even further as we got to ride together to the airport.

To Kevi Klassen for getting all those blog posts on The City and the Northview site…and for trouble shooting the picture issue!

To the staff of Northview for all your prayer covering while we were gone and support through fund raisers…and to all the other friends and family members who served with us as prayer warriors, encouragers and financial supporters for our team…quite simply…without you we don’t go!

And to our Lord Jesus, who showed us how to love & serve others out of the overflow of His love for us all…may this not be the end of a missions trip, but the beginning of something new in each of us that cannot be contained, but will spill over in all areas of our lives.  For such a time as this He brought us to Tizate, Guatemala…and for such a time as now, He has returned us to our homes, schools, work places, communities, church and spheres of influence to bring change, healing, hope, truth, renewal, revival, freedom and light.  May the memories we have of Guatemala 2010 compel us to stand firm and bold in our faith, and to tell the story of what He has done, and is doing…with words, actions, deeds and joy…not for the sake of being good humanitarians or noble people…but for the sake of Christ and the call to GO, PREACH, and LIVE (Matt. 28:19-20).  May the joy of the Lord be our strength and our desire to live all this out…the bring the gospel and touch of God to all who still need it…that our joy is made complete in His joy, and we fix our eyes on what really matters; “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  Heb. 12:1-3

And So It Begins!

All 4 His Call;

P.Shawn