"For to us a child is born..."

This Christmas, I hope and pray that many of us took the time to pause and reflect on the real reason for the season - the birth of Jesus Christ, who came to this earth in the form of a child in order to deliver us, save us and offer us eternal life. Isaiah 9:6 prophecied that "For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
For me, the image of a child always paints a powerful picture. It was an infant baby who came to save the entire world. It is a child after whom we are instructed to model our faith (Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:17). I don't know...maybe this image spurs off of my passion for children. From a young age, I have loved babysitting, volunteering in nursery, and holding my baby cousins in the hosptial shortly after they were born. Maybe such a powerful picture has been painted in my mind after witnessing young children living in such poverty in Guatemala. Maybe it is just the way God wired my brain. I don't know what it is.
What I do know, however, is that on Christmas day, I bore witness to another beautiful image of children who change lives, and the world, for the better. Christmas 2010 got off to a rocky start for our family as my sister, mother, and father all fell victim to the flu by the time Monday rolled around. However, my dad was still feeling well enough to accompany me to my grandma's house on Saturday evening, where I was able to spend a few hours with my dad's side of the family. Traditionally, the cousins usually draw names so that every cousin purchases one gift for the cousin whose name they drew, but due to some trying economic times for those in my extended family, we decided not to do cousin gifts this year. However, we proceeded to open gifts from Grandma, and as we ended that time, my aunt stood up and announced that she had a surprise. In her one hand was a cute colored bag, and in the other hand, an envelope with my name written on it. As she handed both items to me to open, she explained that all of the cousins, ranging in age from 4 years old to 23, had decided that instead of giving gifts, they still wanted to donate a small amount of money to a good cause. That cause, they decided, should be my work with Paradise Bound Ministries in Guatemala. As I peered at the collection of coins and bills in the bag and read the "We're so proud of you!" comments that showered the card, I had to use all of my strength to hold the tears back. That bag was filled with their allowance money, the change from their piggy banks, but more importantly, their hearts. Speechless, I mumbled a humble "Thank You" and began making the round of hugs. In each of their eyes, I saw not only the faith of a child, but the love of Christ...the love that He showed us that very first Christmas by sending His Son to this earth in the form of a baby.


I love you all so much and can't even begin to express how much this gift means to me and the many young boys and girls in Guatemala whose lives will be changed forever because of you! Thanks for reminding us all of the REAL reason for the season!

Next comes Thursday…

Sooooo, now that I’ve been back in the good ole U.S. of A. for a couple of weeks, I figured it was about time (actually, more like long overdue time) to continue updating you on my life down in Guatemala. I will pick it up where we left off…on Thursday. Every Thursday morning, Hermano Jesus and I will prepare the items we need to conduct a discipleship follow-up program in a village called La Reina/ “The Queen.” This past summer, we began building homes in this semi-coastal village with our fourth ministry team as a collapsed bridge, caused by Hurricane Agatha in May, prevented us from reaching this village earlier on in the rainy season.


When we first began investigating in this village, the people were extremely timid…shy…almost scared. Barely anyone would greet you…talk to you…shake your hand…make eye contact…give you a hug. But now, all that has changed thanks to the challenge that Dan Smith presented to the first team to build in this village. The challenge was to break down walls, soften hearts, and build relationships with these people by reaching out to them with the love of Jesus Christ. After those first three days of building, barriers were being broken, and now, after five months of being involved with La Reina, the difference in the atmosphere is a clear as night and day. Smiles and hugs greet us as soon as we arrive; children begin running up to our car from every direction; and families who we barely knew a month before are opening their new homes to us as we share a meal with them, worship with them, pray with them, and dive into the Word with them. Three families in particular have opened their arms and hearts to us as they have invited us to share in their birthday party celebrations, share in the birth of a grandchild, and join in an all-night prayer vigil they held at their local church.


In this village, we also reach out to these families in both a physical and spiritual manner by providing them with much needed medications. In one family, illness has hit hard upon every member; but one by one, they have experienced firsthand the healing power of the Great Physician. For another family, our offer to assist with discovering why her young son cannot hear nor talk has had a far greater influence. Since then, her two sons have become my adopted baby brothers, the mother has become a sister in Christ after dedicating her life to Him for the first time during a medical clinic, and her 9-year-old son has assisted me in praying for other children as they have chosen to commit their lives to Jesus.








To say the least, it has truly been a blessing to be apart of what God has done in this village thus far, and the view of the volcano, Fuego, from this village is an example of what He has promised to continue among these, His chosen people, in the very near future.

HOME SWEET HOME!

Thanks for all of the prayers over the last 24 hours! All of the flights went very smoothly yesterday, and I arrived in the Detroit airport at around 4:45pm yesterday. After a few small traffic issues, I made it to my home in Jenison at around 8:15pm, where I was surprised by a small gathering of my family and some very close friends! It is nice to be home and see everyone again, and I am very excited that my transition home has been going smoothly so far. Now, I am looking forward to catching up on some sleep and to getting started on some projects. One of those projects - CONSISTENTLY UPDATING MY BLOG!!! =) Be looking for more pictures and stories soon!

Homeward Bound!

WOW - where have the last 5 months gone?! Tomorrow, Nov. 21, I will head back home to Michigan for a little furlough time. While it has been SUPER hard to say goodbye to many people that I have had the wonderful opportunity of getting to know and build relationships with since July, I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends. I know that God has a plan for me in Michigan just as much as He has a plan for me here in Guatemala, and I am finding peace in the fact that I do get to return to Guatemala soon enough. =) Until then, there is plenty of work to be done - including more blog posts! I apologize that I haven't been the best at updating lately, but these last few weeks have been CRAZY with wrapping various projects up before my departure.
Please join me in praying for safe flights, not only for myself, but for the other 18 team members that will also be returning to Michigan on Sunday morning. Also, please continue to pray for Paradise Bound Ministries and especially for Aaron and Gwen Van Manen (the directors of Open Doors Orphanage) as they remain in Guatemala until December.
I love and miss you all and look forward to either talking with or seeing many of you soon!

Happy Birthday MARCOS!

For those of you who don't know Marcos, he is a precious patient of ours here at Paradise Bound who will simply break your heart with one flash of his smile! Today, he turned 17, and we had a blast celebrating with him by watching a soccer game in a nearby village and inviting him to eat at Pollo Campero with us. Although there was reason for celebration, the day was somewhat bittersweet as we were reminded of the urgency of his medical situation. Marcos has been battling a severe bone infection called Osteomyelitis for about a year, and the medical treatment they have been prescribing him here in Guatemala is not helping whatsoever. If the infection is not halted soon, it could continue to spread and potentially cause Marcos to lose his leg. For a young man here in Guatemala, that type of disability would culturally lead to discrimination - no work, and no hope of starting a family. Therefore, we are working feverishly with Healing the Children and Shriner's Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri to get Marcos to the States for surgery as soon as possible. I ask that you would please join me in praying for this young man - not only that his leg may be healed and that he may continue to have high spirits throughout this whole process, but also that the paperwork we have to complete will go smoothly as we have already hit some bumps along the way. More importantly, however, join me in praying that God would do a great work in his life. Marcos is a special young man, in more ways than one, and I know that God is putting him through this trial for a great purpose - to draw Marcos closer to Himself amidst a Catholic family that is buried in religion and tradition!

Special Prayer Request

Today, I met this precious 8-day-old baby boy who was born with a cleft lip and a cleft palate. Although I could not stop smiling as I held his small, seven-pound body, my heart broke for his family as only years before, his cousin had been born with the same birth defect. Now, 5 years and many surgeries later, the cleft lip is barely noticeable on Abner's face, and I hope and pray that this will be the case for this little life as well. Please join me in praying and supporting this baby and his family as Paradise Bound Ministries strives to do "whatever it takes" to bring physical, emotional, and spiritual healing to this family.

Photo of the Week!

" Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3: 22-23

Miercoles (WEDNESDAY!)

On Wednesdays, I usually leave the mission base early to meet up with our pastor (Hermano Jesus) and head out to San Jose Cajaqualten. This village is one in which we built houses in 2006 and 2007, and now we return weekly to conduct a discipleship follow-up program. Every week, we visit with two or three families in their homes, talking with them, praying with them, and sharing a few verses of Scripture with them. Many in this village are very closed off to the Gospel, due to the war-torn history of the area and the strictness of their ruling committee, but it has truly been a blessing to see the spiritual hunger that is present in the lives of the ten or so families and young people that we have visited already. I know that God has great plans for this village and that He is going to use these families and teenagers and to begin a small devotional service that will soon blossom into a community church! Below are a few before/after pictures of a few families that we ministered to in the past while building houses for them and that we are now ministering to again by spending some time encouraging them spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally in their new homes!


















After our time is up in Cajaqualten, we begin making our way back to the mission base. As we make our way down the dirt road leading to the mission base, we take the first left down this tiny path into the village of Santa Isabel. In this small village, ten houses were built with the first three ministry teams that came to serve with us this past summer. Here, the system is a little bit different than in Cajaqualten as we visit with only one family every week inside of their new succulent spring salmon stucco house. As we arrive, we first share in a small lunch that one family has graciously prepared for us. Then, we share in a time of prayer and worship together, ending with a brief message by Hermano Jesus and the opportunity to minister to the family with medications if they are ill physically. I have only had the opportunity to just begin building relationships with the individuals in this village, but I have already been blessed by many of them in this short period of time.

A Week with Erin in Guatemala!

Well, many of you may (or may not) be thinking, "What the world has Erin been up to down in Guatemala the last two months without the summer mission teams around?" If that is you, then today is your lucky day! =) With the next few blog posts, I hope to give you a little taste of what a typical week down here looks like for me - although no one week is "typical" compared to another!
On Mondays and Tuesdays, I usually stick around the mission base and help out with various projects. Most of my time, however, is spent in the clinic, putting my Hope College nursing degree to good use! Some days, I will conduct consults and prescribe medications to the patients that come to our in-house medical clinic with our other nurse, Yojana. Some of the patients we actually are helping to treat long term. The following picture is of a little boy name Johnny who had numerous seizure every day for about three years or so. However, with the treatment from our clinic, and the healing power of Christ, he no longer seizes! Now he just comes to our clinic to receive his vitamins.


Other days, I may spend some time organizing the clinic and its medications in a way that is most conducive to the system under which we operate. A lot of my time is also spent calling patients as part of our medical follow-up program, which you will hear more about later! Until then, enjoy a few pictures of some of the other patients we have seen in our clinic. Stay turned for the next edition of "A Week with Erin in Guatemala" when we learn about what Erin does on WEDNESDAYS!!! =) Haha, I know, the suspense is killing me, too! =)

Tropical Depression Matthew

Thank you all so much for your prayers - Tropical Storm Matthew has been recently demoted to a tropcial depression! We are all safe and sound here at the base, despite the constant rain we have been getting for the last 24 hours or so. The rain hasn't even been able to stop our construction teams from pouring the concrete floor of the orphanage! However, the tropical depression is still expected to dump heavy rains on Central America over the next few days, so we would greatly appreciate your continued prayers for safety as well as for clear skies so that the construction team that is here now can still leave on their flight home tomorrow. I'll be sure to keep you updated if I hear more information, but sometimes heavy rains can make the internet crash as well. I will also try to get another update on soon about the different projects that are going around the base and within Paradise Bound Ministries/Open Doors Orphanage. Thanks again!

Happy Guatemalan Independence Day!!!

On Wednesday, September 15, 2010, Guatemala is celebrating their 200th anniversary as a country! There will be lots of celebrating with marching bands, parades, fireworks, flags and torch-bearing. As a mission, we will also be welcoming back the family of Dan and Heidi Smith, the head missionaries, as well as the family of Aaron and Gwen Van Manen, fellow missionaries and the new directors of Open Doors Orphanage! Please pray for safety for all as they have a big day of travel ahead of them with their final arrival time in Guatemala set for around 11pm EST.

Photo(s) of the Week!

Yesterday, I had the privilege of being able to hold these precious, 20-day-old twins! The baby boy weighed only 4.5 lbs at birth, and the baby girl only 3.5 lbs. The girl had to spend a few days in the hospital after she was born because so wasn't eating and her circulation was poor, but after examining them both, they seem to be doing just fine! Neither of them have names yet because, due to the high mortality rate here in Guatemala, it is custom for the parents to wait 30 days until they are almost certain that their child will survive before they name them. However, after spending some time visiting this family, providing them with gifts, holding the children, praying with them, and reading the Bible with them, I am confident that the Lord will pour out His rich blessings on this family by providing these newborns with great health and the opportunity to grow-up in this Christian home as followers and disciples of Christ!
(A special thanks to my Grandma, Grandma Rae, the wonderful woman of Appledorn Village, and the numerous other ladies who spent countless hours knitting the beautiful hats that the twins are wearing in these photos!)

Don't Mess with TEXAS!!

Let me tell you, there is nothing false about that saying! From saying “y’all” and talking with an accent, to conforming me into a southern belle by saying “yes sir” and “yes ma’am,” I learned so much from this team! The most important lesson I learned, though, was to always trust and put your faith in Christ, and to never underestimate the power of His Holy Spirit!
As we arrived at La Reina for our first day of building, I was almost immediately caught off guard by a surprise hug/tackle from behind. Not quite sure who to expect (half anticipating a team member and half expecting a herd of small children), I turned around and to my pleasant surprise saw Sylvia’s face beaming up at me! As you may recall from the last blog, Sylvia is a young single mother who has endured many hardships in her life, causing her to be very cold, closed off, and angry towards others…in the past. Now, after accepting Christ as her Lord and Savior just the week prior, she has transformed into a vibrant woman of God!!! She is happy and smiling all the time, and interacting with others! What a beautiful sight!
From that point on, this team, which was largely from Alamo City and San Antonio, had many opportunities to put their faith into action as various challenges faced us from that point on during the three days we spent building homes in La Reina. Although rain isn’t a common occurrence back home for this team, it was in Guatemala as it rained hard, EVERY DAY! The first building day, as the rains began to fall heavily and all of team members began scrambling to pick up the tools and materials that were scattered around the houses, one team member fell on the slippery mud and cut open her cheek on a slab of cement. We cleaned up the wound the best we could at the site, but once we got back to the base and had the chance to really look at the cut, we decided it best to bring this team member to the hospital in Antigua for stitches. Although we arrived back to the base at a late hour, we were able to rest up for our second day of building, which ended with the husband of this injured team member coming down with some type of bug that kept him up all night, and unable to work with the team for most of the week. To me, this was Satan’s way of trying to stop Christ’s servants from fulfilling the amazing works He had planned for them that week, but Satan failed miserably as God’s blessings were poured out to the point of OVERFLOWING in the hearts of both the team members and those they came in contact with.
This definitely proved to be true as we entered into dedication day. The morning was quite warm, especially as I spent my first full day running the roofing crew! Then, right as we were ready to break for lunch, the rain began to fall…HARD. We took a longer lunch break than usual, mainly for the purpose of trying to wait out the rain. Sometimes, when it rains that hard, it is almost impossible to hear one another talk inside the tin-roofed houses during the dedications, so we contemplated the idea of using the team’s free day to do the dedications…or at least some of them. But in the end, we went ahead with the dedications, starting at the house of Brenda and her two daughters. For awhile, Brenda had attended church with her parents, but once she had children of her own, they stopped attending. Lately, she had been thinking about returning back to the church, and that specific day, she felt that it was time. Her parents were waiting outside under the patio as the dedication took place, and it was a pleasure to invite them into the house to pray with their daughter and grandchildren as all the prayers they had poured out over the years were answered as all three of them went to their knees to accept Christ as their Savior.
As we made our way down to the second house, the house I had helped build for the week, I said a prayer with every step that I took. You see, this house was going to a young couple, whose parents/in-laws would also be receiving a house that same day. As we decorated the inside of the house, they asked for the same decorations as the parents had asked for – flowers and bunnies. At first, I was a little bummed that the houses would be similar and wouldn’t be special or unique for each family, but then I realized that they wouldn’t be EXACTLY the same because the couple didn’t ask for one thing that the other family did have in their house – Bible verses. In fact, they asked that we please NOT include ANY Bible verses AT ALL! The team and I were heart broken, and began trying to come up with ideas of maybe why they wouldn’t want Bible verses in their house, but we couldn’t find a logical reason - in our minds. So we went ahead and informed Dan of the situation, to which he proposed this great idea: writing Bible verses on the wall in pencil, and then covering them with the paint used to create the flowers and bunnies. This idea gave us new hope as we poured out our hearts and prayers into this secret project. In the end, Herman Jesus, our pastor, used many of these verses to lead this young couple to the Lord! Even though we were worried about what would take place that afternoon, God’s plan was greater as he had that emotional and life-changing experience planned for all of us since the beginning of time!
Next, we traveled the 50 yards or so across the street to where the parents of this young couple live. As the dedication began, distractions keep impacting different family members at various times – first the mother, then the three young boys, and finally, the teenage daughter. The signal was sent around the house to pray for each one of these individuals specifically, and one by one, God called each one of these individuals to either rededicate their lives to Him or to fully give their life over to Him for the first time. At one point, one of the youngest brothers turned to look at his older brother, his role model, as this older brother said “Yes” to Christ. What an awesome example of how we, too, like a child, should look up to seek God’s face as He longs to welcome us into His heavenly family, just as He welcomed this entire earthly family into His arms that day!
Our final house of the week, and of the summer, went to a special family who has touched many hearts throughout the summer. The mother of this family helped to prepare our lunch everyday, which we would then eat in the open space outside of her home. At the beginning of the summer, her and her family were quite shy, but by the time the last team rolled around, they were open and sharing laughs, smiles, and conversations with the team members; the father and his son also enjoyed helping the team with the construction of their home! On the day of dedication, it was our privilege to be blessed yet again by this family, this time by the words and tears of thankfulness that they shared with us. It is not often that you see a Guatemalan man brought to the point of tears, so when you do, you know that his heart has been touched! As the adults in this home renewed their lives to Christ, and as the children accepted, we also encouraged this church-going family to reach out and touch the lives of others by praying for them and inviting them to come to church with them. Sometimes, all it takes is that one light to be put on a lamp stand before the entire village is overcome by light – the light of Christ!
From La Reina, we headed out to conduct our two medical clinics in remote villages. The first clinic was in the region of Tecpan, in a village that we actually had done a medical clinic in 2 years before. At that time, the villagers were not very accepting of us coming into their village; in fact, it took almost an hour before the ruling committee even let us set up our tables. This time, the people were ready and waiting for us! The team battled the ever-grabbing hands of the kids and put on a puppet show for the villagers while we conducted the medical clinic long into the night. Although I wasn’t able to fully participate in the singing and testimony time due to the clinic, I could hear the words that God put in the mouths of the team members as He used their testimonies to speak to the villagers and draw many of them closer to Him – some for the first time and some for the second time! I believe a small church was even started in that village by the few individuals that had come to accept Christ 2 years ago, and now, the harvest is continuing to multiply!
The next day, we traveled to San Martin Jilotepeque to provide much needed medication to the village of El Perricon. Due to the location of this village, and the location of the closest school, we actually set up the clinic in a house! Although we were a little cramped, and became surrounded by mud once the rains began to fall on the tarps we set up to show the Jesus Film under, that didn’t stop many from coming forward to accept Christ that night. In addition, a few of us also had the opportunity to make a few home visits and witness to the ill and their families by providing them with medication and praying with them to the only One who can provide both physical and spiritual healing.
On the team’s last night, we gathered together for one last powerful night of devotions. The presence of the Holy Spirit was definitely moving as it brought many to their knees, others to their feet, and even more to the foot of the cross. As I remained at the cross for awhile, reflecting on the blessings of the summer, I was moved by a young team member as he began praying for me, his prayers being profound well beyond his years. “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” – 1 Timothy 4:12.
I love and miss you all! Thanks again for all of your continued support and prayers. Some of you may be asking yourself, “What is Erin doing now that the summer teams are gone?!” Well, all I can say is…stay tuned for my next blog post to receive an answer to that question! =)
Blessings!
Erin

Photo of the Week!

This PRECIOUS 3-year-old child is named Pedrito! He lives in San Jose Cajagualten, a village where we have built houses in the past and are now conducting a follow-up discipleship program. Pedrito had developed a large tumor over his right eye, which was removed surgically in the last year or so. His eye was not able to be saved, but to be honest, I am not sure whether his eye was able to develop in the first place because of the tumor. Either way, he has recovered well and is doing WONDERFUL today! He is one of the cutest, sweetest, and well-mannered children you will ever meet! He also doesn't mind posing for pictures! =)

pan dulce (sweet bread)

After a long day at the hospital with a patient (more to come on that later), I came back to the mission base to find Estuardo, Noemi, Debora, Emanuel, Paulina, and Yohana all making bread! Estuardo used to help his family make bread in their bread store while he was growing up, so he has always told me how good of a baker he was! "One day," he said, "I'll make you my famous bread!" Little did I know how soon that time would come, and how AMAZING the bread would actually be!!! We made both pan frances (French bread) and my favorite, pan dulce (sweet bread)! Either type is a Guatemalan treat - and tastes really good with coffee! We made the pan dulce in various shapes and sizes, but I found that I was pretty good at making the guzanos (the type that you will see a picture of below). Here are just a few pictures from our fun family experience - enjoy!

Team Allendale!

Although Team Allendale arrived in Guatemala a month ago, and departed a short week later, the love that this team shared with those they encountered - the love of Christ - will never be forgotten! As we gathered for our first team devotions on the evening of their arrival, I realized that this love ran deeper than just a love for their Savior or a love for the ones they were serving – it was a love for one another. Everyone on this team had at least one family member along on the trip (besides one young lady), and God would soon use their love, trials and experiences as a family to minister to the people of Guatemala and invite numerous brothers and sisters into the family of Christ!
Before the week even began, we knew that we were heading into a strong spiritual battle. Dan Smith had asked me to be praying about which houses we would build with Team Allendale as there was one home in particular where the family members could really benefit from someone who could communicate in Spanish yet also be a strong spiritual leader and example. Dan knew team members coming down with both Team Allendale and the last team of the summer, but wasn’t quite sure which team God was calling to build for this single mother and her young son. In the end, God had planned that Team Allendale would be building for Sylvia and Javier, and what He had in store for the team and I was beyond what my mind could have ever comprehend!
On the morning of the first building day, I woke up sick for the second time this summer. Considering that I had never gotten sick that much in the 6 months total I had lived in Guatemala prior to this, my initial reaction was to be angry. I then realized, however, that my illness was actually Satan trying to interfere with what God had in store for the week as I was hoping to use my Spanish to minister to Sylvia. However, by midday I was feeling better - God’s Almighty power had overcome the powers of darkness once again! On Tuesday, I eagerly headed out with the team to the four construction sites at La Reina. Although it took awhile to fit in to the building routine after missing the first day, I soon jumped in with mixing the stucco, learning how to attach the roofs to the patio, and meeting the various families we were building for that week. To my disappointment, Sylvia was gone working that day, but it made the anticipation of the next day, dedication day, even stronger as we all were anxious to see what God had in store!
On dedication day, I had the pleasure of meeting Sylvia right away as we began sanding and painting the houses. To break the ice, I had her braid my hair, which soon led into inviting her to paint the house with us, and then to instant friendship. At some point during that morning, we took a break to look at the volcano called Fuego (Fire) as it puffed out clouds of black and gray smoke every five minutes or so! What an awesome display of God’s creation! As we walked backed to the construction site, Dan asked me what I thought of Sylvia, and I replied that it seemed like she was really opening up compared to the closed, hard and cold demeanor she displayed earlier. Dan agreed – he could already tell that she was a changed woman, and we hadn’t even dedicated her house yet! We were in for a treat! Before we began the dedications, I enjoyed some time getting to know Henry, a young boy who can not hear or speak. I had met him the week before, and was really struggling to communicate with him, but God used a yellow balloon and a black sharpie to destroy that barrier! For about half and hour, Henry and I stood there drawing faces on his balloon as he showed me what he wanted – eyes, a nose, a mouth, ears, arms, legs, feet, hand, pants, shirt, shoes, fingers, hair, hair…and lots more hair! It was truly a blessing for me – who thought you could find so much joy in a balloon and a marker?!
After enjoying a wonderful lunch of tostadas, rice, and a delicious chicken soup prepared for us by one of the families in La Reina, we began the four house dedications. We started with the house of a family who has been quite sick all summer along, including one of their young daughters named Brenda. We have brought medicine to this family countless times, but I believe they will now find true cleansing through the Ultimate Healer as the entire family came to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. From there, we moved on to Sylvia’s house. We asked a few of the team members to keep her parents busy during this time as we didn’t want her parents to influence her decision, or for her decision to influence her parents as their house dedication would be next. With that said we entered the house and began handing out gifts to her and her son, which they received with humble joy and gratitude overflowing from their hearts. The presence of God that you could feel so vibrantly in that house soon brought a group member to tears as she went over to grab Sylvia’s hands and share a few words for her in Spanish. I knew that I would feel something powerful in that house that day, but instead of feeling a battle taking place between Christ, the Evil One, and Sylvia’s heart like I had anticipated, I was overcome with the power of Christ as He poured out His love upon Sylvia and welcomed His daughter and her young son into the family of God with open arms! After giving Sylvia numerous rounds of hugs, we made the 10 foot trek over to her parent’s house. It was here that we encountered the strongest spiritual battle of the day. With some hesitation, the father and two sons decided to accept Christ, but the mother was continuing to refuse. From the doorway, I could see the hate in her eyes, so I motioned to the rest of the team outside of the house to pray specifically for her. Then, she provided her reasoning… “My husband has decided to accept Christ, but he’s not going to change. He is still going to beat me, hit me, and abuse me, so why should I make the commitment to supposedly change as well?” Although these words were hard to hear, and deeply saddened my heart, they opened the door for Hermano Jesus to focus on the words of 1 Corinthians 13:13 that were painted on the wall: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” In the end, you could see her eyes soften as Christ knocked on the door of her heart and she opened it to accept the love, protection, and grace that can only come from Him! I am so excited and anxious to witness the healing that will now take place among these family members from this day forward into eternity! Finally, we made our way back toward the first house as we dedicated the home of a daughter from the first house, her husband, and their young baby. Immediately, the distractions set in. The baby began crying, the rain began to fall, and a dog that was chained up aside began barking. But God calmed these distractions, even causing the dog to break free from his chain and run away! Shortly thereafter, this young couple, who were already Christians, were on their knees renewing their vows to Jesus Christ. How important is it to be reminded that we are a broken people and we need to continue seeking Christ, or else we will fall? Is it time that you recommit your life to Him and continue pursuing that personal relationship with Him every day?
On Friday of that week, we went out to conduct our first of two medical clinics that awaited us that weekend. As we approached the small building, I was a little concerned about how we would be able to run the clinic, play with the kids, and show the Jesus film with the limited amount of space available. The night went on, and the rain fell hard, turning the open area outside the building into mud and making it hard for the team to interact. Regardless, God overcame our doubts and frustrations by bringing many rounds of people forward to accept Him, as well as others who came forward seeking physical and spiritual healing that they knew could only come from Christ.
As we approached the setting of the clinic location on Saturday, we were all overjoyed to see the large soccer field and patio that was available for us to use! What a drastic change from the night before! In the clinic, I was privileged to interact with many special needs children as well as begin working with many interesting cases that would soon become a part of our medical follow-up program. Although the rains began to fall yet again, we were able to stay dry by gathering under the patio as the group began to sing songs to the villagers. Many adults and young people came forward to share their amazing and life-changing testimonies about the struggles that had taken place within their own family life, and Hermano Jesus was able to feed off of their stories to preach a message of forgiveness, love, mercy, protection, cleansing, and comfort to the people. What a blessing it was to witness such a large harvest that night! On our way home, I also got the chance to experience my first "driving adventure" of the summer! Due to all the rain we had received that night, we encountered a large tree had fallen across the road on our way home, blocking our path. All we needed to go was clear part of the branches away so that we could pass along the side of the road, so we attached the tow straps to the front of the 4-wheel drive van and started pulling! We were making progress, until the firemen came with chainsaws and machetes, taking away all of our fun! Soon, a large machine called a backhoe came along and was able to push the rest of the trunk away so that the road was clear and we were able to pass! What an exciting end to an incredible night!
The next day, Sunday, was our free day, and the team enjoyed a relaxing day of shopping in Antigua before coming together for the last night of devotions. During this time of devotions, many family members drew close to one another, but also to the love of our Heavenly Father; a few even stayed up late talking and praying together. Personally, God had been equipping me for this night since the week before as I had experienced true comfort and healing about a difficult event that took place in my life this past semester at Hope. Through that, He had given me the strength to say the right words when needed or to know when not to speak and just be there to support a team member who was struggling with a similar situation.
I thank you all for your continuing prayers, and for being faithful to check out my blog for recent posts! I apologize that I was slow in getting this post up, but now that teams are done for the summer, I am hoping to have more time to keep you FREQUENTLY updated on the amazing ways that God is continuing to work through Paradise Bound Ministries here in Guatemala!

I love and miss you all!
Blessings,
Erin

Photo of the Week!

"Those who look to him are RADIANT..."
-Psalm 34:5-

Cuz we are a FAMILY, whose hearts are BLAZING, so lets raise our CANDLES and LIGHT UP the sky!

WOW! Amazing and life-changing are the only words I can think of to describe this past week in Guatemala, but even then, words can not bring justice to what God has done in the lives of so many Guatemalans and Americans this week! As I sit down to write this update, the rain has started to gently fall on the tin roof of the mission base - another reminder of the tears God has shed for His children who have come to know and accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior!<

This past team, composed of both individuals from my home church of Hager Park and Hillcrest CRC in Hudsonville, Michigan, began with two village outreach clinics. From the beginning, this team worked hard and became one family despite not knowing each other for very long before the trip. I am so happy to now call many of them my brothers and sisters!

The first clinic was in a small village in the Tecpan region of Guatemala. This village had initially been investigated two years ago, but God had planned that this would be the night we would go and minister to the people there. I spent the night in the clinic explaining medications to the patients while many team members worked in the clinic or played with the children outside. It took a little while for me to get back into the routine of things, so I was grateful for a smaller village with fewer patients and less severe illnesses! Before I knew it, however, the clinic was over and we were outside showing the Jesus film to the village, singing songs, giving our personal testimonies, and listening to Hermano Jesus present the Gospel. As the invitation was given, numerous waves of people, including men, women and children, came forward to accept Jesus Christ! What an amazing sight to watch the group members lead the villagers forward and pray for them as God used their words, actions, and testimonies to show His love for these, HIS people!

As we listened to the championship World Cup match on the radio, we made our way on Sunday to another needy village in San Martin called La Rincon. This area of Guatemala was hit hard by Hurricane Agatha and thus brought with it many people to the clinic who were struggling with various diseases as a result of the storm. Again, I explained medications in the clinic, but along with many of the team members who were outside interacting with the people, I could feel a certain warmth radiating from the villagers. All of the people who passed through the clinic were quite ill, some even presenting with mysterious cases that we have to follow up on. However, regardless of their condition, the people smiled, listened intently to what I had to say, and even joked around with me! The clinic went late into the night, and as the rain began to fall in heavy downpours, the team was forced to move the people under the small roof to finish watching the Jesus film. We then moved into one of the small rooms of the school for the rest of the evening. In that room, God gathered us closely together as the villagers listened and watched intently as many young men from the team poured out their souls while giving their personal testimony. It was the words of these young team members that touched the hearts of many and soon brought almost the entire village to their knees, accepting Christ! You could feel the presence of God in the room as a cool breeze swept through and the light bulb that we were using to see the sound system exploded. After praying for the people and presenting them with a Bible, we proceeded to sing the song “Days of Elijah” together, rejoicing in what God had done that evening! As we made our way back towards the vans to head home, many children came forward to give us hugs – one little boy who I had never met before even came up and gave me a kiss on the cheek! That village will always hold a special place in the hearts of myself and the team members, but more importantly in the heart of our Heavenly Father who welcomed many of His children into His kingdom for eternity!

The next 3 days were spent building in a village called La Reina. This village is quite coastal, but the summer teams have not been able to access this village until now because one of the bridges leading into town was washed away by Hurricane Agatha. However, God has now provided a way for us into this village, not only so that we can begin building houses for the 100+ families who reside there, but also so that we can bring His message of hope to these cold and lost souls. Team Hager Park/Hillcrest certainly set the pace for the numerous teams who will be building in La Reina over the next few years. Although shy at first, the children and people quickly latched on to the team members by playing games and helping with the building process. Day one brought with it the completion of the framing, drywall, outside cement board, and the first coat of drywall mud on the inside. Although it rained on the second day, we were still able to get the walls sanded, a second coat of drywall on, stucco plastered on the outside, and the patios assembled and installed. We spent the evening in devotions and reverent prayer as we prepared for the final building day, which was referred to by the team as D-Day (Dedication Day). On the morning of the third day, awakening to a beautiful sunrise, we knew it would be a special day! We finished sanding, mudding and painting the inside walls as well as adding our own personal pictures and Bible verses while the roofing crews came around to install the roofs. We then placed the beds in each home and cleaned up our construction sites before breaking for an earlier lunch of tostadas.

After lunch, we began with the house dedications. The first home was for an older couple and their seven children and grandchildren. The mom has been a Christian for about 5 years or so, but on that day her prayers were answered as the entire rest of her family came to accept Christ as their Savior!

The second home went to the oldest son of this older couple and his young family. The father from the first house waited nearby during the dedication, almost as if he was praying and hoping that his son would make the same commitment to Christ as he had just made minutes before. Shortly after the dedication began, Justin and Dan sent out the word to have us pray against the distractions of the children, but more specifically for this son, and as I began to pray, I heard a rooster crow nearby. Immediately, I thought of the story we studied during devotions the night before, which was about Peter denying Jesus three times. I prayed and prayed that this son would not be like Peter, and as the rooster crowed for the third time, we began gathering as a team to pray for the house as this son, his wife, and his children were all on their knees inside, not denying Christ but recognizing Him as their Heavenly Father.

The third dedication was for an elderly couple and their 12-year-old daughter who are now going to be living in the house that I helped build throughout the week. Although the couple was not around much throughout the week, the 12-year-old daughter was always hanging around with her 11-year-old cousin. This precious girl had touched Dan’s heart in a special way, and as we joined them in saying the Salvation Prayer, we made sure to let her know that God was going to use her in a big way in the village of La Reina, whether that be in witnessing to the other young people or to her parents!

The fourth home was dedicated to a mom and her three children; her husband was away working. The only requirement that we have of families when we build for them is that everyone is present on the day of dedication, but I think that God had a different plan this day which involved the father NOT being present. Often times, a woman does not make decisions on her own or even accept Christ on her own without consulting her husband because of the “macho” attitude of the culture here. Without her husband present, however, this woman and her children were able to find love, comfort, and safety in the arms of their heavenly Father, the only One who can fulfill our every need and the only One who is in control of our lives. As we moved on to the last and final house, we made sure to encourage and support this wife as she will be pushed and challenged to share her faith with her husband once he returns home. We also encouraged her 11-year-old daughter, Joselin, as we felt like both her and her 12-year-old cousin from the prior house could provide the leadership and example that is oh so needed among the young people of La Reina.

From there, we headed to our fifth and final home of the day, which we knew going into that day was going to be our most challenging battle spiritually. As the team gathered with the family, Dan, and Hermano Jesus inside the house, many were in awe of the respect this father had for the Bible that was presented to him. He would shake as he held it, and he never put it down; he even knew exactly where to find the passage that Hermano Jesus was reading from in order to follow along. However, we quickly realized that our prayer for this father and this family was that their knowledge of Christ was not only a head thing, but a heart thing as well. As we prayed for both the mother and father to keep their focus, it was God who ultimately directed their eyes and their focus to Him as they accepted Him as their personal Lord and Savior.

We proceeded to end our time in La Reina with singing and the breaking of the piñata. It was touching to also have one of the local women, who had been our cook for the week, thank us for all that we had done for her people. Many hugs were shared as we left that place, filled with both sadness and joy for all that God had done and will continue to do in that place.

On Thursday, we headed into Antigua for a day of shopping, and then returned for one last night of devotions together. At the beginning of the week, Dan had asked the team to ponder the question, “Why are you here?” and many received answers this special night. This night was like none I had ever experienced here before in Guatemala as many of the team members, especially the young people, approached the cross with tears streaming from their eyes as they laid their “storms” of life at the feet of Jesus. Some even gave their lives over completely to Him for the first time! After devotions were over, it was an amazing sight to see the team come together as many friends, brothers, and sisters remained around the cross, singing, praying, talking and crying with each other until the wee hours of the morning; it was also amazing to see those who were left speechless by the wonders of our Creator. God was so good this past week, and I know He will continue to be good as this team heads back home to America and serves as the hands and feet of Jesus to those they come into contact with!


Please continue to keep this team in your prayers, as well as those they ministered to at both the medical clinics and in La Reina. As I wrap up this post, the next team has arrived and is resting up for their first big day of building. Prayers would also be greatly appreciated for this team as they work with God this week. I look forward to updating you on their experiences as soon as I can.

Love and miss you all!
In the palm of HIS hand,
Erin